Overthrowing Fate

Chapter 3 - Escape

Sitting on the cold hard ground, Xu Min stared at his sister as she laid in his arms. He then hugged her with all his might, holding her close, not wishing to let her go.

His mind became a mess, since memories of their life together flooded in. He kept replaying the scene from this morning, when he saw his sister the last time, over and over again. A gaping wound appeared in his heart as though it had been ripped out from his body.

No matter how many times Xu Min called out for his sister, nothing happened. Her eyes did not miraculously open. She did not call his name back in response. Her entire body was limp in his arms, making him realize that she would never move again.

Her body had not caught on fire, but the smoke in the cabin made it impossible for her to breathe. In the end, she collapsed onto the ground and succumbed to the smoke which choked her.

Although Xu Min managed to drag her out just in time before the house burned down, he was not fast enough to prevent her death. Even though he applied every last bit of the limited amount of first aid that he knew, nothing changed. She wouldn't wake up.

He realized that everything that he could have done to try to save his sister would be futile. His heart burned with the pain of this searing loss. The world, previously filled with colors and happiness, turned dark and bleak before his sight faded away. Xu Min closed his eyes as he yelled out in pain.

"Big sister," Xu Min sobbed and gently laid her down. He looked around at all the adults who had arrived, cursing them under his breath for just standing there with dumb expressions on their faces and not assisting him earlier.

All of them had long since given up trying to save the small shack from the raging fire. Instead, they all gathered around Xu Min and Xu Wu. A mix of sadness and compassion could be seen in their eyes as they shook their heads in regret.

While he looked at everyone just standing there, anger sprouted in Xu Min's heart, because he simply wished to be left alone with his sister. Why did the fire have to happen to them? He cursed before a sudden thought entered his mind, making him clutch Xu Wu even more tightly than he had before.

"Let her go." A familiar voice sounded from behind him,interrupting Xu Min's thoughts, making him turn around. Hope sprang to life as he saw Overseer Tian striding towards him. Perhaps he knew some sort of martial arts which could bring a dead person to life once more. She had, after all, not been dead for long. A slight smile appeared on Xu Min's tearstained face, but it was a smile of madness.

"It'll be okay sis!" Xu Min said to the lifeless body in his arms. "Overseer Tian can help you." The words of Xu Min were like bolts of lightning to everyone who stood around him, and looks of pity were directed at the poor boy who was still in denial.

Upon hearing the words spoken by Xu Min, a tremor ran through the body of Overseer Tian and a sad expression became visible in his eyes. The older man kneeled down next to Xu Min and his large arms gently held the smaller boy by the shoulders, shaking him lightly.

"Pull yourself together, Xu Min!" he said with a harsh voice, "Tell us what happened here!"

Overseer Tian had known Xu Min for years and he obviously knew Xu Wu. Xu Wu was smart, and although she had never cultivated, she was still considered fairly strong. For her to be unable to leave a burning shack, something definitely had to be out of the ordinary.

"The door was blocked!" Xu Min suddenly said, his voice filled with certainty. How could he have not realised it before? Someone blocked the door before the fire started. It had to be, how else could a conscious Xu Wu succumb to the fire?

Thinking things through, an anger unlike anything he had ever felt before suddenly burned within Xu Min's gut as his eyes landed upon the frightened young master and his entourage, who were standing on the side of the crowd.