And yet, he couldn't bring himself to land the blow.
An image from over a hundred years ago surfaced in his mind, unbidden.
Back then, he was still a spirited, middle-aged Elder of the Sect.
A little Daoist boy, only seven or eight years old with his hair in a topknot, adorable as if carved from jade, trailed behind him, calling him "Master" in a childish voice.
'Master, how do you read this character?'
'Master, I memorized another scripture today! My master praised me!'
...
The hand, raised high, finally, slowly, lowered.
Xu Zhouzi looked at the ashen-faced man on the ground. Within his domineering and majestic eyes, a trace of indescribable exhaustion and loneliness suddenly appeared.
'Forget it. In his state, he doesn't have long to live anyway...'
In the end, his heart had softened.
"Get out."
He slowly turned away, leaving only a tall, lonely silhouette behind him.
"From this day forward, you are no longer part of the Cangyun Sect!"
