"Xiao Heng, would you mind meeting me at the mountain behind the clan later this evening?" Cao Mei's voice was soft and sweet, carrying a delicate charm.
Xiao Heng, unable to refuse his future wife, nodded in agreement. However, upon reaching the secluded mountain path, it was not Cao Mei who awaited him. Instead, he was met by a familiar figure—his tormentor, Xiao Feng.
"Ah, if it isn't our esteemed yet worthless young patriarch," Xiao Feng sneered, his voice laced with mockery as he sauntered forward.
Without warning, he raised his fist, channeling his cultivation energy, and struck Xiao Heng with full force. The impact sent Xiao Heng staggering backward, pain searing through his body. With a cultivation level far inferior to Xiao Feng's, he stood no chance of resistance.
"Yes, scream for me!" Xiao Feng jeered, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. "Your cries are music to my ears. How beautiful... how utterly pathetic, hahaha!"
Xiao Feng was a prodigy of the Xiao Clan, having reached sixty percent of the Physical Cultivation Realm at only twenty years of age. He was revered as a rare genius.
"And yet," he continued, his gaze darkening, "despite my talent, despite my strength, the esteemed daughter of the Cao Clan, Cao Mei, is engaged to you, a mere cripple with no spiritual roots. An eighteen-year-old disgrace who has barely cultivated beyond twenty percent of the Physical Cultivation Realm in his lifetime. Why should you even dream of competing with me for her affections?"
Xiao Heng, struggling to his feet, exhaled sharply. "This marriage was never my choice, nor hers. You desire her? Take her. Even if I were given ten lifetimes, I would never stand in your way."
A sharp voice interrupted them.
"Xiao Heng! Shut up!"
Both men turned to see Cao Mei approaching, her elegant figure striding purposefully toward them.
Xiao Feng's demeanor shifted instantly. "Ah, Mei'er," he said, his voice suddenly warm and courteous. "I was merely exchanging words with our young patriarch. I trust I didn't frighten you?"
Cao Mei offered a demure smile. "Not at all. Thank you for your concern, Brother Feng."
Xiao Heng observed their interaction with a distant smile.
"Mei'er, I—"
"Who gave you the right to call me that?" Cao Mei snapped, her gaze cold.
Xiao Heng's breath caught in his throat. He lowered his head, silent.
"Xiao Heng, did you truly believe I harbored feelings for you?" Cao Mei's tone turned scornful. "Ridiculous! Why would I ever love a man who cannot cultivate, who cannot even protect himself? Even if I were to die, I would never marry you!"
She stepped closer to Xiao Feng, her fingers grazing his face as she whispered, "I belong with Xiao Feng." Her gaze flicked toward Xiao Heng, unreadable, before she suddenly turned and struck him across the face.
Xiao Heng staggered. "Cao Mei… you—"
"Let's annul the engagement," she declared. "And remember, this is not a request. It is an order."
Xiao Heng looked at her for a long moment before chuckling bitterly. "How thoughtful of you, Cao Mei… Hah! What a coincidence—I don't like you either."
As he turned to leave, an unsettling gleam flickered in Xiao Feng's eyes. Fueled by jealousy and malice, he lashed out, delivering a sudden kick to Xiao Heng's chest.
Caught off guard, Xiao Heng stumbled, his foot catching on a jagged rock.
The world spun.
The mountain air tore past him as he plummeted down the ravine.
His final words echoed in the night—
"Xiao Feng! Cao Mei! I've had enough!"
Then, silence.