Orphan’s Hidden Fire

Chapter 6: Little Sister

Shen Hao opened his eyes to a wooden roof.

Pots and pans clattered in another room. He was lying on a bed under a thin blanket. When he sat up, he looked at his hands. Both were wrapped in clean bandages. Cool medicine paste sat underneath. As long as he kept still, the pain was only a dull throb.

He stared at the bandages.

Just clapping my hands with Yin and Yang Qi did this… and it blew the alpha’s head off. My own body still got hurt bad.

Most people only use one kind of energy. Mixing them like that was dangerous. I need to be more careful next time.

A small face peeked around the doorway.

“You’re awake! Does it hurt a lot? Do you want food? Should I change the bandages? I saw the end of the fight — you were so strong! Those wolves would have killed me if you didn’t come. Thank you! But how are you so—”

“Slow down,” Shen Hao said. “One question at a time. You talk fast.”

The girl stepped into the room. She was tiny, maybe ten years old, with black hair tied in a neat bun. A jade hairpin held it in place. A carved snake ran along the pin, its mouth open toward a four-leaf clover.

She walked over without another word, cheeks puffed out in a pout, and started carefully changing his bandages.

Shen Hao almost smiled. “Why the pout?”

“You said I talk too much. I’m not speaking to you anymore.”

“But you just did.”

“Did not!”

“You did it again.” He let out a short laugh. “You’re a funny kid. What’s your name?”

She stayed quiet this time. Shen Hao pulled his hands back.

“Hey! I’m changing them. Moving like that will make it worse. Give them back.”

“Only if you tell me your name. I saved you, remember? Otherwise those wolves might have eaten you already.”

Her face went pale at the thought. In a small voice she said, “My name is Xun Yu. What’s yours?”

“Shen Hao. Nice to meet you, little sister Xun.”

“Little sister?”

“You’re small. Of course you’re the little sister.”

She finished tying the new bandages, then suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“Then it’s decided. You’re Big Brother Shen, and I’m your little sister.”

Before he could say anything, she ran back into the kitchen.

Shen Hao sat there for a moment, confused. Then he spoke to the voice in his head.

“Master, if I keep using only one side of the Qi, what happens when the balance gets too far off?”

“It can hurt your body in the early stages. Once you reach a much higher realm, it won’t matter as much. Until then, be careful.”

“How do I fix the imbalance?”

“Figure some things out yourself. That’s how you grow.”

Shen Hao sighed and looked toward the kitchen. “Xun Yu, why did the wolves attack the whole village? They seemed focused on you.”

She came back with a bowl of water. “I don’t know.”

“Who taught you to bandage wounds and make medicine?”

Her face brightened. “My father. He was the village doctor. He taught me a lot.”

The brightness faded as she remembered. Shen Hao gently patted her head.

“It’s going to be okay.”

She gave a small smile. “Your hands are badly burned. They need at least a month to heal.”

“A month? I only have two months before the competition!”

“I’m sorry, Brother. It’s because of me.”

Shen Hao waved his bandaged hands. “Don’t say that. I’ll still have time after they heal. Your big brother is tough.”

Xun Yu suddenly grinned and pulled several glowing beast cores from a bag — including a larger green one from the alpha.

“These should help you cultivate while your hands get better, right? You can stay here.”

Shen Hao looked at the cores, then at her hopeful face. “Yes. But first we clean up the village. Leaving bodies around will make people sick. We’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

The next morning, after she changed his bandages again, Shen Hao walked through the ruined village. Among the dead he saw several low-level cultivators. Cultivation was hard. Many people never got the resources to go further.

Xun Yu stayed close. He noticed she had already opened some of the wolf bodies to take the cores. The alpha’s thick fur looked valuable.

As he counted the bodies, a cold feeling settled in his stomach.

*Why kill everyone? Wolves don’t usually wipe out a whole village. Something is wrong here.*

He looked at Xun Yu. She smiled up at him, trusting and warm.

*Could this have something to do with her?*

“Xun Yu, change of plans. We’re leaving today. Help me skin the alpha, then grab food and anything important. We’re going back to Xian Town.”

She looked surprised but nodded without arguing.

They worked quickly. Once the pelt was rolled up and they had collected what they needed, they changed clothes and left the village behind.

Hours later they met a merchant cart heading the same way. The man agreed to take them.

Three days later the walls of Xian Town came into view.

Shen Hao thanked the merchant. With Xun Yu walking quietly behind him, he led the way toward his old shack.

The dark lines under his bandaged palms pulsed once, soft and slow.

Something about the little girl still felt unfinished.