Something Happened

Snowy night.

Inside, however, it was warm.

The young man struck a pose, his horse stance half-crouched. He would hold it for half an incense stick's length before resting briefly.

After two repetitions, his body grew weary, and his mind... suddenly became filled with stray thoughts.

Over the past few days, he had gradually come to understand: a game is a game, and reality is reality. If reality were to be made into a game, then... many of its internal details would absolutely be overlooked, and even a significant portion of its content would be cut.

Even if this was the [Abandoned World] before its initial version, he only remembered fragmented pieces of information. Most of it was the exhilarating feeling of slaughtering his enemies back then.

He only remembered the thrill.

Who cared about the plot and world-building...

What he remembered most in his mind were the shouts during bloody battles: "Big wave KILL, hanging wave KILL, MOST KILL, GADRAKE, awesome, continue..."

But it was only now, in a world like this, that he felt his heart race, felt the tremor of immense shadows closing in from all directions, as if he were standing on a rock in the starry sky, with... giant faces covering the sky, leaning in to observe him from outside.

Those were the faces of gods.

In the game, he was reckless.

Because in the game, he could revive infinitely.

But now, he only had one life.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something out of the corner of his eye. He instinctively turned his head, his pupils constricting sharply. He saw a terrifying giant shadow hunched over outside the window, its back bent, its body hunched, its two blood-red pupils staring at him dimly.

Qi Yu's breathing stopped. Goosebumps erupted all over him.

He remained still, his body frozen.

It wasn't until a long time later... that he realized it was just a three-story pavilion of the Qi Family, visible from the window on the side where he practiced.

Dark red lanterns hung from the eaves of the pavilion, its silhouette outlined by the wind and snow, resembling a giant.

"My heart is like a furnace..."

Qi Yu chanted silently in his mind, imagining himself as a furnace, where all the stray thoughts that appeared would be instantly incinerated by fierce flames, even giants and gods.

Another half an incense stick's length of the Spirit Serpent Posture.

His whole body ached, but he felt much more relaxed than when he woke up.

Snap~

He fell backward, sinking deeply into the soft wool carpet embroidered with gold and silver threads.

Outside the screen, A Bi had been waiting. Hearing the sound, she immediately got up, took the medicine pot off the heat, scooped out a medicinal pack, and carefully began to apply a hot compress to him.

During the hot compress, their skin inevitably touched. Today, A Bi seemed unusually sensitive. If her fingertips accidentally brushed against his body, she would retract them as if shocked.

"What, is my body too hot to touch?" Qi Yu asked casually, teasingly.

As soon as the words fell, A Bi suddenly sprang up, then knelt down, curling into a ball, and repeatedly said, "This servant... is clumsy, this servant has displeased young master... this servant deserves to die... this servant deserves to die..."

Qi Yu was stunned.

A Bi had been with him since childhood and had always been close. Yesterday, there was no issue.

"This servant's hands and feet are clumsy, young master... young master..."

As A Bi spoke, she seemed to choke up slightly.

Qi Yu turned his head to look at her, seeing her trembling body in the darkness. After a moment of thought, he didn't ask further. Instead, he said, "I'm not unhappy, and you shouldn't overthink it. Continue."

With that, he lay down again.

A Bi knelt closer, still cautious, her movements so careful they were almost unfamiliar.

After the hot compress was finished, A Bi helped him bathe and change his clothes. However, she was no longer as clingy as usual. Instead, she quietly withdrew and walked out into the wind and snow.

By the time the charcoal stove in the small side room was lit, the wind and snow had already covered the eaves.

The next day, Qi Yu took the carriage to the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall as usual. He brought two servings of good tea, which Song Qinghong accepted.

Then, the master of the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall watched him practice his stance, occasionally reaching out to correct his posture. When he was exhausted, Song Qinghong would immediately call a halt and then praise him with a smile, saying, "Not bad."

"Uncle Song, to what level must this Spirit Serpent Posture be practiced to be considered complete?" Qi Yu asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Song Qinghong sized him up and said, "What you are practicing now is merely the nurturing method, to gather Blood Essence and calm the spirit.

But nurturing is not training, training is not fighting, and fighting is not killing.

The fist disperses, the posture gathers... Your body's deficiency must first be replenished, your Blood Essence must first be nurtured, and then you can begin to train."

Song Qinghong looked at the young man, immediately seeing the emptiness within him.

However, it was not bad that he had turned over a new leaf.

He pondered for a moment and said, "If you truly want to practice martial arts, I will write you a prescription. You can have your family prepare it. For the next few days, do not make the special trip from the inner city to come here.

After seven days, if you no longer feel tired while practicing your stance, feeling as if you are lying on a warm couch, then the nurturing method is complete. If not, continue until it is complete, and then come back to me, and I will teach you the training method."

"Uncle Song, I am eighteen years old. Is it too late to start practicing martial arts?"

Qi Yu asked again.

Song Qinghong patted his shoulder and encouraged him, "Strengthening your body, what's there to say about early or late? If you persevere like your uncle, you can also step into the Eighth Rank Bloodburst Realm."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qi Yu's slender white fingers again and said, "The martial world is dangerous, a gentleman cherishes his life. The affairs of the martial world are for those in the martial world. Young Master Qi is not one of them, so don't get involved."

Qi Yu understood the deeper meaning in his words.

Uncle Song was very subtly telling him that he wasn't capable.

Even if he practiced martial arts, the Eighth Rank of his uncle's health-preserving level would be his limit in this life.

This was also advising him to stop at health preservation and not to think about combat.

However, he had a system panel, and this was most likely an [Abandoned World]. He couldn't not become stronger.

At noon, Song Qinghong kept Qi Yu for a simple meal. He then took up his brush, wrote down the prescription for "Essence Replenishing Soup" and handed it to him, before personally seeing him out.

Outside the door, the snow had just cleared, and the wind and snow of the past two days had finally stopped.

The streets were gradually filling with pedestrians, and the calls of vendors rose and fell. If one didn't look at the dilapidated shacks in the slums deep in the alleyways, it was truly a peaceful scene.

Old Gu had been dozing on the carriage seat. Hearing footsteps, he hastily jumped down, brushed the remaining snow from the seat, took a scarlet cloak, and hurried forward, about to drape it over Qi Yu.

Qi Yu put on the cloak, then cupped his fists towards Song Qinghong, "Uncle Song, I'm leaving."

Song Qinghong smiled, "Travel safely."

As soon as the words fell, the distant noise suddenly grew louder, and in a very short time, it exploded!

First came a few screams, then like boiling water being poured onto oil, the sounds of crying and wailing suddenly erupted.

Qi Yu stopped his foot, which had been about to step onto the carriage shaft, and turned to look at Song Qinghong.

"I'll go take a look."

Song Qinghong frowned, looking towards the source of the sound, "If it's not a major issue, Young Master Qi should return to the inner city first."

"I'll go with Uncle Song."

Song Qinghong hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

He had been rooted in this outer city for a long time and was confident he could protect this young man.

The two hurried towards the commotion, with Old Gu and several martial hall disciples following closely behind.

The incident occurred at the Black Tiger Gang's compound.

Outside the courtyard, panicked civilians were gathered.

Inside the courtyard, a human head was placed squarely on the neck of a snowman.

The head's eyes bulged, its face contorted, as if it had witnessed something terrifying before death.

The snowman was meticulously built, even sculpted with clothes, with clear folds and buttons on the clothing. It was as if the murderer, not satisfied after killing, had deliberately and slowly sculpted a headless snowman and then placed the head on it in such a horrifying manner.

Someone in the crowd trembled and shouted, "It's the Black Tiger Gang leader... it's the leader!"

Song Qinghong squinted at it, then scanned the surroundings, his gaze then falling on the scarlet cloak Qi Yu was wearing. After a moment of thought, he said, "Young Master Qi, you should return to the inner city. You... are fine."