Chapter Ten: Night of Destiny

“Lan, I’ve avenged you!” Mu Feng stared at the lifeless body of Cheng Tianyou and shouted into the void, his voice resonating through the heavens—tinged with weariness, loneliness, and a faint sense of release. As the echo faded, tears slid down his rugged face. After all these years, he was finally free. The murderer of his wife had paid in blood, yet he felt no joy.

Instead, his heart was heavy with confusion. He didn't know what purpose remained for him in this world. For so long, revenge had been his sole motivation, and now he seemed to have lost the reason to continue living.

“Huff… huff!” Lying on the ground, Nangong Yuchen was still shaken, gulping for air as his body instinctively craved oxygen. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he hurriedly lifted his head, nervously eyeing the burly figure before him.

Yet Mu Feng had no interest in him. Without a word, he turned away, dragging his massive sword and departed, his steps heavy and slow. He had barely gone a distance when rain began to fall from the sky, unprompted, without thunder or lightning—just a gentle, persistent rain.

“Drip, drip…”

The rain pattered against Nangong Yuchen’s face, gradually returning him to his senses. Gazing at Mu Feng’s fading silhouette, he murmured to himself, “I’m really alive. He… saved me!”

Only after Mu Feng had completely disappeared did Nangong Yuchen climb to his feet. He looked up at the pitch-black sky, letting the rain soak his face and saturate his clothes. The damp chill made him realize how wonderful it was simply to be alive.

But the gloomy, abandoned building unsettled him, and Cheng Tianyou’s corpse lay not far away, so he quickly decided to head home.

As he passed Cheng Tianyou’s body, a flash of silver caught his eye.

He looked down and saw a ring—a silver band on Cheng Tianyou’s right middle finger. The rain had made it shine brightly in the dim night.

“A ring? What’s this?” Seeing the ring, he recalled how, during Mu Feng’s battle, the large shield on his left arm had suddenly twisted, broken apart, and scattered into countless blocks, streaming into the ring on his hand like lines of code.

“A ring that stores mechanical equipment!”

Nangong Yuchen’s gaze grew intense. Items belonging to a first-tier physical cultivator were surely valuable. Without hesitation, he bent down to retrieve it.

But at the sight of Cheng Tianyou’s tragic corpse, he recoiled in fright. After all, this body had nearly killed him just moments ago. Though his fear had lessened, he still felt uneasy.

“Just a dead man. What if this is something that helps me cultivate? Who knows what could happen then…” Nangong Yuchen muttered, trying to comfort and encourage himself.

Steeling his resolve, he quickly bent over and yanked the ring off.

Perhaps he’d pulled too hard, for Cheng Tianyou’s corpse rolled onto its side, exposing the pair of blue boots he wore fully to Nangong Yuchen’s gaze.

“Right, there’s also the mechanical equipment!”

Determined not to let anything slip away, Nangong Yuchen crouched again and forcibly removed Cheng Tianyou’s boots.

His gaze then swept over the corpse, thinking, “There must be more good things on a first-tier physical cultivator’s body—even money would be nice!”

Convinced, he searched Cheng Tianyou thoroughly and finally found two exquisitely packaged bottles. The weak light prevented him from discerning their contents, but he could tell they held liquid.

Having gathered everything, he picked up the blue spear lying nearby and cradled it in his arms, then dashed home at full speed.

Rain still fell, and the abandoned building grew quiet with Nangong Yuchen’s departure.

On the top floor, Angel watched Nangong Yuchen leave and spoke again, “Mulin, what should we do next? I feel his awakening wave is quite weak.”

“No need to worry, miss,” Mulin replied. “This is only the beginning. If this kind of stimulus doesn’t work, we’ll just try another method.”

“Another method?” Angel’s innocent face showed confusion.

“For him, the most important and the most feared things!” Knowing Angel didn’t understand, Mulin elaborated, “His sister, Nangong Kexin, and his hometown, Sunny Lake Town.”

Angel, sensing there was more, gestured for her to continue.

“According to our investigation, the Nangong family—four members—lived for over four years in the eastern part of District C, in the beautiful Sunny Lake Town. But due to an incident, the family was expelled by the entire town. Though the reason is unknown, the whole town harbored deep hatred toward them, especially Nangong Yuchen, the supposed culprit, whom the townsfolk labeled a ‘calamity star’.”

“The family then moved to District C to start anew, but misfortune persisted. Disasters plagued them, and eventually, even his parents were imprisoned. As a result, Nangong Kexin came to resent him.”

“The catalyst was his relationship with Mu Ningxue of the Mu Clan. Not only were the two separated, but even his beloved sister began calling him ‘calamity star.’ Though we can't determine what truly happened, Nangong Yuchen is indeed a pitiful child.”

Listening to Mulin’s account, Angel’s brows furrowed. She wondered aloud, “Calamity star? How could Nangong Yuchen be a calamity star? Could he not be the one we’re looking for?”

“No, no!” Mulin quickly waved her hand. “These are merely the townsfolk’s superstitions.”

“Oh… that’s good!” Angel relaxed, her voice clear yet tinged with a sigh. “He is indeed pitiable—the hope of the northwestern lands, yet called a calamity star.”

She recalled the original topic and, unable to hide her concern, asked, “Are we really going to target Nangong Kexin next…”

Hearing this, Mulin knew her heart was softening, so she responded sternly, “Miss, don’t forget our true mission here. Besides, aren’t we doing this to help Nangong Yuchen? He surely desires strength more than anyone now. There’s no need for you to feel guilty.”

“…Perhaps.”

The rain fell quietly. The two women stood atop the abandoned building, unconcerned by the weather. Curiously, though they had been in the rain for so long, neither’s hair nor clothes were wet. If one looked closely, there was a faint, shimmering aura around them, repelling every drop of rain…