The downfall of Elder Li was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, stirring up ripples. I thought justice had been served and everything would return to peace, only to find myself terribly naive.
Although Elder Li had been expelled from the sect, he had operated within the Wu Family for many years and had numerous cronies. How could he give up so easily? First, the meals delivered from the kitchen continually found ways to make things difficult for me, either being bitterly salty or blazing hot with spice.
I was originally a person who could handle spicy food, but that bright red bowl of chili soup was clearly not meant for a human to drink. I initially wanted to let the matter rest, but these people only became more aggressive, even stuffing venomous snakes into my room in the dead of night. Had I not been alert, I would likely have lost my life.
When Wu Mengli learned of this, her delicate brows stood up in anger. "These people are too much! I am going to find my Father to argue this!"
I quickly pulled her back. "Mengli, this matter should not be publicized. Elder Li's remaining accomplices are merely clowns seeking attention. The more you stick up for me, the more aggressive they will become. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Mengli's eyes reddened slightly as she looked at me with concern. "Kong Chen, you must be careful. If you need anything, come find me."
I nodded, watching her depart with a complex mixture of emotions. I had wanted to keep a low profile, but the trees wanted stillness while the wind would not stop. Until Elder Li's remnants were eradicated, I would not know a single day of peace. Apart from these open and hidden attacks, there were also sneers and taunts from my fellow disciples.
Lin Yu was the most enthusiastic among them. He had long held a grudge against me, and now seeing me riding a wave of popularity, he was green with jealousy. He spread rumors everywhere, claiming I would stop at nothing to climb the ranks and even concocting gossip about Wu Mengli and me.
I was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry. It was truly a pity that Lin Yu's imagination wasn't put to writing pulp fiction. However, rumors spread like a plague, moving at a rapid pace and carrying immense destructive power. Many disciples' attitudes toward me grew cold, and some even began pointing fingers behind my back.
On this day, I was practicing sword techniques in the Martial Arts Arena when I suddenly felt a chilling gaze from behind. I whipped my head around, only to catch a glimpse of a dark figure flashing past and disappearing around the corner of a wall. My heart tightened. The footwork of this dark figure was extremely eerie and definitely did not belong to a Wu Family disciple.
Could it be someone sent by Elder Li? Or perhaps... A terrifying thought flashed through my mind. Could my arrival in this world not be a coincidence? Could all of this be a meticulously planned conspiracy?
That dark figure lingered in my mind, and I began consciously and unconsciously watching my surroundings, always feeling as though a pair of eyes was spying on me from the shadows. This sensation felt like needles on my back, yet there was nowhere to voice it. Lin Yu still popped up from time to time with his sarcasm, but I no longer had the energy to bicker with him. Compared to these open opponents, I cared far more about the enemies hiding in the shadows. To uncover the truth of the matter, I decided to first strengthen my own abilities.
The Scripture Pavilion of the Wu Family housed countless precious manuals and texts. I plunged headfirst into it, hungrily absorbing the knowledge. Alchemy, artifact crafting, array formations... I greedily studied every skill that could elevate my capabilities, hoping to untangle the mystery of my origins and find a way home soon.
One day, I was in the Alchemy Room attempting to brew a pill called a Huichun Pill. This pill could rapidly heal injuries and was extremely useful in combat.
I followed the records in the pill recipe step by step. However, right at the final moment, the pill furnace suddenly shook violently, and a scorched odor filled the air.
*Not good!* My heart skipped a beat. This was the precursor to a furnace explosion! I hastily tried to control the pill furnace, only to find a powerful force repelling me. Immediately afterward, a wave of heat rushed toward my face, and darkness fell over my eyes as I lost consciousness.
"Kong Chen! Kong Chen! Wake up!"
Dazedly, I heard someone anxiously calling my name. The voice was so familiar and warm. I struggled to open my eyes and saw Wu Mengli's anxious face. Covered in sweat with reddened eyes, she was clearly worried sick.
"Mengli, I'm fine..." I struggled to sit up, only to feel weak all over.
"Don't move, you've suffered severe internal injuries." Wu Mengli helped me lie back down and gently wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. "Good thing I arrived in time, or the consequences would have been unthinkable."
A lingering fear gripped my heart. Had Wu Mengli not appeared in the nick of time, I probably would have perished in the fire. But the Alchemy Room was always used solely by me; why had Wu Mengli suddenly appeared?
"Mengli, why did you come here?" I asked suspiciously.
Wu Mengli froze slightly, her gaze flickering away. "I... I heard you were refining a Huichun Pill, so I came to see if I could help..."
A faint sense of wrongness stirred in my mind, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I temporarily suppressed the doubt. This furnace explosion incident was far too suspicious; I suspected someone had deliberately tampered with it, with the intent to take my life!
At this time, however, I did not know that a much larger storm was brewing, and this storm would drag both Wu Mengli and me into its depths...
I lay on the bed with a dull ache in my chest, the scorched scent seemingly still lingering at the tip of my nose. Wu Mengli stayed by my side the entire time, feeding me medicine and wiping my body with meticulous care. Looking at her busy figure, a wave of warmth surged in my heart, though it was laced with a trace of bitterness.
"Mengli, thank you," I said softly, my gaze falling upon her slightly fatigued face. "If not for you this time, I'm afraid..."
"Don't say foolish things," Wu Mengli interrupted, putting on a forced smile. "You are an honored guest of my Wu Family, how could I let anything happen to you?" Her smile carried a hint of strain, and I acutely caught the flash of worry in her eyes.
I took her hand and asked with concern, "Mengli, is something troubling you? Can you tell me?"
Wu Mengli fell silent for a moment before finally letting out a sigh. "Kong Chen, the truth is... the family has been putting a lot of pressure on me lately."
"Pressure? What kind of pressure?" My heart tightened, a vague suspicion taking root.
"They... they want me to marry the eldest young master of the Lin Family." Wu Mengli's voice was barely audible, like the buzz of a mosquito.
My heart shook. Just as I had expected.
The Lin Family was a rival of the Wu Family, and the two clans had fought openly and covertly for years. If Wu Mengli married the eldest young master of the Lin Family, it would undoubtedly mean handing the Wu Family over on a silver platter!
"Mengli, don't worry, I won't let you marry him!" I gripped her hand tightly, my tone resolute.
Wu Mengli looked up at me in surprise. "But... what can you do?"
"I..." I was momentarily at a loss for words. It was true; right now I was merely an outsider disciple with neither power nor influence, what could I do? But I would never sit by and do nothing!
Wu Mengli had saved my life and was one of the few friends I had in this world. I would never let her become a sacrifice for family interests!
"Mengli, do you trust me?" I looked straight into her eyes with a steadfast gaze.
Wu Mengli paused, seemingly infected by my resolve, and nodded gently.
"Alright, I will find a way to help you escape this predicament!" A blazing fire ignited in my heart. This time, the person I wanted to protect was not just myself, but Wu Mengli as well!
The night outside the window was deep, and my mind was a flurry of thoughts. The furnace explosion, the mysterious dark figure, Wu Mengli's arranged marriage... These events seemed completely unrelated, yet they vaguely pointed toward an unknown conspiracy.
I could feel that a larger storm was approaching, and I was already trapped at the center of the tempest, unable to escape...
I stayed awake all night. The furnace explosion, the mysterious shadow, Wu Mengli's marriage—these matters tangled together like a mess of hemp, leaving me vexed and restless.
As the sky outside grew light, I decided to first investigate the truth behind the furnace explosion. I arrived at the Alchemy Room; a scorched smell still lingered in the air. I carefully inspected every corner, hoping to find some clues.
Suddenly, I discovered a black piece of cloth in the corner. The material of this cloth was special and did not look like something belonging to the Wu Family. A thought stirred in my mind. Could this piece of cloth be related to that mysterious dark figure?
I put the cloth away, preparing to go discuss it with Wu Mengli. Just as I stepped out of the Alchemy Room, I saw Lin Yu approaching aggressively with a group of people.
"Kong Chen, you have a lot of nerve, actually daring to destroy a treasure of my Lin Family!" Lin Yu pointed right at my nose and cursed loudly. The men behind him stared at me with fierce and malevolent expressions, as if they wanted to swallow me alive. I instantly understood that Lin Yu had clearly come with ill intent, looking to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Suppressing the anger in my heart, I said coldly, "Lin Yu, you can talk nonsense, but you can't talk reckless garbage. When did I ever destroy a treasure of your Lin Family?"
"Hmph, stop playing dumb!" Lin Yu pulled a jade pendant from his bosom—it was precisely the one I had picked up outside the Alchemy Room that day. "This jade pendant is a priceless heirloom passed down by my Lin Family. Do you dare say you didn't steal it?"
I sneered inwardly. Lin Yu was truly adept at calling black white. He had clearly stolen my storage pouch, and now he was turning around to frame me.
Just as I was about to retort, Lin Yu's expression suddenly shifted. Pointing toward the direction behind me, he cried out in alarm, "Look over there, what is that?!"
Confused, I followed the direction of Lin Yu's finger and saw a massive mass of black clouds appearing in the distant sky. The black clouds rolled turbulently, as if something was about to burst through them, and a suffocating pressure descended along with it.
"Not good, this is... this is demonic energy!"
Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm, their face instantly turning ashen.
Demonic energy?! I was startled. Could the Demon race have invaded?
"Quickly go report this to the Patriarch!" Lin Yu panicked as well, hastily instructing his subordinates.
At that moment, the mass of black clouds suddenly churned violently, and a beam of black light shot out from the layers of clouds, heading straight toward the Wu Family...