The next morning, as dawn broke, the pale blue sky was still adorned with a few sparse, lingering stars.
A great sun rose slowly from the horizon, and in an instant, ten thousand rays of golden light, like sharp blades, cleaved through the blue curtain. The nascent sunlight spilled onto all things, bringing boundless radiance and vitality.
In a remote village, the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs made the entire place lively. Yu Zhibo also slowly awoke at this time.
"It's been a long time since I've experienced such peaceful days. It's quite interesting."
A smile flickered across Yu Zhibo's lips. Listening to the sounds of roosters and dogs outside the house, he felt his mind clear, as if all the dross had been washed away.
He sensed his body's condition. After a night's rest, it had improved considerably, but his internal organs were still riddled with wounds. The powerful energy within him had also lost more than eighty percent of its strength. While the remaining energy could be activated, it would inevitably cause secondary damage to his body, making it not worth the effort.
Yu Zhibo pushed himself up from the bed. Each movement was as slow as that of a twilight elder, but he was finally able to act on his own.
He got out of bed, put on his boots, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The first thing that met his eyes was a humble farmhouse courtyard. The low surrounding wall was made of mud, looking somewhat dilapidated, but the courtyard itself was clean. It was evident that the owner had taken great care of it.
"Father, you're awake?"
A familiar voice reached his ears. Little Ku's voice was very clear, even with a hint of deliberate loudness, as if to prove something to outsiders.
"Mmm!"
Yu Zhibo responded softly and looked at the stone stool in the courtyard, then walked over.
Little Ku quickly wiped her hands on her body and then ran over to help him.
Yu Zhibo did not refuse. After being helped to sit down at the stone stool, he suddenly heard a faint murmur of discussion.
The voices came from outside the courtyard wall; it was several women talking.
"That brat is quite lucky. I thought she was an illegitimate child born without a mother and abandoned by her father, but it turns out her father has really found her."
"When she was saving people yesterday, I watched from afar. That man was truly extraordinary in appearance. No wonder Ku'er's mother waited for him as a widow for so long."
"Yes, judging by his clothes, he might even be a high official. That kid Zhang San has bullied this helpless child quite a bit over the years. I wonder if he'll face retribution later."
"Dog Egg's mother, didn't your family also occupy a lot of their land? I told you back then not to be greedy for small advantages. Doctor Chen was such a good person when he was alive. How could you even say that?"
"Hmph, that was my family's land in the first place. Besides, if I hadn't taken it, do you think the Gao family would have let go of this large piece of fat meat?"
"That's true. The Gao family's second son is the registrar in the county. This family, who looks refined and harmless on the surface, does just as many evil deeds in private as Zhang San..."
"..."
The voices gradually faded away. The speakers seemed to be heading to the fields together to work.
Yu Zhibo looked at Little Ku, who was wearing patched clothes, and said, "People always bully the poor and flatter the rich. I can see that although you appear optimistic on the surface, there is an unshakeable gloom in your brow. I imagine you harbor considerable resentment towards those who bullied you in the past. Are you planning something?"
In the courtyard air, there was the smell of burning firewood, faintly mixed with a subtle fragrance. Yu Zhibo did not recognize this scent, but it gave him the feeling of a poisonous herb similar to those on Earth, hence his question.
Upon hearing this, Little Ku's innocent smile faltered slightly. "Father, do you think I shouldn't resent them?"
Yu Zhibo shook his head slightly. "Do not advise kindness without experiencing another's hardship. If I had suffered as you have, I might not be as kind... I am not trying to stop you; I am merely curious."
Yu Zhibo did not believe Little Ku to be as simple and kind as she appeared on the surface.
Her mother had been dead for several years. If she were truly naive, she would have been devoured by the malicious villagers long ago, leaving not even a trace. Even Li Qiang, who had brought the rabbit yesterday, looked at Little Ku with calculation in his eyes.
Although that calculation was well concealed, it could not escape Yu Zhibo's notice.
Hearing that Yu Zhibo did not intend to probe further, Little Ku breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Yu Zhibo's face, feeling as if his charming face was embedded with two black holes capable of devouring one's will, causing her to unconsciously avert her gaze, her small face flushing slightly.
Yu Zhibo's gaze was too profound, possessing not only wisdom that seemed to penetrate everything but also a warmth like the morning sun, making her almost reveal her secrets and plans entirely.
But in reality, such matters were not suitable for a second person to know.
Little Ku turned somewhat flustered and walked towards the kitchen. Soon, the sound of stir-frying came from within, and then the aroma of meat filled the entire courtyard.
She was stir-frying the rabbit that Li Qiang had brought last night.
"The little one's willpower is quite strong!"
Yu Zhibo looked towards the kitchen with some surprise. He was aware of his abilities.
In his prime, he could not only hear people's thoughts but also transcend laws, creating things out of thin air with ease. For ordinary people, he could manipulate their thoughts and ideas at will.
Many things, whether it was knowing what he wanted to know or making someone do something, even with a casual inquiry without any mental guidance, ordinary people could not refuse.
It was an absolute crushing force at the soul level.
Even though he had lost his cultivation, that "aura" remained. If nothing else, just yesterday, if he had reprimanded Li Qiang with anger, the man would have likely been terrified to death on the spot.
He was now the possessor of the "Face-Saving Fruit." As long as they were ordinary people, they rarely refused his requests, even if it was to ask them to die.
But the girl named Little Ku, when faced with his inquiry, managed to hold back and not reveal her secret, which he found quite interesting.
"In the end, it's just the schemes of mortals..."
He murmured softly, not paying too much attention. Instead, he closed his eyes and began to regulate his body.
After an overnight period of emptiness, the depleted spiritual energy returned to the vacant areas. He took a deep breath, and in an instant, the spiritual energy within a radius of several miles surged towards him, being greedily absorbed into his body.
Along with the spiritual energy came the nascent energy contained within the morning glow, carrying infinite vitality, which he absorbed entirely, turning it into nourishment for his recovery.
"At this rate, within a month, I should be back to my peak strength."
Yu Zhibo opened his eyes, his pupils turning scarlet, and three tomoe appeared before quickly vanishing. His pupils returned to their inky blackness, leaving only a deep expanse.
As the saying goes, the beginning is the hardest. It was normal for recovery to be difficult at first. Once the body's self-healing mechanism was fully activated, everything would be resolved with ease.
He moved his thoughts again, and countless invisible vortices seemed to form around his body. This time, however, he was absorbing the spiritual energy and nascent sun's vitality from a radius of tens of miles.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Yu Zhibo stood up from the stone stool. At this moment, he looked perfectly healthy, completely devoid of his previous weakness.
Just then, the courtyard door was suddenly kicked open.
"Chen Kuhe, you owe me for my chicken!"
A man with a hooked nose and eyes like an inverted triangle, with a deep, sinister expression and reeking of alcohol, strode into the courtyard.
Upon seeing Yu Zhibo, who frowned, his expression faltered slightly.