Chapter 7113
The Boy from the Slums
Chapter 7113 The Boy from the Slums
Nuchuan City is built against the mountain and covers a large area.
As the only passage connecting the two continents, Nuchuan City, located in the central area of Motianling, is far more prosperous and bustling than outsiders imagine.
However, the top officials of both continents are deliberately downplaying this place, making many people unaware of it.
However, many people still learn about this place through various channels and then travel long distances to come here, making this city in the valley increasingly lively.
After entering the valley, from a distance, you can see a city built on the hillside, with buildings standing side by side, blending with the lush vegetation to form a unique and magnificent landscape.
On the roads outside the city, people come and go in a constant stream, some are visitors from other places and others are locals, who are out in the wilderness for various reasons.
On the vast fields, a patchwork of gold and crimson unfolds, the crops of unknown origin wafting a delicate fragrance on the gentle breeze.
Along the banks of the churning river, numerous water conservancy workshops stand, where the ancient waterwheels, propelled by the flowing water, slowly rotate, emitting a series of friction sounds.
In the distance, there are villages, ancient windmills, and energy collectors that float high like giant lanterns.
Tang Zhen followed the crowd and stepped into the valley city, where a wide street slowly ascended into view.
The noise from the city, which was originally blocked by the city walls, now burst forth freely, creating a lively scene.
Tang Zhen's blue robe brushed past the bronze pillars engraved with runes at the city gate, and an aura mixed with spiritual energy and mechanical roar rushed towards him.
This is a strange city where cultivation civilization intertwines with steam, and also incorporates traces of techniques from many different schools of thought.
In mid-air, psionic-powered airships spewed out pale white steam, and copper pipes clung to the eaves and brackets like a spider web. The clattering of gears, the hum of spiritual veins, and the shouts of vendors mingled together, continuously assaulting the eardrums.
The main road, paved with blue bricks, is wide and flat. On both sides are old pavilions selling talismans and elixirs, as well as steam workshops with glazed windows. Monks in Taoist robes brush past artisans wearing baseball caps and coarse work clothes, creating a strange yet harmonious scene.
The clothing of pedestrians on the street was also varied and strange, yet elegant and fashionable, and the scent they exuded was indescribable.
Tang Zhen did not stop walking. A faint wisp of spiritual consciousness trembled slightly between his brows, pointing like a compass towards the northern part of the city.
That was his sole objective on this journey—the aura of a fallen god's reincarnation, faint and pure, hidden within the mundane world. Had his divine soul not far surpassed that of ordinary people, he would have been completely unable to detect it.
Following the guidance of his spirit, he walked for a long time, gradually moving away from the bustling main street.
The cobblestone path turned into a bumpy dirt road, and the exquisite psionic lamps disappeared, replaced by dim yellow lamps hanging under the eaves, glowing with inferior psionic oil.
The once magnificent buildings have been transformed into low, dilapidated mud-brick houses and wooden huts, with mottled walls, drafty roofs, and the air filled with the smell of coal smoke and leftover food. The sounds of crying and coughing can be faintly heard from the alleyways.
This is the most dilapidated shantytown in the city, a place where ordinary poor people live, completely out of place with the glamorous outer city.
Tang Zhen navigated through the crisscrossing alleys, carefully avoiding puddles and scattered coal dust, and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated low house.
The door was a half-open wooden board, and the dim light of an oil lamp shone through the crack, allowing the sounds of conversation inside to be heard clearly.
"Father, Mother, I've made up my mind. I'm not going to school anymore. Tomorrow I'll go to the Laurd Parts Workshop in the east of the city to become an apprentice."
The boy's voice was somewhat immature, yet it revealed a restraint and determination beyond his years.
Then came the woman's suppressed sobs: "Little San, it's your parents' fault for being useless, unable to afford your education... You were clearly the smartest in our family, even the teacher said you had talent, and maybe you could get into Linggong Academy someday, but now..."
"Mother, stop talking." The boy interrupted softly, "My eldest brother injured his leg while working in the mine, and my second brother has to work at the docks. I'm the only one left in the family who can earn money. No matter how well I study, I can't fill my stomach. Although being an apprentice in the workshop is tough, at least I can get two silver coins a month and a meal, which can help ease the burden on the family."
An old, hoarse man sighed, his voice full of helplessness and guilt: "It's my fault for being so weak, unable to protect you brothers... But that steam workshop operates day and night, and the machines are heavy and dangerous. You're too young; I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."
“I can handle it,” the boy said firmly. “It’s better than my whole family going hungry.”
Tang Zhen raised his hand and gently pushed open the dilapidated wooden door.
The room was cramped and small, with a worn-out wooden table in the center, around which sat a family of three. The oil lamp on the corner of the table flickered with a dim yellow flame, illuminating the boy's thin face, which bore a weariness and sorrow beyond his years.
Around fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a faded coarse cloth shirt, with clean eyebrows and clear eyes, even when he said he was giving up his studies, there was still a trace of longing for knowledge and the unknown hidden deep in his eyes.
In Tang Zhen's divine sense, a wisp of divine remnant soul slumbered within the body of this young man. This was the reincarnation of a fallen god that Tang Zhen had been searching for across many planes.
The boy and the couple inside the house looked up at the man in the blue robe who had suddenly barged in, their faces showing astonishment.
Tang Zhen stood tall and had an otherworldly air about him, which made him stand out from the dilapidated state of the shantytown, like a celestial being descended to earth.
The man quickly stood up, flustered and apprehensive, displaying the awkwardness and unease of a poor person facing a stranger: "Excuse me... sir, who are you looking for?"
The woman hurriedly wiped away her tears, pulled the boy aside, and timidly lowered her head.
Lin Xiaoman stared at Tang Zhen with wide eyes, both curious and wary, wondering why this neatly dressed and distinguished man would come to her home.
Tang Zhen's gaze fell gently on the boy, without the slightest hint of condescension, and his voice was as clear as a spring breeze: "I came here specifically to find you."
Lin Xiaoman was taken aback, then pointed to herself: "Looking for me? Sir, I don't know you."
Tang Zhen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the simple furnishings in the room before returning to the glimmer of unwillingness in the boy's eyes. He said softly, "I just heard that you want to give up your studies and work in the steam workshop."
Lin Xiaoman's face darkened slightly, and she nodded: "My family situation is not good, I have to go."
"Reading is the way out and the cornerstone of achieving your dreams. I still suggest you continue reading."
As for the money, I can take care of that for you.
Tang Zhen spoke slowly, flicking his fingertips, and a lustrous, translucent low-grade spirit stone containing pure spiritual energy silently landed on the dilapidated wooden table.
The crystal-clear spirit stone, emitting a faint spiritual light, instantly added a touch of tranquility to the small room.
"Sell it; it'll be enough for your schooling. Use the rest to improve your life, buy more meat and grain, and don't be stingy with money."
What?! You're giving this to me?!
The three people in the room froze instantly, and Lin Xiaoman's face was filled with disbelief.
This is truly a windfall.
The spirit stone before them was worth a hundred gold coins, a fortune their family had never dared to imagine.
"My God, is this real?!"
The man's legs went weak and he almost collapsed. The woman covered her mouth, tears welling up again, but they were tears of joy.
Lin Xiaoman suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock and confusion as he stared at Tang Zhen. He couldn't understand why this mysterious man was being so kind to him.
Tang Zhen looked at the confusion in the boy's eyes but did not offer any further explanation. His gaze, however, told the boy to make his own choice.
Should we keep this money or not?
Are you willing to seize this sudden opportunity that could change your destiny?
The light from the oil lamp danced on the boy's thin face. He clenched his fists, looked at his parents' expectant eyes, then looked at Tang Zhen again, and nodded heavily.
"Thank you for your help. Lin Xiaoman will remember it forever."
Tang Zhen nodded slightly, and the boy's parents exchanged a glance and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Outside, the wind in the shantytown still carried the smell of coal smoke, but the dim yellow light inside seemed to have become softer and warmer.
Tang Zhen stood quietly, and within his soul, the faint remnant of his divine soul seemed to sense the aura of the same origin and trembled slightly.