Interlude 1: The broken wolf. (1)

Tang Fen was unable to wrap her head around what she was seeing, it was as if the events unfolding in front of her simply refused to register in her mind. Today should have been the happiest day of her life, she was supposed to get married and also celebrate the 20th birthday of her wife, it should have been a lovely and almost perfect day.

So why was it that they stood here now, the hammering rain drowned out by the spectators' vicious cheers? Why were Lang Huo and Yin Long, her future wife and the man she considered her big brother, fighting each other to the death?

Rumours and supposed facts had already spread across the entire city, practically every citizen taking the chance to spit on Yin Long's name and dignity due to the 'crimes' he was supposed to have committed. But if her Brother Yin had actually done such things, if he was actually the vile man everyone said he was, why did his eyes look so sad?

Tang Fen simply couldn't understand, she had no idea how things had suddenly taken such a turn that Yin Long was forced to pull out a card as desperate as this. But there was one thing she was perfectly aware of, and that was the fact that these three siblings that she was closer to than her own family, were currently experiencing immense pain.

But the cruelty of life did not care for the pain others experienced, the pain of the three siblings quickly reaching its zenith. Lang Huo's sword broke through Yin Long's and cut into his body, practically splitting him in two, a guaranteed death. Tang Fen watched as he slumped forward, Lang Huo seemingly catching him on instinct. Both of their lips moved, but the buzzing in her ears drowned out even the thunderous cheers and the world-shaking bolt of lightning that split the sky as it crashed to the earth.

The last light in Yin Long's eyes vanished as he squeezed out a gentle smile, his legs giving out on him as he turned limp and fell out of Lang Huo's grasp. Lang Huo remained standing in the same position, ignoring the blood coming from her wounds as she gazed down at the lifeless corpse she had just created.

Tang Fen's heart immediately sank to the pit of her stomach as her mind took in what had just happened, as her mind finally came to terms with the chain of events she had witnessed. Tears started to pour out before she knew it, snot and tears mixing with the rain that was running down her face.

But no matter how pained she was, she knew that there were currently two people who felt far worse than her. She quickly jumped out of her seat and charged onto the stage, wrapping her arm around Lang Huo's waist and draping Lang Huo's free arm over her shoulder to support her softly shivering body. She immediately scoured the seats for Lang Ru but couldn't find her figure anywhere, but she wasn't sure if that was because she had already left or if she simply couldn't see her through all the tears. She tried to wipe her face, but the extremely hoarse voice of Lang Huo snuck into her ears.

"Take me away from here..."

Tang Fen had never heard Lang Huo sound so weak before, so defeated and crushed. Her voice was so hoarse that it sounded like she was gargling blood, each word stabbing into Tang Fen's heart. She quickly supported Lang Huo and started walking away, a few of the clan's elders coming to meet them. But Lang Huo didn't greet them or stop for them, she maintained the calmest expression she could muster as she directed them.

"Take the body away. Sta...Standard traitor burial procedures."

The elders didn't dare to say anything and hurriedly moved past her, Tang Feng's feet not even stopping once. Lang Huo maintained a calm and dignified expression, but she had even forgotten to put away her greatsword, dragging it behind her as they quickly made their way to the Lang clan's mansion. A servant was already waiting for them in front of the doors, but Lang Huo dismissed her as quickly as she had the elders.

"Tell everyone to leave, take a few days off."

The maid trembled fiercely for a second before she quickly bowed, dashing into the mansion and informing all the servants. Tang Fen and Lang Huo made their way through the hallways, the various servants quickly rushing out of the mansion so that they would be alone.

The two moved up through the mansion until they reached the fourth floor, Lang Huo leading them to a door she was very familiar with. Tang Fen pushed open the door and the two entered a very simple office-like bedroom, the faint scent of Yin Long still lingering in the air.

His scent still lingered here, but that was the only part of him in this room. There were no decorations or marks that this was his room, not a single personal item scattered about, it was so neutral and empty that it almost seemed abandoned.

It was only when the door behind them closed that Lang Huo's calm expression finally cracked. She fell to her knees so heavily that the wooden boards beneath them cracked, her hands quickly touching the ground to support her body as she started to vomit.

She threw up everything that was in her stomach, tears and snot running down her face as she sobbed in-between each retching. The sickly yellow vomit quickly changed colour as she continued to retch, swiftly turning into nothing more than transparent stomach acid. Tang Fen was kneeling by Lang Huo's side, sobbing along with her and unable to even utter any words due to how clogged up her throat felt.

Lang Huo stopped vomiting, her stomach devoid of nearly all its stomach acid. But the moment LAng Huo stopped vomiting, she smashed her own fist into her abdomen, directly into the gash that Yin Long had left her with. She struck the wound again and again until she started to vomit again, retching up blood as she sobbed.

"Why...Why did they have to choose me?! Why couldn't they have chosen someone else...Why did I get this role?! Curse it...Curse them..."

Tang Fen's heart shook violently as Lang Huo sobbed and lamented. The mantle of clan leader was one that Lang Huo had taken great pride in, she was thrilled to have inherited it. No matter how hard things had gotten during work, she had never complained and bore it with a smile, because this was the duty her parents had left for her.

But now she cursed that very same duty, spitting up blood on it. If she weren't the clan leader, Yin Long wouldn't have been forced into the corner he was. He wouldn't have had to give his own life just to secure her position, he wouldn't have had to abandon things time and time again for her.

Lang Huo smashed her own wound time and time again, vomiting so much blood that it almost looked like she had no more blood left to give. But just as she was about to raise her fist once more, her gaze finally landed on the greatsword she had dragged with her the entire way from the arena.

Despite the pelting rain and the fact that it was dragged along the street, there were still a few drops of blood clinging to the blade. The droplets were nearly the exact same crimson as the sword itself, Lang Huo's pupils and fingers trembling violently as she saw them. She flung out her arm and threw the weapon away with all her might, sending it crashing through the walls of several rooms as it vanished from sight.

Her gaze fell on the few errant strands of crimson hair that had fallen in front of her face thanks to her violent actions, her face paling until it was practically as white as snow. Her hands both reached up to her head and tugged at her hair, tearing out several handfuls of the hair she used to take so good care of.

The greatsword was one of her dearest possession, she had selected it when they were just kids, at the same time as Yin Long selected his white sword. Her beautiful sword and her beautiful hair, just the fact that they were the same crimson as his blood made it so that her stomach churned from just looking at them. Her sword, her hair, she had dirtied them both with his blood, now they were nothing but disgusting. She was just about to tear out several more handfuls of hair despite Tang Fen holding on to her arms for dear life, a knock on the door interrupting her.

"Matriarch? Are you in here? Elder Gao wanted me to ask you about how we should reimburse the families of those killed by Young Ma... That man."

The voice of the servant caused Lang Huo's sapphire pupils to contract violently, something akin to an unrelenting inferno surging up within her chest. She flung her arm to the side, scorching flames dancing between her fingers as she pointed her hand at the door, a loud shout suddenly ringing in her ears.

"Stop!"

Tang Fen threw herself onto Lang Huo's hand before she could launch the flames, the scorching heat turning her clothing to ash and charring her chest black. Lang Huo's pupils trembled violently as she quickly retracted her flames, Tang Fen shouting out to the servant standing beyond the door.

"Please leave!"

The servant obviously noticed that things weren't quite right, the sound of hurried footsteps quickly growing weaker and distant. Tang Fen still held onto Lang Huo's arm, not fully able to control the volume of her voice as she scolded.

"You can't lash out against them, you know that! Do you think he would accept something like that?!"

Lang Huo of course knew that she couldn't take out any anguish on the servants, they had nothing to do with any of this. No, it was all on her. Tang Fen refused to let go of Lang Huo's hand, pressing it against her charred skin as if she wanted to use this burn to share a bit of her pain.

"I... I thought I knew Brother Yin, I thought I knew what went on in his head and what sort of things he got up to. But I was wrong, I never really knew anything at all. I didn't know a single thing about the burdens he bore or the worries he had, I was just a naive child that only saw the good things."

Yin Long had only ever smiled at her, he'd never shown anything but the leisurely Young Master persona he showed everyone else. It was only during the public hearing after her and Lang Huo's relationship was revealed that he showed them an inkling of the truth, shattering the understanding they had of him. But no matter how much he shattered their understanding, no matter how many things he hid, there was one fact that was undeniable.

"But if there's one thing I know, then it is that he truly loved you and Big Sister Ru. He didn't do anything because you were the clan master, he didn't do anything because it would benefit the clan, everything he did and everyone he killed, I'm sure that they were all for you. Not for Clan Master Lang, but for the Little Huo he loved so dearly. So please, please don't treat yourself like this, don't ruin what he gave his all for. Even if you want to curse it all, even if it hurts too much to bear, you must live, even if it's just for his memory."

This was one fact that Tang Fen believed with all her heart, it was the simplest truth about Yin Long. Everything he did, he did for those he held more dear than the world itself, no matter how cruel that might be to himself or others.

Lang Huo's expression distorted violently under Tang Fen's soft voice, her entire body shaking like a leaf in the wind. Her gaze fell on her two hands, one held tightly against Tang Fen's burned skin while the other was drenched in her own blood, her tears gushing forth even stronger than before.

"He...He told me the same thing he always said when we trained, even as I cut directly through his body. He...He taught me everything I know, honed all my skills, and I... I... I used them to kill him. I took everything from him, I never gave him anything and just stole things time and time again. I'm a monster..."

Yin Long hadn't been sure if they reached her, but his final words most certainly did reach her. And what he left her with wasn't any condemnation or anger, it was just a gentle smile, praise, and a final request as her big brother. Even as he died, his thoughts had always been on those closest to him, on what he could do for them.

Lang Huo crumpled forward in pain, leaning her entire body against Tang Fen and sobbing loudly. The faint sound of raindrops hammering against the mansion's ceiling mingled with the sound of her sobbing. Tang Fen rested her head on top of Lang Huo's head, her own tears soaking into Lang Huo's hair and the few bloody spots where she had torn out her hair.

"But you're the monster he held so dear, a monster he was willing to become an incorrigible sinner for. So hold that title with pride, and hold tight all he gave you."

Tang Fen's voice was soft and choked up, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the ceiling of the room. Her misty gaze was unfocused but seemed as if it wanted to penetrate through the wood and peek at the sky, as if she wanted to peer directly into the Celestial World.

There were many things she didn't know, but there was one thing she was very certain of right now. If there really were gods living so high up above them, directing the lives of mortals as they pleased into scenarios like this, then they were surely monsters beyond human comprehension.