Capítulo 21: Holy Guardian, Yan Bingren
Yan Bingren did not hail from a prestigious family background. In fact, it could not be more mediocre.
His father was a hunter who provided for the family with his passable skills with the bow. On most days, he would be able to bring back something like a rabbit or a small deer, but there were also days when he had no choice but to return empty handed.
Still, the family always saved up for rainy days. While they seldom had their fill, they never had to starve either.
As the eldest son of the family, Yan Bingren had been tasked by his father to start practising with the bow since the tender age of 8. Fortunately, he was born with a strong body, and was able to easily endure the harsh training routine set by his father.
At the age of 10, his hard work finally paid off!
His skills with the bow actually brought him the chance to enter the Ivory Rock Martial Academy. This was a glorious day that caused his family to celebrate for him with a huge feast.
At that time, Yan Bingren had thought that he was truly gifted, and was filled with pride as he saw the joy in his parents' eyes.
However, he was met with harsh reality after entering the martial academy, finally understanding where he stood.
In the Ivory Rock Martial Academy, he was nothing.
The sturdy body that he was so proud of was rendered meaningless when placed before the path of cultivation. After being nourished by Spiritual Essence, a martial artist's body would grow to be countless times stronger than that of non martial artists. With that, his slight physical advantage had been rendered completely negligible.
His skills with the bow was the only thing he could rely on initially, but even that advantage of his was slowly ground away by the sheer talent of martial artists within the martial academy.
What he spent years to master was quickly absorbed by the geniuses in the academy, quickly exceeding him in terms of skill.
In terms of cultivation, his comprehensive capabilities were not too shabby, but it was still not easy. No matter how talented one was, the path of a martial artist had always been a lonely and painful one.
All these factors led him to repeatedly think about giving up on the path of cultivation. However, when he was 15, disaster struck his family.
On one of his hunting trips, Yan Bingren's father was heavily injured by a wild beast that escaped the eyes of the sentries. He did not survive past 3 days.
Heavily affected by her husband's death, Yan Bingren's mother fell ill soon after.
Without her husband to provide for the family, they could only rely on Yan Bingren's measly allowance as a student of Ivory Rock Martial Academy. But how could that be enough to provide for the family, as well as pay for the medical fees of his mother?
All that Yan Bingren could get were some cheaper medicines that suppressed the illness. Finally, his mother's condition spiralled out of control, and she followed after her husband in death after a short year.
With that, there were only Yan Bingren and his younger sister left to rely on each other.
His younger sister was unfortunately not talented enough to be accepted into Ivory Rock Martial Academy, but the close siblings still decided to stay together in the small house that was allocated to Yan Bingren.
In order to provide his sister with a comfortable life, Yan Bingren hardened his resolve. Every day without fail, he would spend all his time on cultivating, while his sister would take care of his meals and other miscellaneous matters.
Carrying the burden of his sister's future, as well as the responsibility he inherited from his parents who had already passed on, Yan Bingren dared not slack off. Even among his peers at the academy, he was among the most hardworking of all.
Thankfully, the heavens were not blind.
At the mere age of 25, Yan Bingren finally broke into the Intermediate Essence Building realm!
While it was a speed that was far lacking as compared to the unrivalled genius Lu Tianzi, it was still considered as quite an accomplishment. For this, he had been contacted by many people in positions of power, offering him offices in their patronage.
Seeing his accomplishments, his sister had been extremely proud of him as well.
But a few days ago while he was still contemplating over what he should do next, Yan Bingren was actually given an unexpected summon by the City Lord Manor!
Yan Bingren was thrilled!
He dared not delay. Dressed in his smartest outfit, Yan Bingren immediately went over with his heart filled with excitement. Upon arrival, he was led to the main hall, where Hu Yuanbo sat majestically at the host seat.
Yan Bingren greeted the City Lord enthusiastically, but what he was told struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Holy Guardian?
Him?
Yan Bingren hesitated for a moment when asked about his choice.
While he was extremely honoured to be selected as a Holy Guardian, Yan Bingren was still worried about the only sibling he had.
If he were to go out on a lifetime mission like this, then what would be of his sister?
Even though City Lord Hu promised to take good care of her, but material health and psychological health are completely different matters altogether!
Yan Bingren eventually agreed due to his duty to mankind, but he knew that he would have to spend quite some time appeasing the little lady back home.
Indeed, he was the one who understood his sister best.
"What do you mean you are going to become a Holy Guardian?" his sister's eyes widened in disbelief when told of the matter. "Wasn't Lu Tianzi just named as a Holy Guardian?"
"Due to my accomplishments, City Lord Hu informed me that this would be the first year that two people qualified for the position. Aren't you proud of me?" Yan Bingren smiled awkwardly.
"I am… but why does that mean you have to do it? Can't you just leave this to the others? None of the Holy Guardians have ever returned after going! What am I supposed to do after you are gone?"
Yan Bingren gently caressed her hair as his gaze softened.
"Caijie, you have already grown old enough to take care of yourself. What's more, City Lord Hu has agreed that he would bring you into the City Lord Manor as a clerk. With that, your daily necessities would no longer be a problem, and I would also no longer have any worries."
"I don't want such things! I only want to be with you! After father and mother left, I thought that we had a common understanding that we would no longer leave each other! But now, how can you choose to leave me as well?!"
Yan Caijie spoke with her voice on the verge of breaking, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing his sister acting in this way, Yan Bingren felt his heart on the verge of breaking. It was like his heart was being stabbed by a thousand needles!
Indeed, Yan Bingren could not bear to leave his younger sister either. However, more so than the fact that he was her elder brother, he was first and foremost a proud member of humanity!
After relying on the safety of the city and receiving the gracious teachings and resources of the academy, if Yan Bingren chose to prioritise his own family over the many people still stranded in the wild, then he would never be able to come to terms with himself!
That was against his martial path!
"Caijie, I know how you feel. I feel the same way as well, but we need to look at the big picture. Look at Lu Tianzi for example. At the age of 15, he had already taken on the responsibility of a Holy Guardian, putting down all the pride and glory that he could have enjoyed by staying in the city. So how can your elder brother be so selfish? You know that I cannot do that," Yan Bingren sighed.
"I know! I know that well! But I just don't want to leave you!" Yan Caijie threw herself into her elder brother's embrace and sobbed pitifully.
As though infected by her, hot tears started to flow down Yan Bingren's cheeks as well.
Yan Bingren had not been sad to leave. He knew that it was his honour to receive the opportunity to serve humanity in such direct way. However, he simply could not control his heart.
It was as though time had stopped at this moment, and the siblings remained in each other's embrace for a long time.
There was no exchange of words, just a long silent embrace.
At this very instance, they were in a world of their own.
Both of them were trying to remember the other party's touch, smell, and presence as a whole. They had spent their entire life together, but now they finally realised that they had never truly appreciated each other as an individual.
Now, they took the opportunity to remember everything about each other. They knew that this could be their final chance. Soon, they would forever be separated by the words honour and responsibility, never to see each other ever again.
But all things had to come to an end.
Five days later, Yan Bingren was named as Holy Guardian by the City Lord, receiving the celebrations of the masses. At this time, Yan Caijie had mixed feelings as she teared up once again.
One reason for her tears was pride, feeling moved that her brother had finally gained the recognition that he truly deserved.
Another reason was sadness over the fact that she would likely never be able to see him ever again.
But Yan Caijie knew better than to voice out her concerns at this point in time. After all, things had already been set in stone.
What her elder brother needed right now was not to hear her selfish requests, but to receive her heartfelt blessings.
Yan Caijie had already prepared some snacks and necessities that her elder brother could bring along with him on his journey, ready to pass them to him that night before he left.
However, Yan Bingren never returned to the house.
Instead, a servant from the City Lord Manor came over to inform Yan Caijie that her elder brother had already departed from Ivory Rock City. Apparently, he wanted to spare Yan Caijie the agony of having to part with her elder brother, and thus decided to leave without saying the final goodbye.
Yan Caijie was in disbelief!
There was no way that her elder brother would have done that! No matter what, they had been together all their lives, so she was certain that her elder brother would definitely have come over to bid her farewell one last time!
Something must have gone wrong somewhere!
But despite her suspicious, what could she do when the servant from the City Lord Manor had already explicitly told her so?
It was not like she could fly into a rage and insist that the other party was lying, so all she could do was to grit her teeth and reluctantly accept it.
Little did she know that at this moment, her elder brother was in a similar state of bewilderment!
Yan Bingren had just roused from his stupor, and was shocked to find himself trapped in a cage made of reinforced wood taken from Ironwood Trees!
The last thing he remembered was that he was entering the basements of the City Lord Manor, and then a sudden impact struck him on the back of his neck…
Could it be?
No way, right?
He had even gone to the extent of choosing to leave his beloved younger sister, so this had to be a mistake!
Yan Bingren's heart raced as his thoughts ran wild.
Taking a closer look around him, Yan Bingren noticed two decapitated corpses in the carriage seat just ahead of him! They were the servants of the City Lord Manor. Judging from the serene expressions on their faces, they probably did not even realise how they died!
Just what happened that they were killed in such a domineering manner?
Did someone try to save him from these people, intercepting the carriage halfway?
Or were these people trying to save him, but were intercepted halfway?
But in any case, why did he remain completely unharmed while the carriage was tied to a tree?
Too many questions filled Yan Bingren's mind right now. Unfortunately, all of his weapons were gone, and there was nothing he could do in this situation.
But at this moment, Yan Bingren suddenly caught sight of a familiar mark carved onto a tree trunk just beside the wooden cage.
It was one of the signs taught to the students of the Ivory Rock Martial Academy!
[Stay and wait for reinforcements]
That was the meaning of the mark.
Seeing the familiar sign, Yan Bingren started to feel some semblance of comfort. For better or for worse, he now knew that at least someone would be coming to provide him with some answers.
He sat down in meditation, patiently waiting as the night passed.
No matter what, it did not seem possible for him to escape with his own strength, so there was no harm in remaining patient.
Thankfully, he did not have to wait for long.
With his perception actively sweeping out in the silence of the night, it was easy for him to notice the approaching figure. On top of that, the other party did not even bother to hide his traces, making it far easier for Yan Bingren.
Yan Bingren calmed his mind. He thought that no matter what happened next, he had to try and maintain his composure.
However, his eyes subconsciously widened in astonishment when he finally saw the person who landed before him! No matter what, he never would have expected to see him!
The unrivalled genius, and also the previous Holy Guardian, Lu Tianzi!
Yan Bingren's heart immediately lit up in joy!
If there was someone whom he could trust to answer the many questions in his head right now, then it would definitely be this person!
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