Here, everyone is poor; many scraped together their last cents for a ship ticket, while others carried the hopes of their entire clans. In any case, they were filled with anticipation and enthusiasm for the future.
Watching their excited demeanor, Chu Tian sighed inwardly. The more powerful a world, the more brutal the competition. While opportunities abound, so do traps that can swallow one whole.
It was like on Blue Star, during the sixties and seventies, when everyone yearned for city life. Yet, how many people left their villages for the big cities, only to end up living at the very bottom of society?
Simply put, to become strong, one needs personal strength.
Sensing their aspirations for the future and listening to their conversations, Chu Tian felt a subtle influence. Isn't life just like this? One can choose to change or to remain as is.
The future… its potential is boundless. Who says that after failing eight times, the ninth attempt is bound to fail as well?
If the future were already set in stone, why would they bother striving? Since he had been reborn and had come this far, he would strive to change the future. Blue Star… would definitely not be destroyed. He also wanted to hold a grand wedding with Luo Luo, Cheng Cheng, and Yu Er on Blue Star, a wedding that the whole world would bless.
With this thought, Chu Tian suddenly smiled.
"Big brother, where are you from?"
Unexpectedly, the young girl from the old man and girl pair suddenly spoke to him.
"Luo'er!"
The old man behind her was startled by her sudden question and quickly tugged at her. Her action was quite impolite. To inquire about someone's origins immediately upon meeting could offend many powerful individuals, as it constitutes personal privacy. In this perilous world, enemies are inevitable, and revealing one's origins could easily endanger one's family through retaliation.
"Young sir, I apologize. This little girl is unmannered; please do not take offense!" The old man quickly bowed in the air.
Chu Tian smiled faintly and replied, "It's alright. I heard this voyage will take two months, and casual conversation can help pass the time. By the way, what did you just call her? Luo'er? The 'Luo' with the water radical?"
"Yes! My surname is the same as the Luo Goddess!" The little girl squinted, as if her surname brought her immense honor.
"Luo Goddess!" Chu Tian frowned, a familiar figure he missed flashing before his eyes. His gaze involuntarily drifted towards the woman transformed from a狸猫 (límāo - civet cat).
"It's not who you're thinking of!" the latter replied nonchalantly.
"Oh!" Chu Tian chuckled. Indeed, how could it be such a coincidence? Still, he was very concerned about how Luo Luo, Cheng Cheng, and Yu Er were doing. They must know; he would ask them when he had the chance.
"Big brother, what are you talking about?" The little girl seemed to feel a strong affinity for Chu Tian. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she possessed a gentle aura, like a girl next door. Her eyes, seemingly perpetually misty, exuded an innocent, guileless charm that evoked pity.
"Nothing much. What are you two going to the Central Continent for?" Chu Tian observed the old man and the girl. They appeared to be grandfather and granddaughter, and their luggage was simple. The girl had a flute at her waist, and the old man carried a erhu, looking like they were traveling performers. Their answer aligned perfectly with their appearance.
"Young sir, my granddaughter and I are going to the Central Continent to make a living. I've saved my lifetime's savings for these two tickets. I hope that by taking my granddaughter to the Central Continent, she can lead a good life and find a good family to marry into. Then, this old man won't have lived in vain!" As the old man spoke, the girl beside him pouted, unwilling.
"Grandpa, Luo'er doesn't want to get married! Luo'er wants to roam the martial world with Grandpa. When we save enough money to cure Grandpa's eyes, then Grandpa can see Luo'er!"
Chu Tian noticed their threadbare clothing, indicating their impoverished circumstances. However, with the grandfather's kindness and the granddaughter's filial piety, their lives seemed relatively carefree. Yet, when the little girl mentioned curing his eyes, a troubled and worried expression crossed her face. The old man, though silent, stroked the girl's hair, and a subtle twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
This piqued Chu Tian's curiosity. He scanned them with his divine sense and discovered strange fluctuations emanating from the old man's eyes. His eyeballs appeared normal, but the peculiar fluctuations, like mist, surrounded the back of his eyeballs, specifically the optic nerve. Similarly… the back of the young girl Luo'er's eyeballs also had these strange fluctuations, albeit much fainter!
"May I ask, old sir, your eyes…"
"This old man is Luo Weixing. My eyes… it's a long story!" As the old man spoke, he caressed Luo'er's head, his sightless eyes filled with concern.
"Grandpa's eyes are our family's curse. Everyone in our family, male or female, goes blind at twenty-three. That's why I want to go to the Central Continent with Grandpa; there must be a way to resolve this curse there. Luo'er isn't afraid of going blind, but if Luo'er goes blind, no one will be there to care for Grandpa!" Before Luo Weixing could express his sorrow, Luo'er spoke first with her quick wit.
"A curse?" Chu Tian's lips curved upwards.
"Come here, big brother, let me have a look at your grandpa's eyes." Chu Tian sat up straighter.
"Ah? Big brother, are you a physician? No wonder you seem so approachable, and you smile so handsomely." Luo'er seemed genuinely unafraid of Chu Tian. Chu Tian was momentarily speechless; it turned out his pensive smile had been noticed by this little girl, and she had become unafraid of him because of it.
"Physician? Sort of! Old sir… may I have a look?" Chu Tian made his request again. He noticed the old man hesitated when he spoke earlier. Chu Tian wouldn't force anyone. The reason he proactively offered was the little girl's name, wasn't it? She was named Luo'er, which brought him a sense of familiarity.
"This…"
"Grandpa, just let big brother have a look! Big brother is so capable, he can definitely cure you!" Luo'er tugged at Luo Weixing's arm and pulled him towards Chu Tian. Chu Tian was again rendered speechless; he had only offered to take a look, but in Luo'er's words, it had become a certainty of a cure. If he couldn't cure it, wouldn't he lose face here?
Pulled by Luo'er, Luo Weixing sat before Chu Tian, semi-reluctantly in Chu Tian's rocking chair, making the old man fidget.
Rumble…
Chu Tian smiled faintly and slowly extended his divine sense, preparing to carefully examine the peculiar energy within Luo Weixing's eyeballs when the entire ship suddenly swayed.
"We're setting sail…"
Immediately, countless people in the cabin cheered.