Wang Family Mansion – Underground Hall of Shadows
A chilling aura filled the room. Cloaked figures kneeled in front of an opulent throne made of rare black jade. The man sitting on it was Wang Zhong, head of the Wang Family and one of the city's most influential underground powers.
The shadows pulled out a thick file and handed it to Wang Zhong. Behind him stood Wang Jie, his face calm but eyes burning with restrained fury.
"Master, all the information we could gather on Zhang Wei has been compiled here."
Wang Zhong took the file with a sneer. Flipping through the pages, he saw surveillance footage, witness statements, and even photographs of Zhang Wei and his family.
"This… kid was a loser… no background, no cultivation, no money just an ant beneath our feet! And now this same ant dares defeat my son?!"
He slammed the folder down on the table.
"Wang Jie, how do you feel now?" he asked, his voice oozing menace.
Wang Jie stepped forward with a devilish smile. His aura was far more refined than before, and the previous redness on his skin caused by the Blood-Bursting Pill had completely vanished.
"Father, I feel… stronger than ever. That duel was a disgrace, but also a gift. I know exactly how to pay him back."
The father and son looked at each other and began laughing coldly in sync.
"He dared humiliate my bloodline... Now I will wipe out his."
Meanwhile… Near Zhang Wei's House
Zhang Wei stood silently as he watched the silhouette of Mu Lao and Mu Shiyu disappear down the road. However, something didn't sit right with him.
"System… That Black Spot," Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes, activating his All-Seeing Eyes.
A sudden ripple formed in his vision and there it was again: a small, dark vortex swirling inside Mu Lao's chest.
"Host, what you are seeing is a rare ailment… a Qi-Eating Poison," the System's voice echoed, grim."It silently devours internal qi and eventually turns the host into a living corpse."
Zhang Wei's eyes widened.
"Damn… that old man has that inside him?" he muttered.
Without wasting time, Zhang Wei called out, "Old man! Wait!"
Mu Lao stopped mid-step and turned slowly, eyes calm.
"Yes, young man?"
Zhang Wei walked up, his face serious. "Are you hurt somewhere?
Something eating away at your strength?"
Mu Shiyu instantly stepped between them like a shield, glaring like a tigress ready to pounce.
"Who do you think you are?! You think you can just question my grandfather's health?! Worry about yourself!"
Her eyes burned with suspicion and hostility.
Zhang Wei didn't argue. Instead, he turned his eyes back to Mu Lao and simply said:
"If something ever comes up… or you feel something wrong inside you. I'll be around for a week. You can find me here."
Mu Lao looked at Zhang Wei for a long moment before nodding with a small smile, the kind only wise old men give when they've just glimpsed something unusual.
"Very well… Zhang Wei, was it? We'll see each other again."
Later, on the streets of the city…
Zhang Wei walked home under the soft evening glow, a slight breeze playing with his shirt. His earlier tension was gone, and a soft smile spread across his lips.
"System, I think I've done enough today. Time to go home and eat something warm."
As he passed by a street vendor, his eyes landed on a tray of steaming sugar-coated haws skewered on sticks.
"One for my little Yuna," he said to himself.
He bought two sticks and continued walking, the soft clinking of the syrup-glazed fruits tapping against each other as he made his way through the familiar streets of his middle-class neighborhood.
He looked up at the sky, feeling strangely at peace.
"Strange… All this power. All these changes. But the best part is just going home to see my little sister smile."
With that thought, he turned the corner and disappeared into the sunset-lit alleyway… as the Wang Family's darkness quietly loomed ever closer.