Lesson in Fear

The silence stretched between them, thick with tension. The three men stood at the threshold, their confidence beginning to fray at the edges. Yue watched closely, half-excited, half-curious.

Would he finally show his hand?

The leader of the group swallowed, trying to regain control of the situation. "We don't want trouble."

Shen Xu smiled again. "You brought trouble with you."

The leader's patience snapped. With a sharp motion, he gestured to his men. "Take him."

One of them lunged. Fast faster than an ordinary man.

But Shen Xu didn't move.

The attacker's hand barely touched his robe before something unseen shifted in the air.

A sharp crack rang out.

The man staggered backward with a choked gasp, his wrist bending at an unnatural angle. He clutched it, eyes wide with shock.

It had happened too fast. Yue hadn't even seen how Xu had done it.

The second man hesitated, but the leader barked, "What are you waiting for?!"

With a guttural growl, the second attacker drew his blade and slashed forward only to stop mid-motion.

No. Not stop.

He couldn't move.

His arms trembled, veins bulging, his face twisted in confusion and horror as an unseen pressure crushed down on him. His knees buckled, forcing him to the ground.

Yue's breath caught.

It's not just his strength… she realized. It's his presence. His very existence is suffocating them.

Shen Xu finally stepped forward, slow and measured, until he stood before the leader.

The man, to his credit, didn't immediately break. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, but the way his knuckles turned white betrayed his fear.

Xu tilted his head slightly. "Tell me." His voice was quiet, almost lazy. "Who sent you?"

The leader swallowed. "No one."

Xu smiled.

His fingers barely moved, but the air shifted again. The leader's legs gave out beneath him, forcing him to kneel.

"Try again."

The man struggled, his face paling as the invisible weight on him increased. He gasped, his body trembling under the unseen force.

"I..I don't know his name," he choked out. "Just a letter. Someone wanted to confirm if you were still alive."

That made Xu pause.

Yue caught it the briefest flicker of something in his eyes. A memory? Annoyance? Amusement?

"Still alive?" Xu echoed, almost to himself. Then he let out a soft chuckle. "So they're still looking."

The leader took a shaky breath, mistaking Xu's amusement for mercy. "We we were just supposed to report back"

Xu placed a single finger on the man's forehead.

The leader froze. His pupils dilated, and in the next breath, he fell on his knees.

Xu stepped back, dusting his hands as if shaking off something unimportant. The other two men, still immobilized, looked on in sheer terror.

Then, as if remembering she was there, Xu glanced at Yue.

She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "So." She exhaled. "When were you going to tell me you were some kind of monster?"

Xu smiled slightly. "You never asked."

She rolled her eyes but grinned. "Fair enough."

The two remaining men let out strangled whimpers.

The moment hung heavy in the air, thick with a suffocating silence.

The leader of the group still knelt on the ground, his limbs trembling under an unseen weight. His two men, one clutching a broken wrist, the other still struggling to breathe, stared at Shen Xu with wide, disbelieving eyes.

This was no ordinary man.

Shen Xu exhaled softly, as if slightly inconvenienced. He bent down, his fingers gripping the leader's collar before hauling him up with effortless strength.

"You said someone wanted to confirm if I was alive," he mused, voice calm, almost amused. "That means they aren't sure. Good."

The leader could barely keep his legs under him as Xu dragged him toward the door. The other two men scrambled to their feet, fear overriding any lingering thoughts of resistance.

"You what are you going to do?" one of them stammered.

Xu didn't answer. He merely stepped outside, still dragging the half-conscious leader like a sack of rice. The other two hesitated for only a second before stumbling after him, as if staying near him was safer than being left behind.

Yue leaned against the doorframe, watching with a smirk.

"Taking out the trash?" she teased.

Xu shot her a glance, unreadable as ever. "Something like that."

She followed as he led the three men through the dimly lit village, their dragging footsteps the only sound in the empty streets. The few villagers still awake peeked through their windows but quickly turned away, sensing something dangerous unfolding.

When they reached the village outskirts, Xu finally stopped. He turned to face the two conscious men.

"Leave." His voice was soft, but it carried a weight that made their bodies seize up. "Tell whoever sent you that Shen Xu is dead. That they should stop looking."

The two men nodded frantically, desperate for a chance to escape.

Xu released his grip on their leader, letting him crumple to the ground. He waved a hand, and suddenly, the weight pressing down on them vanished.

They didn't hesitate. Grabbing their fallen companion, they fled into the night, their hurried footsteps fading into the distance.

Yue watched them go, then turned to Xu, arms crossed. "And what happens when they don't listen?"

Xu smiled slightly. "Then they send stronger ones."

She raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't bother you?"

He looked out into the night, hands slipping into his sleeves. "If I worried about every fool who came looking for me, I'd never get any sleep."

Yue studied him for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.

"You're really something else."

Xu finally looked at her. "Regretting staying?"

She grinned. "Are you kidding? This just got interesting."

For the first time since she met him, she swore she saw a flicker of amusement in his gaze.

Without another word, he turned and walked back toward the village. Yue followed, still smirking.

Whatever past he was hiding, whatever strength he refused to show one thing was clear.

Shen Xu wasn't just strong.

He was dangerous.