Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Loose Ends

CHAPTER

2

Loose Ends

I

Hao Zhen stood rooted in place. “What … What’s going on?”

On one side, there was Tian Jin, shaking and bleeding, holding a sword against his own neck, and on the other side was Ke Li, frowning, with sweat dripping down his forehead. The faintly glowing red cloud that hung in the air between them—the remnant of a spiritual beacon—acted as the only source of lighting, washing the surroundings in a crimson light.

Hao Zhen could only partially see Tian Jin’s face from where he stood, right at the edge of the clearing. Ke Li, on the other hand, was in full view.

“Hao Zhen…” Ke Li stared at him, eyes hard, brow furrowed, before sighing.  “It has been a while since I threw the spiritual beacon, so I thought only Tian Jin had noticed, but … why couldn’t you have just stayed put?” Only his head moved. His arms, hands, fingers, and the rest of his body all remained perfectly still. He seemed to have to muster every bit of energy he had in him just to speak.

Tian Jin also appeared to be stuck in place, but he wasn’t eerily still like Ke Li; instead, he was shaking all over, veins bulging on his face. His lips were half-parted and Hao Zhen could faintly hear some sort of sound coming from him, as if Tian Jin was trying to say something, but his voice was too faint to be intelligible.

Hao Zhen couldn’t believe this was happening. Missions outside the sect—they were dangerous, sure, but the danger was supposed to come from outside the sect. Monsters, cultivators from other sects, rogue cultivators. Not members of the sect—not teammates.

“You mentioned a problem,” Hao Zhen said. His throat felt dry all of a sudden. “What kind of problem?”

Tian Jin’s shaking grew more intense, whereas Ke Li’s expression became more strained. “Loose ends,” Ke Li said. “That kind of problem. Sorry, kid, but even if I wanted to let you live, I’m afraid that Du Qing wouldn’t stand for it.”

Du Qing. Hao Zhen had heard that name before—in fact, he doubted there was anyone in the Blazing Light Sect who hadn’t. Tian Jin was legendary in the Outer Sect, certainly, but Du Qing was known throughout the entire sect. Du Qing was a prime disciple, and he was known for his virtuosity and generosity. His master, Bao Shan, was one of the most powerful and influential prime elders, and he was similarly famous for having a righteous and upstanding character.

He had no idea what Du Qing had to do with this, but if he was involved, then the situation was even worse than he had originally thought. Du Qing was regarded as a saint—someone who could do no wrong, a paragon of virtue. Hao Zhen had never heard of any conflicts between him and Tian Jin; in fact, according to the rumors he had heard, the two were supposed to be on friendly terms.

“Loose … ends?” Hao Zhen asked, afraid of the answer even though he had already realized what was going on. He had seen something he shouldn't have seen, so he had to be silenced. He had to find a way to save himself, to get out of this situation, but no matter how he wracked his brain, nothing came to mind. Tian Jin seemed like he was on the verge of collapse; on the other hand, Ke Li appeared to still be in fighting condition, although strained. They looked like they were in a deadlock right now, but it was clear in whose favor the balance was tipped.

He didn’t think running was an option, either. Ke Li would look for him after he finished off Tian Jin, and Hao Zhen had no confidence in outrunning an inner disciple or hiding from one. Even if he did manage to do so, if he returned to the sect later, no doubt Ke Li would try to silence him. There was also the fact that Du Qing was apparently involved in all of this. If that was true, then even if Ke Li couldn’t find a way to kill him in the sect, Du Qing certainly could and would; he doubted there was anything a prime disciple couldn’t get away with, especially one with a master and a reputation like Du Qing’s.

“Seeing you haven’t run away by this point, you have also realized that there’s no point—unless you decide to abandon the sect. But if you did that, you’d become a loose cultivator, wouldn’t you? Moreover, after I returned, I’d pin Tian Jin’s death on you, and…” Ke Li suddenly blinked. “Huh. That doesn’t seem like a bad idea, now that I think of it.” His expression still strained, he gave Hao Zhen a long, thoughtful look. “That could actually work, even if you don’t run away. I might as well make your death worthwhile. I can see it now—your envy drove you to attack Tian Jin, and the two of you lost your lives in the ensuing fight.”

Gone was the kind, helpful inner disciple Hao Zhen knew. Ke Li’s eyes were cold and calculating, his expression impassive. He looked at Hao Zhen as if he was already dead, looking for ways to benefit from his death.

Hao Zhen glanced at the shaking Tian Jin, who was staring at him with his eyes wide, and then at Ke Li. Hao Zhen considered his options. Ke Li was, without a doubt, in a good condition, but it didn’t seem like he could move right now. Running away wasn’t an option, so…

He took a step forward. Fighting an inner disciple was madness—Ke Li was at least at the third level of the Red Spiritual Realm—but it looked like it was his best shot, if not his only one. He reached into the side pocket of his robe, taking hold of the paper talisman he kept inside it. He had bought it a week ago, when he heard he’d be going on a mission outside the sect, exchanging a good portion of his contribution points for it.

It was an offensive talisman, and the moment he channeled spiritual energy into it, it’d sent a blast of fire in the direction it was pointing to. Since it looked like Ke Li was unable to move, there was a chance it’d work.

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Hao Zhen began pulling the talisman out of his pocket, but before he could take it out, he suddenly felt a sharp, jab of pain from his stomach—as if something had suddenly exploded inside it.

Crying out, Hao Zhen let go of the talisman and doubled over, clutching his stomach. He felt as if his stomach was being torn apart and shredded to pieces. The pain was overwhelming—never before in his life had he ever hurt this much.

“There we go.”

Hao Zhen heard Ke Li’s strained voice, now with a hint of satisfaction. As the pain started fading, Hao Zhen tried to open his mouth to speak, to ask what in the world was going on and what Ke Li had done to him, but before he could utter even a single word, another burst of pain bloomed inside him, and he cried out again.

Hao Zhen tried to think through the pain, but it was too strong, too overpowering. It was only a few moments later, when he felt the pain fading away, that he regained clarity, but once again, before he could do anything, the pain returned, even stronger than before, as if his stomach was being repeatedly stabbed by a knife from the inside.

The pain came and went in pulses, assailing him again the moment the previous wave of pain finished fading.

“It’s … it’s too late, I’m afraid.”

Grounding his teeth, Hao Zhen forced himself to raise his head and focused on Ke Li, whose expression had become even more strained. By this point, he looked almost like Tian Jin, veins bulging, eyes wide. “I was … stalling for time. Tian Jin tried hard to warn you, but it was to no avail.”

Hao Zhen heard footsteps. With some effort, he turned his head slightly toward the side and saw Tian Jin, approaching him in slow steps, his sword no longer held against his own neck, but raised in front of him.

There was a grimace on Tian Jin’s face, and he was shaking like a leaf in the wind. With visible effort, sweat pouring down his forehead, he opened his mouth and croaked, “Fight back. Run.” Tears were pooling in the corner of his eyes. “Please.” A few moments later, a shudder ran through the taller boy, his expression becoming one of agony—and Hao Zhen realized that besides whatever Ke Li was doing to control Tian Jin’s movements, Tian Jin was also experiencing the same bursts of pain.

“You are even capable of speaking in your condition,” Ke Li said, his voice now tinged with wryness. “You really are something else, Tian Jin. No wonder Du Qing wants you gone so much. You can only blame yourself for being too outstanding.”

As Ke Li spoke, Tian Jin came even closer, now only an arm’s length away from him. Hao Zhen remained in place, the pain he was feeling too great to think, let alone move. Tian Jin’s sword was only a hair’s breadth from his neck. Any lower, and it’d start digging into his skin, drawing blood, and after that, Tian Jin would only need to lower it a bit more, cutting a little deeper, to cripple him for life.

Instead of that, however, Tian Jin suddenly released his grasp on the sword, letting it drop to the ground. Tian Jin’s shaking wasn’t as intense now, and his expression was slightly more relaxed, as if he had regained some measure of control, but he hadn’t moved away, remaining standing right in front of Hao Zhen.

“What’s this? You … you aren’t resisting?” Hao Zhen heard Ke Li say. The inner disciple sounded bewildered, his voice no longer as strained, but still not normal either. “Then how did you… Ah. I see. Well, that’s fine by me.” Hao Zhen had no idea what he was talking about.

Tian Jin slowly pulled back his right arm, his right hand forming a fist. “Sorry,” he murmured softly. On Tian Jin’s arms, red gauntlets suddenly appeared, extending from his fist all the way to his elbows. Because he was still using Spiritual Sight, Hao Zhen could see Tian Jin’s spiritual power gathering around his fists, making it look like the red gauntlets were glowing red.

Tian Jin’s right hand then shot forward, striking Hao Zhen’s chest.

Hao Zhen’s feet left the ground as he was launched backward. He shot through the air before colliding against a tree and slumping to the ground. The pain he had been expecting hadn’t come, however. It was as if Tian Jin’s attack had been entirely physical. The spiritual power that had gathered in Tian Jin’s fists, which Hao Zhen had thought would tear a hole in his chest, seemed to have had no effect on him, almost as if it had disappeared the moment Tian Jin’s fist had made contact with him.

To a mundane, being hit strong enough to be sent flying and crashing into would probably break not only their ribs but also their spin, but as Hao Zhen was a cultivator, even if only a first-level redsoul, his body was much sturdier than a mundane’s. His chest and back still hurt, certainly, but he didn’t think anything had been broken. The pain coming from his stomach had also disappeared.

If anything, Hao Zhen reckoned was now in a much better state than he had been Tian Jin’s punch. He didn’t have the time to sit there contemplating what had happened, however. Tian Jin’s fight with Ke Li wasn’t over yet, and he needed to know what was going on. He started pushing himself off the ground so that he could see what was going on, but he ended up freezing mid-movement, his mind suddenly going blank.

And then it hit him: pain unlike any other he had ever felt in his life. It bloomed inside his head, completely without warning, and it washed over him in a matter of moments, painting his world in white, bright agony. He felt as if his mind was being torn apart, ripped to shreds, and under this new surge of suffering, Hao Zhen only managed to last a few moments before darkness took over, unconsciousness claiming him.

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