Chapter Four: Scheming

After a short while, the sounds gradually faded away. The tension that had gripped her heart for so long finally released, and Li Ying, heavy with exhaustion, fell asleep atop Li Mu.

Li Mu held Li Ying in his arms and looked over at the young boy beside them. "Xiao Si?"

Li Si nodded, his pale face lacking any flush, yet showing little fear. Despite the ordeal, the boy in his early teens managed to remain composed, which was remarkable.

"Come, tell me what happened." Li Mu climbed out of the cave, pulling Li Si up with him.

Outside the village, Li Mu found a soft patch of earth and carefully laid Li Ying down before sitting together with Li Si.

"It was mountain bandits."

At the mention of this name, Li Si's eyes burned with red firelight; his fists clenched tightly. "They slaughtered everyone in the village and drank their blood. Xiao Ying and I hid in a cellar, so they didn't find us."

These mountain bandits were notorious, rumored to harbor rogue cultivators—those who practiced demonic arts using human blood.

"Madam Zhao is dead, burnt alive," Li Si's voice caught with grief, "they drank her..."

Madam Zhao, though married from outside the village, was kind and gentle, treating every child well. Li Mu had often been cared for by her as a child; when he had nothing to eat, it was always she who provided food. Even when he was absent, it was Madam Zhao who cared for Li Ying.

For Li Si, Madam Zhao had practically raised him since he was little; their bond ran deep.

He had never imagined her death would be so tragic.

Hearing such dreadful news, Li Mu's expression grew dark and grim. "I will not let them go unpunished."

Li Si nodded fiercely. "Nor will I. I must avenge Madam Zhao." With that, his body finally gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Li Mu looked at his weakened face, patting his arm. "Rest now. We'll talk tomorrow."

Watching the two drift into sleep, Li Mu's own thoughts could not be stilled.

Ever since arriving here, trouble had followed trouble. These poor villagers, whether in the eyes of immortals or bandits, were nothing but playthings to be dealt with at whim.

Thus, only by becoming a cultivator could one avenge grievances and change their fate.

But how could one become a cultivator?

At present, he knew little about cultivators, relying only on the mystical spirit tower within his body.

Li Mu sat calmly, and his mind entered the spirit tower.

Ah.

---

As soon as he entered, Li Mu sensed something amiss. Originally, the tower's value was several dozen points, but now it had increased by a few points.

Could it recover by itself?

Just as Li Mu felt a surge of joy, a paternal voice resounded, "Absorbing one low-grade spirit crystal restores one point of tower value."

So that's it. No wonder he couldn't find the missing spirit crystal—it had been consumed by the tower.

The spirit tower required spirit crystals to recover its value. For Li Mu, this was not necessarily a good thing.

Spirit crystals were common items in the world of cultivation, containing spiritual energy and serving as currency. Even the lowest-grade spirit crystal was worth a hundred taels of gold—not easily obtained.

"Who knew you were so greedy," Li Mu mused with a smile. "Unknowingly, seventy points of tower value cost me several thousand taels of gold."

But he knew what he had gained was worth millions more.

These multicolored stones, except for the initial one, each was far more valuable than the one he took away—their worth was immeasurable.

Looking at the stones, Li Mu's heart formed a clear plan.

The next morning, Li Mu and Li Si gathered the bodies of all the villagers and burned them together. Li Mu intended to do this alone, but Li Si insisted on helping. On his young face, there was no trace of fear—only resolve and a thirst for vengeance.

"Brother, where are we going?"

As they walked out of the village, Li Ying lifted her little head, eyes fixed on Li Mu.

"To Deyang City," Li Mu pointed toward the distant horizon.

Deyang City was the largest town nearby, one of the great cities of the Cloud Mountain Realm.

Cloud Mountain Realm was the name of the place where Li Mu now resided—a newly developed domain. The world he inhabited was composed of thousands of realms, large and small, with no real dynastic divisions.

Li Si paused for a moment, his gaze bright as he looked at Li Mu. "Are we not going to avenge them?"

"We can't now. For the moment, we must be patient. We will avenge them," Li Mu nodded solemnly, "but that depends on me."

He too was anxious, but he knew that before seeking vengeance, they must have sufficient strength.

"Oh."

Li Si was silent for a while, then turned to face the village and shouted, "Madam Zhao, I promise I will avenge you and destroy the bandits!"

Li Mu sighed inwardly. Li Si possessed such spirit; outwardly calm and steady, he would surely achieve much in the future. In his previous world, Li Mu had witnessed many such examples—those who accomplished great deeds driven by such purpose, each with their own strengths and flaws.

Li Ying clung to Li Mu's hand, swinging it back and forth. "Brother, don't leave me again. I'm scared."

She had hidden in the cellar, not daring to look out as Li Si did; she hadn’t endured the same shocks. Yet the relentless screams from outside had shaken her, and even now she could not calm herself.

Li Mu bent down, lifted Li Ying, and whispered in her ear, "Don’t worry, I won’t leave you again."

"Haha—"

---

After all, she was still a child. With his reassurance, Li Ying instantly cheered up, tugging at Li Mu’s ear with delight, two dimples deepening on her face.

Though young, anyone could see she would grow into a beauty.

"I must not allow my little sister to be harmed. I will protect her."

In Li Mu’s mind, silent fragments of memory suddenly became clear, imprinting themselves deeply.

It was the final thought left by the Li Mu of this world at the moment of death.

"Rest assured, I will protect her for you," Li Mu said, pinching Li Ying’s cheek, solemnly vowing in his heart.

The three headed north, toward Deyang City.

The journey was fraught with dangers, but dressed in shabby clothes, the half-grown children attracted no attention from thieves. After a month, they arrived safely at Deyang City.

Deyang City was vast, spanning nearly ten miles across—impossible to take in at a glance.

The tall walls around were lined with defensive arrays; cultivators patrolled above, vigilant and strict.

The bricks of the wall were freshly built, showing that the city, like the Cloud Mountain Realm, was newly established and had undergone little change.

At the city gate, several gray-robed cultivators glanced at them indifferently but said nothing, merely gesturing for them to pass.

Li Mu was puzzled. He had thought that entering such a city would be difficult, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy.

It seemed that in the world of cultivators, the city’s defenses were meant to guard against cultivators themselves; as ordinary folk, the guards didn’t bother with them.

Inside the city, a wide avenue stretched ahead. The street was bustling with people, most of them cultivators. None soared through the air, likely due to the defensive arrays in place.

On both sides of the avenue, shops were lively, cries of vendors rising and falling, and eager attendants sought to draw customers inside.

Clearly, this was a prosperous town.

Gurgle... gurgle...

Catching a whiff of the enticing aromas nearby, Li Ying’s little stomach rumbled, and she lowered her head shyly. "Brother, I’m sorry, I’m hungry..."

Li Mu took her hand and smiled. "Be good, Ying’er. I’ll let you eat soon."

Li Si tried to resist looking, staring at his feet.

These past days, they had subsisted on wild game and fruits. Now, faced with proper food, they could barely contain themselves.

They would go in, certainly—but before that, Li Mu would first sell the multicolored stones.