The sky was gradually brightening.
Master rose to his feet and said, "Brat, you can go down the mountain now and take care of your own matters."
Hearing this, Shi Kai's heart grew even more conflicted. He had been raised entirely by his master's hand, and the thought of parting left a bitter taste in his heart. Yet the deep hatred against his family's enemies could not be left unavenged.
"Don't be sad. These past ten years, everything I've taught you is what you will need. A fine sword is forged through grinding; the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from enduring the bitter cold. Right now, you are a sword still in its scabbard—yet the time has come for you to be drawn. Outside lies the stage where you will perform. I have spent ten years honing a single sword, and now my work is complete."
"Master, I understand your painstaking efforts," Shi Kai said, kneeling down as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Don't cry. My disciple is not allowed to shed tears. Always remember what I've told you—control your thoughts. I took you from evil into the Dao, so be mindful: if your heart turns evil, you will act with evil; if your heart turns good, you will act with good. As long as you keep control of yourself, it doesn't matter if you entered the Dao from the path of evil." Master turned his back.
The disciple understood: from the first day Master had taken him in, he had seen the malice in his heart. Thus, Master had chosen to guide him through the path of "entering the Dao from evil," making him train diligently. As long as he could conquer himself, there was nothing inherently wrong with being "evil." "Human nature is evil," Shi Kai said, holding back his tears.
"Heh, you've only grasped a small part of it. Go out into the world and find the rest of the answer yourself. If you wish to advance further, you'll need greater trials. Once you leave, you'll understand. All these years, you've grown under the nourishment of my unique secret medicine. Your skin and blood have already transformed, granting you an extraordinary healing ability—you'll come to understand its mystery in time. Also, I've made three pills using my secret recipe. Use them only in your most perilous moments. Understand?" Master tossed the pills toward him.
Shi Kai caught them all in one motion, examined them carefully, and said, "I understand." He then tucked the pills safely into his robe.
"I truly hope you understand," Master said with deep meaning.
Shi Kai's heart was overwhelmed with countless emotions as he recalled every moment of the past ten years. Was all this hardship truly just for revenge? He asked himself again and again—what was it that he truly sought? Why did Master's words always feel so difficult to comprehend?
Suddenly, Master burst out laughing and walked outside. Shi Kai quickly stood and followed.
"Perhaps you will understand soon enough," Master said with a laugh.
Shi Kai grew even more confused and asked shakily, "Master, where are you going?"
"Where else could I go? I've been here for eighty years, with Heaven, Earth, and all living things as my companions. Why would I need to go anywhere else? The question you should be asking is—where will you go?" Master turned around, hands clasped behind his back.
"All my martial skills come from you, Master. I know what I must do," Shi Kai said firmly. "And I will never forget your teachings."
Master laughed even louder and said, "Good. As long as you understand, that's enough. Pack your things and head down the mountain."
Shi Kai still stood motionless, unsure of what was running through his mind.
Master looked at him, then untied the thin cord that bound a lock of his white hair, letting it fall loose. The waist-length silver strands swayed gently in the wind.
Holding the ends of his hair in one hand, Master said thoughtfully, "Heaven and earth are merciless, turning all hair white; the human world is full of sentiment, yet time leaves only vicissitudes."
Shi Kai turned the words over and over in his heart, and suddenly a light flashed in his mind: only those with feelings could stand against the mercilessness of heaven and earth. No matter how harsh the path, the human world would always hold a way of compassion.
"When you truly understand, that will be the day you return… Heh, go." As soon as the words left his lips, Master's form dissolved into the wind.
Shi Kai immediately knelt to the ground, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
After ten years of arduous cultivation, he had set foot on the path from "no Dao" to "having Dao." Perhaps it would be a difficult road, but he would grit his teeth and walk it to the end. Maybe it was a road of no return—his fate.
Looking down at the scorpion pendant on his chest, Shi Kai stood, turned, and leapt into the forest. His reflexive speed was far beyond what it had been three years ago.
He was searching for the path he should walk, just as Master had said: Heaven and earth are merciless, but man is full of feeling. Though the words carried a hint of sorrow, perhaps this was simply life—humans grow through the process of facing difficulties and overcoming them.
At last, after ten years of cultivation, Shi Kai descended the mountain. His heart was filled with mixed emotions, yet when it came to revenge, he suddenly did not know where to begin. He thought of his deceased family—ten years had passed since he had paid his respects. A pang struck his heart, and he set out toward City A.
City A was over a thousand kilometers from Hubei Province. Penniless, Shi Kai stole a set of decent clothes from a nearby village to replace his worn ones, so that on his journey home no one would mistake him for a wild man.
Eager to test the results of his ten years of training, he chose to travel at night using qinggong, sprinting along the highway at high speed. Spotting a forest beside the road, he leapt into the trees, moving forward with agile, rebounding strides. He alternated between the road and the trees in this way.
"Hey, did you see that? Just now, a figure passed right by me—it seemed to jump into that forest over there!"
A driver rubbed his eyes and nudged his companion.
"Are you out of your mind? No one can outrun a car. You must have seen a ghost," the drowsy companion replied half-jokingly.
The driver's neck prickled at the word "ghost," and he instinctively stepped harder on the gas.
By the end of the night, Shi Kai had run nearly four hundred kilometers at full speed, his body soaked in sweat. At dawn, he rested briefly in a roadside tree—a habit he had formed during his years in Shennongjia. Without the company of the forest, he might not have been able to sleep at all. Thanks to Master's rigorous training, he now only needed three hours of sleep a day, and could even go three days without rest while still feeling fully energized.
During the day, Shi Kai walked slowly along the main roads like an ordinary traveler. Surrounded by streams of strangers in bustling cities, he felt uncomfortable, restless, and deeply out of place. Ten years of seclusion in the primeval forest had completely cut him off from the outside world. After living daily alongside fierce beasts, much of his humanity had faded. Fortunately, with Master's help, he had learned to control himself with powerful willpower—otherwise, he might have already gone on a killing spree.
Walking through the busy streets felt utterly alien to him. At night, he resumed running at high speed with qinggong. Having eaten nothing all day, his speed was slightly slower than the night before, but he still covered nearly four hundred kilometers. With just over two hundred kilometers left to City A, Shi Kai decided that during the day he would take secluded paths and use qinggong to close the distance more quickly.
By noon, Shi Kai had arrived in City A, where he had lived for twelve years. Ten years had passed, and everything had changed—people, events, and even the city itself. It was no longer the City A he had once known. At first, his memories were so blurred that he instinctively searched for the road "home," his heart growing heavier with sorrow.
After winding through several turns, he finally found his "home." It was the one place that had not changed in ten years. A wave of emotion struck him, and his heart trembled as he thought: Father, Mother, Sister… I'm back. I'm really back.
With this thought, Shi Kai quickened his steps and walked slowly toward the door. Just as he was about to push it open, his hand froze in mid-air. Slowly, he lowered it, turned around, and walked away. Looking back one last time, he knew this was no longer his home. His real home had been destroyed ten years ago.
In truth, after Shi Kai had fled ten years earlier, Li Minjun had turned all of City A upside down searching for him. Months of searching brought no results. Apart from helplessness, the only thing he could do was preserve Shi Tianqun's former home. Using his position, he bought the house, repainted it every year to maintain its original appearance, and kept the furnishings exactly as they had been. After ten years without a word from Shi Kai, Li Minjun had all but accepted that he was no longer alive. Preserving the house for Shi Tianqun had become his greatest responsibility in his remaining years.
Wandering aimlessly, Shi Kai eventually entered Wanshou Garden and slowly approached his family's graves. The tombstones were spotless, clearly maintained by someone regularly. Seeing the many half-burnt offerings—paper money, incense, and candles—before the graves, Shi Kai immediately thought of Li Minjun.
Shi Tianqun had been a commander in the Huaxia Military District, and every year Li Minjun would bring the entire garrison to pay their respects—though Shi Kai never knew this.
Shi Kai dropped heavily to his knees. His eyes welled with tears, but they did not fall—because Master had said his disciples were not allowed to cry.
Bowing to the gravestones, Shi Kai said, "Father, Mother, Sister… I'm back. I will avenge you." With that, he slammed a fist into the ground, as if pouring all his hatred into the earth. With a muffled boom, his fist sank into the cement floor, sending cracks and debris scattering around it.
Pulling his fist free, he said, "It is unfilial of me to have failed Father's wish. I have not become a soldier, nor entered a military academy. Instead, I have once again entered the Dao through the path of evil. But I will avenge you—please forgive me." Rising in anger, he turned and walked out of Wanshou Garden.
His mind a tangled mess, Shi Kai wandered the streets aimlessly. Looking at his hometown, now a stranger to him, he felt no attachment at all. Without realizing it, he ended up back at the doorway of his old home. Sitting down there, he thought perhaps the only thing he still had feelings for was this house—a place filled with twelve years of laughter, now only a memory.
"Move along, you filthy beggar! What are you doing squatting here? Do you know what place this is?" A young man's voice called from a short distance away, interrupting his thoughts.
Shi Kai had long wanted to vent his anger, and here was someone foolish enough to provoke him. In his mind, he could think of a hundred ways to kill the man painfully. He lifted his head and looked forward.
Before him stood a man in a crisp military uniform and cap, striding toward him aggressively. Seeing a soldier, Shi Kai thought of his father and lowered the hand he had been ready to strike with.
"Are you deaf? Get out of here! This is Commander Li's house—does a beggar like you belong here?" The soldier stepped forward and aimed a kick at the squatting Shi Kai.
Just then, a voice called from a nearby vehicle: "Stop!"
An elderly man in his sixties, dressed sharply in uniform, stepped down from the car. Shi Kai recognized him at once—it was Li Minjun, Shi Tianqun's closest friend and comrade-in-arms. Inside, Shi Kai felt as still as an untouched pond, showing no reaction as he remained where he was.
The young soldier froze upon hearing the command, then immediately stopped and saluted the commander.
"I told you to come check why someone was squatting here. Did I tell you to lay a hand on him? Go back and write me a report," Li Minjun said, his tone edged with anger.
The young soldier realized he had made a blunder—trying to curry favor but ending up in trouble. "Yes, Commander Li," he replied reluctantly.
Li Minjun looked at the squatting Shi Kai, clearly not recognizing him. Shaking his head, he said, "Young man, you have hands and feet and a strong body—why would you beg on the streets?" With that, he pulled three hundred yuan from his pocket and placed it on the ground.
"Don't stay here any longer. Take the money and go. This is the former home of a dear departed friend of mine, and outsiders are not allowed to disturb it," Li Minjun said slowly. With that, he got into the car with the young soldier.
A bitter smile crossed Shi Kai's face. Ten years had passed, and not only did Li Minjun fail to recognize him, but he also mistook him for a beggar and handed him three hundred yuan. What a joke. Was a man truly judged only by his appearance? Shi Kai glanced at the clothes he had taken from the village, touched his unkempt hair, and gave a wry laugh. Standing up, he stepped hard on the bills lying on the ground, then left the city that had brought him nothing but disappointment.
Shi Kai wandered aimlessly, not knowing how long he had walked. He hadn't eaten in days, but his strong will kept him moving. He had no idea how to find the murderers who had killed his family, nor where to even start looking.
After three days of drifting, Shi Kai arrived in a city unfamiliar even to himself. In the pitch-black night, he walked slowly along the main road, his shadow stretching long under the streetlights.
During those three days, he had run at night using qinggong, but penniless and starving, hunger gnawed at him constantly. Waves of exhaustion hit him again and again, but his ten years of cultivation and unyielding willpower kept him going.
Night deepened. Apart from the occasional rush of passing cars, there were few pedestrians left on the road. Sunshine Hospital was the largest in the city. Due to the heavy patient load, staff often worked overtime through the night. Every evening at 11:30 p.m. was the shift change for the night nurses.
At midnight, a nurse who had just finished her shift left the hospital and walked toward a nearby bus stop to wait for the last bus. It was late, and since the hospital was in a remote area, the stop was already empty.
Growing anxious as the bus failed to arrive, she began to fear she had missed the last one. Looking around for a taxi, she waited another fifteen minutes, her disappointment growing—apart from the streetlights, there was nothing in sight.
She recalled seeing news reports warning that this area was unsafe at night. Being far from the city center, police presence was scarce, and many criminal gangs targeted this place, knowing it was easy to escape afterward.
Her heart tightened. She told herself, I'll wait ten more minutes. If it doesn't come, I'll go back to the hospital.
Finally, a taxi approached. Spotting it from afar, she let out a sigh of relief. At last, I can go home, she thought.
The moment the taxi stopped, she stepped forward to ask the driver. Without warning, two men jumped out of the back seat and grabbed her, forcing her into the car. The nurse had barely registered what was happening before her mouth was covered and she was shoved inside. The car sped off.
"Heh-heh, dear lady, hand over all your cash and valuables," one of the thugs said with a sly grin.
From his tone, it was clear they were experienced—this was routine work for them.
The nurse, now realizing she had been abducted by robbers, could only let out muffled "mmm, mmm" sounds through the gag as her hands were pinned tightly, leaving her unable to move.
"Heh, if you won't hand it over yourself, I'll just help myself. Hah-hah!" the second thug laughed crudely.
As he spoke, he began groping her.
The nurse, unable to speak or resist, knew they were deliberately tormenting her. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.
"Boss, who would've thought we'd get such a treat tonight?" Thug Two said with a grin, running his hands over every inch of her body while addressing Thug One, who was holding her arms.
"Heh, we were just planning to hijack a taxi, but since we've got such a treat, we can't let it go to waste," said the driver, Thug Three, laughing loudly.
"Brothers, tonight let's enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Drive quickly to that grove over there—let's have our fun first before anything else," said Thug A, who was holding down the nurse's hands, as he began kissing her face.
Hearing their conversation, the nurse realized she was doomed. She frantically shook her head from side to side, trying to dodge Thug A's advances. Her tear-streaked face twisted in desperation as she struggled violently, muffled cries of "No... help..." escaping from her gagged mouth.
Suddenly, Thug B slapped her hard across the face. "Ungrateful wretch! Our boss kissing you is your good fortune. If you dare resist again, I'll rape you first and kill you afterward."
Upon hearing this, the nurse nearly fainted from terror. Her heart clenched in pain, and the fear that these beasts would truly carry out their threat made her struggle even harder.