Beginning Of The End
Sitting before a campfire, watching as recently caught fish were being cooked upon it… Xiao was in a mood for reflection, not because of the mesmerising movements of the flames, but because of a phenomenon all men were very familiar with. He wasn’t certain what they called it in this world, but in his own words, it was what men referred to as ‘post-nut clarity’.
Xiao had gone to catch some fish in a nearby river whilst Ai set up camp for the upcoming night, he had… A small run-in with a certain woman bearing feline attributes, and had ended up having sex with her right upon the forest ground.
The crimson-eyed disciple just couldn’t help himself. Every time an occasion presented itself, even if incredibly risky, he succumbed and ended up doing something he would come to regret… But did it really matter? Even though he regretted it every time, he just kept on doing the same thing over and over again.
He didn’t have the heart to reject Bedi’s advances, and he was also too worried about Ai’s reaction to even emit the idea that their relationship could have a change of status…
Instead of facing the situation–Which had been going on for far too long–Xiao simply allowed Bedi to follow along and find any occasion to be alone with him.
So rather than dealing with it, Xiao focused on the task at hand.
By now, he had already dealt with several locations marked by Elder Gang. This one, although not the final one, was deemed to be complicated.
It looked like nothing more than an old, small, abandoned house in the woods. Most wouldn’t bat an eye, but in truth, a hatch was concealed within it. Descending into the underground would reveal what was probably the most obviously plot-driven coincidence of the entire novel.
Namely, down there were the hidden remains of a member of the Chen clan–Presumably an elder of sorts–Who had not immediately died when the clan was attacked and massacred. However, in his escape, he had been struck by a member of the Sect Of The Old Decay, a sect under the control of and sponsored by the Elt clan.
As the name might suggest, they were experts in manipulating death and necromancy. As such, this member of the Chen clan was, for all intents and purposes, already dead. He was only hanging onto a shred of sanity, which he would use to conveniently inform the protagonist of where the ancestral cultivation technique was hidden, thereby granting Xiao access to the final version of ‘Weapon Encyclopedia’.
It was the singular greatest weapon cultivation technique that also incorporated elements of various other types of techniques into it. In short, this was the main character's true and principal strength. Any amount of mastery in it would translate into an enormous power-up.
Adding the fact that the protagonist would conveniently find ways to enhance and upgrade it as time went by, it was the only cultivation technique Xiao needed to learn to become immensely powerful.
Therefore, this seemingly innocuous shack in the woods was actually of tremendous importance…
When the time came to investigate the area, he made sure that Ai wouldn’t be too close, as the plot point would also include a fight... Namely, the elder would lose all ounces of sanity he had left after saying his piece, and would attack like a mindless zombie... A zombie wielding the strength of a member of a great clan.
So, although lacking in technique and skill, the undead packed a punch and could prove dangerous if not handled correctly.
Now, Xiao obviously already knew what the man was going to tell him… But even then, he couldn’t just go and grab the technique, as the elder was also holding onto a key to open the vault containing the technique. This was what Xiao was truly here for.
With his blade already drawn, he made his way over to the underground room... As expected, he found what appeared to be a naturally mummified corpse dressed in dust-ridden crimson robes, bearing the symbol of the Chen clan: A simple sword.
He knelt in front of the cadaver, and a hint of clarity appeared in the sunken, dried eyes of the man. The sound of bones popping rang out as his jaw struggled to move at first, only dust spewing out as he tried to speak.
“You… Your eyes… What is… Your name?”
“Xiao. Xiao Chen” he skipped the meaningless drivel that was in the original scene and just went straight to the point.
“So… The clan has not been fully eradicated… Huh?” the corpse tried to smile, but his skin broke under the strain.
“The old… The ruins of the clan… The technique was hidden in the most dangerous spot... I am… I am certain the fools were unable to find it… Take this key, it will not only open the vault… But it will let you know where it was buried… The Chen clan is eternal… The Chen clan will rise again!”
“I will make sure of it” said Xiao.
“Good… Good… But you must be wary… Amongst the clans… All participated except for the Sheng… All will be after you if they discover your lineage! The Zhenniao… They, in particular, you can not confront!”
“Their elders and patriarch… They have access to a toxin that infested the very Bloodline of the Chen… They are impossible to surmount without overwhelming, crushing strength…”
“...Be…Wary…!”
The corpse lost its glint...
However, before the maddened Chen clansman could do anything, Xiao had already moved, slashing his body into several pieces, ensuring that the zombified man could not wreak havoc.
He then carefully stored the key, paid his respects to the dead, and then left the underground, meeting back up with Ai, who had been busy looting some other rooms.
Unknown to him, however, after he left, a shadow stirred, and a figure stepped out of a dark corner… Holding an inky black bead in their delicate hands.
The stalker’s ears twitched as she bent down over the remains of the Chen clansman.
“...This is big, very big! The Young Master needs to know about this! And… Could this corpse be restored?”
Unsure, the shadow-clad follower collected the remnants in a bag and set out, already writing a letter about what she had discovered and overheard.
‘That should definitely land me in his good favour! Heheheh… Maybe he’ll even let me serve him directly?’ she licked her lips whilst thinking, the taste was not something she could ever forget.
So sweet. So powerful. So… Enthralling.