The sun shone brightly and rose high, erasing despair from some beings, while declaring despair upon others.
Yet, the sun did not care. Its duty was to oversee creatures, not to console them.
The grasses and plants in a village plain cheered for the great sun as strong winds blew.
Beside the field of plants, there was a tattered room, still standing strong until now.
Inside the room, Zhang Yu quietly awoke and touched his head.
"My head hurts…"
He rolled his eyes around his surroundings, but saw nothing familiar. "Where am I?"
Confusion showed clearly on his face—just then, a familiar figure entered the room.
With stiff features, Zhang Yu was startled and clenched his fist. He shouted angrily: "You! You're the one who stabbed me!"
"It can't be anyone else—you're the only one I saw using a spear!"
Zhang Yu tried to get up and throw a few punches at the young man, but his body only surged forward slightly before collapsing to the floor.
"Ahh!"
His muscles trembled; he couldn't think properly. A wave of pain surged from his chest until he coughed blood onto the ground.
He glared at the young man, but the latter simply stood there calmly.
"I may have attacked you, but I had my reasons. When my sister screamed at me and insulted me for the first time, I dragged you back and saved your life."
Zhang Yu paled, and his fist loosened. Not because he understood the young man's position, but because he finally remembered his original goal in searching the forest.
He had been looking for this youth in the first place, and after finding him, he nearly made him a mortal enemy.
But then came the shock, when he finally understood the youth's words. "Huh? Xiao Er… is your sister?"
He had thought of this little girl as his own sister, or perhaps just an illusion created by his mind so he wouldn't be lost in a dark path. But what was certain was that he had never seen the little girl as just another passerby.
Since learning she was truly his sister, all his imaginings dissipated. "Protection? Care? Affection? Am I even worthy of being like her brother in such things…? Especially strength—he almost killed me in an instant…"
He lowered his eyes to the ground and let his body relax. He no longer cared about physical pain when his very soul was hurting. At that moment, the youth approached and tried to lift him back onto the bed.
"Yes, she is my sister. Now you should understand why I attacked you, right? Put yourself in my place—if you saw your sister with a stranger, what would be the first thing you did?"
When Zhang Yu raised his eyes, they met the young man's.
In that instant, Zhang Yu's body trembled. A terrifying chill swept over him when he looked into the young man's eyes—they were not the same eyes he had seen in the forest before. Back then, his eyes were cold but shining with desire.
But now? They were like a deep abyss, without the faintest sign of an end. As though they were eyes created not to reflect light, but to devour it.
Then, Zhang Yu blinked. This time, the youth's eyes were the same ones he had seen back in the forest.
"Don't worry, I'm really here to help you. I mean no harm—on the contrary, I'm grateful you helped my sister. Because you brought so many fruits, we had the chance to taste a delicious cake. Pity there wasn't any left for you, hahahaha!"
Zhang Yu's body relaxed. All traces of the momentary terror he felt earlier vanished. His view of the young man began to change—he truly was similar to the little girl, Xiao Er.
Yet Zhang Yu, after all he had been through, had grown cautious of others. Especially of people like this, who shifted so quickly. "Stay away from me. I'm not close enough to you for such jokes."
The youth stepped back a little, his expression firm for a moment. He read Zhang Yu, and decided there was no point in forcing a bond.
He moved slightly, then smiled and let out a laugh: "Hahaha, yes, you're right. I owe you nothing but gratitude. I saved your life twice after crushing you both times, haha!"
He wiped his eyes from laughing, then spoke in a mocking tone, "So, my friend, without pretending, and without your bad act, tell me—what is it you want?"
Zhang Yu went blank, feeling as if he were a sheet of paper written upon. "Is my acting really that bad…?" His expression sank with disappointment before hope returned.
"That's right! Since he's asking directly, no need to be polite!"
Zhang Yu adjusted himself, set his hand as support, and straightened his torso.
He looked at the youth, then closed his eyes in thought. When his decision was made, he opened them again, his face now serious.
"Then I'll be rude. I ask you to teach me how to become stronger!" he said with firm tone.
The youth took a moment to process, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Hahahaha! Become stronger, you said, hahahaha!"
"That's hilarious, hahah! Man, if you want to grow stronger, go to a sect. Why say this to me? Hahaha!"
Asking this youth to teach him strength was like asking a soldier who had spent his life on the battlefield to teach reading and writing.
The youth looked at Zhang Yu, who was visibly tense and embarrassed.
"A sect? Then… did I make a mistake?" Zhang Yu thought.
But the single word "sect" carried a heavy weight upon his heart—it felt strange.
"But… what is a sect?" Zhang Yu's voice echoed three times in the room. When he spoke it, he felt odd.
It was as though he was stepping beyond his limits, saying something outside the bounds of the villagers' world of farmers he came from.
The youth was stunned for a moment, whether from Zhang Yu's state or from his ignorance.
"You… don't know?" His voice was weak, full of doubt, his eyes wide, jaw dropped as the words left him.
But his reaction was understandable. Who doesn't know what sects are? Had he stumbled across an ignorant brat by accident?
"No… I'm just a villager. All I know is the name of our province and the empire…" Unlike him, Zhang Yu's tone was direct. At this stage, he was eager for knowledge.
"…"
The youth sighed and rubbed his head. His annoyance was clear, as if grumbling where this ignorant rat had come from.
Now, he had to explain everything to him—a bothersome, tiring task.
But he had no choice. If repaying his debt was this easy, why not?
The youth fetched a nearby chair, sat down, and gave Zhang Yu a deep look. Then he began explaining.
"Since you're just a clueless villager, I'll start educating you from the very beginning." He sneered, but Zhang Yu didn't mind—in fact, he listened as if one of his ancestors were speaking.
The youth sighed as he looked at him, then continued, "To start, our world is made up of five vast continents. Each continent is like a world of its own—simply, their size is immense."
"Our continent lies in the south of the world, called the Cloud Continent. As for its terrain, the east is the most diverse, full of forests, mountains, and plains. The west is mostly desert."
He clasped his hands together, then spread them out, pointing forward. "The north is filled with lakes and rivers, scattered ravines, and mountain ranges."
He shifted direction, now pointing backward. "The south is a barren region, filled with beasts and sparsely inhabited. The center is the most populated, as it contains all terrains together."
"All this… I feel ashamed… I've never seen or heard any of it!"
"Thinking about it, I've never even left the village before…"
Zhang Yu imagined the vastness of the world, his mind already traveling across the continent. But he quickly returned to himself when the youth deliberately coughed.
He wanted to apologize, but the youth continued quickly. "We are on the outskirts of the eastern region, within the borders of the Long Wu Empire."
"Our neighboring empires are Ji to the north and west, and Xuan Yu to the south."
"To the east, our borders end at the Sealed Sea—it isn't literally a sea, but a massive water basin in the earth."
When he looked back at Zhang Yu, he found him about to doze off. The general information was dull, no doubt—he hadn't come here for a lecture.
Zhang Yu was on the verge of a headache; his simple mind couldn't grasp such vastness.
The youth sighed. "What am I even doing! This kid is so annoying!"
He ground his teeth, truly wanting to punch that stupid face. "Are you listening?!"
Zhang Yu's mind snapped awake, a shiver coursing through his body. "Yes, yes, sir! I'm listening for sure!" he shouted quickly.
"Ahh, just listen. I'll start talking about what you actually want to know."
Zhang Yu's expression shifted, becoming serious. He looked at the youth eagerly, ready to die for answers.
The youth recognized Zhang Yu's urgency. With no choice, he sighed and spoke.
"The heavens are fair. Alongside the many dangers ordinary people cannot overcome, they gave us a chance."
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up—he had been deeply interested in such matters since his father's death. "A chance?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, a chance." The youth raised three fingers. "There are three legends about it."
He lowered two, leaving one finger up. "The first says that five hundred thousand years ago, a great demon swept the world, spreading chaos, murder, and evil teachings. To give humans hope of resistance, the Dao opened to them."
"Some humans—or as the legend calls them, the First Ancestors—were the first to comprehend the gift of the heavens."
The youth clapped. "As a reward for their extraordinary achievement, the heavens granted them the Weapons of Creation. Four weapons, matching the four ancestors: the sword, the spear, the axe, and the bow."
He waved his hand, as though cutting down a beast. "And in a crushing battle, the demon was slain, its blood offered as a sacrifice to appease the heavens. The four ancestors came from four different continents."
Zhang Yu listened intently, absorbing every word. He felt awe, greatness, fear, and desire. But the ending made him pause to ask: "Four continents? Then what about the fifth continent?"
"Good observation! Yes, our world has five continents, so why only four ancestors and weapons? That's why many doubt this legend. Some say the fifth continent appeared later, others that one continent split into two. Many have their own theories about it."
Zhang Yu listened, seeming to understand—or at least pretending so he wouldn't look too shocked, though in his mind he was overwhelmed.
"I also think this legend is weak. What about you? Oh, right, what's your name…?" Zhang Yu asked.
The youth glanced at him with slight disdain, as if Zhang Yu didn't deserve to know his name. "I think so too. My name is Yi Shu."
Zhang Yu lowered his gaze, feeling the disdain but not understanding it. "Oh, I'm Zhang Yu. Then… what about the second legend?"
Yi Shu didn't bother looking at him, simply gazed afar and said, "The second legend is more interesting. It says that in ancient times, there was a man who spent his life studying the heavens."
The youth gestured with his hands as he narrated. "Since childhood, he gazed at the sky, fascinated by the clouds. When he grew up, he secluded himself atop a mountain, studying the heavens daily without weariness or boredom. He merged with it so deeply that he reached a hundred years old while still maintaining the appearance of youth!
The youth's voice grew louder. "It is said that when he reached a thousand years, he realized he had surpassed the natural lifespan of man. But the heavens did not want to lose him, so they blessed him with the Dao, allowing him to comprehend its essence. His old body shattered and was renewed!"
"Isn't that amazing? Truly glorious!" The youth leaned back, posing with grandeur. "From that day, the heavens gave him a mission: to spread its teachings across the earth. He journeyed for ten thousand years, establishing its foundation in the world. And when asked his name, he pointed upward and said: 'Cloud!'"
Yi Shu felt proud as he spoke, even standing straight at the end and pointing skyward.
Zhang Yu was puzzled by his gestures, but ignored them, for the story itself consumed him—especially the study of the heavens. His mind swam in imagination; he felt a new world unfolding before him, a door he had never seen.
Yi Shu didn't notice Zhang Yu drifting off, and simply continued, "And this man came from our continent. He is our greatest model, and because of him, our land was named the Cloud Continent!"
"Do you now realize the greatness of the Cloud Ancestor?! He was not foolish, nor dependent on crisis—he was simply made the heavens' equal!"
With his proud voice, Zhang Yu became swept up, shouting with pride: "Yes! The Cloud Ancestor is our foremost glory!"
The room was closed, with no air passing through. Yet even so, Zhang Yu's hair trembled slightly.
He gripped the blanket, becoming extremely excited. "Then, then, what about the third legend?!" he asked eagerly.
Yi Shu straightened his body, bent his waist, and placed two fingers on his forehead. His posture was so strange that Zhang Yu lost some of his enthusiasm. "Is this really necessary for the third legend?" he wondered.
Yi Shu said mysteriously, "Pay close attention—the third legend is the strangest and most mysterious of them all."
Zhang Yu swallowed and clenched his teeth.
Seeing Zhang Yu's excitement, Yi Shu continued: "The third legend says that during the creation of our world, a strange aura entered the process of its formation. This aura caused the nascent world to tremble and shake, then rapidly take shape and give birth to creatures upon it. From that moment, some beings were able to sense this strange aura as well. Later, they inherited its power. Their bodies became harder than metal, their souls firmer than mountains. Not only did it empower them, it also opened the gate of awareness!"
A gasp filled the moment—Zhang Yu was astonished. "This legend… this is the one I believe!"
But contrary to his expectation, he was met with a furious shout: "Shut up! The Cloud Ancestor is the true one! Do you really believe some aura could change an entire world's formation and hasten its creation?! Have you ever seen a world's creation yourself?!"
Zhang Yu was about to respond, but a familiar voice forced him to stop.
"Brother! Has uncle woken up? Has he woken up?!"
The voice of spring, penetrating deeply into Zhang Yu's heart. "Xiao Er!" Yi Shu called.
Zhang Yu wanted to be the one to call her name—but that right had already been taken. Now, he was nothing more than a stranger, an intruder.
He raised his hand toward her, welcoming her with a joyful face, but it slowly faded. He lowered his hand, his expression returning to its normal state.
He watched the brother carrying his sister and playing with her, without answering her question about him. Whether deliberately or just forgetting, Zhang Yu felt lonely.
"Maybe I should just leave," he thought.
While the little girl laughed in her brother's arms, her gaze fell on Zhang Yu—she saw he was awake.
"Ah! Uncle Zhang is awake!"
She kicked her brother with her tiny feet, struggling until he set her down. Then she ran toward Zhang Yu.
"Uncle Zhang!" she leapt at him.
"Xiao Er! You mustn't be so rude! Zhang Yu is still recovering!" Yi Shu scolded, catching her at the last moment by her neck, like a mischievous kitten.
She flailed her limbs in the air, shouting, "Nooo! Put me down, put me down, I want to hug uncle!"
Zhang Yu watched, his heart pounding hard. He felt an overwhelming desire to embrace her, but forced himself to stop, restraining his urge.
His eyes darkened. "I mustn't act this way. She isn't my sister, and I'm in a stranger's home. I'll leave as soon as I recover. Here, I'm nothing but a burden, an extra weight."
He gave one last glance at Xiao Er, then blinked and looked at Yi Shu. His gaze was empty, devoid of emotion.
Coldly, he said, "Yi Shu, I need some rest to recover. I would be grateful if you come tomorrow to finish telling me what I asked—I need to know everything about it."
Yi Shu rolled his eyes without looking at Zhang Yu, replying with a cold nod.
Xiao Er noticed, sensing something between them. She asked innocently, "Brother, uncle Zhang, did something happen between you?"
Zhang Yu was about to speak, but Yi Shu cut him off, answering warmly, "No, nothing. I'm just a little shy to face Zhang Yu, hahaha. After all, I'm the one who caused him—such great harm—"
Xiao Er fell silent. She was a clever child, not pressing further. She left with Yi Shu, glancing back at Zhang Yu, feeling sadness but saying nothing.
Tap!
The door closed, leaving Zhang Yu alone once more.
He shut his eyes and released a long, heavy sigh.