Cause and Effect

Wang Jingyuan stared at the man in shock. After all her hard work to treat his wounds and bring him back to life, he was still going to die? The man chuckled at her despairing expression. To him, who had traversed the martial arts world his entire life and seen so many people die at their prime, life and death no longer mattered. In his eyes, Wang Jingyuan was very innocent and naïve.

"From the day I created the Song of the Phoenix, I had known such a day would come. Such is the life of a martial arts knight; you might be at the top of the world one day, but the next you might be nothing more than dust." The man said calmly. "Do not despair, Miss Wang. If anything, you've given me a few more days to enjoy my time on this earth. It's better than nothing."

"But…" Wang Jingyuan was still crestfallen. She didn't understand how the man could just speak of death so peacefully. "Is there no cure for the injuries induced by the Eight Trigrams Soul-Extraction Palm? If it's something exotic, I can go and ask the villagers if they've heard of it. You shouldn't give up on life so easily, Senior."

The man felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. He was quite touched that this girl, whom he's never met before, was trying her best to save his life. "Normally, with my skill and internal forces, the internal injury would heal within a month. Qingsha Sect's Eight Trigrams Soul-Extraction Palm is powerful, but not that powerful, you know. But I was already wounded from all of my other injuries, so I wasn't able to avoid the attack. I took the palm straight to the chest, which instantly damaged all of my organs."

"Oh." Wang Jingyuan felt bad for the man. "Senior, you said all the other sects had teamed up against you and your sect for the secret scroll. Can you tell me why?"

"Miss Wang, you are not from the martial arts sector, so you do not know of all the grievances and feuds between the sects. Xuanyan Sect only became a formidable force after I perfected the Xuanyan Sword Skills. I also created the Song of the Phoenix, a series of twelve high-level forms that evolved from the Xuanyan Sword Skills. With this, my abilities increased ten-fold. Of course, this was written down on a secret scroll and hidden deep within Xuanyan Sect. The power of these twelve forms was showcased during the Hero Assembly, which takes place every three years." The man looked into the distance as he recalled the memories.

"There, I showed the world the Song of the Phoenix for the first time. In the process, I heavily wounded and accidentally killed several other chiefs. I had already made many foes in the martial arts sector, and with our crushing victory at the Hero Assembly, they viewed Xuanyan Sect and me as the nail in the eye, the thorn in the flesh.

"In a martial arts contest of skill, injuries and even death are not uncommon. The other sects feared me, but they, too, wanted to learn the Song of the Phoenix. They used the excuse of seeking justice and revenge on the deaths of their chiefs to attack me, but really they're after the Song of the Phoenix. Such is the true nature of humans; they are all greedy beings who would stop at nothing to attain what they want.

"The sects teamed up to attack Xuanyan Sect and caught us off-guard. I burned the scroll, because if it fell into the hands of these people there will only be slaughtering and never peace in the martial arts sector. However, the leaders of the sects were still aggressive and took their anger out on me. I was outnumbered and suffered numerous wounds, as you can tell. Rather than be caught and killed by them, I leapt off the cliff located at the backside of Xuanyan Sect."

"So they launched an attack on your sect and killed everyone just to get the scroll?" Wang Jingyuan was appalled. "That's so wrong!"

"It is wrong, but what can you do? If the world says you are wrong, then you are wrong. The world can turn black into white and right into wrong, but as a single person, you are unable to fight back." The man heaved a sigh. "I Luo Qingye have dedicated my entire life to walking a straight line, only for the line itself to curve. My only regret is creating the Song of the Phoenix. I was so immersed in studying martial arts and pursuing the highest form that I forgot all the trouble that comes with power."

"Senior Luo, don't you want revenge?" Wang Jingyuan suddenly asked. "They killed everyone in your sect. Are you really just going to let them get away with that?"

Luo Qingye's expression darkened. "Revenge…Even in my dreams, I crave revenge! They slaughtered my pupils, killed my disciples, and burnt my sect. Such wrongs have been committed against my sect and me, how could I not desire revenge?"

He got emotional, but suddenly began coughing. As Wang Jingyuan watched in horror, Luo Qingye spit out a mouthful of blood. "Senior Luo!"

Luo Qingye waved her concern aside. "I'm fine. This is just a side effect of my internal injury." He took a few deep breaths to calm down his internal forces before continuing. "You see, Miss Wang? I'm basically a useless person now. I can't wield my sword anymore. Hell, I can't even walk. How am I supposed to take revenge?

"Pity all of my Xuanyan Sect pupils and my three disciples, who died unjustly! Your chief has let you down. Your mentor is incompetent and cannot avenge you." With that miserable exclamation, Luo Qingye dropped his head and closed his eyes. Wang Jingyuan felt an overwhelming sense of sadness.

"Senior Luo, if I knew martial arts, I would surely help you avenge you and your sect," she said glumly. Luo Qingye opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Miss Wang, you never told me why you were in the area."

"Oh, right. I was just passing by. I don't really have anywhere to go," Wang Jingyuan confessed. "If it wasn't for taking care of you, I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"Where are you from? Don't you have family? Parents, siblings, perhaps a fiancé?" Luo Qingye pressed.

"I'm from a place called Kaifeng; it's kind of far. I do have parents and siblings, but…" Wang Jingyuan thought about how to craft a believable story. "There was a plague, and they all died. I don't know anyone here." In her mind, she silently apologized to her parents and siblings. Since they were in a different world, it's basically like they're dead here, right?

Luo Qingye nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that." His mind churned. Wang Jingyuan was a kindhearted girl who seemed to have strict standards of right and wrong. When he felt her pulse earlier, he could tell that if taught right and given good guidance, she had the potential to become a great martial artist. Slowly, he reached one hand into the inner folds of his hanfu and felt a hard piece of metal still tucked safely in a hidden pocket. 'Hm….'

Wang Jingyuan was oblivious to Luo Qingye's thoughts. She reached into the linen bag and brought out more buns for Luo Qingye. Then she excused herself to go refill the water canteens from a small stream she had found nearby.

When she returned, Luo Qingye had made up his mind. A little part of him felt bad that, in a way, he was using her, but she had told him she didn't know anyone and didn't know what to do next. At least, this could give her a purpose in life for a little while.

"Miss Wang, how would you like to learn martial arts?"