Yi

Twelve Years Later

Ta, ta, ta, ta—the mine remained the same even after all these years.

Thousands of slaves had come to the mine to replace the thousands that had died. The slaves were still treated as slaves, and the guards were still as brutal as ever. The air was thick with the dust of the earth, and the scent of sweat and despair hung heavily.

Deep in a shaft, the sounds of pickaxes meeting rock could be heard. The rhythmic clang echoed through the narrow passageways, creating a haunting melody of labor and endurance. The sound persisted for almost two hours before it stopped. The moment it stopped, the bell rang. It was once again time for the miners to present their spirit stones to the guards.

From the shaft, someone walked out slowly. Their footsteps sounded faint, but there was a determination behind them that could not be mistaken. The air around them seemed to quiver with the weight of their resolve. From the dark shaft, a young boy around twelve years old walked out. He wore black trousers and a tattered shirt that barely covered his body. On his back, he had a dark cloak, but even this had holes in it. This boy was young, but judging by his face and well-toned body, he was growing up to become a lady killer. He carried a pickaxe on his shoulder. His eyes were dead, and his posture was that of a man who had seen everything the world had to offer. He walked with confidence in himself, and that was all he needed to survive.

He walked until he reached the opening, where the light of day barely reached, casting long shadows that danced on the rough walls. As usual, he was the first to arrive. He formed the line and placed his pickaxe next to his leg with the handle within his reach. He made sure that he could pick it up and swing within a second. He closed his eyes and waited.

Soon, other slaves arrived. No one disturbed him. They were used to his behavior. A line quickly formed behind him, and the noise in the place increased quite a bit. Some slaves were going around begging for spirit stones so that they could reach their quota. No one paid these slaves any mind. It was already hard enough to survive without pretending to be good. The air was filled with the murmurs of desperation and the silent acceptance of their fate.

The guards soon arrived, and the entire place went quiet. The oppressive silence was a reminder of the ever-present threat of punishment. One of the guards moved in front of the line and began collecting the spirit stones, starting with the young boy.

"Yi, hand over the stones," shouted the guard when he saw that the boy did not open his eyes to begin the process. His voice echoed through the cavernous space, authoritative and uncompromising.

The boy was named Yi, and his circumstances were unique. He was the bastard son of Supervisor Wu, but his father did not seem to care for him. The young boy opened his eyes and handed over his small bag. The guard sneered as he took it, the disdain in his eyes reflecting the bitterness of Yi's existence. The boy moved out of the line and headed for the exit. No one stopped him as he walked out of the mine. This was his routine. He would arrive in the mine early in the morning and leave after about ten hours of hard labor. The boy looked at the guard at the mine opening and simply continued walking away. The guards shook their heads.

"This kid has to be the unluckiest person in the world. His father, Supervisor Wu, refused to take responsibility for him and instead uses him as a slave all because the supervisor has doubts about the kid's parentage," said one of the guards, his tone a mixture of pity and contempt.

"Hmph, you would do the same thing if it were you. Remember that his mother was a slave here and a sex slave to the Miner. Although Supervisor Wu also slept with her each night that she was not with the Miner, that does not mean that the supervisor is the father. The kid may belong to the Miner," said another guard, his voice dripping with cynicism.

The young boy heard their words, but this was not the first time. He simply continued walking away with his pickaxe on his shoulder. Yi walked for at least thirty minutes before he could see any other people. He passed farmers, traders, and many other people as he walked back to the town. He soon saw a town ahead. The town had tall walls, and it was indeed prosperous. He could see tall buildings inside, and there was a long line at the gate. Yi walked and joined the line like everybody else. The line moved slowly, but it moved. He soon reached the front where he was questioned by the guards. These guards knew who he was, but they still questioned him every day. The boy brought out a small token and handed it to one of the guards. The guard examined it thoroughly. The token had the word 'slave' on one side and on the other side, there was the word 'Wu'. This token showed that the young boy was a slave to the Wu family. The guard nodded at Yi before handing back the token. Yi took it and entered the town.

This town was called Hundred Man Town. It was very large with all sorts of factions vying for power. The streets were bustling with activity, the air filled with the sounds of commerce and conversation. Yi understood that he did not have time for anything else, and so he quickly moved through the crowded town until he reached a large mansion in the western part of the town. There were guards at the gate, but they did not say anything as Yi pushed the large black gate open and entered. This was the Wu mansion. Supervisor Wu had grown quite rich and powerful in the past few years. He had come to this town with nothing to his name, but he was now one of the richest people in the town. Supervisor Wu was known to be ruthless and very cunning. He managed the mine outside the city with an iron hand, leaving nothing to chance. He sent most of the spirit stones to the capital city, but he was still left with enough to become a powerful man in Hundred Man Town.

Yi walked through the servants' quarters. Even the servants looked down on him. He was a slave, and for the rest of his life, he would be a slave. The air was thick with the unspoken hierarchy that placed him at the very bottom.

Yi walked into the residence and began his work with the other servants. He helped out in the kitchen, and after that, he cleaned the residence from the floor to the ceiling. He did all this without complaining, but his fatigue could be seen. When he was done, he went down into the basement where he took some time to sleep. As he slept, he had dreams of an endless red sea. In all of existence, there seemed to be nothing other than this sea. Boom, the sea then exploded with a great and terrible power. This was when Yi always woke up. He jumped up from the hard floor. His forehead was covered in sweat. Yi had been having this dream for as long as he could remember. Whenever he slept, it was always the same dream. Yi guessed that it was probably time for him to continue his duties as a servant. He dusted himself off before going upstairs.

He moved directly to an abandoned bathroom in the residence. No one used this bathroom, and yet Yi had been ordered to clean it every day. He entered the bathroom and began cleaning it as fast as he could. The scent of old mildew filled his nostrils, and the cracked tiles reflected his weary face. When he was done, he did as he always did. He removed his clothes and began taking a bath. He made sure to take less than a minute. He was just pouring water on his body, but he did not mind. By using so little time, he also reduced the chances of being caught using the bathroom. Yi put on his servant uniform before leaving the bathroom. He went directly to the kitchen where he began carrying food to the dining hall. This was food meant for Supervisor Wu and his family. Yi made sure to carry all the food to the dining hall where he set up the table before standing in a corner with his head lowered.

Soon, the young boy Wu Chen arrived. He had changed his clothes into something more luxurious. He wore white robes. These robes were more expensive than anything Yi owned. Not that he owned anything. Yi made sure not to look at the young boy. The boy ignored Yi completely as he sat on a chair and waited for his family as he played with his thumbs. The next person to arrive was a young girl about nine years old. She was the supervisor's only daughter. Her name was Wu Li, and Supervisor Wu loved her more than anything in the world. Even more than he loved his son, Wu Chen. The girl looked at Yi for a moment before quickly looking away.

Soon, Supervisor Wu arrived with his wife, Wu Lin. The supervisor had aged a bit, and he was now in his late forties. He had a potbelly, and some of his hair was turning grey. The wife, Wu Lin, was Yi's mother who had come from the mine. She had been a slave and the Miner's sex slave, but once the Miner had left, she had continued sleeping with Supervisor Wu for some time before she told him about her son. She also claimed that the young boy belonged to the supervisor. Supervisor Wu accepted her and married her as his legal wife, but he still had doubts that this boy called Yi was his son. Since this was the case, he relegated Yi to being a slave in the mine. The only thing was that he would be allowed to live in Hundred Man Town within the Wu mansion, and the guards in the mine were not allowed to givehim too hard of a time. This was on the off chance that he was the supervisor's son. Supervisor Wu had expected Wu Lin to protest, but she did not. She cared about Yi as much as the supervisor.