C659 I also Want to be a Maniac

After some conversation, the boy and girl felt less afraid of Woo Zhengyang. When Zhengyang asked about their situation, they didn't hold back. The siblings, a sister named Xiaoxuan and a brother named Xiao'ou, have the last name Ouyang. The Yongxing Trading Company is their family's business. This means they are likely the young heirs of the Ouyang family and the company.

However, their worn clothes and signs of malnutrition indicated they weren't living well. To understand their plight, we need to start with their parents. Their father was the eldest son of the Ouyang family patriarch and was expected to inherit the family business. To strengthen his position, the patriarch had arranged for him to marry a noblewoman.

But their father had someone else in his heart and openly declared his love for her, who became their mother. Naturally, the noblewoman, upon learning this, refused the marriage and severed all ties with the Ouyang family. The patriarch was furious and, to avoid offending the noblewoman, sent their father to a remote town.

Despite this, their parents harbored little resentment. For two people in love, living together was the greatest happiness. They settled in the small town, where Xiaoxuan and Xiao'ou were born, bringing even more joy to their lives.

But all of this came to an end with the passing of the old family patriarch. The current head of the Ouyang family is their father's half-brother. However, there was no closeness between the brothers. Instead, resentment brewed because their father had been favored by the old patriarch since childhood. Once the new head took over, their peaceful life was disrupted. Their father was sent off to travel with trade caravans, constantly on the move. During one of these trips, he encountered bandits while transporting goods and was killed on the spot. A few years later, their mother passed away, overwhelmed by grief. The siblings were left to rely on their grandmother, living off their savings. Several more years went by, and their grandmother also passed away, leaving just the brother and sister. As the saying goes, "children of the poor grow up early." Despite their hardships, they managed to scrape by. Moreover, their parents had been known for their kindness and generosity, earning a good reputation in the small town. Many who had benefited from their parents' goodwill continued to help the siblings. They thought this was how life would continue. Little did they know, their family would bring them more trouble years later. The ruler of the country, Sun Yu, was about to celebrate his 90th birthday. In the world of cultivators, reaching the Shape Gathering Stage extends one's life to around 200 years. But Sun Yu, only in the mid-stage of the Reality Condensing Stage, was nearing his life's end at 90. Yet, for some reason, a bizarre rumor spread from the royal city: the ruler intended to take more concubines!

This situation is utterly absurd. Even more ridiculous is the rumor suggesting that Sun Yu's requirement for a concubine is that she must be under sixteen. Such a rumor couldn't have surfaced without reason; it must have been deliberately spread by someone with an agenda.

Absurd or not, once the prominent families in Hibernation Dragon City caught wind of this, their first thought was what action they should take. Simply sending someone random wouldn't do much for their family's standing and might even leave a bad impression with the country's ruler. However, offering a direct family member was something they were reluctant to do.

The idea of sending a teenage girl to marry an old man, who is practically at death's door, was unimaginable. Everyone knew that although the title might be "concubine," it was more akin to being a plaything. While there might be benefits, it certainly wouldn't propel their family to new heights.

While the other families were struggling with this decision, the head of the Ouyang family quickly found a suitable candidate. Someone from their direct line, yet someone no one would miss. Naturally, this candidate was Xiaoxuan.

So, the head of the Ouyang family sent people to the small town where Xiaoxuan and her brother lived to bring them back. However, as the Ouyang family head made this decision, a former subordinate of their father also got wind of the news and sent out a warning in advance.

Upon hearing the news, the siblings hid in the home of a kind-hearted person who often helped them. However, they underestimated the influence of the Ouyang family. It wasn't long before they contacted the local authorities and discovered the siblings' hiding place.

When their refuge was broken into, the family immediately urged the siblings to escape, attempting to buy them some time. Unfortunately, they couldn't delay long enough, and it cost them their lives. As the siblings were forcibly taken away, the body of the family's patriarch lay at the doorstep of his own home. Meanwhile, the town's leader, under false accusations, seized the family's property.

Hearing the siblings' plight filled Woo Zhengyang with rage. Their story reminded him of his own past, sharing some similarities, though theirs was undoubtedly more tragic. Losing loved ones one by one, left alone and dependent on each other, only to be handed over to a ninety-year-old man. Even those who tried to help them met a grim fate. Such sorrow and despair.

Woo Zhengyang understood why the boy, Xiao Ou, was so desperate to learn how to kill. "If I don't kill, others will kill me and those around me. So, I will be the one to kill!" Xiao Ou, the boy, suddenly dropped to his knees, pleading earnestly, "Brother, teach me how to kill! Xiao Ou fears nothing and can do anything. Xiao Ou wants to become a master of killing!"

Woo Zhengyang helped him up gently, saying, "Learning to defend yourself isn't something you master overnight. To avoid being pushed around, you need to become strong enough. You're not at the age to awaken your inner strength yet, but you can start with body training. Be warned, though, it's a tough path."

"I can do it. I can do anything, as long as you teach me."

"Alright, here's a body tempering technique for beginners. You can start practicing with it."

In the outside world, even body training requires awakening one's inner strength. However, in that sealed-off place, there are some ancient techniques that have been lost to time. These techniques don't require awakening inner strength to practice, and no matter your age, once you reach the peak of the Martial Disciple level, your inner strength will awaken on its own.

What Woo Zhengyang handed over was a body tempering technique he had obtained from that sealed world.