1 Azure Water City

The world has never been a safe place, Ye Mo knew it firsthand.

His parents died when he was four.

Ye Mo is born in Azure Water city. It was a big town of the cloud region. His father was an humble farmer and his mother a housewife, while strolling on the streets of a market they encountered a man who wanted to take his mother as a servant, when she refused and his father intervened he killed both of them.

He was a cultivator.

When he saw Ye Mo he damaged his meridians. There was already less than 1% chance this poor boy could ever take revenge on him but the man didn't want to take any risk.

And so the cultivator left Ye Mo unconscious, no one tried to stop him and no one tried to help.

This scene was engraved on his mind. He would never forget the despair, the fury he felt.

After that he barely had the strenght to move, he would have died if it wasn't for a homeless old man that took pity of him.

His son died of sickness long ago, he drowned in alcohol everyday losing his wife and his house but seing Ye Mo reminded him of his son so he helped him.

The old man shared the scraps of food he had with Ye Mo, showed him where to sleep, where to beg, how to steal but most importantly where he could go and where he should never set a foot. There were many clans in Azure Water city and a couple of martial institutes. Going there as a simple mortal would be akin to a chicken seeking a pack of wolfs.

Two years later when Ye Mo was six the old man died, he and Ye Mo weren't living but barely surviving. It was already good he held out until then but with his death Ye Mo was alone once again and needed to fend for himself, life was harsh and he didn't have the time to mourn, he was barely able to bury him with his frail body.

-

He was now twelve and currently on the ground getting kicked by three men.

"You trash! How dare you steal an apple from my stall !" One of the men said.

Another continued "Thieves like you don't deserve to live!".

"Damn it, i'm gonna die at this rate. I am too weak, i can't do anything." Thought Ye Mo.

It couldn't be helped, stealing wasn't safe. He was just a starving boy and no matter how skilled he was, he was bound to get caught one day but begging doesn't wield much results and he would die as well if he don't get anything to eat.

After some time the three men were done venting their anger and realized Ye Mo wasn't moving anymore.

"He will drive customers away if we let him here, go take him outside the city, dig a hole and toss him inside." Said a man to the other two.

"Yes brother/uncle." Both obeyed and carried Ye Mo away.

Later at night, outside the city the pair of father and son throwed Ye Mo in a shallow hole they digged and left.