Facing Death

Yang Hao was regarded as a waste within his clan. In a world where strength was revered, those who could not cultivate were dismissed as mere mortals.

Nothing would have been amiss if he had been an ordinary mortal—he could have enjoyed a long, peaceful life in Orange Wood City, where safety and prosperity allowed mortals to work, earn money, and live comfortably.

However, Yang Hao was not just any mortal; he was a member of the prestigious Yang Family, the overlords of Orange Wood City.

Had he been an average clan member, his mortal status might have gone unnoticed. After all, many in the Yang Family were mortals whose lives were far superior to those of the city's ordinary residents.

Yet Yang Hao was the grandson of the family head, a fact that set him apart. His status made him a target of envy among his peers. Thanks to his strong and influential father, Yang Hao enjoyed a life of luxury despite being mortal—so luxurious that it was even better than some warriors.

This lavish lifestyle sparked jealousy, and his cousins resorted to mocking him, knowing that doing so would tarnish Yang Hao's father's reputation in the clan. They mocked him in hopes of improving their chances for their father to eventually succeed as the family head after their grandfather's retirement.

Despite the constant ridicule, Yang Hao had grown accustomed to it over sixteen years. With a personal guard assigned by his father, no one dared to touch him openly. Even though he was a mortal, he was the son of a strong person and the grandson of Family Head.

One might whisper behind his back, but to do so in his presence was to insult not only him but also the family head and elders.

In the end, Yang Hao learned to live calmly, enduring the occasional ridiculous comment without worry.

However, Today, Yang Hao found himself deep in a dark and dangerous forest. The woods were full of wild, vicious beasts, and as a mortal, he knew that any encounter with them could mean his end. There was no safe path here—every step could bring him closer to death.

But how had he ended up in such a dangerous place?

Some time ago, his loyal personal guard had attacked him. In a sudden moment of betrayal, the guard struck Yang Hao, knocking him out cold. When he awoke, he saw that his guard was gone, leaving him alone in the midst of these dangerous beasts. The very man who had once sworn to protect him had abandoned him in a place where death lurked behind every tree.

Yang Hao knew the guard well. The guard was a man who had reached the limits of his own cultivation, yet he had faithfully served Yang Hao's father, working hard to earn a living. This was not a man known for treachery or greed. So why had he done such a terrible thing? Yang Hao could only think that someone must have offered the guard something very tempting—a reward or a promise that was too hard to refuse—forcing him to betray his duty or someone threaten him with his family or something.

This led Yang Hao to a troubling question: Who wanted him dead? He thought hard about his family and those who knew him well. Although his cousins often teased and ridiculed him, they were still his brothers and sisters by blood. His cousin sisters had always treated him kindly, and he remembered a time years ago when he was bullied by someone. In that moment, his cousin brothers rushed to his rescue without a second thought, even if they knew that the opposite person was strong.

Even his uncles and aunts, who sometimes joined in the teasing during family gatherings, never showed any signs of wanting to harm him. They celebrated his birthdays and stood by him in times of need, even when there were rivalries over who should lead the family. Deep down, they were all still a family who cared for one another.

Because of these memories, Yang Hao could not imagine that anyone in his family would wish him harm. It also seemed unlikely that any other member of the clan—whether a disciple, worker or minor relative—had enough power or wealth to bribe his trusted guard or threaten him into such a betrayal. The idea that an enemy could be hiding among those he loved left him confused and heartbroken.

Sitting on the cold forest floor, Yang Hao closed his eyes and tried to piece together the clues. He wondered about the mysterious offer that might have tempted his guard and who could have made such an offer. His mind raced through every possibility, yet no clear answer emerged.

As he sat there, the sounds of rustling leaves and distant animal growls filled the air. Yang Hao knew that escaping from the forest would take a full day, and in that time, he would almost certainly encounter one of the dangerous beasts. With little hope of survival or rescue, he decided there was no point in moving. Instead, he chose to sit quietly and wait for his fate, accepting that today might be his last day.

While lost in thought, Yang Hao recalled that he had a fiancée. He had met her many years ago and knew that she came from a very influential family. Their marriage had been arranged because, at the time, she was much like him—a person with no hope of becoming a cultivator. However, he had later heard that she had started cultivating.

In truth, Yang Hao secretly longed for the day when she would break off their engagement. He imagined that once she ended the arrangement, he would finally embark on his own extraordinary journey.

In many of the novels he had read, a similar twist of fate occurred: a talented fiancée would leave a so-called "waste," and that very waste would then rise to greatness. In these stories, the waste one would often declare something like, "Do not look down on the poor and the young," and go on to achieve remarkable feats, setting record after record. These tales had always filled Yang Hao with hope and excitement, as he yearned for his own moment of transformation.

Now, as he sat alone in the dangerous forest—facing certain death from lurking wild beasts—Yang Hao's thoughts turned to this possibility.

The possibility of some young master, one who coveted his fiancée, had made his personal guard betray him.

Since Yang Hao had once stood in the way of her potential suitors, someone from her influential circle might have bribed his personal guard to ensure his death.

With this possibility, Yang Hao felt relieved that there was no one in his family wanted him dead.