-1 Interlude 1. The dream of the Burning Monk. (1/2)
Jing Yimu's body ached, burning with pain, the disgusting taste of blood filling his mouth. His vision was blurry, but he didn't need his sight to know that there were currently four other youths standing above him, kicking and punching him, abusing him as they wished.
He was just a weak youth, how was he supposed to defend himself against the attacks of these four youths, who had already reached the middle stage of the Mortal Rune realm? His only choice was to grit his teeth and let them do as they wished to him, to endure all the pain, all the curses. But suddenly, the hail of attacks stopped, a sweet voice reaching his ears.
”Are you okay, little child?”
Jing Yimu's vision was still blurry when he felt a warm stream of energy enter his body, his wounds quickly healing. When his vision returned to normal, he could finally see who had spoken to him, who had saved him from the beating.
There was a couple, a man and a woman, standing by his curled up body, the four people who had beaten him now sprawled on the ground, whimpering in pain, the mark of a palm on their cheeks. The man was looking at Jing Yimu with a disinterested expression, but the woman had a slightly worried look on her face, her soft and somewhat cold palm placed on his back. The energy that came from her palm felt so warm to Jing Yimu, so safe and comfortable.
Jing Yimu did not respond to the woman's question, his mouth agape as he looked at the two people with a dumbfounded expression. The man was tall and handsome, an elegant and regal aura radiating from him. He had eyes like black holes, his long azure hair tied into a neat ponytail. The woman had delicate and exquisite features and had clear emerald eyes that shone like gems, her silvery-white hair looking like silk as it flowed down her back.
But it was not their beauty that caused Jing Yimu to be dumbfounded, it was the fact that he had seen these people before. It was less than a year ago when the sky outside his hometown suddenly turned dark, violet lightning tearing the sky apart. And standing amidst that violet lightning, was this couple, their bodies standing tall and proud. They faced a large group of people, but their enemies were unable to even last ten moves, decimated without being able to put a single scratch on the couple. Two powerful people like them had bothered to save someone as insignificant as him. While he was remembering that scene, the woman spoke up again, her voice so soft and charming.
”Your injuries are healed now, but you should take more care in the future. There is no shame in running and hiding if you find yourself unable to beat your enemies. Take this, it should help you if you get any more wounds in the future.”
The woman handed him a small bottle, an herbal fragrance emitting from the opening of the bottle. Jing Yimu could hear a few pills rolling around in the bottle, and there was no doubt in his mind that the pills were far too good for someone like him. But the woman did not even give him the chance to refuse, stuffing the bottle into his hands and then standing up. She grabbed onto the elbow of the man who had been standing calmly behind her, the two vanishing into the city.
This was Jing Yimu's first meeting with the future Thunder Monarch and Poison Empress, his first meeting with the people he would one day lead into ruin.
It was this meeting, the soft care of Fang Ying, that caused Jing Yimu to throw himself into cultivation. It turned out that he had a high affinity for the laws of fire and wind, his relentless training producing quick results. But even when he got stronger, he never stopped his repetitive cultivation. He wanted to become even stronger, to become able to stand by the side of that beautiful woman that had even cared for a nobody like him.
He also followed her example, helping others whenever he saw them in peril. He fought demons and evil cultivators, massacred devils and monsters to secure the safety of countless cities. Even the weak people who would be considered nobodies, worth nothing, he would seek them out and help them.
Before he knew it, stories of a monk clad in fire and wind spread around the world, the people calling him the Burning Monk. But Jing Yimu paid no mind to these stories, continuing his pursuit for strength and justice always searching for the countenance that haunted his dreams.
People thought that Jing Yimu had never married or had any relations with women because he was fully focused on cultivation, but they were all wrong. The reason he had never even glanced at any women was that the face of Fang Ying was firmly engraved in his mind, appearing whenever he closed his eyes. To be with her was one of the reasons he was so adamant about his cultivation.