Chapter 26: The Man from the Red Dragon Sect

“Well?” he said. “Why are you following me?”

Zen turned his held to run away but his arm was grabbed, keeping him in place. Shibi shouted loudly and the man grabbed his tail.

“Hey!” Zen reached for the monkey but he was swiftly punched in the gut and he fell on his butt.

“A Fiery Ape,” the man said, looking at Shibi who was hanging by his tail from the man’s hand. “A beast after my own heart but a beast I will kill along with you if you don’t tell me what I want to know.”

Zen slammed his palm on the floor, lifting his body up to kick his hand and free Shibi from his grasp, before flipping back onto his feet. Zen turned around and ran away but the man pursued. He allowed his qi to circulate, speeding himself up but the man only did the same, quickly getting close to catching up to him.

Shibi ran past his feet, he was like a red streak racing through the grey and black pavement. The Fiery Ape bounced on a trash can and climbed up a building onto the roof.

“Maybe that’s what I need to do,” Zen said to himself. Stepping on the trash can, he leapt up, hoping his qi would be enough to get him up. He fell short, but his fingertips caught the edge and he pulled himself up, where Shibi climbed back on his shoulder.

There was a boom and whoosh and the man leapt high into the air in pursuit. Zen watched him as he sailed over them, dumbfounded at how he could get that much height. Gritting his teeth, he ran forward as fast as he can, wanting to get past the point where the man would land. He passed the point and a moment later the man landed.

The man conjured a fireball in his hand and chucked it at him. Zen bent down, before the fireball sailed above his head. He continued on but when the fireball hit the ground, a wall of fire erupted before him, forcing the boy to a halt. He was about to go around the wall of fire but the man slammed both his flaming fists to the ground, causing a ring of fire to form around the two from his fists and trapping Zen with him.

“A Fire Cultivator,” Zen said to himself before he turned to face the man.

The man walked closer to him, his steps steadily growing faster.

“Shibi, off!”

Shibi looked at Zen with reluctance.

“Now!” he said.

Shibi leapt off his shoulder before he charged at the man. He did not get far before the man was upon him. Zen’s leg shot out but the man blocked it with his forearm. The man punched at him and Zen blocked, the force sending him slide back, close to the wall of burning fire.

Zen’s hand was in pain and trembling but he ignored it, facing the man who was pursuing. He let his qi flow to activate the Blits Punch. The man’s palm became wreathed in fire and he did something Zen thought was impossible, he deflected the superfast punch, his flaming oalm burning his forearm deep into the muscle.

The man smirked at having blocked the punch but his smirk was knocked from his face when the follow up punch slammed into his nose. The rest of the punches followed closely, ripping into his chest. The man stumbled away, grabbing his face, with his sight blinded by tears.

Zen had been lucky the punch landed ceanly on the man’s nose. It gave him a chance, not to win, him fighting the man would be like an ant challenging a dragon. This was his chance to escape. “Shibi!” he shouted desperately while holding out his hand. Shibi used his arm as a roadway to his shoulder as he placed all the qi he could in his legs. He leapt clear over the wall of fire, landing on the other side before running away.

The end of the roof they were on was coming up fast. Using his qi he leapt off the roof for the next roof. He became aware of a growing red light behind him. he looked back, seeing the fire ball heading for him while in mid air. He could not dodge.

Boom!

The explosion propelled him forward before he landed hard on the roof, rolling down its side where he and Shibi got separated. His body fell off the edge, at the last moment he grabbed the roof with his hand. His eyes were slightly dazed and he was fighting unconsciousness but losing just like he was losing his grip. Shibi rushed to him, desperately trying to pull him in its small monkey hands but it was all for not for he lost his grip and, Shibi refusing to let go, fell with him.

His short fall was stopped when someone grabbed his wrist. He looked up with fading eyes and could not even muster a look of confusion when he stared up at his unlikely saviour, the man from the Red Dragon Sect. he suddenly pulled him up, sending his body over hid head by the arm before slamming him down on the floor behind him, sending Shibi rolling away in the slam.

Blood squirted from his mouth and the threat of unconsciousness fleeted to give way to extreme pain. Zen was surprised that the cracked roof did not collapse under his back. The man flipped around, straddling the boy with his flaming palm held above him.

“Now tell me boy, before I hurt you some more, why were you following me. Are you working for Ma Xinqi?”

‘I-I was interested in joining the Red Dragon Sect so I wanted to see how one of you were,” Zen said in a weak voice.

“Lies! If that was the case than why did you attack me?”

“I didn’t attack you,” Zen said. “I was defending myself because you attacked me.”

The man quickly opened his mouth but then slowly closed it, realising that what the boy said was true. He was the one who threw the first punch. The kid’s strength was not even a blimp compared to his. The fire in his hand died. He searched Zen’s pockets and found his emblem and gold coins.

“You attend the academy, huh? Good now I know where to find you if I discover you’ve been lying.” He returned Zen’s belongings and got off him, allowing Zen to collect Shibi, who was a battered as he before he limped away to the academy.