Is This A Curse?

Running through the woods was an exhilarating experience for Su Yan. The thrill of a successful theft and the subsequent deception filled him with glee, especially when he considered the victim as young master. At least that guy deserved it.

For hours he didn't stop running, and only when he had arrived near a shallow creek did he halt to take a breather. Leaning back against the tree, he found himself taking longer breaths and thinking back on his life in the Yang clan. For better or worse, that had been his home for over two decades. He was at least going to miss the bakery, if nothing else.

After a moment he resumed his journey, this time more purposefully and in search of a cave. He found one easily enough and crawled within. It was time to assess his loot.

He pulled out the jade slip from his sleeve and started examining it all over. It was still in the midst of consuming all the Qi around it, and although the quantity was abysmal, there seemed to be no end to its absorption. Su Yan tried poking and prodding it with a finger but found no reaction.

"If it's a memory jade slip, then it should work by manner of bonding." As far as he could remember, he had read about some jade slips being able to impart memories to their successors. Usually such jade slips were the result of creation by some dying expert who sought to leave a legacy for their inheritor.

"It could be dangerous...?" That was, of course, the real concern. There could be a fail-safe in there meant to scan one for their potential and qualifications, and if deemed unworthy, resort to destructive measures. Question was: Was Su Yan worthy?

A smile formed on his lips as he thought up to there. He had already undertaken such a huge risk; there was no way in hell he was going to back down.

"High heavens above, watch over me." He murmured a prayer and bit on his finger, spraying the jade amulet with his blood. It was one of the only reliable methods of bonding listed in the book and the fastest one also. For a brief moment silence shrouded the cave, and then darkness overwhelmed Su Yan.

He found himself in a desert with a glare from the sun high above. There was nothing in sight as far as his vision extended, and a hot breeze would pick and swarm him with dust and sand. "How did I get here?" Confusion washed over him.

The last thing Su Yan remembered was wiping his blood on the jade slip, and then everything went dark afterwards. What the heck happened? He shook his head to get rid of the confusion and started rummaging through his clothes, looking for anything resembling a jade slip. He found nothing.

"What?" His thoughts were in disarray, and he could only focus on the present. He licked his lips subconsciously and felt his throat getting parched. Now wasn't the time to dilly-dally; he needed to take care of the immediate problem first.

How to get out of this desert?

Picking a direction, he started walking. The sun beat down on him, but he didn't slow down, his tempered body allowing him to continue even under such sweltering weather. The need for water made itself known, but Su Yan could only grumble and push the feeling to the back of his mind. He had no water, and finding any in this desert would be a near impossible endeavor.

The sand beneath him was hot, and it burned through the soles of his shoes. He gritted his teeth and pushed past the pain. He had endured so much in his life, and now that everything was suddenly looking better, he wasn't going to waste it and die in this desert. He had to get out of here.

Su Yan had always prided himself on his mental fortitude, but even he was getting second thoughts after finding nothing but barren plains for hours on end. By now he was more lugging his tired body than ambling along the sand dunes. The heat was making him dizzy, and thirst was getting to his head.

He slapped himself awake and stared ahead. "No. Can't give up; have to continue till the end."

And so he walked.

Hours turned to days, but the night never came. Over the course of days the fatigue built up, and everything looked similar. He could no longer distinguish between where he had been hours—or was it days?—earlier and where he stood now. Everything looked the same, a grim reminder that he was making no progress. He bit on his lower lip and turned to look up. The sun shone a steady glare as it always had, and he felt weakness take over.

Su Yan fell to his knees, fatigued and battered. He had thought this was a mere illusion at first, but now it no longer mattered. He couldn't bring himself to think further. Deep down he was ready to accept his fate.

"After struggling so much, this is what I've been reduced to..." He mumbled as his head hung low. "Is this how I die?"

Truly, he might not have lived a fulfilling life, but he had always enjoyed overcoming obstacles. Yet now that he was faced with an impossibility, it was only logical to give up, right? Why struggle futilely?

"Heh." He snickered. "Like hell I would give up. Not until I drop dead. That's who I am. That's who I have always been."

With a grunt he pushed himself upward and started on his walk. Even when he fell on the ground or was caught between a sandstorm, he never stopped. For days and months he just walked. For years his feet mindlessly pushed his tired body across this infinite stretch of land. By then he wasn't even thinking, just ceaselessly pushing forward.

When the end seemed nowhere in existence, a gleam of silver shifted into existence. His shut eyes cracked open, the accumulated dust falling from the lids. After years he finally gazed upon something that wasn't sandy and glaring. It was an impossibly large tree, and it shone with a warm, amicable light.

As the light washed over him, relief took over. For the first time in a long while, Su Yan slept peacefully.