He hated it here already. It was cold, and quiet, and everyone hated him - so he hated them back. They kept looking at him like he didn't belong, whispering behind his back like he couldn't hear them. 'Street rat'. 'Gutter trash'. So what if he'd come from nothing? So what if he had nothing? What did it matter?! They were going to be cultivators, weren't they? Weren't they going to defy the Heavens?

He had talent! It had been recognised by the Sect, he had passed their tests! He deserved to be here just as much as they did! He had even been named an Inner Disciple! But nobody wanted to be his friend. Nobody wanted to even look at him. Like he was filthy. Like he was wrong.

I'll show them, he thought darkly, I'll show them! Look down on him? Mock him? He would rise above them all, until they would not look at him for fear of disrespecting him! When they would only whisper behind his back because they would never dare speak to his face!

He, Zhou Cheng, would ascend to the Heavens alone and-

"Young Master," a soft, gentle voice called, "What is the matter?"

He nearly squealed with fright, utterly startled by the stranger's approach. Another Disciple, he realised. The other boy looked a little larger. And fatter. He didn't know there were fat cultivators. "N-nothing…!" he declared, putting on his defiant face. "I'm fine!"

The fatty didn't seem like he was at all convinced, and it almost definitely had something to do with the fact that he was still sniffling a little. "If Young Master says so, it must be true," he said regardless, a soft reassuring smile on his face despite the way his brow knit together in clear concern. "Young Master is clearly strong and talented to be an Inner Disciple so young. Surely, whatever problems he is facing are nothing before his might."

"That's right!" He nodded vigorously. He got it! He understood it! Zhou Cheng was an Inner Disciple! He was worthy! "I can handle it all, no problem! I'm not afraid to be on my own!"

There was a flash of something on the fatty's face, but his smile seemed to become more genuine, his gaze softening. He glanced from side to side and leaned in a bit closer. "Is that so?" he asked softly, "Young Master, may I tell you a secret?"

A secret? He nodded again. Zhou Cheng was always good with secrets! "Of course! I will never reveal another's secrets!" The other children at the orphanage told him all sorts of things, like the best hiding places, or which stalls had the most inattentive owners - or the kindest. This strange fatty's smile reminded him of one of them, actually, the old man who always offered him a jianbing, one of the folded crepes stuffed with meat and sauces.

His expression wavered, melting into something of a frown. "This humble servant is terrified of being on his own. I am not strong like the Young Master… but because you are so strong, would you object to this Junior clinging to you?"

He had to sniff again, his nose still a little runny. A Junior… he has never really had a Junior. The other kids were all of varying ages, so even if he was older than some of them, they tended to follow the older kids as opposed to Zhou Cheng, or they were too young to do much of anything. If he's going to ascend to the Heavens, then he'll need underlings of course…

So he nodded seriously, mustering up all his bravery and strength. "It is no problem for me," he declared, "I, Zhou Cheng, will always protect the weak!"

The fatty's expression flickered again, just before he bowed deeply. Appropriately! "Then I, Hei Lian, swear myself to your service, Senior Brother."

The words filled him with pride and elation. Senior Brother. He had a Junior! He wasn't alone! But… what does he do with him? Does he give him orders? He can't really think of anything he wants right now, beyond…

"Senior," the fa-Hei Lian, he said his name was Hei Lian began, "May this humble servant receive a hug?"

He almost blurted out 'Yes!' or just lunged at him, desperate to just hold someone, but he had to be strong. He was the Senior Brother now. He had to set an example for his Junior! "I-I'll allow it!"

Warm arms wrapped around him, pressing him against the soft bulk. So close, Zhou Cheng could smell him clearly - he even smelled like the jianbing, all spices and seasonings. He allowed himself to cling back, trying to wrap his arms around his thickset middle and just squeeze him.

He wasn't alone.

Zhou Cheng exhales slowly, letting the memory fade away as he keeps turning the little wooden statue over in his hands. A fat little rabbit, one of the souvenirs he picked up from Plum Town. He'd picked it first - the first one that really caught his gaze, if he were honest. Soft, gentle… fat. Cute. Rabbits were considered to be kind and merciful. The Jade Rabbit helped the Moon Goddess make the Elixir of Immortality. They represented luck… and hope.

Rather than carry it with him, he preferred to leave it in his quarters. Somewhere he could look at it when he was meditating. Where it would watch over him as he slept.

But today… he was going to need it. He would never admit to feeling nervous or fear - not of Lei Ming. But that bastard would no doubt attempt something, and if he intended to use Hei Lian as a hostage…

Well. Zhou Cheng needed all the good fortune he could get. Three long years of waiting. Of toiling. He would finally be able to make up for his failure to protect him.

"You were there for me when I needed you," he murmurs, a finger gently tracing over the rabbit's delicately carved face, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. But I will be now. Just a little longer, Hei Lian."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

It was time. He had to present himself for the contest.

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The air at the base of the mountain is cold as ever, and the air is too dim to truly be called 'day' even though Zhou Cheng knows the sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon. Unfortunately, the mountain is blocking it almost entirely.

Kong Meiling and Tian Mingfei flank him on either side, confident and composed as always, and Elder Lei stands before them, hands gently held behind his back as his koi casually swims around him in lazy spirals.

But there is no sign of Lei Ming… or Hei Lian.

Zhou Cheng cannot take the anticipation any longer. He feels like his heart is going to burst if he has to worry about this any more. He's inches away from declaring he's going to hunt that bastard down, rules be damned when he catches that acrid, bitter smell.

His head snaps up - even in the dim light, he can still make out the sight of Lei Ming's flying carpet. He watches as it descends, eyes locked onto it, waiting for-there.

Hei Lian… looks better than he feared. It galls him to admit that, but he cannot say the years have been entirely cruel to him. That Hei Lian has grown is probably the most obvious change. Zhou Cheng had always been a little shorter than him, being younger than him, but now he's not sure he could even come up to his chest. More than that, somehow he's managed to get wider too, although it doesn't appear to be fat. He's not quite as plump as he remembers, and there's a… firmness to him now that wasn't there before, in the set of his shoulders, in the bulge of his arms.

He feels something unfamiliar squirming in his stomach.

Hei Lian doesn't seem to notice him. His eyes are downcast, not lifting off the ground. He wants to call out, to shout, to let him know I'm right here I came I came! but he can't find the words. These are the first things he'll say to Hei Lian in three years. They're important. He doesn't want to waste them.

"You've all arrived. Good," Elder Lei declares quietly, his voice carrying despite its gentleness, "As you are all aware, this will be the beginning of the Hunt to settle this matter. The rules of such are simple. Each of you will be given a Compass Flag to use to return to the Sect. You will each have one week to return with the most impressive bounties you can find. Quantity and quality will both be factored into the judging. The judges will be myself, Elder Chu of the Logistics Pavilion, and Elder Huang of the Library. As the challenger, Zhou Cheng and his companions will be given a thirty minute head start into the forest." Elder Lei pauses then, and sweeps his gaze over all of them.

"You may begin… now." His quiet voice booms like thunder, and Zhou Cheng snaps into movement, intent on maximizing every moment he can.

He doesn't even have to glance behind him to confirm Kong Meiling and Tian Mingfei are right behind him. They all know what they have to do.

That Lei Ming will seek to ambush them is almost certain - but they also can't just risk that he won't. If they sit and lay a trap for the whole week, they could lose no matter what Lei Ming does.

So they'll hunt slowly, but carefully. Go after weaker prey for the first few days, however long it takes. Between the three of them, it'll be easy to collect prey for this.

There's very little that could threaten them so close to the entrance of things. So they'll clear the area out, and move in deeper - and if Lei Ming truly doesn't intend to strike, then they'll just hunt down the most impressive creature they can find.

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Tian Mingfei's hand sweeps right through the neck of a Howling Ghost Wolf, severing the head in a single swift blow. Before blood can even hit the ground, she collects it into her spatial ring, pausing only to survey the local area. "Zhou Cheng," she calls lightly as he leaps out of the tree he was scouting from, not even making a noise as he touches down. "Do you think its just animals or do you think anything counts?"

He considers the question for a moment. "... I don't see why anything else would count. It's a hunt. But I suppose there's no harm in collecting it anyway. Why do you ask?"

She points to a tree he hadn't noticed earlier - absolutely laden with strange, translucent fruit.

Isn't that… He's pretty sure he remembers Hei Lian making a pie of those. They were… pretty delicious. Even if they aren't good for the contest, he'd like to enjoy that pie again - so he takes a small breath, and sends forth a gust. It tears the fruit from the branches, and with gentle guidance, sweeps them towards her open pouch. It's better not to touch anything if they can avoid it - dealing with the defenses of any fruits or plants will make things troublesome.

"Let's keep moving," he declares, "We should-"

Where Tian Mingfei had stood, a cloud was slowly receding into the forest. An illusion? Some trick of the Forest? Surely he'd notice! No, don't panic. He takes a slow breath, focusing his senses, and inhales.

The Forest is a confusing miasma of clashing scents. Sweets, sours, bitters, salts, both real and imagined. He needs to focus on Tian Mingfei's clean, animal musk or Kong Meiling's wintry floral perfume, and he's sure he can smell them nearby, but-

He dashes away as a small hail of violet needles pepper the space he was just occupying. The ground hisses violently, pink fumes rising up as they melt through the soil.

It didn't even take him a day. But that suits Zhou Cheng just fine.

"Any last words, gutter trash?" Lei Ming declares, sneering down at him from a tree branch. He's stripped down to the waist, revealing a carefully toned physique and smooth pale skin that might've been attractive if it weren't attached to the worst scum alive - or the purpling veins that spread across his arms as he drew on more of his toxic Poison Qi.

Zhou Cheng simply inhales deeply. Words are wasted on scum like him. Feng Bo's Horn!

The blast of air drills into the tree right behind Lei Ming, and he sweeps it along, carving into the next and the next.

Lei Ming responds by flicking his fingers in his direction, and Zhou Cheng has to cut off his attack to dodge the rain of poison needles, inhaling swiftly to prepare another attack.

Breath of Heaven Shapes the Sky!

His billowing attack is met in turn by Lei Ming's own breath attack - but rather than the raging gusts of wind that Zhou Cheng summons, he spews out a thick, purple miasma. The collision of their attacks sends it spilling everywhere, forcing Zhou Cheng to ascend to avoid being caught in the spillage.

"Running away already?" Lei Ming taunts from within the venomous vortex, dripping with a smug air, "What will Hei Lian say? Oh, I already know. 'Thank you for-'"

Another drill shoots through, and Lei Ming's forced to roll out of the way. He doesn't hit him, but at least he cuts off his tirade.

He takes the opportunity that's presented now and surges forward, inhaling again as he directs the energy internally. Thunderous Breath!

The sudden change of tactics has the desired result, and Lei Ming's eyes widen in surprise just before he receives a foot to the face, launching him right into another unfortunate tree. With the added power he's built up, and the practice he's done over the past few days, he's confident he can hold this for at least a few minutes.

He'll just have to make those minutes count - and he'll do it by going straight for the kill. No messing around. No toying with him.

This is the end of you, Lei Ming, he thinks coldly, wind spiralling around his hand as he prepares to plunge it straight through his hated foe's chest.

Lei Ming's face shatters into one of shock and horror as his chest is torn open. It's squishier than Zhou Cheng expected - less… resistance.

It's a trap! a voice screams in his mind. He has only seconds to react.

'Lei Ming's face twists into a cruel smirk. And then he explodes.

Poison washes over everything.