"Instructor Gang Lang fought bravely. Like a tiger defending his cubs, he tried to protect the two young masters at all costs," I spoke softly, lying on the treatment bed, looking so weak that even the people standing beside me were too afraid to touch my 'fragile' body.
Bandaged all over while being cared by 4 carefully chosen maids of Gang family, that was my current state. An old woman, who looked like she might die at any moment, was in charge of making medicine to cure my wounds. She was the best medicine master the family had.
"Ack- cough! cough!!"
"Be careful, brave Fang, you mustn't move your body so soon. Rest easy, we can hear about what happened after you recover a little bit," Gang family's only young miss, Gang Bing spoke gently. In her eyes, I was cultivator Benfang, a lonely warrior who had no one in this cruel world.
I came to this town four months ago, in search of my long lost brother. Yes, the one that I'd shared bowls with; the brother I'd failed to stop from leaving. Indeed, THAT brother without whom I was like a fallen petal in autumn winds, like drifting sand at Shang's ends...
I saw it in her eyes. That pity, that care, that understanding... she wanted to help me; to do something for a broken man like me.
"No, I must say. I must pass on the words of instructor Lang to everyone present here. I- cough! cough!!, I-it's something he'd entrusted me with," I 'stubbornly' continued speaking, even trying to lightly move my body.
Oh heavens! What if I broke my bones?
The maids in the room gasped and miss Bing tightly held my bandaged hand.
It was safe to say that my acting was flawless. Even the backstory I'd come up with was touching enough to make married women cry in front of their children.
"There were six attackers; three of them at fifth rank, two of them at sixth rank, and a woman at 8th rank. Yes, that tall woman who somehow managed to escape the respected elders," muttering slowly, I glanced at the red robed men sitting half a metre ahead of me.
Shame was written all over their faces. They couldn't capture a woman one stage lower than them. What good even were they?
"Although our forces were not low in number, the difference in cultivation was just too big. Even so, we resisted. I won't lie here, at one point I just wanted to run away. I am an outsider, why should I put myself at risk? I'd thought,
"However, when I looked at the two young masters, I just couldn't let myself be such a coward. If a trained practitioner such as me didn't help young people, then what good would the world be? How would the younger generation improve? They hadn't even started truly training their body yet. It would be unfair to die without even trying..."
A few sneezes were heard in the room after I said that. They were the families of the fallen practitioners in today's battle, mourning for their sons' deaths. Their eyes were red from crying too much.
'Ah, and to think that I'm the one who killed their sons...' I wondered how they would butcher me if only they knew.
"Instructor Lang," I continued, "and I teamed up to confront that woman. The brave rank 5 practitioners tried to take down the two rank 6 attackers; two of them going for each one. Our other warriors tried to overpower the remaining three rank 5 practitioners with greater numbers. But alas, the woman - the one called Lingling - sided up with the attackers!" I looked genuinely angry this time.
In the room, a few of the elders started arguing.
"I knew it! We shouldn't have let a woman be a part of this," one small-minded fellow started.
"Such audacity! Do these people think of our family as a pushover?"
"I told you! I told you we should've deployed high ranking guards! But you people mocked me by saying, 'who has the guts to kill our men?' Have you seen who has the guts now? Have you seen enough?!"
"Elder Yue, calm down. We didn't think this woul-"
"With blood! They'll pay for what they've done, tenfold with their blood!"
Soon, the hotminded fellows followed. The room started filling with the sounds of men shouting and women crying. What a boring sight... Oh, what a sad sight. I just couldn't look any longer and turned my attention to young miss Bing.
For a pampered girl of a powerful family, she really didn't look that pretty. If I'm to be honest, her looks were below average, ugly even.
Why did I assume all young misses would be beautiful and... stocky? That was sexist of me, I felt a bit of shame.
Miss Bing, her heart was really pure and sincere. She hadn't experienced the touch of a man and harshness of men yet. Seventeen, she was coming of age this year. Soon, talks of marriage would enter her ears. One by one, suitors would come to visit from other places; not because of her face, but because of the family's 'face'.
Making relationship with one of the powerful family here would make it easier for merchants to trade in Pinchu town.
"Mr. Benfang, I- " she tried to speak.
Her crooked nose and slightly chubby chin didn't match her silky long hair. Her forehead was bigger than most girls' her age and her topaz eyes were way smaller than Lingling's.
Truly, the heavens did injustice upon her, for not only her face, even her body was undesirable.
And yet, her voice was like the best melody I'd ever heard. When she spoke; it was chopin to my ears. [1]
"Miss Bing, why did you pause?" I asked, squeezing her soft hands (as the hands of pampered girls tend to be).
"Did they really take my cousins alive?"
The lamp burning at one end of the room flickered. The sun was about to set again. The men shouting went outside one by one, taking their arguments to a more appropriate place. This was the living area of medicine master. They couldn't trouble the poor old woman.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. They did not kill the young masters. Perhaps they have another goal, like demanding ransom in exchange for the young masters' lives. I don't think they'll go this far just for money, though. Huff, it's best not to think too much now. I'm sure the elders will find a way," I sighed, glancing at the women who had also started to leave.
Soon, only me, Gang Bing, medicine master, and the four maids were left in the room.
"Young missy, it is time for him to take the evening's pill," said the old woman, coming towards us with a green bottle on her quivering hand. Hunched over, her wrinkled face was slightly hidden by the white hairs that cascaded down her hanging cheeks.
As she came, the wooden floor creaked due to the pressure given by her short walking stick.
"Go! Go! Let this old woman handle the wounds. Ahhh, his head has been hurt badly, you shouldn't stress him too much," said she. Her voice was hoarse, complete opposite of Gang Bing's heavenly vocals.
"If there's something I can help to-"
"Young miss, master Shan was looking for you earlier," speaking slowly, the old woman smiled. It was a regular smile that strained her loose facial muscles.
I stopped holding Gang Bing's hand and she stood up. Saying "alright," she exited the room. It was a regular alright that she'd learned to use every so often.
[1]. Not the man himself but his music.