8

"I'll be glad to hear." Upon hearing that he too wanted to share his story, Old Xu nodded with a smile.

Since the day he saved this young boy, other than his name, he knew nothing about him. Everything was just based on his observations and speculations. And now that he was willing to share his story... The old man was more than happy to listen.

"Hmm... Let me think." Closing his eyes briefly, Lin Kai thought for a while before letting out a mouthful of turbid air.

"How about I tell you an event from my childhood?"

With a brief pause, Lin Kai adjusted his body in the chair for the most comfortable position and began to narrate.

"I don't know exactly how old I was. Perhaps nine or perhaps ten. I can't remember it exactly."

"I used to work in a small restaurant. I would serve, clean the table, and then do the dishes. And if that wasn't enough, I used to sweep the floors four times a day. And after doing all that work... Every day, without a single break, I was paid with one meal a day and a small shed to live in.

Sometimes, if lady luck smiled at me, then I would receive a few old clothes at festivals."

Lin Kai paused as he raised his hand while sitting on the chair in front of his chest as if he was holding something.

"Even though I worked tirelessly from dusk till midnight, there was a brief moment of joy in between." With a smile, Lin Kai's eyes got hazy as if he were looking at himself across the vast time and space.

"In the evening, the children there would come to the empty fields to play. It was just in front of the place I used to work.

So, after a lot of begging and promising to work on other tasks, I finally got permission to go and play for half an hour."

"I know... It isn't much. But for the younger me, it meant the world."

"And that is where I met my first friend..."

With this sentence, a smile ran across Lin Kai's face.

"Both he and I were similar in age and had a lot of fun playing together. We used to just run everywhere, from forests to river banks to streets. You name it...

We were just inseparable."

Speaking till here, Lin Kai took a deep breath.

"I thought this would last forever. Me and him playing without a care in the world."

"Until..." It was at this moment that his voice turned grave as his expression hardened.

"I still remember the day he invited me to his birthday.

It was the fifth of the month when he invited me to his house. At that time, I didn't have any money. I could barely survive myself. So, after begging everyone and still being unable to get anything, I decided to make a bird with plant leaves. It wasn't pretty or perfect, but for the little me, it was the most precious thing that I had."

With a smile, Lin Kai took a deep breath and continued his story.

"I remember going to his house and seeing a lot of people gathered there. I didn't know what to do or where to look for my friend, so I waited patiently.

"It was at that time that I met his mother and I could tell she wasn't very fond of me. I have seen her a lot of times while working at the shop. She might have even recognized me, after all, it was just a village.

When she saw me standing there, she didn't greet me like she did others. Instead, she told me to wait outside the house. And so, I waited."

Speaking till here, Lin Kai let out a sigh as his face lost all expressions.

"Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours as the celebration inside the house reached its peak. Not only was there food, but also music, dance, and laughter. It was a completely different world... Something that I didn't even dare to dream about."

"All of this was just at the distance of a few meters... Just behind that door. And yet..."

Lin Kai didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning behind his words was obvious. He looked at the wine gourd in Old Xu's hand but after seeing how it was empty, just let out a bitter smile. 

"The celebration ended and soon everyone began to leave.

Everyone left. Everyone... Except, myself."

"I was waiting for my friend to show up and sure enough... after everyone left, I finally had the chance to meet him."

"I wanted to play with him, but his mother didn't let us. So, after handing him the bird... I left the place.

I thought that maybe the next day, the two of us would have plenty of time to play together."

Speaking till here Lin Kai went silent for a long time. Old Xu on the other hand was now fully engrossed in the story. It was as if this was the story of his life.

"I didn't see him for the next month. And when I finally met him, he said something to me... Something that I still remember till today."

"What was it?" Old Xu couldn't help but ask. He didn't expect the young boy he rescued to have such a childhood. The more he listened, the more he sympathized with him.

Looking at Old Xu's impatient expression, Lin Kai cleared his throat as if he was imitating someone and spoke in a rather hoarse voice.

"Friendship is reserved for those who walk the same path. You and I? We're worlds apart. To even think we could be friends is an insult to what true friendship means."

"..."

"...."

Both Old Xu and Lin Kai went silent for a long time. It wasn't until a few more minutes passed thst Old Xu spoke with a frown.

"Is this the reason that you don't want to have any friends? Don't you think this is childish?" The more he spoke the more dissatisfied expression on his face grew. At first, he thought it was going to be a story full of tragedy or life lessons. But it was only now did he realized that it was nothing but a kid's scuffles.

What a joke. What a ridiculous way of thinking. The more Old Xu thought about it, the more he wondered whether there was something wrong with Lin Kai's brain.

Lin Kai on the other hand just let out a smile. He didn't refute or answer back. Instead, he exhaled a long breath while his eyes looked at the horizon.

"Well, let's just say that from that day on, I lost the will to make any friends." It was a short yet firm statement that Lin Kai wasn't going to change. At least not for now.

"Heh." Old Xu on the other hand let out a chuckle while constantly nodding his head as if saying 'good' constantly in his mind.

"Forget it. Since you don't want, then there is no need for me to force you. If you believe you are happy that way, then I wish you the best."

After that, none of the two spoke for almost an hour.

Just when Lin Kai was wondering whether he should head back home, Old Xu finally spoke a few more words.

"Planting yellow Orchids isn't a viable situation in the long term. You can never earn resources that way... No matter how hard you try."

Standing up, Old Xu stretched his body before heading back in, leaving behind his voice.

"One week later, be sure to come here and pick up a few things."

"Umm..." Looking at the closed door, Lin Kai just nodded before making his way back home. He had already spent most of his day here. He still needed to do a lot of things.

Walking back home, the conversation with Old Xu kept on repeating in his head. For some parts, Lin Kai agreed with him. Without any friends, without any companions, there is very little to do in life.

This was the case for almost everyone in the world. Unfortunately for both him and Old Xu, Lin Kai wasn't 'everyone'.

"Forget it." As some unpleasant memories began to overwhelm him, Lin Kai shook his head and cleared it of any distracting thoughts.

------------------

By the time Lin Kai reached back to his farm, it was already evening. When he left in the morning, he was expecting to explore the world around him and gather some information.

Unfortunately for him, he was neither able to gain any information, nor was he able to earn resources.

The only gain he made today was a secret technique and the life story of an old man.

Looking at the farm in front of him that he needed to weed and tilt and then sow; Lin Kai almost wanted to give up farming.

"Let's do it tomorrow."

After making a decision, he walked inside, sat on the bamboo chair in front of the small table, and took out the thin book.

He knew to practice this technique one needed the blood of now extinct species. But still, he was willing to give it a try. He was willing to make a bet in hopes that the panel in front of him would be much more than just a proficiency panel. After all, He still doesn't know the limitations of it.

Opening the book, Lin Kai looked at the 'Bitter Earth' technique. There wasn't much content in it.

According to it, one needed to drink the blood of the Earthern Bluebirds constantly and then follow the breathing technique.

After doing it constantly for a month, one would be able to condense the first white mark on their chest. Signaling the successful entry into the first layer and doubling their life span.

"Blood..." Lin Kai thought about using normal blood but gave up after realizing that he didn't have any money or any other source.

"Will the blood of other people work?" As soon as this thought came to his mind, Lin Kai shook his head with a mocking laugh.

"Let's just drink water."

Lin Kai didn't know whether he could practice the technique with the help of a panel. If he could, then it didn't matter whether he drank blood or water.

As soon as this thought came to his mind, he gulped down a mouthful of water and began a new set of breathing exercises according to the book.

The entire process was complicated and it took more than thirty failures before Lin Kai was able to complete a set of breathing techniques clumsily. And the moment he did, Lin Kai opened his eyes with great expectations and looked at the panel in front of him.