Li Yue seemed to show an expression of fear, as though he was amid a horrifying nightmare. His Hidden Black Palm lost its power, then became limp and unthreatening.
"Li Ye! How dare you!"
At the other end, Li Huangran was in the midst of his battle with Xiao Qing when he caught sight of Li Yue's absent-mindedness. Li Ye then unleashed his fist onto Li Yue's chest, sending Li Yue flying thirty feet away, leaving him speechlessly shocked!
"How dare I? Do I look like I'm afraid to do it, Third Uncle?!"
Li Huangran should have kept his mouth shut. His remarks only incited Li Ye's anger even more!
Why!
Li Ye, Li Yue, Li Yue's father, and Li Huangran should rightfully be bound by deep emotions. Even if there were arguments, it was considered healthy competition between members of the same clan. However, was there ever a moment when the rest of them treated Li Ye as their own family?
Li Ye's emotions were affected, likely due to the integration of his memories and soul with the former Li Ye.
Crack!
The direct hit produced a crisp cracking sound. Li Yue was the Li clan's renowned prodigy, achieving Martial Spirit Level Seven at seventeen and becoming the new generation's influential figure. Be that as it may, he was shrieking like a pig being slaughtered!
"This punch is on behalf of my father! No matter how much the clan dotes on you, you still need to remember that my father is the patriarch!"
The punch broke two of Li Yue's ribs!
Everyone stared in shock, Li Huangran included.
One was formerly a piece of trash that became the talk of the town, while the other was a publicly venerated prodigy. At that moment though, the prodigy was the one wailing like a dying pig and the person who inflicted that condition onto him was none other than the piece of trash that everyone looked down on in the past!
Oh, the irony!
When Li Ye's eyes turned toward Yuwen Tianhua and Wu Wenhao, the two were visibly afraid and felt a chill running up their spine.
"Hehe, Third Young Master, this has nothing to do with us!"
Yuwen Tianhua said timidly with a fearful look. Their dread stemmed from the fact that they were unable to comprehend the causes behind Li Yue's defeat.
Never have they taken the piece of trash seriously in the past, yet they were now feeling bursts of fear in them.
"F*CK OFF!"
Li Ye had no interest in either of them, for the Wu clan and the Yuwen clan were not his targets, at least not yet.
Li Yue was just the beginning in Li Ye's quest to make everyone regret the wrong choices they made! He did not even take to heart the cold gazes of Yuwen Tianhua and Wu Wenhao as they left the place.
Pow!
Li Huangran's split-second inattentiveness left an opening for Xiao Qing to mount an attack, striking him on the shoulder. Li Huangran also seized that moment, removing himself from the battle and heading fiercely toward Li Ye.
"You little b*stard! You dare to use deviant methods to injure Yue'er! In accordance with clan rules, I'll destroy your arm and your cultivation!"
Li Huangran was truly enraged after seeing how badly his nephew was wrecked.
Li Yue was his nephew and that was not disputed, but he seemed to have forgotten that the person whom he called a b*stard was also his nephew!
"Little b*stard!" Li Ye laughed in distress.
The man before him was his third uncle! A third uncle that was very closely related by blood!
Somehow, he suddenly understood why Li Kainian chose to leave the clan. It was a place devoid of any sense of belonging or familial affection! He did not experience it, to say the least!
Pow!
Li Ye did not dodge the attack. Li Huangran's fist landed solidly on his chest.
Ptooey!
Fresh blood sputtered out of his mouth and onto Li Huangran's face. Li Ye meanwhile, was smiling coldly and constantly.
"Li Huangran! May this punch be a gift from your nephew to you!"
A rising fire burned within Li Ye at the outset of the punch. It was hot and spicy. His chest made him feel difficult to breathe while his mouth was saturated with the metallic taste of blood.
Nevertheless, he stood firmly on the ground and did not collapse.
"Hmph! I cannot spare you because of your ruthlessness toward your own brother! But on account of the Li clan's blood flowing within you, I will destroy your arm and your entire cultivation. I'll capture you, bring you back, and let the clan elders deal with you!"
An indescribable wave of feeling appeared in Li Huangran's heart when he looked at Li Ye's gaze. Unfortunately, he was able to suppress those feelings easily before huffing viciously and reaching for Li Ye's shoulders.
"Halt!"
Xiao Qing shouted angrily and rushed over like a mad ox. A loud sonic boom was produced when his fist cut through the air!
Li Huangran was not very confident in facing the strong Xiao Qing with his back turned. He had no choice but to drop his original intention of capturing Li Ye and rush over to carry the already-collapsed Li Yue. He shot Li Ye a murderous glance and proceeded to leave.
"Little b*stard! You have someone to help you today but your only choice now is to leave Wu Prefecture City and never come back. Wu Prefecture City doesn't have a place for you anymore!"
Without caring about anything else, he brought the unconscious Li Yue and left.
His last glance was devoid of feeling and spiritual kindred as if he was looking at an enemy. Li Ye's last shred of hope was shattered but he saw a hardly-noticeable vibrant red color staining Li Huangran's lips. Was he really wounded after the battle with Xiao Qing?
"I'll be waiting!"
Li Ye shouted at the top of his lungs to vent out his frustrations. He knew that his body was not in a proper condition, although he was not in any immediate danger due to his superhuman physique. Being struck with Li Huangran's Level Eight attack made him suffer quite a severe injury.
"This injury will take at least two or three days to heal."
Fortunately, his regenerative powers increased by a hundred times that of a normal person after the awakening of his bloodline. He wondered if his strong recovery process, one that practically granted him immortality, had something to do with it.
A normal person who suffered such injury would be bed-ridden for at least three to five months!
He needed only two or three days to recover! It was part of the reason he had the guts to let Li Huangran deliver a direct strike onto him—he was not an idiot who would partake in something if it had too high a risk.
"Hey, you're a fiery one, aren't you? You're different from what I heard. Well, that's what makes a man anyway. If you really were that weak a person as they say you were, I'm not going to be concerned about whether you live or die!"
Xiao Qing patted Li Ye's frail shoulder and nearly sent the boy plummeting to the ground.
"Why did you help me?"
Li Ye found all of it hard to understand. Xiao Qing merely laughed and scanned the surroundings before saying, "This ain't the time and place for that. Where are you staying right now? Let's go to your place and talk!"
"Okay!"
Li Ye was not a slapdash kind of person, so he nodded in agreement.
"Can you still walk?"
"I'm invincible!"
After the both of them speedily made themselves scarce, the entire Wu Prefecture City was buzzing with news of what happened before the day ended.
The annual clan gathering was going to be held soon. Within a short amount of time, the annual clan tournament became the subject of maddening focus, bringing with it a different significance.
"Didn't you hear? Something happened to the Li clan's trash. He's not only capable of cultivating now; his strength is increasing at godspeed! Even a prodigy like Li Yue had two ribs broken by him. He even scared off the Yuwen clan's Yuwen Tianhua and the Wu clan's Wu Wenhao!"
"I know, I know! I was there at the scene! The entire Pure Moon Tower fell apart! You have no idea but that Li Ye might have gotten some secret techniques that his father left him. He probably wants to cultivate, succeed, and prove himself to the world! What? You don't know who his father is? You're not from here, are you? You're from Wu Prefecture but you don't know the crazy genius Li Kainian? YES! The trash…uh, I mean, the Li clan's Li Ye is that man's son!"
News spread like wildfire and more people knew of it. The rumors became more embellished, and soon there were different versions of the story. One of the most exaggerated ones was told time and time again—apparently, someone destroyed Pure Moon Tower with the palm, and Li Ye scared off the three prodigies from the Li clan's three great clans with one punch. He then fought off the Li clan's Level Eight Third Master—a veteran of battle—and then beat him up so much that he scrambled off in fear.
The story became more and more dramatized as it passed on, leaving many people in disbelief.
Once the Three Great Clans knew of the incident, each of them responded differently. The Yuwen clan and the Wu clan seemed to have lost their voice and the mental capacity to respond.
Over at the Li clan, all hell broke loose.
All of that was the aftermath of what happened and before everything escalated to that level, Li Ye was back at his run-down courtyard. Xiao Qing clicked his tongue, walking into the room while looking around. The beautiful, impeccable-looking Aunt Yun showed up. Xiao Qing turned to Li Ye and waggled his eyebrows, mumbling sheepishly to Li Ye, "Well, I didn't expect you to keep a beautiful woman to be in this house! She's a beautiful one! She might be older but she's so much more feminine than those younger ones! You have good taste!"
"Oh, shut up!"
Li Ye could more or less discern Xiao Qing's personal character. He looked like a brute, yet smooth silkiness was present in the midst of his boorishness. Despite the constant yapping throughout their journey home, Li Ye could sense that Xiao Qing was trying to straighten him out.
He understood where Xiao Qing was coming from but the remark about 'keeping' the beautiful Aunt Yun was crossing the line! He hated that Xiao Qing pressed on his weak spot!
Xiao Qing chuckled and kept quiet. Aunt Yun was surprised at the stranger's presence and did not pay much attention to what Xiao Qing said. She gave Li Ye a warm smile, followed by a glance that was tinged with affection and inculpation.
"You fought again? How old are you? You're acting like a child! Come over here, let Aunt Yun have a look."
Only when facing Aunt Yun did he let his guard completely down. Perhaps it was because his former self was influencing him. Since then, he was slowly getting used to the daily grind of that world.
"Aunt Yun, I'm fine. Oh yes, this is my friend. We have some things to talk about."
Aunt Yun did not ask any further questions. She nodded lovingly and said, "You guys go ahead. I'll make something for you both to eat."
She then drifted along and left after finishing her words. In all honesty, Li Ye was feeling guilty when he looked at her silhouette. She was incredibly beautiful and she ought to have a place where she could call home. Why should she waste her youth taking care of garbage like him? Was it really because of some emotional baggage left behind by his nominal father in the past?