"Master! Master!"
A young servant in a brown uniform bearing the Wu emblem ran over urgently.
"What is it?" answered a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, a streak of white in his hair.
"Master, the third young master got into a fight... he's badly hurt." The young servant gulped, reluctant to say, "the young master got beaten up," for fear of offending his master.
"What?"
"What's wrong with him? Who was he fighting?"
"With a student from the academy named Lu Yang, master," the young servant replied.
"That boy again?" A young man, seemingly in his twenties, who was sitting beside the middle-aged man, spoke up. "I've told the third brother a dozen times not to waste his time on that trash, but he just won't listen."
Ignoring his son's words, the middle-aged man focused on the young servant. "How bad are Wu Lei's injuries?"
"Master, the third young master has bruises, a cut on his eyebrow, and a split lip. The doctor says he'll recover fully with a few days' rest," the young servant replied.
"Huh! If I recall correctly, this Lu Yang kid was weaker than Wu Lei. How did he manage to get beaten?" The young man beside the middle-aged man asked, his tone curious as he looked at the young servant.
"Young master, the third young master first had his followers beat up Lu Yang, but after a while, they stopped, afraid they might actually kill the boy. Then the young master took over himself, but then..."
"It doesn't matter what happened," the middle-aged man interrupted, cutting off the young servant mid-sentence.
"So, where is this Lu Yang boy now?"
"Master, they took him to the guard station," the young servant replied.
"Hmmm... Alright, you may go." The middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively, not even looking at the young servant, though he appeared lost in thought.
After the young servant left, silence settled over the room. The young man beside the middle-aged man observed his father's thoughtful expression but waited in silence.
After a moment, the middle-aged man turned to his son and asked, "Wu Chan, what do you think we should do?"
After a brief glance around to ensure no one else was present, Wu Chan leaned forward eagerly. "Father, I think this incident works in our favor. I've been wondering how we could bring the third brother back from the academy without drawing attention."
"So, Wu Lei's rebellious attitude has some uses, after all."
The middle-aged man nodded in agreement, but he cautioned, "The walls have ears. Don't speak like this again."
"Understood, Father. But what do we do about this Lu Yang kid?" Wu Chan asked, now wearing a thoughtful expression.
"None of the Lu family has ever brought us anything but trouble—whether they were alive or dead. They didn't even take their son with them, only leaving him here as a burden on us."
"Two years ago, we could have solved everything smoothly, but on the day the Lu boy turned twelve, he somehow managed to summon a shadow no one had seen before." The middle-aged man replied in exasperation.
"So what if he summoned some unique shadow? He's still weaker than his peers, and the shadow has been utterly useless. I just don't understand why we haven't killed this kid yet," Wu Chan said, expressing his frustration.
"Ahh.., you don't get it, son. It's not about what the kid is now—it's about what he could become someday."
"The Martial Peaks in the city believe that with his shadow, we might discover a way to advance beyond the Martial Peak level."
"Is it really possible to reach beyond the Martial Peak, Father? Is there truly a level beyond that?" Wu Chan looked at his father, an incredulous expression on his face.
"It must be. No—there definitely is."
Father and son fell into silence, each lost in their own thoughts, until the bubbling of tea nearby broke their reverie.
"Wu Chan, go to the guard station and tell them to release that Lu Yang boy."
"After he's gone, head to the academy and tell the director about the fight. This wasn't his first; we have more than enough reason to get him expelled."
"Yes, Father, but what if the academy director refuses to expel him? After all, the boy is... unique." Wu Chan asked as he rose to leave.
"Unique or not, he's broken the academy's rules multiple times. That's grounds for expulsion. Besides, the director is on our side, so don't spread this around."
"Once he's expelled from the academy, he'll be left with no one to protect him. If anything happens to him tomorrow night, no one would suspect us."
Wu Chan, stunned and excited by his father's words, responded quickly, "Right away, Father!" He hurried out of the courtyard.
Meanwhile, entirely unaware of the schemes against him, Lu Yang lay sprawled atop the hay-covered floor of a stone cell with barred walls and a tiny window letting in a sliver of sunlight, scratching his back in comfort.
Moments later, just as he was beginning to doze off, a loud "Dong... Dong... Dong!!" echoed from the bars, startling him.
He opened his eyes and saw a guard fumbling with keys, trying to find the right one for the lock on the door.
'They came earlier than expected.'
'Let's see what they're planning this time. Another complaint to the academy, or something new?'
The guard finally located the correct key and unlocked the metal clasp holding the bars in place, calling out to Lu Yang.
"Lu Yang, you're free to go."
'Well, this is odd. Not how I thought it would go at all,' Lu Yang thought, though he wasted no time getting up.
Dusting off his clothes, he stepped out of the guard station, took a deep breath, and looked up toward the sun.
As the day wore on toward sunset, his entire body covered in bruises, he stretched and yawned like nothing had happened, strolling northward with a thoughtful expression.
'In our past fights, even when I was the one getting beaten up, I'd always end up spending the night in the station.'
'But this time, they let me go without a word. Odd.'
'Whatever. If something happens, I'll just run.'
About half an hour passed before Lu Yang finally arrived at his wooden hut, just outside the town, at the northern edge of the same mountain.
After checking the hut's surroundings for any signs of tampering, he pushed open the door and went inside.