A flash of flames erupted and engulfed the three people inside the white cloud. Their miserable shrieks could be heard from inside as the heat from the fire reached the others. The villagers inadvertently took a step back.

The youth walked with an unhurried gait. The flames subsided as three figures ran around frantically like a headless chicken. Their bodies were covered with glowing hot orange flames which emitted miasma-like black smoke. Their screams filled the villagers with a sense of fear. Many of the more squeamish people and children turned their heads away.

“Ahahaha, you guys are pretty lit!” The youth laughed playfully.

“…I hate you.” Jian Gong did not like the pun.

“Oh, don’t be like that. They’re just a bit too hot-headed!”

“Stop.”

“Fine,” the youth shrugged. “You’re no fun.”

“Fuck you too.”

He walked up to the village chief paying no heed to the soon-to-be corpses. He asked, “Why are the people from a neighboring village attacking you?”

The village chief tore his gaze away from the gruesome sight and looked at him with some complicated emotions before replying, “It’s because of our heirloom.”

“Heirloom? What kind of heirloom would make them disregard potential problems in their own village?”

After a bit of hesitation, the village chief revealed what it was, “A dagger, it has immense Yang Qi in it; capable of scorching anyone who gets wounded by it.”

“Oh, a Spiritual Treasure! Didn’t think a village in the middle of the forest would have something like this.”

“Oh, how convenient!” Jian Gong said in a monotone voice.

“Spare me the meta-commentary.”

The village chief continued, “The founders of this village were brothers. Back then there were tens of villages around this large forest. But as time went on, the number decreased.

The elder brother had a dream- that was to unite all the villages here and live peacefully. He was kind and magnanimous, giving their all for the sake of the village.

In comparison, the younger brother was gloomier. He was cold, calculating, and strict but none could deny his contributions and love for the village.”

“Hold up,” Jian Gong’s panic screaming rang in the youth’s mind. “This story sounds familiar.”

“What’s up with you now?”

“The brothers each used a dagger, twin daggers to be exact. The elder brother’s dagger remains with us while the younger brother’s one is with the Shui Village.”

“If the brothers were close, why are their daggers in different villages?”

“The records don’t make it clear but the brothers ended up clashing due to different ideologies. The eldest brother advocated unity through peaceful means while the younger preached unity through strength.”

“Oi, make him stop or we’ll get copyrighted!”

The youth paid no heed to Jian Gong’s cries of protest and asked, “Are you the brothers’ descendant?”

“No, their descendants died out. I’m the descendent of the second biggest clan during their time.”

“Fuck, ask him if he’s the Hokage too.”

“Ho-what? Shut the fuck up for now.” The youth was getting annoyed.

“I see.” The youth pointed toward the now charred body, “He’s the current village chief of Shui Village?”

Huo Long didn’t know why he was asking but decided to honestly answer, “T-That’s right.”

The youth walked over to the burned old man and squatted down next to him. The latter’s skin was burned and his hair had been burnt to a crisp. Surprisingly, he was still breathing!

“Hey, the body of a Qi Refinement Cultivator is quite tough!” he remarked.

He reached out his hand and grabbed the object that was jutting out from the old man’s robes which were tattered. He smiled in satisfaction. It was a dagger in a scabbard.

He unsheathed it; the deep blue blade glistened under the moonlight. He felt as though he was looking at the reflection of the moon on a pond, calm and serene. The dagger had a dark brown hilt made out of wood which oddly complimented the dark blue blade.

The dagger shuddered in his hand and he felt his Qi spurred. He instinctively understood that the dagger was a Water Attribute Spiritual Attribute.

“There were no runes on it, so, it must be the metal is special.” The youth gripped the hilt; it was a bit thicker than he would’ve liked but that’s not a problem. As he admired the blade, his eyes twitched.

“Kid, can you give me that dagger?” the village chief called out from behind.

“Why?” the youth stood up and turned around to face him.

“It’s important. The records state the importance of merging the daggers, only then will their true potential will be unlocked!”

“That’s fine and all but why should I care?” the youth shrugged. “I killed them; it’s mine to claim, right?”

“Boy, I can’t stress this enough!” the village chief got heated up. “I. Need. That. KNIFE.”

“Old man, what kind of manners are these? I’m clearly not willing but you intend to take it from me?”

“No, boy, I’m asking you to give me that dagger.”

“And I’m asking why should I?” The youth stopped pushing. He sighed and scratched his hair, “Listen,-” he hung the dagger in front of his face, “-if you want it, then come, try and take it.”

“Boy, you don’t have to do this!” The village chief was persuaded.

“You don’t either; the Shui Village Chief has already died. You have no reason to merge these daggers anymore.”

“Boy, the records state-”

The youth snapped at him, “Shut the fuck up about your records, man! Your village is destroyed; what records are you still following?! Don’t talk drivel, just fight!”

“You’re forcing my hand!” The old man got into a fighting stance.

“You’re going to have to pry this dagger from my cold, dead hands; have you resolved yourself?” The youth did not take a stance and just stood as he was.

“It doesn’t have to be this way!”

The youth didn’t talk anymore and instead turned toward his daughter, Huo Lan. Her expression was full of worry and panic. She couldn’t keep up with the sudden turn of events and couldn’t find a time to speak up.

He took off the cloth mask and smiled helplessly at her, “It seems your father has resolved himself. Will you resent me if I kill him?”

The woman looked at him with an uncomprehending expression, “Wha-?”

In a flash, the old man took out a red dagger from his robes. The blade looked as if it was molten red. He put strength in his legs and leaped at him. “You think I’m easy to kill!?”

The old man’s charge was ferocious and was covered in a scorching aura far hotter than when the youth lit the people from Shui Village on fire.

The old man had already locked on to the youth’s throat.

“Very.” That was the only word he heard out of the youth’s mouth as he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He directed his eyes towards the center of his brows. A blue dagger stuck out from it. The old man stumbled backward and fell to the ground.

The atmosphere had gone dead silent. The old man’s daughter and the villagers could not comprehend the sight in front of them.

The youth who had his hand outreached, lowered them. He walked calmly towards the old man’s corpse and took the red dagger from his hands. Just like the blue dagger, he felt his Qi spur as he picked it up. It was a fire-attribute dagger.

“FATHER!” it seems it finally dawned on Huo Lan what had transpired. She dashed towards her father and raised his body on her lap. The old man’s eyes had lost all light as blood flowed incessantly from his forehead. The other villagers also crowded over them, unable to accept their beloved chief’s death.

After crying for a while, Huo Lan roared furiously, “WHY?” She turned around to glare at the youth.

The crowd moved away and also looked to where the youth was. The latter had no particular emotion on his face, no pity nor regret.

“You saw in front of your eyes what happened. Am I not even allowed to defend my possessions?”

“You could’ve just conceded!”

“I’m in the Yellowleaf Forest; I need to use everything I can get to escape from here.”

“At least, you could’ve let him live!”

“And after I did that? The old man was hellbent on killing me and snatching this dagger. Am I supposed to just let him kill me?”

“I-I get that but…” Huo Lan once again broke out into sobs.

The youth sighed and kept the daggers in his robes, “Give him a good burial. As stupid as he was, he was still a good village chief.” He turned around and walked away.

He raised a hand and waved without looking back, “Thanks for giving me these clothes; I hope we never meet again.”

The villagers could do nothing but watch him walk away. Huo Lan looked at him with resentment and a slight hint of resignation as he walked upstream.

“Was that alright?” Jian Gong asked in his mind.

“No, it won’t ever be alright.”