Mysterious Elder

Xu Hanyu's heart thundered in his chest, his breath coming fast as his father's words tightened around him like chains. But he refused to let himself be bound. "You can't do this to me, Father! I'm not a property! I'm not some caged beast for you to lock away!"

"You're a son of this clan, Han'er! Not some selfish child who thinks they can defy me and do as they please! You think you can just leave because you don't like my rules? Do you even understand why I've been so hard on you?!"

"I get it, Father. I get it all too well. You think you're protecting me, but this isn't protection—it's a prison! You've suffocated me with your rules, and for what? To keep me safe from a world you're too scared to let me see? What's the point of your protection if it means I'll rot here, never knowing what's out there? Each of your strict rules was like a burden to me!"

Lord Xu's eyes narrowed, pain and rage warring on his face. "A burden?" he spat, "Do you really think I don't care about you? I've given everything for you! Everything I have, I've sacrificed to protect you! And this is how you repay me?"

"I know, you've protected me—but please understand that your protection hurts me too, Father! It's not about keeping me safe; it's about control! I'm certain you see me as nothing more than the cursed child you can't fix—no matter how hard you try! You never cared about my feelings as your son, not really. You only cared about keeping me locked away, a puppet to your own desires! You're heartless!"

Lord Xu recoiled, the truth of his son's words hitting him like a slap. "You–!" With that, Lord Xu took a deep breath before saying, "I did what I thought was best for you. Everything I did was for you. And now you think I'm heartless because of it?"

"All I ever wanted was a single moment to feel alive, to see beyond these walls. To know what it means to be free. And you've never cared enough to give that to me." His voice was barely a whisper. "You never saw me, Father. You only saw what you wanted me to be."

For a moment, the room was silent, and Lord Xu couldn't speak any more words as he was unable to form words. The accusations crushed him, leaving him speechless.

"But perhaps, if I could cultivate, if I were strong enough… things wouldn't be like this. You wouldn't have to see me as that 'weak cursed child' that everyone sees..." 

Hearing those words, Lord Xu couldn't help but feel guilty for some reason. His expression softened as he looked at Xu Hanyu lowering his head down filled with sorrow.

"Han'er… I—" Lord Xu began, as his expression suddenly softened but before he could respond–

"And maybe it's not just you who's trapped in a cage, Father," Xu Hanyu said, his voice soft but weighted with undeniable truth. 

"Maybe it's both of us."

Xu Hanyu said his last words and then turned to leave. With every step he took, it felt like a weight was added, leaving Lord Xu standing still, his thoughts spinning. The door to his heart began to shut as his son's words replayed in his mind.

…

After leaving the study, Xu Hanyu stormed to the back of the Xu Clan's residence, fists clenched, his breath ragged with frustration. Without hesitation, he swung his fist at the trunk of the tree, the impact sending a dull shock up his arm. Then another. And another.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Each strike was fueled by the storm raging inside him, his knuckles crashing against the rough bark. The pain barely registered. His hands turned red, skin bruising with every blow, but he didn't stop.

"Always like this... always seen as nothing…" His voice was rough, cracking with his anger. He breathed in quick, jagged gasps, but it was nothing compared to the heat rising inside him.

Thud! His fist struck again, harder. The tree barely moved, but his vision blurred from the force behind each hit.

"Not even worth anything..." 

Crack. 

The bark splintered under his knuckles, but the impact barely dulled the suffocating weight pressing down on him.

Was this what his father always thought about him? Useless. Weak. A burden. Ha… Even him.

He clenched his jaw and leaned his forehead against the tree, picturing his father's strict gaze. He remembered being trapped inside, refusing to let him step outside.

His hands were a mess now—streaked with blood, trembling from the strain. But the pain in his chest was worse.

"I'll never be good enough for you, will I—" His fist swung again. "No matter how hard I try—!"

Then suddenly–

"You little brat…! Stop punching the tree! You're disturbing my sleep!"

Xu Hanyu halted abruptly, his fist inches from the tree's rough surface. Panting and wide-eyed, he scanned the area in shock before slowly lowering his arm, staring at the tree as if it had sprouted a mouth.

"What the heck...?" he whispered to himself. "Did that tree just speak?" 

He took a cautious step back, looking around. There was nothing—just the empty courtyard, the rustling leaves, and the chilly night air against his skin. 

Thud! 

He hit the tree again, this time with more force, questioning his own sanity. 

"Hey! Stop being so stubborn!" the voice snapped again, sounding annoyed. 

Xu Hanyu's breath hitched. His muscles tensed as he stepped back again, his eyes locked on the tree. 

"Who... who are you?! Are you the tree…?!" 

A moment of silence passed. Then, a deep, weary sigh filled the air. 

"I'm not the tree, kid. But I really don't like being treated like one." 

"What… then what are you?!" 

The voice chuckled—low, raspy, and almost playful. "Hah… such a slow-witted kid. I'm in your bracelet." 

Xu Hanyu blinked. "...Bracelet?" A sudden chill ran down his spine. 

Without thinking, he tore it off and threw it away. 

"WHAT THE HECK?! A BRACELET CAN TALK?!" 

He stumbled back, heart pounding like a war drum, eyes locked onto the discarded bracelet lying motionless on the ground.

This had to be a joke. A hallucination.

But deep down, something told him… this was real.

Xu Hanyu's breath was still uneven as he stared at the discarded bracelet lying a few feet away. His pulse thundered in his ears.

A talking bracelet? That was absurd.

But why does his voice sound familiar…?

The confused Xu Hanyu glanced around, searching for the voice's source. "What the hell..! Who are you..?!" 

"You've forgotten me already..?" the mysterious elder's voice continued to resonate in the area.

There was a pause as Xu Hanyu tried to process his confusion. "What do you mean 'already'?! I don't even know you..!"

Wait…

Xu Hanyu paused as he was thinking deeply that the voice was so familiar, he had heard this voice before, then a sudden flashback hit him.

'You two were holding onto each other so tightly last night, even the cold couldn't reach you... Heh, and here you are, rubbing that sore spot. Are you sure she's not leaving a mark on your heart too?'

With that the flashback faded, and he raised his arms slightly. 

"It's you..?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the blue cord bracelet on his right wrist that suddenly felt much more weighty.

"Yes, you're right. It's me.." Then a thin swirl of light mist emerged from the bracelet.

The young master's breath hitched as an illusory image of an elder began to materialise in the air, as the fog emerged from the bracelet. 

This wasn't a normal scene.

The spirit was an Elder with a gentle green eyebrow and a long beard. It was unusual. I had never seen anyone like this before, and it was hard to believe. To make it even stranger, he was entirely naked, and his chest had a unique, glowing green pattern that was oddly beautiful.

As the mist cleared, Xu Hanyu's eyes widened in shock. "Ah–! What the hell—?!"

He floated above the ground, his figure still half-transparent, as though the mist had only just begun to settle into form. Wearing long, flowing robes, his long beard moved softly, and his deep, intense eyes looked at Xu Hanyu with a hint of amusement.

"Hehehe..!" The illusory image of an old man was in front of him, clad only in a tattered lower garment. 

"Ghost?!"

The elder sighed, rubbing his temples as if troubled by the antics of a troublesome child. "Hah... What a troublesome brat. First, you punch a tree like a madman, and now you throw me away like some cursed relic."

Xu Hanyu stayed tense, his eyes shifting between the ghostly figure of the elder and the bracelet lying on the ground.

"You—You came out of that?" His voice was hoarse. "Are you a fucking ghost or spirit..!?"

The elder let out a short chuckle. "Sharp enough to notice now, are you?" He folded his arms, floating a little closer. "Hmph. Plus, I ain't a ghost but a spirit."

But the young man couldn't help but feel curious and asked, "Just w-who the hell are you?"

With that, the elder formed a playful smirk on his face. 

"I'm your mother."