"W-what is this eyes?" Xiao Ke thought, his heart hammering. "Why... why can't I move?"
Yoriichi just looked at him, waiting to see if the mosquito would bite.
Before Xiao Ke could retreat or escalate, a blur of red motion flashed in the periphery.
"HEY!"
BAM!
A fist, wrapped in red leather, slammed into Xiao Ke's jaw.
It wasn't a warning tap. It was a full-force punch powered by the anger of a protective older sister.
Xiao Ke went flying. He spun in the air and crashed into the dirt five meters away, spitting out blood and a tooth.
The other two cronies shrieked, stumbling back.
Standing between them and Yoriichi was Xiao Yu. Her long legs were planted in a combat stance, her fists clenched, and her beautiful face twisted in absolute fury.
"You bastards!" Xiao Yu roared, her ponytail whipping in the wind. "You have the guts to bully him?"
She didn't wait for an answer. She stepped forward, her long leg lashing out like a whip.
Thwack!
She kicked the second boy in the stomach, folding him like a cheap chair. He collapsed, wheezing.
The third boy turned to run, but Xiao Yu was faster. She grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the pile of his groaning friends.
"You used to eat his food!" Xiao Yu screamed, pointing a trembling finger at them. "You used to beg for his coins! And now you curse him? If I see you near him again, I will break your legs! Scram!"
The three bullies didn't need to be told twice. Terrified by the "Xiao Clan's Demoness," they scrambled to their feet, clutching their stomachs and jaws, and ran away, crying in fear.
The entire training ground had gone silent. Every disciple was staring.
Xiao Yu stood there, heaving, her chest rising and falling with rage.
"Ungrateful... spineless..." she muttered, brushing her hair back aggressively. "Just wait. I'll make their training hell next week."
She turned around to check on Yoriichi, expecting to see him upset or embarrassed.
Instead, Yoriichi was looking at her with a gentle, almost grandfatherly expression.
He reached out.
He placed his hand on top of her head.
"Calm down, Big Sister," he said softly, patting her hair.
Xiao Yu froze. Her face flushed red—half from anger, half from the sudden intimacy. The dynamic was all wrong. She was the protector! She was the older sister!
She slapped his hand away, pouting furiously.
"Why didn't you do something?!" she demanded, stomping her foot. "You just stood there! Do you want to hide behind me always? I can't be everywhere, you idiot!"
Yoriichi smiled—a rare, small curve of his lips that actually reached his eyes. There was humor there.
"Sure," he replied effortlessly. "If you want. I don't have any problem hiding behind you."
"You...!" Xiao Yu choked on her words. She wanted to scold him for having no pride, but his calmness was disarming. "You have thick skin! Shameless!"
She huffed, crossing her arms and looking away. But then, her eyes caught something.
She leaned in closer to his face.
"Wait."
She reached out and pinched a strand of hair near his temple.
Yoriichi blinked. "What is it?"
"Why is there a red mark?" Xiao Yu asked, her eyebrows furrowing. She pulled the strand straight.
The tip of Yoriichi's black hair had turned a deep, dark red—the color of drying blood or a setting sun. It wasn't just one strand; several tips were changing color.
"Is your hair changing color?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously. "Did you dye it to look cool?"
Yoriichi was internally surprised.
"My hair?"
He hadn't looked in a mirror today. He quickly searched his memories. In his previous life, as he mastered Sun Breathing, his hair had naturally possessed this reddish hue from birth
"It can be the Sun Breathing," he realized. "The Dou Qi circulation last night... Is it altering my biology to match the technique? Does that mean if I continue, I will eventually look exactly like my old self?"
He kept his face neutral.
"Oh?" Yoriichi tilted his head. "Don't you find it interesting? I thought maybe it would look good on me."
Xiao Yu rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful.
"As usual, praising yourself," she whispered, loud enough for him to hear.
She rubbed the red strand between her fingers. The color didn't rub off.
"The paint is sure strong," she muttered, assuming he had used some high-quality dye to reinvent his image. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don't do any more strange experiments. You look like a delinquent."
Yoriichi didn't correct her. "Don't worry. It's okay. I know how to tackle it."
"Sure, sure," Xiao Yu sighed, letting go of his hair.
Her gaze then drifted down, landing on his hands wrapped in white clothes.
"Your hands," she asked, her voice dropping to a concerned whisper. "Why are they bandaged? Did you hurt yourself falling down earlier?"
Yoriichi glanced at his concealed knuckles. He didn't blink. "No. Just some trembling from the weakness earlier. I wrapped them for support to keep the joints steady."
"Are you sure?" Xiao Yu pressed, leaning in to search his eyes for any sign of pain. "You aren't hiding anything?"
Yoriichi met her gaze with absolute confidence, his expression as calm and unshakeable as a still lake. "I assure you, Big Sister. I am fine. It is just a precaution."
Seeing that familiar, stoic face devoid of any deception or pain, she exhaled, choosing to let it go. "Okay. Just don't overdo it."
She checked the sun. "I need to get back. These dummies won't train themselves. If you want, you can join in."
Yoriichi shook his head. "I will in another day. I have an errand."
"Errand?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow but didn't press. "Okay. Bye. And take care! Don't let anyone else touch you!"
"I won't," Yoriichi promised.
Xiao Yu hummed, turned on her heel, and marched back to the trembling disciples with renewed, terrifying energy.
"ALRIGHT! BREAK IS OVER! TEN LAPS! NOW!"
Yoriichi watched her go, his lips curving slightly again.
"She is a good storm," he thought fondly.
He adjusted his robe, nodded to himself, and turned away from the training ground.
He began to navigate toward the eastern sector of the compound. He had to ask a passing gardener for directions twice, earning confused looks ("Xiao Ning doesn't know where the library is?"), but he eventually found it.
It stood at the quietest corner of the clan estate.
The Xiao Clan Archives.
It wasn't the guarded Dou Qi Pavilion where the secret techniques were kept. This was a larger, older building made of dark wood and gray stone, smelling of dust and age. It housed the history, geography, theory, and general knowledge of the continent.
Yoriichi stood at the entrance, looking up at the imposing structure.
"Knowledge," Yoriichi thought, stepping onto the stone stairs. "The weapon that does not break."
He pushed the heavy doors open.
"Now then," he whispered to the silence within. "Information gathering started."