"I-I-I-I...didn't...I-I-" Tsi Yi was already trying to apologize but his nerves crippled his mind and speech. For god's sake, tears were already flowing down his cheeks! Why was he always so weak?

"You tried to leave me," Xing Yue seethed in barely more than a whisper above his lips.

Tsi Yi could only stammer: "I-I...I...I'm so sorry."

"Let go of him!" Yang Yu's voice shouted from behind them. Having exited the tunnel now too, he pointed his sword, Ka Xiu [1], at the dark dressed man.

Han Xing Yue chuckled heartily here, derisive and scornful. "An ant like you intends to stop me?"

Wisps of black energy emanated from the corners of Xing Yue's eyes -a second before Yang Yu was suddenly lifted into the air with dark fog constricting around his throat.

Tsi Yi's eyes stretched to their max as his breath caught in his throat. He wanted to beg Xing Yue to spare his shidi but he feared triggering the man's insane jealousy and making the situation worse for Yang Yu.

As he was contemplating on what to do, the glint of spinning silver appeared in the corner of Tsi Yi's eye; even though Xing Yue was facing the completely opposite direction, he still somehow sensed the blade and ducked (with Tsi Yi in his arms) in time to evade it.

The blade severed a single strand of Xing Yue's hair before it struck the black energy strands choking Yang Yu. The Lan Xiu disciple fell in a choking mess onto the ground, unconscious.

A second later, a handsome tall male dressed in pristine white-green robes, materialized protectively in front of Yang Yu, catching the silver sword as it boomeranged back.

Tsi Yi's breath caught in his throat.

Mo SuFang.

...Tsi Yi didn't think he would ever see his best friend ever again in this lifetime. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xing Yue's right fist clenched tightly as he glowered at his new opponent. Likewise, Mo SuFang's expression wasn't that pleasant either.

Tsi Yi knew that if his sect had tried rescuing him before then it was to be expected that these two had run into each other in the past, since SuFang was the best swordsman unanimously named not only in Lan Xiu but across all of the martial world.

And yet, Tsi Yi somehow felt like...the two seemed to have a deeper history than that.

Tsi Yi knew Mo SuFang's laidback, loving nature better than anyone in the world; he'd never seen his best friend flash such a complex conflicted look at anyone before: there was overt resentment -hatred even- yet there was also a subtle form of sadness and...pity almost.

Mo SuFang pointed his blade, named Kan Xing [2], towards Han Xing Yue. "Let him go."

That command again.

Xing Yue still laughed in reply except a moment afterwards Tsi Yi felt himself indeed let go. Before he could even take one step away from the battlefield though, Tsi Yi felt himself immobilized from head to toe. Out of the corner of his eye, he barely made out the yellow edge of a talisman with red cinnabar writing stuck onto his hip.

An immobilization talisman.

...

Han Xing Yue charged forward, unsheathing a black metaled thin sword with a silver hilt.

Today was the first time Tsi Yi had ever seen his abductor draw his blade in all the time he's stayed with him. Xing Yue has never had to draw it before him. He had always been able to subdue him merely with his fists and internal Qi alone...

So even to this day, Tsi Yi had no idea what was the name of Xing Yue's blade.

Only while watching his best friend and his captor do battle did Tsi Yi finally realize the full extent of Han Xing Yue's power in comparison to his own.

Before his abduction, Mo SuFang had already been ranked as the number one swordsman, yet Xing Yue could match him tit for tat. The two were utterly equivalent in Qi and skill; anticipating their opponent's moves seconds before it landed, neither of them could land a single blow on the other.

More often than not, their movements were too fast for Tsi Yi to notice, blades crossed and panged through the air and ground with nothing more than sparks flying out for half a second to signify their collision.

This -they -these...were the movements of true martial masters...

Tsi Yi knew he should not compare himself with others, and had constantly told himself this adage from childhood to adulthood but somehow...he always still couldn't help himself...

***

Xing Yue and SuFang's blades clashed again and again throughout Tsi Yi's vision as they seemingly teleported from one place to the next. They also seemed to be exchanging words because on occasion, when they were close enough, Tsi Yi could see their mouths moving, quite adamantly at that.

Unable to read lips, Tsi Yi could not understand what they were saying inside his paralysis; for some reason, Xing Yue had added a soundproofing array to the immobilization talisman.

What could he possibly be afraid of him hearing?

But in any case, on more than one occasion, Mo SuFang looked like he was shouting -a common enough practice by the extroverted boy but he never looked quite so...angry while doing so.

Tsi Yi had grown up together with SuFang in the Lan Xiu Sect as the only orphans of their age group, so naturally they had acclimated together.

During holiday breaks when the parents of disciples came to visit, Tsi Yi always shrank into himself in his own depression and admiration of the familial happiness he did not have...but always SuFang would come find and cheer him up.

The boy had always met the world with a happy smile, no matter the tribulation. As orphans with little spending money, SuFang and Tsi Yi were often the subject of ridicule during and after class. Naturally, this made it hard for the two of them to focus on any subject but even when he failed swordplay after swordplay, SuFang never gave up. Even when his bullies continued mocking him as he fell embarrassingly, SuFang continued headbutting the issue until it yielded to him.

He did not care if he had to try something eighteen million times, SuFang would never give up until he'd mastered it.

Conversely, when Tsi Yi was met with ridicule and failure...he often despaired and quit, unable to summon the courage to face more disappointment in himself and mockery from his peers.

He supposed that's why Mo SuFang was the number one swordsman in the whole of the martial world, whereas he was...

...

When his best friend had received the ranking Tsi Yi had thought there was no one that could ever meet with the man head on again...and yet here was Han Xing Yue, flawlessly matching the man step by step. Both parties still had yet to draw blood but it was evident, by their equally sweat laden faces, that they were tiring each other out.

...who exactly was this Han Xing Yue? Though he'd been inept at swordplay, Tsi Yi had prided himself on staying educated of all past, current and future news of the martial world. If Xing Yue was on par with SuFang in skillset then surely his name would have come up at least once in the reconnaissance scrolls he'd made sure to read once a week.

A turning point occurred in the duel: high up in the air, Tsi Yi was unable to make out either of their faces but suddenly SuFang's movements slowed, and in that instant, Xing Yue's blade drew a huge gash across the man's chest.

Black energy slammed SuFang down, a second before Xing Yue's black blade pierced his abdomen, nailing him into the ground. Blood spurted forth from SuFang lips-

-Tsi Yi felt as if his heart had stopped.

Every cell inside his body seemed to ignite, blazing in fire -burning him from the outside in. Tsi Yi bit his own lip to endure the pain -realizing a second later that he could move again! The yellow talisman lied uselessly at his feet, the previous red writing now turned black and dead.

He -he was free!

Tsi Yi immediately made to take one step forward when dread stopped him -wait if he moved now, what exactly could he do? Without any internal Qi and his own inept offensive skills, Tsi Yi stood no chance of protecting SuFang. Plus, there was once again that risk of provoking Xing Yue's volatile jealousy, which would only put his best friend more in danger! So wh-wh-what could he do?!

He had to think of something fast! Or SuFang would end up dead at this rate...

***

[1] – Ka Xiu = Repairable, the name of Yang Yu's sword

[2] – Kan Xing = Happiness, the name of Mo SuFang's sword