“Why? Why didn’t you stop the monkey sooner?”

Ikasa questioned with barely suppressed fury.

The atmosphere of the group had turned dreary and depressing after the accident Hei Ying had. The starless night didn’t help. When everyone sat around the small campfire, Ikasa couldn’t contain his rage.

Feng Yan didn’t answer right away. His eyes gazed onto every person sitting in the circle around the fire. Some avoided his eyes, some stared back defiantly.

But one thing was certain. Everyone had turned distant from Feng Yan. Even his own daughter was avoiding him.

Feng Yan sneered derisively. No one had ever dared question him like this his entire life. And now he was being judged, by the people he had raised; by the individual he was trying to help.

It disgusted him but he felt these snowflakes needed a slap of reality.

“Just because you spent a few months sheltered in a mansion, did you forget everything I taught you? Did you forget the cruelties of reality?”

The kids lowered their heads as every word of Feng Yan hit them hard. They had indeed pretended to leave the misery of slums behind. They had forgotten the first lesson Feng Yan had taught them; ‘In this world, if you want something, you have to fight tooth and nail for it!.’

Feng Yan’s eyes turned to Xin Ruo.

“Did you forget the days when you went hungry when I was not around? Did you forget how you labored trying to put food on each one of these kids’ plates?”

“When I sent you to the city, I didn’t want you to live sheltered lives; I wanted you to improve your skills and live better lives.”

Xin Ruo lowered her head in embarrassment after this scolding. She subconsciously looked at Ikasa who was still fuming at being ignored.

Feng Yan caught Xin Ruo’s glance. It caused his eyes to turn red with anger.

“Do you think this weakling, who can’t even protect himself, can shelter you for the rest of your lives? True, he has some business skills. He will earn lots of money. He will attract some noble’s envy and then be cut like the fat little lamb he is.”

Xin Ruo was shocked by the words coming out of her Father’s mouth. She knew what had happened to her mother. She knew how helpless her father felt about the matter.

So she had never expected her father to speak such ominous words in front of the person he had entrusted his daughter to.

Ikasa could hear the words but he was too consumed with rage to make sense of them. His nails dug into his palms and his teeth gnashed on each other. His body trembled with adrenaline.

“Weakling am I? Fat little lamb for nobles to cut, huh? Today I will show you I am not a lamb who will go down without a fight.”

Feng Yan smiled. He mocked Ikasa.

“It is easier to move your mouth than your limbs.”

Ikasa had had enough. He charged at Feng Yan, intending to punch him in the face. But Feng Yan grabbed his outstretched arm and threw him on the ground as if he was a ragdoll.

Still holding on to his arm, Feng Yan stepped on the connecting shoulder. His red eyes met Ikasa’s unflinching gaze.

“You are still too green to be facing off against me.”

A hideous smile graced Feng Yan’s face. He slowly increased the pressure on the shoulder as he pulled Ikasa’s arm.

Ikasa stopped the whimpers and moans from escaping his mouth. He still glared back at Feng Yan.

Feng Yan’s smile widened as he put even more pressure on the shoulder. Ikasa was now experiencing firsthand, the reason why Red Eye was so feared.

His face contorted in pain but he didn’t avert his gaze. He still adamantly stared into those cruel red eyes.

Red Eye removed the leg abruptly and was going to stomp on Ikasa’s shoulder. Fear flashed through Ikasa’s eyes but he didn’t break eye contact.

“Father!” Xin Ruo’s timely yell brought some clarity back to Feng Yan’s mind. The stomp landed inches away from the shoulder, causing a small ring of dust to form.

Feng Yan pulled Ikasa upright. He patted the dirt off Ikasa’s shoulder. His tone had softened a bit.

“With the strength, you have right now, you can’t even hold any of these kids accountable, let alone me. Just remember, I have cared for those kids longer than you.”

He then left to take a stroll to cool his head.

Ikasa was still standing in daze. He was mulling Feng Yan’s words in his head. He realized the truth in every word of Feng Yan.

‘I have 71 CP. I just need 29 more before I can become a cultivator. But even then I would be far from being able to beat the likes of Feng Yan.’

As he was beating himself over his weakness, he felt a hand land gently on his shoulder. Ikasa turned to face the owner of the hand, Xin Ruo.

“I am sorry. My Father…”

“He was right. I am just a juicy lamb in the eyes of nobles. But what can I do to change this? How am I worthy of protecting you? Protecting the kids?”

His helpless expression annoyed Xin Ruo. She didn’t want to see this attitude from someone she thought of as her man.

“Even though you can’t forge a path, it doesn’t mean you can’t train your body! You can exercise to improve your physique; fight to hone your reflexes.”

For every suggestion, she came one step closer. Her demeanor became more domineering after every step.

When her face was just a palm’s length away from Ikasa’s, she whispered, “A good, skilled fighter can even take down a veteran Path Forger!”

She then turned to face away from him.

“So, don’t just whine about being weak. Do something about it!”

Her words struck Ikasa like lightning. He watched her figure enter the camp they had set while her words kept resounding in his ears.

‘Do something about it!’

When he lay on his bed, he kept on thinking about the incidents that happened during the day.

‘This is not Earth where adults will always be there to protect children. Hell, not even on Earth the safety of children was guaranteed.’

But he still couldn’t forget the fear in Hei Ying’s eyes as the Monkey scratched her.

“In the end, I am just too weak…”

—

The next day, even before the morning sun shone on the faces of Ikasa and company, they were awakened by the monkey shrieks.

Feng Yan was back and he had brought two monkeys with him.

He didn’t give them time to prepare and directly unleashed the Monkeys. Xin Ruo was the quickest to get her bearings. She stepped forward to meet the monkeys’ assault.

The other kids were still not ready to face off against the monkeys. They stayed behind in the safety of their camp. Ikasa was facing the dilemma of foolishly charging into battle or wisely waiting in the camp.

But his choice was taken away. One of the Monkeys eluded Xin Ruo and charged at the kids.

Everyone, including Ikasa, subconsciously turned towards Hei Ying, expecting her to stop the monkey. Hei Ying, though traumatized from yesterday, was still the highest staged amongst them all.

When Ikasa realized what he did, there were no adjectives to describe the disgust he felt for himself. That’s when he had a realization.

‘I am weak physically because I am weak mentally! I am expecting a 13-year-old girl to protect me when she was traumatized by the same monster recently! Every breath I take while living such a life is a waste of air!’

He steeled his heart and jumped before the monkey, covering the kids behind him. Feng Yan looked at Ikasa in surprise but he didn’t interfere.

The Monkey slowed but didn’t stop until it reached Ikasa. Then it slapped him in the face. Not scratched but slapped. He was stunned by the sudden change in attacking tactics.

He slow reaction allowed another slap to land on his face. When he recovered, he straight away punched the monkey in the face while taking a boxing stance.

The monkey bared his fangs, threatening Ikasa, but it backpedaled. Its intentions were clear, it wanted to escape since the effect of the powder had worn off.

Feng Yan looked at Ikasa intently. He seemed to be asking whether he wanted to continue the fight or let the monkey escape.

Ikasa took a deep breath and nodded affirmatively. Feng Yan threw a pinch of powder toward the monkey that was preparing to escape.

The monkey became aggressive once again. He leaped towards the kids, thinking they were the weak ones Ikasa was protecting. But, he intercepted it. He jabbed the monkey in its jaws, enraging it further.

The monkey then began its furious onslaught. It shrieked as it neared him. It furiously swiped at Ikasa, not caring whether it landed on the chest, hands, or face.

He mimicked the actions of Peek-a-Boo defense skill. Since his arms were not strengthened with energy, every swipe left a deep scratch.

Little by little, his whole body turned bloody. There were no major wounds but many small cuts. He wanted to give up and retreat. But once he turned his head, he saw the scar on Hei Ying’s face. It renewed his vigor to stay and endure.

Instead of giving up, he tried to find openings in Monkey’s defense so that he could counterattack. But each time, his attack was foiled. The monkey was too agile and Ikasa too slow.

A few minutes later, he found an opening. He punched as hard as he could and managed to hit the monkey’s sternum. But it allowed the monkey to open up three large gashes on his chest.

Ikasa was feeling weak from the blood loss now. But he still had no intention of asking Feng Yan for help. Xin Ruo was too busy with her own monkey to pay him any attention.

In the end, he stumbled and was about to fall, when Yan Xiao and Pei Yuan charged out. Yan Xiao supported Ikasa while Pei Yuan distracted the monkey.

He led the monkey to where Chu Qing and Luo Qiqi were standing.

“Chu Qing, Now!”

Chu Qing instantly used the Peek-a-Boo defense technique and stood before Luo Qiqi. Since he was able to reinforce his arms with energy, Monkey’s scratches were merely itching his arms.

Luo Qiqi stealthily went behind the monkey and aimed at the Monkey’s behind.

“Nutcracker Kick!”

Her shout alarmed the monkey. It turned to face Luo Qiqi. It was the worst decision the monkey could’ve made. Because her kick cracked the nuts, ending the lineage of this monkey.

Every male who saw the scene winced with sympathy. The monkey was on the ground shrieking in pain. Its cries alarmed the monkey who was battling against Xin Ruo.

The effect of Feng Yan’s powder was wearing off so it was close to regaining its sanity but the tragic cries accelerated the process. The cries invoked primal fear in the monkey and it turned tail and ran before Feng Yan could dose it with another pinch of powder.

The tense kids relaxed as one monkey lay infirm and another fled. Then they cheered with joy. Xin Ruo ran back to the kids to check on their injuries; instead, she found a bloody, scratched Ikasa.

Feng Yan approached the haggard group, delight in his eyes and amusement on his lips.

“Good job kids! I would’ve thrown your big brother Ikasa to the monkeys long ago if that’s what it took for you to find courage.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep