This is a world of countless heroes and countless legends.

It is the year 506 of the current Emperor's reign, and the Crimson Cloud Empire is enjoying a time of peace and good fortune. The Empire is strong. Its borders are at peace. The people are happy and prosperous.

All is well.

Among the countless cities in the Empire, Eastern Port City is not the largest city nor is it the smallest. It is not the oldest city nor is it the youngest. It is a city like many others, just a coastal city located close to the northern border of the Empire.

Our story begins with children fighting in its streets.

"Take it back!" One child cries out.

The child is a small one. He has barely seen seven years in this world and has never once seen another city. His hair is black which is not uncommon in Eastern Port City. His eyes, however, are ruby red, something that has always drawn its fair share of stares.

His name is Liu Jin, and he is angry.

"Take it back," Liu Jin says once more. His hands are already clenched into small fists.

"Why should I?" One of the other kids shoots back. There are two of them, both are taller and older than Liu Jin. "I didn't lie. My father said so. Your father is a useless cripple. Everyone in the city knows that."

"My father is not a cripple!" Liu Jin shouts. His face is red with anger, and his fists tremble. However, the two kids pay his anger no mind. They just laugh.

"Yes, he is," the final kid says. "I heard my father talking about it as well. He said your father is only good at hiding behind the Xiao Sect. Otherwise, no one would bother with his fake medicines."

"My father said the same thing. You are just a useless cripple's son. I bet your father is already teaching you how to steal people's money for the Xiao Sect."

That is all the seven-year-old can take. No child who loves his father can stand by when others badmouth him. Liu Jin's tiny fist flies.

It is a sloppy swing. Too slow. Too wide. Too weak.

Even his fist is badly made.

Against another kid, it is enough. The blow lands right on the face of the child nearest to him, making him stagger back a couple of steps.

"My father is not a liar!" Liu Jin shouts the words before throwing another punch. "And he is not a useless cripple."

This time he punches the other kid. The child is caught by surprise by Liu Jin's sudden actions so the blow hits home.

"You've done it now, cripple's boy," says the kid he first punched. He is already advancing towards Liu Jin with his fist ready.

"Yeah," says the other. "Maybe if you're lucky, you'll end up a cripple like your father."

It is two against one, and they are both bigger than him yet Liu Jin does not run. He is angry and just wants to keep hitting the two. He wants to make them regret ever bad-mouthing his father.

Like that, a simple brawl between children starts.

Needless to say, Liu Jin loses.

~~~

"You have been fighting," Liu Jin's father, Liu Jianguo, says.

It is nighttime already. His father has him sitting on the table as he applies ointment over his bruises. Liu Jin is trying very hard to avoid his father's disapproving gaze.

However, his father is not deterred.

"It is not the first time I have to treat your bruises," his father says. "I hear you have not been getting along with Xiao Fang lately."

At the mention of that name, Liu Jin frowns mightily. He is still young so the gesture lacks any menace. If anything, it just makes him look cute. An old housewife would no doubt be unable to fight the urge to pinch his cheeks.

"Xiao Fang is a butthead," Liu Jin says as he crosses his arms.

"Is he the reason for your injuries?" His father asks in a deceptively light tone. Liu Jin does not pick up on it. He just shakes his head.

"No," he replies. "It was Wu Yan... and his friend."

Liu Jin adds the last part because he doesn't want his father to think he lost to just one person. "There were a lot of them," he adds. "I beat seven of them before going down."

There. That sounds much better.

"I see," his father says. He has finished putting the ointment on him and motions him to get off the table. "And this Wu Yan would not happen to be related to Doctor Wu by any chance, would he?"

Doctor Wu Gou. In the entirety of Eastern Port City, there is not a single person who does not know that name. It is said a single touch of his hands can bring a dying man to full health. However, since he charges exorbitant prices for his services, only the rich and powerful of the city can afford him.

Liu Jin somehow manages to not look at his father even harder as he replies. "He is his son."

"I see," his father says. "And does this have anything to do with the rumors Doctor Wu has been spreading about me?"

"They are lies!" Liu Jin cannot stop his rage from showing. He bangs his fists against the table. There is fury in his eyes. "He is just jealous of father's skill."

The problem started about a year ago. When his father first came to Eastern Port City, Doctor Wu paid him no mind. After all, Liu Jianguo was just a small-time doctor, one of many in the city. However, as the years passed, his father's fame grew. His small clinic began to receive more and more patients.

Since his father's prices are cheaper than Doctor Wu's, several of Doctor Wu's customers started coming to him instead. This enraged Doctor Wu. In order to stop his father's rise, the doctor began spreading numerous rumors about Liu Jianguo among his patients. He also made his disciples spread damaging rumors among the people of the city.

Liu Jianguo is not a real doctor.

Patients that go to Liu Jianguo's clinic often die within the year.

He is a charlatan that deceives others with fake medicine.

And, of course, there is the most damaging one.

"That he is," Liu Jianguo says. Compared to his son's fiery rage, he might as well be a peaceful lake during spring. "He fears losing more of his clients to me so he hopes to damage my reputation."

"Everyone has been repeating those lies," Liu Jin says. "I couldn't let them talk like that about father."

"Son," Liu Jianguo says, one hand stroking his chin. "You know that even though most of the rumors Doctor Wu has been spreading about me are fake, there is one that isn't. I have never hidden it from you. I am a cripple."

Liu Jin looks to the floor as his father says it. He does not like to hear his father refer to himself as such.

Even if it is the truth.

Liu Jianguo has two arms, two hands, and two eyes. He can walk and run like any man. He can hold things, and he can work. His face is handsome, and a glance at his body would not reveal any physical deformities beyond some scars.

Yet Liu Jianguo is a cripple.

He has been one for quite some time for a very simple reason.

Liu Jianguo's meridians are damaged beyond repair.

"From the moment a person is born, Qi flows through his meridians," Liu Jianguo tells his son. It is something Liu Jin already knows. It is something everyone knows. Qi empowers the body. It nourishes and vitalizes it. "As people grow, they cultivate Qi, allowing them to reach greater heights. This is something that is true for everyone."

In the entirety of Eastern Port City, there is only one person who cannot use Qi.

"Except for me," Liu Jianguo says. "No matter how hard I try, I cannot cultivate. My meridians are too damaged. The energy won't flow properly through my body. Whether I like it or not, I cannot deny I am a cripple."

He says it all with complete calmness. There is no shame or sadness. There is no bitterness.

It simply is.

"Is it really that bad?" Liu Jin asks. He manages to find the strength to look at his father's eyes. "Is not being able to use Qi really such a bad thing?"

"Of course, it is," Liu Jianguo replies without hesitation. "There are many things you can do without strength. However, there are many more things you cannot do without strength. If I had strength, I would have shut down those rumors a long time ago. Instead, I can only heal my son's bruises after he tried to defend my honor."

The words cause Liu Jin to flinch. "I am sorry, father," Jin says, bowing his head. "It is just... to me, father is the greatest no matter what people say!"

No matter how many bruises he gets, his father can make them go away. No matter how sick he gets, his father will fix him. Every day, Liu Jin sees his father help someone. No matter how sick the person is, his father will heal them. No matter who gets brought to the clinic, his father will make them better, sometimes for free.

How is that not amazing?

Regardless of what people say, his father is the greatest. Liu Jin believes that from the bottom of his heart.

To be able to heal people like his father is without a doubt Liu Jin's fondest wish.

"That is why... I couldn't just do nothing when I heard them talking about father like that!"

How can he stand by and let them trample the name of the man he admires the most? It is impossible. He knows this. No matter what his father says, he cannot change it. Liu Jin can only wait his father's rebuke.

However, no such thing comes.

Liu Jin blinks in surprise when he feels his father's hand on his head.

"Ah, what to do? What to do?" His father says. Liu Jin looks up and finds a small smile on his father's face.

"Father?"

"Yes, I am that, and as your father, I should tell you to stop getting into fights even if it is to protect your father's name... especially if it is to protect my name. I do not need my son fighting my battles."

Liu Jin opens his mouth but a look from his father silences him.

"However, I cannot fault your heart, son." The smile on Liu Jianguo's face grows. "Your judgement needs work, but it would be a waste if I tried to curb those tendencies now. You wished to defend something important to you. What type of father would I be if I told you acting like that is wrong?"

Liu Jin is confused but happy with his father's words. "Then?"

"I have no interest in healing your bruises in the future, so it would be best if I made sure you aren't wounded anymore. It may be a little early, but I'll talk with Xiao Zheng tomorrow."

A bright smile breaks across Liu Jin's face. "Thank you, father!" He says, bowing.

A second passes before the words fully hit him.

"The Xiao Sect?" He asks, lifting his gaze a little.

"Who else?" His father replies. His smile now has a teasing edge to it.

Liu Jin does not have anything against the Xiao Sect. They help his father, and the Xiao Sect's Patriarch has always been nice to him.

It is just...

Xiao Fang is a butthead.

~~~