Huanzhi leaped out the broken window of Hukong's modern "Flower Garden" and sprinted. He pushed forward as quickly as he could and his light-step technique exploded with acceleration. The stagnant wind around him burst while he began an incredibly fast paced sprint across the open air. A whirlwind grew around his feet as his steps grew ever more faster whilst chasing after Hukong.
Hukong was always considered the fastest escape artist in the entire ancient Murim in his ancient body. Huanzhi wondered how well he would fare in the newer one. The only problem was that this body was even younger and even more spry than the ancient one.
"I'll follow you to Hell and back if necessary, Hukong! You won't be taking the Beauty of Tangzhou away from me again."
"You have nothing left to take from me other than my life, Huanzhi. Either way, Huanzhi, I don't quite care to live this life for much longer. Do your worst!" Hukong shouted in resignation as he continued his mad dash for Meiying's location. A sudden, resounding boom could be heard as Hukong performed an explosive bound that propelled him forward more than double the pace of Huanzhi. Huanzhi smiled ruefully as he stared at the distance between them. The wind almost cut his face as he continued his sprint in pursuit of Hukong.
"Damn bastard, I forgot how wily you are." Huanzhi whispered under his breath as blood streamed from the shallow cuts on his face and dyed his eyes slightly red with his own blood. He scowled while squinting as the blood stung his eyes. A knife was pulled from Hukong's jacket as it was thrown back towards Huanzhi. The ancient assassin dodged by twirling and grabbing the blade in mid-air from beneath him.
Huanzhi panted as he light-stepped. He steeled his nerves as sweat poured down his face. His feet moved at a speed that the naked eye would have thought would be impossible to the average man. Then again, Huanzhi was walking on air right now. The same could be said for Hukong.
Thoughts ran through his mind and memories flashed before him. Huanzhi saw himself in the underground lair of Hukong during his first incarnation in the Murim. The exact same position was in their bodies as Huanzhi lightstepped. He followed the ancient image of Hukong's bounding body.
"You bastard! I'll kill you! You sullied the honor of the Beauty of Tangzhou and took her life from her! Have you no remorse!?"
Huanzhi threw daggers at Hukong from afar as the Dark Qi user dodged the blades effortlessly. Huanzhi closed the gap as Hukong dodged. Hukong held up his arms and blocked a powered blow from Huanzhi's fists. The blow made him lose balance and sent him to the ground after losing control of his light-step technique. The two enemies raised their fists to one another and charged forward.
"Bastard! You'll die here today!"
The two made contact on each other's faces with Dark Qi imbued blows. The slamming of knuckle on facial skin brought back Huanzhi from his daydreaming while sprinting. It was almost like a repetition of what happened then. Hukong held up his fists in a Muay Thai stance as Huanzhi entered the stance of the Unknown Swordsman. He performed a leg sweep, but to no avail as his leg ricocheted backwards and he spun the opposite direction of his kick.
The dust from the alleyway in which they landed earlier kicked up as Huanzhi made circular marks in the ground from his rotations. Hukong followed up his attack with a kick aimed for Huanzhi's head. It made contact on the back of Huanzhi's hand and the ancient assassin blocked the blow expertly. Hukong had his Qi reversed as it flowed backwards into his body.
The man pulled his skin from contact with Huanzhi's skin as the ancient warrior rose upwards with the darkness covering his eyes. Now there was nobody to save Hukong from Xiangliu within Huanzhi. Consequently, however, there was also nobody present to save Huanzhi from Xiangliu. The Dark Qi rose up through his body as his eyes slowly brightened and turned from their original brown to the deep red that was Xiangliu's own personal shade.
He raised his head upwards. "Your soul will be mine soon, Huanzhi. I've corrupted your mind enough already." Xiangliu spoke through his subconscious. Huanzhi sighed in regret as his mind drifted between consciousness and memories of the Murim. Huanzhi screamed within himself as the darkness began to engulf him. Hissing was heard as it felt like fangs sunk into him and eviscerated his entire body. He shouted and raised a fist.
"Meiying!" Huanzhi shouted as he broke through Xiangliu's hold on him. "Goddamn it! To Hell with you, Xiangliu!" His eyes continually reverted from brown to red as he stood upright and clenched his teeth. Veins bulged across his body with the Dark Qi as it switched from Pure to Dark.
"Enough of this, you insignificant bastard!" Hukong shouted.
He dashed forward and slammed his fists into Huanzhi's chest. Huanzhi stood straight as his body accepted the blow. The Qi reverberated within him from Hukong's attack, but nothing seemingly fazed him. Hukong lifted his head and widened his eyes as Huanzhi grabbed Hukong's fist from where it had hit and hyperextended Hukong's wrist. The attack was unexpected as Huanzhi held no emotion upon his facial expression and his eyes.
Hukong screamed in pain as his wrist suddenly made a loud cracking sound and a rapid jerking liberation was seen in his wrist as the back of his palm touched his forearm. "F***!" Hukong screamed in agony as Huanzhi grasped his throat and lifted him off the ground. Hukong slammed his palms on Huanzhi's forearms and gasped with saliva dripping from his mouth as he was being strangled by Huanzhi's powerful hold. Something stopped Huanzhi, however.
"Huanzhi?"
A feminine voice was heard as a back door opened from one of the buildings in the alley. Meiying held one hand to her face as Huanzhi looked over at her. His eyes showed a painfully empty expression as he dropped the struggling Hukong to the ground. The man gasped and panted. "What the hell was that?!" He screamed with all of his remaining breath. "Where did you get such force?"
Hukong suddenly raised his non-dominant hand to his throat. "The ultimate breakthrough! So it does exist! I thought Lu Gongfen was lying when he said he reached the pinnacle of greatness. What a difference between a doddering old fool and a true master." Hukong muttered under his breath in hysteria. Huanzhi turned to him and sent a powerful kick into the man's chest. It was not imbued with the same Qi as before, so it only had the effect of sending Hukong flying, but it still scared him enough.
He looked at Huanzhi in fear as he turned and sprinted off as quickly as he could like the dog he was. Huanzhi didn't go after him. A man like Hukong would not be able to survive for long without a superior.
Huanzhi dropped to his knees before Meiying and looked her in the eyes. Tears streamed down his face as a hand reached out from Meiying. She placed her soft hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes. Blood dripped from his forehead, throat, nose, and most of his body. "I was so scared, Meiying. Scared that I would lose you again."
Huanzhi fell to all fours and stared at her shoes. "Do you remember what I used to do every single time I greeted you when I was younger?" Huanzhi asked her with a weak voice. The amount of willpower it had taken to suppress Xiangliu had taken so much out of him. His clothes were stained and the ground around him had grown damp with droplets of his ichor from Xiangliu. His Qi was almost completely depleted as he barely kept his focus.
Meiying spoke. "Huanzhi, I told you since you started doing that that it was unneccessary and unwarranted."
"But tell me the truth, my love. It made you feel as though I worshipped you. I truly do as you may know. You heard my scream of your name only a few moments ago during the battle. You are the only thing that can ever motivate me to live. So tell me, do you remember how I worshipped you?" Huanzhi asked. His eyes streamed with tears as he remembered every moment of their relationship in the Murim.
The heartaches, the love, the tender moments shared in the Tangzhou pavilion, even the painful moment of her departure from his life when she was murdered by Hukong. It all hurt him and steeled him more than any other person ever could. Having a second chance to redeem himself proved the true satisfaction. It built him into a new person.
He bowed his head forward and planted a single kiss on Meiying's boot. She looked at him as he prostrated himself before her with awe that he would go to such lengths just to make her feel as though she were the most beloved woman. She bent over to him and raised his head from her feet.
"Huanzhi. You are not undeserving of looking upon my face. I remember when you told me that I was far too beautiful to even be gazed upon. I must admit, you have a way with words, but you have embarrassed yourself to a great extent. The only consolation I can give you is that you won my heart for the rest of our existence, whether it be spiritual or physical." Said the ancient Meiying.
He had envisioned Meiying as she was in the Murim. He was back in his memories, seeing Tangzhou pavilion in the background and the Beauty of Tangzhou before him. He kissed her feet once more and she scoffed, raising him from the ground and giving him a deep embrace. "I am not worthy of this. You are my man. I wish to treat you as such."
Huanzhi held her closely to him as he deeply inhaled the aroma of the parfum that she wore. The flowers around them accentuated the beauty of the moment as the sunset calmly drooped behind the huge Tangzhou hall. He leaned forward and just as the two were about to meet their lips, Huanzhi recovered from his daydream.
The two in the present era looked each other deeply in the eyes as Huanzhi leaned forward and closed his eyes. He kissed her with his last moment of consciousness and the feeling carried with him through the void that was his subconscious. He sighed in a lovelorn manner and sat down as he coalesced the elements around his subconscious to form a wooden bench. His eyes closed as he left his body loose backwards on the bench. His head hung over the back of the wood.
A moment later, Huanzhi heard a voice from above his face. "Huanzhi, I admire you. You truly are worthy of praise. Your willpower is something I've never encountered in my entire existence among the heavens and on this pathetic Earth." Xiangliu spoke.
Huanzhi exhaustedly opened his eyes and looked up at Xiangliu with a face of indifference. "So you've returned, Gonggong's Messenger. What do you plan to do? Take my soul while I am incapacitated?"
"I would never kill someone who is not able to defend themself. I may be an evil being, but I am not without honor."
"Then what do you wish to discuss that is so important that you would hold back the overwhelming urge you have to kill me?"
"I would like to ask you something specific."
"Which is, Xiangliu?"
"I sincerely wish to request of you something."
"Speak, you cur."
"Though you infuriate me, I would like you to become my disciple. I will relinquish control over you, so long as you allow me to laud myself with being your master. You have demonstrated that Hell can freeze over. I request this of you just due to the fact that my blood runs within your veins. Continue the lineage of my bloodline. Let us drive each other forward."
"You truly speak this? After all you have done to me? How can I trust you?"
"For I do not break my word. I have given you my word with the depth that is my soul."
"Then I must truly give this some thought, Xiangliu. I shall return to you after I meditate once more in the future. For now, I feel the calling of the future. I feel the aching of redemption."
"Huanzhi, The Redemption of the Unknown Swordsman has only just begun. Trying times approach, and you must be ready."