Trigger warning: Blood, child abuse, torture
Inside the pagoda, on the fourth floor, the metallic, tangy smell of blood pervaded the room. The stone floor was soaked with blood, and in the center of the room, four children lay on the ground, motionless.
At first glance they seemed like they were dead. Their eyes were like glass beads: hollow and emotionless. Their wrists had been slit with a knife, and their blood was slowly dripping unto the ground.
On one side of the room stood a large bed, elevated on a marble platform that glistened under the dim lighting. On the bed there lay a young girl, who looked like she was about three or four years old.
The young girl had black hair, strewn across her pillow like threads of yarn, and her skin was paler than paper. She was laying on top of a crimson colored blanket, the sharp contrast of bright red and pale white skin became more obvious.
Her eyes were closed, but she was not sleeping. No, she wasn't even breathing.
By her side stood a young teenager wearing dark purple robes embroidered with golden phoenixes and silver clouds. The young teenager was handsome, but his temperament was like a block of ice that refused to melt under the sun.
He had well-defined features and rosy red lips, but a cruel sneer tainted the corner of his lips. He watched, with apathy and unfeeling eyes, as the children on the ground slowly bled to death.
If Feng Yongrui was here right now, he would probably shout in surprise, because he had met this youth before. At that time, the youth had been a young child with an arrogant air about him.
His name was Xiang Si.
Xiang Si, the little boy that Feng Yongrui had met when he was destroying the robbers' stronghold... The boy who was not afraid of the robbers, and, unlike his peers, did not cry when the robbers kidnapped him... It was that Xiang Si.
Xiang Si lifted one hand and caressed the young girl's cheeks. His arrogant demeanor softened and he pursed his lips.
"Xiao Hua..." He whispered, his voice soft and mellow. "Don't worry... I will do everything I can to save you... When the time comes, I'll get my revenge on those people too..."
The young girl, of course, did not answer. She was nothing but a corpse, and her body was ice cold. Her body had been preserved with magic, so it did not rot or smell even after so many years.
Seeing her unresponsive state, Xiang Si was hit with a wave of melancholy and depression. It was like a giant wave, surging and swallowing him in bitterness. Xiang Si wanted to cry, but he had no tears...
"Xiao Hua, do you still remember the good old days?" He whispered.
Xiang Si's thoughts drifted to their childhood. They both were orphans, beggars with no sense of identity or purpose in the world... But they had that instinct to survive, to live and go through each day.
Xiang Si was older than Xiao Hua by about 4 or 5 years. The two of them didn't know their real ages, of course, and they didn't even have names. The two of them eventually named themselves, and their relationship was like brother and sister.
Even though their lives were hard and food was scarce, the two managed to survive and live -- they even made some pleasant memories. Running through the town together as they fled from bad people... Playing with water in the river during summer...
Life was not the best, but because they had each other, it was okay.
"But why... why do good things end so quickly?" Xiang Si whispered, his voice filled with unspeakable emotions.
He still remembered that day. To be honest, he always hated himself for remembering it so clearly. If only his memories were worse, then he wouldn't have to torture himself with nightmares and memories of their separation.
He had just found a steamed bun in the trash can, a whole steam bun discarded by someone. It was slightly dirty, but it could be considered a feast for beggars like them. He had teased Xiao Hua, telling her that they had a lot to eat that day, so she would probably get chubby soon.
Xiao Hua had laughed cheekily and told him, "Even if I get chubbier, I know you will still love me~"
Of course he would!
The two of them had just finished eating, and he wanted to go to the toilet. Oh, how he wished he never went! He was just gone for a short while, and when he returned, she was gone.
He thought she was playing a prank, so he did not mind it. However, he was gravely wrong. She was really gone. Where did she go? What had happened? He searched and scoured and wrecked the entire town to find her traces, but he did not find a single hair.
Then he heard rumors. Rumors of children being kidnapped by robbers; no one knew what fate awaited the children.
Xiang Si was a nobody. He could not confront the robbers. He had no skills, no wealth, and no name.
But he had guts. He had determination. And most of all, he was a child.
He let the robbers "kidnap" him too. He was brought to their stronghold and saw Xiao Hua's markings on the cave wall. It was their secret code. Xiang Si was now sure that his little sister had been kidnapped by these robbers.
All the other children around him were crying. Most of them had been taken away from their parents and were terrified of the future that awaited them.
Xiang Si was not afraid. He had no future as a beggar, anyway.
He was just worried about his sister.
He took his time waiting, waiting for the robbers to make their move. After all, the cave where they were held was not the robbers' real stronghold. He wanted to know what the robbers would do. When he found his sister, he would use any means to help her escape.
But life never goes as planned.
That day, three cultivators burst into the robbers' stronghold and attacked the robbers. His plan had failed. The other children were returned to their homes, and those cultivators asked him where his home was.
Where was his home? He had no home! He only had his little sister, and now, she was gone too!
Xiang Si felt angry and annoyed at the cultivators for ruining his plans. He wondered if he should ask them for help, but he decided against it.
"Never trust anyone."
That was the best thing you could do to protect yourself in this cruel world. Xiang Si did not mention anything about his sister to the cultivators. When they had left him, he had rushed back to the mountain to search for his sister...
Thousands of things happened after that... He found out that his sister had died, and of course, he was furious.
He searched high and low for the master-mind, and throughout these years, he cultivated day in and day out, all for the sake of getting stronger.
He had to get revenge -- for himself, and for his sister.
When he did find the master-mind, however, he was still too weak. Now, what was he? Nothing but a pawn...
Xiang Si shook his head and cleared his thoughts. 'That person' had promised to bring Xiao Hua back to life. In exchange, Xiang Si would have to complete the tasks given by 'that person'.
According to 'that person', the only way to revive his dead sister was by using a forbidden technique made by the Demonic Cultivators... And to execute this technique, they needed the blood of young children...
Xiang Si was disgusted. Using the blood of children to do this kind of thing? What kind of human being would do something like this?
But then he remembered his sister. He remembered Xiao Hua -- her smile, her laughter, and how she died because of some obnoxious person's experiments!
Xiang Si steadied his emotions. Life was really... a tragedy. Fate was ironic.
When he was young, his sister had been kidnapped and killed. Now, what was he doing?
He was kidnapping children, torturing them, and extracting their blood -- wasn't he the same as the people who killed his sister?
"It's different," He told himself. "Those people were doing experiments on children. As for me, I'm doing this to save my sister."
Deep down in his heart, he knew he was lying to himself. There were times when he felt revolted at himself, times when he wanted to cry, run away and forget everything.
But he had come this far. It was too late to turn back.
Over time, the tiny voice screaming in his heart was put out like a tiny flame doused with cold water.
Only apathy remained.
Xiang Si had done everything 'that person' ordered him to do. He kidnapped children from rural towns by inserting Gu worms inside their brain so that he could control them. The Gu worm was not 100% perfect, but it was enough to control the children. He locked them up and extracted their blood every single day.
Children with spirit roots were more resilient and their blood could be extracted for several weeks. As long as the children did not die, he could continuously take their blood.
He didn't care what methods were used. He didn't care when the children were screaming or begging.
"I just want you to open your eyes," Xiang Si whispered.
Xiang Si held his sister's cold hand and closed his eyes, imagining a day when his sister would open her eyes.
"Soon..." He whispered.
Soon.
***
This chapter was quite depressing. What are your thoughts on Xiang Si?
Comment below~