2 Revenge Revenge Revenge

"What was that? It looked, dare I say, similar to the disease Sickly Du has," Said Rada, Xiao Fan's so-called father. The man stood tall with his sturdy build, unlike most priests he'd met in his past life. Rada had a hand scratching his coal-black, unkempt-hair as he pondered.

Xiao Fan shook his head. "Maybe… Maybe it was my words earlier? I also think something changed within me."

"Don't talk too much. You look so weak. How can my son look so weak?"

'Right, he's still a mortal. How would he suspect anything?' Xiao Fan returned to crafting arrows. Though he used most of his energy to scheme ahead.

Possessing a physical body brought him much joy; however, he wouldn't lose track of his objectives. To him, the first step of the plan had already failed to a decree. Saving grace was he could still possess the Seven Rivers Body. Once this body reached a sufficient cultivation level together with breaking Sickly Du's mental could he attempt possession again.

Xi Clan once stood as an immovable righteous clan, yet what had all that meant in the end? The very figures they worshipped for so long turned on them once no more profit came in. Even ransacking the rest. It would be moronic to continue playing fair when they didn't either.

For his clan, those Gods and Demons would pay with blood.

"Remember, never talk of the Gods like that again," Rada said. "You mocked them and they almost smote you for it!"

"I agree. Before today, I had never believed in Gods as you well know, father. That. That changed my mind. They are real and powerful. Us men shouldn't think of ourselves too much."

Rada's lips beamed upwards. "They indeed work in mystical ways. Today they watched over me and blessed my son like this. To show our devotion, we shall pray now!"

No matter how much Xiao Fan tried to act, that almost popped a vein on his forehead.

"Yes. Yes." By biting his inner cheek, he mustered some words and got onto his knees before a row of clay statues. Act such as this crashed his bottom line!

Though he didn't live for hundreds of years in his last life, were those years still enough to create an unresolvable grudge. Master. Son. Lover. Companions. Everyone around him vanished. Left alone to survive in existence such as this… A joke! A one he must live through and make the best out of.

Rada chanted prayers. Xi Xiao Fan repeated a word: Revenge!

"We must keep up! That deer can't last much longer, but it is steering towards Sickly Du and his father's hunting area ahead. If they strike the fatal blow, we will have wasted all our efforts!"

To keep up with appearances, Xiao Fan's speed rose a notch. With a sling in one and a bamboo spear in the other, he chased after Rada on the blood trail left by the wounded deer. The jungle terrain worked to slow them down, yet the two men born on these mountains knew its tricks. Their feet dodged vines and bushes to land on rocks before springing forth once more.

Of course, he hadn't been born here. His knowledge came from possessing Jutun, as he also inherited all the boy's memories.

In value, they were nothing compared to the White Lotus Giant's or his. Merely bringing out the unique aspect of having lived here. Supplemented by his own, these memories negated the territorial disadvantage.

Knowledge couldn't change his untrained physical body, however. The sweat and haggard breathing he displayed weren't an act. Only with the Seven Rivers Body would the situation be different. Even a minor special physique allowed one to go beyond normal limits.

Ascending to become a true cultivator would also open a whole new avenue of progress. Yet, to become a cultivator, one needed the resources that most of the time came from one's clan or an extraordinary opportunity. In both cases, strength also played a vital role, so what he needed to do was hamper his mortal body.

That in mind, no matter how long he pondered about his plan of action, exerting himself in this hunt was the best way to gain progress.

In front, the thick jungle opened itself to a forest fire burned clearing where they saw the deer and Hunter Ji. Who at the moment of their arrival pulled his spear out from the deer. Xiao Fan's current target, Sickly Du, stood next to the fallen animal. Rada's worst fear became true. They were too late and on top; the competition had seized the fruits of their labour.

"Brother Rada!" Hunter Ji called out to them. "Was it you two following this deer?"

Hunter Ji's build reminded of a large cabinet, and so Rada's fist curled into a silent fist.

"Yes," Xiao Fan said. "It is my father's signature arrow, which pierces the deer's lung." Walking forwards to grab the arrow he'd crafted yesterday. There was still a chance of success, so he would contest over the resource. The deer's meat would fuel his body strengthening. The leather traded for other resources. The bones mushed into powder would strengthen bones, skipping the first major pitfall of body strengthening.

"Are you questioning my skills?" Hunter Ji almost made a move before Rada's hand grabbed the former by the shoulder.

"Of course not. Everyone in the tribe knows Hunter Ji's hunting skill is unmatched. Though it does look like the deer died of blood loss." Xiao Fan used two fingers to open up the deer's eye. "See?"

"That indeed is a clear sign of blood loss." Rada also gained confidence to fight for the resource after seeing the truth himself. By Xiao Fan's estimate, his father wasn't smart nor stupid and had a tacit grasp of how the tribe system worked. His son had used the status of a curious child to open the gate and he flooded in. "When following, I made calculations. Its end should have happened any second."

"So what? When we saw it, the deer still limped. We couldn't take the chance you had lost track of it and took the kill." Hunter Ji stepped between Rada and the carcass.

"Who's questioning who's ability now? I can't follow a blood trail?" The two men locked themselves in a stare-down, and the children became children.

Sickly Du, who hadn't said a word yet, imitated his father and tried to intimidate Xiao Fan with his own fierce gaze. If not for his condition, Sickly Du wouldn't be called by such a nickname, for his merit amongst their peers was number one. One of his many feats was lifting a thirty jin stone over his head. Many people in the village had great hopes for him. While many more pitied him for the frequent crazy fits no doubt caused by White Lotus Giant's will taking a toll on the mortal body.

Truth be told, Xiao Fan still hadn't stopped cursing the fool for his decision. What annoyed him even more was the fact he would need to, if looked from a certain angle, save that fool from certain doom by taking over Sickly Du's body!

The facial expression brought out by those thoughts made Sickly Du avert his gaze in fear. Xiao Fan wasn't finished, however, as Sickly Du and White Lotus Giant were the same person!

So he sought to vent his anger by forcing the stare down to continue. Once Du's will crumbled, would he be an easier possession target. With this in mind, Xiao Fan took this as a small step towards his primary goal as of now.

"What's happening here? Who got the kill?" Tribe Elder Lexi's voice broke the two battlefields. Both sides recognised the shift and instantly proclaimed their cause. This caused the group of hunters entering the burned forest clearing to have mixed expressions.

"Silence," Tribe Elder Lexi spoke. "Let me inspect the deer, too."

"Please uphold justice!" Hunter Ji and Rada proclaimed in unison with their hands on their heart—as was common in the tribe when one spoke earnestly. From the sidelines, Xiao Fan noted Lexi's lips curled a hint upwards. This Tribe Elder sure enjoyed his twilight years that brought him some resemblance of power over others.

"There is indeed cause to suspect blood loss." Hearing this, Rada nodded. "Yet, this spear wound has also played a part in the death."

'Bullshit, that knife wound didn't even bleed out. Ther—He's just diverting the resource towards Hunter Jin who's the stronger side here sigh…'

"Split it in the middle?" Rada said, also seeing which way the wind blew.

Hunter Jin shook his head and worked to gain the high ground. "Truth be told, Brother Rada, this deer isn't too valuable to me. How about we let the youths decide who gets to keep it for themselves?"

The surrounding men weighed this for a breath before agreeing to this suggestion's reasonableness with Lexi saying, "Rada?"

All gazes turned over.

Pressured, Rada turned to look at his son who was much skinnier than the opponent. The care in that gaze evident to Xiao Fan, who also couldn't but be moved by this. As a father figure, he had his master and no one else.

The relationship between disciple and master couldn't compare to father and son, and now he understood it. A master wished for his disciple to succeed above anything else. A father wished to see his son happy. Back in the day, his master would throw him to the wolves to gain strength. A father like Rada would place himself before the wolves without a second thought.

Sobered from the moment of epiphany, he smiled back and lifted his sling.

Behind Rada, Lexi's head shifted back and eyebrows flared up. "Accuracy competition it is then!" Laughing with a spear in hand, he drew a line in the charred dirt. "Set a target. Fifty steps ahead. On that tree."