Even from inside his room, Nie Yun knew who had arrived. It was Nie Chao, the very person who had beaten him half to death five days ago!
Nie Chao was an Inner Branch Descendant. Though he had only unlocked one Bloodline Factor, he had access to the elixirs and Cultivation Techniques provided by the clan. His Cultivation speed was no slower than Nie Yun's had been in his past life—in fact, it was likely even faster. He had already reached the Peak of the Third Layer of the Qi Nourishing Realm, several tiers higher than Nie Yun, who was only at the Early-Stage Qi Nourishing Realm!
However, Nie Yun had now fused the memories of two lifetimes. His combat experience was hundreds of times greater than even that of the Nie Mansion's Clan Leader. Forget someone at the Peak of the Qi Nourishing Realm; even if an expert from the Fourth Layer of the True Qi Realm were to appear, he could still beat them to a pulp.
In his previous life, lacking his current combat experience, this bastard had beaten him severely, only to turn around and falsely accuse him of attacking an Inner Branch Descendant. As a result, Nie Yun's own branch was punished by the clan with a fine of ten thousand taels of silver!
The Nie Tian Branch was impoverished and struggling, unable to pay the fine. In the end, they were forced to surrender the Luoshui Golden Shield—the symbol of their branch and their father's highest honor!
For anyone, being unable to protect their family's honor was a profound humiliation.
Because of this, his father had fallen gravely ill and nearly died.
It was also because of this incident that his cousin, his uncle's daughter, willingly married a hedonistic young master from the Feng Family to alleviate the branch's crisis. In the end, she was driven to suicide.
One could say that while Nie Chao wasn't the sole culprit behind his branch's downfall, he certainly fanned the flames. Even if he were to die a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough to extinguish Nie Yun's hatred.
'In my past life, I was grievously injured and my power plummeted. I was no match for you, so I endured it. But in this life, the heavens have granted me a second chance. How could I possibly let history repeat itself?'
With fury blazing in his heart, Nie Yun looked at his arrogant and domineering cousin in the courtyard, his eyes turning ice-cold.
"I was wondering who dared to speak to me like that. So, it was my dear cousin Nie Yun. What's the matter, all healed up? Does being healed mean you're itching for another beating from me?" When he first heard the voice, Nie Chao's expression turned grim, but upon seeing it was Nie Yun, he burst into laughter.
'For Nie Yun to dare speak to him like this, he must be itching for another thrashing!'
"Yun'er, why are you out here? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Hurry back inside and rest!" Seeing her son suddenly emerge and provoke Nie Chao, his mother, Nie Ling, turned pale and rushed over to grab Nie Yun's arm.
"Nie Ling, you saw it with your own eyes. Your 'good son' Nie Yun, a mere Outer Branch Descendant, was insolent to an Inner Branch Descendant, Nie Chao. The clan's punishment was fair and just, without any favoritism. What do you have to say for yourself now?"
Before his mother could finish, a sarcastic snort came from behind Nie Chao. A young man in gray robes was looking over with a smirk, holding a piece of paper inscribed with the clan's punishment order.
In black and white, the paper stipulated a fine of ten thousand taels of silver for the Nie Tian Branch.
This young man was Nie Chaoxing, a member of the Clan Law Enforcement Team at the Mid-Stage Qi Nourishing Realm. He and Nie Chao were always in cahoots, and this time, he was the one sent to deliver the clan's punishment order.
The Clan Law Enforcement Team was an entity specially created by the Nie Mansion to manage its many branches. It was responsible for issuing and enforcing all manner of punishments, wielding immense power and authority. It was the one body all the branch families feared and detested the most.
"My son's injuries haven't healed. He's just spouting nonsense, please don't take him seriously..."
His mother waved her hands dismissively and tugged hard on Nie Yun's arm, only to find that her usually obedient son was now standing firm, as if his feet had taken root in the ground.
"It's alright, Mother. They're just a couple of clowns who don't know any better. I have this under control." Nie Yun patted his mother's arm and gave her a faint smile.
"Yun'er..." Seeing the confidence radiating from her son, Nie Ling was taken aback.
'My son, because of our family's circumstances, always seemed to lack confidence and have an inferiority complex, even though he worked so hard at his Cultivation. How does he dare to say such things to Nie Chao and Nie Chaoxing today? And his eyes... they're so calm and steady, flashing with a sharp, unconcealable glint...'
'It was the same sharpness she had only ever seen in the eyes of Nie Xiaotian, all those years ago!'
'Could it be... my son has changed? Has he become like Xiaotian was back then—confident, proud, and radiating a sharp brilliance?'
"Clowns who don't know any better? Fine. Just fine. You forced my hand. Kneel before me right now and admit you're an animal, a lowlife. Maybe then I'll spare you. Otherwise... AARGH!"
POW!
Before he could finish his arrogant threat, Nie Chaoxing felt a sharp pain in his face. His vision exploded in a kaleidoscope of color—red, black, yellow, and blue. With a miserable cry, he was sent flying seven or eight meters, blood spurting from his mouth.
"You dare to hit me? A Law Enforcement Descendant... You have a lot of nerve! I'll report this to the clan..."
Nie Chaoxing roared, but before he could finish, he saw the sole of a large boot hurtling down toward his face.
CRUNCH!
All his teeth were knocked out in a single kick, and his mouth swelled up like a pair of fat sausages.
"Stop! Nie Yun, not only have you openly defied the clan's punishment order, you've also assaulted a Law Enforcement Descendant! You're finished! Your entire branch is finished! I'll report this to the clan! We'll have all the men in your branch clubbed to death and the women sold off to be prosti—"
Everything had happened too suddenly. When Nie Chao saw the barely human shape of Nie Chaoxing on the ground, he flew into a towering rage and let out a long roar.
'Men clubbed to death? Women sold as prostitutes?' Nie Yun's eyes narrowed to slits. He had lived two lives and had reached the Peak of the Dantian Acupoint Realm before his rebirth; how could he possibly tolerate such a threat? In a flash, he transformed into a phantom and appeared before Nie Chao.
"Trying to ambush me? In your dreams! I'm not Nie Chaoxing. I've trained to defend against sneak... AARGH!"
Nie Chao had barely finished shouting that he wasn't Nie Chaoxing when his vision went black. He suffered the same fate, flying through the air and landing on the ground with his face twisted like a pretzel, his body trembling and convulsing uncontrollably.
"That's right, you're not Nie Chaoxing. You'll receive a far crueler punishment than he did!" With a cold snort, Nie Yun walked over. CRACK! CRACK! A series of sickening snaps echoed as Nie Chao's Qi Sea was shattered and the bones in his arms and legs were broken.
"Aaaah..."
He never imagined that the boy he could bully at will just a few days ago could be so vicious. Nie Chao let out a final, wretched scream and passed out. From the looks of it, even if he were rescued, he likely wouldn't survive.
Ignoring the unconscious Nie Chao, Nie Yun walked back over to the Law Enforcement Descendant, Nie Chaoxing.
"Cousin Nie Chaoxing, you and Nie Chao came here to deliver a punishment, and our branch obediently handed over the ten thousand taels of silver. Who would have thought that upon seeing the money, Nie Chao would be overcome with greed and try to kill you? But you managed to use your ultimate technique and fatally wounded him... Am I wrong about any of that?"
"You..." Nie Chaoxing wanted to curse him for spouting nonsense, but when he saw the indifferent, chilling cold in the young man's eyes, he swallowed his words.
That gaze was like a primordial beast's, ready to tear a man to shreds at any moment. Nie Chaoxing was just a disciple who postured using others' power; he had never faced a situation like this. His bravado had long since crumbled.
"A wise man knows how to adapt to the circumstances. I'm sure Cousin Nie Chaoxing will agree." Nie Yun gave a faint smile and lightly pinched each of Nie Chaoxing's joints in succession.
"Ah... What... what did you... do to me..."
Just as he was wondering what Nie Yun was doing, Nie Chaoxing suddenly let out a wretched scream as beads of sweat, large as soybeans, poured down his forehead.
It felt as if someone were viciously sawing at every joint in his body with an iron saw. Waves of excruciating pain threatened to make him break down at any moment.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. This is a little something I learned from a master. It's called 'Meridian Bone Grinding Force.' Anyone afflicted by it will feel a pain as if their joints are being ground by a millstone every day at midnight and noon. If it's not cured, then after forty-nine days, all their joints will dissolve into pus, and they'll become a complete cripple."
Nie Yun rubbed his fingers, speaking as if discussing something utterly trivial.
"And one more thing. I'm the one who inflicted this 'Meridian Bone Grinding Force,' and I'm the only one who can cure it. Forget Luoshui City—you won't find a second person in the entire Divine Wind Empire who can. Just a friendly reminder: if you try to remove it by force without the proper method, the pain will double. It originally only flares up at midnight and noon, but a failed attempt to remove it will add the Rabbit-Goat Alignment to the schedule..."
Nie Yun's voice wasn't loud, but to Nie Chaoxing's ears, it was utterly horrifying. An icy chill shot down his spine.
"Don't worry... Nie Chao... he was completely deranged... I... I will definitely report his crimes... and clear your name..."
Struggling to his feet, Nie Chaoxing hastily shouted in a voice so weak he could barely hear it himself. He had no choice. The pain from the Meridian Bone Grinding Force was too unbearable; he had to submit.
"Cousin Nie Chaoxing is truly wise to have understood the situation so quickly. In that case, please take Nie Chao and leave our branch. We won't be keeping you for dinner!"
With a wave of his hand, a smirk played on Nie Yun's lips.
"Yes..."
He struggled to hoist Nie Chao onto his back, then slowly staggered out of the courtyard and disappeared.
'The mistakes of my past life, I will correct them all. What I lost, I will take it all back. And as for those who bullied me... I will make every last one of you regret being born. I will show no mercy!'
Watching them disappear into the distance, Nie Yun clenched his fists and made a solemn oath.
Having experienced life and death twice, Nie Yun was no longer the simple person he had been in his past life. His mind had already undergone a complete metamorphosis, emerging from its chrysalis like a butterfly.