A female voice pierces through an open window, calling out the old man as...Father."Father, father! Are you inside?"She tapped the window lightly. Feeling unusual today, she unlocked the door with an extra key."Father—OH MY LORD!FATHER, WHO IS THIS KID?!"She expressed true terror in her eyes, seeing the young Mufeng covered in blood.
"Zen Huo Nie, introduce yourself properly. Kid, this is my daughter, Zen Huo Nie. And you are?"Needless to say, she was nervous. He knew very well that they could be one of "her" subordinates, but he was getting desperate and needed a way to make it through this mess."Mu...Mufeng.Yu Mufeng."
"Ah...you speak of the erroneously accused. You must be their only child...you poor boy."Huo Nie was unsure about a lot of things, but just how did her father receive the news so quickly?"Father. How do you know of the criminals?...The matter is yet to be disclosed."
"I have my ways, Huo Nie."He then turns to Mufeng with a strict look on his face."I also know you've previously just killed the two guards dispatched to your home, but...I won't punish you."Zen Huo Nie,
being one of the head palace guards, is flabbergasted."FATHER, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! YOU'RE DEFENDING A CRIMINAL!"
"My child, if you really are willing to take him back to the palace with you, then you fail to understand all I've taught you. Teaching you was pointless if that is how you choose to see the world."She pouts,
knowing she can never counter-argue her father.
It doesn't matter even if he's keeping a criminal or anyone else who could cost her life; she has no choice but to follow his teachings and stay true to them."He has killed and should pay a price for those lives, is that not right?"He does not respond, but he does begin to boil some tea.
"Assumptions have never led to anything good. Whether you're right or wrong, it doesn't matter in the end. You have still chosen to go with a fragment and picture it better than the whole puzzle."
"Murder is indeed unforgivable. However, splattered blood has its methods of revelation. Despite those guards' death, do you really think a kid like him would commit such a treacherous crime for no subtle reason?"She sighed and sat down, glaring at Mufeng.
He did not even notice; he adored the old man's words far too much to care."Oh? Ahahaha, I see you've taken a liking to how I lecture this little rascal of a daughter! I apologize for blabbering so much in the afternoon. Please, do wait for a while as your new sister prepares your bath."
"WHA? I'M SUPPOSED TO—"He looks at her firmly, forcing her to prepare the bath shortly."Hey, kid.
Get in the bath, quickly. Before I change my mind and knock you out on the spot."
"ZEN HUO NIE."The old man screams at her from the kitchen, which frightens her. As Mufeng enters the bath, the same voice from earlier starts jabbering again."(Hey, looks like you found yourself a temporary settlement. That's good, that's good...but that Zen Huo Nie...should we just get rid of her?"
"No. Let older sister be, she genuinely tried to follow master's orders."
"(Oh, so you call him master now? Well, I suppose I can deem him respectable enough...)"
"I just...I feel a little confused, you know? What am I supposed to do now that my family is gone?... And General Feng?... I'm all alone again..."
"(You're not. You have me, and I can assure you that even if you left Wu city entirely, I'd still be able to confront those reverities to work for you.)"
"That's not what I...I just—"
"(We have two goals in mind, kid. Revenge and searching for your previous trainer for an answer. That's all your life's purpose now.)"
"My...purpose..."
"(Kid. I can't help you and your lost cause of an existence, but your goals, I can help you achieve. They don't call me Repentant Retaliation for nothing, you know?)"
"I guess so..."
"(You're a strong kid. You didn't cry throughout the whole ordeal, even as your parents spent their final moments in front of you.)"
"I'm...not that strong."
"(Someday, you'll realize you're not so similar to the others, nor that different. Trick yourself all you want, but when the time comes, you'll imminently conclude that I wasn't so wrong.)"
The voice stops talking, and he abruptly walks out of the bath. Feeling upset, he wore the clothes that Huo Nie had lent him. It was her clothes, but it didn't seem so feminine...it fits perfectly, too.
"Ah, you're done bathing?... Alright, go ahead and take a seat near big sister. Feel free to pick whatever you want."He sits with them, chatting alongside Mufeng."Zen Huo Nie. How come you came home early; did the empress allow you to take your leave."
"Mhm!"Like a toddler, she's just shoving everything she can up her mouth. How childish...
"Zen Huo Nie, how many times have I told you to stop talking when your mouth is full?"He smacks her with his chopsticks, and she scoffs."But you asked me!"
"Doesn't matter, at least swallow your food before you respond. We have a guest over, how could you act like that! Silly child, just because you're 16 now doesn't mean you can let go of your morals."She crosses her arms in a grimace, but she does not dare make it visible as so.
"Kid...how old are you?12?13?"He answers timidly."12..."
She lifts herself from her chair, surprised."EH?!THAT YOUNG, AND YOU ALREADY MANAGED TO—"
The old man bangs on the table, and she dismisses herself as she sits back down."Young man. You need to control your anger. Wielding Repentant Retaliation is a heavy burden."
"...Father, he wields?..."He nods, as her gaze shifts from irritated to sympathetic. She could only try and understand his situation at the moment. How can but two words cause so much impact amongst people's views?
"Kid, you can explain now."She finally opens her ears to him, willing to listen. The old man smiles, and now knows that she has finally realized her mistake."You should have been able to guess by now."
"Well, you should've told me earlier..."He puts down his chopsticks and pinches her nose."OW OW OW! FORGIVE ME FATHER-PLEASE LET GO!"He lets go, showing scorn in his eyes."If you observed well enough and did not see him as yet another criminal, then maybe I wouldn't have to tell you."
"Um...could I start now?"
Both of them freeze in place, but rush to fix themselves."Go on, kid."The man looks unimpressed by his daughter's way of approaching Mufeng, but he soon brushes it off.
After explaining, things start to tangle up a bit. The old man puts himself to sleep on a mattress beside them and pretends to be asleep. In reality, he is just simply eavesdropping on all the details.
"So, you're looking for General Feng? Your previous master, huh...maybe I can help you with that. General Feng is currently out of bounds though, he's been sent to the Qin city to investigate Xie Fan and Ge Cao's whereabouts. I'm guessing you already know this?"
"What did Auntie Xie Fan and Uncle Ge Cao do to deserve this?..."
"You're too clueless to even know Repentant, how did you manage to even control it? Hmph, whatever. Can't be helped...but, you know Xie Fan and Ge Cao, as expected. I'm surprised you've already forgotten the main reason why her royal highness went after your family. They had connections with that wretched couple."
"But, what did they do??..."
"Frozen Forlorn. That sword art was quite impeccably one of the most useless ones in the past, but then Ge Cao came in and revealed its true potential. Who would have known it was the most powerful one, just cloaked in a layer of weakness as a disguise..."
"Frozen Forlorn? What's that? I only know Repentant Retaliation and Cataclysmic Configuration..."
"I'm surprised you don't know the last one. Well, considering it's heavily underestimated, I take that back."
"...So, Auntie and Uncle is the reason for all this?..."
"I suppose so. I'm sorry kid, but it's the cruel truth."
"But...but...—"
"It's a lot to take in, but you have to resist the anger."
Mufeng attempts to calm himself, hyperventilating in the process."Don't worry it's all—KID!HEY, CALM DOWN!FATHER, WAKE UP! THE KID'S AT RISK!"The old man turns himself towards them and stands up, running towards Mufeng. He attempts to calm his inner self using his martial arts;
secluding all the anger inside him.
"Don't worry kid, you'll be alright...calm yourself, don't let it take over!" Zen Huo Nie also assists her father, straining herself with overuse of martial arts...
[To be continued in the next chapter, please be patient for the next one. Thank you for reading.]