Several months later.
"Phew~" Yu Jing opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Finally reached it. This strength… I can easily beat ten times my past self. Also, how inconvenient. Almost all of my Qi Refinement Pills ran out. I only have three Intermediate Qi Refinement pills left."
"Need so many cultivation resources. No wonder everyone flocks towards these sects."
Yu Jing checked his system profile to get a proper check on him.
[ Name : Yu Jing ]
[ Lifespan : 19 ]
[ Race : Mortal ]
[ Cultivation : 1st Stage Foundation Establishment Realm ]
[ Technique : Crimson Earthly Breathing Technique, Three Seasons Dance Sword Technique ]
[ Mystical Power : None ]
[ Connate Province : The Mortal Sword God ]
[ Weapons : Cloud Hymn Sword ]
[ Items : Random Dragon Egg x1, Random Blue Grade Sword x4, Blue Grade weapon x6, Global Mic x6, Recovery Pill Bottle x2, Basic Weapon x2, 458 Low Grade Spirit Stones ]
[ Fate Pulls : None ]
[ Extreme Destiny Pulls : 1 ]
'Hmm, the speed of cultivation is good. I also have a lot of good stuff. Next stop is Golden Core Realm.' In a joyous mood, Yu Jing left his house.
Instantly, he got hit with cold wind in his face and snowflakes caressing his cheeks. The flourishing greenery is nowhere to be seen, as it has been covered with a white blanket. It is already the end of the year, so this scene is present before him.
Yu Jing went to the back side of his house and saw a field filled with jade-like grasses. In the world of white, these greenery stuck out like a sore thumb. These were the Spirit Grass that he got from the system. They enhance the quality of surrounding Spiritual Qi. They can absorb anything to produce more quality Spiritual Qi. The moment snow hits these grasses, it melts rapidly and gets absorbed.
After checking on his spirit grasses, he went back into the house. There was no bed to sleep on, so they had to sleep on the futon. He saw Arash was still sleeping on the futon with a blanket covering him. Arash hugged his dog, Darky. Both were quivering in this bone-chilling cold.
Because Yu Jing was a cultivator, normal cold and heat don't affect him. But to mortals, this year's winter was very deadly.
Seeing them both like this, an idea popped into his mind. From his system space, he took out the dragon egg he got. It had a dark red coloured smooth shell and a winding dragon pattern around it. It was two metres in length, and subtle heat emitted out of it.
This was the random dragon egg he got as a reward, and he still had to gamble on which dragon egg he could get.
"Arash, take this." Yu Jing came before their futon and handed the egg to him.
Arash and Darky peeked their heads out of the blanket simultaneously. The red dragon egg instantly caught their attention. Arash's eyes flashed with curiosity and Darky's with intense fear.
"Sir, what is this?"
"Your new friend. Take good care of him."
With his tiny hands, Arash tried to take the dragon egg away from Yu Jing and almost fell on the floor from its weight. Fortunately, Yu Jing was there to catch it in time.
"Be careful; there is a big guy in there." Yu Jing smiled, putting the dragon egg on their futon.
Arash hugged the dragon egg and instantly felt heat sweeping into his body.
"Ahhh~ it's so warm~" Arash rubbed his face on its smooth shell. He felt he was about to melt.
Despite being scared, Darky also followed along with his master and hugged the egg. The moment Darky's body and face touched the egg, he also melted on the egg. Both master and the dog hugged the egg from both sides, sighing in bliss from time to time.
"Hahaha…" Yu Jing couldn't help but let out a chuckle seeing their behaviour.
Then he thought of another thing. "Arash, do you know how old you are?"
Arash gave a pensive look before answering. "Sir, I think I am seven years old now."
"Oh, is that so?" Yu Jing thought Arash wouldn't be able to answer. 'But thinking about it, there has to be someone who fed him and taught him how to speak and how to behave.'
"Arash, did you have someone who took care of you?"
"Ye-yes." Arash choked on his words before responding with a despondent voice. "Sister Clara took care of me. However, one day a group of merchants came to our village and took a few girls away. Sister Clara was one of them. After she was gone, no one was there to take care of me."
Yu Jing rubbed Arash's head, seeing him look so dejected. "Don't worry about it. Now that I am here, I will take care of you. If you need anything, just ask me."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, broth- sir." Arash was flustered, yet he didn't stop hugging Yu Jing.
After Arash was done hugging, Yu Jing looked into Arash's eyes and spoke with a gentle yet authoritative tone. "Arash, if you don't want anyone to leave you ever, you have to become stronger. If you don't want to ever feel lonely, become stronger. If you want to protect yourself, me or even your loved ones, become stronger. Arash, tell me. Do you want to become a cultivator? Someone who everyone will look up to and become stronger to protect what you cherish?"
Following Arash's grandfather's visit, Yu Jing has been pondering for months. Should he take care of someone or not? Arash isn't a connate bearer. Taking him wouldn't give him any rewards. Yu Jing was someone who loved to stay alone. He just wants to get stronger and has nothing to worry about.
So, how could he take care of someone who is destined to be left behind by the washing of time?
He wants to become an immortal, someone whom time itself couldn't control.
Arash has no potential; he doesn't have any gold finger or any system. How can he catch up with him and walk alongside him?
Eventually, all of these thoughts became useless. Because deep in his heart he had already prepared to take Arash under him.
Many might ask why, and so did Yu Jing.
And the answer to that is Arash's spirit.
Yes, his spirit. Yu Jing has been awestruck from the moment he saw Arash's situation and how he handled it. Later learning about his backstory. How he behaves.
Despite enduring so much, Arash has such a pure and unwavering spirit. Seething that Yu Jing himself knows that he couldn't ever have.