Returning Good for Evil

Before dawn had broken, the chill of the late-autumn morning was already thick in the air, and darkness still blanketed everything.

In the Luo Family's cellar, an oil lamp had been quietly lit. The young Luo Zheng shielded most of its light, sat upright before the table, and quietly drew out an old thread-bound book.

Luo Zheng had just turned seventeen. He was thin and could hardly be called handsome, but he possessed a gentle air. His eyes in particular were bright and spirited; even beneath the firefly-like glow of the dim oil lamp, they gleamed brilliantly.

"I spent a month finishing Inquiries on Heavenly Principles. Everything it says makes sense, except for these four words—'repay resentment with virtue.' I absolutely cannot agree with them!" Luo Zheng murmured softly as he gazed at the tiny flame. A sorrowful expression surfaced on his face. "If Father hadn't been kindhearted and believed in those four words, the Eldest Branch would never have ended up in such a state, and Father would never have died..."

After a long while of thought, the sound of a lock being opened suddenly came from the cellar entrance. The sorrow in Luo Zheng's eyes vanished at once, replaced by a face full of resolve. He swiftly snuffed out the oil lamp, then pulled the tattered quilt over himself.

The cellar lock was opened. Several sets of footsteps drew near. The person in front stepped forward and planted one foot on Luo Zheng's bed, shouting in a shrill voice, "Still sleeping? Get your ass up! You still think you're the Luo Family's young master?"

This man was one of the Luo Family's stewards. He had a sharp, ratlike face and a tumor growing on his forehead. One glance at him was enough to make anyone feel disgusted.

Luo Zheng threw off the quilt and deliberately rubbed his eyes. He climbed out of bed and, without saying a word, put on his shoes, socks, and clothes. Though the garments were worn-out, he still dressed with meticulous care, every piece neat and orderly.

The steward rolled his eyes and spat out, "What a piece of work." He then waved his hand, and several servants behind him surrounded Luo Zheng, dressing him in thick leather armor and shackling his hands and feet.

Once they had finished, Luo Zheng followed the servants out of the cellar and headed toward the Luo Family's Martial Arts Practice Hall.

The Luo Family was a great clan of Chongming County. It possessed ten thousand mu of fertile land and a hundred mines, and was renowned throughout Chongming County.

However, the Eastern Region contained more than a thousand commanderies and countless powerful clans and noble families. The Luo Family did not even rank among them throughout the entire Eastern Region.

Escorted by the servants, Luo Zheng climbed out of the gloomy cellar and passed through countless pavilions, towers, covered bridges, and waterside halls before finally arriving at the entrance to the Martial Arts Practice Hall.

The Martial Arts Practice Hall occupied a broad stretch of land and was where the Luo Family's descendants cultivated. Dragons, phoenixes, and lions had been carved from white marble at the entrance, while the ground was paved with square-meter slabs of pitch-black Basalt Stone. Even standing at the entrance, one could feel its imposing grandeur.

In the center of the Martial Arts Practice Hall, dozens of Luo Family youths in gray robes were practicing their punches under the guidance of the Luo Family Instructor.

Winds from their fists came in waves, accompanied by repeated shouts.

These Luo Family youths were all in their teens. To secure a certain position within the Luo Family, they trained diligently every day, bitterly tempering their bodies.

The late-autumn wind was fierce and piercing, yet sweat seeped from their bodies. Some even had steam rising from their heads, white mist swirling around them...

At one side of the Martial Arts Practice Hall stood more than a dozen men who, like Luo Zheng, wore leather armor and hand and foot shackles. Each of them had a feeble aura, swollen faces, and injuries visible and hidden across their bodies.

Once Luo Zheng was brought into the Martial Arts Practice Hall, he stood together with those men.

Most of these men with feeble auras were condemned prisoners the Luo Family had bought from the local prison. Once purchased, they became Family Slaves. Their purpose was to serve as human targets for the Luo Family's descendants, allowing them to beat, train against, and test their strength on them at will. Every year, countless such human targets were beaten to death or crippled.

Luo Zheng was not a condemned prisoner bought from the prison. He had once been the eldest son of the Eldest Branch of the Luo Family, the illustrious heir to the family. His status within the Luo Family had been noble; even his peers had to greet him with utmost respect, while the clan elders had treated him with courtesy.

But two years ago, a major incident occurred in Chongyang County. Luo Zheng's father—the Luo Family Head—was poisoned and ambushed by his own brothers, dying suddenly.

Afterward, the other three branches of the Luo Family framed the Eldest Branch and planted the crime of betraying the clan on them. As brothers turned against each other, the Eldest Branch collapsed completely.

As the former heir, Luo Zheng was likewise saddled with the crime of betraying the clan. He became a Family Slave of the Luo Family, a human target for its descendants to beat as they practiced, forever denied any chance to rise again.

This life of being beaten at will had already lasted two years. In those two years, Luo Zheng no longer knew how many punches and kicks he had endured or how many humiliations he had suffered.

"Today's fist practice ends here. Each of you Luo Family youths, choose your own human target! Striking the human body will allow you to fully comprehend the techniques of actual combat and familiarize yourselves with the body's weaknesses and the distribution of its bones!"

After the Luo Family Instructor gave the order, the Luo Family youths each sought out their own human targets. Soon, waves of piteous cries and pleas for mercy rang through the Martial Arts Practice Hall. These Luo Family youths did not treat the Family Slaves as people at all. Every punch struck flesh, and none held back.

Quite a few of them sought out Luo Zheng, beating him with even greater enthusiasm and force. After all, abusing the former heir gave them a greater sense of accomplishment!

Facing the fists of the Luo Family youths, Luo Zheng protected the vital parts of his body. His face expressionless, he responded calmly and steadily. He had already grown used to this...

Before long, several people suddenly entered through the entrance of the Martial Arts Practice Hall. The young man in front wore brocade robes and had a spring breeze spread across his face.

"The young master is here!"

"Young master, you've finally emerged from seclusion! You look full of vigor—your cultivation must have improved greatly!"

"The young master's talent is brilliant. He's the Luo Family's genius. He must have entered the Bone Refining Realm already!"

The Luo Family youths present stopped beating their targets and began chatting with the young man in brocade, their fawning and bootlicking plain for all to see.

Luo Zheng's gaze fell on the young man in brocade, and a trace of imperceptible fury quietly rose within him. That young man in brocade, the "young master" the Luo Family youths spoke of, was named Luo Peiran. He had once been the eldest son of the Second Branch and was about the same age as Luo Zheng.

After Luo Zheng was demoted to a Family Slave, Luo Peiran replaced him as the Luo Family's young master.

Some time ago, Luo Peiran had reportedly entered secluded cultivation and had not appeared for quite a while. Now that he had emerged, it seemed his strength had improved again!

Luo Peiran's senses were extremely sharp. Noticing Luo Zheng's unfriendly gaze, he turned his head toward him. A teasing smile appeared on his face as he walked straight up to Luo Zheng and said, "Luo Zheng, I've been in seclusion for so long. I didn't expect you still hadn't been beaten to death."

"Thanks for the good wishes. This old man isn't dead yet," Luo Zheng replied in a muffled voice.

"How insolent! What kind of tone is that? How dare you speak to the young master like that?"

"Just a lowly Family Slave, and you still won't kneel? Hurry up and prostrate yourself, kowtow to the young master, and apologize. Otherwise, I'll make you regret ever coming into this world."

Several Luo Family youths began shouting. They looked as though Luo Zheng had dug up their ancestors' graves.

Luo Zheng swept his cold gaze around them. In the past, these Luo Family youths had been like dogs before him, not daring even to breathe too loudly. Now that he had fallen from power, their faces had changed faster than a page turning. One by one, they had immediately become Luo Peiran's dogs.

Luo Peiran merely waved his hand, stopping the agitated youths. With a smug look, he said to Luo Zheng, "Luo Zheng, do you know why I entered seclusion?"

Luo Zheng said nothing. He only stared at Luo Peiran with a gloomy expression.

"You should know that our Luo Family has two Heaven and Earth Creation Pills, right? Some time ago, I consumed one of them." Luo Peiran smacked his lips. "This Heaven and Earth Creation Pill truly is extraordinary. Its pure medicinal power cleansed my body and transformed me completely, allowing me to leap from the Flesh Refining Realm into the Bone Refining Realm. What's more, only a tenth of its medicinal effect has been released. The rest remains within my body, continuously nourishing my flesh. I'm only a hair's breadth away from entering the Viscera Refining Realm, and the Marrow Refining Realm is within reach!"

Heaven and Earth Creation Pill!

These two pills were the Luo Family's greatest treasures, Sacred Medicine left behind by their ancestors. It was said that they were kept in the clan's most secret location, and ordinary people were not permitted to use them.

According to the ancestral instructions, only a Luo Family descendant who reached the Bone Refining Realm before the age of sixteen was qualified to use a Heaven and Earth Creation Pill.

The Five Realms of the Body were divided into five great realms: the first, Skin Refining Realm; the second, Flesh Refining Realm; the third, Bone Refining Realm; the fourth, Viscera Refining Realm; and the fifth, Marrow Refining Realm. The gap between each realm was enormous. For ordinary people, breaking through was as difficult as ascending to heaven. Without decades of tempering and hardening, it was fundamentally impossible.

For an ordinary person to reach the third realm, the Bone Refining Realm, before the age of thirty already counted as outstanding talent.

Yet the ancestral instructions stipulated that to use a Heaven and Earth Creation Pill, one had to reach the third realm, the Bone Refining Realm, before the age of sixteen!

Someone who reached the Bone Refining Realm at sixteen was unquestionably a genius among geniuses. Not to mention the Luo Family—even all of Chongming County had never produced one. Thus, for the past three hundred years, the Heaven and Earth Creation Pills had never been used.

Originally, Luo Zheng had been the one with the greatest hope of consuming a Heaven and Earth Creation Pill.

At fourteen, he had already reached the peak of the second realm, the Flesh Refining Realm. The Chongyang County King had hailed him as the hope of revitalizing the Luo Family, a favored son blessed by Heaven, a genius among geniuses!

Unfortunately, that very year, the clan tore itself apart. His father was harmed by his own brothers because of his kind nature, while Luo Zheng was demoted to a Family Slave and became a human target, reduced to a prisoner beneath another's heel. His cultivation stagnated, and he missed his chance at the Heaven and Earth Creation Pill.

Luo Peiran, meanwhile, had ordinary talent. At sixteen, he had only just entered the second realm, the Flesh Refining Realm, and was completely unqualified to use a Heaven and Earth Creation Pill. Yet he had used one anyway.

The Heaven and Earth Creation Pill belonged to Luo Zheng. It had actually been consumed by this utterly untalented piece of trash. Even though Luo Zheng's temperament had been completely ground smooth over the past two years, he still could not help becoming agitated. He shouted angrily, "Luo Peiran, how dare you disregard the Luo Family's ancestral instructions and swallow the Sacred Medicine in secret! You're worse than a beast!"

"Hmph. In my eyes, you're not even worth a bug in a crack between stones! I've reached the peak of the Bone Refining Realm. With one hand, I can wield a thousand jin. A mere Family Slave like you—I could crush you with one hand. Today is the great joy of my emergence from seclusion, so I'll find a human target to test my hand on first!" Luo Peiran paid no attention to Luo Zheng's words. At this point, he casually pointed and said, "I'll choose you!"

He did not choose Luo Zheng. Instead, he picked a middle-aged man. When that man saw Luo Peiran point at him, his entire body began to tremble. Though the thick leather armor over his chest could withstand quite a bit of damage, he still could not stop shivering before Luo Peiran, who had reached the Bone Refining Realm. His crotch instantly became wet.

Luo Peiran then drew a deep breath, clenched both fists, and assumed the stance of the Luo Family's signature technique, Rosewood Fist. Intent on showing off, he circulated his cultivation method to the utmost. A faint purple radiance vaguely enveloped his entire body.

"P-please... spare me... Young master, please hold back!" Seeing Luo Peiran's aura, the human target's eyes filled with despair. If that fist struck him, there would certainly be death and no life. He begged for mercy as he began to kneel.

"Pop!"

How could Luo Peiran heed the human target's pleas? His fist struck the man's chest head-on with a muffled thud. The leather armor meant to protect his chest was forcibly shattered into pieces, and his entire chest was smashed apart. The man slammed into the wall of the Martial Arts Practice Hall, rebounded onto the ground, and lay motionless.

That single punch had beaten the fully armored human target to death.

"That punch from the young master was mighty! I'm afraid no one among the Luo Family's younger generation can match it!"

"The young master will surely revitalize the Luo Family and lead it to glory!"

The Luo Family youths once again began showering him with flattery at the first opportunity.

Luo Peiran seemed very pleased with the effect of that punch. He then cast an ill-intentioned glance at Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng instinctively took a step back. Although his foundation was much stronger than that middle-aged man's, he still could not withstand a punch from Luo Peiran.

Luo Peiran chuckled twice and extended a hand, giving Luo Zheng's shoulder two hard pats. "Don't worry. I won't kill you so quickly. I want you to watch and see that I, Luo Peiran, am far stronger than trash like you!"

After saying that, Luo Peiran was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He turned around and said, "Oh, right. I almost forgot. I heard that my genius cousin isn't doing well in the Azure Cloud Sect. She offended some powerful figure and was sent to Purgatory Mountain to reflect on her mistakes! Once I enter the Viscera Refining Realm, I'll go to the Azure Cloud Sect and rescue her. Hahaha..."

When Luo Zheng heard those words, his heart suddenly tightened!