Returning to the Mysterious Era

In the dense forest, a scarred, muscular leg wearing rotting boots stomped heavily into the mud.

Cassius darted through the forest, utterly exhausted. His expression was dazed as pain coursed through his body. He could hear his bones groaning under his muscles. With every step, his wounds burned as if they were being torn open. The pain was sharpest in his left arm which dangled uselessly from a scrap bit of flesh. Now, he looked just like his senior brother, Hykal.

Sometime during their recent tussle, a cloaked figure had clawed into his muscles. Perhaps pieces of it had fallen into a puddle, soaking until it disintegrated. Or perhaps those monsters had eaten them. Either way, Cassius didn't care; they had been extremely lucky to even break out of the encirclement. Unlike Li Wei, Cassius had fought his way out alive, and his numerous scars was a testament to his efforts.

"Let's run a bit further! Get far enough away so we can rest and recover some of our strength, then…" Cassius gritted his teeth. He soon realized something was wrong—he hadn't heard Lisa cough for a very long time.

He rushed over to a large tree and gently set Lisa down with one hand. His shoulder trembled as soon as he touched her back. He could see Lisa's closed eyes and pale face in the dim light. She looked more dead than alive.

Using his body to shield her from the rain, Cassius placed his fingers under her nose. Thankfully, Lisa was still breathing, albeit faintly.

He took a deep breath before looking at Lisa's back. Three claw marks ran down her back, skin was completely decimated. Even the blood from her wounds had turned pale. To make matters worse, her left side was severely wounded; he could see the white bone beneath the red muscle.

"Li… Li Wei…" someone croaked.

"Here, Teacher, I'm here!" Cassius fell down on one knee, breathing hard.

Lightning rent the misty sky. The rain and wind from the fierce storm pounded everything below, shrouding the land in a transparent haze. In that brief flash of light, Cassius saw Lisa's unnaturally pale face. Her dark eyes were piercing as she stared at him.

"Teacher, I'll take you back to Beiliu City to find a doctor now! If I go as fast as possible, I should still…"

"No, cough, cough, I… I know my injuries. You already know this: every pugilist has the ability to gauge the condition of their body. Don't do anything risky." In between her gasps for air, Lisa coughed. She was breathing laboriously, like an old bellows.

"..." Cassius was silent like he had turned into a statue. The rain continued pouring down, soaking his bare upper body.

"Don't… don't be sad for me. I already knew this day was going to come ten years ago; it's just arrived a bit early. I'm ready. Death doesn't scare me. I'm just sorry I won't be able to see you truly shine." Lisa smiled wryly, her expression pained.

"Remember, don't seek revenge on those monsters until you're strong enough to do so!" Her tone suddenly turned serious. "Cough, cough… Run as far as you can! Leave Beiliu County! Do not… I repeat, do not, under any circumstances, go back to the Wind Elephant Sect! Not even any of its branches! Just get out of here, and heal those injuries first."

Cassius nodded silently, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Cough, cough, cough…" Lisa had another terrifying coughing fit, blood spewing from her mouth. She took two deep breaths and spoke again, her voice as dry and hoarse as scorched wood. "And... and! Live on for me. For our lineage; for the Wind Elephant Sect! And do not lose the pocket watch I gave you…"

Lisa's breathing slowed, like a person who had drowned. With a final burst of energy, she clutched Cassius's right hand in a death grip. Then, her hand went limp.

"Teacher? Teacher… Teacher! Teacher!" Cassius's eyes widened. It felt like there was a void in his chest where his heart used to be. Like he had freezed something precious and beautiful, before a storm had shattered it.

Dark clouds swallowed up the remaining light, and the raucous rain blocked out all sounds. Cassius looked coldly in the direction he had come from. A silent scream erupted from the depths of his heart.

Wait for me, you monsters! I will get my revenge!!

He took a deep breath, swallowing and burying all his hatred deep inside, then reached out with trembling fingers. Just then…

"Huh?" His eyes widened. Without a word, he picked Lisa up and he sprinted, like he never ran before, toward Beiliu City.

Three months later, at the Blue Woods Sanatorium in East Sea County, the sun shone brightly after a night of heavy rainfall. The sky looked clear, as if it had been scrubbed clean, with only a few cloudy wisps drifting lazily in the breeze.

The Blue Woods Sanatorium was quite high-class, with large gray stone tiles forming a grid on the ground. Large flower beds, filled with vibrant flowers with small insects clustered around them, stretched out on the sides of the path. Tall, sturdy ornamental trees blocked the sunlight, casting wide shady patches. Beside the shade, a white stone hexagonal fountain continuously spouted clear water, a few butterflies occasionally fluttering about.

A tall one-armed young man slowly pushed a wheelchair where a white-haired woman down the path by the fountain. She had a scar on her relatively youthful face and looked as though she had just recovered from a serious illness.

A little kid holding a pinwheel trotted by. "Hello, Mr. Cassius."

"Hello, Martin. Here's a piece of candy for you." The man took a red candy from his pocket with his one arm and handed it to the child.

"Thank you." The child happily skipped away.

"You've changed a lot, Li Wei." The woman smiled despite her wan face. Li Wei had once been a reticient student, but he had become more outgoing as of late. Perhaps losing an arm had been the catalyst.

"People change all the time, Teacher." Cassius took another piece of candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. It tasted sweet. Not bad.

Three months ago, on that rainy night, everyone in the Wind Elephant Sect had been wiped out. All except Cassius and Lisa.

That's right, Lisa didn't die! At the time, Lisa had been certain she was as good as dead, and Cassius likewise believed that she had been too severely injured. But to everyone's surprise, she had clung on!

Cassius had sprinted to the Beiliu City hospital at breakneck speed, nearly collapsing when he arrived. The doctors did everything in their power during surgery, and had been close to declaring it a failure, but perhaps fate had given Lisa another chance. Although she was in a coma for three days, she had survived!

Three days later, when teacher and student met, Lisa was a bit bewildered. She had uttered her final words, and yet here she was. Still alive.

Afterward, she went through nearly a month of treatment. During that time, the cloaked figures never showed up, seemingly having forgotten about Cassius and Lisa. However, Lisa still worried so, two months ago, she choked down the pain and came to East Sea County with Cassius.

Cassius used his real name "Cassius" to admit Lisa to the sanatorium, and they spent two extremely peaceful months there. Lisa sat in her wheelchair by the fountain, scooping up some cool water with her hand. Cassius stood beside her like a tree.

Out of the blue, he blurted out, "Teacher, I'm going to start practicing Covert Martial Arts again tomorrow."

"Good!" Lisa nodded emphatically. "But promise me that you won't investigate those monsters for at least five years."

"Of course."

Cassius squinted. He wouldn't do anything during this time-travel this time around. He'd suppress his hatred for now. When it comes time to activate the third time-travel node, that would be the time for him to take revenge.

He hoped the double enhancement from the Shadow Demon wouldn't disappoint him. What was going to happen if his mastery of the Wind Elephant Fist in its second stage doubled?

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