Lin Fang stood amidst the crowd, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. The cold breeze of Red Leaf City whispered through the air, but it could not cool the blazing rage burning in his chest.
Opposite him stood Zhao Ming, adorned in a crimson robe embroidered with golden dragons, his haughty demeanor radiating arrogance. His laughter boomed like rolling thunder, echoing across the courtyard.
"Hahahahahaha!" Zhao Ming's voice carried disdain as he stepped forward, his mocking eyes fixed on Lin Fang. "Oh, Lin Fang, my dear brother Lin Fang," he sneered, drawing out the words as though savoring the moment. "Do you really think your strength matters to me? Or that I would cower before your so-called Lin Clan? Let me enlighten you—my Zhao Clan is the most powerful in this entire Red Leaf City!"
The onlookers murmured amongst themselves, their gazes darting between the two like spectators at a duel. Some showed pity, others concealed schadenfreude behind polite masks.
"I'll take your fiancée," Zhao Ming declared, his tone sharp and venomous, "and today, I'll crush your dantian beneath my heel. Now tell me, Lin Fang, what can your Clan possibly do to stop me?"
His laughter rang out again, each peal a dagger stabbing into Lin Fang's pride. "Hahahahaha!"
Lin Fang's chest heaved as he inhaled deeply, his eyes narrowing to sharp slits. The humiliation was unbearable, but the fire of determination in his heart burned brighter than ever.
Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, He let out a furious roar and lunged at Zhao Ming. His movements were swift, his fist hurtling toward Zhao Ming's sneering face like an unleashed arrow.
Just as the strike was about to land, a delicate hand intercepted it. The hand was smaller than Lin Fang's but carried an unshakable strength. It gripped his wrist firmly, halting his attack mid-air.
Lin Fang froze, his gaze trailing along the arm to its owner. The hand belonged to a stunningly beautiful woman, her presence radiant yet cold like the moonlight on a winter's night. His heart clenched as he recognized her.
"Teacher?" Lin Fang's voice trembled, disbelief and anguish twisting his features. "Why?"
She didn't answer. Her expression remained unreadable, but her eyes shimmered with a sorrow that made Lin Fang's stomach churn. Without a word, she pushed him backward with a flick of her wrist, her strength effortless yet overwhelming.
He staggered, barely keeping his footing, as she raised her hand once more. Her slender fingers glowed with a pale light that seemed almost ethereal. The realization hit Lin Fang too late.
"No!" he shouted, but the woman—his teacher, his trusted mentor—pointed her glowing palm at his abdomen.
A beam of light surged forth, striking Lin Fang directly in the stomach. Agonizing pain shot through his body as his dantian shattered, the very core of his cultivation reduced to nothingness. The force hurled him backward, slamming him into the stone tiles of the courtyard.
"Teacher... why?" Lin Fang's voice was barely a whisper now, his body trembling from the pain, but she did not respond. Her gaze remained cold, her face turned away as though his presence was beneath her notice.
Zhao Ming's laughter erupted once more, sharp and cruel, cutting through Lin Fang's despair like a blade.
"Hahahahaha! Oh, my dear brother Lin Fang!" Zhao Ming mocked, striding forward to tower over Lin Fang's fallen figure. "Even your teacher didn't hesitate to betray you. Did you truly believe anyone in this world would stand by your side?"
Lin Fang's vision blurred, his mind drowning in the weight of Zhao Ming's taunts.
"Now, crawl back to the hole you came from," Zhao Ming spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Live with this humiliation for the rest of your miserable life. And don't worry—I'll take good care of your fiancée. After all, she didn't mind betraying you either. Hahahahahaha! What a pathetic joke you've become!"
The crowd murmured, their voices a mixture of pity and ridicule, but Lin Fang couldn't hear them. His world had shattered, his trust betrayed, and his cultivation destroyed. All that remained was the echo of Zhao Ming's laughter, ringing endlessly in his ears.
Zhao Ming's mocking voice cut through the still air, his words like poisoned arrows. He stood over Lin Fang, sneering down at him with an air of superiority that was suffocating.
"Hmph, the so-called prodigy of Red Leaf City." Zhao Ming's laugh echoed through the courtyard, harsh and cruel. "Remember this lesson, loser brother. Never show your wings before they're fully grown. Oh, wait—how could you? You can't even grow back your broken wings now!"
He snickered, a sound devoid of humanity, as his eyes gleamed with malicious delight.
"Hahahahaha, this is just too hilarious," Zhao Ming continued, stepping back with an exaggerated flourish. "The prodigy, reduced to nothing! Now, I am the prodigy, the only chosen one who will participate in this year's sect examination. All the glory is mine."
With that, he turned on his heel, his footsteps echoing as he walked away, leaving Lin Fang sprawled on the ground.
Lin Fang's breath was shallow, his body shaking with a mixture of pain and anger. He couldn't stop the searing frustration from boiling inside him. But what hurt more than anything was the figure beside Zhao Ming—the woman he had called his teacher.
Her cold eyes met his for a fleeting moment, but they weren't without sorrow. There was a flicker of sadness there, a sadness that mirrored Lin Fang's own heart. He could feel the weight of her gaze, like a silent apology that she never uttered.
As Zhao Ming and his teacher walked away, Lin Fang struggled to push himself up, his body weak and bruised. His dantian was destroyed, his future in cultivation shattered, but his spirit burned brighter than ever. With gritted teeth, he forced himself to stand, the pain in his abdomen sharp but not enough to stop him.
' I will rise again', he thought, his hands clenched into fists. 'No matter what, I will find a way to make them regret this.'