98 Condemn (1/2)

The sun shone brightly in the sky above. The sound of animals was ever present in the forest. Mortal birds were chirping, and a mortal deer fearfully advanced through the dense thicket in fear of arousing the attention of a Fierce Beast or a human.

Suddenly, this lively forest turned deadly silent. The birds dared not chirp, and the deer dared not move.

It was as if a predator had started to move within the ecosystem; the entire area was silent, yet the animals still dared not move.

Finally, the sound of rustling appeared, after which a young man stepped out from behind a dense cluster of branches and bushes.

This young man was wearing tattered red clothes that had seen better days. Although his clothes were made from Fierce Beast silk, they were clearly worn down from extensive travel through desolate and difficult areas.

He had worn his clothes when the beast horde attacked back in the Kingdom of Heping's capital. They had been worn when the Ice Harpy had dragged him away, which left behind gaping holes by his shoulders.

These clothes had been worn when he was in prison and later on when he was escaping. He had worn them when he went to save Tie Haolong and when he later fled the battle. He had even worn those same clothes while cremating Tie Haolong.

Xue Wei had long since wanted to change them, but he knew that it was too risky for him to enter a village or city. He was simply too easy to recognize, and he knew that there would be someone chasing him.

Because of this, he had traveled in deserted areas. In places filled with beasts and no humans.

Along the way, he found out that the beasts went silent and tried to hide their presence whenever he came by; even the Fierce Beasts tried to dig themselves into a hole, so although Xue Wei was traveling through extremely dangerous areas, he did not encounter any difficulties in the form of having to fight beasts.

As he came out of the forest, he found that a small village was present in front of him. Contemplating for some time, Xue Wei wondered what his plans were.

”I wish to visit Lingyun Town,” Xue Wei pondered. ”I know that it will be incredibly dangerous and also a little stupid to go since I am likely to be chased and captured. Still, something is calling for me. If I do not go, this unrest will never leave my body.”

”As to what I can do after visiting Lingyun town, I guess I will decide by then.”

”I guess one option is to enter the center of the continent and visit Lan... but at the same time, this seems rather risky too. I have no intention to follow Lan, which means his incentive to assist me will drop drastically. At the same time, everyone in the Kingdom of Heping knows about my relationship with Lan; if they can't find me any other way, then they will move towards the center of the continent. I highly doubt that they will let me be.”

”In that case, finding him might be as dangerous as going towards Lingyun town. Also, I cannot forget that I am currently marked as a criminal, someone who is colluding with Primordial Beasts.”

”Although Lan is strong, and although he has a group of supporters, the truth is that every strong man will have strong opposition. If rumors come out about Lan supporting someone who might be a Primordial Beast, he will be put in a tough spot. He will be forced to deliver me to the government.”

Xue Wei pondered deeply, and then he sighed. ”I want to kill Chu Huiyin. She has caused much trouble for me; she has framed me and taken everything I wanted away from me. It is only fair that I return the favor, but to do so I need to be incredibly strong.”

”But Chu Huiyin is not the only thing I care about,” Xue Wei said, his eyes turning serious and his lips tightening to a straight line. ”I need to avenge Tie Haolong. I cannot accept that he sacrificed himself for me so that I could escape, only to be left unavenged.”

”Until I get revenge for Tie Haolong – and revenge for myself – I will not allow anyone to stop or capture me.”

Xue Wei was chatting to himself, his eyes which had been slightly lost were now focused. His determination was strong. They wanted to destroy his life? They will see how he takes his revenge on them, see how he kills them all!

They wanted to condemn him? See how he condemns the world. See how he condemns the heavens!

A slow fire started burning inside Xue Wei. He felt energized – he felt strong enough to be able to stand against the entire world if need be.

Xue Wei once more glanced at the village in front of him before he merged back into the forest. He waited for the night to fall.

These citizens were all farmers. Although they had previously been cultivators, none of them had been talented. They were very well aware of the fact that if they went to do work as mercenaries or soldiers, they would die.

Instead, they had settled as farmers. Some grew medicinal herbs, while others grew more mundane crops necessary for their livelihood.

Xue Wei watched as the men and women returned from their fields once it was dusk and entered their small homes.

Clothes were washed and hung outside to dry in the gentle summer breeze, and Xue Wei waited until all lights were turned off and all of the villagers had gone to sleep.

It was at this time that he snuck into the village and swiped some clothes that he could fit in.

Although these clothes were made of ordinary beast fabrics rather than the Fierce Beast silk his own were made of, they were clean and soft on the skin.