Inside the dark cave, Tatsuki and Bao Chi pressed forward, their steps measured in the obscurity. After a few minutes of navigating the pitch-black, Tatsuki's voice broke the silence, imbued with a sense of elation.
Tatsuki exclaimed, "Hell yeah. We are finally here."
Bao Chi questioned, his voice tinged with curiosity, "Brother, how can you tell even in this darkness?"
Tatsuki responded thoughtfully, "Hmm, I'm more accustomed to dark places than you might think. It's second nature to me."
Tatsuki chanted, "Mana surge!" A continuous stream of mana flowed, permeating the cave's darkness. As Tatsuki's mana filled the space, it was greedily absorbed by the mana crystal, and the entire area began to glow. The cave lit up as if the radiance of a blue moon cascaded from the heavens. Witnessing this, Bao Chi was left in awe.
Bao Chi's voice quivered as he exclaimed, "Gulp! Brother, where are we? This is magnificent. I've never seen such a dazzling, clear, and breathtaking display of blue light."
Tatsuki grinned mischievously and replied, "Idiot. Where else would we be? You came here with me. We're inside the mountains of Avacasta."
Bao Chi, still bewildered, inquired, "But brother, how is that even possible?"
Tatsuki, unfazed, retorted, "Your disbelief is understandable, but trust me, it's entirely possible."
Bao Chi's doubt was evident on his face as he responded, "If you say so, brother."
Tatsuki, with a blunt expression, quipped, "Hey, what's with the low tone?"
Bao Chi muttered, "Oh, nothing, brother."
Tatsuki sighed and maintained a composed expression, "Well, maybe next time, let me finish before you make faces." He continued, "As I was saying, we are inside the mountainside now. This is possible because the mountains of Avacasta are 60% hollow from the inside."
Tatsuki's words hit Bao Chi like a bolt of lightning, leaving him visibly frightened. "But, but, but, then, brother, are we safe here? What if the mountain collapses, and we meet a horrifying end?"
Tatsuki gently tapped Bao Chi's head and reassured him with a carefree tone, "Shut up, you scaredy-cat. Are you trying to jinx us?"
With watery eyes, Bao Chi replied, "No, brother, but I'm really scared."
Tatsuki offered comfort, saying, "Don't worry, little brother. I'm here to protect you, so you'll be just fine."
Bao Chi's worries dissipated, and he chuckled as he remarked, "Brother, I think you've mistaken it. I'm almost 17 years old, and you barely look 13. Shouldn't I be the elder brother... hehehee."
Tatsuki proudly responded, "Oh, so you're 17, huh? Well, too bad, this year I'll be a thousand and eleven." He struck a proud posture, maintaining their playful banter.
Bao Chi initially laughed, thinking Tatsuki was joking, but Tatsuki's serious expression sent shivers down his spine. In a terrified voice, Bao Chi asked, "Brother, why aren't you laughing?"
Tatsuki's tone remained solemn as he replied, "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how you can laugh so much when your life is in danger."
Bao Chi, now even more apprehensive, hesitated and questioned, "What are you saying, brother?"
Tatsuki continued, "Haven't I told you that back in the old town, I paid my respects to the dead? Don't you remember?"
Bao Chi, sweating nervously, replied, "But, brother, you already saved my clan, didn't you?"
Tatsuki clarified, "Of course I did. However, when I mentioned respecting the dead, I wasn't referring just to your clan. I was talking about you."
Bao Chi, with increasing unease, asked, "Brother, what are you saying? I don't understand."
Tatsuki, looking surprised, explained, "Oh, you don't know. Very well, I'll tell you." Bao Chi gulped nervously, prompting Tatsuki to continue.
Tatsuki recounted the rumor he had heard: someone from the Ki clan had been caught stealing a royal scroll in the palace, resulting in the entire clan losing its noble status, power, and more. He noted that while the convict's life had been spared, the question remained: who was that person?
Tatsuki stared at Bao Chi, who, with a hint of courage and shame, admitted, "So you even know that, brother. Yes, it was my grandfather. He was the one found trying to steal from the royal treasury that day, and he's the reason why my clan lost their noble status. So, brother, do you also believe he was the one stealing the scroll?"
Tatsuki replied, "What I believe won't change anything. He was found guilty as charged, which is why your clan faced the punishment."
Tatsuki responded, "It doesn't matter that I know he was trying to protect the scroll, not steal it."
Bao Chi, with a sad expression, said, "Even if you don't believe in my grandfather's innocence... huh, what you said? How do you know he was trying to protect it?"
Tatsuki replied, "I just said that it doesn't matter what I know or believe, even if I know who else was there beside him, it's not going to rewrite the past." He wore a creepy smile.
Angrily, Bao Chi shouted, "Tell me, brother. Tell me the name of the person who tarnished my clan's honor. Tell me!"
Tatsuki questioned, "What good would that do now?"
Bao Chi declared, "I'll find that bastard and kill him, along with the empire."
Tatsuki smiled and asked, "Kill him? How...? Your grandfather was much stronger and wiser than you, and he was a royal guard in the service of the numbskull king. Yet he couldn't do anything at the time. What makes you so sure it would be different for you?"
Bao Chi responded furiously, "Because I have been cultivating the technique I learned from the royal scroll before departing from this world. My grandfather, who had looked inside the scroll and learned its content, taught it to my father before feeling betrayed. Unfortunately, my father died young as well. So now it's up to me to carry the beacon of hope for my clan. I'm sure I'll be the victor, brother. I'll make sure to get rid of the emperor and bring my family back to its original place."
Tatsuki smirked and circled around Bao Chi as he spoke, "Oh, so you think they are the only ones to blame for your family's downfall?"
Bao Chi, in anger, replied, "Yes, I do believe."
Tatsuki sighed and said, "Why am I stuck with such an idiot?"
Confused, Bao Chi asked, "Brother?"
Tatsuki continued, "You don't get it, Bao." He thought, "Hatred is a thing of wonder, now isn't it? It makes you so easy to exploit." Then he smiled and spoke, "Bao, oh Bao, the ones you should take revenge against are not just the emperor, but also the people. The empire you hate so much is merely a front. What's in the back of it? Aren't those people at fault who did not believe a word your family said? Aren't those people at fault for abandoning one of the most trustworthy persons of the royal guard? They skimmed over one of their own. Aren't those people at fault who threw a stone at you every day and forced you out of Aurous, the place you were born?"
Bao Chi, his anger subsiding, said, "Yes, brother, they are... But, brother, why do you side with the kingdom?"
Tatsuki replied, "Come now, what's with that look? The answer is simple enough. What could the empire have done other than to pin all the blame on your grandfather? After all, they couldn't blame the person they didn't see. Just think about it, the emperor had to tell people something, and your grandfather happened to be the perfect scapegoat. Do you understand now, Bao?"
Bao Chi, overwhelmed by these new emotions, nodded and said, "Yes, brother, I understand. But then, what do I strive for?"
Tatsuki, with a creepy expression, answered, "Isn't that obvious? Revenge is what you need."
Hearing this, a small fire of revenge was ignited within Bao Chi.
Tatsuki continued, "Bao, give me your word as a man that you won't hesitate to go against the empire, and you won't forgive the people who took away everything from you. I'll help you get the revenge you desire so much."
Tatsuki extended his right hand to Bao Chi, and as Bao Chi was about to reach for it, Tatsuki pulled his hand back and chuckled. "Bao, you are way too easy... hahahahahahaha."
Tatsuki thought about the potential riches he might gain from siding with the empire but dismissed it with a smile.
Confused, Bao Chi asked, "Brother... calmly. But, brother, you still haven't told me who was the person with me that day?"
Tatsuki replied, "In due time, Bao, in due time," and chuckled.
Bao Chi said, "Yes, brother."
Tatsuki added, "Besides that, we still need to save your life," with a serious expression, "because the cultivation technique you've been using is flawed. So, I'll give you something much better."
Bao Chi, shocked, exclaimed, "Impossible!"
Tatsuki's expression turned angry as he asked, "Are you doubting me?"
Bao Chi replied with hesitation, "Forgive me, brother, but yes. This technique is the strongest; it was obtained from the royal treasury, after all. I don't think you could have something stronger than this."
Tatsuki conceded, "Well, I can't argue with that. 'The God Devourer' is indeed one of the strongest cultivation techniques. However, strongest isn't always the best, especially if it mana-toxicates you... hahahahaha."
Tatsuki explained, "Mana-toxicates" as a state where the body is overfilled with mana, preventing it from circulating freely within the body, causing a disharmony and slowly turning it into poison.
Bao Chi, now scared, stammered, "No-no, that isn't tr—"
Tatsuki interrupted him and said with a scary smile, "Yes, indeed, it is true...