Published: March 9, 2025
A child's heart is the most sensitive; they can sense who treats them well, and this cannot be feigned!
Surrounded by her, their faces filled with concern and admiration.
From Tie Butian, they truly felt a maternal warmth.
"Children!" Tie Butian smiled through tears, "You all must take care..."
A moment of silence ensued.
Some orphans, who had grown up without parents, even had red-rimmed eyes.
"Don't call her Auntie; she is your elder sister-in-law and my wife," Chu Yang introduced loudly with a smile. "If you have any issues in the future, just talk to her, remember that."
"Okay!" all the children shouted in unison.
"Big sister is so beautiful..." a little girl, around ten years old, gazed at Tie Butian dreamily and murmured, "My mother in my dreams looks just like her..."
Tie Butian played with the children.
Chu Yang quietly called Madam Mei aside: "Sister-in-law, have you compiled the information I asked for?"
"Yes, I've compiled it; we currently have a total of five thousand four hundred seventy-five children. Among them, less than a thousand have names. The others are too young and may have had names but have mostly forgotten them... This makes it impossible to continue our search..."
Madam Mei looked at the children and sighed painfully: "This wicked world has led to so many deaths. Regardless of whether they were deserving or innocent, what sin did the children commit? So small, and yet they must bear the sufferings of the martial arts world; heaven's way is unkind..."
Chu Yang remained silent for a long time, then said, "It's truly beyond our capability... Life is like the martial arts world; it has always been filled with killing, fighting, and competition... Death is something that cannot be avoided."
Madam Mei sighed deeply, saying, "Thankfully, with someone like you, brother, these children can change their fate."
Chu Yang fell silent again, responding, "I can only manage a very small part. For the vast majority, I am powerless. I'm not that great, really!"
Madam Mei sighed again.
"For those without names, we will uniformly give them the surname Chu." Chu Yang spoke softly: "Names will be based on... wind, rain, thunder, lightning, fog, snow, frost, cold, sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, spring, summer, autumn, winter, and the four plants of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum..."
"With so many, even using common characters will probably not suffice," Madam Mei furrowed her brow.
Chu Yang replied, "This can be easily managed; we can use names like Chu Xingyun, Chu Qingyun, Chu Baiyun, Chu Ziyun, Chu Moyun, and so on... Thus, when one character is exhausted, we can switch to another. Also, we should separate the boys and girls; girls should have softer names..."
"That sounds perfect!" Madam Mei's eyes lit up, "If we do it this way, naming them in groups of a hundred will never get confused..."
"Yes." Chu Yang nodded.
"One thing to note: during this time, names should be given at home. Everyone must become familiar with their new names and remember their Heavenly Weapon Pavilion identities... No one is allowed to go outside! Not even to the front or back yard!"
"Understood."
"The most important thing is that their diet must keep up. These children's physical conditions have mostly recovered and can handle some meat now, so we should prepare more. And the soup, everyone must drink."
"Okay."
"Make sure that no one is allowed to go outside! This matter is especially important!!" Chu Yang emphasized this point once again.
Though Madam Mei was puzzled, she strictly enforced it.
Chu Yang looked up and sighed lightly.
Time was surprisingly short.
In his heart, an overwhelming sense of reluctance surged.
"I have already laid the groundwork for you all... It depends on you now," Chu Yang murmured softly to himself. "I hope you all strive to create your own futures."
"For yourselves, and for the Heavenly Weapon Pavilion!"
...
That night, Tie Butian nestled in Chu Yang's arms, gently furrowing her brow as if she had something on her mind.
"What's wrong?"