Chương 19: Settling Debts

A rage-filled howl filled the Lonely Plains as Hao struck. Deep-seated anger boiled over, finally given its true target, though Hao kept the hate on a tight leash. Hao thrusted the Cheng Spear straight at Yuchen's face. Fire spiraled from the heavenly jade, driven by the raw power granted by burning a droplet of distilled qi with the First Ignition, and swallowed the Ruminator whole.

Yuchen swept his aura down like a blade, cleaving the fiery stream in twain— Only to scream as the Cheng Spear punched through his aura. Yuchen yanked away at the last second, saving his life, but the heavenly jade spear tip lanced just an inch away from his neck. Yuchen reeled, caught off guard by Hao's wild ferocity and rage-filled thrusts. Hao didn't dare let up a moment, making use of every last bit of strength from the First Ignition. He couldn't hope to win a battle of attrition on his lonesome.

The Fire-Bloom Thrust, the first form of his Spear Art, broke on Yuchen's aura as it solidified, gouging a great chunk of qi from the crackling cloak. Yuchen fell back a step beneath the force. Hao bled scorching heat as he ran through the various forms of the Rising Phoenix Spear Art, pushing himself to his limits to keep Yuchen off-balance.

Flames exploded from the Cheng Spear as Hao thrust with the Phoenix's Ascent, rearing back as Yuchen backpedaled, forced to solidify his aura into a shield as Hao tore into him. An inferno spilled forth from Hao, catching the surrounding grasses ablaze and strangling the air with choking smoke. Thrust. Sidestep. Thrust. Impure Exhale—blind the bastard! Thrust. Hao fell into a rhythm even as his muscles burned and his lungs screamed for oxygen, tempering his hatred with steely discipline.

His flurry of attacks guzzled down his reserves of unrefined qi. Every spare drop of power was consumed: his strikes grew swifter and deadlier with every passing second, balancing on a knife's edge as he threw everything he had into keeping Yuchen on the defensive. Until Yuchen finally threw all his effort into defense, slowing the Cheng Spear just long enough for the Ruminator to retaliate." Enough!" Yuchen clapped his hands, pressurizing his aura between them.

A qi shockwave erupted outward, blasting away Hao and his flames. The fires nearby extinguished, quelled by Yuchen's rage. The force hurled Hao backwards. Yuchen lunged forward and punched. Hao slipped away by burning distilled qi, but the sheer force of Yuchen's blow carved a small crater into the earth. A strike like that would have torn through his ribs! Hao looked frantically for help. Xing Jia, busy. Master Wan was miles away, dragged far from the caravan during his duel with Free Gale. Damn it!

He made a split-second decision, then adopted the initial stance of the Rising Phoenix Spear Art, leveling his spear at Yuchen. The Ruminator sprinted forward, in no mood to give Hao breathing room. So Hao demanded space instead by unveiling the greatest of his powers. Flames spilled from his tongue as he shaped the first words of the Transient Burning Leaf. Reality trembled as power far beyond a mere Distillator's wracked the world." The First Leaf did not wither on the branch."

Hao's Wildfire raged inside, aching to consume all as his voice echoed in the air. Qi burned like hot ashes in his throat as he spoke. Each word scorched his tongue. His life force shivered. The absent thread that he'd burnt in the West Lake City Tournament ached, more prominent now than ever. A piece of his vitality, of him … ripped away, gone because of Yuchen. The flames swirling from the burning grasses nearby roared to life, stirred by the Transient Burning Leaf's chant.

They recognized the power intrinsic in those words, as well as the Wildfire aching to devour Hao's lifeblood for a second time.

"You'd rather burn away than die an honest death?" Yuchen blanched, slowing just a fraction before tossing caution to the wind.

"Very well! I will not sit by and watch while you throw yourself on the pyre. If you're so eager to die, Xiao Hao, let me help you!" Yuchen's brief hesitance at the potential of facing the Transient Burning Leaf gave Hao all the opening he needed. Instead of searing away his lifeblood, he reached for two drops of distilled qi. He didn't even flinch at the cost. Second Ignition.

Hao exploded forward as the power of two droplets of distilled qi gushed through his meridians, pounding through the vessels like a superheated gas. His channels ached, strained by the sheer volume of power tearing through them, but he could take this much. He felt ready to tear apart at the seams, but pain was a price he was willing to pay. Killing Yuchen was worth it. Even a Ruminator like Yuchen couldn't react in time as Hao flickered forward to meet his charge with a Fire-Bloom Thrust.

His muscles screamed as he drove the Cheng Spear straight into his foe's shielding aura. The Cheng Spear parted Yuchen's storm clouds and carved through the left side of his pale, haughty face, though Yuchen's reflexive twitch prevented it from plunging through his skull. A great chunk of his bloody cheek flapped loose in the wind, exposing muscle and raw flesh beneath.

Hao thrust again, fighting the mad giddiness which came with the Wildfire's hunger, relishing Yuchen's scream as the Cheng Spear grew hot and mighty in his hand—"You fuck!" Yuchen slurred, hate stirring his aura cloak to a lashing storm that forced Hao back. The corner of his mouth had been ripped open by Hao's thrust, leaving every word barely decipherable.

"You made me bleed!" And then a boom rattled Hao's bones and Yuchen was gone. Then Yuchen was before him, a storm made flesh. Hao gasped as knuckles slammed into his ribs, the blooming pain registering sooner than his eyes could catch. Qi exploded from the impact like a peal of thunder, rattling Hao's bones and plunging deep into his side, feeling as if it sent a spiderweb of cracks through Hao's ribcage. Only the Four Souls Warding Talisman that he'd traded with Master Wan for saved Hao.

It surged to life beneath Hao's robes, releasing a haze of protective qi which replicated the effects of a Ruminator's aura. Four glyphs burned upon the talisman, which was composed of a small cracked turtle shell sealed back together with gold. One glyph burnt away. The crack in the turtle shell talisman extended a fraction.

Yuchen's qi-wreathed fist shoved against the haze, overpowering it, but a second glyph burnt, lending its strength to the cloak, and Hao slipped away, gasping in pain as his aching ribs screamed in protest. He ignored the pain. It was nothing compared to Master Bolin"Die!" Hao roared, lunging forward in a desperate attempt to reclaim the initiative. Hate made him strong, threading his determination with burning fire. But Yuchen was ready now.

His aura didn't stop the Cheng Spear, but it slowed Hao's strike down long enough for Yuchen to grasp its shaft just below the heavenly jade head, squeezing down and stopping the thrust in its tracks. Hao drove forward with all his strength, but Yuchen didn't yield. Forcing past his mighty grip felt like trying to dig through a mountain with a dagger. Hao strained, burning another droplet of distilled qi to thrust forward.

The Cheng Spear pushed forward an inch, but Yuchen gritted his teeth and braced himself, halting Hao's advance.

"You aren't without talent," Yuchen acknowledged. His voice was tight. Pressured. Just a little more…

"But you are still only a Distillator, Xiao Hao!" Yuchen flickered, darting around to Hao's side. His aura flowed forward and solidified over the Cheng Spear, locking Hao's hands to the frozen weapon. Yuchen was undefended without the qi cloak! Hao tried to rip his weapon free to capitalize, but Yuchen was faster. Yuchen released the spear, trusting in the strength of his qi to hold it still, and sidestepped in a smooth motion.

His aura flooded back to him, allowing Hao's momentum to guide the Distillator forward, and as Hao was extended, Yuchen struck. Crack. Hao screamed as his right arm shattered beneath Yuchen's strike. Agony lanced through him like a spike into his brain. The Four Souls Talisman's protective energies shielded him enough to keep him from losing the arm entirely, but the bone couldn't withstand Yuchen's terrible strength.

"Not so cocky now!" Yuchen roared. Hao stumbled backwards, awkwardly thrusting the Cheng Spear with one arm to unleash a gout of sputtering flame, but Yuchen simply walked through it, allowing his aura to absorb the damage. His torn cheek flapped with every step. Blood gushed down Yuchen's face, dripping down to stain his tattered robes red.

"Where are your jokes, Xiao Hao? Did I shatter your arms, or your wits? This is for ruining the greatest night of my life!" Yuchen dashed through the flames and slammed his fist into Hao's chest. The Four Souls Talisman flickered, absorbing the strike so that it didn't simply plunge through Hao's chest, but Yuchen dodged Hao's retaliatory stream of fire to clutch the Four Souls Talisman. With a grin, Yuchen ripped the defensive talisman from Hao's chest.

Hao gasped, thrusting the Cheng Spear at Yuchen one-handed, but Yuchen's aura effortlessly absorbed the weak blow. The qi cloak flooded out and shoved Hao backwards. Yuchen hadn't had so much control over his spirit back at Plum Blossom Village.

"Petty creations are no use against true power," Yuchen sneered. He crushed the turtle shell in his hand and cast the bone fragments into the burning grasses.

"Pathetic imitations! I've spent so long waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Perhaps your Ruminator ally will come to your aid. Or perhaps not. He'll steer clear if he has any sense. The White Rivers do not forgive, Xiao Hao. Neither do the Cheng Clan. And Cheng Yuchen least of all!" Hao's broken arm screamed as he adopted the best stance he could against Yuchen, desperately praying for aid. Where was Sister Fu? Where was Xing Jia? Where was Master Wan? Battle raged all around. Wind howled.

The Four Winds' cloudship sailed above, dropping three more cultivators down to the battlefield, but Hao couldn't take his eyes off Yuchen for more than a moment. He heard Xing Jia curse in the distance and rush to intercept the newcomers. She wouldn't be coming anytime soon. Not unless she was willing to sacrifice her juniors to the Four Winds reinforcements. Grim resignation reared its ugly head. He had no other choice.

Hao reached for his lifeblood, grimacing as he felt the power of his vitality coursing through his body. The finest tinder, the mightiest of fuels. Life. Time. The most precious of his resources… but a resource nonetheless. And resources were meant to be used." The First Leaf did not wither on the branch." Fire blazed all around, dancing to Hao's words.

"This again?" Yuchen sneered.

"I won't fall for your tricks again, dog." Inside, Hao guided his Wildfire carefully, allowing it to permeate his qi and send little burning tongues through his flesh. He held them on a tight leash as his inner flames burned hotter and hotter, stoked by the Wildfire's anticipation. It hungered for the most precious and potent of kindling. He'd feared it before the West Lake City Tournament. The Transient Burning Leaf's raw power had been addictive, but it terrified him to know what he stood to lose.

Now he embraced the Wildfire wholeheartedly." The First Leaf did not fall."

"No!" Yuchen screamed, realizing that Hao would truly burn himself away to settle his debt. Hao wheezed as Yuchen flickered forward. Crackling qi blasted into Hao, searing him, tearing into his flesh. He fell to one knee, gasping as agony plunged like a white-hot needle into his mind, and desperately raised the burning Cheng Spear with his unbroken arm to skewer Yuchen upon its tip.

"Too late!" Yuchen slapped the Cheng Spear from Hao's grip, sending the mighty weapon rolling off into the burning grasses. Hao's now-free hand darted towards the last of his toxic smoke bombs on his belt, only to be locked into place by Yuchen's flowing aura. Hao snarled as Yuchen's aura wound around his wrist like a serpent, constricting him. He thrashed, but the slightest twitch of the living qi would snap his bones, leaving him utterly defenseless.

"Did you think I wouldn't adapt to your pathetic tricks?" Yuchen mocked, freeing Hao's wrist. He immediately swung at the Ruminator, but a lazy kick sent Hao sprawling back into the grass. Yuchen's aura flickered outwards, clumsily grasping for the Cheng Spear like a baby's fumbling grip, and yanked it back to its master's outstretched hand.

"Ah, finally!" Yuchen sighed as if reunited with an old friend. He stroked the shaft, shuddering as if a mountain had just lifted from his shoulders. Hao took advantage of Yuchen's brief distraction to push himself to his feet with his good arm. Every last movement sent lances of agony through his broken arm, which hung limply at his side.

"It's only right for the Patriarch's Spear to be returned to its proper wielder," Yuchen remarked.

"And even more fitting that a petty thief should die to his greatest prize. To think that a filthy peasant like yourself dared to lay your hands upon this sacred weapon. Cleansing the Patriarch's Spear in your blood should wipe the stains off." Yuchen swiftly spun the spear as he adopted the starting form of the White Rapids Spear Art, leveling the Cheng Spear's heavenly jade at Hao. Stormy qi rippled around the brilliant green edge, crackling like pale lightning.

Fires burned all around them from Hao's attacks, trapping the two in a circle of hellish light. Yuchen was a demon, cast in a blazing red glow as half his face was torn away. His snarling visage twisted into a savage smile as he clutched the Cheng Spear tightly. Was this how those Four Winds Distillators had seen Hao?

"You could have been a fine tool for me, Xiao Hao! The Cheng Clan rewards service. Die knowing this: your disgusting arrogance has cut your journey short!" Cheng Yuchen thrusted downwards at Hao. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! And in that moment, Hao spewed out an Impure Exhale, blasting Yuchen with a blinding smokescreen.

The Cheng Spear pierced through the smoke, striking with speed that even Hao couldn't have mustered, but he rolled away, biting back a scream as he landed upon his shattered arm. But pain was Hao's most constant companion, far more reliable than flighty pleasure. Yuchen stormed through the smoke. His aura swept it away like a great breeze, clearing the space— Only to reveal a wild-eyed Hao leaping straight at him, fueled with the fleeting strength of distilled qi.

A spear materialized in Hao's good hand from his storage ring and slammed into Yuchen's aura. It shattered.

"A mortal spear?" Yuchen laughed.

"You—" Hao cast away his broken spear and burnt another droplet of distilled qi, gritting his teeth as the Wildfire seared him from the inside. He'd burnt too much too fast. His body couldn't take much more! He struck again, this time with one of the plain steel swords which he'd taken from Xia's hoard. It broke upon Yuchen's aura, failing to pierce through and harm the Ruminator. The sheer force of the blow still forced Yuchen back a step.

"Another?" Yuchen mocked.

"Prepare to die—" Hao burnt a third droplet, lunging forward with another mortal spear, which broke against Yuchen's qi cloak. The aura wavered.

"How many weapons do you have?!" Yuchen snarled, stabbing forward with the Cheng Spear, only to grimace as Hao spun and materialized yet another plain sword in his grip. It bit against Yuchen's aura, then splintered just like the other mortal weapons. Second Ignition! Hao screamed as his muscles burnt, seared alive by his own strength … but it pushed him onward, sharpening his senses, feeding the black rage pushing him forward.

Yuchen's thrust went wide as Hao rolled, then the Ruminator grunted as Hao lunged at him, tackling him onto the burning grass and blackened dirt.

"Off me!" Yuchen thrashed in a desperate attempt to dislodge Hao, but the wild Distillator burned, consuming droplet after droplet of distilled qi as he wrestled with the Ruminator.

"Animal! Dumb brute!" That's exactly what Hao was. Hate and desperation sent him wild—he ignored the agony of his broken arm, headbutting Yuchen once, the flames bursting from his skin biting into Yuchen's aura, smoke filling the air. He lost himself in a red haze. Hao headbutted the sputtering Yuchen once more, doing no real damage, then pounded Yuchen's face with his good fist. There was no finesse, no skill, just pure brute strength, killer instinct, and a hate borne of years.

He eyed Yuchen's exposed neck as the Ruminator roared his fury, his aura tearing at Hao's flesh, scouring his skin—then Hao lunged down and snapped his teeth around Yuchen's throat, Wildfire burning in his jaws, snapping steadily into Yuchen's aura even as he screamed and screamed, especially when Hao's good fingers clawed at his eyes, hoping to gouge them out and blind him and make him suffer—"No more!" Yuchen shrieked, finally working a mighty hand against Hao's chest and flinging the feral Distillator off.

Hao rolled, wheezing, exhausted, and spit Yuchen's blood from his mouth, flush with that tiny victory: he'd made it through Yuchen's aura. The Ruminator's eyes widened as he reached for his throat and felt bloody teeth marks.

"You bit me! You actually bit me! What kind of cultivator are you? To think a wild beast like you dared to lay your mangy paws on my forefather's weapon!" Yuchen grasped for the Cheng Spear— And Hao did what he'd considered unimaginable. The First Ignition burnt a single droplet of distilled qi, filling him with the strength of a Ruminator for an instant. The Second Ignition burnt two droplets, burning Hao from the inside as power tore through his meridians like the hot air pumping through a forge.

Now Hao reached into the pool of thick qi within his dantian, roared, and fed three droplets to the Wildfire. Third Ignition. Unspeakable agony exploded through Hao's body. Smoke curled from his skin as it burnt away, unable to bear the terrible heat devouring him from the inside.

He screamed and screamed, burning away as the Wildfire turned on him, consuming him, eating him even as his meridians seared, fraying, he was ready to burst, his eyes boiled, his hair caught flame— And he shot at Yuchen with a true Ruminator's strength with only one conscious thought as his body burned away: Death. Yuchen gasped as the last of Hao's swords shattered against his aura, cleaving so deeply that it nearly cut into his neck.

He staggered beneath the force and fury of this burning Hao, blinded by stinging smoke and fiery hate, and fell back again beneath the raw strength of Hao's last mortal spear. His strike shattered Yuchen's aura. It wavered beneath Hao's flames and the steady onslaught of weapons, but the Third Ignition-driven spear punched through, breaking Yuchen's protective cloak into wispy fragments. The spear's wooden shaft burned away in Hao's grip. He snarled and tossed it aside.

Yuchen found his footing on the burning grass. He roared with wounded pride as smoke billowed around him. He locked eyes with Hao— And then Hao lunged forward one last time as the Third Ignition ravaged him. No more swords. No more spears. So Hao's feverish mind manifested the last potential weapon he had into his burning hand: Boss Xia's phallic totem. Yuchen couldn't tell what it was. With his aura broken, Yuchen raised his forearms to block the strike, but it was too little too late.

The Ruminator howled in agony as Hao smashed the totem into the raw, ravaged side of Yuchen's face, cracking his jaw and rattling him so hard that the Cheng Spear slipped from his fingers. The sheer force of the blow shattered the idol in Hao's hands. Hao lunged for the spear, screaming as his burnt, blistered skin ripped and tore with every motion. But victory was the only thing that mattered. He snatched the Cheng Spear up with his good arm and spun to thrust it into Yuchen's exposed chest.

Only for a vicious foot to stomp down on Hao's leg. Bone snapped like a twig beneath Yuchen's strength. Muscles tore and pulped. Tendons and ligaments ripped. Hao's screams sounded across the Lonely Plains. He thought he heard someone screaming back. Yuchen was done talking. He didn't even bother going for the Cheng Spear now. Hao fumbled with the spear, blinded and maddened by pain, listening only to the Wildfire in his gut. Something sang to him. The Cheng Spear was hot in his grip.

The Ruminator sidestepped Hao's wavering thrust and kicked at Hao's head with enough force to turn him into pink mist. Hao raised the Cheng Spear one last time— And then an arrow buried itself in Yuchen's shoulder. The Ruminator gasped, howling as he looked past the flames into the grasses.

"Sister Fu, you fool! You're a terrible shot. I told you to distract the other Distillator! What are you doing here?" Hao nearly wept with joy as a familiar voice reached his ears.

"She's dead," Sister Fu called out. Hao's throat tightened. Surely Sister Fu was lying...

"Apologies, Senior Cheng! My aim is a little poor with all the fire and smoke. The whole plain looks ready to turn to ash. Here, let me put one miserable bastard out of his misery." Another arrow flew through the flames, aimed for Yuchen's chest, but the Ruminator was wary now. He plucked it from the air and snapped it effortlessly, then did the same with a third arrow that flew at his eye.

"You... you meant to shoot me!" Yuchen sputtered, eyes wide. Hao collapsed, exhausted.

"You traitorous wench! I'll have your head! How dare you turn against the White Rivers? How dare you betray me?!" Yuchen's aura had already begun to regenerate from when Hao shattered it. Wisps of qi clumsily grasped the arrow embedded in Yuchen's shoulder and ripped it free. The Ruminator grimaced as a thin trickle of blood dripped from the wound. It would take more than a single arrow to put down a Ruminator, even if Sister Fu had poisoned it as she was wont to.

A Ruminator's Distilled Form blended the spirit into their flesh: mortal weapons were largely ineffective, though they could still cause damage. It was just like trying to chop down an old oak with a rusty hatchet. Fear flickered in Yuchen's gaze as another arrow shot through the flames. Hao groaned, barely able to see through his painfully dry eyes. But Yuchen blazed to his spiritual senses. He thrust again with his good arm, missing by over a foot.

"Give me that!" Yuchen tried to snatch the Cheng Spear. Fu was Yuchen's lesser, but the Ruminator's eyes flitted over to the golden glow to the north. Master Wan. Still so damn distant…

"My duty is done. My honor is redeemed! Your suffering is enough, Xiao Hao. I will take my leave now." Hao gurgled something meaningless. He laid himself over the Cheng Spear, refusing to let Yuchen take it. His skin tore. Pulverized bone shards ripped him apart from the inside. The foul smell of burning hair pervaded their little circle. Every little exertion felt like climbing a mountain. But he wouldn't let Yuchen win. Just a little longer… Yuchen ripped the spear from Hao.

Or would have, if Hao didn't cling with all his remaining strength, squeezing the Cheng Spear's shaft as tightly as he could. He couldn't stop Yuchen from yanking the spear, but he did hold on, forcing Yuchen to haul him up with it.

"Stubborn fool! What is wrong with you?" Yuchen cried, ducking another of Sister Fu's arrows. He shook the spear. Hao's blood smeared over the shaft. The Ruminator snarled and thrust his fist forward to end Hao, only to scream in frustration as a blade struck him in the back, catching on his aura.

"Who dares?!"

"Brother Xiao!" Sister Xing swept her blade back from where she'd struck Yuchen, though she couldn't pierce his reforming aura.

"I'm here. Hold on! Master Wan is coming! He will arrive any minute." Yuchen flung Hao away as Xing Jia's flowed into a series of expert strikes, swiftly switching from one motion to the other. Hao could only lay and stare, gurgling as he laid upon his broken leg. His fingers curled around the Cheng Spear. Yuchen took another two blows to his aura, weakening it further, before he met Xing Jia's blade with his qi-wreathed fist.

The strike cracked her sword, though it didn't outright shatter like the mortal weapons that Hao wielded against him.

"You will not touch Xiao Hao again!" Sister Fu hissed as she leapt through the flames, swinging her wooden staff to smash into Yuchen's spine. His aura held strong, wavering only slightly—even a young Ruminator felt almost indomitable, durable beyond imagining to those who hadn't ascended.

"I've ached to do this every night, Yuchen. You spoiled, pompous ass!"

"Lying snake!" Yuchen flooded his aura to his back to shield against Sister Fu's blows. She might as well have been pounding the head of her staff against a stone. Xing Jia lunged forward as soon as she spotted Yuchen's vulnerability, but he coated his hand in qi and snatched her blade, snapping it between his fingers.

"Pathetic!" Hao stirred, blinking with scorched eyelids. He tried to rise, but his quivering muscles failed him. His spirit raged, but his body was spent. Fury tore through him. Useless! All his training, all his suffering, and he couldn't even kill Yuchen. Sister Fu blew some poisonous powder at Yuchen, but his aura prevented it from filling his airways or irritating his eyes. She snapped her fingers, creating a blinding flash of light which stymied Yuchen for a moment.

Yuchen saw with more than just his eyes, however. Sister Fu swept her staff at his head, striking with such speed and ferocity that she must've burned a droplet of distilled qi, but Yuchen's good hand snapped up, catching the staff after it smashed against his aura twice. His jaw tightened with exertion, but he tore Sister Fu's staff from her hands. Golden light shone closer on the horizon. Hope. Hao clutched the Cheng Spear in his burnt fingers. His skin was raw and blistered.

Blood oozed from his dry, cracked flesh. He struggled to his feet, leaning on his good leg, screaming to the heavens as agony scorched him inside and out. He cursed his own weakness as his muscles gave out and he collapsed to the dirt, still holding onto the Cheng Spear.

"Up again?" Yuchen snarled. He advanced upon Sister Fu as she leapt in front of Hao, shielding him, and swung his stolen staff. Sister Fu gasped as she caught the mighty blow on her forearm, grimacing as the bone cracked, but she didn't budge.

"You have taken enough from my brother. No more!" Sister Fu hissed. She was quick, but not quick enough: Yuchen beat her with her own staff, cracking bones with every strike, until she collapsed to her knees. Sister Fu was a clever combatant. She wasn't meant for direct confrontations like this. Especially not against a Ruminator. If only Hao had been stronger …

"Taste the edge of my Dew Drop Blade!" Xing Jia shouted, distracting Yuchen for a moment. She leapt at Yuchen with both hands clasped above her head, clutching the hilt of her broken sword. Before their eyes, qi flowed. Water solidified from the atmosphere into a flowing edge much like what Fairy Geng had wielded against the Grey Hilt. The spiritual attack worked far better than her mortal blade: the flowing water's edge bit several inches into Yuchen's aura, cutting into his wounded shoulder.

The Dew Drop Blade slashed through his sect robes and drew a thick line of blood. Then Yuchen swept Sister Fu's staff into Xing Jia's ribs so hard that a long crack split down the weapon. His strike hurled Xing Jia outside the fading ring of fire. He scoffed, glancing uneasily to the north as the golden light grew brighter and brighter on the horizon.

"Can't have it …" Hao slurred, feeling drunk. He readied himself for another one-handed thrust." Mine." Yuchen effortlessly dodged Hao's strike, still standing strong with a Ruminator's durability. If only they'd been able to combine their forces against Yuchen from the beginning...

"Yuchen," Sister Fu said sweetly, rising to her feet.

"Do you remember all those nights that Junior Wei spent in your tent?" Yuchen ignored her, eyes filled with killing intent as he approached Hao. Fu tried again.

"Do you remember how your poor little spear could never stand upright, no matter what your little sycophant tried? I know it hasn't worked since, either. Poor Yuchen, cursed with a limp noodle. Or would you prefer to call it a sleeping serpent? How will you ever be a proper leader of the Cheng Clan if you can't even produce new heirs?" That earned a reaction. Yuchen glanced at Fu, furious, though he simply shifted directions. His face was white with rage.

"How did you know—" Sister Fu's eyes glimmered. She edged away from Hao now that she had Yuchen's attention, limping heavily. Yuchen was so lost in rage that he pursued her, leaving his back to the broken Hao. A chance.

"You never were very bright, Yuchen. And not in a charming way, either. Stupid men can be pleasantly malleable, but you were always a little too bullheaded. Too assured of your own superiority," Sister Fu remarked. Her lips curved up into a cruel smile.

"But whatever possessed you to bring an alchemist who despises you along? Did you ever wonder why I never argued against preparing dinner each night? Slipping the gu poison into your meals was just too easy." Yuchen struck Sister Fu with her own staff, smashing her knee with the cracked length of wood.

"You treasonous scum!" Yuchen struck her again and again. Blood poured from Sister Fu's mouth, but she never stopped laughing.

"What have you done to me? What have you taken?" Sister Fu broke beneath the brutal blows. Hao's Wildfire ravaged him as he desperately tried to rise, scorching what was already burnt to cinders. He collapsed just as surely as Sister Fu did, shattered by the brutal battle.

"You'd better stop that …" Sister Fu slurred, twitching from the last blow Yuchen dealt her.

"Your manhood'll rot right off without the antidote … no little Cheng brats running around if you kill any of us …" Yuchen's jaw dropped. His eyes widened. For a moment he forgot the battle. And then something cold shifted in his eyes. Some of that famous Cheng arrogance that Yuchen exemplified drained the fear from him.

"Why would I care about leaving a mortal legacy?" Yuchen sneered.

"My destiny will take me to the Heavens themselves!" Yuchen brought his stolen staff down on Sister Fu. She raised her arms to protect herself, but it wasn't long before she screamed. Hate like no other boiled inside Hao. Not the black rage against Master Bolin and the White Rivers. Not even the bloody rage which fermented against Yuchen for all his sins against Hao. This was hate on behalf of another. Golden, not black. Righteous. Yuchen brought the staff down again, spitting curses at Sister Fu. Crack.

The golden haze was close. But not close enough. Sister Fu would … she was going to... Crack. Yuchen's back was turned to him. Hao's burnt fingers grasped the Cheng Spear. Something resonated with the righteous fury he felt. Hao hauled himself onto his good foot, bracing against the Cheng Spear for support. He nearly crumpled as his exhausted body screamed in protest. But he stood. Crack. Sister Fu screamed. She needed him. Fires all around. He couldn't see far. But he felt. Alien sensation.

Resonating in his thoughts. In his hand. The Cheng Spear heated in his grip. It wanted to be used. So he did just that. Hao lurched forward. He more fell towards Yuchen than walked. He stumbled one step and blindly thrusted, collapsing into Yuchen. The Cheng Spear's tip burnt red-and-gold with Wildfire. It tore through Yuchen's wavering aura and pierced the Ruminator's back. Heavenly jade bit deeply. Yuchen's scream was the sweetest thing Hao had ever heard.

Hao collapsed, drained of strength, and ripped the spear from Yuchen's gut as he fell. Blood poured from the deep wound, drenching both Hao's hands and the Cheng Spear scarlet in the weapon's rightful owner's blood. Yuchen was a warrior. He spun, eyes frightened and wrathful, and plunged a fist through Hao's chest. Bones shattered. Flesh ripped. But his heart beat on. Thump. Hao stared blankly up at the sky. The bloody Cheng Spear still pulsed in his hand, purring like a cat. He felt very cold. He never felt cold.

Thump. For the first time in years, the Wildfire was gone. Only a lone ember dancing amongst ashes.

"Something... finally... right!" Yuchen snarled, concentrating his aura into his grievous wound, stumbling off drunkenly, slowing with every second as rivers of blood stained his robes red. Hao's eyes shut. He couldn't keep them open anymore. Thump. Something heavy fell. Familiar arms wrapped around him, squeezing him. It was the sweetest pain. When was the last time anyone had embraced him? He didn't know.

"Brother! Hao, hold on. Just hold on a little longer! Please don't die, Hao. Don't leave me alone. Take this …" A warmth washed over Hao, then the darkness came. The last thing he perceived was whispered words which he couldn't make out. But he understood them. Interest.