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Chapter 21 — First Brush with Fate
It was supposed to be a normal day.
Run a few errands.
Train at Old Man Ji's forge.
Stay invisible.
But fate, as always, had its own plans.
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The Encounter
I was leaving the blacksmith's shop when I saw him.
Thin.
Pale.
Walking slowly through the crowded market, shoulders hunched as if carrying the weight of the whole city.
Xiao Che.
I recognized him instantly.
The crippled young master, mocked by his clan, pitied by everyone else.
The boy whose life would shatter and ignite the moment the Sky Poison Pearl awakened.
The moment Yun Che arrived.
And here he was, two years before everything changed.
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A Glimpse of the Future
For a heartbeat, I considered walking away.
The smart choice.
The safe choice.
But then I saw it — the group of Xiao Clan brats tailing him from a distance, smirking like predators circling prey.
The same ones I'd chased off weeks ago in the alley.
My grip tightened around the wooden practice sword strapped to my back.
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The Decision
I didn't intervene.
Not yet.
Instead, I melted into the crowd, shadowing them quietly as they followed Xiao Che out of the market toward a quiet stretch of road leading back to the Xiao estate.
I needed to know.
How bad would it get before someone stepped in?
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The Confrontation
"Look at him," one of the older boys sneered as they closed in. "Young Master Xiao Che, can't even walk straight without tripping. What a disgrace."
Xiao Che said nothing.
Just kept walking, jaw tight, eyes forward, like he'd heard it all before.
He probably had.
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The Line
When the first shove came — hard enough to send Xiao Che stumbling into the dirt — I moved.
Not openly.
Not recklessly.
A quick flick of energy-enhanced movement carried me behind the lead bully.
One precise tap to the back of his knee, subtle but sharp, made his leg buckle unexpectedly.
He hit the ground face-first, eating dust.
The others froze, startled, glancing around.
"Who's there?!" one shouted.
But I was already gone, slipping back into the shifting crowd before they could even think to chase me.
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The Aftermath
Xiao Che pushed himself to his feet, brushing dirt off his clothes.
He glanced around once, frowning faintly, as if sensing something.
Then he kept walking, head high, leaving the confused bullies to argue among themselves.
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System Notification
> [Stealth Intervention Successful]
[Detection Risk: Minimal]
[Reputation Impact: None]
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Reflection
Back in my room, I sat in silence.
I hadn't saved him out of kindness — not entirely.
Xiao Che was the thread that would unravel this entire world, the one person whose survival mattered more than almost anyone else's.
Keeping him alive — and unnoticed — might be the only way to control the chaos when it finally arrived.
And maybe… to use it.
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