Chapter 2: Sabers, Spears, Swords, Halberds

Not long after Su Yue's departure, Fang Che received another visitor.

"How are you feeling, Cousin?"

A slightly uneasy and guilt-ridden voice rang out from outside.

"Come in."

A young man in white entered the room. He was tall and well-built with a pair of clear and sincere eyes, and there was a warm smile on his face that was tinged with a hint of timidity and apology.

He should've been quite handsome, but there were several whip lash marks on his face, and his lips were purple and bruised, while a pair of black eyes further marred his usual dashing appearance.

He was none other than Fang Qingyun, the cousin that had "killed" Fang Che, and it was clear that he had been severely beaten for this transgression.

As soon as Fang Che caught sight of Fang Qingyun, he was immediately able to tell that the latter was the polar opposite to Su Yue.

He had a classic honest and guileless face, and there was no way anyone with a face like his could be a bad person.

Barring any mishaps, Fang Qingyun was eventually going to inherit the position of clan leader, and Fang Che deemed him to be the type of clan leader that would be more than capable of defending what the clan already had, but would struggle to take the clan to new heights.

It was no wonder that someone like him had fallen into the trap in a completely oblivious fashion.

Fang Qingyun rubbed his hands together in a nervous manner as he asked, "Are you all better now?"

"Well, I'm alive, aren't I?" Fang Che replied with a roll of his eyes without a second thought.

Only after the words had slipped out of his mouth did he realize that it would be best for him to imitate his former self's foul temper. Otherwise, suspicions could be aroused if he were to undergo a sudden and drastic change in personality.

Having said that, this was more than adequate a response. He had meant for it to come off as a joke, but it had been unintentionally snarky.

Fang Qingyun became even more apologetic upon hearing this, and he was silent for a long while before finally finding his voice again.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Fang Che. We're family! We are connected by blood, and I would never intentionally harm you. Please forgive me for my negligent mistake."

Fang Che put on a cold expression as he scoffed, "Ah yes, you would never harm me, you would simply kill me instead! If this is what you do to family, I'd hate to see what you do to your enemies!"

Fang Qingyun was completely dumbstruck.

How was he supposed to communicate with someone like this?

"My aunt was the one who requested me to come back and serve as your sparring partner to facilitate your breakthrough, and the decision was approved by Grandpa, Father, and all of my uncles. We would never hurt you!" Fang Qingyun insisted, doing everything in his power to try and convince Fang Che of his innocence.

Fang Che remained silent.

Of course he knew that the Fang Qingyun wasn't the culprit, but the problem was that his former self had been going through a rebellious phase prior to his death, one in which he harbored immense distaste toward the entire world, particularly looking down on this cousin of his, whom he regarded to be a failure.

There were seven thousand five hundred students in Fang Qingyun's cohort, out of which he ranked 7,476th, and apparently, even that rank was proving very difficult for him to retain.

So much for the most prodigious warrior of the clan.

With that in mind, Fang Che put on a disdainful expression and continued to remain silent.

Fang Qingyun was looking at him with a hopeful expression, hoping to hear some word of comfort or understanding from him, but his wish was not granted.

After an awkward silence, he continued, "I know you must be angry right now. I'm going back to the warrior academy soon, and I just wanted to tell you something before I left."

"Out with it then!" Fang Che snapped in a cold and expressionless manner.

“......”

Fang Qingyun was momentarily rendered speechless by Fang Che's abrasive demeanor, then sighed, "I don't care what you're thinking right now and what you want to do, but even if you're going to do something, make sure you wait until after you've grown up and established a family. Can you promise me that? Once that time comes, I'll do everything in my power to help you!"

At the moment, Fang Che was still young and brash, and the hope was that once he started a family, he would become more mature, mellow, and understanding.

This was society's universal wish for disobedient children: "Everything will be better once they're grown up!"

The Fang Clan firmly believed that a day would come when Fang Che would realize the errors in his ways, but for now, the rebellion in the veins of a rebellious child had to be allowed to run its course, and everything would be fine once this tumultuous period in his life was behind him.

However, for now, Fang Che still had to play the role of the rebellious child, and he replied, "I'm sure you'll do everything in your power to beat me to death again when the time comes!"

Fang Qingyun was cast into a state of depression.

If any of his younger brothers dared to speak to him like this, he would've already punched and kicked his brotherly authority into them, but he couldn't do that to his sensitive and reclusive cousin.

Fang Che was his aunt's only child.

"Are you done?" Fang Che asked, issuing an eviction order.

Fang Qingyun heaved a faint sigh, then set down a box as he said, "The white vial in this box contains Blood Qi Pills for Warrior Disciples, while the black vial contains Blood Qi Pills for Warriors. Once you make a breakthrough to become a Warrior, make sure to consolidate your cultivation base for seven days before..."

"Alright, alright, I don't need you to tell me what to do!" Fang Che sneered. "You haven't laced these pills with poison, have you?"

Fang Qingyun took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to punch Fang Che in the face, and it took so much effort to hold himself back that his face was turning slightly purple from the strain.

In the end, he turned to storm away, only to pause momentarily at the door as he turned back to Fang Che and advised in a sincere and heartfelt manner, "You have to work hard and learn to cherish the people around you, Fang Che!"

"Cousin!"

Fang Qingyun turned back around with an elated expression.

This was the first time that Fang Che had called him cousin in several years, and he was eagerly hoping that perhaps his words had finally gotten through to him.

"Don't be disheartened. You're actually ranked quite high in the warrior academy if you count up from the bottom."

Fang Qingyun's expression instantly turned as dark as the bottom of a well-used pot as his hands balled up into tight fists, but the thought of his father's whip was enough for him to rein in his temper.

He took a resentful parting glance at Fang Che, deciding that he was going to wait until Fang Che grew into a man before beating him to a pulp.

In the wake of Fang Qingyun's departure, Fang Che sat down onto a chair, carefully considering the situation that he had been thrust into, and it didn't take long before a deep sense of self-doubt began to set in.

What the hell's wrong with me?

He looked up at the "Speak only when necessary" plaque that he had just hung up, and he began to understand why he had carried this adage into this life from his past one.

He could justify his actions this time and tell himself that he was only behaving in a fashion befitting of his past self, but he had to change his ways from here onward.

***

Fang Qingyun returned to the Fang Clan's estate, then made his way directly to his father's study.

"How is A'Che doing?" Fang Zhenghang, the leader of the Fang Clan, asked.

"He seems to be recovering quite well. He certainly had a lot of energy to be snarky with me."

"Is he still like that?" Fang Zhenghang asked in a weary manner.

"If anything, he seems to have become even more insufferable."

Fang Zhenghang heaved a forlorn sigh, then said, "You can go back to the warrior academy tomorrow. I'll explain what happened to your aunt once she's back."

Fang Qingyun gave an affirmative response, and he was unable to resist the urge to complain as he grumbled, "If any of my younger brothers had spoken to me that way, I would've..."

"You would've what?" Fang Zhenghang interjected with a stern glare. "How are you going to inherit the Fang Clan if you can't even tolerate a child in his teens? So what if he rebuked you a few times? He's still just a kid who doesn't know any better, and he's always felt a sense of inferiority due to his background. If even you won't be tolerant of him, then what chance will he ever have of changing his ways?"

"Yes, Father, please forgive me."

"Besides, don't forget about your aunt. Even if you're tolerating Fang Che for his sake, at least do it for his mother."

"I understand, Father."

A solemn look appeared on Fang Zhenghang's face as he emphasized, "He's your cousin, Qingyun! He's grown up his entire life in our Fang Clan, and we have a duty to do right by him."

Fang Qingyun smiled as he said, "I understand. That's why I gave him the two vials of Blood Qi Pills that the academy awarded me before I left."

Fang Zhenghang couldn't help but be taken aback to hear this.

"The academy's Blood Qi Pills are the most authentic out there, and you've only saved up so little over such a long time, surely you didn't have to give him two vials at once."

Of course, there were Blood Qi Pills being sold on the market, but the most authentic ones came from the sects and warrior academies. The Blood Qi Pills in sects were more efficacious, but they were more targeted toward the cultivation arts of the corresponding sects. Hence, for martial artists that consumed Blood Qi Pills from other sects, the effects would only be average at best.

Only the Blood Qi Pills from the martial academies were universally consumable. They were the most authentic, contained the least amount of impurities, and were most minimal in their side-effects.

Furthermore, these Blood Qi Pills were only given out within the academies as rewards, with none being supplied to the outside world, thereby making them even more precious.

A warm smile appeared on Fang Qingyun's face as he said, "Just like you said, he is my cousin, after all, and it's worth those two vials of pills even just to put a smile on my aunt's face for just a moment."

A proud smile appeared on Fang Zhenghang's face as he stood up to pat his son on the shoulder. He was just about to say something when he was distracted by the discovery that his son had already outgrown him, forcing him to raise his hand up high just to be able to reach his shoulder.

"You're already taller than I am," Fang Zhenghang remarked with a combination of pride and reminiscence in his eyes. "How've you been doing at the academy?"

A guilty look appeared on Fang Qingyun's face as he replied, "I'm still not doing very well, I'm afraid. I only managed to go up two ranks since last time, reaching 7,476 out of 7,500..."

Fang Zhenghang smiled as he said, "Under normal circumstances, I would've scolded you for this, but I'm very pleased with what you've said today. Go back to the academy and cultivate as usual. Don't worry about your ranking, and don't put any undue pressure on yourself.

“You've shown me your true colors with what you've said today, and I now know that I can entrust the Fang Clan to you irrespective of your cultivation base. I'm very proud of you."

Fang Qingyun's cheeks became flushed with embarrassment as he said, "I... I'll go pack my things for tomorrow."

"Go ahead."

Right as Fang Qingyun was about to exit the study, Fang Zhenghang called out to him and warned, "Having a kind heart is a good thing, but only to your allies. When it comes to your enemies..."

"I won't show them any kindness or mercy!" Fang Qingyun declared.

"Precisely!"

The two exchanged a smile, following which Fang Qingyun said, "Speaking of enemies, I still don't understand what happened back when..."

Fang Zhenghang abruptly cleared his throat to interrupt him, then interjected, "Go and cultivate! Time is of the essence!"

With that, the question that Fang Qingyun was about to raise was dismissed.

Following Fang Qingyun's departure, Fang Zhenghang slumped back down onto his chair in a weary manner, seemingly having been drained of all of his strength.

He knew what incident Fang Qingyun wanted to ask about, and he knew who it was that had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes, but there was no evidence. Furthermore, the perpetrator had enjoyed a meteoric rise to power since then, and if the truth were to be uncovered, then a devastating calamity would be sure to befall the entire Fang Clan.

"There's no room for impulsivity when an entire clan of over four hundred members is at stake," Fang Zhenghang sighed to himself.

***

Meanwhile, Fang Che had begun focusing on his own cultivation.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

He recalled that he had been slain in his past life, but in his dying moments, he had witnessed a flash of white light, following which his shattered soul was transported into this body.

That flash of white light was currently residing in his mind, having taken on the form of a tablet that contained an inheritance jade pendant.

Aside from that, he wasn't able to glean any additional details, and he had no interest in pondering how the tablet had come to be.

This had all been orchestrated by fate, and he would find out all the answers eventually.

It had taken him three full days to fully harness the inheritance within the jade pendant, and felt as if he had hit the jackpot.

The inheritance contained a cultivation art and four types of weapon manuals for sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.

"What exceptional weapon choices!" Fang Che praised in earnest.

These were the four top-ranked weapons on the entire continent's Cloud Weapon Archive, which had been in existence for five thousand years.

Those four types of weapons had already stood at the pinnacle of the world even before Fang Che had embarked on the path of the warrior in his past life.

The Passion Severing Saber, the Dream Shattering Spear, the Snow Condensing Sword, and the Berserker Halberd.

Those were truly legendary weapons that transcended beyond all the rest, and Fang Che's heart was filled with excitement and longing at the very thought of them.

The wielder of the number one weapon on the Cloud Weapon Archive, the Passion Severing Saber, was Xue Fuxiao, the one that Fang Che had respected and revered the most in his past life, and also the most powerful member of the guardians.

The wielder of the second-ranked weapon on the Cloud Weapon Archive, the White Bone Dream Shattering Spear, was Duan Xiyang, the one that Fang Che had detested and feared the most in his past life.

Duan Xiyang was never one to take any prisoners, leaving only trails of blood and lost lives in his wake.

In the presence of Duan Xiyang, no one else dared to wield spears in battle for they would be instantly struck down for their insolence!

This spear was the weapon that had put an end to Fang Che's past life, and having been given a second chance at life, he was determined to exact his vengeance against Duan Xiyang someday.