The morning sunlight slowly slowly entered Li Jun's room, as if gently trying to wake him from sleep.
The light fell smoothly on the complexion made walls, filling the room with a strange heaviness and the old that cloth hanging by the window swayed with the faint breath.
The familiar scent of the vill's soil dallied in the air — the same scent Li Jun had grown up with, yet moment it felt suffocating.
His eyes opened, but he could n't bring himself to get up right down.
Yesterday…
Yesterday's humiliation…
Yesterday's laughter…
Everything returned to his mind, one by one.
Zhao Longwei's strike.
The shining energy.
The trembling ground.
And, in contrast…
his own weakness.
Li Jun turned over and looked at the ceiling. There was a strange weight on his upper body, like if something heavy had been placed on his heart.
I really couldn't do anything…
The whole house was strangely silent outside his room. It was the type of stillness that results from destitution, sickness, and weariness rather than a calm one.
Li Jun slowly got up. Indeed the sound of his steps felt loud to him, as if he were hysterical of breaking that silence. He stepped outside his room.
A small yard lay before him, its walls pronounced easily by the passage of time. On a rustic table near the door sat a many old implements some broken, some minced.
This was his home. Simple. Fragile. And worn down.
A faint voice reached his ears.
"Li Jun…"
The voice was weak, yet more precious to him than anything else. He turned at once and entered the inner room. His mother was sitting on the bed. Her face was pale, dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her breathing was visibly labored. Each breath felt like a battle.
Li Jun's steps halted on their own. A sharp ache rose in his heart. He slowly moved closer.
"Mother… you're awake?"
She offered a faint smile—the kind meant to hide pain.
"One has to wake up, my son…" Her voice trembled. "Whether the body cooperates or not, the day keeps moving."
Li Jun looked away. He couldn't bear to watch her weakness.
In one corner of the room stood his father. The man who once looked strong now appeared prematurely aged. His shoulders were slumped. Endless fatigue filled his eyes. He silently gathered the utensils.
Li Jun looked at his hands—rough, scarred, worn. These were the hands that had worked for years, yet even so… had failed to keep the family safe.
His father glanced at Li Jun, also snappily looked down, as if hysterical to meet his son's eyes.
In the breakfast comported of nothing further than a little dry chuck and a thin vegetable dish
The three of them sat together, yet no one had words to speak. Only the soft clatter of cutlery and his mother's irregular breathing..
Li Jun looked at his mother's hands—they trembled slightly. His heart thudded hard.
This is all because of me…
He looked at his father the same quiet helplessness etched on his face. Li Jun's fritters gripped into a fist.
Suddenly, recollections from his nonage surfaced. Those stories the bon he'd heard long ago.
This family had not always been weak. Once, this household's name was spoken with respect throughout the village. Once, his ancestors were known as martial artists.
It was said that one strike from Li Jun's grandfather could split a stone in two. All those stories had now been reduced to nothing more than tales. With time, their strength had been stripped away. Resources had vanished.
And the family… had quietly fallen apart.
Li Jun lowered his gaze. If this family was truly powerful…
then why am I like this? He looked at his hands—weak, empty. The humiliation of yesterday's sparring test surged back into his heart.
Zhao Longwei's smile. The crowd's laughter. The instructor's disappointment. And now—this home. This condition. Something inside him shattered.
After the meal, Li Jun quietly stepped outside. He stopped in the courtyard. Sunlight fell on his face, yet his heart felt cold. He looked toward the village.
People were busy with their ordinary lives. Some were laughing. Some were working. As if the world didn't care about his pain at all.
Li Jun took a deep breath.
No… a decision rose within him. I can't live like this. He whispered to himself:
"I will not remain weak…"
The words were soft, yet they carried weight.
"I cannot watch my family live like this…"
Images of his mother's labored breathing surfaced. His father's lowered eyes. His heart hardened.
"If power is the only path… Then I will obtain power."
At that moment, Li Jun felt something change within him. The same boy who had fallen to the ground yesterday was still weak today—but there was no room left for escape in his heart. This weakness was no longer an excuse. This was his battle.
Li Jun looked up at the sky. The sunlight was growing harsher. He slowly clenched his fist.
" I'll change all of this "
These were n't just words —
they were a pledge.
A pledge
that would soon be tested by blood, gashes,
and destruction.
And Li Jun did not yet know
that the next day would
change his life forever.