Little Pink Starfish

After finally climbing back up, Ziche Shubai looked down at the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma in his hand, feeling as if a massive weight had been lifted from his heart.

The flaw of the Mixed-Element Physique would become more severe as his cultivation advanced. Now, even if nothing else went his way, at least he could be sure that he would live a full life.

The more he looked at the bright red, mushroom-like Blood-Gathering Ganoderma, the more pleasing it seemed to his eyes. Overjoyed, he pinched Xiao Gushan’s cheek. “Come on, let’s head back!”

Xiao Gushan’s eyes lit up as he nodded enthusiastically. “Mm!”

And so, big hands holding little hands, the two of them happily returned to their small cave in the mountains.

Ziche Shubai had already decided—he needed to eat the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma as soon as possible.

He didn’t really have a choice.

He had been away from home for quite some time. If not for his careful planning—and the fact that no one expected him to come to a backwater martial town—he would have been dragged back long ago. But even now, he knew that the moment he returned, he would be under strict surveillance for a long time.

How was he supposed to explain taking out the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma and eating it then?

Besides, when the protagonist ate this thing, he bled all over his body and was left completely defenseless. Tiandu City was full of people, and its politics were complicated. There was no way he could trust anyone there to protect him in that state.

…What if those old elders decided to take advantage of the situation to get rid of him and leave his martial-obsessed father without an heir?

This wasn’t paranoia. This was a very real possibility!

#The consequences of an author’s sadistic settings#

The more he thought about it, the more determined he was to grow stronger as soon as possible.

But… there was still Xiao Gushan to consider.

After a moment’s hesitation, Ziche Shubai crouched down, his expression becoming serious as he looked into Xiao Gushan’s eyes. “Xiao Shan, gege is in a bit of trouble.”

Xiao Gushan blinked. “Is it about that red mushroom gege found?”

The way the little boy referred to the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma made Ziche Shubai twitch, but he still nodded solemnly. Then, he started making things up.

“Gege is actually injured. I need to eat that mushroom to get better.”

Xiao Gushan nodded immediately. “Then gege should eat it! I—I’ll keep watch for you!”

Corrupting a child…

The word “keep watch” made Ziche Shubai’s mind flash with an ominous sense of déjà vu, but he quickly shook it off and got back to his nonsense.

“After I eat this,” he continued, “a lot of red stuff—like blood—will come out, but it’s fake. It’s not real, so you don’t have to worry.” As a seasoned writer who had successfully fooled millions of readers, making up lies came easily to him. He even added a bit of scare tactics. “So, no matter what, even if gege screams a lot, you must not come near me. Otherwise, gege will definitely die.”

Xiao Gushan was immediately frightened. “I won’t interrupt gege! I promise!” Then, with a hint of nervousness, he peeked up at him. “But… but gege, you’re really going to be okay, right?”

Ziche Shubai gave him a serious nod. “As long as no one touches me, I’ll definitely be okay. It just might take a little time…” He held up two fingers, measuring out a small distance. “Maybe a day, maybe a few days, but I’ll be safe. Do you understand, Xiao Shan?”

Xiao Gushan’s small face tensed with determination. “Xiao Shan won’t let anyone disturb gege! And I won’t disturb gege either!”

Ziche Shubai held up a fist. “Then it’s a promise?”

Xiao Gushan clenched his own tiny fist. “Promise!”

Only then did Ziche Shubai feel relieved.

Realistically speaking, the best option would be to send Xiao Gushan away. But he was worried—if the boy was questioned, would he let something slip? That could spell disaster.

Still, the cave wasn’t completely safe.

Just in case, he took out a jade pendant and placed it in Xiao Gushan’s hands. “If someone comes, unless they try to break open the cave, ignore them. If they get aggressive, show them this and tell them, ‘The Young Lord of Tiandu City ordered me to guard this place.’”

Then, he added, “If wild beasts come and try to break in, use fire to scare them off. But if you really can’t chase them away, then grab a torch and find a way to escape. You’re small, and you don’t have much strength—don’t be stupid and try to fight them, got it?”

Xiao Gushan listened carefully, then nodded seriously. “Gege, don’t worry! Xiao Shan remembers everything! I won’t let you down!”

After making all the necessary preparations, Ziche Shubai finally sat down at the deepest part of the cave.

Then, he took out the Blood-Gathering Ganoderma, steeled himself, and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.

Eat, eat, eat—just eat it already! If the protagonist could handle it while injured, why wouldn’t I be able to handle it while perfectly healthy?!

…What he had forgotten was that when the protagonist ate it, he had already been an adult.

Ziche Shubai, on the other hand, was still just a child.

So, naturally, the tragic consequences arrived swiftly and brutally.

Pain.

Unbearable, soul-wrenching pain!

Pain that made him clench his teeth so hard they nearly shattered!

Pain that ripped through his bones like a thousand tiny worms gnawing at his marrow!

Pain that burned through his body like hellfire, tearing his muscles apart and piecing them back together again, over and over and over!

As someone who had never experienced true suffering before, Ziche Shubai had never imagined pain like this could exist.

Somewhere in the depths of his consciousness, he weakly thought:

If I had known this would happen, I never would have done it! If I live through this, I swear I’ll never write another scene with pain like this ever again! No more “thousands of ants gnawing at the bones,” no more “fire and ice tearing through the body,” no more “bones breaking and reforming,” no more “falling into the pits of hell”… I swear, I’ll never write any of that again!

If…

If I survive this…

For an adult martial artist, this process was already excruciating. But for a frail, pampered child—one with absolutely no mental resilience—it was pure hell.

Forget “keeping his mind clear” like the protagonist had. Ziche Shubai was already half-unconscious, barely clinging to life.

The Blood-Gathering Ganoderma was an incredibly powerful treasure. It was capable of correcting the flaws of the Mixed-Element Physique, refining and strengthening the body. The younger the person consuming it, the better the effect.

So, in a way, Ziche Shubai had actually gotten lucky.

…It just felt like the most unlucky moment of his life.

And Xiao Gushan?

Xiao Gushan was curled up in the corner of the cave, watching his beloved gege thrash on the ground, clawing at his own skin, smearing blood everywhere.

But he remembered gege’s words—he couldn’t go near him, or gege would die.

So he could only sit there, small hands clenched, lips trembling, eyes red.

He was so scared.

And…

He was angry.

Gege had lied to him.

That wasn’t fake blood.

Liar! Big liar!

But…

Even though he was angry, even though he knew he had been tricked…

Xiao Shan was still more worried.

So worried… so, so worried…

Maybe because a child’s body was easier to refine, after nearly two hours of torment, the pain finally started to subside.

The unbearable agony faded into a numbing sensation, and his entire body gradually felt lighter, as though the impurities inside him had been washed away.

Ziche Shubai opened his eyes and found that his body felt significantly more agile. Just like in the novel, it was as if all the filth inside him had been expelled. He felt refreshed, as though he had been reborn.

Except…

This rebirth had come at the cost of unimaginable suffering.

He swore—he never wanted to experience anything like this again.

But at least it was worth it.

He had removed the fatal flaw of the Mixed-Element Physique, ensuring his future in martial cultivation.

With that thought, Ziche Shubai tried to move, but the moment he sat up, he noticed Xiao Gushan curled up in the corner of the cave.

The boy’s face was red, his small hands were clenched tightly, and he looked both scared and deeply upset.

Ziche Shubai was stunned for a moment before finally realizing—oh.

Seeing someone roll on the ground, screaming and bleeding for two whole hours… of course that would be traumatizing for a five-year-old.

He quickly pulled back the rock blocking the cave entrance, then rushed over. “Xiao Shan, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Gushan, who had been trying to hold back, suddenly burst into loud sobs and threw himself into Ziche Shubai’s arms. “Gege bled so much! Xiao Shan was so scared!”

Ziche Shubai finally understood.

This whole time, Xiao Gushan had been suppressing his fear, staying still like a good child because he had promised not to interfere. But now that it was over, all the emotions he had bottled up had burst out at once.

Ziche Shubai’s heart softened.

This little kid…

Unlike all those people in Tiandu City who only cared about his status, Xiao Gushan was the first person who worried about him, not because of power or wealth, but simply because he cared.

He patted Xiao Gushan’s back and gently reassured him. “I’m okay now. See? Gege is fine.”

Xiao Gushan continued sobbing for a while, his small body trembling in Ziche Shubai’s arms.

Finally, after being comforted for a long time, he gradually stopped crying and sniffled as he looked up.

Ziche Shubai laughed when he saw his face. “Why are you so dirty?”

Xiao Gushan blinked, rubbing his eyes. “Gege is even dirtier!”

Only then did Ziche Shubai look down at himself—sure enough, he was covered in blood, sweat, and dark, foul-smelling impurities that had been forced out of his body.

The realization made him scream.

With one swift motion, he grabbed Xiao Gushan and bolted out of the cave, running straight to the stream.

The two of them splashed in the water, laughing as they played, washing away all the dirt and exhaustion from the past few days.

But deep down, Ziche Shubai knew…

This was their last moment of peace.

That night, as they sat together in the cave, watching the fire flicker, Ziche Shubai finally spoke.

“Xiao Shan… I have to leave.”

Xiao Gushan stiffened. “Gege… can’t you stay?”

Ziche Shubai ruffled his hair. “I have responsibilities. I can’t just run away forever.”

Xiao Gushan bit his lip, looking heartbroken.

But he was still just a child. He didn’t know how to stop his gege from leaving.

Seeing this, Ziche Shubai sighed softly. He took off his jade pendant and placed it into Xiao Gushan’s hands.

“Keep this. If one day you have no place to go, if things get too dangerous for you here… take this and go to Tiandu City to find me.”

Xiao Gushan looked down at the pendant, eyes filled with hesitation. “…Tiandu City?”

Ziche Shubai smiled. “That’s where I’m from. I’m the Young Lord of Tiandu City… and one day, I’ll be the City Lord. If anything happens, you can always come find me. The gates of Tiandu City will always be open for you.”

Xiao Gushan clutched the pendant tightly, as if afraid it would disappear.

Finally, he whispered, “Gege promises?”

Ziche Shubai nodded. “I promise.”

And so, early the next morning, Ziche Shubai left.

He walked down the mountain path, heading back toward Tiandu City, never looking back.

Because he knew that if he turned around, he might not have the heart to leave.

In the years to come, the protagonist’s life would rise and fall in this martial town, shaping him into the person he would eventually become. Ziche Shubai couldn’t interfere.

But if one day…

If one day Xiao Gushan truly had no place in this town, if the future became too cruel to him…

Then Tiandu City would be waiting for him.