Daylight, sun shinning through the bamboo forest, with it's high canopy in the sky, Ding Xiu, looking at the makeshift bamboo shack, he was sharpening a stick to hunt.
Hands scarred from many numerous failures and meeting with wolves one time, he let a sigh, as he continued to make the stick as sharp as possible. Ding Xiu, irritated, thrown the stick down and took a piece of rope to tie his brown hair that kept falling in his eyes.
He was born for more than fourteen years, two years in this bamboo forest because he evicted from the village for some things he did.
He took an empty can and have gone to the near river, where he drunk, looking at his reflection in the wavy water, his soft face, marred by dirt, unkempt and oily hair, big green eyes, sighed again, and was ready to leave, when.
A silhouette was near him, narrowing his eyes, he saw an elderly woman, walking with a cane through the forest, he was left with his mouth open, can fell on the ground and spilled the water.
The woman turned to him, and said, "Oh, dear boy, what are you doing here alone in the forest, aren't you scared of monsters, demons, and human eating elderly?"
He raised the cup from the ground, pouting at the spilled water, and said, "I wouldn't be in this forest if I was scared, granny, aren't you afraid of being eaten or falling down?"
She chuckled, a low, hideous chuckle from deep of her throat, "No, no, my dear boy, I am not scared, and I do the eating, not being eaten."
Ding Xiu filled his cup, and put his sharp stone into a makeshift pocket of his, raising an eyebrow to her, he said, "Mhm, interesting, granny, at your age I will be careful with laughing, what if you have a fit of coughing, poor lungs and all that. Sadly, I don't have experience with burying."
The woman, shook her head, and tried to keep a straight face, then said, "Did your parents haven't taught you manners, young boy, you should show respect to elders."
He shrugged, showing her a tiny smirk, "Don't know, and and can't question them now, they are rotting in the ground. Respect for elders? Geezers that are with one foot in the ground," spitting on the ground, and kept observing the granny.
The granny laughed, a clear laughter that he didn't expect at all from this mysterious old woman, she walked near him and said, "Dear boy, excepting your fatherless behaviour, you seem like a nice kid, what are you doing in this forest?"
He let off the smirk of his face, and took a step or two back from the old lady, he didn't like how fast she approached him and neared the distance, taking the stone back from his pouch, he said, "Mind your own business."
The lady had a large smile, showing her sharp teeth, glistening from the creeping sunlight, "Now, are you scared my boy? Took you long enough. Don't worry, I don't eat nice kids."
He put the stone back, while eying the woman, he looked at the river bank, and cursed, he forgot the cup there, making another one as good and large as that will take time.
Should he run and hope for the best? he looked again at the woman, who was completely relaxed, holding heir weigh in that puny walking stick. No, the chance of this meeting to end in danger is low.
Or so he hoped, the woman was suspicious, really suspicious, he said, "From what place are you granny? I don't remember any near villages, except mine, but, it's a ruin now, are you, a ghost? Well, with your age you may be one already."
She changed the cane in her other hand, and pointed in a random direction, saying, "I am from there. I am no ghost, ignoring your fatherless remark, but you are close enough."
He gave her a blank stare, exactly from where? He rolled his eyes, and said, "I am impressed by your memory granny, you don't even remember your home's name, truly amazing. No ghost, but close enough, granny, any death related services are costly, so don't die on me."
She smiled, a toothy one, then said, "My dear child, you worry so much about my health I get the impression that you care about this poor lady, ah, warming my heart, well, to cut the chase, I want you to be my last disciple."
He craned his neck, looking with distrust at her, saying, "Granny, do you have dementia, last disciple? To learn what, how to on walk on a cane? How to whine about old age, not so sure I do need such stuff, I am in my prime time."
She straightened her back, and let the cane fell down on the ground, from her hunched stature, she became taller than Ding Xiu, an ominous aura was spreading around her, giving a purple tinge to the dark green forest.
Ding Xiu slowly walked back, with a slight tremble on his hands, he started running through the forest, not watching for his path, hitting his hands on the bamboo, injuring himself, tiny droplets of blood falling on the ground.
He sensed that aura one time, he was sure of that, it was in the beginning of his isolation in this forest, that dreadful aura that haunted him in his nights.
Running, falling from the stray rocks, twigs and roots, getting even more injured.
He didn't need to turn, he knew, oh, he knew of the presence, it was behind him.
Bearing down with her entire might, cold sweet trickling down under his clothes, hair straight, and his heart beat going insane.
A sweet voice present behind his back, "My dear child, why are you running, I said don't eat nice kids like you, I was honest in wanting you to be my disciple," she cleared her throat, and again that low, hideous voice, "You can't refuse, or you will die here."
He was frozen on the spot, with face facing her, the same old granny, but with a much deranged smile and look, unable to move from, from fear. He was paralyzed and the only view was this crazy woman.
She let the ominous aura dissipate, and caressing his cheek she said, "I am only a demonic cultivator, what are you scared of? Don't worry, I will take care of you, leading your path to immortality."
He was forced to take her seriously, though, he didn't have any idea what a cultivator is, though, this world did have fantastical elements, he saw one time a huge fox in this forest with flames around it.
Think, he needed to think, how to escape, what to do, he doubted he could damage her with his puny rock, or be able to outrun, taking deep breaths, he looked her in eyes, and said, "Granny, I see your path of immortality, it leads directly to the graveyard, heh, and having such a soggy skin that looks like rotten leather."
She cackled mad, rubbing her eyes, she whispered, "Kid, you are so lucky, so lucky indeed, otherwise you would have been bones already. I have lived more years than your entire seconds spent from the date of your birth."
Her face morphed back into that sweet old lady, saying, "You have little time to think about the decision, tic tac, tic tac, make it fast."
Ding Xiu saw only one way out, and that is to accept, there are no positives here, she is evil, an evil being and he will be her plaything.
He looked at her growing frustration, and he was giddy, at least he gets back this way at her violent ways, still, his life was hanging and said, "I do, what are the conditions?"
Her frustration vanished, caressing his cheek again, she said, "My sweet disciple, you will know them in time, but at the moment, let's leave this forest, I accomplished already what I had come for, you were an unexpected find."
Ding Xiu, still angry and furious at her, said, "You haven't tried me to know if I am sweet or not."
She gave him a dark look and said, "Maybe you don't need that tongue, and will know for sure how sweet you are."
He shut up, because he knew that was a real threat, it began, she now controls him and will threaten him at any disobedience, grinding his teeth, he started to think of ways out, the power disparity was so huge though, maybe, just maybe, he should try to learn her ways and then see what he would do from there?
He didn't know, but he was attracted somewhat of the power, it could mean the way for freedom.
Walking through the night in the bamboo forest, under the cloudy sky, with stray moonlight rays, with crows calling in the night, he had a hand on her, helping her to walk, or to give that illusion.
She was a monster.