Xuan Yuanqi really did it. He didn't return home for ten years. He studied and practiced hard every day without slack. Coupled with his extraordinary talent, he was finally recognized by his master and graduated from his apprenticeship at the age of twenty.
His master told him that he had nothing more to teach him and asked him to go down the mountain and return home to filially respect his parents.
Xuan Yuanqi didn't listen. Ten years had passed, and he was still a penniless poor boy. He wanted to go out and make a name for himself. He planned to return home to filially respect his parents after he gained fame and wealth.
He had told his master about this idea. At that time, his master just sighed and helplessly admonished him, "Remember, don't be too eager for success. Be lenient when you can. You're young and hot - blooded. Never do anything that you'll regret. Smile more when you meet people. Yield when you can, endure when you can, and avoid when you can. Don't make enemies."
Xuan Yuanqi readily agreed, but he quickly forgot these words. He sought out those whom he and his master had visited before and challenged them one by one, fighting on one arena after another.
At first, he just had friendly matches and stopped at the right moment. Later, bets were gradually added. What he won in the arena might be money or weapons. The things he won were regarded as his pride. The more people he defeated, the more inflated his ego became.
Since he graduated from his apprenticeship, he had never been defeated. He thought that at that time, he had won the heartfelt admiration of everyone and achieved the status he had always dreamed of. The amount of money he won grew larger, and the treasures he obtained became more numerous. Many people had to hold out money with both hands and redeem the treasures they had lost.
Xuan Yuanqi always regretted that period of time. He was too young and reckless. At that time, he had already won enough money and achieved the status he wanted. If he had known when to stop, there wouldn't have been all those messy things later.
But he didn't know how to be content. As his ego became more and more inflated, he thought he was capable and worthy of standing at the top.
He received an invitation to a martial - arts tournament jointly held by various major families.
The first - place winner would not only receive a huge sum of money but also a token symbolizing status. With this token, one could, like his master, be a guest of honor in every martial - arts family no matter where one went.
Such rewards undoubtedly tempted him, and he was very confident that he could surely win the first place.
He went to the tournament alone. In the first few rounds, he had no trouble at all because his opponents were all his former defeated foes. There was no doubt that he was going to take the first place.
However, an accident happened in the final. The person competing with him in the final died on the arena.
After such an accident, the tournament couldn't continue. Finally, the autopsy report showed that the person didn't die from being beaten but from poisoning.
Not long after the autopsy report came out, the body quickly rotted. It was said that countless tiny worms crawled out of the body's abdomen. Everyone said it was a Gu poison...
Xuan Yuanqi became the target of public criticism because he was the last person to contact the deceased on the arena.
The title of the young hero and the hope of the future that he had previously earned was instantly replaced with labels like "vicious" and "using evil means".
All the major sects condemned him, insisting that he was the one who killed the person. They also suspected that he had used dirty tricks in all the previous tournaments and matches to remain undefeated. They demanded that he give an explanation, as well as his master.
Xuan Yuanqi couldn't defend himself. No one gave him a chance to explain, and no one would listen to a single word from him.
Even his master asked him to admit the crime, return all the honors and money he had obtained, and apologize door - to - door to calm things down.
His master clearly knew that he was wronged. He had grown up beside his master since childhood. Not to mention using Gu poison, if it weren't for this incident, he didn't even know what Gu poison was.
His master's way of handling this made him very aggrieved. He didn't want to yield or bow to the secular world. In a fit of anger, he betrayed his master and severed their relationship.
Without the protection of his master's sect, Xuan Yuanqi was like a stray dog. Perhaps before, these people still respected the face of his sect and only complained verbally without causing any major problems. But after they knew that he had betrayed his sect, everyone chased and killed him without hesitation, vowing to drive him to a dead end.
Xuan Yuanqi hid here and there, living in constant fear. Even when he slept, he would put a dagger beside his pillow for self - defense, fearing that he might die in his sleep.
He knew that human lives were worth very little in that era.
But he only thought about protecting himself. He never expected that these people would find his hometown, which he hadn't returned to for ten years, and kill his parents and brothers. Their heads were sent to his residence, almost shattering his will.
But after all, he was young and held on to his resolve. He refused to admit defeat. After losing his parents and relatives, he was determined to take revenge. He found a remote and desolate place to lie in wait and secretly practiced martial arts more diligently and hard than ever before, hoping to become so powerful that no one could defeat him and then go out to avenge his family.
But plans couldn't keep up with changes. He fell in love with the neighbor girl who came to greet and take care of him persistently every day.
After so many years without being disturbed, he thought that no one had discovered his hiding place. After several struggles, he decided to marry the neighbor girl.
Although the burden of hatred still weighed on him, his life after marriage was indeed different from before. Whenever he saw his gentle and virtuous wife and lively child, he had the impulse to give up his hatred and live a peaceful life. But in the middle of the night, the tragic deaths of his parents and relatives seemed to haunt him. He still couldn't let go of his hatred.
Although he couldn't let go of his hatred in his heart, his actions became a bit slack. He paid more and more attention to his small family and spent less and less time practicing martial arts. He didn't dare to touch the money he had won before, fearing that he would be spotted if he went to a bank or a pawnshop. To support his family and relieve his wife's burden, he had to go out to do odd jobs to earn some extra money.
One night, when he returned home, he suddenly found that his wife and child had disappeared without a trace. All that was left for him was a note on the table, asking him to return all the things that didn't belong to him within half a month. If he didn't, he would receive the heads of his wife and child after half a month.