by A P Gore
Fury burned inside Jei's heart. Grabbing a metal pot lying next to him, he crushed it with his bare hands into a metal ball. He dashed toward Pang and circulated his breath according to the Drunken Master Tiger divine art and aimed for Pang's face.
The mouth that talked shit about his sister must be destroyed.
Pang smirked and threw his fist, coated with a white light, at Jei. Being at the 4th level of Qi Condensation, he could coat any part of his body with qi, strengthening it further.
Jei ducked, avoiding Pang's punch, and threw the metal ball at Ning's chest with full force.
Ning's eyes widened as he watched the metal ball coming at him, but it was too fast for him to do anything. Even if he wanted to do something, he couldn't do much as his leg was broken.
The metal ball went straight through his heart, carving a hole. Ning's lifeless body fell backwards after a moment. A shocked expression was frozen on his face.
A heart shattering cry filled Jei's small house.
"Ning'er!" Pang dashed forward and supported his falling brother. He tried to wake his brother, but Ning was gone beyond the realm of life.
Jei gasped for breath as he realized what he had done. His knees went weak, and he dropped on his butt. He had killed a person. Killed a person. How could he? Though he’d said he would kill, he just wanted to beat them hard and throw them in the forest behind his house. He didn't mean to kill them. But seeing the blood flowing like a river through the large hole in Ning's chest made whatever was left of last night’s dinner come back up.
"Li Jei." Pang stared at him with bloodshot eyes. "Now I'll kill you and cut your corpse in ten thousand pieces, and for your sister, I'll let all my servants take turns with her." He lay his brother on the ground and leapt at Jei.
Even though Pang was a couple feet away, Jei didn't move. He couldn't. The blood-painted scene locked him in his place.
"Now die!" Pang threw a kick at him. Intense white light shrouded his foot.
Intense pressure bore down on Jei.
If that kick landed, it would cave his skull in.
Chapter 33
Jei's death surged toward him, but he was stuck, unable to move. He had lost his will to resist. The blood flowing through Ning's chest had frozen him in place.
"Kid, do you want our sister to be defiled by this piece of shit?" The senior’s voice rang inside his mind like thunder.
Jei's senses returns, and a moment before the kick landed, he raised his left hand and blocked it.
The fierce kick collided with Jei's unprotected arm like a thousand-kilogram boulder hitting a wooden stick. The intense force sent Jei flying backward a few feet. He only stopped after almost creating a hole in his loose stone wall. Small stones fell from the cracks in the wall and showered Jei, painting him gray and white.
One after another, all the bones in his left hand broke. Blood spewed out of the huge cut on his arm, painting his green robe red. Sharp pain overtook his senses and threatened to put him in the realm of unconsciousness.
"No!" Jei roared and forced himself to focus on Pang. Even if he died, he would die along with that bastard.
By the time Jei came back to his senses, Pang was already on him, aiming a kick at his heart.
Jei jumped to his right, avoiding the kick.
Pang's kick went through the wall, spraying dust everywhere.
Pang pulled his leg and sent another kick at Jei, which he again avoided.
But the kick was a feint. Pang flipped in the air and threw a punch at Jei.
Jei had no choice but to block it with his right hand. His whole body shuddered when the punch hit his hand, but moments after the intense pain spike, a warm feeling spread over his body, healing the small injuries he’d sustained in his right hand. Healing small injuries was fine; his Gate of Healing did it in seconds. However, his left hand was completely broken, and even at full force the Gate of Healing only managed to put all the bones in place. The mending and connecting would take a long time.
Jei moved around in circles. He was faster than Pang and managed to avoid his kicks.
"Josh, do you have anything that can kill this giant? I'm running out of options," Jei asked as he avoided another punch.
"Run, you fool!” Pang shouted. “Run like a mouse! No matter how many of my kicks you avoid, as long as one lands, you'll die."
"There is one thing I haven't told you yet, because you aren’t ready to sustain the backlash. It'll only be safe once you open the second gate," the senior replied grimly.
"Tell me, Josh. Whatever it is, I have to take the chance. Qi Condensation level three is our limit, and this bastard is level four. We can't beat him with sheer force. Even my Drunken Master Tiger divine fist is unable to break through his defense," Jei said in a rush. He was running out of options. For the last half hour, he’d been running around, and whenever he managed to get a clean hit on Pang, he saw a white light surrounding that exact part of Pang’s body, neutralizing his attack. At this rate, he wouldn't even be able to give Pang so much as a bruise.
"You can break the Gate of Healing,” the senior said.
"Break the Gate of Healing?"
"Yes. Every gate comes with an innate divine ability called breaking the gate. It'll provide you a temporary power boost and a specific ability. Gate of Healing will heal your body instantly and restore it to peak condition. But after 15 minutes, your body will go weak and you won't even be able to lift a spoon."
"I'll do it. Just tell me how to do it."
"That's not all, kid. When you do it the first time, it only has a ten percent chance of success, and if it fails you might die or your body would be torn apart. If you had a second gate opened, you might have a better chance to neutralize the backlash."
Jei gritted his teeth. Either way he would die. Then why not try? "Give me the information. I can kill this bastard in fifteen minutes’ time."
A blue thread shot into his brain and new information flooded Jei's mind. Indeed, it was an essence circulation method unknown to him, but he understood it clearly. Since advancing to Houtian realm, his comprehension abilities had improved drastically.
With a flip of his breath, he circulated his essence toward the first Gate of Healing through a certain path in his meridians. A boom echoed in his body as the essence reached gate, sending a large flow of energy toward all his limbs, joints, and bones. One after another, all the bones in his left hand mended together and his wounds healed rapidly. A strange energy filled his body, restoring him to peak condition and then beyond. His body exuded an intense aura, so comfortable and unfathomable that he literally gasped for breath. With that energy, he felt he could break through Pang's defenses like breaking a small stick.
He stopped running and turned back, blocking a kick from Pang with his left hand. Now it was as easy as deflecting a small stone thrown at him.
Pang retreated, and his expression changed. It darkened. "How did you...?" He glared at Jei's left hand. "What treasure did you just eat, brat? How did you heal your injury? No one can do that, not even the inner disciples." His eyes shone with greed. "After I kill you, this strange technique will be mine. I'll not only breeze through to level six, I might even reach level nine in a year’s time. Ha ha! I, Ki Pang, will rule over this town and make your sister my concubine. All because you helped me climb the ladder. You'll feel great about your sister's fortune for meeting me."
"As if you can." Jei growled and dashed forward. He circulated his essence according to the Drunken Master Tiger divine art. His fist, with newfound power, moved like a silk serpent, untraceable and yet effective.
Pang glared at his fist, but failed to block it. It hit his shoulder like a tiger's claw.
A cracking sound echoed through the house.
"What the..." Pang was flown back by the force of the impact and crashed into the stone wall. Another hole appeared in Jei’s house’s wall.
Pang roared in agony; his collar bone was broken.
"Now Die." Jei leapt at
Pang, throwing another fist filled with new power.
But Pang was ready this time. He dashed away from Jei just a moment before the punch landed on him. However, he couldn't avoid the kick Jei had thrown at him while he slipped away.
Though Jei's kick didn't have the explosive power of Drunken Master Tiger divine art, he had imbued the new power of the first gate’s opening in his kick. The kick hit Pang like a hammer and sent him flying away.
Pang landed few feet away in a sorry state. His crimson gold robe was tattered, and his hair disheveled.
"You..." He pointed his good arm at Jei and then pulled a pill from his pocket. "I never thought you would make me use this. This cost me a fortune, but against the treasure you have..." He slipped the pill in his mouth.
Suddenly, a strange aura filled his body and the pressure he exuded raised to a new level.
Jei felt like a mountain came crashing down on him. Somehow, Pang had raised his Qi Cultivation base to level 5. With his new power, there was no way Jei could fight him.
It was clear as day that he couldn't win against Pang.
Chapter 34
Pang's forehead bulged. His muscles grew. The rough floor beneath his feet vibrated as his Qi Condensation level 5 aura beat down on it. Pang looked like death in his tattered crimson gold robe.
This isn’t good. I can't win against this.
"Brother..." A slow cry slipped out of Xue's mouth.
"Xue'er... I'm sorry." Helplessness filled Jei's heart; he had already used his last trump card. Even with explosive strength, he couldn't kill Pang. Now, after Pang had raised his power by one level, there was no chance.
He'd failed. He had failed to save his sister. Even if he had died at Peng's hand, that would have been okay, but letting little Xue'er die in front of his eyes? How would he show his face to his parents when he ascended to the heavens? Would he even go to the heavens now?
"Jei, there's five more minutes for your power up. Pick up Xue and run to that drunken jerk's house. He’s stronger than Pang. He'll save you both." The senior's voice echoed in his mind.
Yes. There was indeed hope. He could save his sister after all.
Jei's eyes flashed with a bright light of hope. He swung to his feet, dashing toward Xue.
"Xue..." All the explosive energy in his body instantly dried up, and his legs lost balance. He fell down on his face before reaching Xue.
"Brother!" Xue reached for him. She wanted to help Jei, but she couldn't reach him.
Jei tried to crawl toward her. If he could get her out of his house and take her to Master Hei's house, she’d be safe. He would offer him a hundred gourds of wine—no, a thousand. Even if he needed to be a slave and buy the man gourds daily, for the rest of his life, he would do it.
"Ha ha! So, you lost.” Pang’s cruel voice taunted him. “As expected, Now, let me help myself to your sister." Pang ran forward. He stopped next to Jei and kicked him in the gut.
Pang's kick hit Jei like a boulder. His body flipped in the air before crashing against the wall. A few bones from his ribcage broke and stabbed his internal organs. Heavy internal bleeding started, but no healing force came out of the Gate of Healing. It was sucked dry when he powered up.
Pang squatted next to Jei and adjusted him so he could see Xue. "Motherfucker, I want you to watch while I take your sister." And then he walked toward Xue.
Jei closed his eyes when Pang touched Xue's robe.
Even if I die, I'll become a ghost and haunt you, bastard.
"You filthy animal, stop there!" A strong aura swept across the whole room.
Jei opened his eyes to the familiar voice. Master Hei stood next to Xue, his eyes bloodshot and his hand roped around Pang's neck.
"Senior, please forgive me if I've troubled you..." Pang tried to say a few words, but Master Hei's grip tightened further. He only stopped after turning Pang's neck into mess of blood and flesh.
Xue's eyes widened at first. She tried to crawl away, but she couldn't avoid the blood spray. Then she passed out. Witnessing a death was too much for her innocent soul.
As for Jei, Master Hei had done something he’d wanted to do. All the first-time nausea of killing someone had gone away, replaced by the desire to kill that bastard by himself. Pang had dared to touch his sister; he deserved a worse death than this. Still, it wouldn’t do to show Master Hei disrespect.
"Thank you,” Jei wheezed.
"Shut up. You should have cleaned up your own mess." Master Hei’s gaze bore into him.
After that, Jei lost consciousness.
Chapter 35
Wind blew across his face from the open holes in the wall, and the bitter taste of medicine coated Jei's mouth when he opened his eyes. It tasted like Aunt Bei's tea, but a thousand times intense. A yellow sheet of cloth covered his weak body. For a moment, he didn't even feel his own body. It was like someone had sucked his life energy away.
A sigh came from his left. "Big brother, are you, all right?" A cold hand touched his forehead. "You're burning up, but don't worry. Aunt Bei promised she would come with some medicine. You'll be all right. You'll be all right. Nothing will happen to you." Weeping followed the words.
"Xue'er. Ple—" Jei tried to move his head, but immense pain washed over him.
"Relax, kid. You aren’t in any condition to move. I warned you about the backlash, but I didn't know it would be this severe," the senior said.
"Josh, what happened?" Jei glanced around as best he could without moving his head. The dim light coming through the holes in the wall told him it was almost evening. Normally, he would have been worried sick about his wall. Repairing the wall would cost 10 silver. Two days food. But now he had 1000 gold, so why would he worry? At least one good thing had come out of this mess.
Tiredness overcame him, and he went back to sleep, but a sharp pain woke him after some time. Pain enough to make him shout.
"Brother, are you, all right? Don't worry, Aunt Bei will come with pain suppression medicine. It'll be alright."
Gritting his teeth, Jei forced his eyes closed. The battle scene played out behind his eyelids.
"Josh, what about Pang?"
"Relax. That drunken geezer took care of that bastard. But you fainted right after that. I couldn't control your body to see what happened afterward, but I could still listen in on things. The geezer took care of the corpses as well, and Aunt Bei took care of the bloody floor. She even slipped some medicine in your mouth. She saved your life, kid."
Gratitude filled him. "But this pain. Why doesn't it go away?” With every breath, the pain slowly increased. The medicine’s effect was wearing off, and the backlash from breaking open the first gate was showing its aftereffect. Was it only the first time, or would it come every time he broke open the gate?
Jei distracted himself by thinking about Master Hei. He’d displayed astonishing power in a fraction of a second. What level was he? The way he easily crushed Pang's neck in his grip... If Jei hadn't seen blood before, he would have had hard time adjusting to the blood bath.
Suddenly a thought popped in his mind. It wasn't his first-time seeing death, but it was for Xue.
"Xue'er, are you, all right? Did you see that?" He tried to look at her, but it was in vain. He didn't have a single ounce of strength remaining in his body.
"I'm..." her wounded voice replied.
Jei's heart broke over the sadness in her voice.
“Kid, tell her what Pang wanted to do with you and her if you hadn’t fought back. Tell her the truth,” the senior said.
If only Jei could tell her that. How could he? If possible, Jei would have never let her see blood and death. He would have protected her innocent and pure heart, but in the end, she saw the brutality of life with her own eyes.
"Xue..."
"I'm all right, big brother. It’s just that..."
"The world is not what we think, Xue'er. Power is everything in this world." A gust of emotions flew out of Jei's heart. Ten years. For ten years he had endur
ed humiliation, insult, and bullying because he didn't have any power. If it wasn't for Grandma or Master Yu providing him tools to survive, he would have died a long ago. He had only one wish, to keep Xue safe and comfortable. But today everything changed. His one mistake led a monster to his house, and Xue saw blood and death. "I'm sorry. If I'd killed Ning yesterday, he wouldn't have come here." His heart was a mix of emotions. One side wanted to show the brutal world to Xue, but other side wanted her to live a carefree life. "But I promise you, I'll make sure you won't see this again."
"Don't you dare give her empty promises, Li Jei." Master Hei's voice erupted from the doorway.
"Master Hei. Greetings," Jei said. He wanted to get up and show respect, but that was impossible at the moment.
"Uncle Hei. Greetings," Xue said.
"Xue." Master Hei nodded and stepped forward. "Li Jei, let's go. We need to have a talk."
"But Master..."
Master Hei turned and looked at Jei with disdain and then he lifted Jei by the neck.
Jei shuddered, as the slightest movement increased his pain tenfold. He wasn't using his own force to move, but the movement of his body nonetheless felt worse than dying. Every bone in his body ached, and his muscles felt like someone tore them in half. Everything turned hazy for a moment before Master Hei dropped him on a chair.
Jei sunk into the chair like he was bag of soft cushions, taking the shape of the chair.
Aunt Bei stepped out of the kitchen. "Hei, be gentle with him. He suffered for his sister. That poor girl." Her voice shook.
"If I could, I would’ve killed him too. I don't like intrusions when I'm doing my job." Master Hei roared.
"Relax. You can't kill off your disciple just because he brought you some trouble." Aunt Bei giggled on her way out of the house.
As soon as she left, a bag dropped on Jei's lap. It was the senior's spatial bag. "The dead kid had this in his bag, but it doesn't look like it belongs to him. It has your soul signature on it."