Little Pink Starfish

Just as Gu Shan had told him, he was indeed just an ordinary Junior Wu Shi from an ordinary family. His daily life had consisted of nothing but training and carrying out family tasks, never doing anything out of line. His background was also confirmed—he was the child of a servant woman and a martial artist, born in wedlock. However, his father had died on a mission before he was born, leaving his mother pregnant. She later died in childbirth, entrusting the baby to her cousin.

That cousin had once loved Gu Shan’s father, but since he had chosen another, she harbored resentment toward Gu Shan, which led to years of abuse.

All of this matched the investigation perfectly, with solid evidence from multiple sources. The likelihood of fabrication was near zero.

If Gu Shan did have the ability to manipulate so many people into forging an elaborate background for him, then he wouldn’t be just a Junior Wu Shi. And if he had that kind of influence, he wouldn’t need to come here and start from scratch—he could gain far more staying in his original family.

Only after confirming all of this did Gu Bai finally set his mind at ease.

From now on, he could follow his instincts and treat Gu Shan well without worrying about any hidden agendas.

…Thinking about this, Gu Bai let out a silent, bitter laugh.

Once upon a time, he had been nothing more than a shut-in typing away at a keyboard every day. Then he ended up trapped in this “might-makes-right” world where eating people is justified. He wasn’t sure whether to blame himself for creating such a brutal setting… or just mourn his own bad luck.

The things he had never wanted to think about—he now had to think about.
The things he had never wanted to do—he now had to force himself to do, just to survive.

Even when facing someone he didn’t want to be wary of, he had to investigate them thoroughly before he could finally let his guard down.

…Well. He supposed he’d just have to treat Gu Shan even better from now on, to make up for all this suspicion.

Of course, none of these thoughts showed on Gu Bai’s face.

To his subordinates, it simply looked like he had spent slightly more time than usual reviewing a document.

But to someone as observant as Chief Steward Qin Xubo, even that slight delay was enough to draw conclusions.

If the city lord personally spent this much time reading a report on someone… then this person, Gu Shan, was clearly important.

From this moment onward, Qin Xubo and the other loyal servants unanimously decided to take Gu Shan more seriously.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

A gentle voice followed. “Ge… I mean, is the city lord here?”

Gu Bai immediately replied, “Come in.”

At the same time, he naturally passed the documents in his hands to Qin Xubo.

Gu Shan stepped inside just in time to see this. His gaze flickered slightly.

Gu Bai felt a little nervous.

He still remembered how happy Gu Shan had been when he first confirmed that Gu Bai hadn’t lied to him. He really didn’t want to lie to him now.

But Gu Shan didn’t ask anything.

As if he hadn’t noticed a thing, he simply smiled and said, “I’ve made my selection. I hope I’m not disturbing the city lord?”

Gu Bai let out a silent sigh of relief. “You’re not.”

Qin Xubo was also pleased.

As the chief steward, he had already noted that Gu Shan privately called the city lord “gege.” However, he also saw that Gu Shan was sensible enough to use a formal address in public.

Seeing that these two long-lost brothers still had a lot to catch up on, Qin Xubo wisely stepped back, excusing himself from the room with the documents in hand.

Gu Bai gestured toward the seat opposite him. “Sit.”

Gu Shan sat down naturally and slid several books across the table. “I picked these out. Gege, can you check if they’re suitable?”

Gu Bai had no objections.

His original intent was to let Gu Shan browse through the selection on his own first—then, he would personally refine the choices.

If there was one thing he had gained from surviving in Tian Du City for so many years… aside from leveling up his martial skills… it was the fact that he had practically memorized every single manual in the city lord’s library.

(All thanks to the looming threat of the protagonist hanging over his head.)

Gu Shan had been very restrained in his selection. Instead of hoarding a massive stack of manuals, he had only picked five.

Three were fist techniques. Two were footwork techniques.

The former increased attack power. The latter enhanced agility and escape speed.

Gu Bai had to admit—this kid was rational. He hadn’t let the overwhelming selection distract him.

Glancing through the manuals, Gu Bai asked, “Xiaoshan, what’s your martial energy attribute?”

For example, Gu Bai himself had the Hun Yuan Wu Ti (Primal Chaos Martial Body), which allowed him to absorb any kind of martial energy. However, it was more efficient to specialize in a single attribute, making it easier to concentrate and refine his power.

For most people, martial energy attributes typically fell into standard categories:
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Thunder, Light, Darkness, Wind, and Ice.

There were also special attributes.

For example, the protagonist’s innate ability was Devouring. Because he could absorb any element, he could disguise his true nature under any attribute.

Other rare martial bodies also came with unique abilities.

For instance, the Windborne Martial Body had a Wind attribute but also possessed an inherent Levitation talent. Even without martial power, its user could fly. And once trained? They could outrun anyone.

(Classic web novel logic—mixing Eastern and Western cultivation systems into a chaotic but fun mess.)

Gu Bai had designed this setting purely for maximum coolness and variety.

Hearing Gu Bai’s question, Gu Shan smiled slightly. “Wind.”

Gu Bai nodded thoughtfully. “Wind attribute, huh…”

Good.

If he ever found himself in danger, he could run like hell.

With that in mind, Gu Bai quickly made his selection.

Among the three fist techniques, he picked Storm Fist—the most lethal of the three. It had a simple set of moves, which meant Gu Shan could accumulate strength fast.

Wind Dragon Strength would come after Storm Fist.
As for Wind God Art… too impractical. Not worth the effort.

For footwork, he had two choices: Tiger Stride and Leopard Shadow Step.

The latter was far more agile.

Decision made, Gu Bai placed two manuals in front of Gu Shan. “Start with Storm Fist. Once you’ve mastered it, move on to Wind Dragon Strength.” He paused. “Train Leopard Shadow Step alongside Storm Fist. The two complement each other.”

Gu Shan listened intently, then curved his lips into a slow smile. “Alright. I’ll do as Gege says.”

After Gu Shan put away the chosen manuals, Gu Bai handed the remaining books to Qin Xubo for return to the library.

In that moment, Gu Bai did not notice—

Gu Shan’s gaze had been fixed on him the entire time.

---

Morning was training time.

To help Gu Shan establish himself in the city lord’s residence, Gu Bai decided to personally instruct him.

Thus, he led him to the exclusive training ground reserved only for the city lord and his most trusted inner circle.

As they walked, Gu Bai paid no attention to the reactions of his subordinates.

Gu Shan, supposedly just a humble martial artist, should have been in awe.

But aside from a brief flicker of surprise in his eyes, his expression remained as warm and gentle as ever.

This earned him points in the eyes of Gu Bai’s inner circle.

Upon arriving at the vast stone-paved training grounds, Gu Bai gestured forward.

“Hit that rock.”

Gu Shan looked up.

It was a massive two-meter-tall stone—smooth and polished like a mirror.

Recognizing it instantly, Gu Shan raised an eyebrow. “An Evaluation Stone?”

Gu Bai nodded. “That’s right.”

Gu Shan chuckled. “Then, I’ll give it a try.”

He stepped forward, settled into a horse stance, and threw a punch.

…And his posture looked extremely familiar to Gu Bai.