"You can no longer cultivate...cultivate...cultivate"
Those words clawed his mind like a rabid cat hellbent on tearing it to pieces. It's been four days since he learned that he had no more hope of making it past the ninth layer of Qi Gathering. His future was practically destroyed and turned to dust before his eyes.
Layla told him that she found him in the slums after searching for him for an entire month. He was mutilated beyond recognition. His body was hidden in a pile of trash underneath one of the run-down bridges in the slums of the residential district. The only reason he lived so long was thanks to his cultivation level. If it was any lower he would have died.
He found that hard to believe. According to his memories, the last time he fought was against Jotire after he witnessed him bully a random kid in the alleyway. Even that was suspect. His decisions didn't fit with how he'd handle the situation. Things weren't adding up to him and that terrified him.
Lastly, he learnt that he was a major suspect in the murder of the City Lord's son. His memories didn't allude to that at all. He was far too injured to fight another battle after the idiocy of battling Jotire. Then he had to account for how Layla found him in a trash hip instead of prison. There was no way the patrol didn't notice a fight between Qi Gathering juniors. But the evidence against him was far too tight. They had blood samples and his identity token, his sword. Those were found at the City Lord's son's crime scene. None of the information made sense. The city should understand that. But they probably wanted him as a scapegoat.
He sighed, clenching his fist. The news that sent him through the pits of despair was the fact that his potential and talent no longer existed. Everything he'd worked to build was all but in tatters. How would he continue the journey forward? What more could he do?
Layla stepped through the door. Her cheeks flushed. She opened her mouth and closed it several times before gathering the courage to speak up.
"Ast-"
"Get out Layla, I don't want to talk to you."
Oh! Layla. Thanks to her he had no choice but to live the life of a cripple. How excited he was when he learnt that his body was still functional only to learn that he no longer fulfilled the requirements to pursue the path. He chuckled. The door closed. And Layla exited.
He pushed aside a block of wood covering the windows and gazed into the streets below. The stench of the place was omnipresent. He smelt it from here. Putrid, barely began to describe the horror his nose had to face. Muddy roads, poop from about each animal you could think of meshed together with urine and rain, scattered across the ground. There was no way he could walk there. The houses and buildings cramped on top of one another barely had it any better. Battered, bruised and dying, they stood close to one another. Their paints decayed, flaking off to the slightest blow of the wind. He wondered how the people managed to live here. Every day they ploughed through the thick layer of dust to travel around.
He hadn't expected the slums to be this bad. He placed the piece of wood back into its place before he slumped to the floor. Teardrops fell onto the floor, drenching it. He massaged his forehead, laying his thoughts bare for all could see to see. Life had truly forsaken him. Heaven did too.
He no longer had hope of gaining his parents' approval. He no longer had hope of joining the Tranquil River Sect. Everything was ruined. The life he'd looked forward to: was shattered beyond recognition. Killing himself was the only option, wasn't it?
His sobs left the room, albeit muffled. Layla heard them. Her mind buzzed. She knew this would happen to Ast the moment he learnt of what happened. There was nothing she could do. She preferred seeing him alive compared to letting him die. All she hoped was that Ast saw it that way too. So many people's lives would be ruined if he died. He had so many friends. She just couldn't see his life fade before her. She had to do it.
She fell, her legs no stronger than jelly. Her sobs melded with Ast's, creating a sombre ballad that spread throughout the wobbly flat. Layla heard footsteps climb up the stairs but she no longer had the strength to care. Her sobs grew into cries. Old hands pushed her against a chest.
Xu Changying's chest. His weathered eyes looked at her decrepit figure. The little lass had gone through a lot. He'd seen the way her heart cared for the young man. He found such a level of care rather foolish. Every one of the boy's words weighed tonnes to her heart. He simply hoped the young man could see how much she cared for him. There weren't a lot of people that could sacrifice so much for a simple friend.
"Young miss, no need to cry," Xu Changying cooed."You did your best."
"What have I done to you! What wrongs have I done? Answer me," Ast shouted. Veins popped around his neck and others wrapped around his temple.
Ast slammed the ground. He couldn't take it anymore. Why was he forced to live such a life? He'd upheld the twelve virtues. Why were the heavens punishing him? What was the point of all this?
He wasn't satisfied with the cracked floor. Gathering qi to his fist, he slammed it into the wall, blowing up the bricks in the process. He didn't stop there though. The bed was his next target. Lifted his leg and slammed it down, splitting the wooden bed into two. Feathers broke free from their bindings and flew into the air. Before long cracks and pieces of brick and cement-filled the room. Dust as thick as butter blotted out his vision. His rage was far from over but he knew he couldn't break anymore things. The entire house would go down. And with it his safety.
Out of nowhere, all his qi fizzled out, bringing him to his knees. His weakened hands continued slamming into the ground. This time it was his skin that ruptured.
Layla tried fighting off Xu Changying's hold when she started hearing Ast's shouting and the destruction of the room. She squirmed and tried her best. She even activated her Foundation-Establishment cultivation base just to break his hold on her and go to console Ast. But the man was stubborn. He didn't let go no matter how much power Layla put behind her struggle. She eventually gave up and cried into his chest.
"Everything will be alright."