So, work begins. I actually leave in like ten minutes and won’t be back for almost 11 hours. When I get my break I will read any comments, I know how you guys want He Zhi to go HAM on these guys, but he never had much actual conflict in his past life, you know? The only reason he killed the other guys was because he was practicing a new ability.
Now, He Zhi never was the center of attention, I can give you that. Being sought after is a new feeling for someone like him. He is still dealing with the fact mentally that he killed people. However, he is separating himself from it and from everything else. He won’t talk about it and won’t dwell on it. He shoves it away and doesn’t look at it.
He is not a good man, he just acts the way society wanted him to. It’s a habit. I really don’t think you guys would have wanted the MC to Rockem’ Sockem’ as soon as he got into the ring, right?
There are several things that separate him from everyone else. He had a lot. He took the easy life he had for granted and now he is thrown into a world with danger around every corner. Even I don’t know how He Zhi will change once his views on the world adapts.
Until then, here’s the next chapter. Maybe another one tonight, who knows?
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Several days had passed and all three groups had arrived at the Illusion Seeking Sect. Upon noticing the others, the Froglings and Hu Lao rushed over to each other, happy that they were all alive, but still sad that they couldn’t share this moment with their other siblings and family. They still needed to find He Zhi, after all.
Plus, everyone filled each other in along the way. Hu Lao and Little Sister weren’t given names since no one paid attention to them at the Dancing Leaves Sect, and Lily was more like a nickname, not her actual name. He Wu was proud to show off his name and tell the others what Elder Brother’s name was.
After their reunion, the Inner students walked over to talk as well.
“Lily, is this your brother you are with?”
“Yes, his name is He Wu.”
“Nice to meet you, I am Sandra.”
Unfortunately, the poor frog couldn’t talk very well, so it came out sort of like,
“Thank. I He Wu. She mine.”
He pointed at Lily while a couple people from the Twisting Terror Sect chuckled, aware of how bad He Wu’s speaking was.
“Hahaha! You’ll have to excuse him, he can’t quite get his mouth in order! You can call me Darius!”
Sandra looked at Darius with disdain, remembering how he treated those poor little frogs at the marshlands. To someone like Sandra, who focused on healing things, the Twisting Terror Sect appeared to be full of brutal people.
Ruby, on the other hand, was just looking around, jumping here and there.
“Sandra, this is my sister, Little Sister and Elder Brother’s disciple, Hu Lao.”
“Disciple?!”
“Elder heron decided that Hu Lao should learn from Elder Brother, but it was good that she was taught at the Dancing Leaves Sect.”
“Uh huh. And where could he be now? We are here to look for him.”
“Huh? You, too? Geez, Uncle Mason won’t tell me why I’m here except to look for He Wu’s brother.”
Ruby swung in, hanging upside down from the roof of a nearby building.
“Oh? We are looking for him as well. Maybe we should work together? Set up a sort of round robin thing?”
“Hehe, unless Uncle Mason doesn’t get a chance to learn from this amazing frog, I doubt he would have a problem. I think the issue is if one of us tries to hog the guy.”
“Sandra, what are they talking about?”
Lily spoke up, questioning her human friend. The purple haired girl was hesitant but decided to tell her anyway, since they were friends after all.
“Apparently, your brother knows the secret to unlocking hidden Ancestral Bloodlines. I’m sure it’s how you look like how you do.”
“But we didn’t do anything with our blood…”
“Yes, but we don’t know everything about Bloodlines.”
“How does one get it?”
Even Darius was intrigued. Ruby jumped down and sat beside Hu Lao and Little Sister, waiting for the story. They had a while until someone came to guide them, so Sandra went on with the story, letting the Beginners and Apprentices listen in, too.
“Well, Bloodlines were usually bestowed by powerful creatures as a sort of gift or trade with a Mage. Originally, activating a Bloodline of an exceptionally strong creature or Beast would help with the flow of Mana, aiding both the Mage and creature to get stronger and quicker.”
“What else does it do?”
This time, Hu Lao spoke. She had spent her time watching He Zhi in secret while he was training, so she could understand the human language better.
“Depending on the type of Bloodline, the person or creature would experience a tremendous change. The human Mage would receive a special part of the animal while the creature would be able to gain some human parts as well. Mostly, it is the ability to speak.”
Everyone kind of gasped as they looked at the completely humanoid creatures.
“So…we have the Bloodline of humans?”
“No, something more. Something that came far before humans. We have the natural source of Mana within us, but before, there was something stronger, something ancient. All knowledge of the past was lost or sealed away by major players throughout history. If someone found a scripture from the past, they would receive loads of enlightenment towards their studies.”
“Doesn’t this mean that Elder Brother can help everyone do this?”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Well, there are some issues. You can only activate one Bloodline in your life. The older you are, the less the gift you receive from the Bloodline. And then there is the fact that if you exchange Bloodlines, you are bound on a spiritual level.”
“Are Bloodlines hereditary?”
This time, it was Ruby’s question.
“Yes, people can receive the Bloodlines from their parents. For example, my mother had the Bloodline of a Snow Cap Rabbit. It helps with my healing spells.”
“Then…our children will have our Bloodlines?”
“Yes, it used to be common practice for little tribes such as the ones located on this mountain to seduce passing master Mages so their children would help the tribe grow strong.”
He Wu looked down in thought.
‘Lily, we need to check on our children.’
“Yes. I am worried.”
“Hm?”
No one heard He Wu’s voice, but after explaining the problem, Sandra decided to cover for them. Several Apprentices from each sect joined the Froglings and Hu Lao to search for He Zhi or any other frog that might know his whereabouts. Hu Lao kept an eye out for her family, as well.
They checked the small pond but were surprised by the soldiers that were there. On each of their shoulders was the insignia of a lion.
“Halt! This area is under the supervision of the Marshall Family. We suggest you go someplace else.”
Since there was no powerful Mage in the group except for the animals, they decided to leave. No one wanted to let people know about the frogs. They walked up the river, but the marshlands were guarded as well. So was the large pond and the little source of water with the large rock in the middle.
Fortunately, the waterfall was safe. There were some guards here and there, but they weren’t stopping the group from traveling. Someone from the Healing Lily Sect decided to ask why.
“We work for the 8th Young Master, we were told to be polite to anyone, so as to not anger the powerful target if we find him. We have already come across dead soldiers from the 2nd Young Master’s personal guard.”
Gulping down their fear, the large group spread out, making sure the animals’ cloaks were hiding their creature features. There were a couple of times where one passing group of guards got suspicious at the short people in the group, but they continued on.
No matter where they checked, they couldn’t find any trace of the frogs. This time, one of the Dancing Leaves Sect students thought aloud,
“Wouldn’t it be cool if that waterfall had a hidden cave behind it? That would be awesome! Like an adventure!”
Suddenly, He Wu’s face blanched, his eyes darkened.
“Yes. He inside.”
“Huh? How do you know?”
This time, Lily spoke up.
“If there wasn’t a cave already, there might be one now. They did train here, after all.”
Once they made sure there were no guards nearby, the group headed to the waterfall. He Wu went over and was surprised by how he could easily withstand the waterfall. It was as if it was a sudden downpour and nothing more!
He Wu searched for only a little bit before sending a Soul Transmission to Lily.
‘It’s here! Hopefully, Elder Brother is here!’
The others were about to look over when another transmission came in.
‘STOP! Don’t come any closer!’
They all stopped as Lily relayed the message.
What had happened?! Was He Wu in danger?!
She was about to rush forward when He Wu walked back out with wide eyes.
‘We have to go somewhere else. Follow me. It’s over here.’
Soon, the large group was led far away from the patrolling soldiers and they came across a large round rock. It wasn’t anything special, but it was pretty large. Suddenly, the large rock was lifted! The underneath of the rock was fashioned to easily and simply lock in place. It could only be unlocked from inside!
Instead of going inside, the group came outside to see everyone. If He Zhi had let the humans in, there would have been trouble for sure!
He Wu and Lily saw their two children, as well as their nieces and nephews. When everyone saw the Giant Frogling, people were surprised, but not shocked. They had just spoken of Bloodlines being carried on but also having new Bloodlines. An easier way to explain it was that a person could only be mutated once in their life, but their children would have all sorts of amazing animal parts just waiting to be awakened.
Elder heron and the others gladly hugged Hu Lao while He Zhi was confused, being squeezed tightly by Little Sister. They were alive? And safe?! Wasn’t this too good to be true?! He really needed to speak to the leaders of those Sects as soon as possible. There was certain to be strings attached.
He Zhi wasn’t so quick to trust the Sect members since they did kill his other siblings. Animals were different, plus these Froglings and heron were still young, unsure and naïve. He Zhi had an entire past life filled with darkness and the grossness of society. He wasn’t going to fall for such an easy trap. Even if they were family, they were now working with the enemy.
But, he still loved them. He just didn’t know how much until they were back in his arms. In fact, he didn’t realize he was crying until he felt the wetness of his face. He had imagined going to war and destroying everything in his path of destruction and vengeance, but his family was right here! What more could he want?!
Well, he still had problems to face, he wasn’t home free just yet, after all. The Marshall Family and the Sect Masters still had a firm grasp on the situation and He Zhi still needed to get stronger! Strong enough so he could take care of his family!