Chapter 6 - Coincidentiallity

For the third time in a row, Kuya was passed out face first on the floor. For the first time that day, Kuya felt as if he were being carried when his consciousness resurfaced. Stirring awake, the protagonist mumbled as he gathered his bearings. The figure holding him noticed his movements, and glanced backwards while responding in a slightly raspy voice.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cultivate too, young man?"

"...wuh?"

"There's a spot near the mountain with air thick with Qi that I go to cultivate ever since I accidentally stumbled across it by chance years ago. Sadly, I find myself coming here more and more often. Time didn't treat my bones and meridians well, and my line of work made it worse. Even though that's all behind me, it's still gotten so bad that I'm supposed to be bedridden right now-"

A violent coughing fit suddenly cut off the old man, who faltered a bit before stabilizing. After assuring Kuya that he was alright, the elder continued.

"I decided to give that place one last visit in hopes that I can recover, else my poor granddaughter's heart would shatter. It just so happened that I found you, face first in the dirt and passed out. I knew I couldn't leave you here overnight, when the wild beasts roam, so I've decided to take you back to my small abode for you to recover. Alas, I couldn't cultivate couldn't today. Hopefully I can find another way before it's too late."

Kuya's heartstrings were tugged as he heard the old man's story and received such hospitality. Wanting to repay the kindness, the protagonist jumped down from the old man's back and fished into his pocket, pulling out a brown herb.

"Here, take this. I wished my grandparents could've stayed around longer, but maybe you'd be able to stay with your granddaughter with this."

The elderly man suddenly felt a strong aura emitted from the rooty vegetable. His squinted eyes were opened wide when he realized just what was being handed to him. He held out his shaking hands as he muttered in disbelief.

"Young man... you... this is-"

"A 10,000 year old ginseng, you old fart. Now hand it over to us."

The two turned spun their heads to the voice that mocked them. There, a couple teens equipped with swords and smug faces glared right back at them.

"You see, we found that first, but that lowly cultivator stole it from me. Give us back the ginseng, or I'll make sure you'll die a dog's death."

The two warriors pointed their swords at the defenseless prey, reveling in their helpless situation. They began striding menacingly towards the old man and the main character, who was verbally trying to defend himself.

"Sir, don't listen to them. I didn't steal this, I-"

"I believe you, don't worry. Just get behind me," said the old man as he smiled at Kuya and nodded.

With a little hesitation, the protagonist nodded back as he followed the elder's orders. Once he was a safe distance away, the old man calmly turned to his two opponents, who were still slinging insults.

"Old man, you are courting death!"

"Hand over that ginseng and kowtow beneath me 100 times, and I may flip my hand and change y-"

A sudden chill spiked through the air, making the two troublemaker's hearts skip a beat. The elder seemed to grow to the point that he was towering above them, looking down at them with his icy glare. Barely audible cries of pain and thumping being emitted below them ringed through their ears. They forced themselves to break eye contact and shakily looked at the ground, realizing that they were standing on a frozen lake of blood. Deteriorated corpses screamed in the liquid and banged on the ice layer they were standing on.

The two collapsed backwards, breathing heavily and shivering from fear and the cold that had suddenly appeared. They were so shook, they didn't realize someone had walked up to then until their legs were arms reach away. They worriedly peeked up at the face that still towered above them. The old man coolly said one word that caused them to run for their lives.

"Leave."

The pairs yelped in terror as they scrambled to get onto their swords and wobblily fly away. Kuya looked at the scene in shock as he tried to make sense of the events that had occurred.

"What just happened?! I mean, you didn't use any skills or fight or even move at all! You just... looked at them, and they stared into space for a bit before running away."

"Hmph, you have eyes but you fail to see Mount Tai. All I did was release a little bit of my killing intent."

"...what'd they see?"

"Do you want to see too?"

"No no, I'm fine, thank you."

The two continued on their way as they conversed in small talk, unknowing to what trouble the trouble makers were making. 

-----------------------------

"Brother Li, we must not let ourselves be defaced like this by such a shriveled up old man. We need to recover our honor in any way possible."

"Yes, of course. We'll convince the boss to help us. Then we all will surely take them down."

The two boys petrified faces melted away as they warmed up near a fire they made, devilish expressions forming in their place.

-----------------------------

"THIS IS YOUR HOUSE?!"

"Bah, it's nothing much. Giving you dozens of these houses wouldn't be a quarter of enough to repay you for giving me such a herb. Please, make yourself at home. You are my guest, after all."

Kuya gawked at the huge, two story estate encased in sturdy yet decorative walls. Whilst leading his guest to his room, the old man chuckled in pride as he overheard the protagonists surprised reactions at the simple things he encountered. The dozens of house maids, beautiful zen gardens, plentiful huge and comfortable rooms, and the like were basic necessities, as the elder put it. Once introduced to his room, the main character lay his head on the rope woven mattress as he took a quick break. A few minutes passed as he grew bored in a world without quick, digital entertainment. Deciding to take in the sights more, Kuya got out of his bed and roamed around the property.

The protagonist walked around, soaking in the aesthetic of the past in such a beautiful setting. He approached a bed of flowers, plucking one to admire it closely. Wondering how it'd smell, he brought the flower close to his face and took a deep sniff. Pollen rushed into his nose as he coughed and sputtered from the unexpected irritation. At the same time, a condescendingly cold comment caught Kuya's attention. 

"Who are you? What do you think you're doing?"

Turning to the voice, the protagonist's breath was knocked away as he recognized the beauteous face. Ethereal squinted her eyes as she noticed the stranger eyeing her.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I'll pluck your eyes out. I'll ask again before I use force: who are you?"

The bed of flowers started wilting and slowing as frost wrapped around them. Kuya's breath was visible in the air as he stuttered to make an excuse. An ice spike began to form around Ethereal's arm as she reeled back to punch. It wasn't until the protagonist attempted to escape did he realize that his legs were frozen in place by ice that had spontaneously encased him. Just as the fist started flying through the air, a recognizable voice called out to both of them, distinctly without a rasp. The punch stopped midair as the girl turned to the voice.

"Ethereal, dear. You mustn't treat our guests like that."

"Grandfather?! You're alright! I was so worried!"

Ethereal's mood shifted completely as she ran to her grandfather, arms outstretched for a hug and tears in her eyes. The senior received the hug and held his granddaughter tightly with a warm smile on his face. After a few moments, the girl inquired about his status.

"Are you alright now? I thought the physician said that you'd never be able to get out of bed..."

"Now now, dear. This young man here helped provide an essential ingredient to make the pill that cured me. Without his help I wouldn't be able to stand, much less get up to give you this hug."

Ethereal looked at Kuya, then thanked him in a grateful voice. The rare, yet dazzling smile on her face was enough to stun the protagonist. He quickly come back to his senses and replied with gratitude to the thanks. Once the moment was over, the senior cleared his throat and delivered some information.

"Dear, you have some visitors. It's you-know-who asking for your audience."

"Hmph, he's not thinking of asking for my hand in marriage again, is he?"

"He said it wasn't about that. He also asked for me and our guest to join. Would you be so kind as to release the poor fellow."

"Ah, right. My apologies."

Ethereal held out her palm towards the protagonist, who watched the ice twisted around his feet and the flower bed thaw away. Once gone, the trio went to the main hall to meet the visitor. As they entered the room, all three of them squinted their eyes at the new guests as they tried to harbor their negative feelings towards them. Two troublemakers and their boss were waiting in the main hall. The protagonist glanced at the two rascals and gave them a disgusted look. He shifted his attention fell to the boss, instantly causing Kuya to recoil as he recognized the face and signature orange hair.

'Isn't that... Anthony?! He's here too?!'

The two hot-headed teens leaped up from their position and pointed towards him accusingly.

"THERE, THERE HE IS. THAT'S THE ONE THAT STOLE MY GINSENG. WE CAN KILL HIM NOW WITH YOUR HELP."

"Ah, I see."

Anthony gave a passing remark to his underling as he turned his focus to the elder.

"Senior, have my two comrades offend you recently?"

The elder scoffed as he replied, "Offended? They've offended me many times over. Not only do those brats not respect me or my guests, they pointed their weapons at me and tried to rob me on our trek back. And even worse, I heard from reputable sources that those two entered the village chieftain's house in the village near here and killed the him! I will never forgive them for killing a close friend of mine!"

Anthony sighed as he shook his head in disbelief. He stood up, standing side by side with the two teens, putting his hands onto his sword, still in its sheath. The two laughed manically as they eyeballed their new victims.

"Great, boss is here. We can definitely kill that little sh-"

Two heads rolled onto the carpet while their bodies remained standing, smug expressions still imprinted. Anthony then simply placed his blade back into its sheath as he apologized to the elder further with a salesperson's smile.

"I hope this is sufficient enough action for me to receive forgive for our transgressions against you."

The elder grunted as he waved his hand in dismission.

"Bah, all you've done is dirty my floor."

"Rest assured, I imbued fire into my blade to allow their insides to cauterize so that no blood spills out."

The corpses took that as their cue as they toppled over onto the floor, little gushes of red liquid leaking out.

"Ahem, anyway. Forgive me, Senior, but shouldn't you be in bed? You know your condition is worsening over time. You must save some of your strength."

"Ah, do not worry. My guest here has taken care of that already. He gave me a rare 10,000 year old ginseng which proved to be the perfect cure to my affliction. I'm certain that I'm near my prime, all thanks to him."

The old man pat Kuya on the shoulder with a beaming expression, near opposite to the frustrated face that Anthony flashed. He forced himself back to a smile and congratulated the elder.

"Wow, that's very great, Senior! I was supposed to give a get-well-soon gift too, but it doesn't look like you need it anymore. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave."

Anthony grit his teeth as he walked off the property, thoughts raging in his skull.

'Gods, DAMN IT. Those useless brats couldn't get me a simple ginseng. All I wanted to do was catch the chicken, but now I've lost the bait! I was the one that was supposed to give him the ginseng to make him curry a favor to ME! Now how am I going to marry his granddaughter with that new competitor!? There's only one way to resolve this...'

The boss stormed away, with a maleficent look on his face and plan forming in his mind. With a sigh, the elder directed a few maidservants to clean up the hall and dispose of the corpses while the rest prepared for a hearty dinner. After eating the filling meal, Kuya went to his room and opened the window. He watched the sunset on a different world, and was filled with an indescribable feeling. The protagonist then lay down in his bed and admired the night sky view out the window as he prepared for a satisfying rest. He quickly checked with the System to ensure everything was going smoothly.

*ding!*

[Goal: Survive for 24 hours (19 hours remaining)] 

'That's really all I have to do, huh? I can't believe the System gave me such an easy quest. It's even easier now that I have a wise, powerful elder on my side now. Everything should go smoothly now.'

For the first time in a while, Kuya's consciousness slipped away on his own accord. Later that night, a hushed whisper informed the rest of the team of the most critical piece of information.

'Senior, he's asleep. He's in the room with that open window over there.'

'Perfect, get your weapons ready, we're about to break in.'