AN: I got another awesome fanart, this time of Liang Fei. Same user but turns out they are on DA. Username: shortpencil

   

*****

The figure came from the fog, drawing Liang Fei's eye. The older man was hidden from view but the new person was clear under the moonlight, as the area was fairly open. The light cast a shadow over the man's features but from where Liang Fei sat, he looked to be quite tall.

Liang Fei watched, curious to see what would happen. From the man's confident and steady stride, he could tell this man was not lost.

He had traveled here specifically.

Liang Fei briefly wondered if the man assumed the tomb housed some kind of treasure. With the number of wards and traps standing between an intruder and the tomb, it was easy to assume such a thing. Even he had had a hard time getting in.

Yet in spite of his expectations, the man stood in front of the tombstone, staring at it for a long time. Liang Fei had also read its words, feeling strange about seeing his own grave.

A rose, cut down too soon

Its thorns prick deep gashes

in the flesh of its gentle caretaker

While the words were lovely, he thought the words were strange. The way it was written, one would assume the person had rejected someone's kindness and died as a result.

The shameless lies that Chenyu spoke were truly too much.

Liang Fei might not have the best memory but he knew for a fact his killed had been Chenyu himself. He could recall his last moments faintly, hearing Chenyu chastise him for getting in his way. For ruining things.

I suppose you'll have to excuse me for trying to prevent your slaughter. He thought derisively. The man was now standing before his grave, doing something. He was too far away to see but he thought that perhaps he was speaking.

The man knelt down, his head bowed as he remained still.

Was this person someone who knew him in life? Liang Fei felt tempted to reveal himself but chose to remain hidden in his treehouse. While it was a nice thought, the person he was was not Shao Liang Fei. 

He was a stranger.

Liang Fei had been content to remain here since it was quiet and comfortable. That and the wards made sure no one would see this embarrassing display one could call a grave. How disappointed would people feel if they learned that this grant tomb with rows of pillars and intricate carvings was just for one guy who was well-liked by a rich man?

Truly, it was a pity.

Just as he was about to return to his stargazing, his hand hit a branch, crushing it under his weight. The sound was so soft, even Liang Fei could barely hear it next to him.

But Liang Fei wasn't a cultivator.

Between one breath and another, the air changed and Liang Fei felt his fort shake as something slammed into it. He was knocked to the ground, barely given a moment before his lungs filled with smoke.

Coughing, Liang Fei struggled to escape, just barely slipping through one of the exits before the entire tree was engulfed in flames. Staring up at the burning tree, Liang Fei felt a tinge of fear.

But also a wave of anger.

This man... set fire to his treehouse!

Who did things like that!? He could have died... Again!

He turned to see the man, his hood covering most of his face, standing a short distance away. His sword was drawn and pointed at Liang Fei.

"If you wished to get my attention, there are better ways of doing so." Liang Fei snapped, angry that several hours of work had been burnt down in seconds. His expression remained serene but his eyes burned with fury.

The man stilled for a moment, taken by surprise by Liang Fei. When he'd attacked this person, he had expected to see another cultivator yet it was just a regular person. But his face...

Liang Fei was a handsome man, if not hard to read. His features, while nothing like the villain, was similar in a lot of ways and caused the man to freeze for a moment.

This person...

"Who are you!?" He demanded, his roar echoing through the quiet woods. Snow drifted softly between them, cooling the tension somewhat. The cold was nothing to the man but Liang Fei, being human, shivered.

"Ah, I-" He started, only to have to jump away. A second longer and he'd have lost his head. Rolling through the snow, he glared at the man. "I thought you wished to know who I was."

"Whoever you are, you will die here." He snapped, frowning. he hadn't expected him to dodge. A cultivator against a mortal, it was clear who would win.

This person, no matter how much they reminded him of his master, was not Shao Liang Fei. This man, who shivered and had no aura, was clearly just a nobody.

As such, Xieren would have to kill him.

How dare he remind him of Shizun!

"Ah, how unreasonable." Liang Fei sighed, brushing the snow from his robes as he stood. His body, weak against the cold, would not be able to remain outdoors too long. Even now, his fingers felt numb. "Surely, we can refrain from fighting?"

"You don't wish to fight?"

"I really don't." He replied, hoping this man would be reasonable and allow them to part ways peacefully.

That did not happen.

Again, a ball of fire rushed toward him. Liang Fei jumped out of the way, only the corner of his robe being singed. He now felt very thankful to his friend. Had he not grown up fighting off jealous lovers and their crew, he would have died long before this.

"Then allow my blade to end you," The man continued, holding a blade to Liang Fei's neck. "then you won't have to suffer any further."

Ah, this guy is really too unreasonable! Why did he have to deal with this? Liang Fei, while capable of defending himself was too weak to fight against a cultivator head-on. He'd gotten lucky before since those men were weak and taken by surprise.

This man, however, wouldn't allow such a tactic.

Liang Fei jumped away, grabbing the sheath he'd stolen from the attackers and raised it just in time to block the man's strike. while the sheath was strong enough to block the sword, Liang Fei was not.

Pinned the ground and slowing being pressed, Liang Fei felt his heart race. If he didn't do something, he would die. 

He wouldn't get to have his chance of living the life he'd missed out on.

He wouldn't get to see those he had left behind.

He wouldn't get to apologize to Xieren.

No, he wouldn't let himself die. Weak or not, cultivator or not, Liang Fei was not someone who would lie down and accept defeat. 

Xieren frowned, not expecting the man to have held him back so long. The cold and his own meager strength should have weakened him enough that he'd be dead. Even if he wasn't trying, this person should have succumbed to his strength.

Yet even as he shivered and trembled, the man held his blade just far enough to keep his head. Looking in his eyes, he saw pure determination and strength. That alone would have stilled him yet...

The man, his eyes were pure violet.

Xieren froze, his mind rushing back to another pair of eyes like those. They were calm and serene as still water but held such kindness.

The eyes of the man he loved.

Liang Fei, having noticed the man's brief pause, used the opportunity to escape, rolling from under him and standing up. His body was quickly succumbing to the cold, his fingers reddening from the chill.

He had to end things quickly.

Luckily for him, that god's email had actually been useful. Within it, it told him how he could use the strength collected from his corpse for a short time. It was barely a drop and had some drawbacks but it was better than dying here for no reason.

Xieren quickly recovered his senses, chastising himself for letting his guard down. While the man was weaker than him, he knew better than to turn his back to a cornered animal.

Yet this man now radiated an aura that shook Xieren to the bone. Not because of its strength, as it was barely anything compared to him. It was its sudden appearance that shocked him.

The man was human, right?

Before he could think much more of it, his vision went white, his opponent having swept the snow up to block his view. He couldn't be sure what happened after that. In the time it took the snow to rise and fall, he was struck several times. The last one hitting his temple.

Xieren was a strong cultivator, the strongest in the land and feared by all but he was still human. His strength was nothing against pure biology.

Liang Fei had fought with that in mind, hoping his opponent would allow his strikes. He couldn't be sure if thats what happened but either way, he'd won.

Staring down at the man, Liang Fei took note of his features.

The man was very handsome, clearly, one that could topple an empire if used correctly. his hair was a deep blue-black that contrasted heavily against the snow. They looked to be around the same age but in this world of centuries-old men, who could say?

Seeing his red lips, Liang Fei figured the man had been in the snow for a while.

Liang Fei stared, unsure what to do. Should he? 

The man shivered lightly and Liang Fei sighed.

He was way too nice sometimes.

***

Xieren felt like he was half asleep, his eyelids too heavy to lift. All he knew was that he was somewhere warm. The crackle of the fire and the warm weight of a blanket pressing down on him had him relaxing.

He didn't know where he was.

He didn't know who was around.

And yet... He felt more content than he could ever recall feeling.

He slowly breathed in, unconsciously scenting the air. While his mind might be relaxed, his body knew better. It was wary, having been honed after all his years of solitude and life on the street.

He smelled... mist.

It was a familiar scent, one he had often associated with Xuejie. He used to smell entirely of mist until his scent slowly changed to his current smell. It had always confused Xieren but he chose to remain silent about it.

But unlying the smell of mist was a familiar scent, one that had been carved into his heart and bones by time. A scent he hadn't met in years.

But it couldn't be...

"Shizun?"

Liang Fei stopped his reading, his eyes falling on the young man. He had chosen to find a new shelter nearby and take the man with him. Part of him wanted to leave him out there, just a tinge bitter about his lost treehouse.

But what kind of monster left someone to freeze to death? Even if this person was an ass, he refused to have this persons death on his conscious.

He had more important things to worry about.

After his single mumble, the sleeping man went quiet. The older man felt a slight tinge of sympathy.

"You too have someone you miss, don't you?" He muttered, running his hand through the man's hair. Doing so was a bit strange but how could he not? He looked to need comfort.

Under his touch, the man's furrowed brow gradually softened, his soft snores easing Liang Fei's troubled mind. He had been thinking of the remaining steps and how to complete them.

Step 3: Bath the stone in moonlight for 6 nights.

Truly, why were all these steps so time-consuming? He now had to wait a week after having to sit around for 3 days? At the rate he was going, it might be months before he could expect this to be done.

Even worse was the fact he had no clue how many steps there were since the information following step 3 was redacted.

Damn stingy gods.

Liang Fei sighed, pulling some cute things from his mental folder to ease his troubled heart. After a minute, he saw Xieren, smiling and calling out him so cutely.

Shizun!

Liang Fei felt a rush of joy, thinking about his cute little disciple. He imagined that the young man must have grown up quite a bit since then. Considering how popular he was as a teen, he must be very well received.

He might even find Xieren with a wife and child! Just the thought made Liang Fei excited. Part of him felt sad that he might have missed out of those important moments but the thought that Xieren might have moved on was comforting.

***

The next time Xieren felt his consciousness surface, his body was drowsy and heavy. He had walked a long way to arrive at his master's grave as soon as possible. He had forced his body well past its limits to get there.

By the time he'd arrived, he was exhausted. Yet before those towering pillars, how could he show anything but his best.

His master laid beneath his feet, his body long since decayed. Had he gotten there sooner, gained his power faster, perhaps he could have done something. Preserve the body at least. While his eyes would never open, Xieren could at least know the comfort of having to never forget the mans face.

My whole life should be dedicated to you

Xieren frowned, hearing someone speak. No, not speak. The whispers were soft and melodic.

Someone was singing under their breath.

The reason I'm crying is because of tremendous regret
Over people's merits and kindness being trampled upon
Those who display their strength lose their resiliency
And the land is deceitful, muddy and troublesome
Let's grow even stronger and become tough in our lives
Let's walk forward as the wind blows against us

(AN: The song is the Cromartie High School OP. The words he is singing is Japanese.)

His words, while foreign, was pleasant to hear. A sense of peace swept through him, making him think of better times. Of the time he'd fallen into a ravine and was blinded by the Wandering Mist Serpent. He'd been so scared back then, shivering and alone.

But Shizun held him close and hummed him to sleep, holding him like he was something precious.

The person singing, male from the tone, had a different voice from his master. It was gravely and deep like he was someone who yelled a lot. It, like his master, wasn't a pleasant sound, as the man clearly couldn't sing well.

Yet it was the sound that seeped into his chest and warmed it like a fire.

Xieren let himself drift back to sleep, content to listen and dream about that voice. If he pretended, he could imagine his master holding him in his arms and petting his head.

My whole life should be dedicated to you
My whole life should be dedicated to the world

***

Xieren woke up alone.

He was lying down on a set of bedding, close to a dwindling fire. All around him, he could see the remains of a camp. 

That person was gone.

Xieren scowled, slamming his fist into the floor. He was furious, having lost to that person and then being cared for!

How humiliating!

Next to the bedding, he saw a pack and a note. While as a child, he was illiterate, Xieren had pushed himself to learn all he could to impress his brother/master. It was hard work but it was worth it to see the pride in the man's eyes.

On the note, it read: Please take care of yourself. While I am quite cross with you for attacking me, I am not so petty as to leave you to freeze. I took care of your wounds so please rest.

Was... was this person an idiot? 

Who took the time and effort to carry the person who attacked them and care for them? Had it been him, Xieren would have not only left the body but fed him to the dogs.

Yet this stupid person cared for him.

"How ridiculous." He chuckled, mildly amused. The man who knocked him out and saved him from the cold, this man was a human?

Yet also had the aura of a cultivator? 

That made no sense. How could he go from complete trash to a low-level cultivator in seconds? There was no way. Then again, many things about that person made no sense.

His proximity to Shizun's grave despite the number of wards.

His martial art skills being on par with his own.

And his eyes...

He recalled the man's eyes, a beautiful shade of violet that glimmered and glowed as he fought. In all the years since his masters' death, he'd never found anyone with such an eye color. He had searched, hoping he'd spot someone with those eyes.

Male or female, he hoped to lose himself in the illusion of having found his master. Of holding the man and embracing him.

While he had held many women, he had never found anyone with those eyes or his scent.

Until tonight.

That person, that stranger with the scar, he had to find him. Whether or not it was an illusion or a fantasy, Xieren didn't care. If he could speak his heart to someone with those features, perhaps his words would reach the one it was meant for.

Only then would his heart be at peace enough to do what he needed. Only then could he finally find his end.

***

It was evening by the time Liang Fei stumbled into town, his body weak and tired. 

This was partially due to hunger since that man's attack had destroyed the last of his food. He went the night without eating and it affected him badly.

But mostly it was the drawback to using his 'cheat'.

The god of reincarnation was kind enough to give him a leg up, by allowing him to draw on his power. The drawback was this, his body's rejection of said power. His body was human and had to be cleansed in order to receive this power.

The Shuizhi was meant to bypass all that but only when the proper steps were implemented. Before that, this would be the end result.

He groaned, leaning against a wall as another rush of pain went through him. The pain was sharp and short but at least it was far apart.

He could manage.

He walked around, his face pale as he searched for his and Xinyi's hotel.

His demeanor and his shade made him an easy mark, resulting in someone trying to rob him. The action was quick, a swift shove as the man snatched his pouch from his side. That pouch had everything he owned, mostly just some water and his last remaining book.

And the Shuizhi.

Liang Fei forced his body to move, summoning what little energy he had left to rush after the man. The crowds parted for them, watching the chase but keeping out of the manner.

They were just simple townsfolk. Weren't such matters to be resolved by the guards?

Just as the man turned to slip into an alleyway, another figure burst from the darkness, knocking the thief onto the ground. His stubble was hard, the impact echoing loudly and drawing many curious eyes. 

As he fell, Liang Fei caught up, grabbing the pouch before it hit the ground. His heart settled, now that his salvation was back in his possession. He turned to thank the person who stopped the pickpocket but his vision started to fade as a new rush of pain started.

He collapsed, his vision cloudy and darkening. The last thing he saw was a red blob drawing close.

***

Liang Fei woke up to a strange sight.

Red. All he saw was red.

He tried to blink it away but there it remained, unmoving.

How curious, he thought, just as the red mound moved. Was that...?

The red mound moved out of sight, revealing the face of a beautiful woman staring down at him. Her breasts out of the way, Liang Fei could take notice of his position.

He was resting on a womans lap and the red he'd woken up to was just her clothes. Sitting up, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. Long smooth black hair that fell bewitchingly over her shoulders, drawing the eyes to follow them. Her clothes, a deep shade of red that traced her body like a caress. Her face a lovely, with eyes like a fox and red lips that invited the gaze.

This was a woman any man would stop and admire. Liang Fei was no exception.

"Ah, you woke up." Yao Da said with a smile. She had noticed the man's gazed and felt amused. "Good evening, uncle."

Liang Fei flinched, feeling a stinging pain in his heart. Once again, he found himself in a familiar situation.

A pretty woman treating him like an old man as opposed to a possible partner. 

He sighed inwardly. While his main goal was to find and apologize to Xieren, this didn't mean he wished to be alone forever. He did want to get married and have a family. His hopes had been dashed before he could even let it bloom.

Though he supposed being treated like this was better than being called cold and unfeeling.

"Oi, are you listening, uncle?" Yao Da frowned, unsure why the man's demeanor had shifted so suddenly. One moment, he was ogling her and the next he sighing like he'd lost his soul. What had happened?

"I am."

"Really?" She was doubtful, though the mans' tone made it hard for her to say for sure. "Cause it looked like you were distracted for a moment."

"I was." He admitted, looking around. They were outside a restaurant, well out of sight of the street but close enough to order. Liang Fei raised a hand to hail down a waiter.

"By?" 

"My own thoughts of how saddening it is to be called uncle when I'm not even in my 30's." He replied, after telling the waiter his order. He was tired and just wanted some tea.

"Tch, well I very well can't call you 'brother', can I?" She retorted, amused by the man before her. He was different than she had expected.

"I suppose not but hearing you call me uncle..." He looked up, as if pleading with some higher power before giving up to staring at the ground. "I'm really not that old."

This made the woman burst out into laughter, her smooth voice echoing and resting in the hearts of men all around them. Unconsciously, they drifted close, wishing to be near the source.

Liang Fei, tired and forlorn as he was, failed to notice this and could only feel aggrieved to being laughed at.

"Am I amusing?"

"Hm? Yes, I suppose." She admitted, chuckling to herself. "I've never met a man so honest yet polite. It's nice."

"I'm sure there are plenty of honest men." He replied, just as the waiter returned. The young man stood by for a minute, staring lustfully at Yao Da and her revealing outfit before his boss dragged him from the table. All this went by without Liang Fei's notice, his sole focus on his tea.

"Very few, I'm afraid." She sighed, staring at the table as the young man was dragged away. Even with him gone, she could still feel the gazes on other men on her. Yet... She looked up at the man in front of her, whose eyes remained steady on his tea. "Besides, my heart belongs to another."

"I see." He nodded, mentally congratulating the person she liked. To have such a lovely woman as a partner, what was there not to envy? Perhaps he too could find someone in this world to...

His eyes fell onto an object Yao Da was playing around with. Her own thoughts were scattered, thinking of her beloved lord and how she planned on gaining his attention. Lord Xieren was too cold and distant, so she couldn't seduce him like she had others but making herself useful seemed to endear him to her.

She had even gone through the trouble of following his trail to this dirty town to 'accidentally' bump into him but no such luck. Days in and nothing. But at least she wasn't bored. She had met this interesting uncle who...

Who was staring down at her chest...

Her expression dropped, her hands clenching slightly. She had been hoping this man would be different but of course, he wasn't.

"Is uncle interested in my body?" She asked, expecting him to either admit to his ogling or deflect in some way. The man was fairly honest after all.

Yet his response surprised her.

"I admit you have a lovely figure but I don't really care about that right now." He replied, his eyes had not left her hand for a while. "I would like my stone back, please."

Yao Da blinked, confused for a moment before checking out her hand. She had forgotten she had picked up the shiny stone uncle he mentioned it. She had found it on the ground and picked it up on a whim. Other than just being shiny, she hadn't really thought about it all and kept playing with it.

Yet this supposedly had belonged to this man?

"This is yours?" She held up the strange-looking rock. The surface shimmered and shined, though the colors were not very appealing. "I've never seen a stone like this before."

"Yes, may I have it back?" He held out a hand, his eyes staring into hers. Yao Da felt her heart jump a little, feeling strangely embarrassed at being stared at.

A new experience to be sure. 

"You won't gift it to me?" She shot back, covering up her fluster.

"No." Yao Da scowled at that, unused to being refused by men. She then leaned forward, her bosom threatening to spill from her robes.

"Not even for a favor?" She cooed, feeling the men around her collectively gulp at the display. Yet...

"No."

"You are so stubborn." She huffed, leaning back with a pout. "How unreasonable!"

"We both know you wouldn't do me any 'favors' anyway." He reasoned, thinking she was quite cute when she wasn't being so childish. He really wanted to pet her. "You have another in your heart."

"Who's to say that I wouldn't?" She challenged, holding the stone just out of reach, though Liang Fei refrained from moving toward it. He knew she was fast enough to evade him. 

"Because," He started, holding out his hand. "I have more respect for you than that."

Silence fell between the two, Yao Da shocked into pure mutism. Out of every response she had expected, that was not one. 

Well damn, what could she say to that?

"...Ah, fine." She huffed, placing the stone into his palm. "If you are going to be so upfront and noble about it, how could I dare act so shameless?" Having heard him speak so politely and calm, she felt embarrassed for trying to seduce him into giving her the dumb thing.

Was she some kind of evil being, attempting to corrupt a pure being? She felt like it, watching him speak to her like she wasn't dressed to seduce his sex. Other than his initial look, he hadn't looked at her with much more than a casual glance.

Had Liang Fei heard her thoughts, he'd cry, wondering why this was the conclusion women came to so often. If he wasn't a stone wall, he was a pure cherub that could not have an impure thought. It wasn't a lie but damn if he didn't feel a bit hurt by the assumption.

In his own mind, he was a regular man with normal urges. It's just that at this moment, his focus was on Xieren and making sure he was okay. Then maybe... maybe he might pursue other things... maybe...

This pure man's thoughts were interrupted by Yao Da calling out to him.

 "What is that thing anyway?" She pointed at the stone, curious. "I've truly never seen such a stone before."

"I don't understand it well myself but its something called a Shuzhui." He explained, placing it back into his pouch. "I need it to survive in this world."

"I see." Yao Da stared, truly wanting to know more about the stone. She was an expert on gems yet this Shuzhi was something she was unfamiliar with. She felt like there was more to the stone but seeing as how this uncle didn't know much about it, asking any further would be useless. "Well, it is quite lovely."

"Is it?" He asked, staring at the rock. To him, it was just a rock that would help him gain the strength the survive. Its value was based on its usefulness. Yet this woman saw it for its beauty.

"I mean, who doesn't love beautiful things, right?" She retorted, seeing his confusion. Of course, a man wouldn't understand her love of beautiful items. The beauty of a person was temporary but an item's beauty is eternal.

Thinking about her words, Liang Fei had to agree. "Absolutely." He said with a nod. Seeing his understanding, Yao Da beamed, leaning in to stare into his eyes, her tone animated with excitement.

"Especially when they are strong too, that won't break easily." She exclaimed, imagining all the gems she had back home, making her room a jeweler's wet dream.

"Like gemstones?"

"Yes!" She cried, her eyes radiating exuberance. It was so rare to find someone who was interested in gems. Even Xuejie, that perv, could only feign interest for a few minutes before offhandedly calling her precious treasures 'just shiny rocks'. Yet this uncle didn't look bored at all. "Exactly like gemstones. They shine and glimmer, so beautiful and strong."

Seeing Yao Da glow and rant about her passion made Liang Fei relax, finding the young woman more adorable. She reminded him of a lot of Xinyi when she started telling him about medicine and alchemy.

"Ah!" He stood, now recalling his original intent. He had to find Xinyi. "My apologies but I must depart from here."

"Oh?" Yao Da sighed, a bit disappointed but hiding it well. "Be careful then. I'd hate to see someone else snatch your things."

"Again, thank you for your help." He bowed before rushing off. Yao Da watched him leave, curious about the man but quickly dismissing him from her thought as he blended into the crowd.

Her main objective was to find her boss. Bumping into that guy was just a brief distraction, though she didn't regret helping him. Truthfully, she had initially intended to leave him passed out on the street and take his gemstone.

The only reason she didn't was that she could swear he smelled faintly of her boss. Curiosity left her puzzled over how this mere human could have come in contact with him and yet still be alive.

She'd have to ask him about it at a later time, it would seem.

 ***

Liang Fei briskly walked through the town, the tea helping to energize his body enough to remain alert. He absolutely wasn't going to lose his only means of survival again.

A more callous person would have sought out a big healthy thigh to cling onto, as opposed to going through all this trouble. The suggestion had even been posed to Liang Fei before by the god, seeing how foggy eyed the man before him got as he explained about the Shuizhui but was quickly rejected.

Liang Fei was a prideful man. He wasn't one to cling to others for help. He wasn't even someone willing to ask for help when freely offered so the notion of shamelessly relying on another was too much.

As such, Liang Fei could only move forward and secure his strength by himself. No matter how many steps were needed, he intended to regain his former strength, find Xieren and make things right between them.

After that... he wasn't sure yet.

Talking to that young miss made him wonder about what he wanted out of this life. His first time in this world was spent trying not to incur the protagonists' ire by being good to them. His dream of being a teacher had been fulfilled but he didn't get a lot done otherwise.

It was then that Liang Fei finally realized he'd missed his chance to ask about the protagonist. His mind had been so focused on Xieren and getting back, it had slipped his mind entirely.

The elder covered his face, feeling ashamed for putting himself in this situation.

Whether he found Xieren or not, the protagonist was still out there. He hoped that his actions had worked but that dumb system had said things were going badly in this world so perhaps he'd messed up somewhere?

But how? He hadn't done anything wrong!

Liang Fei, convinced he'd done nothing to cause any strife, continued on confidently, assured in his mind and heart he'd been good. Sure, his lack of knowledge on the plot made things messy at times but surely that couldn't mean much, right?

If the godly plot could speak its voice, it would cry out its grievances loudly and shake the world with its complaints. 

Good, he says!? Nothing wrong, he cries?! 

Everything was wrong and it was all this one person's fault! Bonds had been broken and romances, cheap and paper-thin as they were, had been cast aside for this strange protagonist with a cruel heart. How many people had suffered due to these changes?

Yet this person claimed to be innocent.

This 'innocent' person walked down the street, noting the crowd nearby. While he usually wasn't interested in gossip, the subject was what made Liang Fei stop to listen.

"Did you see the smoke last night?"

"How could anyone miss it?" someone huffed, shivering as they stared toward the forest. "The noise could be heard from the gate."

"And worse, it was near the forbidden area."

"You mean where that fallen clan used to reside?" A younger person cried, looking around. Everyone knew about the local clan that had mysteriously and ruthlessly fallen withing a single night. The members had scattered, rumored to have been hunted down and killed.

Their bodies were too horrible to even describe and sent chill down people spines. Whatever malevolence they had brought upon themselves was just too brutal.

"Ah, you don't think it was ghosts, do you?"

"No way!" A young man proclaimed confidently. "Even ghosts know better than to come into Lord Han's territory."

For the years prior to the demons resurgence, the lord of the land had kept them safe. Even after the demons drew close, they never took a single step into Lord Han's land, even as they shamelessly took over large swaths of land from the isolated sects in the area.

The villagers nodded, their thoughts much the same as the young man but...

"Then who..." The words slipped out, the flames still clear in their minds. An older man let out a sigh.

"Not who but what."

"Do you mean...?" The old man nodded, his expression grim.

"I heard a demon had bee spotted nearby."

"A Demon!?" The crowd's mood shifted to mild panic. It was only the cold that kept them from moving away. 

"We are close to the demon kings territory so..."

"Perhaps it was the king himself?" Another young man spoke up, though his careless words were quickly drowned out.

"Never! That beast would never venture out of his cursed castle." The man who spoke sounded confident, as if this was obvious but the people around him looked doubtful.

"But the strength of those flames..." The voice, though small, rang out through the crowd. "It rose like towers to the heavens. I swear I could feel the heat from the gate."

"It's true." The man insisted, looking around. "Who else but the demon king could control such power?"

The townspeople continued to argue the point, a conclusion never being reached. Liang Fei, however, felt his heart shudder coldly in his chest.

The demon king? He had heard Xinyi mention such a creature, who had risen to power and released the long-held seal trapping the demons. He was ruthless, bloodthirsty and feared by any who even heard of him.

If that person and the man he fought were the same person... He shivered, thinking of how easily he could have died. 

The tower of flames he hadn't noticed somehow.

The blade that tried to separate his head from his body.

Any one of those things could have ended him in moments yet here he stood. He let out a sigh of relief, his breath misting as it left his lips. Had that man taken him seriously at any time, he would have died before he even knew who had attacked.

He would have died with such grievances, he was sure he'd haunt that man until he was driven mad.

Yet here he stood, alive and well (relatively)with only passing knowledge on how close to death he was. Such a revelation was draining his already dwindling strength.

With a sigh, Liang Fei moved forward, not listening any further. His mind had been made up already and his focus was clear.

His goal was to find and apologize to Xieren.

As such, he would just do his best to avoid any more scary villain types that sought to kill him. How hard could that be?

*****

AN: So, funny story: I originally wanted to use a regular rock song for Liang Fei's little moment but I've been rewatching an old anime from my teen years for the last few days and have the opening stuck in my head. As such, I let LF sing it. Mostly cause the lyrics fit something he'd like, at least the second verse. I had never listened to the full song so I didn't actually know how... different the lyrics were to my expectations.

Like the show, Cromartie High School, is a weird comedy about delinquents, so I wasn't expecting such a hopeful and sometimes romantic song to be its opening. Really, ya'll should check it out, especially the dub. It's really funny, though don't expect a lot in terms of animation. its basically still frames for the most part.

Also, for those wondering why LF, who is not into fiction, knows and likes an anime opening, its because his best friend is a weeb. LF just heard it, liked it and memorized the lyrics without looking up the meaning.