Chapter 110: Vow
Chapter 110: Vow
Yun Wentian woke up the next day on a bed somewhere. He opened his eyes and looked around but couldn't recognize anything.
"Where am I...?" he mumbled and the last day's events flashed past his eyes.
"I've been kidnapped!" he didn't make another sound and tried to get up but felt a weight on his chest. He looked down and saw a white fluff ball sleeping casually.
He slowly picked up the little cub and put him to the side and got up.
With extreme care, he made his way to the door and gripped the handle to open it slowly when a voice came from behind him, "Walk out that door and you will regret it for the rest of your life."
He suddenly jerked his head and turned around to see a man with long hair sitting with his back to the wall on the opposite side of the room, looking towards his direction with his eyes closed.
"W-Who are you?! What do you want?" he stutteringly shouted.
"Hao Xuan. I'm the one that brought you here. They also call me Deimos," he smiled back.
Yun Wentian's eyes dilated, "You're the Ninth captain of the Red Legion?!"
"Yes," Hao Xuan nodded.
"Ar....are you going to eat me?" he asked with trembling legs. Even though he was trying to act strong, one had to remember he was only 11 years old at most. No matter how mature he was, there was a limit.
Hao Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and glowed blue for a second before returning to their original green color.
"Why would I eat a scrawny little brat like you? There are much better things to satisfy my hunger. Don't overestimate yourself. You're here because, One, I like the look in your eyes, and Two, you are my way to balance my karma out."
"Karma? What karma?"
"See for yourself," Hao Xuan looked at his Spirit Band and a couple of seconds later Yun Wentian got a link to a news article.
"The youngest master of the Mu Family, Mu Taio, was killed yesterday during a routine mission. The eye-witnesses describe the event as extremely bizarre. Mu Taio, along with his other classmates, was out observing a herd of Jagras when he walked up to one of the young ones and started dismembering it. This, of course, angered the bigger Great Jagras who ripped the young man to shreds before the teachers could step in."
"As many of our readers may already know, Jagras usually keep to themselves and unless threatened first, they will not attack. Some have claimed that the young man was acting very strangely for the past day and some even claim that he had committed suicide when he was not selected as a disciple of the Ninth Caption of the Red Legion, Captain Deimos. Many powerful families have sent their representatives..."
Yun Wentian read the entire article with furrowed brows before looking up at Hao Xuan.
"I have known Mu Taio for 3 years. He would never do something like this."
"Correct, he wouldn't."
"Then....did you have a hand in this?"
"Yes. I told him to go kill himself."
"Why?"
"Because he did something that even Gods and Devils would think twice about."
"What is that?"
"He pissed me off."
"......"
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not an evil man.....just an angry one," Hao Xuan mumbled the last sentence under his breath.
"What do you want from me then? Why tell me these things? Aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone?" Yun Wentian asked curiously. Why come clean to him?
"And who would believe you?" Hao Xuan asked with a smile.
"What do you want from me?"
"Loyalty. And in exchange I can give you everything," he used the same line Meng had used on him. Thinking about it actually pissed him off a little bit.
Yun Wentian went quiet for a while before speaking up once again, "What about my condition?"
"No conditions. I can guess what it is pretty much but I won't be your tool. I can help you realize your dreams and become powerful. Then you can do whatever it is you want without asking for my help."
He went silent once again. This time for several minutes, "Why me?"
"No real reason. Think of it as fate. But if you don't want to, then you can walk out of here and forget about this ever happened. And if you choose to stay, you'll have to follow my every command without question. I will be your teacher and will be on your side as long as you're not the one at fault."
"I hate bullying the weak. The strong have a responsibility to protect those weaker than themselves, up to a point that is."
*Sigh*
"I am not a good man, nor am I a bad one. I am just, me. But I also have a very low tolerance for bullshit so sometimes, I get carried away. As I said, I have some anger management issues," Hao Xuan let out a laugh that startled Yun Wentian.
"Will you help me become strong?" he asked.
"No. I can show you how to, it's on you how far you can go," Hao Xuan shook his head.
"Fine. I accept. As long as I can become strong, I don't care," he nodded his head.
"Great!" Hao Xuan clapped his hands merrily.
"Come and accept me as your teacher," he said solemnly and stood up.
In the cultivation world, the relationship between a master and his disciples was a very precious one. One that would be overseen by the heavens themselves. It would be the master's duty to guide the student to the best of abilities. And it would be the disciple's duty to uphold his master's reputation and to never bring shame to him.
Yun Wentian kowtowed nine times in front of Hao Xuan and made a vow.
"With the high heavens as my witness, I make the most holiest of vows,"
"I pledge my undying loyalty to you, my teacher, no matter the circumstance,"
"As long as there is a single breath in my body, I will continue to uphold this promise for all of eternity."
"I shall be your sword on the battlefield,"
"Your torch in the darkness of the night,"
"Your shield in front of your enemies,"
"And your loyal student till the end of times."
He then cut his finger and a droplet of blood floated out. Hao Xuan did the same. Both the droplets melded together in mid-air and changed to a dark purple color that seemed to be glowing. The droplets returned to their bodies and went straight to their hearts where they would stay until their deaths.
This was not a binding agreement and won't force them to do anything. But their hearts would be connected from then onward and when one is in trouble, the other will feel it no matter how vast the distance between them.