In the middle of the forest, about four people had set up a camp. All of them were wearing identical black clothes.

  They were all men, sitting together and eating.

  “Haa… how much longer will it take for us to finally return to the Society?”

  “I don’t know… we’ve been trying to find the right path for the last four or five days, but we just can’t.”

  Two of the people present spoke like this.

  They are Death Hall's disciples and had come out of the Crimson Heaven Society on a mission.

  They had completed the mission successfully, but on their return journey they were suddenly caught in a fierce snowstorm.

  To survive the storm, they had to take shelter in a cave for several days.

  When they finally came out, the entire land was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Because of this, they were having great difficulty finding their way back.

  “Ahh! How many times have I told all of you to keep your mouths shut? But you never listen! We’re just lost in the snow, nothing more.”

  One of them shouted loudly. Hearing this, everyone present fell silent.

  This man was the oldest and strongest among them. His name was Shivansh.

  “S-senior brother, you’re absolutely right!”

  “Y-yeah, as long as you’re with us, senior brother, what is there to be afraid of?”

  Two of the boys spoke with forced smiles on their faces, and the others quickly echoed their agreement.

  All of them knew that their senior brother Shivansh was extremely hot-tempered and cold-hearted. Once he got angry, he didn’t stop.

  “Humph! You two have learned a fine habit—always repeating the same thing. Do you really think I can’t tell?”

  Shivansh said, staring at the two boys. Sweat began to form on their foreheads.

  They had thought he was just bad-tempered, but now they realized he was also sharp-minded. He wouldn’t be fooled by those sweet words again and again.

  Just then, a third person spoke up changing the topic,

  “By the way… senior brother, you’ve gone on long-distance missions many times before. Have you ever faced a situation like this earlier?”

  Shivansh replied while eating,

  “To be honest, I’ve never been stuck in a situation like this before. This is my first time as well… and Manish, this habit of yours; changing the topic—it’s gotten old. Bring something new.”

  “S-senior brother, I wasn’t changing the topic. I was just… trying to understand your thoughts about our current situation, that’s all.”

  “Humph! You want my thoughts? Huh? So listen—First of all finish your food quietly. Then either sleep or cultivate. We’ll take turns keeping watch throughout the night. Three people will rest while one keeps guard. I’ll take the first watch. After four hours, Manish will take over. After that, one of you two, and finally whoever’s left. Do you all understand?”

  “Yes, senior brother!”

  “Absolutely, senior brother!”

  Everyone replied enthusiastically. Since Shivansh would be standing guard first, they could all rest comfortably for the next four hours.

  “Ah! By the way, senior brother… what should we do about him?”

  Manish asked, pointing toward a nearby tree.

  “I think we should let him go?...”

  Another one added.

  Tied to the tree with a rope was a child, hanging there. The bitter cold wind pierced through his thin clothes again and again, striking his fragile skin. His face and body had grown cold and stiff.

  “Let him be, if he died then let him die...”

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  Shivansh said without the slightest hesitation.

  Hearing this, the hearts of the other boys trembled, but none of them said anything. They didn’t want to face Shivansh’s wrath.

  A short while earlier, when they had just set up camp, this boy had tried to steal their food.

  Unfortunately for him, he was caught by these martial artists.

  After catching him, Shivansh beat him badly and then tied him to the tree, leaving him there to die in the freezing cold.

  Time passed.

  Everyone finished eating. As Shivansh had said, he stood up and began keeping watch, while the other three lay down to rest.

  For the first two hours, the three of them cultivated prana. After that, they used the remaining three hours to sleep.

  On the other side, Shivansh stood guard in the harsh, biting cold. And the boy tied to the tree was still hanging there.

  When Shivansh had tied him up, the boy had cried and begged repeatedly to be let go.

  But Shivansh hadn’t listened even once. Now, after so much time had passed, the boy had become completely silent.

  No cries. No whimpers. No movement.

  Absolute silence; as if he were no longer alive.

  But that wasn’t the case. He was still alive. For how long? No one knew.

  Step! Step!

  Suddenly, the boy heard someone approaching. He didn’t have the strength to lift his head to look. But in the very next moment...

  Swish! Thud!

  ‘?!’

  Someone cut the rope binding him, and he fell onto the icy ground below.

  “Huff! Huff!”

  The boy was breathing heavily.

  The cold of the snow had seeped deep into his body, but now he could barely feel it anymore. He was very close to death.

  But then, at that very moment...

  ‘?!’

  He felt something placed over his body, something soft and warm. Someone had covered him with a warm blanket.

  As soon as he felt it, he instinctively wrapped it tightly around himself.

  In that brutal cold, the blanket began to return warmth to his frozen body.

  He was just about to lift his eyes to see who it was when...

  Thud!

  A bag fell in front of him a bag of food, with some food inside.

  ‘.!!’

  Seeing it, he grabbed the bag and hurriedly opened it, stuffing the food into his mouth.

  Munch! Munch! Gulp!

  He didn’t even look at what the food was.

  Was it poisoned? Was it soiled? He didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to him was eating nothing else.

  He had been starving for many weeks. If he didn’t eat, his death was certain. And even if he died from poison, what difference would it make anyway?

  “What’s your name?”

  The boy froze the moment he heard that voice.

  His soul trembled, it was Shivansh’s voice. He slowly turned his head back and saw Shivansh standing there, a small dagger in his hand, which he is now putting back inside his clothes.

  Seeing Shivansh, the boy’s body began to tremble again. He was terribly afraid that Shivansh might kill him.

  Shivansh asked again, this time with anger in his voice,

  “Didn’t you hear me brat, what I asked? What’s your name?”

  The boy replied,

  “M-my name? … I don’t know… I don’t have a name.”

  “Huh? You don’t have a name? Didn’t your parents give you one?”

  “I-I’m an orphan… I don’t have any parents.”

  The boy said this.

  For a while, Shivansh said nothing.

  He just kept looking at the boy. The boy’s face was thin, his bones clearly visible under his skin, like dry wood.

  Just by looking at his body, Shivansh could tell that the boy had been starving for a long time.

  The boy wasn’t doing anything; he wasn’t even ate the food. He had stopped eating.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to eat; he wanted to, but Shivansh was standing right in front of him, and fear had robbed him of the courage to do so.

  Shivansh squatted down and asked him,

  “Why aren’t you eating?”

  “…”

  “Is the food not good?”

  “…”

  The boy didn’t answer any of his questions. After that...

  Slap!

  Shivansh slapped him hard across the cheek and said,

  “You suffered so much for this food… now eat it.”

  Shiver!

  The boy’s body shook, but he didn’t dare resist. He picked up the food and began to eat.

  One bite, then another, then a third, then a forth, slowly, he kept eating.

  “Sob! Sob!”

  Tears streamed down his face. Whether those tears were from happiness or sorrow was hard to say.

  Was he happy because he finally got food? Or was it grief after enduring so much cold and Shivansh’s violence?

  It was impossible to tell.

  But one thing was certain; this meal he was eating now was the most satisfying meal of his entire life so far.

  He didn’t know why.

  Whenever he stole food in the past, it never felt this fulfilling. Yet now, somehow, it did.

  “The real taste of food comes only after hardship. Here, drink this too.”

  Shivansh said and handed him some water. The boy took the water and drank it. It felt incredibly good, soothing and peaceful.

  The boy looked at Shivansh, joined his hands, and said,

  “T-thank you, brother, f-for giving me food!”

  Shivansh stood up and said,

  “There’s no need to thank me. Just make sure I don’t see you again. And don’t ever try to mess with martial artists. Now get out of here, or else I…”

  ‘!!!’

  Shivansh pulled the dagger out from inside his clothes. Its cold gleam reflected in the boy’s eyes.

  Terrified by the sight, the boy turned around and ran away as fast as he could.

  Thump! Thump! Thump!

  He kept running, his feet pounding against the icy ground, but he didn’t stop.

  ‘Looks like he’s gone… Eh?’

  Shivansh suddenly looked down. The blanket he had placed over the boy earlier was still lying there.

  “Do I have to do this too now…?”

  Shivansh picked up the blanket, rolled it into a ball, and threw it toward the boy.

  The ball of cloth flew through the air and reached him...

  Tak!

  It hit him right on the head, causing the boy to fall.

  “Alright, now it’s finally done…”

  Shivansh said with a smile, watching the boy, waiting for him to get up, wrap the blanket around himself, and run again.

  But that didn’t happen.

  The boy didn’t get up at all. He just lay there.

  Seeing this, sweat formed on Shivansh’s forehead.

  ‘Did I throw it too hard…? Did he… die?’

  Shivansh took a step forward, then another, about to approach him, when he suddenly noticed movement in the boy’s body.

  The boy slowly got back up. He looked at the blanket, which had unfolded after hitting his head.

  Without thinking much, he wrapped it around himself and started running again.

  Seeing this, relief filled Shivansh’s heart, and a smile appeared on his face.