An eerie darkness had set in as Michael travelled along the road with Jason still secured on his shoulder. Exhaustion was starting to set in after hours of walking with another human weighing him down.
In the distance, he could see a light projecting from what looked to be a window. Suddenly finding a destination to rest, Michael excitedly rushed toward this glow.
5 minutes later he arrived in front of a house, well it could also be described as a shack. The cobblestone pathway was neglected and the hedges surrounding the house were overgrown. Frowning at the spooky-looking shack, he first looked at Jason unconscious on his shoulder and then shook his head in resignation.
"No choice but to take the risk" he sighed before approaching the door and knocking.
Knock Knock Knock
"Come in young man" after a moment of silence an old voice was heard from within the house. Michael was startled before cautiously turning the door handle and peeping his head inside.
Unlike the shabby outside of the house, the interior was very simple, yet elegant. Apart from a few pieces of furniture and a fireplace the room was bare.
Composing himself, Michael walked into the house and into the lounge room, the first thing he saw was the most beautiful painting he'd ever laid eyes on. It was a portrait of a young woman in a black gown with piercing green eyes and dark flowing hair. Her full red lips were pulled into a slight smirk, perfectly capturing her mischievous personality.
"That's my granddaughter Lilly" the old man stood up and walked toward Michael "She's way out of your league" he said with a chuckle.
Stunned at the beauty and realness of the painting, Michael completely forgot he was in another person's house. Realising how rude he must seem by ogling another man's granddaughter, he quickly faced the old man and bowed apologetically in embarrassment.
Jason, who was still unconscious on Michael's shoulder was flung forward towards the old man as he bowed 90 degrees. Shocked, he quickly tried to catch the flying Jason which he had just rag dolled.
"Huuup" time seemed to slow down, one moment the old man was standing still, in the next moment he had already adjusted his stance. The old man gracefully flung out a palm at Jason, aimed directly at the middle of his back. As a result, he was now suspended in mid-air.
Michael felt his jaw drop as he witnessed what seemed to be impossible, he felt the residual Qi from the palm brush against his skin "Is that old man an expert?" he asked himself in disbelief.
The old man then easily collected Jason and placed him gently on the lounge. "Young man, you must be careful around the elderly" he said with a slight grin.
After taking a moment to pick his jaw up off the ground he commented wryly in his head "Elderly my ass!"
"Apologies, Mr…"
"You can call me Grandpa Yin, everyone does"
"Grandpa Yin, my name is Michael Trist" he bowed yet again, a clear sign of respect could be seen in his eyes. "I apologise for my intrusion; we just need a place to rest for the night"
Grandpa Yin's eyes flashed unnoticeably "Could it be?" he questioned internally. He paused for a moment before shaking his head dismissively "Nonsense, stay for as long as you like. You boys have seen better days"
"T…Thank you" Michael dropped to his knees as a sense of relief overcame his tense body. A loud grumbling sound pervaded the room directly from Michael's stomach, he hadn't eaten since the night before his trip into the mountains.
"Hahahaha!" Grandpa Yin laughed heartily "I guess you'd like some food too?"
Michael rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly "Umm if you wouldn't mind".
15 minutes later Grandpa Yin came back into the lounge carrying two bowls of rice and a side of soup. Michael quickly stood up and thanked him profusely, he waited until Grandpa Yin had taken a seat before beginning to elegantly use his chopsticks, taking a small bite at a time.
"Hahaha young man, don't stand on ceremony" he was greatly amused by Michael's feigned manners that did not match his image.
He added "What do you take my hospitality for?" giving a plain smile.
Michael hesitated for a moment before giving in to his usual nature, shovelling huge amounts of rice into his face in quick succession.
Grandpa Yin chuckled fondly as he watched on "Reminds me of myself in my youth" he thought.
"So what brings you two to this humble one's abode?" he asked with a friendly smile.
Michael finished the last bit of his rice before placing his chopsticks neatly on the table and looked up at Grandpa Yin. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary old man. Short in stature, he had long bushy eyebrows and a lengthy beard framed his face, while the green piercing eyes could hardly be seen behind the excessive wrinkles.
"M…my whole village was destroyed by something" he hesitated for a moment before looking at the old man smiling nicely. Were it not for the fact he had witnessed his abilities first-hand he would have mistaken this old fox for a decrepit elderly man.
Grandpa Yin's smile hardened as he heard this piece of information. He walked over to the chair opposite Michael and sat down comfortably "It's okay, you're safe here now. Tell me from the start".
As if a floodgate was opened Michael began telling his story from the past 2 days. Grandpa Yin sat patiently and listened to all his words, never interrupting and merely nodding in affirmation.
Michael reached the part where he found his family's corpses burnt and left to die and was hit with a wild burst of Qi. He suddenly felt as if he had been lowered into the icy depths of hell as a strong killing intent enveloped his body. In shock, he quickly looked up to see Grandpa Yin with a ferocious look on his face. Cracks could be heard as his body fought against the pressure.
"G…Grandpa Y..Y..Yin what are you doing?" horrified, Michael stuttered