132 Destiny is determined?

"These brutes!" Qi Shan cursed angrily to himself, his thoughts scrambled by the sounds of the fight. Unable to stand it any longer, he raised his hand and pulled out the pole propping the window open. Without the pole, the window slammed shut with a bang. "Can't a person get any sleep at night?"

The moonlight spilling into the room was abruptly cut off.

The noise was somewhat quieter with the window closed, but it was still loud enough to be annoying, like mosquitoes buzzing near his ears. Qi Shan sighed and cast a spell on himself to block out the noise, shutting off his hearing.

The others didn't have this ability.

Holding back his anger, he peeked outside to see who was causing the ruckus so late at night. Seeing it was Shen Tang and Li Li, he went back to bed to try to get some sleep.

Zhai Le yawned, "Brother Shen sure has a lot of energy."

Gong Shu Wu was unfazed, "They'll stop once they're done."

"Let's sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow."

He still wanted to see how Gong Shu Wu trained his soldiers.

Zhai Le burrowed into his bedding and closed his eyes.

Within three breaths, he was snoring lightly.

Gong Shu Wu flicked his hand, extinguishing the oil lamp.

The bandit hideout had limited housing, and with dozens of new recruits purchased during the day, space was even tighter. People were packed into shared sleeping areas, and as a guest, Zhai Le had to share a room with Gong Shu Wu. Sharing a room meant sleeping on two makeshift wooden planks.

Though the conditions were rough, Zhai Le was aware of the situation on Shen Tang's side. As a martial artist, he wasn't pampered like ordinary noble sons. Having trained hard in the mountains during his youth, being able to lie down and sleep was already a luxury.

At least there was a roof over his head and four walls around him.

Shen Tang and Li Li's fight continued.

The stalemate persisted. Li Li tried various methods to break through but failed repeatedly. Whether attacking fast or slow, or launching surprise attacks, Shen Tang always handled them with ease, adjusting his responses accordingly. The more they fought, the more frustrated Li Li became.

Finally losing his rhythm and technique, Li Li was struck on the wrist by Shen Tang. As his "weapon" dropped from his hand, he knew he was in trouble. Sure enough, within three moves, Shen Tang decisively pressed the tip of her wooden stick to his throat. He had lost.

Li Li stood in place for a long time.

It wasn't until Shen Tang withdrew the stick that he moved.

"Sir, if you're done playing, can we go back to sleep now?" As the adrenaline coursing through him gradually cooled, the battle fervor in Li Li's blood was replaced by a sense of helplessness. He took a deep breath, suppressing the negative emotions surging in his chest, and tried to sound more amicable. "I'm done for the night."

With that, he turned to leave.

He didn't head towards the room but to the stream near the bandit hideout. Shen Tang hesitated for a moment, then followed.

From a distance, he could hear Li Li's roar of anger.

"Ahhhh!"

The creek water reached up to Li Li's waist. He furiously slapped the water's surface, his throat releasing unclear shouts of emotion. He hit and kicked the water until he was exhausted, then leaned back, letting the water completely cover him as it splashed up. When he felt his chest about to burst from lack of air, he resurfaced.

The coolness of the creek penetrated his skin, calming his hot, muddled brain and gradually restoring his reason.

He was about to get out when he noticed a familiar, small figure standing quietly by the creek, watching him.

Li Li tightened his jaw and pressed his lips together.

"Sir, what are you doing here?"

Shen Tang replied, "I saw you were upset and came to check on you."

Li Li laughed bitterly, "Are you worried I might hurt myself?"

Shen Tang nodded honestly.

Li Li smiled sadly and murmured, "No, if I wanted to, I would've done it years ago. I wouldn't have lived till now."

Shen Tang asked, "Is it related to that lady?"

Li Li's expression changed slightly, but he nodded without hesitation, "Partly, yes, but mostly it's my self-loathing... I finally understood, as her brother said, some things are indeed destined from birth."

Shen Tang asked, "What did he say to you?"

Li Li clenched his jaw and said bitterly, "Nothing much. He just said that the lady was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. What she spends in a day could cover my expenses for three to five years, or even ten. Even if I could persuade her to leave with me, I would only end up disappointing her. He was right. Many are doomed to rot where they were born, even if fate grants them a good foundation in martial arts."

Shen Tang was almost shocked by his despair. "Why do you say that?"

Li Li, with reddened eyes, said, "I'm a living example. Even if fate gave me a bowl, I'd still starve..."

Despite having a talent that could change his family's poverty, feeding all his siblings, he failed to seize the opportunity.

"As a child, I was always troubled by hunger. Every day, my first concern was how to fill my stomach, all my energy focused on survival."

He didn't know about his talent, nor about martial or literary prowess. His background prevented him from accessing such things. Even if he did know, it would have been useless, as training a martial artist is too demanding for a poor family struggling to survive.

When Li Li realized what he had missed, he felt lost and pained. The lady was the only one who patiently comforted him.

Li Li's gaze softened, "The lady is the most wonderful woman in the world. No one has ever treated me as well as she has."

She taught him how to hold a pen, read, and write, and even hired a martial arts instructor for him. Despite him being merely a plaything, she cared deeply for him, which he understood.

He climbed out of the water, sat by the creek, and wrung out his shirt, jokingly saying, "Back then, I was defiant. I told her brother that even if I never had martial prowess, I would never be weaker than so-called martial artists. I could protect her and earn honor for her all the same."

Fueled by youthful passion and the dignity the lady personally instilled in him, he once dared to confront those high above him for the first time, all to fight for the right to stay.

Of course, the outcome was clear.

He could probably never forget the gaze of the lady's brother, almost piercing through his flesh, trying to see his humble and struggling soul. For years, he had been holding onto that pride, attempting to turn things around through effort...

But reality had shown him—

"Skill in both martial and literary arts is indeed unshakeable."

Suddenly, Shen Tang understood why Li Li had changed so suddenly. She asked him, "Because I am skilled in both literary and martial arts, yet I still managed to defeat you?"

Li Li admitted frankly, "I couldn't beat you."

For years, he had not relaxed, trying to use the techniques he had learned to gather qi into his body. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sense the presence of "qi." Even though he could kill a third-rate ruffian bare-handed, he knew such ruffians weren't true martial artists. Faced with higher-ranked martial artists, he could only await his death.

Now he couldn't even defeat a bookish scholar.

Looking back, he truly had been ignorant and arrogant.

Shen Tang sighed helplessly, "You shouldn't have compared yourself to me."