04. Survive

Tian Sen kept walking in search of clues, even though he was still small and not yet ten years old. But his heart was truly strong; even the sight of charred corpses in a sea of flames did not frighten him. He kept moving forward, taking one step after another, and with every step he took, charred corpses or body parts came into view. And the further he went, the more figures he found, bound and covered in wounds; among them was an elderly man who still seemed to be breathing. Upon seeing the old man, Tian Sen immediately quickened his pace; after walking through the village for so long, Tian Sen had finally found a living person. Even if it was just one, he wanted to save that person no matter what—especially since that figure was the elderly village chief who often visited his home.

“Village chief, Grandpa!” Tian Sen managed to lower the old man down with great effort. He also tried to bandage the wounds on the old man’s body, which had already lost a great deal of blood. The village chief, who was on the brink of death, struggled to open his eyes. When he saw that the person holding him was Tian Sen, for some reason the village chief smiled and raised his hand.

“Ti…an Sen! Are you alive? Good…. Good… such a good boy!” The old man was overjoyed to see Tian Sen was still alive; he kept thanking his lucky stars as he looked at the young man holding him.

“Grandpa, what happened? Why is everyone dead? Where are my father and mother?” asked Tian Sen, his emotions resurfacing. Although he had been very calm earlier, the truth was that he was truly terrified and deeply saddened by not seeing his parents or any villagers still alive.

“Tian Sen, remember this… Even if you become a strong person, don’t forget your humanity! Be kind to those who are kind to you; don’t repay kindness with evil. Understand?” The village chief’s words were a bit stammering, but Tian Sen understood everything the old man had said to him.

“Then if they’re evil or treat me badly, what should I do?” Tian Sen asked, and the village chief replied with wise words, smiling as he looked at the ten-year-old boy who was currently trying to shed tears but clearly couldn’t. And the village chief realized why the little boy in front of him couldn’t do any of that—it was precisely for this reason that the village chief advised Tian Sen to live a good life.

“If they are cruel to you, repay them a hundred times more cruelly if they treat you badly—as long as it doesn’t endanger you or the people you love. Give them a taste of their own medicine! Identify your enemies by their actions and treat them accordingly! Son… Don’t worry about your parents; you… must… live!” In the end, the village chief, who had lost a great deal of blood, died in Tian Sen’s arms. The village chief had regarded Tian Sen as his own grandson and had always spoiled him since he was a child. Seeing his grandfather die, Tian Sen’s heart was filled with rage, hatred, and vengeance toward the perpetrators. If he knew who was responsible for all this, he would certainly take revenge on them. Tian Sen continued to hold the village chief’s hand, kissing it while vowing to keep living in front of the lifeless body of the village chief.

“Village chief, uncles, aunts, younger siblings, and older siblings who are with me in the village, I will take revenge on those who have done this to our village! I will make them regret attacking our village, I swear… I will definitely kill them with my own hands!” said Tian Sen, his fists clenched and his eyes cold as he stared at the grave before him. For over a month, Tian Sen sat motionless before the graves, neither eating nor drinking; though he was starving, he remained there without moving until the month had passed.

Tian Sen stood up and paid his final respects to all those buried there. Tian Sen returned to the place where his father had left him, taking with him everything he needed and all the family’s possessions, including a necklace symbolizing a bird in flight. He slipped it around his neck without expression; Tian Sen’s demeanor was vastly different from how he’d been with his parents or the villagers. Though his eyes appeared black, a faint red glow of fire shone through them. With each step, Tian Sen left the ruined village and made his way out of the forest. Though he was not yet ten years old, his demeanor was far more mature than that of children his age; not only his demeanor, but Tian Sen’s aura had also shifted slightly from before.

“Father, mother, I will definitely find you, even if I have to destroy this world!” Tian Sen vowed in his heart to find his parents. If both of Tian Sen’s parents were dead, he wanted to see their bodies; if they were still alive, Tian Sen would search for them even if it meant destroying this world.

“Son, remember! No matter what happens to us in the future, you must never search for us. If our problems are resolved, we will find you ourselves, so live well in this world. Do what you want and find your own true love in this cruel world, even if you don’t become a strong person!” Those words still echoed in Tian Sen’s mind as he stepped out of the forest; what he should do was not wait, but search for his parents with his own hands.

“I will become strong so that no one dares to challenge me!”