Chen Xiaotian

Li Guanqi stood carefully outside the dilapidated fence and tapped gently against the weathered wood. *Thump, thump, thump.* Inside the house, the woman turned her head numbly, only to see a blind youth in white robes standing at the gate. His dark hair was gathered loosely, with locks falling over both shoulders. Handsome and bearing a warm, gentle smile, the young man looked utterly out of place against the backdrop of the rundown village. His otherworldly demeanor made him seem like an immortal descended from the heavens. The woman froze. Seeing that Li Guanqi had not moved away, she finally realized he was here looking for them. Hearing the sound, the boy lying on the earthen kang struggled to turn his head toward the door. Seen through the dim gloom of the cottage, the white-robed youth framed by the setting sun seemed almost unreal. Wiping away her tears, the woman rose with swollen, reddened eyes and stepped out of the house. Standing at the threshold, she asked timidly, "Are you... looking for our family?" Li Guanqi smiled and nodded, his gaze shifting past her toward the young boy in the room, his eyes holding an unreadable expression. "I am Li Guanqi. May I come in so we can speak?" *Creak!* The neighboring door swung open. A plump woman stepped outside carrying a slop bucket and stared at Li Guanqi in astonishment. Noticing his extraordinary attire, she put on an oily smile and turned to the woman. "Sister Chen, who's this?" At the question, the woman grew visibly flustered, her fingers instinctively clenching the hem of her jacket. Li Guanqi spoke up to smooth over the moment. "I am her distant cousin." The woman nodded in flustered agreement, not daring to say another word. Hearing this, the plump neighbor smiled strangely, cut her eyes at the woman, and nodded. "Ah... a distant cousin! No wonder I've never laid eyes on you." "Haha, well, I'll leave you two to chat!" Li Guanqi's expression remained tranquil as he said softly to the woman beside him, "Sister, let us go inside." The woman nodded hurriedly and led him into the house. Outside, the neighbor glanced back over her shoulder three times at Li Guanqi's retreating figure before heaving the bucket and tossing the slops beside the road. Shaking her head, she muttered spitefully, "A distant cousin, my foot! With how poor and wretched she is, how could she have a cousin like that? "I bet they're up to some shameful, dirty business!" Just as he stepped over the threshold, a chill flickered in the depths of Li Guanqi's eyes, and he gave a slight flick of his finger! Out by the road, the neighbor suddenly clutched her throat with a grimace. "Ouch! Why does my throat hurt so suddenly? "No, I have to go find Physician Li to take a look at this." The moment Li Guanqi entered the house, an acrid wave of dampness and foul, rotting stench washed over him. The dampness came from the house's state of ruin; without shelter from the wind and rain, an odor had naturally built up over time. Yet the smell brought him no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, it stirred a strange sense of familiarity and peace in his heart. As for the rotting stench, it came from the fleshy growth on the boy's neck. The woman watched Li Guanqi with immense unease. There was not a glimmer of light in the dim room, just as there had been none in the lives of this mother and son. Looking at her brow, he could see dark qi gathering there and her vitality waning; she clearly did not have long to live. Yet the space between the young boy's brows was even darker, his condition plainly worse than his mother's. The woman looked frantically around the room, finally picking up a worn piece of clothing to lay over the kang. "Our home is poor and shabby," she said awkwardly. "Please forgive the disgrace." Li Guanqi reached out, picked up the clothing, and gently draped it over the boy. Paying no mind to the dust coating the earthen kang, he sat down upon it. The boy stared at Li Guanqi with pure excitement, his eyes crystal-clear and bright. Li Guanqi smiled. "Sit. There is no need to be so formal." Leaning against the wall for support, the woman slowly sank onto a wooden stool nearby. Her hands rested on her knees, at a loss for words. Seeing this, Li Guanqi was the first to speak. "Do not be nervous. I bear you no ill will. "If... possible, would you mind telling me what happened to your family?" Hearing his gentle tone, the woman relaxed slightly, less stiff than she had been at first. She looked up at Li Guanqi and spoke in a soft voice. "My name is Xu Jinglan, and my boy is seven years old. His name is Chen Xiaotian. "As you can see, there are only the two of us left in this house. His father died early... and the two of us have had only each other to lean on." At this, tears slipped uncontrollably from Xu Jinglan's swollen eyes, and she wiped them away with a sleeve. Turning toward the boy on the kang, her voice choked with sobs. "This child... has had a bitter life... "Ever since he was born, he hasn't known a single day of comfort. "The heavens are blind... I am gravely ill, and I fear... I don't have long left. "It's my poor son who suffers... he is only seven years old!! "I've endured every kind of hardship all these years, but I never imagined... that in the end, it would be my son who has to bear such agony." As she spoke, her tears burst forth like a broken dam. Grasping the boy's hand, she slumped against the edge of the kang, weeping uncontrollably. Li Guanqi's throat tightened slightly, and he could not help but close his eyes, sighing inwardly. *Ropes always snap at the thinnest strand; misfortune always seeks out the wretched.* *Chen Xiaotian...* Recalling the boy's inner voice from earlier, he thought: *He truly lives up to his name!* Li Guanqi looked at the young boy and saw him staring back. Before Li Guanqi could say anything, the boy asked in a timid, fragile voice, "Are you an immortal?" Li Guanqi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Taking the boy's small hand, he replied softly, "Yes. And a very powerful one at that." Beside them, Xu Jinglan's heart leaped, and her eyes instantly filled with hope. Without the slightest hesitation, she rose from the stool and dropped to her knees with a loud thud. Ignoring the hard, jagged pebbles on the ground, she began bowing her head violently against the floor! *Thud! Thud! Thud!* At the very first strike, blood seeped from her forehead, yet she paid it no heed, letting her hair fall in wild disarray. She bit her lip until it turned pale. She knew this might be the only chance to save her son!! With tears welling in his eyes, the boy looked at his mother and cried out softly, "Mother..." Li Guanqi did not stop the mother immediately. Only after she had knocked her head three times did he gently raise his hand. An invisible force supported her upright. Looking at the torn flesh on her forehead, he let out a soft sigh. A flash of spiritual light flickered across the wound, and it sealed instantly, leaving behind only faint traces of blood. A look of astonishment crossed the woman's face, followed by overwhelming joy. Looking at Li Guanqi with deep emotion, she stayed kneeling on the floor and pleaded, "Immortal!! Immortal... I... I beg of you... please save my son! "As long as you can save him, I will serve you like a beast of burden in this life, the next life, and the life after that!" Li Guanqi simply raised his hand again and said softly, "There is no need to serve as a beast of burden. Chen Xiaotian—I will save him." Hearing this, Chen Xiaotian's eyes brightened, and he asked, "Can you really save me, Immortal? "Will... will it cost money? "We... our family... doesn't have any money. "If it doesn't cost money, I will do anything you ask to repay you later on." Li Guanqi's breath caught in his throat. For such a young child to understand so much of the world's harsh reality... Such maturity could only bring an ache to one's heart.