79:

  Hours blurred into days as time ebbed away, yet Xiao Feng did not leave the cavern. There was a very real possibility that the elephantine spiritual beast still lurked the lands outside his hard-fought shelter, but in truth, that was not enough of a reason to keep him confined within the darkness.

  Umbral Fangs did not let fear dominate them, for they were the ones to instill it in others. Yet, everything he had ever known had been ripped apart from him by the elephantine spiritual beast in a matter of seconds, it’s might unlike anything ever witnessed before in these lands. Even now, his instincts, that of a predator, could not think of a way to fell the vicious titan.

  What was he to do when his shadows could not pierce its fur and his claws could not render its flesh? His own beast core was naught but a fragment of a fragment in the face of the radiance of the sun, the vast beast core that dwarfed his own by hundreds of times. The fact that his pack had not come to get him was telling of the results of the battle.

  He wished to howl out in mourning, yet even that reprieve was robbed from him out of fear for attracting the elephantine spiritual beast.

  The ash-furred beast’s meat would last her a few more days, the qi that had suffused into the flesh keeping it from rotting. But beyond that, he did not know where to go or what lands to hunt in.

  It was then, in the depths of a cavern enshrouded in a darkness that resembled that of his own heart, that she heard the light footfall of a slow-approaching creature. The footfall carried a rhythm that was unfamiliar to him, a repeating one-two echoing hollowly against the gravelly ground.

  Based on the sound alone, the approaching creature could not be much larger than himself, yet, it did not stop a familiar terror from welling up in her heart. For unfamiliar had come to mean danger and that was enough of a reason for him to ensconce himself in a layer of darkness qi that smothered her core.

  The creature came to a stop near the entrance of the cave, revealing its form without stepping inside. His own ruby-red eyes pierced through the darkness and landed upon the creature that had intruded upon his hideout, taking in its unfamiliar form. It was as tall as her mother when she stood up on her hindlegs to reach for spiritual fruits, which made it shorter than most dangerous spiritual beasts they encountered.

  The creature was draped in a layer of stylized animal leathers, its own visage lacking fur as its lower lip curled upwards. The creature’s calm gaze pierced through the veil of darkness and regarded his own, a length of wood that gave him an odd feeling held loosely in his right hand while a leather satchel was swung over his left shoulder.

  His paws lacked claws and a pair of bamboo sandals sheltered his feet, neither eliciting a sense of wariness from him.

  “To think you survived an encounter with a Nascent Soul,” The furless beast declared, a note of awe audible in his tone.

  A part of him understood the language, yet it failed to sway the part of him that did not. He was a spectator here, the deep growl at being addressed leaving his throat in a menacing rumble not his own.

  “It is both of our good fortunes that you survived,” The furless beast stated, as he took a step into the cave as if he were unaware of the danger he was inviting upon himself.

  A menacing growl repeated itself, this time deeper and more bloodthirsty. The only reason he hadn’t attacked yet was because he was wary of the unknown, even if the furless beast before him was not emanating a lick of qi.

  The furless beast took another step forward and the primal blood coursing within his veins could take the insult no longer.

  With Darkness Qi thrumming around him, his form blurred forward. In the dimly lit cavern, his form was already difficult to perceive, but there was no need to take chances. Zig-zagging forward to confuse the furless beast’s perception.

  Finally, she kicked off the ground with her hindlimbs, using her forelimbs to guide her charge as she lunged for the furless beast’s neck.

  Only for the furless beast to respond as if he had expected such a maneuver, swing his wooden staff before him defensively as if it would protect him.

  It did not, but the wall formed out of Wind Qi that buffeted him back towards the far cave wall he had approached from, domineering in force yet gentle enough for him to be pressed against the wall without harm.

  His fears had proved true. The furless beast wielded his element with a control and finesse that he had never seen before, yet that did not stop him from impulsively charging again and again in an effort to fell this new threat.

  What the furless beast lacked in power, he made up for in finesse and four more times, he found himself pressed against the cave wall, his state more resembling a hapless kitten than the predators that umbral fangs were.

  “Now now,” The furless beast said, his tone gentle as it was soothing. “I believe that will suffice for an introduction,” He said, as he unclasped his satchel and pulled out a slab of marbled meat.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Where Xiao Feng had expected an attack, the furless beast tossed the slab of meat in an arc, causing it to land at his feet.

  “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” The furless beast said with a nod and a smile, before departing.

  Xiao Feng did not follow.

  Hours passed and Xiao Feng did not leave the cave. Neither did Xiao Feng feast on the scrumptious slab of meat that lay before him, too wary of the furless beast for that.

  Yet, while the terrors outside prevented him from leaving, it did little to satiate his hunger. Compared to the day's old meat from the ash-furred beast, the fresh slab of marbled meat sang to his appetite and nothing smelled off to her.

  Ultimately, he gave in to his hunger and dug into the most scrumptious meat he had ever had ever sampled.

  Every day, without fail, the furless beast returned. For the first few days, he continued to fight only to be haplessly pinned against the cave wall, yet the furless beast still left behind a new slab of meat for him.

  What manner of a beast offered its hunt to another, he did not know. Yet, it had been made clear to him that he could not defeat this furless beast and neither did it mean him harm, for it had ample opportunity to render his skull from his form.

  Finally, the umbral fang, who was the last of its pack, gave up the fight, content to let the furless beast present its offering and leave.

  Two weeks had passed before the furless beast made its move. It stepped forth, into his cavern and kept walking beyond, its staff tapping against the floor as it walked towards him, stopping only until a single step separated the two.

  He growled in defiance, despite knowing the futility of it and waited for the furless beast to lunge so he could counter with fangs of his own.

  “I mean you no harm, child,” The furless beast spoke, his tone soft and soothing. “Surely you understand that by now.”

  The growl left his muzzle as he closed his eyes, the cold embrace of fear overwhelming him as he waited for the end to take him. Both the elephantine spiritual beast and this furless beast were beyond his capability to fight, there was no need to deny the truth any longer.

  A palm nuzzled his crown, but the pain never followed.

  When he opened his eyes, a new world greeted him.

  Soft grass nestled his crouched form beneath him. Gentle light drizzled down from the ceiling, emanating from crystals embedded in the cavern’s stone. Trees dotted the cavern, a lodge resting in the centre, but neither were enough to catch his eye. No, that honour was reserved for the spiritual beasts resting in the area, weak creatures that he saw as prey living in harmony.

  “This is my home,” The furless beast stood next to him, a proud smile on his visage as he introduced him to the environment.

  Earlier, what had been nothing but garbled, accented speech to a part of him, was now something that was understood. Not the speech itself, but rather, the meaning behind it.

  He barked in reply, as he tilted his head in curiosity.

  “It is a sanctuary,” The furless beast replied after nodding in understanding. “All the beasts are linked to me with a bond that is older than, I daresay, even your mighty race. A bond of equals, vyn kareth se tyn kareth.”

  The furless beast spoke in another language, one which was unfamiliar to both the beast and the spectator, yet they understood the meaning of the words.

  “My blood is your blood.”

  Xiao Feng barked again in protest.

  The furless beast laughed in response, before shaking his head, “There can be no lies in the realm of yul, where souls overlap. My race is not a kind one and like yours, it is strength above all that defines one's status in the world. But if you choose to walk alongside me, no one will question your presence. You will be safe, protected from the dangers of the wilderness and I will see to it that your strength is honed, so you never have to feel that fear again.”

  He barked twice in agitation.

  “The Nascent Soul?” The furless beast rhetorically repeated, before a sigh escaped him. “That is a strength beyond the both of us, I am afraid. See for yourself,” He waved his wooden staff in a flourish.

  Xiao Feng found himself living through another set of memories, one that depicted the furless beast’s travel through the wilderness, that terrifying surge of strength that he had detected from afar and the sight of carnage he had come across days later in careful search for what remained. Few bodies remained and none were intact, the forest rendered into a canvas of shattered trees and crumpled flesh.

  Whatever had transpired in the forest, the furless beast had no role to play in it besides locking onto his trail and following him into the tunnel.

  Xiao Feng howled after the vision ended, both in fury and in grief. He did not know how long had passed before calm returned to him and he offered the furless beast his own memories in turn.

  “It is my good fortune that I did not encounter that tier four,” The furless beast said with a shudder in face of such might. “If you wish for revenge, I will not stop you. Nor can I. The bond I seek is one of equals, the companionship of a lifetime.”

  Tears stung at his eyes as he barked a question in response.

  “In return?” The furless beast gave him an understanding nod. “Strengthen yourself so you can fight alongside me when it comes to it. Defend your brothers and sisters with all your might, so the events you have borne witness to can never repeat itself. Fight for a cause. Fight for your new pack.”

  Xiao Feng approached the beast master, his ruby red eyes locked onto his own.

  “Vyn kareth se tyn kareth,” The words escaped his mouth, the pronunciation impeccable even though he lacked the vocal cords for such accuracy.

  The beast master repeated them.

  “Vyn rayse se tyn rayse.”

  “My flesh for your flesh.”

  “Vyn velour se tyn velour.”

  “My soul for your soul.”

  With those final words, the world was engulfed in a blinding white light and Xiao Feng found himself back in the real world, stumbling backwards from Liulian.

  two chapters ahead on patreon if you want to.

  Rating and the story helps more people get their chai.

  Join it and grab a role here if you're interested, it's a pretty nifty feature