Little Pink Starfish

At the silk-robed boy’s command, the burly teenagers lunged forward, pressing the small child to the ground and mercilessly beating him.

Realizing he couldn’t escape, the boy remained silent, curling up and wrapping his arms around his head. He endured the storm of kicks and punches, his tiny body being tossed around like a rag doll. He looked utterly pitiful.

Ziche Shubai’s first instinct was to rush out and stop them, but just as he stepped forward, he hesitated and pulled back.

This was clearly the typical scene of older kids bullying a younger one. The only thing unusual was that the one being beaten was far too small—he looked no older than three or four.

Ziche Shubai clenched his thin arms. He had enough strength to drive them away, and it would be easy. But the silk-robed boy was clearly from a wealthy family in town. If Ziche Shubai interfered, he would attract attention, which could ruin his plans.

More importantly… He couldn’t stay here.

If he saved this child now, what would happen after he left? Would the boy face even worse retaliation? Who would be there to protect him then?

After considering everything, Ziche Shubai felt a deep sense of guilt, but he ultimately chose not to intervene.

At least they weren’t trying to kill him. If it went too far, then he’d step in.

If worse came to worst, he could just drive them away and hide in the mountains until things calmed down.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

The silk-robed boy seemed to grow bored of the game. Seeing that their victim had stopped moving, he probably got scared that they might have gone too far. With a casual wave, he ordered his lackeys to stop.

Laughing among themselves, the group left, disappearing into the distance.

Ziche Shubai waited until they were truly gone before stepping out from behind the tree. He ran over quickly and knelt beside the child.

The boy was still curled up tightly, arms around his head, completely silent.

Ziche Shubai’s heart clenched. He quickly turned him over and placed a hand near his nose, trying to feel his breath—but it was so faint he could barely tell if he was breathing at all. His face paled.

Crap! Did they really beat him to death?

Those kids weren’t even trained in wu qi; how could this have happened?

Ziche Shubai hesitated no longer. He reached into the child’s clothes, pressing his small chest, and finally felt a weak, barely-there rise and fall. He let out a shaky breath of relief.

Checking the boy’s body further, he found no broken bones. It seemed like he had only been beaten too harshly and had momentarily lost consciousness.

Still, a child this small… If he left him here alone, the cold night air alone could kill him.

Making up his mind, Ziche Shubai carefully lifted the boy into his arms.

Since he was so young, even though Ziche Shubai himself was only ten, he had no trouble carrying him. He pressed the boy’s head against his shoulder, then hurried toward the opposite side of the grove.

In the mountains beyond the town, Ziche Shubai had found a small cave on the mountainside. It served as his temporary shelter while he searched for the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma. The cave entrance was narrow, just big enough for a child to squeeze through, but the inside was spacious enough for several people to lie down.

To avoid wild beasts at night, Ziche Shubai always sealed the entrance with a large rock before sundown. It took effort to move, but he could manage.

Now, carrying the unconscious child, he rushed back to his hiding place.

Pushing aside the hanging vines at the entrance, he ducked inside.

The child lay curled on the grass mat, his tiny face scrunched up in pain.

Ziche Shubai wasted no time—he pushed the stone over the entrance, blocking it off, then lit a small fire. He fetched some water and gently wiped the dirt from the boy’s face.

Then, as he reached to remove the boy’s outer garment, his breath caught.

The moment he pulled back the fabric, his heart dropped.

The child’s small body was covered in wounds.

Bruises, burns, scratches, and deep fingernail marks marred his fragile skin.

Ziche Shubai clenched his fists. His hands trembled as he carefully traced one of the marks.

Some of these had been made by long, sharp fingernails, others by something scalding hot.

Someone had tortured this child.

And judging by the marks, it had to be a woman—someone close to him.

What kind of monster would do this to a child so young?!

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ziche Shubai resumed his work.

He carefully wiped the boy down, mindful of his injuries. Only then did he notice—beneath the dirt and bruises, the boy had delicate, almost ethereal features.

Even half-starved and battered, he was beautiful.

Ziche Shubai’s heart softened.

As a lifelong shut-in, he had always been weak to cute things. He preferred fluffy animals, but a small, obedient child? That worked too.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small jade bottle.

Inside was a rare healing salve from Tiandu City—Jade Essence Balm.

A single application stopped bleeding.

Two applications healed the wound.

Three applications erased the scar.

A must-have for any traveler!

Ziche Shubai had brought it along in case he got injured during his trip, but now…

He looked at the child and sighed.

He’d just have to get more later.

Washing his hands thoroughly, Ziche Shubai dipped his fingers into the balm and began applying it to the boy’s wounds.

The process took a long time.

Aside from his face, there wasn’t a single uninjured spot on the child’s body.

Even using the medicine sparingly, he barely had enough to cover all the worst injuries.

By the time he was done, Ziche Shubai was sweating from exhaustion.

With another sigh, he washed up, then removed his outer robe and wrapped the small boy in it.

Holding him close, he settled down for the night.

It wasn’t the most comfortable position—he wasn’t used to sleeping while holding something.

But with how frail the child was, he couldn’t risk him getting a fever in the night.

Before long, exhaustion overtook him.

For the first time since he had transmigrated, he finally slept soundly.

Warm.

In his dream, he held something warm.

It was a little rough, but comforting.

It made him feel safe.

The next morning, Ziche Shubai woke up to movement in his arms.

Blinking, he looked down.

The small child was awake.

He was trapped in Ziche Shubai’s embrace, seemingly unsure whether to struggle or stay where he was.

His large, dark eyes gleamed like a small animal’s, and his face was slightly flushed.

When he noticed Ziche Shubai staring, he tilted his head and softly said, “Gege…” _{[T/N: Big brother.]}

Ziche Shubai’s heart nearly exploded from the sheer cuteness.

He could already picture a future where this little one grew into a sweet, soft-spoken boy…

Suppressing the urge to squeal, Ziche Shubai reached out and lightly touched his face.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked gently. “What’s your name?”

The boy shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Then he hesitated before mumbling, “I… I’m called Little Bastard…”

Ziche Shubai’s expression instantly darkened.

For a moment, he nearly lost control of his anger.

What kind of people were raising this child?!

Even a servant was still a human being!

And if they wanted to punish a servant, fine—but taking out their anger on a toddler?!

That was beyond cruel!

Furious, his face turned grim.

The boy noticed and tugged at his sleeve hesitantly.

Ziche Shubai inhaled deeply, forcing a smile.

“That’s a terrible name,” he said. “How about I give you a new one?”

The child blinked at him, wide-eyed. Then, after a long pause, he nodded.

“I knew that wasn’t really my name,” he admitted quietly. “They only call me that when they yell at me… But no one’s ever given me a real name before.”

He suddenly reached out and hugged Ziche Shubai’s neck.

“I want gege to name me!”

Ziche Shubai felt his heart turn into a puddle.

His childhood relatives had all been hyperactive brats. He had never met such an adorable, well-behaved child before!

He gently poked the boy’s cheek.

“We met at the foot of a mountain,” he mused. “How about I call you Xiaoshan?”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Xiaoshan?”

“And for a surname… Take mine. You’ll be Gu Xiaoshan.”

The boy’s eyes grew wet.

“I… I’m called Gu Xiaoshan now?”

Ziche Shubai smiled.

“That’s right. And my name is Gu Shubai.”

He wasn’t fully Ziche Shubai anymore.

So, he thought, this wasn’t really a lie…

And years later, he would thank himself for that one moment of hesitation.