THE PATH: CHAPTER 6
In the crucible of time, Chen-Chen labored through years of relentless practice and faced a plethora of failures that cast shadows of self-doubt upon his journey. The culmination of this arduous odyssey arrived with a triumphant breakthrough, as he, at long last, cast the Mind Manifestation for the inaugural time. A virtuoso painter of exceptional prowess, Chen-Chen clung steadfastly to traditional implements—silken scrolls and delicate paintbrushes—as conduits for the mystical technique, in stark contrast to the mastery of his master's lofty execution of the Inkstrike.
Under the sagacious guidance of Lord Ru-Jing, the pursuit of mastery in the Inkstrike technique unfolded as a spiritual quest, demanding the devotees to fortify their eyes and elevate ocular perception. The eyes, revered as the gateway to the ethereal landscapes of the mind, beckoned the aspirant to embark on the foundational pilgrimage to attain The eyes of Rupa. Through the challenges of rigorous training, the practitioner forged an acuity to scrutinize the essence, form, and proportion of all things, unraveling the innate matter and elements concealed within the fabric of existence.
With this cultivated perceptual attainment, practitioners, exemplified by the brush-wielding virtuoso Chen-Chen, could wield the Inkstrike through the tapestry of visual imagery crafted in paintings, drawings, or the evocative strokes of written characters. However, this arcane art had its constraints; the creation of tangible illusions secured reliance on externalities or specialized tools. Absence of a scroll or brush, the practitioner found their eyes bereft of the necessary conduits, resulting in the despairing failure to give life to ink-clad entities.
In a fleeting moment of trepidation, Chen-Chen's eyes beheld the fractured visage of a lion statue, and in those ephemeral seconds, he absorbed its physical intricacies. With neither brush nor scroll at his disposal, he invoked a magnificent stone lion, a testament to his acute sensibility to detail and scrupulous observation under the crucible of extreme conditions. The ethereal strands of black threads wove intricate patterns, transforming into thicker fibers resembling sinuous ribbons. These ribbons of ink coalesced into voluminous droplets, expanding in size. The stone lion, adorned with massive paws, razor-sharp claws extending like arboreal branches, a pronounced muzzle, and a resounding roar, materialized and lunged ferociously toward the enigmatic figure charging before him.
As for the second swing, the sleeve on Chen-Chen’s right arm was cut so cleanly that not a single thread from the hem of his robe could possibly be frail. Once the blade passed through the thin fabric, the entirety of his arm was blown off his shoulder. Twirling into the air, the snow-covered ground was sprinkled with warm blood. With a harsh thud, Chen-Chen’s arm landed on the ground. All four fingers remained stretched outwards from the large paw as though its life force had yet been expended.
Blood oozed from his severed shoulder ―coating his white fur and torn robes. By the time Chen-Chen registered the atrocity, his neck was already caught by a deathly grip. In an instant, a horrifying strength suspended him into the air, before his body was violently heaved into the ground. A pained gasp was forced from Chen-Chen’s breath, additionally when the figure’s arm forcefully pinned him into the earth the impact caused a splatter of blood to abruptly expel from Chen-Chen's mouth. A mixture of blood, snow, and pieces of concrete dispersed in countless directions amid the figure’s assault.
The figure leaned in closely to Chen-Chen’s face, and a searing heat from the figure’s breath was just as overbearing as the incomprehensible ferocity. Chen-Chen felt as though the skin beneath his fur would be scorched just from the grotesque exhale. The single hand pressed down like a mountain, suppressing all the air from his defeated lungs.
Chen-Chen groaned when the figure pushed down harder onto his beaten chest. The sockets in Chen-Chen’s eyes grew wide and the bloodshot orbs rolled upwards into his skull. The brolic beast continued in a wretched growl.“ However, I must commend you little kitty, you show more courage than those heavenly cowards. Your life slowly perishes under my palm and yet your master, the one whom you are so loyal to, is nowhere to be seen. Isn't that utterly despicable?”
Despite his severe injuries, the persistent tiger struggled beneath the mighty Asura’s hand, Chen-Chen’s eyes were dark with resentment, yet lit with conviction. The Asura cackled madly when he witnessed the fearless repulsion. His final breath was approaching quickly, yet Chen-Chen refused to accept the vile words uttered against his master. The earth-shattering cackle suddenly halted as if the Asura had realized something. Quickly his dreaded snarl returned to his lips, along with the relentless anger.
“If that stupid Ru-Jing really did abandon you all that would mean I would have wasted my efforts waiting here for that coward!” He seethed to himself.
The grasp tightened around Chen-Chen’s throat. Sensing the reignition of the pressuring heat of the Asura’s body, Chen-Chen desperately tried to inhale the diminishing air into his lungs, but could only cough franticly, expelling more blood from his mouth.
In his mind, Chen-Chen had always imagined that death was like a candle flame extinguishing its final moments of life, and once the darkness prevailed then perhaps the secrets of the universe would be revealed. If there was one secret to be discovered ―it was that everyone was afraid of dying― but, no one realized that nothing was more frightening than living.
In the labyrinth of fading consciousness, strange tapestries of the past unfolded before Chen-Chen's inner gaze. Before the sanctuary nestled in Mount Hua embraced him, he had surrendered his essence to the teachings of Lord Ru-Jing. As a creature tethered to primal instincts, comprehending the moral tapestry and values woven by humanity proved an enigmatic challenge.
Upon the wild symphony of the animal kingdom, survival dictated the relentless dance of kill or be killed. Yet, in the delicate realm of humankind, the potential for resolute reasoning unfurled like petals in the morning breeze. Contrary to the common narrative, Lord Ru-Jing posited that animals, too, possessed the capacity for profound intellectual contemplation akin to their human counterparts.
The delicate dance between trust and acceptance, patience and tolerance, and even the empathetic chord resonated in the heart of a creature, weaving a narrative of wholehearted kindness. Such were the nuances painted on the canvas of existence, where the primal ferocity of a wild beast found its counterpart in the depths of the human soul. The realm of humanity, Lord Ru-Jing urged, was not an ivory tower of reason but a wilderness where untamed echoes of primal instincts could reverberate with equal fervor.
But now with his body set deep into the ground, nothing could compare to the beast in front of him.
Battered and bruised, Chen-Chen surprisingly regained his consciousness when the Asura loosened his grip, instead the collar on his blood-stained robe was clenched. The Asura lifted the weakened tiger high off the ground and pulled him in close. As he dangled limply above the red snow, Chen-Chen winced from the pain, realizing he had shattered several of his ribs.
“There is no honor in dying for a coward. Tell me now. Where is Ru-Jing!” The Asura screamed.
Chen-Chen coughed sporadically. He then took three deep breaths before his eyes shifted towards the two siblings. “Li-Cheng... Qing-Mei...get away from here… run.”
Li-Cheng became heartbroken at the sight of Chen-Chen’s horrific state, he could only manage to shake his head and cry out disparagingly. “ Uncle Chen-Chen. We can’t. We can't leave without you.”
Qing-Mei’s eyes were wet with tears, but she suppressed her whimpering; she didn’t dare make a sound. Not knowing where to run, her head darted left and right surveillancing the area, yet the crowd of civilians surrounding them appeared like a giant prison. Oddly, Qing-Mei noticed that the terrifying growls and hissing of the civilians had been silenced. Something had changed ever since the Asura had charged towards Chen-Chen. The civilians seemed ridged like the branches of an old tree, lifeless and unmoved.
With his remaining left arm, Chen-Chen clung onto the Asura’s wrist appearing as though he needed to alleviate the pressure of his body that began to weigh down on his neck. His eyes remained focused on the two siblings, desperately pleading for them to leave.
“Please go now.” He managed, “Don’t worry... He’s not interested in killing you two. Go. Run!”
Qing-Mei noticed something was moving on Chen-Chen's back. Small black droplets flowing vertically on top of his robes began arranging into formalized characters. Like a row of ants, the characters moved to the lower end of the robes. Although the message was small, Qing-Mei could clearly recognize the bolded text forming a comprehensible message:
HANDS ARE OCCUPIED. CORPSE CAN NOT BE CONTROLLED
Chen-Chen clutched firmly onto the Asura's wrist, he didn't dare to let go. If the siblings wanted to run―they would have to take the chance now.
An ear-rupturing force came like thunder erupting above the mountain tops when the Asura roared furiously. The steam vapors emitted from the monstrous body were dangerously close to the siblings. As for Chen-Chen, he suffered a scorching wave of heat head-on as he was pulled closer to the Asura
“Don't ignore me you stupid worm!” His voice boomed in a deafening volume. He raised his amber sword high and growled at the defiant tiger. “ Very well. It seems that I have no choice but to―. ”
There was suddenly a loud clang that took everyone by surprise. Without warning the Asura's rageful outburst was stifled. And everything went quiet. Awfully quiet. Something small and dark flew between the siblings and the Asura. It appeared like a smear of paint but fluttered quickly through the air. An iridescent black crow struck the Asura on the head and on impact the crow had dissipated as it made contact with the devilish head. The metallic mask was lifted into the air revealing the hidden face beneath it. The mask sank into a shallow pile of snow, the eye sockets were filled with the inner cast shadow, and the pointed nose aimed towards the clouds.
The Asura’s uncovered face was indeed monstrous ―a sharp nose and rageful jagged eyes ―was fitting for a beast that brought nightmares to the gods. With Chen-Chen still grasped in his hand, the seething beast stood grounded in place, although the Asura's head had been slightly shifted upwards by the impact of the ink crow his body did not move. But slowly the fury-filled eyes widened and the orbs in their socket rolled downwards in the direction of Li-Cheng.
“Let… Let Uncle Chen-Chen go.” Li-Cheng stood awkwardly with his arm extended in front of him, his right hand placed above his left wrist. He tried to speak again but his words were just barely audible to be heard as a stutter, any quieter and he would be mistaken for a mouse. Chen-Chen's eyes grew wide in horror when he looked down to see the young boy was holding onto a thin paintbrush from his pocket, and a picture of a crow had been drawn on the back of his wrist.
Qing-Mei was in disbelief at Li-Cheng’s action, she stared intensely at her brother's back. Her mouth fell agape and her heart seemed to stop. She was so terrified by the Asura's outburst that she had yet to notice that Li-Cheng had intervened.
Adrenaline pumped heavily through Chen-Chen's veins like a rushing ravine. Something horrifying was coming and now his fear had magnified into a terrorising doom. Out of desperation, he began to claw madly at the Asuras's head, but the creature's long arm kept him at an unreachable distance. It no longer mattered whether or not he was able to inflict any harm upon the diabolical fiend, so long as he gained the creature's attention. However, the Asura did not bat an eye towards the helpless tiger in his hand. Chen-Chen tugged, pulled, and clawed at the impossibly firm wrist, but his strength began diminishing from the blood loss, and in a pleading cry, he mustered “ Please. I beg of you. Don't hurt the child.“
It was too late.
In a swift blur. No. To be precise. It came in a flicker. One of Asura's retracted arms extended outwards like a firing cannon, swinging the giant scimitar blade in one swift motion. Li-Cheng’s body was flung so forcefully by the weight of the blade, that a crushing wave plowed through his small body. When he hit the ground, additional bones snapped loudly, and like the first stroke of a brush on a fresh canvas, his body smeared the colorless snow in deep amber.
It was as if her spine had been removed from Qing-Mei’s body, stunning her in a paralyzing shock. Her brother's warm blood had spilled onto her pale face and dress. The movements of the Asura were both devastatingly fast and powerful that it took a moment for Qing-Mei to realize that Li-Cheng’s body had scattered a few feet away from where she had seen him stand moments before. But once the morbid scene bleed into her mind, her eyes widened in shock and her pupils dilated into unseen darkness.
An uncontrollable whimper left her lips, but quickly it had turned into an agonizing wail.
Qing-Mei’s pained screams triggered Chen-Chen to squirm in the relentless grip. When he looked over towards Li-Cheng lying lifeless on the ground, he became just as panicked and ecstatic. But the pain from his amputated arm and beaten body sent another wave of exhaustion.
“Li-Cheng...No”
“How annoying.” The Asura growled in annoyance. His patience was at its end, while his anger grew exponentially. The devilish eyes latched momentarily onto Chen-Chen's defeated face, but they continued to roll past him. This time the Asura's attention turned to Qing-Mei.
Qing-Mei's spirit appeared to return to her body but also the debilitating fear came with it when she saw the Asura lift the crimson blade towards her― she scrambled frantically on the ground―backing away from the threatening killer. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t get away quick enough.
It appeared not a scratch was inflicted upon the Asura. However, Li-Cheng's courageous effort left a searing wound on the creature's pride. A greater sense of humiliation came from the realization that the stunning assault was orchestrated by a young child. Like a volcano that had reached its limits before eruptioning, the Asura's relentless anger couldn't resist unleashing a sea of fury.
“ No don’t!”
Chen-Chen began kicking his legs and attempted to pry open the Asura's thick fingers with his remaining paw. Though his resistance had no effect.
Qing-Mei managed to get off the ground and began to run, yet her tiny legs trembled like a young deer causing her to fumble in terror. She felt the ground beneath her pulsate like a drum as the Asura approached closer. When she turned her head around she was faced with a pair of merciless eyes gaping at her like fiery stars. Qing-Mei shut her eyes tightly and covered her face. With every ounce of her strength, she gave one long piercing shriek.
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