2: The Fallen Star of Wendian (2)
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Xu Jian had been a little too successful at his 'honest destruction’.

Every morning, he had to go draw up the fishing nets that sat along the edge of the pier. Then he had to serve the disciple's food, then do the dishes, then clean up the hall, then serve tea for the lords, then take the fish guts to be stored as bait, then help carry shipments in, then sweep the halls of the sect, then wash what needed washing, then repair damaged goods and clothing, then serving dinner, then washing dishes, then cleaning up, then scrubbing what had been used.

All the while, he was harassed.

When he went to get the fish, people would throw him into the river, and then he would emerge, salute, say “I drowned a dog while a junior brother was visiting the sect upriver because it stank”, and receive 100 points per listener.

When he served dinner, people would intentionally drop their food on him, and he would say “I was angry a junior brother gotten a girlfriend, so I threatened to assault her if she didn't leave” and receive 100 points per listener.

When he stored the guts, he had his head shoved into the viscera, and he would emerge and say “I threw a senior brother's most precious belongings into the river after he drew blood in our duel”, and receive 100 points per listener.

When disciples intentionally muddied the halls he swept, he would say “I destroyed every window in the inn that lent its beds to the Wendian sect and blamed it on another sect, in order to get a head-start on our hunting mission”, and receive 100 points per listener.

For every abuse, Xu Jian had another destruction he could bring down upon himself. As soon as he spotted a willing ear, he immediately fished for points. The climax of the story arc where Xu Jian was defeated had a detailed account of the sheer extent of his crimes, piling them so high it made one want to cry. The amount of points he could receive was practically infinite. Not only had he smothered out a bastard, he was getting free rewards for doing so.

He'd also never been so active. In his old life, he was listless, and struggled to find things to do. He liked long novels like Black Path of the Proud Immortal because reading them filled up his day and gave him something to think about when he didn’t have access to the internet. He was worried that in a place with no technology he really would go crazy and succumb to consumption, but his schedule was full of things to do.

In between his tasks, he was prone to stealing things. No store was willing to have him as a patron now that he’d been disgraced, no one would buy him something, and they definitely wouldn't give them one of their possessions. The amount of people who had been personally wronged by Xu Jian was seemingly as infinite as his crimes.

He had to make do. If there was a brush left behind, he would take it. If there was a blank scroll or book around, he would take it. Inkwells, various bits of food, bottles, shoes, and bits of ribbon and cloth would vanish when he laid eyes on them.

After dark, when was sure no one could see him, he’d escape the shack by wading through the waters and go out to the woods. There, by (stolen) candlelight, he would transcribe what he remembered of the plot of the novel as well a list of Xu Jian's crimes. Then he'd hide the scrolls and returned to his shack, where he'd attempt to meditate.

He wanted to learn how to cultivate, even though it seemed unintuitive, as a modern man of science. This was a world that was created in order to allow for things like ‘cultivation’, so he took that at face value and did his best. He couldn’t afford to worry about the laws of physics.

Xu Jian could definitely feel his own spiritual energy, flowing sluggishly through his meridians. With a little prodding, he could make it go faster or halt altogether. If he flexed, he could almost release it into his body.

Path of Wind was, as expected, nothing too incredible. It was just the control of spiritual energy, but for air. He didn’t have a good idea of how spiritual energy worked, though, so he had a poor foundation to use an entirely different skill. It was useful for giving himself a light breeze when it was too hot, but not much else.

‘When do I get abilities again?’ Xu Jian wondered.

[CURRENT HONESTY&DESTRUCTION REWARD: 105,200]

[RECEIVE SKILL FOR 200,000]

Xu Jian nodded. With how easy it was to receive points in the first ten minutes, that wasn’t too bad.

He decided to try and match the original Xu Jian's cultivation for the time being. The man was absurdly skilled and never once knew failure, so surely with a little practice, the current Xu Jian could eventually catch up.

He was content, as a person who couldn’t afford to not be content.

 


 

No one knew what to do with Xu Jian.

The sharp, fierce look that made Xu Jian seem handsome and in control had faded into a constant look of disoriented complacency that refused to dissipate, making his appearance squarely average. His long, ethereal hair that ran sleek over his shoulders had become stringy and wild. His magnetic, powerful confidence that had demanded attention had been drained out of him, and everything he said was soft-spoken and toneless. His shoulders used to be held high, but now he simply sagged, and his entire body was constantly trembling no matter the context.

The rumours of his Qi deviation spread quickly; the sect leader had announced it to his disciples, and his disciples had gossiped about it to the rest of the town. It caused as much bafflement as it did for the sect masters. The monstrous "Golden Star of Wendian" Xu Jinyue’s spiritual energy went out of control, and he didn’t go on a rampage? It made him humble, meek, and honest? Was that possible?

It was obvious, regardless of the reason, that the Xu Jian who tormented others was gone, and the person who stood in his place wasn’t the same. He was little more than a pitiful whelp, and any grudge held against him would bear no fruit.

But the reason Xu Jian could torment Lai Mingliao was because Lai Mingliao was already deemed an acceptable person to harass, even though he hadn’t done anything. It didn't matter if Xu Jian was pitiful. If anything, it made people more comfortable with targeting him. The anger at his actions wouldn’t cool over something as simple as ‘well, he’s harmless now’.

Left unattended, he would have been brutalized. But the sect leader,  Liu Tiesheng, was diligent.

He had promised his sworn brother that he’d keep his son safe, and yet...he couldn’t do anything for him all these years. Anything Xu Jian wanted, he could take for himself. Anything Xu Jian put his mind to, he succeeded at. Not once, in all the time he’d lived at the Heaven’s Crossing Pier, had he known the meaning of failure. Liu Tiesheng had no say in his life. The boy was, in a way, too perfect to be raised.

He brought acclaim to Wendian. He was bound to overtake Liu Tieshang by the time he reached 30. He seemed like the ideal leader, and had been given plenty of opportunities to show off how well-suited he was for it.

But now…

If it were possible to break a soul, this would be what it looked like.

Every positive trait Xu Jian had was now inverted, stripped of all that made him who he was. His potential, which seemed infinite, had vanished overnight. Liu Tieshang found that he couldn’t bear to even look him in the eye.

But he had promised his friend to protect his son, not a Golden Star.

It was hard work, but many had more loyalty to their sect than they did anger towards Xu Jian. The shack he was cast out to live in was carefully guarded. Many of his tasks were in the sect, where he could be monitored, and he did work like preparing food, so he could be adequately fed.

The harassment couldn’t be stopped. However…

Liu Tieshang had two of his disciples kowtowing in front of him, whimpering for forgiveness. The rocks they were about to hurl at Xu Jian were still by their feet.

“We only wanted to bother him...after all he did to us…”

Liu Tieshang slammed his foot down, making them flinch. “Do you think he could easily recover from being struck, in the state he’s in? Where is your honor?”

“Please forgive us…”

He could not.

Xu Jian rarely went out into the streets, and circled around those who seemed prime to attack. He went to and from his shack by wading through the water rather than take the many walkways in the town. It was both relieving and saddening to see him so cautious.

But his disciples were bold. Liu Tieshang felt his heart tremble when he would catch those planning to beat Xu Jian, to strike him with their blades, to make ‘unfortunate accidents’ happen. Some didn’t want to do anything too severe. Some did.

All of them would tell him about the awful things Xu Jian had done to them, the way he blithely confessed his wrongdoings as if they didn’t matter, the pain and anger they felt when they found that his sentencing was so light.

“Please, forgive us,” they said.

He could not.

He had made a promise, after all.

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