Chapter 123: Beaten in Battle, Betrayed at Home

Chapter 123: Beaten in Battle, Betrayed at Home Morning came with birdsong and betrayal. Lin Fan sat at the edge of the pond, knees pulled to his chest, eyes staring blankly into the rippling water. He hadn’t slept. He couldn’t sleep. Not after the night before. Not after hearing... "I can feel it inside me..." His soul trembled just remembering it. He clenched his fist. Trembled. This wasn’t just personal. It was war. He stood abruptly, trembling with righteous fury, still wearing yesterday’s wrinkled robes, hair wild with madness. Today was the day. Today, he ended Hei Long. — The Courtyard – Moments Later Hei Long stood in the sun-drenched courtyard, shirtless, sleeves of his inner robes tied lazily around his waist. He was practicing some stupid, slow, elegant sword form, probably designed to make women fall in love and men feel insecure. Lin Fan charged him like an unhinged bull. "YOU!" Hei Long didn’t flinch. Didn’t turn. "I heard you," Lin Fan spat. "Last night. In my sister’s room." A pause. Then Hei Long said, calmly, "She invited me." Lin Fan exploded. "YOU DON’T JUST—YOU DON’T—SHE WAS MY LITTLE SISTER! HER ROOM STILL SMELLS LIKE FRUIT CANDY!" Hei Long finally turned, expression cool. "She’s an adult. She made a choice." "You manipulated her!" "I respected her." "You corrupted her!" "I taught her proper qi flow." Lin Fan lunged, drawing a talisman blade mid-sprint. "I’LL FLOW YOUR QI, YOU—" He didn’t finish. Hei Long didn’t even fully move. He sidestepped. Elbowed Lin Fan in the ribs. Snatched the talisman blade. And smashed him to the ground with one fluid movement. The chickens clucked in alarm. Lin Fan groaned on the dirt, wheezing. "I’m not in the Jade Serpent Sect anymore," Hei Long said. "There’s no arena. No rules. You come at me, you suffer." Lin Fan staggered up. "I don’t need rules to beat you..." He threw a charm. Hei Long caught it. One-handed. It fizzled. Lin Fan blinked. "Was that... a Suppressive Silence Seal ?" Hei Long looked bored. "Yes. It was poorly made." Lin Fan roared and launched a flurry of attacks—punches, kicks, spiritual bursts. He even threw a bucket at one point. None of it landed. Hei Long dodged each strike, expression colder with every second. Finally, he moved. One clean blow to Lin Fan’s solar plexus. The world spun. Lin Fan hit the dirt. Again. Chest heaving. Nose bleeding. Dignity bleeding harder. And then— The audience arrived. Grandma. Grandpa. Lin Yue. Uncle Chen. Auntie Ping. The chickens. They gasped. And then— "Hei Long!" Grandma said. "Did he hurt you?" Lin Fan blinked. "WHAT." Grandpa stomped his cane. "Little Fan, is this how you repay a man who respects our Yue’er?" "He SPIRITUALLY DEFLOWERED HER!" Auntie Ping wagged her finger. "You always did throw tantrums when someone took your toys." "She’s a person!" "She’s happy," Lin Yue said, stepping forward. Lin Fan froze. She looked radiant in the sunlight. Calm. Confident. Beautiful in a way he wasn’t used to. "She chose me," Hei Long said simply. "And you couldn’t stand it." Lin Fan stood slowly, hands shaking. "You... you took my place in the sect. You took my dignity. You took my family. You took her." He looked at his sister. "I wanted to come back and rebuild. I thought—maybe here—I could matter again." Lin Yue’s expression softened. "I’m sorry, Fan-ge," she said gently. "But this isn’t about you anymore." And it shattered him. Right there. In the middle of his family courtyard. He turned away, eyes hollow. And walked back to his room, leaving a trail of blood and shame. — Later That Night – The Same Hallway He sat where he did the night before. Back to the wall. Alone. He heard their laughter from her room again. The creak of the floor. The hum of contentment. He didn’t scream this time. He just whispered, "...I need to become stronger." Not for revenge. Not for glory. Not even for her. But for himself. Because being broken once was pain. But being broken in front of the people who once loved you? That was humiliation that lasted a lifetime. . . . . . . It happened on a golden afternoon. Redleaf Hollow glowed under the waning light of the sun. The fields were alive with laughter, the air smelled of grilled rice cakes, and the cherry blossoms rained like confetti from the trees. Children played by the pond. Auntie Ping was drunk. The world felt warm. Which was how Lin Fan knew something terrible was about to happen. He watched from the hill above the village, seated under the old plum tree, chewing bitterly on a sweet potato he didn’t want. His eyes were locked on the courtyard below, where people were gathering. Too many people. Too many smiles. And in the center? Hei Long. Dressed in black silk robes, hair tied flawlessly, posture regal — like some imperial prince playing commoner for the day. He stood calmly beneath the ceremonial arch, lanterns swaying gently above him. And Lin Yue was there too. Wearing white. Laughing. Her smile radiant, her hands clasped politely, her eyes full of something Lin Fan had never seen before: Hope. "...no," Lin Fan whispered, the half-eaten potato dropping from his hands. Grandma stepped forward first, clearing her throat and raising a cup of plum wine. "Today," she beamed, "is a day we welcome not just a guest, but a man who has proven himself worthy of our dearest treasure." Lin Fan began to descend the hill, fast-walking like a man heading toward an execution. "Over my dead body," he muttered. Grandpa stepped up. "Hei Long, do you have something to say?" Lin Fan reached the edge of the courtyard just as Hei Long stepped forward, turning to face Lin Yue. Lin Fan’s jaw dropped. He was kneeling. The world slowed. His ears rang. "No. No. No no no no—" Hei Long opened a small jade box. Inside was a ring. Simple. Elegant. A spiritual gemstone set in twisted white silver — the kind only master craftsmen could forge, the kind engraved with protective charms that only someone truly serious would prepare. The kind that meant forever. Lin Yue gasped. Hei Long met her eyes. "I’ve stood on battlefields," he said, voice low and unwavering. "I’ve fought beasts, demons, and men who called themselves gods." Lin Fan stood frozen, halfway between tackling him and crying. "But nothing," Hei Long continued, "has ever disarmed me the way your smile does." Someone in the crowd swooned. Auntie Ping passed out entirely. Lin Fan turned gray. "You saw me when I was only steel. And you softened me. I don’t want to protect the world anymore, Yue. I want to protect you." He held the ring out. "Will you marry me?" A silence fell so deep even the birds stopped chirping. Lin Yue stared. Then slowly, her hand rose— "NO!" Everyone turned. Lin Fan stood there, wild-eyed, hair windblown, robes half-unbuttoned, breathing like he’d sprinted from the underworld itself. He pointed a trembling finger at Hei Long. "You manipulative, smug, honorless snake!" Hei Long didn’t rise. Didn’t flinch. Just calmly said, "Not your decision, Lin Fan." Lin Yue stepped forward, eyes confused. Hurt. "Fan-ge..." "You don’t know him!" Lin Fan yelled. "He’s not real! He acts composed, noble—but it’s all calculated! I’ve seen it! He treats people like tools—like steps!" She shook her head. "He’s never been anything but kind to me." "He’s lying!" "He hasn’t lied to me once." Lin Fan opened his mouth. Closed it. Because deep down... he knew. Hei Long didn’t need to lie. He was too good to need lies. "I love him, Fan-ge." Those words hit harder than any blow he’d taken in their duel. "I’m sorry," she added. Then she turned back to Hei Long. And slipped the ring onto her finger. The crowd cheered. Fireworks went off. Lanterns rose into the sky. And Lin Fan stood alone in the middle of it all, eyes hollow, heart cracked, surrounded by applause that felt like laughter. Hei Long rose. Walked past him. And as he passed, he said one thing, quiet enough for only Lin Fan to hear: "You should’ve aimed higher." — That Night – Lin Fan’s Room He didn’t cry. He didn’t scream. He just sat there, staring at his old reflection in the mirror. And whispered, "...This is the last time you win." Then he stood. Packed his things. And left. Without a goodbye. Without a word. Into the night. Toward a path darker than any he’d known. Toward power. Not to protect. Not to impress. Not even to love. But to destroy. Because if the world wanted a villain? He would give them one.