A car struck Li Tian, continuing its momentum as it slammed into his wife at a high speed of 120 km/h. The impact flung them several meters away, bones shattered, muscles torn, flesh ruptured—all under Li Hao's helpless gaze.
The car screeched to a halt, but it was already too late. The two bodies hit the ground hard, tossed like lifeless dolls.
They lay motionless, strewn across the asphalt, blood seeping into the concrete.
Li Hao's instincts kicked in immediately.
Adrenaline surged through his veins as his thoughts accelerated, clarity snapping into place.
The gate required only a simple twist of the doorknob—he twisted it open effortlessly and sprinted out.
Rushing toward his fallen parents, he saw the car speed away without a glance back.
Li Hao dropped to his knees beside them, grabbing both his father's and mother's hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and a bitter taste of grief filled his mouth.
"Kid…" Li Tian's voice trembled, barely holding on like a flickering flame. "It seems… your father and mother's fate… has reached its end…"
"Don't go, Father! Please stay… Stay with me…" Li Hao cried, his heartbeat slowing under the crushing weight of sorrow.
"Don't worry… about us…" Li Tian said, his voice weak, fading. "We're going… to a better place. Go… live with Grandma…"
"Take care of her… I… love… you…" His final breath left him, and the light in his eyes dimmed forever.
Li Hao cried out in despair, sorrow sinking deep into his bones. When he realized his parents were truly gone, he slowly stood. He wiped his tears away and looked up toward the heavens, his clenched teeth betraying the storm of hopelessness and resentment in his heart.
"I didn't know the world could be so cruel. Only at that moment did I realize… I was nothing in the vast cosmos," Li Hao murmured, his eyes narrowing, expression growing cold.
He dropped his shoulders, fists clenched behind his back, and walked toward the little girl.
As he approached, he lightly touched her shoulder. She turned to look at him—her eyes a vivid void, empty yet overwhelming.
Li Hao stood silently beside her. He didn't comfort her. He didn't try to help. He just stood there—knowing exactly what kind of pain was clawing at her heart.
After a while, he looked at her. His lips parted, but no sound came out at first.
Then finally, he spoke. "Kid, do you want to come with me?"
The little girl looked up at him. Her expression was soft, tranquil in its emptiness.
She gazed down, thinking quietly. Then she nodded.
Li Hao gave a faint smile. "Then follow me."
He turned and continued walking. She followed quietly behind.
"Young Master, I don't think it was right of you to kill that mother and father over something so trivial," said a man in his late thirties, dressed in a short-sleeved black and white robe with Daoist patterns at the wrists.
"What do you know, old man?" the boy sneered, speaking with exaggerated arrogance. "They dared tell me to leave. Me! The Young Master of the Fe Family!"
"But they didn't deserve to die like that.
Why incriminate them with fire? You could've simply beheaded them," the older man pressed again.
"Why? Because I'm the young master of a prestigious family. I have power. What difference does it make to me whether they burn or get decapitated?" the boy said coldly.
"Young Master…" The man lowered his head, helpless to change anything. "One day, people will rise and kill you."
"Then I'll be waiting," said Fe Yu.
He looked no older than thirteen, dressed in a black top that ended at his shoulders. Half his body was covered by a long-sleeved outer robe. On his other arm was a black armguard that reached to the elbow.
His hair was styled in a red-blond Celestial Topknot—a high, tightly bound knot wrapped in spirit silk, the kind often worn by sect leaders.
The sun rose from the east, casting golden rays through the last veil of night.
Li Hao walked along the street with the little girl trailing behind him, matching his pace step for step.
As they reached the outskirts of town, the road ahead led straight to the Martial Academy.
Li Hao walked calmly, his face relaxed, undisturbed by the distance. The academy was only about 400 meters away.
At the gate, its white walls gleamed under the morning light, glistening like they were soaked in fresh rain.
"Where have you been?" a gate disciple asked, noticing Li Hao in his blue outer disciple robe.
Li Hao approached without answering. "I want to register her as a new disciple."
"Disciple registration already ended," the disciple replied calmly. "There are no more dorms for her to stay in."
"Don't worry about that. She'll stay with me," Li Hao said firmly, without looking back.
"Well, that's your problem. Since everything's settled, you may go in," the disciple responded with a shrug.
He added, "Don't forget to collect her martial uniform from the Pavilion."
Li Hao and the girl continued forward, neither of them paying further attention.
Back at Li Hao's courtyard, inside his house, he said, "This is your bed from now on, okay?"
"Okay," she replied, her soft voice like a gentle melody filling the room.
"Where will you sleep?" she asked, curiosity flickering in her tone.
"I'll be in my cultivation room," Li Hao answered, stepping out.
Left alone, she stood silently, lost in thought. She sat down on the bed, trying to remember that moment, but everything was still a blur.
Fragmented memories of her parents flashed before her eyes—the fire, the burning shop. But all she felt now was a dull ache in her chest.
Li Hao sat cross-legged in his cultivation chamber, calm and composed. Though aware of her emotional state, he didn't dwell on it.
Just before beginning his meditation, his eyes opened again. A sudden thought crossed his mind.
"I forgot... she still needs to eat several times a day."
That's right. What seemed like a long time to her—three meals a day—was short for him.
He ate once a week. Sometimes once every two.