Trembling

"Yiyang, what are you doing standing out here all by yourself?"

The wooden door of the side room swung wide open, and a robust old man over one meter ninety tall stepped out.

The old man's hair was thinning, but his goatee was impeccably groomed. He wore a loose, greyish-white robe resembling a Daoist garment, with two black dragons embroidered onto the forearms of the sleeves.

This was his grandfather, Wang Xinlong.

At eighty-nine years old, Wang Xinlong possessed a classic inverted-triangle physique, muscular and vigorous. His eyes were piercingly bright, and when he held someone's gaze for too long, it gave off an aggressive, overbearing aura.

Due to his lifelong practice of martial arts, his upper body muscles were exceptionally developed, making his frame appear somewhat disproportionate.

Furthermore, he had injured his left upper arm in the past, so he always wore a black metal arm guard.

When he was a child, Wang Yiyang had always thought that metal guard looked cool because of the intricate patterns carved into it.

But he later learned that wearing such a thing was actually quite grueling, especially in the heat.

In his youth, Wang Xinlong had been notorious in the surrounding area for his explosive temper; he would resort to fisticuffs at the slightest provocation.

However, as he aged, he had mellowed significantly, focusing his attention on teaching his disciples and his descendants.

Later, he had given up on his son, so he tried to get Wang Yiyang to inherit his mantle, but unfortunately, Wang Yiyang refused to budge.

A forced melon is never sweet, so Wang Xinlong had no choice but to pin his hopes on his disciples.

"Not bad, you're in good shape. You woke up pretty fast." Wang Xinlong laughed and patted Wang Yiyang on the shoulder.

"It's alright. There's a gym at the company, so I work out with my colleagues often." Wang Yiyang calmed himself and replied with a smile.

He didn't know what that feeling from just a moment ago was, but vaguely, he felt it had something to do with his senior apprentice brother, Zhong Can.

Could it be that Zhong Can already harbored ill intentions at this point in time?

A slight chill ran through Wang Yiyang's heart.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a pang of regret—regret that he hadn't seriously studied his grandfather's martial arts from a young age, leaving him now with no strength to truss a chicken and no way to defend himself.

Never mind martial arts combat; even comparing their physiques, if his senior apprentice brother Zhong Can truly had malicious intent, killing him would be as easy as pinching a chicken to death.

He had seen Zhong Can exert his strength before.

The stone mill in the corner of the courtyard, weighing several hundred jin, was lifted by him as if it were a block of tofu—it was effortless.

But this is modern society; martial arts and such are long outdated. My choice wasn't wrong. It's just that my life plan hasn't truly developed yet, Wang Yiyang countered in his mind.

"So, how is it? It's been so long since you've been back, do you feel adjusted?" Wang Xinlong walked to the side with his hands behind his back, leaning against a tree trunk to gaze at the night sky.

"It's fine, there are just a lot of bugs. Even applying repellent doesn't do much." Wang Yiyang answered honestly.

"That's because your blood type is fresh," the old man laughed. "Those mosquitoes are used to our blood and want a change of pace. It's the same when your dad comes; every time you two show up, the mosquitoes swarm you."

Wang Yiyang chuckled along. "Grandpa, have you ever thought about moving to the city?"

"Not a chance. What's so good about the city? You even have to fight people just to find a place to exercise. The patch of land in the park is only as big as a palm, and if you bump into something and break it, you have to pay for it. What a hassle! It's nothing like the countryside—not as refined, but not as fragile either."

"But you're all alone out here in the countryside. What if you get sick or something..." Wang Yiyang urged.

"Don't I have so many disciples here? Your brother Zhong Can is here too, so why would I worry about not being taken care of?" Wang Xinlong laughed heartily. "You should worry about yourself instead. Find me a granddaughter-in-law soon and give me a great-grandson to play with."

Wang Yiyang chatted idly with his grandfather; it had been many years since he had sat down and had a proper conversation with the old man like this.

Usually, he was either busy studying or busy working.

The night grew deeper, and the gauze-like moonlight spilled down. The old man stood for a while, let out a hiccup from the alcohol, and seemingly caught in a mood, began to ramble on to his grandson with great animation.

During the small talk, Wang Yiyang tried to drop hints several times, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

Whenever he finally managed to say something, the old man dismissed his words as a joke or a dream, waving them away without a second thought.

Wang Yiyang felt helpless.

"Let me tell you, that path you're on has no future. What kind of bullshit internet job is that? Isn't it just working for someone else? A few thousand yuan a month is useless; it's not even enough for my liquor money."

The old man hiccuped and continued.

"If you ask me, you should just come back to the martial arts hall and study properly. Even if you don't master it, I still have some assets you can take over later. That's much better than being out there working for others and getting exploited."

Wang Yiyang felt annoyed by his words, but since it was his grandfather, he had to endure it.

However, his youthful temper flared up. After being lectured for so long about how his studies and efforts were useless, he felt speechless and couldn't help but retort.

"Actually, I'm not doing as poorly out there as you think."

He was born into an average family. His parents were travel journalists—a relatively new profession in recent years—specializing in visiting tourist attractions to verify details and write columns.

His parents didn't earn much and were rarely home.

Because of this, he was raised almost entirely by his grandparents from a young age.

As he grew older and hit his rebellious phase, he would butt heads with his grandfather every day, which led to him being beaten daily.

Wang Yiyang had a stubborn streak; no matter how badly he was beaten, he would never soften his stance.

Once, when Wang Xinlong was drunk, he beat his grandson so severely that Wang Yiyang suffered a ruptured spleen and nearly died, leading to his grandmother giving the old man a brutal thrashing on the spot.

After that, he never hit Wang Yiyang again, nor did he force his grandson to study martial arts.

Later on, as Wang Yiyang grew older and more sensible, he began to study hard of his own accord and moved to a city with better schools.

Consequently, the grandfather and grandson gradually drifted apart.

It wasn't until Wang Yiyang started university and had more free time that they slowly began to reconnect.

In reality, ever since high school, Wang Yiyang had managed every aspect of his own life; aside from sending a fixed monthly allowance, his parents rarely asked about his affairs.

He was very well-behaved and sensible, never once causing his parents to be summoned by the school.

Later, he went to a distant city for university, and contact became even scarcer. It was common for them to speak on the phone only once a month.

After graduation, Wang Yiyang didn't pursue a postgraduate degree but instead went straight into a job related to his major: an internet product appraiser.

"Not that bad? Aren't you some kind of product appraiser? Heh, I asked around—five thousand at most." The old man held up five fingers, his face full of mockery.

"..." Wang Yiyang was speechless.

Coming back to his senses, he hurriedly described the strange feeling he had just experienced to his grandfather in detail.

"That's just being spooked by something; your spirit has disturbed your qi," Wang Xinlong frowned. "It's nothing major. Just watch fewer horror movies and calm your spirit."

"What do you mean by 'calm your spirit'?"

"When your spirit is strong, watching horror movies is just using stimulation to train your mind.

But when your spirit is weak, watching these things will shake your very foundation.

If the spirit isn't firm, the qi won't flow smoothly, and your body will naturally be affected. You'll become timid and fearful at the slightest disturbance."

"I understand..." Wang Yiyang nodded, signaling his comprehension.

"Alright, alright, hurry back and get some sleep. It's getting late." After chatting for so long, the old man finally grew weary, turned around with his hands behind his back, and wobbled back to his room.

Wang Yiyang watched him leave, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Inside the room.

Zhong Can stood by the window, his expression calm and indifferent.

His robust physique resembled a human sculpture in the darkness, hard and possessing a certain inexplicable terror.

'It seems Wang Yiyang has noticed something.'—Black Silkworm.

He lowered his head, looking at the glow of his phone screen, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keys to send an encrypted message.

Beep, a reply arrived on the phone.

'Should we kill him early? To avoid any slip-ups.'—Dada.

'He leaves the day after tomorrow. We'll strike on the way back.'—Black Silkworm.

'You or me?'—Dada.

'You. If I make a move, Wang Xinlong will notice.'—Black Silkworm.

'Fine, a car accident will do.'—Dada.

'Agreed. However, if he truly has discovered something, I will strike personally. Be ready to assist at any time.'—Black Silkworm.

'Of course.'—Dada.

Snap.

The phone screen instantly cleared all messages, and then the screen turned off automatically, as if an invisible hand were wiping away all traces of the conversation.

Zhong Can raised his head, staring at the crossbeam on the ceiling in the darkness, remaining motionless for a long time.

The night grew deeper.

Wang Yiyang changed into his pajamas and lay flat on the bed in the room.

From the courtyard outside, the faint sound of the nanny drawing water to water the flowers drifted in.

The well water hitting the metal bucket made a continuous, crisp splashing sound. Merging with the silence of the deep night, it made the atmosphere feel even quieter.

Wang Yiyang lay on the somewhat hard wooden bed, breathing in the cold air through his nostrils, and could even smell a faint, musty odor in the room.

The quilt and mattress seemed to have been unused for a long time; they felt slightly damp, and the touch was moist, with a chill that seeped straight into his bones.

Wang Yiyang tugged at the quilt, but he couldn't get warm no matter what.

He felt a bit thirsty and licked his lips, but unexpectedly, he licked a piece of unknown, soft matter stuck to his lip.

It seemed like a piece of fruit peel, or perhaps bean curd skin.

It was salty and somewhat disgusting, so he hurriedly reached up, pinched the soft object, and flicked it away with his finger.

Snap.

The object seemed to strike the wooden table in the room, emitting a very faint sound.

How on earth am I supposed to resolve this...

Wang Yiyang gazed at the blackened wooden rafters, sighing to himself.

He felt as though he had exhausted a year's worth of sighs over the past few days.

Judging by Zhong Can's behavior today, he is barely concealing his malice anymore. He might still restrain himself in front of Grandfather, but in front of me...

He recalled that previous exchange of gazes.

He did not believe it had been a hallucination.

Zhong Can's room was right next door.

Perhaps the two of them were no more than three meters apart at this very moment, separated only by a single wall.

At the thought of this, Wang Yiyang felt a chill run through him, and he could not fall asleep no matter what.

Tossing and turning in bed for a full half-hour, he finally drifted into a semi-conscious state.

Without realizing it, he dozed for about an hour before vaguely hearing a sound outside the window, but when he struggled to open his eyes and look, he found nothing.

After this happened several times, Wang Yiyang could no longer sleep at all, so he simply gave up, sat up on the bed, and remained there until dawn.