Angry

"I heard you've given up literature for martial arts lately and started throwing punches. What, are you dreaming of one day mastering Martial Arts and attaining immortality?"

Young Master Zhou stared at the young man who looked like a down-and-out scholar and said with a smile.

He was handsome, dressed in white robes without a speck of dust on them. The mountain breeze drifting from afar lifted his sleeves, making him seem like an immortal descending to the mortal world.

Two burly men stood behind him, both as big as bears and tigers. The one with the full beard was especially broad and powerfully built, his blood and qi surging. One look was enough to tell he was a strong man.

"I may be poor, but my resolve is firm. I gave up literature for martial arts because I refuse to accept my lot. What, are you afraid?"

Xu Yi glared coldly at Young Master Zhou, looking every bit like a man who would rather die than yield.

He spoke with fervor, but inside his heart was pounding. He feared Zhou might break the usual rules; if things went badly, he might die all over again just after finally being reborn in this world.

Young Master Zhou abruptly froze. Then he burst out laughing, the more he laughed, the funnier he found it, until he was doubled over. The two burly men behind him laughed as well.

At last, Young Master Zhou reined in his laughter and gently patted Xu Yi's face. "Back then, your grandfather gave my father a chance. I can't very well deny you one. Train hard, and don't disappoint me. Oh, and Duke Mingde's death anniversary is coming up. When the time comes, remember to offer a stick of incense to Duke Mingde on behalf of my father, too."

Xu Yi snorted and said no more, his heart heavy with frustration.

Dealing with this damned Young Master Zhou was truly difficult. He had to imitate the original owner of this body's usual temperament while also taking care not to genuinely provoke Zhou. After all, if that bastard flew into a rage, Xu Yi would be the one to suffer.

Just as Xu Yi was scratching his head over it, a sharp whistle rang out from the distant woods. Young Master Zhou's brows jumped, and he said delightedly, "Aha, looks like we've got a big one. Xu Yi, fortune's on your side. Remember to train hard. If we meet again and you're still this sorry sight, and you've stopped being amusing, then you can go keep Duke Mingde company underground. Hahaha..."

With that, he sprang away toward the chestnut-red steed waiting ten zhang off. A saber hung on one side of the saddlebag, a bow on the other. The horses behind it carried hunting nets, the full gear for a hunt.

"Now that the young master's leaving, you lowborn wretch still dare not kneel and see him off?"

The bearded man sneered and struck Xu Yi on the shoulder with his palm. As the force of the blow burst forth, he had already swung himself onto his horse. He glanced back at Xu Yi, who was sprawled on the ground and unable to rise for a long while, then rode off with a satisfied laugh.

Xu Yi stayed pressed to the ground, feeling the tremors of the hooves pounding the earth gradually fade away. Only then did he get up, brush the dust from his clothes, and look toward the direction the riders had vanished. A towering blaze of fury flared in his eyes. "You son of a bitch, you've made me angry."

As his anger surged, a sudden, searing pain tore through his head. He collapsed to the ground, feeling as if his brain had been stirred into a pot of mush, while vast amounts of memory surged into him like a tide.

More than an hour passed before he finally struggled to his feet. The spot where he had lain looked as if someone had poured water over it.

Xu Yi struggled over to the chair beside the wooden hut and sat down. He gulped two large bowls of water, then sighed up at the sky. "I really have been dealt a bitter lot."

He had been in this world for more than half a year. The unlucky man whose body he'd inherited was also called Xu Yi. When Xu Yi had first arrived, he'd inherited some of the man's memories, which was why he had handled Young Master Zhou the way he had.

Only now, with all the memories flooding into him, did he finally understand what had happened between Young Master Zhou and Xu Yi.

What a melodramatic farce!

It turned out that back in the time of Xu Yi's great-great-grandfather, the Xu Family had produced an extraordinary Martial Arts prodigy, Duke Mingde, and the family had flourished as a result.

It was also around then that Young Master Zhou's great-great-grandfather, who had fled famine to Guang'an, became a household servant of the Xu Family.

Father passed it to son, son passed it to grandson. As the years turned, three generations of the Zhou Family had served as household servants to the Xu Family.

By the time of Xu Yi's grandfather, the Zhou Family had produced an extraordinary son: the second uncle of this Young Master Zhou, Zhou Daogan. He was a Martial Arts prodigy who mastered Martial Arts at thirty, then entered Lingxiao Pavilion, one of the Three Great Sects of Guang'an Prefecture. He led the Zhou Family out of servitude and single-handedly built the illustrious Zhou Family of today.

The Xu Family had certainly treated the Zhou Family well!

When Zhou Daogan's Martial Arts talent first became apparent, Duke Mingde had already passed away, and the Xu Family had no heir. So Xu Yi's grandfather chose the Martial Arts manuals Duke Mingde had left behind and gave them to Zhou Daogan. He also did everything he could to support Zhou Daogan financially, giving him the chance to become an unparalleled strongman.

After all, there were limits to what human effort could achieve. As the saying went, the poor studied literature, the rich practiced martial arts. No matter how talented an ordinary person was, without the money to supply precious medicinal herbs and Martial Arts manuals, a prodigy could still become mediocre.

Of course, Xu Yi's grandfather hadn't helped Zhou Daogan out of pure selflessness. He had simply hoped that if Zhou Daogan went far in Martial Arts, the support the Xu Family received in return would be all the greater.

Both sides benefited. That was only natural.

Yet once Zhou Daogan became a man of status, his former identity as a household servant became a laughingstock among his fellow disciples. At first, he endured it. But as time passed, his heart grew twisted. Instead of hating his ancestors for their failings, he came to resent the Xu Family for taking them in as servants.

On one side stood a distinguished disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion, noble in status; on the other was nothing more than a wealthy country gentleman.

Once Zhou Daogan set his sights on the Xu Family, their fate was sealed.

But the Xu Family had once been the Zhou Family's masters. Even with murder in his heart, Zhou Daogan had to worry about his reputation, so he used a slow, grinding method to bleed them dry.

Through a wrongful case, he drove the Xu Family's old master to his death, bringing about the family's complete downfall.

Over the next twenty years, under the Zhou Family's suppression, the Xu Family steadily declined until it could barely hold on.

Eventually, the Xu Family's wealth was exhausted. The Zhou Family also used underhanded tricks to have Xu Yi's parents conscripted into forced labor for the authorities, where they were worked to death.

With the family fallen into ruin, Xu Yi naturally had no means to practice Martial Arts. He had no choice but to study books instead. At sixteen, he found work as a beginner-level tutor at the village school in Xu Family Village, barely scraping by.

Even then, once the Zhou Family received word, they used their influence to strip Xu Yi of that sole means of livelihood.

The Zhou Family meant to wipe him out completely!

Grief and fear overwhelmed Xu Yi, and he died. His body had not yet grown cold when another soul crossed through time and space, giving rise to the Xu Yi of today.

As his memories fused, Xu Yi gradually felt his emotions fusing too. Deep in his bones, he found himself burning with an unforgettable hatred for Young Master Zhou and the Zhou Daogan behind him.

"Very well. I borrowed your body, so I'll help you settle this score. Rest in peace."

Xu Yi raised his head to the sky and silently offered a prayer.

After resting for a while, Xu Yi got up and entered the dilapidated wooden hut. He hastily prepared dinner, wolfed it down, then stepped outside.

Night had fallen. A sliver of moon hung in the deep blue sky, bright and clear, spilling its pale light over the distant woods, which looked like some primordial beast lying in wait.

The moment Xu Yi stepped into the woods, his pace suddenly quickened. One stride carried him a zhang away; after a few more swift movements, he had already entered the depths of the forest.

He found an open patch of ground and settled into his stance.

Whoosh!

Ha!

Whoosh!

Ha!