Xiao Yi, his heart steeled, reached for the fruit knife on the living room table, intending to kill Bai Yanwu and then himself.
Just as Xiao Yi struggled with the decision to strike, Bai Shi returned.
"You little bastard! I took you in out of kindness, and you repay me by trying to harm my daughter!" Bai Shi’s voice startled Xiao Yi, and the knife clattered to the floor.
"Daddy, don’t scare brother, brother is good," Bai Yanwu cried.
"Good!" Bai Shi lifted Bai Yanwu into his arms.
Xiao Yi watched, his eyes filled with envy. His own father had never held him with such distress, only ever gave him beatings, fierce beatings, yet despite all that, that man was still his father. He knelt humbly before Bai Shi.
Picking up the knife, Xiao Yi chased after Bai Shi and struck at him with it, but what strength could an eight-year-old child possess? Especially one as frail as he. Enduring the pain, Bai Shi turned around and kicked the knife away, then it slid down Xiao Yi’s face...
"Throw this ungrateful wretch out!" Bai Shi ordered.
A man tossed Xiao Yi out into the pouring rain. His face ached fiercely, and he stared determinedly at the house, seeing Bai Yanwu’s and Bai Shi’s faces...
Xiao Yi swore that in this lifetime, he must make something of himself, and then make Bai Shi kneel before him.
Nobody knew the suffering Xiao Yi endured, and nobody knew of his past. He appeared here out of nowhere and defeated everyone, taking the leading position. People saw only his success, not the bitterness behind it.
Every time he recalled the past, Xiao Yi felt it was another life. The old him was long since dead. The one alive now was Xiao Yi: cold and ruthless, even if he was but a pawn—a pawn who would carve his own path.
Whether it was injury or death, Xiao Yi was determined to make Bai Shi pay back, bit by bit. Only now, he had a new plan—to have Bai Yanwu atone for her father’s debts.
"Bai Yanwu, Bai Shi, you should regret not having killed me back then!"
Perhaps it was Guo Bin’s provocation, but lately, Ye Tian was very well-behaved, even rarely visiting the Sixth Group. He diligently practiced at home, refusing to believe he could be defeated by a Wood Series practitioner after besting someone as devilish as Liu Zhiming.
In the Sixth Group, there arrived someone familiar to others but not to Ye Tian—Zhang Liang’s direct superior, Qin Chuan’s brother, Qin Hai.
Qin Hai’s visit here had one purpose: Recently, Qin Chuan had been quite distracted. The last time she returned home for regular cultivation, had it not been for her father’s presence, she might have already become a cripple due to going astray.
"Do you think Qin Chuan might have fallen for that Ye Tian?" Qin Hai, who shared a resemblance with Qin Chuan but stood taller and more robust, had a stern look due to his sword-like eyebrows. However, those who knew him were aware that he was actually a very cheerful man, quite the opposite of Qin Chuan’s disposition.
"I don’t know, it’s just my conjecture," Xu He confessed, dreading this smiling tiger, Qin Hai. He knew that Zhang Liang’s mouth would be as hard to open as a clamshell, which meant his own doom was imminent.
"I’ve been here three days and have yet to see Ye Tian."
"He’s on leave lately, on leave." Xu He was sweating profusely, unsure if it was due to the heat, his being overweight, or seeing this cunning man.
"Give me his address, I want to see for myself."
"You..." Xu He grabbed Qin Hai, trying to stop him from leaving, "You can’t sell me out, right? That Ye Tian, from what I see, doesn’t like Captain Qin at all. You’re not going to force him to marry her, are you?"
Qin Hai’s affection for Qin Chuan bordered on spoiling. Although Xu He didn’t know what happened in Qin Chuan’s home, Qin Hai’s sudden appearance was hardly good news.
"Nonsense! Chuan isn’t someone who can’t find a suitor!" Qin Hai said, laughing.
"He’s living with a girl; don’t misunderstand." Xu He dutifully tried to mediate the situation.
"He already has a girlfriend?" Qin Hai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not exactly. It’s said she’s Xu Kong’s granddaughter, but I’m not sure why she’s now with Ye Tian."
"What’s the relationship between Ye Tian and Xu Kong?"
Xiaoqian still didn’t come home, and Ye Tian seemed indifferent because he knew Li Tianjiao would most likely be with her. Here, as long as one knew their identities, they wouldn’t face any difficulties. Besides, he was quite confident in Xiaoqian’s ability to protect herself, considering Xu Kong had sent her to him.
Ye Tian carefully read the diary given to him by the Monk, had already learned the second technique, and discovered that everything the Monk wrote could integrate with other techniques. If he could comprehend the essence, two techniques could merge into one.
Ye Tian had experienced much and learned no small number of unique skills. Still, he dreamed of having a weapon of his own, despite cultivating the Five Elements Qi. Many people might spend their lives mastering only one of the Five Elements, and even then, it all felt somewhat uncreative to use whatever was at hand.