CHAPTER 151: THE TRUTH
Wang Zen mouth was hanging open, threatening to touch the ground at what he had hear. He kept looking between Wang Ton and Shu Nan, taking in their similarities and not believe how he had missed how much they were the same. “I-I have a sister?”
Wang Ton looked at Shu Nan with sadness. “Shu Nan, I…”
“Earth Rising Burial!”
Earth rose from the ground, entrapping the carriage in it. They were almost knockedoff the carriage but were able to regain their balance. The steeds that were pulling the carriage precariously stood along the raised earth which sloped around them.
“Wang Ton!” Shu Bua shouted once again. “I’ll kill you!”
“No!” Shu Nan leapt off the carriage. She gathered fire in her hands and fell like a comet.
“Father, look out!” Shu Juu shouted as he and Zhi Fu made their way to Shu Bua’s position.
“Nan Nan?” Shu Bua said, looking up at his falling daughter. He thrust his arms out, gathering earth.
The two attacks met, the sandy earth smothering the Shu Nan’s flames. Whe the attacks dispersed, Shu Bua was holding Shu Nan’s hands.
“Nan Nan? Is he making you do this?”
Water smashed through the Earth technique keeping the carriage in the air and Shan leapt to the ground, joined by the two Wangs.
“You!” Shu Bua said as he glared at Wang Ton. “No more mercy for you!”
“No!” Shu Nan said, freeing herself from him and standing between him and Wang Ton. “I won’t let you hurt my father!”
“Your father?” Shu Bua said. “What lies ahs he been feeding you?”
“Oh stop pretending!” she said. “I know everything, about him and Momma and why you have been treating me like crap all my life!”
“Shu Nan.”
She fel quiet and looked to Wang Ton as he approached her.
“I am not your father,” he said.
“N-No, that’s impossible.” She said. “I know about you and my momma.”
He shook his head. “When that all happened, you were already born. Your family is Shu.”
She looked distraught. “What? No. No. No. He couldn’t have lied to me?”
Shu Bua glared at Ton whoraised his arms in confusion.
“Nan Nan, I know we’ve had our differences but I love you.” He said. “You are my daughter.”
“No! That is not what he has told me since I was a little girl.”
“Who?” Zen said. “Who told you?”
She looked up toward Shu Ju and Zhi Fu. “Him!” she pointed at Zhi Fu.
“Zhi Fu, what is the meaning of this?” Shu Bua snapped.
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“I-I…” Zhi Fu stumbled over his words.
“Well?” Shu Bua pressed.
Zhi Fu acted quickly, grabbing Shu Juu by the back and producing a sharp knife that he pressed to his neck. “I have always hated you!” Zhi Fu’s voice rasped. “All these years, I’ve been poisoning your daughter against you but her adventure addled brain couldn’t even muster enough hate to attack you to take what is hers, to weaken you so I, a proper leader can take over the Brown Feather Guild.”
“So it was all a lie. You told me that Wang Ton was holding my daughter against her will as revenge against me. I almost killed him now! You did this all to get power from me?” Shu Bua said. “You put my daughter in harms way!And now you threaten my son! The Brown Feather Guild will never be under the control of someone as despicable as you, Zhi Fu!”
“Zhi Fu, how could you?” Shu Nan said. “I’ll burn you!” Her hand flared in fire.
Shu Bua raised his hand to stop her. “Son, free yourself from him.”
Shu Juu nodded while Zhi Fu laughed shrilly. “As if your weakling of a so could…”
Vines spread from the collar of his shirt and wrapped around Zhi Fu’s knife. Shu Juu rushed forward, freeing himself from Zhi Fu. Shu Bua and Shu Nan rushed forward, fire and earth. Zhi Fu screamed in anguish as half of his body was burnt and the other half was crushed by earth, ending his life.
Wang Zen walked to Shu Nan. She sat atop the carriage that her father had lifeted into the air. The beasts that were pulling it were freed, leaving only it. He sat beside her, both their legs dangling on the edge. They watched from their vantage point as Wang Ton spoke to Shu Bua.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Zen said.
Shu Bua was talking, gesturing with his hands. Shu Nan mocked him by imitating his voice. “Oi,I got guns for arms. Unlike you, who has twigs for hands.”
Zen giggled and saw his father now talking, so he imitated him. “If you focus too much on the twigs, you’ll miss the pretty face.” He said in a lsightly higher pitch voice. “It’s so pretty that I protect it with a mask.”
“How is anyone going to focus on your pretty face,” Shu Nan continued mocking her Shu Bua, “When you’ve got branches for legs. I’ve got trees for legs!”
“Who cares about tree for legs,” Zen too continued, “I’m not planning to grow roots. But seriously, have you seen my face?”
They laughed.
“So what are you going to do now?” Zen said.
She shrugged and patted Shibi’s head. “Maybe I’ll go exploring. Father wants me to stay… fix things.”
“I think you should.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Even if we shared a father,” Zen said, “I don’t think it would fix your old problems with your last father. If anything, more problems would be introduced. You want an example, look at me.”
“Maybe I’ll try.” She said. “Give him a chance… a real chance.”
Zen smiled at her.
She punched him in the shoulder.
“What was that for?” he held his arm.
“Don’t let your father leave you behind.” She said. “Follow your own advice kid.”
He nodded.
“Maybe I would have gained more problems,” she gave the smirk Zen had come to know her for, “But I’d have gotten a great little brother.” She ruffled his head.
“To be honest, I would have loved to have you as sister.” He said. “Even if you do dine and dash.”
She smirked again before leaping of the carriage.
She approached Wang Ton and her father.
“Shu Nan,” Wang Ton said. “It seems you are now without a weapon.”
“I guess its what I deserve for swinging an axe against a hammer.”
He touched his black storage stone an a weapon appeared in his hand. It was a long pole single sided black axehead that had a black spear head attached to the end. “This weapon won’t degrade like the one you used.”
She took the weapon that Ton offered and tested it with a few swings. “Black Iron. You are a skilled Metal Elementalist.” She bowed to him. “Thank you.”
Her Lake Dasher came around to fetch her. She and her family left riding together in the horizon that led to the Leaping Cricket Town.
Wang Zen walked towards Wang Ton and Shan. When Ton saw his son coming closer, he excused himself from Shan and walked to him.
“Wang Zen, we’ll leave a steed behind for you.” Ton said. “Ride it back to Leaping Cricket Town and wait there for a ride.” Ton turned hisback on him to return to Shan.
Zen collapsed to the ground.
Ton turned around and saw Zen kowtowing. His forehead touched the ground.
“Forgive me!” he said, his voice shaky as tears ran down his cheek. Everyone was looking at him but he did not care, he had to do this, he needed to. “I know I gave you my word to follow your command and I broke it. Your well within your right to leave me behind but please don’t. Please, give me another chance.”
“Get up Wang Zen.” Wang Ton said.
Zen got up,looking sadly at Wang Ton.
“We have a long way to go.” He said.
Zen got on the back of a cart with his father and they were off.