Six Realms Immortal Emperor

As Xiao Jingtian grew up day by day, Old Xu's eyes were always smiling, and he worked even harder, raising each horse to be plump and strong.

Before he knew it, Xiao Jingtian turned ten. Old Xu had to be both father and mother to him, and his back became hunched and his hair turned gray from exhaustion.

However, seeing little Jingtian jumping around in front of him fills Old Xu's wrinkled face with happiness. It's just that sometimes, seeing little Jingtian's thin and small appearance makes him a little sad; he's already ten years old, but he still looks like he's eight or nine.

Old Xu felt particularly sad when Xiao Jingtian was bullied by those Dongfang kids. If this child had been raised in a wealthy family, he would never have suffered such injustice.

Today, when he heard those disciples calling Jing Tian "Little Beggar" again, Old Xu couldn't help but shed tears! As he thought about it, Old Xu's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

"Dad! You... then don't cry!" Jing Tian leaned forward and wiped away the tears from the corners of Old Xu's eyes.

"It's all my fault, making you suffer with me, a slave for life..." Old Xu stopped his tears and forced a smile. He felt quite gratified; thankfully, this boy had been sensible and filial since childhood, always sharing his burdens.

"Dad, it's alright. Jingtian is not afraid of hardship or fatigue with you. I will definitely work hard in the future, and when I grow up, I will definitely make something of myself and let you enjoy a good life!" Xu Jingtian clenched his fist and said with a naive look on his face.

"Hey, what do you know? You're so young, all you do is talk big. Come on, help your father up, we need to get on with feeding the horses." Old Xu was very pleased to hear what Xu Jingtian said.

Xu Jingtian hurriedly got up and struggled to help Old Xu up.

Old Xu developed this chronic condition after he was trampled by a horse's hoof and didn't receive timely treatment. He walks with a limp, and his chest aches from time to time, sometimes so badly that he can't get out of bed.

"Ouch!"

Old Xu called out, trying to lift the half-sack of soybeans beneath him, but with a strain, he couldn't straighten his back. Perhaps it was due to his age, but Old Xu had been feeling increasingly weak lately, and now he could barely carry half a sack of soybeans.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Xu Jingtian hurriedly took the soybean from him and helped him up.

"Cough cough!" Old Xu coughed twice and said, "It's alright, it's alright, you're still young, Dad can carry you."

Old Xu picked up the soybeans again, panting heavily, and said to Xu Jingtian, "Watch closely and learn well. These are the experiences I've accumulated over decades of raising horses. If you learn them, you'll be able to support yourself in the manor after I die."

"What are you saying, Dad..." Xu Jingtian muttered in a low voice.

"Cough cough..." Old Xu coughed twice more. Damn it, his chest pain was probably acting up again.

"Dad, are you alright? If not, go inside and lie down for a while," Xu Jingtian said worriedly while massaging his back.

"It's alright! Remember to put the hay in the trough first, then add some soybeans and feed. Cough cough... Mixing it together like this will make the food taste better to the horse, and it will eat more... Then..." Old Xu instructed Xu Jingtian while preparing feed for the horse.

"I know, Dad! I remember it all clearly, no matter how many times you've told me," Xu Jingtian muttered softly.

"Cough cough, I'm just afraid... if I'm not around one day, you'll be able to take care of yourself... cough cough!" Old Xu said patiently as he painstakingly mixed the horse feed.

"Dad, if you keep saying that, I won't study anymore!" Xu Jingtian turned his face away, pretending to be angry.

"Cough cough...Alright, alright, I'm relieved to have you with all my horse-raising skills!" Old Xu said with satisfaction.

And so it went, with Old Xu teaching meticulously and Xu Jingtian learning diligently from the sidelines, asking questions carefully about anything he didn't understand.

"Hehe, little beggar!"

"Little beggar!" Several harsh voices interrupted their conversation.

Xu Jingtian turned around and saw Dongfang Sifeng and several of Dongfang's disciples. They had finished their morning exercise and were now standing at the gate of the stable, shouting at the father and son.

"You!" Xu Jingtian was furious, glaring at him angrily. This Dongfang Sifeng was deliberately making trouble for him.

"What do you mean, 'me'? You're just a little beggar, your face is all black and dirty, and your clothes are all tattered and ragged..." Dongfang Sifeng said, making a face as he spoke.

"Jingtian, ignore them..." Old Xu hurriedly shouted. Although he knew that it was always the other party who provoked first, he still restrained Xu Jingtian, after all, the other party was the young master and they were the servants.

"I understand, Dad." Xu Jingtian's eyes were red as he lowered his head. Dongfang Sifeng and the others had bullied him more than once or twice, but he always endured it, listened to his father, and didn't cause trouble.

Seeing his weakness, Dongfang Sifeng continued, "Hehe, little beggar!"

"Little beggar!" The others joined in the commotion.

Xu Jingtian recognized Dongfang Sile, Dongfang Sixing, and Dongfang Sisheng, all of whom were members of the "Si" generation among the younger generation of the Dongfang family. He ignored them, pretending not to hear, and simply helped Old Xu feed the horses.

After calling him a few times, Dongfang Sifeng, seeing that he didn't respond, escalated her tactics: "Little beggar! Old beggar!"

"Little beggar! Old beggar!" the others echoed. They seemed to find it amusing to do so.

"You!" Xu Jingtian could no longer contain himself. He abruptly turned his head, clenched his fists, and his eyes turned red. He was truly enraged. He could call him whatever he wanted, but they couldn't insult his father like this!

"Hehe, come on, come on!" Dongfang Sifeng said to Xu Jingtian with his hands on his hips, looking smug. Several of his friends jumped out from behind him, looking ready to fight at any moment.

"You are not allowed to insult my father!" Xu Jingtian's eyes turned red with anger. If he hadn't been held back by Old Xu, he would have rushed forward long ago.

"Who's your father? You're just a little bastard!" Dongfang Sifeng shouted smugly.

"Who are you talking about!" Xu Jingtian shouted. This person was despicable; not only did he bully him, but he also insulted his father.

"You!" Old Xu couldn't hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Dad! Dad, what's wrong with you!" Xu Jingtian was so frightened that he didn't care about them and hurriedly helped up Old Xu.

Dongfang Sifeng and his friends were still young, and when they saw someone vomiting blood, they were all stunned on the spot.

Just then, a girl's voice came from afar behind them: "Hmph, you're ganging up on me again! I'm going to tell Daddy!"

"Run!" Seeing that things were not going well, Dongfang Sifeng and his friends immediately scattered and ran away.

A little girl with a ponytail stood quietly at the entrance of the stable, looked at Xu Jingtian and his son, and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

It was Dongfang Siyu. She had changed into a pink dress and looked very cute.

"Thank you, Dongfang Siyu." Xu Jingtian smiled slightly at him.

He met Dongfang Siyu by chance. That time, Dongfang Sifeng and his friends had used a small snake to scare her, and Xu Jingtian stepped in to help her, only to get beaten up and have his face bruised and swollen.

"Jing Tian, ​​don't be rude!" Old Xu hurriedly scolded him, then gratefully said to her, "Oh, so it's Miss. We're alright, thank you!"

The Dongfang family has a very clear hierarchy and extremely strict family rules. Because of their lowly status, they cannot address the eldest young lady by her given name.

"It's nothing." Dongfang Siyu smiled at them, revealing a row of white teeth. She turned and glanced around, then whispered, "I was just trying to scare them." After saying that, she stuffed two steamed buns into Xu Jingtian's hand and ran away.

Xu Jingtian watched her retreating figure, a wave of emotion washing over him.

Both being disciples of the Eastern Sect, Dongfang Siyu was a kind person who treated him well, sometimes even bringing him treats. He often saw her being bullied by other disciples and would always bravely stand up for her, inevitably getting a beating in return.

However, perhaps because Xu Jingtian had been used to hardship since childhood, his slender frame was surprisingly strong, and he was unharmed no matter how much the martial arts-practicing Eastern disciples attacked him.

"Dad, it's a meat bun!" Xu Jingtian said excitedly, bringing the bun to his nose to smell it.

"This girl...not bad, cough cough." Old Xu said only after Dongfang Siyu had run far away.

"Father, you call him that yourself, yet you criticize me..." Xu Jingtian pretended to be somewhat indignant.

Old Xu then realized what was happening, pointed at his handsome nose, and laughed, scolding, "Adults call you that, but kids shouldn't. Don't you know, you two grew up drinking the same milk?"

"Father, you're talking nonsense!" Xu Jingtian said with concern when he saw that his father looked very unwell. "Father, come on, let me help you inside to rest."

After helping Old Xu back into the dilapidated house, Xu Jingtian began preparing a meal.

Washing rice, adding water, starting a fire, cooking—ten-year-old Xu Jingtian is already proficient in all these mundane tasks.

"Dad, the buns are still warm. You can eat them in bed first. I can manage on my own," Xu Jingtian called out to Old Xu, who was sitting up straight. Old Xu was always worried about what he would do.

"Cough cough! I'm an old man, it won't help me eat. On the contrary, you're still growing, you need to nourish yourself..." Old Xu said, his throat choked up.

"It's alright, Dad. I'm still strong. I've taken so many beatings, but nothing's happened to me," Xu Jingtian said with a smile, patting his thin chest.

Old Xu knew he couldn't win the argument, so he had no choice but to compromise, saying, "How about this, we'll each take one."

"Okay, Dad, you should eat first. It won't taste good if it gets cold." Xu Jingtian turned around and smiled.

"Ahem!" Old Xu looked at his busy figure, thought for a long time, and said in a low voice, "Jing Tian, ​​come here, I have something to tell you."

"Just tell me what it is, Dad. I'm listening!" Xu Jingtian squatted down by the stove, skillfully adding firewood, sticking his butt out, and started a fire.

"What I want to tell you is that I really raised you from childhood!" Old Xu said with a bit of reluctance, worried that Xu Jingtian wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Father, what's wrong with you? Of course I was raised by you." Xu Jingtian turned around and smiled, his face covered in soot.

"No, I mean, you're not my biological son." Old Xu was getting anxious and was panting.

"Dad, don't take what those bad boys said today to heart. You know they always bully me, and I'm not stupid enough to believe what they say." Xu Jingtian was focused on starting the fire, lying there blowing air onto the stove.

"It's true, son," Old Xu said earnestly, as he slowly climbed out of bed.

Xu Jingtian hurriedly threw down the firewood and rushed over. "What are you doing, Dad? Just rest well, we can talk when you're better..."

Old Xu stopped him from continuing, gesturing to help him to an open space by the bedside, pointing there and saying, "Go get that shovel and dig this up."

Seeing that he wasn't joking, Xu Jingtian quickly grabbed a shovel and started digging in the open space.

The soil inside the house was loose and easy to dig. Xu Jingtian didn't have to exert much effort to dig a hole about a foot deep.

Snap! The shovel hit something hard.

Below the earthen cave, a corner of a wooden box was visible.

"Cough cough, stop it, stop it!" Old Xu shouted hurriedly, afraid that he would break the things below.