Chapter 2: Admitting Fault

The distance from the Chen family hall to Ye Xiaoxuan’s home was less than a thousand meters. Ye Xiaoxuan walked away slowly, leaving bloody footprints with each step, under the shocked and fearful gazes of the villagers. Behind him, Chen Jiantang and his son brushed dust from their knees with faces full of resentment, but dared not approach.

Ahead, the vague shadows of two people appeared. Ye Xiaoxuan wiped the blood from his eyes and finally saw it was Chen Jiantang’s nephew, Chen Tianfeng.

This fellow carried a shotgun on his shoulder, and with his left hand, he held the bicycle of Ye Jiaran, his cousin, who had just returned from the village elementary school. Yet Ye Xiaoxuan had never called her “sister,” always addressing her by name as Jiaran.

“Let go!” Jiaran’s cheeks flushed with anger as she hurled curses at Chen Tianfeng. “What are you doing? If you don’t let go, I’ll call for help!”

Chen Tianfeng was infamous in the village for his delinquency, his skills barely reaching the level of a martial master. Gripping the bicycle handle, his greedy gaze lingered on Jiaran’s delicate face, his smile twisted. “Jiaran, did you think about what I told you yesterday? Be my girlfriend—I'll make sure you never have to worry about food or drink again. And your Ye family won’t have to bow before the Chen family anymore. I’ll kick Ma Mingli to the curb, be good only to you, how about it?”

Jiaran was about to curse him again when her eyes caught sight of a bloody figure approaching behind Chen Tianfeng. Startled, she looked closer and recognized her cousin Ye Xiaoxuan, and cried out in heartbreak, “Third Brother!”

Chen Tianfeng thought she was calling for help and laughed loudly, eyes wide. “Who? Ye Third? That useless fool? Jiaran, if I really wanted to be with you, I wouldn’t need to call anyone. Even if you did, your older brother could maybe put up a fight—he’s at least martial master level, right? But Ye Third, he’s just an idiot! No one from your Ye family ever amounted to anything, you’re all just a bunch of—”

Before he finished, someone patted his shoulder. He turned carelessly and saw a figure drenched in blood, eyes red as crimson, standing ominously behind him. Chen Tianfeng’s hair stood on end, and with a scream, he jumped half a meter high. The gun nearly went off, and he pointed at the bloody figure, shouting, “What the hell is this?!”

Ye Xiaoxuan stared at him coldly and asked, “The Ye family has always been bullied by the Chen family, hasn’t it? Remember this: from now on, whenever the Chen family hits me once, I’ll stab you once. My martial arts may be weak, but I still have a life! Your Chen family’s lives are valuable—if I trade one for one, I won’t lose! If you harass my cousin again, I’ll cut your manhood off and feed it to the dogs!”

“You’ve got guts. I’ll blow your brains out!” Despite Ye Xiaoxuan’s terrifying appearance, his reputation had always been so feeble in the past that Chen Tianfeng was used to bullying him. Hearing such fierce words from someone he considered incapable, his usual arrogance flared up.

Ye Xiaoxuan seized the gun barrel, pressed it to his chest over his heart, and shouted, “Shoot now! If you don’t dare, then kneel and call me grandfather!”

Chen Tianfeng’s hands trembled as he squinted at Ye Xiaoxuan, most of his drunkenness scared away. If he’d been more intoxicated, he might have pulled the trigger out of provocation, but now, with so many villagers around, he dared not.

Jiaran threw down her bike and was about to rush over, but Ye Xiaoxuan suddenly turned and shouted, “Stay where you are! Today, I’m going head-to-head with the Chen family! I’ll count to three—if you don’t fire, I’ll help you. If I survive, I’ll shoot you back! You think the Ye family is easy to bully? Let’s see who’s more of a man, who fears death less! One! Two! Three!”

Ye Xiaoxuan shifted the gun barrel so it blocked his bleeding wound, blood running down the metal. His face betrayed no pain, twisted as he shouted at Chen Tianfeng, “Shoot!”

Chen Tianfeng was utterly terrified, desperately trying to wrench the gun away. Ye Xiaoxuan grabbed his hand, forcing his finger toward the trigger, gritting his teeth. “You won’t do it, I’ll help you! If I survive, I’ll shoot you!”

Chen Tianfeng had never faced someone so reckless. His legs went weak and he resisted with all his might, refusing to let his finger press down. In the end, he collapsed, kneeling with a thud and pleading tearfully, “Grandfather! I’m sorry, I’ll never dare bother you again!”

Ye Xiaoxuan released the gun barrel, bringing forth a gush of blood, and stared coldly. “It’s not just me—if anyone from the Ye family is bullied by the Chen family again, I’ll come for you! Let’s see who’s more ruthless. I’ll prove I’m not a worthless fool!”

Chen Tianfeng knelt, trembling, unable to speak. Ye Xiaoxuan ignored him, took Jiaran’s hand, and walked home.

A gunshot rang out behind them. Ye Xiaoxuan felt a kick to his backside, nearly falling. He turned angrily to see Chen Tianfeng. “You dare ambush me? Now it’s my turn!”

Chen Tianfeng knocked his head on the ground repeatedly, snot and tears streaming, crying, “Grandfather! It was an accident! I swear I didn’t mean to fire! Spare me!” Ye Xiaoxuan wanted to curse him more, but his injuries were too severe; his eyes rolled and he collapsed in a faint.

“Third Brother!” Jiaran cried in sorrow, rushing to Ye Xiaoxuan’s side. She paid no mind to the blood and filth, using her hands to staunch the bleeding wounds, though stopping one only let another flow.

She had always deeply loved Ye Xiaoxuan, knowing her cousin’s outward incompetence and laziness masked a stubborn heart and great ambition.

“Look, that girl’s crying!” a sharp-eyed villager whispered, pointing at Jiaran. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, falling onto Ye Xiaoxuan’s face, some slipping into his mouth.

The villagers were even more intrigued. This girl had been an oddity since birth, never once crying. At first, even her mother thought she was mute, but at age two, she spoke, yet still never cried.

Aside from her inability to cry, she was no different from other children, but if anything, she grew more beautiful each year. In the whole village, only the mayor’s daughter could rival her looks.

In his unconsciousness, Ye Xiaoxuan felt his strength ebbing away. Yet the most agonizing pain wasn’t from the deadly wounds on his forehead or chest, but from the blow to his head delivered by Chen Jiantang.

It felt as if a burning coal was lodged there, convulsing his whole body and spreading throughout. Just as he was about to die from the searing pain, a cool, sweet liquid dripped into his mouth, instantly extinguishing the fire and coursing through his body’s meridians, bringing an indescribable sense of relief.