Old Lu stared at the ground, his head lowered, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
His body trembled—not from fear, but from rage.
Even so, he tried to remain composed.
After a moment, he slowly rose to his feet, his movements deliberate, strained. Lifting his head, he looked up at the man who had just attacked him with that wave of energy.
The man appeared utterly average—aside from his height.
Short black hair, and eyes as dark as pitch.
Anyone who looked at him would have assumed he was just another passerby.
"Damn it... he's at the False-Core Creation Realm... haaa… I don't have the strength for this."
Old Lu tried to calmly assess the situation, but exhaustion weighed on him.
"If only that brat… No. Calm down."
He drifted in thought, but his eyes never left the stranger.
'Tap'
"Huh?"
Before he could react, the man suddenly appeared beside him. Old Lu quickly turned, startled—
But the man merely stood there, still and silent.
Seeing that, Old Lu bowed his head once again and spoke.
"I don't know what offense we may have caused Senior… but I hope there's a way we can make amends."
His voice was calm, respectful.
A single drop of sweat slid down his brow, poised to fall at any moment.
Hearing those words, the boy's eyes flew open. He broke free from the guard's grasp and shouted,
"Make amends!? What are you babbling about, old man?! When my mother hears of this—she'll kill you!"
He jabbed a finger furiously toward the old cultivator—then swung it toward the black-eyed man.
"And you! Who the hell do you think you are?! If you don't kneel before me right now, I'll make you watch as I—ugh!"
Before he could finish his threat, the man casually raised his hand.
In an instant, the boy was yanked off the ground—
Suspended in midair, held aloft by a force that tightened around his throat.
"Young Master!"
Old Lu shouted, reaching out. But before he could take a step, the man turned toward him again—
And released another pulse of energy.
It struck Old Lu like a hammer.
He collapsed to his knees, coughing up a far greater amount of blood than before.
Gripping his chest, his face twisted with fury.
"Guards! Attack him! Now!" he bellowed, teeth clenched.
But before any of the guards could even draw their weapons—
The man's aura exploded outward, slamming into all of them like a wave.
One by one, they dropped to their knees, coughing blood.
"If I see you here again… I won't be so merciful."
His voice rang cold and clear—but this time, it carried unfiltered killing intent.
The weight of it crushed down on every soul present.
A palpable fear gripped each of them—
Especially the boy.
Old Lu, despite his condition, managed to withstand it somewhat…
But among the guards, only the captain stood firm, though even he trembled slightly.
The man slowly scanned the group, his gaze sharp and unrelenting.
Then, after several seconds, his eyes locked onto the boy.
"And you."
Just those two words were enough to shatter the boy's arrogance.
Panic surged through him, and with a whimper, he lost control of his body.
He wet himself.
Everyone saw.
But the boy didn't even notice—
All he could feel was unimaginable terror.
"Haaa… Seeing you in this state, I can't help but wonder…"
The man shook his head.
"How does a brat like you have the nerve to be so arrogant?"
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, the aura vanished.
The boy dropped to the ground, trembling violently in silence.
Old Lu took a deep breath, finally able to breathe freely again.
Turning on his heel, the man extended his hand.
Streams of energy flowed from his palm, surrounding the unconscious bodies of Evan and Vivian, gently lifting them toward him.
He glanced at the two for a moment, eyes half-closed.
"Don't ever return here."
This time, his voice carried no emotion—only finality.
And with that, he vanished without a trace.
The villagers, frozen in place, watched in stunned silence.
None dared to speak.
After a long pause, Old Lu slowly pushed himself up off the ground.
He looked down at the ring on his finger, channeled his Qi, and a set of glowing pills flew out.
Using his energy to hold them aloft, he guided one to his mouth.
The moment he swallowed it, a surge of energy flooded his body—
Not enough to fully recover, but just enough to stabilize his injuries.
Then, without delay, he walked over to the boy and lifted him up.
"Young Master, please."
He gently fed another pill into the boy's mouth.
The boy obeyed without resistance. As he bit down, the medicinal power spread through his body—
But no amount of energy could heal the wounds carved into his mind.
"Haaa…"
Old Lu let out a long sigh, lifting the trembling boy with Qi and gently placing him inside the carriage.
Then he looked over at the guards.
Seeing the state they were in, he shook his head and turned to the captain.
"Recover as quickly as possible. We're leaving immediately."
Without another word, he entered the carriage and shut the door.
""Damn it all,"" the captain thought grimly, surveying the injuries among his men.
"Move!"
And with that, the entire convoy finally began to move—
Leaving behind the village they had never even managed to enter.
......….
Traveling along the great road, three horse-drawn carriages slowly approached a vast gate. Four guards stood there, permitting other carriages and travelers to enter and exit the city. When they spotted the emblems on these carriages, they all bowed their heads in respectful acknowledgment.
Once the carriages passed through the gate, one of the sentries whispered,
"Did you see the Guards of the Wu family? …"
From his tone, it was clear no one expected what had just occurred.
"Seems like something's up," another guard added.
Their hushed conversation wasn't the only one—they'd all noticed the dreadful state of the Wu family guards.
…
The carriages continued into the city, the streets filled with people murmuring or laughing in surprise. Their reactions varied.
After a few minutes, the convoy reached a smaller set of gates guarded by two more sentries. The moment they saw the emblems, they snapped a salute.
The carriages rolled forward, entering the Wu family's territory. Almost immediately, a woman emerged from a large building some hundred meters away. Her dark hair, fair face, and elegant attire caught the eye—especially her penetrating gaze fixed on the arriving carriages.
The sight of her family's guards in such a battered state caused her expression to sharpen. In less than a second, she was beside the middle carriage. The guards bowed and said in unison,
"Lady!"
She demanded urgently, "What happened? Speak!" An aura flared around her. The guards trembled at her voice and power—until the carriage doors swung open.
A young man burst out in tears. She immediately embraced him, voice laced with concern.
"My child, what happened?!"
Behind him, Old Lu emerged, bowing deeply. She turned to him and shouted again,
"What happened… and who made my son cry?!"
Old Lu, shaken but steady, nodded and replied slowly,
"Milady… the Young Master was reckless…"
Hearing this, the boy snapped back fiercely,
"How dare you! …It's because you didn't stop me!"
The lady, still trying to piece things together, focused on her son. Her expression hardened toward Old Lu.
"We encountered a certain girl," Old Lu continued evenly, keeping his gaze lowered.
"She was extraordinary. Though she appeared no older than ten, she had cultivation in the Energy Gathering Realm [3]…"
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"The Young Master attempted to seize her by force… but… it didn't end well for us."
She roared, stroking her son's hair with one hand,
"Who did this?"
"It was a cultivator at the False-Core Formation Realm… probably her master," he answered softly, eyes still on the ground.
Her eyes widened, her aura disappeared completely. Then, pulling her son closer, she murmured in relief,
"Thank goodness you're safe, my little one."
Hearing this, the boy bristled and jerked away,
"Safe?! Mother, I wet myself out of fear—and the villagers saw! And you say I'm safe?!"
He stormed away toward the large building, his voice echoing across Wu territory.
Silent onlookers caught that last line.
The boy seethed in his mind:
""You'll regret this!""
His face burned with a mix of shame and anger as the memory of that moment replayed in his mind.
…
Standing in front of the house, Sophia awaited William's return. Soon he appeared, gently cradling unconscious Evan and Vivian, lifted by Qi. Seeing Evan's flushed cheek, Sophia rushed forward in alarm:
"What—what happened?!"
William's brow furrowed as he explained quietly,
"He's stabilized thanks to the rune… but he'll be unconscious for at least two more hours."
Sadness and guilt weighed in his voice.
Sophia's eyes filled with fear and worry, and she glanced down at Vivian, still suspended and unconscious.
"What about Vivian?" she asked softly.
William's expression darkened as he recalled the scene:
"They were both attacked by some brat… from a wealthy family…"
She knelt beside Evan, voice calm but concerned:
"Well… at least nothing too serious happened. Though I doubt they both weren't terrified…"
She looked again at her son, tears glistening in her gentle eyes.
"Let's take them home," she said softly.
William nodded and followed her, still cradling the two children in his Qi.
…
Half an hour later
Evan and Vivian remained asleep in his bed. Sophia sat nearby, watching them. Suddenly, Vivian's eyes fluttered open. She woke with a gasp, immediately noticing Sophia and the still-unconscious Evan. Tears welled in her eyes, and she began to sob.
Sophia scooped her up into a tight embrace.
Vivian cried softly, the horror of what she'd experienced still fresh in her heart.
She clung to Sophia, trembling as memories of the past moments overwhelmed her—a fear she vowed never to endure again.
"Shhh... shhh... it's alright, child... you're safe now, nothing can hurt you anymore," Sophia whispered gently as she stroked Vivian's hair. The girl still sobbed uncontrollably, tears pouring from her eyes without end.
"Auntie… they… they…" she tried to speak, but the words that escaped her mouth were soaked in fear—words so heavy with terror and sorrow that they barely made it past her lips, choked by the weight of her crying.
Suddenly, the door to the room burst open.
Two figures rushed inside—Vivian's parents.
The moment she saw them, the sound of their voices, the familiarity of their presence—it all shattered what little composure she had left. Vivian tore herself from Sophia's embrace and ran straight into their arms, crying out, "Mom! Dad!" Her eyes were swollen, tears streaming endlessly down her pale cheeks.
The man and woman froze for a second, their hearts breaking at the sight before them. Never—never in their lives had they seen their daughter in such a state.
"We're here now… it's okay… you're safe," the man said softly, his voice trembling as he pulled her into a desperate embrace, joined quickly by his wife.
In the shelter of their arms, held tight and close, Vivian finally gave in to the exhaustion that gripped her. Her small body trembled once more—and then she went limp, slipping into unconsciousness, overwhelmed and spent.
.
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I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you'll come back for more… Of course, don't forget to leave a small Power Stone as a gift… and maybe add it to the library as well.
Also, one more thing — the False-Core Creation Realm is a realm before Core Formation. It means that the cultivator is slowly condensing the core from liquid energy, but it's not fully condensed yet.
Oh, and in chapter 10, I made some changes to the description of the spiritual plants, so you might want to check that out.
That's all from me for today. I wish you a great day!