Chapter 189 : The past of Camus and Li Yu, stand behind me!
The cold wind of Siberia, carrying shards of ice, scraped against the outer wall of the ice house like tiny ice blades, letting out a mournful howl.
This year's Siberian winter was harsher than any winter before.
Camus's ice house was built from thick blocks of ice, with dry moss stuffed into the gaps, barely keeping out the extreme cold from outside.
Inside, a bonfire crackled in the stone hearth, its orange glow reflecting on Camus's young face. He huddled close to his father, warming his hands by the flames, his fingertips red from the cold.
Beside the hearth, another boy of similar age was also huddled.
It was the child his father had rescued from the ice plain three days ago.
The boy had black hair and black eyes, an Easterner. He was burning hot, and fine beads of sweat on his forehead slid down his pale cheeks, soaking the animal hide he lay on.
His eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed into a deep 'river' shape, his lips cracked. He occasionally let out suppressed groans, each breath accompanied by a rapid gasp, clearly enduring the agony of a high fever.
Camus curiously reached out and touched the boy's forehead.
The moment his fingertip made contact, a scorching heat like a branding iron radiated. He recoiled in fright, the burning sensation on his fingertip lingering.
For some reason, seeing the boy's suffering made his heart feel empty, as if a crucial part was missing, and an inexplicable irritation welled up within him.
He squatted beside him, staring at the boy's feverish red face, silently thinking that he probably wouldn't survive the night.
But the next morning, when the first faint rays of dawn shone through the cracks in the ice house, Camus was surprised to find that the boy was sitting up.
His fever had broken. Although his face was still a bit pale, his eyes had cleared, and he was looking down, assessing his unfamiliar surroundings.
Soon, the two children became inseparable companions. The boy quickly adopted Camus's father as his godfather, fully integrating into this small family on the ice plain.
Camus would always remember that night.
The bonfire was burning brightly, and his father smiled, patting the boy's shoulder with a kind tone.
"Son, from now on you are a part of this family. Shall I give you a name?"
The boy, however, shook his head, a calmness beyond his years in his eyes.
"No need, I have a name. My name is Li Yu. I don't belong to this World, and sooner or later, I will find my way home!"
His father smiled and didn't press, instead handing the boy a cup of strong liquor.
"Good, then I wish your wish comes true!"
The boy frowned as he drank the strong liquor. He coughed violently, wiped his mouth, and turned to Camus's father.
"Godfather, I always forgot to ask, what is my younger brother's name?"
"Oh, his name is Camus. If you didn't have a name, I was going to call you Karl..."
His father added firewood, answering casually.
The moment the name Camus was spoken, Camus clearly saw Li Yu's expression suddenly change.
First, his pupils contracted sharply, then his face filled with an incredulous surprise, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
Immediately after, that surprise quickly faded, replaced by a profound indifference, finally settling into a faint calmness, as if the emotional fluctuation just now was merely an illusion.
At that moment, a chill inexplicably rose in Camus's heart, yet he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.
The peaceful days didn't last long before disaster suddenly struck. His father, trying to improve the children's diet, went to hunt a newly born polar bear cub but accidentally enraged the mother bear.
When his father crawled back to the ice house, covered in blood, the wound on his chest was bone-deep, and blood stained the thick animal hide.
He struggled to grasp Li Yu's hand, his breath weak, and pleaded.
"Son, I saved you. As repayment, you must take good care of Camus, treat him like your own younger brother..."
The emotions of Siberians have always been simple and pure: repay kindness with kindness, and vengeance with vengeance.
After his father took his last breath, Li Yu, alone with a hunting rifle, ventured into the polar bear's territory.
Three days later, he returned, dragging the mother bear's corpse, having acquired many new injuries himself.
But from then on, Li Yu began to deliberately distance himself from Camus, no longer hunting with him. The occasional glances he cast at Camus always carried a complex emotion that Camus, at his age, couldn't understand.
Until the man in the White robe appeared. He seemed to walk out of light, his robe spotless, exuding a gentle yet authoritative aura.
He looked at Camus, his eyes full of admiration. He slowly extended his hand, his voice as soft as a spring breeze.
"O Saint destined by the Goddess, come with me, your legend is about to begin!"
Just as Camus, in his confusion, was about to agree, Li Yu suddenly rushed out.
Without a word, he delivered a fierce kick to the White-robed man's face.
Then, something even more shocking happened to Camus: Li Yu actually started punching and kicking him, his movements vicious, as if trying desperately to conceal something.
"Camus, don't blame me!"
Li Yu gritted his teeth, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, veins bulging on his forehead.
"This is the only way for you to survive!"
Camus stood stunned, watching Li Yu's brutal actions.
Amidst the intense pain, he vaguely saw Li Yu clenching his teeth, tears blurring his eyes.
Still a boy, he couldn't help but shed tears. Damn it, why are you crying? I'm the one getting beaten!
Li Yu's assault was stopped by the man.
A powerful telekinetic force suspended Li Yu in mid-air. Even so, Li Yu still struggled, attacking the man.
The White-robed man exclaimed in surprise.
"What astonishing talent! Could it be that you are the one destined?"
"Let him go, he's a coward! I can sense a purple-haired woman calling to me!"
Li Yu's words astonished the White-robed man even more.
But in the end, both of them were taken away by the White-robed man. The three embarked on the journey to the Sanctuary, the legendary holy land of the Saints.
On the day of the trial for the inheritance of the aquarius gold cloth, the Aquarius Cloth box radiated brilliant light, and the ancient aquarius gold cloth floated in mid-air, exuding a sacred aura.
When Camus and Li Yu both reached out, the Cloth resonated with both of them simultaneously, its light surging.
The White-robed man observing nearby widened his eyes in astonishment, his mouth slightly agape, clearly having never encountered such a situation.
In the following days, Li Yu repeatedly defeated Camus in battle after battle, ultimately securing the identity of the Aquarius Gold Saint.
As the golden Cloth fragments slowly covered Li Yu's body, the moment he donned the Gold Cloth, Li Yu's voice suddenly echoed in Camus's mind, clear and low.
"Camus, my younger brother, don't blame me for being cruel. I'm doing this to... repay my adoptive father's life-saving kindness..."
Li Yu's voice paused, as if suppressing some surging emotion, and only resumed after a long while.
"One day, I will save your life... Then... you must believe me. Remember... you must believe me."
Then, an endless chill formed in his mind, completely sealing this memory.
Only just now, with a crisp 'crack,' was the seal completely broken.
"Brother... Brother!"
Camus trembled, an epiphany striking him. He widened his eyes in surprise, looking at Li Yu with disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.
Why, all these years, why have you treated me like this!
Camus recalled fighting Hyoga to a draw in the Aquarius Palace, someone feeding him a potion, and during the Sea Emperor War, he, unconscious, being firmly protected by an Ice Coffin... Li Yu nodded slightly. If it weren't for his adoptive father and Camus's past relationship, Camus, as Aquarius's accompanying Gemini, would not have survived until now; he would have been a corpse long ago.
He reached out and gently patted Camus's shoulder, his tone calm.
"Camus, stand behind me. With me here, no one can make you die in vain!"
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100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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