Tragedy of the Past

Zhen looked at the Bao and his cohorts standing in the center, speechless. He knew Bao was doing it for him but he was far from helpless, he won't let him get into this alone. He took a step forward, intending to join in only to find a hand holding him back.

He turned to see her mother holding him back with a surprising amount of strength, her face looking both angry and desperate. He was about to say something when the village chief spoke, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Don't think I don't know that this is not the only thing you all are thinking about.", Cheif said, his voice lower than usual but still clear as ever. But he did not explain anymore, immediately turning to address everyone gathered.

"This meeting is dismissed, we will meet again here at night. Now go, scatter.", He ended the meeting, neither accepting nor denying Bao's idea. Families gathered started to leave, most looking in a conundrum, and some looking resigned.

Zhen too tried to leave but his mother kept holding his hand, before dragging him along with her towards Bao.

"Come with me." She said to Bao in a no-nonsense tone. Bao looked like he wanted to protest but one look from her and he swallowed back any retort he may have thought. Quitely nodding, he followed her as she leads both Zhen and Bao back home.

Zhen looked at her mother in trepidation, he had never seen her like this, angry, hurt, prideful, and a hint of desperation. But he could understand why she felt like this, she had already lost her husband and daughter, and now she was on verge of losing both her sons. No mother will ever remain calm under these circumstances.

Soon they reached their him, their small mud hut. Entering everyone stood still, the tension in the room palpable.

Finally, it was Bao who broke the ice, "Mum, don't try to dissuade me from this. You know there is no other way. City lord has too much interest in us to let us go. Please let me do this, if not for me at least for Zhen."

Mother leveled him with a hard glare,

"Since when were you all been planning this?"

"And I am not talking about the army. Since when you all have been planning on leaving?"

Bao looked dumbfounded before he collected himself and resolutely said, "For four years, we all have been planning for four years. To go and save our sisters from the hands of those...those...Fiends", the last word was spoken with no small amount of malice.

Even Zhen had no idea they were planning something so big in secret. But on the other hand, he could completely understand their motivation. He was the same, he always wanted to be the greatest cultivator after coming to this world, but it was that day that truly lit a fire in him to achieve it.

Four years ago they were a happy family. Zhen had a father and an elder sister then. Zhen at that time had just gained his complete consciousness and memories of past life and was having difficulty adjusting to the new one, but everyone in the family supported him, trying to help him in their own way despite not knowing what was he going through. And slowly he came to love them for it, a simple parents, an elder brother and sister, and a village in which everyone was like an extended family.

Only that happy picture was shredded apart on that day.

The day cultivators descended from the sky, wearing black, each covered in a vile, malevolent aura. They fell on us like hungry dogs, abducting their sisters, and destroying everything else in their path. The walls of our homes stood no chance against the might of cultivators and anyone who tried going against them was cut down in the blink of an eye.

Bao clenched his fist, suppressing his emotions, and looked at his mother. Her face was no longer as cold as before, she too lost half her family that day.

"You know, I was there when those fiends came when that...monster killed Dad and took Yue. And I could not do a single thing, ...not a single damn thing.", Bao broke down.

Seeing this, his mother's anger melted away. She sat beside him, gently rubbing Bao's back to soothe him. Zhen too sat on the other side.

"I...I felt so useless, mama, useless and weak. That evil cultivator did not even spare me a glance, and that is how I survived, like...like a coward."

Zhen had no idea his elder brother carried such an emotional burden with him all this time.

Mother too stared at him, before shaking her head. Taking Bao's head with both hands, she spoke "You are no coward, Bao. Those evil cultivators took every girl and killed anyone that stood in the way. Everyone lost someone that day, but what could we have done? Those evil cultivators were too strong, even city lord was afraid of them.",

"But that did not change the fact we were weak, ...so every one of us brothers gathered and vowed that we will save our sisters and deliver heaven's justice on those fiends."

Zhen hearing all this, opened his mouth to say something, only to remain quiet after some hesitation.

The family of three sat in silence, silently supporting each other.

What happened four years ago was something no one in the village will forget. In a single day, nearly half the village died or was abducted. Those evil cultivators had not meant to spare anybody, reading poison before leaving. Many newborns and old died to it and the land and water around the village were poisoned.

They had pleaded to Blue Wind Dynasty's officials but the City lord had put his foot down and denied any help. If not for the Ancestor's blessings that cleansed their land and food, the whole village would have been dead coming winter.

They got no help and no condolences. It was a tragedy now one liked to talk about but no one forgot.