Patient Visit

After a while the door of the room opened. Old Zihao walked in with Huan Fu by his side. Huan Shanyuan was following them.

Huan Wei sat up in bed. He bowed his head and greeted them. "Welcome, town leader Huan Fu, Huan Shanyuan."

Huan Fu motioned for Old Zihao to leave. So there were three of them in the room. The young man didn't feel much excitement. He had thought this through until they arrived. He had an excuse for every reaction Huan Fu might have.

The town leader came over to the bed. "Get well soon, Huan Wei."

"Thank you." Huan Wei bowed his head respectfully. Meanwhile, Huan Shanyuan was closing the door.

"I heard that you fell off a cliff after going into the forest with Yuchi Meizhen."

"I didn't fall. Yuchi Meizhen threw me off a cliff."

Huan Fu looked at him. "I'm listening to you."

Huan Wei also took a deep breath and began. "She came here looking for her friend. At first she was happy, but I was too excited. It was the first time I had the chance to talk to a disciple of the Great Sword Palace. I think I asked too many questions."

The old man raised one eyebrow. "Did she throw you off a cliff for asking questions?"

Huan Shanyuan listened quietly. He had probably persuaded his grandfather to come. He wanted to know about Yuchi Meizhen.

"No, she was answering my questions. What happened was after she found out her friend was dead. Fishermen found a few pieces of his body in the fishing nets. The loss of a dear one affected her deeply."

"What happened next?" Huan Fu asked.

"'She took me with her when she went deeper into the forest. I think her friend came here for something too, but she wouldn't tell me what it was. I watched her slaughter the natural monsters, and I had my share of the battle." Huan Wei showed his bandaged leg.

The town leader asked curiously. "Why did she take you with her?"

Huan Wei knew this question was coming. So he lowered his head. "I'm not sure. I told her many times that I couldn't survive there, but she didn't hear me because of her sadness."

"Did she find what she was looking for?"

"No," the young man shook his head from side to side. "That made her even angrier. Coming back empty-handed after all those battles made her furious."

"Is that why she threw you off the cliff?"

"Actually, it's partly my fault." Huan Wei felt ashamed. "I said the wrong words because of my pain and fear. She was waiting for the last straw. I was the last straw."

"Do you want me to report this to the Great Sword Palace?"

"No, no," he shook his head from side to side. "I was wrong, and I'm sure she regrets it now. I don't want her punished. This time she may come with righteous anger. She was very powerful, the town leader Huan Fu. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"I see." The old man straightened up. "Then I won't report this to the sect."

Huan Wei smiled, but deep down he knew that the old man was happy about it too. Even if the young man had wanted Yuchi Meizhen to be punished, he probably wouldn't have informed the sect. Even though he was a ruler in this town, he was just a simple man to the Great Sword Palace. If Yuchi Meizhen came and slaughtered him and his entire family, only a new representative would be chosen.

"Huan Zihao said it would take me several months to recover." Huan Wei became emotional. "I can't survive in this state, town leader Huan Fu. I can't go into the forest because Huan Quon's friends are spoiling the traps I set. I'm afraid they will ambush me in the forest."

"We'll take care of that. Don't worry about it." Huan Fu spoke as if to brush him off and headed for the door, but Huan Wei had a different plan.

"May I ask something of you, town leader Huan Fu?"

The old man took a deep breath. He was getting tired of this boy. Still, he turned his head and said, "Tell me."

"You know what my father is like. He would never be interested in my recovery. On the contrary, he might even beat me again. I don't think I can work in this state. Can you at least help me with some food for my house until I am well enough to work?"

"We'll send something."

"Thank you."

Huan Fu left the room. The young man was now alone with Huan Shanyuan. The short-haired youth was examining him.

"Is there something you want to ask, Brother Shanyuan?"

Huan Shanyuan turned to him. "Actually, yes," he said as he came a little closer and sat down on a chair. "Tell me about Yuchi Meizhen. You saw her fight, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." Huan Wei understood this man's desire. He must have been jealous of Huan Wei because he couldn't see how she fought. Huan Wei didn't want to earn his enmity for nothing.

"What elements did she use?"

"I mainly saw techniques based on lightning Qi. She could use it with both her weapon and her bare hands. It was tremendously powerful. I've never felt anything like it before. She killed a natural monster she called the Golden-Eyed Wolf with a lightning bolt from her finger."

"Have you heard of the technique?"

"Yes, Death Voltage. She used this technique a lot. She seemed to have mastered it."

"Which path did she choose?"

"The Path of the Divines. She told me so herself."

Huan Shanyuan was more interested. Because he was also on the Path of the Divines. "Have you ever seen a Light Qi technique?"

"I saw one, but she didn't use it to fight. She used it to light our way at night."

Huan Wei didn't want to tell him about the demon. If a Corrupt Region appeared in the forest and this was where he broke through the bottleneck, he could be blamed. For now, there was no one else going in and out of the forest. So it would take a long time to discover the place. He already had enough on his plate. He couldn't be bothered to plan for it.

"How was her swordsmanship?"

Huan Wei didn't even bother to exaggerate this part. He had seen her every move. Her swordsmanship was fluid, as if she was dancing. Grace flowed from her every move. Nevertheless, her blows were powerful.

"I've never seen anyone wield a sword like her. It was like a river flowing around rocks. It was hard not to admire her. Even if she only used her sword, the monsters wouldn't stand a chance against her."

Huan Wei wanted to give Huan Shanyuan a little push. He had attracted too much attention lately. The low profile he liked had disappeared. He didn't want to stand out even more.

"Did you know, brother Shanyuan, that when we break through to the Life Link Realm, we can extend our lifespan? Yuchi Meizhen looked only two or three years older than me, but she was almost twice my age."

"I know."

Huan Shanyuan stood up. "Anyway, you get well," he said and walked out the door and left.

After he left, Huan Wei picked up his own clothes and checked his pockets. What he had predicted had happened. The silver coins had fallen into the ocean. Maybe Huan Bojing had stolen it? After all, he was the one who had found it and brought it all the way here.

"No," he said to himself. "If he had stolen it, he would have taken the pill. It's an easy theft to deny. I must have lost it in the ocean."

He put his clothes back on. Even though he had made shameless demands on Huan Fu, he had taken care of the food. The town leader would rather send food than have Huan Wei talking about him in public. The young man already had no fans in this town. Even Old Zihao could only pity him.

A few minutes later the door opened and a little boy came in. He must have been no more than seven years old. He was holding a small tray. There was a bowl of soup on it.

"I brought you food, big brother," the boy said. He brought the tray to the bed and handed it to Huan Wei.

The young man put the tray on his lap and said, "Thank you." The boy bowed his head and ran out of the room. Huan Wei looked after him.

"You are the grandson of Old Man Zihao. Maybe for his sake I will let you try to escape too."

His hatred for this town was growing. Maybe it was his hatred for himself? Maybe he hated the poor wretch he saw when he looked in the mirror? But who could admit that to themselves? One always looks for someone else to blame instead of oneself. Maybe that was Huan Wei's situation...

When there was nothing one loved in the world, one's soul was polluted with bad thoughts, hatred and resentment. With every sip of soup, he got angry, thinking that he would return to his father. If only he were stronger than him... He would have killed him when he was drunk and taken his body in pieces to the forest and buried it secretly. His life would have a new beginning, but no... Fate had other plans for him, whether he wanted to admit it or not.