Douluo Continent: The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!

Chapter 14 Arriving with a Child, a Down-on-His-Luck Middle-Aged Man Yearns for Family Reunion

"You've been quietly working in the academy, not seeking fame or recognition, just to research these things?"

Chen Xin frowned, lowered his head, and refused to look at the dazzling, cold sun, which now seemed devoid of warmth.

He knew that the other person loved learning and that he had an almost obsessive thirst for knowledge about everything.

But after hearing his words, he suddenly felt that his father and grandfather's actions of challenging the peak of a higher realm were much easier than this idea.

"Listen to me, child. My strength is only enough to protect you against Title Douluos. The levels 'above' are beyond our reach right now."

Chen Xin placed her hands on Zhang Xun's shoulders, looked him in the eye, and earnestly tried to persuade him.

He didn't even bother to refer to himself as an old man anymore. Zhang Xun's idea was too dangerous. As a protector, he could disregard his own safety, but he couldn't disregard the safety of this young man.

"Don't worry, I just want to take some time to verify this. If the Empire has the data, then comparing it and finding discrepancies, or if I'm wrong, might make me give up on the idea."

He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhang Xun's words.

There are too many legends left by the gods in Douluo Continent, and many of them have believers or even forces on the ground.

Without exception, none of them are people that the Taiping Dao (the Way of Peace) can afford to offend right now.

"What if there's no information about those?"

Chen Xin suddenly realized something was wrong; there was a hidden meaning in his words.

"Doesn't that prove that the previous civilization was definitely behind it? They've emasculated the world's spirit of 'progress,' so we have to find a time to deal with them."

The word "He" is used to refer to "God," but if an omnipotent God also has fear, selfish desires, and disgusting thoughts, then they are not God, but merely more powerful beings.

Since they are just a bit stronger, then we can kill them.

This is not about seeking revenge for anyone, nor is it about seeking retribution. It is simply that as members of the Way of Peace, as members of the Yellow Turbans who have already been stained red, we do not want to see anyone acting arrogantly and recklessly.

By reshaping the universe, wouldn't that accomplish the goal of "establishing an era of lasting peace"?

Chen Xin felt ashamed upon hearing this. "What level are you at? You're already thinking about killing a god in the future."

He pondered how much power he needed to grow to be sufficient.

Surpassing one's father and grandfather? Or even the two they challenged? Perhaps that's far from enough!

It seems I need to work even harder to improve.

"Damn it! It's my bad luck to be associated with your Taiping Dao, but since I've already joined, there's no reason to back out. I'll go with you. Besides, I'd like to test my own abilities!"

He didn't refuse; everyone should have ideals in life. Setting a goal higher than his father and grandfather was fine; as a swordsman, dying for one's ideals was also a kind of dashing endeavor.

Thinking about it, he kept tapping the window frame up and down with his fingers. However, having a child had to be put on the agenda. The Seven Kill Sword could not be allowed to lose its lineage.

"When are you leaving?"

Chen Xin was already itching to get started. He remembered that Qibao City, where Old Bone lived, wasn't too far from Tiandou City. He figured he could ask the Qibao Glazed Tile School to help him find someone with a high soul power level when he went there.

"There's no rush now. The end of the year is approaching, and the college will soon be on winter break. Take a break during this time; you can't always be so tense."

"Is it Chinese New Year again? Are you spending it in the village?"

Upon hearing the word "New Year's Eve," Chen Xin, who had already experienced four New Years with Zhang Xun, inquired about it.

"No, some things are enough for you and me to know. Now is not the time for everyone to go through this together."

……

January 22, 2631 of the Douluo Calendar, the 29th day of the 12th lunar month of the Gengxu year, Lunar New Year's Eve.

Suitable for: offering sacrifices, bathing, and meeting relatives and friends.

• Avoid: Opening a business, setting up a bed •

Under the dim moonlight, a figure swayed from side to side as he walked through the bamboo forest, carrying a swaddled baby and a box of lead stones.

His steps were erratic, and although his resolute face exuded an imposing aura, his cheeks were flushed with the rosy hue of alcohol. His dark brown skin was covered with bruises and welts, and the hooded trench coat he wore was only half-worn, swaying in the cold wind like a tattered rag.

After walking for a long time, he tripped over a clump of short bamboo, and the swaddled baby flew out of his hands, but he protected the lead box first.

Just as the swaddled baby was about to hit the ground, he suddenly rushed over, scooped the baby up, glanced down at the sleeping child inside, chuckled, and continued slowly forward.

A moment later, his vision suddenly cleared, and the fog had not yet enveloped the open space in front of him.

In the middle of the courtyard, red lanterns hung and long, inexplicably festive banners were pasted up. He took a few steps forward and looked up at the plaque in front of the door.

"Too...too what?"

He spoke incoherently, squinted and looked around, then closed his eyes, collapsed to the ground, and began to snore.

The noise startled the child awake. The pain of being suffocated aroused the infant's will to survive, and he desperately let out a tender cry.

The doors to the rooms in the courtyard opened as the sound rang out.

Zhang Xun looked at the figure outside the low wall but didn't make a move immediately, because the drunkard exuded a strong aura of malevolence and bloodlust.

This person has many lives on their hands. To have accumulated to this extent, their strength should not be underestimated. If they make any rash moves, their subconscious action might be to launch a killing blow.

"This guy is unusual; it's best to leave him alone," Chen Xin whispered a reminder.

As a titled Douluo, his mental strength was naturally extraordinary. Even though the person in front of him was in an extremely weak and chaotic mental state, he was still far superior to a Soul Douluo.

Zhang Xun hadn't intended to pay any attention to it, but the child's crying was bothersome. He disliked the sound, which subconsciously reminded him of an act he had witnessed in his past life: "exchanging children to eat."

"Grandpa Chen, wake him up."

As he spoke, he turned around, made a quick calculation with his fingers, and the talisman at his waist instantly cracked open.

"It's another major karmic event, related to the upheaval at the Eastern Spirit Hall that I predicted eight days ago..."

Just as I was about to cast a divination for that child, a feeling of unease welled up in my heart before I even started to calculate.

This subconscious sense of crisis made Zhang Xun realize that this child had a serious problem.

He turned around and saw that Chen Xin was already standing not far away from the other party, unleashing his soul power.

The man stood up instantly as if on cue, and the alcohol fumes that had been clouding his senses instantly dissipated, sharpening his hazy eyes.

But when he realized that the white-haired man in front of him didn't seem to have any ill intentions, nor did he intend to summon his martial spirit to attack, his eyes instantly became dejected again, and his whole aura was so weak that he was like a hopeless lump of mud.

He sighed, first picking up the lead box and carefully patting off the dust before lifting the swaddling clothes.

"Do you have any wine?" he asked weakly, shifting his position as he held the child in one hand and the lead box between his other.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Xun threw the wine bottle on the cabinet at him.

The middle-aged man tilted his head and bit the bottle opening with his mouth. With a shake, the cork fell to the ground. He tilted his head back and drank it all in a few breaths.

He spat out the bottle and casually said, "Thanks."

He then tossed two silver soul coins from his belt onto the ground and prepared to leave.

"Since you have a child with you, there's a village to the west. Go there, but don't do anything out of line. Once you've rested enough, leave."

After speaking coldly, Chen Xin turned and went back into the house.

The middle-aged man paused, glanced back at the small courtyard, and said, "I'm giving you this much face, Sword Douluo."

Then they continued westward.

Zhuhe Village is located in a bamboo forest bordering the border area. People who walk around here and have this kind of appearance either intend to hide their whereabouts and travel between the north and south, or they are trying to escape and smuggle themselves across the border.

It was dinnertime. The middle-aged man looked at the brightly lit village. It was completely different from the style of his previous courtyard, but it had a more lively atmosphere. The villagers were all ordinary people with little power.

After looking around, he found that the only inn was closed. His lips twitched, and he was a little angry.

Just as I was about to continue west to the province of Fasno, I heard the clanging and banging of blacksmithing. However, just by listening, it sounded chaotic and disorganized, clearly indicating that the skill level was not very high.

He hadn't walked two steps west when he turned around and headed in the direction from which the sound came.

Looking at the iron ingots in the furnace, and then at the window of the house in the blacksmith's shop, a half-grown child was eating porridge inside.

He touched his belt; the money inside had just been used to buy alcohol for that guy.

After a moment of silence, he abandoned his idea of ​​stealing the food and gave the guy some face.

So he walked to the door and said, "Blacksmith, I'll finish your work for today, how about you give me something to eat?"

The blacksmith looked back and, seeing his appearance, mistook him for a beggar. However, seeing the child, he felt sorry for him and didn't chase him away.

"No, please come inside and have something to eat. We have some milk; you can feed the baby some."

He gestured with his chin toward the door and continued forging iron with his head down.

The middle-aged man's lips twitched, then he fell silent, his whole body trembling slightly as if he was enduring something. He then sighed and went inside.

Inside, a kind-faced old woman looked at her, seemingly eager to hold the baby. She had obviously overheard the conversation in the courtyard, so she handed the swaddled baby to her.

Seeing that she smiled and teased the child, noticing that the child's eyes were fixed on the bowl, she then began to feed the child little by little.

Besides the old woman, the child and a younger woman also came over to watch the baby eat, and they laughed out loud from time to time, clearly they all liked the baby.

"What's this child's name?"

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, as if these words had reminded him of something, and tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes.

"...Three, his name is Xiao San." Looking at this harmonious scene that seemed like a family, he clenched his fist, turned around, and left the room.

Seeing that the blacksmith was still hammering the red-hot iron ingot into shape, he carefully put down the lead box, then snatched the hammer and slammed it down hard.

Hey~

A bright sound rang out, followed by a series of relentless pounding as if venting frustration, completing countless folds and forgings in the blink of an eye.

He stopped moving after a long while.

"Consider this payment; it should be enough for a hundred-fold refined iron."

As he spoke, he exhaled and casually tossed the forging hammer onto the table.

The maximum number of times it can be forged is not its limit, but rather that this piece of iron can only be forged a maximum of a hundred times; any more than that would affect its quality.

The blacksmith was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

The middle-aged man sat beside the lead box, his legs crossed against the wall. Looking up, he could see the happy scene of the few people inside the window.

But he kept his head down, as if none of this concerned him, even though the child surrounded in the center was actually his son.

He tugged at his somewhat tattered hood, covering the upper half of his face, not wanting anyone to see his expression.

Then he said softly, "Do you have any wine? Blacksmith?"

The blacksmith, who was still looking at the finely forged iron, suddenly came to his senses, nodded hurriedly, and then went into the house and came out carrying two wine jugs.

The blacksmith intended to use the lead box as a stool, but the middle-aged man pushed it away.

He gritted his teeth, but didn't make a move; he just patted the side beside him.

"Over here!"

The blacksmith wiped the cold sweat from his forehead in frustration. He didn't know why, but he had felt a sense of suffocation.

He watched as the other person gently stroked the lead box and asked, "Is this very important to you?"

"Yes, my wife's only remaining belongings are inside."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, it's my fault."

"Heh." The middle-aged man rolled his eyes. If he hadn't promised Sword Douluo to give him face, he would have killed him with a single blow!

"Why are you dressed like that? With your amazing blacksmithing skills, you could easily make a living doing any odd job."

"It's convenient to wear this when your family is in trouble."

"Sorry." Realizing he had touched on the other person's sensitive area, the blacksmith quickly lowered his head, and then quickly changed the subject.

"Your child is very cute, my family all like him very much."

"My wife and I were hunted down by enemies after our child was born..."

"..."

Both of them fell silent, which was quite awkward.

The blacksmith was so anxious that he scratched his head, when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him and he began to introduce himself.

"My name is Zhang Fa. My mother hoped I would become rich, so she gave me this name. What about you?"

The middle-aged man stared at the other person with dead fish eyes and calmly said, "Do you want to die? Since you know I'm fleeing, why ask?"

Zhang Fa fell silent again; repeatedly hitting landmines can be quite frustrating.

"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. The words are all in the wine."

He was too lazy to say anything more, so he picked up the wine jug and took a swig.

As the middle-aged man drank and looked out the window at the happy family, he felt increasingly agitated.

They both used hammers. His family was reunited and happy, while his family was destroyed and he was forced to flee everywhere.

As his inner turmoil grew, a crimson killing intent gradually filled his eyes.

However, the sound of a baby laughing from inside the window quickly silenced everything.

He took another big gulp, the bitter wine stinging his throat and causing him heartache. His blood flowed faster under the stimulation of the alcohol, and his wounds began to tingle and itch, as if reminding him to forget the pain and seek revenge!

But he was too weak.

Time passed second by second, and as he held onto the lead box with one hand, his vision became increasingly blurry. Then, his head tilted to the side and he fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, the blacksmith leaned against the wall to get up, not daring to disturb him.

A moment later, a child ran out carrying a blanket, intending to cover the other person with it, but the other person suddenly opened their eyes and threw a punch.

Upon realizing it was just a child, he instantly changed his actions and gently patted the child's head.

Thank you.

After saying that, he tightened the quilt around himself and then covered the lead box next to him, as if he were covering his wife with a quilt.

In the blink of an eye, the night had passed.

The morning light fell on his face, and the middle-aged man, who had spent the night casually outside, opened his eyes.

He first made sure the lead box was safe, then picked it up and stood up.

Gently push open the door, and the person inside is still fast asleep, while the tiny swaddled baby lies in the center, as if the child were truly a member of the family.

"Stay a few more days?"

The thought suddenly popped into his head, and then he shook his head, wondering why he would have such a thought.

Although this is the border of the Barak Kingdom, it is still too close to the Spirit Hall. We must continue west to the more distant Fasno Province and find a village there to live in seclusion for safety.

But... why should I, the youngest Title Douluo in history, run away like a stray dog ​​and rot and stink in some unknown village?

He clutched his chest, where a dull ache still lingered.