Stuck in a Chinese novel

Chapter 48: Fear

"You three," Wei Jun said while pointing at Xia Lu, Quan Kui, and Xiao Heiling, "Step back. You're not doing anything today but watch." He ordered them before he turned to Quan Li and Zhan Yi, "You two, step forward."

Zhan Yi and Quan Li did just that. They knew that it was time for a lesson because they had made too many mistakes today on the set. Although the issue was resolved and it wasn't even leaked, they were scared of the movie set and that was hindering their progress.

"I heard you two manifested Qi. I'm impressed." But contrary to their expectation, instead of a scolding, praise left Wei Jun's mouth.

"Show me." Wei Jun said while Zhan Yi and Quan Li were both getting over his earlier praise.

"Pardon?" Zhan Yi asked.

"I said show me. Hit me. Land a strike on me." Wei Jun said. He took a step forward and got into striking range for both of them, putting him in the same position as well.

"But boss…" Zhan Yi began to argue but he was interrupted by Wei Jun, "I guess you both need a little incentive."

Before they could process those words, a punch landed in Zhan Yi's abdomen making him fall to his knees because of the intensity of the punch.

"Now, hit me." Wei Jun said while turning to Quan Li. "Because if you don't, I will hurt him."

Quan Li was taken aback and in shock at the turn of events. She opened her mouth to say something when Wei Jun kicked Zhan Yi with even more strength on his arm, flinging him across the room.

"If you don't hit me, he gets hurt. Isn't that how it happened? He got hurt because of you and he is now getting hurt because of you. Aren't you the reason behind all of this?" Wei Jun shot after shot, striking Quan Li's consciousness, rendering her frozen at her spot.

Wei Jun was about to say more when someone grappled him or at least attempted to grapple him since he didn't even flinch from his spot and stared down at his assailant. Zhan Yi was pushing him with all his might but Wei Jun wasn't even budging one bit.

"And you…" Wei Jun said while hitting Zhan Yi on the back that was presented to him, making him fall once again, "Why did you try to be a hero with just this?"

Wei Jun picked him up and threw him across the room while also running in his direction and just as he fell, Wei Jun picked him up and punched him in the face, uniting him with the ground once again.

"Or are you an idiot? Only an idiot would jump in front of a danger like that for no reason at all. OR did you have a reason? What was it?" Wei Jun picked him up once again and pushed him into the wall. Zhan Yi struggled but he couldn't even put up a proper struggle against Wei Jun.

"Was it a sense of heroism or idiocy? Do you know what I think? It was none. You're just a coward. Too afraid of everything. You held yourself back all your life and even when she was about to get hurt, you were too much of a coward to push through." Wei Jun punched him once more.

Wei Jun's senses tingled the next moment and he dodged a strike aimed at his head. The air around him whooshed when he saw the fist of his assailant pass through the place he was just at.

"Stop saying that!" Quan Li yelled and began to punch him again, aimlessly delivering a lot of punches.

"Why shouldn't I?" Wei Jun spoke while effortlessly dodging the hits, "It's true isn't it? You know it too deep down hence your anger."

Wei Jun delivered a punch to Quan Li, making her fall down too while clutching her stomach. "Then why did he do it? If not for cowardice, then what was it? Why would he do it when he didn't have the strength to do so?"

Wei Jun shot after shot without concern for their states. "Or is it you? You have spent all your life hiding like a rabbit, too afraid to stand up for yourself. You were afraid this time too, weren't you? That's why you needed someone to defend you."

Just as he finished, he sidestepped and planted his fist in the stomach of Zhan Yi who attacked him without any regard.

"Weak. Incredibly and utterly weak. You hold yourselves back just as you have done all your lives. And now, now that you have an opportunity to fight back, you are too weak. If not me, then it will be someone else. You will be hunted down if you don't have the strength to fight back.

That is what you should fear. Anyone jumping in and finishing your life while you can't even put up a fight. That is what you should be afraid of, not of an acid that at best leaves scars." Wei Jun lectured while both of them writhed in pain on the ground.

"As of right now, you're useless. You can do nothing but hold each other back and in doing so, hold everyone around you back. I have no need for useless people. Leave if you want to otherwise be here at dawn if you want to stop being useless." Wei Jun turned and left, leaving two people in pain and anguish while the other three were shocked and troubled.

Xia Lu left the gym while instructing Xiao Heiling and Quan Kui to check up on the injured and followed Wei Jun.

"Was that necessary?" She caught up with him and asked.

"It was." Wei Jun simply replied.

"There were many other ways." She argued.

"I used to be afraid of knives and blades." Wei Jun, instead of replying to her argument, replied with something else entirely, "You want to know what I did to remove that fear? I stabbed myself with a knife. I realized that I bled but I didn't die. Whatever doesn't kill you, is not something to fear." Wei Jun left a shocked Xia Lu and entered his room, slamming the door behind him.

======

[Quite savage of you, host]

'If you're gonna give me sh*t about it, then save it.'

[I am not]

[But you didn't tell her everything]

'What do you mean?'

[The knife wound wouldn't have killed you anyway]

'But the fact that I was scared of them still remains.'

'The only part I lied about was stabbing myself.'

[The who did?]

'My brother.'

[Quite savage of him then]

'Not quite. He is the reason I don't fear anything or anyone anymore.'

[He must have taught you well, then]

'Well, he practically raised me. He was the one who taught me to flirt or gave me my first R-rated film to watch. Of course, none of it interested me.'

[Do you think they would get over it?]

The system asked, moving on from Wei Jun's past.

'If they don't, then I will cut them loose. Like I said, I don't need weaklings who hold me back.' Wei Jun replied, his voice laced with mercilessness. Whatever it was, he was serious about it.

Wei Jun didn't eat that night and simply slept the night away. He woke up an hour before dawn and did his own exercise for an hour.

[Strength 19]

[Stamina 20]

[Agility 20]

For the mortal realm, his strength was the only stat still not at limit while he had no idea how to raise the rest of his stats yet. But he was sure that by tomorrow, Wei Jun would be the optimal mortal human by tomorrow.

Just as he was about to finish his exercise, the door to the gym opened and Xia Lu entered in her gym clothes, her hair tied in a ponytail. She halted to admire Wei Jun's shirtless body which seemed like it was carefully sculpted.

"You're early." Wei Jun said, snapping Xia Lu out of her daze. She coughed to hide her embarrassment and replied, "I couldn't sleep last night. I kept on thinking about what you said to Quan Li and Zhan Yi.

She came close to Wei Jun and said while staring him deep in his eyes, "The power to change one's destiny, I want it too."

Wei Jun chuckled as he replied, "That power is not for everyone. Only those who have the will to do it. I wonder," He dropped the equipment and turned to her while he stood up, "Do you have that willpower as well or not?"

Xia Lu didn't back off but instead, took a step forward, getting dangerously close to Wei Jun, "Do you think I don't?"

Wei Jun didn't reply but kept his eyes locked with hers. They both didn't say anything before he finally blinked and replied, "Who knows? I won't know until you're broken, would I?"

Wei Jun backed off just at the right moment when the door opened and Quan Li and Zhan Yi, along with the other couple emerged. Just as they did, a notification appeared in Wei Jun's view.

[You have changed the destiny of Quan Li]

[Her connection with Run Long has significantly weakened]

[You have leveled up by 4]

[You are now level 11]

[Stats limit has been increased by 20]

[You can now cultivate]

[Please manifest Qi to activate Qi stat]