Mo Jian’s Hand

That day, the silence of the stable was broken by heavy footsteps. Different from all the others. A steady rhythm, like a war drum. No hesitation, no compassion. Mo Han knew who it was before he even saw the shadow.

Mo Jian.

The Clan's Disciplinarian. The living embodiment of sanctioned brutality. He didn't need reasons to hit—only orders. And even when he had none, he invented them.

The door slammed open.

— "You think you can sit here, wasting away and drawing in the straw like it's some kind of sacred meditation?"

Mo Han didn't answer. He was seated, back against the wall, hands folded in his lap. He hadn't slept much. But he'd been awake long enough to notice that the morning pains had started spacing out. The cycle of muscle contractions had changed. He was progressing.

But Mo Jian didn't see progress. He saw defiance.

— "Get up," he said, stepping forward. "Let's see if that brilliant mind of yours can handle a bit of reality."

Mo Han didn't move.

Mo Jian lifted his leg and kicked him square in the chest. The impact hurled him into a pile of hay. The air was ripped from his lungs like it had been vacuumed out.

He tried to stand. Once. Twice. Failed.

The second blow landed dry and sharp—a direct punch to the face. The sound of his nose breaking echoed louder than the pain itself.

Mo Han didn't scream.

He recorded.

Lateral entry. Downward force. Target: zygomatic bone. Reaction time: 1.3 seconds.

Another kick.

Angular force. Target: abdomen. Result: involuntary vomiting. Recovery time: 4 seconds.

The world spun. But at the center of the chaos, there was a fixed point: Mo Han's mind.

Mo Jian crouched. Grabbed him by the collar.

— "Don't pretend you understand this world. You'll never cultivate. You'll never rise. Got that?"

Blood trickled from Mo Han's mouth. But he kept his gaze locked on the Disciplinarian's eyes.

— "I understand… more than you think."

It was a whisper. Barely audible. But not unnoticed.

Mo Jian narrowed his eyes. Released him with contempt and walked out, slamming the door.

Alone, Mo Han collapsed.

But something sparked in his mind. An insight.

Every strike followed a pattern. An emotional sequence.Anger. Pride. Contempt. Force.If I can predict the emotion… I can predict the action.

And if I can predict… I can simulate.

There, in the middle of straw and blood, he saw it. Not just the pain—but the code behind violence. The architecture of behavior.

Mo Han's mind processed, mapped, adapted.Pain was just the path.