"Xiaojun, how does it feel after seeing your beloved little sister?" Zhen Ji spoke as if he were mocking Xiaojun's soul, which was trapped behind the silver fox mask.
"Fine, fine... I'll let you speak again..."
Snap!
With another flick of his fingers, Xiaojun's body was released. Without a word of small talk, Xiaojun immediately lunged forward and slammed Zhen Ji against a tree outside the capital gates.
"What do you mean, making me watch like a ghost without being able to speak a single word to my own sister?!"
The collar of Zhen Ji's noble attire was shredded, ruined by the fury of an older brother who yearned for a true reunion.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm yourself, Xiaojun... I kept my promise to you. Do not act so impulsively!" Zhen Ji shot back. He swatted Xiaojun's hands away, freeing himself from the boy's grip.
"You remember the rules we established, don't you? I suggest you don't try to break them!" Zhen Ji's voice rose in tension.
"At least let me speak to her directly!" Xiaojun slumped at the base of the tree in front of the Capital entrance. The sound of stifled sobs escaped him. It was too heavy. Xiaojun's heart, which had been racing, began to slow to a painful thud.
"Enough! Let us return to the Gu Estate now!" Zhen Ji was already mounted on his horse, ready to depart. He looked down at Xiaojun; from atop the horse, Xiaojun looked like a young man, but Zhen Ji knew he was still just a child.
Xiaojun rose from the dirt. He walked toward the black horse that had been waiting for them since they entered the city. Although his heart burned with resentment, Xiaojun accepted his reality. 'The path I chose... it is all for Xiao Mei!' Xiaojun hardened his resolve.
Before they moved on, Xiaojun took one last look at the Capital from the gateway.
'Xiao Mei, stay safe! We will surely be reunited again.'
Zhen Ji and Xiaojun began to spur their horses to a gallop. As they passed through the forest, they were suddenly ambushed by mountain bandits.
"Hey, you two! Hand over your belongings, now!"
'Damn it! Why are there bandits now?!' Xiaojun whispered, pulling the reins to a halt. His brow furrowed in worry.
"You mountain bandits are quite bold to block our path!" Zhen Ji shouted. His monocle glinted as he glared at them, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"We don't care who you are! All that matters is that we get what we're looking for!"
Zhen Ji exhaled in disgust. He and Xiaojun were forced to dismount. "Ah... it is so difficult to warn ants... never disturb a larger animal!"
Zhen Ji made a sharp movement with his hand, and Xiaojun's body moved reflexively. Xiaojun's hand lunged out, slashing the stomach of one bandit so deeply that his internal organs were visible from the outside.
The other bandits, seeing their comrade mutilated in such a way, were struck with terror. They began to retreat slowly.
The bandit with the open stomach hadn't even realized he was destroyed. "Why are you retreating? Let's attack toge—" He suddenly vomited a massive amount of blood and collapsed into a pool of his own gore.
"Master, do not control me so suddenly!" Xiaojun protested to Zhen Ji while the remaining bandits stood paralyzed by their loss.
"If I didn't do that, you would never take the initiative to attack!" Zhen Ji barked back, his voice tense.
"You two!! You must pay for our brother's life with your own!! Everyone, attack at once!!"
Clang!
The sound of a breaking glass echoed through the Tong Ren Tang pharmacy.
"Xiao Mei! Are you alright?!" Mei Dong and Healer Tong Yang shouted in unison.
They rushed to Xiao Mei's side. Mei Dong cleared away the shards of glass while Healer Tong Yang picked Xiao Mei up in his arms.
"I'm sorry... Sister Mei Dong, Grandpa..." Xiao Mei bowed her head while nestled in Tong Yang's arms. "I only wanted to help bring Grandpa a drink..."
"Aish! Say no more. It was just a glass; don't let it upset you so much, Xiao Mei."
"The Old Healer is right! Don't think about it!" added Mei Dong, who had just finished disposing of the fragments.
Xiao Mei was placed in a chair in the reception area. Her feelings were a chaotic mix of sadness, worry, and frustration.
Healer Tong Yang glanced at Mei Dong, giving her a silent signal. 'Mei Dong, take Xiao Mei for a walk in the city.'
Mei Dong raised her hand in an 'OK' sign.
"Xiao Mei, come with Sister Mei Dong for a stroll in the city!" Mei Dong invited the still-anxious girl.
At first, Xiao Mei was hesitant. She didn't want to be a burden to the people at Tong Ren Tang. But because Healer Tong Yang and Mei Dong insisted, she eventually agreed to go out.
"But... may I bring Zhang Zie?"
"Of course you can!"
They stepped out of the shop, strolling through the Qin Capital to take in the sights.
"How am I supposed to tell her... her soul is still as soft as jelly..." Healer Tong Yang sighed heavily, stroking his white beard.
Crash!
The sound of a body being sent flying into an object rang out.
"Let's attack them both again!!"
A large horde of mountain bandits swarmed out from the forest bushes, attacking Xiaojun and Zhen Ji relentlessly.
"Damn, there are so many of them!" Zhen Ji began to feel the strain of controlling Xiaojun.
Xiaojun was equally exhausted. Even though his healing was fast, he was still a child who could feel the weight of fatigue.
The battle raged for twenty minutes. Some bandits fled, abandoning the attack after seeing dozens of their comrades' corpses. Blood pooled across a five-meter area, deep enough to reach their ankles.
Both Zhen Ji and Xiaojun were bathed in blood. Zhen Ji's noble attire had turned a deep crimson. Xiaojun was the same; their clothes were soaked through with dark red.
"Hah... it seems we are finished..." Zhen Ji panted heavily. He sat down beside the horse they had been riding.
Xiaojun's breathing was ragged and irregular. He even vomited, no longer having the strength to fight.
"Master, we should find a safe place to rest..." Xiaojun suggested, clutching his chest. His heart felt as if it were on fire. Hot.
"We don't have time to lounge around! They will surely seek revenge and bring their leader!" Zhen Ji snapped, his voice rising despite his shortness of breath.
They mounted the horse despite their heavy bodies and gasping breath. Before they moved, Zhen Ji pulled something out of his storage pouch. It looked like a rat, but with iron plates and gears inside.
Zhen Ji threw the mechanical rats onto the blood-soaked ground. The rats suddenly grew in size upon contact with the blood. Their bodies became as large as the horse they were riding. They began to consume all the corpses and blood, leaving nothing behind.
"There! Now there is no evidence, and we will be safe!" Zhen Ji said.
'What kind of rats are those?! Their form and behavior are so bizarre!' Xiaojun whispered, staring in horror.
"Let's move, Xiaojun! Don't just stand there dazed!" Zhen Ji barked, retracting his rats. The rats became small again as Zhen Ji pulled them back.
'This man is even crazier than when I first met him!' Xiaojun whispered.
They continued their journey toward the Gu Estate. Blood dripped onto the soil as their horses sped along. They encountered travelers from other places heading toward the Qin Capital. Those travelers all stared in horror at Zhen Ji and Xiaojun, who were drenched in blood.
Xiaojun and Zhen Ji were nearly home. They had entered the bamboo forest, meaning they only had a few hundred meters left until they reached the gates of the Gu Estate.
The sun had begun to set. An orange light illuminated the entire land. Night was nearly upon them; Zhen Ji and Xiaojun pushed their horses to the absolute limit.
"We must hurry! If we are late and the land grows dark... we will surely be attacked by the Blood Moon Wolves! They are attracted to the scent of our blood!" Zhen Ji explained. He spurred his horse roughly, hoping the beast would accelerate beyond its limits.
With only 500 meters left before the Gu Estate, the world went dark. The passage through the bamboo forest became terrifying. Their vision failed them, and their horses grew increasingly wild.
Grrr!
The growl of a wolf echoed from within the bamboo thickets. One of the wolves leaped out, blocking the path in front of Zhen Ji and Xiaojun.
The horses reared up, throwing Zhen Ji and Xiaojun from their backs. The horses bolted in a panic; one horse ran deep into the bamboo forest while the other ran straight toward the Gu Estate gates.
"Damn! They came out so fast!" Zhen Ji shouted from the ground. His monocle had been knocked away when he fell.
"Master, what do we do?!" Xiaojun asked in a panic. He was still clutching his chest, which was tight from the previous battle with the bandits.
"Quick, attack before it calls the pack!" Zhen Ji screamed.
"But—" Xiaojun was cut off. "Don't waste time, just kill it! Do you want us to be mauled by that wolf and become nutrients for their leader?!"
'There is no other choice... but to fight! I must stay alive so I can keep watching over Xiao Mei from afar.' Xiaojun leaped toward the wolf.
The two exchanged a flurry of attacks. Xiaojun's claws tore the skin of the wolf's foreleg. The wolf countered, slashing Xiaojun's stomach. Both possessed incredibly fast regeneration. The Blood Moon Wolf healed itself by lapping up the blood spilled in the fight, while Xiaojun used his own life force. It was a stalemate of endurance.
The wolf and Xiaojun were both thrown back after a clashing strike of their claws.
Ugh!
Xiaojun vomited a significant amount of blood, while the wolf appeared relatively unfazed. However, the healing for both the wolf and Xiaojun began to slow. Xiaojun gripped his chest; his heart was now only beating once every three seconds.
'I've reached my limit...' Xiaojun looked at Zhen Ji, who was frantically searching for something inside his bag. 'What is he looking for? I hope it's something useful against this monster...'
'Damn it! The boy has reached his limit! I have to find the crystal stone that can boost the silver fox mask user!'
Drap! Drap!
The sound of a horse's hooves approached the Gu Estate gates. It crashed through the entrance wildly. As the horse's head was about to strike the inner gate, a hand stopped it. The hand was massive, appearing like a spirit hand.
The horse, which had been frantic, instantly became calm. The Leader of the Gu Family, who was meditating in a secret chamber, sent a telepathic message to the Gu Twins—Zhen Ji's younger siblings. The Leader seemed to sense that Zhen Ji was in danger.
"Gu Twins... go and help your brother."
"Yes, Father!" The Gu Twins smiled joyfully, as if saying "finally, some chaos."
"Finally! We can go out and play!"