Early in the morning, around eight, Ximen Jong rose from his bed stretching.
He goes to wash his face in the rest room.
He opens the door to his room about to step out when he trips over something.
It was a large wooden box seated right in front of his room.
"Who put this here!" He yells in annoyance.
His guards come rushing towards him to help him up.
"What is this?" He asks his guards.
They didn’t know either, they said they had thought it was a package he had ordered and seeing as it was delivered right to his doorstep they dared not open it.
"Hmmm, I didn’t order anything of recent though." Ximen Jong thinks to himself.
"What could it be? Maybe a gift?" He wonders.
"Take it to the other room where I keep gifts." He oders them.
Two guards go to carry it, from the way they carried it Ximen Jong could tell it was quite heavy.
Out of curiosity he tells them to stop, drop the box and open it.
He walks over as they begin trying to open it.
They open it and as soon as Ximen Jong’s eyes met what was inside the box his face turned repulsive.
He covers his nose and mouth as if about to puke.
"What in the demonic occurrence is this!" Ximen Jong exclaims as he steps back.
It was a dismembered body.
Ripped apart from each other and jumbled into this box.
"Wait!" Ximen Jong says as he looks at this mess.
He recognizes that mask.
"Mist?" He says out as his hand slowly falls off his mouth.
As he looks closer, he notices a note sticking out of the nose mask Mist was wearing.
Hesitantly he picked up the note stained in blood with two fingers.
He hands over the note to one of his guard and tells him to read what it says.
The guard unfolds the note and reads;
"Send someone more entertaining, next time."
That was all the note said.
Ximen Jong’s face showed disbelief, and then anger.
"Take this thing out of my sight!" He yells at his guards.
They hurriedly take the box away.
Ximen Jong goes into his room slamming the door behind him.
He rests on his door sweating coldly.
"What was that?" He asks no one as he pants a little.
"Who did that to Mist? No, no no no it can’t be, Ximen Yeong is just a First Rate, and he only just opened his dantian not too long ago." Ximen Jong says pacing around his room.
"Mist was a Late Peak Martial Expert.
There’s no way, there’s just no way Ximen Yeong could have done that.
Wait what if he really does have the backing of a Martial Master.
Yes that would explain a lot, like how he could open his dantian after fifteen years and jump directly to the level of First Rate.
That means it really is possible that he actually killed Ximen Lao.
And probably also why Father is missing.
Oh my... I have to inform the Elders." He says as if coming to a realization.
He rushes to dress up to meet with the Elders of the Clan.
That bastard must have received my wonderful gift by now.
"I’m really excited to see how this will turn out." I say as I walk up the hill where I go to take a look at that family and also enjoy the view.
As I pass a massive giant tree to finally reach the edge of the hill I squat down.
Looking into the compound I see no one.
"Where did they go to? Are they inside the house?" I ask myself.
I was about to get up when I suddenly hear the tiny voice of a female child behind me.
"Who are you? And why are you peeping into our compound?" The little child questions me.
I turn still squatting as I see this cute little girl in front of me holding up a stick pointing it at me.
Damn she’s even cuter up close.
It was the girl from the family I had been coming to observe.
I was left speechless by her cuteness.
I remained there staring before she snaps at me.
"I asked who you are!" She says with her cute voice.
"Ehkhem, I’m sorry, little girl what are you doing out here alone?" I ask her.
"You have not answered my question." She states now pointing the stick more aggressive towards me like a weapon, using it to threaten me.
"Ok ok, calm down little one." I play along as I raise my hands in the air to show I surrender.
What a fierce little girl.
Diana would have definitely loved her.
"Well I wasn’t exactly peeking at your compound, I just really love the view from up here. It’s quite pretty." I say with my hands still held up.
"View? What view?" She asks me.
"Oh you haven’t been up here before?" I ask her.
"My Parents never allow me leave the compound unsupervised.
The highest I’ve been up this hill is that big tree.
I came here to catch you peeper when my mother fell asleep." She replies.
Ohhh? brave and cute.
"Well do you wanna watch the view with me?" I ask her stretching forth my right hand towards her.
I could see she wanted to.
"C’mon, you’ll like it I promise." I say to her with a smile.
She reluctantly lowers her stick as she places her left hand in my right hand.
I pick her up and raise her above my head as I stood up.
The wind hitting and brushing through our faces.
She began giggling and then laughing.
My heart melted as I saw her enjoying the view and the wind.
Reminds me so much of when I used to play around with Diana.
We sit at the edge of the hill.
She places her hand in my palm for me to hold her.
She was quite scared of the height.
I held her hand, made sure she felt safe.
She turns to me and asks me;
"Are you a Martial Artist?"