Chapter 1: Righteous and Evil

It was late evening, six hours after the sun sets on the west. The surrounding area was enveloped by darkness, with a faint noises made by critters can be heard within the vicinity.

A rundown pavilion lies at the edge of the forest. The structure seems to be abandoned, as thee are evidences of the furnitures being damaged due to the passage of time. Inside the pavilion, a flickering glow of light illuminates the dark night. The light originated from an oil lamp hanging at the wall.

A man sat on a chair while silently reading a book. Although the light from an oil lamp is not enough to clearly see the contents of the book, the man didn't bothered and continued reading. That man is "Ling".

Ling have a short, silk-like white hair. He had a purple eyes, and wears a purple-black robe, which perfectly blends within the dark . His face and beauty exudes a feminine-like trait, enchanting those who sees him wherever he goes.

Despite of having a feminine-like aura, only a few know about his true nature. Behind his noble-like appearance lies a deep, dark and sinister self.

While Ling was quietly reading the book he just found in the abandoned pavilion, titled "The Ignorance of A Fool," several men came and stood outside the pavilion.

"Ling, we knew that you're hiding here! Come out and give us some face," One of the men shouted.

Ling stopped reading and placed the book on a nearby chair. He slowly walked towards the entrance of the pavilion. There, he saw five people standing outside the pavilion. Each one of them was holding a sword, staring at him with murderous intent.

"How dare you kill the young master of the Wen Clan! Even though the young miss favored you, it doesn't mean that you'll bite the hands of the one who feeds you!"

Ling just smirked at them as a reply.

Upon seeing Ling's reaction, one of the men moved forward and pointed the tip of his sword towards Ling.

"Just because you're handsome and quite strong doesn't mean that you can bully the weak as you please!"

"Come, let's avenge our young master! Let's see what would happen on that beautiful face of yours after we carve it with our swords!"

All of them charged on his direction, but Ling stood still and remains unbothered. As they came closer, Ling raised his hand.

"Ignorant fools."

Three heads flew above the sky, decapitating their heads from their body in a blink of an eye. The remaining two halts as they witnessed the sudden death of their comrades.

Both of them dropped their swords while trembling in fear. Ling casully approached one of the remaining two men.

"Tell me, is it wrong to oppose someone just because they don't want to, hm?" Ling calmly said.

The man couldn't speak any words due to shock. While Ling was distracted talking to him, his other complanion find it as an opportunity to escape.

"Hehe... While you're distracted, I'll take this opportunity to escape!"

While the man who ran away managed to escape, he raised his head towards the direction where the city is located.

"Hahh...Hahh... I must tell the elders- "

The man stopped when he tripped while running. Confused, he felt a numbing sensation on his legs.

"Huh?"

The man noticed that his lower legs was cut in half. The man felt a spike of excruciating pain after witnessing his own detached legs, lying in the pool of blood.

"GRAAAAAAH--"

In a flash, his neck was severed by the invisible threads. His head dropped to the ground and rolled, while his eyes and mouth are wide open.

The man who survived from the onslaught slowly crawled away while facing Ling. Ling noticed his actions and raised his hand once more. The man stopped as it felt a tight sensation around his neck, as if that he's strangled by a thin but deadly threads.

"What is this?" the man asked Ling.

While he was struggling to get out, he felt that the invisible threads began to tighten even further every time he moves. The man finally gave up and stopped moving.

Ling stood up and walked away from the man. Then, he began to approach the corpses one by one. He extended his palm on the stomach on a corpse which was lying on the ground.

(His dantian are already solidified, but the qi are still scattered around his body, without a sign of condensation. He must be at Dantian Perfection Stage...)

Ling moved his hand away from the stomach and placed it on the chest of the dead body.

"In that case..."

Suddenly, a green aura emerged from the dead corpse, and began to gather on Ling's hands. Within an incense stick of time, the green aura dissipated. The fresh corpse withered in an instant.

The man witnessed the strange event while Ling was busy absorbing the green auras in each of the dead bodies.

(That green aura... Is he absorbing vitality? Those who could manipulate energies like vitality are Qi Perfection Stage cultivators or above...)

"You... You're an evil person! Only those who mastered evil arts could do such thing!"

Ling stopped from absorbing vitality and looked at the man.

"Evil, you say?"

Ling stood up and walked towards the man. The man became vigilant and got scared.

"You... Stay away from me!" The man shouted with a trembling voice.

"What's the difference between an evil person on a righteous one?" Ling asked.

The man couldn't speak properly out of fear, but he gathered his courage and answered Ling.

"A righteous person walks on the path of justice. While y-you..! You slaughtered them as if they're livestocks, even extracting their own vitality. That's what an evil person do!"

Ling finally reached the man and stood in front of him. Ling looked below while staring the man's eyes, which is sitting on the ground with a serious look.

"Now tell me, what's the similarity between righteous and evil?" Ling asked him again.

"T-There's no such thing as similarities-"

"Think again." Ling spoke and lowered his body.

"Uh..."

"Think," Ling added again while staring at the man with a serious look. Seconds later, the man finally answered.

"Th..They are a choices made by man."

Ling smiled. After hearing the response, he stood up and stared above the sky.

"Righteous or evil, all of them shares the same reason. In their respective view, it is right and just. In the eyes of a righteous man, killing shows brutality and ruthlessness. But in the eyes of an evil person, sparing and the acts of benevolence shows weakness and lacks freedom. Thus, the act of evil deeds is natural to them. On their judgement, it is "right and just"."

"Even if I kill, destroy, use, or sacrifice others for my own good, then so be it. It is the same thing if I spare lives and forgive others. If doing so would gain me merits, then who's stopping me from doing it? My decision is my own "right and just"."

Ling looked back. He leaned forward while the man listened to him in silence, trembling in fear.

"If I say that it is the right thing to do, then it is. My choice is my rule. I rule and exercise my freedom unbothered and unrestrained. Because if one man had a goal set in stone, things like righteous and evil are equally the same in front of him."

He extended his hands slowly towards the head of the trembling man. The man began to retaliate, but he couldn't move any further due to the invisible threads.

His heart began to beat at a faster rate, and felt a shortness of breath, with a shivering cold that covered his body. He closed his eyes, waiting for the outcome of Ling's actions. Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation on his forehead. The warm sensation brought a shivers down his spine, spreading throughout his body. His body couldn't withstand it and fainted due to extreme shock.

...

The man opened his eyes as he lays on the ground. His vision was still blurry, but he could figure out that he's inside the rundown pavilion.

(What happened..?)

The man looked around, and saw the withered corpses lying outside the pavilion. Upon seeing it, the entire events from before flashed before his eyes. He stood up and checked his entire body if there's a sign of withering, but he noticed that there's nothing wrong at all. The man looked behind and saw Ling, sitting on a chair with a book on his hand.

Involuntarily, his body moved on his own. He suddenly remembered the invisible threads that was wrapped around his neck, but noticed that the threads from before was gone. When his senses snapped back, he stood up and ran without hesitation.

Ling watched as the man ran for his life, heading back to the city. After the incense stick of time, he opened his book and continued reading.