A new world

The stars twinkled in the sky as if to wave goodbye to another clear night. A child of seven years leaned against a short wooden fence, his eyes, lost in the heavens lit by the waning moon. An inescapable soft sigh sounded, releasing a white mist from his warm mouth.

“Kyle... Kyle!”

The boy turned towards the small thatched hut of mud and stones. He ran towards the woman who called and waved to him. She gently flicked his forehead. Surprisingly, he could never avoid this finger.

“Don’t scare your mom. When I see you like that, mom becomes sad ok? Here is your food. Mom has already separated it into portions especially the grains for you to cook. If you can’t light a fire using the stones, come home. Stay close to the older boys for protection at night, and don’t forget your wool blanket…”

“Yes, mom. I can light a fire mom. I will camp with the others, mom. I’ll take my blanket mom. Your son will run home at the first sign of trouble mom…”

“You making fun of this old lady? See if I don’t shame you by having your dad come looking to baby you in front of the others.”

“Ah no, this son thinks his mom is the best. Mom is not an old woman but a palatial beauty...”

“Fine, fine, it seemed you gained a sharp tongue from your illness. Go on, you little flatterer.”

Giving the woman a hug, the boy grabbed a gnarled staff about twice his height from near the wooden door and waved goodbye. Walking up to the nearby wooden enclosure, he opened a long gate. In a few minutes, a soft tingling of a bell sounded like the little shepherd and his flock left the small, isolated farm and headed into the distant hills.

The woman remained by the door, illuminated under the flickering light of a candle on the table and the glows of the kitchen fire. Her eyes turned glassy as she sniffed a few times. Only when the shadows melded into the darkness did she pull the shawl over her shoulders and close the door with slightly trembling hands.

By the time the herd arrived at the pasture, a ray of sunlight heralded the dawn. Satisfied as the sheep scattered along the hillside, the boy secured his small rations onto the branch of a lone tree on the hilltop. He then sat down in a meditating position while regulating his breathing. The puffs of mist exiting his mouth soon dissipated with the heat from the rising sun.

“It's been three years since I fell into the Everlasting Vortex, or should I say three years since I reincarnated into this world. If this body had not been in a near paralysis state at the time, I probably might have shared my shock with the old folks. They have earned the right for me to say, mom and dad...”

Kyle opened his eyes while reminiscing. He remembered falling off the cliff from Dragoncrown Sect as darkness engulfed him. He then woke up in the body of a four-year-old boy afflicted with total paralysis.

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For two years, Kyle remained trapped in a body constantly bathed in a woman’s tears. He witnessed the man consoling and hugging both of them every night. His mother washed, cleaned, and fed him daily, while his father carried him outside to bask in the sun or enjoy the evening sunset over the mountains.

As a near century-year-old monster who attained immortality, Kyle practiced the cultivation methods from the secret scroll Thousand Immortal Dragon. Never would he have done it until one night when his old man brought him outside to view the stars.

On witnessing the single moon and the strange constellations, Kyle realized he might never land foot on the Golden Continent in this lifetime.

“Thousand Immortal Dragon cultivation technique has proven why it ranks above all the other immortal cultivations. In two years it has healed the physical pathways allowing me to regain control. Barring loss of limbs, it enables its user to heal broken muscle, nerves, and bones. When my Master injected it into my consciousness, it seems to have traveled together with me.”

After repairing the broken nerves in his body through painstaking time and effort, Kyle slowly brought hope to the couple. First, he began with a twitch of the hand, a wiggle of the toe, and a squeezing of his mother’s hand. The response brought joy to his parents but sadness to Kyle.

His dad sold six sheep or half his herd for a doctor’s visit. The old man spent a minute pinching his pulse and tapping his chest, before recommending the purchase of some pills from the village pharmacist. He then left while telling them to schedule another visit during the next four months as the boy would not show any signs of improvement.

If not for keeping up the pretense, Kyle might have strangled the old swindler.

Within a week Kyle had miraculously moved his arms and legs.

‘Mom and Dad get scared any time I meditate or seem lost in thought. The scar of having me lay listless on a bed hasn’t lifted completely from their hearts. In this world, they have replaced the Master, so they deserve a better life. To avoid conflict with my cultivation, this quiet life as a shepherd is ideal.’

Kyle rose up and faced the morning sun while raising his little hand.

“As the sun rises in the east, so too have I been reborn. I swear an oath that I will protect my parents from harm and bring them wealth and happiness. My life of bloodshed is over, only a life of peace and prosperity opens before me. Master, I hope you are living well...”

“Kyle, Kyle, oh… sorry to bother you. I see you’re at it again. I’ll come back later.”

“Curses Fatty, how many times have I told you to stop sneaking up on me.”

Kyle yelled at the slightly chubby boy standing behind him, panting beside the tree. Ever since he recovered and began working as a shepherd, Kyle started laying the foundation for his skills.

Even though he had not entered the realm of cultivation to unleash spiritual power, he prided himself on his detection skills. Yet this fatty kept shooting in under the radar.

“I heard you making another new oath…”

“Fine, I’ll share my breakfast with you, so out with it.”

Kyle said. The reason why Fatty had a slightly chubby figure that the other shepherd boys lay in his low metabolism and ability to extort extra food from Kyle.

“I promise I won’t breathe a word. You know how you just swore to make your parents rich?”

“U-huh?”

“Well it just went up in smoke, I rushed over to tell you that three of your sheep entered Nightmare Valley.”