Chapter 16: Burning with Rage

After hearing Chen Yu’s story, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“It seems our fates are beyond our control,” I lamented.

Chen Yu smiled faintly, her expression as enchanting as peach blossoms in spring, drawing one in irresistibly.
“I don’t think it’s so bad,” she said as she walked slowly. “In this era, with all the time-travel novels out there, the two of us have somehow crossed into another world and even happened upon each other by chance. Isn’t that a stroke of good fortune?”

This young girl could be so open-minded, yet why was I unable to let things go? Alas.

“Come on, Fei, let me show you around,” Chen Yu said.

“Where are we going?” I quickened my pace to keep up with her.

She offered to show me the construction of the martial arena. I forced a wry smile, certain that this privileged heiress must have come from a wealthy family—she probably had never seen anything as mundane as setting up a platform.

In the square, a dozen people were busily building the martial stage in preparation for the competition to be held in three days.

We were about to reach the square when a gorgeously dressed young man suddenly blocked my path.

“Where do you think you’re going? Our score hasn’t been settled yet,” he said mockingly.

“So, have you recovered from your injuries?” I retorted, refusing to back down.

“Teach him a lesson,” he ordered, and two burly men rushed at me. Gently pushing Chen Yu aside, I charged toward them. Before they could react, my foot connected with one of their faces, and with a graceful backflip, I landed and sneered, “Is this the best you can do? A bunch of pathetic fools. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you off. Now get lost!”

The young man was so furious he could barely speak, pointing at me in exasperation. “You… you…”

Ignoring him, I continued toward the martial stage with Chen Yu. As it was getting late, I took my leave and returned to an alley on the outskirts of Fenglan City. Chen Yu asked me to find her the next day, but I replied, “We’ll see about that tomorrow.”

“Li, where have you been? You were nowhere to be found all morning,” Lan Yue asked with a worried look.

“Nowhere special, just wandering around the city. By the way, there’s a martial competition in three days,” I answered as I shoveled rice into my mouth.

“A martial competition? Has another year passed already?” Lan Yue set down her chopsticks.

“Brother Yun Fei, are you going to take part?” Lan Tian asked.

“I’d like to give it a try,” I replied.

After eating, I decided to visit Iron Hammer to see if he was free to accompany me to the desert. Lan Yue insisted on coming along, so I had no choice but to comply. Iron Hammer wasn’t home, so Lan Yue and I headed into the city. I planned to visit a bookstore to see if there were any suitable cultivation manuals for me. “Wrath of the Thunder God, Intermediate Soul Refinement Technique”—yes, I’d take this one. Even though these were the lowest-grade martial arts, it was better than nothing.

Just as I stepped out of the bookstore, that persistent young man appeared again.

“Well, well, we meet again. Time to show you what happens when you cross me, Ye Cheng. Reno, teach him a lesson!” Ye Cheng barked. The man beside him, carrying a broadsword and named Reno, did not move—instead, he crossed his arms and stood his ground.

“Reno, did you hear me? Teach him a lesson!” Ye Cheng yelled at him.

“I heard you, Young Master,” Reno replied while picking at his ear, his tone utterly lacking in respect.

“Are you done yet? I’m really getting tired of this!” I snapped.

Reno cupped his fists toward me and said, “May I have your name, sir?”

I copied his gesture, “Li Yunfei.”

“Reno, my father ordered you to teach him a lesson—why are you wasting time? Get on with it!” Ye Cheng shouted.

With a sudden burst of movement, Reno appeared in front of me and punched at my chest. I twisted aside, dodging the blow. His knee shot toward my waist; I barely avoided it. Then, with a gust of wind, his foot lashed out—I could only raise my arms instinctively to block. The force of the kick made me stagger back five steps. Reno pressed his assault, sprinting at me. At a distance of three meters, he flipped through the air, both feet crashing down toward my head. I raised my arms to meet the blow; the impact was so powerful that my knees buckled, dropping me to the ground on one knee. As Reno withdrew his leg, he delivered a vicious kick to my chest, sending me sliding several meters along the ground.

At that moment, anger surged within me. Any man would feel his pride wounded after being beaten like this before a crowd. More and more onlookers gathered, but not a single one intervened. Clutching my chest, I stood up and clenched my fists, channeling my inner energy. A warm current flooded my fists, enveloped in a faint golden glow that grew ever brighter. With a roar, I struck out at my opponent. Reno sprang forward, much faster than me. Our fists collided; I staggered back three steps while Reno stumbled seven or eight steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth—he was clearly suffering internal injuries.

“Well done, kid. You win,” Reno said, wiping the blood from his lips.

“Young Master Ye, let’s go,” Reno said.

“You go first, I have things to take care of,” Ye Cheng replied.

After Reno left, I couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood. Seeing this, Ye Cheng grinned smugly. “Ha! Now that you’re injured, let’s see how I deal with you.” He strode toward me, overestimating himself. I dodged his attack and struck his chest with my palm, coughing up another mouthful of blood.

“Brother Li, are you all right? Stop fighting—please!” Lan Yue called out anxiously.

I forced a smile at Lan Yue. “I’m fine.” But as soon as I spoke, a wave of searing pain erupted in my abdomen—a bloodied dagger was lodged there, its owner, Ye Cheng, grinning triumphantly. Perhaps he thought I was as good as dead. But he was wrong. He had underestimated the resilience of a well-trained police officer. Even if I died, I’d take him down with me.

Utterly enraged, I seized him by the collar and rained blows upon his face, one after another. In that moment, I lost all sense of self—I forgot the pain, forgot the passage of time, and kept punching Ye Cheng’s face.

“Brother Li, Brother Li, wake up! You can’t die…” Lan Yue was sobbing uncontrollably.

“You promised to take me exploring in the desert. You can’t die.”

On the ground lay two men, and beside them a woman weeping like a child. Lan Yue gently lifted my body, step by step, making her way toward the edge of the crowd. Several times I wanted to tell her I wasn’t dead, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t even open my eyes—only a faint shred of consciousness remained.

On the outskirts of Fenglan City, a petite figure carried a man in her arms, her steps heavy and slow. She stumbled and fell, got up, fell again, and every time her tears fell onto my face, I longed to reach out and wipe them away, to tell her I was all right. But I couldn’t. Not a single passerby stopped to help. Her knees were scraped raw, blood dripping from her wide robe onto the streets of Fenglan City.