NOVEL SIMPLE The Past Repeats Itself
“Huo Daozhang, where do I put this?” asked Aunty Li’s granddaughter Lin. She held up a basket of cloth that was cut down to make bandages up to Huo Huli.
He paused his sweeping to point to a chest that was donated to them sitting in the corner. “You can put it inside there. Thank you for being such a big helper, Xiao Lin.”
Already missing some teeth, Lin’s smile had many gaps, but was still bright as the sun. She walked over to the chest and he went back to sweeping. In the corner with their first real patient was his brother checking the pulse of one very pregnant male omega. From here, it looked like he was due any day now. Omegas, male or female, had a shorter pregnancy than the other designations, which was attributed to their yin bodies. In many areas where there wasn’t adequate medicine or knowledge on childbirth, omega births were some of the riskier ones.
The sight of the omega’s rounded belly and nervous alpha holding their hand made him sigh. A life like that was not something he could have, but watching other omegas with their children or helping through their pregnancy felt like it was the closest to it that he could get.
The omega’s husband sat at the chair next to Huo Ningjing, hovering nervously. “Will he be alright? My mother predicts it's a girl, but we don’t really know. She said it’s because he’s very bi--”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you!” Huo Ningjing snickered and shook his head at the alpha. “Your omega is just fine the size they are in. You are having twins, but I can’t predict whatever they are.”
The omega’s eyes lit up at the news, looking down at their exposed belly with wide eyes. The alpha stared down at it too then his eyes started to flutter as he swayed.
“Xiao Huo!” he cried out and dropped the broom, rushing to the bedside to catch the fainting husband before he fell out of his chair. The omega sat up with alarm, but Huo Ningjing gently pressed a hand against his shoulder and guided him back down.
“Don’t worry about him,” Huo Ningjing patted the omega on the hand and started feeling his belly while Huo Huli attended to the alpha.
He propped the alpha up in his chair and gently tapped his cheek with the ends of his fingers, calling to the man as he blinked his eyes open. “Sir, wake up now. Your growing family needs you.”
The alpha’s eyes opened, blinking rapidly as he came to and sat up on his own. A blush spread across face and he stared at the omega who looked up at him with a reverent smile. They say pregnant people had a glow about them, but Huo Huli had never seen such a gentle light radiating from a couple before. It was such an intimate moment that he felt a bit like a voyeur, so his eyes drifted down to the omega’s belly, where the outline of a baby’s little foot bumped up against the skin.
The omega winced, “Aiya...no wonder it feels like the baby was rattling around in there. There’s two of them!”
“I hope we didn’t put our mother through this much ache when we were in her belly,” his brother chuckled then smiled up at him. “I think these two will be a feistier pair than we are.”
“You are plenty feisty between the two of us, and these two included.” He laughed this time and patted the alpha on the shoulder, “I will give three blessings to make sure your twins do not turn out like us.”
“Oh, no Huo Daozhang, it would be an honor to have them like you!” The omega reached out for Huo Huli’s hand and clasped it tightly between both of his. “I would only ask for a blessing to ensure that my babies are born safe, please.”
The tender smile on the omegas face threatened to bring a little tear to his eye. It was a pleasant scene to see a loving couple eager to bring life into the world, and his favorite thing was to attend births. Huo Ningjing was more skilled at them than he was, so Huo Huli often acted as an assistant. To him, there was no better feeling than swaddling an infant and setting them into a waiting parent’s arms. Seeing the parents happy took some of the sting out of the fact that having a child was an experience he would never have.
“You are in very safe hands,” he reassured the omega and squeezed his hands in return. “I will say the blessings, but my brother is the best--”
The sword at his hip started to vibrate and interrupted his thought, then a shout startled him and everyone else in the barn.
“RUN!”
The scream was followed by more unintelligible ones. He pushed his brother down into the chair when he tried to get up and he ran to the large doors to see what was wrong. The hiss, whistle, and pop of a fire signal came before he saw it in the sky where it burst into an array of red sparks and smoke. It stood over the section of fields where some villagers were laying out plans for an updated irrigation system.
Farmers and those who had volunteered for the irrigation darted past the barn, heading back towards the village. Their cries tore into his heart and his panic started to rise. Zhang Yong burst through the crops and ran straight towards them, his spectacles hanging lopsided from his face with one of the lenses cracked. In his hand was his sword, dripped with dark red and black blood.
“Drought corpses!” he screamed, rushing towards the barn. Huo Huli’s stomach dropped to the floor and he reached out to grab Zhang Yong’s outstretched hand and yanked him to safety inside.
He turned and caught sight of the pregnant omega. He was white as a sheet and held tight in his alpha’s arms, their bodies visibly shaking. Lin was beside Huo Ningjing, clinging to the sleeve of the arm wrapped protectively around her. There was no way to move them all safely, especially a very pregnant omega.
After making his decision, he yelled to Zhong Yang, “Shut the doors behind me and make a barrier!” Then to his brother he warned with a finger pointed at him, “Don’t you dare open these doors!”
His blade rattled in his sheath now, warning him of the incoming threat. He cast one last look towards Huo Ningjing then ran outside. He helped Zhang Yong shut the door from the other side, pulling with all his strength to latch the worn, rusted bolts. He slammed the bolt lock between the doors in place with a bang when he heard the telltale gargled cry of a corpse just over his shoulder.
Materializing his bow, he deftly spun around and shot an arrow right between the eyes of an approaching corpse. It howled and collapsed, shattering several bones as it went up in flames. Unlike jiangshi, drought corpses were decomposed and mostly angered skeletal remains. Their bitter, horrible deaths from starvation or natural disaster fueled their restless spirits to seek out blood and life energy from the living to further reanimate themselves. It was a fruitless endeavor, for their hunger was never satisfied. However, there had been no reports of such a calamity in the area as far as he knew.
Where are they coming from?!
More corpses popped through the tall stalks of grain and spilled out into the main road. He took care of two more as a soft blue light wrapped itself around the door, highlighting the bright white symbol for banishing that appeared in the center. A soft bell chimed and a silver ribbon slithered through the cracks of the door, twisting itself over the wooden planks and deadbolt like a wrapped present. After stretching itself tight, another bell rang and the elegant silver ribbon turned into glowing chains that secured the door in a protective barrier.
He needed to lead the corpses away from the barn so he ran towards the road with his bow drawn, shooting one, two, then three more along the way. The remaining villagers that managed to escape ran up the road, weaving themselves around him as he continued to shoot down some more. He picked off half a dozen, but their groaning cries seemed to echo all around.
His bow shook violently in his grasp and the sinking feeling in his stomach twisted up into his chest. There had to be a significant amount of danger for Tian Shang Huo to react in such a way. Using his qigong, he took a deep breath and jumped up high into the air to get a better view. When he turned to face the fields where they were coming from, he just about fell right out of the sky from the horror in front of him.
An army of drought corpses was in the near distance, coming from the very road they used a few days ago to arrive at Benshao. Like swarming ants, they spilled into roads and fields, hobbling and crawling their way forward. Fifty, seventy-five, a hundred and twelve… There were too many to count, and as he landed back down to the ground, he took out a few more that were the closest.
“Huo Laoda!” a familiar voice behind him cried out and he whirled around. Coming from the village was Bai Luo with his cousin and Zhou Rong running beside him.
Seeing Huo Cheng, his heart started to pound. His brother was in the barn, with Xiao Lin and the expecting couple, along with several others. The village had Aunty Li, and so many other good, innocent people, and there were sure to be dead victims behind. With such a horde, they stood no chance, and he flashbacked to the incident in Anyang that earned him his title.
There aren’t enough people to protect them right now… If he debated any more about what to do, it’d be too late, so he made his decision. Huo Cheng caught his eyes, and his cousin knew exactly what he was going to do because he cried out.
“Don’t!” Huo Cheng whipped out his blade and ran faster ahead of Bai Luo and Zhou Lieren, possibly to try and stop him.
“Get the stragglers!” He slung his bow over his shoulder and quickly took out his short blade. Pressing the edge against his palm, he sliced it across with a hiss and blood gushed from the wound, leaving thick trails that dripped down his fingers. With this, he could get the attention of as many corpses as possible.
He shifted his grip on the blade to hold it in reverse and drew his arm across to shield his face then burst forward straight into the oncoming horde. Light on his feet, he closed the distance between him and the first line of corpses in just a few leaps. He sliced the first one he came into contact with and used the momentum to jump into the air, keeping his bleeding hand outstretched. Blood trickled through the air, landing onto corpses and the ground. The dozens in the first set of rows craned their necks, their sightless eyes following his movement. Lured by the scent of fresh blood, they turned around.
When he landed, the stench of their putrid flesh overwhelmed Huo Huli’s senses. Their groans and shuffling feet surrounded him and being this close, he could see the unusual red glow in the sockets of their eyes. Is someone controlling them?!
One corpse came too close before he could think more on the issue. He did the same thing as before and killed it by slicing it across its bony neck and jumping into the air. He was able to distract several more rows into turning around, seeking the living person with a significant amount of spiritual energy for a snack.
The swarm at the left and right were too far away to catch his scent and continued to barrel towards the village. He couldn’t find any other solution than to take care of this in one go. When he landed this time, he stuffed his blade back in its sheath and sucked in as much air as he could into his lungs. With a final jump, he looked straight up into the sky.
With his bloodied hand, he reached up with two fingers pointed up towards the sky and with his other, he pointed two downward. In a clockwise motion he drew a large circle with his arms and white sparkles traced the outline he drew in the air. He pushed the air in front of him, sending the circle higher into the sky. Like a prayer, he whispered the formation that carried across the valley like an eerie whisper in the wind.
“A devoted disciple,” he brought his hands together to clap when the circle was complete and pressed fingers together in a triangular hand seal, “pleading to let heaven’s blessings rain down --”
The circle swirled and grew, and gravity pulled him down to the ground where the roar of the corpses cried from below. He took out his bow and drew the string back, lining up the fiery arrow that appeared.
“-- and bring woe to my enemy!”
His arrow burst into an even brighter white flame as he let it fly into the center of the circle where it disappeared, casting a ripple that expanded from where the arrow entered. A gong rang, and like the heavens splitting open, the circle glowed a radiant gold and widened until it was like a large second sun in the sky. After wrapping his bow around his shoulders once more he put his hands together in the same hand seal. He turned at the last minute and landed in a crouch as hundreds of white flaming arrows descended from the portal he created, scattering shots all around like a volley from an army of heavenly archers.
He knelt down and split his focus on creating a faint bubble of protection around himself while also concentrating on the formation he just called. Connected to it, he could count each and every arrow that hit. Banging against the walls of his personal barrier were fists of angered corpses, eager for his tempting flesh. The roar of their wails and the crackle of the arrows competed with the pounding of his heart for which was louder in his head.
One hundred...one hundred and eighteen…one hundred and forty…
The count felt endless and his breath kept coming up short as he struggled to inhale deeply in order to channel his energy. He kept picturing everyone in the barn and the village, urging himself to use every bit of what he had in this moment. Corpses fell around him, some even landing on top and suspended against the curve of his barrier.
Finally the portal high above began to shrink down in size and he could feel the shower of arrows slowing to a trickle until the portal fizzled away in a shimmer of light blowing in the breeze. The focus he had on his barrier waned and it’s light started to flicker so he let it go in order to keep firing as much as he could. A few bodies landed on him, sending him to the ground and crushing him underneath their decaying weight. He kept his hands together until the very last arrow came down and killed the last corpse.
Though his body was completely drained, he had enough of his senses to push his bloodied hand up through the bodies on top of him to reach out and let the others know where he was. Their stench gagged him and he could feel his robes grow wet, but he could not find himself caring as everything faded to black.
-----
“Do you need volume one or two?”
In the Anyang library, Huo Huli turned his head from the bookcase where he’d been combing through the books to Zhou Rong, who stood on top of a step ladder to reach some books for him.
“Both, please.” He smiled up at the man as Zhou Lieren grabbed the two thin manuals and walked backward down the three steps of the ladder. Huo Huli turned to accept the books, but Zhou Rong flipped open the first one and scanned the pages. He let out a low whistle.
“There’s a lot of...impressive things in here.” Zhou Rong’s slim lips curled into a smooth, wicked smile that made his yellow eyes gleam. His predatory gaze sent a zing of awareness up his spine and he stepped back.
Zhou Rong snapped the book shut with one hand and set them down on the step ladder. His broad shoulders swayed like a feline’s as he approached and crowded Huo Huli against the shelves. His back hit against one in particular that made the books rattle, a few tumbling to the floor. Once he was flush against the bookcase, Zhou Rong pressed against him and a whimper escaped Huo Huli’s throat.
His body responded like it did back at the cold spring, his cock hardening instantly at the faintest touch of Zhou Rong’s thick, strong thigh pressed between his legs. Huo Huli gasped at the contact and wrapped his fingers around the folds of Zhou Rong’s robes and pulled him in closer.
Zhou Rong growled, sending another shiver through him, and bent his head down and blew a breath against his left temple. The back of Zhou Rong’s rough fingers grazed over his cheek and they pushed his hair away to tuck behind his ear. His lips brushed against the shell of his ear as he whispered.
“What do you want, Tianshanghuo-jun?” His tone, deep and throaty, held a bit of playfulness when he called him his title. Huo Huli arched up into him, his hips moving on their own accord to find any friction his cock could rub against.
“Y-you…” he panted out, surprising himself by how needy he sounded. He leaned his head away enough to turn it and look at Zhou Rong in the eye. His golden eyes darkened and the tip of his tongue peeked out to slowly drag across his lips.
As their faces drew closer and their lips met, Aunty Li’s screech woke him up.
-----
“Your congee smells funny!”
“Of course it smells funny, it has medicinal herbs!”
“What he needs is some meat to put some more weight on his skinny bones - he needs more fat for more energy!”
Aunty Li and his brother’s bickering sounded like claps of thunder ringing in his head, waking him up with a splitting headache. He groaned and touched his forehead, and his stirring brought their attention to him.
“Gege!” Huo Ningjing cried and he could feel his brother’s presence move closer. “Don’t try to move too much, you might make yourself sick.”
“Shhh...shhhh…speak softly,” he pleaded with a whisper. His head throbbed and the rest of his body felt overstimulated like little hot coals pricking at his skin at random. Flashes of the events played behind his closed eyelids, and he sighed. “...is everyone…?”
“Everyone from the barn is safe,” Aunty Li was near now, her voice gentle and soothing. She touched his forehead, leaving it there for a moment before stroking his head like a mother would. The warm touch felt pleasant and he let himself sink into it as relief washed over him.
“Dead?”
“Don’t worry about that now.” Huo Ningjing’s voice was stern, and it was strange to be scolded by his younger brother. Something firm pressed against the corner of his mouth and he obediently opened it. A small amount of thick, bitter liquid was poured into his mouth, and he pushed through his instinct to gag in order to swallow it.
“Your brother is right, Huo Laoda.” Aunty Li now had a lecturing tone in her whisper as well. “You worry about resting. Huo Cheng and the others are taking care of things outside with the other disciples.”
His heart added to the list of things on his body that ached now. He didn’t care if it was one, or twenty, or a hundred people dead - any soul lost was a tragedy for him. Huo Ningjing urged him to take some more medicine again, and he complied. The pain lessened enough that he blinked his eyes open. The light didn’t bother his eyes because it was dim through the window, which meant they were close to sunset.
Aunty Li knelt down beside the bed and he turned his head with a wince to look at her. She had tears in her eyes, crinkling the crows feet at the corners of them. “Huo Laoda, you and the disciples protected my grandchild. I am forever in your debt. Ask for anything, and it is yours.”
He tried to muster up enough of a smile, but every fiber of muscle in him protested. His lips could only twitch and he whispered, “Aunty Li, don’t say such nonsense. You owe me nothing. This is my calling, and I am happy to do my part.”
The gentle woman started to cry and Huo Ningjing urged her to her feet and patted her back. Their soft conversation became hard to follow when they turned their backs to him and headed to the door. There was a soft click of the door that was just out of his line of sight and afterward Huo Ningjing came back to his side.
“How are you, really?”
He lifted his eyes up to his brother, “I’m just sore, but I have something important to talk about.”
Huo Ningjing frowned, “Cheng’er caught me up on the idea that there may be a cultivator out there. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“We didn’t have enough information,” he sighed, the effort of it sending a stab through his belly. He winced, but pushed through, “I do think it is, and they at least know some of the dark arts. I saw their eyes, and they were all red.”
“This meant that someone summoned them, but how?”
He did not have any answers, so he shook his head lightly. “I am not sure, but what concerns me the most is that they clearly know who I am.”
“What?” Huo Ningjing touched his hand, “What makes you think that?”
“The drought corpses…” He closed his eyes, trying to block out the memory of their disgusting smell that threatened to make him empty his stomach. “There were two hundred and fifteen. Whoever this cultivator is knows at least some of my stories, and I think they were testing to see if it was true.”
“If you knew, then why did you do that?” Huo Ningjing’s grip on his hand tightened. He looked angry, but he knew it was just his brother being afraid. “Let’s say you are right and they were testing you, showing them your hand like that--”
“And let more people get hurt?” He glared at his brother. “I am your elder brother, and I am injured, so show some respect. There were lives at stake, and I would rather save a single person than worry about an enemy seeing what I can do.”
Huo Ningjing’s puffed out cheeks turned red and he angrily shoved Huo Huli’s hand away. “Then you expect me to just sit around and let you run head first into danger?”
“No,” Huo Huli sighed and he softened his expression. He turned his hand up and reached for Huo Ningjing’s hand again. “But this is a trial, and there has always been the risk that a disciple might not make it through. If there is a demonic or rogue cultivator doing this, and they focus on me because I am the biggest threat, that gives you and the others the opportunity to strike from a position of safety.”
His brother’s grip made his bones scream in pain, but he didn’t protest. Huo Ningjing looked pale, and he could see the evidence of red around his eyes that he must have been crying before. He didn’t mean to make his brother worry so much, but defending people was what he excelled at and became his purpose once he joined the sect.
“Xiao Huo…I promise, I knew I would be safe. I did it once before, and I knew I could do it again. I was not seeking out death, but it is always a possible risk.”
“I’m not stupid!” Huo Ningjing pouted as he looked down at their clasped hands and whispered. “I know you’re very strong, that was never a question in my mind, but I want you to be able to lean on me. And Huo Cheng, too!”
He was unsure if he could relinquish some of his responsibility. If he wasn’t Tianshanghuo-jun, then who was he really? Being strong, capable, and of service to the people were the things he held onto because it was all that he could be.
“How about this…” His hand was going numb, so he wriggled his wrist until Huo Ningjing let go. He smiled softly, “I promise to do my best and rely on you to help me. You can start with my medicine.”
Huo Ningjing snorted but complied. He helped lift a spoon to the corner of Huo Huli’s mouth and fed him some of the medicinal congee in tiny slurps. When he couldn’t stand the bitter taste any longer, he turned his head away.
“Thank you. I also should thank you for cleaning me up and changing my clothes.”
“Well, I couldn’t carry you all by myself, so you should really be thanking Zhou Rong.” Huo Ningjing hummed a little tune and set the bowl of congee aside. “He found you and helped carry you here.”
“Zhou Rong?” He turned his head too fast, aggravating his tired muscles into a spasm. He asked in a hiss, “Zhou Rong carried me?”
Alpha Mini-Theatre 1
[The events from Zhou Lieren’s perspective]
Zhou Lieren had never seen so many drought corpses. The sea of the oncoming horde had more corpses than there were people in the Seven Star sect. He was sure that they were staring down at death’s door until Huo Cheng cried out.
“Don’t!” Huo Cheng rushed past him and Bai Luo, brandishing his sabre. Ahead of them was Huo Laoda, looking calm and standing tall. His dark, determined eyes pierced into him, and his voice yelled over the cries around them.
“Get the stragglers!” He whipped around and slung his bow over his shoulder while Huo Cheng continued to race ahead, trying to get to his cousin. Huo Laoda pulled out his short blade and cut himself across his hand, blood staining his white sleeves like ink on paper. Then, without looking back, Huo Laoda ran straight to the army of drought corpses and disappeared.
Huo Cheng caught a drought corpse once he reached the spot Huo Laoda once stood, slicing the curved blade upward and cutting it in half. Zhou Lieren caught up with him first and took care of one that quickly crawled on hands and one leg towards them.
“What do we do?!” Bai Luo stood at his opposite side, looking around frantically. “Where’s Huo Ningjing?!”
Huo Cheng pointed to Bai Luo, “Go guard the barn. He has to be there. You, come with me.”
Zhou Lieren followed Huo Cheng closely as he ran ahead, and Bai Luo broke off towards the right to head to the barn. Ahead of them Huo Laoda leapt into the air repeatedly, successfully driving a number of the corpses away from the center line. He moved with grace and ease, like his body was built for flying.
“I’ll go left!” Huo Cheng yelled as he ran in that direction, meeting one corpse with his sabre and the other he threw a talisman at it that clung to it’s skull and exploded on impact.
Zhou Lieren went right, thrusting his sword through one corpse and twisting to cut through its midsection. He caught another crawling corpse with a kick to the skull and scattered shards of bone, leaving it with the new hole in its head.
A soft, eerie chant swept through with a stiff breeze, echoing faintly like a drop of water in a cavern. It took a few words for him to recognize that the song-like voice was Huo Laoda’s. He turned back around in that direction, and Huo Laoda stood suspended in the air with a large white glowing portal hovering above him. He recognized the formation and the shape Huo Laoda held their hands in, which he’d only seen performed once before.
The Eight Immortals Sword Formation was a technique designed to maximize the impact of the user’s soul sword by replicating the weapon and sending a swarm of qi made swords outward to an enemy. His Shizun, Zhou Jiang, demonstrated the ability only once during a night hunt when a monstrous demon-possessed white tiger terrorized a caravan trail, killing merchants and travelers alike. In the back of his mind, he heard Zhou Jiang’s words.
“Remember this formation, even though no one uses it.” Zhou Jiang had made the same exact type of portal, though its glow was blue and much smaller, directly in front of him. It was a very simple procedure, and his Shizun continued with his lesson.
“Even without a golden core, or just low level cultivation, anyone can use this formation. The tricky part is that the manuals will say it relies on a cultivator’s qi and qi alone. That is a lie.”
Then Shizun tossed his sword into the portal and a loud clap echoed in the densely packed forest they were in. The portal glowed and seven swords launched from the other side of the portal, slicing through trees and hitting the tiger head on. Each sword lodged itself deep into the demonic beast, blood sprayed in the air, and it collapsed with a heavy thunk at the feet of the other Seven Star sect members who were holding it at bay.
The portal dimmed and, without a better word to describe it, spat Shizun’s sword out that he caught mid-air. He swiped the air once with the blade and slid it slowly back into its black sheath. Zhou Jiang’s face was impassive and detached, like he hadn’t exerted any energy at all. Zhou Lieren thought that his master must surely be powerful, to not even blink an eye with this attack. He was lucky to have such a master.
“Then what does this formation use?” a much younger, shorter Zhou Lieren asked.
“It’s effectiveness does not rely just on the cultivator’s qi,” Zhou Jiang repeated, “but also on the cultivator’s will. A determined child, even with low level cultivation, could deal just as devastating a blow as I did if their inner strength of character and will is enough. The risk is that the user will be found lacking, and their weapon won’t be returned.”
“You could lose your sword?” The thought scared the younger Zhou Lieren, for he had just developed his intent with his soul sword. He looked down at the blade that looked much too big on his small frame, but it was his. Granted, it wasn’t as powerful as Zhou Jiang’s sword, who cultivated it for years and now worked towards immortality.
Zhou Jiang’s gaze fell down to Zhou Lieren, his blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight. His Shizun was an attractive man who was a high-ranking and well respected leader in the sect. His beautiful dark blue robes made the icy quality in his eyes appear silver, and the greying flecks near the temples against his black hair added a dignified touch to his cool demeanor. Zhou Lieren schooled his features to mimic his Shizun’s, even though he was in awe of the man’s beauty and prowess.
“As the name of the formation suggests, you are invoking the heavenly immortals. A person with a weak mind or a weak heart that calls them needlessly could suffer the consequences by losing the very thing they worked hard for.”
“Is that why people don’t use it?” He thought that his Shizun had to be strong in both body and mind to not have lost his sword.
His Shizun gave a sharp nod then strode forward towards the other sect members, indicating that this was the end of his lesson.
Zhou Lieren stood still, mesmerized by the sight of watching Huo Laoda in profile stare up at the portal and aim his elegant white bow at it. His fiery arrow blazed and flew towards the portal like a brilliant white phoenix and when it was consumed by the portal, a loud gong rang throughout the valley. A wave of energy cascaded over the fields, pushing the tall stalks of grain and even Zhou Lieren himself back.
He shielded his eyes and sunk his heels in as he was pushed and skidded across the ground. He dropped his arm when the portal opened wide, casting a golden glow that highlighted Huo Laoda’s face as he fell back like a heavenly beauty gracefully descending to the earth. He put his hands back in the formation and disappeared when he landed amongst the drought corpses.
The corpse that he kicked the skull in popped up in front of him, it’s unhinged jaw opened wide. Zhou Lieren lifted his blade up, prepared to defend himself, when a point of a fiery arrow pierced the back of the corpse’s skull and stuck out of its open mouth, killing it instantly. He lifted his head, thinking it was Huo Laoda, but it was the hundreds of arrows that rained down on them from the heavens.
Around him drought corpses fell, each struck by an oncoming arrow. His eyes were glued to the sight. Huo Laoda’s formation was the same as what his Shizun had shown him, but the strength and ability of it was something he could never have imagined. He is even using a bow instead of a sword!
He thought his Shizun was a strong, capable cultivator before he passed away. In his own right Zhou Jiang still was powerful, and always would be to Zhou Lieren, but it was apparent that Huo Laoda was in an entire league of his own.
This is why he’s called Tianshanghuo-jun…
Huo Cheng’s voice yelled over the twhip of arrows and cries of the corpses felled by them. “When the arrows stop, help me find Huo Laoda!”
“Is he in danger!?” He yelled back, concern suddenly outweighed his awe. It was hard to imagine what sort of limits someone like Huo Laoda had. Huo Cheng shook his head back, which was at least a relief. Each time an arrow struck, it would disappear in a little burst of fire.
“Li’er!” Huo Ningjing’s cry made him turn. Running down the slope in the main road was Huo Ningjing, followed closely by Bai Luo.
The arrows lessened until the last one fell straight down, leaving behind a pile of drought corpses across the fields. There wasn’t any movement amongst the bodies, nor could they see Huo Laoda. Huo Cheng leapt on top of one and held his hand up to shield his eyes and survey the scene.
Huo Ningjing gasped, “Over there!”
Zhou Lieren looked in the direction he pointed, and like a bright red flag, a pale, bloodied hand lay sprawled palm up across the body of a corpse. Before Huo Cheng could move, Zhou Lieren took off. He leapt over the corpses, landing on them with a crunch and his boots dirtied. When he was close enough, he walked carefully towards the limb.
Huo Laoda was buried amongst a pile of bodies, and Zhou Lieren knelt in the mess of dark coagulated blood, flesh, and bone to pull each corpse off of Huo Laoda. He removed the last torso, revealing a motionless Huo Laoda. His clothes and skin were dirtied, but even unconscious, his face had a beautiful, serene expression.
His instinct was to check for breathing, so he bent his head down close to Huo Laoda’s to listen. There was a shallow breath that fluttered through his parted lips and Zhou Lieren breathed a sigh of his own in relief. He slid his arm underneath one of Huo Laoda’s and lifted him onto his shoulders. Huo Ningjing appeared, standing on his tiptoes on the small mound of corpses nearby, giving him enough height that he almost reached Zhou Lieren’s chin.
“Please, help me bring him back to Aunty Li’s!”
Zhou Lieren nodded and carried Huo Laoda on his back. They went to the house next to Aunty Li’s restaurant and Huo Ningjing directed him to place him on the bedroll on the floor.
He hesitated, “Shouldn’t he be in a bed?”
Huo Laoda was unconscious and injured, and he deserved a nice, warm bed. Huo Ningjing shook his head. “No, I need to bathe him first. Don’t worry,” he reached out and patted Zhou Lieren’s arm. “I will take good care of him.”
He nodded and slowly knelt down on one knee. With as much gentleness he could manage, he transferred Huo Laoda’s body to the bedroll and carefully cradled his head as he lowered it down. When he rested it on the pillow, Huo Laoda’s head turned awkwardly, his neck limp. Zhou Lieren repositioned it so he would not be uncomfortable and his thumb brushed against Huo Laoda’s impossibly soft cheek in the process.
It felt odd, touching such a gentle face with his large hands that made Huo Laoda’s features appear small and almost frail. The dirt and blood smeared on it was offensive, and though it didn’t sully him or diminish his beauty, he did not think Huo Laoda would want others to see him like this. He turned his head to Huo Ningjing.
“May I have a cloth?” he asked.
“Are you planning on bathing him?” Huo Ningjing’s words were spoken in a serious manner, but his eyes were wide and glinted mischievously. He ignored that and shook his head.
“He said no one is allowed to see him naked, and I would not disrespect him like that.” He explained and looked back down at Huo Laoda’s sleeping face. “Washing his face is the least I can do to thank him for saving us all.”
Huo Ningjing let out a long hum but did get up and fetch the wash basin. He filled it with the pitcher of water nearby and then set it down beside him. Zhou Lieren took the cloth Huo Ningjing offered him and dipped it into the room temperature water. His own dirty hand made the water turn slightly, but he gathered the cloth together and proceeded to delicately wipe along Huo Laoda’s brow. He took his time cleaning his face thoroughly, avoiding going too far down to his neck. The towel dragged away the blood and grime, leaving his jade like skin dewy and clean.
He really is like a heavenly immortal…
Now that he was done, he resisted the urge to touch his cheek with his still dirtied hands. Instead, he set the cloth aside and rose, giving a small bow to Huo Laoda, then to Huo Ningjing.
“Thank you, and please extend my thanks to Tianshanghuo-jun.”
Huo Ningjing’s eyes still sparkled, his smile wide. “Absolutely.”
As Zhou Lieren left, he missed what Huo Ningjing whispered to his brother.
“You owe me for the next three lifetimes, gege!”
Author’s Note:
Omegas of any gender in my world have a shorter gestation period than the other designations. This is due in part to what is understood as having a “yin” body. Within the framework of some other danmei omegaverse and general western omegaverse, having a yin (omega) body is like the supreme baby maker.
I should also note that yes there is a smaller percentage of omegas due in part to this “feature” of omegas. However, unlike other omegaverses, alphas and betas are generally the same in numbers. Omegas are not rare, but they are fewer in number simply from an evolutionary standpoint because they are, again, the ultimate baby maker.