And so the cycle begins once more.
Treading out into the world new. An adolescent with his entire life ahead of him.
Just the beginning, yet it was already over. For his soul was no longer his. Torn and split from his body, he wanders the mountains without consciousness as a pebble lives on in his place.
Each step he took a nightmare, within this body strange and unknown, everything he once knew grew foreign. Countless times he found himself tripping and falling, cursing and wreathing, but with each fall with a smile ever so bright, once more he'd stand to continue on.
Steeling his heart, relentless he skips and jumps. Moving step by step, without fail, to at last leave these accursed mountains.
10,000 years, but he was free once more. Released from his shackles. Occupying a human container, a single pebble sang.
Songs of virtue there were countless, however, songs in relation to the legend of judgment. There was only one.
A song of blessings to bless the landscape and seek protection. A song of Gods, genuine beauty in words.
Undying his will alone was eternal.
However, as time always has, to destroy the hopes of many, serenity fades, and boredom consumes greatness. Thus after this time aloofness enters the world to experience the world new.
Walking once more to pass judgment.
True talent graces the world with knowledge. To set the bar higher, to destroy the rules and laws. That was his cause, his virtue, and his creed.
"Talent, wealth, and virtue. Enjoy life while you still can, to ruin my fun, life shall find itself rendered meaningless."
With his head held high, Gong Fu Yong laughed.
Challenging himself, risking his life for further power. Testing the limits of this body, Gong Fu Yong climbed higher and higher, traversing the mountain peaks. Exhilaration. A joy he had not felt in eras, as it seemed what felt like mere moments was in fact countless hours.
Gong Fu Yong's body tired, and his feet aching, yet continuing on, running faster, and faster, and traversing higher, and higher.
Before long, his efforts pay off and stumbling along. A path unkept reveals itself to the world.
Lone scholar enters a world new. A crazed journey, filled with chaos and mischief, however even in this body foreign he had done it. Surely in this life, luck was on Gong Fu Yong's side.
A safe journey with no demons or beasts to be seen. Danger at every corner, yet he made it.
Peaking further through the mountains, having traversed far and wide. A young scholar comes upon this point, standing before a river translucent.
His jaw dropped in complete awe. Looking to his left, river, and looking to his right there too was the river, how far this river spread he did not know, however truly this sight was grand and awe-inspiring.
Following this path unkept, behind him, the rocky outcrop of mountains soon disappeared from sight, and before him a view new, a wide river flowing over kilometers countless.
Glancing upon the river, Gong Fu Yong moved forward. His journey long, and his path wretched, Gong Fu Yong's throat burnt, and from below, a grand thirst arose. A thirst so daring it wished to gulp even the soil and fish.
Engrossed in drinking, Gong Fu Yong no longer thought. Focusing all his attention on drinking alone.
And thus, he was defenseless. A little rabbit drinking at the river's edge. Truly a disturbing sight to behold.
Walking a path unkept there were changes. Unkept yet walked. A path of strangers. So as he drank, it was only expected that soon enough an unfamiliar face soon appeared beside him.
With no impending sign of battle, Gong Fu Yong only glanced up for a second to see an aged man fishing beside him before continuing on. Looking back down to quench his thirst.
The old fisherman seemed to have a troubled expression, but watching Gong Fu Yong drink relentlessly, he knew at this point no words could ever reach him, and so instead of making a ruckus he cast out his rod.
With a stomach bursting, Gong Fu Yong had finally managed to subside his stomach's unyielding thirst for water.
Looking out, with a smile wide. Gong Fu Yong laughed heartily. His life was bright, such delight brought by self-destruction. To explore without reason, pushing his human body beyond its limits, this was the genuine joy of life.
Heartily run's crazed, and before long an elderly voice rang, "Youngin' these days the rivers aren't as safe as they used to be. It would sure be best for you to depart immediately, for when they come, even I won't be able to save you then."
A sudden jolt to his heart, Gong Fu Yong, awoke from his self-indulgence in fear. Turning to his side, inside his head, he cursed: "This old man! Why is he still here? Was he waiting for me, and 'when they come?' Ahh... My head hurts."
Shaking his head, almost abruptly Gong Fu Yong stands, bows, and turns around, before running away into the distance.
Watching Gong Fu Yong's leaving body, this aged man opened his mouth to speak, but in the end said nothing, sitting back down to continue fishing.
Escaping tens of kilometers away, along the riverside, a youthful man breathed a sigh.
Looking left and right, of course, this man was Gong Fu Yong checking his surroundings.
At this point in time: Gong Fu Yong was still defenseless, a mere pebble inhabiting a human's body, danger, he could only try his earnest to avoid it, thus it led him to this decision.
To run away from danger. This was Gong Fu Yong's path.
"The further the better. Continuing on seems to be my best choice of action. Along the river, life resides. Somewhere there must be a town or else why would the real Gong Fu Yong cross the mountains, and where would that old man have come from?"
Leaving behind the fishermen, Gong Fu Yong could only continue on, with his stomach bursting, having been recently filled with water for now at least he did not have to worry about food, however soon the sun shall set, and the world shrouded in darkness.
The first real predicament of this life. For now, he had only two options, to find a village and reside there for the night, or his second option to live amongst the predators becoming one with the night.
Out of the two, only the first held virtue. Occupying a scholar's body, he had no strength, surely to become one with the night and live upon the predators could only be seen as courting death.
Walking along the river's edge in the distance, buildings of tall stature one at a time entered Gong Fu Yong's view.
Only two hours had passed. The night was near, yet Gong Fu Yong didn't continue any further. In the north laid the mountains, and in the south, the river.
Easy going, yet Gong Fu Yong never pushed himself into idiocy. The reality was he was trapped.
Pushing off course, Gong Fu Yong entered the mountains once more.
His situation was precarious, with one wrong step even his life was at stake. Thus, from afar, Gong Fu Yong watched.
Like a predator stalking his prey, Gong Fu Yong watched in complete silence. Until they revealed all their secrets, Gong Fu Yong couldn't move. To accept such a bet, he couldn't do it. It went against his inborn nature.
And so as the daylight dwindled away, Gong Fu Yong, with a scheming smile, entered the darkness.
One with the darkness, Gong Fu Yong got down on all fours. One with nature: To live amongst the darkness, one would first have to grasp the mindset of a beast.
Hence, Gong Fu Yong's body changed, and soon enough his once human body resembled a pitch-black beast sprawled on the ground.
Option two, the path shrouded in darkness. This was Gong Fu Yong's choice after much consideration.
Dangerous, and perhaps idiotic, yet to Gong Fu Yong option two was the only path viable.
Growling insidiously, Gong Fu Yong became one with the night.
His stomach empty, and with his fangs exposed, a wild Gong Fu Yong enters the wilderness.
It was dazzling. A pebble, controlling a human, whilst imitating a tiger. Truly such a sight it was blinding.
Scurrying around Gong Fu Yong disappears into the darkness.
Prowling the mountains, a foul beast moved as stealthily as a cat, lying hidden in the mountain shrubs.
Glancing around with each movement, new insights. Tracks appear.
Four excessively large paw prints trail off deep into the mountains.
With each step, and with each impending second, this rabid beast grew closer and closer.
RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Nearby a lion's roar rang out, establishing dominance over the domain. To fight the king, nay! To fight a lion was pure insanity, yet this beast moved only forward.
An unceasing lust for blood. A battle of kings would soon begin.
A cavern, hidden deep within the mountains. From a distance, two bright red eyes pierce out from the brush.
Coming this far, the beast continues no further, lurking in the shadows, it only sits, awaiting the perfect chance to strike.
Deep inside the cavern, low growls ring out. Roar's traverse up along the mountains, reaching in the ears of all animals, and predators alike.
However, it was low. A roar of dread and fluster. Mighty and awe-inspiring no more, for now all that rang out were the disturbed groans of an animal injured.
Attracted by roars of an injured animal, beasts soon flood the cavern. As time passed the beasts entering grew fewer and fewer. With each entrance, they added a new assortment of deathly roars to the list of the deceased.
And soon enough, no beast or sound rang out. Like a funeral for the deceased, the cavern was dead silent.
Stepping out of the darkness, a beast shrouded in darkness enters a cavern.
Entering a cavern of skulls and flesh, the beast grins. Walking past the dead, a tiger misshapen, with a hunched back low on the ground, sneaks around, crawling, and peering further into the cavern.
In his eyes, as dark as the void, a female lion lays in a pool of blood enters.
Intelligence. To push others to death, thus weakening a common enemy. To do nothing and still partake in the harvest, such a thing... Traversed beyond beastly intelligence.
Crawling closer, the beast pounces, and with a swift movement of his paw, crushes the lion's throat. Her eyes grow dark, and her irises fade into nothing. She was dead.
A beast savage. From the moment of death, tearing piece by piece, this foul creature devoured a lion. However, unquestionably this creature of bizarre stature could only belong to Gong Fu Yong.
Standing up to leave, Gong Fu Yong turned back, entering the depths of the cavern with a thought to mind: "Humans die for wealth, birds die for food, and kings perish only for their offspring."
"To truly become aloof, one must first harness countless legs and arms," Gong Fu Yong laughed heartlessly, as he looked deep inside the cave. Glancing upon four newborn lion cubs.
Their eyes filled with hate and despair.
Looking down, Gong Fu Yong grinned, revealing a mouthful of bloodied teeth.
"Yes, yes. You heard right. I killed your mother, so now what are you going to do about it?" Blatantly admitting to his sins, Gong Fu Yong spoke down to the lion cubs.
Natural kings, yet they were powerless.
There mother dead, and the man that killed her right before them, yet they were powerless, growling out, they mourned their mother's death.
"I have a proposition for you all, follow me, then at least you can live out your mother's will. And who knows, perhaps one day the lions I fed and raised, will one day exceed me, and I'll find myself dead."
No path left, these cubs were left for dead. Now they could only rely on him, moving closer and bowing before Gong Fu Yong.
Smiling brightly, Gong Fu Yong muttered, "..."