Boom!

The air shrieked as winds howled through the sunny blue skies, parting clouds upon the blooming of a fiery crimson lotus. Heat seemingly warped space and from the gigantic flame lotus searing the heavens shot out a figure that rapidly plummeted down into the mountain range neighboring a sea of the world below.

A tall dashing man dressed in a set of ruined white Hanfu. Traces of golden motifs depicting dragons could be seen visible from the somewhat burnt and tattered clothing. Strapped on the man’s back was cracked stone coffin, barely hanging onto the person thanks to the chains wrapping around the man’s body.

With gritted teeth, the person gouged out his right eye, scooping with some stubborn flames eating away into his flesh and threw it as far as he could. Pain no longer mattered, compared to the pain of having lost almost everything it was child’s play.

The mush of molten eye, flesh and blood slammed onto a faraway mountain, flattening it and shaking the earth around it.

A part of the man found it laughable. At his peak no one would’ve been able to injure him unless the gape between their strengths was too large. And yet, now he was being pushed back, chased like an exiled lion by a dog who thinks too highly of himself.

Though it can’t be helped. It was his stupidity that led him here. His arrogance and lack of foresight.

The man took a deep breath, and closed his remaining eye. Appearing from thin air was a sword.

Blade in hand, his descent stopped and he raised his head once more. Shooting from the clouds up above came another man boasting a great resemblance to his looks. The opponent’s left arm severed, his chest revealed a frantically beating heart while fire engulfed the other party’s body.

“HONG TIAN!”

As Hong Tian readied his blade, the world around him suddenly fell silent. Dancing leaves across the green forests below halted their performance. The sea by the mountain range grew oddly calm.

“Perish.”

In one instant the sky parted in half. Splitting all opposition, bringing an end to the decades old flames fueled by jealousy and hatred.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Hong Tian’s strength left his body. His power flickered away and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Tired as he was, he refused drowning in sleep. Instead, the chains binding the stone coffin unfurled and the man turned to embrace the coffin tight, so tight that the man felt like the coffin and the person inside would disappear if he didn’t hold it firm enough.

Like a man embracing his last remaining kin, Hong Tian smiled, finding comfort as his body plummeted into the ocean.

The water’s surface was like a block of concrete that slammed into the man’s back and punched out the air from his lungs.

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“Huh?” I stirred from my sleep. Eyes itching though slowly opening, a quiet yawn escaped the confines of my mouth as I stood up from the lovely tree kind enough in being a somewhat comfortable pillow for me. Groggily awakening, a cold rush of spring breeze caressed my cheek.

It was another day. No, it wasn’t just another day. I couldn’t help but smile. “Today’s a very special day.” Happiness rising within me, a little stretch was enough in fully bringing my mind to its peak consciousness.

The forest around the clearing I built my house in was silent as always. Peaceful and relaxing, I’m thankful for the heavens that I chose this spot as our new home.

My body shivered and I froze.

…

Well I didn’t really choose it. I just happened to run on it on my little escapade. As if it was a gift from up above.

Beasts lurked around the area, though they were of the more docile but territorial ones. Over the course of the years I lingered around here, thanks to my actions of respecting them while sometimes sharing some cooked food, they thankfully left us alone. Serving as a form of protection.

Looking back at it now, even though there was a lot of ups and downs, and even a huge fall that landed me here I can’t really complain.

It was funny.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I was such an incorrigible fool back then, the heavens blessed me with a status many would scream and beg for. And I failed in maintaining the golden spoon shoved into this mouth of mine.

It really took one ridiculously overbearing man crippling me to open my eyes huh…

My hairs raised, my hands tightened into a fist and I gritted my teeth. That annoying pile of hypocrisy. I was arrogant beyond my peers but he was even more arrogant that reminiscing about it makes me feel greatly frustrated.

I clenched my fist further. One of these days I would destroy everything that person has and I would let him experience desp-

PA! One crisp resounding slap broke the tranquility of the forest clearing.

I slapped myself and sighed.

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No, no, Jian Tian you are already past that stage. You are a new man with new priorities, You are not as petty as back then.

I shook my head, here I am staring off into space again. Is this a consequence brought by old age? Just like how my grandfather used to spoil me, tell me stories of things back in his days how he ascended mountains at the age of thirteen as training?

I cleared out my thoughts. There you go, I’m starting to space out and think of the past again. The past no longer matters that much. All that matters is me and that person.

Sniff! Sniff!

I smelled my shabby brown robes.

I reek of stench, resembling an ox who had bathed in urine and feces all day.

Quickly running out of the clearing, the small thatched roofed mud hut in its center was abandoned momentarily. I needed a bath, NOW!

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I stared at my reflection in the lake. A tall man, black long hair with two front locks flowing down up to the collar bone with the rest tied into a high ponytail behind. The face was a bit dashing, narrowed phoenix eyes and sword like eyebrows. My skin was a light shade somewhat resembling rosy white jade.

I could be called handsome. I was called that many times.

Emphasis on was.

Now my body was horribly ruined, burns in combination with large scars marred my muscular physique. The water reflected a retarded idiot who had his right eye burnt and gouged out. My face was still fine as it somehow healed back fully but…

I opened my right eye.

The image of an empty eye socket contrasted too much with the proper left eye. Reinforcing my belief to keep that right eye socket shut even if it does not hurt and that I can still move the eyelids miraculously. Ignoring my reflection, I returned to scrubbing my body with some soap bought from the nearby empire. This little bar of cleansing is somewhat expensive.

Who am I kidding, everything is expensive nowadays.

I really need to make more tools and weapons for sale.

Drip… Drip…

The pitter patter of rain. Raising my head upwards I expected a drop of water to assail my remaining eye but there was none.

It wasn’t even raining.

I finished bathing and dressed up in new set of brown plain robes.

Drip… Drip… Drip…

I looked up again. There was no rain but I can still hear raindrops.

Realization struck and before I knew it my legs were making a run for it. I cut through the forest, navigating through the dense foliage and arriving back home.

Sure enough it was starting.

The stone coffin chained onto the wall of the mud hut trembled violently. The cracks on it started spreading even more. Focusing on my connection with the chain, I commanded it in holding down the coffin at all costs. It would fly off if I didn’t.

Sweat poured down, I narrowed my eye at the coffin. A second later and the cracks pulsated, revealing flowing water underneath. A huge chunk of the stone turned into water in the middle, revealing a face I haven’t seen for so long. How long has it been?

Damn it…

Tears started building up. Don’t cry now Jian Tian, you are a man. A father, and a father must look strong before his children. Didn’t you change your name to Jian Tian as a bold declaration to the heavens that even if it would collapse you would hold it up high for the sake of those you deem important?

Don’t cry!

The coffin shattered into innumerable pieces. The stones that shot out stopped before even nicking my face and they soon transformed, from stone they became globes of crystal-clear water. I relinquished my control of the chain and it came flying back to me, circling me similar to a snake protecting itself.

A small whirlpool formed inside the house with a little child in the middle. The ugly wounds on his body rapidly healed up and his pale white skin turned rosy. He opened his eyes, and those black pupils resembling mine became sapphire blue. Handsome, he was even more handsome than my younger past self. Long straight black hair fell down his back like a waterfall.

Hazy as those pupils were, they scanned the room and focused on me and regained their light.

Panic, Anxiety, Fear, Stress, Worry, Guilt.

After living for so long I’ve learned how to read people often, his thoughts might as well manifest into the world from how discernable they were.

Curse it… I bit my lip.

The child’s teary-eyed look was just too much.

The tears I’ve been holding back fell.

He’s here… After so long he’s safe and sound.

I was twenty-eight back then and he was just eight years old. Now ten years flowed onwards, five years of running away, settling down and another five years spent in my slow and arduous recovery. All the while waiting for that damned coffin to finally change Wei Yu’s fate.

Ten years. After ten years I’m seeing my son again.

“FATHER!” The child rushed at me and I kneeled down, embracing him. My soul which had long died felt rejuvenated and my whole body was screaming. It was screaming out of happiness and wailing from joy after liberation from the worry of my son’s condition. I stopped hugging him and examined his face and body. No wounds, and his heart was beating stably now.

“Wei Yu… Father missed you.” I hugged him again and let the tears keep flowing. My son is back! He’s back!

A pair of small hands pried off my embrace and pushed me back slightly. Wei Yu had easily overpowered me and I flinched. A bitter smile surfaced.

Ah… After everything that had happened, he would surely hate you.

I stared at the floor, I can’t look him in the eye.

That was my thoughts until I saw tear drops hitting the ground. I frantically darted my gaze back onto him and Wei Yu was crying. His soft cries turned into sobs and he wailed. A par of trembling hands caressed my face. His voice was so unsure, so guilt ridden and pained that it was torture to hear it. “Father… Father you.”

I stared at his blue eyes. They were glowing brightly.

He can see it…

Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea of mine that I thought him the essence sensing method so early on.

“Your cultivation. Your diantian and the energy vessels linked to it. It’s gone, they’re gone!” My son was shaking and he fell to the ground kneeling. I hurriedly hugged him again and patted his head.

“Don’t cry… Its alright now. Father is safe, you are safe. Although we’re no longer in that sect its far better here than staying there. All that matters now is that we’re together.” I consoled my child and tightened my hug slightly.

My eye turned moist.

You who rescued me from that sea of despair.

You who gave my broken life purpose.

Loving me for who I was…

A tool they saw you but to me you are my irreplaceable son.

How dare they make an attempt of erasing my happiness?

I patted his head again. “Jian Wei Yu… It’s alright, father may have lost his power but I can start again! Its not your fault, everything is my fault. If I wasn’t foolish, if I wasn’t pathetically weak then I could’ve better protected you.”

“Losing my cultivation, twenty years of hard work. It’s a fitting price for my inadequacy as a father. If I were to choose between that and you then I’ll keep on choosing you.”

“Don’t cry now alright?” I smiled at my son who buried his face into my chest, still sobbing.

I patted his back, there, there, let it all out. This is the last time you’ll cry. I’ll make sure of it.

No matter what…

Heaven can collapse, this realm may shatter and turn into dust but as long as your safe I wouldn’t bat an eye.

I won’t let you suffer like I did, I disallow you from become a fool like I was and in the coldest of winters, unlike them I shall grant you warmth and company. I’ll give you everything that you want and I’ll protect you from the world’s dangers.

I will make you happy even if it costs me my life.

Because isn’t that my duty as your father?