RENEGADE

   There was a brilliant light that shone in front of me, it was mixed with a magnificent shade of red and blue along with white as it spread about every other corner in the room that I could see while I felt myself being lifted up and floating into the cool mid air.

    There was a mild wind rushing on my face and my eyes were burning so much as I could feel a vast flow of energy all over my body some going through me while the other becoming a part of my innermost soul.

     It was painful, it was too strong to bear, myself so overwhelmed I knew it there and then that the same strange things that recurred consequently in the past were happening to me all over again.

    I opened up my eyes and looking around I noticed that I had been engulfed in a very thick yellow and red cloud of energy my veins shining all the same before me all I could clearly see at the moment was Wú Hàorán rushing there to my bedside.

   "Láo Yuè?" He called me instantly as he carried me into his arms his face portraying so much concern.

   "Hàorán?" I said so weakly myself calming down as the light that was all around started to slowly die out and staring at my palms I studied the scars that filled them as I always did.

    "Did I.........?" I asked.

    "Yes." Hàorán replied before I could finish.

    I sighed as I sat up in my bed.

    "What did Master Qiānxǐ say?" I asked.

    "The rest of your body and the energy that's within it are in perfect equilibrium but he is worried that with the constant seizures you keep having there is not much that he can do to stop them from breaking it.

   If they are memories of your past consequently you might remember but as it is right now, you are still not doing any better there's not much we can do to help you recover regardless of how hard we try." Hàorán replied.

   "Why?" I asked, "we have done almost everything." I added.

   "I understand." Hàorán replied.

   "Really?" I asked.         

   "You can also consider this to be your home, no one here dislikes you and you are not a burden." Hàorán replied.

     "Alright." I remarked as I sighed deeply once again before turning to him and looking him in the eye.

     "Tell me," I said, "How did you save me all those five years ago and why?" I asked him.

   "The same question again?" Hàorán asked.

   "I told you that my memory is too poor and I can't always help it but wonder." I said.

   "I just found you on the riverside and whereas everyone else thought that you were dead, only I knew much better than all of them that you weren't because your spiritual cognition hadn't yet scattered and perhaps I was too sure that I could feel your presence." Hàorán replied.

    "You once told me that the Red Lotus' magic can only revive a heart that is pure but how could it have saved me if I had dark matter within this very body of mine?" I Asked.

   "I won't lie and tell you that we know but if you were saved by the Red Lotus' magic itself then there must have been a reason for it because that sacred flower doesn't just give life to anyone and it doesn't restore people whose hearts are in search for vengeance.

    Perhaps your case is too different and all that you need to seek is justice but along with it, you must have been chosen to fulfill a purpose that you might come to learn with time so don't force yourself to believe that you were undeserving of that life." Hàorán replied as he held me by my shoulder and I sighed once again as I looked at him myself feeling better.

     "I am so sorry if I ever made things so difficult for you in the first place." I said.

     "Surely people called me crazy but who cares about them?" Hàorán said.

      "You are not like every other person." I remarked.

       "You have never made anything difficult for me Láo Yuè." Hàorán said, "and back then perhaps I never realised the meaning of my life until the moment that I met you and saved yours because when I did you helped me see very many things that I had never seen and I learnt from you too much than I had ever learned myself." Hàorán replied.

      "I wonder what these hands of mine did to get these fadeless scars?" I said so curiously smiling alone.

     "With time you'll know but if I can only imagine or guess it must have been something beautiful." Hàorán said as he smiled at me.

     "Anyway, enough of all this already." I said as I got out of my bed and I walked across the room while Hàorán remained there seated on it.

    "What time is it?" I asked.

    "6:00am." Hàorán replied.

    "6:00am?" I said quite surprised, "you are never up this early and entirely dressed in that uniform of yours." I added.

   "Unfortunately, something came up and the elders want our whole team to gather in the Great Hall and they seem to be quite desperate about it." Hàorán replied.

    "Any clues on what could have possibly transpired?" I asked.

    "Not yet for now." Hàorán replied.

    "Give me a minute." I said as I quickly hurried off to freshen up and once I was done I put on my red and gold with white and silver hanfu like everyone else usually wore and right on my head there was a small scarlet crown that was shaped in the form of the red lotus.

   I held my collar and tried to make it neat when I noticed once again that beautiful crimson tattoo of the halved flower that was on the left part of my chest and holding it there seemed to be something coming to my ears except that I was unable to draw a distinction between both itself and the wind it was likely that I was imagining things yet at the same time I was trying to recall something but with limited success.

    "What are you?" I asked myself as I caressed that part so freely yet nonetheless I could feel more alive and my heart racing slightly faster than normal with every stroke.

    I covered it and Looking at myself in the mirror and confident that I appeared to be alright, I turned and faced the door my feet only dragging me closer to it while I anticipated the view that lay beyond.

   Walking out into the open the view there was quite splendid and rich while the gardens were colourful and filled with so many butterflies and the waters from the springs were crystal clear like glass.

   There were very many birds that sang around the saffron firmament in various sizes and colours and the buildings there were white and red with brown and gold adorning them as well.

    All in all, the whole Scarlet village was more like a colourful cultivation school and perhaps the best place that I had been to ever since I revived from my own oblivion five years ago somewhat with no trace of the past yet there I felt a very great degree of comfort than I had ever felt anywhere.

    I was a part of the Scarlet hunters, a group of good assassins that belonged to our society which was known as the red lotus and about the reason that I was excited being a member of this place there was too much more than the cultivation part of it that made me feel like an ordinary human at times.

     This village had a story that I had heard of and had been told about and according to it, I was a part of the oldest Cultivation society in the world.

     It was believed that long ago there were Nine Divine Clans that existed and all along the principle of sharing knowledge started to cultivate students while sharing the secrets and knowledge of immortality with ordinary humans eventually they became popular.

     As time went on, the students that were being nurtured in a way were overwhelmed by that knowledge and whereas some were quite truthful and humble, the majority that became ambitious started misusing their powers whereas the clans competing over and over again, eventually, they started participating in the arts of evil hoping to take an easy path to Immortality and whereas they were assured of it, the price that had to be paid was a very great one.            

     Enraged the nine elders of the Nine Divine Clans made a plea to the Emperor of Heaven and with his might he conjured a red lotus and gave it the right to give power to those deserving and take it away from those who were unrighteous.

    Using the red Lotus, the nine elders combining their strength destroyed the unfaithful of the Nine Divine Clans and brought the survivors who were righteous together to form what the Red Lotus is right now.       

    We the Red Lotus then became a secret organization that aims at restoring the balance in the cultivation world and though after a while cultivation returned to the world and other mortal clans developed, living in a hidden valley to protect our identity, compared to us all the other cultivation clan exorcists and cultivators were weak because we were originals and they were secondary to the universal power at least Except for their Sentinels whose immense power comes from the seven stems of the Universal tree.

    At the time that Hàorán had saved me all that I had in my possession was a small rose shaped pendant and on it written were the words, "To my love, Láo Yuèliáng." which name I have used since then.

    Along with Hàorán we mounted the stairs that led to the main hall but along with us there were other Scarlets that followed while we halted right in front of the nine thrones of the nine Elders of the Red Lotus.

   "Greetings Grandmasters." we said as we kowtowed to them.

    "All rise." The Grandmasters spoke up in one voice as they were all fairly old men with white eyes their minds and hearts were all the same and linked as they spoke and shared thoughts so intimately with one another like a telepathic bond.

   There were twelve of us seniors that had gathered and Hàorán who was right by my side and our most elite was the team leader who for some reason he looked so cold and silent to others whereas he was too soft and expressed so much care when he was right next to me or we were alone.

   "What is it Grandmasters?" He asked and one of them who was a woman stood up from where she was seated conjuring a talisman the whole room was then filled with small blue and red Sparks as she started speaking while they took on different shapes and sizes to project her story.

    "There's a cloud of darkness that is lingering around the city and there are forces of chaos that roam the nearby domain." She said and looking at the map that had been conjured Hàorán seemed to have realized something.

    "Yuánpīng city?" He said.

    "The watchmen have reported an evil presence and there happened to be an accident as claimed when we have a strong reason to believe that it was an intended double murder." Another Male Grandmaster said as he vanished from his throne and he appeared right behind me.

    "Are we going out to investigate the case?" I asked.

    "You are going out to find out from them the person that is responsible for this evil." Another Grandmaster replied as he walked up to then.

    "The world has been fairly silent, why now?" I asked.

    "That's why we are sending you off to the City." The woman replied.

    "We'll do whatever we can." Hàorán said.

    "You must be careful." The Grandmasters said, "And you must depart at once." They added.

    "Yes we all replied as we kotowed.

   "Everyone else can leave, Láo Yuèliáng stay behind." the old woman said.

   "Yes." My fellows replied while I was left all alone with the elders in the Great Hall.

    "What can I do for you Grandmaster?" I asked.

    "Your heart is unsettled and you are much too uncertain." The woman said while her white eyes turned normal and at that very moment, I was certain the telepathic link binding them all had been broken.

    "Grandmaster Liāo?" I called.

    "At ease." Grandmaster Liāo replied as she turned around and she slowly sashayed around me while she sprinkled some dust over my head.

    "What's wrong with me?" I asked.

    "Master Qiānxǐ examined you and there could be no improvement in your mental condition but contrary to your instability, there is something totally different that is affecting your meridians that is a primary concern." Grandmaster Liāo replied.

    "What's wrong with my meridians?" I asked.

    "For a certain reason every time that you keep having these seizures it's not destroying you but your energy channels are becoming wider and wider and as a result your meridians have become too strong." Grandmaster Liāo replied.

    "I don't understand." I said.

    "You need to be careful from now on because if your channels keep widening then what happens is that it attracts more and more energy to your body both good and bad and should that happen then it shall disrupt your internal equilibrium." Grandmaster Liāo cautioned.

   "And what'll happen if that persists Grandmaster?" I asked.

    "We are uncertain if your body can hold that much energy and if it does then you are likely to evolve but should it fail..." Grandmaster Liāo said.

   "Should it fail?" I asked.

   "All the energy that you could attract could destroy you." Grandmaster Liāo replied.

   "Could remembering my past help me?" I asked.

    "We aren't certain as well and we also must allow you to exhaust your internal strength so on the mission restrain yourself from getting too angry and also too excited, it's the most effective way of controlling your mind." Grandmaster Liāo replied.

    "Can't I have a bed rest?" I asked in a lowly tone.

   "Sleeping is difficult we don't know what more it could trigger and you can't meditate for so long your channels might only widen, we need you out there, fighting all that energy out because should we confine it I am afraid that the one day that it might choose to break free it could do more harm than good even to those around you." Grandmaster Liāo said.

    "I understand." I muttered.

    "Good." Grandmaster Liāo remarked.

    "Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

    "It's your right to know and somethings don't get better from being kept secrets." Grandmaster Liāo said, "One time you are going to have to embrace this nature of yours to realise how to this world your gifts are too valuable and how much the people around you really care about you you'll have to care about them in return." she added.

   "I'll take my leave." I said.

   "Think about it." Grandmaster Liāo said as she turned around and walked away back towards her seat.

   I walked out of the Great Hall while the words that they had mentioned to me lingered at the back of my mind.

   "Every time that you keep having these seizures it's not destroying you but your energy channels are becoming wider and wider." I thought to myself when I noticed Hàorán waiting for me outside.

   "Láo Yuè?" He called to me cheerfully and I was pleased at his wait.

    I simply wore a smile as we walked through the courtyard while we were heading off to the usual shelter where the other Scarlets were.

   "What did they tell you?" Hàorán asked.

   "Nothing much, it's all the same." I replied.

   "I see." Hàorán said to me, "There's still no way for you to remember?" He added.

   "They've tried everything and perhaps they are worried that there is nothing more that they can do." I replied as we walked into the small room where all the other Scarlets were busy changing into their new attires which were no different from the ordinary clothes beyond the barrier

   "What's this?" I asked.

   "Get used to it." Wú Hào said as he tossed to me a blue and white hanfu.

   "We're headed out into the ordinary world and the Red Lotus should be kept a secret in this investigation, you can think of it as a disguise." Wú Ruì the other twin a young girl who had a very strong and manly personality said.

   I looked at the clothes that they had given me.

   "Who needs clothes when you can do this." I said as I snapped my fingers and conjuring a talisman as it burn I grew a long beard and a very thin body while the clothes that I was wearing changed to green and grey robes.

   "Interesting." Wú Hào said.

   "I can smell that energy off you and automatically what if your disguise talisman's magic wears off?" Wú Ruì asked as she strode out of the room along with others who went on tapping my shoulders.

   Turning around, I looked at Wú Hàorán who stood there laughing at me.

    "What?" I asked.

    "When you are old and cranky you look so cute." He remarked.

    "Should I pull out your tongue?" I asked not knowing how funny I looked.

   "If you don't break your bones." Hàorán replied as he turned around and walked out while I snapped but immediately went back to normal.

   I fitted myself into the small blue and white hanfu which wasn't really so bad because on the bright side, it had some nice silver designs that had been embroidered on it and it was much lighter than those scarlet robes that we normally wore.

   Walking out I found all the others still waiting for me.

   "What took you so long?" Wú Ruì asked.

   "Nothing, you can't expect me to fit in this, did you steal it from a fifteen year old?" I said.

   "It's not our fault that we miscalculated, your arms are so lean and your legs too short so it's the smallest that we could find." Wěi Danqīng said.

    "Look at Ruì." I said as I pointed at the lean girl whom I thought to be too straight at times I couldn't differentiate which part of the body was which.

    "What?" Wú Ruì asked.

    "Nothing." I replied.

    "Enough both of you, can we just call it a day and go?" Wú Hàorán said as he led the way while we matched close up to him until we halted in front of a very large rock.

   Wú Ruì continued inside past her older brother as a white ripple was cast and the rest of us walked through to the other side of what was a small mountain besides a river and in a distance it was easy for us to see a very high waterfall.

    We were positioned on a cliff too that overlooked a couple of trees which made up a very thick forest and there our eyes travelled down as they rested within a valley in a distance a couple of miles away from which some buildings rose and a thin cloud of fog lingered slightly above.

    "Lets go." Wú Hàorán said as he ran and jumped off the edge of the cliff he dived and leaped from tree to tree.

   Myself along with all the other Scarlets we followed exhausting our energy as we rushed through the forest so fast like the wind.

   This was what I really loved so much about the outside world beyond the barrier, jumping from tree to tree and also having to enjoy the air rushing over your face it was sometimes the most interesting game that let me feel unrestrained.

   We landed a couple of feet right in front of the city and slowly in pairs of two we started walking towards the great arch the constituted the very entrance of Yuánpīng city.

   The place was very busy with very many carriages of the wealthy being rode in and out and others looked to be more like distant merchants that were coming in and going out as well, a few wearing turbans some with veils covering their noses and mouths.

    Right at the top of the Arch there was a wooden plaque that was covered in grey and black characters which spelt out the city's name and slowly, myself leading the team with Hàorán we walked inside and joined the very large crowds on the streets.

    There were two many people that we got entangled bur rather very careful while I wore a small conical hat with a veil, I was very keen not to lose sight of my partner.

   Eventually as we had walked and we had succeeded in reaching deeper, we approached one small restaurant that was right on the East side and the beautiful aroma of the food that rose from it had seemed to draw each and everyone of us inside before we even had the opportunity of knowing whose restaurant it really was.

    When we arrived inside the place was quite busy and everyone loitering up and down there was a very lean man who was bony that happened to walk up to us.

   "Welcome to Zǐhán restaurant young master's, how may I help you?" He Asked.

   "We are here for a meal." Hàorán replied as the man walked up to me.

   "Are you with these men young miss?" He Asked.

   I was quite surprised.

    "He's with us." Wú Hào said as he hurried over to my side and held my arm while he smiled at the old man.

   "I see." The man replied.

   I had to look down feeling somewhat embarrassed.

   "This way." The man said as he led us to a group of tables that were stationed in one of the right corners not so far from the window and once there the twelve of us sat down in groups of four on each of them

    "What should I get you?" The waiter asked.

    "A simple bowl of plain wanton Noddles." Wú Hàorán replied on our behalf.

    "Very well then, please wait here." The waiter said as he turned around and  eventually walked away from us while I sighed.

    "Who did he call a young miss?" I asked.

    "With such a beautiful veil that is too long no one can clearly tell your hanfu and your lean physique gives everyone that impression." Wú Ruì replied.

     "I can't imagine that I look more womanly than you, you should be ashamed." I said.

    "I grew up in the mountains hunting down bad guys so I don't really mind what you do or say about me." Wú Ruì whispered as she laughed out loud while I carried my eyes through the window to the restaurant that was right opposite where all of us were seated.

    In the restaurant, there happened to be another man who walked in that was dressed in black robes and he was also wearing a black veil that was just as long as mine and regardless of the distance there was between us, I could sense an immense dark aura that was coming from him.

    "Everyone, look." I said as I signalled towards the man who was carrying something that was very long on his back while he sat down and our attention drawn we watched through the window and saw another man that was dressed in white clothes walking in and seemingly just as tall as the former was in nature.

     He was dignified in the way that he walked and there was a very beautiful silver band that had a dragon motif on his forehead with a long complicated crown that was shaped in the form of a dragon as well that supported his hair.

   On his left hand there was a shiny silver gauntlet that shared the similar intricate designs as well as the belt that he was wearing in the middle across his waist coupled with a fairly long train about three feet from his cloth.

   It had delicate floral patterns and it glittered yet as he was so different from the stranger who had entered much earlier, we were rather surprised when he sat down at the same table with him.

   "Young Childe Liú?" The veiled man said.

   "How long has it been." The Childe asked as he poured for himself some tea in the small cup and raising it up he brought it closer to his mouth as he blew at it a little before he took a sip.

    "Five years I guess, perhaps you must still be grieving." The stranger in black replied  and the young Childe upon hearing that he placed the cup down and with a simple smile on his face he looked at him.

    "Five whole years it has been, five years ago you took so much from me?" The Childe said proudly as he didn't seem to be a person of very many words but even when he tried to look so warm he was so purely cold and seriousness radiated from him to the rest of us that were just right nearby.

    "Such a cold personality, he must really hate him so much." Wú Ruì said.

    "Shhhh, just listen." I muttered as I pinned my ears very well and waited for the veiled stranger's reply.

   "It appears that you are scouting in the East recently, have you not turned the whole world upside down?" The veiled stranger remarked.

    "What would you know?" The Childe asked, "I have been a traveller for the last five years it's natural that I be to every place in the whole Kingdom." The Childe replied.

    "All that for what? I heard that the third most humble Childe of the Liú Clan exiled himself and aren't you worried that you might be forgotten?" The man asked.

   "I believe I should be the one asking you that." The Childe replied.

    "Some good nerve Liú Shuài, you are still as fearless as you used to be." The veiled stranger said.

    "Everyone I come in contact with frequently tells me your name which draws my curiosity at the moment, perhaps in a more formal manner." Liú Shuài, the third Childe said.

   "So that's his name." I remarked as I gained interest in the conversation eventually when the Noddles arrived, everyone pretended to eat when in actual sense we were all still paying an attentive ear.

   "I was involved in the Līngyuè Transaction most of the times I never asked question as mine was to just do as I was being told, it's natural that what you are hearing is because I have been popularised and that has made me a scapegoat." The veiled man said.

    "You serve directly under the Līngyuè Transaction." Liú Shuài said.

   "I used to." The veiled stranger corrected so calmly that he picked up his tea cup as well and he took a sip before he calmed it down on the table.

    "Since when?" Liú Shuài asked.

    "Since yesterday." The veiled stranger replied.

    "You quit?" Liú Shuài asked.

    "It has been twenty whole years, it's natural that I invest my talents elsewhere." The veiled stranger said.

     "As long as you can give me what I want." Liú Shuài said.

     "And what is that?" The veiled stranger asked.

     "Your head." Liú Shuài replied.

     "You are being too bold for your age young man, is it because there is a price attached to it." The veiled stranger said.

    "Obtaining your head is the biggest price I could ever receive." Liú Shuài said.

    "But it won't turn back time." The veiled stranger remarked

    "I'll give you the time that you need to prepare your own funeral otherwise I am coming over to collect it at night and if you run away then well enough I have an entire lifetime to chase you down so I wouldn't mind." Liú Shuài said as he took up the small cup and had a final sip it was entirely emptied.

    "Don't worry, you must have heard reliably that I run from nothing so I shall be waiting if you can collect it." The veiled stranger replied as the young Childe placed a silver tael on the table and he stood up and slowly started to walk confidently he eventually vanished from sight.

    "Such confidence." Wú Hào said.

    "The one I think to be the villain seems to be just as strong willed." Wú Ruì remarked.

    "But the veiled stranger has a very strong force of dark energy around him." I said.

    "For the time being we should care less about other people, we have much more important things to handle." Wú Hàorán replied as we all ate up our noodles.

    "Alright." I muttered.

    It was a couple of minutes past noon when we entered a small pharmacy that was stationed not so far from us and there behind the counter there was a man who appeared to be in his mid fifties but he seemed quite energetic judging from his look.

     "How may I help you?" The man asked and at that moment Hàorán pulled from his clothes what was a small red token which he showed the man.

     "This way Sirs and madam." The man said.

     "It's the second time today." I muttered as he pointed to a small cabinet and opening it there was a small room that was no more than square metre filled with a lot of drugs.

     I walked into the medicines and just as it was with the barrier, the place itself was no different as we found ourselves walking through and descending down a couple of stairs into a hidden underground cabinet that was lit with a series of burning torches.

     There happened to be another man that was standing right in front of us while facing the wall with two beds one on either side of his.

      "It took you long enough." He said as he fanned himself.

     "Pardon us Guó Elder." Hàorán called and the man turned around and faced us.

    He had very long white hair that stretched across the entire floor and his face had the most radiant appearance as it glowed so brightly and it illuminated the whole place.

     His eyes were blue and they were shining brightly that as we got closer his hair started glowing yellow in colour.

    "Does it have to always do that?" I asked.

    "You possess a degree of dark matter and your channels are open to absorbing more of it whether pure or not." The Guó Elder replied, "It is a natural instinct to protect myself from any threat." He added.

    "I understand." I said as I removed the veiled hat that was hanging over my head and I held it in my arms while all the twelve of us moved around the beds and we noticed the two corpses that had been laid on them.

     "Has the cause of attack been established?" Hàorán asked.

     "It does look like the a thousand blades but it isn't them." The Guó Elder said.

     "What do the other watchmen have to say?" I asked as I raised my hand over the dead bodies and it seemed to glow with a faint scarlet light.

    "The bodies were found hanging on the East gate very early in the morning and not many people can tell what it was that happened, however an incident from a witness narrates that a man that was dressed in a plain black attire was nearby the gate in the wee hours of the morning." The Guó Elder replied.

    "He wasn't even a cultivator and he wasn't even going to be one, his body shows no signs of resistance it's not like he felt pain while dying as all his muscles were relaxed." I said.

    "What's your opinion on this?" Wú Ruì asked.

    "He didn't die because of the cuts." The Guó Elder replied, "There was something else that killed him." He added.

    "What could it be?" Wú Hào asked.

    "No one knows." The Guó Elder replied and at that moment as I raised my hand and brought it closer to one of the coprses' forehead it shone and along the skin there were a series of red bruises that scattered and appeared much clearer stretching from the head to the toe.

   Everyone looked surprised.

   "What's that?" Hàorán asked.

   "Devil's tears." I replied.

   "What's the devil's tears." Wú Ruì asked.

   "It was an energy out burst, most probably due to reverse exorcism." I replied.

   "How do you know all this?" Wú Hào asked and it occurred to me that there was something strange that was going on in my head.

   "Perhaps I knew it from my past." I remarked.

   "He was a medium." The Guó Elder said.

   "Yes." I replied.

   "That explains it." The Guó Elder remarked.

   "It explains what?" Hàorán asked.

   "Most times when absorbing dark matter or when summoning spirits to possess another body a pure medium is needed, like a spiritual door or channel and because there are too many channels in the process of transferring energy towards one's core the pure medium acts as a focus which draws the energy to a specified body or direction.

   Because the medium is pure and mortal it has to be destroyed from all meridians breaking and eventually the veins themselves exploding to cause the small red marks on the skin known as the devil's tears." I replied.

    "From your narration there should be pain." Wú Hàorán said.

    "An Energy inflow kills the five basic senses, it could be described as a temporary paralysis." I replied.

    "But if someone is using people as a medium it can't be one who is ordinary and given the fact that two people were used it suggests that they should be in the possesion of immense power as well." Hàorán said.

    "There hasn't been any evil sightings the past couple of years so why does it have to be now?" Wú Ruì asked.

   "That's up to each and everyone of you to find out right now." The Guó Elder replied as he fanned himself.

   "How?" I asked.

   "We believe that according to the witness we could know who the culprit is." The Guó Elder replied as he walked around the two corpses and there as his hair continued to glow he halted right at the wall witch he touched and pressed his palm onto.

    At once, the bricks there started to move around in a circle and it revealed another hidden compartment from which the Guó Elder picked out a scroll that was red in colour with some golden markings on it.

   He handed it over to Wú Hàorán who opened it while we gathered around to see what was inside and I noticed that the painting of the man inside looked so familiar.

    "Wasn't he the one that we met at the restaurant earlier?" I asked.

    "It must be him, the veiled stranger." Wú Ruì replied.

    "His name is Po Xinēn and he is a well known assassin that is also a fugitive to very many cultivation sects, he is famous for having served under the Līngyuè Transaction as a bounty Hunter and perhaps an assassin that has killed very many people, he is a core stealer and he is also a reverse exorcist allegedly due to his continuous practice of the dark arts he has been popularized as the death Melody." The Guó Elder replied.

     "Is he the real culprit?" I asked.

     "He was spotted at the scene and at least he should have an idea because ever since he was cast out of the Līngyuè Transaction and he was excommunicated, he has been constantly on the run and he is much wilder than he had ever been before." The Guó Elder replied.

    "An Assassin being chased by the assassins, why would he stay in Yuánpīng city when he knows that there is a heavy price on his head and moreso keep a public appearance?" I asked.

    "He isn't afraid of death, ranked third on the Līngyuè list of the cultivation world to get the job done, he kills as much with no sense of reserve he probably needs more and more victims so it's natural that he'll loiter around the city and people fearing him it's for their own good to mind their own business." The Guó Elder replied.

    "He might be too careful." Wú Ruì said.

    "That's why it's up to the Scarlets because the Red Lotus has never failed at jobs like this in the past." The Guó Elder replied.

    "We've never faced anyone that's supposed to be as powerful as he is, by the time it was much easier for cultivators like ourselves to sense the aura of dark energy around him at a distance then he won't be the type of for that is easy to subdue." I said.

    "But something must be done, at least for the good of the people." The Guó Elder said as he walked back up to the wall.

    "Moreso you mustn't underestimate yourselves any longer." He added as he pointed at me while looking the other side his hair had stopped glowing and so had his eyes.

     "Why?" I asked.

     "You shall know." The Guó Elder replied as he kept on fanning himself.

     My eyes travelled to the corpses that were right before me and slowly I could feel a very sharp pain in my forehead I eventually screamed.

    "Láo Yuè?" Hàorán called as he held me up before I could totally fall down onto the ground.

    I felt my head about to explode as my veins only started glowing brighter and brighter and there I could see the people walking down a street while it was dark when a very dark mist started appearing around us.

    I could feel a large wave of energy rushing through me and looking at my hands I noticed them to be too hairy that body surely wasn't mine but it belonged to another.

    "What's happening to him?" I could hear Hàorán shouting.

    "He's seeing the final memories." The Guó Elder replied while I looked up at him so speechless a darkenss was overwhelming my sight.

    "Whose?" I could still hear Wú Hàorán asking.

    "Theirs." The Guó Elder had replied when everything at that very moment seemed to silence itself while before me, in a glimpse it all went black.