As Reng made his way back to family, he examined the metal pieces in his bag. The old horse accompanying him seemed to know the way well. In recent days, Reng had heard rumors of sky metal being found in Sword Mountain City. This metal had the potential to enhance the power of his earthly weapon to sky-level.
Sky metal, although not incredibly expensive, was extremely rare. Even a few pieces could fetch hundreds of gold coins. If Reng hadn't been the seventh elder of the Blaze Clan, it would have been impossible for him to even lay his hands on the sky metal. People were willing to go to great lengths for it, but who could defy one of the four major forces? Despite their facade of justice and benevolence, everyone was aware of their clandestine actions. Yet, nobody dared to openly voice their concerns.
Although Reng disliked the way his clan operated, he couldn't deny that his family and blood were tied to it. The clan had supported him until now, and perhaps there was still someone protecting him from the shadows. Who knew?
Reng continued his journey for two more days until he approached the location where the small family resided. Gradually, an inexplicable feeling started to take hold of him. Before long, he reached the humble shack where the family lived.
However, the scene that greeted Reng made him furrow his brows. The area resembled a war zone. Without wasting any more time, Reng began to carefully investigate his surroundings.
Soon enough, Reng spotted a man lying on the ground, covered in a fur coat. The man had a massive hole in his chest, resembling a wounded bear. His eyes were still open, reflecting a sense of sorrow, as if he knew what fate awaited his wife and child before his own demise.
Reng didn't spend much time by the man's side. Although the chances were slim, there was a possibility that the woman or child had survived. Reng started to throw pieces of wood from the ruined wooden house, searching for any signs of life. After a while, the sight before him filled him with both nausea and anger.
The woman's upper body was bare, but Reng couldn't find any visible wounds. He suspected it might have been a "soul attack." Reng was certain that the woman had suffered before her death or after her death. However, unlike her husband, she bore no expression on her face, indicating she might have been unaware of the attack.
Without much delay, Reng approached the lifeless baby lying on the ground. The baby had a clean sword wound near his heart.
In that moment, a wave of remorse washed over Reng like never before. Although the deaths of the family weren't directly his fault, he played a significant role in the tragedy. "Perhaps if I hadn't left or if I had been there with them, the outcome could have been different," he thought with a heavy heart.
Reng dug two graves for the family—one for the father and another for the mother and child. With great care, he cleaned their bodies as best he could before covering the large man with a sheet. He then used his own arms to gently place the woman's body in the grave. When it came to the baby's corpse, he stared into its closed eyes for a long moment.
Just as Reng was about to lay the baby to rest, a sudden urge compelled him to extend his consciousness and examine the baby's body. In that moment, he realized how foolish his actions had been—the baby was barely alive.
Overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next, Reng stood frozen for a moment. One of the baby's lungs had been punctured, but his heart remained unharmed by a hair's breadth. Without further hesitation, Reng began shouting, his voice echoing in the surrounding area.
"Elder Kai, are you there?"
Receiving no response, Reng shouted a few more times, desperately hoping for a sign. However, his efforts yielded no results. Before long, two pairs of daggers materialized in Reng's hands.
"Elder Kai, if you don't reveal yourself now, I swear on the gods that I will take my own life!"
Reng had barely finished his words when a hunched, elderly man appeared before him. His face displayed a mix of displeasure and annoyance due to the threat.
"What do you want, brat?" the old man retorted.
Elder Kai had been the one to protect Reng since his youth, but he could only intervene when Reng's life was directly threatened. There had been moments when Reng was severely injured, and Elder Kai refrained from saving him. Elder Kai, now in his 90s and a low-level Sky Conqueror, had always believed that couldn't reach the intermediate level solely because of Reng. Although this duty had been assigned to him by the clan leader, he couldn't voice his complaints to clan leader.
"Elder Kai, can you save the baby? He's still alive," Reng pleaded.
The old man glanced at Reng and the baby for a brief moment.
"Why should I? Brat, it's true that I have protected you, but I'm not your servant," Elder Kai responded, maintaining a stern expression.
Reng despised the old man's personality, but he couldn't deny his point. Reng lacked the authority to give orders to the person standing before him. All he could do was appeal to Elder Kai's compassion.
Suddenly, Reng remembered something.
"Elder Kai, what if I give you about 4 kilograms of sky metal?"
A momentary glimmer of satisfaction appeared on the old man's face, although he quickly concealed it. Reng, however, couldn't help but notice.
"I don't need all of it. Half will suffice if you agree," old man offered.
Reng handed the baby to Elder Kai, who cautiously received the fragile bundle in his arms.
Once Elder Kai placed his hands on the baby's wound, a radiant white light burst forth, causing the wound to gradually close. Though the wound was healing, the expression on the old man's face grew increasingly grim.
"Hmph, you wasted two kilograms of sky metal for nothing. The child will survive, but his soul has been damaged. He has been teetering between life and death for hours, and cultivating is now impossible for him," Elder Kai explained, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Reng ignored the old man's words and cradled the baby in his arms. He threw his bag towards the old man and said,
"There's no need for him to cultivate. I will protect him."
The old man took half of the metals from Reng's bag and then threw the bag back to Reng. He began to talk bedore fade away into thin air.
"So, are you going to bring the child to the clan?" the old man asked.
Reng looked at the old man and replied,
"The death of his family is partly my fault. He almost died because of me, and on top of that, he lost his cultivation potential. What should I do, leave him as prey for the wolves?"
Without further delay, the old man vanished into thin air.
After burying the couple, Reng returned to the clan with the baby in his arms.