The Cold Wind, The Shadow of the Ancestors

The tense semester was about to end, and the students had finally welcomed the winter break they had been waiting for.

At the entrance to Bo City Girls' Middle School.

All kinds of luxury cars waited outside the school gates. After all, this was the most famous private middle school in all of Bo City.

A delicate, flower-like girl sat in a wheelchair, gazing into the distance.

Just then, a cold wind swept past. The girl's hair fluttered in the breeze, revealing a delicate and flawless face so perfect it hardly seemed human.

Passersby's eyes were drawn to the beautiful girl.

But when they saw her lower body, they could not help feeling a pang of regret.

The perfect girl seemed to have been envied by heaven itself—she was actually disabled.

Just then.

Ripples rose in the girl's tranquil eyes.

A tall, handsome young man walked over from afar.

When he approached, a trace of delight appeared on Ye Xinxia's pretty face.

"Jiang Yu, you're here."

As she looked at Jiang Yu, she could not help recalling her childhood.

Back when a group of brats had mocked her as a disabled orphan, Jiang Yu had stepped forward and ruthlessly beaten them up.

From then on, Ye Xinxia had developed an inexplicable sense of dependence and admiration for Jiang Yu.

"Xinxia, I'm here."

As usual, Jiang Yu rubbed Ye Xinxia's fair, jade-like little face.

Ye Xinxia did not mind at all. Instead, she secretly felt delighted.

"Let's go. I'll take you home."

Even Jiang Yu's normally cold expression softened into a smile.

He bypassed the luxury cars and gently pushed Ye Xinxia down a secluded path.

Along the way, Ye Xinxia cast aside her usual silence and kept telling him about things at school.

Jiang Yu listened attentively, responding from time to time.

But what the two of them did not know was—

Several people were lying in wait ahead, ready to ambush them...

"Hey, Boss, can we really take them down like this?"

A young punk with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth called out.

Xu Bing said confidently, "I've investigated it already. She takes this little road every day!"

"And Jiang Yu will definitely come to pick her up. As long as we give him a beating, we'll get that money!"

At that, Xu Bing laughed triumphantly.

The burly man beside him asked doubtfully, "Boss, who exactly wants us to beat up Jiang Yu?"

Hearing that, Xu Bing casually tossed the remaining cigarette onto the ground.

"Stop asking so many questions. As long as there's money in it, that's enough. It's probably some rich young master who's jealous of him."

"That little girl is disabled too. Making her my girlfriend wouldn't be bad either."

As soon as Xu Bing said that, the male lackeys around him looked quite puzzled.

"That woman is just a cripple. Even if she's pretty, what's the use?"

"What the hell do you know?"

Xu Bing said disdainfully, then stared at the two figures approaching from afar.

"Alright, the target is here. Get ready to move."

Xu Bing and the others immediately picked up the steel pipes on the ground and strode menacingly toward Jiang Yu and Ye Xinxia.

When Ye Xinxia saw the group, her little face turned pale.

"Jiang Yu, why don't you run? Call the police first."

Seeing that the men meant trouble, Ye Xinxia was terrified, yet she still urged Jiang Yu to leave first.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yu remained calm and composed, without the slightest hint of panic.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his spiritual sea as seven dim stars were continuously lit up.

When Xu Bing and the others saw Jiang Yu close his eyes, they clutched their stomachs and laughed so hard they could barely catch their breath.

"Ha... hahaha, were you so scared that you fell asleep?"

"Brat Jiang Yu, if you kneel down and kowtow to us three times, calling us Grandpa, I might just let you off the hook."

The chubby punk sneered.

But in the next moment—

"Fireball!"

The star tracks formed, Demonic Law completed!

Jiang Yu spread his hand. With a whoosh, a blazing ball of fire appeared in his palm.

Under the firelight, the young man's face gained an even more violent, intimidating edge.

Xu Bing and the others froze as if struck by lightning, their minds going blank.

Only when the blazing heat hit them did they finally snap back to their senses.

"Y-You... you're a mage!"

"Please... spare me..."

Unlike his earlier arrogant mockery, Xu Bing was now utterly terrified.

He had never imagined that this seemingly immature kid before him was actually a Demonic Law mage.

Jiang Yu heard his plea, yet showed no sign of stopping his spell.

Some people would never know pain unless the stick landed on their own backs!

"Burn!"

As the final syllable of the incantation fell, the flame in Jiang Yu's hand abruptly split into four and shot outward.

The four fireballs flew straight at the four dumbfounded men!

"Ahhh—!"

"It hurts! It hurts so much! I really know I was wrong!"

The flames clung to their bodies, engulfing them in the agony of scorching heat exceeding a thousand degrees.

Xu Bing and the others rolled all over the ground in pain, their wails unceasing.

Once the men had been taught enough of a lesson, Jiang Yu dispersed the fire elements.

The four men were left ash-faced and filthy, their bodies covered in blackened, smoking burn scars.

"You still want me to kowtow to you?"

Jiang Yu walked up to Xu Bing, who was crawling on the ground, and spoke down to him coldly.

"No, no more..."

Xu Bing endured the pain and forced the words of a Demonic Law plea from his mouth.

After catching his breath, he hurriedly said, "Sir Mage, someone paid us 700 yuan to beat you up..."

"700?"

Jiang Yu was so furious he nearly laughed. These little punks really had guts—daring to attack a mage for just seven hundred yuan!

Seeing the young man's dark expression, Xu Bing began trembling all over.

He hurriedly pulled out seven hundred yuan in cash, along with an ancient parchment scroll.

"Seven hundred yuan, and this is a map passed down through my family. This is everything I have on me."

"There's even a map?"

Jiang Yu curiously picked up the parchment scroll, pleasantly surprised by this unexpected gain.

He unfolded it, hoping to find clues to some hidden treasure.

But after examining it for a long while, he found that it was merely a detailed map.

Xu Bing finally caught his breath, gulping in air.

"My ancestor was a Demonic Law mage. This is a map of Misty Mountain that he left behind. I heard there's treasure hidden there, so I secretly took it out, planning to sell it."

He immediately explained himself, afraid Jiang Yu would misunderstand.

Jiang Yu was somewhat disappointed, though he realized it was only normal. How could there be so many convenient coincidences in the world?

"Get lost. Don't let me see you again!"

"Yes, Sir Mage!"

At those words, the three men lying on the ground playing dead hurriedly got up and ran away.

"Brother Jiang Yu, I'm sorry..."

Sitting off to the side, Mu Xinxia felt somewhat guilty and sobbed softly.

If it had not been for her, Brother Jiang Yu would not have faced such danger.

Jiang Yu walked over to Mu Xinxia, gently wiped away her tears, and comforted her:

"I was too soft-hearted; I was the one people took advantage of."

At that moment, the gloom had completely cleared.

The golden afternoon sunlight shone on the two of them as they headed home.

Jiang Yu looked up at the vast, boundless sky.

Since he had been given a second life, he definitely could not waste it!

But he still had to keep his feet on the ground.

After today's match, he would return home to rest. His Fire Element had just broken through, giving him a hundred Evolution Points—enough to level up his Ice Element skill and talent rank.

Thinking of this, he could not help but wonder what a B-rank Ice Element talent's skill and effects would be like.

Before this, he had poured all his energy into the Fire Element. As for the Ice Element, he had barely cultivated it at all...