Shen Yue's Hyper Sense sharpened, his ears catching the rapid crunch of footsteps outside the cave—fast, yet deliberate, like a hunter closing in. The darkness was absolute, but his heightened senses painted a vivid picture: human steps, not beast. A low, bitter curse drifted through the entrance, chilling his blood.
"Damn it… damn it!" The voice was raw with frustration. "My plan failed because of those wolves. I have to at least collect his corpse… if it's still intact."
Shen Yue's heart seized, rage igniting like wildfire. He knew that voice—Peng Lei, his uncle. The man who'd raised him, fought beside him, now spoke of his death with cold calculation. *Betrayal.* The word burned in his mind, a wound deeper than any blade. He didn't yet grasp the full scope of Peng Lei's plan, but the intent was clear: his uncle had meant for him to die.
Silently, Shen Yue melted into the cave's shadows, his Hyper Sense cloaking his presence. He pressed himself against the damp stone wall, his breath shallow, his sword gripped tightly. *Stay calm,* he told himself, though his pulse roared. *He doesn't know I'm alive.*
The footsteps paused, abrupt and wary. Shen Yue held his breath, sensing Peng Lei's hesitation. *He smells the blood… the wolves' carcasses.* The cave's air was thick with the coppery tang, a beacon to anyone nearby. Shen Yue's instincts sharpened, his body coiled like a predator awaiting its moment.
A shadow loomed at the entrance, cautious and hunched. Peng Lei stepped inside, his silhouette framed by faint moonlight. Shen Yue remained motionless, his eyes tracking every movement. Peng Lei's guard was up, his sword drawn, but exhaustion weighed on him—his steps were heavy, his breathing uneven.
The moment Peng Lei's stance slackened, Shen Yue struck. His Raging Wind Wolf Steps doubled his speed, his movements silent as a breeze. In a heartbeat, he was behind Peng Lei, one hand seizing the man's wrists, the other pressing his sword's edge to his throat. With a swift, brutal twist, he forced Peng Lei to the ground.
*Crack!* The sickening snap of bone echoed as Peng Lei's wrists buckled. Shen Yue pinned him, his knee grinding into his uncle's back.
Peng Lei screamed, his voice raw with agony. "My hands! My hands!" Panic flooded his words. "Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"
Shen Yue's silence was colder than the cave's stone. He grabbed Peng Lei's leg, twisting until another *crack* rang out. Pain exploded through Peng Lei's body, his screams reverberating off the walls. "Stop! Please!" he gasped, collapsing into a trembling heap.
Shen Yue's strength shocked even himself. Peng Lei was a 9th-grade Blood Qi Realm cultivator, renowned for enduring pain that would break lesser men. Yet here he lay, shattered by Shen Yue's raw power. *My stats… they've changed me.* He dragged Peng Lei's limp form to the cave's corner, discarding him like a broken tool.
Kindling a small fire, Shen Yue sat by its flickering light, his breath steadying as he planned his next move. The cave's damp chill seeped into his bones, but his mind was razor-sharp. *He wanted me dead… but why?* The betrayal cut deeper than he'd expected, memories of Peng Lei's gruff kindness clashing with the truth.
Hours passed, the fire's embers casting long shadows. Peng Lei stirred, his swollen eyes fluttering open. Pain etched his face—his arms and left leg were useless, bones splintered. Despair settled over him like a shroud. *This is a death sentence,* he thought, his heart heavy. Whoever had broken him had no mercy to spare.
A cold voice sliced through the silence. "You're awake."
Peng Lei's head turned weakly, his gaze landing on a figure he never expected to see. "Shen Yue…" he gasped, his voice cracking. "How… how are you alive?"
He caught himself, his tone shifting to feigned relief. "Thank the heavens. I thought you were dead. I can face your mother now, knowing you're safe."
Shen Yue's eyes were ice, unyielding. "Drop the act," he said, his voice low and deadly. "I heard you outside. Every word."
Peng Lei's face paled, the mask of the "good uncle" crumbling. His lips trembled, caught red-handed. Shen Yue leaned closer, his gaze piercing. "Why did you use Beast-Attracting Powder on me?"
Peng Lei stammered, his voice hoarse. "It… it was to save myself!"
Shen Yue's eyes narrowed, his voice sharper than his blade. "Then why play the caring uncle all these years?"
Peng Lei's mouth opened, then closed, his eyes darting. "It was a lie," he admitted, his voice hollow. "A mask to keep you close."
Shen Yue's heart twisted, but he pressed on. "Why risk your life on the battlefield to save me?"
Peng Lei's gaze flickered with cold calculation. "Save you?" he sneered. "I was saving myself. The battlefield was my only path. I planned to use you… but those barbarians ruined everything."
A chill ran through Shen Yue, his composure fraying. *All of it… a lie.* He forced himself to stay calm, his voice steady. "What was your plan?"
Peng Lei's lips curled into a bitter smirk. "You already know. I came for your corpse."
Shen Yue's voice dropped, a dangerous edge to it. "Why my corpse?"
Peng Lei's expression twisted, resentment seething. "To deliver your remains to your mother. Give you a proper funeral."
Shen Yue shook his head, his voice cutting. "Do you even know how she'd react?"
Rage flared in Peng Lei's eyes, but he stayed silent. Shen Yue's patience snapped. He grabbed a jagged wolf bone from the cave floor and drove it into Peng Lei's right leg, the crunch of bone sickeningly clear.
Peng Lei's scream echoed, raw and desperate. "Ahhh!"
Shen Yue's voice was ice. "Answer me. Why?"
Peng Lei hissed, teeth clenched. "You devil! How can you be so cruel?"
Shen Yue twisted the bone deeper, eliciting another tortured scream. "The truth," he demanded.
Peng Lei's resolve shattered, his voice breaking. "Because of your mother… you son of a bitch."
His words spilled like venom, memories flooding back. "When Lan Xue came to the Outer City, I found her first. We were friends… but she treated me like a little brother. Always bickering, laughing, like siblings."
His sneer was bitter. "Then your father showed up. I brought him to her home to celebrate my breakthrough, thinking we were brothers in arms."
He paused, eyes blazing with venom. "But they grew close. Too close. Inseparable."
Peng Lei's voice trembled, dark and raw. "I proposed to her once… but I found her with him. Screaming with pleasure in her home."
His fists clenched, knuckles white. "I checked, thinking it was a mistake. But it was your father… with that bitch Lan Xue."
Shen Yue's stomach churned, but he stayed silent, letting the words pour out.
"I left without a word," Peng Lei continued, his voice a twisted whisper. "Your father knew I loved her, yet he betrayed me. I was weak then, powerless to act."
His eyes glinted with malice. "But I swore I'd grow stronger. I'd take my revenge and claim Lan Xue."
He laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. "She married him. Bore you and your sibling. But I waited, biding my time."
His grin was cruel. "One day, I planned it all. Executed it perfectly…"
Shen Yue's blood ran cold. He'd suspected the truth, but hearing it aloud was a knife to his heart. *He used me… to hurt her.* His mother's face flashed in his mind—her gentle smile, her weary eyes. Rage simmered, but he held it in check.
Peng Lei's laughter grew manic, a sinister aura rising from his broken form. "Hahaha… haaa…" His wounds shimmered, knitting together at an unnatural speed, visible even in the fire's dim glow.
Shen Yue's Hyper Sense screamed in warning. A sword slashed toward him, impossibly fast. He dove aside, the blade grazing his chest, leaving a shallow cut. Sweat beaded on his forehead. *One more inch, and I'd be dead.*
A calm, sinister voice broke the silence, laced with dark amusement. "Huh. You dodged my attack."
Peng Lei's eyes gleamed, his aura shifting, predatory. "Interesting… truly interesting."