Nearing the End

Ou Yu stood up. She was walking towards Ni Xiaobo. When she lifted her hand and put it on his shoulder, it was clear that he was getting scared too. But he still stood up straight.

Ou Yu spoke calmly. "You don't have the brains for such sentences, Ni Xiaobo. Tell me, who confused you?"

Huan Wei's will to laugh disappeared in an instant. It was replaced by pure fear. When he looked at Ni Xiaobo, he could clearly see that he was going to say his name.

All the bandits began to look at each other. Ou Yu was also looking at everyone one by one. It would be a pity for the person whose name was called.

But one of the bandits spoke up. "It seems like Ni Xiaobo is a bit right, Ou Yu. We haven't gotten any money from you for a long time."

Another one spoke up. "It's been over a week now.

Lan Xifeng also spoke. "Maybe you should pay us now."

Ou Yu looked at everyone who spoke, then reached out and touched Ni Xiaobo's forehead. In an instant, blood spurted from his eyes and nose and he fell lifeless to the ground. Everyone looked at his corpse with anger mixed with confusion. Lan Xifeng was the most enraged. Ou Yu had used the Soul Technique to kill the man.

Ou Yu looked at everyone who spoke one by one. "I forgot what Ni Xiaobo said, anyone want to remind me?"

Everyone looked at her angrily, yet no one said anything. "That's what I thought," Ou Yu said and sat down. She took another piece of meat and continued eating. No one spoke until the meal was over. They didn't lift Ni Xiaobo's body either.

Huan Wei was taking deep breaths without letting anyone know. He was lost in a sea of fear because he thought he would be exposed at any moment. Fortunately, he had planted the seeds of rebellion long ago.

The plan was going well. Ni Xiaobo's death was the only guess Huan Wei could make about Ou Yu. The red-haired woman was a Blood Cultivator. That's why she was in favor of killing. She also exercised authority through fear. Put them together and it was clear that Ni Xiaobo was going to die.

Now things were better. There was only one step left. To manipulate the leaders. Then the final day would come and Huan Wei would be separated from his captors forever.

As Ni Xiaobo's body was dumped in the forest, everyone went to work. Those who had nothing to do went to their tents to sleep. Huan Wei was in the tent with Xin Hai.

"She killed him,' the young man said. He turned his head where he lay and looked at Xin Hai. "She killed him because he wanted his own money. Do you still believe you can get your money?"

Xin Hai took a deep breath. "Don't you ever shut up?"

"Of course I do. Just like all of you kept quiet about Ou Yu. How can you be sure she won't kill you tomorrow?"

Huan Wei said nothing more and fell asleep. When he fell into the darkness, the Black Void embraced him again.

This time it was different. He felt a warmth in the darkness. He did not understand where it came from, but this time he was not cold.

"We see you coming," said the Black Void. "You walk towards us unannounced, to open our door to you."

Huan Wei shook his head from side to side. "You are wrong. That will not happen."

"Don't you want us to help you?"

"The fate you see is not mine. I don't do anything by believing in fate. I make my own luck." Huan Wei spoke.

"Poor boy..."

"He's full of arrogance..."

"You're just a speck of dust."

"You'll ask for our help again."

"What you've been imprisoned for, is now free."

"And it will come for you.

"Then you'll be writhing on our doorstep with your wounded soul."

"You won't be allowed through the gate before you shed a tear."

"You will accept us."

Huan Wei opened his eyes. It was dawn. He got up from his bed. Xin Hai was also waking up.

The young man left the tent without saying anything to him. He was thoughtful.

"Is that what I've imprisoned? Is it free? Will it come after me?" he thought to himself. "I didn't think traumas would affect my subconscious so much. I need to clear my mind a bit."

The travel continued without the slaves being taken out of the cages. Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng were near Ou Yu, so Huan Wei could not talk to them. They traveled all day. This time they did not even stop at night. It was clear that Ou Yu wanted to reach the outer section of the Northern Bright Forest.

So they went on until the evening of the next day. They had only a little way to go. By tomorrow evening at the latest, they would reach the outer sections.

The tents were set up once more. Huan Wei was to stand by the fire tonight. He had persuaded one of the bandits to go to the slaves and he had taken his place. This mission would give him the opportunity he needed to talk to Yun Ying.

The night wore on. The slaves were asleep. Huan We, Wu Hui and Wu Dong waited by the fire. The bandits were quieter now. Since Ni Xiaobo's death, no one was in their old spirits. They had lost their sense of freedom.

Huan Wei took a deep breath and stood up. Without saying anything to anyone, he went towards Yun Ying's tent. He hoped she would not be asleep, yet of course fate did not help him.

Wu Hui and Wu Dong continued to stare at him. It was obvious that they were wondering why he was loitering in front of one of the leaders' tents. Huan Wei also noticed this and went back to the fire. He sat close to them.

"You saw how Ni Xiaobo died, didn't you?" he whispered.

"Yes," Wu Hui said. "Poor stupid man... I wish he hadn't said that. He was a bit stupid, yes. But I liked him."

"Ou Yu has changed a lot." Wu Dong spoke up. "She used to just beat him. Nowadays she's so tense. None of us thought she would kill him."

"Maybe we should talk to the leaders?" said Huan Wei. "Maybe they can talk to Ou Yu and persuade her to change her ways."

"You can't get any of them to agree to do that. Ou Yu might choose to kill them too. They won't do that."

The more Huan Wei talked to them, the more convinced he became that it was up to the leaders. If he could convince them to oppose Ou Yu, the other bandits would follow Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng.

But he also realized that he could not enter Yun Ying's tent in front of these two. So he would have to wait for the morning. Or maybe the next day... If Ou Yu paid the bandits, the whole plan would be ruined. Yet something in Huan Wei's heart told him that this would not happen.

Ou Yu must be withholding money for some reason. Since they hadn't done any work for a few days, she wouldn't pay again. As much as Huan Wei wanted to count on it, he felt he had to start the rebellion as soon as possible.

He waited by the fire all night. When daylight came, the travel resumed and they advanced until evening. They had finally reached the outer sections.

Ou Yu did not pay anyone again tonight. People's patience was wearing thin. Maybe under normal circumstances they could have waited. But Huan Wei poisoned them with his words at every opportunity.

In the morning, the slaves were shown the plants they would be harvesting. As everyone went back to work, Huan Wei went to Yun Ying. The fat woman was scolding someone again.

"Master Ying."

She turned to look at him. Huan Wei said, "There is something I want to talk to you about in private. It is very important."

Yun Ying sent the bandits she had spoken to away. Although she still looked serious, she was curious. "Tell me."

Huan Wei moved a little closer to her. "It's better if we talk in private. We can talk in your tent."

"You'd better have something worthwhile."

Yun Ying walked to her own tent. Huan Wei followed her. The young man was excited. He was at perhaps the most critical stage of the whole plan. Persuading Yun Ying.

Huan Wei believed he had done enough. He had enraged the bandits against Ou Yu, made them feel like slaves, gotten one of them killed, and had put the icing on the cake. Now it was make it or break it. Still, he hoped not to die.

"You can't let this go on like this," he began. "Someone has to put a stop to Ou Yu."