Three days later.
Inside the house, Mu Suyin lifted the door curtain and watch the sun's rays pierce through the clouds and shine across the frozen Dandelion Village.
It was a brand-new morning!
"The snow has stopped falling, Myah are you ready for your first time?"
Pushed the door open, she turned back and said to Myah, who was busy munching on a green apple.
He has never been an aficionado of sour fruits, but ever since becoming best friend with Bumpkin, he began to like them too.
"Yes, grandma." Clenched his tiny fists, the little guy exclaimed with a determined expression and is full of enthusiasm. "I'm ready to become stronger and find mama!"
At this moment, seeing that Myah was distracted, Bumpkin quickly takes this chance and sneakily snatch away his apple without being noticed.
Despite its plump body, each particular movement was fast and fluid, like the gently flowing water, like a dragon soaring to the sky and a tiger descending from the mountain.
Everything was perfect!
However, before it could take a bite into the fruit of its labor, Bumpkin stopped on its track under Mu Suyin's deadly gaze.
Its big and round tummy trembled uncontrollably.
Feeling frightened, Bumpkin immediately nudged its head against Myah's shoulder, expressing its endless loyalty and passion.
"Bumpkin! What are you doing? I have no more apple for you." Pushing its head away, Myah shows a great deal of disapproval. "Go away and play, don't disturb me."
Looking at Bumpkin's plumpy body, a strange light flashed in Mu Suyin's jet black eyes.
'If Bumpkin remains in this obese state until it is fully mature. Its future potential would be greatly affected.' She thought.
If Bumpkin were just a typical Grass Horse, she wouldn't have cared. But since Myah seems to love it so much, she has decided that it needs to change for the better.
And the first step was no other than losing weight!
Then, with a slight giggle, she said. "Let Bumnpkin stay. Can you feel how it tries to show intimacy by nudging? It probably also want to train."
"You two are best friends, after all."
"Eh? Really?!" Myah raised his eyebrows; for a moment, he was surprised but then nodded thoughtfully.
Although it felt very comfortable to hug Bumpkin's round tummy, Myah understood that it's not normal for a horse to be so fat.
It's definitely not healthy!
Since Bumpkin wanted to train, Myah could only agree with some reluctant.
He didn't know that Bumpkin wanted to lose weight. All this time, Myah thought that Bumpkin was just a glutton looking for chances to snatch away apples.
Upon realizing how he has misunderstood Bumpkin, Myah couldn't help but blame himself for not understanding his friend.
With a guilty expression, Myah said:
"Work hard, buddy!" Myah nodded in understanding. "I didn't know you have suffered so much because of the extra apples. But don't worry, I won't be giving you anymore extra in the future."
While Myah was patting its horse head, Bumpkin's body froze, its eyes widened, and gawking at him funnily, feeling dumbfounded. Heartfelt tears kept pouring out like a broken dam.
Watching them, Mu Suyin chuckled; the scene was pretty hilarious.
Without further ado, they went to the backyard, which was enclosed by wooden fences.
Once Myah stepped through the door, the cooling breeze causes him to quiver for a moment despite wearing a lamb wool jacket. After rubbing his hands together, he hugged Bumpkin for some warmth.
"Yaaaa, that felt better." While hugging Bumpkin, Myah suddenly felt happy.
It was the same...
Back when they both are trapped in the dark pit, it was also biting cold. If not because Bumpkin allowed Myah to hug its plump body, the little guy might have frozen to death.
Then, after Mu Suyin cleared out the snow, which formed a small white mountain on aside. She told Bumpkin to run around the house for exercising purposes, to which it wants to protest.
But seeing the chilly smile on her face, its round tummy trembled once again and could only run out in melancholy. Compared to the past when it was able to trot happily under the setting sun and chase after butterflies, life here is really too hard.
Scanning around the backyard, Mu Suyin nodded with satisfaction. Once she has cleared the snow, it leaves a spacious area, more than enough for Myah to train.
With just one glance, she could already tell that Myah has never gone through any form of training, which is fine. For a child at six years old, the age at which they awaken, it is not too late for them to begin practice and walk the path of a warrior.
For a cultivator, there are various paths that they could take. Some can learn and cast spells of great destruction with their War Soul as a protector.
At the same time, some are focused on mastering close combat techniques to fight side by side with their War Soul. And since the life of a cultivator and their War Soul are connected as one, they fight side by side to increase their strength and have each other's back.
Be it a Warrior or a Transcendent Realm expert. A true powerhouse would never leave themselves powerless and drop everything to their War Soul.
They fight together!
As for Mu Suyin, a former Spear Master, she specializes in close-range combat, and it's also what she has decided to pass onto Myah.
Although her right arm was severed along with her primary storage ring and everything in it, the skills and pieces of knowledge she acquired for hundreds of years were her most important possession.
"Myah, whatever grandma teaches should never be known to anyone else. Can you promise me?" She crouched down in front of Myah and gently held his shoulder. Her voice was serious yet considerate, unknowingly bringing him a sense of trust.
If it were before, Myah wouldn't have understood the meaning of his grandma's words. However, as the day went by during this past month, his mind became clearer and more precise.
He remembered the fragmented memories about the other kids' conversations back in the playground of the Braveheart Clan.
Knowledge and skills about cultivation, such as secret martial techniques and spells, are very important and can't be disclosed to outsiders casually.
"Un." Without another thought, Myah nodded and raised his tiny hand.
"Pinky promises!"