In the blistering heat of July, the sun was scorching at its zenith. The azure sky was devoid of any cloud, the sweltering sun baked the earth relentlessly, the water of the lake was scorching to the touch, the ground steamed in the heat.
Verdant grass, lush trees, and the myriad of vibrantly colored wildflowers were being scorched by the sun suspended high in the sky. A faint scent of fresh fragrance permeated the air.
Suddenly, a gust of hot wind gently swept across the landscape, stirring up tiny specks of dust off the ground, combining the scent of blooming flowers, it drifted along, making a turn, finally bringing the scent to that quaint pavilion nearby!
Right inside the small pavilion, sat a young boy, who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen.
He was remarkably handsome, but his physique was alarmingly frail, almost skeletal. His complexion had a slight yellowish tint, suggesting a possibility of sickness. "Bloody hell, it's too damn hot. Can a person live in such scorching weather?", the boy squinted towards the sky, his expression was almost cursing.
"Hey, isn't that the famous young master from the prestigious Dongfang family, Dongfang Jie?"
"Yeah, Jie, when did you come back? Why didn't you inform me? I would have come to greet you."
"Haha, now that Jie is back, things are going to get interesting."
Just then, mocking voices started approaching from the pathway on the right, and along with them came a large crowd, heading towards the pavilion.
Leading the group were three opulently dressed youngsters, two males and a female, followed by several servants. Some held luxurious parasols, shading them from the sun; others fanned them with large fans, sweating bullets in the service of their affluent masters. One look, and you can tell these were nothing but idle rich young brats!
Upon hearing the comments from the three young men and women, the young Dongfang Jie in the pavilion immediately stretch languidly, slowly stand from the stone bench, said nothing, and turned to leave.
From start to finish, Dongfang Jie did not even give a proper glance to those spoiled youngsters!
"Damn it, I'm talking to you, didn't you hear?"
"Whoa, are we shaking the heavens here? Let's dress it up nicely, call you Jay, but really, you're nothing, just a notorious waste that's talked about far and wide. I speak to you, and you dare to address me with this attitude?"
Perhaps due to the hot weather, which boiled their tempers, the two men and one woman were utterly infuriated when they saw Dongfang Jay, utterly disrespecting them, their nostrils flaring in anger.
"How dare a waste like you run wild in front of this lady, Xiao San, go, stop him!" Especially pretty-looking young lady furrowed her brows angrily, suddenly shouting out loud, giving a meaningful look to the moustached man next to her.
It was clear that he was a burly man with a full face of beard, yet he was called Xiao San; it was questionable if he has committed too many sins in his past life, and reincarnated poorly!
"Yes, Miss!" Upon receiving the command, Xiao San shifted his right foot and sprang forward, his tower-like body rushing forward, covering three steps in two strides, quickly blocking Dongfang Jay.
"Lousy waste, my Miss has ordered you to back off!" Xiao San steadied himself, immediately opened his huge mouth and commanded in a deep, hollowed voice.
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jay's lips twitched slightly as he slowly turned his head to gaze at the two men and one woman.
"What do you guys mean by this?" Dongfang Jay spoke calmly, his words lackluster.
"Haha, what do you mean? We don't mean anything, just it's been a long time, and we want to reminisce with you a bit!" The speaker was a slightly tall young man, wearing a blue long robe, though a bit of a dandy, his eyes nevertheless glinted brightly, clearly, his cultivation was not weak!
"Don’t worry, Jay. We mean no harm. Although you've become waste, as exemplary youngsters of the new era, how could we bully someone? Isn’t that right, San Mei?" The slightly short and plump young man finished, quickly casting a sly glance at the girl next to him.
"Haha, that's right, we've got great personalities, kind hearts, good morals, good looks, and skills. We would never randomly bully anyone, but you're an exception, because you're a waste that's worse than pigs and dogs. How are you even considered human?" The last to speak was the pretty-ish young lady.
"Haha…" Hearing the girl's words, everyone burst into thunderous laughter. Their laughter congealed and thundered like an echo, shaking the crispy leaves from the trees, and they fluttered to the ground.
"So, you guys really want to play with me?" Surprisingly, Dongfang Jay wasn’t angry at all after hearing this, but rather the corners of his mouth twisted into a smile, and his face quickly cast a broad wicked smile.
"Uh… what's with this waste? Could he have been so bullied during the ten years he disappeared that his brain broke?" The blue-robed young man stared in surprise.
"It must be that, every time we made fun of him before, didn't he get uncontrollably angry and rush to fight us? But this time, he's not angry?" The chubby young man also found it unbelievable.
Previously, when Dongfang Jie's bloodline had dried up and he had become a waste, they had often mocked him with cold eyes. Almost every time, Dongfang Jie would become indignant, step forward to fight them, seeking to protect his pitiful "dignity". However, without exception, they would always beat him half to death with the help of their vicious minions!
Thinking back on those scenes, the short and fat young man couldn't help but feel complacent. Today, he had planned to "continue where they left off" and have some fun at Dongfang Jie's expense. Unexpectedly, Dongfang Jie, who had disappeared for ten years, had returned home as if he were a completely different person.
Facing the mockery of the crowd, Dongfang Jie was actually indifferent.
This was completely abnormal!
"I understand!" Just as everyone was quietly surprised, the young girl next to them suddenly shouted out.
"What do you understand? Little sister!" The two pratingly young men were startled by her words.
“This little waste must have had an unusual encounter during his decade away, and cultivated some unparalleled magical power!” The young girl spoke without hesitation.
“What?” Everyone was astounded to hear this, even Dongfang Jie couldn’t help but slightly shrink his pupils and deeply look at the girl.
However, what the girl said next nearly caused everyone to spit out blood in shock!
"This little waste, he must be practicing the supreme art of thick-skinned face. Otherwise, how could he be so calm in the face of our mockery?" The young girl slowly opened her mouth, with an even more disdainful look in her eyes as she looked at Dongfang Jie.
"Haha, little sister, you almost scared me to death. I thought that little waste really had some sort of fortuitous encounter!" The young man in the blue robe burst into laughter.
"Yes, my little heart is still pounding. Little sister, for having committed such a grave crime, you must compensate your brother later!" The short and fat man revealed a wicked gleam in his eyes, patted his chest, and glanced at the young girl.
"No problem, after we've had our fun, we can play however you want!" The young girl immediately gave the short and fat boy a flirtatious look.
"Oh my God, little sister, when did your enchanting little eyes become so deadly? They're really going to be the death of me!" The short, fat young man nearly fainted with delight at this.
“Ugh…" Just as the fat boy finished speaking, Dongfang Jie, who was standing by the side, couldn’t bear it any longer. He quickly bent over and threw up a bit.
Upon seeing this, everyone immediately presumed that what he'd spat out must be the food that he'd eaten not long ago, still steaming hot.
"What's the meaning of this, you little wretch?" The sight of this caused the young girl's delicate brows to furrow in anger, murderous intent surging within her.
She was no fool; she recognized that Dongfang Jie's action was a derisive response to the short, fat boy's disgusting words, and in doing so, he indirectly offended her as well!
"You people, don't you have any sense of decency?" the adolescent had only just returned home a few days ago and finally accustomed himself to the local environment after suffering from homesickness. He managed to have a filling meal, only to find out that these people messed up everything again. "Tell me, aren't you all utterly shameless, utterly despicable?" Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jie immediately straightened his back and slowly spoke.
"You…" they were three young fops whom upon hearing this were all simultaneously enraged!
"What you? For starters, Murong Guang, you're not only ugly to begin with, but you also love to pretend to be a civilized man. Do you think that holding and shaking a folding fan in your hand makes you a scholar? I'll tell you, with your current manner, you are only disgracing the concept of being scholarly!" Without waiting for them to respond, Dongfang Jie immediately pointed at the blue-robed young man, his tone sharp and his words a loud, authoritative admonishment.
"Next, you!" Dongfang Jie's right hand shifted, landing on the short, fat boy. "You, a fatso – it's like your family raised you like a pig from the cradle, isn't it? A belly full of garbage and fat, but no brains! Do you think that girl really likes you? She's just using you, you fool!"
"You…you…I…" The short, fat boy was about to explode with anger, but couldn't rebuttal because what Dongfang Jie said was indeed true – that woman had been using him all along.
"And you, being a woman yet lacking self-respect, spending your days mingling with these young aristocrats. If your appearance was pleasant, it might be okay, but you... your looks are too shabby. And setting that aside, let's talk about your nose, eyes, and mouth. Aren't they all positioned wrong? Being ugly isn't your fault, but scaring people with it is!" Dongfang Jie poured out a stream of virulent words, belittling the three young aristocrats until they were worth nothing.
His sharp tone and biting words were so shocking that they left everyone at the scene in awe. And more so, his remarks were incisive, hitting the nail on the head – speaking the harsh truth!
The faces of the servants around them turned red – they wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, making them feel extremely stifled.
"Ahh! You little wretch, do you want to cause an uproar? Daring to accuse me of being a disgrace?" After a long while, the three of them woke up from their stupor.
With a roar, the blue-robed young man did not hesitate to flick his hand, and the folding fan in his hand immediately emitted a strong red glow, aiming straight for Dongfang Jie's head like a killing machine, as though wanting to end his life in one move!
"How dare you call me a blockhead, let's see how I deal with you!" The short, fat boy was also brimming with anger - hand balled into a fist, he took a strong punch!
"You wretch, I swear by my life I'll kill you today!" The young girl was so angry that her hair started to stand on end. Her pretty face twisted – she casually flicked a long, crimson whip that darted out like a snake's tongue, ferociously lashing towards Dongfang Jie!
The three of them stood in a triangular formation, trapping Dongfang Jie in the middle. As soon as they made their move, they used their strongest attacks, all aiming to obliterate him in one hit!
If they didn't kill him, they wouldn't be able to alleviate their hatred!