Comprehension against the sky, creating the Five Thunders in the real world

"Fortune changes every thirty years, like the wheel of luck turning! Never underestimate a young person's potential!"

"Senior brother, you're humiliating me like this now, but thirty years from now I'll make you regret it! Go ahead and kill me if you dare! You wouldn't dare, would you? Aren't you just trying to maintain your hypocritical reputation?"

Xia You spoke words that were piercingly hurtful on the surface.

In his heart, he silently apologized to his senior brother: "I'm sorry, senior brother."

He believed his senior brother would understand the purpose of his performance. There was absolutely no personal resentment in his words; thinking back to how he had bitten his senior brother so hard, he still felt guilty. He had been so crazy back then, and although the wound on his senior brother's arm had scabbed over, he still felt he had gone too far whenever he thought about it.

How helpless must my senior brother have felt at that time?

To maintain his persona, he had no choice but to endure the heartache and slap himself? Xia You thought to himself, the senior brother in his heart had returned.

But is that really the case? Not entirely.

Being bitten so viciously by Xia You would be unbearable for anyone. In that situation, Xu Fang was indeed annoyed by his junior brother's behavior, so he simply acted out his anger and slapped him. With many onlookers, the slap was certainly worthwhile.

Once this news reaches the ears of Gongyang Bing and his son, his reputation as a treacherous and faithless person will be completely confirmed.

"This kid's acting is way too convincing, hurling such nasty insults. Could he still be holding a grudge against me for slapping him earlier?" Xu Fang felt the gazes around him and unconsciously rubbed his right hand together. He didn't want to do this, but his junior brother's performance was just too realistic.

If one does not show the corresponding emotions, it will not conform to the carefully crafted persona, and all previous efforts may be in vain, arousing suspicion from others.

"Snapped--!"

He delivered a resounding slap across the face.

Xu Fang slapped Xia You hard across the face with his large, fan-like hand.

Before Xia You, who was stunned by the slap, could recover, he slapped her again with his backhand.

The sounds of slapping were incessant.

To make the performance more realistic, Xu Fang used both hands. A slap landed on the left with a crisp "smack"; another slap landed on the right, equally crisp and pleasant.

The onlookers all showed expressions of excitement.

I never expected to find such a juicy story.

The senior student beat the junior student, and with such ruthlessness, slapping him repeatedly. One can only imagine the psychological trauma such merciless beatings would cause to a child of no more than eleven or twelve years old; it was truly unacceptable.

Just as Xia You was about to cry, her senior brother's words rang in her ears again.

Those comforting words brought him to tears.

It turns out that all of this was because I had overacted.

It was precisely because he was so engrossed in his performance that his senior had to use force to cooperate.

It truly proves the old saying: Heaven's sins may be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins are unforgivable.

"Junior brother, you went a bit overboard with your performance just now. If I hadn't intervened, I'm afraid I would have been exposed. I'm sorry, but you must understand."

"My blows to your body hurt my heart."

These words lingered in Xia You's mind for a long time.

As he spoke, his senior brother delivered two more slaps.

At this moment, Xia You had no more complaints in her heart, only guilt towards her senior brother.

It's all my fault for being too clever for my own good, which forced my senior brother to use harsh methods.

The pain is felt more acutely in my senior brother's heart than in my own. Compared to the physical suffering I endure, the torment he endures is the true agony. Thinking of this, Xia You no longer feels the pain.

A warm sensation suddenly welled up in my nose.

Xia You raised her hand and touched it, only to find that her hand was covered in blood.

Good heavens, how heartbroken must my senior be to have beaten himself so badly that his nose is bleeding?
I'm in so much pain myself, my senior brother must be feeling even worse. I'm such a sinner.

That's exactly what Xia You really thought.

He absolutely did not believe that his senior brother had hit him on purpose, nor did he think that there was any personal grudge involved.

All of this was to gain the trust of the onlookers, to make everyone believe that the senior brother had indeed betrayed the sect. Only in this way could the senior brother protect himself while also taking care of him and his junior sister. Xia You's analysis was indeed reasonable, and this was indeed one of the main reasons.

However, part of the reason was that Xu Fang got a little carried away.

Yes, he did start to miss the thrill of slapping someone.

"Hmph! This time, I'll just give you a small punishment as a warning. If it happens again, I won't let you off so easily!"

He's too ruthless; the senior brother is not someone you can mess with lightly...

Even though he has betrayed his sect, and even though the Yin-Yang Dao is now controlled by Gongyang Bing and his son, can such a ruthless character really be easily offended? Will provoking such a person really end well? He can even use such ruthless methods against his former junior brother; this kind of person should never be easily angered. Anyone who thinks they've lived too long can go and try it out.

By sheer accident, Xu Fang managed to establish his authority.

Xia You endured so many beatings, but it wasn't in vain; it achieved a good result.

People around him no longer dared to gossip, which made Xia You feel quite gratified.

As long as it works, enduring a few more beatings is worth it; he is not afraid of physical pain. Compared to the suffering his senior brother endured, what is his own physical pain?

Xu Fang hadn't expected things to escalate to this point.

Of course, despite his inner doubts, he maintained a calm and composed demeanor. The two said nothing more and headed towards the Yin-Yang Dao Hall together. However, on their way to the hall, they encountered Lin Beichen and Xu Gu.

Xu Gu's face was ashen, and he looked like he wouldn't last much longer.

Lin Beichen, on the contrary, looked quite well. The contrast between the two made people even more anxious.

Xia You couldn't bear it; how could he possibly endure it?

Without saying a word, he roared at Lin Beichen with all his might.

"What have you done to my master? What have you done to my master? I'll fight you to the death!"

Xia You screamed loudly.

Even after being slapped so many times by his senior brother Xu Fang, his eyes didn't even turn red.

But at this moment, his eyes suddenly became bloodshot, filled with clearly visible blood vessels, and his fists were clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into the flesh of his palms.

He was furious.

He was on the verge of exploding.

However, reason reminded him that he should not act rashly.

If the person in front of him was someone of extraordinary background, then taking action would only bring endless trouble. Fortunately, Xia You resisted the urge to attack; otherwise, Xu Guzhen might have been driven to his death by anger.

"How dare you be so rude! This is my young friend Lin Beichen, who rescued me."

Xu Gu sternly rebuked Xia You.

He coughed violently as soon as he finished speaking.

It's clear that his physical condition is very poor. Even speaking is extremely taxing for him.

"Senior, please don't speak yet. Let's talk after we leave this place." Lin Beichen planned to treat Xu Gu after leaving the Yin-Yang Path. The sooner they left, the better; this place was not safe to linger. Calling this place a den of thieves wouldn't be an exaggeration. The longer they stayed, the more likely something else might happen. To avoid any unforeseen complications, Lin Beichen didn't intend to waste any more words with these two young people. He glanced around but didn't see the granddaughter Xu Gu had mentioned earlier.

Where is your junior sister?

Lin Beichen frowned slightly, then asked a question.

Xia You was filled with self-reproach. It was all his fault for being too impulsive and causing his master to say a few more words. His master was already in poor health, and he had angered him even more. If his master had suffered a serious injury from anger, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

"My junior sister is still in the back mountain..."

Before Xia You could answer, Xu Fang immediately chimed in.

He was still unclear about the specifics of the change.

But Xu Fang was certain that the source of all the changes was this seemingly young Lin Beichen. It seemed that Lin Beichen had reached some kind of agreement with Gongyang Bing and the others, ultimately bringing his master out. Although the specifics were unclear, there was no time to delve into it now.

Xu Fang sensed Lin Beichen's intention not to linger here any longer.

"How could you leave your junior sister alone in the back mountain? Don't you know what the situation is like in the Yin-Yang Sect right now?" Lin Beichen said on Xu Gu's behalf before Xu Gu could even ask.

Seeing this, Xu Gu swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He understood that his current physical condition was very poor.

Talking too much may worsen the condition.

He wasn't afraid of death, but he hoped to see his apprentice and granddaughter safe and sound before he passed away; this was his only wish now. At the same time, he also held a sliver of hope for Lin Beichen.

Based on the information previously revealed by Lin Beichen, it can be inferred that...

The other person seemed to have figured out the root cause of his inexplicable illness.

There seems to be some problem within myself that I am unaware of.

Judging from Lin Beichen's evasive manner, this matter was likely related to Gongyang Bing and his son. If so, it was indeed inconvenient to discuss it further within the Yin-Yang Dao. However, he couldn't be entirely certain, as Xu Gu was quite confident in his own understanding and judgment.

Even he himself did not notice anything unusual.
Could Lin Beichen really see through the mystery at a glance?

"Quickly, take me to see your junior sister!"

The person in front of him seemed to have already solved the problem for his master, Xu Gu...

So, all those beatings I endured before were for nothing? But now's not the time to think about that. The most important thing right now is to find my junior sister and get her out of here.

With that thought in mind, Xia You stopped worrying about other things.

What's the point of enduring a few meals? As long as the final outcome is good, it's worth it.

As things stand, things are indeed moving in a positive direction.

The other members of the Yin-Yang Path who witnessed this scene were all stunned for a moment.

Things seemed to be developing beyond their expectations. Just who was this young man who suddenly appeared?
Why would Xu Gu stay by his side?
Shouldn't Xu Gu have been dealt with by Gongyang Bing and his son? How come he was able to appear unharmed?
Judging from his physical condition, it was indeed not optimistic, just as the rumors suggested. Could it be that Gongyang Bing and his son had a change of heart? Or had the appearance of this young man brought about a turning point in the situation?
Many people had similar speculations in their minds, and they were more inclined to believe the latter than the former.

Gongyang Bing and his son were no saints; something unexpected must have happened for them to let Xu Gu leave. And that unexpected event was very likely related to this suddenly appearing young man. Of course, these matters were no longer their concern.

Even so, quite a few people still quietly slipped away.

Regardless, Xu Gu was once the leader of the Yin-Yang School.

Even though he is now fallen from grace and his life is nearing its end, many people still dare not face him directly, feeling somewhat uneasy.

……

"Who are you? Get away from me, you scoundrels!"

The little girl angrily shouted and cursed.

But to these people, her scolding sounded like she was just being coquettish.

Xu Lan's angry rebuke had no effect whatsoever; instead, it only excited the group more. They had long harbored ill intentions towards Xu Lan, but hadn't found a suitable opportunity until now. Having finally obtained this perfect chance, how could they possibly let it slip away easily? Of course, some in the group had reservations.

"Little sister, stop shouting. No one will come to save you even if you shout until you're hoarse."

As someone spoke, they approached Xu Lan.

Some people also offered advice with a hint of hesitation:

"How about... we just let it go? After all, she's just a little girl. It's really not right for so many of us to bully a little girl. Junior Sister is cute, but she shouldn't be bullied like this." This person still had some conscience, and what he said barely sounded like a human being. But to the others, his words sounded like he was just being pretentious.

"What are you pretending to be so serious for, kid?"

"We're all in the same boat now, what's the point of worrying about reputation or conscience?"

"That's right, we're all brothers, there's no need to hide anything."

"Do whatever you want. From now on, the Yin-Yang Dao will be under our control!"

“That’s right, we don’t need to be so timid. If her senior brother were here, we might have to be more discreet, but he’s not here now! While he’s away, we can ‘look after’ our junior sister for him, and he won’t say anything. After all, he’s the kind of person who would betray his sect just to save his own life.”

"How could someone like that possibly care about his junior sister's life or death?"

"Haha, that's so true!"

This analysis drew widespread approval.

Those who were initially hesitant nodded in agreement after hearing these words. Indeed, they didn't need to worry about anything now.

"But... isn't this ultimately not a good idea?"

“Junior Sister has no grudge against us, and she’s still a child. How can you bear to hurt her? I thought you were just joking. Are you really going to do something so heinous?” He simply couldn’t understand.

At first, he thought it was a joke.

At least that's what he thought.

But these so-called brothers didn't seem to be joking.

They took what he thought was a joke seriously.

Having confirmed this, he decided to distance himself from these people.

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. A gentleman has things he will do and things he will not do. He wouldn't dare call himself a perfect gentleman, but everyone should have a bottom line. To lay a hand on a little girl? Zhang Zhou would never do such a thing, not even if you beat him to death. He couldn't bear to watch such a thing happen before his eyes. Thinking of this, he even felt a pang of shame.

I am ashamed that I once called these people brothers.

"What do you want? Take another step forward, and don't blame me, Zhang Zhou, for turning on you without hesitation!"

"Don't force me to abandon our brotherhood of many years."

"And please... have some decency!"

"Don't come any closer! My senior brother will absolutely not let you get away with this!!" Junior Sister Xu Lan warned the group sternly, knowing full well that they had ill intentions. (End of Chapter)