"In a certain world, in Wutan City, there was a child named Xiao Yan."
"At such a young age, he displayed astonishing talent."
"Among his peers, he was the one most looked upon with expectation, and also one of the few geniuses in the Xiao family."
...
As Su Mu told his story, he happened to glance and see Sasuke sit down at a table.
From the moment he first heard this story, Sasuke was deeply captivated.
A genius young boy within his clan—these words resonated deeply with Sasuke.
"You must understand, the Soul Clan's Soul Heavenly Emperor wanted to collect ancient jade to refine an Emperor Pill and advance to become a Dou Di."
"If allowed to continue, the result would be the annihilation of the eight ancient clans, and the common people of the Dou Qi Continent would suffer immense hardship."
"Our story's protagonist, Xiao Yan, starting from the pact with Nalan Yanran, was gradually pushed to a position where he would change the entire outcome."
"If I had to say the most exciting part of Battle Through the Heavens, it would undoubtedly be Xiao Yan's three ascents to the Cloud Mist Sect."
"Just how exciting it was, allow me to narrate it slowly."
Su Mu waved his folding fan, and a wash of smoke and ink gradually materialized before everyone's eyes.
Within the swirling smoke, interconnected towns and cities appeared before their gazes.
A young, unpolished boy was seen diligently practicing in an open space in the family's backyard.
Seeing this scene with his own eyes, Sasuke felt as if he had returned to his childhood.
He remembered how he used to train ninjutsu every night, desperately trying to catch up to Itachi.
Initially, his progress was not ideal, even his Great Fireball Technique was a miniature version.
Su Mu continued, "Geniuses don't need anyone's help. Even for things they haven't learned, they can pick them up on their own."
"In any aspect, they are always one step ahead of others."
"However, Xiao Yan's success wasn't due to a genius's spiritual roots."
"Yao Lao was a soul within his ring."
"Xiao Yan's strength did not improve for a long time. Those his age had already surpassed him, while he remained stagnant."
"Once a person is adorned with a halo, if it loses its radiance, they become merely a decoration."
"Then, ridicule and insults followed, and with them, provocations and the disdain of his own clansmen."
Su Mu sighed helplessly at this point.
The listeners below had their emotions stirred, and a sense of anger began to brew within them.
"To go from genius to trash, if it were me, I'd probably have already given up..."
"The most painful part is that even your own kin despise you, that's what's truly unbearable."
Taking a sip of tea, Su Mu gently shook his head as he listened to the discussions from the audience. "I said earlier, once a person is adorned with a halo, if it loses its luster, they become merely a decoration."
"If the story ended here, it would be too dull."
"What follows is what is most anticipated."
Sasuke gazed at Su Mu on the high platform, his eyes filled with questions.
Could such a person truly be just a storyteller?
"Not long after, the Nalan family from Wutan City came to annul the engagement."
"The reason was simple: their daughter, Nalan Yanran, did not wish to marry a good-for-nothing."
As this was said, the crowd below erupted.
Perhaps many felt the story was too realistic, and half the wine on the tables was consumed.
"When you are glorious, everyone wants to curry favor with you."
"When you are down and out, you have to curry favor with everyone."
Su Mu waved his folding fan, sighing with helplessness.
The surrounding scenery shifted.
Xiao Clan Hall.
Nalan Yanran, with her exquisite beauty, entered slowly with the servants and elders of the Nalan family.
"I, Nalan Yanran, will not marry a good-for-nothing."
This statement sent the listeners into a frenzy, wishing they could rush up and slap Nalan Yanran twice.
Sasuke looked at Xiao Yan before him and suddenly felt a strange emotion.
It was as if Xiao Yan was just like him.
At this moment, Su Mu stood on a table and declared loudly to everyone, "But when a person is pushed to the brink, their deepest passion will be ignited!"
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the poor young man!"
"The three-year pact, breaking the shackles of marriage, Xiao Yan vowed to personally avenge this humiliation."
"This is the origin, and also the choice of valor!"
The listeners' eyes were filled with tears, their wine cups trembling slightly.
The phrase "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the poor young man" stirred the blood within them.
Perhaps being men, they understood this sentiment more profoundly.
The shame of being jilted, a pain that came from the depths of their hearts.
Many present could relate to this.
Perhaps they had experienced something similar in their youth, encountering the person they liked when they were at their most impressionable.
But at that age, they couldn't provide a stable home for the person they loved.
The result, just like Xiao Yan's, was that over time, the other party saw no hope in you and thus left.
An annulled engagement represented one's own powerlessness.
An uncle in a corner of the audience wept as he drank.
A chord from his memory had been deeply struck. Perhaps he was now married,
But the person from his past still resided in his heart.
Tears slowly streamed down Sasuke's face.
He thought of his current predicament, being hunted and ambushed by several great nations.
He was like a dog now, yet he still harbored the vain hope of killing Orochimaru and drawing the attention of the ninja world and Uchiha Itachi.
He was too naive, living in a pathetic state, yet seeing no hope for revenge each day.
"Thirty years east..."
"Thirty years west..."
"Do not... bully the poor young man."
Sasuke murmured, and a glint of determination suddenly appeared in his eyes.
A listener next to him picked up a bottle of wine and handed it directly to Sasuke, perhaps due to the emotional resonance.
He saw Sasuke crying and thus offered him the wine.
"Brother, there's nothing that can't be overcome. Drink this glass, and all your troubles will vanish!"
Sasuke said nothing, took the wine, and drank heartily.
In that moment, he finally understood the meaning of Su Mu's story.
Life must be lived vibrantly, and one's destiny must be held in one's own hands. Even if ridiculed, bullied, or provoked.
No matter how the outside world besieged and attacked him.
From now on, he must learn to swallow his pride!
Sooner or later, he would stand before Uchiha Itachi and tell him the words in his heart.
"Do not bully the poor young man."
The listeners had finished most of their wine.
Su Mu closed his folding fan, and the surroundings immediately returned to their original appearance.
When he looked down again towards Sasuke's seat, he was gone, having left at some unknown time.
Su Mu smiled and shook his head, "People with an unyielding spirit in their bones, how could they give up?"
He was merely a neutral storyteller in the ninja world, one who would not interfere in anyone's affairs.
And some things, some people, were destined to remain unchanged.
Su Mu had only shown them that there were many ways to walk a path.
Jiraiya, in the corner, closed his notebook.
He gently rubbed his temples, then stood up, pushed open the door, and walked towards a nearby publishing house.
"This book, how many people's hearts does it truly speak for..."
"Su Mu, does 'Battle Through the Heavens' truly exist?"