CHAPTER 55: NASCENT FIGHT. [3]

"You’re not at the early stage of Nascent Soul realm. No, you are at the peak of Nascent Soul realm," Gu Lanyue said quietly.

His voice had lost its edge, now low, wary, and tight with disbelief.

He stood amid the fading sparks of his shattered defense, face pale, brows knit.

Though his body remained unscathed, there was no denying the tremble in his hands.

The Poison Silk technique, brilliant and deadly, came at a heavy cost.

His vast ocean of qi had receded to a pitiful tide.

He clenched his fists at his sides, breath steadying. That boy...

Gu Jian stepped forward, robes fluttering in the wind, the barrier behind him fading into motes of light.

His face was drawn with realization.

He had sensed it too, the weight behind Fang Yuan’s strikes, the effortless control, the terrifying speed.

He spoke softly, almost to himself.

"What a prodigy..."

In the air above them, Fang Yuan hovered still, blood on his robes, a faint tremor in his limbs but that smile...

That maddening, unshakable smile.

His blade glinted beside him like a silent guardian, and his presence, even injured remained oppressive, almost sovereign.

Gu Jian narrowed his eyes.

That boy got hit with a reflected strike equivalent to twice of a peak Nascent Soul realm’s full-force blow... and he’s still standing?

He felt a chill rise along his spine.

One wrong move, just one and this entire bridge would have been a bloodstained ruin with no survivors.

Fang Yuan unaware of the thoughts in Gu Jian’s head tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with amusement beneath half-lidded lashes.

"Gu Jian. Gu Lanyue," he said, voice calm and unhurried despite the blood trailing down his chin.

"Do you two wish to continue?"

There was no mockery in his tone, just a dangerous stillness. Like a predator offering mercy, to see what his prey would choose.

Gu Lanyue’s jaw tightened.

He was unharmed, yes. But also powerless.

His Poison Silk had consumed too much, he had qi enough for one technique, maybe two.

But against this devil, what would that accomplish?

Gu Jian’s lips pressed into a thin line.

His cultivation being mid-stage Nascent Soul, gave him a chance. He was still in prestine condition.

But was it worth the risk?

His eyes flicked to Fang Yuan again and for just a moment, he saw it.

The fracture behind the smile.

The way his fingers tightened briefly around his sword hilt. The faint shudder in his knees.

He was holding himself together with pure will.

Now or never, he thought.

But then another thought followed, colder and more dangerous:

If I try and fail... I’ll die.

And worse, so does the prestige of the Gu family.

He turned to Gu Lanyue, their gazes meeting, silent understanding passing between them in an instant.

Lanyue’s eyes narrowed, lips pressing together in a reluctant grimace.

Then Gu Jian stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"We concede... for today."

The words fell like a stone in a still lake.

Fang Yuan’s eyes sparkled. He chuckled low in his throat.

"Today, huh?"

He didn’t need to say more.

Everyone heard it, the meaning behind the words. I’ll be back, I’m surrendering just for today.

That was fine.

He would be ready.

With that, Fang Yuan raised his sword, the blade humming as it responded to his command.

He stepped lightly onto it, blood trailing down his torn sleeve, but his posture never faltered.

He cast one last glance at the crowd at the stunned elders, at Gu Lanyue’s clenched fists, at Gu Jian’s grim expression.

Then he rose into the air like a sovereign leaving the battlefield, the wind parting before him as though it, too, bowed in reverence.

A single stroke of the sword and he was gone.

The moonlight shimmered behind him.

And on River Light Bridge, no one dared speak for a long, long time.

Fang Yuan flew in silence.

The sword beneath his feet glided as if drawn along moonlight itself, its edge singing faintly with the last remnants of spiritual force.

He remained upright, shoulders square, spine straight his posture regal and proud despite the searing pain wracking his insides.

The moon still hung in the sky, pale and indifferent, casting its silver light over the quiet rooftops of Phoenix Soul Pavilion.

No one stirred.

All slept, unaware of the battle their clan head had endured alone.

As he descended onto the courtyard outside his office, his boots barely touched the ground before his knees buckled.

Thud.

Fang Yuan collapsed forward onto the cold stone floor. Blood erupted from his mouth, splattering the steps.

He coughed again, red dripping between his fingers as he pressed them to his lips.

His vision blurred, his knees trembled but he gritted his teeth and forced himself upright against the doorframe.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins spiderwebbing out from their corners.

His breathing came in shallow, ragged bursts.

But after a few deep, controlled inhalations, he calmed the chaos within his dantian, enough to suppress the worst of the backlash.

I can’t let anyone see me like this, he thought.

But fate was unkind.

The door burst open.

"Clan Head!"

Felicia.

One of the family servants, her usually calm face now frozen in horror. She rushed forward, skirts sweeping, panic in her eyes.

"You’re hurt!"

Fang Yuan gave a faint nod, wiping the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his robe.

"Go call Doctor Mu," he said, voice hoarse but firm. "Tell him... it can’t be delayed."

Felicia stepped forward instinctively to help him, but he raised one hand to stop her.

"I’ll walk to my chamber myself."

"But—!"

"I said I’ll be fine," he said again, more gently this time. "If you delay for my sake, the damage might settle deeper."

Felicia hesitated, biting her lip, but she finally nodded.

She bowed swiftly and turned on her heels, bolting down the hall like a blur of blue robes.

Doctor Mu’s quarters are near the outer pavilion, Fang Yuan thought grimly.

Even with her speed, it should take some time.

Alone now, he braced himself against the wall and began walking.

Each step was agony.

His insides churned, he could feel internal bleeding across several meridians.

The backlash from the Poison Silk reflection hadn’t just harmed his body; it had disturbed his soul sea as well.

But... this pain, he thought, is still manageable.

By the time he reached his chamber, he was drenched in sweat, his white robes soaked through and clinging to his back.

He pushed the door open and staggered in.

The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight pouring through the open lattice window.

Just as Fang Yuan stepped into his chamber, the door clicking shut behind him, a ripple of golden light shimmered in front of him.

Ding—

A soft chime echoed in his mind, low and metallic, like the tolling of a distant bell submerged in water.

A golden screen flickered into existence before his weary eyes.

His breath caught.

The pain in his chest seemed to fade for a moment.

The screen pulsed once, then vanished into dust, leaving only silence in its wake.

Fang Yuan stood there, still soaked in sweat and blood, and slowly, very slowly he smiled.