Rebirth Of The Demon
Chapter Five [ 5 ]
Jiang Hu
Proofreaded
Following the departing of the sun, the dull and monotone city gradually awaken from its slumber.
The sky soon darkened into a streak of darkness, the majestic clouds was no more as they gradually dissipated, leaving the ghastly silver orb in its wake amongst the accompaniment of the flickering stars.
The lacerating wind howled and wailed, fearlessly mowing down everything that dared to stand in its path.
Colours splashed onto the dull city, adding a touch of life to its bleakness. The colourful balls of neon light danced around like fireflies, illuminating the surroundings into a frenzy of dazzling colours.
A lone building stood erected amongst thousands within the metropolis, emanating dominance as it towered over the others around it.
Sirius Group Enterprise
In a large and spacious office located at the topmost floor.
Rather than an office, it closely resembled a martial arts dojo. The entire room had a clean and simple brown, white colour scheme.
The entire ground was paved with wooden floor panels except for the large white padded platform contained in the middle.
Weapon racks were lined up along the right wall, they contained a variety of weapons from spears to swords, anything you would expect to see in a movie.
On the opposite side, punching bags dangled down from the ceilings alongside the wooden dummies that were stationed at the halfway across the left wall.
The entire room was probably half the size of a gymnasium with windowed walls along all three sides except for the door.
Standing topless before the windows, Ao Cang Tian looked condescendingly at the metropolis beneath him.
At this moment, a strong desire to conquer rose up within him as he casted his piercing gaze upon the beautiful night scenery with his fists clenched tightly within his palms.
Running his fingers across the scar riddled torso, he felt proud of himself as he considered all of these scars to be the badges of honour.
Except for one.
Cang Tian’s hand gradually stopped at a freshly stitched scar located at his abdomen, the constant reminder of the mistake he made.
That very day, he had lost two people he held dearly.
One whom he lost due to negligence, a friend who he considered as a brother that sacrificed his life in exchange for himself.
Another he lost from betrayal, and will soon cease be erased from the face of the earth by Cang Tian’s blood stained hands. This was the oath he took upon himself, the only way for the brother that sacrificed himself to rest in peace.
As he recalled the incident that occurred on that very day, Cang Tian’s bloodshot eyes narrowed into slits shooting forth a cold light as a murderous aura seeped from within.
A swirl of emotions made his head ache, and under the immense pain.
His clenched fists tightened even further, drawing blood as the nails sunk deep into his flesh.
His breathing hastened, panting as his teeth chattered.
Turning his body around, he walked towards the wooden dummy. He felt like he would die if he didn’t vent his anger somewhere.
Sfx Whirr~!!
With a stomp of his left feet, he snorted coldly and swung his tightly clenched fist rocketing forward. As the fist shot towards the target, wind whirred violently as it trailed behind.
Sfx Pow! Rattle~ Crash!
Erupting his full force along with the momentum, Cang Tian’s fist contained a large amount of force behind it.
“ Pow! “, his fist collided with the dummy head on, producing a deafening sound reverberating within the confines of the dojo as he smashed through a portion of the wood.
Sfx Pow! Rattle Rattle~
Feeling unsatisfied, he then twisted his body once again to prepare for another strike. Strike after strike, he unleashed his wrath upon the poor wooden dummy without a hint of mercy.
It was as if the head of the dummy had taken on a mask of the brother he once held dearly, also the very one who stabbed him right in the back, without a hint of hesitation.
Was all that time we spent together fake?!
Why do this to me?!!
Whyyyyy!
Questions filled Cang Tian’s mind but there was no one capable of answering his questions, how he wished someone responded to him.
Even if he did something wrong, he wished that someone would at least enlighten on what he did wrong so he could change.
But it was all too late.. He had lost two dear friends… Friends that he treated as family…
While he felt anger and hatred, he also felt helpless and sadness.. Conflicting emotions, churned and brewed within.
Sfx Pow! Bam! Bam! Rattle! Rattle….
Venting his frustrations, deafening impacts echoed throughout the room and out the hallways. After he had exhausted all of his energy, Cang Tian fell to the floor, gasping heavily for air.
Laying breathless on the padded flooring, sweat streamed down his face. No one was able to tell if whether it was tears or sweat, nor was there anyone in the room to tell the differences.
Sfx Knock! Knock!
“Haa…C-come in… Haa..”
Hearing a knock on the door, Cang Tian gave a nonchalant reply and continued laying on the ground.
He could faintly make out who was behind the doors, the only people who have access to this floor can be counted with just his fingers.
Sfx Ka-chik! Thud.. Thud..
After the door knob turned, a series of steady footsteps rang out, headed leisurely towards Cang Tian’s direction.
“Young Master..” A middle aged man in a tuxedo bowed respectfully, his voice cold and hoarse.
“Blood Wolf… How many times have I told you not to bow before me… Did someone happen?” Cang Tian spoke, his voice carried a tinge of annoyance.
As you may have guessed, he was the one who had seen the fight between Li Feng and the punks from his ward.
He felt uncomfortable having an elder bow to him, especially since he respects this elder from the bottom of his heart.
“Our brothers from the Sirius Gang had been ambushed by members of the Iron Hammer Gang.” Blood Wolf replied, his voice sounded a little cold.
“Those fuckers! * Smack *” Cang Tian slapped his hand towards the padded floor in anger.
“* Exhales * So how are the brothers?” Cang Tian asked with a tinge of worry.
Blood Wolf’s eyes held a tint of admiration, this was one of the reasons why he willingly served Cang Tian as his master.
Loyalty! Unlike the others, Cang Tian treats all of his underlings the same he would with his friends without any contempt.
Pausing for a moment, Blood Wolf replied “There was no deaths, only a portion of them was injured.” Without delay, Cang Tian spoke “The Sirius Gang will cover for their medical fees, no matter how much.”
“Yes..”
“So this is the start of a war huh… Blood Wolf, do we still have “ that ”?” Sitting up, Cang Tian asked, his eyes flashed with a chilling light.
“I have them hidden, are we going to use them for this upcoming war?” Blood Wolf’s eyes shone with a burning light.
“Not until the very last moment, we’ll leave them for emergencies.. After this war, our Sirius Gang will become one of the leading gangs in Binhai City..” Cang Tian smirked..
“Young Master, here are the information you asked for..” Blood Wolf handed over the documents he had in his hands.
“Haha.. Interesting..” Cang Tian’s curiosity grew even stronger as he flipped through the documents.
“This person is a talent, judging from that day at the hospital, he definitely hasn’t showed all of his cards.”
“Even if he does not come under our wings and work for us, we need make sure that he doesn’t go under anyone elses.” Cang Tian spoke solemnly, throwing a picture of Li Feng onto the floor.
Blood Wolf was shocked, he had never heard his young master giving such a high evaluation towards anyone. Even if he had doubts about that Li Feng brat, he didn’t speak of it.
“Shall i go pay a visit to this Li Feng?” Blood Wolf asked.
“Remember not to go overboard.” Cang Tian smilingly replied to which Blood Wolf’s body shook with excitement like a kid before receiving a present.
While they were here having a discussion, it had already turned midnight.
Li Feng’s Apartment
“Zzzzz..”
“Candy.. Yum..”
A smile emerged on Li Feng’s face as he stared lovingly at the adorable sleeping face of his younger brother, carefully wiping away the drool that slid down his mouth.
Kissing his forehead, he placed the teddy bear into his arms and covered him with a blanket full of cartoony designs.
From the inherited memories of the previous owner, Li Feng could feel the immense love he had for this younger brother of his.
Adding to the fact that he yearned for a family, Li Feng had started to treat Xiao Long as his loved one as well. Especially since he was the last of his family or so he thought.
Looking down at the kitten that snugged closely to his chest, Li Feng gently stroked its back as he fell into a trance.
Ever since the rebirth, Li Feng had been thinking about what to do in life but as of right now, he felt a little lost as to what he should strive for.
The previous life as a soldier, all he did was follow orders from the higher ups. Although that kind of life was hectic, at least he had a direction to strive for.
What exactly do I want?
As Li Feng asked himself, his eyes gradually lit up, it felt like he could see a faint light at the end of the tunnel.
What had he wished for?
Friends, family, freedom.
What did the previous owner of this body wish for?
Happiness.
Finally, he had gotten his answer. He wanted to live a worry free life, he wants to make friends, he wants to make up for all the regrets he had in the past.
But to do all of that, he had to first cure both of his legs before he could do anything else. Whatever that comes next, he will worry about that later since he has plenty of time on his hands.
As if a boulder had been lifted off his shoulders, he felt like all of his fatigue had been washed away after he had sorted out his problems.
Noticing this subtle change in Li Feng, the kitten shook for a moment.
Dazed, the kitten looked up at Li Feng with her half opened eyes as she rubbed her face against his chest.
AHHHH SO CUUUUTE! Li Feng screamed inwardly.
“Yun Xue, go to sleep~” Li Feng whispered softly as he stroked her back. This was the name Li Feng gave her after looking at her beautiful coat.
Noble like the majestic clouds, white and unblemished like the snow hence Li Feng named her Yun Xue. Yun means Cloud while Xue means Snow.
Xiao Xue upon getting her back stroked, purred softly and drifted back to dreamland as she curled up into a little fur ball.
Unknowingly, Li Feng had also drifted to sleep soon after.
Few Hours Later
Resembling a statue, Li Feng sat motionless on the ground with both of his hands placed right above his kneecaps.
Through the open window, the pale rays of the moon shone directly onto his feminine face, further escalating his charming appearance.
His chest undulated along with his actions, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, Li Feng’s uneven breathing soon soothed into a regular and calming rhythm.
Probably a side effect from the rebirth, Li Feng had unknowingly inherited the habits from the past and had awoken from his nap five thirty in the wee hours.
As a soldier, especially one belonging to the Special Forces. Li Feng was required and trained to be alert at all times.
Adding to the fact that all of his opponents were masters in the art of killing, a momentary distraction would cost him his life.
Recalling the memories from the past, Li Feng smiled wryly and shook away the unneeded thoughts. As of right now, the only thing that was weighing heavy on his mind was the condition of his legs.
The recovery of both legs was placed atop his priority, and in order to achieve that, there was only one method that would speed up his recovery period by leaps and bounds.
Chi!
Over the years, reports of supposed “ Chi Masters “ have popped up many times on the news and have blown up on the internet.
These Chi Masters were said to possess the Chi Energy within their bodies and are even able to perform many miraculous feats such as curing diseases, expanding life span and even killing without touching the enemy.
These miraculous feats alone have attracted attention worldwide.
Many have delved into the study of this unknown and mysterious energy known as Chi, using every mean they had in their books in attempt to debunk Chi but sadly, none have succeeded in proving the existence of this mysterious energy.
This in turn, had produced many sceptics who had placed Chi into the “ Myth and Legends “ category labelling it as falsehood.
Unknown to the public, the truth was that, Chi does exist.
Located in a top secret location in China, was an underground facility known as the “ Imperial Library ” where many ancient records are stored.
Being a high ranking member of the Jade Dragon Group, Li Feng was allowed access to the Imperial Library where only people of certain statuses can enter.
The energy known as Chi dates all the way back into the tumultuous times of ancient China, it was said that a God had descended down into the mortal realm.
As an act of benevolence, the God had bestowed knowledge onto the suffering mortals after hearing the pleas of the suffering mortals.
This knowledge that God had bestowed was referred to as Chi by the mortals.
Using Chi, the suffering civilians formed a community known as the “ Jiang Hu[ 1 ] “ with the intention to uphold justice and to right the wrongs.
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The mortals in the Jiang Hu that had attained the power of Chi introduced themselves as “ Pugilists[ 2 ] “.
Together, Pugilists fought back against the greedy and unscrupulous corrupted government.
While the Jiang Hu fought to uphold justice, the corrupted government fought for their greed after witnessing the prowess of civilians they once looked down upon.
Losing countless of lives during the waging of war, both sides came to a ceasefire and signed an agreement but nonetheless, secretly, they fought for resources in the dark.
But through the passages of times, many things have changed. Shadows exist wherever there’s light.
The Jiang Hu had gotten more open minded to new ideas although still living in seclusion, they started to stretch their hands into the business world.
The government had also cultivated Pugilists over the years with the help of the Jiang Hu and had even gained cultivation methods to which they guarded highly as priceless treasures.
Not only does the government contain several unscrupulous individuals, a minority of the Jiang Hu had also started to grow tired of the entire “ Upholding Of Justice “ act they had started.
Chi cultivation methods had turned scarce and even the lowest rank of methods would be priceless simply due to the benefits the owner would get from cultivating.
Members of the Jade Dragon Group are taught the Chi cultivation methods so as to upgrade their strength, and one does not have to worry about the methods leaking out because all members from the Jade Dragon Group are handpicked with loyalty set as the criteria.
Before one can cultivate Chi, one needs to possess three things.
Firstly, one needs to be able to feel the energy within themselves before they can proceed on to the next level which is to take in the energy of the surroundings.
Secondly, a strong vessel. Like how a cage for a dog is unable to contain an elephant, a weak body similar in terms of it being unable to contain even the tiniest amount of Chi Essence in the surroundings.
So with that said, one has to put themselves through arduous training to continuously strengthen their physical states before cultivating or suffer from setbacks which will probably tear the person to shreds.
Lastly, one needs talent. In order to achieve the two points above, talent plays a huge role. One has to know that only one out of ten thousand or even more are able to cultivate which is why the Jade Dragon Group are regarded to as treasures by the government.
During one of Li Feng’s overseas mission, he had the opportunity to attain a Chi Cultivation Manual by sheer luck.
And right after he returned from that mission, his name started to resound in the upper echelons, etching his name into the minds of everyone he brushed by.
Like a demon, he rampaged through the battlegrounds, sweeping the ground with his enemies.
Thought of as a demon by friends and foes alike, that was how he had gotten his nickname as the Eastern Demon.
Shaking his head like a rattle drum, he snapped out of his daze and shut both of his eyelids shut, purging out all of his useless thoughts.
Five Minutes.. Ten Minutes..
As time passed, Li Feng started to slip into a meditative trance. His mind completely blank and free of thoughts.
He felt as if he was floating in the bleak nothingness of the Nirvana, like a fish in water, Li Feng simply drifted along with the stream pushing him forward.
Sfx Thump! Thump!... Thump…
It was as if everyone disappeared, leaving him in solitude, alone in his world. All sounds were cancelled out except for the ever so familiar heartbeat.
It was as if he could hear and see the blood flowing through his veins, the muscles constricting and contracting, the bones and the organs.
Everything within his body revealed themselves to Li Feng.
If a Pugilist knew of what was going on, they would spew out a mouthful of blood and attempt suicide.
The state that Li Feng was in is called “ One with the body “, a rare state that occurs only when one has reached a high level of sinking into their subconscious, drowning within their meditative trance.
This is a state that will allow you to feel more of the Chi Essence that surrounds you, making it several times easier for cultivation.
The fact that Li Feng was able to attain this state during his first try of meditation wasn’t weird as he was someone who was reborn, someone who had the experience and knowledge from his previous life.
Soon, Li Feng felt a wisp of warm energy circulating within his abdominal region. Within that region, a small white coloured fire constantly crackled and burned.
The abdominal region is known by martial practitioners as the Chi Center, contained within it is the small fire referred to as Internal Chi.
Although Li Feng was unable to take in any Chi Essences from the surroundings, that didn’t mean that he isn’t able to manipulate the Internal Chi within himself.
Manipulating the Internal Chi was supposed to be considered a painstaking task for a beginner, it was of the exact opposite for a veteran like Li Feng.
Move… Move…
He thought repeatedly inwardly as he tried to nudge the seemingly unmoving white coloured fire.
Countless Tries Later
The previously stationary fire started to circulate within his Chi Center, gradually twirling and expanding.
Spreading out like tendrils, the Internal Chi then started to spread out in small even amounts throughout his body.
Chi can also be referred as “ Life Energy “ as it is the basis of all life. People take and breathe in Chi Essences at every moment unconsciously.
It was just that the amount was too miniscule along with their aptitude to Chi, they are simply unable to feel anything.
With Chi comes Life.
Circulating the Internal Chi within himself, Li Feng is pretty much healing his body in small amounts.
Although not as effective as taking in the Chi Essences, it was still beneficial in the healing of his legs.
On the outside, his hands started to move instinctively. These were the actions that he had repeatedly performed on a daily basis during his past life.
These motions greatly resembled those of Tai Chi exercises that the elderly does, but it looked much more elegant and noble when Li Feng does it.
Spreading his hands out horizontally, he lifted them up slowly and pulled both hands inwards to a prayer position.
As both palms gradually met up, they then separated once again and as if he was holding a ball, his right hand held the bottom while the other held the top with a space in between right before his torso.
Repeating these sets of movements, Li Feng’s Chi Center started to experience a change.
The white fire started to expand rapidly as if someone added fuel atop of it, like a whirlpool, it twirled violently like a vortex.
As if responding to the violently twirling vortex, the number of tendrils started to increase as it branched out, causing the rate of Internal Chi circulation to speed up several times compared to the previous.
Feeling a cooling sensation spread through his entirety, soothing and nourishing him both physically and mentally.
Li Feng felt extremely comfortable at the current moment, it was as if he was eating ice cream under the blaring hot sun.
Oblivious to the world outside, Li Feng did not notice Yun Xue sitting next to him during the whole time he was cultivating.
Ten AM
As Li Feng’s eyelids separated, it was as if a flash of light shot out from his eyes “* Phew * That felt great..” Li Feng breathed out a sigh of relief as he looked around.
Turning his head to the left, he sees a pair of azure gems staring back at him. Smiling lovingly, Li Feng lifted his hand and patted Yun Xue on the head.
Looking down at his legs, Li Feng flinched slightly and smirked. Although his legs weren’t fully healed, it still exceeded his expectations.
Probably a few more days and I’ll be fully healed.. Hehe..
Using both hands as support, he pushed himself off the ground and stood up immediately causing a burst of crackling sounds.
Sfx Crackle! Crack~
Probably from sitting at the exact position for a prolonged time, the joints in his body emitted crackling sounds as he stretched resembling the sounds of fire crackers.
Shaking his feet, Li Feng wobbled his way into the kitchen as Yun Xue trailed behind him like a shadow.
“Xiao Long! Wake up~~~” Li Feng’s voice resounded from the kitchen, instantly awaking Xiao Long who was still in dream land.
“* Growll…* I’m hungwey.. * Yawn *” Yawning, Xiao Long muttered as he patted his growling stomach as if trying to sooth it.
Rubbing his eyes, he fell back to bed with a “ Plompf “ sound as his head sunk into the pillow.
Li Feng sighed as he shook his head, with a crutch underneath his armpit, he opened the refrigerator.
Pursing his lips in thought, Li Feng then snapped his fingers and grabbed a handful of ingredients from the fridge.
“Eggs.. Carrots.. Chicken.. Some vegetables.,” Li Feng said aloud as he placed the ingredients on the narrow counter.
Grabbing a cupful of rice, Li Feng washed it along with the pots and pans that he was going to use.
Sfx Thuck!
With a “ Thuck! “ sound, Li Feng turned on the switch for the rice cooker and moved on to heating the pan on the stove.
Like a seasoned chef, Li Feng worked his way through the ins and outs of the kitchen calmly. Not only are his movements fast, they are also fluid and natural as if he was performing a dance.
The knife flickered in his hands and without exerting too much effort, the chicken meat was diced neatly into slices.
Washing the stains off the knife, he then began to work on the other ingredients such as the onions, carrots into fine pieces.
The silhouette of Li Feng moved back and forth within the small confines of the make shift kitchen area.
The sounds produced in the kitchen melded into a melody, blatant yet strangely pleasant and calming to the ears.
With a flick of his wrist, the omelette flew high up in the air, doing a triple spin before it fell back down onto the pan.
Slipping the omelette above the fried rice, Li Feng then drew a Doraemon with ketchup right above it.
Smiling, he then took off his pink apron and served all three dishes, two omelette fried rice and a small plate of cooked chicken.
Limping out of the kitchen, Li Feng placed the plates down separately, taking three trips back and forth.
Sfx Clank! Clank! Clank!
Looking over at the living room, a drooling Xiao Long appeared within his sight with the remnants of toothpaste stuck on his cheek.
With his stomach expose, Xiao Long scratched it and muttered inaudibly and just as Li Feng was about to wake him up.
“Meow~” Yun Xue meowed and walked elegantly towards the sleeping area, stopping right before Xiao Long’s face.
She lifted up her front paw and mercilessly stepped on Xiao Long’s face, once she was done, she retrieved her paw promptly and trotted back towards Li Feng with her head held high.
Li Feng held back his laughter as he thought it was inappropriate but the fresh paw print Yun Xue left on his forehead made him lose it.
“Puhahaha!” Li Feng couldn’t hold back his laughter and laughed out loud, instantly awaking Xiao Long from his sleep.
“Ahh~ Food..” Xiao Long muttered dazedly as he sniffed and crawled his way to the small dining table.
As soon as he reached the table, it was as if the waving Doraemon doodle washed away all of his fatigue.
“Waahhh~ It’s Doraemon!” Xiao Long smiled brightly, exposing his missing front tooth as he looked down at his omelette rice.
The whiff of aroma that emanated from both of their dishes caused both Xue Yun and Xiao Long to drool.
Their faces made Li Feng chuckle as he told them to eat, especially Yun Xue because she seemed more like a human child rather than an animal.
Like starved wolves, their eyes shone with greed and desire as they chomped down on their food.
In a flash, all of the food on both of their plates vanished, leaving the plates sparkling clean as though it was recently washed and polished.
“Burp~ Haha, that was tasty hehe..” Xiao Long blurted out as he laid on the ground, patting his slightly bloated stomach.
"Mew~!" Licking her lips, Yun Xue meowed along with a tinge of satisfaction.
Author’s Note
Words : 4497
Hope that the introduction of the Jiang Hu wasn't too much of an info dump.
Didn’t upload for the past few days because I was proof reading all four released chapters so to the people who have read, you may have to read it again. But its still going in the same direction without any changes to the storyline only correction of words and etc.
I have almost deleted the chapter four’s proofreaded document and had panicked like an idiot in my own room. Lol, managed to get it back luckily :D Please remind me if this chapter has any errors because I have read it thrice. Would probably get back to proof reading it again tho and then finding a ton of errors.. Tsk tsk..
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" Waffle " Speech/Dialogue
Waffle Thoughts
* Waffle * Actions
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[ 1 ]
Jiang Hu – is a community of martial artists in wuxia stories and, more recently, outlaw societies like the Triads.
[ 2 ]
Pugilists - Martial Practitioners who had cultivated Chi and entered the Jiang Hu.