What?” Chen Haoran asked, raising a brow when he caught Jin Yu staring at him intently.

  Jin Yu glanced at Rainbow on his wrist, then back at Chen.

  “Can we... share my punishment?”

  “What punish—”

  It only took a second for Chen’s expression to twist in realization. He scoffed, eyes narrowing.

  “Brat, when was the last time you got smacked? You actually dare ask me that?”

  “To be fair, you should lose an eye too,” Jin Yu said, voice deadpan. “If you hadn’t dragged me to that brothel, I wouldn’t have lost my father’s manuals.”

  Chen nearly laughed. “You knew those manuals were important, yet you brought them to a brothel? Where did you get your confidence from? And now you're blaming me for your stupidity?”

  “You took me there,” Jin Yu replied flatly.

  “So what? You should’ve used your brain.”

  “Then why didn’t you lend me yours, scoundrel?” Jin Yu retorted, calm as ever. “I’ll tell my father to take both our eyes. We’re brothers, after all. We should share our happiness and sorrow.”

  Rainbow, confused if she should be mad, bobbed her little flower head uncertainly.

  “You little piece of crap! Did you just call me a scoundrel? Do you believe I won’t beat you up?” Chen growled.

  “Do it, asshole. Think I’m scared of you?” Jin Yu shot back, staring him down as if he has no fear in this world

  “Oh, we’ll see about that.”

  Crack!

  Chen Haoran cracked his knuckles and walked toward Jin Yu, who stood his ground, unfazed.

  He grabbed him by the collar then—Whoosh!

  He flung him like a sack

  Crash!

  Bam!

  Jin Yu slammed into a tree, then crumpled into the underbrush with a grunt.

  “You bastard!” he roared from the bushes...

  “I see you still haven’t learned. Your brain needs some realignment,” Chen muttered, cracking his knuckles again as he marched over.

  “You piece of cow dung, I swear I’ll shove your head in a— What?”

  Jin Yu stopped mid-rant, when he saw Chen Haoran looking at him with a weird expression.

  “What?” he asked again, trying to take off leaves from his hair

  “Nothing. Have fun.”

  Chen suddenly smiled warmly, gave a wink, and walked off, chuckling.

  “What’s wrong with this dickhea—”

  Hiss...

  Jin Yu froze. His eyes darted to the trio a few meters away.

  Haozi’s horrified expression made his heart sink. Even Rainbow fled from his wrist and burrowed into his chest.

  Hissss...

  The sound came again,closer.

  Slowly, Jin Yu turned, then....

  Bam!

  He dropped to the ground, pale and trembling. His eyes went wide with shock.

  Swish!

  “ARRRRRGGGHHHH!”

  A scream tore from his throat as a giant snake latched onto his wrist.

  He flailed, thrashed, and howled in terror.

  “HELP! HEEEELP—ARGHHH! I’m DYING! I GOT BIT I’M REALLY DYING! I’M DY—”

  His cries faded, body going still. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind as he waited for the end.

  But.....it never came.

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  “Huh?”

  He blinked, stunned. “What’s going on?”

  “Are you dead yet?” Chen Haoran called out, barely holding in laughter.

  Jin Yu sat up slowly, confused. He looked around—and saw the snake slithering peacefully back into the forest.

  He checked his wrist. There was a white mark... but no blood, no wound. His skin was perfectly fine.

  Standing, he turned to the others.

  Shen watched with a calm face, though his eyes told a different story–disdain.

  Chen Haoran twirled a strand of hair, smiling smugly.

  Haozi looked away, red-faced.

  Jin Yu turned back toward the forest and finally pieced it together.

  Good. Good. Very good.

  You all messed with me. Very good.

  Since I can’t beat any of you... that damn snake will pay.

  He took off running in the direction the snake went.

  “Bitch! If I don’t eat you today, my surname’s not Jin! You messed with the wrong guy! Just let me catch you!”

  He cursed loudly in embarrassment as he vanished into the trees.

  Shen calmly led the group forward, unbothered.

  Haozi followed, red-faced.

  Only Rainbow peeked out from Jin Yu’s chest, changing to myriad of colours.

  -----

  You better come out now! If you think I’ll give up, think again. I’ll catch you and roast you like barbecue!”

  Jin Yu stormed through the forest, eyes blazing with fury as he shoved past trees, scanning every shadow for the snake.

  Suddenly, he crouched low, spotting a trail of crumpled bushes snaking through the grass.

  "Gotcha, bitch!” he grinned, excitement lighting up his face when....

  Rustle!

  A low growl came from the side—then whoosh!

  A beast lunged out from the thicket, claws bared, jaws wide—

  Smack!

  Without even looking, Jin Yu backhanded it mid-air, sending it crashing into a nearby tree.

  “I’m not in the mood!” he roared, brushing his hand off like it was nothing. “One more idiot jumps out and I’ll serve roasted beast with my barbecue snake!”

  He then charged after the trail and skidded to a stop when he reached a thick wall of twisting vines blocking the path. Jin Yu snorted.

  “You think hiding behind vines will save you? You still don’t know who you messed with. I said I’d hunt you down—and I meant it.”

  Swish!

  He swung his hand, activating the Sanctum Sword Technique—

  “ARGH! F*ck! That’s hard!”

  He reeled back, clutching his hand in pain and hopping around on one foot like a furious chicken.

  From his chest, Rainbow peeked out and turned red.

  Swish!

  She jabbed a vine with her prickle—

  Only to droop instantly, her color shifting to gray in disappointment.

  “Hey, hey—” Jin Yu stopped bouncing, quickly pulling her out and holding her near his face. “You saw me crying in pain and still did it? Aren’t you a little too confident, huh?”

  Rainbow turned grayer, her petals wilting pitifully.

  “It’s okay, my cutie. I’ll take revenge for you, alright?”

  He gently patted her petals until she slowly shifted to yellow.

  “Good girl. Now stay inside while I show that snake who’s boss.”

  Jin Yu turned back to the vines, eyes narrowing.

  “You sneaky bastard... you played me well. But—” he smirked, opening his system interface, “what you don’t know is…”

  “Not even the heavens can stop this young master!”

  Strength, Raise!

  –2,000 Fury Points

  +1 Internal Strength

  –2,000 Fury Points

  +1 Internal Strength

  He pressed the [+] beside “Internal Strength” ten times without hesitation.

  Creak. Creak. Creak.

  His skin flushed red, muscles bulging unnaturally as his body swelled with power.

  “UGHHHHH! F*ck—my muscles are gonna explode!”

  He stood frozen, trembling from the strain. “I need to balance this—quick!”

  Physique, Raise!

  –2,000 Fury Points

  +1 Physique

  –2,000 Fury Points

  +1 Physique

  His bloated muscles calmed, swelling down as his physique reached 30. Jin Yu let out a deep breath, flexing his body.

  Then—without warning—

  Swish!

  He slashed through the vines. They parted like tofu under a hot blade.

  Jin Yu chuckled, rolling his shoulders.

  Crack. Crack. Crack!

  He flexed all his stiff joints, each pop like a declaration of war.

  “Hehehe… Snakey, I’ve already found you. Come out now, before I enter there.”

  Fury +100

  “You’re angry? You little sh*t. You had no problem insulting me before, huh? Now come out and let me barbecue you in peace.”

  Jin Yu glared into the vine-choked path, voice filled with warning.

  Rainbow peeked out and nodded furiously, turning red in shared resentment over her earlier injury.

  Fury +200

  Of course, the snake didn’t appear.

  Instead—

  Swish!

  A stone, the size of a clenched fist, shot through the air toward Jin Yu.

  He deflected it calmly with the back of his hand.

  “Very good,” he muttered, coldly. “I see you won’t learn until there’s a blade at your neck.”

  Fury +500

  That was enough. Jin Yu stepped into the vine-covered passage, sunlight slicing through the gaps overhead like thin daggers. He scanned the surroundings, but the snake was nowhere in sight. Undeterred, he walked deeper.

  Then he stopped.

  Ahead lay a massive slab of stone—at least the size of a building. It stretched across the ground farther than his eyes could follow.

  ‘How could a rock this huge even exist?’ he wondered, narrowing his gaze as he followed its length, trying to see where it ended.

  Then—

  Gasp!

  His breath hitched, chest frozen. A pair of enormous red eyes—each as large as a car—stared back at him, unblinking.

  The stone wasn’t a stone.

  Jin Yu’s gaze slowly traced the “rock” where the eyes were… and realization struck him like a thunderclap.

  BAM!

  He collapsed onto his butt, eyes wide with raw horror.

  If the fear he’d felt earlier was as big as a river—this was an ocean. Deep. Endless. Drowning.

  Because the “stone”… was a giant snake. One so massive it dwarfed houses.

  And the little snake?

  It sat smugly beside the titan, mocking him with a teasing flick of its tongue.

  Dozens of others, smaller but no less menacing, coiled around the giant’s body like loyal guards.

  Jin Yu couldn’t look away. Neither did the monster.

  His breathing slowed. His heart pounded slower… slower… until—

  Nothing.

  He fell back with a soft thud, unconscious.

  The giant snake watched him, eyes indifferent. Then, with terrifying calmness, it raised its massive tail, ready to bring it down and crush him when...

  Sring!

  A low, sharp aura rippled through the hollow. A warning.

  The snake’s pupils narrowed as it shifted its gaze toward the entrance of its lair. No figure stood there—yet it stared, as if acknowledging a presence.

  For a long moment, neither moved.

  Then… the snake withdrew its killing intent.

  But it didn’t stop moving.

  With a flick of its tail, it carefully coiled the tip around Jin Yu’s limp body. It raised him high, high into the filtered light… passed him through the overhead opening and...

  Swish!

  It flung him ruthlessly into the distance.

  Then it slithered back into silence, vanishing like a nightmare that waited.