"What about you? What do you desire?" he asks, lowering his face to look at me. "I am trying to understand how other people live, yet I find myself more clueless every time. You look like you have great ambitions. If you don't mind this useless trash asking, what do you desire?"

  I do not need any time to think. What I want is the same thing I always yearned for even in my past life. "Peace. For both races to live in peace."

  Yan Xin's glistening eyes widen slightly as what looks like shock fills them. He stares at me without blinking for a few heartbeats before he explodes in a laugh. "Oh god, you.. You..."

  He laughs until he doubles over and has to place his hand on my shoulder to support himself. "You're hilarious. Humans and demons?" Yan Xin's laughter dies, leaving him with more tears and a fully reddened face.

  "This is the first time to hear of such a desire. I thought you would say that you want to ascend this world and join the gods out there."

  Silence.

  I have a feeling that if I say anything more, this drunk fool will only keep laughing at me. Not that it matters. I probably won't see him ever again after I leave here.

  "I'll go get your gift," I say before stepping to the right to avoid him.

  Yan Xin staggers but doesn't fall. And by the time he sits back at the table, I am already outside the hall.

  After using my domain sensing, I uncover Xing'er's location along with the two humans: Wang Fei and my to-be servant. On my way there, I meet a handful of disciples who possess such disgusting spite in their glares. They are trying to intimidate me. To let me know that I do not belong here. I can feel their condescending stares as I head to my future companions. But their fierce attitude would have meant something if only they were strong. How dare a mere Foundation Establishment disciple look down on a god? It is hilarious. But more insulting.

  If they were under my care, I would have flogged their butts ten times for every glare.

  Now I can understand a little about Yan Xin's frustration.

  The girls are hovering around the small boy who has a bandage wrapped around his head, covering his left eye.

  The bed next to his in this little old clinic is occupied by another child. One look at him and I realize that his Dantian is...crushed.

  He just lies there helplessly, staring at the air without noticing the presence of anyone else.

  A cultivator with a broken Dantian. What life can he have other than stay a mortal for the rest of his short life? He cannot even stay in any sect because they do not raise useless beings.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Zhuren!" Xing'er calls upon noticing me approaching them. "Look!" She makes way so I can reach the boy.

  "Hello?" I bend over to look at him closely, but also to let him study me. Children like him are wary of strangers, especially adults. "What's your name?"

  His eye meets mine. It's green. A soothing green like the forests during the rainy season, when they're filled with life to the brim. "I...I don't have a name," he answers in what sounds like a weak whisper that would have barely been audible if not for my heightened senses.

  "No name? How have you been-"

  "Most of the children on the streets cannot afford a good name, Shifu," Wang Fei explains.

  "Oh! I'm sorry."

  I straighten. "Then, would you like to follow me? I can give you a name, a home, and warm meals to fill your stomach every day."

  He seems unconvinced.

  "I am not forcing you to, little boy. If you don't want to, I won't force-"

  "I am willing!" he suddenly beams looking at me with an overwhelming determination. "I don't want to live on the cold streets anymore."

  I smile, opening my right palm. "Then, I'll call you Lu'er. Do you like it?"

  He nods, "M! I love it."

  "From today onwards, you will be the sect leader's servant, Lu'er. I won't go easy on you just because of your position. You are to train and improve just like my disciples. Are you sure you won't regret it?"

  "I won't!" I am thoroughly impressed by his firm stand. There is not a shred of hesitation in his voice or his gaze.

  "Good. Let's go."

  As we leave the clinic, I stop near the doors. The children stop as well before looking back at me. "Zhuren? Is there any problem?" Xing'er asks with hints of concern.

  My weakness is acting up again. I cannot bring myself to ignore the boy whose future is uncertain. At this rate, I will fill my sect with children like a mortal school.

  "Xing'er, do you have anything that can fix a broken Dantian?"

  Her brows scrunch as she falls deep in thought. "Mmmm... let's see. You arranged everything so complicatedly. I will need some time to go through the list."

  "So there is something that can fix a crushed Dantian, right?"

  She nods with a brightened expression before her eyes travel to my left and past me. "Is it for him? Are you going to get another disciple or a servant?"

  "I haven't decided. Let's go see the sect leader on our way out."

  They all nod, following me as I walk forward. Reminding me that I was once a leader whom countless demons obeyed and worshiped as their protector.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  From the bracelet, Xing'er found a pill that can cleanse meridians. Cleansing leads to the opening of locked meridians indirectly. Which is exactly what Yan Xin needs.

  "Here."

  He stares at the small brown wooden box that has a seal to lock away the pill's special energy. "As promised."

  When he finally accepts it, I go on with my request. "That little boy with a crushed Dantian, he'll get kicked out, won't he?"

  "Huh? What boy?"

  I hear myself chuckle. "This sect must truly despise you. Or is it because you show no interest in their affairs?"

  He just rolls his eyes, putting the pill away in his storage space. "They can all go die. I don't care. I stopped caring."

  "Then... I'll take him with me if it won't be of any trouble to you."

  He flicks his wrist, dismissing any further talk while turning around.

  "See you never Yan Xin. I hope you find the answers you're looking for and that you attract genuine people who will care about you."

  With his back to me, I cannot see his expression, but I am sure it has something to do with embarrassment, given how his ears have reddened. Am I being sentimental?

  I sigh, scolding myself to keep most of my advice for myself. I also need it as much as he does.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Two disciples, one servant, one companion beast, and one grumpy boy who followed me just because I said I could give him work. All have one thing in common: they're all children. Xing'er may be older than all of us, but in the dragon maturity stages, she is still a child.

  I watch them eat like a father supervising his children while I drink my nectar(everything he owned is now mine).

  Wang Fei keeps checking on her brother and then at Lu'er before glancing over at Li Chen. She must have had a rough time taking care of her brother in this harsh world without anyone to support her. These habits will stick with her for a little longer, but I will slowly let her know that she is no longer by herself.

  She is a child. She should live as one from now on.

  Even though I hadn't planned on recruiting children as my disciples, what is done is done. I can cultivate them slowly from the bottom to the top.

  We will rise together regardless of their race.