Chapter 20 – Ten Days Pass in the Blink of an Eye (Part One)

Ye Kuang had been cultivating arduously deep in the mountains for over three full months.

His appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation—not only was his face covered in stubble, but his sideburns now reached his shoulders.

Yet this wasn’t his most remarkable change. What truly startled was the sharp, piercing intensity in his eyes, radiating an intimidating aura!

Suddenly, he leaped forward, plunging directly into the pond, and emerged moments later clutching a large fish in his hand.

As Ye Kuang stepped onto solid ground, his entire demeanor resembled that of a wild man.

People often say girls change dramatically as they grow, but Ye Kuang could now retort: a man’s growth in three months can shake the heavens.

Now, he could preliminarily execute “Crossing Great Rivers,” swimming through water as effortlessly as a fish returning to the vast ocean.

On land, his speed was even more astonishing.

While ordinary people might cover a few meters per second, he could traverse several dozen meters in the same time.

But that wasn’t all. Most remarkably, half a month earlier, he had gained the ability to catch birds barehanded.

Had he not accomplished this feat himself, even Ye Kuang would have scoffed at such a claim.

With only half a month left until the Sanshou competition, he spent his days rigorously practicing the Dragon Subduing Palm and relentlessly pounding his fists against towering ancient trees.

Glancing back at the long-fallen ancient trees, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

With his business here concluded, lingering served no purpose.

Thinking this, Ye Kuang donned his modern clothes, untouched for days, and peered at his reflection in the pond—only to find he had transformed into a middle-aged man.

With a slight movement of his hand, he wielded a dagger like a razor, and in a few swift strokes, restored his former appearance.

“Crossing Great Rivers!!!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

His figure darted like an electric leopard, vanishing in the blink of an eye at the edge of the Mountain Forest.

His speed was as swift as a lightning flash.

And the thousands of birds in the Mountain Forest resumed their melodious songs, as if joyfully seeing off this plague—finally rid of this formidable presence.

At a deserted street intersection.

Ye Kuang arrived silently, his flickering image so exaggerated it seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

Unbeknownst to him, this very scene was captured by a surveillance camera…

He then strode forward, his demeanor entirely altered. Apart from his slightly sharp gaze, he appeared no different from any ordinary person.

Passing by a noodle shop, he was inevitably drawn in by the enticing aroma and pushed the door open.

Having gone nearly four months without proper food, it was easy to imagine how ravenous he was—so much so that he nearly drooled.

He ordered a braised chicken leg and a bowl of noodles, then began devouring them eagerly.

Just as Ye Kuang was eating with relish, the incessant screech of tires grinding outside caught his attention. He glanced curiously before burying his head back in his meal.

“Mom, your son has brought you good news. Want to hear it?”

The proprietress emerged, grumbling irritably, “Get lost… I’ve got no money!”

Hearing this, Ye Kuang suddenly choked on his noodles, coughing repeatedly with a thoroughly strained expression.

Proprietress: “Young man, please eat slowly.”

No sooner had she spoken than she roared at the youth hurrying in from outside, “You loaf around all day doing nothing productive, and on top of that, you waste time on flashy nonsense. Money? Not a chance!!!”The young man said, “Mom, what do you know! That’s called entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, do you understand?”After saying this, the young man couldn’t help but pull out a large stack of documents, presenting them to the boss lady with a clear intent to promote his ideas.”

Unexpectedly, the boss’s wife suddenly raised her hand and knocked the documents to the ground, scattering them everywhere, while roaring angrily, “Enough of this nonsense!” Entrepreneurship? All you ever think about is entrepreneurship! There are millions of people in this world—if everyone could start a business, wouldn’t everyone be rich? Ah…”

Hearing this, the young man couldn’t contain his rising anger and retorted sharply, “Yes, everyone can get rich, and that’s still better than you running around blindly day and night!”

Slap!

But who would have thought? A crisp slapping sound suddenly rang out.

Even though Ye Kuang had been tuning it out, he was still stunned by it.

He couldn’t help but glance over curiously.

He saw the young man clutching his reddened cheek, gritting his teeth in fury, his eyes brimming with tears as he trembled and stammered, “Mom, you hit me? Since I was little, you never once laid a hand on me, and today you actually hit me… I… I…The boss lady: “Get out…”

Upon hearing this, the young man’s expression shifted uncertainly, but after a moment, he turned and left without another word.

Watching the figure storm out the door, the boss’s wife retracted her outstretched hand forcefully, her eyes already misty with tears.

She could only force herself to endure the grief, then wiped her tear-streaked face, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wipe them dry. Instead, the more she wiped, the more she cried, her sorrow growing deeper.

Witnessing this, Ye Kuang felt a pang in his heart. Without thinking, he took out a few tissues and handed them to her.

Seeing this, the boss lady cried and laughed at the same time, “Young man, sorry you had to see this… If only my son were half as sensible as you…”

At this point, she clearly no longer held back, squatting down right where she stood.

The scene was enough to move anyone who saw it to tears, evoking a sense of shared sorrow.

Ye Kuang didn’t know what to do—comforting her felt inappropriate, but not comforting her felt wrong too.

Crying might not solve conflicts, but it is one way to release pent-up emotions.

For a moment, Ye Kuang felt that when it comes to sorrow, one should cry openly and freely.

It was only after a while that the boss lady finally stood up, awkwardly smiling as she said, “I’m really sorry, you must think this is ridiculous.””

Ye Kuang: “Not at all, it’s only human.”

Before he even finished speaking, he couldn’t help but turn his head.

He saw the young man who had run out earlier return, expressionlessly pick up the scattered documents from the floor, and then turn to leave again.

It must be said, his return was silent, and his departure was just as abrupt.

Ye Kuang: “Brother, is this really necessary?”

Hearing this, the young man halted in his tracks, turning back with visible anger: “What’s it to you? Mind your own damn business!Upon hearing this, the boss’s wife’s face instantly changed, her eyes filled with utter disappointment.

Seeing this, Ye Kuang quickly stopped the boss lady from speaking further and said coldly, “What’s your name?””

It could be said that his sharp gaze at that moment was as intimidating as a leopard’s.

Under such a stare, the young man shivered from head to toe, frightened into blurting out, “Wang Qingshui.”

But as soon as the words left his mouth, the young man snapped back to his senses and suddenly became inexplicably agitated again: “Get away from me, stay far away…”

Ye Kuang let out a sudden cold laugh: “Qingshui, do you know the meaning behind your name?”After asking this, seeing Wang Qingshui remain silent, he coldly declared: “Mountains and rivers never age, green waters flow long—this speaks to your conduct needing to be upright, as pure as clear water without impurities. Your parents raised you all these years—what’s wrong with a single strike? Or are you some parentless wild child?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingshui’s face turned livid with rage. Since gaining understanding, he had always detested others lecturing him.

Moreover, the Ye Kuang before him appeared even younger than he was, and more infuriatingly, dared to insult him.

At this moment, if not for Ye Kuang’s lethally sharp gaze, Wang Qingshui might have already thrown a punch.

Ye Kuang: “What…Not convinced? Think I’m too young to lecture you? Or thinking of taking action? Let me tell you plainly—even if I let you have my arms and legs, I could still thrash you a hundred times over.”

He said this without a hint of exaggeration. Though he had only recently achieved minor mastery in the Eighteen Palms, he was already beyond comparison with ordinary folk.

Instead, Wang Qingshui trembled from head to toe upon hearing this, pointing a finger at Ye Kuang, wishing he could strangle him.

Witnessing this scene, Ye Kuang acted as if he saw nothing, staring coldly at the former and continuing his icy remarks: “Parents come first, career comes second. Lose your career and you can find another; lose your parents and they’re truly gone. What do you amount to? Your aunt raised you all these years—hitting you is for your own good. If she didn’t, you’d end up behind bars sooner or later.”His tone shifted, then he drove the point home: ‘Haven’t even grown all your feathers, yet you want to start a business?” Planning to lose your pants completely? Or will you keep reaching out to your family for money? Have you no shame? If you had any capability, you’d earn your keep with your own hands instead of constantly begging from home!”

The more Wang Qingshui listened, the more furious he became, his eyes blazing with fire, yet he dared not voice his anger.

Ye Kuang pointed at a chopstick and sneered: “In my eyes, you’re as fragile as this chopstick—one touch and you’d break!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the chopstick he had just used snapped into two pieces right before their horrified gazes.

The soup splattered all over Wang Qingshui.

Ye Kuang: “Even this chopstick is tougher than you—at least it dares to resist head-on. And you? All you do is yell and scream at your parents. Do you have any awareness of being a son? What exactly are you? Tell me yourself!Seeing this, Wang Qingshui was already deaf to Ye Kuang’s subsequent words, his eyes filled with sheer terror.

Perhaps in his eyes, the person before him was like a primordial beast, ready to devour its prey!

Ye Kuang: “Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues—didn’t your teacher teach you that? Have you ever considered the shame of being lectured by someone younger than you?”

With that, he took out a crumpled ten-Yuan bill and handed it to the proprietress, finally showing a smile: “Auntie, please keep this.”

Only then did the proprietress snap out of it, trembling as she accepted the money.

Meanwhile, Ye Kuang passed by Wang Qingshui’s side and said coldly: “Think it over carefully yourself!”