Chapter 6: The downfall

Darkness paint his vision, yet his mind vividly, relentlessly replayed the nightmare he had just experienced. The thousand cut in his body, cannot compare to the despair he felt. Where did it start to go wrong? They all happy a month ago, but now, everything perish. He lost his father to the hand of those devil. And the same devil now torture his wife to death. His hoarse yelling, her agonizing wail, and the heartless laugh of those devil, all rang in his ear. He felt remorse for his lack of action. If he had taken the risk and informed the guards immediately, could the tragedy have been averted? Even if it meant sacrificing himself to shield his last treasure, he should have done it.

'How foolish of me.' he thought to himself.

He blindly believe the false truth, and trap himself in this void, waiting for the inevitable end. This place, which incessantly replayed the nightmare he so desperately want to forget. How can he not? The desperate wail, the sound of the club hitting the body, reverberating into the bones and muscle. Yet, the devil accurately control his strength so the body won't break, prolonging the torment. From the blunt weapon, to the sharp one. By that time, her face already disfigured. No trace of her past beauty remains. And there's no wailing either. Her vocal point was already broken. Yet, they won't stop. No, it's even intensified. Even until her eyes bore no life, they still 'playing' with what can be called her remains. Then, it was his turn. But Zou cannot feel the pain. When her life leave the body, Zou already numb.

If not for the black-clothed individuals suddenly ambushing the bandits and massacring them all, Zou could have—no, he would definitely have died.

'Why did I run? If I hadn't run, then I could have died next to my wife. I could have died in the same land as her. Do I still have the will to live? Why? I can't even get revenge…'

He thought despairingly before losing consciousness.

* * *

It felt quite strange, honestly. When he first met this man, Ryong firmly believe that he won't intervene no matter what. Even tho it's evident that they're in trouble, Ryong thought it was not his place to step in. And now, he honestly still thinks the same. But, in the end, he cannot just ignore the man in his deathbed. With many cuts, lying alone without any of his companions before. It's pretty clear what happen to him. Anyone witnessing his condition would likely come to the same conclusion.

'Is that why?' Ryong pondered, gazing at the unconscious man in the bar's backyard. He had already done emergency aid. It was done hastily, but luckily, it seems working just fine. But now the man fall into coma state, it depends on his luck to make it out alive.

'This is the extent of my medical ability. To do more than this needs professional care.' but the nearest hospital at most a 20-minute walk away. If you run you could make it in 10 minutes, but carrying a dying man with fatally wounded body is too risky. There's a high chance he would die on the way. So, Ryong, relying on his medicinal knowledge, bring Zou in the backyard of the bar and doing some first aid, covering his wound with mixed medicinal plant. Then, after his situation are somewhat better, he would take him to the doctor.

"Ryong? How is it?" the owner arrive in the backyard, asking while clearly pitying Zou.

"It's better than before, but he won't wake up anytime soon."

The owner didn't respond but his eyes still have the same pity. When Ryong first come up to him and told him he's saving a man at his backyard, his reaction is indifferent. His curiosity motivate him to see who it is. But as soon as he saw Zou's face, his demeanor instantly changed. As a local merchant, he naturally knows lot of people outside the walls of Guolang city. Zou Xiang and his son, Zou An, are one of the people he personally knew. This Zou An is his sole son, Xiang treasure him with all his love since the child lost his mother at birth. The owner knows how hard Xiang work for his only son, and he got the news that the son married to a beautiful women. He also see both husband and wife a couple of times, but look at Zou now. It's evident what happen to him.

"I heard there are incidents in the 6 district. A group of man, and a woman found dead. The woman… ugh, fuck. The woman, confirmed death by torture. I was curious, so i went to see if the rumors true." he paused, then continued with a disgusted face. "That woman is definitely his wife." The owner's words hung in the air.

"How can someone with great future fallen into demise like this? This world is so disgusting." the owner said with a dejected and angry tone. His face contorted, showing his revulsion at the news.

Ryong didn't answer. In his former life, indulging in pity was a luxury he couldn't afford. He's too busy to put the food on the table for himself. There's no room left for dwelling on the pitiful lives of others, as his own life was no different from theirs. But now he shared the same sentiment with the owner.

A question suddenly dawn upon him, 'Am i satisfied with just this?'

Up until now, his purpose is only centered around himself. He intended to become the strongest using he and his friends cumulative past knowledge and spread the word of their greatness. But doing it like this, doesn't sit well with him. Not after he look at Zou An who lost everything in just a moment. Was striving to be the strongest like this truly the correct approach? His mind leaned towards a positive answer, but for some unexplained reason, he couldn't definitively say yes.

"There are two definite ways to become the 'strongest'. But first, it depends on your perspective. What type of 'strength' do you desire? To be an individual dominating heaven and earth? Or the leader of the most formidable organization?" that paragraph suddenly appear in his head. "In either case, the key is simple: Reputation. In the conquest to become the strongest, fame is essential if you want your name carved in history. And what kind of reputation you have also holds equal significance. Fear and love. It is said to be better be feared than loved, if you can't both. This may be make sense, but fear only essential if you are weak. Once you become the stronger, you won't be revered but viewed as a tyrant. Your name would spread, but as a monster the parents told to their children to scare 'em. Thus, avoid being feared at all cost. Instead, do both—strike a balance. Care for your ally like it's your family, but display cruelty like you are Satan himself to your enemy."

That was from his friend's book, 'How to Be the Strongest'. His friend, taking inspiration from the Scripture, crafted his own book with a unique diary-format. The narrative follows a man who discovers a diary outlining the theory and secrets of becoming the strongest. Unfortunately, despite its rich content, the views could literally be called 'pitiful'. To the extent that the only eager readers awaiting each update are Ryong and the Scripture group. Adding to the irony, the book was later copied by someone else who reaped significant rewards. Yet, his friend refusing to drop his work, continued to make daily update like a devoted believer. Ryong doesn't know, but in the end, the book finally garnered the attention it deserved.

"Likewise, why not choose to become the strongest individual, and a leader of the greatest organization at once?"

Even though it was basically a fictional work, Ryong strangely felt enlightenment. It felt really odd. Like he finally found those missing piece of puzzle. And everything start to make sense. What he really wants, and how to achieve it. It's all came in package with the Scripture knowledge.

'It's really a blessing after all.' he thanked the author once again.

"We will escort him to the clinic at midday, tomorrow at most. I wish to depart right now, but i have busy schedule until tomorrow morning." the owner voice waking Ryong from his thought. But before he reply with affirmative word, his peripheral catch a little movement from Zou's comatose finger. It's just a moment of twitching, but that's enough. He instantly look at the owner, his face saying 'did you see that?'. The owner clearly see what Ryong see given his shocked face.

"Let's rush him to the hospital now! The sooner, the better." Now that he's past the dying phase, it's better to entrust further treatment to professionals. The owner promptly commands Ryong, and they move without delay.

'This is really a dark age.' was his thought when he take Zou to the hospital. His mind cannot move away from that fact. It's strengthen his will to pursue power, but his newfound pity largely take up his heart, influence his decision. He still hesitant to share his knowledge, even for the sake of building his own organization. He don't have the eyes of the main character, after all. He afraid if the people would betray him and such. Loyalty was such a foreign subject for Ryong. But again, seeing Zou, he wants to help people like them. He knows what it feels like to be in the bottom of society. He knows what it feels like to be utterly alone without anyone to depend. That feeling resonates when he see the unfortunate situation of Zou An, the merchant.

'Let's leave the decision to him. I'm more than willing to offer my assistance if he decides to accept it. However, if he chooses not to, well, that's his choice,' Ryong contemplated.

He know how hard it is to climb again after falling so much. But still, everybody deserve second chance. And this young man definitely need it. So, Ryong will give him his second chance, no matter what. It wasn't just about pity or a sense of brotherhood; it was an earnest desire to extend a helping hand to someone in need. Whether motivated by empathy or a shared understanding of life's struggles, Ryong wants to help, and he will.

* * *

Jegal Hyuk has many experience when it comes to sniffing danger. Besides his history as a soldier, he's a martial artist in Qi Circulation realm. So he could confidently say, "This matter is more serious than i thought."

"Isn't this common, Hyung?" his assistant, Man Jung-Hwa ask him.

"Based on what Pi Soo said, these ruffians are fake bodyguards. The bronze emblem they have is fake, and i plan to ambush these guys to expose the truth. Most likely, they are paid to infiltrate our turf. I heard the news that our neighbor city are in chaos."

"Yes, it's already confirmed. The culprit is unknown, but it's believed that they consist of many people. They killed the lord of the city and shared the remaining Lord's wealth to the people."

"Huh, how wicked. They cause disorder and chaos but now the common people would praise them for what they did. Perhaps, they also the one's behind this mess."

Hyuk examine the bloodbath in front of him, then point out a body.

"Who is she?"

"She's Yang Liqin, merchant Zou Su wife. Zou Su is Zou Xiang son."

Jang Hyuk then frowned. His emotion stirred upon seeing the messed up body of Yang Qilin. It's evident that her death were caused by torture. Moreover, he remember Zou Su and his wife thanks to the rumor of their beauty, praised as 'match made by heaven'. But let alone beauty, there's not even trace of her face. It's wrecked to the point where they cannot recognize her identity if not for her circumstance.

"And the husband?" Jang Hyuk turned around to search for his body, but there's only six corpse.

"We suspect he's survived and run. There's a lot of track but we still need time because the rain."

"Fasten the search. He's the only lead we have. The lord is anxious, so we need to make sure the terrorist cannot harm him or this city. Whether they linked or not, that doesn't matter." and from the last command he give, all the soldier salute him in an orderly manner.

"We hear your order!"