“Master you should rest!” Luan pleaded.

“I’ll rest when I’m dead!” Xing growled, nursing the wound on his right side. He bit the tip of his tongue, hoping it would’ve alleviated the pain, but that did nothing at all.

The pain on his right side was like a fire, burning and churning with worms wiggling at every inch of his right side. It was barely manageable, especially when he tried to cultivate, and calm himself. but this wasn’t the time for that. He needed to return and make sure everything was well with Li’er.

The haunting words of Kai Chen haunted him, making him act more vicious than he’d ever been. Is this the life of a father? Xing thought to himself, I might not be cut out for this.

The cart rocked back at forth as Luan cracked the reigns guiding the horses through the rocky terrain. Trees rustled as they pass them by, not stopping for a moment's rest. It was like watching the night pass you by, in a deep dark cave, with the iciness of the wind stealing one’s warmth away.

Despite that, Luan still followed Xing dutifully, despite not having the right to call him master.

The young lad looked back, watching Xing wince, feeling as though he was incompetent, he wanted to help, but how could he?

He wasn’t like Sister Ling, who was blessed with not just a beautiful face, but delicate hands, hands that could heal anything if she knew how.

Unlike most people in the Hollow Mountain Village, Luan had no parents or relatives. His mother died young, and he’d never met his father.

The people in the village treated him well but still kept a fair distance from him because they didn’t know who his father was.

The young lad ignored the teasing he received, but he’d be lying if he said it never bothered him. At times he’d even wish he could kill some of them, as their taunts were relentless.

Whenever those dark thoughts would manifest, Old Man Jun would appear and soothe his mood away with tales of the Eastern Plains. He wasn’t a good storyteller, but he was sincere in how he treated him, and always appreciated him for that.

“What are you grumbling about?” Xing huffed.

“Grumbling?” Luan asked confused.

“Yes. Grumbling.” Xing said wincing, “I can hear you over the horses!”

“Oh…sorry Master! I’m just scared of what might happen Little Li'er”

“Me too,” Xing said softly. “I told you could stay with the villagers and help them.”

“I know master, but it’s best for me to come with you…you need to recuperate.”

Xing harrumphed, turning his head, then propped his back up in the cart. He stared past Luan, looking in the night sky, watching as the clouds pass him by, trailing from left to right. “Li’er” he whispered. “I’ll be there soon…please….please be OK.”

◆◆◆

Old Man Jun sagged to the ground, dropping the scythe right next to him and lying flat on the ground. The soft cold soil sent ripples of goosebumps down Jun’s back, making him wince from the sudden decrease in his body temperature.

He balled his hands into a fist, feeling the blood on his fingers, then the adrenaline spike that had kept his body awake during the battle finally dissipated, draining every ounce of energy from his body like an extinguished flame from an aged old candle. “It’s been ages since I last felt like this.” He whispered, trying to raise his hand.

The weight of his hand felt like a log. It didn’t budge, nor did it care to listen to his whims. It wanted to rest, feeling the coldness of the ground soothe him.

“OLD MAN JUN SAVED US!” Someone shouted from the distance.

“Oh…no.” He whispered.

The thumping sound of feet danced around as people began to gather around him. He shifted his eyes to the left, seeing two lads walk on over to down bandit, sticking their pitchfork into the bastard’s neck, ensuring he was dead.

Jun smiled bitterly and nodded as he approved of their actions. He licked the dryness from his lips and tasted the metallic taste of blood and bit his bottom lip. “Give me some air…” He said coughing, then patting his chest.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

A group of young men pulled the old up and then shouldered him to the nearest chairs. They looked at him confused, deciding if to fear him or thank him, but Jun didn’t have the energy to question. He eyed them, then shooed them off. “The dead…we need to respect them.” He said softly.

The lads looked at him with respect, turned and scuttled off to the other dead bodies and began nestling the children, mothers and fathers who were kneeling above their loved ones.

“Li’er” Elder Jun whispered, “I’m coming!”

Jun pushed himself up, and headed towards the Jiang residence, waving off anyone that offered to help him walk. He continually shooed them off, making his way to the

Jiang residence.

After the fifth turn, he began to think that maybe he should’ve taken the assistance, as his knees, back and shoulders were throbbing painfully.

The pain felt like a thousand needles scratched against his bones and right beneath his flesh, making him wince each time he turned. “The Star Killer Arts is too vicious on this old body of mine.” He muttered, “Especially without the abundance of Qi I needed to use the fourth stance.”

The doors to the Jiang residence were wide open as were flowing in and out like an open dam. The scent of medicinal ointment, oil, and torn cotton smelled as thick as grass when the rain fell.

Jiang Tao, Patriarch Jiang’s oldest son was at the door, ordering everyone as if he just wasn’t battered before coming here.

Jiang Shen the youngest Jiang son, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen as Tao nodded to Elder Jun as he walked by, into the courtyard.

Dozens of villagers were lying on the ground being tended to, not all were seen because they didn’t have enough people to treat the wounds, which was a travesty. “Elder Jun! Thank You for saving my son,” A woman croaked to Jun’s left.

She held a happy smile with her wrinkled face and a sword slash down her chest which bled profusely. If Jun wasn’t used to blood, he probably would’ve winced, but he knelt down and began cleaning the wound. “Don’t thank me, this should’ve never happened.” He said softly.

“A lot of things happen in life we can’t control Jun, and the heart of men is one. We saw your heart today…it came at a cost, but so does anything in life.”

Jun stood there for a little while contemplating her words. He tried to understand them and did, but refused to accept it. Life was already hard…but why must the hearts of man always be tainted with greed, lust and hatred?

…Because that’s the way of life is, He thought bitterly, reminiscing his master’s words.

Training to be an assassin at the tender age of six. He was shown the ugliness of the world through training and the horrible deeds of some of the people he was tasked with killing.

Not all of his targets were guilty, some were as innocent as a newborn lamb, and those deaths are what truly shook him to his Core.

Jun closed his head, shaking his head trying to push away the faces of the innocents he killed. He thought that he’d never had to shed blood again, but as life would have it. He couldn’t stay away from such a life, even in a small village such as this.

The woman’s hand grew light, and Jun turned to look at her, only to know she died. He bit his lip, folded her hands and covered her face and walked away feeling his shoulders slump even more.

“Elder Jun!” Shen shouted.

“Shen’er…you’re…”

“Helping the Patriarch clean up the wounds in the main hall.”

“Cleaning wounds? Shouldn’t he watching over Li’er?”

“Li’er? Whose that?”

“Don’t worry about it, carry on with your business,” Jun said bitterly.

The maid eyed him confused and nodded whilst he made his way to the Main Hall of the Jiang Clan. The Main Hall had wooden pillars carved at the doors, which were wide open. The red carpet that run from inside, flopped down the stairs as Jun entered.

Once he entered, the warmth of the room removed the chill from his fingertips. More bodies lay on the ground in the main hall, but these were healthier, with lacerations and slight cuts which were being cleaned by the maids and Patriarch Yu himself.

Jun walked up, ensuring he didn’t disturb anyone and puffed his cheeks out in annoyance, then eyed Yu coldly. “Where’s Li’er?” He huffed.

“In the back with one of my maids.” He said

Jun was about to raise his voice, but with everything that just happened. He knew he couldn’t say anything, after all, he did take her away from the danger. “Were I asked?” He then said again.

“Storage Room.”

The old man nodded and left the main hall, and headed towards the storage room, passing a small pond on the left, which was encompassed by a tranquil garden.

The flowers which bloomed were purple and yellow filling Jun’s eyes with tranquility. He pushed the peacefulness from his mind and found the storage room.

He pushed the door open and dread, anxiety but mostly horror flashed across his face in a heartbeat. “No.” He whispered, looking at Yu’s made lying on the ground with blood pooling beneath her.

Jun ran towards the body, splashing blood against the toy soldier which stood a few steps away from him, going unnoticed. Jun rolled her over and watched as blood poured from her throat, which was cut long and deep.

His eyes began to wander around the room hunting, but the only thing that caught his eyes was a toy soldier drenched in blood. “That’s Li’er’s figurine!.”

Jun slid the maid’s body back on the ground, then walked over, picking up the toy soldier and twirling it in his hands. Dread resonated in Jun’s heart and mind as he balled his fist, thinking of where she might be. “This is bad…very bad,” He said softly.

A cold gust of wind washed over him making him feel nervous instantly. Goosebumps rose around his arms, then climbed up to his neck then flowed down to his back and legs, making him feel uneasy. Then, he felt a pair of eyes on him.

Jun turned, and instantly opened his eyes, seeing the menacing gaze that Zhao Xing held in his eyes, he held his side in pain, then balled his fist when his eyes trailed down to the toy soldier in Jun’s hand.

Xing stepped forward, killing what little warmth Jun had in his body, and then he spoke. “Tell me about Chief Hodong.” He asked coldly.

“Chief Hodong? Why are you asking about him? We have to find Li’er before it’s too late!”

“That’s why I’m asking about that bastard Hodong!”

“Hodong? What does he have to do with any of this!”

“Everything…” Xing said coldly. “I’ll kill that bastard myself!”