five

LaoHu Jun lay on this rooftop for a very long time, his face facing the tiles. He couldn't get up! What witchcraft had that tiny boy used on him?!

How could this happen to me…??

No, in all seriousness, this was quite a disaster for… anyone. They were just words written without ink on his back, how could they weigh him down so much? Simple: Spiritual energy was infused in them, making their meaning real. The power of an author, one could say.

The tiger king had to be rescued by his master who found the situation very funny.

„He didn't like you pursuing him?"

„Yeah, he was so rude!"

„You're also very rude, don't smear dirt on others. It's impressive that he fired back at you. Fei Mo said that he's actually quite shy and so on… Well, he has amnesia so a change of character isn't so surprising."

„He has amnesia?"

„Yes."

„I feel like I should know him… What's his name?"

„Ran MiQian."

MiQian sat in a corner, watching the mass of people around him. They weren't minding him.

Huang Hua closely followed Liang Shao, at least, she tried. Liang Shao was always surrounded by a bunch of women throwing themselves at his sleeves. Though he didn't shake them off, they couldn't get more than a few sweet words from him. What did he think he was guarding? He had no dignity left!

How would MiQian know? Because of that very helpful system.

„Liang Shao, a great demon hunter and disciple of the great Fei Mo, is known as player, liking beautiful women. He has traveled a lot and his cultivation is high, his character gentle…" and so on. The system was basically praising him nonstop, and MiQian didn't like it. He could see all that for himself!

And that LaoHu Jun? Was he a blackened protagonist?

At this point in time, MiQiao thought of Liang Shao and the tiger both as the protagonists. There was also the possibility that their relationship was the important thing in this novel…

Just as his eyes started watering, the kind Fei Mo came to him, and he concealed his tears with a yawn.

„You must be lonely."

„I am."

„Then I'll keep you company."

„Where is Qiao Li?"

„He left."

„Oh. How are things with him going?"

Fei Mo gave him a weird look, then became bashful. „Well… Quite… good I would say…"

„That's good then. Don't say more than you want to."

„Even though you lost your memory, you are still as kind as before."

MiQian smiled. „You're the only one who knew the past me, I consider you my friend. Of course I care for you."

„Mhm." Fei Mo smiled. It somehow seemed sad. „And how are things for you?"

„Ah, well… There's that annoying tiger that keeps showing up… He has a bad character and his eyebrows are distracting me when I look at him, it drives me mad…"

„Hm… Do you get along with Liang Shao?"

„More or less. He's so approachable that he somehow becomes inapproachable. Isn't that weird?"

„Not really… The women just love him."

„Hmpf. I'll go outside."

„Be careful."

MiQian smiled and left without anyone but Fei Mo noticing. Qiao Li came to Fei Mo.

„My disciple really drives him crazy…"

„I noticed."

„Ah…"

„… Do something about the eyebrows."

„Yeah… What?!"

MiQian braided his hair and added white pearls, then put on white woman clothes. Then he added decent makeup that made him look a bit older and slipped out of his room.

Before he went into the hall, he opened his white fan and hid his mouth behind it. He looked like a mistress of some important house.

When he entered, everyone turned to him and stared in awe.

„Young miss, don't we know each other?" Asked Liang Shao. He really thought that was the girl from that celebration.

MiQian didn't answer. He looked indifferent at Liang Shao.

„Please wait a moment, I'll bring you tea." But when he returned, MiQian had disappeared. Nobody knew where that woman had gone.

So where was MiQian? He sat on top of the roof of the hotel, staring at the moon.

„Ah, I knew I'd find you."

MiQian turned around. The tiger again!!! He pissed MiQian so much off that he became impolite, mirroring the tigers behavior.

LaoHu Jun looked at MiQian. The moon behind the young boy was so big that it looked like a big halo, making him seem like someone from heaven.

„I still have to kill you, you know…" the tiger said with his usual angry expression.

MiQian eyed the tiger carefully. He wore more elegant clothes in orange, black and white with some ornaments and other decorations, his hair was open and the blue sword sheath seemed to glow in the light.

„Why?"

„Because you have the powers of a god."

MiQian was not in a good mood. How could a person be so unreasonable?

While the tiger babbled on about something, MiQian thought.

He probably wouldn't get physical strength and he would stay small and cute. That, he could accept. But being stuck between the protagonists?

Also, the element control was a godly power? No wonder then that the sect didn't exist anymore.

No wait, maybe he should listen to the tiger, maybe he had good reasons… Bah, no matter. It was already too late.

The tiger unsheathed his sword and ran at him.

MiQian nimbly dodged, occasionally used his fan to block and looked the whole time like he was bored out of his mind.

The tiger became more annoyed while MiQian had a different problem: the system was talking. It was so distracting!

„Plot piece discovered: LaoHu Juns and Liang Shaos rivalry. Artifact uncovered: Book of Heart and Mind."

MiQian was distracted and tripped, his foot sliding off the roof. His eyes widened as he fell. It was like seeing a slow motion action scene…

In the next moment, he hang in the air. The tiger was holding his left wrist with his right hand, giving him a strange look.

MiQian blinked a few times, and noticed what was wrong, why his mind felt so clouded. But he couldn't move his body, it was so heavy, he was so tired.

LaoHu Jun held him up.

„So it's really you. Ran Qi."

Liang Shao stared at Fei Mo in shock.

„That girl… is Ran MiQian?"

His master nodded.

Qiao Li frowned. „You really didn't notice?"

„No…"

„Listen. Ran MiQian has huge talent, he is one of the Ran sect! Being involved with him is not good for you."

„But don't you want him as student?"

„Well…"

„If someone were to be the student, it would be Qiao Li." Fei Mo said. „MiQian is a good teacher. What I know - I mostly learned it from him."

„What?! T-then, isn't he older than you…?"

„He is."

Liang Shao was dumbfounded. That… boy was his senior? No, master?!

„I found him on the other side of the river. He looked a bit beaten up and dirty and did not remember anything. Well, it has been many years since I last met him…"

„On the other side of the river? Upstream or downstream?"

„I do not know. He also had no interest in finding out what caused him to disappear forty years ago, or how he ended up here."

„We're at the border between the ghost realm and the ground…" Qiao Li chewed on his nails.

„Might it be possible that Ran MiQian ascended?"

The two masters stared at Liang Shao.

„That guy? I doubt it." Said Qiao Li.

„He was close to having a split personality because of his bad childhood. I cannot imagine him as god…"

„But where is he now?"

„Huang Hua is searching for him right now."

At that moment, the young girl came rushed into the room. She was carrying a white fan.

„He… he… He's gone…"

Fei Mo hugged her and said a few comforting words while Qiao Li inspected the fan.

„He fought with someone."

„Where?"

„Near the temple of light…"

The four of them hurried to the scene, but couldn't find any other traces.

„How could he just disappear…"

„What do we do now?" Cried Huang Hua.

Liang Shao patted her head. „Don't worry, we'll find him."

„Liang LengHuo, stand up!"

A bucket of ice cold water was thrown at his face. Gasping he woke up. He thought he had died! No, he just passed out again.

Once again a day of work started for him. He had to wash, cook and sew, take care of the animals and clean the dirtiest places.

The family he had to work for didn't appreciate him and he didn't appreciate them because they kept him alive.

So one evening, he sneaked outside and ran. He ran and ran and came to a high cliff. He wanted to jump, but was pulled back by a strong but gentle hand.

„Life is very precious, young man." Said Fei Mo.

„Who are you…"

„Fei Mo, an immortal. I can teach you."

Liang Shao stared at the immortal and felt like he had hope. So he decided to follow this master. But before, Fei Mo told him to get some basic things. So Liang Shao returned to the mansion…

In the deep darkness of the night, there was a bright, orange glow.

Liang Shao came closer and stopped in shock.

The mansion was on fire, the flames reaching high into the sky. In the middle of the flames and the building that was black and falling apart were bodies. And a person, still alive, clad in orange, black and white.

He stared at Liang Shao.

„Did they deserve it?"

„THEY DIDN'T DESERVE IT!!!" Shouted Liang Shao.

He cried until the morning, when Fei Mo emerged out of the forest.

„They didn't deserve it…"

„Why?"

„Nobody deserves that…"

Fei Mo patted the head of the young boy that Liang Shao was.

„It will be alright. Trust me."