Jealousy, irritation, suspicion.
Perfect ingredients for harvesting... and perfect conditions for making enemies.
That afternoon, as Han Yu returned to his courtyard, he found a note pinned to his door.
"We don’t know how you’re still alive, but don’t think we’ll let you dance for long.
Han Yu raised an eyebrow.
"M.X.? Murong Xie and his minions, right? Looks like the real fun’s about to start."
He burned the note in the flame of a nearby lamp and smiled.
"Let them come. The more emotion they throw at me... the stronger I get."
Han Yu didn’t have to wait long.
The very next morning, as he was lounging on the edge of a koi pond near the herb gardens—having just "accidentally" replaced the fish food with spicy powdered pills to watch the koi leap out in confusion—he felt it.
A surge of hostility.
A slow coil of red energy drifted into his soul sea.
Striding across the tiled courtyard in a storm of flowing robes was none other than Li Feng, one of Murong Xie’s favored lackeys. A peak Qi Refining realm cultivator with a vicious temper and an overblown sense of pride, Li Feng had bullied Han Yu more times than he could count during his servant days though never directly.
He had been working in the shadows, letting other servants do the dirty work on his behalf. Though now that Han Yu was an outer court disciple himself, he was showing himself openly.
This wasn’t just Li Feng either, many of Murong Xie’s lackeys, those that were technically above him in rank were still groveling before him. After all, he was a disciple with Indigo Ranked talent and had been recruited by an elder right away after joining.
With his talent, becoming a Legacy Disciple was basically inevitable. As such this higher ranked disciples were already currying favors in hopes that when the boy reached a higher rank, they would be remembered by him.
They would gladly become a dog today so that they may be thrown a bone in the future.
Han Yu recognized him instantly. And the cold glare aimed his way made it clear—Li Feng hadn’t forgotten either.
"You," Li Feng growled, stopping a few paces away. "So the rumors were true. A corpse rises, and now it thinks it can play tricks in broad daylight."
Han Yu gave a lazy stretch, flicking a koi pellet into the pond. "Oh? You speak like a man who just lost a bet."
Li Feng’s brow twitched.
"Don’t act clever. We know you’ve been causing trouble. The elders may turn a blind eye, but not everyone finds your little comedy act amusing."
"Ah, I see," Han Yu said, standing up and brushing off his robes. "You’re here for a refund on your self-respect. Sadly, I’m all out today."
Two thick streaks of red swirled into his chest.
Li Feng’s killing intent flared.
"You’ve got guts. I’ll admit that. But don’t think you’re untouchable. Senior Murong Xie hasn’t forgotten you either. And neither have we."
"Wow. I didn’t think I was that memorable. You flatter me, really." Han Yu feigned a gasp. "Also i didn’t think you’d become his dog so fast. Didn’t Murong Xie reach the Qi refining realm not too long ago?" He said.
Han Yu had looked into his old adversaries and had learned that Murong Xie and Gao Ren had both reached the Qi refining realm in the three months he was ’dead’. The other two talented disciples like Fan Lian and She Ming were also close to it.
They were still focusing on their body tempering realm, wanting to reach the twelfth stage before breaking through to the Qi refining realm so that they had a more stable foundation. They were also quiet close to it, having reached the eleventh stage shortly after Han Yu had left on the mission and were about to reach the twelfth stage soon.
Gray wisps of Surprise, subtle but present.
Li Feng’s hand hovered near his sword. "You’re lucky this is a neutral area. But step outside, and we’ll see how funny you are when your teeth are decorating the moss."
"Oh no. Anything but the moss," Han Yu deadpanned.
"Just wait, trash. Your games end soon."
With a final scoff, Li Feng turned and walked away, his steps sharp with fury.
Han Yu stood there for a long moment, savoring the stream of emotional energy that lingered in the air like the last notes of a song.
"Anger, Surprise, a bit of Fear... no Sadness or Joy this time, but not bad," he muttered to himself. "And all that without even touching him."
But deep down, he wasn’t laughing.
The name still echoed in the back of his mind like a thundercloud waiting to break. The boy had once tormented him from the shadows, never dirtying his hands directly, but always pulling strings through his minions and other servants.. Han Yu had suffered in silence, humiliated in front of crowds, sabotaged in chores, mocked during daily life and even assassination—all thanks to Murong Xie’s silent approval.
Now his dogs were sniffing again.
Han Yu knew it was a matter of time before he’d face them head-on. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun first.
"Li Feng, huh?" Han Yu mused as he walked away. "Let’s see what other emotions I can squeeze out of you before your master comes running."
That evening, a strange thing happened in the Outer Court dining hall.
As disciples settled into their meals, Li Feng sat down, opened his bowl—and shrieked.
His rice was crawling.
A harmless illusion talisman—just enough to make the grains squirm like beetles.
Han Yu sat nearby, sipping soup, watching with barely concealed amusement as Li Feng tossed the bowl, swearing and scrambling to check his teeth.
Surprise. Anger. Embarrassment. And—
Yes. A faint flicker of Joy from some of the onlookers.
"Ah. Feels good to be alive."