The next day, Jang Tang was sitting beside a table, his eyes fixed on the food neatly arranged before him. Each dish was placed with care, almost as if the meal itself were meant to display order and discipline. In front of him stood Gu Dan, gazing at Jang Tang with a smile filled with pride, his expression carrying the air of a man who believed he had conquered the world.
"You, why are you standing there? Sit down and have a bite." Jang Tang looked at Gu Dan and said calmly, though there was a trace of command in his tone.
However, the moment Gu Dan heard this, the confident smile on his face vanished like mist before the wind.
"No, Jang Tang, how can I do such a thing? You always eat alone. Why don't you enjoy your meal? I won't disturb you." As he spoke, Gu Dan turned around to leave, but before he could take another step, Jang Tang's voice stopped him.
"Wait… do you not take my words seriously anymore?"
"How could that be? It's just that I dare not disrespect you. Even though I call you by your name, I respect you a lot, you know that." Gu Dan said, his tone filled with reluctance, trying to reject the offer.
"I let you call me by my name because I value you more than others. Now sit down and eat. Otherwise, be ready to be the next one to taste your son's flesh." Jang Tang threatened coldly, his words dripping with menace.
"…Fine… I will get ready. You can enjoy your meal happily." Gu Dan lowered his head, turning again to leave.
"Are you that afraid of eating something given by an unknown cultivator? Are you even worthy of being called a cultivator?" Jang Tang's voice cut into him sharply.
"You aren't eating either…" Gu Dan replied with hesitation, his words soft and uncertain.
Jang Tang: "..."
Jang Tang thought: You aren't supposed to say that…
"For the last time, sit and eat, or I will cook you alive. Don't you love cooking so much? You even fed me your son's lung. Why don't I return the favor and make you eat your own flesh?" Jang Tang's tone turned frigid as his eyes pierced into Gu Dan with an icy, merciless gaze.
"…Fine…"
Gu Dan finally sat down, trembling with hesitation, and picked up a piece of the water hound meat he had cooked himself. With shaking hands, he placed it into his mouth.
The moment he took a bite, his eyes widened in shock. A proud, almost mad smile spread across his face, and from his expression, it looked as though he had fallen into a state of pure ecstasy.
Jang Tang, watching from across the table, narrowed his eyes and contemplated, "I am not foolish enough to eat something given by someone I don't even know. Who knows what kind of meat this hound carries within its flesh? I must first confirm it's safe before touching it."
"Good, it's extremely good! That man wasn't wrong. This is a delicacy unlike anything I've ever eaten. It feels like I've ascended straight to heaven." Gu Dan exclaimed with a wide grin, his voice brimming with delight.
"Oh? Is it really that good? Do you feel something? I mean, is anything strange happening to your body?" Jang Tang asked, his eyes sharp and watchful.
"No, nothing at all…" Gu Dan replied, shaking his head.
Bite after bite, Gu Dan continued eating until he devoured the entire piece of meat he had cooked. Jang Tang simply sat back, quietly examining him with calm detachment.
"Good, you can leave now." Jang Tang finally said, though inwardly he thought, I'll wait until nightfall and see if he suffers any consequences. He then continued speaking, "Also, I will eat this hound at night. Make sure it tastes good." Jang Tang ordered firmly.
…..
Yang Zhai had just finished killing a rank 3 Reign Elk. With ease, he stored the carcass away and departed from the scene.
"Today, I managed to hunt three Reign Elks. Even though this island is quite large, finding beasts is still difficult. Since the island is mostly dominated by the Reign Elks, other beasts rarely show themselves and spend most of their time hiding."
"It's about to be night soon…" he muttered, raising his head to the sky as it shifted into twilight. The moon had already emerged, faint yet steady, while the final rays of the sun kept the heavens in a fading hue of orange and white.
Suddenly, a memory buried deep within his heart surfaced.
"So, you're saying no fate exists? That every soul and every body is free to choose what they desire? But in the end, nature dominates us all… it wins every battle it fights against humanity. That we are simply not strong enough? That we are free, but not strong enough to go against the heavens? Nothing else?...So what? I will be the first to win against the heavens," a man's voice echoed.
He had long black hair streaked with white, cascading down his back like a waterfall until it touched his waist. His nose was straight, and he wore a flowing white hanfu with wide sleeves. His face carried the dignity of age, handsome yet mature, as though he had seen countless lifetimes. His presence radiated an aura that could only be described as immortal.
"Yang Zhai, it depends on you now. Decide. You were always my hidden trump card. They don't know you exist…" the man said solemnly.
"Zhi Yu, even if you manage to defeat the heavens, what about them? Can you defeat them? Forget about defeating them—even they themselves couldn't defeat the heavens," Yang Zhai replied with a heavy voice.
"That's why I need your help. Decide. Freedom is not something that can be achieved without giving up something in return." The man named Zhi Yu spoke with iron conviction.
"Ever since I uncovered the truth, I've been struck with despair. Shock beyond words. I see no hope after what I've discovered. We are too weak… even the Desert of Time may not be enough…" Yang Zhai said, his tone low and conflicted.
"Not only you, even I could hardly believe it. I, too, was shaken to my core after a long time. But still, we must do what must be done. I will give you the knowledge you require. We will bring change into existence." Zhi Yu's voice was firm, filled with determination.
"But…we will go insane!"
"So be it, if insanity is what it requires, then let's be mad. We will be mad. If change cannot exist without insanity, then let's be insane!" Zhi Yu said with a smile.
"Zhi Yu… you know what, you're right. Let's be insane. Let's bring change into existence." Yang Zhai answered with a faint but resolute smile.
"Yang Zhai, don't disappoint me." Zhi Yu said again with a smile, though he said this, but his smile said otherwise, as if he had confidence in Yang Zhai.
"Zhi Yu, don't worry. I will keep the change in check, while you keep the permanence in check." Yang Zhai replied, his lips curving into a matching smile.
…..
Night had already fallen. Yang Zhai now stood silently on the roof of Jang Tang's residence, his figure hidden beneath the shadows of the clouds.
"Let's begin," he muttered to himself.
Almost instantly, a rank 4 Reign Elk charged toward the residence, followed by a swarm of beasts.
"What's that?!" one guard shouted, his eyes widening in terror as the herd approached.
"Not good! Go and inform Master Jang Tang!" another guard yelled, tightening his grip as he braced himself for the fight.
The first guard nodded quickly and rushed inside to deliver the warning.
"Where did these beasts come from? They shouldn't have been able to breach the village unnoticed. How did they manage this?" the guard thought, shock flashing across his face.
Without further hesitation, he leapt into battle. Despite the overwhelming numbers, he did not falter, for the leader Reign Elk was only at rank 4—the same as him. Confidence steadied his resolve.
Moments later, Jang Tang himself ran out of the residence, his gaze locking onto the oncoming beasts. His pupils contracted sharply as he recognized the threat.
"You, gather the others immediately! I'll hold them off. There may be more lurking nearby!" he commanded.
Without delay, he threw himself into the fray, rushing to aid his companion who was already wounded, missing a hand from the fierce clash just now. He was not a body cultivator, but was forced into close range fights because the number was great.
Meanwhile, Yang Zhai jumped down silently from the rooftop, entering the house without a sound.
He began to search quickly, scanning the hall and rooms.
"As they told me, this residence belongs to the village leader. There's no way they would allow him to stay elsewhere before I leave this island. I should be able to find him somewhere here."
Step by step, he pressed deeper inside, determined to find the man he was looking for.
!|!*****!*****!|!