Chapter 364: “Human Skin Map (2)”
“Those people gave up their whole lives in the search for the Dark Emperor’s tomb for the powers they served, they suffered the curses and verbal abuse while alive and were not able to rest in peace even after their deaths. They died under torture and their souls were completely destroyed. Their families were not spared and massacred without exception.” Qiao Chu laughed loudly suddenly after he told the story, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at Jun Wu Xie.
“Wouldn’t you think that those people were so dumb? They knew that the Dark Emperor’s tomb was not to be desecrated and they got themselves and their whole family tree massacred because of their blind loyalty to the various powers they served respectively. The Twelve Palaces seek the Dark Emperor’s treasures, but they did not want to shoulder the responsibility of betrayal and used those few people as scapegoats. Those people were really dumb to fall for the tricks of the Twelve Palaces.”
Jun Wu Xie listened to every word in silence. Qiao Chu laughed, seemingly mocking himself as the tears flowed down his face endlessly at the same time.
“If not for Master’s timely interference that saved the four of us here, we would not be here now. Master sneaked us out of the Middle Realm and brought us here into the Lower Realm at a great risk. Here, he taught us how to develop our spiritual powers, and to hide our identities to bide for time. Right from the moment our entire families were massacred, we had all given up on life. The only thing driving us forward is to exact our revenge upon the Twelve Palaces! Our Master has forbidden us to fight the other students so as we do not draw attention to ourselves and expose our identities which will bring us certain doom. So, Little Xie, please do not blame him. If not for him, we would not be alive now.” Qiao Chu said as he wiped the tears from his face and pushed down the raging emotions within him.
He exposed this most painful wound he carried in his heart all his life to Jun Xie as he did not want to see his newly found brother harbour any prejudice against his revered Master.
They were both precious to him and he wished they could get along well.
Jun Wu Xie narrowed her eyes and suddenly stood up to walk towards the door.
Yan Bu Gui stared at Jun Wu Xie as she strode quickly towards him, his face was edged with worry.
Jun Wu Xie stopped before Yan Bu Gui and she said in a clear voice.
“Master.”
“My disciple.”
Yan Bu Gui wasn’t just being weak, but doing everything he could to protect his four disciples. His methods might have been a little extreme but his intentions were nevertheless noble.
For Yan Bu Gui to escape from the Middle Realm with four young ones in tow, only the Heavens knew how much hardship he had gone through to hide and protect the four young kids from the pursuit and persecution from the twelve palaces while he brought them up and teached them.
The simple form of address of “Master” made the tensed up Hua Yao and the others heave a sigh of relief. Jun Wu Xie’s earlier unhesitant defence of Rong Ruo against the humiliation by the youths had left a deep imprint of gratitude on their hearts and they were glad things had turned out well.
“Cough….. Since you have addressed me as your Master, would that mean you will listen to Master from now onwards? When things just like today happens in future…..” Yan Bu Gui was deeply gladdened by his new disciple and was just starting to educate him on the “ways to survive in the Phoenix Academy” when Jun Wu Xie suddenly interrupted him by saying:
“If something like this happens again, I will fight back just as I did today.” Her face calm and expressionless.
Yan Bu Gui was at a total loss for words.
“I appreciate Master’s noble intentions and your justified concerns for us, your disciples. But I cannot agree.” Jun Wu Xie’s eyes were determined. She acknowledged Yan Bu Gui’s righteous and noble character, but his methods of handling such matters were a little overboard.
“For such matters, please leave it to your disciple to handle in future.” Jun Wu Xie said finally.
They were now in the same boat now that she had acknowledged Yan Bu Gui as a Master. She would never in a million years allow her Master and fellow senior disciples to live under anyone’s humiliation and abuse.
Yan Bu Gui gaped like a goldfish and no words came out.
Standing on one side, Qiao Chu was beaming like a newly risen sun. They had held back and suppressed their rage at the constant abuse for a long time, and they wished for nothing more than to see their new junior teach those brats from the other wings a lesson they would never forget.
Those four youths who had always abided by Yan Bu Gui’s words and had not challenged him once, did not notice that with Jun Wu Xie’s addition, their lives had started to change. This was the first step towards what fate had for them to become and their lives were to change drastically. In the near future, the destined six that were to come together to kick up a unbelievable storm throughout the three realms now numbered five!