Chapter 2 – Zhou Ming's Escape
"They will come for him," Zhi Tian whispered, his voice breaking as he stared at the crimson mark on his son's chest. "Di Tian will not let a child with the Mark of Calamity to live."
Mei Lin clutched the infant closer to her breast, her eyes flashing with a determination that belied her weakened state. "Then we must flee tonight and now."
Outside, the blood-red aurora intensified, casting their humble home in a sinister glow that seeped through the wooden shutters. Zhou Ming moved to the window and peered out his weathered face hardening.
"Too late," he said grimly. "Cultivators are descending the mountain. I count at least seven auras at the Nascent Soul realm." He turned to his former master, resolution written across his face. "There is no escape for all of us."
Zhi Tian closed his eyes briefly, his mind racing through possibilities. When he opened them again, they shone with the light of decision. "Ming, you were always faster than me, even without cultivation. You must take my son and run—use the hidden path through the western ravine."
"Master, I cannot leave you—"
"You swore an oath to me when I freed you," Zhi Tian cut him off, his voice commanding despite his desperation. "I release you from all obligations save one: protect my son. Raise him to be strong. Tell him of his heritage when he is ready." He took a small wooden box from beneath the floorboards and thrust it into Zhou Ming's hands. "This contains my cultivation manual and a drop of my blood essence. It is all I can give him."
Mei Lin struggled to sit up, her face pale but determined. "Take this as well." She removed a jade pendant from around her neck—a simple green disk with an ancient symbol carved into its surface. "This belongs to my bloodline. It will help shield his aura from detection." Her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at her newborn son, memorizing his features. "His name is Zhi Fan. Promise me you will tell him we loved him more than our lives."
Zhou Ming knelt before them, accepting the infant with the solemnity of one receiving a sacred trust. "I swear on my life, I will protect him as my own. I will train him to avenge you both. This I vow."
The sound of angry voices grew closer. Without another word, Zhou Ming wrapped the child securely against his chest, concealing him beneath his rough traveling cloak. He slipped out through the back of the house just as a thunderous pounding began at the front door.
"Go with him," Zhi Tian urged his wife. "You might still—"
Mei Lin silenced him with a kiss. "My place is with you, husband. Besides," she smiled sadly, "I would not survive the journey in my condition. Better to buy them time." She reached beneath the pillow and withdrew a slender dagger, its blade gleaming with cold light. "I was not always the gentle flower you believed me to be."
Before Zhi Tian could respond, the front door exploded inward, showering the main room with splinters. Elder Feng strode in, flanked by six Nascent Soul cultivators, their faces impassive masks of duty.
"Zhi Tian," Elder Feng's voice dripped with false sympathy. "What a pity to find you here. The Sect Master suspected you might have sired the calamity child."
Zhi Tian stepped forward, shielding the bed where Mei Lin lay. Though his cultivation had withered over the years of neglect, he still carried himself with the dignity of a Foundation Core cultivator. "There is no child here, Elder Feng. My wife's labor was unsuccessful. You may search if you wish, but you will find nothing but our grief."
Elder Feng's eyes narrowed. "A convenient tale. Yet the blood on your hands tells a different story." He gestured to the crimson stains transferred from the birth cloths. "Where is the child, Zhi Tian? Surrender it, and the sect may show mercy."
"There is no mercy in the Celestial Void Sect," Mei Lin spoke from the bed, her voice surprisingly steady. "Only power and those who abuse it."
Elder Feng's gaze shifted to her, and something like recognition flickered in his eyes. "You... I know your face. You are not merely some mountain village woman." He took a step closer, spiritual pressure building around him like a gathering storm. "Who are you, really?"
Mei Lin smiled, and for a moment, her exhaustion seemed to fall away. Her eyes gleamed with an inner light that made even Elder Feng pause. "I am the last daughter of the Celestial Lotus Sect that your master destroyed a century ago. I am the keeper of bloodlines older than your precious Celestial Void Mountain." She raised her chin defiantly. "And I am the mother of the child who will bring your tyrannical sect to its knees."
Elder Feng's face contorted with rage. "The Celestial Lotus bloodline should have been extinguished! Di Tian assured us—" He stopped himself, then turned to his companions. "Find the child! It cannot have gone far. You two, search the house. The rest of you, scour the village. Kill any infant born this night!"
As the cultivators scattered to obey, Elder Feng turned back to Zhi Tian and Mei Lin, cold purpose hardening his features. "As for you two..."
"As for us," Zhi Tian said calmly, drawing a talisman from his sleeve that pulsed with stored spiritual energy—his last resort, saved for a desperate moment such as this, "we will buy our son time."
He crushed the talisman in his fist, and the humble dwelling erupted in blinding white light.
***
Zhou Ming ran through the darkness, his powerful legs eating up the distance despite the burden he carried. The infant Zhi Fan, miraculously, made not a sound, as if sensing the dire nature of their flight. Behind them, a massive explosion lit up the night sky, turning the blood-red aurora momentarily white.
"Your parents have bought us this chance with their lives," Zhou Ming whispered to the silent infant. "I will not waste it."
He veered away from the well-traveled paths, plunging instead into the dense forest that flanked the western edge of the Celestial Void Mountain. Few dared to enter these woods, rumored to be haunted by the vengeful spirits of cultivators who had failed their tribulations. For Zhou Ming, these superstitions offered the perfect cover.
As he ran, he felt a subtle warmth against his chest. Looking down, he saw the jade pendant that Mei Lin had given them glowing faintly, creating a thin barrier of light that seemed to envelop the child. At the same time, shouts and the distinctive whoosh of flying swords could be heard from the direction of the village.
"They're coming," he muttered, increasing his pace.
The ravine Zhi Tian had mentioned was a treacherous slash in the earth, nearly invisible until one was upon it. Zhou Ming located it by memory alone, having hunted in these woods for years. He descended swiftly, using handholds known only to him until he reached the narrow path that wound along the bottom.
Here, the sounds of pursuit grew distant. The thick canopy above blocked most of the blood-red light, plunging the ravine into near-total darkness. But Zhou Ming needed no light to navigate; his feet knew every stone, every root of this secret path.
For three days and nights, he traveled thus, stopping only to feed the infant with goat's milk from a skin he had prepared and to catch brief moments of rest. The jade pendant continued its subtle work, shielding them from spiritual sense, while Zhou Ming relied on his mortal skills to evade any physical pursuit.
On the fourth day, they emerged from the wilderness into the remote province of Yiling, far beyond the immediate influence of the Celestial Void Sect. Here, Zhou Ming had once served as a mercenary before Zhi Tian had purchased and later freed him. He still had contacts—people who owed him favors, who wouldn't ask too many questions about a man with an infant.
"We have escaped the immediate danger, little master," Zhou Ming told the infant as they approached a small, isolated cabin nestled against the mountains. "But our journey has just begun. From this day forward, you are not just Zhi Fan, but the vengeance of your parents incarnate. I will make you strong enough to claim it."
The baby gurgled in response, tiny hands reaching up to grasp Zhou Ming's calloused finger. For the first time since their flight began, the former slave allowed himself a grim smile.
"Rest now," he said softly. "Tomorrow, your training begins."