A stranger's help

Year 0189 of the MunYu empire, day 23 of Two Moons.

-***shu!!!

-**e Yen***!!!

-Lee Yenshu!!! WAKE UP!!!!

Lee Yenshu opened his eyes in a hurry, there was smoke everywhere, and the cave was slowly heating up, something had happened, and the young spirit tree had tried to wake him up.

-You're awake, thank the heavens... You have to run! Someone found the entrance to the cave, and triggered the traps, the cave will burn out, you have to save yourself.

He was still half asleep, his mind was still not fully awaken, and the noise, heat, and smoke, was not doing him any favors, Lee Yenshu could not fully grasp what was happening, he had just find a safe place, for the first time in his life, and now, this place was going away as well.

-What are you doing Lee Yenshu, you have to run. The fire is spreading here, I can hold the flames for a bit, but I'm too young, I can't hold on forever.

The leaves on Guang Zhishu branch were turning brown, as he was using his energy to keep the flames from reaching the inner sanctum. Again, just like in his world, he was about to lose everything.

-Big brother Lee, hurry! As long as my roots are okay, I'll make it somehow, it may take me a few decades to recover, but I won't die. But you will, if you stay here.

The heat was getting stronger, and it was getting harder and harder to breath, the smoke was filling up the cave, he had to run. He had to climb, and scape, even if it meant leaving his only friend behind.

Just as he was reaching the top of the cave, and the air began to clear up, Guang Zhishu's leaves turned to smoke, and he was engulfed in flames. The last thing Lee Yenshu saw, as his friend's branches burning up, and turning to charcoal, while he stood at the top of the cave, were once the pine tree had broken through with it's tallest branches

Beneath him, was a sea of flames, and as the smoke rose up, the sky seemed red, drenched in a unnatural tone. Lee Yenshu stood there, trying to figure his own mind, trying to understand what had happened, but a tremor forced him to move.

The fire had damaged the cave, and the walls were crumbling, whatever magic was used to keep the immortal cave, was no more. He could feel no Qi, no energy, nothing, just ashes and the heat of charcoal.

It took him a while to reach the ground level, and there, he could see how extensive the cave was, it was like a piece of the land itself had crumbled.

And there he was, a kid, alone again, in a world he knew very little of, yet, somehow, he knew Guang Zhishu was still alive, he was still there, in the middle of the rubble, so he should not give up as well, if his friend was still alive, he too, should do his best to survive.

But, something popped in his mind.

"What about the ones who started this?"

If they invaded the immortal cave, they may have also survived, and if they did, they could still be out there.

And, even before any other thoughts crossed his mind, Lee Yenshu felt a huge pain in his abdomen. And almost instantly, he saw blood gush out of his mouth.

-Looks like we are not the first ones here, blood hell. How did this shithead of a child got this deep into the cave without setting anything up? He has no martial arts, no protective gear, hell, he don't even have a spirit token or a fiend beast. Can I just kill him boss? It would make me feel a bit better.

-That's why I'm the boss, and you are just a shitty little henchman, why kill the kid, when we can sell him? The kid took a kick from you and just spat some blood, most kids his age would have died on the spot, we could sell him to someone do use as a human cauldron, or to use as a battery. This cave was a dead end anyways, best to make do with what we have.

The two man who were discussing what to do with him were large, bulky man, with several scars covering their bodies, one of them, the one who kicked him, had a large portion of his face disfigured, with a missing eye, and what looked like a bat's nose, instead of a regular nose.

The other one was different, he looked really old, and young at the same time, like if something had made him lose all his will to live, at a very young age.

The look on his eyes, were the same that Lee Yenshu had from his slavery days, a look devoid of hope, of drive, or even sadness and despair, it was the look of someone going through the waves of life, without caring were it would lead.

But more than that, even though he sounded cold, distant, and even cruel when speaking to the other man, something about him, about the way he looked at Lee Yenshu, made the boy feel at ease. He could not understand the reason behind it, but he could at least feel that he posed no threat to him. 

The scarfaced one tied Lee Yenshu up, and started to drag him. After a while, they reached a clearing in the woods, and a tent was set up. The fire was made using Qi energy that was discharged into a weird looking device.

The second man noticed how curious Lee Yenshu was about that.

-That's a converter... It's a simple tool we use to change the proprietes of the Qi, it can turn into any of the 5 elements. If you don't know that, it means you are not from this realm. So, want to tell me where you are from?

Lee Yenshu stayed quiet, looking at the fire. He could not fully trust that man, after all, he wanted to sell him.

-Look, being sold, is better than being killed, who knows, you may be sold to a good person, there are a lot of sects out there who buy young kids to take as disciples. Trust me, it's better than the alternative, he would not only kill you, he would have made a mask of your face, to hide his scars for a while, he always do that...

The scarfaced man finished setting up the fire, and turned to the man who was talking to Lee Yenshu.

-Hey boss, I'm gonna take a dump, watch out for the kid, this one is a huge one that's forming. It's gonna STINK!!!!

As the scarfaced man rushed to the forest, the other man reached out to Lee Yenshu.

-Wait a second. It shouldn't take long. I'm tired of that bastard. If you want to run, feel free to do so. But I would love to hear about your realm, I'll just take care of that bastard, my mission is almost done for.

The man moved without making a sound, each step he took, it was like he was touching the air around the ground, and not the ground itself. 

The next sound that could be heard, was the sound of blood gushing out. And that man who moved without making a sound, came, carrying a headless body along with him.

-Sorry about this kid. It's just how the world works. My mission was to grab as much information on the group this man was part of, but to be honest, he was just too much. My name is Mo Leng, and, just like you, I'm not from this realm, I was spirited way here from a place called the Qin Empire, and... It's been over 40 years since I came here... I'm tired... too tired...

Mo Leng's eyes were cold, void of life, he was really tired, and it could be felt, Lee Yenshu could understand how that man felt, as a stranger, in a weird world, and forced to do work they didn't want.

Just like when he was a slave, having to do the work, and keep his emotions in check.

He knew that feeling really well. 

-This one understand that well... My country was called Yi County, it had no cultivators, no Qi, only pain, hunger, and work. Thank you for helping this one out. This one's name is Lee Yenshu.

-Luck is a virtue Lee Yenshu, as well as a skill, don't ever forget that. You are luck that I was on his team this time, and also, that it gave me the perfect chance to kill him. No one would believe if I said a kid was on the cave, this immortal cave was one of the hardest one to find, and the traps, were all masterfull made. I'll say he died on the traps. You can be on your way, it will make my job easier.

The man tossed a collar to Lee Yenshu.

-This is this bastard possessions, he always kept it hidden in the collar, it should have some weapons, a couple of weeks worth of food, and some other stuff. I won't teach you how to use it, so figure that on your own, I'm late as it is. I have to make sure I look as beat up as I can before reporting in.

As Lee Yenshu reached for the collar, he could feel that it was heavier than it looked. The man just made a quick sign with his hand, and continued dragging the corpse of the scarfaced man, that now had no face, into the woods.

As soon as the man disappeared from sight, the always tender voice of the book reached into his mind.

"He may be a orthodox path spy. They tend to try and keep the Unorthodox and Dark Heaven paths in check, always gathering information on their whereabouts.

You were really luck this time. And I'm sorry your journey had to begin in such a way, but the fate of heaven, is a mysterious thing. And what some may call misfortune, can be called luck by others.

Had you stayed safe in the immortal cave, and another member of that group found you, you would most definitely die. You are only alive now, because killing that man, would not compromise his task.

But, I'm still sorry about this.

I'll try and teach you how to use the collar, it's called a void pendant, it can hold many things inside, and you need to synchronize with it, as to use it.

I'll teach you how to make this your own."

And just like before, several images flushed into his mind, texts, images, memories. All about the same thing, how to use your inner Qi and Anima, to synchronize with a artifact.

That was a new term...Anima, and yet, from the images and information that the book provide him, Lee Yenshu knew exactly what it was.

The life force imprint, just like a fingerprint, is unique to each living thing. No two Anima are alike in the world. And imprinting something with your Anima, made sure that, while you were alive, no one else could use it.

And so, the boy was rushed into venturing the world, lost his home once again, was saved once again, and left to his own once more.

Maybe his fate was to be alone, never forging a bond with another.

But, at least he was alive.

There was a sadness growing on his chest, but, if he wanted to tell Guang Zhishu all about his adventures, he would have to survive until his friend was back into this world. So he could not be burdened by his sadness, all he had to do, was grow stronger, strong enough not to rely on his luck anymore, after all, he must have used it all on those last few days.