An Immortal Love

Confrontation

Everyone around Yijun is bustling in excitement. He can't see much of the town square as silk sleeves keep swinging in front of his face. All round him, masters call for their servants.

Dread sinks heavy down onto the pit of his stomach as he sees the townspeople has no idea of what they're up against. Yet he can't voice it out as he should, as the air is overwhelmed with the sound of blacksmiths hammering out swords, armorers fitting the warriors with gear, and healers brewing potions to aid in the battle.

The guards around him cheer them on and one of them elbows him.

"Don't look so glum," the guard cajoles. "Our Jie kingdom is built as a kingdom for enlightened human warriors. We have no deity to serve when we have King Jie. King Jie has slain many enlightened beasts and ingested their cores so he is above any Beast."

The guard then tells him the story of Jie Kingdom. The kingdom was formerly a village until King Jie was born. He grew into a formidable warrior so he slew their village deity and ate its core. There, he gathered his own retinue to make war with Enlightened Beasts around them and won. He then built his kingdom to train warriors strong enough to hunt. Then, he sent his servants to ask villages about Enlightened Beasts they encounter and bring their knowledge back. He also fostered learning about Enlightened Beasts and other spiritual matters and regularly sends treasure hunters to hunt for spiritual plants and artifacts. A hundred years later and Jie kingdom indeed become a shining example of humanity's progress to the heavens.

"So don't worry too much about dealing with a flood dragon. They're just another Tuesday with us," the guard concludes. Then his eyes become cold as he looks at him. "Or are you looking down on us?"

"I don't dare, I don't dare," Yijun immediately replies. He don't dare but the one they'd be facing is not any sort of flood dragon but the apocalypse dragon himself. There's no use convincing the guards about the danger they're in so he turns his eyes on the center of the town square where King Jie is standing.

Around him stands a group of seasoned hunters, clad in leather and steel, their faces lit with anticipation. Their stances look formidable.

"My good people,", King Jie intones to the crowd, "today the heavens bless us a quest that will test our courage and strength. A flood dragon plagues our land and it falls upon us to rid our kingdom of this beast once and for all. A priceless bounty we will get from its body and with its death, humanity shall step into the heavens!"

The people cheers, warriors and non-combatants alike while Yijun can only watch in dismay.

King Jie points his sword at his direction. Yijun sees the crowd parting then the guard behind him pushes him forward. He stumbles then regain his footing as he walk towards King Jie. He sees the craning heads, the asking stares and the pitying looks.

You shouldn't pity me, pity yourselves, he wants to scream.

He reaches King Jie who pulls him up the platform. "This stranger risks his life to warn us of our bounty. This day, we shall pay him tenfold. He shall see the might of our warriors. Wives, Mothers, Daughters, dress yourselves in your best, prepare your most delicious dishes for we shall return in victory tonight!"

A horse is brought for King Jie. As it trots towards us, its coat shimmers under the sun like ebony. Each sinew and muscle ripples beneath its sleek hide, a living proof to the countless hours of training and conditioning it has undergone in preparation for the battlefield.

When it reaches King Jie, it tosses its proud head. King Jie mounts it and with a shout, orders his retinue to go. Yijun suddenly feels weightless then his stomach hits bone as someone slung him over their shoulder. He could only grunt, as he is being constantly winded by his carrier's jogging. Behind him, he sees a trail of people running after us, looking as if they never tire, their legs never slowing down in their steps.