0005.

"Wu Zhi? What is the meaning of all this?" a small group of old men in lavish robes, chained, brought in front of the renowned Moon Dew Restaurant, in front of Patriarch Wu Zhi. 

They recognized Wu Zhi, now old, looking gaunt and weary. Wu Zhi stood before them, his gaze steady despite the years that had passed since they last met.

"The meaning? Are you all asking for meaning? Have you all forgotten already?" His voice trembled with rage as he realized that these people didn't even consider him worthy of attention for his revenge. 

The fact that his value was so low, that he wasn't even worth acknowledging, was the pinnacle of humiliation he had never imagined.

Seeing the old domineering temperament of Wu Zhi returning, which they all thought was gone with the exile of his son Wu Yan, made them realize how wrong they were about sparing a father whose son had been exiled.

"What do you want?" Despite being dragged with chains like common criminals, the arrogance of these old men remained intact. They sneered at Wu Zhi, their expressions dripping with contempt. 

Wu Zhi's gaze hardened, his fists clenched in frustration. "What do I want?" he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "I want justice. I want retribution for the years of suffering me and my family suffered because of all of you."

The old men exchanged uneasy glances, realizing the gravity of the situation they were in. But their pride refused to yield to fear, and they scoffed at Wu Zhi's words.

"You think you can threaten us, old ghost?" one of them spat. "You're nothing but a fugitive of the Holy Serpent Sect. What power do you think you hold over us? wait till Holy Serpent Sect gets the scent of you."

Wu Zhi's eyes blazed with fury at the accusation of being labeled a fugitive. "Fugitive? I lived under your very noses, unchanged in appearance or name, yet you failed to see me. The Holy Serpent Sect itself failed to capture me, despite my closeness to the current Mayor, serving as his confidant. Did any of you ever uncover my presence? None of you! You saw nothing, and now the time is ripe for my revenge. My son has returned, He is up there to confront that swindler Su Jin and take the wealth he swindled from you, on my behalf."

Wu Zhi smiled. "After the invasion, I would have enough wealth to persuade the Holy Serpent Sect to call off their pursuit of mine and my family. I can return to my beloved wife, my son will marry all your daughters and Clan Wu will return to its glory." 

Seeing the ambition in Wu Zhi's eyes they realized they were facing a man who had nothing left to lose, only to gain, a man fueled by years of resentment and a thirst for revenge.

With a flick of his wrist, Wu Zhi signaled to his goons, who moved forward to deliver pain upon these men.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Loud ear-splitting crackshots echoed from the top of the Moon Dew Restaurant followed by the loud terror-filled scream of Yi Qing.

Wu Zhi's parental instincts kicked in, his heart racing with panic for the safety of his son as he dashed inside, racing up the stairs two or three steps at a time. 

However, before he could reach the top floor, he stumbled upon a gruesome sight: two bloodied corpses belonging to members of the Shadow Wolf Gang, each bearing a large, fatal wound to the chest.

A terror-filled image flashed in front of his eyes imagining the same gruesome end of his son too. He quickly disregarded those bodies and climbed up reaching the top floor by stepping on them. He does not care about anything else at all now. 

However, his old beating heart found hope seeing his son alive on the floor beside Yi Qing. he ignored everything as he frantically came closer to check upon his son. "Son? Are you alright?"

Wu Yan, his emotions in turmoil, fear for his life, his mother's revelation, and his father's secret related to his mother was not sure how to react to any of it. "I am...alive," he rasps in response, shrinking back. 

His gaze darts around the room, resting momentarily on his mother's intimate posture with Su Jin. Quickly looking away, shame and resentment burn within him.

Wu Zhi, not understanding what suddenly happened while he was waiting for his son below the restaurant, looked up and met the emotionless red glowy eyes looking back at him. A shiver ran down his spine as if he saw death itself.

In his fear, he stumbled backward dragging his son along with him instinctively when his hands stepped on warm liquid. Blood, blood, and bodies everywhere, every member of the Shadow Wolf Gang who came with his son to the top floor is now lying dead around them, bloodied and disfigured.

Did we provoke someone who we failed to recognize? But only that swindler Su Jin was here as he looked up. Fear and terror were replaced by shock and confusion. "Little Mei?" He called out his wife affectionately when he saw her. Wu Zhi did not instantly register the state his wife was in, in the embrace of another man.

Hearing his father's old affectionate call for his mother confused Wu Yan as he looked up. He could see the same confusion and rage of seeing your woman in another man's embrace, it betrayed the shameful fact which his mother delivered. More confusion and more resentment clouded his mind.

"Why?" Wu Yan pondered, watching his life replay before his eyes like a tragic film. He struggled to pinpoint the moment when everything began to spiral downward into the depths of hell. 

All he could recall was a peculiar encounter that secured him as a genius, but soon after, his world began to crumble. Now, he couldn't even remember what or how.

His mother, however, seemed completely oblivious to his dad's anger. It was like he wasn't even there.

"WU MEI!!!" his dad roared, unable to handle the sight of his mother's revealing clothes and the way she was staring at another man, Su Jin, with desire in her eyes. Su Jin was holding her close, their bodies in each other's embrace.

Seeing his dad so angry because of his mom gave Wu Yan a spark of clarity in his jumbled thoughts. Maybe his mother wasn't being honest. Maybe she wasn't in her right mind. Maybe it was all Su Jin's fault! He glared at Su Jin, who just smirked back at him, his hand creeping closer to his mom's chest.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" He stood up with all his might as he lunged, ignoring the dark figure standing guard, he lunged with ferocity, his hands contorted like claws, fueled by a primal urge to tear apart the individual who dared to take advantage of his mother.

_______________

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Loud crackshots echoed in the dark eerie silence of Serene Jade City as Commander Fang and Mayor Yi turned back to look at the source of this new commotion.

"What was that?" Mayor Yi, easily spooked, asked Commander Fang.

"I have no clue," Commander Fang replied emotionlessly, his senses on high alert. "The Shadow Wolf Gang must be wreaking havoc within the city walls."

"We should help, can we not?" Mayor Yi pleaded.

"I cannot spare a single one Mayor Yi, and we should not concern ourselves with the selfishness and greed of others now, protecting the city is what we should worry about."

"But, nothing has started yet and we do not see anything far yet, can't we quickly sweep and secure the situation before it backfires on us when we are actually fighting?" Mayor Yi's words sounded logical and convincing.

Commander Fang considered Mayor Yi's words for a moment, weighing the risks and potential benefits of diverting attention to investigate the source of this sudden unusual loud noise. With a decisive nod, Commander Fang turned to his soldiers. 

"Prepare a small team to investigate the source of this loud noise," he ordered. "I will lead." He looked at Mayor Yi with assurance that he could join in too.

Four soldiers came forward in order. "We need this to be quick, follow the source of the loud noise." They all nodded. "And give the mayor a set of armor too."

A few moments later six silver armor was darting towards the source, the Moon Dew Restaurant. Sweeping through streets as their vision was clear and bright because of this new armor when they reached the Mood Dew Restaurant.

They noticed almost every leader generation of the Serene Jade City Clans in chains, on their knees surrounded by shady-looking thugs.

"They do not look like Bandits but local thugs of our city." Commented one of the Soldiers.

"No time to waste, we will figure this out later but first save them." Commander Fang barked, urgency driving his words. He wanted this farce to end as fast as possible.

Hearing the no hesitation in their commander's voice, swords drawn, they darted towards the thugs with lightning reflexes. The bulky metallic armor posed no resistance at all, giving them a full boost of confidence in their actions.

Their armor provided excellent protection, but it was not suited for stealth. As the thugs spotted multiple silver silhouettes rushing towards them with killing intent even in this moonless night, they braced themselves for a bloody clash.