Chen Peng was livid. No, he was absolutely fuming and wanted to do nothing less than lash out and destroy something or, better yet, someone. First the little runt went and ruined a more than adequate ambush. Then his stupid apprentice and lover went and lost her temper to such a degree that seconds later she loses her life to a basic fucking attack. No special technique. Just a trick to unbalance her followed by a hand through her dantian. It galled him that he had spent 5 years giving pointers and minor resources to her, only to die like a dumb charging beast.

“I, Chen Peng, vow to have my revenge, in this life or the next. I will leave no stone unturned and uproot every tree if I must to find you. My revenge will be slow and bloody. Mark my words, you…”

”Hey, dickless.”

////////

Yin Lei was watching this Crow guy and found him to be a self-important, vain, and rather wrathful man. He knew just what to do. “Hey, dickless. Can you get to the point? I have a date with destiny, and I don’t want to miss it for some unimportant cultivator with visions of grandeur and revenge.”

“YOU, I will torture for eternity while I…” Mister Wild, as predicted, did not need more of a distraction as he bounded forward once again, aiming for the exact same strike. Hey, if it works, don’t change it.

However, this Chen Pang was a bit more in control and dodged successfully. Wait, was it Chen Pang? Chan Peng? Chin Pong? Who cares? Mister Crow was now in the air on his beast and screaming more rubbish down at us. I feel like I’m forgetting something, though. The guardian dog decided then to lurch to the left so suddenly he was literally left in midair as his ride left from right underneath him. Before he could even begin to fall, a claw swiped right below where he was in midair. Ah yes. How could I forget the mole in the room?

I fell with a hearty umph and had the pleasure of looking up at the mole who was ready to strike again. Well, I had no chance outrunning him.

“WAIT!” I screamed. I lifted my trusty knife from its sheath. “Attack me and I will kill us both with this Talisman of volcanoes wrath.” Really, Yin Lei. Was volcanoes wrath really the best I could come up with?

Somehow against all logic the mole did stop. It peered at the knife considerately. So it could understand. Clever girl. I threw the knife at its face. I have never seen such human-looking fear in a beast. Its claws clamped upon its face as it smashed its head upon the ground to escape the mighty talisman. It merely bounced off of its claws. I watched as the mole shivered, waiting for the coming explosion, only to peek out between its claws as nothing came.

Now the fear turned to wrath. I was getting mighty good at pissing off people and beasts many times stronger than I.

Thankfully, my 3rd distraction of the minute had been successful. Before the mole could even consider pouncing, the guardian dog had clamped its jaws around the mole’s neck and proceeded to lift the entire mole above itself and shake it around like a hound with a pillow. Except rather than pillow feathers everywhere, there was blood and fur. I’m pretty sure the mole was already dead, but the guardian dog was having the time of its life. Finally she set her new toy down and was sitting with her tail wagging like anything.

Explosions shook the very earth behind me, reminding me that all was not yet well. I spun around in fear, having barely survived twice now. I don’t want to go dying from stray Qi techniques. Not that I had any chance of dodging. It was still better to hide from the enemy before he decided to kill me as revenge and run from the two brothers. Now just where could I hide on these open plains? I looked around. I looked around a second time, hoping there would be a magical cave to hide in, but no. The plains were as open and empty as before.

“Fuck my life.”

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Chen Peng was not having a good day. This fight was never even supposed to happen. He had succeeded with this ambush many times, yet today everything had gone spectacularly wrong. He pulled his beast further up as Hong Xue attacked rather ferociously. He absentmindedly sent his own Qi attack back, leaving devastation upon the earth below but none injured. This fight was unwinnable and useless. That bloody kid. I would wring his neck and make him pay a thousandfold for this insult to the mighty Heavenly Blade Sect… huh? Where did the kid go? He had brought himself and his 3-eyed crow beast above the range of his enemies attacks and could not spot the kid.

Even now they further pissed him off. The Hong brothers had likely given the kid a talisman to hide himself. The bastards would pay. Unfortunately not today. He took a breath and amplified his voice with Qi. “Know this. The heavenly blade sect will exact its vengeance. I will have all your heads and proudly display them before my grandchildren as a show of the raging storm sect’s weakness.” Chen Peng flew away with bile in his mouth and hate consuming his soul.

////////

The Hong brothers could only watch as their quarry flew off in the distance. They had succeeded in driving him off, and this whole fight could be considered a victory in Hong Xue’s humble opinion.

His brother decided to break the silence thereafter. “Where the bloody hell has the kid gotten off to? I swear he was right here moments ago.” Hong Xue looked around as well and was left stumped.

“HAHAHAHA, of course he would.” Now Hong Xue was really confused as he could still not spot Yin Lei. His brother jumped to the dead, vibrant steel-clawed mole and proceeded to pull Yin Lei out of its throat. He was clutching his knife the same as last time. This kid truly had the instinct to survive anything and everything the world threw at him. The residual Qi from the dead mole had hidden Yin Lei’s minuscule reserves rather well. Much like the dead panda had done to them last night. He could not help a slight smirk appear as he looked over the kid. He was covered not in blood, but slime and mucus. From head to toe. Naturally he stank as such too.

His brother decided to speak again. “I am Hong Jianjun, kid. Remember the name, as you are one of the few to have truly earned it. Your warning and distractions allowed me two openings to exploit. This is no small feat, Yin Lei nodded his head.

“Where can I get myself one of these wicked guardian dogs? She saved my life,” said Yin Lei. Hong Jianjun smiled. “You can have her. See it as a reward for surviving what many in the initiates realm would never have survived until now. My strength has outgrown her. I never have reason to bring her from the temple on Mount Yang. Hong Jianjun promptly dropped Yin Lei like a sack of potatoes.

Hong Xue pretended to cough and used his sleeve to hide his smile. He wasn’t often sentimental or emotional, but seeing such a young kid beam with such utter happiness despite eating dirt was a balm on one’s soul. Yin Lei decided to speak. “I will never forget this kindness, Hong Jianjun. May your future be bright and filled with women.” “Hehe. Well said, kid,” replied his brother as he sauntered over to harvest the beast core from the Vibrant steel-clawed mole.

Hong Xue could only wonder where an 8-year-old had heard such an expression but decided to leave it. Farmers were often crass with their speech. Though this one’s words were more often akin to a dirty-mouthed sailor.

Yin Lei looked at the guardian dog and started to frown. “Will the sect provide enough accommodation and resources to allow me to keep her healthy?” “She requires no food as she is made of stone but instead requires areas with high amounts of Qi. When outside such areas, spirit stones will suffice, replied Hong Xue. “The sect will provide a stipend of spirit stones every moon cycle, but all the information shall be provided when we arrive.” Yin Lei nodded once more.

“Um, would it be too much to ask for one of the steel claw fingers from the mole? Surely they can be fashioned into a weapon to help my early rise in the sect.” He could literally feel his brother grin behind him. Not from the request itself but because of what Yin Lei had implied. He was certain he would rise in the sect. There was no doubt or worry. He was assured of his success before he had even stepped foot inside the sect.

“Come, let us be on our way. My brother is nearly finished harvesting the beast core and collecting anything of value from our dead assailant.” Yin Lei looked himself over and back to myself. “Bathing will be provided when we arrive. There is a reason we were ambushed here and not further along. Any further and they would have been inside our sect’s territory and patrol routes.” He picked Yin Lei up and put him on the guardian dog again. “Let us be off.”

Hong Xue could only marvel at how suited Yin Lei would be to the path of cultivation. Twice Yin Lei had nearly been killed, and twice he had survived against the odds. Now he sat on the guardian dog with a straight posture and regal bearing. A mole claw the size of Yin Lei’s entire body hung off the side of the guardian dog.

On his face, the biggest smile he had ever seen. Death and destruction meant little to him. Yin Lei was having the time of his life.”