Lei took in a breath, letting the Qi flow into his dantian. A gentle breeze stirred around him, as the warm energy filled his abdomen. The energy swirled, as Lei pushed it to become a part of his dantian. Yet, no matter what, it would seep out, fading into the world, leaving nary a wisp within him.

Hours had passed, as Lei had meditated, trying to gather Qi. He took another breath, pulling in further, as the Qi began to cycle itself, before slowly seeping out, as barely any remained. His legs were entwined as he sat cross legged on the mat underneath him, the imprints of the jute leaving markings on his skin. The sensation left a numbness he could barely recall from when he had been a young child.

It was not something he had ever had to experience as a cultivator, along the many little pains in life. Things that had come back to face him.

Lei let out a breath, trying not to be disheartened. His dantian had supposedly healed, Elder Yan had done at least that much for him, yet somehow, he had been left unable to cultivate. Other elders had looked at his dantian, finding nothing wrong with it, yet no matter how hard he tried, he failed to progress his cultivation.

Finding himself unable to make any progress today either, Lei stood up, letting the numbness shake off from his feet and body. In a couple of steps, he found his bed, and sat upon it, letting the sunlight peering in through the window warm his body.

His room had few things, a simple bed, a table, and some scrolls that were kept upon the table, alongside simple pills. Though he was still an inner discipline, in stature, Lei had been reduced to nothing more than an outer disciple. Or perhaps even worse.

He pulled the sleeve on his arms, hiding the bandages that covered them, along with the rest of his body. Ever since his defeat in a single blow in the tournament, Lei had been on the receiving end of many an invitations to spars, with disciples asking him to share some pointers.

The thought made Lei clench his fist, yet, ultimately the anger was consumed too. This was all of his own doing, wasn’t it? His predicament had only gotten worse when a disciple had tried to do the same with his brother Li, and had almost died, and nearly crippled in the spar. None were courageous enough to challenge Li again, and so, as a form of twisted revenge, they targeted him instead.

Lei’s hand brushed against the scar against his chest, a slight tremble in his hand at the memory. Not all disciples were kind enough to invite him to a spar overseen by others, and perhaps even an Elder.

Some of them had ambushed him, grabbed him by the arms and legs, as he’d screamed, first in anger, and then, in fear. He had begged. Begged. But the disciples did not show him any mercy. Just like he never had.

Lying, bloodied, beaten and humiliated more so than he had ever been, Lei had briefly wondered if it would be nice he died from these injuries. Could he ever truly show his face to his sect again? If outer sect disciples had left him like this… what worth did he have left?

But like a coward, he lacked the courage to even make the choice. And so he had crawled, till someone had found him, and brought him back to his chamber. It hadn’t been till the next day, that Lei had opened his eyes.

A kind old man had helped him heal, taking care of his injuries. Lei had not paid the man any attention at first, but then, he had begun talking about Lu Jie. Lei closed his eyes, reminiscing the conversation.

“This reminds me of the spar Lu Jie had with your brother,” the old man spoke, as he gently rubbed his balm on the injuries.

Lei looked at the old man, eyes widened in surprise. He recalled seeing Lu Jie with him a few times, now that he looked more closely. Lei tried to pull back his arm, to move away, yet his injuries kept him in place.

“Oh, don’t move in such a rush. Your wounds will open again,” the old man said, pressing his palm against Lei’s chest. Qi flowed into him, and he felt his heart settle down. Lei’s eyes widened at the technique, far too complicated for something to be done by a simple alchemist, yet his thoughts were slow now, detached, and he couldn’t linger upon them.

“Why?” Lei asked, as the old man continued to work on his wounds. “Why did you save me?”

His voice was raspy, broken and hoarse, as Lei watched the old man work.

“I had found you unconscious within the sect on my walk to gather some herbs. And I couldn’t very well leave a disciple in that condition,” the old man replied in a matter of fact manner, binding his wounds in bandages.

“I don’t understand… do you not hate me?” Lei asked, finding his voice cracking.

“All children have their paths. Some have kinder ones, others do not. But ultimately, the heavens are fair, though mysterious in their workings. I do not hate you for your actions. I pity, that there was no one who told you of your mistakes before it had come to this.”

Lei felt his heart shake. The words were like knives to his gut. He was… pitied? Pitied to not have been guided?

It denied his entire world, of everything he had once been, and understood the world to be. Anger surged in his body, as the Qi from the pill rose. He pushed himself aside, crawling out of the bed he lay on, as he stumbled onto his feet somehow.

“I’m leaving,” Lei barked, limping through the agonising pain as he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Eyes lingered on him, pity, scorn, surprise, mockery, yet none reached Lei. He limped through the sect’s chambers, making his way inside, till he was upon his brother’s chamber.

Lightning crackled inside, intense enough to blind. Li stood upon stumps of bamboo, powerful arcs curving around his body. Charred marks covered the chamber, the smell of burnt wood and smoke tingling Lei’s nose.

Lei looked at his brother, the scar on the left half of his face covering a majority of his features, and making the boy look angrier than he had ever seemed. The healing arts had grown his hair back, yet for whatever reason, the boy had insisted on keeping the scar.

“Why’re you disturbing me during my training?” Li asked, lightning crackling around him. His brother had grown, entering the fourth realm soon after the tournament’s end.

“Brother I—” the words remained stuck in Lei’s mouth. He stood silently, feeling crushed under his own shame.

Finally, his brother Li turned to look at him, and frowned. “Who did that?” he asked, a deep frown set on his face.

Lei clutched at his robes, as tears blurred his sight. He bit his tongue to hold them back, feeling the iron taste of his blood in his mouth.

“Disciples… they ambushed me…” he blurted out, struggling to look up at his brother.

“Who were they?” Li asked.

“The boy… who’d lost to you, and others with him…” Lei said, averting his gaze.

Silence remained, at Li’s gaze lingered on him.

“You should rest, brother. I’ll train you later,” Li said, turning back towards his training.

Lei stood, watching the lightning surging around his brother, like wings of power and fury that lifted him up into the skies, and struck down with the wrath of the heavens.

Words rested in his mouth, to ask for help, to cry, to share the pain, yet none of it he could give voice to. He had lost his cultivation his worth. No longer, were the two of them equal. While his brother rose with wings of thunder in his rage, he was left as mere ash in his wake.

Lei closed his eyes, trying to gather the courage to speak when—

The door slammed open as Lei opened his eyes, breaking out his thoughts.

Li stood at the door, the scar on his face now creased against a deep frown. The boy slammed the door behind him, walking in, as a tingling sensation ran through the air, as if ready to burst into a crackle of lighting.

“What’s wrong, brother?” Lei asked, trying to put the memories he’d been lingering on out of his mind.

Li did not respond, slamming his hand against the door, as a bolt of lighting pulsed throughout. He growled, like a wild animal read to tear into a prey.

Lei watched his brother, the anger in him only seeming to grow with each passing day. He barely recognised the boy anymore, seeing him less and less often as all his time was dedicated to cultivation and training.

After a moment, Li hissed, vibrating with fury. “Elder Yan is about to capture the demon. They had been spying on him, and seem to have found something.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? The boy gets is punished, and your name is cleared, as you become the champion who stood against the demon,” Lei said.

“No!” Li spat, a lighting crackling around him. “I would be no hero. I would be the fool who got crushed by the demon, and humiliated in front of the entire sect. No, I cannot let this happen. I need to fight him again, and crush him so utterly that he has to beg for mercy in front of the entire sect, no, the entire empire and the jade court itself. Only then will my name and honour return to me. Only then can I bear to be free of this wretched scar,” Li said, his fingers brushing the side of his face, as the boy brimmed with anger.

“But… what do you intent to do about it? You can’t stop Elder Yan.”

Li grew quieter at Lei’s words, his frown growing deeper. “Our dear traitorous Yan Yun is with the demon isn’t she? Tell her that Elder Yan is spying on her, and they’re out to get her lover boy. I’m sure she’ll come running back to stop Elder Yan,” Li said.

“Tell Yan Yun? I—” Lei shrunk under his brother’s glare, as lighting crackled within the chamber.

“Are you trying to tell me you won’t do it?” Li asked, his voice growing quieter, the edge of a threat present within it.

“No… brother,” Lei replied.

“Then go, and don’t waste my time. I can’t risk the demon being captured so easily. Not until I have had the chance to regain my lost face and honour,” Li spoke, his voice bellowing with an overwhelming power that pushed on Lei.

For a brief moment, Lei found himself being reminded of Elder Yan at the oppressive present emanating from his brother. Nodding, Lei stood and walked out of the chamber.

A jumble of emotions swirled in his chest, as he walked with heavy steps.