After coming out of the study, Shen Qing's gaze passed through the familiar corridor and finally settled on the half-open wooden door. He walked over slowly and pushed it open to go inside.
This was the small courtyard where Ouyang Tiezhu and his senior brothers practiced and sparred with him.
In the past, at this time, the senior brothers would have gathered early and started training inside, honing their skills. But today, the courtyard was unusually quiet.
After the incident with the Mi Gang, second senior brother Niu Daping, third senior brother Dong Zizhuang, and fourth senior brother Wushili all faced mishaps—some died, and some were left crippled.
The once lively scenes in the courtyard, full of shouts during practice, the crisp sound of weapons clashing, and the camaraderie of laughter and jest, could no longer be recreated.
Shen Qing walked to the center of the courtyard, took a deep breath, slowly assumed a stance, and closed his eyes.
