by A P Gore
"Josh, can you spread your soul sense?" Jei asked. For the last two days, he and the senior had practiced continuously to get familiar with the senior's soul sense power. It could cover three meters without putting any pressure on the senior's soul.
The senior cultivated Soul Cultivation art, so he had gained soul sense. Though Jei had a soul palace, he couldn't cultivate Soul Cultivation art. Anyway, when senior cultivated, Jei's soul received benefits so there was no loss for him.
A blue aura surrounded Jei's body covering a three-meter-radius. One good thing about soul sense: it could penetrate solid walls and stone. If they activated it in their house, other than Master Hei's house, and beyond the indestructible tree they could cover everything in ten feet radius around them.
"Brother Wei Shu, how's your nose?" A soft female voice asked.
What was a young female doing here at this late hour? Wei Shu didn't have any siblings.
"Sister Yu, thanks for your concern, but it's nothing. The healer said it would get better in ten days. Once I recover, I'll go kill that level 1 bastard myself."
"You should rest, Brother Shu," she replied, care audible in her voice. Was she Wei Shu's fiancé? "Do you know where Ning'er is? I heard he was with you a few days back?"
So, this girl was related to Ki Ning.
Silence filled the air. "I don't know about Brother Ning. I think he must be training in the arena. He puts a lot of effort into training to impress your father."
So, it was Ki Yu, Ki Ning's elder sister. Jei didn't know much about her, but why would she be different from her brothers? And what was she doing in Wei Shu's house at this time of night?
Then there was a rustle inside the room and an overbearing voice called out, "Brother Wei Shu, tell me whatever you know." Yu’s soft voice had turned dark and venomous, sending a shiver through Jei.
"Big sister, please. I don't know anything." Shu choked out the words.
A slapping sound echoed from the room, and then everything went silent.
"Okay. If you hear anything about him, will you please come and inform me, Brother Shu?" Once again, her voice was soft.
"What a seductive voice. Now I wanna see this vixen right away," the senior blabbered in Jei's mind.
A beaten-out reply came from Shu. "Of course. I'll let you know first."
"Then I'll take my leave." Footsteps followed and then paused. "Remember, Brother Wei Shu, if I hear that anything has happened to my Ning'er, I'll cut your tendons and hang you from the Wei clan's gate. Let's go."
After a breath's time, a girl dressed in a dull black stepped out of Wei Shu's house. She had overbearing features, a round face, and beautiful eyes. A man and woman in black dress followed her. That dress meant she had lost her man. But she was so young, not even eighteen from the looks of her. Why was she here? Did she like Wei Shu?
It didn't look like that, and her reputation superseded anything like this.
"Sister Su, keep a watch on this brat. He’s hiding something." Yu commanded her sub-ordinate.
"Miss Yu. Young master will come back soon. Don't worry about him."
Yu looked so pretty and weak, and yet Jei couldn't believe anything of the sort. She was a vixen that had been rumored to be the next patriarch of the Ki clan. Her ruthless reputation was known in every corner of Cloud Dragon town. Some people even said she’d purposefully killed her would-be husband before their wedding, because he was a lower level Qi Condensation expert than her.
When the trio walked away from the house, Jei focused on Shu's house. Everything remained calm inside, just a single sound of rumpus continued for few moments before dying down.
"What is this bastard doing? Is he already sleeping?" Jei whispered. When the noise within quieted, he slipped inside through a small window.
Moving like a cat, Jei advanced toward Shu's room. It was a small house, but compared to Jei's house it was much better, built from stone green colored stones. The house looked pleasant to his eyes.
I'll buy a better house as soon as I get some more money.
Suddenly a cat jumped at Jei.
Startled, Jei jumped back and stumbled against a door. The ruckus awakened the house.
"Who’s there? Is that you, Sister Yu?" Some movement could be heard from Shu's room. "Wait a moment, please. I—"
Jei kicked Shu’s door open. Finishing the job before anyone else came back took precedence. But as soon as he stepped into the room, he jumped back out, eyes wide.
Chapter 38
Jei snapped his gaping maw shut and stood outside of the room in embarrassment. He had never thought that bastard would be doing something like this after Yu left his home. Disgusting. And after getting beaten by a girl, no less?
"Kid, why the fuck did you jump out of the room? Go kill him. This is our best chance!" The senior roared in Jei's mind.
"Senior, but, how can I? He is doing that... thing."
"God, you are such a pussy. He’s masturbating. So what? Don't you do it too? That chick was hot. Especially her boobs," the senior replied in a rather raspy tone.
"Senior, please." Jei lost his bearings. How could the senior speak of a widow like this? Of course, she was beautiful, but calling her hot wasn't necessary, and then he’d also said that B word.
"Shut up. Go kill that fucker. Don't let him get away!" The senior roared once again.
He was right. Shu could escape while Jei was distracted.
Closing his eyes halfway, Jei stormed into the room.
The room was empty, no trace of Shu remaining. But how? Jei stood outside the only door.
Window.
It was indeed open.
"I told you,” the senior raged. “Why did you fucking run away? Didn’t you know it would put our sister in trouble? Did you forget what that drunk told you? Now get out the window and search for that bastard."
"Senior, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you." Jei lowered his head.
"Jump out of that fucking window, now! And stop calling me ‘Senior.’"
Jei swung himself out the window, which opened into the back alley. A white-dressed man, Shu, ran down the alley, shouting for help.
Pushing his speed to the maximum, Jei dashed toward Shu. In less than few breaths’ time, he caught up with Shu. Shu was supposed to be at Qi Condensation level 2, and here he was huffing and panting after running a few hundred meters long alley.
"You deserve to die." Jei roared like a tiger and threw a Drunken Master Tiger divine art fist attack at Shu's face, figuring that one punch should knock his brain out of his head.
Ducking, Shu avoided Jei's punch, but he couldn't avoid the straight kick Jei had already sent at him. The kick slammed into his face and sent him flying away.
Shu smacked the back of his head on the wall and slid down it with a pain-filled cry.
"Kid, kill him in one shot. Don't waste time. Target a vital point," the senior said as Jei spotted a few people running toward him.
Jei dashed forward with his fist ready for attack.
Shu was in a sorry state. Blood came out of his mouth, and his chest heaved like it would give up any time. "Please, don't kill me Brother Jei. Please forgive me. I'll become your servant, or a mount. Please spare my life." Shu pleaded, but there was no mercy for him. In this world, Jei loved his sister more than anyone else. How could he invite more troubles for her?
A fist-sized hole appeared in Wei Shu's chest and blood sprayed out of it, painting Jei's face in red.
"Who's there? Who dares cause trouble in Wei clan’s compound?" A voice sharp as a blade boomed from the clouds, followed by an intense pressure that locked on Jei. It was a level 5 Qi Condensation pressure, almost equal to what Jei had noticed from Ki Pang after he ate the forbidden medicine.
This is not good. It must be the Wei clan’s patriarch.
The Wei clan’s patriarch had unknown strength. Thanks to the changes in his body, Jei could recognize the strength of a person, unless he was too strong like Master Hei.
Without looking back, Jei dashed away. It would be terrible if he was captured.
Footsteps echoed behind him. Someone was closing in on him. Intense pressure bore down on him.
Jei turned left down an alley, hoping to get rid of the monster behind him. But the pressure continued following him.
"Brat, I said stop there!" It was the same man who’d shouted his name in the Wei clan compound.
"Damn, this man! He's too strong for us. If required, be ready to break your first gate again," the senior said.
The hairs on Jei's neck rose. He wasn't ready to go through that pain again.
"Stop, or I'll kill you." A hand touched Jei’s shoulder and passed a current of qi into him.
Intense pain passed through Jei's body as the foreign qi stormed inside. It was the first time a violent qi had entered his body, and it almost destroyed his blood vessels.
"Now, kid!" the senior shouted.
Jei had no other choice. If the Wei clan’s patriarch caught him, he would be in big trouble. Even Xue would be in trouble. When there was no other choice, he broke his Gate of Healing.
A strange liquid oozed out of his spinal cord and spread through his body. Boundless energy swirled across Jei's body, displacing the foreign qi. In that moment, he felt like he could tear apart the sky.
Intuitively, he shot his elbow back, slamming it against the patriarch’s chest and sending him flying through the air. The patriarch cried in pain as a cracking sound echoed from his chest.
The feeling that gave Jei immense strength passed as quickly as it had come.
He might not be able to use that strength again. So, he ran. He ran without looking back. He ran with his life on the line.
Jei dashed through the alley faster than he could run last time.
Jei ran with his heart in his throat. He didn't even care which direction he was heading. Running was his life's goal, and he ran without any thought.
Fifteen minutes passed, and the power boost from Gate of Healing started draining away. Once again, he was paying for the boost with pain. He only had maybe a couple of minutes before he would crash unconscious.
At least Wei clan’s patriarch wasn't behind him.
For the first time since he started running, he glanced around. A three-story manor came into view. Painted in white and blue, it looked nothing like anything he had seen before. Even Master Yu's house seemed muted in front of this house.
He realized where he was. It was the Chu clan patriarch’s house. A forbidden area for any commoner. Only nobles were allowed to enter this special area of the town.
He was destined to die today.
Chapter 39
Jei's breath turned heavy. Trickles of sweat ran down his back, and his life energy sipped away from him along with them. One more minute and he would drop like a corpse.
Any other time, he would have observed the Chu patriarch’s house carefully, storing every minute detail in his mind, like the stale night air, starry sky, and the shades of blue and white on the walls. He would have even remembered the fresh smell of the marble road he stood on, everything that would help him paint it afterword.
However, right now he just wanted to get out of there. No riches or beauty would attract him today. Instead, this place frightened him to the bone. Not so long ago, Fatty Chang's father was put in jail for accidently setting foot in this area. Later, a notice came to Poor White's District, that anyone found passing near the patriarch’s manor would be beheaded.
I need to get out of here before anyone sees me.
However, this area was at the center of town, and he couldn't just run back. Wei clan’s patriarch might be waiting for him, and he didn't have time to get back to his house.
Every second counted.
What should I do?
Jei scanned the surrounding area to find somewhere he could hide. Every passing second pushed him closer to his death. Once he dropped, unconscious, someone would soon find and execute him. And he couldn’t let that happen.
Bright light from lanterns covered in expensive glass illuminated the paved marble road he stood on. Even the road reflected the riches of the Chu clan patriarch’s house. Thankfully the red-painted main door of the house was closed, and the guards sitting outside were in a dazed state. Otherwise Jei would have been lying dead by now.
The rate of energy slipping out of his body increased exponentially.
Jei blinked and turned around to run away; if he stumbled across the Wei clan’s patriarch, he would figure something out, but staying here wasn't an option.
As he geared up to run backwards his legs went weak. All the remaining energy in his body flowed out like a river. Even tracing the path, he came from became extremally difficult.
All the houses around him were nicely built, with red doors and blue and white walls. They must belong to other elders of Chu family.
Except one at the end of the alley. It looked odd. It seemed like no one cared for that house, and eventually it had become an eyesore. Like an accidental black paint drop on a beautiful painting.
Was it the famous ghost house?
That must be it.
Without thinking, Jei dashed forward. The house looked old and fragile. Dust covered its door, and the walls had turned into lose stones. People said there used to be a powerful expert living in the ghost house decades back. He had an affair with the Chu clan ancestor's daughter. The ancestor didn't like him, so the ancestor cut his head off and scattered his body parts throughout the house. From that day on, the house was haunted. The ancestor passed a decree to leave that house intact, as a warning to others for not meddling in Chu clan's business.
Jei didn't care about any ghost. Right now, he wanted a place to lie down without worrying about someone killing him. The ghost house seemed like his best option.
But the door was locked. He was stupid to think that the house would welcome him with an open door. Stupid. How could it be open? They must have locked it tightly.
There had to be a way. Maybe a broken window. Jei moved around the house.
Only a few last strands of energy remained in his body. Every step felt like a mountain hike on an empty stomach.
When he was about to give up and drop, he found a half-open window at the back of the house; he barged inside without second thought.
The last strand of energy vanished from his body, and his body dropped like a dead weight. Pain charged in and stabbed his body everywhere. Before he passed out, he tore apart his sleeve and shoved it inside his mouth. A painful yell was the last thing he needed.
Thankfully, as the pain increased his body couldn't take it anymore. He passed out in the darkness.
CHU XI
The next morning. Chu clan patriarch’s house. A young lady woke in her luxurious bedroom and glanced around with smiling eyes. Her eyes shimmered with enlightenment as she stared at the tiger painting hanging on the wall opposite her large wooden bed. Today she would try to paint the fur on the tiger's back. She felt like in that moment she grasped an insight that would help her to complete the painting.
"This is a great day indeed. Time to put fur on my tiger."
The painting on the wall had troubled her for almost a year, and no matter what, she couldn't mimic it. At her current level, mimicking any painting was as simple as putting a brush on the canvas. Yet, whenever she tried, it came out as a disgusting looking cheap copy. She hated that. After trying for four months, she had finally realized the profound truth behind the painting. It was the art of a master, and no one could look at it and mimic it. Once she understood that, she realized how much of a fool she was to consider herself a master of painting. She was merely at the start of the road. That one painting opened a new path for her, and after spending almost a year on it she had completed half of it. Every portion took countless hours of observing the original painting and trying to understand the brush strokes.
Xi, patience is a virtue. She patted her own chest. It'd been just a year since she started th
e painting. She had heard it took years for masters to create original artworks.
A knock pulled her out of her rumination. "Little Sister Xi, are you awake?"
Her brow furrowed. If Brother Son was here, then it couldn't be for good, right? "Come in, Brother Son."
"Get ready, we’re going to train today." Brother Son's overbearing eyes fixed on her. After gawking at her expression, he smiled and left her room.
Fury burned inside her heart. She picked a decorative ceramic pot lying next to her head and threw it against the white and blue-painted wall—a usual theme of Chu clan houses.
She hated her brother, her father, even the tiger painting hanging on the wall. Her father, Chu Tian, wanted her to be fierce like a tiger so she could wed into a strong clan. She hated him, because he always pushed her into some sort of martial art training which she never liked. Today he had asked her brother Chu Son to teach her something new. Why would she learn from Brother Son, when all he did was bully her?
The pot shattered against the wall into dozens of pieces. A woman in her thirties ran into her room and bowed.
"Young miss. Please order." She was Xi’s personal servant, Wei Sua. She looked like a doll on the outside, but Chu Xi knew she was trained in a special Body Cultivation technique and could hold out against a level 4 Qi Condensation expert easily. Her father had spent a fortune on her Body Cultivation training. Even her brother was training in something named Tiger Body Cultivation art, something only Chu clan had access to.
"Clear that away. I'm running away for two days," Xi whispered. Sua was also her benefactor and helped her to hide whenever she wanted to run away from the house and from the training.
"Young miss. I think this time you should train. Next week Master Tian will send you to two-colored bee hunting ground, and Young Master Chu Son will teach you the bee capturing method today." Her voice was soft and soothing.
Xi's heart trembled in fear. Learning from Brother Son was a torture. He would make her do the move a hundred times, and then make her do it again a hundred times more. By the end of the day, her body would be soaked in sweat and blood. How could a 14-year-old girl bear it? Of course, his father—the patriarch—didn't understand it.