Chapter 18 A fish at the bottom of the pot (2)

HeiYing had faint memories of when he was a small child, remembering someone bringing another sickly and skinny child into their house, while that man looked at him with feral eyes that he was scared of. Somehow, he could sense something was awfully wrong. His mother hugged him tight to her pregnant tummy while he looked distressed looking at the strangers in their small hut. Before he could comprehend the situation, his mother grabbed him and ran out.

HeiYing remembered the wind and his mother's hair when his mother ran, while one hand holding his hand and the other holding up her big stomach. Her braid tickled his face.

Then his mother tripped and his mother held him close when they rolled down the hill, protecting him from the rocks. When they finally stopped rolling, HeiYing cried when he saw his mother's head and body bleeding everywhere. Even her body shape seemed out of ordinary, her bones were protruded out from her legs, and there was a pool of blood by her back. His younger sister must be broken by that fall.

With a crumpled and pained face, HeiYing's mother pushed him into the bushes and told him to play hide and seek. She warned him if there were anyone that came near but not either of his parents, he could not make any sounds, and if any strangers did find him, he had to scream and hit them hard. His mother had always taught him to have good morals, yet this time, she told him to harm another to save himself.

HeiYing felt the sting of his bleeding cut in middle of his forehead, blurring his vision, he tried to wipe off the stickiness and quickly hid like what his mother had instructed him.

His mother was right, when the sun was setting, some people did come. His mother was still on the ground, immobile, like she was sleeping.

HeiYing almost leapt put when he saw his father's skinny silhouette in the group approaching his mother's body. However, before he could run out from the spot, he saw his father talking harshly with the gang and soon, scuffled with the people and finally he jumped on top on this mother's body. HeiYing screamed when he saw the people took a knife to plunge down on his father's back, who was shielding his mother.

The people turned their beady eyes on him when they heard him cry, his father shouted at him to run, to which HeiYing gave them another look, before turning and ran on his short legs. He could hear the adults chasing at him, sounding like they were hungry wolves and his father's last cry echoing when it was ended abruptly.

Even as a small child, HeiYing had great fortitude. His parents were always awed of him, saying that he was amazing child to be so smart and talented unlike the other village children. HeiYing could have run longer but he had tripped on a broken branch and rolled few times.

The burns on his feet together at recollecting his parents' deaths, made the little child very emotional. Little HeiYing wanted his parents very much and he wanted to go back to see them, when suddenly someone grabbed him and closed his mouth. His captor carried him and took him to run.

Terrified and out of pure instinct, HeiYing bit down on the hand that clamped down on his mouth. HeiYing recalled that his captor let him bite his muscular hand, while the man looked back at the people who were chasing him.

Then his captor put HeiYing on his shoulder, while he took out his weapons to those men. Men whom HeiYing recognized as the strangers who came and destroyed his family. After that the red clothed armored soldier, looked at HeiYing and gruffly too, his neck cloth to bandage his arms bleeding after bitten by HeiYing.

This soldier even kindly helped HeiYing to find his parents. The soldier did not allow HeiYing to see his parents but let HeiYing to help to bury his parents together. It was later on when HeiYing understood more of humans nature that the soldier had spared him to see the condition of his parents with their corpses mutilated.

That soldier was no other than the current General Murong. At that time, General Murong was merely a young hot-headed soldier, but HeiYing admired his ferocity and courage and had insisted to follow him ever since.

Willow Brook Town was burnt down, officials who were sent to Willow Brook Town wrote the reports that the villagers practiced inhuman acts and by the time they arrived, most of them were sick and beyond help. By burning the town was the only solution to expel evil spirits that loomed in the town and prevent the sickness from spreading.

There were other few children from the village saved by General Murong and his band of friends. These children when found hidden, were all skin and bones and they looked hopeless even when saved, thinking the bad people had finally found them. After days and with the explanation of another child, HeiYing, these children finally understood that they were saved.

Those residents who did not participate or conformed to cannibalism, they had ran from town to the forest. They had no wish to return back to nightmares and continued to find a living outside of the south area. These residents had also refused to foster the surviving children from Willow Brook Town, cutting all ties with that town.

Homeless and untrusting other people except the soldiers who saved the children of Willow Brook Town, the children chose to help out in the army and later became soldiers themselves. Growing up in the army was not easy for the children, but the soldiers treated them kindly and taught them self-defense skills.

HeiYing himself became determined to become strong. While he was growing up in the army, there was teachers being sent to teach soldiers and children literacy, so they could understand simple missives. HeiYing was one the few who put in effort to study to become literate, while the others did not see the importance of taking the energy to work their brains.

As Murong XieChu continued to earn feats and contribute to the country, raising ranks to become a General, the young HeiYing also did not slack, he worked hard to attend classes in the morning, go training ground with he other soldiers, self study during breaks and then practiced martial arts before sleep.

When the teacher saw HeiYing's potential and encouraged him to take government test, so he could be achieve higher rank or even a position in government body, HeiYing rejected. HeiYing did all these so he could serve and protect General Murong during battles. He had only in few battles with the General when the General decided to return to capital for his first child's birth.

After the teenager HeiYing requested to work in the General's manor as a bodyguard. He was happy when General Murong trusted him to the task to guard his heir.

Even though General Murong's heir was a hellion, how could he let this young master of theirs, who cried just seeing common people being sold or hungry on the streets, to know the harsh reality of human desperation?