NOVEL WEB Chapter 24: chapter 24
Fang Yuan forces a smile, his voice barely a whisper, "Thank you for your kind words." But as soon as the words leave his lips, the air around him shifts. The crowd's attention locks onto him like vultures circling prey. The whispers begin again, louder, sharper, cutting through the silence like jagged blades. "Fang Zheng has A-Grade talent… his brother must be just as good." "They're twins, after all." The words drip with envy, but beneath the surface, something darker festers—something venomous.
Their jealousy toward Fang Zheng twists and coils, morphing into something far more sinister as it lands on Fang Yuan. Fang Zheng is untouchable now, a blazing star they can only admire from a distance. But Fang Yuan? He's still within reach, still vulnerable. Their whispers grow harsher, more cutting, their curses veiled but unmistakable. "If Fang Yuan is also talented, then the heavens are blind and unfair." "He'll fail. He has to. They both can't have that much luck at the same time." The words slither into Fang Yuan's ears, poisoning his thoughts, feeding the doubt that gnaws at his heart like a ravenous beast. He can feel it—their jealousy crystallizing into silent curses aimed squarely at him. They don't want him to succeed. They want him to fail, to fall. His failure would be their comfort, their twisted solace.
Gu Xianer's eyes narrow, her gaze sharp as a blade as it sweeps over the crowd. She hears their whispers, their curses, and her fists clench at her sides, knuckles whitening. Her chest rises and falls with quick, angry breaths as she steps forward, ready to unleash her fury in his defense. But before she can act, the elder's voice booms through the cavern, cutting through the tension like a thunderclap. "Gu Yue Fang Yuan!"
Gu Xianer spins around, her face lighting up with fierce excitement. She grabs Fang Yuan's arm, her grip tight, her voice trembling with emotion. "Brother, it's your turn! You'll do better than anyone. Show them what you're made of!" Her eyes dart back to the crowd, her gaze like molten fire, silencing their curses with a single, scorching look. But Fang Yuan can still feel it—their hatred, their envy, their desperate hope for his failure. It hangs in the air like a storm cloud, heavy and suffocating, pressing down on his shoulders.
Fang Yuan takes a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he steps forward. His steps are steady, his posture confident, but his body betrays him, trembling under the weight of expectation. He looks around, his eyes scanning the faces of the clan elders. They watch him with heavy, expectant gazes, as if they're waiting for something extraordinary—or for him to crumble. Then his eyes find Gu Xianer. She's cheering for him, her eyes shining with excitement and unshakable belief. Her faith in him is a lifeline, but it's also a burden, a reminder of what's at stake. He looks at Fang Zheng next. His brother's gaze is gentle, his smile soft, but it makes Fang Yuan's skin crawl. There's something unsettling in that smile, something that feels less like encouragement and more like a silent challenge.
Finally, his eyes land on the crowd of teenagers. Their faces wear masks of fake smiles, but their eyes tell the truth. They hate him. They want him to fail. They're jealous of Fang Zheng's talent, and now they hope to see Fang Yuan fall, just to feel better about their own mediocrity.
But Fang Yuan doesn't back down. He can't. Fang Zheng, his triplet, has awakened an A-grade talent, and Fang Yuan knows—he feels—that the same power courses through his veins. He's been given a second chance, a chance to rewrite his destiny. He believes he's the hero of this story, and he won't let anyone take that from him.
Yet, Fang Yuan doesn't feel demotivated. Instead, the hope in his heart burns brighter than the sun. Before, he was plagued by doubt, often nervous and unsure. But when he sees Fang Zheng take 43 steps and awaken an A-grade talent, with all the clan elders clamoring to take him under their wing, it fills Fang Yuan with a surge of hope. Fang Zheng is his triplet, and if his brother has such high talent, Fang Yuan believes he should at least have a B-grade talent, if not more. After all, they look exactly the same, and he feels destined for greatness. He even thinks of himself as the protagonist, having died and reincarnated into this world. Surely, his talent will be something extraordinary, something so shocking it will leave everyone in awe. As he stands before the river of flowers, he can already see their bright future unfolding before him.
With confidence burning in his chest, he takes his first step into the river of flowers. But before his foot can touch the water again, something shifts inside him. For a split second, control slips away—Demonic Fang Yuan takes over. It happens so fast that Fang Yuan doesn't even notice.
Then, a voice rises from the deepest part of his heart, cold and cruel, echoing in his mind:
"You'll fail again. No matter how hard you try, you'll lose everything. Again."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut. Memories flood his mind—his past failures, the pain of losing everything, the crushing weight of despair. But Fang Yuan doesn't give in. Not this time. A fire ignites inside him, fierce and unyielding, and he shouts back at the voice, his defiance roaring louder than the doubt:
"No! I won't fail! I can't fail! Not this time. I won't lose my dreams, my family, my hope. I won't let my loved ones suffer again!"
His voice drowns out the darkness, and with that, he takes his second step. But again, for just a moment, control slips. Demonic Fang Yuan stirs, but it's so quick that Fang Yuan doesn't feel it.
Then, his vision changes.
He sees her—his wife. Her eyes meet his, and in them, he finds a love so pure, so untainted, that it feels like the very essence of life itself. Her gaze is a sanctuary, a place where his soul feels whole, where the chaos of the world fades into nothingness. He thinks, in that moment, that he could die just to see that gaze again, to bask in the warmth of her affection for eternity. Her smile is radiant, a beacon of light that melts every sorrow, every burden he carries within him. It is a smile that makes him believe in goodness, in the possibility of peace. To protect that smile, he would start a war against the whole world. To preserve it, he would tear down the heavens and shatter the earth. Just being with her, just looking at her, makes him feel like the luckiest man to ever exist. In her presence, he is not a warrior, not a man burdened by duty or guilt—he is simply hers, and that is enough.
But then, the scene shifts. The warmth of her love is ripped away, replaced by a cold so biting it feels like the void itself has swallowed him whole. Her face, once so full of life and light, is now frozen in a mask of horror. Her eyes, once filled with love, are wide with terror, staring into nothingness. Her mouth is open in a silent scream, a scream that echoes in his mind even though no sound escapes her lips. Blood trickles down her temple, a cruel contrast to the beauty that once defined her. Her body, once so vibrant and alive, lies limp and broken, as if discarded like trash by a world that never cared for her. Her loving gaze, her radiant smile, her vibrant presence—all of it is gone, replaced by the horrifying image of her lifeless body. He can still see the terror on her face, the agony etched into her features as if she had been brutalized violently before death. The thought of her suffering, of her final moments filled with fear and pain, is unbearable. It claws at him, a relentless reminder of his failure, his helplessness.