Central Plain, Eastern Region, Donglan-761
A figure can be seen in a grassy plain filled with reeds, the entire place that once witnessed the bloody tragedy that is the Invasion of the Ant City has become yet another silent witness to a different blood bath.
Hundreds of corpses, ranging from 8 to 13 years old can be seen with various degrees of condition.
Right now, the figure that wears a Blue Hanfu is observing the Imperial Police lining up all the cadavers for inspection, with some showing some degree of distress and even vomiting in place due to either shock or the unbearable stench of the dead.
"Another incident caused by the Demonic Sect, curse those Fiends and their savageness…" A man said besides him, holding a bundle of papers of fine quality.
"It's the Southern Academy trial, right? I've seen several robes bearing the insignia of some prominent Clan in those corpses" the man in Blue Hanfu said, his face is clinical and unfeeling, contrast to the bewildered and mournful look of the man beside him.
"Bahh, Academy my ass! The Orthodox Alliance Martial Academy is far more merciful and did function as an Academy themselves!" the man seems awfully malicious towards the Demonic Sect, specifically their Southern Academy.
A behavior that is considered normal in the Eastern Region, unlike the Jianghu which is considered to dominate the West and the frequently isolated North, the 'civilized' East has something to say against the Barbaric South.
Which is a given since the South house 3 of the considered 'Public Enemy of Jianghu' that is the Demonic Sect, The Spirit King Sect and the Netherstride Sect.
Yet the man, named Ka Lihua or often called Li who hailed from the East bore no specific malice against the Southerner, even against the Demonic Sect.
In his eyes, it was only natural that those born in a place frequently spawned by Jiangshi, Beast and Monster alike to be so brutal in their disposition.
It's the truest example of The Strong eat the Weak philosophy.
"How long has the trial goes this year" Li asks the aggressive man, the man held his temper down in favor for professionalism and spoke.
"4 days, it ended exactly when the Dawn Dim Hours ended"
"That is awfully fast, no? Last year took 3 full months before it ended" Li noticed the time discrepancies. From what he heard the way they conduct their trial is to make the students fight each other until there are only 200 lefts. Even for this year's attendees being assumed to be 800.
Assumed because the Demonic Sect is sly and covert with their activity. Their counterintelligence is a work of art on how they work. Even the most mundane details such as how much pear they imported might be false number, and the real one is so out of reach from the original number that merely guessing it is impossible.
"I've heard the Demon King has become a Xiantian" Li said, in which the man draws severe depressed look over the information. The news spread like wildfire among the Jianghu and even the Imperial who normally distance themselves from the happenings of the Jianghu.
"That means the South have 5 Xiantian including the Spirit King Sect Leader Va Tua"
"And what of it you prick? Are you saying that the East is weak for not having any Xiantian? Who needs dusty immortal anyway!" the man said in a flurry of words akin to spitting saliva since his flies out of his mouth at such frequency its almost looks like a rain.
"I am merely stating fact, we're getting off track here… What do the Great Clan wanted me to do with today's abnormal trial?" Li asks, his face is still impassive. Once again, a severe contrast from the man besides him.
"The Priest of the Taoist Sect notify us that he felt a great deal of disturbance in this very plain… Something here is massacring the children and the great Clan wants to know about it to protect the children"
"Isn't that the point though? The massacring part I mean"
Li raised one of his eyebrows at such a hypocritical statement, on one hand they wish no harm would befall the pitiful children yet they themselves were the ones who cast them away.
"Well, it's not my words to be taken upon such statement. For I too, wonder what the Great Clan are thinking, perhaps they covet whatever was here"
"Doubtful… If so, why do they mobilize us just now and not when they discover the location 2 days earlier?"
"…Such are their fickleness I suppose, saving their faces first before their kin"
The man somewhat agrees with Li confusion, looking over at the countless dead children as doctors perform an autopsy to determine each one of their identities. In which the man wonders, how can they define the identity of those whose head is missing or face maimed? Their robes?
Or better yet, why do they even send their children away to such a savage place? Do they have no mercy or compassion towards their own blood?
"Who is the one who gives the order" Li asked as he observed the movement and activity bellow.
"Gu Tientiang do so, as well as the Taoist Sect Leader Mi Shili"
"Well, that answers my question, it's not that they wanted to know what happened. They just wanted to retrieve their fallen children, if they ever fall to begin with"
Li draws the conclusion awfully fast; the man is shocked but having been with this man for 3 months he cannot help but to not be surprised.
He heard murmurs of Li being a prodigious strategist and yet he chooses to be a deputy of the Imperial Police.
"I doubt if its ever due to compassion on Gu Tientiang parts. He just wanted to feign kindness while preventing anyone to reach his children carcass to study their Foundation"
"Gu Liang and Gu Tian, yes? Their children I mean" The man remembers those two being hailed a prodigy. Yet he has seen a lot of 'prodigies' becoming mere passing news that he knows those two are just another child who displays some innate talent and is already considered a generational star.
The man stroked his chin, seeing an abnormal pattern here based on what he himself knows about those two prodigies.
"I concur, maybe he made a mistake sending those two to the south" the man interjects.
"And what basis do you claimed your opinion from" Li argues back.
"I've seen those two in action last year during a convention, I must say some adjustments is needed but they are genuine, the talent I meant"
"So, he made a mistake of sending those two and only now regrets it? Interesting hypothesis"
Li searches his head for any traces of information regarding Gu Tientiang, a pragmatic gentleman who values purpose above all.
Certainly, he won't make a mistake such as accidently sending his two young prodigies into the mouth of death, unless…
"Someone else send those two, I just now remember Gu Tientiang entering isolation to cultivates. I suppose some machinations happens during his absence"
Li draws a separate conclusion; he doesn't immediately accept it as fact nor truth since a lot of isolated points are yet to draw line to anything.
"And what of Sect Leader Mi Shili? What reason do he have to petitioned having this place searched?"
"He is kind man, full of compassion. I'm certain that he just felt pitiful knowing that there are dead children here, unwanted and unburied"
Li said, still with the passive face that has become his character. Just as much as Mi Shili is seen as the pinnacle of compassion.
"Indeed, a great man I suppose"
The man made that one last comment before he excuses himself. Leaving Li be, sight seeing the dead filled plains of reeds.
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5 hours earlier.
"Ow-ow-ow-ow" Wu Chen is currently squirming in a tent; his left hand is being handled by Wu Lizha as she performs some kind of massage yet her aura flickers Black.
Near them is a bowl filled with blood, occasionally Wu Lizha coats her hand with some of the blood and massage Chen's hand with it.
Much like Chen, Lizha had awakened her Tarnished River Body and for hers, she can manipulate blood and imbuing it with the Wind Energy to essentially force healing a person's limb or body.
'Force' because she is essentially shoving a foreign substance inside a person's body, it doesn't take a doctor's license to know that doing so will result in a violent reaction from the body.
As for why Chen is currently being healed like this, it's because his Tarnished Gathering cannot heal Metal Blight since he is slashed with Nanming's rusted sword.
"Can you please do it lightly sis?"
"If I do so the blood won't enter your body…"
Lizha said with deadpan face, yet her posture and stance remain steady even though Chen's is currently squirming and moving around.
"…" Gu Tian watched from the side; her face is neutral and is pitiful about Chen's situation. But she can't help but to be annoyed as well that another woman is touching his body like that, even though if that woman is technically his sister, well… half-sister.
"Aghhh please don't press it like that!" Chen protest was met with deaf ear from her sister who insistently applied more pressure on where he was cut.
"Your ear was cut too, no?"
"N-No?"
"…."
Yet Lizha forced Chen's head to rest on her lap as she massages his left ear, her intuition in spotting injury is spot on. A talent that Chen doesn't appreciate currently.
Seeing this, Gu Tian can't help but to almost react by pulling Chen's head into her lap instead, upon realizing what sort of thought she had managed to string she immediately tilted her head to the side and hid her creeping blush.
"…I'm leaving for fresh air" she said
"Alright" in which Lizha answered with dry tone, focusing on massaging Chen's ear while simultaneously taking it as a chance to clean it too.
"Jeez how long have you excuse yourself the opportunity to clean your ear canal?"
"…Its still 3 wee—aghh ow ow"
Gu Tian left the tent and into the camp where everyone was. She can see the countless injured boy being treated by Ki Xia who casted a Spell.
"Thou art a beauty, thou art a treasure, peerless jade of this plain in which we shamefully took as a cover from the brutal reprise of earth, extend your blessing, O Great Spirit and eased our suffering. Heal!"
Immediately, the bleeding for those with wounds or two was healed while those with a much severe injury such as being amputated have their pain fleet. Such is the miracle of spell.
She didn't know the details but the essence of casting a spell is to make a Spirit like you first by either having a good look or reciting a beautiful poem and praising them.
Something Chen failed to do last night resulting in his injury.
Gu Tian can see Ki Xia visibly exhausted as he wipes his drenched forehead, she can see his green hanfu being soaked wet by his sweat and his muscle vein being stretched.
She walks away upon noticing that there's nothing for her to do there, in which she saw both Ni Len and Xiu currently preparing another batch of deer meat and fruits alongside many other boys and girls. They chatted away while peeling the skins off the meat and fruits while occasional laughter can be heard.
"And then the Carpenter said, 'Oh you fool, I said shoo the fox, not woo the fox!'"
"Hahahaha" many boys and girls laugh at his jokes, all the while the ever-stoic Xiu cracks a smile or two. She can see many females stole a glance or two towards Xiu as they can't help but to admire his physique, noble or not, they all did the same thing.
She heard from Ni Len yesterday that many Camp decided to help Gu Liang and by extension Wu Chen by providing whatever supplies they have, clearly, they too were affected by Nanming's rampage.
Speaking of Nanming, there is a general agreement that he will be killed or at least beaten once he was captured, but upon hearing that he was manipulated by a Spirit, even though it's ambiguous how factual that statement is, but Wu Chen is the one who do the talking and somehow everyone is appeased.
He is currently in a tent not far from Wu Chen's own, still tied, of course. All the while Gu Liang, Namgoong Hien and Wu Laiza are observing him.
Clearly, he hasn't awakened yet, so Gu Tian decided to head over there so she at least has something to do.
Along the way, she passes by a group of boys, currently fidgeting as they play around with their fingers in front of Wu Yuen. Another one of Chen's many sisters, technically an adopted sibling. Why does Wu Clan have so many girls anyway? The only male Wu Clan member she has seen is the Demon King, Wu Chen and Wu Nanming.
"Uhmm, w-we liked to thank you for saving us back there!" one of the boys said, it was Ouyang Pinah. Why is he saying thank you to her anyway? Isn't it her that saves him and not Wu Yuen? And what is he doing here in a place filled with commoners considering he was that kind of Noble?
"Ehhh" Wu Yuen smiles, somehow it was both seductive and dangerous.
"Aren't you Ouyang Pinah?" she asks
"Y-yes" Pinah said, his voice is trembling. Whether from shyness or something else is unknown.
"I don't like you; you bother Chen and woo Lizha that one time…" she said as she drops her smile, her eyes flow bright golden.
"I-it's a mistake! I-I promise I won't mak—"
SHING
His words are cut short upon the realization that Wu Yuen swords were pointed straight into his throat. He gulped down his saliva; his friends immediately flee the scene.
"Of course you won't make the same mistake again… You know why?"
Wu Yuen questions hang in the air, it took Ouyang Pinah some time to answers yet, he does so by simply shaking his head.
"Because you won't be alive to repeat it~" she said with that same smile she wore just now, it's just now that the context causes it to be more threatening than alluring.
"Leave…"
At her words, Ouyang Pinah scamper away at such a hurried pace, he stumbles around a few times before fleeing out of sight.
Gu Tian was about to laugh, but then she ceased her tongue when she realized Wu Yuen was already inches away from her.
"And what do we have here?" she said, her bright golden eyes shots up wide open, revealing her red iris to Tian.
"My~ if it's not my brother secret admirer" she said as she slides her finger down to Tian's jaw which prompted her flight or fight response. She chooses flight as she dashes away from her.
"W-what do you"
"Shushhh"
Her words were cut short as her mouth was physically shushed by Yuen fingers, sliding into her lips.
"No need to be ashamed, my brother really likes to draw attention. It's only natural that many… admirer was to be made in the process"
She said, even though she smiled it's clear that it bothers her more than it puts pride on her knowing that her brother is considered popular.
"I deemed you safe for now, since many of such admirer do… wanted him for themselves, be it male or female"
Such implication dawned on Tian. Chen is certainly attractive enough to pass as both male and female with his androgynous almost female like tone. She never noticed due to the overwhelming confidence he exudes but for outsiders who never interact with him, his disposition certainly passes him off as somewhat submissive.
"So, if you wished to make him notice you and only you" Yuen said as she turned around and walk the other way, holding her words in tension as she slips just out of Tian view in an instant.
"Be quick on the uptake"
Before she disappears in the shade.
Tian was left speechless; she was so dominating that she couldn't even responded properly. Is Wu Clan this extreme? On the one hand you have the quiet Wu Lizha and Laiza as well as Nanming. But then you have the domineering and prideful Wu Chen and Yuen.
A Clan of extremity.
Yet it's not the contrast that causes Tian to become speechless. It's Yuen words.
How did she know?
Wait if she knew, does Chen know too? And what does she mean by 'quick on the uptake'?
"…Does she imply I have competition?"