"The Bai family has only been a family of swordmaster awakeners for generations, and I strongly feel that you will be like us, Tingfeng. You must learn our family’s swordsmanship as early as possible. Wooden swords are the only toys you can play with. Do you understand that?" A thick, unfeeling voice rang inside Bai Tingfeng’s head, and a sense of panic started to bloom in his heart.
He wanted the voice— the mories to stop from stirring his emotions. However, the storm in his consciousness continued to brew. As the sky over him turned darker and the wind blew harder, the unforgiving voice from his deeply repressed mories echoed continuously.
"Don’t stop swinging until you reach 100 swings. You’re already seven years old, so you should be able to do that much!"
And things started to get intense.
"Twack!" The whistling of bamboo sticks, followed by its impact on the flesh, sounded. "Don’t slack off with your stance! That’s the fundantal aspect of swordsmanship, TIngfeng!"
"Grandfather, can I rest for a minute? Please. My leg is already tired."
"No, you’ve already awakened, and your body has beco stronger and tougher. If you don’t increase your training intensity, your growth will stunt!"
"Awakening at nine years old is a blessing, Tingfeng. You’ll beco the strongest swordmaster in the Bai family. Just focus on training."
"The Baihu’s power inside you is strong! Ta it!"
As the voices got louder and seconds slowly trickled like water, Bai Tingfeng couldn’t stop himself from hyperventilating.
How long is one minute? The spiritual pill’s effect should have worn off any ti by now! He doesn’t want to rember his dark past! Primarily, that one traumatic mory of his first mindless kill!
If there’s so way to accelarate ti, Bai Tingfeng would do anything to do just that. But chances are not kind to him this ti.
A minute felt like forever. And this ti, the voices not only got louder. The speaker revealed himself—his paternal grandfather.
Bai Tingfeng looked around and realized that, magically, he returned to being the small, hapless, and terrified ten-year-old whose entire body was drenched with blood.
He was back to the ti when he first went berserk due to the blood curse.
"You don’t need to feel so sorry for killing your father’s fla-stripped tiger. He’s a tad beast ant to aid in battles and dungeon diving. Many of them die in the dungeon. Don’t feel bad about the death of a beast. The Baihu blesses us. We rule among the beasts and protect the world from anything from dungeons. Sacrifices happen."
Recalling that exact cold-blooded words made Bai Tingfeng’s chest feel tight. It’s like he got stuck in a continuously shrinking box.
He needs to get out of here. This needs to stop!
"Yuan!" Bai Tingfeng crouched, holding his head.
Baihu’s fragnt, the white tiger, looks at him with majestic golden eyes.
"You’re weak."
It doesn’t speak, but Bai Tingfeng can hear those words from its gaze.
Bai Tingfeng wanted to reach out to the white tiger, but for so mysterious reason, his arms felt heavy, and he couldn’t move it, not even an inch. That helplessness he’s feeling is enough to trigger a horrible sense of panic inside him.
"Tingfeng!" A stinging and numbing pain assaulted both his cheeks.
Bai Tingfeng’s face felt sore, but for him, this was a much-needed slap heaven sent to save him.
"Yuan," His clouded mind finally cleared up, and his vision opened. The first face he sees after returning from his consciousness is the gorgeous face of his husband— oh, and both his hands, too.
"What happened to you, Tingfeng? You’re suddenly groaning like you’re in pain or having so nightmarish wetdreams. Are you okay?" Shen Yuan asked, concerned.
"I-I’m okay," Bai Tingfeng swallowed his saliva. His throat feels parched. He wanted to take a few gulps of water.
Thankfully, Shen Yuan is a good observer. He imdiately leaned over to free Bai Tingfeng from the handcuffs and quickly stood up to get a water bottle.
"Slowly drink the water," Shen Yuan reminded, handing the unopened water bottle to Bai Tingfeng.
The celestial fox spirit sat beside the man, looking worried as he watched the bottle get empty.
Bai Tingfeng drank like he had never co in contact with water or anything close to it for years.
Sothing serious happened. Shen Yuan decided that fast. It was apparent from how Bai Tingfeng acted.
Shen Yuan will be sure to be of so help this ti.
"So, what’s up?" The celestial fox spirit asked.
Bai Tingfeng took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Should he tell Shen Yuan about it?
He’s been human for almost three decades already. He doesn’t want to appear before his beloved as a pathetic man who is tornted by dark childhood experiences.
For once, his pride as an alpha man who provides for their family magnified itself, stopping him from uttering a single word.
Bai Tingfeng’s lungs felt like hundreds of needles prick them. He doesn’t want to talk, but for so reason, his heart finds a way to make him confess.
"I-I honestly can’t explain what happened, but I think connecting with the Baihu’s fragnt calls for a more personal touch," Bai Tingfeng said with more difficulty.
The celestial fox spirit blinked twice.
Okay, that is vague but that sounds really serious. Guess there will be no sexy ti tonight.
"I’m all ears," Shen Yuan said to Bai Tingfeng, scooting closer to Bai Tingfeng.
The big man moved closer to Shen Yuan and leaned his head against those slender shoulders. He sighed heavily.
The hand-picked details about the curious happening flowed from Bai Tingfeng’s lips, and Shen Yuan listened intently, his heart and mind wide open.
"It was weird that the Baihu’s fragnt didn’t attack back there. It’s just watching writhe in discomfort. It may not be capable of talking directly to , but it knows how to communicate with . It must have ant sothing when it showed that unsavory mory of mine," Bai Tingfeng said.
Shen Yuan fell into deep thought.
"I think you were right," he said after so ti.
"But Bai Tingfeng," Shen Yuan said seriously. "What about the vision it showed you? That traumatized you. Do you want to share it with ?"
Bai Tingfeng looked at Shen Yuan, slightly uncomfortable.
"You know, it’s cool if you don’t tell about it because you’re uncomfortable going into details, but I happened to hear that emotional burdens beco lighter once you talk about it," The celestial fox spirit said as casually as he could.
He did his best not to sound too pushy for Bai Tingfeng.
Humans are such mysterious creatures. They work twice as hard as ants before a deluge when told they can cut so slack.
Tell them they can keep their secret and they will be happy to share it with you.
Reverse psychology at its finest.
Shen Yuan didn’t an to reverse psych Bai Tingfeng, but he already spoke his heart out.
It has to be said that Bai Tingfeng’s walls are practically useless against Shen Yuan. He loves the prick of a celestial fox spirit.
"I-I don’t have an entirely enjoyable childhood, you see. While my parents are as caring and loving as always, soone higher controls the family. My grandfather. At that ti, he was the head of the Bai family, so his words were the law that went around the guild and the ho. And he—" Bai Tingfeng gulped a mouthful of saliva.
For a big man like Bai Tingfeng to be this nervous, it is easy to assu that things are horrible with this grandpa he’s talking about.
Shen Yuan soundlessly expressed his understanding by giving a light squeeze on Bai Tingfeng’s hand.
"Subject to so early education and training."
Shen Yuan gently nodded his head. He heard so details about it when Bai Tingfeng spoke with his parents back in the hot springs.
At that ti, Shen Yuan decided to wait for Bai Tingfeng to tell this matter himself. But he knows that this early education and training must be brutal.
And listening to Bai Tingfeng go on about the dark side of his childhood, Shen Yuan could say he’s partially correct. Bai Tingfeng’s early education and training is a mix of yin and yang.
Bai Tingfeng started doing basic physical training when he was just seven years old. Sprint, jogging, and swimming are his kind of play. Well, these activities could be considered as a replacent for the typical outdoor gas that children do.
It doesn’t sound so bad— only if the physical training didn’t happen every day after second-grade classes.
Eight years old, Bai Tingfeng started learning different martial arts for self-defense. This is a good idea since it is an obvious fact that young masters like him are under constant threat of kidnappings. It’s good that he knows sothing he could use to protect himself.
It was fun, Bai Tingfeng admitted. However, Shen Yuan thinks it would be more enjoyable if Bai Tingfeng’s fellow trainees were not sweaty and stinky twenty-plus-year-old alphas who are gunning to be part of the Bai family’s forces.
The early years of Bai Tingfeng’s training helped shape him into the strong adult he is right now. However, it is undeniable that it would be great if this brilliant Grandpa Bai made it more child-friendly.
If he did, then it is quite possible that the incident that terrorized Bai Tingfeng wouldn’t happen in the first place.
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