Every year, thousands of people flock to Luo Shen Academy, but only a handful remain.
This time, Falling God Village's guaranteed admission spot had already been decided for Xing Luo to study, probably because the villagers all liked this warm-hearted little fatty.
Today, as soon as Xing Luo woke up, he was called to the Village Chief's presence. He looked at this kind and amiable Village Chief, his heart already regarding him as a biological grandfather.
Xing Luo was 14 years old this year, with a pair of dark, shining eyes always looking around, and his chubby hands constantly tugging at Village Chief Grandpa's beard. The Village Chief's hard-earned bit of authority instantly crumbled, and he somewhat helplessly announced the news of Xing Luo going to Luo Shen Academy.
No one noticed that the chubby hand paused for a moment, because Village Chief Grandpa's beard was tugged again by Xing Luo.
Early the next morning, Xing Luo embarked on his journey to Luoshen Town. Although there were still three months until Luo Shen Academy's enrollment period, Falling God Village was located in a remote area.
The usual route for people to Luo Shen Academy was to take a carriage from Falling God Village to Luoshen Town, and then reach Luoshen City via the teleportation gate in Luoshen Town.
The adorable Xing Luo was seen carrying a perfectly round small cloth bag, its round shape comparable to his belly.
At the time of departure, Xing Luo's face was full of excitement, his pink, chubby face beaming with smiles. Looking at his waving chubby hand bidding farewell, Zhang Dashen's eyes couldn't help but well up.
Watching Xing Luo smile so happily, the Village Chief couldn't help but curse him under his breath, calling him heartless, then turned and walked away quickly, seemingly eager to get rid of this mischievous little fatty. However, his trembling hands betrayed that the Village Chief's mood was not as calm as he appeared.
The moment Village Chief Grandpa turned around, Xing Luo's heart also twinged, and a hint of sadness involuntarily appeared in his eyes. Village Chief Grandpa was the kindest person to him, besides Zhang Dashen and Li Da Shu, but his waving chubby hand and beaming smile remained unchanged.
The sorrow of parting seemed to leave no trace on Xing Luo, who sat in the carriage chatting with Li Da Shu.
Xing Luo held a bread larger than his face in his hands, stuffing it into his mouth as if afraid Li Da Shu would snatch it from him.
Seeing Xing Luo like this, even the usually stern Li Da Shu showed a hint of a smile.
Just then, a shrill whinny sounded, and the carriage immediately shook violently, sending the little fatty who was eating directly to the ground.
Li Da Shu picked up his blacksmith's giant hammer and rushed out without hesitation. As soon as he got out of the carriage, the pungent smell of blood assailed him. Seeing the coachman lying in a pool of blood, Li Da Shu realized that this time, things might be dire.
Falling God Villagers were fierce, and even a coachman had the skill level of an Apprentice Knight. Yet, the coachman died silently without even a warning.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Li Da Shu's cheek. With no time to think, he immediately picked up the little fatty, tied him onto the horse's back, pulled out a short knife to cut the reins, and then sharply jabbed the horse's rump. The black horse neighed and galloped away.
Apparently, the Black-Clothed Leader did not realize that someone from this small village could react so quickly; the black horse galloped away without him having time to stop it.
Looking at the rapidly departing black horse, the Black-Clothed Leader's face was ashen. He said something to his subordinates in a voice like the Nine Netherworld Hell, and two Black-Clothed Leaders immediately mounted their horses to chase after the swiftly departing Xing Luo.
The Black-Clothed Leader raised his right hand and made a gesture to Li Da Shu. Instantly, five people jumped down from the trees and surrounded Li Da Shu. They drew their ink-black daggers, and the two sides began to fight.
The little fatty, bouncing on the horse's back, knew that Li Da Shu had probably met with misfortune. His eyes couldn't help but moisten. Xing Luo was actually not as strong as everyone thought; he merely accustomed himself to feigning strength when others were around, accustomed to keeping his sorrow to himself. So this time, the tearing heartache cruelly stripped away all his pretense.
Because the black horse, whose leg strength reached the level of a magical beast, was too fast, tears scattered behind him with the wind. Various past events continuously flashed in Xing Luo's mind. Ever since he could remember, Xing Luo had lived at Zhang Dashen's house.
And he regarded Li Da Shu, who often brought him various kinds of beast meat from next door, as his own family. Although Li Da Shu was extremely strict during training, there was one time when Xing Luo secretly put chili peppers in Li Da Shu's meal bowl.
But every time the little fatty fell and bled due to playing, Li Da Shu would immediately pick him up and anxiously run home. In Li Da Shu's embrace, he felt an unprecedented warmth and deep love. He knew Li Da Shu doted on him, perhaps even excessively so.
For over ten years, Li Da Shu had always treated Xing Luo as his own son, always thinking of him first whenever he had anything good. He silently protected Xing Luo like a towering mountain.
Li Da Shu's love was deep and asked for no return. Xing Luo appeared carefree on the surface, but deep down, he held immense respect for Li Da Shu.
Previously, when Xing Luo went hunting with Li Da Shu, a leopard that was about to evolve into a magical beast cornered them. It was Li Da Shu who used his body to shield him from the leopard's repeated attacks.
He held out for a full two days until rescue arrived from the village. Only when Li Da Shu saw the village hunters approaching did he finally collapse, unable to bear the burden any longer. It took him over a month of rest to recover. This was also because Li Da Shu's actual combat strength had reached the level of a Level 3 Apprentice Knight.
It was that time that Xing Luo truly regarded him as his father.
The love of Li Da Shu, Zhang Dashen, and Village Chief Grandpa filled his childhood, making it even happier than some other children in the village.
Bouncing on the horse, waves of dizziness assaulted Xing Luo, causing him to vomit all the bread he had just eaten. Although he tried his best to suppress it, he was still a teenager, and exhausted and dizzy, Xing Luo unconsciously fainted.
...
"Did you succeed?" A cold voice, drawing the last bit of warmth from the room, echoed faintly from the depths of the darkness.
"He escaped." The person who answered spoke with an undisguised tremor of fear in his cold voice.
"Useless! You can't even kill a child, and you still have the nerve to come back?! Don't let me see him in Luoshen City, get out!"
The voice, like the Nine Netherworld Hell, rang out again, its hidden fury unmistakable. A cold wind blew through, and the room fell silent once more, as if the previous voice had merely been a ghostly whisper.
After an unknown amount of time, the horse, probably tired from running, stopped by the river to rest. The rope binding the little fatty also loosened from the shaking, and Xing Luo fell from the horse's back.
Although Xing Luo had a lot of flesh, the fall still hurt him greatly. He cried out Li Da Shu's name as he was painfully roused from his dream. Xing Luo laboriously turned over and got up.
He drew the dagger hanging from his waist. A cold sensation emanated from the handle, stimulating Xing Luo's nerves. This was the dagger Li Da Shu had personally crafted for him.
He remembered Li Da Shu saying to him when he gave it to him: "You must protect yourself."
A hint of determination flashed in his eyes. Looking towards the setting sun, a young but firm voice emerged from Xing Luo's mouth: "Li Da Shu, I will avenge you, even if I am broken into pieces."
He took off his upper garment, which was soiled from vomiting on the horse, and vigorously scrubbed it by the river repeatedly, as if trying to wash away the recent memories along with it.
The image of the Black-Clothed Leader burned Xing Luo's nerves again and again, and he repeatedly recalled the look of resolute determination in Li Da Shu's eyes, as if he embraced death.
This scene seemed to be frozen, deeply etched into Xing Luo's heart. For the first time, Xing Luo so desperately yearned to become stronger, and at the same time, he felt angry at his own weakness.
Over the past decade, Li Da Shu had taught him how to survive in the wild, unlike city children who lived privileged lives.
He started going hunting with Li Da Shu when he was 12. Although his chubby body from a young age did indeed cause him a considerable burden, Xing Luo learned the basic survival skills with exceptional seriousness.
Only Xing Luo himself knew that the reason he worked so hard back then was entirely because of a joke from Zhang Dashen that scared him: "You eat as much as you bring back. If you don't bring anything, you won't have dinner tonight."
This sentence almost killed Xing Luo. No food? He'd rather die. Xing Luo, who loved food more than life itself, becoming so fat seemed understandable.
Generally, magic and combat aura talent assessments on the continent were conducted at the age of 14, and Xing Luo was rushing to Luo Shen Academy precisely to participate in this assessment.
Thinking of this, Xing Luo fell into deep sadness again, yearning to become stronger, to break through this feeling of powerlessness, as if stuck in a spiderweb.
Xing Luo was going to spend the night in the forest. Seeing the rapidly dimming light, he quickly found a wooden stick, sharpened one end with a small knife, and ran to the stream. Looking at the fish, Xing Luo's dinner for today was settled.
Don't let Xing Luo's clumsy appearance fool you; his speed was not slow at all. In a short while, he had speared several plump little fish and simply processed them with his dagger.
He casually found some wood nearby, started a fire, and fierce flames quickly spread through the prepared woodpile. He saw a small pit dug under the firewood, with a ventilation channel next to it to aid combustion.
Xing Luo fell into recollection again. "The burning of the fire creates rising hot air, forming a current through the air duct, and fresh air will flow in quickly, thus forming a virtuous cycle." Li Da Shu's words seemed to faintly echo in his ears…
The gluttonous Xing Luo's hands were not idle while he reminisced. His chubby hands skillfully grilled the fish, and wafts of aroma came from the grilled fish. He didn't care about the heat; in the blink of an eye, several fish entered his plump stomach. His astonishing eating speed truly startled a little squirrel curiously peeking from a tree.
Perhaps he was too tired today; the mental and physical exhaustion caused the little fatty to climb a large tree and fall into a deep sleep.
Several "Owooo" wolf howls came from afar. An Owl on the tree tilted its head. It seemed he was lucky tonight; no wild beasts seemed to be bothering him.
However, this night was too quiet, even the black horse's snores had disappeared.