Back to Lying Down
1312 Words
A slender, frail-looking youth stood there, single-handedly holding aloft a nearly two-meter-tall, burly brute. His expression was blank, his thin lips slightly pressed together, his gaze icy.
Everyone wore expressions as if they were witnessing something divine—this world is too terrifying!
Is this the comeback of a weak, sickly, pretty youth?
A cold gust of wind blew past.
It chilled everyone’s faces, jolting them awake.
Ahead, Chu Ran stood holding Wang Mang aloft with one hand, his robes billowing, his long sleeves fluttering.
He raised his eyes, looking forward.
His eyes were dark and profound, like stars scattered across the sky.
Yet also like unfathomable whirlpools—one careless glance, and you might be swept in, unable to break free.
But this was only the beginning.
What followed was like a scene from a fantasy blockbuster.
Cool, spectacular, stunning.
Dazzling to the eyes.
Chu Ran… his expression suddenly hardened, his gaze cold as tempered ice. The hand holding Wang Mang high swung forward with tremendous force.
That pale, slender arm was astonishingly powerful.
And so—
Wang Mang, the nearly two-meter-tall, burly brute, was hurled through the air like a discus.
Effortlessly…
“…” The crowd.
The onlookers’ expressions were like this: Σ(°△°|||)︴
Mommy!
Scared me to death!
*****************************
Before the Jade Purity Hall.
Immortal Yueci’s eyes widened as he stared at the Mirror of Heaven and Earth, his lips slightly parted, his face stunned.
The disciples behind him also stared at the mirror, horrified, their hands loosening on their swords.
With a clatter, swords fell to the ground in unison.
Only Immortal Changhe remained calm, his expression cold, his gaze clear and sharp, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the mirror, his handsome face impassive.
Excellent—neither stunned speechless nor dropping his weapon.
—If one ignored the teacup he had crushed in his hand, he was indeed the only normal person present…
It showed just how many people were terrified by Chu Ran’s act—a frail, delicate, pretty youth hurling a brute with his bare hands.
If lifting a brute with one hand was shocking, then hurling him through the air was downright fantastical.
The shocks came one after another. Next—
Wang Mang was flung a full ten meters away.
Poor Wang Mang felt the world spin before his eyes, then whoosh—he was thrown.
First, he performed a horizontal, linear acceleration.
The wind howled in his ears, so strong he couldn’t open his eyes. When he finally managed to open them, before he could even see clearly—he plummeted from high altitude!
His entire body rapidly descended vertically!
Then came a loud “Boom!”
Hearing it, everyone’s hearts jumped. Damn!
Falling from such a height—even someone with tough skin and thick flesh would cough up blood!
“Pfft—”
Wang Mang, who had crashed to the ground like a pile of mud, immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
He felt excruciating pain in his organs, as if they had been twisted and crushed. Lying on the ground, he felt numb all over, unable to even move a finger.
Wang Mang had been caught completely off guard—lifted with one hand, hurled through the air, and then smacked down from high altitude.
As a result, when he hit the ground, everything went black for a moment.
He almost thought he was going to die.
But after all, he was a body refinement practitioner—his physical resilience far exceeded that of ordinary people. If it had been someone else, like a fragile spellcaster or a low-health witch practitioner…
That fall would have taken half his life.
Wang Mang just lay there with his eyes closed for a while.
Internally, he quietly circulated his cultivation technique, guiding spiritual energy through his meridians for one complete cycle.
His body emitted faint spiritual light, his injuries gradually healing, his originally pale complexion turning rosy, his vitality returning.
Seeing this, everyone thought inwardly, As expected of a body refinement practitioner!
Their recovery ability trumps everyone else’s.
Chu Ran stood to the side, expressionless, watching coldly.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn,
Wang Mang’s complexion had fully recovered. His fierce face was now ruddy and glowing, his breathing steady, his muscles bulging, brimming with renewed vitality and vigor.
Everyone thought, Tsk, recovered already? He got off easy!
Wang Mang, mostly healed, opened his eyes.
Feeling humiliated, Wang Mang didn’t dare look around, especially not at the tall, thin man. He hung his head, his face ashamed as he struggled to get up from the ground.
However—
Just as he stood up, Chu Ran, who had been standing quietly to the side, moved.
No one expected…
Chu Ran, who had been standing far away with an impassive face, robes billowing, sleeves fluttering, quietly playing the part of a cold, handsome youth—
Shot forward with speed rivaling that of a wind-element cultivator.
Everyone felt a gust of wind and caught only a blurry afterimage.
Almost within a second, Chu Ran vanished from his spot and reappeared right in front of Wang Mang.
Wang Mang, who had just gotten up, wore a shocked expression as he stared at the suddenly appearing Chu Ran.
Poor guy—his face, which had just regained its rosy color, instantly turned pale again.
Wang Mang stared at Chu Ran with a hint of fear in his eyes, his voice trembling. “You… what do you want to do!”
His gaze held a trace of terror he himself hadn’t even noticed.
Chu Ran stared at him expressionlessly, his gaze icy.
Suddenly, he curved his lips again, revealing a stunningly beautiful smile.
But in Wang Mang’s eyes, this smile was no different from a demon’s…
“I said I’d return your punch. I never go back on my word,” Chu Ran said, his voice cold and ruthless.
Hearing this, Wang Mang’s pupils dilated.
Then, Chu Ran’s hand hanging at his side suddenly clenched into a fist. Before Wang Mang’s fearful eyes, with lightning speed, it smashed squarely into his face.
Thud—
The sound of fist meeting flesh.
It made everyone’s hearts race.
And so—
Wang Mang’s face was punched to the side, a streak of bright red blood flying from his mouth, spraying into the air.
At a visible rate, his face quickly swelled up.
With a heavy thud, he collapsed to the side again.
He had just stood up, only to be knocked back down…
All that healing earlier was for nothing.
No wonder people say Chu Ran is so wicked—
He specifically waited for this moment to strike…
Waited for Wang Mang, after a severe injury, to barely recover half his health and struggle to his feet.
Then, with one punch, sent him back to square one, lying flat again.
*********************************************************
Chu Ran stood there expressionless, his features elegant yet cold.
His dark quju robes billowed in the wind, rustling loudly.
He looked down at Wang Mang, who was once again sprawled on the ground, and said in a faint tone, “One punch.”
Then, he lowered his eyes.
His dark, raven-feather-like eyelashes cast shadows, hiding the look in his eyes.
Flecks of golden sunlight fell from above, sprinkling over his pale face as if gilding it.
One punch—it really was just one punch!
The surrounding crowd wore dazed expressions.
It felt like a dream…
Only then did everyone suddenly realize—this youth hadn’t even thrown a punch until now…
For a moment, everyone was speechless. It was just one punch.
A single fist, easily swung—a matter of mere breaths.
How did it feel as long as several years when it came to this youth…
Is it just me, or did I have some strange illusion?
- Writer
