Chapter 119 – Tianxu recollects

“What’s got you feeling so down there, friend? This is the fourth day in a row I see you in here,” The innkeeper said as he placed a glass of whiskey in front of Tianxu.

“Nothing,” Tianxu answered in a low voice, looking down at the whiskey. He smelled it briefly, making sure it wasn’t poisoned, and then took a sip. “I’m just tired.”

“These are hard times; it's natural to get tired,” The innkeeper said with a slow nod.

“Isn’t it always hard times around here?” Tianxu asked.

“Hehe,” The innkeeper chuckled softly. “Indeed. The Kun Clan drives us all hard. But at least they don’t care about what we say; that’s some relief. I come from up north, the Zhang Clan’s territory. If you so much as whisper a bad word about them, you’ll have your tongue cut out.”

“Lucky us,” Tianxu said, leaning back in his chair and letting out a sigh.

“Luckier than some, at least,” The innkeeper said. “Anyway, you want to keep them coming, like usual?”

“Yeah,” Tianxu nodded.

“Alright, I’ll take care of it,” The innkeeper said. He then laughed lightly. “You sure can hold your liquor, by the way. There was a bet on you last night, when you would drink yourself under the table. I was one of the few who bet you’d last all through the night, and took home quite a nice bit of profit.”

Tianxu glanced at him without responding.

“So thanks for that,” The innkeeper said, a bit awkward. “Are you a martial warrior? You have to be, right?”

“Just keep the drinks coming,” Tianxu said. “I’m not in the mood for a conversation.”

“Right. Of course,” The innkeeper said, finally taking his leave. 

‘Martial warrior, huh.’

Tianxu had actually been at the Innate stage for many years now. At one point, he was even convinced that he could become a Master. His training progressed smoothly, and his motivation was high.

Then…Well, a lot of things happened, but he trained harder than ever, almost becoming obsessed with gaining strength. It was a miracle that he didn’t turn to the killing art in desperation. 

But now, despite only five days having passed since he took his revenge, he didn’t really think of himself as a martial warrior anymore. It was like his father said, if you’re not advancing, you’re retreating.

‘Perhaps it would just be a good thing if I lost my strength. It would allow me to actually get drunk off this stuff.’

As an Innate warrior, Tianxu had to drink a lot more in order to feel any effect from the alcohol, and he was a bit sick of it.

“Another glass of whiskey for you,” The innkeeper said as he placed a new glass of whiskey on the table.

“Thanks,” Tianxu said, lifting the glass up to smell it. He didn’t really know why he bothered; he didn’t care much if he was poisoned. 

‘I guess death isn’t the worst that can happen.’ Tianxu thought and made sure there was no strange smell. He had seen people in horrendous situations from drinking what they shouldn’t. Even men weren’t safe from the aphrodisiac that had been spreading lately. 

Being able to smell poisons was a skill he had learned not long after arriving in this place; it was pretty crucial if you wanted to survive for more than a year or two. 

It had been taught to him by Lunheng, the leader of a group of Innate warriors who were fighting against the tyranny of the Three Great Clans. A group he had joined not long after arriving in the Far West.

Tianxu actually learned what he came here to know pretty quickly. Not long after crossing the Dust with Wangli and Quangzi, he found out that Master Wu’s full name was Wu Changsu, a member of the Wu Clan, one of the Three Great Clans in the Far West.

Unfortunately, they were a lot more powerful than he expected, as each of the Three Great Clans had a Saint as the head of the family, so Tianxu gave up on trying to head there with Wangli and Quangzi; he feared they would discover he hadn’t actually practiced the killing art.

So when they stopped to rest in a small town along the way, Tianxu slipped away in the night, planning on moving around on his own in the future, and slowly gathering intelligence to see if he could find out where his uncle was.

He traveled around for a few months on his own, conversing with people along the way, slowly understanding the strange land he found himself in.

Then, one day, he stumbled upon a huge fight between two groups of people. One of the groups was dressed in the colors of the Dong Clan, the local powerhouse. Tianxu had heard and seen more than enough over his time in the area to know they were a vile bunch, so he jumped in to help the other group fight them, unleashing his sword, hoping to temper himself and perhaps, like his brother, grasp that elusive sword intent while dancing on the edge between life and death.

In the end, he didn’t comprehend anything; he was actually knocked unconscious after just a minute or so. In his defense, he hadn’t advanced to the Innate stage yet, so just surviving was an accomplishment. 

But it wasn’t all bad. The group of people he had fought with all admired his courage, and their leader, Lunheng, a Master, asked him to join them. 

After that, Tianxu lived the life of a righteous vagabond. Traveling around with his group of brothers, fighting, eliminating evil, hiding from the clans, saving those in trouble. They drank, laughed, and cried. They lived.

It was a wonderful couple of years when Tianxu felt the feeling of finally belonging somewhere. 

But all good things must come to an end. One of the group’s members betrayed them, revealing the location of their temporary hideout to the clan they had been causing trouble for in recent days. 

They were overpowered, and the only reason they survived was because Lunheng held their attackers back, giving them time to escape.

A few of them did get away, Tianxu being one of them. But seeing Lunheng’s head on a pike outside the gates of the town the next morning was a hard blow to morale. 

No one knew who had betrayed their location, and the distrust mixed with the loss of their leader made it impossible to keep the group together. 

Tianxu stayed with two others he had gotten close to over the years, and they tried to start anew. But things had changed; they were tired, and they felt hopeless. 

Eventually, they all went their separate paths, and Tianxu was alone once again. More alone than ever.

“Did you hear!? Did you hear!?” A young man burst into the tavern inn and shouted excitedly.

The patrons of the tavern all looked his way.

“Hear what? What happened?” The innkeeper asked.

“The Kun Clan! They are dead! All of them!” The young man yelled out, waving his arms erratically. 

“What? How did they die? Are you sure?” The innkeeper asked, and the tavern became full of noise as they discussed the news with each other.

“I have no idea who did it, but there are only dead bodies there now. Trust me, my sister has a close friend who worked as a servant there; she saw the scene herself and just got back from there. If you hear her tell it, you’ll know it’s the truth,” The young man said.

‘I wonder who will fill the gap they left behind.’

‘Maybe someone even worse than the Kun Clan will come. Perhaps things will just become worse for the people here’

Tianxu wasn’t surprised at the news; he was the one who had killed the members of the Kun Clan just a few days ago.

‘But what does it matter if they are better or worse than the Kun Clan? Either way, they too will eventually be wiped out.’

That was something Tianxu had learned after over a decade here. Clans like the Kuo Clan, with only Innate warriors as their top fighting powers, would rise and fall like the sun and moon. 

‘This is truly a sick land.’

Tianxu had encountered more slaughtered villages than he could count. Even whole towns would occasionally get wiped out, from what he was told, though he had never seen it himself. The ones responsible for the slaughter would also get wiped out most of the time, either from a higher power intervening, or some martial artist seeking justice. 

But someone else would just take their place eventually. The killing art wasn’t exactly common knowledge here, but it was certainly more widespread than back home. That made it so that a new powerful clan could rise in no time at all, as long as they had enough people to kill.

It made justice almost lose its meaning. 

Tianxu had wanted to take revenge on the clan that had killed his leader, but he was too weak, as that clan had Masters. He figured he would bide his time, train hard, advance, and then return.

But just a year after his leader’s death, he received news about the clan's destruction.

He should have felt happy, relieved. But all he felt was a sense of despair. He couldn’t see the point in trying to do good. Those who committed evil would be killed eventually, with or without him. And someone just as bad would rise to take their place, with or without him.

Only the Three Great Clans remained unchanged, flourishing even after centuries in power.

‘What a joke.’ 

Tianxu chuckled to himself. To go through all this suffering, and not even be granted the satisfaction of revenge.

‘What’s the point of it all?’

After Tianxu had wandered alone for a long time, and received the news that his leader’s death had already been avenged, he was completely at a loss.

He realized that all the good deeds he had done previously were all for naught. He hadn’t comprehended sword intent. He hadn’t advanced to the Master stage. He hadn’t found a single clue about his uncle’s whereabouts. He had left home without saying goodbye to his mother and father.

He was a complete failure. 

And then, he met her. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

She was working in the fields of a village he passed through. When she saw him, she smiled and asked if he was thirsty from traveling.

Tianxu didn’t remember if he answered or not. He was too stunned by her face to think of anything else. But somehow, he ended up with a glass of water in his hands.

Not wanting to receive something for nothing, and a bit reluctant to leave so soon, Tianxu offered to help her with her work.

Tianxu still remembered how surprised she had been that he knew his way around working in a field. Somehow, that made him prouder than he had been in a long time. It felt more impressive than even his strength as an Innate warrior. He bragged about how he was raised on a farm, and how he used to go out with his older siblings and father to help in the fields when he was young. 

When night arrived, her father offered him to sleep in a guest room, which he accepted.

The next morning, he saw that the woman still had work to do, so he offered to help again. She protested, of course, but Tianxu refused to leave her handling all that work alone.

And so it went, one day after the next. Harvesting the field with her from morning until night. Tianxu finally felt that his actions held meaning again. It didn’t matter what the evil clans were up to, or who they killed. Even if they came and killed him and everyone in the village the very next day, he felt that his actions held meaning. 

Because when he helped, the woman smiled. When he talked to her, the woman was happy. When they shared their first kiss, and then their first night, Tianxu mattered.

‘Ling Ximing.’ Tianxu saw her face in front of him again, and he emptied the glass of whiskey in front of him.

Of course, the worst part about having something meaningful is that it hurts so much when it disappears. 

One day, when Tianxu went into town to buy some necessities for them, he returned only to find the entire village dead. Massacred. 

He couldn’t find a single soul. Only a huge pile of bodies that were set on fire in the middle of the village. 

Later, he found out that it was the Kun Clan that was responsible. All for the purpose of training the young heir.

But even after having his revenge, it did nothing to fill the gaping hole in his chest. At least there was anger there before; now it was just empty.

“There you are. What’s with all the drinking? Had your heart broken?” A familiar voice sounded, and a familiar sensation spread through his shoulder as a warm hand was placed there.

Tianxu’s brain almost short-circuited. He slowly turned his head, and just as he thought, his father was standing there.

“I really was poisoned,” Tianxu murmured. “I guess it’s nice to see Dad again, but I’d love to have Ximing appear. Perhaps she is already waiting for me on the other side.”

“What are you talking about?” His father asked, smacking him on the head, “Just how much have you had to drink?”

Tianxu flinched and rubbed his head. 

“Let’s go. You need to sober up. We can’t have you seeing your daughter in this condition,” His father said.

“Daughter?” Tianxu asked, snapping his head to lock eyes with his father.

His father grinned. “So you really didn’t know? You better have a good explanation for me, kid.”