In a bedroom of the Zhu Family's separate courtyard, a boy about thirteen years old sat cross-legged on a heated brick bed, his eyes tightly shut, his hands forming a simple hand seal which he placed between his legs.
A barely perceptible layer of blue light covered the boy's body. On his pale face, his brows furrowed tightly, a hint of intense pain was quite evident, as if he was enduring tremendous suffering.
Soon, the faint blue light on the boy's body trembled chaotically, and with a 'crack'—reminiscent of shattering glass—the blue light around his body dissipated completely, turning into specks of starlight that gradually faded in the air before vanishing entirely.
Sigh...
The boy's strength seemed to have been drained all at once, his body going limp on the bed, emitting a low groan of pain.
"Why, why is it always like this?" the boy roared in frustration, his hands clenched into fists, fiercely pounding the sturdy bedboard.
