Chaoxiang landed on a plain of grass that was as tall as his waist. He cradled the child in his arms, feeling the howl of the wind as he stood there.
As the grass swayed back and forth, following the motion of the wind, he closed his eyes and felt the cold wind tickle his callused hands and neck as he raised his head to the sky.
The sun peered down at him, brightening his hand as he raised it to block out the sand. The calluses of his hands felt as coarse as whetstone used to sharpen a blade, yet he poked her cheek with such gentleness, that it made her giggle.
The child twisted her head, seeing the old man for the first time and began crying as if she’d seen a monster. She’d never seen wrinkles before, and the number of wrinkles Chaoxiang had, could frighten everyone who hasn’t seen someone who was an eighty-six years old
“Sshhh….” He said softly, “Mother Susu will be here soon.” He said with a smile.
Chaoxiang looked around, hoping to find someplace to sit. On the right, a few meters from him was a rock.
He pushed the grass aside heading towards it and squatted down on the rock, picking up one of the bottles of milk he’d snatched off Xing without his notice.
Chaoxiang corked the top off and held it to the child’s head, watching as she grabbed the side of it and began guzzling the milk down as if she hadn’t been fed for days. “I guess what they say about Axsumites isn’t true.” He said, “It would appear, that you don’t drink blood.”
As he sat there, looking into the child’s emerald eyes. He knew exactly why Susu claimed the child as her own. “You remind her of herself,” He said softly.
In that instance, his mind reminisced on the first time he found Susu. The little girl’s skin was burnt all over and she was covered in ash.
It pained him to see a child, tattered, broken and on the verge of death. Regardless of her being a Parsoni.
Oh Su’er, Chaoxiang thought, I know why you claim this child as yours…but Huaxia is an unforgiving place to raise her, especially for an Axsumite.
As Chaoxiang sighed, he placed the bottle on the child’s lips and watched her devour it in seconds.
After the baby stirred into sleep, he began watching the trees forest in the background swish back and forth, being caressed by the wind.
An ominous energy sent goosebumps throughout Chaoxiang’s skin. He curled his lips into a devilish smile, then drew his lips into a line…giving his best cold expression.
He turned around, to face the ominous aura that’d been reverberating behind him. As he stared behind him, he looked up seeing Xing and Susu were standing on a stone, looking down on him.
“Master, I can’t talk any sense into them.” Bo Ying said, appearing in a cart.
“Ban Susu…Zhao Xing. I’ve requested your presence over forty days ago. Is this child the reason for your late arrival?” Chaoxiang asked coldly.
Xing released a grunt, eyeing Chaoxiang venomously. He could feeling the killing aura exhuming from him, but all that did was make Chaoxiang excited. Good, He mused.
“Master what are you doing?!” Susu cried out.
“What must be done, my dear.” He answered coyly.
Susu stepped forward, but Xing grabbed her hand, stopping her. She wrestled it free, which made Chaoxiang smile, internally. These two, truly are siblings, He thought happily.
“Master has risen to the Qi Perception Realm, you are not his opponent,” Xing said firmly.
“Hooo…and you are? Shredding Claw Xing!?” Chaoxiang said smugly.
Xing sneered at his master, but didn’t respond. If there was anyone here, that knew how to grind Xing’s gears, it was Chaoxiang.
He pushed himself off the rock, dusting himself free of any debris that followed. He looked into the child eyes and shook his head, showing his disappointment.
He then peered at Susu, whose eyes were on solely focused on the child. It made him laugh bitterly to see such affection in her eyes. Because that’s who you truly are Ban Susu, a loving…care woman.
Chaoxiang turned to Zhao Xing, watching as the Accentuation Realm warrior clenched his fists in defiance. Then, he opened them into his signature claw-style Iron Shredding Claws.
“Zhao Xing, are you going to attack your master whilst he holds a child?”
“What are you planning to do with the child Master?” He asked.
“Master? You call me Master, yet you wield your claws at me, like some discarded pup of a litter? Hmm?!”
“Mas--” Xing try to say, but was cut off from Chaoxiang.
“You disappoint me, Zhao Xing, you truly have.”
“MASTER” Susu tried to plea, but his discerning eye stopped her from speaking further.
“Ban Susu,” He said calmly, turning to her. He watched as she hooked her veil back onto her conical hat, but the killing aura that exhumed from her forced the grass in front of her to bend, as if she were a queen. “I see… do you wish me dead as well?”
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“MASTER!” Bo Ying protested.
“SILENCE!”
Xing and Susu looked at each confused. Susu bowed, cupping her fist and quelling her killing aura. “I do not wish your death...but if you plan to hurt the child. I will have no choice but to fight you.”
“Hooo...I see. Fight me? Does this SPAWN have a name?” Chaoxiang said coldly.
“She doesn’t we were hoping you would name her,” Xing said firmly.
“Me? Why me? I wasn’t the one that found her.”
“Master, we come here seeking your guidance!”
“Is that all I’m good for Zhao Xing, guidance? Hmm?"
“No master!”
Chaoxiang’s lips curled into a smile, then he turned to Xing, whose claws were still radiating Qi. “If only you had the hubris to use such swords to sway Matriarch Yun. Yun Yan would still be here.”
Qi began to leak from Xing’s body, in the form of black mist. Then, the killing aura began to swirl around Zhao Xing he eyed Feng Chaoxiang.
Chaoxiang harrumphed, and spat in disgust wrinkling his nose at Xing. “You’re still the little boy that tried to steal my pouch all those years ago!”
Xing didn’t respond, but he tried his best to keep his anger in, but he was failing miserably.
“Master,” He said, “Give the child to Su’er, if you quarrel with me, let her go. I will take whatever reservations you have for the girl’s birth. I know she’s an Axsumite, but she’s only a child...she, not a spawn!”
“Didn’t you bring her here to be named by me?”
“Yes, we did bring her to be named, not be killed,” Susu said.
“Fine, I’ll name her.” Chaoxiang said calmly.
The killing aura that exhumed from both Zhao Xing and Ban Susu dissipated instantly. Relief flashed across their faces as though they finished their favourite meal.
“Thank You Master,” Zhao Xing said, bowing and cupping his fist.
“Thank You?” Chaoxiang scoffed, “She’ll be known as what she is Zhao Xing and Ban Susu DEMON SPAWN FROM AXSUM!”
Chaoxiang shook the baby in his arms, shying her away from Susu’s glance, and smiled knowingly. He released a smidgen of killing aura, smothering the child in his Qi.
Susu flared her Qi violently, then stepped forward, eyes red with wroth and anger. “Old MAN! YOU AREN’T MY MASTER ANY MORE!”
“SUSU STOP!” Xing called out, but it fell on deaf ears.
Susu dashed forward, trying to snatch the child from her former master. Feng Chaoxiang sidestepped left, then pivoted right right. He leaned in, then hit her with his hip. “Did you think you could marry Shi Qiu with such paltry skills? He’s from The Emerald Sky Palace, one of the Pillars of the Jianghu, WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU STOOD A CHANCE!”
She spun into a kick, that missed. Chaoxiang appeared behind her, forcing her to raise her right leg in defence.
Susu counter-spun and ready to snap her whip free, which forced Chaoxiang to skip back. He raised the child over his head, which made her giggled.
As Susu stopped herself from grabbing her whip. He tossed the child in the air and watched as Susu shot into the air. “You think you can protect her?” Chaoxiang asked coldly. “You can’t even protect yourself!”
Chaoxiang landed on the ground and flicked up the nearest pebble. He stood there, watching Susu use her qinggong trying to snatch the child from out of the air.
When her outstretched hand grazed the child’s blanket. He finger-flicked the pebble, Susu gnashed her teeth in frustration.
She let the pebble hit her hand, as she didn’t want it to hit the child. Susu sailed down to the ground as Chaoxiang had her acupoint, immobilising her effectively.
A loud thud echoed throughout the plains as Susu dropped to the ground like a brick. Susu shrieked from the pain and stared venomously at Feng Chaoxiang, who looked back at her, unfazed. “A little more to the right, and the pebble would’ve killed her, tsk tsk.”
As the child dropped back into Chaoxiang’s hands. He shook his head at Susu, showing his disappointment, then he nestled the child in his hands. “Is this the best you have to offer Ban Susu?” Chaoxiang asked coldly. “You are of the Divination Realm...yet you fight as though you’re off the Core Awakening Realm...must I kill this child to force your ascension?”
“Master,” Xing said softly. “Su’er’s been poisoned. She’s still recovering.
“You watched her get poison?” Chaoxiang asked, turning to Xing.
“Of course, not Master, I arrived late,” Xing answered.
“Arrived...late? Were you two not travelling together?”
“We were--”
“Forget it,” Chaoxiang said. “It’s clear to me that both of you cherish thid child. This is good, but she’s an Axsumite. Do you know what they did four centuries ago?!”
“Yes Master, we know.”
“If you know, why not show this child mercy by killing her RIGHT NOW!”
“BECAUSE I PROMISED HER MOTHER!” Susu shouted, pushing herself up from off the ground. She’d finally pushed the acupoint in her shoulder free, using her Qi. Sweat was pouring off her face, so she wiped it away, walking toward Fend Chaoxiang.
The old man harrumphed, turning to Susu. He swirled the Qi within his Soul Dantian.
The Qi that Chaoxiang exhumed, violently sprayed across the plains, flooding it with his killing aura. The shock wave of Qi made Susu and Xing’s bones shiver with fright.
Chaoxiang turned to Susu, who didn’t speak, but furrowed his brow, as he showed his anger. “As you’ve severed our Master-Disciple relationship Ban Susu. I have no reason for me to keep this thing alive.”
Susu dashed forward swirling what little Qi she had left, funneling it into her Core Dantian and the meridians that led to her hands.
Chaoxiang, slid back with half-spin, blocking her kick with his hand. She twirled, loosening his grip, and flicked two quick punches at his head, which he dodged easily.
Susu feinted left, then appeared to his left opening her right hand, which forced Chaoxiang to step back. He quarter-spun, exposing his right side which left him open, just like Susu planned.
Chaoxiang blocked the kick aimed at his side, then shook his head. “You aren’t as good as you think you are girl, come, let me show you!”
He counter-spun, bringing her leg with him, then hit her in the chest with a palm strike which sent her over twenty meters into the sky.
Chaoxiang tapped the ground and followed Susu into the air. He loosed three punches at her, but Susu raised her hands in defence.
The two battle in the sky as eagles did, trading blow for blow. As easy as Chaoxiang was going on her, despite holding the baby.
The Qi that exhumed from Susu could be felt, but Chaoxiang truly knew…that it was her frustration that he was feeling.
Chaoxiang spun midair, kicking Susu in the chest, sending her flying to the ground. She hit the ground with a loud boom, and winced from the pain resonating in her right angle.
Chaoxiang appeared in front of Susu, lips curled into a wrinkled smile. She outstretched her arm trying to grab the child, but he swatted her hand away as if it were a fly.
Then circled her, grabbing her left hand. He twisted, then kicked her in the knee, forcing her to the ground.
Chaoxiang pulled her back, flicking her wrist, sending her to the sky once more. Then when she came back down kicked in her the back five times with a ferocious combo.
Susu wailed from each blow, hitting and skating across the ground like a snake. She rolled and tumbled to a stop.
“Is that, Ban Sus— no. Susu the Scorpion Maiden!” Master Chaoxiang chided.
Susu hissed, gnashing her teeth as she pushed herself from off the ground whilst holding her hand.
Chaoxiang could feel it, her defiance. But she lacks the skill and prowess to even be defiant!
Thundering gallops groaned out beind Chaoxiang, catching his attention. The child giggled in his hand and looked down at her with indifference.
Took you long enough, He mused bitterly.
Chaoxiang turned, raising his hand. A loud boom echoed through the grassy plains and Qi clashed the moment Xing and Master Chaoxiang hands connected.
It was like two tsunamis clashing against each other, sending waves of destructive Qi throughout the surrounding area.
“Took you long enough,” Chaoxiang said coldly. “You watched me defeat your Martial Sister without respite…it is no wonder Lady Yun Yan is no longer with us.”