CHAPTER 41: THE DECLINING CLAN - II

Lucian, or rather, Feng Tian, stood frozen under his mother’s embrace. Hearing her selfless words, he didn’t know how to respond.

His brows slightly frowned, not with irritation but confusion. He slowly raised his hands and jerked off her arms. Without turning back, he slowly spoke. "I-It’s fine. D-Don’t worry, I can take care of myself."

Immediately after speaking his thoughts, he ran out of the room without waiting to hear her response.

For a moment, the mother looked confused. But she still smiled sweetly and looked towards her other child sleeping in her arms. "Guess I was right, Yue’er. See, your brother was feeling shy to express his feelings! He’s even cuter when he acts all grown up, right?"

She softly kissed the baby girl’s forehead and stared into the air with a bittersweet smile. Accepting her child’s emotions as being cute and shy, one could call it her innocence. Of course, it wasn’t her fault to begin with. Otherwise, who’d expect their 5-year-old’s body to be possessed by a foreign man’s soul?

It was only natural for her to think as such since she only looked at Feng Tian like a child. However, what she didn’t know was that what Feng Tian said wasn’t his expressions of shyness or cuteness but hesitation.

Hesitation to believe, hesitation to offer, and hesitation to accept. Even after being loved so dearly for 5 years, something inside of him refused to let him close his distance with his newly found loved ones.

Maybe it was because he knew that they were only temporary and they’ll disappear once this task is accomplished. Or maybe it was just uncomfortable for him to do so.

What was really going on in his mind, Feng Tian himself didn’t know. He didn’t ponder about it either because to think about such useless matters, he didn’t have time.

For the last 5 years, he had been gathering information about this world and his own family. Even now, there was something for him to look up to—the Coming of Age ceremony.

Just like Earth, this world had customs and ceremonies as well. Though, they differed greatly in both meaning and essence.

According to this world’s customs, a child is not allowed to leave the house until the age of 5. Until then, they receive their primary teachings from their parents to prohibit any form of outside information from slipping into their ears.

The coming-of-age ceremony was one of the most crucial ceremonies of this world since it greatly affected a child’s future. In this ceremony, once a child reaches the age of 5, the parents are to announce such a thing happening for as far as they can. This way, those interested will gather before the child’s house and wait in complete silence.

As the child walks out of his house for the first time, he is to walk and stand next to the person purely by instinct. Once the child does so, it is said that fate has allowed both souls to meet, letting them establish the relation of master-disciple.

’I like the essence of this tradition since it allows the child to have an aim moving forward into life. Not only that, it even reduces the backlash of a child towards his parents. Weak or strong, loving or cruel, they cannot blame their parents, for they are the ones who chose them.’ He thought in silence as he moved towards the entrance of the house.

’It practically reminds me of those rigged gacha systems since neither the kids nor the parents have the information as to who their master could be, but either way, it’s not a matter of concern to me.’

Unlike other kids, Lucian still retained his knowledge from 17 years of life. Accepting a master to serve for his life—that wasn’t his intention. In fact, he prayed to all gods diligently, hoping to not see anyone interested.

It might disappoint his parents, but did he really need a master? He knew a technique that allowed him to break through in a world where not a single speck of Qi was to be found. He owned a system that continuously pushed him towards greater power. Not to mention the several other powers whose limits even he couldn’t fathom.

Lucian didn’t need a master to gain power but to survive.

’The system rules clearly stated that I have to make sure not to do anything out of the ordinary or something that overlaps with this world’s customs. I don’t want to die because of some stupid rules.’ He slightly shook his head and stopped before the main gate.

His father wasn’t home yet, which only meant that he was still out spreading the news in hopes of catching some master’s eyes. Lucian let go of control of his legs and fell on the floor with a soft thud. Slowly pulling himself to the corner, he sat with his back resting over the wall.

"Man... Should I just run away?" He grumbled in a low voice. Now that the hour of decision was nearing, Lucian’s mind had begun to run wild in a rather logical way. He wasn’t allowed to not choose a master, but that statement as a whole did not restrict him from running away from the home.

If he wanted, he could very well do so. The door was unlocked; his father was out somewhere in the bustling streets of Xiouyue. While his mother was taking care of his younger sister. The coast was clear, yet something stopped him from proceeding. Something like a shackle that had developed around his heart over the time of 5 years.

Not to mention, even if he were to run, the chances of his survival would be only a little over 0.01%.

Although this world followed the path of righteousness, it wasn’t hidden that inhumane procedures were constantly being done upon humans in hidden sight.

’If I were to venture outside with this little powerless physique of mine, without a doubt, I’d either end up dying to some dogs or be kidnapped by someone to sell me off as a slave.’

Lucian couldn’t help but sigh as a contradiction rose in his mind.

He couldn’t go out because he was too powerless and would be killed in no time, but if he were to break through before the age of 5, he’d still die because of the rules set by the system.

Thinking further, small gasps of heartfelt giggles could be heard slipping through his lungs as he muttered, "This is hilarious, really. I wonder if something like this was done by the system to ensure everyone dances by its rules just as it planned."

"Either way, I guess there’s no point in even thinking about something so useless. I’m sure there will be tons trying their best to be my master; after all, I’m the oldest son of the once one of the most powerful clans of immortals." He chuckled, calming down as he closed his eyes.

’The Feng clan, unlike its current appearance, was once considered one of the most powerful clans in the world, responsible for producing the most immortals in the world. At least that is what was written in the storybooks that my mother read for me. And according to my knowledge, the entire world knows of it. How superior and unfathomable this clan was, and how cruel its decline was.’

The Feng clan, along with its 6 rivals, formed an irrefutable fortress for this world. But that was until a few hundred thousand years ago. Although the records were forgotten with time, the world remembered that the Feng clan had committed a heinous crime. A crime so obscene that heaven itself had to act and punish its bloodline. In the blink of an eye, thousands of immortals were turned to ashes while the Feng clan itself was upheaved by its rivals.

With a humiliating plunder such as this, the elders of the Feng clan decided to burn every speck of records and manuals to make sure they do not become the wings for the future generations of their murderers.

Almost everyone that bore the Feng bloodline was killed, leaving behind only a small number of those with the most diluted blood. But even those stung in the other clan’s eyes as they threw them out into the outskirts to let their next generations live like slaves.

As someone who had worked with stories his entire life and written a few successful ones, Lucian could easily tell that the story seemed fabricated.

’The heavens had to take action? The same heavens that rule over all 3 worlds of Death, Life, and Mortality? THAT heavens? Over what? A few thousand immortals? Nah, I don’t believe that,’ he sneered silently.

’Even if I consider it the truth, how heinous of a crime could an immortal-producing clan commit? A bloodline of demons? Rebellion against the heavens? Or what, destruction of the entire realm? Since when have the all-mighty heavens started worrying about topics so low? At most, it would’ve ordered a general of its realm to take action. But for the stories to portray the other 6 clans as the heroes, it doesn’t line up. It smells of a plot. A well-devised plot.’

’The stories of past battles always reflect the vision of the heroes, the winners. But what if they weren’t heroes? What if they were the villains who merely won in the end? The world wouldn’t know, since the ones who knew of the truth were already dead.’