《I AM BRAND》 Sickly Young Boy "Since the dawn of time gods have always ruled and reigned over man and all of existence, we all know that. But what truly reigned over before the dawn of time? From where do the gods originate? And from where did the origination of the gods'' originate from? " "DON''T ASK SUCH QUESTIONS! Such is blasphemy!" Yelled the old scholar as he threw his sandal with high accuracy and extreme speed and force at a young boy. The boy''s eyes glazed over as he was left speechless at the actions and words of the teacher, who was a cultivator. A serious attack from a low-leveled cultivator could instantly kill a man, much less a young sickly boy. The sandal stopped centimeters away from the boy''s face as he let loose a sigh of relief. ''Damn old man, let''s see whether or not this daddy here will kill you!'' Cursed the young man in his head. "And what have you to say now? Still, want to spew more dog shit about the gods?!" The old scholar''s gentle bearing was immediately switched with that of an angry grandpa! Yun Bai was truly shocked. "Teacher, I apologize on my bluntness and rude bearing but I honestly asked this question seriously, may youatleastgive me enough face to answer seriously?" "Face your father! I cannot teach like this! I will not work like this! Not while you remain an unbeliever in the faith of the divine thousand!" "Elder, elder, please! Do not lose your bearing, Yun Bai is young and stupid and has yet to realize what religion truly is. Don''t worry elder, I as his father will see to it that he is punished and disciplined accordingly so that he could truly understand what the gods are and how much they have done for us." "You speak good words, Yun Lei, truly a man of civility, morals, and wisdom. I can''t fathom how you brought a child like that into this world!" "Yun Bai, hurry and apologize to Elder Lin!" "I''mtrulysorry elder, this young one here is but a fool who knows near nothing about the world, I hope elder can continue to educate me as he sees fit! No matter how harsh the studying is, I will not fail nor will I disappoint you." "Ahh, kid, from these past four months, I can''t help but admit that you have a great head on you. You havenear-perfectrecall and great comprehension. Out of the subjects I taught you, you excel in 6 out of the seven. Your comprehension inthe study of language, art, history, sciences, maths, and medicinehavetruly astounded me. I have almost run out of things to teach you! The only flaw is that you have too much a great brain. You are like my deceased wife, questioning this and that and arguing until the opposing side just gives up. Although this quality is a good one in many cases, it is not fit for religion. It seems that if you keep the same beliefs and mindset you have right now, even though you are a one in a million genius, you will never become a scholar! I ask you before I leave, to change yourself, I will be back in a month, when I am here I expect to see youtohave grown from a naive boy, into a man!" "Thank you elder, for your kind and overly gracious words!" Yun Bai quickly added before the elder left. This shameless180 degreechange could only be accomplished by the legendary Yun Bai himself. The elder lightly smiled one last time before he left through the gate "Ahhhh! Yun Bai! What have I said about questioning religion, especially in front of scholars!" Yun Lie reprimanded Yun Bai quickly. "Father, if I am not mistaken, weren''t you the one who told me to believe in my own beliefs and not let others control me? I merely defended my belief and also tried to learn the reasons behind everyone else''s belief!" "Ahh, how could I forget it, of course, I remember it, you are the one who won''t let me forget! You are the one who drove away 5 scholars in the past year! Son, you can believe in what you want to, but if you want to live in this world, then you must feign in belief in the divine thousand. I myself am quite the hedonist, but the belief in the divine thousand truly causes me to feel fear from any attempt at excess pleasure and happiness. The blasted religion requires the believers to fast from sunrise until noon for 345 days a year. The 20 days off are forcelebrationof the gods! It also restricts sexual acts by a large margin, not only can a man only have sexual intercourse with only his wife once a month, they also cannot remarry if something would happen to the first wife. Such a blasted religion isn''t actually believed by most people, but they feign belief on the outside for they fear those radical bigots who kill disbelievers! So son, to survive in this blasted continent, you must truly be careful, especially in the matter of religion." Yun Bai nodded, as all of his father''s words made sense. "Yes father, what you said is indeed true and it is indeed the smartest option, but how could I, Yun Bai, son of Yun Lie, be scared of a bunch of bigots! I don''t fear death if I can live my life freely and to the fullest. But to those who attempt to control my belief and faith, I curse them, those uneducated simpletons, those inbred meat sacks of dung! I will not live like this, I don''t minddeathif it means that I can show them my true feelings and represent everyone who is oppressed by them!" Yun Lie smiled.''What a good son!'' "You are right, what do we have to fear! No, I do have something to fear. I already lost your brother and your mother, you are my last relative left! I cannot allow you to die otherwise my, Yun Lie''s bloodline will be extinguished. For who will mourn for me during my funeral, who will mourn for me and pray to and for me years and decades, be it centuries after my death?" Yun Bai nodded. "mmm, yes father." Yun Lie smiled widely, "Alright, you better get going now, I have some business to do." "Yes, father." Yun Bai slowly walked up and limped out.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''Argh! Dumb body, why was I born like this!'' Yun Che continued to limp out and walk toward his room. "Keke, it''s the dog fart son of the esteemed owner of the Central White Fox Merchant Company." "Ah, what a waste. With his father''s connections, money, and resources, he could easily become a cultivator and obtain great resources and maybe become an inner disciple of a good sect. Too bad his son is a cripple, not only physically but in cultivation as well." "If I was him, I would have already become a core disciple of a good sect, I would have also been able to snatch this city''s greatest beauty; Meng Jia. Bah! What a waste, it makes me sick to my stomach. What kind ofheniousactions has the boy committed in his past life to become this deformed and nasty, he makes me wanna throw up." "Look at the shape of his large body in correspondence with his height. Argh, is it even suitable to be even called a dwarf at that point? His face is all deformed!" "Eww, look at the bones of his skull pushing outward from deformity, I feel pity for his future wife, what dogshit luck she has!" Yun Bai could hear all the mocking from others and decided to ignore it, even if his father fired or even killed any of them, more will come and even if they don''t dare say it to his face, they say it behind his back. Yun Bai was generally a calm, kind, and peaceful person. "Everyone shut up!" Someone shouted. "Huh?" All the gossipers looked over to the middle-aged woman who had a familiar face. "Bi Tang! Why are you defending this trash? Can it be that you like him?" "No no no! It is just that I heard a story about Yun Bai recently." "Hmm, what is this story you speak of?" "Yun Bai is a very calm and peaceful person, although he constantly gets bullied and made fun of, he never openly argued against someone or even used his position and authority. There was a time, however, when he did get pissed and I swear it by the divine thousand that he bloody killed a full grown man with his bare hands!" "HUH!?!" "Hahaha," All of the crowd laughed. Little did they know that Bi Tang wasn''t Joking and that the rumor was quite real. "I''m not joking! I heard that some young master of some rich family tried to bully and rape his cousin and although the young master had bodyguards Yun Bai still passed through them and got to the young master. Keep in mind this young master was at least 1.87 meters tall and he had a strong build which was supported with many medicines and strength enhancers, although he couldn''t fight a cultivator, he could certainly kill a normal man with his bare hands. Yun Bai apparently jumped on him, looking wilder and eviler than he usually looks and ripped the man''s head completely off his head in an instant. Believe it ornotthis came from a very credible source!" The people weren''t laughing anymore, not because they believed her but theywere pissedoff that people believed such things about Yun Bai who was but a piece of dog shit. "And who exactly is this credible source?" Asked a man who was part of the crowd. "Ten Ten!" 1 odd name froze all the people instantly. Ten... Ten!! This wasn''t a name that a person could simply use without consequences. One would only be an idiot to use this name without a reason. This instantly birthed a fear in the hearts of the Yun Manor''s employees. "Yun Bai is that fearsome?!?!" The group quickly dispersed with white faces filled with fear, they definitely won''t talk shit about him anymore with anyone around. For they feared him from what they heard about him. ----------------------------- Yun Bai''s Room -- Yun Bai stood in front of a painting, this painting wasofa beautiful girl smiling brightly, and next to this beautiful painting of this beautiful girl. He slowly moved his gaze from her to the ugly monstrosity known as him. His height not exceeding a meter while his body wide and fat, rough patches and acne scars littered his coarse skin. Lanky 1.8-meter arms stretched out of his body. These arms were always dragged on the floor when he walked, little deformities within his bones caused portions of his bones to stick out like long blades. Of course, all these imperfections were reluctantly drawn by the artist. This painting was of him and his fiance, Meng Jia, who was also recognized as the greatest beauty of the city. "Ah," Yun Bai sighed in melancholy as he lovingly stared at her painting as if entranced. "Meng Jia, you are the only human other than my father and my 2nd cousin who treat me like a human. You have no obligation nor do you have a blood relation with me but you kindly smile at me and take care of me. You aren''t even afraid to touch someone as disgusting as me. It truly saddens me that all I can give someone as great as youismoney. I only have to offer this disgusting body and my father''s money. I truly am the most incompetent dog husband, aren''t I? Oh how much I love youMengJia, oh so much! But in the end, I am but a sickly young boy. you were promised and betrothed to me but with the arrival of SungBanI fear that I cannot compete. We both come from equally wealthy and prestigious background, but he is tall, handsome, and is a cultivator! I am yet again, but a mere sickly young boy!" Yun Bai sat in his room staring at the painting of him and his fiance crying and crying. Yun Bai wasn''t one to feel fear but there was one thing he feared more than death in this world, the fear of losing loved ones. Not only in the sense of death but the separation between them. And now his emotional mainstay and pillarwascapable of disappearing within the next month. Of course, Yun Bai couldn''t be calm, even with his great bearing and advanced mind, he could not cope with such stress and grief. So there he sat and cried his worries away all night. --------------- Across the city, in the Meng Manor, Sung Ban sat across the beautiful Meng Jia. Both were smiling peaceful smiles while their fathers talked and negotiated the topic of breaking off the previous engagement and creating a new one. Sung Ban looked like he was a kind and orderly young man, but underneath that expression was a demon. A demon who couldn''t wait to bite into Meng Jia, he definitely had ideas for her and what he could and would do with her once married. But in his head, his evil thoughts weren''t limited to Meng Jia, but also to Yun Bai. ''I will kill that nasty little vermin who dared to even accept a betrothal from my woman!'' The engagement wasn''t even set nor was it accepted yet but he already considered Meng Jia his woman, this Sung Ban was evil but one had to admit that he was quite an ambitious person. -------------- While Yun Bai sat and cried, little did he know that changes in his world were coming right next to his doorstep. Maybe soonerthanhe ever could and would have expected at all. The Broken Vows and Promises ¡°Ahh,¡± Yawned Yun Bai as he woke up, he found his eyes slightly swollen from crying and quickly wiped them vigorously as he stood up. He let out a light sneeze. ¡°Oh? Sleeping on the floor wasn¡¯t the brightest decision I have made in my life. Argh, now ill probably get sick.¡± Yun Bai shook his head as he walked out of his room and made his way into his bathhouse. He quickly undressed and jumped into the very shallow water. Baths were in fact, one of the only things that could be enjoyed by Yun Bai in this life. He found this alone time very relaxing in regards to the rest of his dog shit life. Knock! Knock! Knock! Yun Bai turned his head towards the door which was being profusely beat on. ¡°What is it?¡± Yun Bai spoke with a raised voice. ¡°Here are your clothes sir.¡± A maid with a soothing voice said as she slightly creaked the door open and placed his small clothing on the floor in front of the door, along with a towel. ¡®Ahh, its really quite the shame, even a lowly maid refuses to see my naked body, not that I care much. A maid could never compare to my beautiful and graceful wife; Meng Jia.¡¯ He slowly got up from the bath and dried himself with the towel. He then proceeded to wear his clothes and make his way to the kitchen. He didn¡¯t need to comb nor brush his hair, as most of it was gone and he retained only 1/6th of the hair he originally should have had. Premature balding, truly a shame. As he made his way to the kitchen, he couldn¡¯t help but notice something different. No one was actively staring or glaring at him. And all those snide remarks and gazes filled with disdain couldn¡¯t be seen nor felt. ¡®Hmm? This is quite weird. Don¡¯t tell me they realized how handsome this daddy is?¡¯ Yun Bai laughed at himself self-deprecatingly as he moved on. -- In the Meng Manor -- ¡°WHAT! THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!¡± ¡°Calm down Yun Lie, I truly understand your pain, but you have to think about our position too! What is more important? A petty promise made years ago? Or a marriage proposed by a young and talented cultivator, who even has the backing of the Che sect!¡± ¡°Petty promise!?!? You and your Meng family are all retarded. You dare call my promise petty? Your father is petty. Fuck you and all your 11 generations of ancestors. Who knows, it might not even be long until you meet them!¡± Meng Su¡¯s face changed drastically as he currently carried an ugly expression. ¡°Yu-Yun Lie! You have gone too far! Curse me all you want, for I understand the gravity of my decision and how much face it will cause you to lose. And for that, I am fully willing to compensate, and even publicly apologize to you! But to curse my ancestors is another issue.¡± Yun Lie¡¯s face changed as he realized what he said. He gradually calmed down and gave a cold and distant expression to Meng Su. ¡°You were like a brother to me! Who was it that saved you 23 years ago from bankruptcy! Who was is that protected you against the Black Bird mercenaries? WHO was it that gifted the seven petalled grace leaf to your wife for her to not only live, but to also give birth to her child which would have then died along with her! And now that child that I saved along with your wife, which was previously betrothed to your son, is betrothed to Sung family¡¯s kid!??! If I am the one who has gone too far, then tell me how far have you gone! Past the seven heavens! Past even the realm of the gods!¡± Meng Su¡¯s face changed as he carried heavy fear and shame in his heart. He clearly was on the verge of breaking down emotionally. ¡°B-Brother Lie¡­¡± Meng Su stuttered.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Brother your sister! I Yun Lie have always been kind and gracious to your family while gaining nothing. And now that you can leech off of someone greater than me you seem to forget all of my favors?! Truly a dogshit friend and probably even more of a dogshit person!¡± Yun Lie calmed down slightly after he spat his powerful words of emotion. His chest heaving up and down as the veins in his head pulsed and his jaw tightened and loosened constantly. ¡°Ahh..¡± Yun Lie sighed slowly. ¡°I Yun Lie have never been someone to beg, even when I was living on the streets! So even today, I will not go as far as to beg, or even pursue this matter. Your daughter doesn¡¯t deserve the likes of my son! I hope she enjoys the care and love given by the Sung family¡¯s child. Consider all our bonds and relations cut, and if I were to ever see you or anyone of any relation to you in any of my companies or buildings, then consider the unlucky person who wondered there dead!¡± ¡°Brother-Brother Lie, wait! I really do apologize but hear me out! My wife is currently pregnant with another child and our Meng family¡¯s doctor confirmed that it is a girl! She will most definitely be as beautiful as her sister and maybe even surpass her! I promise you that if you revoke our severed relations and bonds, then my 2nd daughter will belong to your son. I will even marry her off as soon as she has bled(Note: Period)! This is a great offer isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Bahahaha! What a stupid man! Do you really think that not marrying my son to your bloodline was my concern and fear? Hahaha! What have you to offer? I am many times wealthier than you and many times more influential. Your family doesn¡¯t even have a powerful backing! If I wanted a beautiful daughter-in-law, I can find hundreds that would line up for my son! Our influence and backing is not weak at all! The engagement between our children was my gift and grace, not yours! With us being related, who in this city, no this region, would have the guts to not give you face. I only agreed to the engagement initially due to my kindness. And now, I am only angry for 2 reasons! The 1st is that I take my promises and deals seriously and unless it had to do with the life of a friend or family member, then I would never break a promise. The 2nd is the most important reason! My son was and still is in love with your daughter, I cannot guarantee that he will have the will to live life if such an event happened! If he were to ever commit suicide or even think about it, then your family will have a lot more to fear than just broken relations!¡± Yun Lie spat as he stomped out the room. As Yun Lie left the room. The paralyzed and shocked Meng Su finally picked up his jaw and sighed depressingly. His daughter walked into the room seconds later. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Ah! My wonderful daughter, Meng Jia. I truly don¡¯t know what I should do at this moment! I am fearful of not only the wrath of Yun Lie, but also the wrath of my ancestors! How will I face my father, who I promised to never break my word when I die?¡± Meng Jia got up and hugged her father. ¡°Shh. It¡¯s ok father, you have nothing to worry about. Uncle Yun was angry, but the kind and peaceful Uncle Yun would never hurt a fly, so why would he hurt us?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. If it was just a normal girl, then he wouldn¡¯t have cared to such an extent. But Jia, you are special! You are the sole girl whom his son, Yun Bai is in love with! In fact, he is deeply in love with you to the extent of you being one of his few reasons to live! If the engagement is broken off, then he truly might kill himself. Even with the child of the Sung Family as your husband, you still will not be protected from his wrath. Yun Lie has much more power and influence than you think! His worth, in regards to assets and connections, is worth over 20,000 disciples of the Che Sect! So, if you think that your fianc¨¦e is capable of protecting you, then you are wrong. Let¡¯s see if he is even capable of protecting himself!¡± Meng Su exhaled as his chest heaved up and down as if he had been in an intense battle. ¡°In fact, the only reason Yun Lie hasn¡¯t harmed Sung Ban is because he hasn¡¯t assured which elder recruited him as a disciple. Yun Lie is capable of offending some elders in the Che sect, but not many. None of us know much about Sung Ban¡¯s talent. Joining the Che Sect shows talent of course, but with thousands of disciples in the sect, those seen as talented here are normal there. Some are, of course, more talented than others so if Sung Ban turned out to be a very talented recruit, who was recruited by an influential elder, then Yun Lie would be in some trouble. The only reason we all haven¡¯t been killed or harmed is due to the false shield we currently have. This shield is capable of shattering at any time.¡± Meng Su gave a distressed sigh and clenched his head with his palms as if he was attempting to figure out a solution to all of this. Meng Jia¡¯s eyes flashed as she gave a mysterious smile and picked up her fathers head. ¡°Do not worry father. I have a way to resolve all of our problems, just leave everything to me.¡± She said as a weird expression flashed across her face. Meng Su looked at her and as if he was stuck in the darkness of an infinite black abyss, a hand reached out and saved him. He smiled widely, for his daughter was extremely capable and she had never failed him in her life. ¡°Alright Jia¡¯er, I will put all of my trust into you. All our fates rest on your shoulders.¡± Said Meng Su with a bit more hope in his eyes. ------- Late at night in the Yun Manor -------- Knock Knock Knock! Yun Bai heard a knocking on his room door. He slowly got up and limped towards it. Right before he opened the door he stopped and thought for a moment. ¡®Who would be here this late at night?¡¯ ¡°Who is it?¡± He asked before opening the door. ¡°It''s me¡­..¡± A soothing voice said. Yun Bai visibly shook, and he became dizzy and his breathing became rough. Stars lit up in his eyes and a rare look of excitement covered his face. He immediately opened the door to see the person he was expecting to see. ¡°Meng Jia!¡± END OF CHAPTER- Many Truths ¡°Meng Jia!¡± Cried Yun Bai. Out of all the people he would have expected to see knocking on his door tonight, Meng Jia was even less expected than the Grim Reaper. In fact, ever since their secret engagement, he could only see her once a month. Her father limited her time outside which also limited the couple¡¯s quality time. Although betrothed to him, he had never truly touched her, in a sexual sense. From time to time, she would take the initiative and grab his hand while walking, but that truly was the extent of contact between them. Their physical contact probably could have progressed more, but the issue lied in Yun Bai himself being a pussy. He was afraid of scaring her away, so he always spoke in his lightest and kindest tone, while allowing her to show him the extent that she was willing to go to without getting scared. Any man would find this outrageous and if we''re in the place of Yun Bai, would immediately push her down and let loose the beast caged inside. Yun Bai was different, he held Meng Jia in the highest place in his heart, so he was afraid of harming her even one bit. ¡°Hello! I haven¡¯t seen you in a while, Yun Bai! Where have you been!¡± She said with her soothing voice and fragrant smell wafting through the air. She immediately closed the distance between both of them and pinched his nasty cheek without even a spec of disgust flashing through her face or showing through her movements. This caused Yun Bai to lose all bearing and float into heaven, he couldn¡¯t care about anything else in life other than Meng Jia and this moment he was currently in. He smiled the brightest smile and his eyes twinkled like the stars. He quickly became just like a little kid and jumped up and down which caused a giggle from Meng Jia. ¡°Jia! Jia! Come look at the new book I obtained today! It talks all about the ancient race of elves you have always loved. It was one of the best books I have read in years, hurry come in so I can tell you all about it!¡± Yun Bai, who lost all bearing and defense he ever had, couldn¡¯t suppress his excitement with her around. ¡°Hahaha¡± Yun Bai heard the most beautiful melodious laughter coming from the goddess whom he loved dearly. ¡°Brother Yun, you really are cute! Too bad this sister can¡¯t spend any time with you tonight, I would if I could but I came here for a reason.¡± She said in a low voice, as to not alert anyone of her presence. ¡°Oh! And what would that be?¡± Yun Bai asked innocently, completely lowering his guard against her. ¡°Mmm, Brother Yun, promise not to get angry with me?¡± She said pleadingly. ¡°Of course, how could I become angry with you? Tell me, what is it, Jia?¡± ¡°It is¡­ I am¡­ getting married to Sung Ban..¡± She said quickly with a shameful expression. Yun Bai¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. As if thunder from the heavens above dropped on him. His eyes glazed over and his deformed face lost all expression he had previously. His knees gave in and he dropped on the floor, his eyes dampened and tears threatened to fall. ¡°Brother Yun! I am so so sorry!¡± She hurriedly said while weeping. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t want this engagement, but my father was forced by the Sung family to make this engagement, otherwise, they would harm our family. And although Sung Ban is talented and strong, 1000 Sung Ban¡¯s could not equate to 1 Yun Bai in my heart. So please settle down Yun Bai! You will always be number 1 in my heart!¡± She cried out while weeping heavily alongside Yun Bai, who was now letting his tears out like a river. ¡°Ahh, I..I¡­¡± Yun Bai gave up on his sentence due to the sad and depressing feeling clouding his mind and heart. ¡°In the end, i-it is my fault. I am t-too incompetent t-to marry someone as great as you. I guess it was only a matter of time. I, Yun Bai, apologize for my incompetence Lady Meng. Please, to save your face, do not associate yourself with me anymore ok?¡± Yun Bai said devoid of emotion. ¡°Yun Bai! Since when have we been strangers, wasn¡¯t I always sister Jia! I would and will never forget you Yun Bai, you know that more than anyone, so please don¡¯t act like this!¡± She cried out yet again. Her words only acted as a propeller for the waterworks and emotions which were oozing out of Yun Bai. ¡°Yun Bai! I Meng Jia have always loved you! So don¡¯t cry, even if I am married to another man, you will always be in my heart. You are my, Meng Jia¡¯s, most loved person after my parents. How could I forget about you!¡± She yet again cried out as her tears began pouring. Her words acted as a lightning bolt from heaven which struck right onto Yun Bai. His face showed an expression of surprise, then quickly lit up to become as bright as the sun. ¡°Yo-you love me?¡± he stuttered out. She giggled in a low tone as she looked at him, eyes full of love and affection. ¡°Of course I love you, Yun Bai!¡± Yun Bai began crying again as he made his way towards her quickly and embraced her, crying on her shirt. She looked surprised, this was the first time he touched her without her consent or initiative, so it was definitely weird for her. A smile soon covered her surprised face as she rubbed his back, accidentally touching the sword-like protrusions on his bones from his back. She pulled back her arm and rubbed his head as she smiled and pulled away from the hug. She looked at him with a loving gaze and turned around and walked towards the door. ¡°Jia, wait!¡± Yun Bai fearfully yelled, as if afraid that he would never see her again. ¡°Can¡¯t you stay a while more?¡± He asked quietly. ¡°Ahh, I truly wish I could. But if Sung Ban found me here, he would be very suspicious and maybe even take his anger out on not only me, but my friends and family. This is exactly where I have to leave, Yun Bai. I hope we can see each other again, truly.¡± She said softly as she left the door, waving towards Yun Bai. Yun Bai sat there, dazed. His head was muddled and he couldn¡¯t think straight. Half of his brain was sad due to the broken engagement while the other half was happy due to Meng Jia¡¯s confession. He had always thought that she only was kind to him out of pity, but it turns out that she felt the same way about him. This was simply a dream come true! Yun Bai didn¡¯t move a muscle for a while. And so there he sat, waiting for someone to wake him from his stupor of both grief and happiness. But no one came, and so there he sat the whole night. As soon as she left Yun Bai¡¯s room and closed his door, she made her way onto the pavement and towards the gate. She instantly spit on the floor with an unladylike expression of pure disgust. She scratched the parts of her body which Yun Bai touched and shivered. A look of pure disgust and hatred flashed across her eyes as she quickly controlled herself and continued onwards to her carriage outside the gates. She was always the kindest one to Yun Bai, no one would suspect that underneath her kind ruse, he actually hated him the most out of everyone in this world.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡®That damn little imp dares to touch me! I should have his life taken! Ughh!¡± She shivered as she tried to shake away his touch. She was excited when her father told her that she was engaged to the son of a very wealthy merchant when she was 10. In her head, she imagined a beautiful and noble prince charming, just waiting to pick her up and lead her to his castle. But when she first saw, she realized that he was far from prince charming and that even if he wanted to, he didn¡¯t have the physical capabilities of picking her up. For she was even taller than him at the tender age of 10. She cried herself to sleep afterwards and at one point of her life, cut her jade-like skin as an outlet. When she began having to spend time with him, she found his character to not be all that bad and ignoring his looks, he would have been slightly cute with his character alone. But nonetheless, she could not ignore his looks and deformities, for she wasn¡¯t a goddess nor was she a saint. She was but a normal girl, born in good circumstance. She was thankful that he never took the initiative to touch her though, as she wouldn¡¯t have been able to retaliate due to their engagement. He wasn¡¯t really the horrid beast everyone thought he was, and she, in fact, would have been fine with being good friends with him, as they got along very well. But nonetheless, the engagement continued to fuel her unconditional hate for him. And tonight, was the night where he drew the line by touching her without her permission. They weren¡¯t even engaged anymore so it wasn¡¯t appropriate at all. Yet she still endured for her family and especially for her depressed father. Meng Jia quickly wiped her crocodile tears as she hopped into the carriage and said in a cold voice to the coachman to take her home. ¡°Yun Bai! Yun Bai! What are you doing here on the floor!¡± His father came in and asked worriedly. Yun Bai gathered the energy and the small willpower he had left to look up to his dad and utter a small phrase. ¡°Broken engagement¡­.¡± He said blanky, the phrase itself was devoid of any feelings, even sadness and/or anger. He was simply an emotionless casket currently. ¡°Yes¡­ where did you hear this from?¡± Yun Lie asked this because he hadn¡¯t told anyone yet about any of this, even his most trusted friends. ¡°Meng¡­ J-Jia¡± He stuttered out emotionlessly. Boom! It was as if he was struck by thunder. Yun Lie stood there and the aura around him rose up and rage permeated his face completely. He clenched his fist with a popping sound being produced by the sheer force and anger behind all of it. ¡°Oh..¡± Yun Lie said coldly as his eyes flashed. ¡°Alright then, I guess I might have to give Meng Su a visit huh?¡± Yun Lie got up and stomped towards the door. Yun Bai instantly awoke from his daze and yelled towards his father. ¡°Father don¡¯t! It¡¯s ok, this son here will be obedient and marry any girl you tell me to marry. I will become a great scholar and hide my beliefs like you told me. Just please don¡¯t start a fight with them, you can get hurt, maybe even die father. You are the last one left that has any relationship with me that even cares about me. Other than 2nd cousin who is a whole nation away, you are my last pillar. Father, I can¡¯t bear to see you in a fight.¡± Yun Bai cried out. One could tell that his voice and even his eyes were filled with deep melancholy. Yun Lie was slightly dazed as he looked at Yun Bai. ¡°Yun Bai. You are the greatest son one could ever ask for! Who cares if you¡¯re a cripple, it must only mean that the gods are jealous of you to the extent of making you like so. You are the best and most I could ever ask for, and you have never failed me. So this time, let me do something right as a father for once, ok? I could not keep your mother or your brother alive, that is my sin. But I still have you! So let me atone for my sins and show you what a true father should be like this one time!¡± Yun Lie cried out, with tears in his eyes and rage plaguing his expression. ¡°Yes, father! Just don¡¯t harm Meng Jia. I need to ask her some questions.¡± Yun Bai said softly in a depressed tone. ¡°mmm¡± Yun Lie nodded as he walked towards the door before turning around one last time. ¡°What was it that she said to you to make you like this?¡± Yun Lie asked. ¡°She told me that she loved me..¡± Yun Bai said with deep melancholy. Yun Lie was very surprised at this statement. Of course, he out of everyone knew that Meng Jia cried herself to sleep and even harmed herself as an outlet of her depression which came from her engagement when she was young. She could never truly love Yun Bai. ¡°What is so wrong with that?¡± Yun Lie asked. ¡°Hahaha,¡± Yun Bai laughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°If I did not understand her this whole time, then was I actually ever truly in love with her?¡± He softly said. Yun Lie choked on his words as he couldn¡¯t reply. His eyes widened and his eyebrows clenched. ¡°She never loved me in the first place, she in fact probably hated me the most! This I know, for I have known her for these past 5 years and loved her all these years. Tell me father, is it wrong that I knew how excited she was to break the engagement off and I knew that the only reason she came here was to stop the fight that you were going to start with false words, yet I still love her? I am very perceiving and can easily see through most lies that have been told to me. How can I not know when the woman I love is lying to me. She does cloud my judgement, but not how I perceive others. I have always known her hatred and feeling towards me. In fact, I could say that I know her the most in this world. Yet I still chose to ignore all of that, and love her! Tell me father, am I a failure? Am I one who deserves such things in his life? Do the gods really hate me that much? If they are truly fair, then why was an innocent newborn made into a monster right when it exited the mother¡¯s womb!?!?¡± Yun Bai lost control of all his emotions as he yelled statement after statement and question after question. Yun Lie remained quite for a couple of minutes before looking up and sighing. ¡°If the gods were truly fair, then why would they allow someone who breaks his promises like Meng Su to keep his wife and his children while even though I have always kept my promises, in the end, my wife and my kids all died ¡± Yun Bai¡¯s eyes widened as he stuttered his next words. ¡°A-all your children dead? Ar-are you sure? For I am here! Right here, father!¡± Yun Bai cried out. ¡°Ahh, this day was sure to come, but it came sooner than I expected.¡± Yun Lie sighed as he looked outside the window of Yun Bai¡¯s room. ¡°15 years ago, My wife and I ventured out to the [Ashen canyon of the 7 dragons]¡± Yun Bai¡¯s eyes widened as his mouth opened and he couldn¡¯t say a word. That is the correct reaction to have for anyone! The [Ashen canyon of the 7 dragons] was a place that everyone knew not to go to. Even the greatest cultivation experts feared going over 2 km inside the canyon, for it was permeated with not only the smell of blood and the aura of death, but It instantly struck unconditional fear into the hearts of those near it. Even the sect master of the Che sect was said to be completely afraid of going in there. ¡°It was stupid, yes, but our newborn son was born with sickness and disease which ate away at his vitality every day. My wife and I knew we had no less than a week to find a solution. We brought the most famous doctors and the most famous experts to check our child out. No one could cure our child! They all repeated the same dog shit nonsense that everyone else says. The baby couldn¡¯t be cured! My wife and I refused this so we went around, looking for treasures, with the help of many hired experts. When we had all but run out of options and ideas, we thought of the [Ashen canyon of the 7 dragons]. But no one wanted to venture there with us, so we went in alone. Not trusting our babies life with anyone else, we foolishly took him with us. That day, I experienced true fear! We went deeper than the set limit of 2km deep, we could only persevere so much due to the life of our baby counting on it. Oh, how stupid we were¡­¡± Yun Lie took a short pause. He inhaled a deep breath of fresh air as he turned around and looked at Yun Bai. ¡°And that is where we met you!¡± Yun Lie stated calmly. ¡°huhh!!¡± Yun Bai was at his limit for mental attacks and surprises, he couldn¡¯t comprehend the fact that he was but an adopted child. and the biggest surprise wasn¡¯t the fact that he had no blood relation to Yun Lie but that he was found in the depths of the [Ashen canyon of the 7 dragons]. ¡° At this point, our child was long since dead and we were soon to follow him after, we continued to move on and on through the canyon but the aura quickly killed off your mother as well as my son. I kept moving onwards due to having lost my will to live. As I was at death''s door, I heard a cry. A cry which came from a pool of blood somewhere in the canyon. Not only did this cry relieve the pressure the canyon gave off to me, but it also reignited my will to live. I got up and made my way to where this cry came from. And there you were, deformed; yes but you were but an infant. I couldn¡¯t help but pity you and feel sympathy. So together with you, I made it out alive from that canyon, I owed my life to you, so I decided to make you my son and treat you like you truly were my son.¡± Yun Lie said with dampened eyes. ¡°Ahh, Father!¡± Yun Bai ran and hugged his father as both cried for a while. ¡°I must go now, take care of yourself until I come back, ok?¡± Yun Lie said, clearly happy that the news that he was adopted didn¡¯t affect Yun Bai. ¡°Mmm, yes father, you be careful around those sneaky and shameless people father!¡± Yun Bai said with seriousness. ¡°Of course, if I wasn¡¯t careful, then how would I, Yun Lie have lived this long.¡± Yun Lie walked out the door, leaving the reliable image of his back imprinted in Yun Bai¡¯s mind, which gave an extra layer of comfort in Yun Bai¡¯s heart. END OF CHAPTER- Never the Same Again As Yun Lie made his way out the door, he was interrupted by a devoted and trusted messenger who had a message to deliver. ¡°Master Lie! Master Lie! I have urgent news!¡± Cried the messenger. ¡°Hmm? Speak up, what is it?¡± ¡°The Meng family denounced the engagement, even though they hid the fact that their daughter was engaged to your son for quite a while. But now, to allow you to lose face, they exposed the engagement and how they broke it!¡± ¡°What!¡± Yun Lie almost spat blood. He was wondering how the Meng family would break off the engagement, but he never expected something as unfathomable as this. ¡°Oh? And from where did the Meng family pull out this level of confidence? From out their asses or from picking their nose?! Nonsense! If anyone should break off the engagement, it would definitely be us, who do they think we are!¡± Yun Lie was angered to the extreme. At this point, there was no reasoning with them, this would definitely mean war! The messenger was extremely afraid of Yun Lie and this sudden outburst of rage. He hurriedly put himself into order and stood there, waiting for his next command. ¡°Call on Lang! Tell him to round up all our men and pay the black iron sell swords to join us in this fight! If they really want to pick a bone, I will break their bones!¡± Yun Lie spat with fury seething out of all his pores. ¡°Ye-yes sir!¡± The reliable and experienced messenger stuttered and flinched at this level of pure fury coming from Yun Lie. In all his life he had never skewed or butchered a single word while speaking, that is one of the major reason why he was preferred as a messenger, but today something big happened. He butchered his first word! Albeit quick, the stutter definitely happened and was heard by Yun Lie. But Yun Lie couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t give a shit about such a small matter. And so ran the messenger, to deliver the declaration of war to Yun Lie¡¯s men and his allies. -------- ¡°Our spies have told us that Yun Lie has rounded up his men, and prepared to start a war with us, sir!¡± A messenger reported. ¡°Oh?¡± Meng Su was surprised, as he didn¡¯t expect the declaration of war to occur, this was only due to the promise Meng Jia made to him last night. If he didn¡¯t have full confidence in remaining safe, then he definitely wouldn¡¯t have done something rash like that. And now that his plan was foiled, he was shivering in his boots. He simply didn¡¯t know what to do! ¡°Leng Pu! How many men do we have available for deployment within a 4 km radius?¡± The old, reliable looking man named Leng Pu looked at some files he kept in his hand. He looked back up with a sour face and looked around at the surrounding people. His expression made everyone in the meeting room feel worried and scared. ¡°Speak up! Why don¡¯t you tell us how many men we can deploy!¡± ¡°fiv-five hundred and twenty-six¡± Reported the man whilst fidgeting. Meng Su and the elders at the table around him felt fear as their fists clenched and their faces paled. ¡°And how many men is Yun Lie capable of deploying?¡± ¡°ptoo!¡± Leng Pu spat out blood as he was shaking. ¡°Eight thousand and nine hundred and seventy-three men. And that is not including the sellswords that he has hired.¡± The man said, with sweat glistening on his forehead as his knees buckled. ¡°Haha!¡± One of the elders laughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°We are all dead, aren¡¯t we Meng Su?¡± The same laughing elder said grimly. ¡°Haha, it might seem so..¡± Meng Su said with obvious worry. ¡°Meng Jia! Come here now!¡± Meng Su called his daughter with an angry tone. ¡°Yes, father?¡± Meng Jia came in with an innocent expression and an innocent tone which caused much of the anger in Meng Su¡¯s heart to dissipate. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you have Yun Bai wrapped around your finger? Then why has his father declared war against us?¡± Meng Su said with obvious frustration.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A look a confusion was cast on Meng Jia¡¯s face. ¡®No, this isn¡¯t right! Even if his father has a temper, there is no way that he would disregard Yun Bai¡¯s opinion. What exactly is going on here?¡¯ Meng Jia was in shock, for she was the one who told her dad that he was safe from the Yun family under almost any circumstance. How could she not know Yun Bai¡¯s feelings after all these years of being acquainted with each other? ¡°I-I-I don-don¡¯t...¡± Meng Jia couldn¡¯t fathom such a result. Ever since she was born, everything has gone her way. One could say the only upset she ever experienced in her life was Yun Bai entering it. With Yun Bai in the picture, she had to say goodbye to her childhood dreams of marrying a handsome prince in a castle, and could only settle for a complete cripple. Now, feeling this feeling of failure and depression yet again, she couldn¡¯t help but break down into tears. Her father felt extremely sympathetic, for she was only a 14-year-old girl and in the end, it was truly his fault. Meng Su soon became worried by the fact that Yun Lie was coming, and he was coming for real this time. In his heart, he knew he messed up. In fact, with the assurance from his daughter, he was stupid enough to even insult Yun Lie by announcing the breaking of the engagement. Now that he was vulnerable of being killed, he was extremely apprehensive. ¡®How can I prevent Yun Lie from attacking us?¡¯ Meng Su didn¡¯t comfort his daughter but instead took time to think of a solution. He couldn¡¯t think of anything currently but that didn¡¯t mean that an answer didn¡¯t exist. Meng Jia stopped crying by now, at this point her face was no longer covered with agony and melancholy, instead it was filled with hatred, pure, unventilated hatred. Ever since her birth, she had never truly hated anyone, but now, she unrestrainedly hated Yun Bai with all she had. If he hadn¡¯t existed, she wouldn¡¯t have had to feel the fear and shame she felt when they were engaged, that was one thing. Now, he is causing her family issues, even threatening war due to the broken engagement. In the end, who would really marry such a monster like Yun Bai. She lost all reasoning and thought of thousands of ways to kill him and his hateful father, but in the end, she was too weak and had no power capable of killing him. But an idea suddenly struck her. Hesitation crossed her face for a second, but it was quickly masked as anger and cruelty began to seethe out of her body. ¡°Do not worry father, this time I will really take care of things.¡± She said as she got up and made her way towards the door before she closed the door behind her, she looked back at her father with fear and despair in her eyes. She turned around and left. ----------- Yun Lie was marching towards Meng Su¡¯s manor. He was seething with anger while leading the large army of men behind him. Different beasts and breeds of horses littered the army and just the aura around them was frightening enough to send anyone near them to piss in their pants on the spot. Such a fearsome aura can only be created by men who have been in countless battles and killed many men. ¡°Onwards, Leave no one but Meng Su and his daughter alive! Kill his wife, his brothers, every man you see is dead!¡± The soldiers grave faces hardened and they nodded solemnly at the orders Yun Bai gave them. While working under him for these past 20 years, they realized that he was a very calm, kind, and benevolent man, but seeing his attitude now, they realized that those who offended him must have really touched his reverse scale. -------- Yun Bai was still sitting in his room at this moment. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t wait till father comes back!¡± Yun Bai was moved by not only his dad¡¯s love and protectiveness over him, but also because of the frightening aura his dad was emitting. What son doesn¡¯t want a badass father who is extremely capable? ------ The Next Morning: Yun Bai was awakened by the sounds of heavy footsteps and swords clashing. Cling! Cling! The fearsome sounds of blades crossing occurred and frightened Yun Bai heavily, he woke up and left his room. As soon as he opened his door, he was greeted by trees and buildings on fire, with the workers and guardians of Central White Fox Merchant Company fighting opponents. Fearsome clashes of strength were occurring throughout the whole manor. Yun Bai was frightened until an old man came up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the action. ¡°Young Master, come with me!¡± Yelled the man as he pulled Yun Bai away from all the action. He didn¡¯t allow Yun Bai to catch his breath as they ran through the long wooden halls towards their destination. He ran towards a dead end, but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Watch out!¡± Yun Bai was afraid of this seemingly insane person who wanted to run into a wall at full speed. As the man pushed against the wall, the wall flipped and pushed them to the other side, completely removing them from the premises of the mansion. ¡°Wh-Who are you?!¡± Yun Bai took time to catch his breath before asking this grandpa about his identity. ¡°Me? I am your father''s most trusted brother, your father left me with a mission, and that is to protect you at the cost of my life!¡± The old man yelled. ¡°What? Why would you need to protect me? No offense but I am sure that I am already well protected.¡± Said Yun Bai with a voice full of suspicion. ¡°Ah,¡± Sighed the man with a depressed face. ¡°Tell me, boy, who do you think those men are that are attacking us?¡± said the man. Yun Bai took a minute, searching through his memory. ¡®Wait! I remember those robes! The Meng family?¡¯ ¡°The Meng Family? But how? Didn¡¯t my father take an army to go and get revenge? They should all be dead. Because how is a tiny Meng family capable of defeating my father''s Central White Fox Merchant Company? Where¡¯s my father? He can deal with them easily.¡± Said Yun Bai with slight anger. ¡°Ahh,¡± The old man sighed with tears dripping on his face. ¡°Boy, your father is dead!¡± Bam! As if lightning from the seven heavens struck Yun Bai, he spat blood. No tears leaked from him, in fact, there was no expression on his face at all. He simply sat there, as if he was soulless. ¡°F-Father is dead? He can¡¯t be! HE CAN¡¯T BE!¡± Yun Bai yelled with pure anger and an expression capable of planting a seed of fear even in the most mighty cultivator. In his heart, Yun Bai knew that life would never be the same again. -END OF CHAPTER A Fate Worse Than Death Chapter 5: Yun Bai sat there, expressionless after his explosion of emotion and rage subsided. If one were to look into his deep dark eyes, one would notice that the will to live, or even the will to die was not evident at all. He was simply there, not wanting to be in existence, but also at the same time not caring enough about his existence to try to end it, for he was simply there. ¡°Kid get up! Although we are safe for now, I can¡¯t guarantee that we will be safe forever. They will likely find us soon so we have to leave, NOW!¡± The old man yelled at Yun Bai. But yet again, there sat Yun Bai, expressionless, as if not caring about living at all. His mind was empty, a complete white slate sat in his consciousness as no thoughts whatsoever formed in his head, no imagination was worked, and no emotions were had. He was simply an empty casket, a husk with no ego whatsoever. If it weren¡¯t for the color of his skin and his small rhythmic breathing every now and then, even the most expert of beasts would think that he was truly dead and not faking it. The old man¡¯s face warped from worry to evident, profuse rage permeating over his entire being. He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw as he glared at Yun Bai with an angry glare, but one filled with no malice towards Yun Bai. ¡°Your father has been my best friend for 12 years now! We even called each other brothers after all the trials and tribulations we have been through! So as respect for my brother, I took it upon myself to believe in you, even going as far as to risk my life saving you now! You were born a cripple, a major cripple honestly, but I saw something in you, something special. Or so I thought, now you seem to be quite deserving of your title as a waste! Although you were disabled from birth, I always saw the spark in your eyes, the fire in your blood! But when push comes to shove you just break down like a child? You are 14 this year! Kids your age are working their asses off on their father¡¯s field, but all your father asked off you is to live your life being fulfilled and he will take care of all the costs there are! This is simply a joke.¡± The old man began breathing roughly, huffing and puffing consistently as his chest moved up and down. The old man clenched his fists yet again before he took a deep breath and calmed himself. His gaze turned cold and a look of disgust appeared on his face as he looked at Yun Bai, still sitting there on the floor. ¡°All your father wanted was for you to live a good life. This I know, for how could I not know, he was my best friend! Yet here you are, sitting there on the floor, moping and crying about the terrible events that happened in your life. Look at me! You think your life is shit? My mother was a whore who got pregnant from a random man in the slums who forced his seed into her. I am but a bastard child who was hated by my mother to the extent of her beating me every day since a young age. Barely fed and weak, I had to resort to petty crimes to get by as my mother seemed to stop caring about my wellbeing. Years later, I became a young man, 16 years of age, with a good build which was capable of doing manual labor. Returning to my incompetent mother, I paid my respects to her. For even if she was the devil, in the end, she was truly my mother, my only known blood. She got quite a good surprise seeing me so healthy, her attitude seemed to change and she treated me kindly. I fell into my mothers trap as she sold me into slavery using my inability to read and write, having me sign my name and using my blood to seal the contract.¡± The old man calmed down as his face warped into a reminiscent one, thinking back to an event that changed his life. ¡°I felt terrible,¡± the old man continued,¡± I was betrayed by my mother whom I began to foolishly trust again, and for what? A couple copper pieces that would put food on her table for a week and a half? Two weeks? Is that all he son was worth to her? Kid, be thankful that you have someone like your father, not only can he afford to take care of you, he cares for you deeply and would do almost anything for you. So for all his efforts, are you going to give up and die right here, or are you going to live, live and become stronger and wealthier to the point where we can rival, no, surpass these dogshit fuckers. Then we can take all the time we need getting sweet revenge on these horseshit old fogeys! Tell me, are you willing to help me take revenge for your father, or are you too scared to even think about revenge?¡± The old man¡¯s string of emotional statements caused his eyes to tear up as he thought about his savior, Yun Lie, who bought him and freed him from slavery. Out of the whole speech the old man gave him, Yun Bai only truly recognized one word; revenge. This word sparked a reaction in Yun Bai¡¯s body as he visibly shook, he slowly stood up to his grand height of .95 meters. Dragging his lanky, long arms on the floor behind him as he walked, he stopped in front of the old man. He slowly looked up and when he was fully face to face with the old man, the old man shivered and took a step back. Yun Bai¡¯s expression was far too scary, the old man found that such an expression could probably strike fear into the hearts of even the greatest cultivators. ¡°Re-veng-e¡­¡± Yun Bai said in a raspy voice as he continued to shake. The shaking soon calmed down and he began walking forward. ¡°Take me away from here. Today signifies the day where I am no longer Yun Bai the boy, but the man. I swear it today that I will get revenge on everyone who gets in my way of killing those who killed my father!¡± Yun Bai said as he looked up at the sky. ¡°Just wait for now my father, this incompetent son won¡¯t make you wait long.¡± Yun Bai said as he continued to walk forward. ¡°Are you sure this is the exit?¡± Asked Yun Bai as he made his way through the secret chambers he was located in. ¡°Of course I am sure, I have been to every corner and room of this manor, in and out. If your father was the most knowledgeable about this manor, then I am the second most knowledgeable about this manor.¡± Said the old man. The duo continued to make their way through the corridor, along the way they had to pull many secret levers and avoid many hidden traps. ¡®Damn, this place is much more secure than I previously thought¡¯ Thought the now cool and controlled Yun Bai. ¡°Ah! Ah! Ooh! Ahh!¡± ¡®Special noises rang out through the corridor. Yun Bai and the old man¡¯s faces warped completely. These noises were¡­. these noises were¡­. sexual noises, coming from a female. ¡°Huh? What the actual fuck?!¡± Asked Yun Bai. But unlike Yun Bai, who was solely confused. The old man was both confused and wary of his surroundings. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here fast!¡± Whispered the old man to Yun Bai. ¡°Wait a second old man, I have to see where this is coming from.¡± An idea formed in Yun Bai¡¯s head, but it quickly died down. The voices sounded so similar but it couldn¡¯t be right. Yun Bai traversed for a short time, walking through this hall, which led to that hall. After following the sound for god knows how long, he stumbled upon a dead end. But this dead end was truly the source of the noise, making his way forward, Yun Bai walked with excessive vigilance. He put his ear next to the near wall and completely heard everything. The pounding, the rubbing, the moaning, even the wet noises that came from the act.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Sung Ban! That¡¯s enough! We have been at this for at least an hour!¡± A melodious voice rang out from behind the wall. But with this voice was the occasional moaning and flesh pounding sound which was evidently caused by sexual intercourse. ¡°Do you know how much trouble I went through to get Yun Lie killed for you? The Divine thousand church not only needed evidence of disbelief, but they also needed a tribute. I gave them my spirit grass which is only given once a year to inner disciples. You promised this to me so let me enjoy it as much as I can, okay?¡± Said a deep voice, evidently that of a young man. The girl sighed. ¡°What would my father do if he found out about this?¡± The girl asked. Kissing sounds rang out soon after. ¡°Your father won¡¯t hear anything about this Meng Jia, for no one is around us and no one can tell. In fact, our wedding is in a month so what can they say? Yell at the future couple for skipping ahead a month early in their progression? No, this is fine.¡± The man said. ¡°I-I guess so bu-but what if the engagement doesn¡¯t fall through? What if it is somehow canceled and I am left impure by an ex-fianc¨¦, never capable of getting married again?¡± Meng Jia said softly, but with some expectation in her voice. ¡°Haha, such a beautiful wife, how can I face my ancestors and myself as a man if I miss out on a marriage with someone as great as you! You are such a beauty, it would truly be a shame to let you go, so don¡¯t worry one bit, for I will see this until the end.¡± Said the man bravely. ¡°Hehe,¡± Giggled Meng Jia. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll hold you up on the promise. You have to take responsibility for me ok?¡± She said cutely. ¡°Mhmm,¡± Said the man as he continued on with his pounding. Yun Bai, who was right outside these walls was shaking. And for the first time, tears began to fall down his face rapidly. The death of his father, the loss of his one true love, the destruction of his fathers merchant company, and now the betrayal which killed his father came from his whoring fiance. ¡®This life is truly a dog life, I was cucked, wasn¡¯t I? Am I truly hated by the heavens? Am I truly hated by the gods this much? What did I do?!? WHAT DID I DO!?!¡¯ Yelled Yun Bai in his head, for the existence of the traitors in front of him was still evident to him. Wiping his tears, he stood up slowly and dusted himself off. He sent a hate-filled glare through the wall towards his two life enemies, especially Meng Jia, whom he trusted. He continued to walk back to the old man who was waiting for him a couple feet away. The old man also heard everything and felt sympathetic towards Yun Bai. For his pain was truly too much for any boy, or any man for that matter, to handle. ¡°Let us go, young master.¡± Said the old man. This was the first time the old man truly respected Yun Bai, for he knew what betrayal felt like, and what this kid had to experience may have truly been worse than what he had to experience. BOOM! The sound of crumbling and shattering sounded out behind them and dust filled the air. Yun Bai and the old man squinted towards the dust storm, stepping back and taking a vigilant stance. Soon the dust storm cleared up and from it came out a young man, seemingly no more than 20 with average height and a good build. He had a handsome face to boot which made him look like an important son of a noble. Yun Bai felt shocked. ¡°Sung-Sung Ban!¡± Yelled Yun Bai. Behind Sung Ban came a shadow of a frail and thin girl. Her face and all her features quickly came into view as Yun Bai felt his heartstrings tug and his tears began to come out yet again. ¡°Meng Jia¡­¡± Yun Bai said softly, but with a voice full of hate. Meng Jia glared at him with all the hate a young girl could achieve to produce from her emotions. She clenched her fists as she looked at his pathetic figure, turning her head to her new fiance, she noticed the clear disparity. One was short, deformed, weak, and ugly. The other was handsome, not too tall but not short either, and he was strong. Very strong. She gave a smug smile to Yun Bai as if she was showing off her new toy which was much better than him who was her old toy. Yun Bai frowned as he began to think of a way to get out of this predicament. For surviving came first and revenge came second. Because how could he get his revenge for his father if he was dead before he even began. ¡°How did you know we were here?¡± The old man asked na?ve words, hoping to at least buy them some time to think of a way to get out of this predicament. ¡°Don¡¯t think of buying any time. You are dead no matter what you do. I, as a cultivator, can sense where you are in a range of 25 meters. So if you are thinking of escaping, then think again. Give it up now and come with me, I promise you a simple and quick death, ok?¡± Said Sung Ban. Yun Bai and the old man were panicked as they truly didn¡¯t know how to get out of this situation. They glanced at each other with evident panic and desperation in each other¡¯s eyes. Normally, Yun Bai would not care about life or death, he, in fact, would have let the man kill him sooner but right now he was given a new lease on life. Revenge. He couldn¡¯t give up now, not after he now knew the true culprits of his father¡¯s death. The Meng Family, The Sung Family, The Che Sect, and the fanatics of the Divine Thousand. He needed to live to get his revenge, and he would do anything to get his revenge at this point, selling his soul to the devil was not out of the picture at this point. ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t have time to play with you losers. Let¡¯s end this.¡± Said Sung Ban as he kicked off the ground, reaching Yun Bai and the old man in a few seconds. ¡°GO!¡± The old man yelled as he pushed Yun Bai far away with all of his strength. ¡°Go and live on! You are the last hope of both our wishes, so live, live and become strong! So that one day you can come back here and kill all these fuckers.¡± Yelled the old man emotionally. Yun Bai was thrown on the floor, he quickly got up and ran, slowly turning around he saw the old man¡¯s body being crushed. Yun Bai was crying even more now. ¡°What is your name old man? What is your name?!¡± Yelled Yun Bai. ¡°My- My name is¡­. Lun L-Lie!¡± After spitting those words, Lun Lie¡¯s head was quickly crushed under Sung Ban¡¯s foot. Sung Ban spat on the man¡¯s dead body as he looked up and glared at Yun Bai, who was a bit farther away. ¡°This disrespect is pissing me off! You think a mere cripple like you can outrun me? Think again!¡± Sun Ban quickly dashed forward to where Yun Bai was running to. He caught up to Yun Bai in a matter of seconds and kicked him down on the ground. Yun Bai soon spat out blood as he felt his internal organs rupture. This was not good, especially for someone in such a weak and deformed body. Yun Bai quickly looked up at Sung Ban and glared at him while attempting to gather his strength to move himself. Sung Ban brought out the blade from the sheath that was tied to his hip. As the shining blade glistened in the dark, a fearsome aura of death permeated Yun Bai¡¯s surroundings. At this exact moment, Yun Bai didn¡¯t fear death, nor did he fear Sung Ban. No, he was angry, very, very fucking angry. Sung Ban was the cause of this entire problem, his entire existence was the very reason that all of this was happening. His father¡¯s death, his fianc¨¦ being taken, and the old man dying! All of it rests on Sung Ban¡¯s shoulders! ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Yun Bai yelled as a vicious, foreboding energy of pure hatred was released from his body. The whites of his eyes turned red as the veins on his body bulged out. A fearsome growl was heard as steam began to permeate from his now red skin. Sung Ban took a step back due to the heavy fear plaguing his heart. ¡°Wh-what the fuck are you?!¡± Yelled Sung Ban. ¡°AHHH!¡± Yun Bai yelled a demonic roar as he quickly soared towards Sung Ban who was shaking in his boots. Yun Bai took advantage of this and punched Sung Ban in his face which was wide open and ready for a bruising. Yun Bai jumped on the stunned Sung Ban and began thrashing him. When Sung Ban finally regained his bearing, he found himself all bruised and beaten up, this quickly and efficiently ignited his rage. Yun Bai quickly ran away with this new-found power he had. Dashing through the halls and running along the corridor, twisting and turning, attempting to shake off Sung Ban. But he quickly found this power depleting which caused him to panic. Sung Ban soon caught up and grabbed Yun Bai from the back of his neck, raising him up high to his eye level. ¡°You little dwarf, cripple rat! You dare to harm this daddy, see if I won¡¯t kill you today!¡± Yelled Sung Ban. Yun Bai was spent, he couldn¡¯t move a muscle, much less retaliate against Sung Ban. He still didn¡¯t feel fear though, he felt anger, that same anger which was driving him beforehand. He began to feel the power reigniting in his body before it was quickly shut down by Sung Ban¡¯s pummeling. ¡°You know I could have killed you in the beginning, but I wanted you to think you had hope while you tried to escape before I showed you that there was never any hope, to begin with. Yun Bai, prepare for a fate worse than death!¡± Sung Ban smiled a creepy and sadistic smile as he quickly knocked out Yun Bai. That final smile truly made even Yun Bai worry for his fate. ¡®What is going to happen to me¡­.¡¯ Yun Bai thought as his consciousness began fading away. Little did he know that the final thing he would have wanted to know and would have wanted to happen was going to happen to him. A fate worse than death. -END OF CHAPTER Fear Clip! SNIP! Clip! Clip! Snap! The sounds of cutting, ripping, sawing, and breaking rang out throughout a dark cave somewhere deeply isolated from civilization. ¡°AHHH!¡± Yelled Yun Bai as he jolted awake. ¡°W-Wha..¡± Yun Bai found himself having issues speaking due to dehydration, and also the feeling of absolutely horrifying pain. ¡°Nhh,¡± Yun Bai moaned from the feeling of pain all over his entire body. He left his head up looking at the dark ceiling which seemed to represent the whole of his emotions. He continuously inhaled and exhaled while gritting his teeth, attempting to bear and push through the pain which was constantly assaulting him. After a couple minutes he gathered the energy to open his eyes fully and push his head up and look forward. He was surprised to find himself incapable of moving due to not only fatigue, but also being restricted by straps on all his limbs. Looking forward, he found a familiar silhouette through the darkness around him. ¡°S-Sung B-B-B-Ban!¡± Yun Bai half-whispered due to his lack of water and basic energy, maybe even the will to live at this point. ¡°Hmm?¡± Sung Ban hummed in a fearsome tone. Such a horrifying look with the cold aura along with the tone of his voice sent deep chills up Yun Bai¡¯s back. Fear began to come from deep within him, a feeling which he was never accustomed to. ¡°Wh-*Cough**Cough¡± Yun Bai¡¯s sentence was cut off by his profuse coughing which was most likely due to his parched throat. ¡°Oh? Thirsty are we now? Don¡¯t worry, we are friends, getting a drink for you is the of course the least that I could do,¡± Said Sung Ban as he got up slowly and made his way across to a table near them, which left Yun Bai wondering how he could even see enough to find his footing in such a dark room. Sung Ban quickly got a leather pouch which was used for holding liquid and brought it up to Yun Bai¡¯s face. He gave a confused look as he continuously shook the pouch in his hand, as if telling Yun Bai to grab it if he really wanted it. Yun Bai struggled against his binding as hard as he could, not even thinking about escaping this place, but only thinking about getting that water pouch in Sung Ban¡¯s hands. ¡°Ugh, so rude! If never wanted the water in the first place, then why ask me? God damn, and here I thought you were a nice guy! Turns out I was wrong huh?¡± Said Sung Ban, feigning ignorance as he played his cruel and childish games with the desperate Yun Bai. ¡°Wa-Water¡­.. ca-can¡­..¡¯t¡­¡­ re-reach..¡± Yun Bai stuttered out, taking a long time just to pronounce the simplest of words. ¡°Ah! Of course, how could I have been so stupid! I am so sorry ¡®Brother¡¯ Yun Bai! It really was my mistake. I should have thought more about the situation, oh my god!!¡± Sung Ban acted as if he was heavily affected by his ignorance, and constantly apologized, which only acted to elongate the time used before Yun Bai was capable of even drinking a drop of liquid. ¡°Here,¡± Sung Ban unscrewed the cap and brought the water towards Yun Bai¡¯s face before stopping inches before Yun Bai¡¯s mouth. ¡°Oh, I apologize brother Yun Bai, but now that I think about it, are you indirectly disrespecting me and my identity? We are friends so of course I can help you in times of need, but feeding and giving you water to drink directly with my hands just seems too degrading, don¡¯t you think? How about this, I will untie you because we are friends, and let you get the water yourself. Ok? Great!¡± Sung Ban said out loud quickly before Yun Bai could even reply to any question he asked. He silently put the pouch in his hands down before he slowly made his way over to Yun Bai, who was laid on a table, facing upwards. He began undoing the straps for Yun Bai¡¯s body before he stopped for a couple of seconds, thinking of something before smiling a creepy smile and continuing on with unstrapping Yun bai. Zip! Zip! Yun Bai was quickly and successively unstrapped from the table in which he was laid upon by Sung Ban who was pretending to be his benefactor and friend, when he was truly his most hated, and truly his worst enemy. ¡°Now, you can go get the water.¡± Said Sung Ban as he waved his hand towards the water, as if laying down a path for Yun Bai to tread upon to get his most ever valued water. Yun Bai gritted his teeth and began pushing his body, attempting to get up from the table in which he was laid upon. ¡°Grr, unnh, AHH!¡± Yun Bai made as many grunting sounds followed by pure, sheer will and effort. But he found himself helplessly exerting himself to no avail whatsoever. ¡®What the fuck, am I really gonna die here? Am I gonna die next to this fucking asshole! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOO! NOO! NOOO!¡¯ The white of Yun Bai¡¯s eyes became fully red as he was completely and utterly enraged. His rage, mixed with his desperation for living pushed him against more than just his limits, but the law of all the living. He, in fact, wasn¡¯t just tired and heavily mutilated and injured, he was also stuffed with as many paralyzing and sleep inducing drugs that Sung Ban could conjure from his sect and family. Even a relatively high-leveled cultivator would find It quite difficult to move under those circumstances.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Yun Bai slowly got up from his lying position to a straight sitting position on the table. Even with all his will and rage, this was the extent that he could move. But this itself was frightening enough, to the extent where Sung Ban almost soiled himself from fear. ¡®What the actual fuck! What is this little cripple rat?! Don¡¯t tell me that he is some demon! He obviously doesn¡¯t cultivate but the sheer power of his will and body is not that of a human! I am actually scared that if I don¡¯t kill him soon, then he will actually break from all limitations I put on him and kill me! But not yet, no¡­ I haven¡¯t shown this fucker what happens to those who offend me! I will and I must!¡¯ Thought Sung Ban. Yun Bai sat there for quite a while, just regathering any form of will or energy in his body to move yet again, but he found himself to be almost completely dried up from all forms of energy in both his soul and body. He was sitting there when he finally felt something in his body react to him, giving him a physical feeling, but this wasn¡¯t a good feeling, no, it was an itch. The itch was fine at first, just a casual one, then it turned into an annoying itch, like one from a mosquito bite all over his right arm, finally it became something more, much more¡­. it was a painful itch, an itch to the extent of it feeling like thousands of fire ands and biting bugs running all across his arm from the shoulder down to the tip of his fingers. ¡°Geh, AHHH!¡± Yelled Yun Bai as he summoned all the energy he could possibly to just make the basic movement of scratching his arm¡­.but he missed. So he repeated again, scraping together all his will and energy to raise his left hand and itch the right one, but¡­. he missed again. Yun Bai¡¯s face contorted as he raised his arm to touch his right arm, moving it around in the same place , yet¡­. He didn¡¯t feel anything! ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Yun Bai¡¯s tears threatened to fall as he profusely rubbed around the area of where his right arm was supposed to be located. Yet he couldn¡¯t find anything, he found nothing hanging on from his shoulder as he turned his neck and looked down. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Yun Bai screamed the loudest scream possible, which shouldn¡¯t have been possible mostly due to his lack of hydration. Sung Ban, noticing Yun Bai¡¯s expressions of fear, hatred, and pure unmasked agony created one of the biggest feelings of ecstasy he had ever felt before in his life. This very event could most likely change his interests completely, he felt himself that he could definitely enjoy being a sadist, yet he still felt shame thinking about not just his father¡¯s opinion, but his sect¡¯s opinions on the matter. For now he would definitely hide it though, and when he became strong and influential enough, then he wouldn¡¯t fear publicly announcing it and gathering civilians and doing the same to them, for who would be able to say anything? Even if he raped and slaughtered a man¡¯s wife and daughters in front of the man¡¯s very own eyes, the man wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything, nor would he if he still cherished his life enough to preserve it by persevering through his situation. Yun Bai couldn¡¯t hold his state of mind anymore as he broke down, tears falling down his face as he attempted to move his right arm. The scariest thing was that he could still feel it moving around and he could feel the cold air in the cave brushing on his lost arm¡¯s skin and he could feel his nonexistent fingers flexing and moving around. That exact feeling was what truly horrified him to the bone. ¡°Ahh, I am so sorry buddy. I completely forgot to tell you, your arm was, in fact, infected by disease which would have spread an killed you, so to save your life, we had to dismember it from your body. I understand that we didn¡¯t get consent, but it was truly for you and your wellbeing, from a certain perspective, you could even see us as your benefactors, the ones who saved you from death itself!¡± Said Sung Ban playfully, feigning kindness and thoughtfulness. Both parties knew all his speech was complete dogshit, but Yun Bai had no choice but to go along to preserve his life for as long as he could while he came up with an escape plan. Sung Ban clapped his hands together as he thought of an idea which would satiate his sadistic thirst for other¡¯s pain and agony. ¡°Ah, brother! I will get you the water as an apology, ok? So no hard feelings? Great!¡± Sung Ban yet again talked on and on without waiting for a reply from Yun Bai at all. He proceeded to make his way along and pick up the leather pouch filled with water and take it to Yun Bai. He put it on Yun Bai¡¯s lip before he pulled it back with a careful and surprised face. ¡°Brother, how could we be so careless? This water could have a bug in it!! Let me check for you brother! Let me check now!¡± Yelled Sung Ban as he began pouring the water on the floor in front of Yun Bai¡¯s very eyes. The precious water, which he needed more than anything right now, was being spilled on the floor as nothing more than waste being disposed. This feeling of having something right in front of you but yet being incapable of taking it and seizing it for yourself was killing Yun Bai. This form of torture surpassed any cutting and pulling apart, this mental torture was much, much worse. ¡°Pl-Please! Wa-wate..r¡± Yun Bai stuttered out with a rough voice which was clearly lacking the hydration and strength to remain loud and strong. ¡°Oh? Ok brother, this water is clear. There were thankfully no bugs! How about I get you some new water? Yeah? Ok! Be right back buddy! So don¡¯t you dare try to go away, otherwise that would be pretty heartless of you, don¡¯t you think?¡± Yun Bai clearly understood this as a warning that was trying to prevent him from escaping from this cave. Yun Bai lacked the energy to even move around, so how would he make his way all across this entire cave and leave to the outside. Even if he could somehow get through the cave and make it out, how would he live on the outside with no connections, a crippled body, and a missing arm. He was truly beginning to lose any hope for life and the tiny will to live he had began to fade and extinguish. -- ¡°Tell me, are you willing to help me take revenge for your father, or are you too scared to even think about revenge?¡± -- When all his hope began to die down and his will to live began to extinguish, he remembered old man Lun Lie¡¯s words which gave him the will to live again. ¡®I can¡¯t give up now, not ever! No matter what happens, I must persevere and see what fate has in store for me! I refuse to believe that the heavens have completely forsaken me, otherwise, why am I still alive while my father and all his friends are all dead? Why do I still have to suffer like this? Whether I like it or not, the great heavens have a plan for me, whether I die an early death or I begin to soar as a dragon amongst men, there is definitely a plan for me! So I must persevere and live my life out, waiting for my chance to live and to become strong enough to get revenge!¡¯ Thought Yun Bai before he heard a dreadful, fearsome voice reverberate throughout the cave. ¡°Ah, brother! I got the new water!¡± Said Sung Ban as he came running towards Yun Bai with a new pouch now. -END OF CHAPTER