Bad News

A few more days passed. Huan Wei's wounds were getting better. His chest didn't hurt, yet he still needed a few days of rest.

On the other hand, his nightmares worsened. The number of beings he believed were watching him in the darkness increased day by day. He could never make a sound and had difficulty waking up each time. Although he tried to put it out of his mind during the day, every night was a different torture. The fear that occupied his mind continued to haunt him every night.

Unbeknownst to the young man, his father had money. The man continued to buy alcohol every day. There was no way that the money he had stolen from him could last for so long, but when Huan Wei asked about it, he only got humiliation in reply. So he stopped asking.

Huan Chao kept pressing him. The drunkard only wanted the boy to start working again. He didn't care about his injuries or the danger to his life.

Because Huan Wei couldn't go into the forest, he couldn't search for energy fields. He was stuck in the middle of the Traveler stage. Since Huan Zhong had run away, he couldn't earn money. So he couldn't buy pills to help himself. His life was in shambles. He spent all day at home.

His stitches were removed. He didn't need dressings anymore. So he continued to train with wooden pieces.

Practicing the moves he'd seen from Yuchi Meizhen. He was impressed by her style. The way she responded to some attacks, the way she used her body instead of just her sword.

A warrior's strength was meaningless unless his attack could reach his opponent. If one could get completely out of the way of an attack, one took no damage. This made the young man place a special emphasis on agility. It no longer made sense to rely only on the sword, but it was impossible for him to make very agile moves until he was fully healed.

He put down the piece of wood when he heard his father calling out.

"Wei! Come here!"

Who knows what he would say again? Huan Wei grunted and walked over to him.

"What do you want again?"

"You've been lying at home all day. Go buy me a drink and make yourself useful."

Huan Chao threw a few coppers at him. The young man didn't bother to pick up the spilled coins.

"It's too dangerous for me to go out. You know they are after me."

"So?" Huan Chao looked at him, scratching his belly. "You've gotten used to sleeping around. If you are of no use to me, you will sleep outside from now on. So if I were you, I would shut up."

"I'm beginning to think you have mental problems." Huan Wei bent down and picked up the coins. "Maybe you have a dual personality?"

"Don't talk too much and get going."

Huan Chao didn't say anything else. He still had a few bottles of alcohol. He was enjoying them. Huan Wei also walked out the door, cursing inside.

"They come to my house to kill me, yet he sends me out alone."

He looked down the street. The town guards were on duty. Of course none of them would accompany him.

Huan Wei started walking at a fast pace. He was constantly checking the surroundings. He was still attracting people's attention. After the court case, his popularity had reached its peak thanks to the attackers who had come to his house.

He tried not to make eye contact with anyone as he walked through the streets. He went to the liquor store where his father always went. He was going to buy a few bottles of the cheap stuff and come back.

When he turned his head, he saw someone else being heckled by a few people. They were even slapping the poor young man, but he couldn't make a sound. Huan Wei remembered that he was not the only one being bullied in Bitter Sea Town.

Every person's world revolved around them. Everyone was the main character in their own story. For a long time, Huan Wei didn't focus on what was happening outside. He had enough troubles. He had no reason to care about anyone else's troubles.

As he hurried past, one of the bullies turned towards him. He nudged the others and pointed at Huan Wei. The young man noticed this. He quickened his pace. He thought to at least go to a town guard, but they did not follow him. They left, leaving the person they had cornered behind.

Huan Wei walked on, checking behind him. When he came to the shop, he went in without waiting. He hoped it would be easy to get out.

He quickly bought three bottles of alcohol and left the store. He was going straight home. He took the shortest possible route.

The sun was high. It was uncomfortably hot. He was sweating, but he couldn't tell if it was from stress or the heat.

He kept walking. Until he saw Huan Quon ahead. The merchant's son was walking calmly towards him. Huan Wei immediately changed his path. There were no guards around.

He was about to enter another street when two people appeared in front of him. The two young men looked at him and crossed their arms across their chests. Huan Wei immediately tried to go in another direction, yet there were people there too. He was trapped. His excitement was growing.

"What's the hurry?" Huan Quon asked calmly.

Huan Wei turned to him with a frown. He picked up one of the liquor bottles. He was preparing to defend himself. "Stand back."

Huan Quon smiled. "I heard you fell off a cliff. I came to wish you well."

"I don't need your good wishes. Tell your stooges to get out of the way."

"Don't you think you're giving a little too much orders for a poor loser, Huan Wei?"

Huan Wei did not answer. Instead, he looked at the young men surrounding him. They all seemed to be preparing to attack him. There were almost ten of them.

"Huan Wei," Huan Quon has spoken. "Your father put Huan Dong in the hospital. How much more hate do you think you can gain?"

"He deserved what he got. I wish he'd just die."

"Wow, you don't mince words." Huan Quon laughed. This was getting on the young man's nerves.

"Surely you are not stupid enough to attack me in the street like this?" Huan Wei looked around. Many people were watching them. "Are you challenging Huan Fu's authority?"

"No, no, whatever Huan Fu says goes. We don't go against his orders. I just want to give you some friendly advice." Huan Quon moved a little closer to him. "Huan Manchu gets out of prison tomorrow. He is a close friend of Huan Kong. He also hates Huan Chao. So be careful."

He looked at Huan Wei with an insinuating smile and then signaled to the other young men. They all left together. Huan Wei was left alone.

"Who the hell is Huan Manchu?" He didn't know him. He must have been a criminal to be in prison. He hadn't been executed, so his crimes weren't too serious. He didn't know what he had against his father. The only thing he was sure of was that Huan Kong would set him on him.

He went home quickly. He didn't want to stay outside. He was annoyed that there were no town guards around when there were ten of them surrounding him.

As soon as he walked in the door, Huan Chao started scolding him.

"Is it taking you so long to buy two drinks? You didn't say you were crippled."

"I'm so sorry." Huan Wei spoke with sarcasm. "I forgot to tell you that people want to kill me."

"Put what you brought on the table."

Huan Wei took the drinks and slammed them down hard on the table. "I hope you don't choke on it."

Huan Chao ignored him and opened one of the bottles and started drinking.

"Who is Huan Manchu?" When the young man suddenly asked, his father stopped drinking and put the bottle back on the table.

"What's it to you?"

"I heard he's getting out of prison tomorrow. He's a good friend of Huan Kong. You know, Huan Kong, whose father you put in the hospital."

Huan Chao's brows furrowed. The young man had never seen his father frown at anyone but him. This made him even more curious.

"Get out of my sight."

"Are you going to tell me who he is?"

"No."

The young man said nothing more. He knew that anything he said from this point on would mean nothing to his father.

So he went to his room and picked up the piece of wood. He felt he had to practice. The kitchen knife he had taken with him when he left with Yuchi Meizhen had melted with the demon's blood. Now there was an enemy out of prison. He certainly wouldn't like the execution of his close friend's son.

"If he was a murderer, Huan Fu would have executed him."

Huan Wei tried to convince himself, yet deep down he knew it too. Death sentences were not always available. In the last few years, Huan Fu had toughened the punishment for some crimes. So Huan Manchu could have been serving time for murder. It was too bad he didn't know what kind of history he had with his father. He also didn't know him, so he couldn't predict what he would do.

"It's getting harder and harder to live."