Xue Weifeng beamed proudly when the Sacred Stone projected blinding rays of light. Her adopted son stood in front of the stone and yielded such a strong reaction without touching the rock. She faces a group of young cultivators who had to pause their sword practice to make space for the usage of the stone. "My son is a prodigy! Look, students, he should be your role model. I'm so happy."
The young cultivators yawned impatiently. They always hear Xue Weifeng gushing about her golden son while their only goal was to learn. At this moment she is taking away their precious time by clearing the training grounds. Her son proves himself to be powerful, bragging about the bright light. If the young people were not forced by their parents to become disciples of the Xue family, a few swords would be pointed at Xue Liang.
"Come," Xue Xian Tou beckoned Wu Yong to the stone with a smirk. The man with grey hair is confident that Wu Yong will fail miserably. "I know the stone will not react to you but my brother said I should see. You not being able to feel pain is odd, we would not want you to stay this way forever. Come touch the stone and prove us all right."
Wu Yong balled his hands into fists. He has no idea if the stone could detect power that he did not cultivate himself or worse, if it could show he possesses demonic essence. Wu Yong had convinced himself that he is the new Demon King but standing in front of the Sacred Stone made him feel much less than a king. He felt like a useless person who cheated to become a cultivator. Even if the former Demon King wished him to gain this power, it is not his.
More than two dozen pairs of eyes are watching him and a contagious fit of laughter went around. Wu Yong had his hand on the stone but the stone did not light up in the slightest. He failed to use his powers to make the stone react. He quickly pulled his hand away and hid his face out of shame. He was being called a weakling once again.
"I thought something would happen. It is such a relief for the Xue family when they disowned his weak loon and adopted the young master." Jian Rui De* snickered loudly. He is the third son of the Jian family in Nilong. It is said he came to the Xue household after he lost a bet with his father. In reality, old Jian wanted his third son gone because of his sharp tongue.
"Rui De, you should not insult him so much. He might cry like a baby!" Xue Liang put an arm over Wu Yong. He and the other cultivators burst out laughing. Many shook their heads at how inferior Wu Yong was. As the disowned son of the phoenix couple he should not be this weak! The Xue family would be damaging their reputation if they let such a defective offspring run around.
After enduring much insults and criticisms Wu Yong had enough. He was about to take off when the Sacred Stone burst into blinding flames. His hand print glowed in the center, shocking everyone present. What is this odd situation? The stone had shone as bright as the sun and it was dark as the night sky but it never burst into flames. The spectacle was breathtaking and strange.
"Master Xue, I believe the stone malfunctioned. It is not possible it would burn for this lunatic." Bu Xin* said with his nasally voice. He was kicked out of his home after he questioned the death of his sister. He did not believe she simply died during childbirth and he set off to the Xue Sect as soon as he gained freedom. To this day he is still investigating his brother in law and father, suspecting them of foul play.
"Yes, it must have." Xue Xian Tou murmured softly. He had seen thousands of cultivators use the stone and never did the rock become a bonfire. It was not possible even if one uses dragon fire* to ignite the Sacred Stone. "Does a Sacred Stone stop working so suddenly?"
Wu Yong places his hands on the stone once the fire died down. The whispers erupted right after his palm made content with the stone. He puts on a pouting face, "Why must you all be in denial? I will tell you that I found a way to cultivate overnight and this stone proved it. Is my power such a devastating blow to the pride of the Xue Sect?"
The stone is covered in flames once again, licking his fingers and palm. Wu Yong stood with his hands engulfed in fire without batting an eyelid. Surely, he had lost all of his brains by now. Xue Weifeng, Xue Xian Tou and Xue Liang are red faced. They struggled to find the right words to refute the Sacred Stone. No one could explain why the stone reacted this way.
The stone trembled under his palm, startling Wu Yong once again. The fire disappeared and the stone looked like any other rock. There is no sign of a fire coming from the Sacred Stone. Wu Yong takes his hand off the Sacred Stone, gasping when he sees the stone is cracked. He looked up, "I didn't do It!"
"Let me see what you did or didn't do," Xue Xian Tou growled angrily. He shoved Wu Yong to the side, ignoring the man when he toppled over a rack of swords. Xue Xian Tou ran his hands over the rock. His eyes land on the medium sized crack and his rage increased. Wu Yong truly is the master of destruction in his eyes. "Wu Yong! If this stone does not return to its original form in three months I will send you to study in the Demon Sect!"
"He really angered Master Xue today. I'm a demon but studying in the Demon Sect is brutal. Will Wu Yong be able to get past a single lesson?" Mian Biaoqing* pitied Wu Yong, not considering the fact that the stone could heal itself. The only demon student in the sect was always reserved. She kept to herself most of the time but when she opens her mouth, it is to say something important. "I left the schools because you will get at least ten fresh wounds a day from practices."
"I do not care about him but I doubt he could fix the Sacred Stone or live in Demon Sect." Bu Xin shook his head solemnly. Half of the students took this event as an opportunity to rest in their rooms and scurry away in groups. Bu Xin wanted to say one last thing before leaving, "Even if he cultivated this much power overnight he is still a blubbering baby."
Wu Yong fixed the rack of swords he fell on top of. He was planning to leave the training grounds but the three Xue people pulled him back in. Wu Yong exhaled a long breath. He turned and came face to face with Xue Xian Tou. He could not hide his shock which motivated the Xue family. "Why do you like to join forces and belittle me? Do not look at me like I did something wrong! Let me go, I proved that the stone would react."
"It is not possible!" Xue Weifeng shouted, spittle flying from her mouth. Her face creases in different spots as she looks at Wu Yong with distaste. "You've been powerless for your whole life! You, you must have played a trick or done something degrading such as utilizing the dark arts. I do not know why the Sacred Stone burned but I do not need to guess you did something. The stone actually reacted to you."
Wu Yong hissed when she slaps him hard on the face. She hit him so hard his head whipped to the right even when her husband is holding him by the nape. Wu Yong could not understand where their strong feelings came from. He assumed they saw the stone change under his touch and this threatened them. He knows they are thinking the useless lunatic may not be so fragile after all. If so, their pride blocked them from apologizing to him.
Xue Xian Tou lets go of Wu Yong with added force. He spoke through gritted teeth, "You made me angry. Today, you will not receive food and you cannot sleep in the Forbidden Room. I will get to the bottom of the issue with the stone. If I find you used cheap tricks to ignite the Sacred Stone, I will throw you to the wolves on Edu Mountain! Scram, I don't want to see your feminine face."
Wu Yong had never heard anyone tell him his face looked feminine. How could it with his sharp features? His skin is delicate and smooth but his nose, eyes, eyebrows and lips cannot belong to a woman. "Fine, keep seeing the ugly feminine face you married. Mine is fresh and young but you do not see my beauty."
Like a lunatic he tapped the sides of his face twice. Without further pushing he skipped out of the training grounds, receiving questioning looks from servants and students. He could hear the Xue family raging by themselves in the grounds. After so many years he is not belittled for being weak but he is receiving hatred for becoming strong. Wu Yong felt his soft skin under his fingers.
"Looks like I cannot return to the Forbidden House to recuperate, what a shame. It is almost lunch! Shall I go to the kitchens?" Wu Yong shook his head, recalling Xue Xian Tou saying he cannot eat for a day. Wu Yong asks himself the reason for the Xue family acting so hostile toward him today. "Could it be that the stone reacted and they do not like having no explanation? Perhaps it is my sudden change in character that startled them."
Wu Yong strolled through the Xue house, barely remembering which path leads to which quarters. It has been a while since he was let out of the Forbidden House and many aspects of the house changed. The pots of flowers that used to hang on the walls have been replaced by wooden carvings of cherry blossoms. The mahogany sliding doors have been repainted to black.
"This house looks so dull. If I was still the young master, I would order to have fragrant flowers decorate every inch of the place! Look, why is a sword hanging on the walls?" Wu Yong could feel the eyes of three servants pierce his back. They must be thinking he lost all his marbles like in the rumors. Feeling slightly angered by the ugly display, Wu Yong swiped the sword off the wall.
The sword fell, creating a loud crash. The three servants looked at Wu Yong as if he disgusted them but they rushed over to the fallen sword despite seeing him. Wu Yong snickered as all three servants lift the weapon together. "It does not take three girls to lift a single sword. I think the servants have become incompetent over the years."
The servants disregarded his remarks and continued to mount the sword onto the wall together. They stared after the lunatic as he turned around the corner which also leads to the house where the Patriarch and his wife sleep. Once Wu Yong reached Master Courtyard he studied the decorations and of course, he sees an unfamiliar Setting. His face displayed pure shock.
His favorite plum tree had been cut down and replaced with a maple tree. Wu Yong grit his teeth when he recalls Xue Liang telling him that his favorite tree is the maple tree, the same tree that replaced his. He remembers the older man explaining how the leaves resembled fire and it was also fire that killed the tree in the Forbidden Courtyard. Wu Yong knew the older man wanted to show him who is the master and who is the dog.
"Fine, replace me with him and call him Young Master. One day you will all realize your mistake but it will be too late. In one year it will be my turn to disown you all!" Wu Yong cackled crazily as he walked out of the courtyard. Even the patterns in the walkways changed because he chose the former stone patterns years ago. The Xue family tried their best to erase all signs of Xue Yong but he knew they failed.
***
Jian Rui De: Jiānruì de (尖銳的), translates to 'sharp one'. Jian Rui De has a sharp tongue. -Google Translate (Chinese, Traditional)
Bu Xin: Bùxìn (不信), translates to 'do not believe'. He does not believe in anyone but himself. -Google Translate (Chinese, Simplified)
Mian Biaoqing: Miàn biǎoqíng (面表情), translates to 'facial expression'. She can see through facades but she lurks in the background, speaking only when it is necessary. She is always a bystander. -Google Translate (Chinese, Simplified)
Dragon fire: Some dragons come from the heavens. These breathe celestial fire that is magical and colorful. Dragons coming from Hell breathe the hottest flames to exist. It is said that this type of fire can melt anything except Sacred Stones. It is impossible to crack or burn the stones which meant Wu Yong made the stone react in such an unheard of way. -(Fire breathing dragons are common but the bit about Sacred Stones is purely made up for this book)