Would Someone Like Me Frighten You Too?

Boss Huang changed into tattered clothes beforehand, removed all conspicuous items from his body, and left Yongning County early by blending into the crowd.

He kept his head down and shoulders hunched, looking no different from the people around him; no one gave him a second glance.

After leaving the city, he turned onto a side road, deliberately choosing secluded dirt paths. He walked for most of the day until he was sure no one was following him, at which point he slowed down a bit.

He was, after all, just a landlord with some money, without any cultivation, and his physical strength was only average. After walking for a while, his legs began to ache, and his breathing became heavy.

But what he didn't know was that, further away, a figure was following him, neither getting close nor leaving.

Just when Boss Huang was about to give up, there was an abandoned thatched hut by the roadside ahead. The door was crooked and the roof had a large hole, confirming that no one had lived there for a long time.

Without thinking much, Boss Huang pushed open the door, found a relatively clean spot on the ground, lay down, and gasped for breath.

What he didn't notice was that under the dim sky, a person was already standing in front of the threshold.

The figure stood there, motionless, clutching a stone knife in his hand, his mind replaying events from almost a year ago.

That day, his father lay in bed, his face ashen, his lips cracked, and he couldn't even swallow water.

He gripped his father's hand, his voice pleading, "Dad, hang in there. I'll get my wages soon, and I'll go get a doctor right away. You'll be alright."

His father didn't look at him, but with his last bit of strength, he squeezed his hand back, his voice weak as a thread about to break. "Silly boy... your father can't hold on anymore, don't waste the money... keep it for yourself, be good... listen to me."

His eyes reddened, and his voice trembled. "No, no, Dad is in good health, he can definitely pull through..." He repeated, as if trying to convince his father, or perhaps himself.

His father didn't speak again, just stared at him silently, his eyes cloudy, unable to utter a word. He didn't dare let go then, afraid that if he did, he would never have another chance.

That day he went to Boss Huang's place.

He stood at the door, but was stopped by two guards before he could go in.

He said he was there to collect his wages, gave his name, and a foreman went in to announce him. Before he could finish speaking, Boss Huang's voice came from inside. "Tell him to get lost."

The voice was casual, like shooing away a fly; they didn't even bother to ask who it was.

Before he could even speak, he was pushed out by the guards. He stumbled a few steps, his head hitting the door frame, and he sustained several injuries.

He fell to the ground, not only did he not receive his wages, but he was also beaten up.

After he dragged his injured body back to his lodgings, he had trouble even taking care of himself, let alone his bedridden father.

His father passed away during this period. He hadn't been able to take good care of him, and they didn't have money to buy medicine, so his father couldn't hold on and left this world.

He sat on the edge of the bed, holding his father's cold hand, his tears long since dried, and sat there with his head down for a long time.

He hated Boss Huang, hated himself for not being a martial artist, and hated the world for not even being able to keep his own father.

He was in a daze for a long time, wondering what the meaning of a person's life was. Someone like him, without cultivation, without foundation, without support, would be forgotten even after he died.

He even considered ending it all, but he couldn't swallow his anger.

Later, I heard that Boss Huang was recruiting again, this time to leave Anping County and go to other places, and that Boss Huang would go there in person.

Upon hearing the news, he went without hesitation.

Nobody knew such a nobody as him. Neither Boss Huang nor the bodyguard who had injured him remembered him.

He mingled with the group of people carrying goods, and no one gave him a second glance. He remained silent like a Stone, without uttering a single word.

On the day we were about to leave Anping County, the sky began to darken, the clouds hung low, and muffled thunder rolled deep within the clouds, like a bell that had been covered, its sound deep and muffled, yet it never rang.

He went to his father's grave, a mound of earth on a hillside outside the village, with only a few Stone around its edge.

A bolt of lightning Cloudbreaker, and white light shone into the dilapidated hut, casting a long shadow of the Stone that fell squarely on Boss Huang's face.

Boss Huang suddenly woke up and saw a figure standing at the door. "Where did this beggar come from? Get out!"

The Stone didn't answer him; he gripped the stone knife and charged inside.

The stone knife gleamed white, not because it was sharp, but because the sweat from my palms had made the handle shine after holding it for a long time.

With a single stroke, Boss Huang's shoulder was slashed open, and he screamed in agony as blood splattered onto the stone knife.

The stab wound knocked Boss Huang to the ground, and he kicked Boss Huang Tou in Stone chest. Ignoring his injuries, he crawled backward desperately until one hand braced against the wall. His voice changed, from fierce to pleading. "Don't kill me... I'll give you anything you want. Money! I have so much money, enough to ensure you'll never have to worry about food or drink again... Just let me go, and I promise you everything..."

Stone sneered, "Yes, if they have so much money, why didn't they give him his share of the wages in the first place?"

Another clap of thunder echoed in the sky, this time closer, as if something was being torn apart.

Stone's face was half light and half dark. He stood in front of Boss Huang, looking down at the man who had once driven him away with just a few words.

He remembered his father's lips not closing when he closed his eyes, the dull thud of his head hitting the doorframe when he was pushed out the door, and the lights that were off when he came home that night.

He lowered his head, his voice low, as if speaking to himself, "So, someone as insignificant as me can frighten you?"

Boss Huang's lips trembled, and tears mixed with snot streamed down his face.

The Stone didn't look at him again, continuing its relentless slashing. The knife was dull, requiring even more force with each strike.

Boss Huang's voice gradually weakened, and his struggling body slowly came to a stop moving.

The Stone arm slowly stopped, and the stone knife fell to the ground with a dull thud.

He stood there, panting, looking down at the corpse on the ground, without saying a word. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but he felt as if the thing that had been weighing him down for almost a year had been slowly sliced open by this stone knife.

The wind blew in from outside, carrying the scent of earth and grass. Thunder rumbled, but the rain never fell.

At the doorway, a figure remained standing, neither approaching, nor uttering a sound, nor leaving.

He simply watched quietly until the Stone emerged from within, while the stone knife remained forever in that room...