Shrouded Sky

In the beginning of Heaven and Earth, the universe's primal energy gave birth to all things. That golden era, yearned for by countless cultivators, was gone forever. Ye Fan could only sigh.

This night, however, brought him tremendous gains. His Bitter Sea had expanded from the size of a soybean to that of a pigeon egg. More importantly, it now contained nineteen godrunes. He had gained real combat power and officially stepped into the Bitter Sea realm, no longer just "barely" qualified.

By now, daylight had fully arrived. Ye Fan caught two pheasants and a wild hare in the forest and gathered some wild fruits before heading back to town.

When he returned to the small inn, breakfast was just being set on the table. Little Tingting was persistently knocking on his door, trying to wake him up. Ye Fan couldn't help but smile.

Seeing him return from outside, Tingting was surprised, and Grandpa Jiang seemed hesitant to speak. A man of his age could already guess that the arson incident had something to do with Ye Fan.

"We're eating well for lunch today: braised hare and fragrant chicken with jade leaves. Here, try these wild fruits," Ye Fan said, handing a few bright red fruits to the little girl.

"Yay! More yummy food!" Tingting cheered happily.

After breakfast, Ye Fan returned to his room and continued reading the Dao Scripture. He felt that each reread brought new insights.

"Huh?"

Ye Fan was startled to find that the first few dozen ancient characters in the golden book were starting to blur, as if they were about to disappear.

"Good thing I've already memorized them, this could've been serious trouble." He had no idea why this was happening.

At noon, a ruckus suddenly woke Ye Fan.

"You old bastard, quit stalling and prepare some wine and dishes, or we'll tear this place down!"

"Damn it! That fire was brutal. Whoever did it deserves to be chopped into a thousand pieces! We've suffered so much because of that bastard!"

"Steward Liu, what do we do now? Getting thrown out by the Li Clan, it's humiliating."

"You asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?! Jiang, stop standing there like an idiot. Go make us a table of food to calm our nerves, or start planning your funeral!"

It was the sallow-faced middle-aged man and his lackeys, all wrapped in bandages. Some had been burned in the fire, others had been beaten and thrown out by the Li Clan.

Tingting stood in front of the table, timidly saying, "Don't yell at my grandpa. We don't run a restaurant anymore. Please go somewhere else to eat."

Bang!

Steward Liu slammed the table, glaring. "Jiang, stop wasting time. If you don't start cooking, I'll toss your granddaughter down a well!"

"Get outta here, kid! This ain't your business!" snarled a thug with a face full of scars and a bandaged left hand. He reached out and nearly knocked the little girl over.

Grandpa Jiang rushed to catch Tingting and shielded her behind him. "We really aren't running the restaurant anymore. We just can't keep it going. Please find somewhere else."

"Forget yesterday's lesson already? You dare defy us when we're in such a bad mood?" Steward Liu sneered. His yellow face looked even more sinister.

He suddenly stood and grabbed Grandpa Jiang by the collar. "You damn old man, you're getting bold, huh? After what happened to us, you still dare talk back? I ought to burn this filthy place down and let you beg on the streets with that brat!"

"Don't hurt my grandpa…" Tingting cried, only five years old and too small to reach Liu's arm. She clung to his leg, begging, "Please let my grandpa go. He's over seventy…"

Steward Liu tightened his grip. Though injured, he was still stronger than the frail old man. Grandpa Jiang's neck turned blue, his face reddened, and he started coughing violently.

Tears welled up in Tingting's eyes as she hugged his leg, sobbing desperately, "Please… he can't breathe… please let go…"

"You little brat, beat it!" Steward Liu kicked his leg and knocked her to the floor, then raised his foot to stomp her.

At that moment, Ye Fan charged in from the back courtyard and witnessed the scene. He grabbed the teapot on the table and hurled it. It smashed hard into Liu's raised leg. Then he rushed over and lifted Tingting from the ground.

"Big brother…" Tingting sobbed, her eyes red, cheeks streaked with tears, and new clothes covered in dust.

Ye Fan was furious, like a volcano about to erupt. He yanked Liu's hand away, freeing Grandpa Jiang, and roared, "You'd lay hands on a helpless old man? Are you even human?!"

"Who the hell are you, you little punk?!" the others snapped, all glaring menacingly at Ye Fan.

Steward Liu looked down at him with a sinister expression. "A punk trying to play the hero? I'll toss you into a gutter and see if you still talk tough!"

Grandpa Jiang, now freed, was coughing violently, his face bruised and red. Tingting sobbed, gently pounding his back, crying, "Grandpa, don't scare me! Please don't die… I'm scared…"

Ye Fan's rage intensified, though his gaze turned icy. He stared at Liu and said coldly, "You're a grown man. Did all your age go to waste like a dog?"

"You little bastard! How dare you talk like that to Steward Liu?! Beat him to death!"

Before Liu could respond, a thug charged at Ye Fan and swung a slap toward him.

"Ahhh!" the man screamed instead. Ye Fan had grabbed his bandaged arm and twisted it with brutal strength. No one understood how powerful Ye Fan was, they thought the man was simply crying from his injuries.

Ye Fan had expected Liu to be kicked out of the Li Clan. But he didn't expect him to still act so tyrannically even after losing everything.

"You've got guts, kid." Steward Liu sneered and slowly raised his hand to slap Ye Fan, intending to humiliate him.

Smack!

Ye Fan struck first, an explosive slap that sent Liu flying sideways into the table. Blood sprayed several meters, and he collapsed, coughing out seven or eight teeth.

"Kill that little bastard!" Liu screamed, his yellow face twisted in rage, eyes almost spitting fire.

None of them realized how abnormal Ye Fan was. They all charged at him.

But Ye Fan's gaze was like ice. He grabbed each of them by their injured limbs and twisted, howls of agony filled the air.

Smack! Smack! Smack!…

A flurry of slaps followed. Ye Fan's hands moved like whips, landing blow after blow across their faces.

"You beasts. You'd even bully a lonely old man and a sweet little girl? You deserve worse." Ye Fan didn't go all out, otherwise, he could've shattered their skulls.

Even so, molars flew, blood spurted, and the injured men rolled on the floor screaming, their faces broken and bloody.

"You little bastard! You dare hit us?!"

"My arm, ahhh!"

"My wounds, God, the pain!"

Ye Fan stepped back and apologized, "Sorry, Grandpa Jiang. I forgot we're inside the restaurant. I'll throw them out so you don't have to clean up later."

One by one, he hauled the men outside and dumped them in the street.

Grandpa Jiang was overwhelmed, his body trembling, like two years of pent-up frustration had finally erupted. He shielded Tingting's eyes, afraid she'd be frightened.

Tingting, still crying, asked, "Grandpa, what's happening? Is Big Brother okay? Are the bad guys hurting him?"

"Don't worry, Tingting. Your big brother is fine. He knocked down all the bad guys."

Ye Fan didn't stop there. He kicked them around like soccer balls in the street. They howled like pigs being slaughtered.

Steward Liu got special treatment. His face was swollen beyond recognition. Almost all his teeth had been knocked out.

"Help! Murder!"

The screams drew a crowd, but no one tried to intervene. In fact, many seemed eager to join in.

Ye Fan shouted, "Folks! What are you waiting for? These bastards were Li Clan's lapdogs, bullying the whole town. Now they've been kicked out, nothing to fear! Come beat them, teach them a lesson!"

To Ye Fan's surprise, the moment he finished speaking, the crowd surged forward. Men and women, old and young, tore into the downed men with fists and feet.

"I heard they got beaten and kicked out after losing the Li Clan's cargo. Looks like it's true!"

"No wonder that kid could beat them so badly. They're already injured. Otherwise, he'd be in real trouble today."

"Beat them! Kill those animals!"

The crowd's fury exploded. Everyone seemed to have a score to settle.

The thugs wailed, their cries inhuman. They rolled on the ground, begging for their lives, soaked in blood and urine, the air thick with stench.

Ye Fan had planned to break a few bones himself. But now he realized he didn't need to. The villagers were ruthless, arms and legs were shattered, likely leaving them crippled for life. The level of hatred they'd provoked was clear.

"Please… we won't do it again!"

"Help! Someone's going to die!"