--- RECAP ---
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged home..." one of the women couldn't help but smirk, her voice dripping with disdain.
--- RECAP CLOSE --
Xuan Yi savored the restaurant's choice wine, feeling satisfied and undisturbed. He was determined to enjoy the moment.
"I'm talking to you, trash..." The words of the girl, like a sudden thunderclap, shattered the serene atmosphere. Her voice was slightly raised as Xuan Yi ignored her previous words.
Xuan Yi, the epitome of composure, feigned surprise, his eyes meeting hers with a disarming smile.
"Oh, it's you. I almost didn't notice you. You're so quiet and insignificant. How do you manage to stay so invisible? Is it a special talent or just the result of you all being overly friendly with each other? Well, whatever it is, keep it up. You're doing a great job of being irrelevant." He gave her a thumbs up and took another sip of wine, making her angry and speechless.
He was no longer the fledgling novice, merely in the early stages of the energy gathering phase.
In just a few months,he had transcended his former self, growing by leaps and bounds, his potential now limitless.
They were all taken aback by Xuan Yi's response.
"I see you grew a spine, " one of the boys sneered as he held his gaze on Xuan Yi. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing in a pretense of investigation, as he pointed a finger towards Tian Wei. "Tell me, is it the taste of his succulent meat that has emboldened you, or have you simply forgotten your place, cousin?"
Xuan Yi scoffed, a wry smile playing upon his lips.
"I don't know which it is that I am flattered by, that you are shipping me with an immortal, or that you now call me cousin. I didn't think you were capable of learning family vocabulary."
"Immortal! Hahaha, you have grown a sense of humor," laughter erupted from the youth as he mocked the idea that Tian Wei could possibly be an immortal.
The other three companions joined in, their mirth an unsettling chorus. It was as if they found the situation to be an uproariously amusing joke, a spectacle that only they could fully appreciate..
"Either way, I have embarked on a long and arduous journey, and my ears can no longer bear the weight of your ceaseless yapping. My eyes, weary and strained, can no longer endure the sight of your presence. I would have gladly offered a cordial greeting or even a humble bow, but alas, I fear the tale that would spread throughout the town if it were to be whispered that a prince had stooped to bow before a pack of dogs."
"Xuan Yi!" the boy snarled, his teeth grinding together with a force that threatened to shatter them. The air crackled with an electric tension as his chi, like a raging tempest, surged forth, a torrent of pent-up fury waiting to be unleashed.
"If there is nothing further, Lan Ren, you are dismissed.," Xuan Yi declared. Without bothering to lift his gaze, he casually waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, that carried with it a gentle breeze that whispered through the air, accompanied by wisps of chi that shimmered with a greenish light.
As Tse Tse lunged at Xuan Yi with a surge of chi and unstoppable momentum, he collided with the unexpected breeze barrier. It was as solid as a rock.
The force of Xuan Yi's chi wisps and breeze crashed into him, leaving nothing but an iron taste in his mouth.
His chest heaved reflexively, and a crimson fluid was violently expelled, first from his lungs and through his nose, then from his gut and out of his mouth.
Painfully, he crashed and tumbled un to the lower floor, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake as several tables shattered beneath his weight.
The collective astonishment that washed over Tse Tse, Lan Ren, and the others was palpable.
They didn't know what surprised them more. That Xuan Yi had indeed broken through into the revered Tempered Veins phase, as the rumors had suggested, or the shock of witnessing him daringly fight back at them, and even inflicting injury upon Tse Tse.
"You may be in the fourth cycle, but your peers have already surpassed you, reaching the realm of Tempered Bones," Lan Ren retorted with a blend of disbelief and defiance. "Do not delude yourself into thinking that you have made significant progress or that you deserve any respect, especially when the entire sect and clan have poured their resources into your cultivation."
After savoring the final remnants of wine, Tian Wei delicately placed his cup upon the table. As the jade rim of the cup met the polished wood, it resonated with a tap and a clang that reverberated through the air, unleashing a potent wave of force that filled the entire restaurant.
Lan Ren and the other two were instantly crushed to their knees, powerless against the unyielding gravitational pull that swept through the restaurant.
"It's so noisy. I thought this was supposed to be a quiet place to enjoy a nice meal and some respite for our troubles in our journey. But a person can't even drink wine in peace, but be burdened by incessant chattering." Tian Wei remarked, his voice a little above a whisper, as he surveyed the scene with a quiet intensity.
He gazed at Xuan Yi across the table, who returned his smile. It seemed that Xuan Yi's character was beginning to rub off on him.
The once serene hall had descended into disarray. A quiet frenzy swept through the room as those who lacked strength desperately struggled to free themselves from the oppressive gravity that pinned them to the floor, while those that managed to bear their new weight stumbled out of the restaurant.
All eyes were drawn to the upper floor, where the private booth, from which Tse Tse had been flung, stood.
Some among the crowd were all too familiar with Xuan Yi's reputation as a troublemaker and the young master of the esteemed Xuan Clan. However, the identity of the other person accompanying him remained a mystery.
At the farthest booth on the opposite end, sat a girl adorned in a flowing white silk gown, adorned with delicate emerald floral patterns. She was engrossed in her artistic pursuits.
Not once did she lift her gaze, her focus consumed by the dance of brush and ink upon the canvas.
[Hi đź‘‹,
Been going through some stuff lately, and I skipped a few days. I'll make up for those chapters next week by releasing more.]