Chapter 5: Vengeance and a New Challenge (Continued)
Duan Liyang threw himself back into his daily chores. Gathering leaves, sweeping the courtyard, and feeding the horses in the family stables – these were his usual tasks.
Despite the intense pain in his head and the strange dream he'd had, he felt no immediate or obvious change in his body. His senses were as they had been since they first awakened, and the faint hum within him remained. He checked his body, clenched his fists, but found no new power or clear alteration.
He'd returned to his routine, but a strange whispering had spread among the Xiao family's outer disciples. Ren Hao's defeat at the hands of a 'Level 0' boy was an insult not easily forgotten. Wherever Duan Liyang went, he was met with odd gazes – some filled with surprise, some with doubt, and some with clear envy.
A few days later, as Duan Liyang worked in the stables, feeding the horses, he heard voices from outside. The sounds grew louder, and soon, a figure appeared at the stable entrance. It was Ren Hao.
But he wasn't alone. Behind him stood two other outer disciples, who looked older and stronger than Ren Hao. Their eyes held clear disdain for Duan Liyang. Ren Hao's face was flushed with anger, his eyes burning with vengeful fire.
"Oh, so you're hiding here, little worm!" Ren Hao shouted, his voice echoing in the stable. "What did you think, that you'd defeat me and I'd just let you go? You've insulted me, Duan Liyang! And today, I'll make you pay!"
Duan Liyang stood straight, still holding horse feed in his hands. He looked at Ren Hao and his companions. He knew this confrontation was inevitable. "I defeated you because you were weak," Duan Liyang said calmly, his voice devoid of fear.
"Weak?!" Ren Hao roared. "You're a 'Level 0'! How dare you call me weak? Today you'll find out who the real weakling is!"
Ren Hao gestured to his two companions, and all three advanced on Duan Liyang. Duan Liyang knew this wouldn't be a fair fight this time. He was alone against three.
"What do you want?" Duan Liyang asked, clenching his fists.
"We want you to leave the Xiao family!" Ren Hao declared. "There's no place for trash like you here. And before you go, we'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"
Ren Hao signaled his companions, and all three lunged at Duan Liyang. Duan Liyang knew he had to fight. He had no other choice.
Just as Ren Hao and his companions lunged at Duan Liyang, a calm, yet sharp voice echoed from the main stable entrance, stopping everyone in their tracks.
"What are you doing, Ren Hao?"
Ren Hao and his companions turned. Standing at the doorway was Xiang Rui, her eyes sparkling like stars. No one knew how she'd arrived.
Her face was serene, but her eyes held a power and authority that made the entire stable atmosphere heavy.
Ren Hao's face instantly turned pale, as if he'd seen a ghost. His feet rooted to the ground, and his voice barely escaped him.
He knew who Xiang Rui was. She wasn't just a talented internal disciple of the Xiao family; she was rumored to be soon promoted to core disciple, the highest honor among the Xiao family's younger generation. Whispers said she had already reached Level 8, a realm beyond Ren Hao's (who was merely Level 1) wildest imagination. Her authority superseded any ordinary rules.
"Xiang Rui!" Ren Hao stammered, a slight tremor in his body. His companions stood motionless, heads bowed. "I... I was just teaching this piece of trash a lesson. He insulted me."
Xiang Rui raised an eyebrow slightly. Her gaze fell directly on Duan Liyang, then returned to Ren Hao. "I saw how you handled yourself, Ren Hao. A Level 1 disciple, exerting this kind of pressure on a lone outer disciple, with two companions. This is against the rules of the Xiao family." Her voice held no trace of nervousness, only cold, powerful logic.
"But... he's Level 0!" Ren Hao protested, gathering a sliver of courage, but fear was evident in his voice.
"Levels matter, but so do rules," Xiang Rui stated firmly. Her eyes shifted back to Ren Hao, holding a warning. "If there's a dispute, it should be resolved properly, not through thuggery. Now, you and your companions leave. End this matter here." Xiang Rui commanded, an unspoken force in her tone.
Ren Hao clenched his fists, anger still in his eyes, but he lacked the courage to defy Xiang Rui's authority. His companions also turned silently, without question. Offending Xiang Rui, a rising star in the Xiao family, would be suicide. "This isn't over, Duan Liyang!" Ren Hao shot one last, threatening, yet terrified glare at Duan Liyang and then fled the stable with his companions, their footsteps quickly fading away.
Duan Liyang looked at Xiang Rui, gratitude in his eyes. She had saved him again. "Thank you, Xiang Rui," he said.
Xiang Rui simply smiled, her eyes looking at Duan Liyang with a faint, knowing glint, as if she knew this boy was far more than he appeared. "There's something special about you, Duan Liyang. Don't let it go to waste." Her voice held a mysterious whisper. She exited the stable, leaving Duan Liyang to ponder, caught between Ren Hao's threat and Xiang Rui's enigmatic words.
After that, several days passed peacefully. Duan Liyang's routine remained unchanged. He continued his chores, trying to gain more control over his heightened senses, and attempting to understand the faint hum within him, but he felt no obvious increase in his abilities.
Then, one morning, shouts and screams erupted from the Xiao family's outer disciple training grounds. Duan Liyang headed in that direction, his curiosity piqued. As he approached the grounds, he saw a small crowd gathered.
In the center of the crowd, Ren Hao stood, a cruel smile on his face. Before him, lying on the ground, was the chubby boy, the one who had helped Duan Liyang. The chubby boy was gasping for breath, his face bruised, and he was groaning in pain. The chubby boy was also a Level 1 cultivator, but he was far weaker than Ren Hao. Ren Hao was deliberately attacking him, knocking him down repeatedly and mocking him.
"Come on, Fatty! Get up! Or are you so weak you can't even withstand one blow?" Ren Hao laughed. He had intentionally targeted the chubby boy because he knew the chubby boy had helped Duan Liyang. This was another way for him to seek revenge on Duan Liyang, by showing that he could hurt those Duan Liyang cared about.
Fury flared in Duan Liyang's eyes. He watched his friend being hurt like this. Ren Hao's cruelty, and his assault on his friend, was unbearable for him.
Duan Liyang pushed through the crowd. "Ren Hao! Stop!" His voice wasn't as loud as he wanted, but it held a new firmness.
Ren Hao turned, his cruel smile widening. "Oh, look who it is! The trash bin man! Have you come to save your friend, who's just as weak as you are?" His companions started to laugh.
"Leave him alone," Duan Liyang said, the faint hum within him intensifying. His eyes locked onto Ren Hao, and his heightened vision clearly showed the subtle mix of pleasure and fear on Ren Hao's face.
"Why? Do you want another beating?" Ren Hao sneered. "Or do you think you'll get lucky with another fluke hit?"
Duan Liyang didn't reply. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at Ren Hao, and a quiet, terrifying resolve settled on his face. He knew he had to fight differently this time. He didn't want just an ordinary victory; he wanted to utterly intimidate Ren Hao.
Ren Hao raised his right hand, lunging forward to punch him. But this time, Duan Liyang didn't react. He simply stood there, his eyes reading Ren Hao's every move. His heightened senses allowed him to perceive the speed of Ren Hao's punch, the slight pressure of the air, and every strain of Ren Hao's muscles.
Ren Hao's punch came closer, and just as it was an inch from Duan Liyang's face, Duan Liyang subtly tilted his head. The punch sailed past him, hitting only air.
Ren Hao gasped in shock. "What?"
Duan Liyang hadn't moved a step, yet he had effortlessly dodged the punch. Duan Liyang then focused on Ren Hao's other hand, which was rising for another punch. As the punch came, Duan Liyang merely flicked his wrist slightly, not to stop Ren Hao's hand, but to subtly redirect it.
Ren Hao's punch landed squarely on his own companion's face! The companion cried out in pain and stumbled backward.
Ren Hao looked at Duan Liyang in disbelief. Duan Liyang's eyes now held a glint that terrified Ren Hao to his core. Duan Liyang then looked at Ren Hao's third companion, who was now visibly flustered. He took a step back, averting his eyes from Duan Liyang.
"What's wrong, Ren Hao?" Duan Liyang whispered, his voice cold and calm. "Do you still think I was a fluke?"
Ren Hao recoiled. Duan Liyang hadn't landed a single blow, hadn't shown any overt strength, yet he had made his own companions injure each other. This was a new, horrifying style of fighting.
It wasn't just strength; it was control, a subtle command over the air that allowed Duan Liyang to manipulate invisibly. Fear was clearly visible in Ren Hao's eyes. "This... this is impossible!" he stammered, his courage completely shattered.
Whispers began to ripple through the crowd. No one had seen Duan Liyang use any cultivation energy, yet he had manipulated Ren Hao and his companions as if they were puppets.
Ren Hao cast a final, humiliated glance at Duan Liyang, his face distorted with a mix of anger and terror. He knew he couldn't win this fight. "You... you'll see!" he whispered, and then, leaving his injured companions behind, he quickly fled the grounds. His companions, still groaning in pain, limped away after him.
Some people in the crowd started to laugh, mocking Ren Hao. To be defeated a second time by a 'Level 0' boy, and in such a manner, was another immense humiliation for him.
Duan Liyang watched Ren Hao flee, no satisfaction on his face. He immediately turned to the chubby boy, who was still on the ground, groaning in pain.
"Are you okay?" Duan Liyang asked, kneeling beside him.
The chubby boy shook his head, his eyes filled with tears. "Yes... yes, I'm fine," he stammered. He looked at Duan Liyang, disbelief and gratitude in his eyes. "How... how did you do that?"
Duan Liyang simply smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You're safe now." He helped the chubby boy to his feet. The chubby boy was still in pain, but a new hope now shone in his eyes. He knew Duan Liyang wasn't just an outer disciple; he was something more.
That night, back in his hut, Duan Liyang closed the door and sat on his cot. Today's fight had deeply affected him. He clenched his fist, trying to feel the energy within him. He focused on the faint hum, and began drawing air into his lungs, just as he had before.
As he immersed himself in cultivation, he felt a strange sensation. His eyes were closed, but he felt as if something was changing within his eyes, where his pupils were. It wasn't pain, but a cold, subtle pulling. He opened his eyes and touched them with his fingers. He felt nothing, but as he removed his fingers and opened his palm to look at himself, he saw a change.
In the very center of his dark pupils, where they were deepest black, now tiny, microscopic blue particles seemed to float. They were so small that it was hard to see them without close attention, but they were there, swirling like an invisible, subtle vortex. It was a transformation only visible to him, a sign invisible to the outside world, but to Duan Liyang, it was a profound mystery that something new and powerful was developing within him.
The next morning, it was still dark when Duan Liyang's eyes suddenly opened.
There was no dream, but an intense, unbearable pain had returned to his head. It spread to his eyes, as if the blue particles swirling within his pupils were now burning like fire. He was gasping, drenched in sweat, but this time there was no blurry vision or dream. Just pure, sharp pain gripping his mind and eyes. He gritted his teeth, clutched his pillow tightly, and waited for the pain to subside.