8 Master of the Snow Master Sect: Xue Ying

The elevator stopped descending. Ash Knight and his team found themselves in an underground tomb. Contrary to what they thought, the place looked well taken care of. They had anticipated seeing some sort of derelict graveyard but this took them by surprise. The coffins lay in a neat fashion and there were no traces of dust or webs like most abandoned tombs would have.

"Good thing this was a game. Otherwise, I can't imagine walking in among these coffins…" Snowman sounded a little scared.

"You're our tank. You're supposed to be strong, now man up." PandaHero made fun of him.

In the middle of the tomb stood a wall that contained 359 names. Names of all those who lied in these graves. The epitaph read:

"The deeds of those who are gone will not be forgotten. The sins of those who live will be remembered."

Ash Knight wondered what exactly happened to Snow Mountain Sect years ago. Why did the entire sect perish and whose sins were the epitaph referring to? He knew he will soon find the answer because the final boss of this Dungeon was about to appear. And whenever a new boss made his entrance, the usual introductions will appear and they would be shown a video about his past.

All of a sudden, they saw white speckles falling. It was snowing inside the tomb. A thousand or million of these speckles transformed into the figure of a man - it was the spirit of the Xue Ying, the last Master of the Snow Mountain Sect. He was young but the haggard look on his face made him seem older.

"Are you here to accompany the dead?" he asked. " My foolishness took the lives of 359 disciples who believed in me. I drove them to their graves, I am a sinner."

A hundred years ago, snow cranes and peach blossoms painted the scenery of the Snow Mountains. The Xue family, the founder of the Snow Mountain Sect, welcomed their only descendent - Xue Ying. Blessed with martial arts talent, he mastered the techniques of his sect and even created his own martial arts skill - the Snow Shadow Sword. The elders and his family expected great things to come from him. But Xue Ying wasn't the type who enjoyed leading a sect, he sought a carefree life. And the martial arts world had been peaceful all these years.

Xue Ying was well-liked by many. He had good looks, talent, and most importantly - he was the only son of the Xue family. Disciples of the sect flock to him, villagers were grateful to his family for upholding the peace, and traders often seek their help in eliminating the bandits. It was hard for anyone to dislike him.

One day, he heard that a young disciple was about to be dismissed for making a fault. He accidentally caused a fire that almost burned down the entire library that contained precious martial arts manuals created by the founder, Xue Feng. Only direct descendants were allowed to view and study the skills, anyone else was forbidden to go near. Although the fire was an accident, the young kid by the name of Lu Shen was not forgiven.

Lu Shen was an orphan who led a life completely different from Xue Ying. At 6, his village was razed to the ground by bandits and he was the only survivor. The sect master, Xue Ying's father, took pity on him and brought him back to the sect. But Lu Shen was an introverted kid who kept to himself. No one cared much about him until today when he almost destroyed the library.

"Let him stay," Xue Ying had come to the great hall where the elders and other disciples had just decided to expel Lu Shen.

"Young Master, trust me. This was no accident…" an elder tried to explain.

"Enough. I said to let him stay. Snow Mountain Sect is not a place that doesn't offer second chances to those who did wrong."

Xue Ying's father was away. He had put Xue Ying in charge of handling the sect's duties. Despite being only 16, he exuded an aura of command. The elders agreed to let Lu Shen stay but he was not let off without punishment - he was denied meals for 3 months. Disciples of the sect did not have to worry about food as all meals were prepared daily. It would be a tough challenge for Lu Shen who had no money to buy his own food. It meant he had to hunt in the forest or fish in the rivers if he didn't want to starve.

After a month, Xue Ying told the elders to end Lu Shen's punishment, which meant he could return to the dining hall for meals. But a stubborn Lu Shen continued to carry out his punishment and went hunting in the forest. It was when he bumped into Xue Ying. Or rather, Xue Ying was the one who paid him a visit.

"As the acting sect Master, it's one of my duties to look after disciples' well-being," he brought along food and invited Lu Shen to dine with him.

Lu Shen was taken aback. He was not used to such kindness. But the growling sound of his stomach betrayed him, he had not eaten a good meal in a long time.

"A kid going through puberty's gonna need some good nutrition. You're about the same age as me, right?" he placed the food on one of the stone tables in the forest to tempt him. It wasn't long before Lu Shen gave in.

Perhaps it was this small gesture that touched Lu Shen and started the friendship between them. From that day, the disciples in the sect noticed Lu Shen was always following behind Xue Ying. It was an unusual sight that sent gossip flying around.

"Did Lu Shen hypnotize our young master?"

"Is he boot-licking? What does Xue Ying see in him?"

"I wonder what intentions he has…"

Xue Ying knew what people were saying behind his back. But he remembered Lu Shen who came to the sect when he was 6 years old. He was glad to see another kid of his age and looked forward to playing with him. But he was told to stay away from Lu Shen who was sick and undergoing trauma. And soon, Xue Ying had his share of studies and skills to learn. There was hardly any time left for play or friendship.

10 years later, he was now the acting sect Master. He hoped it wasn't too late to rekindle the friendship.