August 25—

H City, morning

A bustling market welcomed a group of men donned in tailor-made business suits, pants and designer shoes. They all exuded an air of superiority that made the people who saw them halt on their steps and gasp in both astonishment and fear.

It was around 9 o'clock and with the rays of the sun serving as their backdrop, they all looked like gods who descended from the heavens. However, their shadowy figures were like evil spirits who had arisen from hell. The stark contrast could make one tremble and fall on their knees.

Fear.

Whether they look like gods or devils, they can only bring fear.

H City was a new city founded three years ago. It currently homed both small and big markets which meant that the people's major source of income is through selling a diversity of goods. This meant that majority of the people who resided here are from the lower class. This also meant that the city had not been developed well in these three years.

Housing developments were still ongoing with many unfinished constructions. Corporate buildings and establishments were also scarce. One can easily tell that this was once an abandoned land.

A poor city, truly a poor city.

This sea of ordinary people had barely, if not at all, seen people of the privileged class, let alone powerful and influential figures. Hence, one can understand their shock at the moment. If you were poor but you tidied up yourself to look like one, you would probably garner the same reaction.

If one casted an eye over, one can easily count with their fingers that there were eight almighty beings there. However, two particular figures stood out the most. The first one was the current City Lord, Song Qiu (40's) leading the entourage. He was specifically appointed by the C Country's Prime Minister for his capabilities. He used to be a Lord of W city. Just like H city, W city started from scratch 10 years ago but was now one of the finest cities in C country under his leadership.

The previous Lord of H City was removed from his position because of his incompetence in these three years and because of his illegal business dealings that impeded the city's progress. Hence, the situation now.

Song Qiu gladly accepted the position. It posed a great challenge to him and it only inflamed his desire to make it like the W city, if not better.

If the first person stood out because of his authority, the second figure stood out because of his countenance. The other men just paled in comparison!

If God had truly descended from the heavens, he would look like this!

His phoenix eyes looked calm as still waters, his tall nose screamed of nobility, his thin and pink lips perfectly shaped. His black hair combed over made him look sharp and gave him a classic look. He stood around 180 cm just like Song Qiu but even if they were of the same stature, this handsome man towers over him and everyone else.

The rest of the men seemed to be around 35-40 years of age. This man looked younger, not even in his 30's.

"Sigh. You make us all, old men, wished we were 20 years younger, Jin. When are you going to get married?" Song Qiu asked as he swept his eyes over the crowd and saw how mesmerized the women were as they looked at him.

"Uncle, I came here to help you develop this city and not to look for marriage prospect." Jin only gave him a side-eye before looking ahead. His calm eyes looked distant, detached as if nothing existed that can capture his eyes. "If you insist though, I do not mind letting you do all the work while I find my other half."

Song Qiu's lips twitched. He truly did not like his nephew's tongue. Whether he was joking or not, everything that comes out from his mouth sounded like a threat. If not for his power and prestige as a businessman, he would deny his help at once because of his tongue!

He just laughed awkwardly and led the company to inspect the people's livelihood. The people gawking at them all stood aside. They were akin to the Red Sea splitting as they walked forward. Well, they also looked like they were afraid to sully the path of these almighty beings with their commoner's status. Hai, talk about inferiority complex!

"Give it back! I said give it back! If you are not going to pay, then give it back!"

A voice full of indignance reached the ears of the people nearby that woke them up from their daze. Song Qiu and company heard it too that everyone, including them, all looked at the direction where it was coming from.

From afar, they could see a young girl holding what seemed to be a stick, pointing it at the three men who seemed to be holding something in their hands.

"Uncle, let's take a look." Jin said. Before Song Qiu can react, Jin was already striding towards the place of disturbance. Song Qiu and the others hastily walked after him.

When Jin got a clearer view, he saw a young girl fuming in front of a food stand. He began examining her. The young girl seemed to be 16-17 years old, stood about 160 cm. Her black hair was draping behind her back until her waist. It was very hot so he found it odd that she did not even tie it up. She was wearing a plain grey worn out dress with long sleeves that reached her ankle.

She was holding a bamboo stick, a meter long pointing at the men. Her hands were trembling but she exuded an aura of decisiveness, ready to strike at the men. For Jin, she was like holding a sword and was ready to cut the men in front of her in halves once a leaf falls to the ground.

"We are going to pay you! As we told you, we are workers employed by the previous City Lord to build the houses in the city. We just forgot to bring our money." One of the men impatiently explained.

Jin began examining the three men then. Judging from their clothes and their helmets, what they said was partly true. Did they really forget to bring their money though?

He then noticed the buns they were holding and then threw a look at the stand behind the girl.

"Shut up! Do you think I am a senile woman who has amnesia? You said the same thing yesterday! You said you will come back but you didn't! Give it back, you swindlers!" She roared.

Jin frowned. He valued integrity the most. In business, it is one of the qualities he looked for when hiring people. So hearing what the girl said, he cannot help but furrowed his brow. He was disappointed.

He glanced back at the girl arguing inside his head whether to lend a hand or not. He soon got rid of the idea. He should let his Uncle deal with this.

Sensing an intense gaze at her, she looked at the direction where she sensed it. Jin flinched inside as their eyes met.

At one point, the girl was ready to explode in anger and draw blood but when she gazed at him, her facade and aura completely changed. He examined her once more. Her initial enraged eyes were now indifferent. She got perfectly arched eyebrows, her indifferent eyes were big and black, she got a small nose and pink lips. He can say that the girl was beautiful despite her tanned skin.

The angry girl from before was totally absent and was replaced with an impassive one.

His eyes gleamed with a surprise. Normally, people, especially women, will either be stunned or hysterical upon seeing him, but this girl did not give him any reaction at all! He liked to start a staring contest but was disappointed as the girl's gaze turned to the three men back.

'Am I not worthy of her eyes?' He should be the one giving that impression to other people but it was given to him today. It was his first time! His lips curved upward inconspicuously.

"Uncle." Song Qiu was silently watching the ruckus when Jin called him. He called without leaving his eyes on the girl.

Without delay, Song Qiu interfered and resolved the matter. With his authority, the three men cowered and returned the buns. He also wanted them to pay for the buns they 'stole' yesterday but the young girl declined. He tried paying her instead but she declined as well. She just hoped that this kind of people will not take advantage of them anymore in the future. She then thanked their City Lord for his help but also apologised for the disturbance she caused.

Some people watching the show found that the young girl was naive for not taking the money. Others were pleased by her attitude. Jin and Song Qiu belonged to the latter.

If it was others, they would not hesitate to accept the money. Given the current state of the city and the poor livelihood, the residents must be unable to make the ends meet and every free coin or bill was a treasure for them.

The crowd gradually dispersed. Song Qiu and company left too. They did not bother to continue inspecting today as they had gotten more information from the ruckus. Jin threw a last look at the young girl before leaving.

While walking towards the market entrance to get in their cars and return to the City Lord's office, Jin asked his uncle to remove the three people under their employment to not cause further disharmony in the market.

"Uncle, give me a copy of the citizens' information. I think it is best to employ people from within first before hiring outside." Jin calmly stated.

"Hm." Song Qiu nodded in agreement. He already planned to thoroughly check the companies and the people employed by the previous City Lord and end the contract with them if he deemed necessary.

—

The first thing that the H city had built were basic housings for their people. However, they were not permanent as house registrations had not been given to them by the previous City Lord. Hence, the dwellers were still fearful that their houses will be torn down apart and be replaced with establishments.

These people were actually refugees and survivors who fled their homes when a war broke out in D city which was now an unfit place of habitation. Flames engulped the whole place and burnt everything down. Houses, lives, and almost hope.

Fortunately, the government was still humane to relocate them. However, H city and D city were not far away from each other. An hour walk or 20 minutes by car, they can travel from one point to another. Hence, fear still lingered in the hearts of the people. The smell of fire, gunpowder, and blood, the cries for help, the faces of the dead... They were still very clear to them even though three years had already passed.

—

Night—

At the southern part of the city, there stood a line of houses. In one of these, two figures were having their dinner.

"Sister, can we eat something different tomorrow?" The young boy hesitantly asked. Most of the time, they would eat buns. He can only eat something new once every week, sometimes once every two weeks. He understood their situation, but these days, he felt like he will vomit everytime he ate them.

"Of course. I managed to sell half of the buns we made today but tomorrow morning and while on the road, we still need to eat them. During dinner, we will eat something new then, okay?" The young girl patiently explained.

"Okay!" The young boy grinned.

The young girl patted his head and smiled gently, but deep inside she was in despair. It had been three years already but there had been no changes with their current situation.

If one of the people in market saw her, they would instantly be reminded of the young girl who wanted to beat three men today.

Wu Qiuyue, 17 years old

The young boy was named Wu Huan, 7 years old. He was her younger brother. His black hair was also hanging behind his small back reaching his shoulder blade. His big eyes were bright and clear. Still bright and clear. His nose was tall, his lips small. Like Qiuyue, he was also thin clearly due to malnutrition. He wore a pair of worn out grey shirt and pants.

The two were also survivors of the war, the only survivors of the Wu clan in the D city. The Wu clan was one of the biggest and most powerful clans but due to the war, they were reduced to ashes only leaving two young children behind to fend for themselves.

How and why the war started, Qiuyue was not fully aware, but she will never tell what she knew to anybody, let alone to Huan. She still wished to see his eyes, his pure eyes that made her remember her loving father and mother, her older brother and sister. Their family. Her little brother was all she got and she would protect him whatever the cost is for him to live a happy and healthy life.

—

At the same date, night—

The room had tall shelves that almost reached the ceiling filled with books about business, real estates, employee management and more. Books written in English, German, and Japanese were available too. There was a black leather couch in the middle and a low table with a porcelain teapot and teawares on it.

Ceiling lampshades were hanging above, one of which was still lit illuminating a mahogany table. The table was situated by a window and was currently filled with binders neatly piled.

A man wearing black pyjamas was seated on the mahogany chair behind it. After five minutes of reading and flipping of the pages from time to time, he closed the binder and placed it atop the pile. He rested his head back and closed his eyes. An image of a young girl appeared in his mind. He furrowed his brow.

"Uwe." He suddenly called out. A shadow appeared behind him. "The War in D City three years ago. Find everything about it." He said in German. Uwe nodded and disappeared after which.

He retrieved his phone and dialed a number. "Cancel my schedules tomorrow. We will go to D city." He then hung up.

—

Next day—

Around four am, Qiuyue abruptly woke up. She was sweating profusely. The same nightmare woke her up again. She looked to her side and heaved a sigh of relief. Her little brother was still there.

She got off the bed and began heating water in a big stainless steel casserole pan. It was intended for drinking water. After it boiled, she poured some into two cups and let the heat of what remained subsided. After which, she poured them into a few water bottles and covered them.

She boiled water again. This time it was for Huan's bath. While waiting, she reheated the buns from yesterday for their breakfast, lunch and travel. After a short while, she woke up Huan and told him to take his bath. She took one in cold water after him. They ate their breakfast then.

Qiuyue opened the door and pushed a bamboo cart out from the inside. She then asked Huan to go get their food and water for their journey and her sword as well. Both were wearing the same clothes from last night. The only difference was that there was another layer of cloth on Huan. It was still around five and the air was still cold. She would not let Huan catch a cold or get sick in the process.

She locked the door and pushed the cart towards their destination — D city.

D city, when it was still standing, was not as prosperous as W city at all. However, it served as an Ancestral Home for many noble clans that had refused to welcome the technology and advancement of the modern days with open arms. D city was also called 'Ancestral City' because of this reason. Those members of these noble clans who wished to try and live in other cities left and eventually were banished and removed from the clans' family records.

At first, the government still tolerated this. However, many oppositions had arisen, especially various business enterprises, because of business growth and expansions. Hence, the government attempted many times to persuade them but they remained firm of their stand.

The government and the company owners can only choose to expand their businesses and influences to other minor cities. The Ancestral City achieved peace for many years until that day, three years ago.

Qiuyue did not want to remember the past but the closer they were to city, the more the past was haunting her. It made her tremble along the way from time to time as if there were parades of spirits coming at her in all directions trapping her.

She could never escape.

Seeing her pale face, Huan called out to her. She was startled but she was able to get back to her senses. She glanced at Huan whose eyes were full of concern. She rubbed his head messing his hair.

'It is okay. I still have him.' She said in her mind to calm herself.

"Climb up now. You must be tired." She said as she stopped pushing the cart. Without delay, Huan got into the cart and faced his elder sister. He gripped her hands holding the handle and grinned at her. She smiled back gently.

After 30 minutes more, they finally arrived. There was only one thing they needed to do here and that was to collect bamboo stems. The Ancestral City had a large bamboo forest. When the city was burnt down, a part of the forest was still rescued through the government and the various agencies' help that day.

The siblings began collecting bamboo stems so they can sell them in the city and to foreign merchants who come to their place once in a while.

Qiuyue was the one who cut the bamboo into pieces with her sword. Huan, on the other hand, held a bamboo stick swinging it in the air! He was imitating Qiuyue. See it as a training for him so that he can protect himself. Hence, Qiuyue deliberately slowed down her pace.

After cutting them into pieces, they would load them into the cart and traveled back to H city. After a short rest which included eating a piece of bun and drinking water, they would travel back to D city again. The would do this multiple times and would only stop an hour before the skies darkened.

On their third time going to D city, Qiuyue was starting to feel hot and was sweating more. She shrugged it off and believed it was just because of the hot weather. However, her body also started feeling heavy as if she was carrying tons of lead stones. Her movement gradually slowed down but she still pushed on.

"Sis...sister... Let us rest for a while!" He quickly retrieved a bottled water so that she could drink but before he could even offer it, the cart stopped moving already and Qiuyue was nowhere in his sight anymore. He panicked and abruptly got off the cart causing him and the cart to stumble as well. It was fortunate that the siblings were not hit by it.

Tears started falling down like waterfall as Huan, who got wounds, supported himself to stand up to help his sister. He used his weakening strength to carry her to the side of the road. He quickly grabbed the cart and everything scattered on the ground to the side as well. He sat on the side of the road and placed his sister's head on his lap. He got a bottled water and tried to let her drink it but she was not taking any of it. These were all the things his sister told her to do in case she collapsed again.

A kilometer away, the driver had already caught a glimpse of the chaos.

"Master, somethi...someone's on the side of the road." The driver informed him reluctantly.

Jin, who had his eyes closed, opened them and looked ahead. He narrowed his eyes. As the car moved ahead, he got a clearer view.

"Master, there are two young children on the road. The other child was lying down. It seemed he or she had fainted." His assistant, Song Wen, who was seated beside the driver, reported then.

"Stop the car. Help them." He ordered.

"Yes, Master." Both respectfully said.

While Huan was still trying to help his sister, he heard the sound of a car coming. He raised his head up but drooped it down quickly as well. This was not the first time it happened to his elder sister, to them.

Occasionally, she would faint just like this. She would wake up after 30 minutes or so and they would be able to continue their journey. There were times when a car would pass by, lower their windows, but they would just ignore them in the end. Some would stop to look but would also continue on.

Huan just thought that they all needed to continue on their journey so no one can help them. He chose to believe that. Hence, he did not bother asking for help.

Everytime this happened and his sister regained consciousness, she would only ask him for water. She would pat his head and say "thank you for not leaving my side".

He was young but he was not stupid. Huan knew that his sister was working hard for him. When he wanted something new to eat, she would work harder to gain extra money. When she bought it, she would only give it to him and would refuse to take any. She would only say, "as long as you are happy eating it, sister is happy too! It feels that I am also eating it with you!" Then she would smile and laugh. When she took a bath, she would not boil water for herself. She would just hug him after taking one for warmth.

Sister thought I did not know. But I know! Everything she was doing was all for me.

"Sis... ter.. Wake up... I will never.. leave you." He said softly as tears continued to fall down his small face uncontrollably.

He did notice that the car stopped but he did not bother looking up.

"This child, what happened?" The assistant asked. He was thinking they were probably hit by a car with the mess so they would bring them to the city's hospital as soon as possible.

When Huan heard a voice, he looked up and stared at the man for a while. He rubbed his eyes to wipe his tears away. "Mister, it is okay. My sister just lost her consciousness because of the heat. She would wake up soon."

Song Wen glanced at the girl, back at Huan and then at the girl again. They were poor but the young boy looked much better than his elder sister. The girl was also thinner. "Why don't we bring you to the hospital?"

He shook his head. "We do not have money, Mister. We also need to continue pushing the cart to earn money."

"Okay. We will help you arrange the cart and give you— ..."

Before he can finish what he had to say, a shadow passed by. He was stunned but quickly realised that it was his Master. "Mas... Master, they don't wish to go to the hos—" He tried explaining but was cut off by a wave of his hand.

Jin, who was waiting in the car, thought that his assistant was taking long. He pressed the depressing button to lower the side window to look. He looked at the young boy and then at the young girl lying down.

He furrowed his brow. He thought he had seen the girl before. As he focused more, his eyes widened. He quickly got out the car and approached them in a speed of lightning.

He squatted down and removed his coat. He lifted the girl gently as he draped his coat on her. He then carried her in his embrace and stood up.

"Wen, get another car, bring that child and their things. We'll take them to the hospital." He coldly ordered.

Huan immediately grabbed the man's clothes and hit him with his small fist. "No! Give me my sister back! Don't take her away from me!! No!!! Dont..." With his every word, he would send a couple of punches to him.

Wen, who was shocked by his Master's actions, came back to his senses and immediately suppressed the child with one hand while he used his other hand to make a call. When he was suppressed, he cried uncontrollably. "No... Don't take my sister. She would be sad... sad if we got separated... Not my... My sister..."

Jin, who did not mind the hits, only stared at the child. "You will see her later." He then looked at Wen. "Make him talk." Wen nodded understanding his Master's words.

Jin hurriedly got in the car and told the driver their destination. He stared at Qiuyue who was currently unconscious and very pale. No one knew what he was thinking.

Huan, who was left crying, was still being suppressed by Wen. He reached out his hand to the receding car repeatedly crying out. "Sister..."

After 10 minutes of waiting, a car arrived picking up Wen and Huan. Another man got off the car and carried their things. The bamboo cart was left on the side of the road.