Sundered Soul: A Wuxia/Xianxia Cultivation Novel Page 5

“Who cares!” she yelled. “The point is not even I can kill that thing. It’s a four-horned demon! Now come on before—”

  But Kenji had already turned and was running away from her towards the peach tree atop the hill.

  “Damn it, kid!” the woman, Olja, shouted from behind him. “What are you doing?”

  He barely heard her. If she wanted to stop him she could try, but no way was he letting that beast loose to attack the village. “I have an idea to stop it. It can work if it’s still pinned down.”

  Olja had already overtaken him, now running alongside. “What?”

  “Help me with that!” Kenji pointed to the century rope still tethered to the ground next to the tree.

  Kenji knew the principles of the glyphs in and out. Once the rope was joined, the Qi from whatever was within the rope would activate them and complete the spell. Whether dark Qi would work the same as normal Qi was yet to be seen.

  But for the sake of the village, he had to take the chance.

  Kenji grabbed the stake while Olja still looked at him, confused.

  “We need to tie this around it,” he said.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s like a trap…sort of...”

  She exhaled sharply through her nose. “That containment spell I used was the best I could afford and it cost over ten taels of silver. Are you telling me this rope can do better?”

  “Trust me. This is worth more than ten taels of gold.”

  It was true. The rope was worth even more than that. But as for its effectiveness, he wasn’t sure. The value of it alone seemed to convince the woman, however, and she rushed to grab the other end of the rope.

  “We need to move quickly,” he said.

  Kenji removed the stake while Olja bundled up the bulk of the rope within her large arms.

  “This had better work!” she said.

  He prayed so as well. Fear filled his heart with ice as he ran down the hill towards the still-thrashing demon. Already the crystal spears were beginning to shatter. What am I doing? I must be insane!

  The monster looked as if it could break free at any moment. His legs became lead as he drew closer and he couldn’t tell if it was from his nerves or the dark Qi permeating the air like a rancid fog. The rope pulled taut in his hands. He glanced behind him to see Olja at a standstill.

  “It’s too late!” the big woman cried. “It’s breaking free!”

  Kenji’s heart was in his throat. The giant spider-demon thrashed with even more force, breaking multiple spears each time. He was less than a stone’s throw away, trapped between moving forward or fleeing for his life.

  Every instinct told him to flee. But where would that leave his family? Or Shinoto?

  “We have to try!” Kenji cried and literally pulled the rope free from Olja’s arms.

  He ran ahead screaming in a crazed kind of frenzy, driven by pure fear. He got as close as he dared to the screeching beast, narrowly avoiding one of its spear-tipped legs as it struggled to pull itself free from the ground. Kenji slammed the stake into the earth and began circling the creature with the rope, slipping upon black ichor.

  He pulled it tight around its bulbous abdomen and had nearly brought it back to its front again when every crystal spear shattered at once.

  By the heavens…!

  The folly of his decision came too late as the monster reared up upon its hind legs, ready to crash down atop of him.

  “ASCENDANT’S FURY!”

  The powerful, Qi-infused shout came from behind him, accompanied by a sharp crack of thunder as Olja flew into the demon with a glowing-white fist. The beast careened backwards with the force of the explosive blow, but then it wheeled on her and stabbed at Olja with its spear-like legs.

  Kenji’s knees grew weak with relief at being saved by Olja for a second time. The monster attacked her with a speed and ferocity that was terrifying, shaking the earth with the force of its blows.

  But the giant of a woman stood her ground.

  Fearlessly, she weaved between the strikes, flowing with a celerity that defied the girth of her body. She fought back as well, spinning with lightning-fast kicks and punches. They were so swift that Kenji could barely see her long legs hitting the beast as she cried out with the kiai of her martial attacks.

  With each shout came a burst of powerful Qi, radiating like a shockwave. It was so mesmerizing to behold that Kenji stood frozen just watching. Then Olja cried out in pain. Blood streaked down her face and legs. It was happening all so fast that he didn’t even realize she was being hit in the process.

  “Hurry!” she cried. “I can’t hold it much longer!”

  Kenji steeled himself and wondered for a half-second just how he would get between Olja and the beast’s snapping jaws and stabbing legs.

  No time to fear…just go!

  Abandoning all hesitation, Kenji leapt blindly between the two powerful beings, making himself as small as possible as he curled into a roll. His back hit the hard-packed earth and when he reopened his eyes, he was safely through to the other side.

  Thank the heavens!

  Kenji pulled the rope behind him and yelled for Olja to get back as he tied the ceremonial knot that would activate the glyphs’ powers.

  Please work…

  With a final tug, the glyphs flashed as they interacted with the abundance of dark Qi exuding from the demon’s body. Kenji backed away. The black century rope pulled taut, constricting around the monster’s body.

  It was working!

  Black vapor jetted from the demon’s hide as it shrank within the rope, deforming as it grew smaller and smaller. Its skull-like face contorted with incomprehension and rage as one by one the horns upon its head receded.

  It finally reached the size of a dog before the black century rope crumbled into dust.

  The diminutive demon screeched and hissed as black smoke continued to pour from its back. At first Kenji thought it might still leap to attack him, but the spider-like creature scuttled in the opposite direction, crossing the orchard at a frightening speed. It finally reached the low boundary wall and clambered over it before disappearing into the forest.

  “It’s gone…” he whispered with exhaustion.

  Kenji suddenly became aware of how hard he was breathing and how quickly his heart was throbbing within his ears. He collapsed to his knees, overcome by receding fear and the lingering effect of dark Qi still permeating the air.

  The orchard was decimated. Nearly every tree he looked upon was blackened and bent, as if scorched by a fire. He looked to the spot where the demon had been and it looked as if the ground itself had been melted into shards of black glass.

  Kenji knew little about demons, but thankfully the century rope had caused it to regress to being a juvenile. It was a gamble that paid off. He looked back to the forest. “Will it return?”

  “No…. not with… the glyphs…”

  Kenji turned about, alarmed by the way Olja had croaked out her words.

  When he saw her, his stomach lurched with shock and fright. Bright-red blood streamed from nearly every part of her body, mixing with the black ichor that covered her as well. But that wasn’t the worst of it. In her lower abdomen was one of the demon’s spear-tipped legs, jutting straight through her front and exiting her back. She clutched it helplessly as black blood flowed from her mouth.

  “Olja…!”

  The giant woman fell to her knees and Kenji rushed to her aid. He looked at the spider leg, filled with barbs. There would be no easy way to pull it out. “I need to get you to the elders.”

  “Hey…” Olja grabbed onto his robe as her eyes grew unsteady. “Not safe here. More… coming…”

  More? More what? “More demons?”

  She shook her head.

  “Worse…” she said and then her eyes finally closed. “…Tsu.”

  Chapter 8 – Reasons

  Tsu…?

  What did that mean? Tsu was the name of a kingdom.

  But Kenji couldn�
�t afford to puzzle all that out right now. The woman, Olja, was dying before his eyes, if not dead already. He stooped down to ensure she was still breathing and was relieved to find her chest heaving—shallow but steady. He had to act fast. The demon’s leg protruding from her stomach still exuded dark Qi and it was spreading throughout her body. Even now the veins around her wound were turning pitch black in the pattern of spider webs. He had to get her to his father. Xian Lu would surely know what to do.

  Kenji considered fetching the wheelbarrow to carry her, but gauging the woman’s height, she was far too large to fit within it. No, getting it would be a waste of time. Kenji inhaled deeply, and as gingerly as he could, hefted the woman across his back.

  “By the gods, you’re heavy,” he grunted with exertion.

  Kenji thanked the heavens he at least had the strength to lift her, but as he strained to take the first few steps he questioned whether he could make it back to the village at all. Sweat immediately beaded upon his brow as he set off in a stilted gait across the acres of orchard land. By the time he reached the tool shed he was drenched and his breathing was ragged.

  He called for Waru, but the old man still hadn’t emerged from whatever drunken stupor he was in. Kenji pressed on, his legs burning with fire and exhaustion. He tried channeling what Qi he could absorb from the surroundings to help him recover, but with no doma to concentrate the diffuse energy in the air, it was mostly wasted effort.

  Kenji gave up and focused instead on his physical conditioning.

  Upon that he was certain he could rely. Within a few more minutes he arrived at his home and collapsed, dropping Olja to the ground. “Father! Come quickly!”

  Xian Lu appeared out of the house a few moments later, a cup of morning tea in hand. A look of concern flashed across his face, but quickly turned to shock as he saw Kenji. The cup fell to the ground and shattered as his father rushed to him.

  “What happened?”

  “A demon,” Kenji managed to wheeze amidst his heavy breathing. “It attacked me. This mystic warrior appeared and saved me. But she herself was wounded.”

  “Are you wounded?”

  Kenji shook his head.

  Xian Lu seemed to relax somewhat at hearing that. “Where is it now? Did she kill it?”

  “No, but I bound it with a century rope,” Kenji said. “It fled after being transformed. It’s much smaller and weaker than it was now.”

  Xian Lu’s eyes widened. “You used a century rope upon it?”

  Kenji couldn’t tell if Xian Lu was proud or aghast. “I’m sorry, Father. It was all I could think to do. Not even Olja was able to defeat it.”

  “Who?”

  “Her name.” Kenji motioned to the mystic warrior that lay before them.

  “You spoke with her?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said that something worse was coming. She mentioned the name Tsu…”

  Xian Lu’s eyebrows bunched together in confusion.

  “I wasn’t sure what she meant either. Could she mean Tsu soldiers?”

  Xian Lu grimaced. “Not likely. The Tsu kingdom is many hundreds of miles from here. An army certainly couldn’t make it past the borderland conflicts and the Great Wall to reach this far into the interior. Although…” His eyes then narrowed as he looked to Olja. “…she is a Xjian woman…and that country lies even farther away.”

  “Yes,” Kenji said, again marveling at her enormous size and golden hair.

  “What else did she say to you?”

  Kenji was about to mention her telling him that the demon was seeking him, but paused. He was already considered the pariah of this village. What would it mean for him, if everyone knew that he had caused that demon to come here as well? It still made no sense to him and he didn’t believe it, but even a rumor such as that would be enough to seal him to a fate worse than death. He’d be considered cursed—reviled at best and simply cast out at worse.

  “What is it?” Xian Lu said more forcefully, his eyes scrutinizing him the same way they would a glyph script. “Clearly she said something else to you. What was it?”

  Kenji thought to lie, but eventually he melted under his father’s piercing stare. As much as he hated the idea, he couldn’t keep it a secret. If he was somehow responsible for bringing that demon here, he would be putting the entire village in danger by not mentioning it. And if not to his father, then who else? Perhaps he could even allay his fears.

  “It was odd, but…” Kenji shook his head, still confused by the brief conversation he’d had with Olja. “… she claimed that the demon had come here…for me.”

  His father didn’t say anything for a long time after that. His eyes drifted away from Kenji, as if lost in thought. He was quiet for so long that Kenji’s heart began to race. Surely he couldn’t be considering it seriously. “I think she may only have said it to make me leave with her,” Kenji added for clarification. “She seemed adamant that I come with her for some reason, to get me away from the demon perhaps. She didn’t seem keen on confronting it directly.”

  “What kind of demon was it?” Xian Lu asked, still without looking at him.

  Kenji described it as best he could. “It first appeared as a giant wolf, but then transformed into a spider with a skull for a head. The warrior mentioned it was a four-horned demon.”

  Xian Lu’s eyes widened. “No wonder it was able to breach the protection glyphs.”

  “Yes, I recall her mentioning that now. She said it wouldn’t be able to return now because of them.”

  “Not if it’s been regressed a hundred years, no.”

  Kenji was thankful at hearing that.

  “But her presence here worries me even more.” Xian Lu again grimaced, looking to Olja again. “Only she will have the answers we seek. Help me move her onto her side.”

  Kenji did so, careful to lay Olja so the protruding demon leg had as little pressure on it as possible. Xian Lu then held his hand over the two-foot-long piece of barbed spider leg, his palm glowing. “This demon was powerful as she said. But she is powerful also—a 15th Dan, at least. She may have a chance to survive yet if we can remove this from her.”

  “How do we do it?” Kenji asked.

  “Run to town quickly.” Xian Lu dropped into lotus position and began infusing the woman with his Qi. “Go to Ben Fai’s house and bring back a night sea sponge, dried ancient carp liver, and mandrake root. Then fetch Chief Wu. I’ll need his help for this.”

  Kenji nodded and clambered to his feet.

  “And Kenji…”

  “Yes, Father?”

  “Do not mention to anyone else what you told me, understood?”

  Kenji’s heart raced. Could there actually be some truth to what Olja had said? Kenji didn’t want to believe it, but if Xian Lu was being cautious, then perhaps so should he. Regardless, as his father had said, only by saving Olja would they know the truth for sure. “Yes, Father. I understand.”

  “Good,” Xian Lu said. “Now go.”

  * * *

  Kenji managed to still run despite his exhaustion and within minutes he had reached the three-roofed paifang that marked the main entrance to the village square. The decorative gate was perhaps not as ornate as those he had heard about in larger cities where they were made of marble and stone, but the simple wooden structure topped with green slate served as a major warding for the village center and even as he passed through it, Kenji could sense its power.

  Perhaps they would need gates such as this erected throughout the entire village now. Not that it would matter if powerful demons were now drawn to him by some curse somehow. Kenji pushed the thought aside. That Olja woman had to be mistaken. He didn’t even know her. So how could she possibly know anything about him?

  Just one more reason to save her to find out the truth, Kenji thought.

  The dirt street of the main thoroughfare was still empty this early in the morning. Even the fishmongers—who would soon be delivering their
first catch from the river—were yet to arrive. A few farmers had, however, started offloading baskets of cowpeas and cabbage. One of them spotted him running and called out. “Kenji, are you all right?”

  “I need to find Chief Wu!” he shouted back without stopping. “There’s been a demon attack!”

  He purposefully left it as vague as that.

  Kenji was about to head to the chief’s home at the end of the village square, but Ben Fai’s store was closer. A sense of apprehension seized him as he approached the two-storied structure that housed the store on the bottom floor and Ben Fai’s home above it. His last conversation with Shinoto played within his mind, but he couldn’t be worried about that now. Olja’s life, and perhaps his own future, was in jeopardy.

  The storefront was still closed so Kenji banged heavily on the main door leading to the upper house. “Master Ben Fai! Come quickly! My father needs your help!”

  A moment later the door swung inward and Chet Fai stood there, glaring up at him. “Didn’t we tell you to—” His words cut short as he reeled backwards, covering his nose. “—by the gods, you stink!”

  “Kenji?” Shinoto’s voice called out from behind Chet Fai. Kenji spotted her descending the stairs leading to the upper house. Her eyes then grew wide with alarm. “Kenji!”

  She dashed down the stairs and pushed her brother to the side. “What happened to you? You’re covered in blood!”

  While he knew that he was, only now did he look upon himself to acknowledge just how much. Half his robe was drenched both in blood and the black ichor of the demon. Olja had bled a lot, which only compounded his need to get her help as quickly as possible.

  “It’s not mine,” Kenji said. “A demon attacked me this morning in the north orchard, but a woman came from nowhere and saved me. She’s wounded now. My father needs some things from your store to help save her and he needs Chief Wu’s help as well.”

  “What does he need?” Ben Fai’s powerful voice preceded him as he descended the stairs.

  Kenji was all at once relieved and apprehensive at seeing Ben Fai. His face was indecipherable. Kenji couldn’t tell if his grave expression was due to the serious nature of his message or perhaps his muted disdain for himself. Perhaps it was a combination of the two.