Chapter 165: Faces
Chapter 165: Faces
"Members of the White Bamboo sect are blocking our path!"
Hearing his junior's words, Liu Bai could not help but rush outside the carriage. The White Bamboo sect is a secondary branch of the Heaven Bamboo sect. The Heaven Bamboo sect's power has been falling for more than a hundred years now, not only because they retained their ancient ways, but also because of internal strife.
The Heaven Bamboo sect had 3 secondary branches. All of which have been fighting over who would take over the Heaven Bamboo sect as the main branch.
The Heaven Bamboo sect had already completely obliterated the two other branches, the only one that was still left was the White Bamboo sect, whose members were currently blocking their path.
"Tch", Liu Bai could not help but click his tongue, "Of all the times that they choose to play their games, why did it have to be now!?"
Viel blinked his eyes a few times as he was left inside the carriage. Right when he was about to die of boredom something happens? Fate truly works in mysterious ways.
The carriage slightly shook as loud sounds of explosion seeped through it. Viel could hear the robust shouts and war cries of the battle outside.
He could not help but step out of the carriage to see what exactly was the commotion was all about. And as soon as his head was out of the carriage, a man came flying through his view.
The man's white robes instantly stained brown as he landed and rolled onto the truck of mud. He continued to roll a couple more times before he could completely recover himself.
"You ancient f*cks!", the White Bamboo sect disciple summoned his blade as he rushed back to battle.
He passed by the carriage again, but this time, he met the curious eyes of a green-haired boy, who was casually standing beside a carriage.
The White Bamboo sect disciple was confused at first as to why there was a boy just watching them fight. But then, as he was about 5 steps past the green-haired boy, a genius idea came to his mind.
He quickly turned back to the carriage and swiftly pulled the green-haired boy towards him, grabbing him by the neck and pointing his blade on his jaw.
"I will kill this boy if you do not surrender!", he said. The green-haired boy obviously came from the carriage, then that would mean that he was either the companion of the Heaven Bamboo sect or someone of importance to them.
"You dare!?", Liu Bai, who was currently in a bout with another disciple, quickly rushed towards the man. Liu Bai gave up the other children just to get Xia Ka Ri. He'll be damned if he just let him die when he still has not even arrived in the sect and made himself useful.
"Ah ah ah!", the man from the White Bamboo sect tightened his grip on the green-haired boy, "Come any closer and I will cut this boy's head off!"
"Tch! Cowards!", Liu Bai could not help but click his tongue as he froze in his tracks. He looked around him to see his juniors still fighting for their lives against the disciples of the White Bamboo sect. When push comes to shove, his junior's lives were more important than Xia Ka Ri.
"Have you no honor!?", Liu Bai shouted. He then quickly put up his guard when two disciples rushed towards him and swung their swords.
"Honor? We will get honor once our sect becomes the main branch!", the man said.
With all of this happening, Viel could not help but furrow his eyebrows in thought. Why does this kind of thing always happen to him? He was sure that something like this had happened years ago. Did he really look so weak that people would take him hostage every time?
He then casually turned his head towards the man that was threatening to kill him, not even minding the blade that was pointed at his jaw.
"Hey, mister...", Viel said, "Can I ask why you decided to take me hostage?"
"Shut your mouth, boy!", the man, however, tightened his grip on Viel's neck in response, "You better hope you have some value, or I will kill you here and now!"
"That's quite drastic, isn't it?", Viel widened his eyes, "I still haven't done anything to you people"
"...What?", the man could not help but furrow his eyebrows, confused as to why the boy wasn't even showing any signs of fear, "I said shut your mouth if you don't want me to cut your tongue and feed it to you!"
"Ew"
As soon as the man finished his words, a crunching noise resounded in the air, followed by a horrid shout.
"M...my hand!", the man quickly pushed Viel away as he felt an intense amount of pain on his hand, "Y...you broke my hand!"
The man screamed in pain as he looked at the green-haired boy straight in the eye. Everyone that was observing the situation, even those who were in the middle of a fight, could not help but momentarily pause as they looked at the White Bamboo sect disciple.
Viel, however, just released a long sigh as he looked at the man. He really wanted to watch who was going to win between these two sects, but unfortunately for him, he still had a mission. If the members of the Heaven Bamboo sect die here, then he would surely fail the mission that his sister Xing Cai gave him.
And so, with another sigh, he quickly disappeared, only to appear behind the back of the man who took him hostage.
And then he took him hostage.
He grabbed the man's neck and pointed a finger at his jaw. "If you people do not leave", Viel's cold voice pierced through the ears of all the people within the vicinity, "I will uh
...force you to build my house and make you pay for it!"
"...What?", the members of the White Bamboo sect could not help but furrow their eyebrows in confusion. What kind of threat was that?
"Get your hands off me, you filthy foreigner!", the man tried to struggle and pull the green-haired boy's arms away, but no matter how much strength he put in, he couldn't even budge the boy.
Viel, however, could not help chuckle inside. So this is what taking someone hostage felt like. It felt kind of fun, he thought. Was this the reason so many people are doing it?
But he really had no qualms with these people, so there really weren't any threats he could think of.
"Unhand our brother!", one of the White Bamboo sect rushed towards Viel. But sadly for him, the only thing he managed to do was to also get caught.
And now, there were two of them on each arm of Viel.
"This"
Even Liu Bai and the members of the Heaven Bamboo sect could not believe this kind of outcome. Just how much brute strength does this green-haired boy have exactly? It really was the right decision to bring him to their sect.
"Uhh", Viel actually had no idea what to do now. It was hard thinking of a threat when it was just one, but now he had two hostages, "...Can you guys just go home?"
But alas, Viel did not need to do anything. With the numbers of the White Bamboo sect dwindled, Liu Bai and his juniors were able to easily defeat the rest of the disciples.
"...Oh", seeing the situation, Viel hummed as he let go of the two people in his arms. Feeling themselves free, the two quickly ran away, not even looking at their defeated comrades.
"We will remember this humiliation, boy!"
"This isn't over!"
"We will kill you!"
Their shouts gradually weakened as they got farther and farther away.
"Tch. They really are cowards", Liu Bai once again clicked his tongue as he watched the backs of the two men that escaped.
"Should we follow them?", one of Liu Bai's juniors said.
"No. Let them spread the might of the Heaven Bamboo sect!", Liu Bai said as he raised his weapon.
"Hurrah!"
Seeing them celebrating their victory, Viel just shook his head and returned back inside the carriage.
There weren't any more encounters along the way. And soon, after a few more hours, the carriage finally stopped as they had reached their destination.
The Heaven Bamboo sect was, in a word, dilapidated. Its magnificence was hidden by the moss and cracks that filled their walls.
"Let's go, follow us to the rest of the Drifters"
Hearing Liu Bai's words, Viel took his gaze off the aged walls and nodded his head, following him without even a word.
He had successfully entered the Heaven Bamboo sect. Now all he had to do was wait for the signal from his sister Xing Cai and the group so they could proceed to the third phase of their plan.
Viel was then led to a huge building where multiple Heaven Bamboo sects were on guard.
"You stay here for now", Liu Bai told him as he beckoned for the guards to open the huge door.
And there, as soon as the doors to the building opened, Viel could not help but widen his eyes as to the view that presented itself to him.
Faces. Countless faces of children, some probably even younger than him. They all looked at him, most of their expressions... dead.
There was only one thing that Viel could think of-- they looked lost.
Lost like they do not belong.