The Devil's Trap

He was falling into an endless void in the darkness. He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. He struggled to see the slightest light. He turned his head in different directions in fear, but there was nothing. He was completely in the void. His heart was beating like crazy.

He couldn't even see where he had fallen. There was nothing down there. He kept screaming, even if he couldn't make a sound. Until he heard a voice that made his heart tremble.

"You belong to the Black Void. You belong to us. Your soul is ours."

Huan Wei suddenly opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat. He held his chest with one hand. His breathing was rapid.

He had seen it again. He'd had the same nightmare most nights for as long as he could remember. He was falling into an endless void and something was calling to him. They said his soul belonged to them. It was as if hundreds of beings were speaking at the same time.

He sat on his bed for a few minutes and waited for the fear gone. Who knows where he had heard it, this Black Void that had plagued him since he was little. He didn't know what it was. He couldn't remember where he had heard it. It had somehow settled in his subconscious.

He didn't realize it at that moment. Something was changing inside his left palm. The skin slowly changed color and a demon's mark appeared on the inside of his hand. It was jet black. The look in its eyes screamed the blood and brutality it wanted. When the young man calmed down, it disappeared. Only the itching sensation remained.

He couldn't ruin his whole day because of this dream. Today was an important day. So he calmed his mind even more. He didn't want anything to go wrong.

He mmediately got out of bed. It was time to let out what had been building up inside him all this time. The merchant who would take the pill for the cultivation would come tomorrow. So today he would follow Huan Liwei. He would gather more information about him. Then he would carry out his plan. He took his sword from the wall, strapped it to his waist and prepared to leave the house. As soon as he opened the door, he locked eyes with his father sitting in the living room. The man, his eyes darkened, first looked at Huan Wei and muttered quietly to himself. Then he began to speak.

"You still haven't left my money."

Huan Wei looked at him calmly. "You seem to remember what we talked about yesterday."

"Don't be so long, Huan Wei. If you don't give me my money, you can't stay in this house."

"Don't worry. I'm not too keen on living with you anyway. I'll find another place soon. And you'll be reduced to squalor."

The man stood up. When he took a few steps towards Huan Wei, the young man put one hand on the hilt of his sword. This action caused his father to stop.

"Are you going to kill me?" he said mockingly. "How quickly you forget the days when I broke your bones. Do you want me to remind you?"

"I see life differently now, old man. If you raise a hand against me, I'll cut it off. I don't care if you are stronger than me."

Seeing the look in Huan Wei's eyes, his father stopped. After a few seconds of silence, he went back to his chair. Huan Wei took his hand off his sword and walked out of the house. He didn't want to put up with this man anymore. He had enough. He didn't want to stay in his house or see his face. All he wanted now was to finish the old business.

He thought about where Huan Liwei might be. He should probably be with Huan Quon. He was his stooge after all, but he was sure they hadn't been walking side by side all day. It was early in the morning, so perhaps they hadn't even woken up yet. So Huan Wei made his way to Hun Liwei's house.

It didn't take him long to arrive at their house, which was already close to each other. He moved to a corner where he could see the entrance to the house and was careful not to make eye contact with people passing by. If you made eye contact with someone, they would remember you. Huan Wei did not want that. He bowed his head and waited in silence.

The sun was moving towards its place on the top. Huan Liwei still hadn't left his house. This made Huan Wei feel bored. If he didn't want to attract too much attention, he would have practiced with his sword, but this was not the right environment for that. Meditation didn't help him either, so he had to wait and do nothing.

Some more time passed. The streets became crowded.The town was not very busy at this time of year. There were far fewer people from other regions than at other times of the year. There were four great sects that ruled the continent. They were the Great Sword Palace, The Golden Valley, The Divine White Pavilion and finally the Earth and Heaven Citadel. Bitter Sea Town was in the part of the continent ruled by the Great Sword Palace. There was no kingdom on the continent. The rule was in the hands of the sects. Every three years, a tournament was held and the strongest sect would become the ruler. During this three-year period, the Divine White Pavilion was the leader.

Huan Wei's wait was finally over. When he saw Huan Liwei coming out of his house, he quickly recovered. The frail Huan Liwei walked calmly towards the market area.Huan Wei followed him, keeping his distance.

When Huan Liwei stopped to flirt with the girls he saw on the road, Huan Wei was watching him. He said to himself, "The man doesn't have any problems. He has time for girls." It was normal for him to stop to chat with the girls.Huan Wei spent minutes there waiting for him to move again. Fortunately, he had the whole day to do this. It was nice to keep a low profile.

When Huan Liwei started walking again, he stopped in front of an inn and started talking to someone. Huan Wei couldn't hear what they were saying because he was some distance away, but it was clear they were having fun. They were laughing.

Huan Wei kept waiting. He tried to get a little closer. Maybe it would help his plan if he could hear what they were saying, but when he was close enough to hear, they stopped talking and Huan Liwei went on his way. Huan Wei followed him.

Huan Liwei finally made his way to Huan Quon's father's shop. He waited at the door for a long time. Huan Wei was also waiting where they could not notice him. After a long wait, Huan Quon came out of the shop and joined his waiting stooge. Huan Liwei greeted him with a smile.

Huan Wei pretended to be interested in something. In fact, his only goal was to keep a low profile, but it didn't last long. Unlike Huan Liwei, Huan Quon's awareness was good. He noticed Huan Wei and started coming towards him.

"You're traveling in the wrong places, Huan Wei." he began. "Don't litter in front of my father's shop. Play somewhere else."

Huan Wei smiled. "I was just taking a stroll, brother Huan Quon. I didn't realize I had come all the way here. I apologize."

"It's normal not to notice. If I was as lame as you, I'd be distracted too, but now you know where you stand. Come on, get out of here."

Huan Wei lowered his head and calmly walked away. If there was going to be a fight, it would not be to his advantage. In front of Huan Quon's father's shop, everyone would naturally side with the merchant's son. Besides, Huan Wei couldn't kill him without drawing his sword. They had to be in a secluded place for him to use his sword.

Huan Wei still didn't give up. He stopped at the corner of the street. He waited for a few seconds. He was still not sure if they were looking in his direction. When he thought they were no longer looking, he poked his head around the corner and looked to see where they were. Huan Liwei was bowing respectfully and saying something. Huan Quon also seemed pleased. He took out a pouch and gave it to his stooge. Huan Wei was sure it was full of medicines to help with cultivation. It seems he had chosen his target well. If he killed Huan Liwei, the pouch would be his.

A bolt of lightning flashed through Huan Wei's mind. Now the plan was formed. He followed them secretly for a while longer and waited for them to leave. When they turned in different directions, he followed Huan Liwei to carry out his plan. Some time had to pass. Otherwise it would not have been convincing. So for the rest of the day he followed him unnoticed. He went where Huan Liwei went. Finally, the time had come.

Huan Wei crossed to the forest side of the town and walked excitedly towards Huan Liwei. The young man had noticed him. He was trying to make sense of a loser walking straight towards him. Huan Wei reached him and spoke excitedly.

"Brother Huan Liwei! Do you know where Brother Huan Quon is?"

Huan Liwei was surprised and curious. "Why do you ask? Why are you so excited?"

"I discovered a special area in the forest. I think there is energy so dense that one person can cultivate it. I must inform Brother Huan Quon. He needs to use it."

Huan Liwei paused. He thought for a few seconds. "Actually, I can inform Huan Quon."

Hearing these words, an evil smile appeared in Huan Wei's soul, but he didn't show it on his face. Huan Liwei was trapped. He wanted to use it for himself. Huan Liwei's ambition had become Huan Wei's plaything.

Huan Wei looked at him. "Can you also tell him that I found this place? Maybe brother Huan Quon will like me too. Will you do me this favor?"

Huan Liwei put his hand on his shoulder. "Of course I will. Just tell me where the place is. I'll take care of the rest."

"You have to go a little further into the forest. If you go along the edge of the cliff, you'll find it. When you find it, you won't be able to feel it."

Huan Liwei smiled slyly. Then he leaned a little toward Huan Wei. "You haven't used that place yet, have you, Huan Wei?"

Huan Wei shook his head from side to side. "No, I didn't use it. If I had, it would have been thrown away."

"Good, good. Then I'll let Huan Quon know. There is no need for you to go. You go back to your usual work."

"Thank you, brother Huan Liwei. You are a very good person. I will never forget your kindness."

Huan Liwei immediately left and headed towards the forest. Meanwhile, Huan Wei was looking after him with a wry smile. "If you fall into the devil's trap, you shouldn't cry because of your fate."