24 The Battle Stage (1/2)

ON the day of the life and death battle, Hartley was sat cross legged on his bed surrounded by a sea of swirling blue lights with his eyes closed, he sensed that 80 meters away someone was headed towards him, after opening his eyes blue light illuminated the room and then disappeared suddenly, he got up and leisurely strolled outside and saw Lou Chingham making his way up the mountain.

When Lou Chingham arrived, they exchanged greetings, Lou Chingham then started intimating to Hartley that Lou Lee was the grand child of a very respected elder and the seriousness of the situation.

”If Lou Lee were to be killed by you the ramifications might be very serious, the winner of a life and death battle has the right to let the loser keep his life, for the right compensation ofcourse.”

Lou Chingham said all this with a pleasant and caring smile on his face, and was about to say something else when Hartley interjected,

”and if he wins, he will let me keep my life?”

Hartley looked Lou Chingham in his eyes with a pleasant smile plastered across his own face.

Even though Hartley had chosen to return to the Lou Clan with Lou Chingham, he didn't trust him. Hartley knew that if he wants to ensure his life in the short term, he had to be as strong as the elders of the Lou Clan.

Knowing that it would be highly unlikely for an elder to intervene and save his life if he was in a life threatening situation on the battle stage, the only thing he could rely on was his own strength but the opposite to that scenario was true as well. He knew that if he was winning, an elder would certainly step in to preserve Lou Lee's life or even try and kill him outright.

Hartley wasn't worried about the likes of Lou Chingham, he knew he could defeat the pot belly man. It was the others that he didn't know about which slightly worried him..

Lou Chingham's smile turned to a gloomy frown and he replied

”I know you have done things all on your own to this point, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.”

Again Hartely interjected with the same smile on his face,

”So if someone wants to kill me, I can't kill him? what logic does that make in a clan where strength is treasured?”

Lou Chingham replied with a bit of irritation in his voice this time,

”You are important to the Lou clan but if you make enemies of certain elders your path will be ten times as difficult as anyone else, the price of your medicine dans will be tripled, you might not be able to get any high rank martial scriptures or spirit weapons, if they didn't try to kill you outright, the rocky road and the smooth road leads to the same destination why not choose the smooth road?”

Hartley cupped his fist bowed from the waist and said ”thanks for you advice.” in a somewhat rude and dismissive manner.

Lou Chingham swallowed down the words he was about to say and left the mountain with a gloomy depressing look on his face and made his way towards another mountain, he trekked all the way to the top where there was a person sitting cross legged on a prayer with his back facing Lou Chingham, before Lou Chingham had any chance to make any greeting, the person asked ”What did he say?” without turning to face him.

Lou Chingham looked at the floor nervously and replied,

”he didn't say yes and he didn't say no either, but he is a stubborn youth, no telling where his limits are.”