China, Daishan mountain.
Wang Xiao couldn't believe his luck. Finally, a breakthrough! After having walked in circles for what seemed an eternity, Wang Xiao arrived at the famed temple at the summit of Daishan, the largest mountain in Qing province. Bowu temple wore its name well: the thick fog that constantly surrounded the mountain was all but impenetrable and the further you climbed, the less you saw. Wang Xiao was, surprisingly, clueless when it came to cultivation arts, but he still had a few skills up his sleeve. He had an uncanny knack for forging his way through tough situations. Even though he was unable to use cultivation skills, Wang Xiao had a strong innate instinct and was able to use it to find his way in and out of places.
Concentrating on the fog around him, Wang Xiao projected his mind to resonate against the temple's walls, like a bat sending out an ultrasonic wave to localise itself. Following his instincts more than his senses, he managed to find the entrance to the near-invisible temple. Upon opening his eyes, Wang Xiao saw the marvels of a long-abandoned temple, yet still exquisitely gilded in gold around the main entrance.
Taking a moment to appreciate this sight, Wang Xiao failed to notice the dark shadow closing in on him from behind. Weaponless and unaware of the dangers lurking in the thick forest around the temple, Wang Xiao could only yell out in surprise when a large, dark form suddenly lept at him, nipping the top of his right shoulder. Wang Xiao spun on the spot to face his assailant and found a large grey wolf menacingly baring its teeth. Wang Xiao had heard about the feral wolves that lived on Daishan, but he had never seen one with his own eyes.
The animal was his height when rearing, and its teeth could very easily rip through him without any difficulty. Suddenly aware of his situation, Wang Xiao felt a wave of panic rise through his body, making his stomach flip flop at the thought of being devoured alive. Just as the wolf lunged at him a second time, Wang Xiao squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of the worse, thinking: "ah, what a waste, to have made it this far and to die without even putting up a fight. How pathetic."
At that very moment, Wang Xiao felt two contradicting things: the first was a sharp bite on his left forearm, which he had raised subconsciously to protect himself. The second sensation was a strong pull on his robes from behind, tugging him backwards and away from the dangerous animal. Just as he opened his eyes, he caught sight of a blur of red robes rushing past him as he fell backwards in an undistinguished heap.
The next second, he heard the wolf cry out in great pain and heard it slump onto the hard ground. The sound was sickening, like a heavy bag of rice hitting a wooden surface. The red-robed figure was facing away from him, but Wang Xiao could tell that this person was a talented swordsman and fighter. Finding support on his uninjured forearm, Wang Xiao sat up to get a better look at the scene in front of him.
As expected, the wolf lay inert on the ground, a large red gap across its chest blooming in red and spilling onto the dark rock beneath. The second spot of red belonged to the hem of his saviour, who now knelt next to the slain wolf, one hand buried in its fur, the other still firmly holding onto his sword.
Wang Xiao thought, "this person is pretty heroic, coming to my rescue without even knowing who I am. I wonder why he came to Buwu temple." As if sensing the eyes on his back, the red-robed swordsman turned on his heels and levelled his gaze at the crumpled mess of golden robes before him. His eyes roamed methodically from top to bottom, taking in the torn right shoulder, the bloodied left forearm, and the dishevelled youth to whom those injuries belonged.
Wang Xiao tried his best to sound cheerful when he called out to the stranger: "Hey! Thank you for saving me!" Upon hearing his crystalline voice, the other turned his head back towards the beast and said nothing in response, his thoughts already back to analysing the dead animal instead of the injured human.
Wang Xiao stared back in silence, confused by the other's lack of concern for a fellow brother in distress. Still, he awkwardly clambered to his feet and shuffled over to where the other crouched. "Maybe he is deaf," thought Wang Xiao, as he reached a hand towards the other's shoulder, hoping to get his attention by touching him. Upon the slightest contact with the red fabric, the stranger whirled on him, eyes wild, grabbing his wrist with too much force and causing him to yell out in fear. "Older brother, please, let me go! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Please, let go."
As though a clear bell had rung and cleared his senses, the red-robed man slowly released Wang Xiao, saying: "do not touch me" Wang Xiao backed up a few steps, rubbing his wrist whilst keeping eye-contact with the stranger.
"Older brother, you didn't have to be so violent. I just wanted to thank you for saving me. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I'm bleeding quite a lot and I thought you might have medicine on you that I could--."
At this, the strange man cut him off, "I do not have any medicine to give to those who clearly wish to die."
Wang Xiao stared wide-eyed at this response, his mouth slightly hanging in disbelief. "Die? Who said I wanted to die?"
The other stared back at him, emotionless. "If you do not wish to die, then why are you on this mountain, near this temple, without a sword or any other means of protection."
Wang Xiao smiled, thinking this person was interesting and quite strange. "The answer is simple really: I don't have a sword because I don't know any sword fighting. As for why I am here, well, that's a secret I'm not willing to share with someone whose name is still a mystery."
The red-robed man stared back in silence for longer than what seemed normal, seemingly weighing his options before replying.
"You haven't told me your name either," he said without missing a beat.
Wang Xiao laughed out at this remark, thinking that this man was very sensible and practical. A black-or-white type of man. "You're right, my name is Wang Xiao, courtesy name TianMing. I am on a mission of a personal nature, which is why I came to Bowu temple. I am grateful for your intervention and killing that creature for me. I can assure you, I don't want to die, especially not here."
The solemn man in front of him moved his head downwards ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving the other's face. Wang Xiao took this as a sign of acknowledgement and smiled widely. "Older brother, I'm still waiting to hear your name. Won't you tell me?"
The man finally stood up from his crouching position next to the slain wolf and, turning his back on Wang Xiao, muttered "Zhang Yao, courtesy YuanJin."
At this, Wang Xiao grinned even more, feeling rather playful despite his injuries. "Brother Zhang," called out the youth, "now that we know each other, could you please lend me some medicine? I promise I'll pay you back as soon as we come down this mountain. The village at its foot has an excellent pharmacist. I'll replenish your stock there."
Zhang Yao thought this offer was preposterous. How could somebody repay someone else's kindness in likeness? He had no intention of staying on the mountain that long and thus, he would not be able to repay him. How insolent. Furthermore, this person assumed that Zhang Yao needed repayment, which insulted him only further.
Still, Zhang Yao reached inside his robes and pulled out a little stopped bottle of coagulant, along with some antiseptic herbs. Even though this youth had delayed him considerably, he could not in good conscience abandon him in this jungle, injured and alone.
Zhang Yao turned back towards Wang Xiao and tossed him the bottle and herb packed, adding: "apply them now before your wounds get worse. No need to repay me."
Wang Xiao thought this man was very strange: both rigid yet caring, a saviour of the weak but aloof and cold. Wang Xiao thought: "this might be interesting. I didn't expect to meet such an interesting person up here in the mountains. I'll have to convince him to stick around for a while until I learn more about who he is."