Chapter 20 ONE MUST GIVE, IN ORDER TO TAKE.

  In Iron Root Town, for the first time in days, the townsfolk remembered what silence sounded like.

  It wasn’t calm. It was a cold silence as people processed the recent events.

  While most of the cultivators watched the retreating beast horde with relief, there was someone whose eyes were filled with panic and dread.

  “Help!”

  ”I need help!”

  A skinny, silver-eyed youth is seen running in panic.

  He called out to a young handsome man who stood outside the wall next to a flying white bird.

  The young man, in white and blue robes, turned in confusion.

  He squinted his eyes.

  He was too far away from the wall to hear the screaming youths' words.

  “Dammit!” Kong Ming shouted inwardly.

  He jumped off the wall outside the town. The guards watching were startled by the youth's sudden movements. He slid along the wall for an angled landing, rolling into the landing impact.

  “Snap!”

  Kong Ming grimaced.

  His legs have made progress, but jumping off a 60-meter wall isn’t something his frail body can handle.

  Even with the angled landing, the drop was suicidal for a third-stage Body Tempering youth.

  Despite the pain of breaking his left leg and spraining his right ankle, Kong Ming continued running towards the youth.

  “Senior Fang Longwei!” He shouted, running through the corpse-riddled battlefield.

  “Huff..Huff..Ha.”

  Out of breath, Kong Ming desperately hobbled towards the youth.

  Seeing this youth's desperate action, Fang Longwei sheathed his sword and dashed towards him.

  “What made this little brother so panicked?” He said, eyes wide in disbelief.

  ”It’s my brother…my brother has been snatched by a flying beast just now.”

  Kong Ming said, still in shock.

  “I saw you flying on a beast when you saved my brother from the Yin-Bear earlier.”

  “Yu…you have to help me save him!” He grabbed onto the robe of Fang Longwei’s sleeve as he pleaded with sincerity in his pale silver eyes.

  Kong Ming was never the type to plea to save others, but if it's for his brother's safety, there's no measure he wouldn’t spare.

  Fang Longwei gazed at the young man’s silver eyes filled with desperation, and couldn’t refuse.

  He made a whistling noise, signaling a large warrior-beast bird to descend.

  “Hop on!”

  He shouted as he pulled Kong Ming onto the beast, as if he weighed nothing.

  “Which way did your brother get taken?”

  Kong Ming pointed towards the southern Iron Root Forest.

  The white flying beast quickly flapped its wings as it flew towards the forest.

  As they made their way towards the forest, Fang Longwei turned towards the youth.

  “How did junior brother know my name?”

  Kong Ming's eyes widened in realization.

  “Forgive my poor manners, senior brother Fang. “My name is Kong Ming.”

  “I have heard many things about you from your father.”

  “Father?” Fang Longwei began to ponder.

  “Kong….Ming…hmm..Kong, that surname!” Fang Longwei exclaimed, recalling something he suppressed in his memory.

  ”Your surname…what relation do you have to a person named Kong Tian?”

  Kong Ming smiled wryly.

  “He’s my brother, and the person we’re flying to rescue.”

  “Hehehe!” Fang Longwei laughed righteously.

  ”Very good!”

  “Little brother, do you believe in fate? Longwei asked,” eyes gleaming with intrigue.

  Kong Ming didn’t answer right away. ”I’m not sure,” he said in a low voice.

  A brief moment of silence.

  Just when Fang Longwei was about to speak again…

  Whoosh!

  A flying beast suddenly flew by them, carrying several people.

  It felt like time stood still the moment they passed each other. Kong Ming's worried face immediately changed to one of bewilderment, as he made eye contact with his older brother at the brief moment of passing each other.

  Kong Tian’s eyes widened. Not expecting to see his younger brother flying on a giant white bird.

  “That’s him!” Kong Ming shouted.

  Awakening Fang Longwei from his stupor.

  They quickly turned the flying beast to follow the beast that flew past.

  Several moments later, the two flying beasts landed in the Kong brothers' courtyard located in the northern outskirts of Iron Root town.

  Gu Bi, who returned before both brothers screamed at the sight of two large flying beasts suddenly descending towards him, in the middle of the night.

  “Ah!”

  “The beast tide is returning!”

  “Run!”

  Gu Bi immediately began running towards the house to hide when, suddenly, a voice called out.

  “Is this how you treat your brothers who return from war?”

  Gu Bi halted in his steps.

  “Master Tian?”

  Gu Bi got a clearer view, as the two bird beasts landed.

  He was shocked when he noticed the number of guests who came along.

  Fang Longwei and Kong Ming dismounted, shortly after the Kong Tians' group.

  “Go inform my father of my return and location.” Fang Longwei said to the flying beast, tying a letter to its leg.

  Kong Ming was about to walk over then,

  Ouch! He grimaced in pain. He momentarily forgot about his injured legs from jumping off the wall earlier. The adrenaline of trying to rescue his brother suppressed the pain until now.

  “Whoa!” “Junior brother, why don’t you let this handsome senior brother give you some help?” Fang Longwei said, smiling.

  Before Kong Ming could answer, Fang Longwei had already thrown him on his back and carried him across the courtyard.

  “Brother Ming”. Gu Bi approached with slight concern in his voice.

  “Where’s big sister Xing Cai?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Kong Ming suddenly remembered asking her to build a formation, but the demon beast suddenly retreated…

  “I..I don’t know.”

  He thought of the drunk servant who served her father; was she forced to go back to her family? He thought inwardly.

  Gu Bi shrugged, “Maybe she went back to her family?” “It's strange she didn’t say goodbye.”

  “I’m sure she will show up again later, whether I want her to or not. Kong Ming smiled wryly.

  Fang Longwei carried him towards the seating area.

  Being carried on Fang Longwei’s back reminded him of the times he was carried by his brother, using a leather harness.

  In that moment, Kong Ming's heart momentarily spiraled into darkness at that thought, and the feelings of helplessness he felt as a cripple resurfaced, causing the hair on his neck to rise.

  “I won’t ever become a cripple again!” He vowed inwardly.

  Due to Gu Bi’s initial reaction, Kong Tian had not noticed Kong Ming’s injured condition.

  “Ming!” “Are you alright?”

  Kong Ming looked at his brother with annoyance and relief.

  “Tian, can you ever go more than a day without being thrust into danger?!”

  Kong Tian rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.

  Kong Ming shook his head and sighed.

  There was a brief moment of silence.

  Kong Tian cleared his throat.

  “How about we sit in the central quarters and talk? A lot has happened, and we should plan our next steps.”

  The others present all nodded.

  Kong Ming glanced at the young black-furred, silver-striped winged tiger. It gave him an ominous yet familiar feeling. For a heartbeat, silver flickered in the beast’s eyes, and in his own.

  He decided to ask about the beast later.

  Kong Tian and steward Gu led the conversation, explaining what had transpired, including that the sacred beast is responsible for the beast horde.

  As the group's meeting continued, footsteps approached the brothers' old courtyard.

  Everyone was surprised and turned to look with suspicion as the footsteps approached.

  Besides Steward Gu and Lady Chan-Chan, who knew who was approaching using their divine senses.

  In fact.

  They noticed several figures observing this courtyard from the shadows, but decided not to take any action.

  Suddenly, the old door slid open, and in stepped Fang Duan, the head instructor of Iron Root Martial School and Fang Longwei’s father.

  “Took you long enough to get here, old man.” Fang Longwei, upon seeing his father, gave his dad a carefree smile.

  Fang Duan sighed, his eyes sunken from exhaustion.

  “I had some matters regarding the cleanup to take care of. You guys should attend the town meeting in the morning.”

  He glanced over to Steward Gu and Lady Chan-Chan. He bowed, cupping his hands respectfully.

  “I didn’t expect seniors to be here as well.”

  Ever since seeing Lady Chan-Chan rescue Kong Tian.

  While flying above the spectators' camp, Fang Duan felt something he had rarely felt in years.

  That was unbridled respect for the powerful.

  Especially the young miss, eating sweets silently in the corner, possessed such unfathomable cultivation despite her appearance as an 18-year-old.

  “There are truly Mountains above Mountains, and Heavens above Heavens,” he sighed inwardly.

  He felt that the 45 years of life he had lived as a genius of his generation were truly laughable.

  Instructor Fang Duan sat next to his son, cross-legged, and said, “We know the Chen Clan was responsible for the wolf attack during the exam.”

  “Due to the current crisis of the demon beast horde, I didn’t press the matter.”

  “When there’s a high-profile offense verified at this level, we need to unite the other clans to cause the Chen Clan to pay a proper price for their actions. He said, fist clenched.”

  “These bastards abuse the power as they wish and never have to be accountable for their actions. There have been countless rumors of the Fang Clans' younger generation kidnapping mortal women and bullying others. But the influence of the 3 great clans controls the town with an iron fist.”

  “I’m not going to pretend I’m this righteous person either, though I never committed such vile acts.“

  “But…I turned a blind eye to it.”

  “That is, until these villains laid eyes on my wife, and turned their blade towards my son.”

  But this time it's different!

  Fang Duan turned to the steward Gu and Chan-Chan.

  “Seniors, with your strength, you can seek justice for those who suffered under the schemes of the great families.”

  “They wouldn’t dare go against you, unless they’re seeking death.”

  Lady Chan-Chan innocently said, “If they’re bad people, I don’t mind making all their heads explode.”

  Fang Duan's mouth twitched at the young lady’s surprising response.

  Chan-Chan, with a mouth partially stuffed with sweets, looked at Steward Gu, seeking his thoughts.

  Steward Gu sighed, “Young miss, have you forgotten?”

  “If we exercise excessive strength in the lower heavens, we will be punished by the Heavenly Law.”

  Steward Gu revealed his wrist, and on it was a small glowing symbol.

  It crackled faintly; a pinprick sting ran up his wrist, as if the sky itself was agitated.

  “I understand the young fellows' situation, but anyone with a cultivation above the peak of Spirit Master risks heavenly retribution when acting in the lower heavens.”

  “The Master of Heaven created this law to prevent people of higher realms from descending to lower realms and causing massacres.”

  “Even if we don’t use our full strength, we risk being struck by tribulation lightning if we behave carelessly in the lower heavens.”

  “Oh, right.” Lady Chan-Chan suddenly remembered after hearing Steward Gu’s words.

  “Why must the heavenly Law always make things so difficult?”

  She huffed.

  As a restrained young miss of a powerful clan, she always hated the shackles of rules.

  Anything that prohibited her from having fun and exploring was her enemy.

  She’d often forget the rules shortly after being told them.

  Steward Gu’s lips twitched slightly.

  “Do you remember that time I saved you and your brother from those despicable Yuan brothers?”

  The brothers nodded.

  “I didn’t kill them because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t.”

  “Even if I suppress my cultivation, if I kill natives of the lower heaven, the heavenly law might decide it wasn’t just and strike me with tribulation lightning.” Steward Gu said, stroking his beard.”

  He glanced at the symbol again; it pulsed once, as if in warning.

  Everyone present was shocked; they never expected they would come from such an unfathomable place.

  “Native cultivators can’t leave the 7th heaven unless they achieve two conditions.” Steward Gu said raise up 2 fingers.

  1st. “They need to reach the 9th stage of Spirit Master.”

  2nd. “Pass the Realm Master’s trial.”

  “My brother and I can handle the Chen clan ourselves,” said Kong Ming.

  He hasn’t said a word this whole time since the meeting began.

  “No offense, junior brother, but the strength and connections the Chen Clan has aren’t something two brothers with no backing can handle.” Fang Longwei said, with a concerned expression.

  Kong Ming nodded.

  “That is true, we would be no different than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.”

  Kong Ming’s Eyes gleamed with killing intent.

  “But I’m not the same naive cripple I was before, I’ve experienced human nature greatly, and understand some minor truths about the insatiable cruelty of this world.”

  Kong Ming said with cold clarity.

  “A mantis can’t stop a chariot, but a bamboo bug, left in plain sight, can collapse a house from within.”

  “That’s why, in order for me to take revenge on the great families, we’re going to join them.”

  “Since these troubles stem from their fear of my brother's talent…”

  “Why not reap the benefits of his talent, since we’re already paying the costs?” He said in a mischievous tone.

  ”That’s dangerous!” Fang Duan shouted.

  “Who's to say the Chen Clan won’t kill you the first chance they get, to silence the witnesses?”

  Kong Ming. Pointed his finger at himself.

  “That’s why it’s important they believe they have my brother under their control.”

  “These families' weaknesses are their greed.”

  “Besides the Bai Clan, the rest are too arrogant to take precautions.”

  “I’m going to poison myself, and Big Brother Tian is going to submit to the Chen Clan in exchange for their alchemy resources and medicinal experts to cure me.”

  “I’ll take the Nine Moons Yin Lotus.”

  “It's an uncommon poison I learned from the Ancient Medicinal Refinement Record.”

  “It will be a slow-acting, diagnosable toxin, stabilizable only with periodic pills that the Chen Clan alchemists are experts at making.”

  “The full cure requires a reagent or a 4-leaf yang leaf that they do not possess, whose whereabouts only I know. If they refuse us, we pivot to Bai or Fang; let greed do our culling for us.”

  ”Along with my broken leg, my brother's desperation will be easier to sell.”

  “Once they believe they have golden chains on the young dragon, it will feel too wasteful to kill it.”

  Steward Gu’s eyes widened.

  “The older brother's dormant bloodline had always made me evaluate him highly.”

  “But this younger one…” He hesitated, his thoughts spun rapidly, as he glanced at the silver-eyed youth.

  Everyone was shocked into silence at Kong Ming’s words.

  “What about Chen Kai?” Kong Tian asked.

  Kong Ming pondered, “he did call out his clan's schemes, so I should do what I can to aid him. I can’t make a plan to help him until I have a better understanding of his position in the clan.”

  The group wallowed in contemplation of the youth’s words. Sounds of the fireplace burning in the courtyard can be heard, prickling the silent blanket that landed.

  “Ok!” Fang Duan said.

  “Give me the details of your plan and I’ll play my part, but if things go bad, and one of my students is in danger, I won’t hesitate to give that Chen bastard a good punch to the face.”

  Fang Duan clenched his fist.

  The brothers nodded in gratitude.

  “Let’s assume you successfully enter the Chen Clan. What would be your goal from there?” Fang Duan said, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

  Kong Ming looked at the group with a gaze that shouldn’t belong to a 12-year-old.

  An aura of hatred and bloodlust leaked from his eyes.

  “My uncle and brother are all I have.”

  “And in the past 4 months, I’ve experienced 5 different incidents where my brother was almost killed.”

  “If this is the nature of the outside world, then I’m no longer going to be the branch that folds to the wind.”

  “I will become the wind itself!”

  Kong Tian stood up, “Ming’er, I don’t mind being hurt to keep you..”

  “I DO MIND!” Kong Ming interrupted.

  “You always throw yourself in danger, but have you ever thought about how I would react if you don’t survive?”

  The room fell silent.

  “I understand you have a sturdy body, and helping others gives you purpose, but just this once, let me save you!”

  Kong Tian sat back down.

  “…Alright. Then let me play my part while you set the board.”

  Kong Tian noticed that his brother had changed so much since he had experienced the outside world.

  “Weather its the cruelty of the townsfolk, being mocked at the martial school exams, and being kidnapped by the Yuan brothers, he must not have lost his patience with the circumstances they had been in.”

  Kong Tian sighed inwardly. From this line of thought.

  He looked at the anger in his brother's eyes as he spoke about his plan. And felt guilty.

  “I wished that I could have protected my brother's innocence a bit longer, but now all I see is a young man hardened by the reality of blood and death.”

  Kong Tian thought inwardly.

  Kong Tian sighed and looked at the dark night sky, as if reflecting the darkness he feels slumbering deep within his brother.

  “Uncle Lao, you always knew what to say to Ming during times like this.”

  _________

  There was a pensive atmosphere.

  Kong Ming grabbed a clump of dirt.

  “We all understand that strength is everything in this world, but I now understand that I have my own way of showing strength.”

  “Let the Chen Clan have this momentary victory.”

  “I’m ready to give…”

  “But when I’m ready to take…”

  Kong Ming tightened his fist, crushing a clump of dirt into dust.

  “We will see if these greedy families….can truly afford it.”

  _______

  In an alleyway in Iron Root Town,

  A shiny pink shoe on the floor reflected the moonlight of that ominous night.

  …Brother Ming…..

  Thank you all for reading and being on this journey for the first 20 chapters. I hope you've noticed the improvements in my writing since chapter one, but if you want to help me create the best story possible, please leave comments, reviews, or responses on my YouTube channel so I can be aware of my blind spots as a writer. Thank you again. I know haven't been consistent as I wanted to due to family illness. I had to drop everything and show support for my loved ones, but now things are a bit more stable, so you can expect consistent chapters once again!

  Ideally, I want to be on a 2-chapter-per-week schedule.