Fifty miles northwest of Xingluo City, the capital of the Xingluo Empire, stands a magnificent mansion covering more than three thousand acres—the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
From afar, the palaces and buildings seem to reach the clouds, displaying an extraordinary grandeur; upon closer inspection, however, a different layout is revealed.
The central pavilion of the mansion is magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, extremely luxurious, while many simple courtyards are scattered around it for the servants of the mansion to live in.
However, in an inconspicuous courtyard near the north back gate of the Duke's mansion, there was a nominal "mistress".
As the sun gradually dipped westward, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a desolate golden hue over the small courtyard.
In the courtyard, a small, thin figure, less than a meter tall, was playing alone.
His name is Dai Yuhao, and he is the son of the Duke of Baihu.
But even the servants in the Duke's mansion didn't take him, the "young master," seriously.
Dai Yuhao, who has just turned three, should be at an age where he is carefree.
Although he had never enjoyed any of the privileges of a duke's son, he did not understand what resentment meant, and simply stayed peacefully in his small world.
The yard wasn't big, and there weren't any toys that children liked, but just running around was enough to bring a pure smile to his innocent face.
"Huh?"
He was running when he suddenly stopped.
As the setting sun cast its slanting rays, a faint glimmer of light flickered gently among the sand and soil in the corner of the wall.
He squatted down, brushed away the loose soil with his small hands, and dug out a dusty bronze mirror.
Dai Yuhao carefully wiped the mirror with his sleeve, and dirt fell off, revealing the mottled patterns underneath.
Although the mirror had several fine cracks, it still clearly reflected a small face, sparse soft hair, bright eyes, and a nose tip covered with dirt.
"Mom will definitely love it!"
His eyes lit up, and he stood up, gripping the handle of the mirror, eager to turn around and go back into the house.
But the moment he turned around, he suddenly froze.
The light and shadow at the entrance of the courtyard were interrupted by several figures at some point.
The leader was a boy about the same age as Dai Yuhao, but half a head taller than him, whose brocade clothes made his face look rosy and full.
His name is Dai Huabin, and his mother once said that he was his "older brother".
Dai Yuhao doesn't understand what "brother" means, but he doesn't like this brother.
Because every time this older brother appears, it brings unease and pain.
"What are you holding in your hand?"
Dai Huabin's voice carried his usual arrogance as he pointed his finger straight at Dai Yuhao's tightly clenched hand.
Dai Yuhao trembled, instinctively hiding the bronze mirror in his clothes and turning his back.
"Take it from me!"
Before Dai Huabin could finish speaking, four seven- or eight-year-old boys pounced into the yard like wolves.
They quickly surrounded Dai Yuhao, and several hands roughly reached for the bronze mirror he was desperately protecting.
"Give it back to me..."
Dai Yuhao fought back desperately like a frightened little animal, but was kicked hard in the back of the knee during the shoving and fell to the ground on the sand.
Dust rose up, but he ignored it, hunching over and pressing his thin chest and palms against the mirror.
Punches and kicks rained down, striking the ribs, pounding the shoulders and back, and the soles of shoes scraping against the calves...
Their movements were practiced and their expressions were numb, clearly indicating that this was not the first time they had committed such violence.
Dai Yuhao bit his lip, locking his sobs deep in his throat, his fingernails almost digging into the cracks in his glasses frame.
But he was only three years old.
A rough, hard hand gripped his wrist and twisted it forcefully, the knuckles making a slight cracking sound.
The bronze mirror slipped from the suddenly released palm and was easily snatched away by the other hand.
Dai Huabin strolled over slowly, took the mirror handed to him by the servant, and glanced at it in the twilight.
"I thought it was some kind of treasure."
He curled his lip, an undisguised sarcasm appearing on his childish face: "So it's just a broken mirror."
Before he could finish speaking, he casually threw the bronze mirror to the ground.
Before leaving, Dai Huabin casually raised his foot and kicked Dai Yuhao's curled-up leg with the tip of his delicate boot, as if kicking away a pebble in the way.
Then he led the four boys and casually turned and stepped out of the courtyard gate.
The footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only dust slowly settling in the courtyard, and a small, thin figure lying motionless in the sand.
Only after the footsteps completely disappeared outside the courtyard did Dai Yuhao let out a suppressed cry of pain through his clenched teeth.
He struggled several times before finally managing to sit up from the ground, supporting himself with his elbows.
Sand covered his hair and clothes, and every movement brought a sharp, stinging pain to the areas where he had been kicked.
He sat there for a long time until his breathing gradually calmed down before slowly moving over and picking up the discarded bronze mirror.
The mirror was cold, its cracks covered in dust and his fingerprints.
He gripped the bronze mirror tightly, then limped toward the low-lying hut not far away.
He endured the pain that was all over his body, changed out of his dirty and tattered clothes, and carefully wiped away the blood that had seeped from the corners of his mouth and fingertips with a little water in the basin.
He wasn't born with a love for cleanliness, but he remembered many times when his mother saw him like this, she would turn her back, her shoulders trembling slightly, and let out a suppressed sob.
He didn't want to make his mother cry anymore.
After tidying up, he hid the dusty clothes before climbing onto the hardboard bed.
When I lay flat on my back and didn't move, the pain in my body seemed to lessen a little.
He turned to the side, clutching the cold bronze mirror tightly to his chest, his eyes wide as he stared at the doorway, waiting for his mother to return from work.
The light outside the window gradually dimmed, and dusk crept into the small house like a tide.
The waiting time was stretched out by pain and exhaustion; his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his consciousness gradually blurred.
Finally, unable to resist the drowsiness that comes with childhood, he hugged the bronze mirror and slowly fell asleep.
However, at that moment, he did not see that the cracked bronze mirror in his arms suddenly trembled very slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a cool, clear light appeared, flashing faintly from the deepest crack in the mirror.
The moment the light faded, the bronze mirror seemed to melt into the shadows, disappearing without a trace without warning.
...
Douluo Continent, Sun Moon Federation, Old Star Luo City.
Ten thousand years ago, the Star Luo Empire was no match for the Sun Moon Empire, and in the end, the entire nation crossed the ocean to establish a new home on a distant new continent.
The capital city, which was named Star Luo Continent, still retains the name "Star Luo".
Therefore, the original capital city on the Douluo Continent was henceforth called "Old Star Luo City".
As time went by, this once magnificent capital city, after losing its status as the political heart of the country, inevitably became mundane.
Today, it remains an important city within the Sun and Moon Federation, but its former glory has faded, and it has quietly slipped from the ranks of the top-tier cities on the continent, now relegated to a second-tier status.
On this day, the high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda were conducting their routine inspection. The one who visited the branch pagoda in the old Star Luo City was none other than Leng Yaozhu, the deputy pagoda master of the headquarters.
After completing her inspection, she was preparing to leave, accompanied by a local abbot and two deputy abbots.
However, as soon as she stepped out of the magnificent gate of the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu suddenly stopped.
Just a few steps in front of her, a small figure suddenly appeared on the ground without warning.
With her near-demigod level cultivation, she was completely unable to detect when or how this figure appeared.
The three high-ranking members of the branch tower who were accompanying them also noticed this unusual presence. One of them straightened up and subconsciously wanted to step forward to investigate, but was silently stopped by Leng Yaozhu raising her hand.
Her gaze fell on the figure, a child of about three or four years old, dressed in simple black cloth clothes, curled up on his side on the ground, seemingly asleep.
Leng Yaozhu's eyes narrowed slightly. She stepped forward, slowly squatted down, and gently picked up the child.
Her keen senses swept over it instantly, but there was no trace of soul power fluctuation. It seemed to be just an ordinary child.
However, the faint bluish-purple marks peeking through the cloth, as well as the minor cuts and dried bloodstains on the child's lips and knuckles, made her eyes suddenly darken.
She wondered who could be so cruel to such a young child, and a hint of heartache flashed in her eyes.
The child stirred gently in her arms, as if sensing this unfamiliar warmth, and unconsciously murmured in his sleep, "...Mommy."
The faint call was so soft that it caused Leng Yaozhu's body to stiffen almost imperceptibly.
An extremely complex emotion instantly washed over her. If she had been able to be with Yun Ming back then, perhaps... she would also have such a soft little life, nestled in her arms, calling her "Mom" with such dependence.
She lowered her eyes and gazed at the baby's face, which was covered in wounds but sleeping peacefully in her arms, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.
She looked up and then said to those behind her, "Prepare a room for me."
Upon hearing this, the three high-ranking members of the branch tower behind him quickly exchanged glances, but none of them asked any further questions.
They immediately bowed in agreement, then turned and led the way, surrounding Leng Yaozhu who was holding the child, as they stepped back into the gate of the Spirit Pagoda.
What made Leng Yaozhu suddenly change her plans was not entirely the tenderness stirred by that unconscious "Mom".
A child with no soul power fluctuations and covered in wounds was able to so strangely break through her perception and appear out of thin air in front of the Spirit Pagoda... This was no coincidence, nor was it ordinary.
The very existence of this child is a mystery that cannot be ignored.
She had to find out who this child was, why he had appeared before her in this way, and whether there was some ulterior motive or scheme behind it.