Interwoven Destiny [Story]

[Wen Chou]

No living creature on the Earth could possibly comprehend the forces and laws of nature. There is always an 'imperfectness' that exists in everything that anything does. This natural unbalanced exists everywhere. It is natural, and it occurs in every instance. It is this single thing that binds all of us together. It is the reason we're here. To try and solve these random imperfectness', in an attempt to understand the fundamental laws of nature. These paths may lead to mischievous adventures, spark a feud between two people, or even a war.

It is the human experience. The experience of living.

~

The wind blew in it's face fiercely as it accelerated and gained speed, the freedom of flight was always such a marvelous experience. For such an experienced creature however, the freedom of flight and the faith in it's ability to control itself in the air, gave itself the bold bravado to perform tasks perhaps deemed annoying by humans.

But the bird's stomach ached, and the raven dove, as it skyrocketed towards the earth, the wind broke at it's sides, and the feeling of empowerment grew. Then the raven leveled as it's altitude fell steeply. It was now gliding peacefully through the marketplace of Ye, at the climax of the day. The sun had reached it's apex in the sky, and though the cold chilly winds from the north cooled the city, the sun bathed the marketplace in a glow and warmth.

The raven spotted a stall, and claimed its target: a loaf of bread. With overwhelming confidence the raven let out a shriek and flew straight for the bread.

A person at the stall perusing the goods spotted the raven. And in a display human agility and strength. The man's right arm shot out.

Wen Chou was also at the stall, and in the instant that the incident occurred, his head turned towards the sudden shriek of pain and surprise that the raven let out. The loaf of bread dropped to the table.

The man had caught the raven in his hand.

The stall holder clapped for the impossible feat just accomplished. The man behind the stall was an average working man, who looked like he worked hard for all of the food he presented on the table. "Incredible!" He exclaimed, he had never seen anything like it.

"Aye, very impressive my friend." Wen Chou studied the man who had caught the raven, there was something very strange about him.

Not a piece of skin was showing. The man wore all black clothing which shielded him from the outside world. Without a word this man of mystery let the raven fly. Simply the shrouded man nodded in thanks for the appraisal.

Before Wen Chou could question the man about - anything, a tall woman wearing what seemed to be a battle garb walked by the stall, tapped the shrouded man on the shoulder, and kept moving on. There was a strange trait about this woman as well, her hair was purple. A newly developed dye no doubt. And strapped to her back was a long sword.

The shrouded man clasped his hands and bowed, he promptly left the stall.

Despite never meeting the two figures, Wen Chou felt strangely connected to the two - perhaps he had read something about them. Yes that was it.

The stall holder smiled at his only customer left - Wen Chou. "It is amazing what a person is capable of is it not friend?"

Wen Chou looked back the man, quite an average man, but then again, Wen Chou looked quite stunningly average as well. The general had chosen to dress in a farmer's rags for shopping in the marketplace. As to not draw attention to himself.

"To catch the raven in its act of scavenging, I doubt it has ever been done before." Wen Chou responded, glad to make small talk with the people he swore to protect. The two talked for a while, Wen Chou bought a few things, mostly food - the highlight of the stall holder's day. Wen Chou introduced himself as a farmer under a false name. Though the general was not too sure why, it seemed right. That this new found friendship with this overly normal man might be ruined if Wen Chou actually confessed his real identity. For some reason, the invisibility that being a normal person in society comforted Wen Chou.

No guards.

No banners.

Just a man shopping, and talking with another man. Soon the two became friends. They talked for over two hours, and then the stall holder admitted that he had to close down his stall and help his wife prepare a meal for his family. Before he went back into his house - for his stall was settled right in front of it - Wen Chou asked for his name, the man smiled and responded that he is called Bei Shu Rong.

"Do you hunt Bei Shu Rong? You must get all of this meat from somewhere." Wen Chou asked.

'You guess correctly Xhou Fan," The false name Wen Chou introduced himself as, "Why is it that you ask?"

"It just so happens that I too hunt, along with the farming that I do," Wen Chou made it all up as he went, it is normal for generals in the army to hunt, and Wen Chou wanted his new friend to accompany him hunting, "Care to join me outside Ye for a hunt? You may keep all of the meat."

"I would much appreciate the kind gesture Xhou Fan, how is tomorrow afternoon?" Bei Shu Rong finished tearing down his stall, and a voice inside his house beckoned for him.

Wen Chou answered, whilst preparing to leave, "Tomorrow then, I shall meet you here, be prepared." They nodded to each other and parted.

Wen Chou was now off to the palace. Despite blatantly lieng to Bei Shu Rong, he felt that their new found friendship would last.

If only for the reason that for today - he was not Wen Chou.

[Wen Chou]

Pain.

Loss.

Uncertainty.

All of these emotions erupted in Wen Chou's dreams. He awoke in a cold sweat, his breathing was elevated, and his heart thumped inside his chest. Wen Chou could not recollect his dream, but the feelings did not subside. It was a very strange feeling, a feeling of terror. The general could not explain it, and for a few minutes simply sat upright in his palace room. The feeling of dread lingered for a few moments, then as fast as it came it lifted.

Sun's rays illuminated the room in a dim gloom. It was early morning, and the single translucent window did not stop the chill from entering the room.


With only a single cloth covering his nakedness, Wen Chou's body soon relaxed, and was forced to put on something to comfort him and give him warmth. But it was not his regular court attire, battle garbs, or armor. It was the farmers' rags he had bought two days ago with the intent of performing hard labor in order to train his body and increase his endurance.

Instead it was his disguise.

Instead; the general had used the clothes to go shopping incognito the day before. Where he accidentally made friends with a stall holder named Bei Shu Rong. Perhaps it was a mistake, Wen Chou thought. What had he done? Wen Chou thought in a haze, mornings always clouded his mind. Made an appointment to go hunting? Yes that was it. In truth he was quite excited to get away from all of the court proceedings and expectations that the life of a general demanded.

Without another thought, Wen Chou dressed in his rags and exited the palace whilst avoiding the patrols of Yuan Shao's guard. It was best not to be questioned, or even seen dressed as a commoner in the palace.

Making his way through the palace kitchen and exiting the back door of the palace, Wen Chou located his hidden chest under a clump of hay. From a bag off his sash he produced a small key that fit the tumblers perfectly on the lock. He turned his hand, hearing for the clicks that signaled the unlocking.

In a quick successive manner: Click. Click. Click.

Like a child who just found a toy, Wen Chou eagerly opened the chest, inside lay a brand new yew bow. Simply beautiful. A quiver of arrows beside it. Wen Chou grabbed the bow, stood, admired it, and slung it on his back. The quiver he attached to his sash. Fit and ready, Wen Chou walked the length of the palace grounds and left through the main gate.

The guard gave Wen Chou a quick, queer look before falling to one knee, "Lord Wen Chou....?" The statement felt incomplete and sounded like a question. So Wen Chou stopped and offered something:

"Going hunting." Wen Chou said with a smile, he was elated, now that he thought about it. How bowed to the guard, and started to leave when another voice entered the fray, with soft but questioning words.

"Hunting...? Master Wen Chou, if you don't mind me asking, would you like an escort to accompany you?" Xiang Ye Chu, the palace eunuch, had just exited to main hall and was walking down the palace steps. He was dressed elegant robes of a deep velvet red.

Even though the recent events with the 'Ten Attendants' and the disastrous affects afterwards, Eunuchs were still among the most trusted palace servants.

Eunuchs always made Wen Chou uneasy, but Xiang Ye Chu was friendly, "That is certainly not required, I can take care for myself."

Xian Ye Chu gave Wen Chou a thoughtful look, he was musing over something, "Hmm, alright, when shall we expect you back my lord?"

"Late in the evening I suspect, if everything goes well."

The Eunuch smiled light-heartedly, "Fantastic! I'll tell the cooks they are preparing venison tonight." Rather theatrically he hopped down the rest of the steps, "You will be bringing back the game won't you Master Wen Chou...?" Xiang Ye Chu eyed him suspiciously. Wen Chou tensed up, what was there to be suspicious about? Had the Eunuch spied on him? Damn this man, Wen Chou thought, he had eyes everywhere.

"Actually no," Wen Chou said, hiding his nerves as much as possible, "I'm giving the venison to the less-fortunate." The nervousness lifted, a suitable story, Wen Chou thought. The general was always seen after all as the defender of the weak.

Xiang Ye Chu clapped his hands and expressed in an exuberant manner: "Oh, DEFTLY done Master Wen Chou, playing the 'Protector of the Weak' again?" He laughed, the Eunuch always poked his noses into things where he just did not belong. "The less-fortunate get all the cuts these days don't they?" He raised a hand to his mouth, covering a laugh.

The two guards at the gate gave each other a quizzical look, the Eunuch was quite annoying.

Wen Chou, he was not sure how, but Xiang Ye Chu had found out his plans. It was unfortunate, but that wouldn't stop the general from taking his hunting trip anyway. Still, why? The question tugged at Wen Chou's curiosity and insight to this Eunuch. "What do you want from me Eunuch?"

Xiang Ye Chu pointed his index finger accusingly, "I want you to admit that you're seeing another lady in the forest! And it's not your wife!" He seemed quite serious.

Which made Wen Chou burst out laughing. He had nothing to fear after all. "You are a very good comedian, Eunuch."

Xiang Ye Chu looked stunned, but then shrugged, "I was merely entertaining myself I suppose. Do you know what an Eunuch does for fun? I certainly don't."

Wen Chou started to walk off, waving backwards at the Eunuch and the guards, "I shall be back in the evening, trust me you'll see blood on these arrows, not a woman in my lap." He started to laugh again. Wen Chou had took a vow to stay with only one woman in his life, and that woman had stayed in his forest estate. Breaking that vow was not even a possibility for Wen Chou. Such an act would defy everything he stood for.

Which is why it was laughable that someone would accuse him otherwise.

It was at that moment that a raven swooped down, perched himself on Xiang Ye Chu's shoulder and a small note dropped from its mouth straight into the Eunuch's hands.

Mid-day. Wen Chou had brought his best yew bow and arrows to Bei Shu Rong's house the hour they agreed to meet. There was the stall holder, looking quite happy as he strung his own yew bow over his shoulder. His smile somewhat abated as he saw the quality of Wen Chou's bow.

"Wow Xhou Fan! Where did you get that?!" Bei Shu Rong exclaimed, on a farmer's salary - such a thing was seldom bought. For farmers the essentials were mostly food, clothing, and shelter. Such a bow would bankrupt the normal man.

A mistake, Wen Chou admitted. But not a big one, it would not compromise his disguise. "Ah, it was my grandfather's, it quite an old bow-"

The bow seemed new, its wood even reflecting sun light.

"And yourself? That bow is of high quality as well." Wen Chou gestured towards the similar bow strung over Bei Shu Rong's shoulder. Bei Shu Rong seemed embarrassed, they were walking towards the main gate at a well pace.

"Truth is, I spent all of my savings on this bow after our talk yesterday."

A beat...

"Oh... your old one broke?" Wen Chou asked, a strong feeling of guilt flowing over him. He could've simply grabbed an extra bow from the armory. This man did not have to spend his entire savings.

Bei Shu Rong paused, "Uh... this is the first bow I've owned." He shrugged.

Wen Chou froze, looking back at Bei, the two stopped walking. "I thought you said you hunted?"

"I'm looking forward to learning?" Bei Shu Rong could not tell if Wen Chou was angry with him for lying, but the stall holder's body language screamed out for approval. Wen Chou laughed, "Alright friend, it is all well.... so where do you get all of that meat from anyway?"

They continued talking whilst they walked the rest of the main road. It was simple talk, between an average man trying to make a living, and a famous general pretending to be an average man doing another a kindness.

Suffice to say, it was not a typical occasion by any means. Wen Chou put on a good show, telling Bei Shu Rong about his made-up family, small farm land, and friends. Perhaps it was a blatant lie, but it was also very personal to Wen Chou. Perhaps- it was the life that Wen Chou would possess if he were not a general, or even a fighter.

Perhaps it was the life he wanted. Quiet peaceful tranquility. Bliss.

Then two reached the main gate, and Wen Chou resisted the impulse to approach the stables. He stopped short, commoners did not own horses. Bei Shu Rong shot him a questioning glance. Wen Chou recoiled. "Uh, sorry I thought I saw something..."

Bei Shu Rong did not question further, and the pair started to walk into the deep lush forests surrounding Ye.

[Wen Chou]

Ah... the forest...

They must have been walking for miles. Signs of civilization gave way to a gateway of green and moist surroundings. Wen Chou had only seen the forest this deep a few times before, and always it had mystified him. There exists a degree of mystery about the forest. Not knowing what animals are making those noises, or just what you'd find over the next corner. The forest was a get-a-way for Wen Chou. From all the fighting, orders, or even odors. A shiver wen down Wen Chou's spine as he remembered then, the odor of the palace.

"Is something wrong Xhou Fan?" Bei Shu Rong, a few steps ahead of him, asked looking backwards.

"I remembered something that gave me a laugh." Wen Chou chuckled.

"Care to share?" Bei Shu Rong asked inquisitively.

Wen Chou then went on to tell the false tale of how he walked into his mother's house, and the foulest odor lingered. It was a paraphrasing of when Wen Chou actually entered the palace, and Yuan Ti shoved a bowl of feces into his hands, and Yuan Shao lit opium poppeys. It was now a comical tale for Wen Chou, even though the drug addiction had a turn for the worst in Yuan Shao's case.

The two trot lightly as they made their way deeper and deeper into the forest. They had seen potential game, but Wen Chou had not told Bei Shu Rong to even attempt to fire. Deer were plenty, but Wen Chou wanted to go even deeper into the forest and if they shot something, they would have to stop, abandon their adventure, and take back the meat to the city.

Wen Chou suddenly stopped. It was right in front of him, yet somehow he managed to not see him. At the same exact moment Bei Shu Rong saw the prey as well and ducked under a log. Being untrained, Bei made a sound, and the deer prodded up his head.

There was always movement in the forest, never giving the human brain a chance to rest. Wen Chou placed his back against the bark of a tree, staying out of sight from the alert deer. At any point their prey may have run away. In a slow motion, Wen Chou moved his head around the bark, over his shoulder, and spied the deer.

Suddenly a flash of motion appeared in his peripheral vision. He saw it in a second, instincts came with the job. A man with an arrow pointed straight for Bei Shu Rong. Wen Chou turned his head towards Bei Shu Rong, the man hadn't seen it. He saw the future if he didn't act, a man he had met yesterday would be shot and killed on a hunting trip.

No.

Wen Chou vaulted himself towards Rong, tackling him to the ground. A clang ran out as their bows slammed against wood.

Umph!

"What the hell Xhou Fan!" Bei Shu Rong struggled underneath the heavy general, then he saw the arrow fly past their heads. Rong froze, it was all very disorienting. Wen Chou pulled himself up and hid behind a tree. Another arrow flew by. "Stay low." Wen Chou cautioned Bei Shu Rong as he reached fro his yew bow.

Outlaws, concluded Wen Chou. They lived in the forests after being out-casted from regular society. Most of them lived with dis-figurations because of their past crimes - and their subsequent punishments. Wen Chou groped for his bow, a few arrows dropped from his quiver, but the general's fingers still managed to find one. He twirled away from the tree, and faced the direction from which the arrow was shot from, expecting to return fire on the attacker.

But Wen Chou never expected what he saw next.

There was another outlaw, and he was missing his jaw. He was a very fat man with his lower jaw completely removed, his tongue seemingly abnormally large, hanging out freely. His saliva glands did not cease to function, as the neck area of his tunic was covered in it.

But more importantly - the fat outlaw charged directly at Wen Chou, uttering a war cry from his mutilated jaw. Wen Chou was partly stunned by the fact that one of his attackers was missing a jaw, and for a second his hesitated, Wen Chou back stepped too late, and the fat outlaw slammed into him with great force due to his momentum. The air left the lungs of Wen Chou as they hit the ground hard. The entirety of the ourlaw's weight landing on Wen Chou. With a great 'Umph!' Wen Chou lay dizzy and disoriented. His bow was flung from his hands, and all of the arrows left his quiver.

He was defenseless.

Then suddenly the fat man's hands grasped Wen Chou's throat. The general was left breathless from the impact, and as he tried to gasp for more air it was useless. Instead all he could do was make a sickening crackle sound from his choking trachea.

Wen Chou had been strangled before, but it was not like this, he had a weapon, something. In a panic he tried to pry the man's hands from his throat, but it was all futile. He reached for something, anything blunt that he could hit this guy in the head with. Momentarily he found nothing, the dread settled in, his eyes started to tear up. His lungs were burning.

He didn't know how, or why, just that the pressure lifted like a godsend, air rushed back into his lungs, Wen Chou started to cough, he prodded himself up on his elbows, crawling away to regain his composure. What he was hearing was finally making sense.

Bei Shu Rong was kicking wildly at the fat man. A valiant effort, but soon it was apparent that the outlaw was back on his feet, and counter-attacking viciously.

Wen Chou began to stand up and leaned against a tree, he had no weapons, and therefore his up most priority was to get something and then aid Bei Shu Rong. My bow!, it had been flung from him when the outlaw charged him, however it lay just at his feet, Wen Chou swooped it up into his hand and turned to face the outlaw. Granted, he was not wielding a sword, but any blunt object would do.

As it stood, the outlaw missing a jaw was wildly swinging a cleaver that he must've obtained from his belt, or elsewhere, and Bei Shu Rong was desperately back stepping, parrying some blows with his bow. In a swift movement Wen Chou closed the distance between himself and the outlaw - whose back was turned to Wen Chou - the general, with all his force, swung the bow right into the man's head. The bow recoiled and even made an audible Twang! as it bounced back from the man's head. The outlaw stopped swinging, and he stood there for a moment, swaying dizzily.

Wen Chou raised an eyebrow, was he.... knocked out or...? The general realized that he would have to eventually kill the outlaw, he had nothing in his hands that would be able to do the job though. He looked towards Bei Shu Rong, who was still starring at the dazed outlaw. "Bei, an arrow!" Bei Shu Rong understood immediately and threw and arrow his way. Wen Chou grabbed in the air, the outlaw was a mere six inches away from, so with all his strength, he attempted to impale the man in the chest.

The general never hit his mark.

His hand stopped, for a moment Wen Chou couldn't guess why, the arrow hadn't broke skin yet. That was when he realized that the outlaw's hand had shot up from its resting position and grabbed Wen Chou's wrist. The general's eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh oh." He managed to whisper.

The outlaw uttered a gutteral growl. The wildmen of the forests usually became more primal as they adapted to their untamed surroundings. In a swift motion the outlaw threw away Wen Chou's hand and twirled backwards, slashing with the cleaver as he did. Wen Chou jumped backwards just in time, his bow in hand. The outlaw did not even spend a second in thinking of his next move. He lifted his cleaver high in the air and brought it down, intending to cur Wen Chou right down the middle. Instinctively, Wen Chou placed the bow between himself and the cleaver. The rusty blade of the cleaver dug in, and the outlaw was taken by surprise, now was Wen Chou's chance. Taking the opportunity, Wen Chou lifted his right foot and kicked the outlaw in the gut with all his strength.

To Wen Chou's surprise, the outlaw was lifted off his feet and hurled away, landing hard on his back. The outlaw let out a groan filled with pain. Suddenly Bei Shu Rong did something Wen Chou did not suspect; Bei Shu Rong dropped on the downed outlaw and in his fight for survival rapidly stabbed the outlaw with an arrow.

It was a fit of fury Wen Chou did not like, Bei Shu Rong most likely never killed a man, Wen Chou rushed over and stopped Bei Shu Rong; the outlaw was obviously dead. Bei Shu Rong snapped out of his fit and stumbled backwards, "Oh my god..." He looked at his hands, his eyes pried open.

"You did the right thing, don't worry about it, you've rid the world of another sub-human." Wen Chou took the arrow from Bei Shu Rong's hand and dropped it to the ground, Wen Chou looked straight into eyes, "Understand...?"

Wen Chou expected a 'yes', instead Bei Shu Rong looked back at him, "Who are you Xhou Fan...?"

Wen Chou was taken aback by the question, and only gaped back at him. Suddenly the thought of the other outlaw sprung into his head, the one who had initially fired the arrow from the tree. Wen Chou stood and looked with a quick glance. What he saw added to the confusion.

It was the same exact man from yesterday. Full clad in black leather clothing and a black cape. His movements were as fluid as the shadows themselves. And the outlaw, was facing this man, terrified. The confrontation lasted no more than three seconds. The shrouded man parried a blow from a rusty sword with his hidden sai, and then with an uppercut motion he slit the outlaw's neck. Blood spurted from the wound as the dead body fell limp the ground. The shrouded figure looked directly at Wen Chou.

Wen Chou's mind screamed at him to act defensive, knock an arrow and shoot at the shrouded figure, grab a rock, hide, do something. But Wen Chou could only gaze in amazement. The same man that had caught the raven a day ago may have just saved his life. Funny how things culminated in such a fashion. This time, however, the shrouded figure left without a bow, and seemed to be in the utmost haste as he bolted into the darkened shadows of the forests, his footsteps becoming less audible as he disappeared into the wilderness.

[Wen Chou]

It was the afternoon, the Ye marketplace was buzzing with business. Where the middle class would sell their wares to the lower classes. Tax collectors from the higher classes would be around to collect their dues from the middle classes. That is how society worked in these large cities. Usually dissent grew as a result of these 'noble' men - who most of the time, turn up being only 'noble' in name - and people would gather and let off steam. In a way, it was the ancient Roman equivalent to a forum.

Ba Zeng grinned as he spotted an apple at one of the stalls, one of the green sour apples he thoroughly enjoyed. He called over to the stall keeper and gave him a coin or two for the apple, and took a large bite. Heaven. The warrior-turned-monk was quite pleased with his lot in life, his superior intellect, his status with the Yuan family, and looking forward to spending his golden days in humble service of Wen Chou. There could be no better way to spend his years. Ba Zeng would never father any children, or love any women, but it was the temptations he sacrificed which made him great and quite high-handed.

In his early years Ba Zeng had been a doctor, being trained in a very high class medical school in the Indus River valley. He had learned much in his youth years, Ba Zeng left the school when he was only twenty-three, absorbing all of the knowledge he could from his Indian mentors. That had been many yeras ago, but Ba Zeng still retained his medical abilities. Truly he was an engima, and he reveled in his intelligence.

Ba Zeng finished his green sour apple when he saw Bei Kai. A street urchin, no older than nine, was up the road, looking, searching intently for someone. Ba Zeng had met Bei Kai on one occasion, where Ba Zeng had persuaded the child to not shoplift. Ba Zeng told Bei Kai an anecdote about one of his medical mentors in India. Bei Kai couldn't be sure if it was a true story, but the child was delighted by the ending - where Ba Zeng proved to his mentor that dogs indeed did not sweat.

Bei Kai spotted Ba Zeng and then started to wave at him, the kid was in fact searching for Ba Zeng. Ba Zeng waved back. He realized then - when Bei Kai started to close the distance between them - that the kid's face showed a distraught emotion. Ba Zeng became more concerned, and as Bei Kai arrived at his feet, he fell to his knees - exhausted.

"Master Ba Zeng please!" He exclaimed, tugging at Ba Zeng's robes, "You must come with me, my mother is ill!"

An ill parent, unfortunate enough, Bei Kai is a good kid, Ba Zeng thought to himself, "It will be alright my child," the monk descended and grabbed Bei Kai by the shoulders, Bei Kai looked up - tears in his eyes. Ba Zeng immediately softened, he wiped the tears from the Bei Kai's cheek, "It will be alright child, take me to your mother."

Bei Kai's family were among the many average households. Three rooms to their house, they were lucky. A few tears through their linen windows showed a quite barren interior. Ba Zeng and Bei Kai arrived at the front door, where the child opened it hurriedly, he rushed through the household, expecting Ba Zeng o follow. There wasn't much to see regardless. A table, a few chairs, bowls filled with portage. Bei Kai moved into another room, Ba Zeng followed, his eyes taking in every detail, carefully calculating.

It was their bedroom, everyone slept in here. There was one woman laying on a straw mattress. She looked god awful. Her face was a pale purple, her eyes were listless and searching, her body was weak. A miracle she wasn't dead. There had been attempts to alleviate her of the pain, a wet cloth, bowls of water.

Ba Zeng knew all the symptoms too well.

"Son listen to me..." Sounding serious, he placed his hands on Bei Kai's shoulders, "You need to leave this room, now and don't come back in until I tell you to."

Bei Kai looked back at him, worried. He hesitated.

"Go on," Ba Zeng insisted.

Bei Kai tentatively stepped out into the other room. As soon as he did so Ba Zeng ripped his left sleeve, and tied to cloth around his face - a makeshift mask. There was no doubt about it anymore in Ba Zeng's mind: this woman had succumbed to typhoid fever. If Yuan Shao had known about this woman he would kill the entire family in an instant. A city the size of Ye could not bear to suffer an outbreak, not when it was flourishing as it was now.

There was only one humane thing for Ba Zeng to do.

From within his right sleeve he slid out a long, thin dagger. His hand hovered above the woman's heaving chest, aiming the dagger with surgical precision.

The woman suddenly gasped, her body jerked, her eyes opened wide. She lurched forward, spotting Ba Zeng. The monk supressed a yell, knowing all too well Bei Kai would run in. Ba Zeng quickly grabbed his right sleeve and cupped his hand over the woman's mouth, using the sleeve to shield his hand. With his left hand he thrust the dagger through the woman's blanket, deep into her abdomen.

The woman's eyes froze, Ba Zeng released his hand from her mouth. Cold eyes stared back at him, but they were not looking at him. She was delusional in her illness, hallucinating her own fantasy. The woman mouthed, with her last breath:

"I...love...you..."

She fell back onto the mattress. The red pool of blood already congealing.

~

A few minutes later Ba Zeng exited the room, closing the door behind him. The dagger had been slipped up his sleeve once more. Bei Kai sat on the floor opposite of the door, looking at him with a blank expression, "What happened to your sleeve?"

The sleeve that Ba Zeng had ripped, he made up something without thinking, "I had to use it as a mask, you're mother is deathly ill, you're safer staying with me Bei Kai, come along now."

Ba Zeng stopped at the front door, he looked back, Bei Kai hadn't move an inch. There were tears in his eyes. Ba Zeng outstretched a hand.

"Come now child, I will find your Father, and tomorrow everything will be much better." He smiled.

At that moment a black bird flew into the house from the open door, and perched onto Ba Zeng's shoulder.

"It's a raven!" Bei Kai exclaimed.

"A crow actually," Ba Zeng petted the bird, covertly gathering its secret message,

"The poor cousin of the raven, both black, both hated."

Bei Kai rose from the floor, and followed Ba Zeng. In the evening, the monk rode out of Ye, in search for Bei Kai's father.

In search of a man named Bei Shu Rong.

For their destinies were interwoven.

Word Count: 5513