Meanwhile, at the Fu Family residence…
BANG!
"What?!"
An angry roar shook the entire hall.
Fu Yancheng stood silently before his father, his head slightly lowered. The swelling on his face had already reduced after taking a healing pill, but faint traces of the injury remained.
His father stared at him with undisguised disappointment.
"You allowed that trash to hit you?"
Fu Yancheng clenched his fists.
"Father, I—"
"Silence!"
His father's furious voice cut him off.
"You are an Inner Sect disciple of the Heavenly Lightning Saber Sect! You possess cultivation at the Eighth Level of the Origin Realm, yet you allowed a boy who has been stuck at the Second Level of the Spirit Realm for years to punch you in front of an entire inn?"
Fu Yancheng's expression became increasingly ugly.
He wanted to explain that Su Yang's movements had been strangely fast.
He wanted to explain that the entire situation had caught him by surprise.
He had underestimated Su Yang so completely that he had never expected the boy to retaliate.
But what excuse could erase the humiliation?
None.
His father's expression darkened further.
"Where are you going to put your face now?"
Fu Yancheng remained silent.
"Forget your face. What about the Fu Family's face?"
His father's palm struck the table beside him.
BANG!
The wooden table cracked.
"And how do you think the Yi Family will react when they hear about this?"
Fu Yancheng's eyes flickered.
His father continued coldly.
"The engagement has barely been arranged, yet their future son-in-law has already become a laughingstock!"
Every word struck Fu Yancheng's pride like a hammer.
And with every scolding—
His hatred toward Su Yang deepened.
Su Yang…
Fu Yancheng's fists tightened until his fingernails dug into his palms.
In his mind, none of this would have happened without him.
Yi Luwei's rejection.
Her humiliation of him in the garden.
Her obvious affection toward Su Yang.
The punch at the inn.
And now—
His father's disappointment.
Everything seemed to lead back to the same person.
Su Yang!
His father's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"I don't understand how you could allow this to happen."
"Father."
Fu Yancheng finally raised his head.
His eyes were cold.
"I'll deal with him."
His father stared at him.
Fu Yancheng continued, "I'll make sure everyone who witnessed what happened at the inn understands that it was nothing more than a moment of carelessness."
He paused.
"And I'll make Su Yang regret ever raising his hand against me."
His father narrowed his eyes.
For several moments, silence filled the hall.
Then he spoke.
"You will do no such thing."
Fu Yancheng froze.
"Father?"
"You heard me."
His father stood.
"You're angry. Humiliated. If you confront that boy now, everyone will say a powerful Inner Sect disciple at the Eighth Level of the Origin Realm couldn't tolerate being struck once by a Spirit Realm junior."
Fu Yancheng's face darkened.
"But—"
"And if you seriously injure or kill him now, what do you think people will say?"
His father looked at him coldly.
"That Fu Yancheng needed his cultivation advantage to regain the face he lost?"
Fu Yancheng fell silent.
His father walked past him.
"Sometimes, immediately crushing an ant only proves that the ant managed to irritate you."
He stopped beside his son.
"If you're going to take revenge, use your head."
Fu Yancheng slowly raised his eyes.
His father continued.
"Besides, I have matters to attend to. You have already remained away from the sect long enough."
He adjusted his robes.
"Return to the Heavenly Lightning Saber Sect."
Fu Yancheng frowned.
"So soon?"
"Immediately."
"But the engagement—"
"Has already been settled between the families. Your presence here changes nothing."
His father walked toward the door.
"Return to the sect. Focus on your cultivation and prepare for the upcoming disciple admission examination."
Fu Yancheng's eyes suddenly flickered.
"The admission examination…"
"Yes."
His father glanced backward.
"Many talented youngsters will be coming this year. As an Inner Sect disciple, you cannot afford to embarrass me again."
Those final words made Fu Yancheng's expression stiffen.
Without waiting for a response, his father left the hall.
The doors closed.
Silence descended.
Fu Yancheng remained standing alone.
For several moments, he did not move.
Then—
BANG!
His fist smashed into the nearby wall.
Cracks spread across it.
"Su Yang…"
His voice was filled with hatred.
Images of the past few days flashed through his mind.
Yi Luwei placing herself protectively in front of Su Yang.
You can never compare to my Su Yang!
Her words echoed through his mind.
Then came the inn.
Su Yang catching his fist.
The stunned expressions of everyone around them.
And finally—
Don't touch me with your dirty hands again.
Fu Yancheng's face twisted.
"I'll make you regret those words."
However, his father's warning had not fallen on deaf ears.
He would not recklessly attack Su Yang.
Not yet.
Simply beating him would accomplish nothing.
Su Yang had humiliated him publicly.
Therefore, his downfall also needed to be public.
Fu Yancheng slowly began pacing around the hall.
Then he remembered something.
The upcoming talent test.
The disciple admission examination.
A strange light flashed through his eyes.
The Heavenly Lightning Saber Sect was Su Yang's dream sect.
Almost everyone in town knew that.
What if Su Yang decided to participate?
Fu Yancheng stopped walking.
A sinister smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Interesting…"
If Su Yang came to the Heavenly Lightning Saber Sect seeking admission, then things would be different.
That would be his territory.
His father was a Vice Sect Master.
He himself was an Inner Sect disciple.
He had senior brothers, junior brothers, followers, and connections throughout the sect.
There would be countless ways to deal with a mere Su Yang.
And perhaps…
He would not even need to personally raise a finger.
Fu Yancheng's smile widened.
"There's no need to rush."
He turned toward the window.
"Come to the Heavenly Lightning Saber Sect, Su Yang."
His eyes gleamed with malice.
"Come willingly."
He imagined Su Yang standing before thousands of cultivators during the admission examination.
Mocked.
Humiliated.
Crushed.
And finally, thrown away like the trash everyone believed him to be.
Only then would Fu Yancheng regain the face he had lost.
Only then would Yi Luwei understand the difference between them.
Fu Yancheng turned and headed toward his room to prepare for his return to the sect.
For the first time since leaving the inn, his anger had calmed.
But the hatred had not disappeared.
It had simply become more patient.
More calculating.
And far more dangerous.
Su Yang…
This is only the beginning.