Nanming, Flame Streak, Yi Ling and Hao were already out from the cave, and right on time since the Dawn Dim Hour has shed its pale light towards the earth yet the prowling Jiangshi and Malicious Spirit remains a threat still, like a bow string pulled taut, whoever stands in front of the arrow is ultimately the one who dies.
"Don't you feel the need to wear some clothing?"
Nanming said, departing his eyes away from Flame Streak naked form, he has such a subversive tendency to naked body, possibly because he almost always saw a naked body in relation to a dead body since, in his experience, all the dead were naked.
"No…"
Flame Streak glances towards Hao who seems too keen on pouncing on her on a moment's notice, if not for the Cruel Demon he might've already been on her buttocks. So maybe, Nanming is right.
"Alright, I'll wear some clothing"
"W-Wear mine!"
Hao chimes in, excitedly disrobing himself even when Flame Streak has yet to confirm her intention.
"I have some spare"
Flame Streak reaches towards the inside of her lantern, producing a green gourd from within that is similar to the one Yi Ling has. She then shook the gourd up a bit and lo and behold, a set of dark green robes emerge into the real world.
Flame Streak quickly helps herself to wear her robes, eliciting a reaction from Hao, one might say disappointed, and he clearly has no qualm trying to hide the disappointment practically carved into his face.
"…That's good to hear"
Only then did Nanming no longer cast his gaze to the wayside from Flame Streak, now that she is properly clothed, except for that jingling straw hat.
"So, Mr. Hao… What sort of situation brought you to such place?"
Nanming regards Hao, but as always, he didn't stop walking. Eyeing the prowling Jiangshi to make sure they are not trying to do anything funny.
"…Why did you ask?"
But Hao refused to elaborate, speaking just for the sake of responding.
"Your grandmother said that you departed during the night to hunt some boars…. But there are no animals wandering during the Dark Hours if I'm not wrong"
At least the Beast and Animal compendium book said so, much like human, animals avoid wandering during the Dark Hours and Dim Hours in fear of Beast and Jiangshi alike.
Therefore, Hao is lying, that or he is under the impression that he can found some boar in hiding and kill them that way, Nanming gives him the benefit of the doubt, but Flame Streak decided to interject and gives her doubt.
"Moreover, I failed to find you bringing any, if there is, weapon or tools for hunting"
Hao was taken aback, suddenly being accused and finding himself in between two rocks he instinctively tried to defend himself.
"I-I'm strong enough to wrestle a boar you know!"
"I doubt that, the most common boar in Gusi is the Large Leatherbrown Boar and not even a Martial Artist finds it easy to 'wrestle' them"
Nanming apparent knowledge revealed to be useful, he presented his counter-argument and Hao was stunned, mouth agape as if he had something to say but it was lodged inside his throat, the word that is.
"…And what the fuck do you know?"
""You're just a mere Jianghu barbarian""
Hao and Nanming spoke at the same time, with Nanming repeating the same words he was about to say in conjunction with Hao, and of course, Hao was distraught and Yi Ling struggled to keep her laughter contained.
Nanming reads him like an open book, such a plain respond and so very archetypical of a liar, but still, Nanming gives him a grace and at least assumes that the hunt was just an excuse for him to go out, but for what?
"I am hunting! And I don't care if you don't believe me because you have no proof that I'm doing anything otherwise!"
"…O Spirit, answers me"
The ground was rippling like some puddle distraught by a passing boar, before the surrounding trees uprooted and began to twist, turn and swirl before a booming voice responds back.
-What… do you wish… to inquire Nameless?
Hao was visibly terrified, he tried to run away but the swirling tree seems to make his attempt downright impossible, not to mention that Yi Ling isn't too keen on allowing him to escape. So, Hao can only scream for help
"Help!! Anyone helps me! I am attacked by a Jianghu bastard!"
But no one responds, his voice cannot penetrate the thick bark that slithers like snake.
Flame Streak can only scoff under her bandage, personally she won't try to antagonize someone that can just make an entire forest down to its knee.
"This is the man you refer to when you said that he is filled with Sins… right?"
-…Correct… You must've been repulsed… appalled… distraught… he is… rotten
"And why is it?"
-…
The root refused to answer, a sign that he wants some payment. Nanming reached for his pocket to find nothing, and he had already paid it a flower before.
"Yi Ling, did you have somet—"
"No"
As expected, Nanming turned his attention to Flame Streak then.
"Do you have anything I can use to pay this stingy spirit?"
-Insolent!
The root coils around Nanming, but it didn't tighten its hold and simply stays as is. Flame Streak didn't react to the Spirits apparent displeasure, unlike Hao who had all his color drained from his face.
Flame Streak then produced a copper coin from her gourd, amounting to six coins and presented it towards the Spirit.
-We have… No value in monetary… appliances… Fetch us, a sign of nature's good will
Hearing the Spirit, Flame Streak stashed her coins and pulls out a dried jerky she planned to eat during her drinking session, but now that she sees no evidence of the awaited chance to drink herself stupid, she decided to just give it away.
-Processed meal of mortal… fair enough
A root sprang from the ground and takes the jerky from Flame Streak hand before it was brought underground, the Spirit then uncoils itself from Nanming, which Yi Ling seems disappointed at given that she clicks her tongue.
-This… man… lured two women
"No, Stop! This is slander! Slander I say!"
Hao begins to panic and points his finger towards the entangled root as if making a demand, and of course, the Spirit ignores him.
-Under the guise… of… guidance… he lulled them to sleep… the aroma of… Blissful End… the two women… screams in torturous pleasure they did not wish for
"Lies! I've met no such women, nor do I have drugs with me! Friend! You must believe me!"
Hao lips arched into a nervous smile, his pupils began to tremble following the un-unified beat of his heart as he desperately tried to make himself appears innocent, like he was the hunted boar that just wanted to sleep.
-The man… forced his way… forced his pleasure… his happiness… at the expense of their pain… he appears at glee, manic even
"Sick bastard"
Yi Ling couldn't help but to scowl, distancing herself considerably from Hao, who still tried to reenact his innocence.
"No… No! I didn't do any of this! I was… I was controlled! Yes! By that weird skeleton monk!"
Hao said, his voice so urgent in its tone that it stumbled in on itself.
Nanming, though his face appears motionless, whatever happens inside of him is not motionless, in fact he is struggling not to kill Hao on the spot.
-Then… Sons of Pride piles over… what was left… carcass and corpses
"…So, you are the one responsible for their death?"
Nanming finally spoke, though his tone is… dark, edged in Wrath as every tinged of his word appears as if it could catch fire at any moment.
It makes sense now, the defiled body of those two women aren't the works of Pekung alone, they merely finished what was left undone, the violation that takes place is entirely Hao's fault.
Nanming cannot understand, what is happiness in forcing one's own intent? And if the Spirit is talking nothing but the truth, Hao even revels in the action, for… what?
"Answer me…"
Nanming eyes glows in purple, his Aura blares in screaming violet which causes the Spirit to scream and Yi Ling to springs into action, choking Nanming before he could do anything.
"Do that and I will have to betray his promise…"
"…"
Flame Streak then brandished her own execution sword towards Yi Ling, turning the place into a two-way engagement where the promise is death.
"I lack clarity to the situation or relationship you both has, but I will not stay put when my savior is threatened"
Flame Streak said, and she means each of those words by heart. Because for her, unpaid debt is far more humiliating than being a betrayer, even more so if you betrayed those who you are indebted to.
-Mortal relationship… is quite intriguing
The Spirit mumbles, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Even if it has a chance to devolve into a fight, the Spirit didn't really care as long as it stayed in the Mortal Realm.
"Alright, lets all just calmed down"
Nanming raise both of his hands in a gesture of surrender, before he diminished his own Aura. Yi Ling released her grip and backed away, which prompted Flame Streak to do the same and sheathed her execution sword back into its scabbard.
"…Hao is this true?"
Nanming ask, now with clarity and calmness rather than commanding and ironically, it makes him more intimidating that way.
Hao can only fiddle with his fingers, his eyes looking everywhere but at Nanming, his mind scrambled to form a word and excuses, a way for him to escape his intense judgement.
"Why?"
Yet that one word caused him to flinch, this boy who can command the very forest to do his bidding ask a question, and somehow it was filled with innocence.
"You self-righteous brat, that two women scammed me! They forced me to go into debt and urged me to gamble my life saving away! They deserve this shit and I argue they haven't suffered more!"
Hao shouts, feeling that he has no way of making any meaningful excuses, he decided to just be honest. That and the fact that he is compelled to be honest given the face Nanming makes.
And hearing those words serves only to fuel Nanming confusion, an act of revenge that has gone too far, sure scamming others is bad but does robbing them of their purity and cause them to be horrifically violated a Just Revenge?
"And just because of that?"
"You fuck! What the fuck do you know?! I waste fifteen years of my life saving! FIFTEEN!"
Hao declares, bolstering his own form as he did.
"Those filthy scammers have it coming! If not me that punished them others will!"
Hao said,
Nanming is distraught, was the World and its inhabitants this unfeeling? Are they this apathetic? Just, why?
"Of course you wouldn't know how this world works, no one is going to save me and help me, so I might as well bring them down with me… That is how this world works kid…"
Hao said as he snickered his lips, forming a mocking smile as he finds Nanming innocence appalling. Nanming, who is fully disillusioned, can only cast his gaze downward.
Flame Streak who watches all of this from the sideline couldn't help but to feel bad for Nanming, having such an idealistic view only to be crushed right in front of him. She wanted to say something encouraging, but she too, knows just how rotten this World is.
"Just…go, leave"
Nanming said, his voice is that of empty remorse. The Spirit is the first to act as it coils its root around Hao and dragged him towards his village, much to his distress that fell to deaf ear before he disappeared out of sight, and his voice fades into the background of Dawn.
"…Thank you"
-…It is… partly our fault… though our warning achieved… realization… no hope in this world Great One, extend your kindness elsewhere
The Spirit said before it disappears, leaving Nanming, Yi Ling and Flame Streak alone. That is until Nanming spoke once more.
"I want to be alone"
Flame Streak complies, but Yi Ling didn't.
"And what would you do without my supervision?"
Yi Ling said, though insensitive as they are, it provides some sort of levity for Nanming distraught self, but still, he wanted to be alone.
"Please, just this once…"
"…"
Yi Ling then surrendered to his pleading tone and walks elsewhere, leaving Nanming alone with his thought.
.
.
.
The Southern Academy.
Wu Chen felt quite delirious at time, partly due to fatigue and the fact that he is busy trying to show the other faction that, even though his numbers were reduced, by no means is his faction still weak.
"F-Forgive me Prince…."
One of them is here, he's trying to extort money from Ni Len. But that's not what makes Wu Chen angry, it's the fact that this boy was once a member of his faction, and he is quite a bootlicker.
Turns out, he is just rotten. Someone who just likes to bully and oppress others without fear of any repercussion, a parasite that switches side as easily as he breath.
"…Inquire to me then"
Wu Chen asks with Guan-dao in hand as he rests the blade lightly in the ground, revealing its sheen drippling in blood after its uses. Upon closer inspection, a shred of flesh was among the mingles of viscera painted over it.
"Does my kindness ever have any… meaning towards you? Or are you willingly put over a blindfold and refuse to acknowledge it, twisting my… good intent… with barely disguised indifference?"
The boy shudders, Wu Chen, speak exactly like Wu Yincang now. With barely disguised apathy, he didn't even care to put on a face, about how miserable it is for him is to kill all the boys' friends that is now lying without their head on the ground besmirch by their blood.
"As of now, I pity you…"
Wu Chen spoke, closing his eyes and yet no emotion was in his face that is splattered by blood. The boy can only hope that one of Wu Yincang men came to rescue him, and even if they failed, the boy could still escape when Wu Chen is busy fighting th—
"You expect to be saved, but my brother cares not for a pawn like you…"
'…What?'
"Its heartbreaking… does it? When the one you ought to… rest your life with… tossed it away without a care, like a drifting leaf… all you are worth, is how… amusing it is to watch you fall"
Wu Chen drags his Guandao over to the nape of the boys' neck, he can only tremble and breathe in intense exasperation. Terror and fear drenching his form like the cold sweat falling from each and everyone one of his pores.
"Be grateful… For I shall behead you without pain, a last grace for you"
"No! Please! Spare m—"
SLASH
The Guan-dao slip so easily between the head and his neck, before a spray of blood pours down like summer rain, adding into the pool of blood already in the ground, dull in its color.
Wu Chen watch this without any feeling, he just killed someone, and that's it. Just a dozen of the many he shall behead.
"…You are… awfully late, teach~"
Wu Chen shift his head to look behind him, wearing a smile. Looking over the dozen adults with weapon in hand yet they seem to hesitate when they see the red landscape, a bloodbath.
"Before any of you reprimand me… it is a Just self-defense"
"…How can any of this—"
Wu Chen rolls the sleeve of his robe, revealing a pristine and pale skin of his right arm and among the porcelain befitting sight, a slight scratch can be seen.
"See? A Just self-defense… By law in section 31 of the Lawful Conduct books, in the title in regards of violence. And I quote: 'Any action that constitutes a lawful Act of Self-Defense includes but not limited to: Promise of physical violence, acted upon violence be it sexual or not and an intense feeling of terror in fear of One well-being'"
He recites those words perfectly, as if he is reading the books right now. The gathered teachers couldn't help but murmur against themselves, for among them, there are those who didn't even know a single law inscribed inside.
"I feel as though my well-being is at risk, when a group threatened to beat me up… In fear and 'terror' I retaliate… Though I admit, I did overreact a bit"
Wu Chen then dropped his Guan-dao to the ground, raising his arm towards the air and surrendered. Just like that.
"And for that, I shall accept my solemn judgement…"
He said, though the easy smile didn't leave his mouth, as his entire body is relaxed and non-challant despite the situation he was in.
It took a while before the teacher was brave enough to reprimand Wu Chen.