Pain (I)

Cloudy Mountain Province was a poor province at the very fringe of the subcontinent. The inhabitants all moved from other lands within the last one hundred years. They were attracted by vast mountain ranges, pristine farmlands, virgin forests, and hidden treasures. They abandoned their old homes in search of a better life, in search of riches, in search of freedom.

Those that settled here came from all walks of life. There were poor peasants that came here to claim land as their own. There were mortal sects that sought out a new home with rich resources. There were merchants and traders drawn by the new inhabitants. As a whole, their lives were dangerous and filled with struggle. They had to constantly fight against strange beasts and demons already living in the land as well as other ones that migrated from the wilderness. Over a difficult one hundred years, human resourcefulness and determination gradually took over most of the province as they continually pushed the monsters back.

In this sense, the monster invasion was a savage flood that washed away all the progress within the province. Even as the Immortal Association's Monster Fighting Competition started fighting back, they could not stem the hordes of beasts and demons that invaded without pause. Hundreds of villages at the eastern edges fell before even the first mission was handed out. Some stayed and fought to their death. Others ran for their lives, causing a huge flow of refugees towards the west.

The entire province was engulfed in savage life and death battles. In an unending and foggy forest, there was one such battle taking place. A single man floated above fray, watching every detail, as a horde of jueyuan chased after a white robed swordswoman.

"Good job!" The man called out.

He followed as the battle moved through the forest. Massive ancient trees were cut apart by a deadly sword as if they were made of paper, sending leaves and splinters everywhere. The number of man-sized demon monkeys decreased steadily and their corpses piled up. Each enemy was dispatched with a single slash that split apart their bodies completely.

The battle eventually drew to a close. The woman stood silently, observing the empty battlefield. Around her, a thin layer of spiritual energy pulsed with vigor. Her white armored robe was completely spotless, compared to the rivers of blood on the ground. When she saw there were no more demons to kill, she sheathed her purple sword.

The man flew down and gave the woman a big smile. "Qianyu, you've gotten a lot better the last few days!" Chen Wentian praised.

"Thank you, master." Wu Qianyu replied, her face still a mask of seriousness.

He hugged her waist and flew off with her, heading back towards a nearby town.

"How many jueyuan did you kill? I lost count."

"1,204."

"How about I give you that many kisses." Chen Wentian said as he puckered his lips and leaned over.

Wu Qianyu rolled her eyes and shoved his face away, though she finally broke into a smile. She was always melancholic after slaying monsters so he made sure to tease her to raise her spirits. She was fine around him as a result but would become a little depressed if he left her alone to her missions. He wasn't sure why this was but he didn't have a solution either.

In the past month since the monster invasion started, he acted as her flying carriage. He only watched from up high as she handled all the missions herself. Her mastery of the sword saw a lot of improvement in this month though her cultivation had stagnated. He still didn't know what her immortal Dao would be. His own immortal Dao was not compatible with her and the only way was to help her find her own.

He knew Wu Qianyu had trained extremely hard by herself over the last year but he didn't know exactly how hard. As he watched her in action day after day, he realized how much she pushed herself and he was truly impressed.

She wanted to save as many people as possible. She took on mission after mission without a moment of rest. She made sure every beast or demon within the vicinity was eradicated. She went above and beyond the mission parameters simply to save more people or slay more monsters. She also seemed to gain more and more strength as she fought. Even getting injured didn't slow her down.

Wu Qianyu was now first place on the leaderboard through sheer dedication and hard work. Her ranking astounded everyone. Even large sects that took advantage of their numbers to funnel points to their best disciples were still below her. They gnashed their teeth and shook their fists in anger but they couldn't escape the fact that Ten Thousand Flower Valley had another shining star.

Chen Wentian and Wu Qianyu flew out of the forest and across a vast rolling prairie that was dotted with farms and villages destroyed by the demon monkeys. They passed by a large village that was only partially destroyed when Wu Qianyu seemed to sense something.

"Master, wait. Go there." She pointed to the village.

She had just saved this village from the demon monkeys. They had arrived in time and lured the demon monkeys all the way to the forest. Thus, only half the village was destroyed. The remaining people had stared clearing the debris and dead bodies and looking for survivors.

There were still dead bodies of humans and demons everywhere. People were dragging demon corpses to a large fire to be burnt. They also carried their dead friends and relatives to the village square where there were hundreds already lined up in rows on the ground.

Chen Wentian trailed behind Wu Qianyu as she headed towards the village square. She was particularly sensitive to the suffering of the common people so he let her be.

There were women and some men crying besides the dead bodies, the faces covered by blankets and scraps of cloth. Most of the casualties were men who bravely defended the village but there were also women and children among the dead. The wailing and sobbing from the survivors were wretched and heartbreaking.

Such scenes were not enough to move Chen Wentian's heart as he had seen much more death and savagery on his path to immortality. However, Wu Qianyu wasn't like him. He wasn't sure what she was feeling but she probably felt better comforting those in misery and suffering.

Wu Qianyu's approach only attracted a few eyes as most were still occupied. An elderly woman was sobbing on the ground, arms around two dead bodies beside her. Wu Qianyu knelt beside her and laid a soft hand on the woman's shoulder, channeling a bit of spiritual energy to try and calm her.

Eventually, the woman looked up and saw Wu Qianyu and her eyes widened. She hurriedly bowed, "Immortal goddess, immortal goddess!"

Wu Qianyu stopped her from bowing anymore and said, "Auntie, auntie, it's okay... What's your name? Can you tell me what happened? Who are these two men?"

The elderly lady wiped her tear stained face before replying, "Immortal goddess, my name is Pan Ernian. These are my sons..." She started crying uncontrollably again.

"They... tried to fight... I begged them to run, but they didn't listen!... Wuuu..."

Wu Qianyu hugged the elderly woman, her own tears welling up like a tragic spring... She didn't know what to say in response. What could be said to lessen her pain? She could only hold the woman as the emotions flowed.