Heaven's Gifted Genius 天赐奇才

Extra chapter - Masters in the Snow (I)

HAAP!

The man in front of me roared as two fists flew forward to meet my single palm.

White robes emblazoned with the markings "Soaring Moon sect" fluttered in the snowstorm, while mine, like a deep abyss, created a black oasis in the endless white. We stared at each other for a while, as the cold penetrated our bodies, but the fervent warmth of our internal energy spread out from within our cores to battle the frost. It constantly wore us down.

"Fei Jiang, today's battle marks the 945th draw! Let's head back for today." I called. I figured it was barely audible due to the howling winds, but Fei Jiang soon gave me confirmation.

...

We walked in near silence. Fei Jiang kept his head high as he pointed his gaze forward. After 945 battles, it seemed like his will had yet to be crushed. He maintained the hope that he would be able to leave here, to be able to return to his homeland and see the sun in the sky. Here, it seemed that even the sky was made of ice and frost.

"Thi En Tran, if I ever do leave here, if I ever get to see my fellow junior brothers and sisters again, rest assured that I will earnestly take care of your Heavenly Demon Palace!" Fei Jiang spoke belligerently.

Wow, so hostile.

"That goes both ways, Fei Jiang." I replied. His empty threats held no weight. Though who would have guessed that the revered sect master of the Soaring Moon sect would have such a sharp tongue?

We walked for an hour, the traces of our passage erased in the blizzard. For each passing day Fei Jiang and I fought, it felt like my body grew slower, and my mind grew duller. It wasn't surprising that spending so much time here would take a toll, especially because of 'that'. I watched Fei Jiang's expression brighten slightly at the sight of our cave home.

"At last, today's battle is over!"

We both entered through the open mouth of the cave, although there was nothing to seal the entrance, the warmth emanating from within created a kind of blanket that washed over us both. Fei Jiang quickly rushed over to a couch fashioned from boulders and the pelt of a white wolf. His fatigue seemed to leave him as he sunk into the couch, although boulders of course weren't very soft, so he didn't sink that far. I moved to sit on the chair opposite to him. Being previous enemies meant opposition, and neither he nor I would ever consider sitting on the same side.

When we were first transported, we each had two armies in the infinite expanse of snow, but since then there were only corpses left behind, creating brief moments of grey amongst the white. The conflict that ensued back then was nothing more than mutually assured destruction.

For that reason, I could never forgive Fei Jiang.

Fei Jiang looked up at me and sighed, then stared at the distance. "You know it don't you, Thi En Tran, that our time here will soon be cut short."

He wasn't wrong. Soon death will come for both of us.

"It's cold isn't it? If it wasn't for this sinister frost qi, like a poison through our meridians, we wouldn't be stuck in this cave." I said. "We would have found a way out."

Cold air swirled into the cavernous lounge, but Fei Jiang and I didn't care at that point. Either we find a way out, or be frozen for all of eternity to watch time pass behind our lifeless eyes.

"Cultivators don't need to eat, but I sure do miss the taste of food!" Fei Jiang laughed heartily.

"Yeah."

I didn't share his enthusiasm.

This fleeting distraction didn't help the emptiness that welled up inside of me, the emptiness that couldn't be filled up by pork buns or dumplings. It was the feeling that now, I would starve and thirst for things beyond food and water, and that I would ultimately drown in this frozen hell.