Once again, his face was battered and bruised from falling on the bluestone road, the pain piercing to the bone, but David Clark kept trying, even as his mind grew more and more dizzy, nearly losing consciousness.

Chapter 002: Stand Up on Your Own

……

“Haha, you’re killing me, you really are—”

David Clark kept trying again and again, pushing himself up with both hands dozens of times, only to fall heavily each time. Once, he even hit his chin, spitting out a mouthful of hot blood on the spot, but he still persisted. Brian Harris watched with great interest, smirking as he observed.

Of course, he only saw this as a farce, so after a while, Brian Harris let out a cold laugh. “Can’t get up? Fine, I already gave you a chance, and you failed to seize it!”

With a sneer and a flash of malice in his eyes, Brian Harris suddenly stretched out his leg and kicked toward David Clark’s head. In that instant, flames surged, like a handful of blazing fire exploding with heat, about to engulf him—when, from a hundred meters away to the side, a sharp voice rang out, “Stop!”

Brian Harris abruptly halted, looking over in astonishment to see another fiery figure rapidly approaching through the heavy rain. In a flash, she covered twenty or thirty meters, and within a few breaths, she pierced through the curtain of rain and arrived. She was a stunning woman, about twenty-six or twenty-seven, dressed in a fiery red outfit that accentuated her alluring figure. Flames and mist swirled around her, turning the falling rain into steam.

“Emily Foster?” Only then did Brian Harris withdraw his foot, looking at the newcomer in surprise.

“Brian Harris, you’re really something now. To think you’re an inner disciple of my Piaoxue Peak, and yet you’re here trying to kill an ordinary person with no cultivation?” Emily Foster glanced at Brian Harris, then at the young man on the ground still mechanically pushing himself up, her beautiful eyes full of disdain.

“Oh, haven’t seen you in a while, and Senior Sister Foster’s temper is still as fiery as ever.” Brian Harris chuckled, his gaze full of amusement as he swept over Emily Foster’s curvaceous figure, then sneered, “Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to this kid? Your taste is a bit much!”

Emily Foster was instantly furious, glaring fiercely at Brian Harris before pointing at David Clark. “Who is he?”

Brian Harris just laughed, glancing at Emily Foster without answering, as if he couldn’t be bothered to explain. Emily Foster looked down at the boy still mechanically trying to get up, falling again and again, splashing rainwater everywhere, and couldn’t hide a trace of shock in her eyes.

With her sharp eyes, even in the pouring rain, she could see clearly that the boy below was covered in wounds, his body battered and torn, with countless bruises and swelling. One of his hands was horribly mangled, and his legs seemed to have no feeling at all.

Yet this blood-soaked boy, his breath weak to the point of exhaustion, still stubbornly tried to stand up. Again and again he tried, again and again he fell, until the puddle beneath him was stained crimson with his blood.

The blood was diluted by the rain pouring from the sky, but soon the red deepened again, only to be washed away once more—over and over in a cycle!

“Hey—” When Emily Foster, still shocked, called out to the boy, she found he seemed not to hear, only mechanically repeating the motion of getting up. Emily Foster turned to look at the stone steps, beckoning, and a figure quickly hurried over—it was the tall young man who had been guarding the main hall earlier.

“What’s going on?” Emily Foster demanded. The tall young man glanced at Brian Harris, hesitating to speak.

“Speak!” Emily Foster’s pretty brows furrowed, a flash of sharpness in her eyes. The young man shuddered and, stammering, explained the situation.

Even though he tried to cover up much, Emily Foster was still furious after hearing it. “Scum!!”

She shouted angrily at Brian Harris, then bent down to help the boy up, but as she tried, she found the boy was resisting her support.

“I want to stand up on my own.”

In the next moment, the boy whispered, nearly fainting but incomparably resolute, blood seeping from his clenched teeth. Though his brow, covered in blood and rain, was hard to see clearly, the determination revealed in the gaps between the rain was enough to move anyone to the core.

Emily Foster was stunned again, staring blankly at that face, darkened by wind and sun yet still handsome, her beautiful eyes shining with a strange light.

“Ha—I told you he was an idiot!” Only then did Brian Harris sneer, but in the midst of his ridicule, he was shocked to see David Clark actually, after pushing himself up once more, slowly and shakily arch his back and truly stand up.

The boy, swaying as he rose, looked calmly and deeply at Brian Harris, then grinned before collapsing with a thud.

This time, after falling, David Clark lost all consciousness.

Brian Harris was stunned, and Emily Foster fell silent as well, just staring blankly at the unconscious David Clark. Even the tall young man stood there in a daze, the silence unbroken.

“Damn it!” No one knew how long the silence lasted before Brian Harris finally narrowed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

Emily Foster shot a sharp glare at Brian Harris, then bent down, picked up the boy, and headed up the stone steps.

“Huh? Emily Foster, don’t tell me you really like him?” Brian Harris was finally taken aback.