THE PATH: CHAPTER 4
Copious piles of snow had formed along the walls of the western entrance. The rampant footsteps of the civilians appeared to have silenced, at least momentarily. However, Ru-Jing’s body had fatigued, and recuperating his energy was becoming urgent. Beyond the stairs, the giant serpent had already begun to disperse, and the earth-shattering strikes had settled.
Suddenly, something began to stir beneath the pit of snakes. It was the young man. Precisely his vessel. The possession of the corpse was coming from somewhere. Somewhere in the palace. But who was controlling them?
The young man's resistance became strong under Ru-Jing’s shackling spell, but the matter ended swiftly. He raised his hand and mentally commanded.
”Pierce.”
The snakes apprehending the young man stopped slithering and began shifting their form. It was a swift maneuver, but in the slight moment of the snake’s transformation, the man’s body could be seen through the gaps between the pit. Within that moment, an attempt to lunge forward had been denied immediately. The agitated man was suddenly transfixed onto the ground when the snakes were sucked into the man's body but had twisted into a series of large needles. It was only when all four limbs, three-hundred and sixty joints, seventy-eight organs and seven orifices had been impaled, did he truly succumbed to death.
The snow was soaked in polluted scarlet, and the needles skewed deep inside the man’s flesh began to disperse into the air, quickly fading into black wispy particles. Ru-Jing let out a long sigh as his flexed hand finally relaxed, but his heart began to race at the sound of a gathered groaning. He turned to face the civilians stumbling over the last steps of the staircase. Their eyes caught sight of the lonesome man guarding the west gate. Ru-Jing stepped back towards the gate. Fighting them all was futile now. But something strange occurred. Just as the civilians prepared to charge forth, their movements came to a sudden halt.
All at once the disfigured civilians stood motionless like stone statues. As if a flicker of time commanded the world to become petrified in an eternal painting. The falling snow began to pile on top of their bodies, coating them in sugary white.
Ru-Jing commanded Bi-Feng to return to him. When the brush reappeared, it swiftly dispersed into a veil of everlasting ink and hung over Ru-Jing's body, returning into a pristine robe. He let out another heavy breath when he felt his strength slowly return to him, and as he looked upon the frozen crowd, he soon realized that the ruthless spell had stopped.
The sound of footsteps came to stillness, not a single muscle twitch or a single bone cracked. The stillness brought upon a deathly silence. As if time repeated itself, another explosion erupted inside the palace. The sensation of crumpling earth trembled chaotically beneath Ru-Jing’s feet. Strangely, this time the explosion seemed as though it was the tremors of a strong impact, rather than a shocking detonation.
It didn't stop. The explosions continued to come quickly one after the other, sending more waves of earth-shaking sensations towards Ru-Jing. His blood ran cold and a sense of anxiety crept into his mind. He turned and raced towards the gate and entered the Scripture Palace. If only he knew sooner. Perhaps he wouldn't have sent Chen-Chen to find the disciples alone. If only he had thought harder, then perhaps he would have formalized a more prudent course of action. At that moment Ru-Jing understood he had already been outwitted by the enemy.
This was no longer a battle against invaders. But an internal gamble between combat and strategy. Whoever the enemy was, they had taken warfare as a way of deception. There were only two entrances into the Scripture Palace, and somehow both sides of the mountain peak were overrun by disaster. There was no way to leave Mount Hua. If no one could go either through or under the mountain, then they would now have to fight their way off it. But understanding combat is to understand the enemy and to understand oneself. To understand both, one could conquer countless battles with hazards. Although Ru-Jing understood his own potential in his martial ability, he was ignorant of the mastermind behind the attacks. His chances of defeat or victory now stood on equal ground.
He had to come up with a plan. It had to be quick. Since time was not slipping away at every breath. His disciples could all be perishing just as quickly. Any decision he made was now a game of Go, for every move was changing the outcome.
1* 兵者，诡道也 /bīng zhě, guǐ dào yě: "Warfare is the way of deception." The original quote is by Sun Tzu who emphasizes the importance of strategy and cunning in warfare, suggesting that deception and misdirection are essential tools for achieving victory on the battlefield.
2* 知己知彼，百战不殆/ zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài:
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