11 - Death

–"...And when the times, a red bead will appear in your hand. Take it, and swallow it. You will get a chance, only one, deal a non-lethal blow to his leg and run. Remember, we don't want to give him any reason to get angry; a determined foe is a deathly foe."

The words had been clear when he said them. Wu Xing expected the boy to follow his advice; in this he was sure. What he hadn't mentioned to the boy was that if the man was still determined to chase them then, nothing could save him. Wu Xing felt stumped.

Sure, the boy meant nothing to him. But over the months he had come to like him and considered him somewhat a disciple. He had what it took to survive. What Wu Xing hated was if he lost him, for he had lost someone dear to him, losing another was like scratching at the wound. It would hurt for sure.

Within the bounds of his perception, everything was as clear to him as a day. Even in the dim lights of the narrow tunnel, he didn't miss the depraved grin donning his face. Wu Xing felt a foreboding feeling wash over, the very spirit of the world seemed to warn him.

With a thought a bead disappeared from his stash of red beads that he had yet combine. Anything more than this and the boy wouldn't be able to handle the rampant and berserk beast essence. With this he was left with two black beads and seven red beads. He chose not to worry about the loss of his resources.

The boy calmly grasped the bead in his hand and hurriedly chugged it down his throat.

The man named Gu Yen narrowed his eyes, his smile fading and a hard to read expression. "How curious. What did you take just now?"

Xuan Wen didn't answer. The man sighed and within a second he was upon him.

Even before that however, almost exactly when the Qi was released, when his muscles had tightened, Wu Xing noticed. And within that timeframe he had alerted Xuan Wen and the boy had ducked and rolled.

"Faster than before? And that reaction," Gu Yen looked at him in wonder, then smiled, "A secret!"

Wu Xing cursed. A demonic cultivator with such perception and intelligence were pain in the ass. At this point he was almost certain that escaping was impossible. But so was fighting. This was like being caught in a rock and hard place with nowhere to go.

"Did you ingest a vital stimulant?" Gu Yen asked, the straps holding his cloak loosening and with a rustle it fell on the ground in a heap of dark fabric. "Those aren't cheap, from a rich family, I think? That's even better."

Wu Xing directed the boy before the man made a move. [One Will] flared to life and his motions turned smooth and flexible. With extra agility, it was like Xuan Wen had gained a set of wings and was now freely flying through the air. He twisted and turned, his blade blocking a claw and his back bending at impossible angles to dodge deadly blows.

He flet strong, 'maybe I can do this,' the thought flared to life for a brief moment before he heard the voice again.

–"He is testing you, probably not even using half his strength. That's good for us, so when I say go, cut his leg."

Wu Xing waited in anticipation right after he voiced his thoughts. For that one moment would be deciding factor for the boy's life. He had to do it perfectly.

It came in the moment when the man had grown lax, his gaurd dropping slightly. Wu Xing saw a gap, an apportunity.

A formless thread left the cauldron at Xuan Wen's waist, extending through the air, melding around the atmospheric Qi and spreading in almost imperceptible way. Before Gu Yen could even realise, the thread struck at his head. He froze.

–"Go!"

Xuan Wen lunged, his sword whistling through the air with speed enough to chop a bolder in half. His sword flashed on Gu Yen's leg and passed through it. Slowly and steadily without a wasted moment he let the air flow out of his lungs.

–"Run, Now!"

"Ahhh!" Rage, and anger along with the desire to tear his opponent into pieces. Gu Yen put all his murderous passion into his scream as he looked at the stump that was once a leg. Reason dictated that he tend to his wound and stop the bleeding, and then catch the little bastard and make his life a living hell. Feelings voiced their opinion with rage fueled passion with only one desire; Revenge!

Wu Xing closed his eyes and sighed in regret. What had expected? How could he, who knew the vast truths of this universe be so blind to the vileness of this man. Had the passion to save his disciple blinded him from the cruel reality. He was wrong.

The Ancestor whom people praised as the one to know all and everything was blind.

.

.

.

SLASH!

THUD!

...

"My Lord, you are always so laidback and lazy, why do you never take anything seriously?"

Questions and answers. This wasn't the ideal type of conversations he liked. What he liked more was to chatter about the topic he could relate to, or knew of; something that evoked his interest.

"What's the point of being serious all the time, it's only when you learn to avoid the troubles that you truly enjoy life."

"Sounds like something only a lazy person would say."

"Haha well, what did you expect?"

"Say my Lord, I heard the rumours that when you get serious, you are an entirely different person?"

"Now now, what are you talking about? There's no way that could be true." He had lied

...

Gu Yen grimaced and cursed. He loathed this dastardly human before him. But more than that he hated himself. How had he grown so complacent and blind that he failed to recognise the danger this boy beared?

From the moment he displayed his extraordinary perception, through whatever wicked methods he used, he should have culled him right then. He had been wrong and the price had been paid with his leg.

He spat and kicked the body of the man responsible. He so wished that he could revive him and torture him for all eternity. Gu Yen snorted at his own thoughts and sat down. He stared at the wound that had already started closing after he channeled his Qi to seal his acupoints.

Blood pooled beneath the body dying the ground red, his clothes soaked this blood and turned red. The whole at his chest was like a flower that bloomed too late, it looked beautiful in Gu Yen's eyes. The desire to poke a few more holes flashes through his eyes and they shone in perversion.

The body twitched. Gu Yen stood up in panic with his sword ready. 'What the fuck is going on? Did I see that wrongly?'

Suddenly the boy sat up straight and looked at him with wide open eyes, Gu Yen shuddered. There was no light in them, they felt soulless. The boy looked at his chest and rubbed his fingers over it, he sighed.

"What, what in the name of heavens are you?" Gu Yen felt his breath hitch, his single leg trembled with fear in strangeness of it all. He should have cut off the head, he cursed inwardly.

"Ah." The boy looked back at him and slowly pushed himself up. Gu Yen felt chills crawling over his spine, like a beast that had woken from its long slumber and was now looking at him like looking at an ant. He ground his teeth in anger, but he did not attack. He waited.

"What a mess," the boy said. He voice no different from before, but Gu Yen felt a trace of unfamiliarity from that voice, like it didn't belong to him. "I don't like this. Not at all. Hah, I should've stopped him from entering this cave, have I grown old(?)"

Strange and incongruent words left his mouth, but Gu Yen did not detect a trace of sadness or regret from his musings.

The boy turned to him, "You are called Gu Yen, right? I shall remember you after we are done here."

Gu Yen stopped, every thought that he was about to have stopped. He lowered his head and looked at his leg. Slowly he pulled out a knife with a long handle and stabbed at his stump. Resting it by the side of his intact leg he clenched his fist. "I don't know what the fuck you are, and to be honest I don't care. Though I have to say that you scared me witless with that move; but I, Gu Yen, didn't grow to be what I am today without trampling on my own fear."

Gu Yen pulled his Qi and lunged.