The Silent Path of the Swordsman

SLAP!

The harsh slap came before Luo Yi could explain anything. His cheek immediately burned, leaving a conspicuous red mark.

“You ungrateful brat!” Luo Yang shouted at him with a face flushed crimson, the veins in his neck bulging. “How many times have I told you not to leave the house! All you ever do is bring shame! Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?”

“But, Father—”

SLAP!

For the second time, that rough palm struck the same side of his face. Luo Yi staggered from the impact. However, the pain in his cheek was nothing compared to the blow delivered by the words that followed.

“Don’t call me Father! I refuse to have a son with a crippled dantian like you!”

Those words came out without hesitation, feeling sharper than any blade as they shattered what little remained of Luo Yi’s pride.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Luo Yin, who had been cooking, immediately rushed to the main room after hearing the commotion. When she arrived, she was shocked to see her son suddenly run toward her and hug her while crying. Luo Yin tightly embraced her son’s trembling body, feeling her child’s shattered heart as if it were her own.

While holding her son, Luo Yin glared sharply at her husband. “What did you do to our child, Luo Yang?”

“Our child?” Luo Yang asked disdainfully. “That is your child, not mine. I no longer want to regard him as my son!”

Luo Yin widened her eyes. “What... what could possibly make you cruel enough to say something like that?” Luo Yin asked in a trembling voice, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Of course it’s because that damn son of yours has ruined our family’s reputation!” Luo Yang replied. “His dantian is clearly crippled, yet your son still dared to participate in the disciple enrollment selection of the Sky Sword Sect. Now everyone knows that we have a crippled child. All he does is bring shame!”

“If you think your honor is more important than your own child, then you must leave this house!” Tears now streamed down Luo Yin’s cheeks. “This... this is my home, and you no longer deserve to be here!”

Upon hearing that, Luo Yang immediately slammed the door and left without saying another word.

“Father!” Luo Yi shouted, wanting to chase after him, but his mother held him back.

“Enough, Yi'er. Your father doesn’t love you anymore.” Luo Yin tried to compose herself and wiped away both her tears, because she did not want her son to see her sad.

Luo Yi lowered his head. He wiped away his tears with the back of his right hand as he said, “I’m sorry, Mother! If only I had obeyed Father’s orders, something like this wouldn’t have happened.”

Luo Yin hugged Luo Yi again, trying to comfort her son while gently stroking his hair. “You did nothing wrong, Luo Yi. Mother knows you did that because you have a strong determination. No matter what your circumstances are, as long as you continue to have strong determination and never give up, believe me! One day, a miracle will surely come to you!”

---

That night, inside the bedroom of his residence, Luo Yi lay down on his bed. The look in his eyes reflected the bitterness he had experienced.

While staring at the ceiling of his room, he remembered his mother’s words from earlier that afternoon, then muttered in his heart. 'I promise, I will become the strongest cultivator in this martial world and make everyone acknowledge me, especially my father!'

After saying that, sleep suddenly overcame him, leaving him unable to do anything but close his eyes.

He then dreamed that he was in a strange place. There was no ground, no trees, no houses, and no objects or living creatures either. As far as his eyes could see, everything around him was white.

“What place is this?” Luo Yi furrowed his brows.

Amid his confusion, a formless voice suddenly startled him, causing his heart to pound.

“If you desire power, go to Lianhua Forest!”

“Who are you?” Luo Yi asked, but before he could receive an answer from the mysterious voice, an extremely bright and dazzling light suddenly appeared, causing him to awaken from his sleep.

Luo Yi opened his eyes, and the morning sunlight managed to seep through the gaps in the wooden window of his room.

“It’s already morning, huh.” He felt as though time had passed so quickly, but then he remembered the dream he had experienced the previous night. He remembered the mysterious figure’s words in that dream. 'Will I gain power if I go to that forest?'

Right after he thought about it, his bedroom door suddenly opened, making him turn toward it. He saw his mother entering the room.

“You seem to be feeling a little better, Yi'er.” Luo Yin walked toward Luo Yi.

“Yes, Mother. I feel much better now.” Luo Yi looked at his mother with a faint smile, while in his heart he said, 'Today, I’m going to that forest without Mother knowing!'

For some reason, even after hearing her son say that, Luo Yin still felt uneasy. However, she tried to hide her uneasiness before responding to Luo Yi, “Come, let’s eat! Mother has prepared your favorite food.”

---

That afternoon, after his mother left the house to take his father’s place in earning money, Luo Yi muttered, “All right, it’s time for me to go to that forest!”

Then, he immediately left the house to head toward Lianhua Forest, which was located to the southeast of Ningzou Capital, where he lived.

He knew that if he asked his mother for permission to go to that forest, she would certainly not allow him, because Lianhua Forest was rumored to be a forbidden forest, and no one who had entered the forest had ever returned. That was why he went there secretly.

Although he knew the rumor that Lianhua Forest was a forbidden forest, he remained determined to go there because he felt that the dream he had experienced the previous night was a sign meant for him.

Along the city streets, members of the Luo Clan could be seen whispering as he passed by.

“Look, that cripple still dares to show his face after bringing shame to the clan at the Sky Sword Sect,” a man sneered.

The man beside him chimed in, “I heard his mother even has to work herself to the bone alone because her husband left the house. What a truly ill-fated child.”

Meanwhile, Luo Yi, who heard them, tried to suppress his anger before running out of the city until he reached the boundary between Ningzou Capital and the grassland.

---

After traveling across the grassland for five incense-burning times, Luo Yi finally arrived before Lianhua Forest, although he was breathing heavily.

This was his first time seeing this forest. It could be described as a gigantic forest, judging by the enormous trees that towered as high as towers.

Although he shuddered at the sight of the dense forest whose depths appeared dark, he remained determined to enter it because, as his mother had said, if he had strong determination, then a miracle would surely come to him, and he believed it.

“I hope nothing bad happens!” he said before stepping into the forest.

As he entered the forest, the sound of rustling leaves could be heard from the surrounding giant trees. The silence of the forest was broken only by the shrill chirping of cicadas.

When he heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes, Luo Yi immediately stopped walking and stood rigidly still.

“What was that?” Cold sweat poured down his temples.