Those familiar with Shu Yang knew that beneath his refined exterior, he was cold-blooded to the core. This was hardly surprising. A man born with neither parents nor background could only rise to his current standing through extreme hardship, fueled by a relentless drive that transcended mere luck.
Ascending to godhood was a path of no return. No one could reach the summit easily, especially someone like Shu Yang, who lacked the cushion of a prestigious family. His path to immortality was paved with grit, swallowing blood and tears, and seizing every sliver of opportunity. When faced with such injustice and unfairness, the fact that Shu Yang had not gone mad and tried to destroy everyone in his way was already a mercy; expecting him to love all living beings with equality was impossible. At least, that was how Shu Yang saw it.
People were inherently selfish. To rise above others, one had to climb over them, using deception and cold-blooded betrayal when necessary. It might have been shameless, but the potential rewards were always far too tempting. Exploiting a parentless human cub was an act that brought Shu Yang no guilt whatsoever.
With this settled, Shu Yang gave Xuanqing a few final instructions before turning to walk back into the palace.
Inside, Ruan Wei was still asleep. He looked incredibly well-behaved, his tail tucked neatly to the side. Finding him adorable, Shu Yang leaned down and poked the dragon’s horn with his fingertip. Ruan Wei rolled over instantly, his dragon head sliding off the coiled body and tumbling onto the bed.
Still half-asleep, Ruan Wei stiffened like a guard dog, his eyes turning into vivid red needles. But upon seeing it was Shu Yang, he immediately relaxed, lifting his belly for Shu Yang to rub. He then groggily coiled around Shu Yang’s wrist, climbed up his arm, and nuzzled against his cheek. The entire sequence was as smooth as water, as if he had performed these actions countless times in some forgotten memory. Shu Yang could not help but feel a moment of bewilderment.
However, Ruan Wei soon burrowed into Shu Yang’s collar, claws clutching at his hair, and fell fast asleep again.
Shu Yang: “…”
He felt a bit helpless, but because this mortal vessel was not built for such arduous travel, he shed his outer robes and lay down to rest. Perhaps because he had spent too many nights sleeping alongside Ruan Wei, Shu Yang, who had not dreamt in years, drifted into a dream.
In the dream, he was back at the Dragon Trials. Young and arrogant, he had no concept of restraint. With the cultivation level of a mere twelfth-stage Qi Refining practitioner, he had pinned a Foundation Establishment cultivator to the ground, winning the match to a chorus of stunned gasps and silently attracting wary eyes. But Shu Yang did not care. He had won the Liuyun Sword and walked away.
He had intended to leave through the main gate, but before he could, a suspicious figure caught his eye. Shu Yang disliked being followed, so he deliberately left a flaw in his guard to lure the person out. Just as the stalker sighed in disappointment at having lost him, Shu Yang appeared behind him, pressing the edge of his Liuyun Sword to the person’s neck. “Who are you?” he asked coldly. “Why are you following me?”
The stalker stiffened and raised his hands, terrified that Shu Yang might accidentally lop off his head.
“Turn around,” Shu Yang commanded.
The person obeyed without a second’s hesitation. The moment Shu Yang caught sight of his face, he froze. He had seen many beauties in his time, but this one was strikingly beautiful. He seemed young, perhaps well-protected by his family; his round eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated curiosity. “Don’t be afraid,” the boy said. “I am not a bad person. My name is Ruan Wei, the Young Palace Master of the Dragon clan.”
Shu Yang: “…”
He did not let his sword tremble, his expression remaining icy. “Following me sneakily—what for?”
Ruan Wei had almost blurted out that it was because Shu Yang was good-looking, but he restrained himself and whispered, “I heard some Foundation Establishment cultivators at the trials plotting to ambush you and steal your Liuyun Sword. I just wanted to warn you not to use the main gate.”
In the cultivation world, the strong ruled. Good treasures belonged to whoever could snatch them. Shu Yang paused. He stared at Ruan Wei’s delicate, youthful face for a long while before looking away and retracting his sword.
“Understood,” Shu Yang said.
He did not even offer a thank you, but Ruan Wei was delighted, trailing after him like a little tail. “Are you named Shu Yang? Shu Yang, what a nice name! Yang, the center of the heavens. Your family must have hoped you would become a powerful cultivator.”
“I was born motherless,” Shu Yang replied.
Ruan Wei choked on his words.
Shu Yang treated everyone with cold indifference, like a block of unfeeling ice. No matter what Ruan Wei said, he would either lash back or remain completely silent. Yet, Ruan Wei clung to him shamelessly. Finally, Shu Yang could take it no longer and slashed a line between them with his sword. He miscalculated the power of his new weapon, and the sharp sword energy grazed the corner of Ruan Wei’s eye. A drop of blood fell, looking like a crimson tear.
“Stay away from me,” Shu Yang warned. “Next time, I will not be so polite.”
With that, he walked away, leaving Ruan Wei standing there, stunned, taking a long time to remember to wipe away the blood.
“So fierce,” Ruan Wei muttered, summoning a water mirror to look at his face with pity. “My face is scratched. If I am not good-looking anymore, will he hate me even more?” He rushed home to beg his mother for scar-removal medicine.
Moments after Ruan Wei left, Shu Yang returned. He walked to the spot where Ruan Wei had stood, looked down at the beaded drop of dragon blood, and paused. He knelt and picked up the pearl of blood.
The dragon blood radiated a faint luster and quickly fused into the edge of Shu Yang’s sword. The blade flared with brilliance, cold and sharp. This Liuyun Sword had just been baptized by the blood of someone who had no grudge against him.
An ill omen.
With that, Shu Yang stood up and tucked the dragon blood beads into his sleeve. In the future, I should stay away from that little dragon.
The dream faded. It felt like a dream, yet also like remembering something he had long ago forgotten. Shu Yang stared at the ceiling for a long time, realizing he had fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep. Since he began his path to immortality, he had never slept so soundly. He had many admirers and many enemies; some loved him until they turned to hate, and others harbored a mixture of love and resentment.
He suddenly remembered that once, he had been imprisoned in a secret forbidden zone by the third and fourth young masters of the Yun Guang Sect for three years. He had fought them, but later concluded that slapping them would only give them pleasure. Although his cultivation was sealed, the twins did nothing to him; they even vowed to make him their official dao partner, swearing never to force him unless he agreed.
Shu Yang forgot how he had finally gotten out, but he remembered clearly that the first thing he did was cut off the three ounces of meat between their legs, after which he immediately abandoned the sword path to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness.
But as someone with no friends, how had he escaped the forbidden zone of a major sect while his cultivation was locked? Was it luck? Or had he found a flaw?
As he tried to dig deeper, a splitting headache overcame him. His memories felt like a shattered jigsaw puzzle—no matter how hard he tried, he could not grasp the missing pieces. As the pain intensified, Ruan Wei, seemingly disturbed, woke up in his groggy state. Sensing Shu Yang’s pain, he flicked his tail, fluttered toward Shu Yang’s head, and touched him with his fragile horn.
A cool, refreshing dragon breath soothed Shu Yang’s headache. Shu Yang took a moment to stabilize his mind and stopped spiraling into thought. However, the dragon breath seemed to drain Ruan Wei, who flopped down limply from the air into Shu Yang’s palm.
Ruan Wei flicked his tail weakly, looking miserable, resting his chin on Shu Yang’s thumb. Strange, why is he suddenly so withered? Did something happen?
Just as Shu Yang was filled with doubt, Phoenix clan leader Xuanqing rushed into the palace, shouting, “Immortal Lord! Immortal Lord!”
Shu Yang threw back the bed curtains and stepped down. “What is it?”
“I just received a reply from Xiuzhen. The letter says, the letter says…”
Seeing Xuanqing stuttering, Shu Yang’s brow furrowed. “Do not stumble over your words. What happened?”
Seeing Shu Yang’s dissatisfaction, Xuanqing felt her heart jump. After a moment, she closed her eyes and steeled herself. “Xiuzhen says that the cub you picked up has gone mad after you left!”
“What?!”