Yin Hu felt his jaws ache. Cheeks had already become stiff at his constant expression. The hard work to keep his best stoic ancestor look was only getting harder and harder. Especially with people trying to take his head. Cultivators with storms raging around them above his head. And the requirement to protect a little girl from multiple attackers at once.

  All the while not having a clue how to fight.

  He hadn’t seen anyone on the isnd. Much less fought or sparred with. Just a tree that never moved or punched back. One that he lost to more times than he could count.

  The urge to scream or run like a headless chicken filled his chest. But he knew better. It countered his current persona. One that required constant upkeep if he intended to leverage the existence of a Cn name into his own personal cultivator army.

  Even if said Cn was in ruins. Banking on their unreliable ancestor's fake accomplishment.

  I am an ancient master! Ancestor of a once mighty family!

  He repeated a hundred times in his mind. A mantra to make him believe it more than them. Yin Hu could feel his back straighten. Chin rose slightly.

  Peasants. Peasants with sharp deadly spears!

  Each one was more than capable of tearing through him with a stab. Faster than he could catch with his eyes if they weren’t ordinary people. Insects beneath his glory! With a wave of his hands, they could cease to exist. Dead on and all!

  Thank Heaven I am so kind!

  Yin Hu kept the spear pointed at them with one hand. Pcing the other behind his back in the ultimate, ancient, hidden monster pose. The long sleeves hid both hands that dripped with anxious sweat already.

  Preparing to grab Hu shui and run as hard as he could if the intimidating Cultivator literally flying inside a tornado made a move. But for now the gargantuan man did nothing but stare at him. A statue hidden by the foliage and debris flying around him.

  The guards approached him slowly—

  “Shu-Shu!”

  It happened quicker than Yin Hu expected. A young dy appeared like a ghost. Kicking, spinning, smacking heads and cracking skulls. Disarming all the guards in what could have been nothing more than five seconds total. Grace and elegance as she spun through them as though she was dancing at a ball rather than fighting grown men with sharp spears and dark intent.

  The guards remained on the floor sprawled out, massaging their hands.

  Said young dy struck a tree pose. One arm out towards the guards and the other holding a long staff behind her. Ballerina pose. A cultivator through and through.

  “Jun!” Hu Shui jumped up and down. Cpping.

  This is Jun?! Maybe I don't have so little to work with after all!

  He could already see it. The mastermind, evil pn of tricking the little girl and the young dy. Convincing them he was their ancient ancestor and finally developing them into his personal self automatic and moving nukes!

  Jun broke from her pose. Running past the guards and straight to Shui. “Come with me!” Dragging the little girl with her.

  Shui pulled her hand away. “No!”

  Hu Shui ran to him. Hiding behind his back. A tight grip on his free hand. The same one that he had to hide due to its shaking like a branch.

  “Don’t you see?” Hu Shui whispered loudly. Nodding at him with a knowing look across her face. “It’s him.”

  Jun looked confused.

  Hu Shui sighed audibly. Then ran to Jun. Whispering back and forth between them. Pointing at him and mentioning his name a few times. But that was all he could make out. He was not trying to eavesdrop. It would be simpler to let them make up their own fantasies rather than shed any light on the situation.

  Yin Hu watched the back and forth. Studying Jun’s face. She looked very simir to Shui. Though the confused look on her face did not fit her. Slowly but surely it morphed into something else. The exact opposite of what he needed at this moment.

  From confusion is changed into red, steaming rage. If he looked hard enough he could see smoke rising from her head.

  It was at that moment, he knew he messed up somewhere along the line. Jun was probably in her te teens, early twenties. He couldn’t trick her as easily as he had done with Shui. All his excuses seemed to disappear leaving him with nothing but his ancestor persona.

  “Yes,” Jun said, eyes narrowing and voice even. “Our ancestor should follow us.” Ending it with narrowed eyes.

  Hu Shui cpped and jumped in joy. Unaware of the dangers she had just thrown them into. Oblivious to the murder in Hu Jun’s eyes. She grabbed his hand and dragged him past the guards. Following Hu Jun deeper into the town proper.

  Said guards stayed on the ground. Keeping their heads low. They understood that Hu Jun could have executed them all. It was only her mercy that any of them were alive at this moment.

  Yin Hu, on the other hand, was too busy trying to remember all his excuses, counters, and arguments he had been making ever since his pn started. All the work he mentally put into tricking everyone he encountered. Searching.

  None of them came back.

  Even then he noticed the flying man turn around and leave. One of his rger worries disappeared back to its mansion. For now at least he only had to deal with one cultivator. Hu Jun.

  They speed walked through the town. Yin Hu gave up on remembering any and resolved himself to winging it and making up bullshit as he went. Now he focused primarily on the path being taken. Memorizing it as they came by them as his escape route.

  Right, right, left, right, left… Why'd we make a U-turn? Left, right, left, left, right, right.

  It would become his mantra for the foreseeable future. Escape paths and pns formuting in his head if Jun tried to slit his throat. She was fast, but he was confident in his escape. The one thing he had above even decently strong cultivators was his physical abilities. Yes, it led to many days and nights of mortifying kung fu moves, but he had been alone.

  Hu Jun stomped ahead of them. Shui, in between, kept the raging bull from reaching him. Promising endless suffering. If his hearing were to be believed, she was huffing and puffing loud.

  But that could have been his imagination.

  The path took another few turns until they eventually reached a house that was in better condition than the rest around it. Two story building surrounded by a beat up wall that stood slightly over his height. He would need a boost to see over it. Maybe if he could float like the cultivator that floated above them.

  A rickety gateway screamed in protest as it was kicked open by the hurricane that was Hu Shui. She torpedoed through the courtyard and around a small tree in the center of it all. Surrounded by rge stones in a circle.

  Hu Jun held the gateway open for him. She extended her arms out in a flourish. Waving him in. But her gre never lessened. She would have already skinned him alive before cutting him up into a thousand tiny pieces if her looks could kill.

  Yin Hu gulped. Questioning the sanity of stepping in. But did it anyway. Stuck in his ancestor persona and in a too precarious situation to attempt to change it in any way. If anything it was consistent. Each step past the gateway was harder until he finally reached the adolescent tree.

  Hands behind his back. Studying the tree with intent and focus. As though it was a billion dolr, modern art painting of a single uneven square. Or a shoe banced on an apple. He tried to give off the impression that he was contempting life's virtues and struggles.

  That should be enough right?

  Jun closed the gate then leaned onto the wall next to it. Watching him the entire time. Arms crossed and waiting for something. She pced her staff to the side. Propped up by the wall as well.

  What that was he did not know.

  Hu Shui rushed out of the house. She changed into another set of dusty and ragged robes. Both had seen better days even if this one was marginally better. She twirled around him, showing off her dress in a series of barely intelligible words.

  Yin Hu was so busy thinking to fully hear her speak. Focused on Hu Jun in case she tried anything suspicious or dangerous.

  “Shu-Shu,” Jun pushed off the wall. Standing straight. Her staff cttered on the ground while she worked to take out clinking coins from a hidden pouch. “Take this. Buy bread, vegetables, and some rice. Extra. We have a guest we will need to feed.”

  “Okay!” Hu Shui grabbed the coins from Jun, dropping a couple. She rushed out in the same tide as her arrival. A hurricane. Not once questioning or hesitating to follow Hu Jun’s orders.

  Yin Hu gulped again. His muscles tensed, but did not move.

  Jun walked towards him. Circling around the tree and stopping in the general direction of the house's entrance.

  Yes! She didn’t block the exit. I have my way out!

  He focused even harder on the tree. Studying the odd veins in every single leaf. They seemed to be in all the wrong spots. Yin Hu could feel her gaze burn his side. But she said nothing. Neither was he willing to be the first to speak.

  I am an ancient master! Ancestor of a once mighty family!

  Repeating his first mantra helped him win the battle.

  Jun broke the silence first.

  Zer0n1gh7s

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  [EntireBacklog] Roughly 20 Chapters of [Ancient Being] [Up to 65k words plus]

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