An Arduous Path

"Hahaha! How interesting!" Nie Hanchang suddenly lowered his bow and broke out in laughter.

"Are you all right, Senior Martial Brother Nie?" Zhao Yunxiao cautiously asked.

At the same time, he snapped his fingers, and the clone that had narrowly avoided being struck by Nie Hanchang's arrow reverted to earthen chunks that crumbled to the ground.

"Hahaha, yes, I'm all right," Nie Hanchang kept away the Grand Annihilator, but still could not stop himself from laughing.

"Are you sure?" Zhao Yunxiao repeated his question.

Since Nie Hanchang had kept away his bow, it naturally meant that the spar was over. With that in mind, Zhao Yunxiao stopped running and approached Nie Hanchang instead.

But no matter how he looked at it, Nie Hanchang did not seem to be acting normally right now.

Why else would he suddenly begin laughing in the midst of a serious spar?

Was it because he could not accept the fact that he had missed his shot earlier?

Zhao Yunxiao knew of some people who were extremely proud of their craft, and might not be able to handle failure in what they deem themselves to be good at.

He could only hope that this was not what Nie Hanchang felt at the moment!

"Junior Martial Brother Zhao, this is my loss!" Nie Hanchang admitted.

"...Why all of a sudden?" Zhao Yunxiao asked again.

"It would appear that the Grand Annihilator refuses to consider you an enemy," Nie Hanchang explained with a helpless sigh. "Tell me. If even my weapon refuses to attack you, how would I ever be able to win? No, at this stage, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it our weapon instead of mine!"

"You are saying that the Grand Annihilator refused to hit me?" Zhao Yunxiao finally understood Nie Hanchang's strange reaction, but still could not quite believe what he was hearing. "Is there really such a thing?"

"A mythical tier treasure sure is different, isn't it?" Nie Hanchang chuckled. "Nevertheless, I am not too concerned about that. In fact, knowing this actually makes me feel relieved. After all, this only proves that it is a weapon that shares my ideals!"

Zhao Yunxiao closely observed Nie Hanchang's expression.

It would seem that Nie Hanchang was seriously saying all this instead of having gone crazy.

A weapon that did not want to hit him?

That sounded like an incredible tale...

Was it because he forged it alongside Nie Hanchang back then?

But if that was truly the case, wouldn't that also mean he could attempt to get rid of Nie Hanchang at any given time, and the latter would be able to do absolutely nothing about it?

No, wait a minute!

That's not what he should be thinking right now!

"How about we continue this with another bow?" Zhao Yunxiao suggested.

"No, I won't use another bow unless I absolutely have to," Nie Hanchang declined. "Now that I have the Grand Annihilator, I want to become a single entity with it. To do so, I am avoiding holding another bow in my hand, or I might start confusing the feeling between the two."

"I see," Zhao Yunxiao nodded in understanding. "Senior Martial Brother Nie's commitment to the path of bow and arrow is truly admirable."

Some might feel that this was going a little too far, but Zhao Yunxiao knew that different cultivators had different individual habits and preferences.

Compared to the more eccentric methods that he had seen from others in the past, this was already considered very normal.

"Everyone says that, but does Junior Martial Brother Zhao know that I have thought about giving up in the past as well?" Nie Hanchang said with a wry smile.

"You did?" Zhao Yunxiao was genuinely surprised to hear that.

For as long as he knew Nie Hanchang, he had always seen the latter as someone obsessed with the path of bow and arrow.

He had truly never imagined that Nie Hanchang would ever consider giving up on this path!

"Haha, are you really that surprised?" Nie Hanchang let out a bitter laugh. "We have both been in the sect for a long time. While we haven't exactly been the closest, I'm sure you have heard of me, as well as how badly I have always fared in my tests?"

"This..." Zhao Yunxiao let out an awkward smile.

Indeed, Nie Hanchang had always been known for his wholehearted pursuit of the path of bow and arrow.

However, it remained a fact that this pursuit had not brought him great results in the past. This inevitably led to many in the sect also considering this as a stubborn attempt to stick to a fruitless path.

In fact, many of his peers and seniors had been constantly advising him to adopt more generic weapons, all so that he could receive better advice and guidance from his seniors.

Even Zhao Yunxiao had thought the same way, believing that Nie Hanchang should have tried a different route since the path of bow and arrow was obviously not working out for him.

At least, that was until Nie Hanchang suddenly obtained the Grand Annihilator and started showing great results.

Come to think of it, Nie Hanchang had truly walked an arduous path for countless years before he finally reached where he was now.

And this was not even the end, but the beginning of his path!

"Hahaha, there's no need to deny it. I know myself the best," Nie Hanchang was amused by the awkward expression that had appeared on Zhao Yunxiao's face. "I am only human as well. Facing all the ridicule and repeated failures, of course I have thought about giving up."

"What is it that changed your mind, then?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.

"My parents," Nie Hanchang replied without hesitation. "They are probably the biggest reason why I have managed to stay true to my original goal."

"Your parents?" Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation.

He did not know much about Nie Hanchang's parents, only that they had passed away when he was young.

"That's right," Nie Hanchang nodded. "It all started with what could probably be considered just an innocent remark from a young kid, but my parents made sure to do everything in their power to make sure that I got all the training and practice that I wanted in order to pursue the path I wanted. They are my most loyal supporters, having supported me wholeheartedly all the way. That is why, when they passed away, I made a promise to them at their graves – that I will never give up on the path of bow and arrow."

Memories of the past flooded Nie Hanchang's mind as he spoke.

Apart from his Senior Martial Sister Mu, this was actually the first time that he had ever told anyone else about this.

And just like with his Senior Martial Sister Mu, he held back from revealing the full extent of his promise to his parents.

The actual promise was not just to never give up on the path of bow and arrow, but also to become a great archer renowned across the lands, capable of taking down any and every enemy who dared to threaten his loved ones!

"So, that's why..." Zhao Yunxiao nodded in understanding. "It's indeed rare to have people who believe in you with all their heart. I'm glad that you have been able to stick to your promise!"

Perhaps he would never know how it felt to have parents who supported him with all their heart, but it definitely felt nice to hear that at least Nie Hanchang was able to experience that.

Nie Hanchang looked at Zhao Yunxiao in silence.

Unlike Zhao Yunxiao, who knew about his family situation, Nie Hanchang was unfamiliar with Zhao Yunxiao's.

But from the sound of it, it did not seem to be much more pleasant than his.

"You know, the reason why I am heading to Ghost Fog Valley is actually to harvest the grimoire fruits there," Zhao Yunxiao could not help but notice the awkward atmosphere, and quickly spoke up to break the silence.

"Grimoire fruits? That sounds familiar..." Nie Hanchang tried to search his memories.

"It is a common material for forging weapons," Zhao Yunxiao said with a smile.

"Forging weapons?" Nie Hanchang revealed a look of surprise. "Does that mean you have decided to forge your own weapon in the end?"

"I can't help but feel jealous of how well Senior Martial Brother Nie is doing with your Grand Annihilator, so I decided to try my luck in creating a good weapon of my own as well," Zhao Yunxiao nodded.

"Haha, that's more like it! Since you are capable of creating something as amazing as the Grand Annihilator, I'm sure you can create something just as great for yourself!" Nie Hanchang said excitedly. "I am glad that I did not miss this trip. Now that I am here, I will definitely help you get those grimoire fruits, as well as anything else that you might need to make this work!"

Nie Hanchang had been feeling bad all along for claiming the Grand Annihilator that had been forged by Zhao Yunxiao.

Now that there was finally a chance for him to pay Zhao Yunxiao back in the same manner – to aid Zhao Yunxiao in creating his own weapon – Nie Hanchang could not be more thrilled!

"Haha, harvesting the fruits will probably be an easy task, but I definitely appreciate the thought," Zhao Yunxiao chuckled. "That said, let's continue on our journey. We have a mission to complete before all that!"

The duo continued their journey after confirming that their horses were well rested.

Kindness Village was still a distance away, so they still had to take a few more breaks along the way.

During which, both of them took every opportunity they had to get in some practice, though they could only focus on their individual training since sparring was out of the question.

But as they went further, the two young men realised that something strange was happening to their surroundings.

It was currently the first month of spring – a time when the wilds should be filled with the beautiful blooming of flowers and the lively sounds of animals.

That was exactly what they witnessed at the start of their journey, but it gradually turned out not to be the case as time passed.

Instead, the environment became more and more arid, resulting in sparse vegetation and wilting flowers.

"It looks like Kindness Village is not the only place affected by the lack of rainfall," Zhao Yunxiao remarked grimly while observing their surroundings.

"That does seem to be the case," Nie Hanchang answered before narrowing his eyes. "There's something up ahead."

"Indeed," Zhao Yunxiao agreed in a serious tone. "Let's stop."

The two pulled their horses over, tying them to a tree before stealthily proceeding on foot. It did not take long before they came across what they had sensed earlier.

The huge lizard that came into view was about the height of an adult male even when standing on all fours, and definitely measured more than ten metres from head to tail.

Its grey skin was spotted with black dots, scaley in nature yet moist enough to glisten under the evening sun.

Its webbed claws pressed down upon a wild deer, holding it firmly in place as its powerful jaws tore away at the deer's body without mercy, swallowing chunk after chunk of meat.

"Black-spotted colossal lizard – a rare lizard monster with strength at the Essence Gathering realm," Zhao Yunxiao recognised it immediately. "That said, it should be a monster that only lives around swampy areas, so this is not its usual habitat. Perhaps it has been forced out to find food due to the drought."

"Shall we try to kill it? Or do you want to take the long way around it?" Nie Hanchang asked.

"Shall we kill it?" Zhao Yunxiao suggested.

"That's a good idea. Taking the long way will cost us too much time," Nie Hanchang agreed.

"That as well, but there's also another reason for doing so," Zhao Yunxiao replied with a grin. "Black-spotted colossal lizards are known to be lovers of precious gems, and their standards are not low..."

"You are thinking of robbing the lizard monster...?" Nie Hanchang felt the corner of his lips twitch.

"Well, it has ventured out of its natural habitat, so we will also be helping to stabilise the environment by ridding it of an external threat. So, what's wrong with claiming a natural reward while we are at it?" Zhao Yunxiao shrugged. "Are you in or not?"

"Hah," Nie Hanchang let out a chuckle at the forced justification. "Of course, I am in."

Regardless of how forced the reason was, he would just treat it as just another opportunity to hone his skills!