Shenn like oked at the young man sitting at the table before her, an incredulous expression on her face. Knowing how mysterious he was, she already expected him to be strong. However, she didn’t think he would be very strong.

"You... who exactly are you?"

Seraph looked at her, then his expression dimmed.

"Me? I am nothing but a grieving brother."

The solemnity with which he spoke caught Shenn by surprise, and her lips parted softly.

"Mama?"

Her daughter looked at her in confusion, not knowing why her mother was behaving strangely.

Hearing her daughter’s call, Shenn sighed and patted her head.

"It’s alright, princess. Mommy is fine."

Saying that, she picked up her daughter and carried her towards the kitchen.

"Let’s go cook before your daddy comes back."

The girl nodded enthusiastically, "I want to cook for visitor too!"

Shenn’s smile softened, and they finally left to the kitchen.

Now alone, Seraph sighed, unsure what to do. He had been planning to explore the village, but the arrival of those thugs ruined things.

So, he completely discarded the idea and chose to return to his room in a daze.

While the mother and daughter pair prepared food, Seraph remained in his room, contemplating life choices and trying to make himself accept reality.

’Halo hasn’t spoken a word since I woke up. What could be wrong?

He reached into his mind space and called, "Halo?"

He was met with silence, then a different mechanical voice answered him.

-"Your guide has been temporarily dismissed. Quietly wait until its return, thank you."-

Seraph sighed and collapsed onto the bamboo bed. He felt light, as if nothing could ruffle him at the moment. The weightless feeling was peaceful, but he had to snap himself back to reality a few times.

’Why did Halo have to go? It seems we crossed a line again.’

He was already used to Halo’s administration sanctioning it, but he was starting to get annoyed by them.

Closing his eyes, he finally decided to confront the truth he had been avoiding.

’Yelena... why did she have to die that way?’

His heart was troubled in more ways that he knew, but his emotions were completely suppressed.

’A pity... I lost one of the most important people in my life just like that.’

A lone tear escaped his right eye, sliding down the side of his head as he stared at the ceiling.

’I almost protected her, but I couldn’t protect her properly. Strange... the reunion was supposed to be emotional, but now... well, it’s still emotional. Just on the negative side.’

Seraph released a self-deprecating laugh, his eyes turning blank. He hadn’t felt so hollow in a while, and his sister’s death was still something that felt strange to him.

’She’s really dead? How would I even tell our parents...?’

His hollow heart began to grow heavy, and a feeling of self-disgust arose in him.

’You’re weak, Seraph. You’re complacent with your strength. If you were an Emperor Stage cultivator, do you think she would die this easily?’

Seraph clicked his tongue, then stood up. Perhaps that was the only thing he could do for now. Pursue strength, then pursue revenge.

Looking at his two storage rings that contained the diamond spirit crystals and the firearms he had created, he felt a sense of determination and purpose.

’Alright. I’m going to create bullets capable of killing King Stage cultivators, and focus on breaking through to the Emperor Stage soon.’

Immediately, he got to work. Taking out a few diamond spirit crystals, he began to cultivate. A few hours later, he heard a knock on his door, and the little girl’s voice reached him.

"Big Uncle, daddy is back and dinner is ready!"

Seraph opened his eyes, then said in a calm tone. "I’ll be there soon."

He immediately stopped cultivating and packed his remaining spirit crystals into his storage ring.

Rolling his shoulders, he stood up and walked out of the room. He could already smell the sweet aroma filling the entire house.

Then, he slowly walked towards the dining area where the family was ready.

.........

Bob was a modest man. From a young age, he had been a good person who was loved by those around him. Unfortunately, his talent for cultivation was low, and he wasn’t that strong.

Still, he wasn’t deterred and continued to live blissfully. When he was of age, he married a woman whom he loved, Shenn, and had a daughter with her.

Although their family wasn’t that well-off, he was still doing his best to provide for his wife and child. Sometimes he would go to the outskirts of the village to hunt for spirit beasts and make a feast for his family.

A week ago, during his hunt, he and his fellow hunters had discovered a ruin, and found an unconscious man lying deep in the ruins.

While the other hunters considered looting the man’s storage rings, Bob was different. He directly scolded their dark intentions and took the man home to be taken care of.

Now, it had been exactly seven days since he had brought the man home.

’Strange. Since when did men start bringing men home? Sounds like the marriage in a twisted society.’

He chuckled to himself as he opened the door to his house and entered. He frowned sharply, noticing that the door seemed to have just been repaired.

’Did someone break in?’

Still confused, he walked into the living room and was welcomed by his loving wife.

The couple hugged and kissed until they heard the footsteps of the little girl rushing towards them.

"Daddy!"

Mira squealed excitedly, jumping into her father’s arms. Bob laughed heartily, then looked at his wife.

"Did something happen? I noticed the door seemed to have been broken recently."

Shenn’s expression turned serious, and she said, "Those Qing bastards actually dared to come into our house and ask for money. They said you owed them when you’ve clearly paid off your debt!"

Bob immediately became angry, gritting his teeth as his body trembled.

"Those bastards... they better not let me get a glimpse of them." He said grimly, the asked. "How did you get them to go, though?"

Hearing this, Shenn’s expression lit up. Bob had never seen her look so excited except when they married and when she conceived Mira.

"It’s that guy you brought home! He woke up today, and he made them leave after humiliating those three."

Bob’s eyes widened, "Humiliating...?"

"Mn," She nodded. "He made them slap each other until their faces were swollen and they couldn’t speak properly. You should have seen them covered in bruises. It was hilarious."

Hearing this from his wife, Bob felt incredulous. Making those guys slap themselves? He couldn’t imagine it.

Mira, who he was carrying, chimed in. "Yes! Big Uncle was so cool! He even gifted me a manual!"

Bob’s expression shifted into confusion, but Shenn smiled and explained to him.

"That young man said that nothing is wrong with Mira’s meridians and that she can cultivate. That’s why he gave her the manual."

Bob’s heart reeled with shock, and for a minute, he couldn’t close his mouth.

When he did, he lightly touched his forehead and sighed. "Dinner. I need to eat dinner before I faint."

Shenn giggled sweetly and gave him a peck on the cheeks, which instantly filled him with strength.

"Alright, come over. I just finished serving the dishes."

She turned to their daughter and said, "Go fetch your Big Uncle, okay?"

The girl nodded and ran into a different passage leading to the guest room. A minute later, she returned and joined her parents at the table, sitting in-between them.

About half a minute after she returned, Bob sensed a presence approaching them.

He swiftly raised his head, his body tensing. And when the figure finally revealed himself, Bob was beyond stunned.

While he was a man with low cultivation talent a meager strength, he had sharp senses and could tell if a person was good or bad. He didn’t know what kind of sense it was, but it always turned out to be correct.

That was why he was stunned when looking at Seraph. Because when he looked, the first thing he saw was... stars.

Stars shining brightly in the night sky. It was beautiful, and signified something good. However, that was when he noticed something odd. The stars weren’t shining with light. They were shining with pure darkness that made him shudder.

"Husband?"

Shenn’s voice snapped him back to reality, and he realized he had been staring too hard.

’Dammit. I hope I’m not mistaken as gay.’

After all, Seraph was incredibly attractive, even for him.

"Husband? What are you thinking?"

He finally got a hold of himself and spoke, flustered.

"O-oh. It’s nothing. I’m just... awed by our benefactor."

Hearing the title given to him, Seraph felt a faint sense of amusement that immediately vanished.

He sat opposite the family of three, then exhaled.

"It is nice meeting those who rescued me. I go by the name Seraph Skye, an Elder of the Soul Peak division of the Soul Cross Sect. Nice to meet you."