Lu Zheng's benefactor failed to realize the reason Lu Zheng came back to exact revenge on his clan, when he was just a year present there, was for his mother.
His mother was a Headmaid of the clan, as well as the hidden concubine of the deceased Clan Head.
His mother was very proud of his son's talent in martial arts, but he was hidden from the clan until he reached fifteen.
Only then did her mother agree to enter him into the clan.
He also badly wanted to enter the clan to meet his father, even from afar, and he succeeded.
However, there was nothing more rewarding for him to see his mother every day.
It was one of his desires why he worked hard to enter the clan, even when he finally was in the clan.
It was all to make his mother proud.
However, while he was on his first mission outside of the city, as inner disciples only had the privilege to accept the mission outside of the city, he received devastating news that his clan was slaughtered.
When he returned… all he saw was the endless and scorched corpses of his clan members.
He could not even determine which corpse belonged to his mother.
***
Lu Zheng lost his dagger, but it was reachable anyway.
However, he also lost his reasoning, for what only he had in mind was to kill the benefactor who betrayed him.
His heart ached when he recalled trusting his benefactor just in three days to the point he admired him.
Who would have thought it was nothing but just a fantasy?
He felt suffocated, tears crawling out of his eyes, pouring rain on the earth.
It was unacceptable.
Unbelievable.
Unknown to him, the rage continued to accumulate in his mind when new memories popped up.
It was also filled with betrayal, thirst for revenge, and hopeless vengeance.
Hence, not knowing where the energy came from, perhaps from the rush of adrenaline, even ignoring the poison running through his body, he leaped at the back of his benefactor like a predator brandishing his claw.
However, his benefactor smirked and casually slid to the side, making Lu Zheng pounce on nothing but the air.
"Do you still have that energy? I wonder where it came from?" His teasing voice echoed behind him.
Lu Zheng, who had lost his mind in extreme blood lust, roared in rage, knowing he failed, but he pounced at him again.
The benefactor's lips curled up as he dodged it again.
Lu Zheng pounced once more, but his benefactor dodged it with ease.
It even reached the point where his benefactor was closing his eyes as he continued to elude his attacks.
Gradually, his benefactor felt it was not fun anymore and his mischievous face turned solemn.
He opened his eyes and gave Lu Zheng a ridiculous look.
Lu Zheng pounced at him again, aiming to swipe his benefactor's face with his sharp claws.
"Where did you get the idea you could harm me?" His benefactor snorted, not aiming to dodge Lu Zheng's attack.
"This?" His benefactor caught his wrist with his hand.
Lu Zheng roared.
Instead of trying to get his hand away from his benefactor's grasp, he used the chance to attack him with his other claw at such a close distance.
"How about this?"
However, his benefactor caught it with ease.
Lu Zheng struggled.
He pointed to Lu Zheng's crimson eyes, whose face distorted in anger as he growled at his benefactor.
"You really have lost your mind, huh?" He sneered.
Lu Zheng responded with a growl.
Suddenly, he tried to bite his benefactor, to which the latter backed away just in time.
However, due to their position, it was impossible to stop Lu Zheng's bite.
So, he did not hesitate to raise his legs and kicked Lu Zheng away from him.
Lu Zheng flew backward.
Before he hit the wall, his benefactor suddenly appeared above and gave him a slap to his face.
He fell to the floor and stayed still.
He lost consciousness.
His benefactor landed gracefully on the ground beside the bloodied and disfigured face of Lu Zheng, looking down at him for a minute.
His face was solemn as he said, "Now, that's better. Wait for your death as I feast on your clan's meals."
He finally beamed a smile.
He perceived Lu Zheng was still breathing, even hearing his heart palpitating.
But, with the poison on his body, it would only be a matter of time before Lu Zheng died.
So, he did not bother killing Lu Zheng with his own hand.
The treasure was more important than Lu Zheng's life.
Hence, without further ado, he began to saunter towards the opened wall, where treasures awaited him.
***
It was unknown how much time passed in Lu Zheng's mind.
However, when he lost consciousness in rage, he was befuddled to discover he was standing in an eerie, bizarre place.
The place was filled with skeletons, even forming a mountain.
He scrutinized the place above and discovered it was all crimson.
When he looked below, his body trembled as his heart palpitated to see he was standing on the ocean of blood.
He stepped backward, and due to panic, he fell.
He unconsciously grabbed the surface of the ocean of blood to lessen the damage to his butt, but he panicked as he pulled his hand away from the viscous blood.
He glanced at his open palm and discovered it was dampened with blood.
He wiped it away by rubbing it onto his clothes.
"Is that the first time you have seen blood? Didn't you just kill two people earlier?" An imposing, mysterious voice suddenly echoed from above, startling him.
He hurriedly searched for it, trying to determine where it came from.
He thought it must be coming from the sky, but he saw nothing but the crimson horizon.
"Where are you looking?"
When the voice echoed again, he finally guessed where it came from.
He glanced at the mountain of bones, sliding his vision below to upward, but only saw countless bones.
Lu Zheng had no choice but to ask, "W-Where are you?"
"Stop acting timid." The voice snorted. "You were not like that seconds ago."
This time, Lu Zheng knew where it came from.
It came from the peak of the mountain of bones.
But due to the distance, he could not see the face behind the voice.
He squinted his eyes to have a better look.
However, what he saw skipped his heart a beat.
There were two thin, crimson eyes staring at him as though seeing through his soul.
His mind wavered.
He felt like an insect being stared at intensely by a terrifying predator.