And they did test Mei Hua’s limits.

 They forced him to keep on the blindfold, even drawing an array on the fabric so he couldn’t take it off himself. If Mei Hua tried to take it off by force, it would melt his eyes into puddles. 

Their second punishment was to constantly pull him out of the cage and force him to walk behind the horse. Every day they would repeat this punishment, slowly wearing Mei Hua down physically and mentally. He couldn’t recover enough stamina or spiritual energy to be in top shape for the next day. Not to mention all the wounds that weren’t allowed to heal that slowly accumulated. 

By now Mei Hua’s feet had thick calluses on them that prevented the sharp stones and branches from hurting him. However, the rest of him wasn’t so lucky. His wrist and back were covered in scabbed-over wounds that would open time and again when he was pulled and dragged along. Although he was able to keep up most of the time, occasionally he would get dragged along the ground, which didn’t help his recovery at all. The wounds he received were sure to scar in the future-- if he lived that long. 

A pair of rough, callused hands threw Mei Hua back into the cage before slamming the door shut. Mei Hua was barely breathing. His back was covered in bloody scrapes full of gravel and mud from being dragged once again. The back of his legs didn’t look much better. He still had a shred of consciousness which meant that he was awake for the whole duration of being dragged. 

Darkness consumed his vision, forcing Mei Hua to focus on the pain in his body and the sound of shuffling children nearby. He wanted to pass out, but he had to circulate his spiritual energy first or he probably wouldn’t wake up. His breathing became shallow as he forced the lodged pebbles out of his flesh with a strand of spiritual energy. Mei Hua staunched the bleeding in the same way. 

The noises in his ears soon became muffled and distorted as Mei Hua slipped into unconsciousness. Even in his sleep, his body thrummed with constant, dull pain. His mind twisted in his dreams as nightmares creeped out of the depths of his heart. Unable to use spiritual energy to keep the darkest fears away, Mei Hua was left with no choice but to be swallowed by them. 

Mei Hua found himself in a dim room lit by a television screen. Smoke twisted and hung in the air like a dragon, making him cough as it slipped down his throat and choked him. He looked around to see an array of beer bottles and cans littering the coffee table. An ashtray was full of cigarettes and cigars. The scene was so familiar it sent a shiver of dread down Mei Hua’s spine. 

Warily, Mei Hua wandered out of the living room and peeked into the kitchen that had the orange light on. He stopped at the entrance, seeing his mother sitting at the kitchen table with a cigarette resting between her lips. She was dressed scantily just like always, her cleavage on full display. Her dark, curly hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. Some strands wrapped around her small face and neck giving off a sensual allure. Mei Hua felt sick just looking at her. 

The woman looked up at Mei Hua with dark, watery eyes that turned into slits at the sight of him. She slammed her phone down on the table and crushed her cigarette between her teeth. 

“What the hell are you looking at, brat? Scram!” She shooed him away with her manicured nails. 

Mei Hua quickly fled from the kitchen, frightened. If his mother told his father… Mei Hua shuddered at the thought. He quickly retreated to his ‘room’ which was just a pantry that had been gutted to fit a nest of blankets. He wasn’t given a mattress or pillows.

After he closed the door, he was enshrouded in darkness. He sat in the center of the blankets, wrapping them around himself like a protective cocoon. He heard the sharp click come from the door; his mother had locked him inside again. Mei Hua sat in the small space with no light and no way out. He leaned against one of the walls, stretching out his legs until he touched the other side. He couldn’t even bend his knees because the space was too tight. Just when he closed his eyes against the inky darkness he heard a voice call out. 

“Big brother.” The tone was quiet and nasally as though they had been crying. 

Mei Hua swallowed nervously and glanced around although there was no one there. He turned his head and saw a pale face with inky eyes staring at him from the darkness. 

Panting and covered in a cold sweat, Mei Hua woke with a start. He couldn’t see anything because of the blindfold so he just laid still, sucking in the cold night air. His heart hammered against his chest and his lips trembled. Even though the dream wasn’t that bad, it still struck fear into Mei Hua’s heart. He didn’t want to dream about his past. He didn’t want to see his mother or him. It stung worse than the wounds covering his body. 

“Big Brother?” Xiao Ai called out softly. 

The small boy saw his big brother covered in sweat with a pale-as-paper complexion. He wondered if the elder boy had a nightmare. Xiao Ai laid a hand on the other’s cold cheek, providing a little warmth. 

“Xiao… Ai?” Mei Hua forced out. 

Xiao Ai hummed, “Yeah. It’s me. Did Big Brother see a nightmare?” 

Slowly, the hammering of Mei Hua’s heart steadied and he took a deep breath. “Un.” 

With his small hands, Xiao Ai gently patted Mei Hua’s head, smoothing his matted hair. His thin wrist showed more bone than meat, but Mei Hua couldn’t see that with the blindfold on. He didn’t know that the younger boy had grown gaunter and gaunter as the days passed. 

The other children in the cage had begun ostracizing Xiao Ai as well. They wouldn’t allow him in their circle when they were huddling for warmth. And they would constantly snatch his food. When Mei Hua was in the throes of his punishment, the others would gang up on Xiao Ai and tease him. They would scratch, bite, or pull his hair. All because they were jealous of the kindness that Mei Hua had shown him. 

Mei Hua sighed at the sensation of having his head pat. He allowed Xiao Ai to give him food and water, splitting half of his stale bread with the younger boy. Mei Hua also took the small, fragile hand in his and infused the boy with some spiritual energy when he heard the latter shivering. 

“Big Brother!” Xiao Ai complained.

“What?” Mei Hua smiled softly. 

“You don’t have to give me any spiritual energy! You have to save it for yourself or you’ll die. Just look at you, you’re covered in wounds.” Xiao Ai pouted, his inky eyes taking in the sight of his big brother covered from head to toe with injuries. 

“It’s fine,” Mei Hua said dismissively, despite his body feeling like lead, “I did it because I wanted to.”

Mei Hua’s dream had made him remember the unpleasant events in his past and he suddenly felt a fierce protectiveness over Xiao Ai. He didn’t want the little boy to die here. 

“If you’re cold, you can lay beside me. Just try not to touch any wounds,” Mei Hua half-joked. 

“That would be impossible,” Xiao Ai muttered, moving to lay next to his big brother. 

Both of them felt really warm laying beside each other. Xiao Ai felt tears well up in his eyes but didn’t let them fall. The other kids were so mean to him because of what his big brother had done for him, so he had started to despise Mei Hua. But how could he hate someone who had shown him nothing but kindness and was this warm? Xiao Ai felt guilty for having such twisted thoughts and shoved them out of his brain. 

It wasn’t Mei Hua’s fault that the other children had become so twisted. It was the ones that imprisoned them and made them less than human that deserved to be blamed. 

In the morning time, Xiao Ai tended to Mei Hua who was still stuck laying on the ground of the cage. He helped feed the latter some watery soup with mystery meat and a bit of water. 

After he ate, Mei Hua fell into a meditative state, gathering spiritual energy and circulating it throughout him. The process became a lot smoother after constantly performing it for the last month. Mei Hua felt like he could gather more energy than before and send it through his body to heal faster as well. His meridians had widened and his dantian has increased in size. If this kept up, his level would rise soon. 

Mei Hua was interrupted from his thoughts when the cage rolled to a stop. He could hear the neighing of horses and the guards shouting orders. If he struggled to listen a little more he could hear the rushing of water. They must be near a river or something. 

For the first time in a month, the cage was opened and all of the children were allowed out. Of the 30 children that were shoved into the cage, only 25 were left. Five had died from diseases. The twenty-something children were chained together and brought toward the river. Mei Hua was at the end of the chain, following the others blindly. 

To prevent himself from slipping, Mei Hua sent out a small, half-meter, radius of divine sense-- it is using spiritual energy to detect things-- so that he could see what lay ahead. It was like seeing a white outline in his head. He would see roots or rocks that jutted from the ground as he approached them, which allowed him to climb over them with ease. 

The guards wanted to question how the young boy could see even with the blindfold, but they were already thinking of Mei Hua as something of a monster. He took beatings from Brother Li like it was nothing; got dragged behind a horse a good number of times, and he was still alive. If this kid was human, then what were they? 

Clear water rushed over smooth stones in the river. The current wasn’t too fast, but the water was pretty deep. The children were forced to stand by the riverbank and allow cold water to be dumped on each of their heads. This was the slave traders' way of cleaning them. While they were being cleaned at the river, one of the poor guards was forced to clean out the disgusting, filthy cage. 

After the cold water was dumped over their heads, they weren’t even given towels to dry off. The guards just let them stand in the sun for a half-hour. Mei Hua was given a new sack to replace his old one that was nothing short of rags. 

Mei Hua swore that this new one was even coarser than the previous one, but at least it provided slightly more warmth. And it provided some protection for the wounds on his back. Other than that, the material rubbed against his skin and scabs, irritating them, making Mei Hua want to scream and rip off the fabric. 

Xiao Ai was shivering and miserable, the chains around his legs and arms weighing him down. His bones were jutting out of his sallow skin. He dazedly followed the rest of the group without a word. His cheeks and ears were bright red. 

Somewhat cleaner, the cage was a lot more pleasant to be in. It didn’t reek of piss and feces anymore, which was a bonus. The kids filed back into the narrow confines, pressing up against the rusty metal bars while shivering. The guards took off the manacles and chains before closing the door and locking it.

Mei Hua leaned against the cold bars, listening to the guards laughing jovially as they feasted. He heard some guards making fun of the poor saps that were forced to clean the cage. He also listened to the sniffles and shivering of the children around him. Xiao Ai was leaning against him, warmer and quieter than usual. He could hear the child’s stuttered breathing. 

A cold hand gripped Mei Hua’s heart as he reached for Xiao Ai’s head and found the young boy burning up. His stomach dropped as if he were on a roller coaster ride. His breath hitched. Mei Hua’s hands traveled down the boy's body as he felt the bag of bones that Xiao Ai had become. 

“Hey, guards!” Mei Hua found the words slipping out of his mouth. 

The chatter and laughter died down as the guards looked toward the cage. The creepy kid never spoke so loud before, nor did he ever address them. All of the guards exchanged looks, wondering what they should do. Brother Li stood up at that moment, irritation clear on his face. 

“What is it, brat? Do you want to be taught another lesson?” Brother Li banged on the bars of the cage near Mei Hua’s head. 

Xiao Ai didn’t even flinch at the loud noise, deep in the throes of a fever. Mei Hua, who usually wouldn’t even turn his head toward that bastard Li, looked in the direction of his voice. 

“This child has a fever, please give him medicine.” Mei Hua put his pride aside and even used ‘please.’ 

Li was surprised at the child’s behavior. Had he finally broken him? He reached between the bars and lifted up the blindfold slightly to see the look in Mei Hua’s eyes. The child blinked at the light but he still had that unbending determination in his eyes. Li gritted his teeth, but a beautiful plan gestated in his head. He lifted up the rest of the blindfold so it was sitting on the youth’s forehead. 

“If you kowtow to me three times, then I’ll give you the medicine,” Li said with glee in his voice. 

Mei Hua’s jaw set at the humiliation he was going to have to endure. “I’ll do it if you give him the medicine now.”

“No, you do what I ask first.”

“No, because you definitely won’t keep your word.” 

Mei Hua blinked his golden eyes at the man, his eyebrow raised unconsciously in a challenge. Li grit his teeth, veins popping out of his purple face. 

“You dare insult me, questioning my honor?!” Li banged his sword against the bars. Spittle flew from his mouth and a vein popped out angrily from his forehead. 

“Pardon me for not trusting you,” Mei Hua continued, “but I would feel more convinced of your ‘honor’ if you gave the boy the medicine now.” 

Brother Wei arrived to watch the scene. His lips curled up to reveal a smirk. Just as Brother Li was about to explode, he stepped in. 

“If he is not willing to bow to you, Brother Li, then why don’t we change up the conditions? We’ll give the boy the medicine now, but in exchange, he’ll have to sit in the river for the night.” Brother Wei’s cold eyes met Mei Hua’s golden one. 

A chill ran down Mei Hua’s spine when those eyes met his, but he didn’t look away. Instead, he nodded. If this could get Xiao Ai the medicine he needed, then he would do it. He didn’t want to watch the young boy die. He didn’t want to experience the same feeling as back then. 

Satisfied with Mei Hua’s decision, Brother Wei smiles. It is a chilling sight that sends shudders down everyone’s back. He slips a hand into the magical pouch at his side, pulling out some fever medicine for the little boy. He handed the vial to Mei Hua who hurriedly uncapped the bottle and gently coaxed it down Xiao Ai’s throat. 

After the medicine was received, Mei Hua walked to the front of the cage and was pulled out by rough hands. The blindfold was replaced securely over his eyes as he was dragged to the river. The guards attached chains to the boy’s ankles and wrist so he wouldn’t be able to escape during the night. 

Standing in the rushing current, the water was up to Mei Hua’s chest. He shivered violently as it crashed against his back, biting into his flesh and chilling him to the bones. 

Fuck! Why is it so damn cold? Isn’t it spring already? Mei Hua closed his eyes and immediately began to meditate, focusing on creating an energy skin to warm him up. 

For hours and hours, Mei Hua sat in the freezing river as he focused on circulating his energy. His limbs were numb from the cold water and he desperately tried to keep his head above the water. Above him, the sun slowly traveled across the sky as it retired for the night. When the stars bloomed against the black velvet sky, the atmosphere chilled considerably. 

Warmth spread from his chest toward his limbs to keep them from freezing. A layer of cold sweat coated Mei Hua’s brow as he struggled to continuously use spiritual energy. His ears were full of the sound of rushing water and his own hammering pulse. 

The only good thing about being numb was that Mei Hua couldn’t feel the wounds all over his body anymore, but he also couldn’t feel much else. Even his brain was turning to slush as time went on. He prayed that he would make it through the morning. And even if he didn’t, Xiao Ai had already received the medicine. It would be fine if Mei Hua didn’t survive the night. 

Thinking like that, Mei Hua’s legs buckled and his head was submerged. He breathed in a lungful of water and started choking. His lungs burned as he tried to fight his way to the surface. All he had to do was stand up and he would reach fresh air, but his legs were so numb that they refused to budge. 

Mei Hua’s lungs filled up with water. A serenity bloomed inside of his head as he watched the water flow past him. He was going to die. If it was like this, it didn’t seem too bad. It was peaceful. In his mind, he thought of the skin-and-bones Xiao Ai, the villain whom he had yet to meet, and his already deceased little brother. In the end, he would fail to save everyone that matters. 

Inside of his heart, from the ashes that had been doused, a glowing ember flared to life. He refused to let anyone else die, he would save them! Mei Hua felt his meridians strain as spiritual energy raged through his body, waking up his malfunctioning brain and warming his numb limbs. He stood up, head resurfacing, and coughed out the water clogging his lungs. The spiritual energy was so strong that it created waves in the river, sloshing the water too and fro. 

When the energy abated, the sky was a pale pink and sherbert orange. The night had passed and he somehow survived it. He was sure that he had died, but there he was, still standing.