Twelve Years of Suffering

The village had known peace once. Long ago.

Before they arrived...

Twelve years ago, the village chief had black hair. Now, he had stress-induced white streaks. The reason? They had arrived

For twelve years, they had been a plague upon this land. Born to the same father but different mothers, they were bound by fate, mischief, and an unwavering refusal to be normal.

Gu Fan and Ao Tian had long since discovered that they shared the same father, but different mothers.

"Blood ties are fleeting," Gu Fan had said, "but fate is eternal."

Ao Tian had scowled. "Fate didn't stop our dad from being a bastard, though."

The villagers overheard and assumed it was a profound philosophical statement.

Now, whenever the brothers passed by, farmers would bow slightly and whisper, "Fate cannot be stopped."

Gu Fan leaned against a crooked fence post, cigarette lazily dangling from his lips. "Brother, do you ever miss our past life?"

Ao Tian, still glaring at the tree, scoffed. "You mean the mental hospital? What's there to miss? The food was terrible."

Gu Fan exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "Ah, but the chaos was exquisite. Remember when we convinced the other patients that the ceiling was oppressing them?"

Ao Tian smirked. "Yeah. One guy tried to punch it. Another climbed a chair and declared himself the unmoving mountain."

Gu Fan chuckled. "And the doctor? She had that look—like she was questioning all her life choices."

Ao Tian nodded. "Best day ever." Brrother, have you ever wondered why fate tied us together in this life?"

Ao Tian sat on a rock, arms crossed, glaring at a tree like it owed him money. "Because the heavens hate this village."

Gu Fan exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "Perhaps we were celestial beings, cast down to test the patience of mortals."

Ao Tian snorted. "Then these mortals are failing. Badly."

A distant villager, overhearing this conversation, clutched his chest in silent despair.

One had long black hair that cascaded like ink, golden eyes that gleamed like molten sunlight, and an aura of detached majesty. This was Gu Fan, a man who spoke in riddles, smoked like an immortal transcending mortality, and carried himself as if the heavens themselves whispered secrets in his ear.

The other had wild white hair, deep brown eyes that burned with untamed defiance, and a presence that screamed rebellion. This was Ao Tian, a man who refused to kneel, took personal offense at inanimate objects, and once tried to challenge a mountain because it "looked at him funny."

At dawn, a shadow stretched across the highest rooftop. Gu Fan sat there, legs crossed, cigarette between his fingers, gazing at the rising sun like a sage contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

Below, his brother, Ao Tian, lay sprawled on the dirt path, arms spread wide. He had fallen off his bed again. He had not, however, accepted this defeat.

Ao Tian groaned. "I hate mornings."

Gu Fan exhaled a long trail of smoke. "The sun rises, the world moves, and we are but dust in its grand cycle."

Ao Tian sat up, cracked his neck, and scowled at the sky. "I'm punching the sun."

Gu Fan tilted his head. "Didn't you try that in our past life? You declared war on all sources of artificial light."

Ao Tian rubbed his chin. "Oh yeah. First, I cursed the fluorescent lights for their oppressive glow. Then I tried to exorcise the vending machine because it 'stole my qi'."

Gu Fan nodded in approval. "You also tried to punch the doctor for 'blocking your meridians' with prescription drugs."

Ao Tian scoffed. "Modern medicine was a scam! Those pills never awakened my hidden bloodline."

Gu Fan exhaled another slow stream of smoke. "True. And they dared to call us crazy."

Ao Tian rubbed his chin. "Oh yeah. I declared war on the hospital's unholy artificial glow."

Gu Fan nodded. "Yes. You shouted, 'Begone, false heavens!' and kicked the power box."

Ao Tian smirked. "And you? You tried to ascend by chain-smoking ten cigarettes at once."

Gu Fan sighed nostalgically. "It was a noble experiment. I could feel my soul leaving my body. I saw the Dao. I touched enlightenment."

Ao Tian deadpanned. "You had a nicotine overdose and collapsed."

Gu Fan waved a hand dismissively. "A small setback. Much like the time you tried to cultivate by drinking fifteen cans of energy drinks."

Ao Tian clenched his fist. "I was supposed to unlock my divine physique! Instead, I unlocked heart palpitations."

Gu Fan sighed nostalgically. "I almost reached enlightenment. Then we exploded."

Ao Tian snorted. "Good times."

The chief pinched the bridge of his nose. "You two claim to be eighteen. You look twelve."

Ao Tian leaned back and spread his arms. "And yet, have you ever seen us celebrate a birthday?"

Gu Fan flicked his cigaratte. "Time does not touch us, Chief. We remain eternal."

The chief opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Visibly aged ten more years. "Your father. He must know—"

"Have you tried asking him?" Ao Tian raised a brow.

The chief paled. He had. Once. The man simply grunted, took a sip of wine, and changed the subject to weather patterns. No answers were ever found.

Gu Fan sighed, watching the chief's soul attempt to escape his mortal shell. "Chief, it is better not to ask questions that unsettle the heart."

The chief groaned, gripping his chest like a man suffering a spiritual injury. "If I keep talking to you, I'll actually die."

He pulled a crumpled list from his sleeve. At the top, scrawled in shaky handwriting: "Regrets in Life." He added a new entry: "Letting these two be born."

Gu Fan exhaled smoke. "Then perhaps… you should stop."

The chief choked on air, his eye twitching violently as his hands curled into fists. A single tear slipped down his face as he muttered, "I should've become a fisherman…"

Ao Tian patted him on the back. "Fishermen drown all the time. We're keeping you alive, old man."

The chief staggered back, clutching his heart. "Heaven… helppp meee!"

Meanwhile, their chicken had launched a war campaign against the village dog. The dog, a large and noble beast, should have been the superior opponent. Yet, as the fight escalated, it became clear that superiority meant nothing in the face of sheer, unhinged aggression.

The chicken delivered a flying kick. The dog dodged. The chicken countered with a spinning attack. The dog yelped and retreated.

A villager cried out in horror, "It's learning martial arts!"

An elder gasped. "That's… Rooster Ascends the Heavens!"

"Please," he whispered, eyes glistening with the sorrow of a man who had lived through too much. "Let lightning strike them. Just once. A small one. Just enough to—" He paused, then shook his head. "No. Make it big. Make it divine. Make it the kind of lightning that leaves behind only smoking sandals and a lesson from the heavens."

He exhaled shakily, rubbing his temples. "Is that too much to ask?"

Somewhere in the distance, Gu Fan sneezed.

Ao Tian frowned, cracking his knuckles. "Tch. The sky is talking behind our backs again. Should I punch it?"

Somewhere, a farmer wept.

The village chief sat on his porch, staring at the sky. "Maybe if I pray hard enough, the heavens will take them away."

But the heavens, much like the brothers, refused to listen.

---

Near the village gates, a hunched figure sat atop a packed cart, staring blankly into the distance. His clothes were worn, his hair disheveled, and his eyes—once filled with the simple joys of farming—now held the vacant stare of a man who had seen too much.

A few villagers stood nearby, whispering among themselves.

"He's really leaving?" one muttered.

"Can you blame him?" another sighed. "After what they did to his him?"

Gu Fan approached, cigarette in hand, eyes filled with mysterious wisdom. "Ah, departure. The first step on the journey of self-discovery."

The man twitched. His hands clenched the reins. His horse—nervous, sensing its master's instability—stomped its hooves.

Ao Tian leaned against the cart. "Coward. Running away because of a little hardship?"

The man inhaled sharply. A single tear rolled down his cheek. "A little hardship?" His voice trembled.

"Ah God!" 

"A little hardship?"

He whirled around, eyes wild. "First, they flooded my fields because they wanted to 'test the hydrating properties of qi.' Then, they trained their chicken in my backyard—it killed my scarecrow and took its place. Every morning, it judges me." His hands shook. "Then they stole my roof."

Ao Tian shrugged. "To be fair, that was a scientific experiment. We needed to see if the stars held hidden cultivation secrets."

The man pointed a shaking finger. "You never gave it back."

Gu Fan exhaled smoke, gaze distant. "Possessions are fleeting. Only wisdom remains."

The man let out a guttural scream, grabbed the nearest vegetable, and threw it. Ao Tian dodged effortlessly. Gu Fan caught it, examined it thoughtfully, then pocketed it.

A few villagers attempted to console the man. "Maybe… just stay in the next town for a few months?"

He shook his head violently. "No. No, I can feel it. If I stay another day, I will become one of them."

His horse neighed in agreement.

The man took a deep breath, wiped his face, and looked at the sky with newfound determination. "I'm leaving. A man must know his limits. Mine were broken twelve years ago."

He cracked the reins. His cart rumbled forward.

Gu Fan watched him go, then turned to Ao Tian. "Another soul seeking enlightenment."

Ao Tian crossed his arms. "He won't last. He still fears chickens."

As the fleeing villager's cart rumbled toward the village gates, another figure burst from a nearby alley, arms flailing in desperation.

"Wait! Take me with you!"

It was Old Liu, a man once known for his steady hands and calm heart. Now, his eyes were wide with the haunted look of a man who had seen unspeakable horrors—horrors that smoked leisurely and spoke in cryptic riddles.

He sprinted toward the cart, his straw hat flying off in the wind. "I can't take it anymore! Every morning, I wake up to find my house rearranged! They say it's 'feng shui cultivation'! My rice barrels float! My pigs refuse to listen to me! My own wife thinks I'm hallucinating!"

The escaping villager paled. "You fool! You can't just run like that! They'll sense your fear!"

But it was too late.

Ao Tian had already noticed.

The white-haired troublemaker leaned against the cart, raising an eyebrow. "Going somewhere, Old Liu?"

Old Liu skidded to a stop, sweat dripping down his face. "N-No! Just... stretching my legs. Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

Gu Fan exhaled a slow trail of smoke, his golden eyes half-lidded. "Escape is but an illusion, Old Liu. Like the river that flows, you are bound to return."

Old Liu whimpered. "That doesn't mean anything! That's just words!"

The escaping villager glanced between Old Liu and the two disasters in human form. His face twisted in pain before he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Old Liu. There's only enough room for one. May the heavens grant you peace."

With that, he cracked the reins, and the cart lurched forward.

"No! Don't leave me!" Old Liu grabbed onto the back of the cart, his feet dragging through the dirt.

"Let go, Liu! You'll only slow me down!"

"I can be useful!" Old Liu screamed. "I can cook! I can farm! I—!"

A shadow loomed over them.

Ao Tian had jumped onto the cart.

The escaping villager shrieked, yanking the reins as if that would make the horse run faster. "No! NO! GET OFF!"

Ao Tian sighed, sitting down cross-legged. "Tch. Running away like this… Have you no loyalty to your homeland?"

"Homeland?! This place is a prison!"

Gu Fan walked alongside the cart, unfazed. "Prison is a state of mind."

Old Liu, still clinging to the back, let out a sob. "That doesn't mean anything either!"

But before he could climb up, a sudden, ominous clucking filled the air.

A single chicken stood on the road ahead.

Not just any chicken. Their chicken.

The villagers watching from a distance gasped.

"Not the chicken..."

"Dear heavens, he won't make it."

The chicken stared at Old Liu. Old Liu stared at the chicken.

Then the chicken took a step forward.

Old Liu let out a strangled scream, lost his grip, and tumbled off the cart. He hit the dirt with a dull thud, then scrambled away like a man escaping the jaws of a beast.

The chicken did not chase him. It did not need to.

Old Liu was already defeated.

The escaping villager did not look back. The cart continued rolling down the path, carrying one broken man toward the horizon.

Gu Fan watched the whole thing with quiet amusement. He flicked his cigarette. "Some birds are not meant to be caged."

Ao Tian hopped off the cart, landing effortlessly next to his brother. He cracked his knuckles. "Some chickens, on the other hand..."

Old Liu lay on the ground, staring at the sky. He did not cry. He did not scream.

He had simply accepted his fate.

The village chief, watching from afar, closed his eyes and whispered, "Take me with you."

But no one heard his plea.