The vilge was not the same.Even after four weeks, grief g to Pine Vilge like a sed skin, woven into every quiet moment, every whispered versation, every cautious goward the darkened forest beyond the wooden walls. The st of burnt wood and dried blood had long faded, but the weight of loss remaihe vilgers carried on, because what else could they do?The broken homes had been patched up, but the people… they were still wouhe militia had doubled their watch, taking shifts at all hours, ensuring they would never be taken by surprise again. The gates were now reinforced, and small wooden barriers had beeed at various entry points to slow down any future attackers.Even the merts who once passed through with ease noroached the vilge with hesitation, their wary eyes flickering over the reinforced defenses and the hardened expressions of the vilgers.No o safe.Even after four weeks, Pine Vilge had yet to recover.
That night still haunted Feiyin.The csh of bdes, the st of blood, the cold weight of the enemy’s body as he struck him down…His first kill.It repyed in his mind over and over, no matter how hard he tried to push it away.The night after the battle, whehing had finally settled and the fires had died down, he broke.Alone in their home, his small body shook with silent sobs, his hands gripping his b so tightly his fiurned white.Then, warmth surrounded him.Strong arms pulled him close.His father’s voice, deep and steady, rumbled against his ear."You did the right thing."Feiyin’s fingers curled against his father’s robe, trembling."I'm proud of you."A choked sound escaped Feiyin’s throat. “I… I didn’t want to… but I had to…”Cai Feng’s grip tightened ever so slightly."I would have liked for you to grow more before you witnessed something like this." His father’s voice was calm, but there was an undeniable sorrow beh it."But such is the way of the world."Feiyin squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his forehead against his father’s chest.For the first time, he let himself be a child.And Cai Feng held him until his body stopped shaking.
The m, he did not wake.His body, exhausted beyond its limits, had simply shut down.For aire day and night, he slept without stirring.His mother had pced cool cloths over his forehead, smoothing his hair as she watched over him in silence.When he finally woke, the first thing he saw was his father, standing by the doorway with his arms crossed.His mother sat beside him, brushing his hair back gently."You slept for a whole day, sweetheart."Feiyin blinked slowly, his mind still hazy.Then, the memories rushed back, a up sharply.His father gave him a long look. “Are you ready to get up?”Feiyin swallowed, his chest tightening.And then he nodded.Because he was.Because he had to be.Because the vilge still o be protected.He refused to be weak ever again.
His training intensified.His body, his mind, his irength—he sharpened all of it.Each m, he threw himself into his training with unwavering focus, repeating his postures, his breathing, his drills with precision aermination.He observed the osciltions around him even more closely, using them to guide his movements, to refine his teiques, to improve every small detail he could.The militia trained harder too.The men who had survived were different now.They fought with a fierce edge, as if trying to make up for the rades they had lost.Jiang Hu pushed them harder, his usual blunt manner even mruff than before. Sun Ke, once pyful and rexed, now trained with a ferocity that surprised even Feiyin.And then, one m—Sun Ke broke through.A pulse of energy surged through the training ground, and all heads turned as Sun Ke gasped, his body trembling.A faint, almost invisible glow surrounded him, a sign that his first meridians had opened.Jiang Hu let out a deep breath, g Sun Ke on the back. “Took you long enough.”Su out a breathless ugh, his face flushed with excitement. “I—I did it.”The rest of the militia cheered.Even Feiyin smiled, watg as Suested his new trol, his stance more stable, his strikes more fluid.This was what it meant to grow strohis was what it meant to move forward.And Feiyin would not be left behind.
After four weeks of releraining, Feiyi it—The moment his body finally reached pletion.His movements were fluid, seamless, his trol over his irength more precise than ever.His muscles, bones, blood, marrow, and skin—they had all been fed to their peak.And wheested his irength, the air shuddered around him.5000 kg.He had do.He had reached the pinnacle of body tempering.His father stood before him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.Feiyi out a slow breath, steadily eling his strength into his limbs.Then, with a single movement—He drove his fist into the ground.The earth cracked beh him, a spiderweb of fissures spreading outwards.A long silence followed.Then, Cai Feng smiled.It was small, barely there. But Feiyin saw it."Good."That was all his father said.But it was all Feiyin needed.He had do.But he khis was only the beginning.
