Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

"Speak!" Zhou Zhenhua's patience was about to run out. His voice was deep, yet carried the imposing presence of a lion.

Sun Peng, slumped to the side, watched Tianci, who was crouching on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Pain and frustration seared his nerves. Anger made him complain, "Coach, I... I'm so wronged! I only increased the pressure a little as you requested, but who would have thought he... he's acting like he's possessed today!" He gasped for breath, his gaze sweeping over Tianci's trembling back. Thinking of the unwarranted blow he had suffered, a surge of rage rose to his head, and his voice suddenly rose: "He's like a mad dog, a good-for-nothing! Who knows what kind of humiliation he suffered outside! He can't handle it himself, so he comes back here and lashes out at me!" The vicious curse, "good-for-nothing," was like a poisoned ice pick, piercing Tianci's eardrums with a chilling force.

His mother was the most sensitive and untouchable part of his heart, and the words "without a mother to teach you" instantly overlapped with Lin Jianmin's insult to Wanqing, saying she was "just like your runaway bitch mother." The anger that had almost dissipated was reignited and exploded by this double insult.

"Roar—"

A beastly roar, utterly inhuman and filled with endless pain and destructive desire, suddenly exploded from the depths of Tianci's throat. His crimson eyes instantly lost their last vestige of humanity, filled only with a churning sea of ​​blood and Sun Peng's face, distorted and twisted, completely overlapping with the faces of all the perpetrators. The ashes of reason were scattered by the gale, leaving only a mad madness of mutual destruction.

Taking advantage of Zhou Zhenhua's momentary lapse in attention, Tianci leaped from the ground like a leopard, charging at Sun Peng with a ferocious, all-consuming momentum. Sun Peng only had time to instinctively raise his right arm to block, but Tianci neither dodged nor flinched, forcefully slamming his forehead against Sun Peng's arm. He opened his mouth and, with primal instinct, bit down hard on Sun Peng's neck, which was now completely exposed from the block!

"Ugh—you're crazy!" Sun Peng was terrified and desperately tried to stop him.

Just as Tianci's teeth touched Sun Peng's neck, about to bite down—

"Tianci!" Zhou Zhenhua roared, his figure flashing like lightning. With his left hand, he precisely gripped Tianci's chin and lifted it upwards, while his right hand simultaneously struck Tianci's chest acupoint. A tremendous feeling of suffocation and a dull pain in his chest made Tianci's vision go black, and his jaw snapped shut.

Almost simultaneously, "Slap!" A slap filled with Zhou Zhenhua's extreme shock and lingering fear landed hard on Tianci's left cheek! This slap was like a thunderbolt splitting the chaos, completely shattering the bloodlust and madness that filled his eyes.

Tianci collapsed onto the mat, breathing heavily. His bloodshot eyes quickly lost their color and regained focus. He saw Zhou Zhenhua's furious face, the terrified looks in the eyes of his fellow disciples, and the bloody teeth marks on Sun Peng's neck.

A tremendous sense of lingering fear, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly gripped his heart. What had I done? I almost… almost… what had I become? Had I become a beast like Lin Jianmin, capable only of violence? This thought sent shivers down his spine, and a powerful sense of self-loathing overwhelmed him like a cold tide.

Then came a deeper, more helpless fear and despair towards Lin Wanqing: I've gone mad like this, lost control like this, almost becoming a murderer... What about Wanqing? Who can push open that gate of hell? I have all this strength, yet I can't even control my own anger. My elder brother told me to "see through the twisted logic of the world," but I can't even uphold my own "logic," like a wild beast that only knows how to bite... What's the use of practicing boxing for someone like me? How can I "straighten my spine"? A chilling sense of despair began to spread wildly up my spine.

"Waaah..." The immense grievance, boundless fear, the piercing helplessness over Wanqing's ordeal, and the terror of losing control and becoming a demon, all surged forth like a burst dam, instantly overwhelming the last bulwark. This stubborn boy, who bled but didn't shed a tear on the training field and gritted his teeth to endure the thugs' beatings, now resembled a child abandoned by the entire world and plunged into an abyss. He curled up on the mat, covered his face tightly with his hands, and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

Sun Peng clutched his neck, looking at Tianci curled up on the ground, sobbing and his shoulders shaking violently. His initial shock, anger, and fear were replaced by a powerful tremor. The muscles in his face twitched, and for a moment he forgot to curse.

Zhou Zhenhua looked at the boy on the verge of collapse on the ground, then at the bloody teeth marks on Sun Peng's neck. Seeing that he was not seriously injured, he felt relieved. He suppressed his surging anger and worry, his gaze sweeping over the horrified faces around him, and said in a deep voice, "Disperse, everyone. No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today." The trainees felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly left the training ground.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Zhou Zhenhua's gaze first fixed on Sun Peng. "Sun Peng, you explain yourself clearly, word for word!"

Sun Peng gasped, his voice filled with grievance and lingering fear: "Coach, I...I swear, I really didn't kill him! It's just...it's just like you said, close-quarters combat...maybe that elbow strike...affected his old injury...but...but who knew he..." He pointed at Tianci, his voice trembling, "...suddenly he went crazy! Like a mad dog, he pounced on me and...and bit me. Look...look at how he bit me, he...he wanted to kill me!"

Zhou Zhenhua's gaze shifted to Tianci, who was curled up on the ground. Tianci's cries gradually turned into suppressed sobs. He raised his tear-streaked face, his eyes empty and pained. He looked at Zhou Zhenhua, then at the teeth marks on Sun Peng's neck, and immense guilt and lingering fear almost consumed him.

"No... I don't blame Second Senior Brother..." Tianci choked and stammered as he poured out Lin Wanqing's ordeal, the bruises on her face, the domestic violence he witnessed after school, and his own powerlessness and unbearable anger at the time.

As Zhou Zhenhua listened, the anger on his face gradually gave way to shock and solemnity.

"You've explained your first outburst, but why did you go crazy again the second time when Sun Peng didn't provoke you?" Zhou Zhenhua continued to press.

Why? Tianci was a little confused. He lowered his head and thought for a long time before replying, "My second senior brother insulted my mother."

"When did I ever curse your mother? Don't make false accusations!" Sun Peng jumped up and shouted in protest, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Zhou Zhenhua glared and shouted, "Who said you didn't curse? 'Born of a mother but not taught by one's mother'—that's even more vicious than directly cursing your mother! Watch your mouth next time. Luckily I was there this time, otherwise…it would have truly been a disaster because of your words!"

"Tianci," Zhou Zhenhua's voice softened, "both your attitude towards your mother and that girl show you to be a upright and loyal child. It's just that your actions today were too extreme. It's good to have feelings and passion, but emotions and passion need to be controlled with wisdom. If you let them run wild, the demons within you will take advantage of your vulnerability, using them to cause destruction, to do things you'll regret forever! As the saying goes, 'Impulse is the devil,' and that's exactly the point." Zhou Zhenhua continued to guide him patiently, "Now, do you know how to handle Lin Wanqing's matter?"

"Use...use your brain," Tianci replied.

"That's right." Zhou Zhenhua slapped Tianci on the shoulder. "A beast like Lin Jianmin needs to be dealt with by the law. Your brute force will do nothing but ruin yourself and make the people you're trying to protect suffer even more. Now, stand up, wipe your tears, and use your brain!" He poked Tianci's temple hard with his finger. "It's time to use your brain. Come with me!" Zhou Zhenhua pulled the exhausted Tianci to his feet and said to Sun Peng in a deep voice, "What are you standing there for? Go to the infirmary right now and disinfect your neck."

Zhou Zhenhua grabbed Tianci and strode towards the office. He picked up the phone, dialed the Jixian Women's Federation, briefly explained the situation, and then shoved the receiver into Tianci's hand: "Speak, tell them everything you saw and heard. Don't be afraid, tell the truth."

A calm female voice came through the receiver. Tianci's throat tightened, and he spoke haltingly... He tried hard to recall, organize his thoughts, and add details. Finally, the staff informed him that it had been recorded and would be forwarded for verification.

After hanging up the receiver, Tianci felt all his strength drain away, and he leaned against the wall, panting heavily. He had said everything he needed to say, and done everything he needed to do, but the weight on his heart still hadn't lifted.

"Will it really... work? Wanqing... she's... tonight..."

Looking at his pale, dazed face, Zhou Zhenhua sighed heavily: "Tianci, do your best and leave the rest to fate. Leave the rest to those in charge, and have faith in the law. Remember this bloody lesson; let it never happen again!"

His words, like a resounding bell, struck a faint but crucial glimmer of light in the boy's chaotic and dark world.