Apologizing

Huan Wei was waiting excitedly. It was hard not to show how excited he was. He had never planned that Huan Hong would come to his house and want to talk to him, but now he was here. He had even brought drinks to get rid of Huan Chao.

"Brother Huan Wei, I know things are not good between you and me." Huan Hong started to speak. His silver hairpin was in his hair. "For a long time we have been hard on you, bullying you. Yet you kept quiet."

Huan Wei continued to listen in silence. Huan Hong turned his back on him and raised his head to the sky. "But today I realized that we are the poor ones. By mocking you, we only humbled ourselves. We humiliated you just to satisfy our arrogance."

Huan Wei continued to listen in amazement. This had gone far beyond his expectations. Was Huan Hong apologizing? Looking up at the sky, the youth turned his face back to Huan Wei. "I want to tell you that I will no longer bully you. I have come to ask for your forgiveness. I apologize for the shameful things I have done."

There was silence for a few seconds. Dozens of different scenarios swirled in Huan Wei's mind, but they all had one thing in common. Huan Wei put himself in Huan Hong's position and empathized. There had to be something that made someone like him apologize and swallow his pride. Huan Wei had no friends in high places. So someone could not have forced this young man to apologize. Nor was Huan Hong the type to have enlightenment on his own. So there was only one reason left. "Don't worry, Brother Hong, it's enough for me to see that you've become a better person. I hope we'll be on good terms from now on."

Huan Hong put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "I cannot comprehend the weight of what I have put you through, Huan Wei. Perhaps your cultivation has bottlenecked because of me. Maybe I'm the reason you couldn't pass the Pedestrian stage."

Huan Wei smiled. "One can be bottlenecked by many things, Brother Hong, you don't need to blame yourself. It is my fault for not being able to cleanse my inner world and my soul." He did not lose his modesty.

"No," Huan Hong protested. "I cannot forgive myself if I do nothing to correct what I have caused. So let me help you break through to the Pedestrian stage."

Huan Wei raised one eyebrow. "How are you going to do that?" Huan Hong continued to surprise him more and more.

"I'll buy you a High Tier Natural Energy pill." Huan Hong smiled. "It will help you break through the bottleneck and enter the Traveler stage. I'll even teach you how to use weapons afterwards. You'll become very strong, Huan Wei."

Huan Wei really smiled this time. The happiness that filled his soul was indescribable. "Really, Huan Hong?" he asked as he smiled. Even his eyes were smiling.

"Yes." Huan Hong laughed too. "I will make it up to you, Huan Wei. Don't worry about it. Just come to the alchemy merchants north of the marketplace tomorrow. Be there when the sun is at its zenith."

"Are you really going to do it, Brother Hong? That pill is too expensive. Your family is not rich. You don't need to put yourself in trouble."

"No, no," Huan Hong patted his shoulder. "It's a matter of honor for me now. Just be at the market tomorrow when the sun is high."

"As you wish." Huan Wei greeted him with a bow. He was still smiling happily. Even when Huan Hong turned around and started walking away, Huan Wei didn't stop smiling. He watched him walk away. He was still smiling even when Huan Hong turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Huan Wei lowered his head. "He's going to use me," he said to himself. "He has set up the same plan as I did. He will sacrifice me to raise Huan Quon in the eyes of the merchants."

He started laughing out loud. He couldn't stop himself at that moment. That's why he covered his mouth with his hand. Tears were coming out of his eyes from laughing. "He will blame it on me and make Huan Quon look like a hero, but how will he steal the pill?" He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. He pushed his hair back from his face. "Poor Huan Hong... It'll be great that I'll make a few additions to your plan for you. I'll even make it easier for you."

Huan Wei calmed himself down a little and entered the house. Huan Chao was waiting with a frown. "What did he want?" he asked his son.

The young man shrugged. " He wants me to be his maid in a few days. He will show off to the girls. He will humiliate me and elevate himself."

"Who is this girl? Since he brought a few pieces of silver worth of liquor for the maid... How much will he pay?"

""He won't pay. Because I refused his offer."

Huan Chao leaned back and looked his son up and down. "Do you have any pride left to refuse such an offer? You are humiliated every day. What would you lose if he humiliated you one day?"

Huan Wei turned to him. "Weren't you the one who always told me I am a loser? So I decided to change things. What's wrong with that? You already have money. I earn it from hunting. I don't need to suffer his bad breath. He's shamelessly showing up on my doorstep."

Huan Chao laughed as if in contempt. "We both know you can't say those words outside the house, kid. Don't give me the tough guy act. The moment you walk out this door, you'll go back to being a loser. And you're stupid. Huan Hong will humiliate you now without paying you. If you'd accepted, at least you'd have something to gain."

"Maybe I am stupid, but I'm a stupid who doesn't want to be humiliated for money."

When Huan Chao went back to his drink, Huan Wei went to his own room. He couldn't tell his father what Huan Hong had said. If he did, he might even try to take the pill away from him. Huan Wei would try to keep that pill for himself. He would put more blame on Huan Hong than he did. He even decided to escalate things after he showed up on his doorstep. He would set a fire in a house with people in it. If there were a few deaths, Huan Hong would never get away from it. And Huan Quon couldn't defend him this time. Any defense would tie the two of them together. Huan Hong would be helplessly executed. Huan Wei would have already taken the pill before he was executed.

The young man immediately lay down on the blanket and closed his eyes. The earlier he woke up tomorrow morning, the more time he would have for other things. So he had to be up and out of the house by dawn at the latest, but it was impossible for him to fall asleep with such excitement. He looked up. "Which one of you helped me?" he thought to himself. He had never expected his luck to go so well, but it was clear that he would not be able to sleep tonight. So he got up, picked up the piece of wood again and decided to train. At least he could keep his body fit.

When dawn came, Huan Wei put the wood aside. He had practiced during the night, sometimes working and sometimes resting. His arms ached, but he wouldn't need them much today. He went to the bathroom and washed his face and hands. He looked at himself in the mirror for a few seconds. It was finally time. Perhaps tomorrow he would enter the Traveler stage. These bottleneck days as a Pedestrian were finally coming to an end. He had to make Huan Hong's job easier so that he could succeed. If Huan Hong failed to take the pill, the opportunity would be gone. Fortunately, Huan Wei had planned this in detail. Not only would he make it easier for him, but he would also be able to frame him for crimes he didn't even commit.

He left the bathroom and went to the kitchen. His father was nowhere to be seen this time. Maybe it was the first time in a long time that he had reached his bed? He was used to the man passing out in the chair. There were still empty bottles on the table. Huan Wei left the house and picked up the bottle hidden among the stones. He went out into the streets with the small bottle hidden in his clothes. He had time until the sun was just overhead. He had the silver colored wooden hairpin with him. All that remained was to arrange things. He began to walk confidently. With each step, the cool air of dawn made him feel even better.