The village square remained silent, the only sounds being the groans of the defeated.
Jiang Chen cast a final glance at Wu Tian and the others, now lying in the dirt, barely conscious. He felt no pity. They had tried to kill him. He had merely given them a taste of what was to come.
But this wasn't the time to linger. His parents… they thought he was dead.
He turned away and walked toward the outskirts of the village, his steps steady. Every villager he passed stared at him in shock—some in awe, some in fear. The cripple they had mocked had just crushed three of the so-called young geniuses.
Rumors would spread. But that didn't matter now.
He approached a small, worn-down house at the very edge of the village. The door was slightly open, and inside, he could hear soft sobbing.
His mother.
Jiang Chen's chest tightened.
He stepped forward and gently pushed open the door.
Inside, his mother, Liu Mei, knelt before a small wooden altar. A single candle burned, and before it lay an old, tattered robe—his robe.
His father, Jiang Han, sat in the corner, his expression blank, his body slumped in defeat. His once-proud figure seemed smaller, crushed under the weight of grief.
Jiang Chen's heart ached. They thought he was gone.
He took a deep breath. "Mother. Father."
Liu Mei froze.
Jiang Han's head snapped up.
Slowly, his mother turned. Her teary eyes widened, her hands trembling. "Jiang… Chen?"
He stepped forward. "It's me, Mother."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, in a blur, Liu Mei rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
"My son! My son! You're alive!" she sobbed, clutching him tightly, as if afraid he would disappear.
Jiang Han staggered to his feet, his face pale with disbelief. "You… you were—" He shook his head. "How? How did you survive?"
Jiang Chen swallowed hard. "It's… a long story."
His father stared at him for a long moment before stepping forward and gripping his shoulders tightly. His hands trembled, but his voice was firm.
"That doesn't matter. You're home. That's all that matters."
For the first time since his return, Jiang Chen let himself breathe.
But deep inside, he knew this peace wouldn't last.
The world would soon come for him. And this time, he would be ready.
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