Zero had a bit of luck. As far as luck went, that is.
Not too far west from the unfortunate town of Feifei, he found himself outside a fisherman village. From two or so miles away, he could perceive a familiar stench of poverty, sickness and despair. It reminded him of home.
The only difference was the loud, resounding song of a blessed bell. On the lath to Feifei he had heard this bell but found there were no bells in the town.
'So this was the source.'
As he stood afar, vacant eyes staring down these miles, he pondered on if it was even safe to be around people.
His next quest was far away. However the abilities it had given him could be used at any time. The Soul Sight. A technique that hurt his spirit as much as it destroyed the victim.
The Hell wind. That terrible energy sucking force.
To use any of those abilities came at a heavy cost. The dullness in his eyes could prove that. Could he trust himself among these people though?
It was already nighttime and he didn't know how long he had left until the entire place would be crawling with soldiers.
Zero sighed and reached down. He tore off a piece of the dirty coat with the tiny knife he carried. With the torn fabric, he wrapped his hair as much as he could. It was already too late to spot anything, but he would rather not take his chances.
When he was done, he limped forward, down a small slopping hill and across a field of knee high snow. Even the cold could not hold back the stench of the village.
He held the coat tight around himself, keeping his gaze on the ground.
He just needed a map and a place to lie low for now. A heavy breath left his mouth, turning into vapour immediately. The only sound he could hear was the bell that got louder with each shaky step he took.
When he entered the village, he did not bother looking around, choosing to walk quickly down the main lane, keeping to the edges as much as possible. There was a chance some of the escaped Feifei townspeople had come here for refuge.
He needed to get rid of these clothes and do something about his appearance.
The village was not very busy even with the winter festivals going on. It was like the dark mana pollution in this area was too extreme to even consider celebrations. The streets were quiet and he only spotted a few wanderers once or twice.
As he walked, he could see the silhouettes of residents through the paper screens on their bamboo windows.
Crunch. Crunch. He walked in the snow, limping and shivering. He had lost his silver in his maddened state at Feifei so he could forget an inn.
It was not like he minded. Back in his home, there were many nights the young man had slept on the streets with beggars so he could avoid being a burdern to his family.
This was not so different, was it?
A smile of familiarity grew on his face as he spotted an alley full of sleeping misfits. There were mutated, crippled, blind and outright poor fellows in this small corner.
His smile was small, but it was incredibly genuine. A person who saw him now would mistake him to a young boy returning to his place of comfort. Zero stayed as far as he could from the sleeping people, hoping not to disturb anyone and partly afraid he would hurt someone with those new...abilities of his.
For the first time in a very long while, in the company of alley waste, critters and ostracized fellows, Zero had a nice rest. That small smile followed him into his dreams. Even the bell didn't seem so loud anymore.
Morning came with a deafening horn. Zero woke, startled. He could make out the sounds of heavy hooves smashing against cobble.
Another horn sounded.
The people of the fisherman village who had already began their day, moving this way and that, all headed towards the village square. They did not seem surprised at all. Infact, a few of them, Zero noticed, had expressions of hope and joy on their weary faces.
The alley was empty. The misfits were gone. He did not wish to enter a crowd covered in blood and smelling of dung. His coat was dark so it didn't show but his face was visibly covered in dried blood.
The horn blasted the third time. What if those were imperials?
Was that possible? Why would they come here of all places. The village was surrounded by dark mana. In his recent knowledge gained from memories upon memories of consumed spirits, Imperials usually discarded villages with no hope of recovery in areas heavily polluted.
Qiqi would have been abandoned too but the dark mana concentration was not as bad.
He took a bunch of snow from a corner and roughly used it over his face, repeating the motion till he was partly presentable. Afterwards, he moved towards the square, making sure to stay far from sight. He found a little corner at the very back.
It was close enough to hear enough but a sizable distance from being noticed.
There were three horse riders in the royal red and black colours. Imperial soldiers.
Zero shrank deeper into his huge coat. It was indeed them.
The one in the middle who had a headpiece of black feather like material and a half shaven head like Stone's, took out a scroll and unravelled it.
"As is the custom at every winter solstice, the capital has sent representatives to take back eligible youths for enrollment in their many sects and legions. A total of ten boys and girls will be taken after a series of evaluations."
Immediately after this announcement, the crowd cheered. Zero was a bit lost. Why would they come here of all places searching for potential cultivators? Bigger cities surely had better looking youths no?
Zero pondered for a while. There could be only one reason this place was even remembered by the capital: the dark mana. He remembered what Shen had said about recent magic practices and dark arts.
Were these even imperials? Or fakes?
He couldn't tell. But if they could understand the nature of dark mana, then perhaps they could have information on what happened in hell. Could he possibly free himself from this one sided agreement he had made with a vicious realm?
His mind wavered. He could feel himself hope a little.
Thinking this, he paid more attention to the soldiers.
"The evaluation which has been constant every year has undergone a few changes. We shall begin our tests at nightfall." This was said by the soldier on the right. There was a grand scar that went all the way from his jaw up to his left eyebrow. He spoke in a gruff, impatient tone.
Zero observed these three men. Wasn't it strange? Feifei had fallen, the Prince and heir to the entire dynasty was dead. And all they cared for was some evaluation?
His sharp eyes scanned them. Their half heads of hair, their posture and even the horses they were mounted on.
Something was off. He had always been a good observer. Coupled with accumulated knowledge of his poor victims, he could pick up these slight behaviours.
The crowd parted for the men to ride through. Zero tucked his head to his chest as they rode past him.
The capital was too busy to send men to a remote and corrupted village. He studied the backs of these men. If he was going to somehow follow them and find answers on how to free himself from this curse, he had to first understand who they were.
They disappeared down the lane and Zero turned his face away. He remembered how desperately he wanted to become strong, hoping for a better life. His rashness had led him to eating the eye. He could have stayed dead. He should have infact.
The Heavenly Dao that hated him so much for resurrecting against the natural laws, probably despised him before that.
In his first life, a disgusting cripple.
He thought this second chance was something to protect and cherish, a gift from hell in exchange for a hide and seek game. It was disturbingly far from that.
What was he to make of this second life? The other Zero was quiet for once.
He looked in the direction of the long gone soldiers. What really had happened in hell?