I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

The old bread cart rattled and clattered as it drove along the bumpy cement roads of the county town.

The car windows were drafty, and cold air was pouring in.

Six months ago, Chu Tian would have already been shrugging his neck and complaining that this old car should be scrapped. But now, he sat upright in the passenger seat, his back straight, and the faint spiritual energy shield around him instinctively opened, keeping out the cold wind.

The car was very quiet.

A suffocating silence.

The father gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, his palms sweating profusely. He drove very carefully, not even daring to turn on his favorite radio, for fear of disturbing his son beside him.

Or rather, that "immortal master".

"Dad, you don't need to drive so slowly, I don't get carsick." Chu Tian broke the silence, trying to regain that carefree feeling from before.

The father trembled, like a schoolchild being called on by the teacher, and quickly nodded, "Oh, okay, okay. Wasn't it... because I was worried about you shaking your sword?"

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the sword box that Chu Tian was holding in his arms.

He saw yesterday's news too. It was this thing; the light that flew out of it sliced ​​a monster the size of a truck in two.

This thing is right next to him now, less than half a meter away.

Chu Tian felt a pang of sadness and subconsciously moved the sword case closer to his feet: "This is just an iron sword, it's not that delicate."

The mother in the back seat opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back. She just nervously rubbed the hem of her clothes, her eyes full of inquiry and caution.

When I used to come home, my mother would start nagging me to wear long johns, asking if I had any boyfriends at school, and complaining about the neighbor's dog.

But now, looking at Chu Tian's familiar yet flawless profile, she felt a sense of... unfamiliarity.

My silly son, who used to wear a trendy down jacket from Taobao and occasionally had a couple of pimples on his face, is gone.

Instead, there was a person with skin so fair that even women would be jealous, and an aloof and elegant demeanor, as if they had stepped out of a painting.

"Little...Little Tian," the mother finally mustered the courage to speak, but her voice was eight octaves softer than usual, "At that school...do you really not eat? I read online that even immortals drink dew..."

Chu Tian was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly: "Mom, that's nonsense online. I'm not a cicada, why would I drink dew? I'm starving, I just want to eat dumplings."

Upon hearing the words "starving to death," the fear in the mother's eyes finally subsided somewhat, and she regained a bit of her sense of motherhood.

"Hey! Mom's going back to make you some! The sauerkraut's already chopped, and the meat's the best pork belly I grabbed this morning at the market!"

The atmosphere inside the car finally warmed up a little.

……

The old residential area, downstairs in Unit 3.

As soon as the bread cart came to a stop, Chu Tian frowned.

The apartment door, which used to be covered in little "GG" stickers, is now polished to a shine. A cheap red carpet has even been laid out in the hallway, extending all the way to his doorstep.

In front of his dilapidated security door, there was a pile of things.

High-end cigarettes and alcohol, health products, boxes of fruit, and even several gift boxes that looked very expensive almost blocked my doorway.

"This..." Chu Tian looked at his father.

The father scratched his head awkwardly and took out his keys: "These were all sent over the past few days by parents from the county and your former classmates. We didn't dare accept them, and we didn't dare throw them away, so they just piled them up here..."

Just then, the upstairs window was suddenly pushed open, and Aunt Wang from next door poked her head out.

On weekdays, Aunt Wang likes to pile up clutter in the stairwell and often rolls her eyes at Chu Tian's family for the heavy smoke from cooking.

But at this moment, Aunt Wang's face was full of exaggerated smiles, and she was waving a handkerchief in her hand:

"Oh my! Isn't this the top scholar back? No, it's a deity returning! Little Tian, ​​Auntie just stewed some pork ribs, I'll bring them over to you in a bit!"

Immediately afterwards, the neighbors on the second and fourth floors all peeked out, their enthusiasm as if Chu Tian were their long-lost father.

Chu Tian didn't respond; he just felt a tightness in his chest.

He waved his hand gently.

"call--"

A gentle breeze suddenly appeared, softly pushing the mountain of gifts piled up at the entrance to a corner of the hallway, revealing a path into the house.

"Let's go inside," Chu Tian said in a low voice.

Closing the door shut out the prying eyes and flattery from the outside, Chu Tian breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, he saw the scene in the living room.

The living room, which was originally a bit messy and full of life, has been cleaned up until it is spotless.

The ashtray belonging to my father was no longer on the coffee table, and the unfinished sweater that my mother had been knitting was no longer on the sofa.

Instead, a huge poster hangs on the wall in the very center.

That's a screenshot someone took from a news video: Chu Tian flying on his sword against a backdrop of a stormy night sky.

In front of the poster, there was even an incense burner with three burning incense sticks inside.

Chu Tian: "..."

He pointed at the incense burner, his voice trembling, "Dad, what does this mean?"

The father said earnestly, "This is to protect you. The fortune teller next door said that while you're out there slaying demons, your spirit should be kept at home so you won't get hurt..."

"I'm not dead yet!" Chu Tian said, both amused and exasperated. He waved his hand and released a burst of spiritual energy, extinguishing the three incense sticks. "Take this away, it's creepy."

……

Dinner has finally begun.

Steaming hot sauerkraut and pork dumplings were served.

This is the taste that Chu Tian has been missing for half a year.

The family of three sat around a small dining table, with the evening news playing on TV, which happened to be rebroadcasting last night's "battle".

Chu Tian picked up a dumpling and put it in his mouth.

"..."

He chewed twice, then paused slightly.

Six months ago, he would have thought these dumplings were incredibly delicious and could have eaten thirty of them in one go.

But now, having undergone "marrow cleansing and bone tempering" and having grown accustomed to the spiritual rice and vegetables imbued with spiritual energy from Kunlun Mountain, his palate has become extremely discerning.

In his taste:

This flour has a bitter taste from chemical fertilizers and bleach.

The pork had a nauseating smell of feed and antibiotic residue.

Even the sauerkraut had a musty smell because of the impure fermentation environment.

This is food from the mortal world.

For him now, even a family dinner is a way of consuming "toxins".

"What's wrong?" His mother had been watching him closely, and when he stopped, she immediately became anxious. "Is it too salty? Or is it undercooked?"

Chu Tian looked at his mother's hands, which were covered in calluses and red from making dumplings, the result of soaking them in cold water for an hour.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he forced himself to swallow the dumpling, which was full of "impurities," despite his physical discomfort.

Then, he looked up and flashed a bright smile:

"No, it's incredibly delicious. It's exactly the taste I've been craving at school."

After saying that, he started eating heartily, finishing two large plates in one go.

With each bite, he would secretly circulate his spiritual energy to forcibly refine the food in his stomach and expel the "toxins" from his body.

Seeing their son wolfing down his food, the parents finally breathed a sigh of relief, and long-lost, heartfelt smiles appeared on their faces.

"Eat slowly, there's more." His mother poured him a glass of water.

Just then, the television news broadcast the scene of Chu Tian severing the sea monster's head with his final sword strike.

Blood gushed out, staining the seawater red.

The father's hand holding the wine glass trembled, and half of the wine spilled out.

He looked at the ruthless and decisive "sword immortal" on TV, then looked at his son who was engrossed in eating dumplings.

"Xiao Tian," the father's voice was a little hoarse.

"Hmm?" Chu Tian looked up, his mouth full of dumplings.

After hesitating for a long time, the father finally asked the question that had been weighing on his mind:

"That...that monster...after it died...it bled a lot."

"Weren't you...aren't you afraid?"

Chu Tian was stunned.

Afraid?

On the battlefield, my adrenaline was surging, and my mind was filled with sword techniques and formations. I didn't have time to be afraid.

Moreover, under Kunlun's subtle influence and through countless battles, he had long since become accustomed to bloodshed.

But looking into his father's cloudy eyes, filled with worry, Chu Tian suddenly realized:

In the eyes of parents, killing, even killing monsters, is an extremely terrible, even heinous, thing.

They hoped their son would be successful, but they hoped even more that he would be a clean and honest person.

Chu Tian put down his chopsticks.

He wanted to say "for the sake of all living beings," and "to eliminate evil and uphold justice."

But these grand words seemed so pale and hypocritical in this small living room.

Finally, he simply took his father's trembling hand gently.

The hand was rough and warm, but it was trembling slightly with fear.

"Dad, I'm scared."

Chu Tian lied.

His eyes were clear, and his tone was sincere: "I was so scared my legs went weak. But if I didn't kill it, it would rush ashore and eat people. There are people like you on the shore."

Upon hearing his son say he was "afraid," the father breathed a long sigh of relief.

The image of that "ruthless sword immortal" finally overlapped somewhat with the "cowardly son" in front of him.

"It's good that you're afraid, it's good that you're afraid."

The father downed the glass of wine in one gulp, his eyes reddening. "Knowing fear is the key to survival. We don't ask you to be heroes; your safety and well-being are more important than anything else."

Chu Tian lowered his head, using the act of eating dumplings to hide the stinging in his eyes.

Peace and safety?

It's impossible.

He touched the "Spring Festival War Preparedness Order" in his pocket, which hadn't even warmed up yet.

This year is destined to be anything but peaceful.

This kind of happiness for ordinary people is like this plate of dumplings; once you eat it, there's one less you can have.

Outside the window, someone had set off fireworks ahead of time.

"Bang!"

The brilliant firelight illuminated the dark night sky, and also illuminated Chu Tian's eyes, which seemed out of place in this house and remained frighteningly calm.