Three Sins Against Heaven

Dylan Chen felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him and could only bow repeatedly to Little Tiger, bending his waist low.

"Forgive me, Immortal. I won't make the same mistake again."

Brian Qin's icy expression softened slightly at the term "Immortal." After most of the youths had chosen their rooms, he waved his hand dismissively.

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"Get lost."@@novelbin@@

Dylan felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He took a deep breath and, after bowing again, quickly pulled Little Tiger away.

However, this delay meant that most of the rooms were already occupied. Dylan and Little Tiger started asking from the first room, but after a long search, they still couldn't find an empty one.

Moreover, Little Tiger's earlier behavior had annoyed many people. From the looks they received, Dylan knew that even if there were empty spots, no one would want to share a room with them.

***

It wasn't until late at night that Dylan finally found a room without a light in the last row of houses. He hurriedly led Little Tiger inside, fumbled for the flint on the table, and lit the oil lamp, carefully inspecting the room.

The roof was in terrible condition, with many missing tiles. Fortunately, it wasn't raining, or they wouldn't even be able to sleep peacefully.

There was a shared bed along the wall, with five quilts piled on it. If five people were to sleep together, it would be very cramped.

But for just the two of them, it was quite spacious.

It was the transition from autumn to winter, and the nights were getting colder. Sleeping outside could mean freezing to death any day.

Although the room was shabby, it was still better than sleeping outside. Plus, there were quilts to keep warm, which was a small blessing in their misfortune.

Just as Dylan was feeling relieved, urgent footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, which was then kicked open.

"Damn it, I refuse to believe I can't find a place to sleep!"

Dylan turned around abruptly and saw the tall youth who had previously scolded Little Tiger, along with his lackey. Dylan frowned, thinking his luck was terrible.

Thomas Yang, two years older than him, often bullied others because of his height and strength. Naturally, the foolish Little Tiger and the frail Dylan were frequent targets, and their food was often stolen by Thomas.

Dennis Li never intervened in these matters; sometimes, he even deliberately gave them less food to watch them fight over it, enjoying the spectacle.

In a way, Dylan and Little Tiger's close relationship was at least half due to Thomas.

The first time Dylan had his food stolen by Thomas, Little Tiger was also robbed by Jerry Yang, leaving him with just one steamed bun.

Despite his foolishness, Little Tiger was stubborn. No matter how much Thomas punched and kicked him, he refused to give up the last steamed bun. After a long beating, seeing Little Tiger still clutching the bun, Thomas cursed him as an idiot and turned his attention to others.

Seeing Little Tiger beaten black and blue, Dylan couldn't bear it. He helped Little Tiger up and went to the forest to find some herbs, chewing them up and applying them to Little Tiger's wounds.

Grateful, Little Tiger took out the bun he had fiercely protected and shared half with Dylan.

From then on, they became friends. Although they were still often robbed, no matter how little food was left, they always shared it equally.

"So it's you two. Not bad, not bad. Looks like the days ahead won't be too boring."

Thomas squinted his eyes, laughing recklessly. He jumped onto the shared bed without taking off his shoes, sprawling out and taking up nearly half the space.

His lackey, William Li, also showed a malicious smile, jumping onto the bed and occupying the remaining space, throwing two quilts off the bed.

"Big brother doesn't like being cramped. You guys sleep on the floor, no objections, right?"

Dylan didn't say anything. He silently picked up the quilts and spread them on the floor, pulling Little Tiger down to lie beside him, placing a finger to his lips to signal Little Tiger to stay quiet.

Seeing the two so obedient, Thomas had no reason to cause trouble and could only pound his fist heavily on the wall.

"Damn it, no food either. What a shitty place!"

Dylan and Little Tiger had been left behind for speaking out of turn, missing the chance to find a room. Thomas and William, on the other hand, were avoided because they often bullied others, so no one wanted to share a room with them.

In the past, Thomas might have started a fight already. But today was their first day at the Demonic Extreme Sect. No matter how arrogant he was, he wouldn't dare to act rashly without understanding the situation.

Thus, by a twist of fate, Dylan ended up with the two people he least wanted to face.

Whether it was the troublemaking Thomas or the scheming William, either one was a headache.

But with no other empty rooms available, Dylan had no choice but to stay with them, no matter how unwilling he was.

Perhaps because of hunger, Thomas didn't cause much trouble before pulling the quilt over himself and falling asleep.

William coughed lightly and pointed to the oil lamp on the table.

Understanding, Dylan got up and blew out the lamp, then lay back down.

"Smart move," William said smugly, kicking off his shoes and tossing them carelessly to the floor before crawling into bed with a yawn.

Whether intentionally or not, William's smelly shoes landed right in front of Dylan.

The stench was overwhelming. Dylan covered his nose and pulled the quilt over his head, his stomach churning.

Only when the sounds of snoring and teeth grinding filled the room did Dylan cautiously push the smelly shoes away, poking his head out from under the quilt to take a deep breath.

"Stinks," Little Tiger muttered softly, waving his hand in front of his nose. He then gently poked Dylan and whispered, "Dylan, why won't they let us sleep on the bed?"

"The floor is more spacious, no need to squeeze with them," Dylan said, trying to comfort the immature Little Tiger.

"Oh," Little Tiger responded softly, rubbing his growling stomach. "Then why didn't they give us dinner?"

"Just sleep. Once you're asleep, you won't feel hungry. There will be food tomorrow," Dylan replied quietly.

Little Tiger immediately pulled the quilt over himself and soon began to snore. Despite his foolishness, he knew who treated him well. Dylan was the only one who didn't despise him, so he did whatever Dylan told him to do.

Dylan, however, couldn't sleep. Besides the hunger, he was also anxious.

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but judging by today's events, it didn't look promising.

Thinking about it made him resent the gambler even more.

While other fathers were busy working to support their families, that gambler spent his days with a gang of thugs. Because of his gambling addiction, there was never any money at home, and Dylan had never had three full meals a day. If not for the help of the villagers, he would have starved to death long ago.

Not only that, but the gambler often got drunk. Every time he lost a bet, he would come home reeking of alcohol and beat Dylan mercilessly.

So Dylan had grown accustomed to enduring abuse from a young age, just to survive.

Thomas had bullied them a lot along the way, often stealing his food and hitting him.

Dylan, always undernourished, was frail and no match for Thomas. He could only endure silently.

Compared to the gambler's actions, Thomas's bullying seemed insignificant.

As for his mother, his memories were vague.

Given the gambler's character, no woman would willingly marry him. His mother was someone the gambler had rented from a brothel during a lucky streak at the casino. She stayed for two years, gave birth to Dylan, and left when her time was up.

Dylan never blamed his mother for leaving him. He understood her plight. Being forced to live with a gambler for two years by her husband must have been painful for her.

When he was young, his mother often visited him, but the gambler would always make advances on her, so she eventually stopped coming and told him to visit her instead.

Dylan hated the gambler not only for the abuse but also because his actions drove his mother away.

He had visited his mother a few times. Her home was far, and he had to cross mountains to get there. But he never complained. Seeing his mother and eating her food made him happy for a long time.

His mother was always glad to see him, but her husband wasn't. Every time Dylan visited, the man would drag his mother inside, and she would come out with bruises.

When Dylan asked what happened, she would always smile and say she had bumped into something.

As he grew older, he realized the man was beating her to make him stay away.

His mother had given the man three daughters but had given the gambler a son who could carry on his lineage. Naturally, the man resented Dylan.

At eight, Dylan understood this and stopped visiting to prevent his mother from being beaten. He lost contact with her.

It had been almost four years since he last saw her.

Dylan raised his hand, looking at the copper coin tied to his left wrist with a red string, illuminated by the moonlight through the broken window.

This was the only thing his mother had left him. He always kept it with him, never thinking of trading it for food, no matter how hungry he was.

As he rubbed the coin, his anxiety gradually faded, and he finally fell asleep, murmuring in his dreams.

"Mother..."

He didn't know if he would ever see her again, but in his dreams, she was always there.

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan