The wind was cold. After a week of traveling, Yuan and his companions had finally left behind the Desert of Death. Now they were traveling through barren lands. They could see on the horizon the landscape being white, covered by snow. They knew that they were about to walk into the Kingdom of Swagen, the coldest region in the continent. In his previous life, when he was Yang Jing, Yuan had heard many tales about the brave warriors of Swagen. His father, Yang Wanli, despite facing them many times in battle in his campaigns in the north, respected them for their valor and fighting spirit. When he was returning from those campaigns, he would tell stories to young Yang Jing about the fearsome warriors he and his men had to face. Yuan smiled, but his smile was one of sadness.
"Will we have a warm welcome in Swagen?" Yuan asked Harald.
The Swagen warrior sighed. "I do not think so. As I told you when we first met, I was a bodyguard for Prince Alfred. I failed to protect him and he died at the hands of the Demonic Cult. His Royal Majesty will rightly blame me for my incompetence. We should keep a low profile and pretend that we are simply travelers."
It took them a day of travel to reach the border. It was snowing. Everything was engulfed in white. Before them lay a military outpost, fortified with wooden palisades and towers. A scout spotted them from one of the towers and shouted. An armored cavalryman galloped towards them.
He hopped off his horse and approached them. "Who are you?"
Yuan and his companions all bowed slightly. "We are travelers," Yuan said. "We want to see the entire world and learn about foreign lands."
"I can vouch for that," Harald added. "I told them to visit our great Kingdom to see its beauty."
The soldier chuckled. "Whatever! You do not look like desert raiders and you have a Swagen vouching for you, so you can enter. Just remember that if you do not follow our laws or cause any trouble, you shall end up in a cell."
"Thank you for your kindness," Yuan said and bowed again.
The soldier hopped onto his horse and left for his camps.
"Beyond is the Blufelden Forest," Harald said. "It is dangerous, full of bandits and wild beasts. There are only a few sparsely populated villages in that region."
"I get the feeling that journeying through that forest will not be a pleasant experience..." Ping commented.
"Since we managed to survive the Great Forest and the Desert of Death, we can survive this forest too!" Yuan said.
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The young man walked slowly amidst the snowy trees of the forest. The cold was shivering but he did not mind much as the black fur he wore gave him protection and he was an experienced hunter. He was only nineteen years old but he had been hunting in that forest since he was thirteen. He was tall and well built, with an athletic and muscular body. Yet he did not look like a savage; instead, his face was delicate and handsome, with his short black hair, aquiline nose, and green eyes.
His steps were slow and from time to time he looked at the snowy ground to see the footprints of the animal he was hunting; a deer. The deer had been cut off from the group, it seemed, probably because it had been injured, and thus presented an ideal prey for the young man. Ian, for that was the young man's name, had a lot of experience in hunting down animals in this forest. He had learned from the best; his uncle Thomas. In his youth, Thomas was renown in Westdare village for his hunting abilities and for being able to survive in the snowy forest for whole weeks without any help at all. Now, a middle-aged man who had not aged well, he spent most of his time home and let Ian do the hunting.
After following its trail for almost a whole day, Ian could finally see his prey resting beside a frozen brook. The young hunter hid behind a tree. He grabbed his bow, drew an arrow and aimed at the deer. For a moment there was utter silence that was suddenly terminated by the sound of the arrow being released from the bow. Ian had hit his target; the deer lied dead on the ground. Although he did enjoy hunting, Ian always felt a bit sad the moment he killed his prey. But this was the only skill he had and the only way he and his uncle could survive.
He walked to the deer and grabbed it. With it on his back, he began making his way home. He knew that he would not reach it until the next day, but he hoped to make some of the journey's distance before resting for the night. He was not relaxed at all with his 'victory'. Instead, he was even more alarmed and tensed as he knew that a dead deer could draw any kind of wild beasts to him. Not only that, but the forest was rife with bandits too. Few villagers dared to hunt in this place.
After walking as fast as he could for about an hour, Ian knew that he had to rest for the night. The sky darkened and he could not hope to journey for much longer. He placed down the deer and searched of tree branches. Once he had brought enough branches, he grabbed two stones and tried to make a fire. At first, the stones flashed, but with no real spark. After trying a few more times, he finally manages to start a fire. He then lied down on the snow and rested with a knife in his hands.
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It was already late at night but Yuan and his companions were still traveling through the Blufelden Forest. White flakes were swirling around them. The biting cold chilled their fingers into clumsy numbness. As they walked forward, they saw smoke. Approaching, they saw a fire and a man lying on the snow.
"At last some warmth!" Ping exclaimed. As he rushed forward, he crushed a tree branch that lied on the ground.
Crack!
Ian immediately got up when heard that sound. He saw the six travelers. At once he grabbed his bow and shouted, "who are you?"
"I am Cheng Yuan. We are not enemies!"
"What are you doing in this forest?" Ian could tell that those were not ordinary people. 'Although one of them looks like a fellow Swagen, the others must be travelers from the Jia Dynasty', he thought. From the swords they were carrying, he could guess that they were fighters. 'Most likely they are swordsmen from some martial arts sect.'
"We are travelers. We got lost in this forest," Yuan lied.
Although Ian did not trust them, he decided that since they didn't want to harm him, there was no need to make them his enemies. "Alright. You can stay here. Tomorrow morning you can follow me to Westdare village. It is the only populated place you will find for a long time, so it is a good place to buy supplies for your journey."
He paused for a moment. "My name is Ian, by the way."
"Thank you for your offer," Yuan replied. "We will follow you to Westdare."
"There is something strange about this Ian..." Aaren whispered. "He is no ordinary Swagen."
Yuan nodded. "Then we should be careful."
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The next day, as soon as the sun appeared on the clear blue sky, Ian grabbed the deer and continued his journey to Bliz village along with Yuan and his companions. By afternoon, they had reached the village. Westdare was a small village; most of the houses were crude and made from wood.
"Before coming to my home, we must first go to Tom," Ian said.
"Who is Tom?" Hua asked.
"The butcher. I need to sell the deer I caught."
Ian and the others entered a small building. Inside was Tom, a middle-aged short but muscular man. He was cutting some meat with his sharp knife on a wooden table. "What have you brought me?" Tom nonchalantly asked.
"A deer", Ian replied. "I will sell you half of it for fifty credits."
"Forty, boy. Don't push me. My daughter is getting married and I have a lot of spending to do."
"Really? Mary is getting married?"
"Yup. And I was as surprised as you when I've heard it. I met the lucky guy only yesterday."
"I'm glad to hear the news. And I will take the forty credits."
As Tom handed the credits, he pointed at Yuan and the other companions. "Who are those?"
"Some travelers I met in the forest."
Tom smirked. "You've made the right choice coming to this village. I have all the rations you need to make it through your journey. My prices are very low."
"Thank you for your offer," Yuan said.
They bid farewell to Tom and then left the shop. They headed to Ian's home. Once there, Ian knocked the door. A moment later, an old man opened the door and greeted them with a wide smile on his face.
"Ian!" the old man exclaimed. "You are back. How much did you make this time?"
Ian gave his uncle the half deer he was carrying and replied, "I have sold half the deer to Tom for forty credits and now we have enough meat for the whole week."
"You did well," Thomas said. "You remind me of myself when I was still young."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He then noticed his nephew's companions. "Who are those?"
"I've met them in the forest. They are travelers."
"You can stay here for tonight!" Thomas said. "Tomorrow you can get rations from Tom and get going on your journey."
"Thank you," Yuan said. "We appreciate your hospitality."
"It's nothing. The ladies can stay at guests' room. Unfortunately, my house is not big enough, so the rest of you will have to rest in my storeroom. I apologize for the inconvenience."
"I can assure you that sleeping in the storeroom is no inconvenience," Ping said. "Compared with the nights we had to sleep in the desert, it sounds great."
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Yuan, Ping, Almar, and Harald were resting in the storeroom. They were all exhausted. Yuan was still cautious about Ian, as Aaren had warned him, but he liked him. He seemed like a decent and friendly person.
"Hey!" Ping said. "There is something I must say."
Yuan nodded.
"We will be parting parts. You do not need me anymore nor do I want to get killed in your crazy quest. I mean, I wish you the best of luck but you are literally going against the whole world. I stayed so far because we were in dangerous territory and far away from homeland. Since this village isn't far away from the border, I can now go back to the Jia Dynasty."
Yuan sighed. He had gotten used to having Ping along but he knew that at some point he would leave. "What are you going to do? Hopefully, you shall not return back to robbing people..."
Ping laughed. "No. I... I want to do something with my life. I can't go back to my old life. I will join the army."
"Good luck then. Hope we meet again."
"You are a bastard but I will miss you!" Harald said.
Ping chuckled. "Have to go. Going to buy supplies and leave. Although it is late, I can still make half the journey towards the border."
Ping bowed slightly as a sign of his respect and left.
"I truly believe that we shall meet again..." Yuan said. "Who knows? One day he may be a high ranking officer."
"Yuan, I shall also not be able to follow you for now," Almar told. "I am weak right now and I need to recuperate. I've expended too much of my internal energy. I will be of more help to you when I have fully recuperated. Do you still have the magic stone I gave you?"
Yuan nodded. He had grabbed it when they escaped from the raider's camp.
"When you need my help, use the stone to call me and I will arrive to your aid as soon as possible."
"Thank you for your help so far. Hope that you will fully recuperate."
"Well," Harald said, "it seems that from now on it will be us two, Hua and that old witch."
Yuan chuckled.
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Ian walked into the storeroom, bringing with him some cookies. Their delectable aroma pervaded the air- a melange of honey dew, orange preserves and dabs of crackling nuts.
"They were made by my uncle," he said. "He told me to bring you some to taste them."
Harald grabbed one of the cookies and ate it. He felt a sensation he hadn't felt in a long, long time. "At last some Swagen food! Brother, you should taste them."
Yuan ate one of the cookies. "It's delicious!"
Ian smiled. "Well, my uncle is a great cook. By the way, I am going to hear stories from the storyteller. That old man lives just outside the village and tells incredible stories. Do you want to come with me?"
"Sure," Yuan said.
"I will be staying here to recuperate," Almar replied.
"So will I," Harald said. "I am too tired."
Yuan and Ian headed for the storyteller. The storyteller was camping in a tent a few minutes of walk outside the village. When Yuan and Ian arrived there, they saw that the old man was surrounded by old men and small children who had gathered to listen to his stories. The old storyteller was sitting beside a fire. He was wearing a black robe and his face was hooded but illuminated by the fire; the man was was bearded and had a few wrinkles on his face. Yuan and Ian sat beside the others and began listening to the old man's tale.
"I usually tell you stories about brave Swagen warriors battling beasts and Jia armies. This time though I will tell you the story of a warrior who lived in the ancient times; Yi Hong! The man who defeated the Dark Lord and saved our world! Eight hundred thousand years ago, those lands had few inhabitants. There was no Swagen Kingdom. In the south, where today stands the Jia Dynasty, there were tens of small Kingdoms fighting each other in an endless bloody war. During that time of chaos on Earth, a villain emerged in Heavens. That man was Ye Guang. He was a young immortal who was kind, sincere and curious about the world around him. He was always ready to help others. One day he fell in love with a Goddess. He tried his best to impress her. He wrote poems, he descended on Earth to find the most beautiful flowers and brought them to her, he tried to fulfill her every wish. The Goddess wasn't interested in this young immortal though. She ridiculed him behind his back and was constantly asking him to perform ever more difficult tasks. Once, she asked him to go an ancient cave where it was said that an evil spirit lived. Ye Guang was afraid but did so, not wanting to appear a coward before the woman he loved. Once he entered the cave, suddenly a puff of smoke emerged! Puff! Ye Guang was terrified. 'Please spare me spirit!' he cried out. 'I didn't mean to disturb you!'. In its deep voice, the spirit shouted, 'at last! I have a vessel to conquer the world!'. That vessel was Ye Guang's body. The spirit overtook his body. Overnight, Ye Guang's powers increased a thousandfold, but so did his wickedness. This spirit corrupted him; it suppressed all the good he had in him and released his basest and cruelest instincts. Ye Guang cultivated for months in that cave. When he returned to Heavens, he was no longer a mere immortal. He had taken the mantle of Dark Lord and had risen in revolt against the Celestial Court. He raised an army of undead and wreaked havoc on Heavens and Earth. 'I shall conquer all Realms and rule for all eternity!' he declared. He came close to fulfilling that dream of his but then a young hero emerged; Yi Hong!"
The story had caught the interest of everyone listening to it; especially of the children who were enthralled to hear of Yi Hong and how he defeated the wicked Dark Lord. Ian too was enamored by the story and it was as if the events the old man was describing were unfolding before him. Yuan was teary as he remembered Elder Huo in Fox Village who had first told him of that story. This was a time he wanted to forget; he could still vividly remember Elder Huo being strangled by the Demon of Doom. He could remember how the Demon put an end to his previous life. He quickly wiped his tears.
"Yi Hong was once a boy like you! He lived in a small village like this one. He was the son of poor peasants. His parents toiled the land all day long and barely made enough to get by. Many times had he gone to sleep without having eaten anything. Yet he was always smiling and full of life. He never complained! He would look at the stars in the night sky and say, 'one day I shall shine like those stars!'. And shine he did... One day, as he was playing around with some friends, he saw a terrible sight! Ten undead warriors were galloping towards his village. They were the warriors of Ye Guang, sent to pillage and murder. Seeing the kids, the undead unsheathed their swords and were about to murder them when an immortal suddenly emerged! Whoosh! His sword struck at them. The undead warriors were destroyed and sent back to the underworld from where they had risen. All other kids had run off. Only Yi Hong remained, marveling the immortal's skills. 'Great swordsmanship!' he said. 'Bravo! You beat the bad guys!'. The immortal laughed. His laughter stopped though when he sensed a unique aura of power in that kid. He sensed that this kid was special and was destined to become someone great. So he took him to the Celestial Court."
The storyteller paused for a moment to clear his throat.
"The Celestial Court and the Orthodox Sects provided the boy with the best teachers. By the time he was sixteen years old, he had become a legendary swordsman. At that time, Heavens and Earth were in ruins as the war had been raging on for too long. There was a stalemate and each side sacrificed hundreds of thousands of soldiers in pointless offensives. Yi Hong went to the front and was appointed the commander of the 'Heavenly Legion'. He fought many battles and defeated countless underlings of the Dark Lord thanks to his ingenious strategies and martial prowess. His army was known to use all kinds of deceptions to lure the enemy in ambushes or put them in a disadvantaged position. His men were also renown for their bravery, never afraid to charge at numerically superior enemies. All of them had scars and wounds all over their bodies; from arrows, swords, spears, axes, even teeth. The valor of Yi Hong and his men was celebrated by humans and immortals alike and enraged the wicked Dark Lord. 'Who is this boy who dares to challenge me?!' he barked. He would send his most powerful underlings to hunt down the young hero, but Yi Hong would slaughter them with ease. Yet he understood that he was not yet ready to face the Dark Lord. So he went to the Mountain of a Thousand Flames to find the Flaming Medallion! That was an ancient artifact forged by the God of War Ma Yuan himself. After a long journey, he found where the medallion was hidden. He also used the Holy Lava, the Stone of Supreme Power which had been given to him by the Jade Emperor and his own internal energy to forge another magic weapon, the Heavenly Sword. Now, armed with the Flaming Medallion and Heavenly Sword, he was ready to face the Dark Lord in single combat!"
All the kids cheered and the old man laughed.
"He stood before the Dark Lord and said, 'you have killed millions of innocent people and brought ruin everywhere because of your greed and wickedness. Yet, I can still forgive you if you lay down your weapon and accept the Jade Emperor's punishment. You can still be saved from your own evilness,' he said. Ye Guang laughed. 'Boy, who are you to think you can threaten me?! I am the Dark Lord! I am the most powerful being to have ever existed! I will destroy your beloved Earth and burn down the Celestial Court in Heavens! I shall reign supreme!'. Yi Hong sighed. He understood that there was no way he could avoid this battle. He charged at the Dark Lord with all his might. His Heavenly Sword clashed with the Demonic Sabre of Ye Guang. Clang! An earthquake shook the entire human realm, demolishing thousands of cities. Such was the might of those two warriors. Yi Hong unleashed his internal energy at the Dark Lord and Ye Guang countered with his own vast internal energy. Boom! At once mighty tsunamis rose, the ground cracked and tornadoes ravaged whole countries! Such was the vastness of their internal energy. For six days they fought. It was the ultimate duel! Good versus Evil! Light versus Darkness! Hope versus Desperation! Life versus Death! In the end, goodness won! Light won! Hope won! Life won! Yi Hong slew the Dark Lord and ended that war that had ravaged Heavens and Earth! After this duel, the young hero disappeared along with his sword and medallion. No one knows his fate or what happened to his two magic weapons. That was the story of Yi Hong the Great, the Hero who saved Earth..."
Everyone, old and young, clapped enthusiastically. The kids began chanting 'Yi Hong! Yi Hong!'.
"Remember kids; Yi Hong was once a boy like you. So always look up to the stars like he did and look forward to the future; for one day, you too shall shine like those stars!"
Yuan had to admit that the storyteller was very good. It reminded him of the stories his mother in his previous life used to tell him when it was bedtime. He sighed. Gone was she, slain by the wicked Emperor's lackeys. 'One day I shall avenge her!' he thought.
"Did you like the story?" Ian asked.
"It was very good."
Ian smiled. "I wish one day I could live an adventure like that. I want to see the world and forge my own destiny."
"I know that feeling only too well. I too once hoped for one such adventure. Trust me though, it is not as rosy as storytellers make it sound. It can be very exhaustive; you feel burdened, always afraid of failing the world, always on the edge. You can never rest. You can never relax. You simply wish you could be done with all this and live a simple and boring life. So be careful with what you are asking for."
"You are an adventurer! Aren't you?"
"Sort of."
Ian grinned. "I knew it. I could tell that you were a swordsman. What is your task?"
"I have to deliver an item to my Tea- to an Elder."
"I understand. Can I come with you?"
"What?" Yuan was taken aback.
"Don't get me wrong; I love this place. I love hunting in the forest and being with my uncle. But I also wish to see the rest of the world. I do not want to remain in my entire life in this village."
Yuan was reluctant. Although he could tell that Ian was a nice person, he still remembered what Aaren had said.
"I can be very helpful. I am an excellent archer and I know how one can survive in Blufelden Forest. You will need such skills in order to make it through the forest and go safely to your destination."
Yuan thought for a moment. Since Ping and Almar would no longer accompany him, he could use Ian's help. "Fine. But you will follow my orders."
"Good. I will tell my uncle and tomorrow morning we can begin our journey."