Bai Hu looked upon the scene of carnage before him.
Buildings slowly burned to the ground, their valuable contents plundered until nothing remained. And the blood, seeping into the ground and evaporating as the flames licked at puddles of it, releasing a metallic scent into the air.
However there were no bodies to be found. Not one corpse remained that might point to the source of all this bloody carnage, and yet it was common knowledge who might be behind this.
The boy fell to the ground, eyes swelling as tears threatened to spill.
"Everyone's gone…"
He had wandered off into the forest without anyone knowing, narrowly avoiding the disaster. And yet what was he left with now?
He bit his lips, drawing blood.
"...Demonic cultivators…"
Demonic cultivators. Cultivators who perform cruel deeds and cultivate sinister techniques that often require blood, corpses, and souls. They are the nightmares of the common people and the scourge of the cultivation world.
"Damn it!"
He punched the ground, blaming himself for not being here, blaming himself for being useless, blaming the demonic cultivators for existing, blaming the sect cultivators for not showing up. He cried and kept crying, because that was all he could do.
And then his vision blurred, his world darkening as he fainted, partly from exhaustion, partly from anger. The darkness did not bring solace, as his consciousness replayed the scenes of destruction with him at its center, rooted in place.
-
"...Hey…"
A voice said faintly, as if from a distance. Then it came again, this time much closer and clearer. The voice was soft, like the calmness of a mother to her child.
"Wake up"
Bai Hu opened his eyes groggily. Sitting next to the bed he was on was a woman who looked to be in her early 20s. She had a gentle look on her face, almost like a doting mother, and held a warm towel in her hands.
She smiled "You're awake"
Bai Hu sat up on the bed and touched his face. His tear stained face was now clean and his dirt covered clothes were replaced with a set of gray robes. He relaxed, seeing that he was not restrained and was taken care of.
He turned to the woman, "You are...?"
She took out a palm sized badge made out of jade. On it were the words "Spirit Sect, Jade Peak, Inner Disciple"
Seeing the words, Bai Hu temporarily forgot what happened as excitement filled him "You're a sect cultivator!"
Right as he finished, what happened to his family came crashing down on him like a tide. His expression darkened, and his previous excitement was short-lived.
He wanted to ask where she, a righteous path cultivator, was when the demonic cultivators had attacked. They were supposed to protect the secular world from the evils of the cultivation world, and had she arrived quicker, perhaps his village would still be standing.
The woman seemed to understand his thoughts as her expression became sad.
"I'm sorry"
She bowed her head, "I wasn't able to get there in time due to being attacked by a separate group of demonic cultivators"
Bai Hu now understood what happened. The demonic cultivators had split into groups, one group attacking the innocent while the other held off anyone that tried to help.
"It is my fault," the woman said, "Had my strength been sufficient, perhaps I would have made it on time"
"I should've been there," he interjected.
The woman had a guilty expression and Bai Hu couldn't help but think that he was being too harsh. Then the woman said something that was out of his expectations.
"Fret not. I discovered when I brought you here that you have spirit roots, meaning you can cultivate. My abilities do not allow me to accurately judge the quality of your spiritual roots however"
He perked up when he heard that.
"I-I have spirit roots? Do I really!"
She nodded, "Yes. I can bring you back to my sect and measure what kind of spirit root you have"
Bai Hu took a deep breath and calmed down. He clenched his fists as his eyes steeled with a resolute will.
"I'll cultivate and grow stronger, and when I do, I will make sure something like this will never happen again"
The woman looked at him with surprise and then smiled. Such resolve is rarely seen in kids his age. If he stays true to his vow, then no matter what his talent is, he will make steady progress in his cultivation. If not, then most likely he will never advance past a certain stage.
"lets go"
She brought him outside the dilapidated wooden cabin and gestured for him to step onto a small bamboo raft floating a foot up in the air just outside the house. The little boy marveled at the treasure, having only heard stories of the mystical cultivators and their abilities and treasures.
Climbing on with a small bit of fear, Bai Hu sat down after the young woman. A formless energy flowed from the woman's palms into the boat and they instantly turned into a streak of light. Surprisingly, he didn't feel motion sickness nor wind pressure despite the speeds they were flying at.
He looked out and saw mountains, forests, rivers, and cities quickly disappear behind them, as if mere mirages in the wind.
3 days later…
Whoosh!
The flying boat finally slowed down after 3 days. Sensing the change, Bai Hu propped himself up from his sleeping position and looked over the woman's shoulder. A huge mountain range appeared in the distance, slowly growing in size as time passed. Once they were close enough, Bai Hu was able to make out the words "Spirit Sect" hung over a huge stone arch.
The woman landed the flying boat, turned around to face the boy and offered her hand.
"My name is Rue Ming, remember it well, as I will try my best to help you if you are in a dire situation"
Bai Hu took her hand and pulled himself up. He bowed his head, "Thank you," he hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "I'm Bai Hu"
Nodding her head in acknowledgement she then guided the boat through the arch and over to a smaller mountain. There, several stone houses were arranged in a circular shape with a large platform at the center. A middle aged man stood before a bunch of youths that seemed to be around Bai Hu's age. They all sat in a meditative position without a sound.
The man opened his eyes and turned his attention to the flying raft, noticing Rue Ming on it. He flew towards her without disturbing the wind, making sure not to break the concentration of the youths below.
He bowed slightly and cupped his hands "Inner disciple Rue, what brings you here?"
It was at this moment that he noticed the little boy standing behind Rue Ming. He examined him from a distance with mild curiosity.
"This boy has my support," Rue Ming said, "I have already deduced that he has spirit roots and I need you to register him into the sect"
Upon hearing this, the middle aged man bowed, "I shall take care of everything"
Rue Ming nodded, before turning back to Bai Hu and handing him a small silk pouch, "Here are some things that will be of help to you. My position in the sect makes it difficult for me to have a lot of leisure time, but I hope the next time I see you, you will become stronger"
Upon hearing this, Bai Hu's eyes welled up slightly, but he managed to hold back his emotions and lowered his head in gratitude, "I won't let you down!"
The young woman smiled, before shooting a glance at the elder. Taking the hint, the man waved his hands, causing a mass of qi to fly towards the little boy. Bai Hu felt himself being lifted gently off of Rue Ming's boat and to the elder's side.
Once he was in the clear, Rue Ming gave one last gentle smile, before flying away on her bamboo raft.
"Let's go young man. Tell me your name"
Bai Hu introduced himself and the elder brought him in front of a huge stone stele not too far from the platform with runic inscriptions on it.
"This is the Spirit Stele," he explained, "It is capable of determining your attributes and age along with special constitutions you may have"
Hearing this, Bai Hu looked at the stele with some nervousness. The elder had seen numerous people hesitate before the stele, so he was not impatient.
"When you are ready, place your hand on it"
Bai Hu took a deep breath and did as he was told. Reaching out with one of his arms, he placed his palm against the cool surface of the stele. A blinding white light shone before the runic inscriptions started moving around and rearranging themselves into different patterns.