Chapter Seven: Nightfall’s Transformation

Night.

The faint moonlight fell upon the lonely figure on the path below.

“Is it past midnight again?” The glow from his phone illuminated Nangong Yuchen’s desolate face, making him stand out starkly in the pitch-black night.

He walked the road home alone, pulling his phone from his pocket several times, his fingers deftly dialing a familiar number, wanting to call, but always giving up in the end. Remembering what his sister had said that afternoon, his heart twisted in agony, and he wandered as if his soul had left him, lost and empty.

“Because of you, misfortune plagues our family! Because of you, we were driven out of Qinghu Town! Because of you, even our parents have been thrown in jail!”

“You want me to forgive you? Then tell me—who will forgive me? Huh?”

“You’re a jinx! A complete, utter jinx—you brought disaster to Qinghu Town and ruined our family!”

“From today, I don’t want to see you in this house ever again. Get out!”

“You’re nothing but a jinx!”

…

As he walked, memories of his sister suddenly surged from the depths of his mind. Nangong Yuchen’s eyes reddened, and he could no longer hold back; tears streamed down his face.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

“Kexin… I’m sorry… I… I really didn’t mean it… wuuuu…” The tears poured faster, splattering on the path beneath his feet. Nangong Yuchen hurriedly wiped them away with his sleeve, but the more he wiped, the more tears came, unstoppable, his sobs catching in his throat.

At this moment, he was nothing more than a wounded child, step by step returning to the place he alone could call home.

It had been over half a year.

His parents had been imprisoned for more than six months now. During this time, he constantly longed to see Nangong Kexin again, hoping his sister would forgive him. Though the outcome was always the same, he kept comforting himself, like a moth to a flame, that perhaps next time she would relent. But the result never changed.

Deep down, he longed to say he was sorry. How he yearned to come home each day to find his parents by his side, and Kexin loving him as she once did. But everything had changed.

Was he truly the jinx they all claimed him to be?

As his thoughts drifted, he remembered that girl from more than half a year ago, the one who always dragged him up the hillside, her affection, her gentleness, her longing. All of this pressed on Nangong Yuchen’s heart until he could hardly breathe, filling him with a wild urge to scream at the sky.

By now, it was late into the night. The path leading to the cheap residential district was deserted except for Nangong Yuchen himself. This was the outskirts—there were no entertainment venues, only silence. So quiet, in fact, he could hear his own footsteps clearly.

Just ahead was the turn into the residential area. Nangong Yuchen, head bowed, didn’t need to look; he turned effortlessly, having walked this route countless times.

But the moment he turned, a sudden change occurred. The air around him rippled like the surface of water, as if he’d entered some kind of barrier, or perhaps another dimension altogether.

Yet Nangong Yuchen remained oblivious, walking forward with head lowered.

“Earth-Cleaving Slash!”

Suddenly, a man’s furious roar shattered the silent night. From the derelict building to his right, a blade of energy five meters high—like a burning crimson flame—sliced through the darkness, descending straight toward him.

“Ssshh!”

In an instant, Nangong Yuchen snapped to attention, but the strike was too fast. He had barely lifted his head when the crescent-shaped red sword energy brushed past the tip of his nose.

“Boom!” The abandoned building to his left was split in two, reduced to ash.

The scent of death was so close—the pain of his singed nose lingered. At that moment, Nangong Yuchen’s face turned as white as paper. Stiffly, he turned his head to look inside the ruined building.

At once, two figures, locked in fierce combat, appeared in his view.

The distance and dim light made their features indistinct, but he could see that one was a burly man wielding a massive broadsword in his right hand. The blade was three meters long—taller than a man—and its surface bore deep, uneven engravings pulsing with energy, emitting a faint red glow.

In his left hand, the burly man carried a kite-shaped silver shield, its edges inlaid with blue crystals. The shield’s center was raised in a gentle arc. Though large, it was exquisitely crafted.

The other man appeared much more slender, not only shorter than his opponent but also wielding a far smaller weapon.

It was a green spear, two meters long, its shaft a luminous jade. Complex energy patterns ran along its length, and the spearhead, shaped like an inverted triangle, glimmered coldly in the faint moonlight—razor sharp.

His gaze dropped to a pair of green boots—delicate, with tiny wings fluttering on either side. The wings stirred the air, their motion clearly visible in the white currents swirling around them, leaving no doubt of their power.

“Is this… a mech warrior? Strength? Speed?” Nangong Yuchen’s eyes widened in shock.

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen a mech warrior with his own eyes!

Mechs and physical training were classified from Rank One to Rank Nine. When a practitioner broke through and equipped a mech of corresponding level, they became a mech warrior.

In the few seconds he stared, stunned, the two men in the ruined building clashed ever more fiercely, their blows so heavy that the surrounding walls crumbled to dust.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

The burly man swung again. That three-meter broadsword, light as a feather in his grasp, swept horizontally at the slender man.

But the slender man’s boots flashed with green light; he leapt five meters into the air, dodging the sweeping blade. The spear in his hands spun, shadows blurring, and from above he thrust it toward the burly man’s brow. “Spear of Rending!”

The burly man quickly raised his shield to block.

“Boom!”

The instant the three-meter green spear struck the shield, a surge of energy burst forth, spreading into a shield of emerald light.

“Boom! Boom!” The nearby twenty-centimeter-thick wall collapsed like tofu where touched by the green glow.

Protected by his shield, the burly man wasn’t hurt, and with a forceful shove, sent the slender man flying back—the disparity in strength too great.

Staggering back, his attack having failed, the slender man’s expression darkened. He snarled, “Mu Feng, you still have time to regret this. Otherwise, I won’t hold back anymore!”

“…Mu Feng?”

Still reeling from the spectacle, Nangong Yuchen suddenly recalled overhearing a rumor at the café yesterday…