A LOTUS BORN OF MUD

Prologue - Farewell

  WARNING - mentions some dark themes e.g. abuse

Modern day

  Lu BiMing limped out of the house as quietly as he could. covered by the shadows of night he silently felt around the walls until he was out. Looking back over his shoulder he could almost still hear the rugged breathing of the shitty old uncle who called himself his guardian.

  When he was born his biological mother had died of child birth and it seemed there was no man who stepped up to be his father. Thus he was thrown into foster care as a bare bottomed baby. He grew up lanky, all skins and bones only ever having just enough to eat but still being hungry. And with the amount of bullies that stole his food everyday, that was even less. When he was 7,an old lady wrinkled like the big oak tree in the garden came and chose to take him into her care. In the car on the way to his new home he was ecstatic, his feet swung in little arches and a the pure, bright smile of a child lit up his face. 

  His heart beat made his cheeks flush as he wondered what to call the old lady. Granny? Nana? Aunty? Whilst his thoughts took him on a delightful journey he did not notice the car pull into a dark neighbourhood. the streets were silent and all building were a plain grey, rubbish littered the floor along with a beer bottle or two. Or five or ten.

  When the granny, he had settled on calling her granny, stopped the car and opened the door for him, he hopped out and looked around, unfortunately due to all the excitement there seemed to be a beauty filter in his eyes. To him the houses looked as if they were made out of grey Popsicle and the bottles rolling on the floor looked like rolling puppies. He grabbed granny's hand and smiled sweetly up at her.

  The granny looked at the little one and sighed in her heart. She felt sorry for what she was about to do but hardened her heart and pulled the little one into the house closest to them. As they stood in the hallway granny finally spoke, "little one, what is your name?"

  BiMing scrunched his eyebrows at the stench inside the house, it smelt acidic and putrid but at granny's voice he smiled and said, "BiMing, I'm called BiMing...but I don't have  a surname because I haven't had a family before!"

  "Well then, this will be my parting gift, let your surname be Lu, Lu BiMing, the road as clear as jade. Saves you from inheriting this man's name." BiMing clapped his hands at the sound of his newly found surname but then tilt his head in confusion. Parting gift?

  A jostling sounded from down the hall and the granny looked up from the child and sighed. "Farewell Lu BiMing." And with that she opened the door again and left the child alone.

  BiMing was in a state of confusion still when he heard the jostling get louder, he turned his head and looked down the hallway to see a figure appear. The figure came closer and closer until he loomed over the child, swaying from side to side as he walked and the closer he came, the  stronger the stench. But BiMing remained a straight face, remembering that first impressions mattered.

 "That fucking old slag brought me this? I asked for a stay in cleaner and she got you? You must've been free of charge... where'd you come from?"

  BiMing frowned at the familiar sounding words used often in the playground. "I'm from the South Xiang orphanage... sir."

  The man tossed his bottle on the floor and it splintered in all directions, causing BiMing to jump. "Tch, an orphanage huh, useless! So you probably don't even know how to clean! She should've at least brought a girl that I can sell..."

  BiMing listened to those harsh words and although he still had a faint smile, it wasn't nearly as merry as it was before.

  "I'll only say this once. You have no where else to go so you'll have to stay, and to earn your keep,you clean up after me, no questions asked. You do anything wrong then it's no dinner and a beating. You'll only address me as sir. Now what are you waiting for, clean up!" And with that the man turned and stumbled back. Leaving the small child by him self. BiMing told himself that it'll get better, but it didn't. Day after day, moth after  month and year after year of sleepless nights, hungry stomachs and bruised bones taught him that. The house was his living hell.

  The older BiMing spat at the house. "Pei, you good for nothing old twat. Did you think that I'd stay forever? When I settle down I will personally build a shrine for you filled with curses and chicken balls, just wait and see!" Then he turned and stormed off in the city's direction. As he passed by shop windows he caught glances of him self, haggard looking, oversized jeans and jacket, a head of messy, cheek length bed hair and tired eyes. He really needed to look sharper than this if he were  to look for work.

  He mindlessly walked for half the night before he realised he must have veered off onto the wrong road as his surroundings had become filled with vegetation. He cursed and started back tracking till he came to an old bridge.

  "Hei, *LaoZi's memory must be damaged from all the fresh air, I don't remember this bridge?" He pondered for a while before thinking oh well, a night filled with adventure will be a good night. Little did he know that the old and decayed bridge would crumble under a persons weight and fall into the vast lake beneath.

(LaoZi is a term used to describe himself as wise and older. Translating to, old me.)

  BiMing shouted and screamed for a mere few seconds before submerging. He choked and gurgled, water filling his lungs at the speed of light. He cursed himself for always being to scared to learn how to swim, and his last thoughts were that he still hadn't created a shrine out of chicken balls to curse the twat yet...

  As the last life force trickled out of his eyes, he vaguely saw the figure of another in the water. It seemed they were wearing light blue robes as it floated around them. Ah, is this double suicide or double murder... he thought. Before dying.

*Jiang Hu

(Jiang Hu is the commonly used world in which martial arts and cultivation exist in)

  Looking over the bridge at the midnight reflection was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He stood with a straight back, wearing robes of light blue displaying elegance. His hair was long and sleek, blending into the darkness of the night, his nose straight showing that he had good fortunes and also straight but slanted eyebrows giving him an air or arrogance. Elongated eyes stared at the water with hatred. He clasped a ink brush in his hands, the fine hairs of this weapon as white as the moon. With one glance you could tell that he was a master, and with such a great weapon he must have been an ascending immortal too.

  The man stared for a while before preparing to leave when suddenly a pair of hands shot out of no where and shoved him. The mans initial shock was that he could not sense the presence of the attacker but then a greater fear claimed his heart as he hit the water. In the water his spiritual energy amounted to nothing, his years of knowledge gone in a flash, nothing but fear remained. He flailed desperately to raise to the surface to no avail, he only sunk lower and lower and lower until on his last breath, when the last bubbles of air escaped from his lungs did he open his eyes and see a distorted figure above the water. There one second,  gone in the next.

  With his last breath exhausted, he died.

.......................................................................................................................................................

A/N- phew, I haven't even finished my other novel and I'm starting on this one... sorry guys, but hey, I'M WAY TOO EAGER! hahaha, thanks for anyone who's reading this ;) Comment to let me know your thoughts *^*/