"You bastard! How dare you touch my handsome face?!" Xiao Ruo Han roared, wiping blood from his lip as sparks danced across his fingertips. His rage pulsed through the air like a storm building on the horizon. Lightning coiled around his arm, crackling violently before condensing into the shape of eagle talons gripping his hand.
"Eagle Strike!"
With a flash, he lunged forward, the electric claws slashing through the air toward Yan Xiu.
"Lightning?" Yan Xiu muttered, unfazed. He lifted his arm, his skin turning to stone once more as the Stone Armor Art surged to life. He caught the attack head-on.
Crack!
The lightning burst harmlessly against his stone-coated fist, illuminating the cave for a split second.
"Quite impressive..." Yan Xiu said calmly, tightening his grip around the crackling talons. "Too bad it has no effect on stone."
With a twist of his arm and a grunt, he hurled Xiao Ruo Han across the clearing like a ragdoll.
Thud!
The arrogant young master crashed into the dirt, skidding to a stop near the dense bushes.
From within the undergrowth, the light orange-haired youth watching them stiffened in terror. Sweat poured down his face.
'Please! Please don't notice me!' he begged internally, trying to shrink deeper into the leaves.
Back in the clearing, Yan Xiu exhaled and deactivated his technique, the earthy hue fading from his arm. His skin returned to normal as he turned toward the silver-haired girl, his expression softening.
"Are you all right?"
The girl blinked, then nodded, flustered. "Y-Yes... T-Thank you..." she stammered, her cheeks flushing bright red.
Yan Xiu tilted his head slightly, curiosity glinting in his eyes. "May I know your name?"
"M-My name?" she repeated, startled. She looked him over—his face sculpted like marble, eyes calm but clear, and despite his battle-torn robes, he carried himself like a noble. The question had come with such sincerity that it stunned her.
"My name is... Ye Chunyu," she said, voice barely above a whisper, still red as a tomato.
"My name is Yan Xiu—" he began with a gentle smile, but he was cut off.
Growl.
His stomach let out a monstrous rumble.
He froze.
Chunyu blinked in confusion.
Yan Xiu sighed, his face tightening slightly in embarrassment. He hadn't eaten for two days.
"You're hungry?" Ye Chunyu asked with a gentle smile.
"Uh..." Yan Xiu blinked, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. He opened his mouth to respond, but before a word could escape, she reached out and took his hand.
"Come with me."
Startled, Yan Xiu let himself be led. Her hand was warm—soft and delicate, like silk.
'Her hand… is so soft…' he thought, a rare hint of shyness brushing across his usually calm expression.
From within the bushes, the orange-haired youth's expression twisted in silent despair.
'That bastard!' he screamed internally, biting his lip. 'That was supposed to be me!'
...
It wasn't long before Yan Xiu and Ye Chunyu arrived at a humble village nestled between the hills.
'Black Plum Village...' Yan Xiu thought, scanning the familiar scenery. The stone paths, the creaky wooden fences, the faint scent of plum blossoms drifting on the wind...
'Huh? This place is the same... did nothing change from now?' He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to detect any temporal shifts, but everything felt... still. Familiar. Undisturbed.
"I live over there..." Chunyu said quietly, leading him to a worn-down wooden house nestled near the edge of the village.
The house looked fragile, as though the next strong breeze would take it down. But she walked up to it with practiced steps and opened the door.
"I'm home..." she whispered softly, almost as if she didn't want the house to hear her voice.
"What?!" a voice barked from inside.
An older woman, her features clearly resembling Chunyu's but more severe and tired, stepped into view. Her brows furrowed sharply as she pointed a finger accusingly.
"What are you doing here this early?! You're supposed to be working at the Storm Manor right now!" she snapped.
Chunyu flinched.
"M-Mother, c-calm down, I-I—"
She knew this would happen.
Ye Chunyu worked as a servant in the Storm Manor. She had been chosen—forcibly—because of her beauty, to serve the young master, Xiao Ruo Han.
Her mother, rather than defend her, had called it an honor. Chunyu brought back every tael of the meager payment they gave her—payment granted only because the sect master still held some decency. If it were up to Xiao Ruo Han, she wouldn't have received even a single copper.
And now, seeing her home early, her mother's panic and fury weren't out of concern—but fear.
Fear that Chunyu had been kicked out.
Fear that the money would stop.
"Ehm... should I leave?" Yan Xiu asked, raising a hand slightly as he took a half-step back. The tension in the room was thick, and he felt out of place—awkward, like he'd walked into someone else's quarrel.
"No... please..." Ye Chunyu said softly, her hand weakly tugging at his sleeve. Her eyes pleaded with him not to go.
Yan Xiu hesitated. Her grip wasn't strong—but it didn't need to be. He stayed.
Her mother's sharp eyes darted to their hands, then snapped up to his face. "Who are you?!" she barked, voice like a whip crack.
Her gaze swept over his figure, lingering on the torn robes and dust-covered sleeves. In her eyes, he was just another low-ranked drifter—perhaps a minor sect's wandering disciple, maybe even worse.
Yan Xiu, calm as always, gave a polite bow. "I am Yan Xiu, an Ordinary Disciple of the High Heaven Pavilion."
The name made the woman pause for a fraction of a second—but only just. "High Heaven Pavilion" sounded familiar, but the word Ordinary made her dismiss it just as quickly.
"I-I wanted to offer him something to eat... to t-thank him—" Ye Chunyu began, her voice trembling.
"To thank him?" her mother interrupted, voice rising like a crashing wave. "So you stopped working—just to feed this poor brat?!"
To be continued...
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