Chapter Three: Slaying Foes Amid Adversity

"I dare!"

As these words spilled from his lips, Qin Feiyang felt the blood within him ignite, boiling with fervor.

Yuan Bo handed him a dagger and said, "Take it. In a moment, you must plunge this into their hearts."

Qin Feiyang accepted the dagger, his eyes filled with confusion. The blade was pure white throughout, as if carved from ivory, glowing faintly like a precious treasure. It did not feel like a weapon, but rather a work of art.

Yuan Bo said, "I know you have many questions now, but after you kill those two, I will explain everything to you."

Qin Feiyang nodded, asking nothing further, and struggled to his feet.

Meanwhile, Yuan Bo blew out the nearby candle, casting the room into utter darkness.

"The light's out—they must have gone to sleep," someone whispered from outside.

"Let's go!"

Two shadowy figures emerged from behind the bushes, treading softly to the wooden building. They glanced up at the second floor, vaulted over the rail, and headed straight for the main entrance.

Yuan Bo whispered, "Feiyang, do you see them?"

The two of them stood beside the window, watching every movement unfold.

"I see them," Qin Feiyang replied.

"They're both two-star warriors," Yuan Bo said quietly. "You are still very weak. When they enter the room, you must end them in one strike—fail, and it will be your death instead!"

"Understood," Qin Feiyang nodded, moving behind the door like a beast baring its fangs, poised to strike.

Yuan Bo stepped aside, making no move to help. The first steps in the path of cultivation were Warrior, Martial Master, and Martial Lord, each divided into nine stars. Becoming a Warrior was the threshold of cultivation.

Five years ago, Qin Feiyang had been a nine-star Martial Master, just a step away from becoming a Martial Lord. If not for the upheaval that befell him, he would still be the brightest star of the Imperial Capital.

Though he had lost everything, he had not given up. He firmly believed that one’s will could overcome fate. With effort, he would reclaim his glory!

A faint creak signaled the door opening below.

Qin Feiyang's heart tightened. Truth be told, he was nervous—his palms slick with sweat.

The strength of an ordinary punch rarely exceeded two or three hundred pounds. But cultivation broke those limits, granting far greater power: a one-star warrior possessed the strength of a bear, about five hundred pounds; a two-star, twice that—a thousand pounds, enough to shatter stone.

Yet now, not only was he frail and sick, but also gravely injured. Facing two two-star warriors, even an ambush seemed hopeless.

"Trust Yuan Bo," he told himself. "Anyone might betray me—except him. And this dagger is no ordinary blade!"

The soft footsteps drew closer, reaching the door.

Qin Feiyang tightened his grip on the dagger and held his breath.

"Feiyang," Yuan Bo murmured, "Only by killing in adversity will you become mature and steady. Once you slay these two, I'll give you the Marrow Cleansing Pill, and your former glory shall be restored."

Yuan Bo clenched his hands, whispering to himself.

Creak!

At last, the door was pushed open, and the two shadows crept in.

At that instant, Qin Feiyang sprang like an enraged lion, stabbing the dagger into the back of the man behind.

In the moonlight, the blade gleamed with a chilling light.

With a sickening thud, the dagger pierced flesh, striking the heart.

A shriek resounded.

"So sharp!"

Yet, from the force of his attack, Qin Feiyang’s newly healed bones broke again. The agony brought sweat to his brow, but excitement surged in his heart—the blade was far sharper than he had imagined.

Enduring the pain, he gripped the dagger with his other hand and pounced on the second man, eyes flashing with murderous intent, stabbing the heart once more.

Another crack—this arm, too, fractured.

Everything happened too quickly. The two shadows never even had time to react before collapsing to the floor, dead.

Yuan Bo struck a tinder and relit the candle. Light filled the room once more.

Two corpses lay in pools of blood, eyes wide with terror, despair, and disbelief.

They had come brimming with confidence, considering even this stealthy assassination unnecessary; as two-star warriors, slaying these two should have been effortless.

Never did they expect to die by Qin Feiyang’s blade.

Even in death, they could not understand how it had come to this.

Qin Feiyang stood over the bodies, the dagger in his hand now stained crimson, droplets falling steadily from its tip. His own body and face were splattered with blood, making him resemble a war-drenched demon.

Both arms hung limp and broken before his chest, his breath coming in gasps, face pale as death.

Clang!

The bloodied dagger slipped from his hand, striking the wooden boards with a jarring metallic ring.

Startled, he looked up at Yuan Bo standing by the candlelight and said, "Yuan Bo, did you see? I killed them. I did it!"

Yuan Bo nodded, his old eyes full of pride.

But just then, the crackling of burning timber reached their ears.

A wave of heat swept over them.

Yuan Bo's face changed; he hurried to the window and saw that all the firewood piled in the courtyard was ablaze, flames surging several meters high.

The sultry weather had left everything dry; the shrubs and wild grass around the wooden house caught quickly, and the fire spread rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the area became a sea of fire. Acrid smoke and searing heat engulfed the house, which was being devoured by the flames.

"How could this happen?" Qin Feiyang staggered to Yuan Bo’s side, and when he saw the inferno outside, fear seized his heart.

A mocking voice sounded from beyond, harsh as a rasping blade. "Let’s see how you escape now!"

Qin Feiyang and Yuan Bo followed the sound, eyes filling with murderous intent.

Under the hazy moonlight, a burly man in black stood on the lake’s edge, arms crossed, a cold sneer on his face as he watched them.

Yuan Bo raised a brow and asked, "Who sent you?"

With indifference, the man replied, "Since you’ll soon be burned alive, I’ll tell you. Elder Ma from the Pill Hall wants you dead."

"So she sent two waves of assassins," Yuan Bo said. "How truly thorough of her."

The man shrugged. "You have only yourselves to blame for offending the wrong person."

"I return your words to you," Yuan Bo replied coldly. "Within three days, your life will end."

The man paused, then sneered contemptuously, as if looking at a clown.

"Yuan Bo, the house is surrounded by fire. How do we get out?" Qin Feiyang asked, his tone steady and composed, unshaken despite all that had just transpired.

"I’ll take you somewhere," Yuan Bo said, running downstairs, but instead of fleeing the burning house, he went straight to the kitchen.

The kitchen was simple, but spotless and orderly.

He went to a corner and pressed his withered hand against the wall; it sank inward.

With a deep rumble, a crack opened in the floor at his feet—a hidden chamber lay below.

It was not large, barely three meters across. In the center stood a blue stone table, smooth as a mirror, and empty. Aside from this, there was nothing in the chamber at all.

Yuan Bo leaped down, laid Qin Feiyang on the stone table, then went to a wall, pressed his palm firmly, and the entrance above closed swiftly.

Only then did Yuan Bo breathe a sigh of relief and approach Qin Feiyang with a smile. "Don’t worry, the walls here are made of a special kind of stone, resistant to both heat and cold. Rest and heal here in peace."

Qin Feiyang nodded, his gaze fixed on Yuan Bo. After all that had happened, he suddenly felt that the old man before him was shrouded in mystery, like a veiled figure he could not truly see.

"Are you really Yuan Bo?" he asked.

Yuan Bo chuckled. "Silly boy, who else would I be if not Yuan Bo?"

"Yet why do you feel so unfamiliar now?" Qin Feiyang pressed.

Yuan Bo fell silent.

Outside, the house was already engulfed in flames, fire towering high and painting the sky red. All was rapidly reduced to ash.

"Mission accomplished," the black-clad man sneered, turning away and soon vanishing into the forest.

In the secret chamber, as Yuan Bo remained silent, Qin Feiyang’s patience wore thin. "Yuan Bo, can you tell me now?"

"Don’t rush; let me show you something first."

Yuan Bo smiled, took out a jade box from his robes, opened the lid, and revealed three marble-sized pills.

"Pills?" Qin Feiyang stared in astonishment.

"That’s right," Yuan Bo nodded. "There were originally five—two Bone-Setting Pills, two Healing Pills, and the last, the Marrow Cleansing Pill."

"What?" Qin Feiyang was shaken. Yuan Bo had the Marrow Cleansing Pill all along—why had he not given it to him before?

But Yuan Bo offered no explanation. He smiled and said, "Earlier, I gave you the Bone-Setting and Healing Pills. Their effects are not yet spent; you need no more for now..."

He took out the white pill. "Once you’re healed, take this Marrow Cleansing Pill. Then you’ll be able to unleash your full talent again, and those who once scorned you will be left dumbfounded."

Qin Feiyang’s eyes shone as he gazed at the pill.

The thought of finally purging the poison of the Malignant Spirit Pill filled him with excitement.

"Now, have a good sleep," Yuan Bo said.

"Alright." Qin Feiyang nodded, set aside all distractions, closed his eyes, and soon drifted into peaceful slumber.

This time, he slept deeply, peacefully, and even a faint smile played across his brow.

Yuan Bo watched him affectionately, a gentle smile on his face.

But suddenly, the tenderness vanished from his eyes, replaced by glints of cold steel.

"Ma Hongmei, had it been before—when you pushed Feiyang down the stone steps—I would have killed you myself. But not now. I will wait for Feiyang to awaken, let him sever your head with his own hands, and let your blood stain the Pill Hall red!"

At this moment, Yuan Bo’s eyes blazed with murderous intent, his entire being exuding lethal fury, and even in that secret chamber, the air seemed thick with the scent of blood.