The palace walls were quiet save for the chatter that escaped the central room where the guests sat.
The wind blew north of the palace, carrying the voices and the laughter along the corridors.
Li Wei could hear them clearly from his quarters, and every sound made a turmoil in his head, giving him an unending throb behind his skull.
The central room was humming with noise, and soft piano music in the background. A significant addition to the event his brother was having during the late hours of the night.
Li Wei had no interest partaking in a gathering that would rather mock his existence than appreciate his hard work.
After all, all they ever saw him as was the illegitimate son of the Emperor, born from a concubine he had no interest in but decided to sleep with for the pleasure of it.
His mother had died after he was born, holding the honour of bearing a child for the Emperor, a son for that matter.
The Emperor considered the fact that he was a boy and kept him within the quarters as a reminder for a reason he still didn't know.
That was the only reason Li Wei still stood alive, within the palace walls. If he had been born a girl, only the heavens know what his life would have turned into.
'Tsk!' he rose from his bed, taking a sitting position on the edge of the bed.
His boredom had reached its limit, and he got tired of sitting alone in his room. His room looked tattared and unkept, hardly anyone came in here.
Even his assigned maidens and servants had forsaken him, leaving him to take care of his needs without caring about his survival.
They cared little about how he did and didn't hide that fact. No one bothered to know whether he ate, or if he was alive. His only role was to come out during events as one of the royal sons of the Emperor then return to his chambers afterwards.
His days in the palace were nothing more than that of a servant. He worked for his siblings in secret but in public gatherings they pretended to treat him as an equal before their father.
After years of noticing how they treated him separately from his siblings at such a young age, he realized his duties without being told.
He took his well-being into consideration since he was little while his step brother, Jaiden was treated like a golden egg from a young age.
He had been born from a royal, untainted bloodline after all. So everyone treated him specially compared to Li Wei, who received harsh treatment even from the palace servants.
He could almost not tell the difference between him and a palace servant. If not for the fact that no matter what anyone said, he still carried royal blood in his veins then everyone would have definitely planned an assault on his life.
For that reason he avoided anything that would lead to a thought like that from everyone. He obeyed diligently like a doll, avoided insults and kept his cool by avoiding them when he could.
Hearing the footsteps of the guards, he halted and waited for them to stroll by. His corridors were one no one stepped foot through, so he was always guaranteed his personal space.
Once he noticed they had left the surroundings, he swiftly went by the corners of the wall until he reached the door leading to a secret training courtyard.
He overheard the chatter between the guests and the nobles at Jaiden's party, the faint light escaping the slightly opened door to the central room.
He gritted his teeth and turned his gaze away from the door. He eased the tension in his veins then continued moving closer to the door.
He glanced around, making sure no one saw him before nudging the door gently and pushing it open faintly before sliding through the open space as quickly as he could.
He went down the corridor, moving through the rear of the castle to avoid being seen by anyone.
He kept his identity hidden at all times, hardly anyone knew he even still existed unless there was an event he had to attend, then he was prompted to show himself in front of everyone.
Even then, he still kept his presence hidden from everyone. Just to make sure his life was without problems, he did all he could and fed off where he could.
No one in the palace even knew how he survived all this while without their support, their faces were always filled without surprised expressions anytime he came out of his quarters.
He enjoyed every bit of it whenever he left them speechless with his actions but nothing he did ever led any of them into believing in his existence.
Coupled with the fact that he was an illegitimate son of the Emperor, he awakened a weak, almost common Cultivation: Toxic Cultivation.
That alone increased the detest people had for him, even the Emperor kept him low because of it.
Everyone saw the cultivation as insignificant and worthless to someone of his valor. Someone with his background was expected to awaken something more…. Violent, fear gripping and out of this world.
He arrived at the courtyard, where it was only him, and his surroundings. The peace and quiet feeling he felt anytime he stumbled upon this place kept his cool.
This was where he could train without being insulted or dragged through the mud. This was his peace mark, where he could let out his emotions without the fear of someone mocking him.
He grinned at the thought and sprinted forward, taking a lap round the courtyard to satisfy his sudden adrenaline rise.
He picked up a stick for his training, and took a deep breath. With his right hand holding the stick tightly, he navigated his left hand around him.
Little green gases escaped the top of his fingers, covering the air in a nasty smoke screen. It was his toxin, so he was bound to be immune to it.
Though his toxins were so weak, they couldn't even harm a fly but he trained anyway. Without the fear of anyone mocking him, he came here every few days to master his cultivation in secret.
He didn't wait for anyone to summon a teacher for him, because he had already realized they wouldn't. If it was anything that was of benefit to him, they would rather sacrifice their balls than to provide him with it!.
He kicked his leg into the air, creating a pressure that blew off poison gas from his feet.
He froze mid kick when he heard footsteps drawing closer. They were slow and carefree, yet undeniable.