It was nightfall.
This darkness was an aspect of life that Huanzhi knew exceptionally well after being an assassin for almost thirty-seven years. He was an unknown man. Barely anyone knew his true name. But, everyone knew his alias. The Unknown Swordsman. A man who had killed twelve-hundred warriors in his life and was considered to be the cause of the King, Qinluo's death twelve years ago. He was renowned as a hardened veteran warrior and a man who was as reclusive as a hermit.
But in recent months, he had had a fall from grace. His arm had been completely incapacitated by a warrior who had challenged him a while ago from the Kanling sect. Thanks to his humiliating loss against an opponent almost twenty years his junior, the Unknown Swordsman legend had lost its face and Huanzhi became rather an object of ridicule instead of a great, mystical, handsome - how he usually describes himself - and powerful warrior. His brothers-in-arms saw him as a has-been. Warriors years his junior treated him like dirt. He despised his life.
Worst of all, there was nothing he could do to change it.
Until his closest acquaintance, a traveling companion, came up to him one night with a plan that would restore the face to Huanzhi's fate. At least, that's what Huanzhi and his acquaintance believed at that point in their lives.
"Huanzhi! Huanzhi! I have been searching for you for almost six hours. Where have you been, brother?" Suntao asked of Huanzhi. He was The Unknown Swordsman's junior by a year, but the two had been almost identical since the start of their lives. They were both abandoned at a young age and Zhi, being one year older, eventually grew into the role of "Elder Brother" for Suntao.
"Oh... Sorry to keep you waiting in suspense like that, Suntao. I was in the forest practicing my technique. I've been working on creating the greatest sword style in all the land. I have combined every technique that I have seen in my wide travels of the martial arts world into one single sword style. The Soul of the Unknown Swordsman. I have the utmost belief that if I were able to have complete control of this maimed right arm once again, I would become the most powerful swordsman in the lands after practicing for one final year."
"Brother! That may yet be possible! You may regain control of that 'crippled' arm of yours." Suntao smiled as soon as his mouth enunciated the words "crippled arm." He knew that Zhi hated when people called any part of him "crippled, " and as such, Suntao knew just how to rile him up.
"Who are you calling cripple, you damnable little prick? I swear I would beat you half to death with my left fist if I didn't want to listen to what you have to say so badly. Come on then, out with it." Huanzhi snarled in a menacing tone towards Suntao. He stared him down and made Suntao slightly go pale. Of course, Suntao was used to this sort of treatment. It was how Brother Zhi had always been. Hard-headed, dense, and an absolute dolt. Then again, this is just how Suntao viewed him.
I couldn't discern if Huanzhi was either an extremely intelligent fool or just a damnably lucky genius if you gave me ten thousand years to sit and ponder. But enough about my opinion and trivial thoughts like that.
Suntao nodded rapidly after hearing of Brother Zhi's impatience. "I know for a fact about something truly important hidden within the great halls of the Kanling sect. They have been veiling something that could shake the martial arts world to its core."
"And what might that be, pray tell, Suntao?" Huanzhi spoke with an air of mocking dramatism to combat Suntao's air of grandiose acting skills in suspense. Huanzhi stared into Suntao's eyes as if he were searching for something in them. Suntao spoke, stammering, in reply.
"Huanzhi. I have heard of the greatest pill ever created. The Qi Mastery Pill. One of only two in existence. Oh, don't scoff at me. Come now, Huanzhi. Listen. At least you can have some slim hopes for fixing your maimed arm. It would provide you with so much Qi energy that your arm would be able to recover in a matter of days. You would also gain the Qi mastery of the equivalent of eighty-nine years of cultivation in isolation training."
"Eighty-nine years!? Isn't that a little excessive? Wouldn't somebody die from the overload of Qi?" Huanzhi exclaimed in surprise and clasped his forehead. If this pill truly existed, Huanzhi would become the greatest warrior in ever walk the martial arts world if he could ingest it. But what if he were to have a Qi reflux? He would die on the spot. Controlling one year's worth of Qi was a hard enough task for the average cultivator.
Then again, for the trained veteran warrior Huanzhi... It was still a hard enough task. Ha! Did you truly believe I would make it easy for this little prick? He might be the main character, but he is still a noisy, obnoxious, and irksome old fart. He's only forty-six mind you, but his brain is built like one of those perverted, ancient bastards who prey on the young.
Suntao shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "It depends if you make it out of the Kanling sect alive in the first place, Zhi. If you make it out, I assume you'll be one of the greatest warriors. If not, you'll just be dead. You've already lived a quite full and rewarding life. Would it truly hurt to throw it away in hopes of greatness?"
Huanzhi matter-of-factly stared at Suntao as he enunciated a loud, "Are you kidding me, idiot? Of course, it would hurt to throw my life away. Are you insane? Go die yourself instead of trying to send me on a suicidal rampage." Suntao laughed for a moment and then placed a hand on Huanzhi's shoulder. "I take it we leave in a few moments?"
"You know me too well. I wish I had somebody new to trust. Off we go then, brother!" Zhi's serious tone changed to a grin and a chuckling joke-like mannerism.
Suntao laughed and the two set off for Mount Kanling. Mount Kanling was situated far from Chu Province and Nihei City. The Kanling sect was located at a cliff jutting off one of the Kanling Mountain Range's lower mountains. It was a secluded but incredibly large sect for its small wealth. The only thing worth keeping around in that sect was the Great Blue Lotus Hall.
Also, why in the world is everything "Great" in these sorts of novels? There's never just a Blue Lotus Hall or a White Rose Hall. It's always "Great Jade" this and "Heavenly Great" that. For once in my life, I'd like to see a damn Wuxia hall that is not great. I wonder if such a place even exists. In any case, moving right along.
Once the duo arrived, Suntao set out to scout the area before Zhi would battle for the pill. His eyes focused on the world around him and he rounded the perimeter thrice before returning to Zhi. "Twenty disciples are standing on sentry duty within. I believe there are also more underground in the 'Great Blue Lotus Hall'."
God, I hate that name...
"Alright, Suntao. Let's head out." Zhi leaped from his high ground position overlooking the sect and descended softly on the wall of the sect. Two guards stood next to him, baffled.
"Who the hell are you?" Yelled the one on the right. Before another word could be uttered, Zhi slammed his palm into the disciple's throat, knocking him from atop the walls and sending him to his demise from a four-story height.
"Die, assassin!" Yelled the other. He unsheathed his blade and slashed thrice in a sort of X-like manner and then finally ended with a sidelong kick in Zhi's general direction.
"Too sloppy, you fool." Zhi growled as he dodged. The blade whiffed around him for the first three blows and as the disciple kicked, Zhi grabbed his foot and pulled it towards him. The man yelped in fear, not yet in pain but knowing exactly how Zhi would proceed. Huanzhi grinned for a moment as he slammed his elbow directly into the disciple's femoral head ligament.
A loud crack was heard and Zhi spoke, "That was the sound of your femoral head being shattered. The pain won't set in for another moment as you are still thinking of a way to defeat me. After hearing this, you'll be crying in pain-"
The disciple screamed extremely loud for less than half a second before Zhi covered his mouth. "There, there, child. I'll put an end to your suffering. At least until you awaken from your slumber." Zhi slammed a pressure point and then finally set the disciple down, unconscious though he was. Zhi leaped down from the walls, followed by Suntao.
"Alright then, where is the entrance to the Great Blue Lotus Hall?" Zhi spoke softly.
"Follow me, brother." responded Suntao in a whisper. The two opened a grand door quietly and descended the stairs to a labyrinth-like basement, but something was off. It was quiet. Far too quiet. Zhi leaned in behind Suntao and grasped him by the shoulder. "My brother. I beg of you. Leave now. They will be ambushing me soon. I don't want you to die with me."
Suntao stared back quietly and paled in fear. He wasn't a warrior. He didn't even have any Qi to fight back with, but he was one determined dumbass. "Brother Zhi, I'm with you until death. You always treated me like your younger brother. I don't want to leave you alone. Brothers formed through a blood bond are more than just brothers. They are the greatest of companions, and they will pull through anything."
He continued, "Now, brother. Let's push on. I want to see you as the greatest warrior the land has to offer."
Tears slightly welled up in Zhi's eyes. He had never heard praise from his companion, nor had Suntao ever confided so deeply with him. "Suntao. If you are so determined, then let us live or die together. But please, tell me... are you drunk right now?"
Suntao irrately answered with the words "Shut up." Zhi stepped forward down the stairs, and immediately as they reached the basement floor, everything became still. It was almost like a dream. Before them, stood the pill and panacea cellar. A great hideaway for great relics of the past and the greatest medicine the world had to offer.
Unguarded, too. Zhi stepped forward and placed a hand on the ice-colored door and pushed on it. A great waft of cold air broke forth from within and in the center of the room stood a tiny pill with blue-colored flame engravings all across it.
"That's the pill, brother. Go absorb it. Gain its power and let us embark on our great journey through this world." Suntao said in a dramatic manner. Zhi stepped forward, in awe of the minimalistic majesty of this powerful medicine. He approached the pedestal atop which lay the great pill and placed his fingers around it lightly. Lifting it from its base on the pedestal.
"Thinking of stealing?"
A voice broke in from behind. One that was unknown. One that instilled fear as soon as the sound of it broke through the room and emanated into Zhi's ear.
"Brother Zhi!" Yelled Suntao in fear. His voice trembled as he yelled. Zhi turned around and saw Suntao being held hostage with a blade at his throat. Behind Suntao stood the greatest warrior in the land. The hope of Kanling. The Falling Lotus Petal, Lu Gongfen.
"Put the pill back on its pedestal and I might consider letting you live, seeing as you only killed one of my brothers. I will allow you to leave without one of your arms." Lu Gongfen stared at Huanzhi for a moment, almost as if remembering something. Yes, it was something about Huanzhi that reminded Lu of a terrible moment. A masked face. Bloody sword. Those brown coloured, emotionless eyes.
"Wait a moment. I recognize those eyes. Those damnable eyes! Those menacing, damnable, ruthless eyes! You're the Unknown Swordsman! Damn it. You killed my master! You killed so many of my brothers. You destroyed my career before it even began. You'll die here tonight."
Zhi grinned. "Then allow me to cut down the time it takes for me to die." He lifted the pill to his mouth and spoke. "I'm sure this is important to you. My brother is important to me too. But the title of the greatest warrior in the land... belongs to me."
He placed the pill on his tongue and bit down on the pill with all the might his bite force contained, releasing all of the contained Qi energy from the souls of countless generations of masters. He swallowed the secretions and even the shell without the slightest bit of remorse.
"You have guts, I'll give you that." Said Lu Gongfen. "Deal with the repercussions now."
The Qi surged through Zhi's body. He felt a burst of speed, energy, stamina, and strength. His body even grew in muscular mass. All in a single moment. His eyes flared, and he spoke in a deep, changed voice from his usual one. "Let my brother go."
"I doubt that that will be happening. You want me to let him go? I'll let him go. To hell."
Lu Gongfen pulled his sword across Suntao's throat. Blood burst from Suntao's arteries as his hands elevated to his wound, and he fell to his knees. His eyes were wide. It was almost as if they were pleading with Zhi to put him out of his suffering. Suddenly, his eyes dimmed.
They changed. They looked like a blind man's own impairment. Suntao fell to one side and stared forward. He had been killed and his body lay on the ground like a lifeless husk.
"Lu Gongfen. I will make you suffer for what you have done." Zhi dashed forward with all the strength within his body. The Qi surged through his veins. They bulged with black Qi, which made him look almost like a monstrous abomination. He was having a Qi reflux, but he knew with this final burst of energy... he could kill Lu Gongfen.
"I swear, you shall die with me."
Zhi unsheathed his blade and began a rapid flurry of slashes in all the possible cardinal directions. Lu Gonfen shouted and blocked only seven of the twelve blows. His screams were concealed beneath the soundproof corridors of the Great Blue Lotus Hall.
Lu Gongfen shouted. He plunged his blade into Zhi and stepped back. Zhi grinned as the blade embedded itself in his abdominal region. He stared forward at Lu Gongfen and pulled the sword from within him. "Leaving yourself unarmed, are we?"
Zhi charged forward with both swords and embedded all his strength into one final strike. The two blades slashed cleanly through Lu Gongfen, and the man stared forward. His eyes darted twice before his body fell to the ground in eviscerated pieces. Zhi's eyes began to darken. He dropped to his knees.
All the evil things he had done in his life came back into his mind in a rush of emotion. "Damn, is this the end? I have some regrets. Especially her. My beloved. I should never have involved you with the Jade Gemstone Sword's dealings."
He began to fade. His eyes dimmed once more, and he dropped to all four limbs. His eyes welled with tears. "Damn it. I committed so many vile acts in my life. Should I repent? Is this the end for me? I don't want everyone to remember me as the Unknown Swordsman. I should be known as Zhi. Huanzhi Ren. I don't need this damnable title. I never needed it. I needed her."
Images of his beloved filled his mind. Her smile. Her face. Her bloodied corpse laid out on the street with her murderer. Huanzhi sobbed for a few moments. "I regret this life. Only when it comes to an end can I truly repent for my acts? Gods above... forgive... this... poor... soul." Blood welled up through his throat, and the Qi bulged in his eyes. "I have to contain this Qi. Before I die." He spoke. He let himself drop into a cross-legged position and placed one hand above the other with their thumbs touching. "Meditate... I must meditate."
His eyes closed, and after a few short moments, he sighed a final breath.
"Good-bye...Meiying...I'll be seeing you soon."