The broken door creaked.

  Moments ter, three figures entered the shack.

  Inside was nothing close to fancy. There were only straw mats and a tiny table, just enough to seat three people.

  Chu Yuan sighed. Not out of disdain for the pce, but because of nostalgia.

  He remembered spending a month in this very shack...

  “Sorry. Our pce is a bit small...”

  Zu Xian noticed Chu Yuan's sigh and assumed he was dissatisfied.

  He touched his nose awkwardly.

  “No worries. I’m telling you, Brother Zu Xian, there’s no pce safer than this one.”

  Chu Yuan smiled.

  His words weren’t entirely false. In all of Eastwind Town, there were things the average citizen didn’t know—shocking secrets festering in the dark or hidden away by the nobility.

  “If I remember correctly, that incident should happen seven days from now...”

  Chu Yuan’s gaze flickered.

  “Thank you,” Zu Xian said, relieved that Chu Yuan wasn’t displeased.

  Still, he was confused—how did Chu Yuan know his name?

  But that wasn’t important right now.

  “Brother, please take a seat while I prepare the food.”

  With that, Zu Xian hurried toward the side of the shack that resembled a kitchen. The entire interior consisted of just one space: a sleeping quarter, kitchen, and living area all in one.

  Chu Yuan sat down, his eyes drifting to the little girl beside Zu Xian.

  "If I remember correctly her name was Zu Ling..."

  Chu Yuan had no clear memories of her from his simuted timeline.

  Back then, when he met Zu Xian, Zu Ling had already been sold to the gangs by Zu Xian’s uncle. Although Chu Yuan hadn’t personally killed Zu Jiang in that timeline, he had managed to eradicate the local gang that was the source of the problem.

  He also remembered trying to rescue Zu Ling—but by then, she had already been sold to a sve caravan.

  He arrived too te.

  Zu Ling stood beside her brother, shoulders trembling. She hadn’t stopped sniffling since the confrontation.

  While preparing food, Zu Xian tried to comfort her.

  Chu Yuan quietly studied the little girl.

  Then, it struck him. He felt a strange deja vu.

  Why do I feel like I’ve seen her before?

  No matter how hard he tried to recall the thirty years of simuted memories, he couldn’t pinpoint why she felt so familiar.

  As Chu Yuan pondered, the siblings returned to the table.

  Zu Ling was still sniffling, clutching her doll tightly, looking scared. A normal reaction for a child her age.

  “You’ll be okay now,” Chu Yuan assured gently. “I promise you—he won’t come near you again.”

  “Really? That scary uncle won’t come back?” Zu Ling asked with a sniffle, her voice trembling.

  Chu Yuan smiled and extended his pinky. “Pinky swear.”

  Seeing this, Zu Ling quickly stopped crying and reached out with her tiny finger.

  After forming the pinky promise, Zu Ling was visibly happy.

  “Yay! Thank you, Big Brother!” She hugged her doll tightly. Then she looked up curiously. “Brother, what’s your name?”

  Zu Xian, also curious, pricked up his ears as he set down a bowl of porridge.

  “Chu Yuan.”

  ...

  After the meal, Chu Yuan and Zu Xian had a light-hearted conversation which allowed them to get closer pretty quick. Before they realized it, evening had fallen.

  Zu Xian then invited Chu Yuan to stay the night. The town wasn’t safe after dark.

  As such, Chu Yuan agreed and settled on the right side of the shack while the siblings shared the straw mat. At first, Zu Xian offered the mat to Chu Yuan, but he declined.

  He was already a Peak First Level Knight Apprentice. Moreover, he had cultivated the Tiger Bone Tempering Art to the peak of the second level. There was no reason for him to let the siblings sleep on the cold ground.

  Late into the night, after the siblings had fallen asleep, Chu Yuan opened his eyes and whispered, “Simute Phantom Shadowstep Technique for ten years.”

  [Consuming 10 years of text simution... 25 years remaining]

  A translucent panel appeared before him.

  The simution began.

  [In the first year, your body cked agility. You tripped often and couldn’t control your momentum.]

  [By the second year, your bance improved. You estimate you can now dodge light attacks with ease.]

  [In the fifth year, you reached Minor Achievement. Your movements became swift and precise. Even if an assassin caught you off guard, you could now evade and counter.]

  [By the ninth year, you reached Major Achievement. You could blur your form at will.]

  [In the final year, your steps produced silent echoes. Thanks to your enhanced physique, you achieved perfection just before the simution ended.]

  [Phantom Shadowstep(uninitiated) →Phantom Shadowstep(Perfection)]

  "It's time."

  Chu Yuan's gaze turned cold. He stood up and tapped his foot lightly.

  In an instant, he vanished from the shack.

  He reappeared atop the roof in a split second.

  Such a movement technique was astonishing.

  But it was expected of a Rank 1 Knight Technique.

  Phantom Shadowstep wasn’t something passed down by his master. He and his senior brother, Fang Lin, had discovered it together while exploring a secret realm.

  Thinking back, Chu Yuan mocked himself. “To think I tried to hand it to him just because he was my senior. If Master hadn’t intervened and scolded me to keep my opportunities to myself, I would’ve foolishly given it away to a traitor.”

  He shook his head and bolted forward.

  His speed was shocking. The perfected Phantom Shadowstep was on a completely different level. In the simuted timeline, due to limited time and talent, he had only reached Major Achievement.

  Now that he experienced its near-instantaneous motion, excitement coursed through him.

  But when he remembered his objective, his expression turned cold.

  He sneered and rushed toward his destination.

  ...

  Swish! Swish!

  A faint shadow darted through Eastwind town. Even the night patrols couldn’t catch a glimpse of it in the darkness.

  One guard, turning a corner with a mp, only saw a flicker before the figure vanished into the night.

  ...

  Eastern District.

  Zu Jiang’s house sat in ruins behind a line of shops.

  Inside, he slouched over a table with a wine jug, mumbling curses.

  His broken arm was poorly bandaged, and his face contorted with bitterness.

  “That little beggar!” He smmed the jug onto the table. “If not for him, I could’ve paid my debt and kept gambling! I swear I’m not Zu Jiang if I don’t kill that rat!”

  Just then, the window creaked open.

  A shadow slipped inside and under the mp’s glow, revealed a young man in tattered clothing.

  Chu Yuan flicked his thumb, unching a pebble.

  Bang!

  It missed the drunken man by a small margin but hit the wall with enough force to make a noise.

  “Who’s there?!”

  He turned and met a pair of cold, murderous eyes.

  Zu Jiang shuddered. “Youuu—?!”

  His eyes widened in fear. He jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over.

  “You little brat! What are you doing in my house?” His voice trembled despite his attempts at bravado.

  But those abyss-like eyes froze him in pce.

  Chu Yuan stepped forward.

  “I made a promise.”

  Zu Jiang panicked, whimpering. “Th-this was just a mistake, young man...”

  He was sober now. Even he knew what was coming.

  With one arm useless, all he could do was beg.

  Chu Yuan moved his hand.

  Faster than Zu Jiang could react, a small but strong palm seized his throat.

  “—?!”

  Zu Jiang couldn’t speak, only plead with his eyes.

  Chu Yuan’s gaze was cold.

  He leaned in and whispered:

  “In another life, I was merciful. I let weeds grow beside the road… and they choked the path I walked.”

  “This time,” his voice steady, “I cut the roots.”

  Snap.

  In an instant, all resistance faded.

  Chu Yuan released his grip.

  The body crumpled to the floor. Lifeless.

  Without another word, he turned.

  As the candle flickered in the corner, Chu Yuan vanished into the night.

  Only the jug of wine remained, dripping onto the dirt floor.