An old man stood before him, heavy armor, his short white hair trasting against his dark green eyes.

  Just by looking at the knight, Yuan's mind stirred, pulling forth memories of mortals from Basilisk's knowledge.

  From what he recalled, mortals who could not walk the path of the Great Dao had instead learned how to resist low level cultivators.

  If his memories were correct, it was said that the stro martial artists among mortals could even fight against a weak Meridian Cultivator,a feat that, while impressive, held little importao Basilisk.

  After all, as the only Basilisk of the Azure Dragon , he had been too preoccupied scheming against tless fas to himself with mortal affairs.

  Yet, with the knowledge of a Soul Fusion Stage cultivator, Yuan could somewhat uand how mortals used martial arts. It wasn't as profound as runiations, divine spells, or even a nguages, but it had its own p the world.

  Still, even if a Meridian Cultivator were to fight him, Yuan was fident he could fight him,even if he were pursued by a Bone Refi Stage cultivator he could safely escape.

  There was nothing to fear.

  So, he simply tinued pying the role of a traumatized child.

  Opening the wooden door, the old knight stepped inside, his gaze settling on the young boy before him.

  The child appeared to be eleven or twelve years old,bck hair, an azure robe that the knight had only seen a few times before. But the most unusual thing about him

  His eyes.

  Bck… but with a hue of azure?

  That was rare. Something he had never seen before.

  For a brief moment, he was surprised,but that surprise quickly faded.

  After all, the world was vast, and nothing was truly impossible. He had already witnessed many strahings in his lifetime.

  There was o dwell on it.

  Instead, his focus shifted to why the Young Master had called for him in the first pce.

  A group of thieves had attacked a merary caravan, killed them for their goods, and the boy barely escaped because his uncle and father had bought time for him.

  A on occurren the current state of the kingdom.

  What mattered noho this boy truly was.

  Was he a noble? Or perhaps the child of a wealthy merary?

  But as he observed the young boy sitting there, drinking water with unfocused, blurry eyes, a differeion surfaced.

  Pity.

  After all… who would want to see an i child experienething like this?

  "Hello, young child. I am an elder knight of Baron I. Do you know who that is? And where is your family?"

  Hearing the elder knight's question, Yuan's expression darke the mention of "family." His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

  "I-I don't know where my family is… I just know it's a big city. And Baron I? Excuse me for my impudence, but I don't know who that is."

  The elder knight nodded in uanding.

  "That is fine, young one. Nothing will happen to you. The baron is a kind man,he does not care much for reputation, so it is not unon even for nobles not to know his name."

  Pausing for a moment, he then asked, "By 'big city,' do you mean t Sword's Tiger Forest City or Blue Duke's Mountain Heavens City? Or do you know her?"

  Now this roblem.

  Yuan didn't reize either of those names. But if he stayed silent, it would be suspicious.

  Choosing at random wasn't an option.

  However, the title of 'Duke' sounded higher than 't,' so nodding at the Duke's city seemed like the safest bet.

  And so, he nodded.

  Watg the boy's rea, the old knight's gaze sharpened.

  The moment Yuaed to the name Blue Duke, the elder knight became certain,this boy was from Mountain Heavens City.

  But at the thought of that city, he could only sigh in frustration.

  Leaving Mountain Heavens City? Easy.

  Entering it?

  Impossible,unless you were a t or carried an official allowater from the Blue Duke's officers.

  her he nor the baron had such a letter.

  That meant ohing.

  This attack had been pnned.

  These weren't just random bandits or ordinary thieves.

  With a heavy sigh, the old knight looked at the boy and spoke, his voice ced with solemnity.

  "If you truly are from Mountain Heavens City, then I have bad news for you."

  His green eyes bore into Yuan's own, filled with relut sympathy.

  "You ot return there. Not even with my help. Not even with the baron's influehe baron himself ot ehat city without permission from the Blue Duke's officers."

  The knight shook his head.

  "So, for now… you live here in this vilge."

  Hearing the knight's solemn words, Yuan visibly trembled, his expression one of utter shock.

  But deep inside… he was celebrating.

  Jackpot.

  He had chosen the right city!

  Of course, the bad news didn't actually him,he had never po go there in the first pce.

  But this? This erfect.

  Now, his persona,a lone boy who had suffered misfortune and could not return home,would be even more ving.

  Besides, he needed a peaceful location before seeking out a sect.

  More importantly,he needed food and water!

  If he had enough food, he could go into seclusion and break through to the Blood Purification Stage in peace.

  And now, with this new fabricated identity, he could ensure he had all the supplies he needed.

  Still, he had to sell the act.

  After pausing for a moment, Yuan slowly nodded his head, his eyes growing even sadder, his body seemingly weighed down by sorrow.

  The picture of a child who had lost everything.

  Seeing Yuan's increasing sadness, the old knight hesitated, unsure of what to do.

  After all, he was just a knight,a man who had served under Baron I sihe days of the first war. He had fought alongside the baron, witnessed battles, endured hardships.

  But this?

  f a grieving child?

  That was beyond him.

  With a heavy sigh, he finally spoke.

  "Say, boy, since we'll be seeing each other more often, would you like to tell me your name?"

  Hearing the elder knight's question, Yuan slowly nodded, his voice deliberately shaky.

  "M-my name is Yuan."

  The old knight nodded in aowledgment, then turo Lucas.

  "Lucas, take him to Viktor. He will take care of him."

  Hearing the name Viktor, Lucas's expressihtened,he approved of this decisiohen turo Yuan with a warm smile.

  "Little brother Yuan, e with me! I'll take you to Old Man Viktor. He's a kind old man,he'll take good care of you from now on!"

  With that, Lucas gently took Yuan's hand and led him out of the wooden hut, giving the old knight one final nod before they departed.

  Now that Yuan had some time and energy, he finally took a good look at the vilge.

  It was ordinary.

  Wooden and stone houses stood scattered throughout, the streets paved with asphalt. The vilge radiated a peaceful, quiet atmosphere, a ptouched by war or strife.

  As they walked toward Old Man Viktor's house, they passed many vilgers,all of whom greeted Lucas with resped warmth.

  Or rather,they greeted him as 'Young Master Lucas.'

  Hearing this, Yuan's suspis were firmed.

  Lucas was the baron's son.

  Or at the very least, he beloo the baron's family.

  After all, in a small vilge like this, who else other than the baron's heir would have any real authority?

  Children ran freely through the barony, their ughter eg in the distahe adults talked, worked, a about their daily lives, untouched by the struggles of the outside world.

  A true pce of peace.

  But…

  Was it really?

  Yuan didn't know.

  And more importantly,he didn't care.

  He was already powerful enough to ignore mortal problems.

  With that thought, he cast an indifferent g the se before him and walked on.

  But more than that, Young Master Lucas tio talk to Yuan about various uing things,things like his father's achievements for the kingdom.

  Although Yuan found it b, it was still important to uand the current state of the kingdom.

  Even though Lucas didn't go into much detail, he did mention one key event,his father had fought against the neighb kingdom, even killing a general. For a short time, he had bee an outstanding general himself, but after suffering a serious injury, he had retired from the army.

  However, by the time he was ihe war had already ended.

  The two kingdoms had reached an agreement,a peace treaty that prevehem from attag each other.

  But what exactly was written in that agreement?

  No one knew.

  Only the royal family had access to that information.

  That was the most important thing Lucas had mentioned.

  Aside from that, Young Master Lucas began rambling about the sweets sold in the vilge, the toys everyone could buy, the pyground for children, and many more meanihings that Yuan had no i in.

  Still, he preteo be ied.

  After all, what kind of child didn't like sweets?

  After what felt like an endless amount of annoying small talk, they finally arrived at a house.

  It looked a bit old, but it was stable,its wood and stone struatg the other houses in the vilge.

  However, this house was much rger thahers.

  Acc to Young Master Lucas, the only house bigger than this one was the baron's mansion.

  That must be true.

  After all, who would lie about something so insignifit?

  Now standing before the wooden door, Young Master Lucas knocked fidently, his voice loud and clear.

  "Old man, I'm here! e out!"

  A muffled voice came from inside, followed by the creaking of wood as slow, deliberate footsteps approached.

  Then, the door opened.

  An old man stood in the doorway.

  He had bck eyes and bck hair streaked with silver, his features carrying the weight of age and wisdom.

  Dressed in a simple bck t-shirt and a pair of pants, he wore the same modest fashion as the other vilgers.

  But Yuan noticed something unusual,something that wasn't normal for a mortal.

  Spiritual energy.

  The energy around the old man didn't behave as it normally would,it didn't ignore him like it did most mortals.

  No.

  It moved around his body, flowing in a trolled manner, as if a protective treasure was in use.

  However, since Yuan's cultivation wasn't yet strong enough to see through such things, he could only guess whether this truly was a treasure or something else.

  But ohing was certain.

  This old man was not ordinary.

  He was, without a doubt, a cultivator!

  Yuan was sure that this old man was at least at the Blood Purification Stage!

  Yet, despite his shock, his expression remained ral.

  He showed no visible rea, tinuing to aervous, just as a child in his situation would.

  As Old Man Viktor id eyes on Young Master Lucas and the unfamiliar child, he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

  "Little Lucas, who is this brat?"

  With that, Lucas began to expin Yuan's situation,his voice filled with sympathy as if the heavens had colpsed, leaving the boy pletely lost, alone, and without a home.

  Old Man Viktor listened patiently, and once Lucas had finished, he let out a long sigh, his gaze settling on Yuan.

  "Brat, I uand your situation now.

  "Although I wouldn't normally do something like this… sitle Lucas and Young Erisisted you e to me, I'll do them a favor and take you in.

  "So don't worry,I'll take care of you."

  Hearing this, Yuan respectfully bowed his head, pressing his hands together in salute.

  "Thank you, Elder! This one is deeply grateful for yenerosity!"

  With that, Elder Viktor stepped aside, inviting both Yuan and Young Master Lucas inside.

  However, Lucas politely deed, shaking his head.

  "I appreciate it, but I must return to my duty. Old Knight Eric is only temporarily filling in for me, so I o get back."

  With those words, Lucas turned a, disappearing down the road.

  With Young Master Luow gohe elder's expression hardened.

  His once casual demeanor vanished, repced by a cold, pierg gaze, pletely devoid of the kindness he had shown before.

  Then, his voice rang out,sharp and unwavering.

  "Are you a cultivator or not? And don't say you don't know what a cultivator is."

  Hearing this, Yuan remained calm,he had already anticipated the elder's suspi.

  After all, only cultivators wore robes.

  Even if he were a mortal, wearing such clothing would mean one of two things:

  He came from a cultivatiion that governed mortal kingdoms.

  He was hiding in the mortal world, attempting to blend in.

  There was no third possibility.

  If a mortal lived in a kingdom ruled by cultivators, they would either serve cultivators directly or live in cities where cultivators and mortals coexisted.

  Yet, Yuan stood here, dressed in a pin azure robe,something a mere mortal wouldn't wear in a pce like this.

  That alone was enough to raise suspi.

  But Yuan had already prepared an expnation.

  The moment he realized that the old man was a cultivator himself, he knew

  He had to be careful with his words.