The old man looked at his fallen disciple, who was still fighting to draw breath, with hands around his throat. Yunchen turned to walk towards Dongyi who was looking at him with crazed eyes, struggling to escape from the confines of both his parents.
Zhen Ming turned his attention back to Yunchen and letting go of his cane, said in the same soft voice from earlier, but now it was suffused with a determined will of command. One which Yunchen was unable to ignore.
"You young man are really out of control. Stand right there while I take care of the little mess you have created. Then, we'll have a little talk just between the two of us."
Yunchen tried to struggle to take a single step further, but he was rooted in the middle of the courtyard, unable to escape from his invisible cage.
He saw the old man kneeling besides Danxuan, whose head was in Taotao's lap. She was shifting her eyes from Danxuan to him and the old man trying to say something but only her lips were moving. She was in shock after she saw what happened earlier. Zhen Ming looked at her and smiled trying to reassure her.
"Calm down, young lady. Take a few deep breaths and just let it go. It will be fine, don't worry. I'm here and this disciple of mine won't die so easily while I'm present."
She nodded and watched his every movement. Yunchen only stood there gritting his teeth. Danxuan won't die, huh?
"But I crushed his windpipe. Let's see you heal that in about five minutes." he mumbled to himself.
The old man smiled while leaning closer to Danxuan, watching his wound intently.
"Boy, you're still young. You know nothing of what others are capable or not of doing. Besides being impulsive and reckless, you're also lacking the foresight to just shut your mouth. While there might still be some doubts of you being stupid, once you opened your mouth, every last doubt have vanished, replaced by the certainty of that fact."
While he was speaking, he got out a small jade vial sealed by a wooden cork. He unsealed it and took out some kind of green ointment on the tip of his finger. Then he began to apply it on the area. Each time he finished, he took another dollop and began again. It took about three doses before Danxuan's breathing eased. Yunchen furrowed his eyebrows, furious at seeing his efforts wasted for nothing. His body started trembling under his renewed effort to escape from the grip of the invisible prison. After the fifth dose, Zhen Ming stopped and sealed the vial once again, putting it back inside his sleeve.
"That should be enough for him to get over the wound trauma. Even though he'll survive, his vocal chords will take a long time to recover."
He stood and walked slowly, stopping in front of Yunchen who was looking at him with resentment.
"Boy, you should know when to quit while ahead. Even though you're strong, there will always be others somewhere stronger than you. What you just did is plain stupid. I already promised you the revenge you crave. What does it matter if you are to wait a couple more years? I didn't intend on interfering in your squabble if you were reasonable and waited for him to train for a time in order to have a chance at life."
Yunchen squinted his eyes looking at the ma in front of him.
"Let him train for a chance at his life. And why would I do that? Why should I complicate my life by letting him go when he was already in front of me, at my mercy? It seems stupid to me to let him go and waste my chance. But you did interfere with my squabble. Twice already. I'll put it well in a box and remember it when the time comes, Elder Zhen Ming of the Five Culminations sect."
Zhen Ming looked at him for a moment then nodded.
"Well, that is awkward for me now. By the way you just talked to me, you're already planning your vengeance on me right this very moment. And by your own philosophy, I should rid myself of future trouble by ending your life right now. What do you say to that?"
Yunchen looked at him and shrugged.
"Nothing. You're stronger than me at the moment, so I have nothing to say. But I promise you that if I leave this place alive, I will grow stronger and then I will come after you. So you should be practical and grasp your chance while I'm at your mercy, because when the roles will reverse, I will not show you the same consideration."
The old man looked at him open-mouthed. He never met someone like this young man in front of him. Most people would do anything to escape. They would beg, lie, promise anything. But not him. He was even warning him of his planned vengeance. He couldn't stop himself from laughing at the thought of a Venerable planning his vengeance against an Ancestor.
"Boy, don't you have the least bit of fear for your life? Why would you admit that to your enemy?"
Yunchen raised an eyebrow while looking at the old man in front of him.
"Why should I fear for my life? For me, the worst that could happen is simply to die. After all nobody gets out of life alive. Sooner or later, death will still come. Whether is now or later, what does it matter? As about me admitting my vengeance, why shouldn't I? Why should I lie? What's the point of lying to someone? You already guessed my plan, so why waste time and effort denying it?"
The old man shook his head. Too bad he was so inflexible. He won't be able to go far on his way if he didn't change.
"Boy, I don't know why, but I'm impressed by your ethics. They're foolish, but they still have an appeal to me. How about this. I will only use my stick over here. I will only hit once. If you survive it, you are free to go wherever you want. But you must let go of your grudge against your family."
Yunchen gritted his teeth, turning his attention back to the others. He slowly shook his head.
"Sorry, but can't do that. I promised myself to finish these four and I will do it. At most I can agree to postpone it for a time. Let's say for each year I've lived here, I'll grant them five in return. After that I will return here to collect my due."
Zhen Ming looked at him.
"And how old are you?"
Yunchen smiled.
"They have seventy years at their disposal."
The old man's eyebrows trembled in surprise. A fourteen year old Venerable. He turned his head to his disciple who was lyeing on the ground. He started doubting his chances of survival. With a talent like that, how come nobody heard of him? He couldn't just become like that overnight. His head was starting to ache.
"Alright, seventy it is. Now get ready for my on-time hit."
Yunchen nodded and tried to move, but noticed he was still stuck as he saw the man lifting his cane. He looked at the old man who was now smiling while holding the cane.
So you won't allow me to move, will you? He nodded while thinking to himself. Whatever, not like he promised to do that anyway. He's grasping at straws, but not unfair. He started struggling in last effort to release himself, but it was as futile as before. He closed his eyes while making peace with himself. He saw no point in wasting time on matters beyond his control.
He heard the man's feet on the gravel. He heard the others commenting on the sidelines. He heard the torches flickering on the walls. He also heard the deep rumble of the thunder and felt the wind starting to rise. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing the sky becoming covered with dark clouds and lightning lights beginning to glow. The old man also looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes.
"At a time like this? Who might it be?"
The rumble in the sky grew louder as the wind intensified. The lightning lights also intensified. Then suddenly there was a flash of light followed by a loud bang that shook the courtyard. Everyone covered their eyes, blinded by the light and their ears turned deaf by the earlier bang. There were continuous flashes of lightning and bangs as the courtyard kept shaking under the assault.