Little Pink Starfish

The effects of the Jade Essence were remarkable. By the next morning, most of Xiao Gushan’s wounds had faded into faint scars, and the bruises had completely disappeared. His once dull, yellowed skin even looked a little fairer and more delicate.

Ziche Shubai was very pleased with the results. Smiling, he hugged Xiao Gushan, chatting idly with him.

Xiao Gushan was naturally simple and straightforward, so it didn’t take long before he began revealing things about himself.

“Mm… The house I live in is really big… I live with Aunty…”

“I’m five years old now… I don’t do any work… Aunty says I’m useless… Father and Mother don’t want me…”

“The ones who bullied me… I don’t know them… And it’s not every day…”

“I can’t fight back against them…”

After listening, Ziche Shubai quickly pieced together the situation in his mind.

The boy was likely a household servant in one of the wealthier families in town. Judging from the level of abuse he suffered, he was probably the illegitimate child of a low-ranking maid or concubine. The injuries covering his body were undoubtedly the work of that “Aunty.” With no one to teach him martial arts and being half-starved all the time, he had grown weak and timid.

He was one of the lowest of the low, and even if he survived childhood, he would live his whole life as a servant. More likely, though, his frail body wouldn’t even make it to adulthood.

The realization left Ziche Shubai feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

In this world, there were too many people like Xiao Gushan—background characters, mere NPCs in his own story, who lived and died without ever being noticed. They existed only to serve as cannon fodder, killed off by either the protagonist or various side characters without a second thought.

If he hadn’t seen this boy with his own eyes, maybe he wouldn’t care. After all, he wasn’t a saint, and just keeping himself alive was difficult enough. But now that he had met Xiao Gushan and felt sympathy for him, he couldn’t just stand by and let the boy become another nameless casualty.

In that moment, Ziche Shubai thought that maybe, just maybe, his luck wasn’t as terrible as he had believed.

At the very least, he had been reborn into the body of Ziche Shubai, the young master of Tiandu City. He had access to good food, warm clothes, and the opportunity to train in martial arts. If he had been born as someone like Xiao Gushan, he wouldn’t even have the chance to think about surviving—he would be struggling just to live through each day.

Taking Xiao Gushan back to Tiandu City wasn’t an option, just like taking in Qiguan Rui and reforming him wasn’t an option. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t teach Xiao Gushan some basic martial arts.

At the very least… he could teach him how to fight back.

Ziche Shubai looked down at the soft and innocent face of Xiao Gushan, then suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I know some techniques to strengthen the body. Do you want to learn?”

Xiao Gushan froze for a moment, holding his cheek in shock. When he realized he hadn’t misheard, his eyes lit up.

“Yes! I want to learn martial arts with gege!”

Since time was limited, Ziche Shubai immediately began teaching him.

Of course, he couldn’t pass on the martial arts of the Ziche family—family techniques were forbidden to outsiders, and besides, he only knew the most basic foundational principles. But he could teach Xiao Gushan the fundamental exercises that strengthened the body.

He believed that as long as Xiao Gushan put in the effort, he wouldn’t necessarily become a powerhouse, but at the very least, he wouldn’t be an easy target for bullies anymore.

Sitting atop a high rock, Ziche Shubai rested his chin on his hand and let out a sigh.

Maybe because he was still too young, Xiao Gushan’s understanding of the techniques was far from refined. He was trying very hard, but even after several days of practice, his stances were still clumsy and uncoordinated. There was no power in his movements, and even his postures were incorrect.

But…

Ziche Shubai watched the small, serious-faced boy as he clumsily punched the air, and his lips curled into a smile.

He was just too cute.

After observing for a while, Ziche Shubai leaped down and wrapped an arm around Xiao Gushan’s shoulders.

Xiao Gushan shrank slightly. “Gege, I still can’t get it right…”

Ziche Shubai felt an odd sense of pride and playfully pinched his cheek. “Come on, gege will help you fix it!”

And so, he carefully adjusted Xiao Gushan’s posture, hand over hand, repeating each movement step by step. It was probably the most patience he had ever used in his entire life.

An hour later, he finally patted the boy’s head. “You should rest now. Train too much at once, and your muscles won’t keep up.”

Xiao Gushan looked up at him with wide eyes. “Gege, are you going out to look for herbs again?”

Ziche Shubai ruffled his hair. “That’s right. The thing I’m looking for is very important. I can’t leave without finding it.”

Xiao Gushan hesitated for a moment, then seemed to muster up all his courage. “…I’ll help gege find it too!”

Ziche Shubai was delighted. He scooped the little boy up and smacked a kiss on his cheek. “Alright! Let’s go search together, then!”

Xiao Gushan touched his cheek and, despite blushing, smiled shyly.

And so, one big child and one little child started combing through the mountains, searching for the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma.

Perhaps due to bad luck, Ziche Shubai continued to teach Xiao Gushan martial arts while searching the mountains together, but even after several more days, they still hadn’t found it.

Instead, their bond had grown stronger, and Xiao Gushan had grown completely dependent on him. Everything was “gege, gege” now, and that soft little voice had become the only thing comforting Ziche Shubai in his growing frustration.

As the days passed, Ziche Shubai became more and more anxious. He had nearly searched the entire area, so why hadn’t he found it? Was it because he wasn’t the protagonist, and even minor golden finger opportunities weren’t meant for him?

If he didn’t find it soon, his mixed-element physique’s flaws would never be corrected. That meant he would be stuck at the level of a Wu Jun forever—if he even made it that far. Worse, he could one day collapse like a punctured balloon, his body failing completely.

And worst of all… the death would be agonizing. Seven days and seven nights of unbearable pain before he bled from all seven orifices and died.

Just thinking about it made him want to cry. Why had he been so cruel with this setting back then?!

Shaking off his self-pity, Ziche Shubai kept his eyes sharp, searching for anything red among the endless green.

Ahead of him, Xiao Gushan dashed forward, running excitedly through the grass.

Suddenly, he gasped. “Gege, come quick!”

Ziche Shubai’s heart clenched. Had something happened?!

“What’s wrong, Xiao Shan?!” he called, running forward.

When he reached the boy, he followed his pointing finger and finally saw it.

His breath caught in his throat.

Halfway up a steep cliffside, hidden beneath a tangle of pine branches, a jagged crack in the rock was barely visible. And nestled within that crack was a faintly glowing red fungus.

The Blood-Gathering Ganoderma!

After staring in stunned silence, Ziche Shubai felt his face twitch.

It was… growing out of a stone crevice halfway up a sheer rock wall.

There were no footholds nearby, just a few long vines hanging down the cliffside. No ground above, no support below.

How the hell had the protagonist “randomly grabbed” this thing while walking?! Had he tripped and just happened to fall perfectly onto it?!

…Forget it.

However the protagonist had found it, it was his now.

Ziche Shubai pressed his hands together in a silent prayer.

Dear son, don’t blame your father. It was useless to you anyway, so just consider it a tribute to your dear old dad. Amen.

After a completely nonsensical mix of Buddhist, Taoist, and Western prayers, he finally opened his eyes.

Xiao Gushan’s innocent face was staring at him.

Ziche Shubai grinned and playfully ruffled his hair. “Xiao Shan, you really are my lucky star! Thank you so much!”

Xiao Gushan blushed. “N-no need to thank me…”

Even though his face was covered in the older boy’s excited spit, he still felt warm and happy.

There was no time to waste. Now that he had finally found it, he needed to get it.

The cliff was steep, but fortunately, it wasn’t too high. More importantly, there were several thick vines hanging down. If he tied them properly, he should be able to use them to lower himself down.

And he was still just a ten-year-old kid, so his weight wouldn’t be too much for the vines.

With a few quick words to Xiao Gushan, Ziche Shubai began preparing.

He crouched down, grabbed one of the thick vines, and tied it securely around his waist. Then he found another nearby vine and tied that as well, just in case. Finally, he grabbed onto the strongest-looking vine in the center and carefully began his descent.

There were some protruding rocks along the way, but they were spaced far apart. Without proper footing, he could only rely on the vines for support.

Ziche Shubai had never done rock climbing before. He was a lifelong shut-in, after all.

So, naturally, his descent was a disaster.

The moment he lost his footing, the vines swung wildly, sending him swaying back and forth like a pendulum.

Xiao Gushan, watching from above, panicked. “Gege, be careful!”

Ziche Shubai grinned and waved a hand. “I’m fine!”

Xiao Gushan shut his mouth immediately.

This gege of his… sometimes didn’t seem very reliable.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of struggling, Ziche Shubai’s voice echoed from below.

“I finally found it!!”