"Su Ning what do you mean?"

  Even though he understood what she was implying, Ling Yun refused to believe it. This was brother Chensha who had helped him so much.

  Chensha had risked his life to rescue little Hua and was beaten by the thugs. The thought of him being the same as those blood cult members who were about to sacrifice her was impossible. This has got to be some kind of misunderstanding.

  Both Su Ning and Chensha remained silent with her glaring at his back.

  "Ling Yun I'm afraid she is right. That girl must have sensed the foul blood qi coming from him. I already suspected something's fishy about him.

  "Also think about it, this place was concealed with a formation. How else could that trash find this place?"

  Even after the explanation, Ling Yun still refused to believe. There must be another explanation. Brother Chensha would never do this to little Hua.

  "Brother Chensha, is what she-" Before he could finish, Chensha spun around putting little Hua infront of him. With one hand covering her mouth, the other tightly wrapped around her stomach.

  "Don't even take a single step, otherwise I.. I will kill her!"

  ***

  Little Hua was so shocked that she wasn't even struggling against him. Ling Yun was also similarly frozen unable to swallow the realisation. Their brother Chensha, with whom they spent so much time together was a demonic cultivator.

  "Let the girl go and I promise to make your death painless." Su Ning was already beyond exhausted. Even staying on her feet was taxing her. She had to finish this fast before she faints on the spot. At least this one wasn't that strong, only third realm of Qi refining.

  "Ling Yun! Please just listen to me." Chensha's voice woke him from the shock. He noticed Chensha was shivering in fright, his hands were shaking and he was sweating profusely.

  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but believe me I'm not like them. I didn't know they were going to use little Hua. As soon as I found out, I immediately rushed to save her. You know how much I care about her, do you think I will allow any harm on her?"

  "Brother Chensha, so you actually are a blood fiend."

  "I didn't choose for it to happen! I was once captured, the only choice I had was to serve master Ding or die. I really regret it all so much."

  Su Ning scoffed at his words. "Hmmph. Looking at your actions of taking a little girl hostage, you really are a blood fiend. I already said you people only deserve death."

  "SHUT UP!" His shaking intensified and Ling Yun could feel Chensha was getting more and more desperate and unstable.

  "Ling Yun. You know I think of you as my little brother. Help me escape. I swear I will leave and never do anything again for the rest of my life.

  "Please I don't want to die!"

  ***

  Brother Chensha was basically forced into all of this. I knew he could never be an evil bastard like them. He has helped me so many times, I have to step up for him.

  As if sensing his thoughts, Su Ning shifted and put some distance from Ling Yun. She couldn't be careless so she also put her guard on for Ling Yun.

  Ling Yun saw Su Ning looking at him with vigilant eyes and sighed. It's upto me resolve this peacefully.

  "Su Ning please listen to me. You heard brother Chensha, he was forced to join them. Please let him go. I can vouch for him that he will never do this again."

  "Ling Yun you are telling me to let a demonic cultivator go free." Her gaze was one parts fury, two parts disappointment. "Don't fall for his words. All that comes from their mouths are lies to deceive people. People like them should not be reasoned with, they should be killed immediately."

  "Su Ning aren't you being too extreme. I know Brother Chensha made some mistakes but killing him would be far too cruel. Can't you just forgive him this time and let him go?"

  "Forgive?!" If before there was fury and disappointment now killing intent was directed towards him. Ling Yun took a step back in fear.

  "Let me teach you a lesson, Ling Yun. You, blood fiend, I can allow you to leave but only on one condition."

  Hope surged in both Ling Yun and especially Chensha. This whole night was like a horrifying nightmare for him and Chensha wished to run away as fast as possible. Ling Yun also breathed a sigh of relief. I knew Su Ning wouldn't be so cruel.

  "Break your dantian and cripple yourself right now."

  Both Ling Yun and Chensha were stunned. Breaking one's dantian. It meant discarding your years of hardwork and becoming a mortal. Also if not done cleanly, it could lead to physical disability and reduce lifespan.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  For many cultivators it was far worse than dying. It was like a bird losing its wings or a fish losing its gills. Her condition was far too cruel.

  "Why are you so quiet you blood fiend? Didn't you want to leave peacefully? Go on do it. I want to see it with my eyes.

  "DO IT!"

  "Su Ning! Why are you being so harsh and making these ridiculous demands? You know no one will agree to it."

  Su Ning ignored him. "So you have made your bed, blood fiend. Like I said before don't struggle and die without pain. Otherwise it's death by thousand cuts."

  She began walking slowly towards Chensha. "Wait. Don't come. Otherwise I will-" Su Ning remained unfazed by Chensha's threats. She could feel her consciousness slowly slipping away and didn't have much time left.

  Su Ning was going too far. With no choice left Ling Yun ran to somehow physically obstruct her. Sensing the tense atmosphere little Hua started struggling to get free and bit the hand covering her mouth.

  Chensha endured the bite and further tightened his embrace. That girl Su Ning was really going to kill him. His heart was thumping loudly, his knees shaking with fear so much that he couldn't count on them to even walk let alone run.

  Is this how it ends? Am I really going to die after everything I've suffered, everything I've yet to achieve?

  He took one last look at Ling Yun who had put himself in between them. He was standing with his arms outstretched trying to block Su Ning. Tears abruptly started streaming from his eyes. It had been a long time since he cried and it may be the last time.

  His arms loosened and little Hua shook free. She had been so confused and afraid that the only thing she knew was that she can only trust in her big brother Yun.

  "Big brother Yun!" Hearing the cry, Ling Yun turned around to see little Hua had freed herself and making her way to him. But as soon as she took the first step, SHICK- a blood soaked fist emerged from her chest.

  Chensha had punched straight through her back, his fist piercing her body and then, "Blood explosion!"

  An explosion of gore and visecra resounded covering all three in chunks of flesh and blood.

  Chensha's tears intensified, he had committed such a great sin and deserved to be eaten alive by beasts, but-

  "I refuse to die! Blood frenzy!"

  Blood frenzy was a trash technique mostly used by low level cultivators. Triggering it requires one to be covered by blood. It turns the user into a mad berserker with some increase in strength. And Chensha, at the end of his rope, used this final card to make out alive.

  He chose to transform from a man shedding tears of shame and guilt into a wild beast trying to kill anyone in sight. Before he was shaking like a leaf and couldn't even dare to meet Su Ning's eyes, now Chensha howled and rushed at her taking her unawares.

  Su Ning barely dodged and ran sideways with Chensha chasing after her. Even though normally he would be no match for her, Su Ning's condition was pretty bad. They took their battle a little further away, leaving the frozen Ling Yun alone.

  He could hear sounds of fighting coming from a distance but he could hardly care. He looked down and the saw his hands were red, stained with little Hu- hukkerkk... hhuurgehheh-

  His vision was shaking as he started vomiting. Before long he fell on the ground covered in blood and puke.

  Little Hua ... She just..

  Thoughts of her began an another round of vomitting emptying everything in his stomach. When he got over the shock, true despair struck him.

  Old man Ping. What will I tell him? I don't even have a body to give him to bury. And why did this happen?

  Chensha why did you do this? Little Hua she loved you, you knew that. You also cared for her so much.

  Su Ning. I thought we understood each other. Why did you push Chensha to this extent? Why couldn't you simply let him go? Do you not care that little Hua died?

  And me? What have I even done? Brahma was right, I really am useless.

  Ling Yun heard footsteps approaching him. The fighting noise had stopped, the victor must have been decided. But Ling Yun could care less who survived. He hated both of them, Chensha and Su Ning. And the one he hated the most was himself.

  The footsteps stopped near him. After a minute of silence, Ling Yun shouted, "If you are going to kill me what are you waiting for? Just do it! All of you are so itching to kill others so kill me too."

  Then tears started to flow, mixing with blood, her blood. The thought made him sob even harder.

  "I can't even save a little girl. You don't know how happy I.. sniff... was when she called me big brother Yun for the first time. At that time ... sniff... I was so lonely and she.... sniff sniff ... and now look at her.

  "So please just put an end to my misery."

  ***

  "Ling Yun I know you won't believe me but I am really sorry for her death. You have all the right to blame me. I should have done better."

  Ling Yun turned his head to look up and saw Su Ning's apologetic face. She really felt guilty for little Hua but this vexed him even more.

  "Done better? It's all your fault. If you hadn't pushed brother Chensha that far then... Why couldn't you trust me and just let him go?"

  "I apologise for little Hua but I will never apologise for killing that blood fiend. To tell you the truth even if he had broken his dantian, I still would have killed him."

  The apologetic face was gone and back were the bloodshot eyes of the girl that mercilessly killed those demonic cultivators and Chensha. It was the look Ling Yun had become most familiar with and the one he will know her by for the rest of his life.

  "It is your first experience so you don't know the demonic path. It is pure insanity and the people who follow it are no longer human.

  "My master once told me that the sky is the domain of the birds and the lake is of the fish. Heaven has decided the path so they should never stray from it. Everyone is born with different spirit root, with different talents. Why can't they just follow the path shown by heaven, why are they greedy for more?

  "Think about it, what do people like them desire so much that they are willing to harm their loved ones. Why can't they be satisfied with what they have?

  "Why is it so necessary to cultivate? Is living a peaceful life with loved ones that bad?"

  "How many people that blood fiend must have killed for blood essence? Do you want to forgive all of that? All of them are unforgivable!"

  Su Ning started breathing heavily. After all this fighting she has finally reached her limit. She wanted to rest but the sight of the fallen Ling Yun reminded her of the time her father died.

  We really are a bit similar.

  He had just been betrayed by his friend and lost a loved one. Ling Yun had helped her when her senior brother died by playing the flute; she didn't know it would be effective but she had leave him to his final advice.

  "Ling Yun before I asked you why do you cultivate. Please rethink your answer. Now I have showed you my answer. In the future I will join the Demon Destroying Pavilion and purge all demonic cultivators.

  "Remember your promise, never stray from the righteous path otherwise you will meet your end by my sword."

  ***

  Ling Yun was still kneeling in blood as she left him. He was all alone covered and surrounded by blood. He looked above to watch the moon but saw a blue orb floating towards the sky.

  Upon looking closely with his third eye, it was Chensha's departing soul. Within it Ling Yun saw the complete life of Chensha. From his birth to his death, the life of the eighteen year old boy was a tragedy, but a tragedy born of his own choices.