Patriarch Guang, as he came closer, was clearly holding his emotions tight.

  His brows were barely frowning, his lips were pointing down just the tiniest bit, his hands were closed but not in a fist. But his eyes were wide open; bulging veins poked out of his robes, on his neck and wrists; his body was naturally oriented forward, as if ready to lounge. His aura was restrained with chains, rather than just limited; it would not stay peaceful, otherwise.

  The man was barely in control. In front of Chang Heng, the boy felt more aware than ever of how… savage the man looked. Spiky hair of a deep shade of red was the crown above an unkept beard. Still, neither could take the attention away from the man’s body, of a size that few, if any, matched: so tall, a normal person could take two steps and still have some height to cover; shoulders so large, the man was wider than a beast of burden; arms and legs belonging to a gorilla, not a human.

  “Dear Cousin-but-not-for-long, I think I’ll leave now. I’ve spent too much time sticking my nose in matters that don’t concern me for today, I’ll find someone to fight. See you in two weeks, don’t slack off.”

  Chang Jian left at that, the last words sounding more like a threat than anything.

  As his father spoke, his voice came out as gravel, hard, cold, and hurtful.

  “You… have failed your mission. Your challenge. And spectacularly so. I take you know what happens now.”

  “I know I did, but… my performance was good. I did all I could. Is there… no other solution?”

  The Patriarch’s chest filled in an instant, enlarging his frame even more. The air then came out choked in a tight throat that wanted to shout, but didn’t.

  “No. There is no other solution. This, in fact, is a merciful one, and I’m being merciful only because of how much you screwed the clan up.” He whipped a hand back, and a servant passed him a simple, big backpack. He grabbed it and laid it on the ground carefully, forcing his hand not to just throw it. “These are your things. Take them.”

  The boy looked down, then up, his eyes discouraged but still wanting to act, find another way for things to end.

  “I… understand. But still, my challenge was, in fact, to my mentality, not the actual result, and I did improve on it! I don’t believe-”

  “In the bag are the things you came here with a month ago, with the addition of a half-written manual from Ancestor Chang Ling, an unpublished one of mine, and the basis for a Technique of my son Chang Jian.”

  “I don’t need that stuff, Patriarch Guang! All I need now-”

  “Take them. I mean it when I say that this, right now, is the best conclusion for all of us. But especially for you, since you get to walk away with your life, and the literal treasures this clan has provided you.”

  “How is this the best solution?!” Chang Heng did all he could to stop his eyes from crying. This was not the time. He managed to, but from what he was seeing, his sister didn’t. His mother was holding on to the arm of a guard, to his discomfort, the strength behind the grip growing steadily.

  The giant in front of him took another deep breath, then deflated, his shoulders sagging the tiniest bit as a different weight was added alongside the anger.

  “I keep making the mistake of thinking of you as an adult. You are older than my son, but there is a reason your father had to speak for you when we met. So, to make this interaction work, I will be as direct as I can be:

  You lost to someone you couldn’t lose to. And now, the works of your beloved ancestor and I have suddenly become a joke. You’ve inflicted a wound on the Chang clan’s livelihood that may take years to heal. I do not care for what opinion the public has of me, and neither does the Old Relic, but I do care about all our whole clan will be losing because. Of. Your. Failure.”

  “I don’t think one loss should have that much impact.” The boy wasn’t deterred. “And besides, I did beat Xie Mo, that should amount to something, right?”

  “Yes. It did amount to something, for an afternoon and a night.” The pressure of a Mortal Purity Cultivator started to leak, and together with his voice, they grew into a landslide. “That was a good thing, but then, the morning after. The morning after! You. Lost. TO A FUCKING PROSTITUTE. In front of the WHOLE CITY.”

  The giant didn’t need to move to push him to the ground. There was no resisting that tide. The boy had no way to stop it, stand up, struggle, push himself the tiniest bit, or even just open his mouth.

  “There are three reasons why you live. Trust me when I say, they are PONDERED. First, if you leave, the shame could end up being carried by you, instead of the clan, but if you die, even if our honor is somewhat restored, we will still be carrying the moniker of a rising clan that lost to a damn prostitute. Second, since we will be bleeding out money, the capabilities of your parents will come in handy; they will understand my choice, but only if you stay alive. Third…”

  The man got a bit smaller at that. His eyes told what the rest of him tried desperately to hide: he did not hate Chang Heng, despite how furious he was at him. There was remorse in them.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “I’m not a killer, and hopefully, I never will be. Especially of children.”

  From the ground, all the boy could do was look up and listen. As the man kept speaking, tears were freely let out.

  The Patriarch used a serious, ceremonial tone.

  “I, Patriarch Chang Guang of the Chang Clan, officially strip Chang Heng of the family name as an act of Honour and Punishment, and grant Mercy to the son of one of my brothers or sisters, as he fell in Disgrace but Lives yet. From now on, he will be called Heng, and will make no mistake when asked where he comes from: Nowhere and No One. Those of my Blood will offer him no smile and will not salute him, as he fell in Disgrace, but spit on the ground and look away instead. May the Heavens remember my words if Doubt reaches my Heart, for one’s word and one’s name are not to be given freely.”

  Silence.

  For a moment, the world around them was silent.

  Then, as Heng’s mouth was still forced shut, his mind screamed a thousand thoughts. This was the result he was most afraid of.

  Old Man Ling had said they’d show leniency. He had believed him. He thought he’d be chastised, or would have to add more training to his routine, or have to work, or… or…

  Leniency had not been enough.

  Under the man who was no longer his Patriarch, he stared at his family. He blinked away the tears, so that nothing else would stand between them.

  His father, crying, held his little sister Xia tight, as she shouted at the unfairness of it all. Words that no child should utter were storming the morning air, but no one would silence her.

  His mother had punched a guard, shoved another away, and rushed straight at him. They should have both been too strong for her, and yet she did. Chang Li would not be stopped, not when her child was there, crying, exiled, leaving her life, their family, forever.

  Those same guards ran at her, faster than any mortal could be, and tried to push her down. She didn’t stop. They asked, then pressured, then ordered her to relent, but there was no listening. Another guard joined them, and she slowed, then a fourth, and she finally fell.

  She planted her palms on the ground and pushed forward with the power of an ox and an unmatched purpose. Men stronger than tigers complained and commanded, but again, the beast would not listen.

  When she was close enough, she gently stretched her hand to her boy and caressed his cheek, offering him a loving smile.

  “We love you, Hen-Hen. We love you so much. Go as far as you want, but never forget it.”

  There were too many tears to blink them away, and still, he smiled back.

  The weight pressing on him didn’t let up, so, for the umpteenth time those days, he pushed back with everything he had.

  “I love you too, Mother, Father, Little Sister. Make the best of your lives! I want to come back and see you happy.”

  “We won’t screw it up, Hen-Hen, don’t worry.” She said as she was dragged away, easing some of the pain in the boy’s heart.

  “Live a proper life, Son, one that you can be proud of! We’ll be waiting here for you, so make some good friends and share it with them!” The kind voice of his father hid worries, but shared more than enough care to compensate for them.

  “Don’t you dare disappear forever, Heng Bro! I want some letters! With cool stories! And if someone bullies you, I’ll get my underlings and-” their father shut her mouth as she kept talking, but she managed to wriggle out. “-THEIR ASS!”

  Amid all those tears, the rest of the family couldn’t help but laugh, even as the parents were being dragged away with her by the guards.

  “My pet, I’ll be back soon, and I’ll show you I don’t need to be protected anymore! And if anyone bullies you, I’ll make them swallow a sampietrino!”

  “Gravel is better than a big rock, Bro, but you’re learning! Soon you’ll graduate from being a stupid baby!”

  The siblings grinned.

  “I love you, you idiot little sister!”

  “I love you too, Hen-Hen! Stay short!”

  The trio went down a side path, leaving his sight.

  She always has the last word… I really don’t want to know where she learn that thing about the gravel.

  …

  Heng and Chang Guang were alone on the street. No one dared to look from the windows; whether it was out of respect or fear, it didn’t matter.

  The boy was allowed to stand again; his clothes were stained with the sand of the street, his face with mud made out of tears and dirt. He couldn’t help but look at the huge man with anger. It was not smart to make him an enemy more than he already was, but there was no denying what he felt.

  “I am not your enemy, and I recommend you don’t make me become one, so stop looking at me like that.”

  The words of the man were cold and imperative.

  “I don’t deserve this. I’m sure I don’t.”

  “I do not care what you think you deserve. You humiliated my clan and put our well-being in second place right after your laziness. We’ve made this scene one time too many already.”

  The boy gritted his teeth. His muscles were tense. He hadn’t noticed, but his fists had closed, and motes of Qi from the air had been dragged into a ball following him; if his mind wanted to find a solution, his body was getting ready for an impossible fight.

  “Do not.” Chang Guang repeated. “Make me. Your enemy. Go away and live your life, do whatever you want. I won’t antagonise you, for as long as you stay out of my clan’s business.”

  Heng forced his body to relax. An impossible challenge, but the effort was adequate to show his willingness not to make things worse.

  “What can I do… to come back?”

  The man’s eyes lost some of their callousness.

  “Understand this is not about you, nor about me. My decisions are made with the clan’s benefit in mind. As you are, you can’t come back; this is non-negotiable.”

  The man gave him his back, and walked away, but the answer didn’t need more words to be made clear.

  No matter how, I need to come back as an asset for the clan. One greater than what I’ve taken away from it: one greater than both him and Old Man Ling.