5 years ago, on a street somewhere in the dubious parts of Taizhou city, a man wearing a guard's uniform could be seen anxiously walking back and forth, murmuring something. The people that saw the guard were curious at first, but when they saw the blood on the man's uniform, they quickly went on their ways and chose to ignore him.
"N..no, that's not my fault", the guard said as he bit his nails, "He would have killed me if I didn't do it…".
The man seemed to have no intention on stopping with his behavior, as he continued to stay like this for quite some time.
"Guard Leader Bai, is that you?"
Even after another guard approached him, Guard Leader Bai still continued on, as if not hearing the guard call to him.
"People reported to me that there was a crazy man wearing a guard's uniform roaming around the streets, I didn't think it would actually be you", the guard's words reached nowhere, realizing this, he grabbed Guard Leader Bai's shoulders to get his attention, "Guard Leader Bai?"
"It is your fault!", Guard Leader Bai quickly hit the guard's hand away and shouted at him.
"W-what, my fault? I just got here", the guard backed away as he saw the guard leader's frantic expression, "Is something wrong, Guard Leader Bai? Why is there blood on your clothes?"
Hearing the other guard's words, Guard Leader Bai woke up from his stupor and quickly looked down to check on his uniform. And when he saw blood splattered on it, he quickly tried to rub it away. Unfortunately, the blood stuck.
"Are you alright, Guard Leader Bai? Did you get into an altercation?", the guard started to get suspicious as he squinted his eyes.
Guard Leader Bai, who was still trying to wipe the blood off his clothes, could not help but look at the other guard. There was a questioning tone on the guard's words, which Guard Leader Bai noticed.
Guard Leader Bai furrowed his brows as he stared at the guardsman. "W-what are you even saying? This is just wine spilled when I tried to stop a fight in the bar earlier"
The guardsman squinted his eyes even further as he tried to get a closer look at Guard Leader Bai's uniform, but before he can do so, Guard Leader Bai crossed his arms.
"What about you, guardsman? What are you still doing here!?", Guard Leader Bai shouted, trying to hide the anxiousness that was still freshly lingering in his mind.
"W-well, because there was a report that there was a crazy person, but it turns out to be you… sir", the guardsman cleared his throat. It seems that he was too disrespectful towards the Guard Leader.
"And now you have confirmed that there is no crazy person, what are you still doing here!? Go!"
"Y-yes sir!", the guardsman quickly saluted.
The guardsman was about to go away when they heard 2 men shouting in the distance. Both the guardsman and Guard Leader Bai could not help but look at the direction of where the voice is coming from.
They saw two men who were running with horrified expressions on their faces. One of them was even covered in blood.
The two seemed to have no intention on stopping, even when they were hitting people along their path. They just kept on running and running.
"T-there's an evil baby!"
"Ei ei! Move out of the way ye' scums! A ghost! There's a f*cking ghost!"
The two men shouted as they ran with all their might.
"Halt!", the guardsman that was with Guard Leader Bai shouted as he pointed the spear towards the two as soon as they entered his reach.
However, even with the spear pointed at them, they didn't stop. This caused the guardsman to swipe the spear on their legs as they tried to pass him.
"I said halt!"
"Eeeek!"
One of the men tripped, also hitting the man he was running with causing them to fall hard on the ground.
"What the hell is wrong with you two!? Speak!", the guard once again pointed his spear towards the two men that were lying on the ground.
"T-there's a ghost, I tell ya! It killed one of our friends!", one of the man said without hesitation. But still, the panic on his voice can not be hidden.
"He tells the truth! An evil baby! It is an evil baby!", the other man added.
"Slow down! Why are you covered in blood!?"
"We already told ye! An evil baby! There's an evil baby on the alley!"
The guardsman furrowed his brows, "What kind of medicine did you guy's ta-"
"Which alley!?"
Before the guardsman can finish his words, Guard Leader Bai's sudden intrusion interrupted him.
"Which alley did you see this ghost!? Answer me!", an impatient tone surfaced in Guard Leader Bai's voice as he unsheathed the sword on his waist.
The guardsman could not help but exclaimed as he saw hints of blood on the Guard Leader's sword. However, this was not the time to be curious as there was an urgent matter on hand.
"I-it's on the alley just before the 6th-"
Before one of the men can even finish saying the location, Guard Leader Bai quickly ran away in haste.
"G-guard Leader!?", the guardsman was confused, why did the Guard Leader suddenly ran away?
In the midst of the confusion, the two men that were lying on the ground took the chance and ran away.
"W-wait!", the guardsman panicked. He did not know whether to follow the Guard Leader or the two suspicious men. Come to think of it, the Guard Leader was mighty suspicious as well, he thought.
But in the end, he gave chase to the two clearly intoxicated men.
Guard Leader Bai ran in haste. When he heard the words '6th street', there was only one thing that came to his mind.
That was near where he left the westerner he killed just less than an hour ago.
He panicked, he didn't actually want to kill the western woman. But due to his fear of the cultivator, Li Zhao, it was like his hand just hacked the woman on its own.
That was right. He panicked.
Guard Leader Bai tried to convince himself as he ran back to the alley with all of his strength. He didn't really know why, but he wanted to check if there was a possibility that the woman could have survived. What he would do, however, he does not know yet.
But then, the answer came to him instantly.
Guard Leader Bai got deep into the alley, the scene before him quickly made him stop running as he staggered in shock.
The alley was filled with blood from wall to wall. He could hear the pool of blood hitting his boots as he slowed his steps.
And there, he saw the woman he killed, still lying on the ground.
Guard Leader Bai could not help but kneel on the ground as he saw the woman's hair just floating on the blood. Was a single human capable of bleeding this much? The Guard Leader thought.
His body began to shake as he gritted his teeth. This was an innocent woman. No, much worse, she was a victim. She might have been an immigrant, a refugee. But even so, she was a citizen of Taizhou.
Was her life worth a bag of coins?
Guard Leader Bai then retrieved the bag of coins in his pocket and looked at it. Even though that was much more than he can earn in a year, the bag felt light.
Was this the weight of a life?
Guard Leader Bai's mouth started to shake as he gripped the bag of coins in his hand.
"Is this the weight of your life!?", Guard Leader Bai shouted in frustration as he stared at the body of the woman. He then stood, pulling back the hand that was holding the bag of coins.
But as he was about to throw the bag, he heard a light moan.
This made Guard Leader Bai stop everything that he was doing, he even forgot to breathe as he slowly turned towards the direction of the moan.
There was only one source from where the moan could come from… the westerner. But the woman remained the same, lifeless.
Guard Leader Bai squinted his eyes. Was he just imagining things?
He then slowly approached the body of the woman, walking towards it carefully. As soon as he got near the body, Guard Leader Bai crouched down and placed his finger below the woman's nose. But there was nothing.
Was he really just imagining things?
Guard Leader Bai was about to move his hands away, but before he could do so, he felt a light breeze whiff through his fingers.
He quickly backed away in shock. Could she really be alive!?
Once again, he slowly walked towards the woman. And there, he saw the woman slightly move her eyes… and then there was a slight movement on her fingers.
She is alive! Guard Leader Bai exclaimed as he quickly once again kneeled beside the woman.
"y…young noble… s-stop…", slow and unclear, the woman spoke. The color of the woman also started to slowly creep in back to her skin.
"Y-you're alive..���, Guard Leader Bai could not believe it. He was so sure that the wound that he inflicted on the woman was deep. It was evident on the amount of blood that surrounded them.
Guard Leader Bai gently turned the woman over, and he was right. There was a huge gaping wound on her back. How can she even be alive?
"h…help… me…"
But this was not time for finding answers, Guard Leader Bai quickly but gently lifted the woman. His priority now was to help the woman, nothing else mattered.
Guard Leader Bai immediately rushed towards the nearest physician he could find. And even though the physician initially hesitated in letting them in in such a late hour, she quickly changed her mind when she saw the badge that Guard Leader Bai was holding… and also the coins that were presented to her.
"Are you kidding me!?"
However, as soon as the physician checked on the westerner. She immediately howled at Guard Leader Bai.
Guard Leader Bai was perplexed as to why the physician would shout at him, but before he can even inquire, the physician continued her scolding.
"If you people want to play pranks or drills, don't involve me in it!"
"W-what are you even saying, old woman!?"
"This woman isn't even injured! I swear on my ancestor's titties, if this is some kind of roleplay, I do not want to be involve in it!"
"W-wha-", Guard Leader Bai was about to rebuke, but then he saw the reason what the physician was rumbling about.
On the woman's back… there was only a huge scar.
Guard Leader Bai quickly ran towards the woman and started touching her back.
"Ack! I told you I do not want to be involve in this fetish!", the old physician was about to hit Guard Leader Bai with a wok that came out of nowhere, but then she saw the expression on Guard Leader Bai's face. That kind of confusion was not something one could fake.
"But… she… she clearly had a huge wound on her back", Guard Leader Bai's breathing was heavy.
"Eh, what are you saying, boy? Whatever wound she had on her back's clearly pretty healed now"
"But that's impossible… I…I swung my sword at her. I definitely felt it…I saw it!"
"Tch. Fine, fine! I'll check on her. Go out! Out now! You already paid me anyway!", the physician forcefully pushed the perplexed Guard Leader Bai out of the room. "Don't go taking the coins back, you hear me! Agh, what a mess!"
Guard Leader Bai was left alone outside with a blank expression on his face. "What… is happening…", he could only whisper to himself as he slowly sat down and close his eyes.
"Aghurgl!"
He then shouted in surprise and opened his eyes as he felt himself drowning.
"What are you even doing sleeping here!?"
In front of him, Guard Leader Bai saw the physician holding a bucket, presumably filled with water before splashing it all onto him.
Guard Leader Bai looked around and was surprise to see that there were already people walking around the streets… and that it was morning already.
It seems that last night's events really took a toll on his mind for him to just collapse and sleep outside.
"Come on in, the woman would like to speak to you", the physician then walked back inside with an annoyed expression on her face. "But dry yourself first!"
It took a while before Guard Leader Bai went inside. It wasn't only because his clothes were still wet, but also because he did not know what to say towards the woman… he almost killed.
But gaining the courage to face his actions, Guard Leader Bai stood in front of the room as he gathered his resolve.
And slowly, he opened the door.
And there, he saw the woman sitting on the bed. Her golden hair shining as the sunlight coming from the window reflected on it. Her pale skin peaking through the thin clothes she was wearing.
Guard Leader Bai could not help but gulp in the view that she was seeing.
And slowly, the woman also looked at him. Her beautiful green eyes mesmerized Guard Leader Bai even further.
Guard Leader Bai was so mesmerized that he accidentally tripped, causing him to trod clumsily right beside the bed. Once again, Guard Leader Bai gulped as he saw the woman up close.
"H-how are-"
Guard Leader Bai was about to speak, but before he can do so, he felt a sting on his face as he felt himself roll a few meters back.
"W-what the…", Guard Leader Bai was shocked as he held his cheek.
"How could you even show yourself to me!?"
He then looked at the woman, who was currently shouting at him with her eyebrows furrowed, and there was a clear anger on her face.
"B-but…", Guard Leader Bai's confusion grew even bigger,
"…You called for me."
---
"Are you saying that her wound healed in just a matter of hours!?", Li Zhao was once again holding Guard Leader Bai's neck. "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable!"
"Ghuh. I…I am telling the truth!", Guard Leader Bai struggled to gather his words, "A…and after that I tried to…"
"I don't care about what happened after!", Li Zhao shouted.
"But… I haven't even gotten to the part where we fell in love", there was a playful tone in Guard Leader Bai's voice as he chuckled lightly. Revealing a mocking smirk towards Li Zhao.
This caused Li Zhao's grip to tighten as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Just tell me", there was a slight hesitation in Li Zhao's voice, "Was she pregnant?"
"W-what?", Guard Leader Bai struggles became even worse as the grip on his neck becomes even heavier.
"Was she pregnant!? Was she pregnant with my child!?"
Hearing this, Guard Leader Bai cackled. "As if… a monster like you can have a child with a goddess like her", he then slowly raised his middle finger towards Li Zhao.
Seeing this, Li Zhao immediately shouted as he raised Guard Leader Bai then slammed him to the ground.
Blood spewed from Guard Leader Bai's mouth as he bounced on the ground. He was lucky that the dirt was soft, if not, he would have died there and then.
But it seems that his suffering was not over, as before he could even recover, he heard a crunching noise.
"Gah!"
Guard Leader Bai could not help but retract and hold his hand. Li Zhao stomped on his hand, instantly breaking it.
"Answer me like that again, and your head will be next", Li Zhao's tone became cold. "Now tell me, was she not really pregnant?"
"Are you not listening!? She can't get pregnant because of what I did to her!", Guard Leader Bai howled, "The physician said that the lower parts of her body are not responding anymore!"
Li Zhao furrowed his eyebrows. So, it seems that his theories were wrong. He was worried for a second that he might have a child with a westerner. And even more so if that child was Viel.
He once again started to get angry as soon as he thought of the golden-haired boy.
"That golden-haired boy, do you know something about the death of-"
*HOOOONNKK*
But before Li Zhao can finish his question, the sound of a horn honked from a distance.
"Tch. They're calling for a regroup", Li Zhao clicked his tongue as he stared at the direction from where the sound of the horn was coming from. He then looked towards Guard Leader Bai, who was curled on the ground and wincing in pain.
"You… I am not done with you yet", Li Zhao said as he grabbed Guard Leader Bai's hair, "Try to move out from Taizhou and I will **** your crippled whore wife in front of you"
Li Zhao then once again slammed Guard Leader Bai's head to the ground, this time, knocking him out cold.
Li Zhao clicked his tongue one last time before proceeding to run towards the sound of the horn, weaving through the forest as fast as he could.
But after a while, Li Zhao could not help but stop running. He noticed that something was amiss, but he could not put a finger on it.
But then, only when he really stopped and paid attention did he notice something frightful. Being drowned by the sound of the horn, was a sound he was very familiar with.
Wailing.
Cries of pain being drowned by the loud sound of the horn.
Once again, Li Zhao ran towards the sound of the horn, but this time, he was careful, sneakily hiding behind the trees as he approached nearer to the sound.
And finally, after a minute or so, he reached a clearing in the forest.
And there, he saw a fellow disciple blowing the horn. Li Zhao was about to approach the disciple, but when the disciple noticed him coming out of the trees, the disciple quickly shook his head.
This made Li Zhao back away. But as he was backing, he accidentally tripped on something, causing him to land on his back.
"S..shit…", Li Zhao quietly cursed as he tried to regain his composure, he could not help but look at what tripped him, "S…shit"
He once again cursed as soon as he saw what it was. It was a hand. Li Zhao's breathing started to become erratic as he tried to remain calm. What exactly was happening?
He then looked at the disciple that was blowing the horn. And only when he focused did he noticed that the disciple had tears falling from his face.
And then, Li Zhao heard a tiny voice.
"Keep it up, mister!"
Li Zhao quickly looked towards the direction of the voice on the other end of the clearing. And there, a little child slowly revealed himself as he walked out of the forest.
A child he was very much familiar with.
And the child…
The child was dragging someone by his feet.