Chapter 5 - Kimura Kazuya

The moment He Muyang regained his consciousness, he felt as if his whole body was crushed. He never felt this much pain before.

“You finally wake up, brat!” He Muyang suddenly heard an elderly voice, “Youngsters these days really don’t treat the elderly with respect, huh? Don’t you feel bad for occupying this fragile old man’s bed after I went to the trouble of saving you?”

He Muyang sweated when he heard how blunt this old man was!

“Err… I’m really sorry for troubling you and occupying your bed! I will get up right away.” Then, He Muyang sat up, giving the bed back to the old man.

“Aaah! God! ~~~~” As soon as he tried to sit up, He Muyang felt the pain intensified by a few hundred times, and he couldn’t help but wail.

“Hahaha.” The old man burst into laughter upon seeing He Muyang was in pain. “Turns out you’re one interesting fella, is it so painful that you feel like you’re about to die?”

He Muyang turned his head and looked at the sly smile on the old man’s face. He didn’t show it in his face since the old man saved his life, but he was cursing the old man.

“Hehe ~hehe ~” He Muyang just laughed it off, trying his best to resist the urge to beat this old man to a pulp, and said with a smile, “It’s okay, I’ll live.” He secretly lamented his encounter with the old man, although he himself couldn’t do anything about it. He was determined to stay away from this old man as soon as he recovered. He was so annoyed that he might turn the other way if he happened to see the old man again.

“I’m just messing around with you, kid! It has been a long time since I saw such an interesting fella, and the look on your face just now was priceless, hahaha.” The old man looked at He Muyang said with a smile, “You sustained a severe injury; you must’ve pushed yourself too far. It’ll take at least a few days for you to recover. You should rest here, don’t worry; I’ll take care of the food.”

The old man walked out of the door but immediately returned as if remembering something, “I almost forgot, I put your sword above your pillow. You’ve been holding to it really hard even when you’re unconscious. It must be extremely important to you, huh? “

He Muyang turned his head, and after he saw his sword above the pillow, he said weakly: “Yeah, it’s as important as my life.”

The old man smiled, and his eyes were teary as if remembering something nostalgic when he heard He Muyang’s answer. He then said in a gentle tone: “Yeah, tell me about it!“

He Muyang was thinking about his inner world while sitting on the bed quietly. As He Muyang looked at his zanpakuto, he secretly made up his mind: “I’ll be sure to hear your name next time!”

“That’s one hell of a face you got there; what are you thinking about?” A voice said, followed by the appetizing fragrance of porridge.

He Muyang came back to his senses and said to the old man in front of him: “It’s nothing serious. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

He Muyang felt something was off since he didn’t notice the old man coming. Was it because he was so deep in his thought?

“Err, my name is He Muyang. It’s a little late, but thank you. I’ll take you in your offer, and I’ll be in your care for several days. May I ask your name…”

Seeing He Muyang’s troubled look, instead of mocking him like earlier, he said with a smile: “Kimura Kazuya. That’s my name. You can call me whatever you want.”

He Muyang was curious about the sudden change in the old man’s attitude. Since when this old man became this kind? However, since he still felt guilty for not asking his savior’s name, he didn’t pry any further.

“Well, I’ll call you Mr. Kimura, once again, thank you. You even went through the trouble of cooking this porridge for me.”

“No need to thank me, just focus on getting better for now, eat well, and rest well. Let’s continue where we left when you get better. Well then, Have a good rest; I’ll leave you for now.” The old man said as he walked out and closed the door

“Turns out he’s such a nice old man, although he’s kind of annoying at first.”

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The sunlight awakened He Muyang from his dream.

“I’ve never slept this soundly ever since I came to this world.”

“How could I sleep so soundly? I always make sure that I’m on guard, so why did I suddenly let my guard down as if there’s no threat here?”

“It’s that old man, Kimura Kazuya!!!” He Muyang couldn’t believe it at first, but he couldn’t think of other reasons. “The sly old man. I knew there was something weird the moment I see that fragile-looking old man living for so long in Kusajishi District?”

He Muyang felt more suspicious the more he thought about it. He missed these details yesterday because he was so absorbed in his thought, but he was convinced that the old man was stronger than him, “That old man, Kimura Kazuya, is hiding his true strength!”

With that thought in mind, He Muyang inspected the bedroom he was in carefully once again. The layout is simple and tidy. Judging from that, the owner should be a serious and disciplined person. It made no sense since the old man just seemed straight-out rude, which confused He Muyang.

He was so curious about the old man, and since he felt much better and was not in as much pain as before, he decided to get up and check out what he could find outside.

There was a small pond in front of the house with grass growing on both sides and a lush forest in the distance. What a beautiful place. Is there such a place in Kusajishi District? Isn’t this Kusajishi District? Which part of Kusajishi District was this again? Those thoughts immediately filled He Muyang’s mind.

“Ah, is it okay for you to be up and about already? You’re pretty tough, kid!”

He Muyang didn’t even notice the old man’s presence. He was convinced that the old man really was no ordinary guy.

“My body is still sore here and there, but I’m starting to get bored inside, so I decided to go out, checking out the scenery or something. — Since when you’ve been here, Mr. Kimura?”

“When? I’ve been here the whole time, didn’t you see me?”

“What???? You’ve been here all along?” He Muyang’s pupils dilated. How was that possible!

“Even now that he saw the old man with his own eyes, he couldn’t sense the old man’s presence at all. What is going on here? If I didn’t concentrate all my senses, I can’t even sense this old man’s presence.”

That was even scarier than instantaneous movement! He Muyang secretly thought in his mind.

“You’re no ordinary person, are you, Mr. Kimura!”

“Are you blind or something? I’m just a fragile old man, youngster nowadays really are…”

“Is this Kusajishi District?”

“Are you seriously… Kusajishi District? Of course, this is Kusajishi District. Where else do you think this is?”

“If you really are a fragile old man like you said, then how did you survive in Kusajishi District this whole time? Heck, you seem to live so comfortably here too!”

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“Youngsters these days really are not adorable at all!”

“I knew it! So you admit that you’re not an ordinary old guy, right?”

“Why are you so hung up on this, anyway?”

“Since you’re no ordinary old man, please be my mentor!”

Looking at He Muyang in front of him, Kimura Kazuya was silent. As He Muyang grew anxious, Kimura Kazuya finally said something: “Why? Why do you want to become stronger?”

After hearing Kimura Kazuya’s question, He Muyang thought for a while and firmly said: 'survival, and freedom! I want to survive! And I have no intention to leave my life to luck, nor do I want to be pitied by others. I want to pave my own destiny with my own strength!”

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