Just when the emotions were nearing “too much,” a single footstep, and the creaking of wood flooring, took him out of his panic. His Shizun was moving closer and this action only further confused the disciples.

His Shizun’s fingers tightened around his blade.

Danger. Focus somewhat came back into Wan Yu’s eyes when he felt a chill run up his spine. He pulled his blade up and stood to his feet, a few paces in front of his Shijie and Shixiong.

Wan Yu had not even a second to defend when another blade slammed into his own. His Shizun moved far too quick, and he let out a cry of surprise from the harsh force of the attack. Finger’s slipping the blade, it flew from his hands with that one swing. Two pieces of metal could be heard hitting the ground instead of one. His gifted weapon was so easily shattered.

Wan Yu’s body hit the ground with an awful sounding thud.

“Wan Yu!” “Baby!” His fellow disciples called out in unison. Lin An moved to his side, dropping to her knees to inspect his injury, and Meng Xiao stood in front of both of them.

“What’s the big idea, Shizun? You hittin’ your disciples, now?” Meng Xiao scoffed, his voice sounding harsh. Wan Yu shook his head, though the other boy definitely couldn’t see it.

No, no, no! Wan Yu wanted to scream, but the words were stuck in his head.

The concentration Wan Yu had on his spiritual flame of light flickered, causing the light in the room to go back and forth between dim, and bright.

In one flash of darkness, even the white mourning robes vanished from sight. “Children, please move. The only one this Shizun seeks is Kuwei Jun,” Shizun said curtly, putting extra threatening emphasis on the name: Kuwei Jun.

When the light of fire came back on he was closer now. Only a few feet from the children.

His Shizun easily stepped onto the broken pieces of Wan Yu’s gifted sword. He was so much closer now, only a few feet away.

“I don’t know that name! Shizun, the one you just attacked is Wan Yu, not Kuwei Jun! Is something wrong?” Lin An tried being rational with their teacher, as she clearly couldn’t understand the change in personality.

The sweat on the back of her neck showed her fear, so Wan Yu felt the need to reiterate. “That isn't Shizun,” he said.

Impatience shown on his Shizun’s face, and he once again tightened his hold on his weapon. He was slow to raise his blade, and Meng Xiao saw that as a failure on his Shizun’s part and went in for a quick rush forward.

He didn’t have his blade since he had been tied up just a moment prior, but he wrapped his arms around the teacher's waist making it hard for him to threaten the younger two. 

“Get off me, child! Why must you get in the way when this doesn’t involve you in the slightest! I wish not to cut down more than needed!” His Shizun sounded furious.

Meng Xiao held the intruder, keeping him from being able to move, and he opened his mouth to yell. “What do you mean it doesn’t involve me? That baby over there is my little shidi. Lin An! Take him and run!” Wan Yu could feel his chest tighten again, but there wasn't much time to linger on feelings as he was quickly pulled up by his wrist.

My little shidi? Wan Yu mentally repeated.

Meng Xiao used every weapon in his arsenal. While it was not much, he stomped, and bit. The man let out mostly angry and annoyed noises more than anything, and made no real attempt to wound Meng Xiao.Despite a blade being held over him, Meng Xiao continued to attack. Had the blade’s owner intended for it to be, he would have been impaled.

Lin An didn’t allow much time for Wan Yu to watch the altercation. “Wan Yu, walk! Please move your feet!” She was pulling him out the front door of the shabby house before he had a chance to see the outcome.

Meng Xiao could fight as hard as he wanted, but if that false Shizun had even a fraction of the power of the real thing, he couldn't hold out for long. His neck still craned towards the door, while Lin An continued tugging him forward. They made a good bit of distance, but Wan Yu suddenly became aware of his Shijie’s muttering. “Don’t fall. Don't trip. Don't mess up. Not now, not now,” she repeated this like a mantra. 

Wan Yu stiffened, as the yelling from the house subsided. Lin An tightened her grip and her eyes widened. She stopped running, and nervously looked back at the building. Wan Yu did the same.

With a slow creak, the door opened back up. His Shizun brought the back of his hand up to his cheek and wiped away bits of red. He stepped off the stone steps, his bare foot left a red mark where it stepped. Wan Yu thought that his Shizun’s eyes weren’t meant to look like that. They were threatening and cold. 

It was wrong.

Panic. Panic was all Wan Yu felt. His expression wouldn't have shown it, but he almost couldn’t breath. There was a tightness he hadn't felt in awhile now, and his eyes widened further when he saw red. The blade in the man’s hand was dripping with blood. “Shixiong…” Wan Yu whispered and tightened his fist around his Shijie’s hand. Only Lin An could have heard that.

Wan Yu didn’t want to move, and he didn’t think his brain would allow him to do so anyways. The incessant tugging at his wrists suddenly stopped, but he felt arms wrap around his small body. His eyes grew wider as he felt weightless. Lin An had picked him up. Despite being a young and growing cultivator, Wan Yu was still about half her size, so he was carried easily.

Sobs grew louder, and he could feel the shakes from the crying girl now. Lin An was terrified. Her embrace comforted him. She immediately darted off the road path, she knew she couldn’t make it to the main crowded streets. The farm lands here were overgrown, and there was nothing planted in them like rice that could provide coverage. But it was harder to keep track of then a straight path.

“Shijie,” Wan Yu moved his hand to pat at her shoulder. Despite Wan Yu not sounding all that scared, Lin An seemed like she was determined to be a protective sect sister. She shook her head and kept running.

“Shh… shhh… It's okay, Wan Yu. I’ll get you to safety, please, just hold on.”

Wan Yu patted her shoulder more. “Shijie. He’s coming.” Wan Yu watched with wide eyes, as his fears were catching up to him. Of course the bigger man was faster. He seemed to hold the power comparable to a Peak Master, regardless of who he really was. There was no real chance of getting away from the oncoming threat. The only thing he could think of was to try and get himself out of his Shijie’s arms. He could at least remove her from the situation entirely. Forgive me for this Shijie, Wan Yu begged mentally. He did the only thing he could think of. He extended his leg to step down on the ground right before her foot, tripping her.

She collapsed onto the ground with a hard thud and a cry. Both of them had tumbled onto the dry farmland dirt. Wan Yu was flung a few feet away as well… Just in time for the man who wore their Shizun’s face to arrive.

His Shizun spoke, “Kuwei Jun… If I could end your life here, I would. But I have made other promises.” He held a blade pointed, threatening to attack should he move. That icy cold glare cut the boy worse than any weapon could. Wan Yu didn’t want this. For the first time in a long time, the thumping in his chest, and the panting of his breaths, fought to regain their function.

It reminded him that he, too, could feel fear. He hadn’t felt his body shake like this since he first ran away from Jinan with his gege. He had grown too safe, and he had grown too happy. His breaths came out in sobs. It sounded foreign to him, because it was akin to a crying young boy.

Metal raised, and quickly flung down towards the boy. This An Xian Yun Peak Master wasn’t going to slow his hand and allow something else to happen. But this master’s hand was still slower than a desperate girl's decision. Wan Yu stopped his whines for only a moment. He saw a thick brown braid following after his Shijie as she threw herself in front of his body.

Lin An cried out in pain as a slash had cut through some of her back. From the right side of her shoulder almost horizontally across. Most of her braid had been sliced off, her hair now only hanging just below where her neck connected. Every Flower tucked in her locks scattered with traces of blood.

Wan Yu raised a hand to try and catch his sect sister. The boy seemed to need a moment to process what had happened, but he still moved to grab her. “Shijie… Shijie, don’t die. Please.” He spoke words of begging worry, but the emotion in them had mostly died down. The heavy weight crashed into him, and the change of suddenly having a young teenager laid onto his lap was more than he was used to.

For a moment he thought he had returned to normal. He felt blank.

He touched her back, but recoiled when he felt warm wet liquid. Suddenly his emotions were like a torrent. They came flooding from places all over his body. The young child had broken out into shudders of fright and anguish. Wan Yu shook her but it looked like she had fainted from the sudden pain, but she still had her arms over him in a protective manner. “Shijie, Shijie!” He tried to fight to keep his grip on her even when he was pulled away by the taller man. His eyes burned and it threatened to take away his vision of the scene.

It hurt. Wan Yu began to yell out a jumbled mess of Lin An, Meng Xiao, Shijie, and Shixiong. His words were slurred and he felt a scraping feeling inside his neck. He wailed so hard it hurt. He no longer paid attention to the new pair of arms around him, separating him from his Shijie. There was no point in struggling against the hold, he told himself. But he still did. He kicked and screamed like a normal child would.

Until his voice abruptly cut out, and his vision blacked.

***

The night lights of Bei Zangli continued to shine, and the festivities roared. No one listened into the cries off near the small uninteresting farmland.

The children ate sweets, rough-housed around, and screamed in delight over new toys. The adults drank alcohol and talked of old times before the “passing”. The Elders gossiped and laughed, joking about who would be a nighttime-only visit next. Had they even heard the scream, many of them may have written it off as just another guest soon to be joining the festivities at Bei Zangli’s brand new Year-Round Ghost Festival! Some would have even said maybe they should welcome him in with open arms tomorrow night!

But had they listened in anyways. Had they cared to hear a plea for help from a young boy who didn’t know he could cry like that… They would have heard a pitiful wail, begging his Shizun to come save his Shixiong and Shijie.