Transmigrated Into The Book

MASTER LAN AND HIS APPRENTICE I…

The night was bitter and dark; the streets were silent. Some of the houses turned off their lights. It must be the time of their sleep.

On the other side of the road, there was an open shop. It has tables in front, chairs and some beers with different people. Clanking their gold coins on the long counter. 

A kid wearing torn clothes with bruises and wounds on his body stopped at the entrance of it. He didn't know why he did that; he didn't come there to take alcohol or something. The kid was too young for that.

After a minute of standing there like a rock, his stomach growled in hunger. His eyes turned blank and so his expression. His other hand was behind him. He was holding a small knife. His fingers clasped the handle so tight, like he was waiting for something to happen.

The kid's stomach once again growled, pushing a sting that jolted inside his abdomen. He hadn't eaten in days and he was drinking water everywhere. He was sneezing and starting to get sick. Of course, the kid didn't want to die, because he wanted to take revenge on the people who did bad things to him.

The kid gritted his teeth when he saw a familiar man from the counter carrying an expensive type of alcohol. As far as he remembered, it was the man who beat him up just because he accidentally bumped him on the road. 

People who had the capacity to save another are the most cruel ones, while the ones who had nothing are the good ones. 

He was so angry just by looking at him, smiling and chugging his alcohol. Suddenly, pattering sounds from the sky started to echo in his ears. It was raining. The calm night became more chilly, the kid felt the shivers run down his spine in every drop.

'It was pleasant weather to kill someone' that's the idea running inside his mind until a new customer who was supposed to be going inside the said place stopped behind him because he was blocking the entrance. The man looked down at the kid and saw his knife.

"What are you doing there?" 

The kid jolted by that man's deep and calm voice. His knife fell down from his hands as he spun his head. He slowly raised his eyes and met the man's face. It surprised him to see him smiling at him. "Why don't you go inside? It's raining," the man asked.

The kid stayed silent. 'That question is dumb. Is he an idiot?' That's the thought playing inside his mind. He didn't know if he will laugh of scowled at him, "I don't have golds and my clothes are torn," he replied instead 

Silence fell between them. 

The kid then suddenly felt his body levitating from the cold ground. He knew it was cold because he had no shoes. It was because the man carried him and hung him on his shoulder as they both entered the mini eatery. 

The man put down the child on the chair that he pulled closer to him, then he took off his upper robe and wrapped it around the kid's thin shoulders. He smiled before glancing at the counter, ordering food for two people.

Dumbfounded, the kid stayed in his seat and pulled the thick robe to cover his body. He couldn't stop from feeling light after experiencing something new. He was raised in a violent family and his parents killed each other in front of him and because of his family background, no one accepted him again. He ended up sleeping and living on the streets.

"Here," The man pushes a bowl of hot soup towards the kid, "Eat this and warm your stomach," he said.

The kid blinked his eyes as he watched the toppings of the food sink down in its hot soup. His eyes traced the smoke coming from it as he sniffed it with his nose. 

The man observed the kid doing that thing over and over again; he chuckled. "Don't just stare at it, eat it before it gets cold," he said.

And so, the kid didn't hesitate to dig in that he almost blew his own mouth from getting his tongue burn. He enjoyed the food like he was tasting the first meal in his entire life. 

The man gave him a pat and brushed his hair, "You are so cute, what are you doing on the streets at this late night?" he asked.

The kid lowered his head, "I-I don't have a h-home," he fidgeted his fingers as he mumbled the words. 

"Then, do you want to come with me?"

The kid spun his gaze back to the man, "Ehh???"

The man chuckles. "Why are you so surprised? You said that you don't have a home, so I am asking you to live with me." he took a glass of water and gulped it. "I was alone anyway, and I am a healer. I can treat your bruises and wounds," he offered. 

The kid tilted his head sideways, still not convinced. Why did the man suddenly ask him to live with him? Did he have any other intentions? Is he going to be sold?

Before he could think of an answer, the man beside him laughed. "Are you thinking of some other things, kiddo? Don't worry, I am a good man. I will not hurt you…" he said.

"I don't want to go with you," the kid replied sternly. "I came from---" He felt another pat on his head. "Who cares about your family background? I don't need to know it…" the man said as he tugged his robe more around the kid's body.

The kid got a bit shy, so he looked away. He stayed silent and felt his own heart fluttering an unfamiliar emotion. Even his eyes got a little teary just at hearing those words from the man.

He somehow felt assured and safe.

The man stood up as soon as he realized that both of their bowls were empty. He shot a glance at the kid. "What's your name, kid?" he asked.

The kid jumped down from his high chair, then he mumbled. "..Xianyu.." 

The man smiled and took his hands. "Let's go home, Xianyu,"