Chapter Two: Awakening from a Long Dream, Only Today Do I Truly Know Myself

"You must have a death wish—!" Lin Fan charged at Lin Yu in a frenzy, head-butting, elbowing, kneeing, and kicking—his entire body became a weapon, striking out in utter madness.

Lin Yu was caught completely off guard. He had never expected Lin Fan to actually dare strike him. In the past, no matter how much he insulted or derided Lin Fan, the latter had always remained silent and never once retaliated. So when Lin Fan finally lunged at him, panic overtook him instead.

With a flurry of blows, Lin Fan seized the advantage. Lin Yu failed to defend himself, each punch landing solidly, leaving him helpless. And even if he hadn't been caught off guard, Lin Yu would have been no match for Lin Fan. Despite Lin Fan's reputation as a good-for-nothing, he was still at the second stage of Tempering, whereas Lin Yu, genius though he might be, had only reached the first stage. How could he possibly compete?

Lin Fan had always yielded, tolerating Lin Yu because of his younger age, which only led Lin Yu to believe Lin Fan was too cowardly to strike back. Over time, Lin Yu developed a sense of superiority whenever he saw Lin Fan.

Very soon, blood began to splatter from Lin Yu's body, though his mind was still reeling with disbelief that Lin Fan would dare lay a finger on him.

He never realized that, though he had once insulted Lin Fan and Lin Fan treated him as a mere child—half-brother though they were, with little affection left between them—Lin Fan had always let things slide. But what had Lin Yu just done?

Even to a stranger, let alone someone who had never known his mother and yearned for her all his life, to kick over the ancestral altar, scatter the offerings, and smash the memorial tablet was an act of utter blasphemy—an absolute taboo, one that would forge a death feud beyond reconciliation!

...

Half an hour later, Lin Fan was bound by two bodyguards at the seventh stage of Tempering, forced to kneel in the snow outside the Lin family’s council hall, his face stubborn and unyielding.

It was the first time he had ever attacked Lin Yu. He had broken Lin Yu's nose, shattered his limbs, and as for how many ribs and other bones were fractured, or how much internal damage had been done, he did not know. He only knew that this time, even with the Lin family's best medicine, it would take at least half a year for Lin Yu to recover—if he survived at all. For when Lin Fan left the room, Lin Yu was barely clinging to life...

Yet he did not regret it. He might have tolerated Lin Yu’s arrogance and insults for the sake of his youth, but that did not mean Lin Yu could trample the deepest boundaries of his heart without consequence.

"Madam, if you ask this old servant, we should seize this opportunity while the Master is away and end this little beast once and for all—root him out completely!" whispered the elderly maid, her voice chilling, as she sidled up to the beautiful lady.

"If you do, Madam, you’ll never have to worry again!" The old woman let out a dry laugh, her wrinkled face trembling.

The beautiful lady seemed tempted by her servant’s words; a murderous gleam flickered in her eyes but was soon suppressed.

After a while, she finally spoke, her tone measured, "This incident is grave, but not to the point of death. I would like nothing more than to kill the little wretch, but if I do, I fear my husband will not forgive me upon his return!"

At this, the old servant’s eyes lit up. She glanced at the defiant Lin Fan, bound outside, and smiled at the beautiful lady. "Madam mustn’t forget—you have the support of the Liang family. Once the matter is settled, the Master won’t risk everything for a useless wretch. In time, it will all be forgotten."

"Besides, the Master never truly cared about this useless child. It’s those other two he values..." the old woman cackled.

At these words, the beautiful lady suddenly turned, fixing her gaze on the old servant until the latter began to tremble. Only then did she speak, her tone icy, "Those two? Are you referring to those bastards as young master and young lady?!"

"Forgive me, madam! I misspoke—I meant those bastards, those two bastards..." The old woman fell to her knees in terror, tears streaming down her face as she kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead quickly bloodied.

No one knew the lady’s cruelty better than this servant, who had been by her side for decades. She feared her mistress more than anyone else in the world.

"Remember this—if you ever forget whose dog you are again, your entire family of over thirty will pay the price..."

The beautiful lady’s words sent the old servant sprawling on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Get up. Do as you suggested, but be sure to keep it clean," the beautiful lady said as she rose, heading toward the door. She paused by Lin Fan, lowering her gaze to meet his.

"You know, I’ve always hated your eyes. They remind me too much of your mother’s. Ordinarily, I would not bother to kill a useless thing like you. You are unworthy to compete with my Yu’er. But you should never, ever have harmed him."

"Mm mm!" Lin Fan’s mouth was gagged. He could only emit muffled cries, and his eyes blazed with fury. He struggled to rise but was utterly powerless.

The beautiful lady sneered, then walked away without another word, vanishing into the distance.

"Toss him into the Lava River—leave not a single bone behind. If the Master asks, say he escaped and fell in by accident. Rest assured, I will take good care of your families—they’ll live in wealth and comfort for the rest of their days," commanded the old servant, her demeanor once again imperious as she addressed the two guards restraining Lin Fan.

"Yes, madam," the two guards replied without hesitation, dragging Lin Fan away.

"So this is how it ends," thought Lin Fan, gazing at the surging Lava River below. Despair gripped his heart. He was only at the second stage of Tempering, possessing two hundred jin of strength, while the two guards were at the seventh stage, each with over a thousand jin. How could he possibly escape?

"Third Young Master, this is the end of the road," one of the guards said. Suddenly, Lin Fan felt his body grow weightless—his mind went blank as he was hurled toward the Lava River.

Splash!

A great wave of molten rock erupted as Lin Fan disappeared beneath the scalding surface.

"Let’s go back," one guard said to the other. Their faces were grave; they knew that upon their return, they would share Lin Fan’s fate. Even if they claimed he had died by their negligence, the Master would not spare them—nor would the eldest young master or young lady.

But they had no choice. They had followed the lady into the Lin family from the very start, and their families remained under the Liang family’s control. If they ran, their loved ones would surely die.

Slowly, the two guards departed from the Lava River. The flow soon returned to calm, save for the occasional bubble of magma breaking the surface, then silence once more...

Time slipped by.

A quarter hour.

Two quarters.

An hour.

No one knew how long had passed—perhaps two hours, perhaps more.

Suddenly, the entire crimson Lava River began to tremble, at first slightly, then with the violence of storm waves battering a rocky shore. Bubbling magma as wide as bowls boiled to the surface.

In less than half a minute, the fiery magma began to darken at a breathtaking speed. In the blink of an eye, what had been molten became solidified lava rock, cold and lifeless.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the spot where Lin Fan had fallen into the river exploded, sending shards of hardened lava flying. A pit dozens of yards wide appeared, and from it, Lin Fan’s figure emerged.

He was naked, seated cross-legged at the bottom of the pit. With a sudden motion, his tightly shut eyes snapped open, and a sharp, deadly light flashed forth.

"Only now, awakened from a great dream, do I know who I truly am!"

Though Lin Fan’s features remained delicate, his eyes glinted with a murderous brilliance. His very aura had transformed, as if a scholar had suddenly become an assassin—two entirely different men.

"Qin Long, wait for me. I swear, I will not be a man until I have killed you..."