Master of Dark, Master of Light

scream in the night

Wei Ying had been living on his own for a good 7 years before Wen Ning came into the picture. His parents having died at 6 years old, his cultivation teacher having abandoned him at 8 years old, he had been alone for quite a bit. Sometimes he would wander to different sects, and meander through their villages, but he had stopped doing that after the village kids often sent their dogs after him watching with dark smiles as they bit him making him cry and bleed. Horrible things, dogs were. He hated them, and would never stop hating the for as long as he lived. They were akin to the worst of evil creatures in his mind, and for good reason. The village kid's dogs were gigantic, about half the size of an adult! At least, he assumed it was the village kid's dogs. Perhaps they were just wild ones, feral, but Wei Ying could not believe that they would allow such vicious creatures to be around the children unless they controlled them. So when he had been about ten or so, he stopped going in the villages. It had been the best decision, and he had not seen an evil dog in a while, thank the gods. Now, he sort of just lived in the forested area within the Gusulan sect. The Gusulan sect was where his parents had been murdered, it had also been the sect where the place they had been going to was in.

Wei Ying could not tell you why he stayed primarily within the Gusulan sect. Perhaps it was because he was hoping to find that rogue cultivator who had dared kill his parents, left him alone, homeless, and a terrible orphan, or maybe it was something else. Some sort of....abidance by the last request of his parents to find this Lan, of course, he did not really catch the name, and it had been so long he doubted he would remember either way. Perhaps it was more than just that. He could not tell you.

He had lived in a different sect for a few months. He had been taken from Yiling, where he had been wandering at the time. Quick stop like thing. Lived with a person who had said that he and his father had been good friends, and that his mother had been his sister. He had an impression that perhaps the man had been lying. People do, quite often after all. Then again, Wei Ying had left soon after for many reasons not just one. The main being he was disturbing the household. That Madam Yu had told him so many times and often accompanied with horrible punishments, and Wei Ying, being both young and impressionable, left without hesitation some months later. It had become a bit too much for him to deal with, and on the streets even if he was hungry and cold and tired, at least he was not in constant pain, both physically and mentally. He was alone and only disturbing himself, and maybe a few locals sometimes. It probably also helped that their son, a Jien or Jiang or something Cheng had mercilessly picked on him several times. He knew when he wasn't wanted, so he had left. No regrets about it either. Constantly being blamed for things he didn't do, being tormented both in the village and in the house had taken its toll.

Still, he returned to the Gusulan sect after that. Instead of living in a village, however, despite the fact that Gusulan sect villagers had never been ruthlessly unkind to him, he stayed up in the forested area. One could say he was a bit too anxious to risk loosing whatever little grace he had been given. Sure, it was not too well sheltered, and often times he was extremely cold, but he got used to it. It was nice. A good place to meditate when Chen Qing had collected too much of his negative emotions, which unfortunately happened quite often. Even after he met Wen Ning, despite he other's great help, his emotions were not exactly the best...controlled, and as such it often caused much fluctuations.

Chen Qing was a flute, though Wei Ying was not entirely certain what it was made from, or out of, it was a beautiful flute. Well crafted, with intricate designs, Wei Ying had found it not too long after he had left the place where madam Yu and the others were. He had ventured aimlessly trying to find a way out of the Lotus Pier, and he had. He had proceeded to go back to Yiling, got somewhat lost, and entered a place...he...he did not know where it was, or what it was, and he could not say that he was quite...joyful about it either. The entire place was terrifying. Either way he had found Cheng  Qing during that time, and now he carried it with him.  He didn't know how to play so he never really used it, however.

At least, that was at the time. A year ago, he had tried for the first time. After sneaking into the village several times to practice with their bamboo flutes, he had managed to actually learn. It was hard, and an arduous process, but he managed it well. After several months of stubborn determination, he learned well enough to feel confident to play it on Chen Qing. So he had. And that was when Wen Ning had showed up. For the first time in a long time, he was not alone.

Wei Ying liked to say Wen Ning was a brother, a friend, and a mentor all in one. The other had done so much for him. Protected him from potential vicious rabid beasts called dogs. He had taught him sword fighting, archery, and some hand to hand combat. He had even taught him history of the cultivators. Explained to Wei Ying what they were, how they came to be, and the rules surrounding them. He knew so much more a year later than he had ever known. Wen Ning had also explained what Chen Qing was. A tool, often used for demonic cultivation. When Wei Ying had asked what that was, the other had dutifully collected books, scrolls, and other things, and Wei Ying slowly, but steadily learned more about the cultivation world than most others ever knew. With Wen Ning's aid, Wei Ying had become an unstoppable force. There was one thing Wen Ning had never managed to change. His personality. Wei Ying was a mischievous, light hearted, talented, craft, highly intelligent, careful, and sometimes childish individual. Always would be if you asked Wen Ning. It was obvious in the fact that, even though Wei Ying practiced demonic arts, he never once fell victim to them. The demonic cultivation practice had little sway over him, contrary to many other individuals. Wei Ying, even if he did not know it, had managed to master an art form which had never been mastered before. He had even changed it a bit. The other was incredible. Even in him, a Fierce Corpse, he grew stronger, but not by the normal means, feeding off anger and hatred, but by feeding off the positive emotions which Wei Ying seemed to produce out of thin air. Sure, he also fed off the other's dark emotions as well, so did Chen Qing, but Wei Ying was not held captive by his dark emotions like many before him.
That was a year ago, a year later, Wei Ying was incredibly powerful. If he had gone through actual cultivation ranks, he would be outstandingly high up on the score. Wei Ying was a mystery. He connected to things, and severed his connection to things. He could be kind and compassionate but at the same time merciless and cruel.

This was why, Wei Ying nor Wen Ning were surprised later on when Wei Ying heard the other's scream of shock and a bit of fear. Anger flooded Wen Ning, and Wei Ying felt it.
Snapping his eyes open from the previously already restless sleep. Wei Ying took no hesitation in racing out of the forest and down the hill towards the village, where Wen Ning was.