The Black Bloom's hunger

By the time Sunny slipped back into the outer court barracks, the moon was high and the camp quiet. Snores and muttering disciples filled the run-down quarters. While shadows moved in the bushes along with the sound of suppressed moans and chirping of the crickets.

"....Guess I was right, after all." Sunny muttered and hurried towards his room, holding a bucket of water, he fetched from the well.

The blood had dried down a little, so it took time. Elbow grease. Some spit. And a few more trips to the well.

The whole cleaning blood was a tiring job, but Sunny was used to it.

When it was finally over, he dropped the bucket, wiped his hands, and collapsed on the cold, hard ground. A dagger rested under the straw 'pillow' he'd fashioned himself.

His eyes stared at the ceiling, where cracks formed shapes like withered trees and drifting continents.

I killed someone.

On my first night after coming back from the dead.

"Way to start something fresh." Sunny whispered with a dry smile and shook his head.

The idiot deserved dying but still… well, no point in acting a saint with memories of a sinner.

He didn't feel guilty. Remorse and regret were two words that didn't exist in his dictionary.

"Maybe it's good I don't have the memories of the original body," he murmured. "Because maybe then... I wouldn't be so damn peaceful after taking a life."

Thoughts drifted along the darkness, and Sunny didn't even know when his consciousness fell into the embrace of night and a perfect sleep.

—

Ding…Ding…Ding

A loud ringing sound echoed throughout the outer sect, signaling the start of the new day.

"Cultivators wake up early huh." Sunny said in a grimaced tone, while placing the dagger pointing forward from his hands, back under his pillow.

"Can't unlearn the streets." He thought.

After stretching his arms lazily, and twisting his sore back. He washed his face with cold water from the jug. Changed into the clean robe. And took one last look around the room for no sign of last night's murder.

Only after making sure everything was 'clean' and tidy, did he step out of the room.

His eyes followed the disciples, who shuffled outside in droves to attend the daily meditation and martial drills.

Sunny followed their path, eyes down, gait uneven, trying to look like a recovering failure.

The other disciples shuffled into neat rows for morning drills, clad in gray. Breathing in rhythm. Channeling what little Qi they possessed through their bodies.

While he stood at the edge of the practice grounds, pretending to stretch, and watching everything.

That's when he saw it.

The iron badge.

One of the boys from the scrawny bastard's crew was staring at it in his hand, confused and muttering.

"Did Thomas leave it behind?"

"No way, man. He wore that thing tighter than his trousers." The other replied.

"Where is he then? He wasn't even in his room?"

"I don't know. Last I talked, he said he was still pissed about Sunny walking around. So maybe the man's planning some murder."

"Hey, don't joke like that."

The duo talked and joked amongst themselves, before merging into the crowd herding together.

Sunny heard their whispers, and just gave a smile.

---

The 'elders' supervising didn't seem to care when an outer disciple disappeared.

Not at first.

Outer sect disciples were like insects—too many to count, too weak to matter. Missing one was no tragedy.

But when Thomas didn't show up for his meal rations, or his assigned herb garden shift, or the joint Qi Channeling practice at dusk...

People started to talk.

"Is he sick?"

"Did he sneak out to visit those brothels again?"

"Heard his father's some local tycoon, so maybe he went back home."

"Maybe he tried to run and a rogue beast got him…"

"Or he fell down a ravine again. Idiot always wandered drunk at night."

"Or maybe someone killed him. Dude was a total bully, after all."

"Do you think it was one of us?"

A few laughed. Few guessed and gloated.

But others didn't.

By nightfall, two inner disciples were ordered to do a cursory scan of the valley edge. The nearby town where mortals lived for any news. But they returned empty-handed.

No tracks. No blood. No body.

And no news. Just like planned.

…

Sunny sat in silence at the edge of the well again. He had made that place his sanctuary now. Familiar. Isolated. Silent.

He stared at the dagger resting on his lap.

He had dulled it's shine with ash and mud. Even filed down the edge and it's handle to make it look old, but actually sharp.

At first glance, no one would think it would be used to kill.

Still… Sunny didn't relax his nerves based on a rusty dagger, that could cut through flesh, when cultivators could even cut the moon with a sword.

His mind kept running in circles.

He didn't waste time on fantasies like what he would do if one day he went back to earth, his original world. About how he'd have his revenge or kill his enemies

He didn't have that luxury or time yet. He just thought about how he could survive in this new world.

He didn't have any talent for practice now. He was sure of it after the morning meditation and all the mocking remarks he heard when he failed.

But he didn't want to be a mortal who could be killed or turned into a slave at the whims of these people.

"I guess my only option now is to bet on this mysterious lotus." Sunny said, tracing the tattoo on his chest.

The lotus now seemed to be dormant. Sleeping. But after yesterday's murder, Sunny knew exactly how to awaken it.

After killing that guy Thomas, it gave off some reaction. The warm current which alleviated some of his pain.

'So if I want to rely on this to make myself fully healed again, …. '

"...I need to kill people."

Sunny said and started working on a plan to find suitable targets.

There may be other ways to awaken the Black Lotus, but for now, Sunny only found this one way out. And since he couldn't waste time and wait for some miracle chance or something new popping up - he had to prepare for murder.

—

Back in the disciple quarters, someone had already ransacked Thomas's bedding. The boy was still missing.

His two sidekicks were very nervous now. As without their boss, their standing and courage would surely drop in front of others soon.

Their eyes scanned the crowd. As if looking for someone to blame, to beat, - to vent anger, or maybe establish their authority.

Sunny noticed that glance, and just sneered in his heart.

"Guess it's gotta be you two." He muttered, sentencing the duo to death after careful consideration.

The minion duo were already searching for clues for their boss's disappearance, and also an excuse for anger.

Sunny didn't know if this pack of bullies were actually close friends or not – but he knew, if they ever found out the truth, they'd come after him.

Hell, they might come for him just based on the doubt that Thomas was planning to find him before mysteriously missing.

So be it for his future safety, or for awakening Black Lotus – these two have to go.

Sunny looked at the duo, while the duo stared back. Their eyes meeting each other in middle, and they both set the target on each other.

Who will be the final winner? Will the duo establish their authority, or will Sunny ensure his survival — learn in next chapter.