Chapter 19: A path hidden in the shadows

Ning Zu moved swiftly through the narrow mountain path, his thoughts lingering on the white tiger he had just consumed this morning. Until now, he had devoured 99 of them while using the Glutinous Beast King Gu, pushing his body to its limits, but he knew if he ate any more, the risk of mutation would become unavoidable, as that was the maximum for a rank 1 gu master. 

As he made his way toward the academy, his mind drifted toward a problem that had been bothering him: how to start breeding white tigers. 

If he could establish a controlled breeding program within the mountain, it would save him from having to hunt them down constantly, using other vessels to search for them outside the mountain.

The academy building loomed ahead, its stone walls imposing against the mist that clung to the mountain. As Ning Zu entered, he quickly scanned the room and noted the absence of Xiong Wei Xu. His brow furrowed slightly as he approached Xiong Mo, who was sitting near the front.

"Where's Xiong Wei Xu?" Ning Zu asked casually, taking his seat.

Xiong Mo glanced up. "He's back in the clan's prison."

Ning Zu chuckled, leaning in closer. "What did he do this time?"

"Destroyed a bar owned by his grandfather," Xiong Mo replied with a grin. "His grandfather sentenced him there himself."

Ning Zu burst into laughter. "That man must really enjoy the prison at this point," he joked, shaking his head in amusement. 

Xiong Mo joined him in laughter, and for a moment, the tension between them dissolved. Xiong Mo was about to add something when the academy elder strode into the room, cutting their conversation short.

The elder's presence commanded immediate attention. He was a man of average height but immense presence, his long silver hair flowing down his back like a river of moonlight. His voice was deep and authoritative as he began his lesson, recounting the history of their clan stories of its rise to power, its battles, and its many alliances. 

Yet, Ning Zu found himself uninterested, his mind wandering to something far more pressing: Bai Ning Bing.

Bai Ning Bing had always intrigued him. There was a growing demonic nature in the boy, one that Ning Zu recognized all too well. 

While Ning Zu had mastered the art of hiding his own darker tendencies, Bai Ning Bing, still young and inexperienced, had yet to learn that skill. 

But Ning Zu saw great potential in him. The boy's raw talent was unmistakable, and with proper guidance, he could learn how to hid it for the moment.

As Ning Zu's thoughts raced, the academy elder's lecture droned on, though the elder himself seemed somewhat distracted. 

Strange events had been plaguing the mountain recently. Animals had been found dead without any visible wounds, their bodies completely drained of blood, not even a drop of it remaining in their body. 

After thorough investigations by all the clans, the only conclusion they could reach was that something, or someone was stripping the blood from these creatures. This mystery weighed heavily on the elder's mind, though he did not yet have any answers.

Finally, the elder finished his lecture and turned to the class with an announcement. "A new competition is approaching," he said, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the students. "This time, the prize will go to the first person who reaches middle stage cultivation." The elder quickly added, "Xiong Mo and Xiong Zi Rui will have different rules, as they have already reached middle stage."

Ning Zu, who was Xiong Zi Rui in disguise, smiled inwardly at the shocked expressions on his classmates' faces. They had not expected this development, but the elder's reasoning was sound, Xiong Mo and Ning Zu were far ahead of the others.

As the class settled down, the elder continued, "The two of you will compete against each other. The winner will receive double the primeval stones as a reward." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the room. "Is that clear?"

Ning Zu raised his hand respectfully. "Elder, what you are proposing isn't possible."

The elder's eyes narrowed in confusion. "And why is that ?"

Ning Zu stood, his posture calm and confident. "I cannot compete with Xiong Mo, as I have already surpassed the middle stage."

The room fell into a stunned silence. The elder's eyes widened in disbelief, but before he could respond, Ning Zu displayed his cultivation. His primeval essence swirled, revealing his rank 1 upper stage cultivation. The air was thick with astonishment as the realization set in.

Even Xiong Mo, who had always considered himself Ning Zu's rival, was speechless. 

The elder, recovering from his shock, began to laugh, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through the room. "Very well, Xiong Zi Rui," he said, still chuckling. "Let us see if you can reach the peak stage before Xiong Mo reaches the upper stage. If you do, I will personally reward you."

Ning Zu bowed slightly. "I accept your challenge, elder," he said, his voice steady. "May I be excused to begin cultivating immediately?"

The elder nodded, waving him away. "Go. You'll need every moment."

Ning Zu wasted no time. As soon as he was dismissed, he left the academy and made his way down the familiar path toward his home, leaving his class mates in a state of confusion.

On the way, he passed through the market and stopped briefly at a sweet vendor's stall. He had promised his siblings that he would bring them treats, and he had no intention of breaking that promise.

He after all, never broke a promise.

After purchasing an assortment of candies, he resumed his journey home.

As he neared his house, the familiar sounds of his siblings' laughter greeted him. He smiled, glad that he could experience this moment in this life.

But while he was comfortable, someone wasn't.

———

Xiong Wei Xu's breath was shallow as he followed the Gu Master deeper into the clan's prison. Shadows danced around them, the damp air thick with the smell of rot and mildew. The prison was a grim place, buried deep beneath the mountain, where no light penetrated the stone walls. They passed row after row of cells, most of them filled with mortals, petty criminals whose lives were confined to this darkness.

But deeper in the labyrinth, more sinister figures awaited: demonic Gu Masters, each imprisoned in cells without any Gu to keep them from doing anything.

At the end of the tunnel stood a door unlike the others, reinforced with a layer of Gu.

The Gu Master paused, his voice low and wary. "Are you sure about this?"

Xiong Wei Xu, his wrists bound in heavy chains, glanced at the Gu Master with a hint of impatience. "Open the damn door."

The Gu Master hesitated only for a moment before reaching into his aperture, pulling out a key shaped Gu. The door creaked as it swung open, revealing the creature inside.

Nailed to the far wall by rusted chains was a grotesque humanoid figure. Its skin, once human, had become a mottled, grayish-green, like a decaying corpse. Its eyes were wide open, but instead of life, they were black pools of emptiness. Its body was emaciated, the flesh hanging loosely from its bones, and its fingers were long and claw-like.

This was the rank 4 Zombie Gu Master, a creature as ancient as the Xiong Clan itself.

Legend had it that the Zombie Gu Master was captured by the Xiong Clan ancestor after a battle that nearly destroyed the entire mountain. Even though the ancestor emerged victorious, the fight had come at a terrible cost, he lost control of his own mind and slaughtered everything in his path for days, driven to madness by the Zombie's attacks, calming down only after he lost consciousness.

Over the years, the story of the Zombie became something parents whispered to their disobedient children, a warning to eat their meals or risk being sent to this dark place.

Xiong Wei Xu stepped into the cell, the door clanging shut behind him. He stared at the Zombie, its black, soulless eyes unblinking. "Wake up," Xiong Wei Xu demanded.

There was no response. The creature remained still, as lifeless as the chains that bound it.

Annoyed, Xiong Wei Xu approached and struck the Zombie in the face with all his strength. His fists connected with its rotting skin, but the Zombie showed no signs of damage. Instead, a faint light flickered in its eyes, a dark, purplish hue that gradually brightened, bringing the creature back to a twisted semblance of awareness.

The Zombie made a deep, guttural sound. "You weren't raised well, boy," it growled, its voice like gravel. "Can you fuck off and let me sleep?"

Xiong Wei Xu laughed, mocking the creature. "Don't give me that. You don't need sleep. You're a Zombie, not a living being."

The Zombie's black eyes glared at him, but it didn't respond to the taunt. Xiong Wei Xu pressed further. "You can't even be considered a creature, you don't have a soul. The clan's tried for generations to soul search you, but it's not there. You can talk, fight, even eat, but you're not alive."

There was a moment of silence, as if the creature knew Xiong Wei Xu's words rang true. For centuries, the Xiong Clan had attempted to uncover the secret behind the Zombie Gu Master's existence. Despite countless Gu searches, they never found its soul. The creature was an anomaly, something that defied the very laws of life and death.

Xiong Wei Xu leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Do you want to get out of here?"

The Zombie didn't answer, its expression as vacant as ever. Xiong Wei Xu continued, undeterred. "If you teach me everything you know, I'll free you after I become the clan leader of this clan of mine."

For a long moment, the cell was silent. Then, without warning, the Zombie began to laugh.

A wet, choking sound that echoed eerily through the dungeon. Its lips curled back, revealing rows of sharp, decaying teeth. Its laughter was grotesque, its face a distorted mask of amusement. Cracks formed in its leathery skin as it grinned, the shadows making it look even more terrifying.

"Teach you?" the Zombie rasped, its voice filled with disdain. "I'd rather rot here than help the spawn of the man who imprisoned me."

But as the Zombie's gaze lingered on Xiong Wei Xu, something shifted. The young Gu Master's smug expression reminded the Zombie of someone, of itself, long ago, before its transformation. Slowly, the smile faded from the creature's face, and after what felt like an eternity, it spoke again.

"Fine," it muttered, "I'll teach you. But this won't end the way you think."

Xiong Wei Xu felt a wave of relief wash over him, though he knew better than to show it.

The Zombie raised one of its withered hands, and from its aperture, thin purple strings emerged, weaving themselves together to form a hand-like structure.

It held a makeshift hand out toward Xiong Wei Xu. "Give me some of your blood."

Xiong Wei Xu hesitated. His instincts told him to be cautious, but he had no choice. All of this was an order from his grandfather, after all.

He bit into his finger, watching as droplets of blood formed and fell into the Zombie's outstretched hand. The blood was absorbed instantly, the hand darkening as it soaked up the liquid. Then, the hand dissolved into a purple snake, which slithered swiftly into Xiong Wei Xu's aperture.

Before he could react, the snake coiled around his vital Gu, the bear strength Gu, and devoured it in one swift movement.

Pain shot through Xiong Wei Xu's body as he collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood. The backlash from losing his vital Gu was immense.

The Zombie lunged forward, its face twisted into a sneer. "What did you expect? You can't walk my path while having a vital Gu of another path. That bear strength Gu doesn't belong in the same world as my techniques."

Xiong Wei Xu gasped for air as the Zombie loomed over him. "Refine the snake, boy. Kill it, and you'll achieve nothing. Accept it, control it, and maybe, just maybe, you won't end up like your ancestors, getting into a frenzy."

Through the haze of pain, Xiong Wei Xu forced himself into a meditative position. He had no choice now but to follow the Zombie's instructions. The stakes were too high. As he began to focus on refining the snake, the Zombie's voice echoed through the cell, filled with cruel amusement.

"I'll teach you everything I know about the Puppetry Path. A path that not even five people cultivate it."

———

(Author note: shout out to White tiger, Crimson demon, it's a novel that just started and has a lot of potential, and it was made by a friend of mine, so I hope you can check it out and support it 🙏)