He possessed the Kung Fu of the Five Spirits Sect, so survival was not a problem for him, but whenever he encountered those so-called "righteous" people, they all wanted to take his life without any explanation, to elevate their own status, never softening their hand because he was a child, nor caring whether or not he wanted to associate with the Five Spirits Sect.
Until one day, he met Gu Qizong.
Gu Qizong was the first person in the Martial Arts community who did not try to kill Shen Youran upon seeing him. Not only did he not kill him, but he also took in Shen Youran, secretly protected him, and even taught him martial arts, and how to hide his foundation of Inner Strength from the Five Spirits Sect.
Most importantly, from beginning to end, Gu Qizong never asked about Shen Youran's background, and had no idea that he was the son of Yi Shixiong.