Chapter Text
[16 - His loyalty-outro]
The ground shook as water dances in the autumn night sky, forming countless icy bamboo leaves flying to the depth of the deep river.
"Mortals," the man continues to twirl his fingers as if casting multiple spells, and a beautiful, blue sword cuts the river into two, "Run if you wish to live."
SCREEEEECH!!!!
A giant black-scaled serpent twirls its bloodied body from the river.
"Tch," Shen Qingqiu clicks his tongue, and in an instant, countless ice chains shackle the serpent, "Leave, you fools!"
Coming back to his senses, Ming Fan hurriedly drags his frigid body to Di Er, "Di Er! Let's go!"
"Gongzi!" being in a life or death situation, the bloodied servant instantly runs with the child.
"We have to go! It's a mutated demonic serpent!" said the bookworm, "Normal demonic serpent does not grow that big, this one has mutated!"
"Mutate-?!"
SLING!!!
The refined blue sword cuts the mutated demonic serpent's flesh from head to tail, causing a heavy rain of crimson blood to fall from the mighty skies.
"It has devoured too much dark energy that it lost control of its consciousness," Ming Fan looks at the floating man in green, "What's so dangerous of it is that it no longer has stimulus to pain or fear, its goal is only to feed on flesh and blood!"
"Gongzi!" Di Er sheds an ugly tear, "Stop talking! Focus on running!"
SCREEEEECH!!!!
The bloodied serpent lunges to Shen Qingqiu, not caring of its torn flesh and scales.
On this warm autumn night, it is strangely piercing.
Snow frosts fall from the sky, the ground shook, and the river water dances so magnificently. A blue sword swings along with the black serpent, creating a gorgeous view in the pitch gloom of Autumn.
Ming Fan inhales a long breath.
"Gongzi! The brothers!" Di Er who had just remembered the two Ming children panicked, "We left them! This servant has to go back!"
"No need!" Ming Fan pulls Di Er's hand as he forces the servant back on running with him, "I've teleported them back to the manor!"
"Teleported? Then why are we still running?!"
Face red, Ming Fan shouts, "I've... I've run out of talismans...!"
"..."
"..."
"... Gongzi...!" Di Er sheds an ugly tear.
Ming Fan doesn't know whether to pity or laugh at his servant's helplessness.
SCREEEECH!!!
Countless ice chains pierce through the serpent's head and heart as blue spells are drawn around it, trapping it inside a barrier. After a few talismans are drawn, the serpent shrinks in size, and eventually, it becomes as small as a human man's leg.
As the immortal slowly descends from the sky, the river water turns to rain, and the rain turns to a beautiful snowfall on the Autumn night.
Suddenly, Di Er falls to the icy ground, and the ice frosts covering the earth evaporates into the air.
"Di Er...!" Ming Fan runs to the servant only to fall like the man.
Eyes heavy, body full of bruises and blood, Ming Fan tries to comprehend the situation. But his mind is clouded and his body aches, Ming Fan couldn't move.
As the freezing night slowly warms back, steady footsteps could be heard, and eventually, it stops in front of the seven-year-old boy.
"Brat," green-blue robes paints Ming Fan's unfocused vision, "You have a good potential. Do you seek immortality?"
Black, green, and red. Ming Fan lifts his head, "Yes...!"
"This master will bring you to the path of immortality. Power, name, home, and education, this master will grant. Qing Jing provides while Cang Qiong protects," the immortal's voice is so clear in this autumn night, "But what will you give in return?"
"This one..." Ming Fan bows his head and body low, not caring of the remnants of ice shards that cut his already bloodied body, "This one will give Daozhang his loyalty!"
"And your heart?" autumn, autumn, autumn, how warm [cold].
"This...!" Ming Fan averts his eyes to Di Er, making sure that the man is not conscious, "This one's affection is to him!"
"..." somehow, the cold increases, "Not affection, but heart. As in heart of loyalty of life and death."
"..." Ming Fan burns in red.
"Forget it, go back and treat your wound. Prepare to leave within three days," the immortal walk away from the boy before stopping midway, "This master had once tried your servant's tea, there is a small house on the top of the mountain, your servant can use the land for tea harvest and send it to the sect. After all, just your loyalty is not enough to pay this master."
Ming Fan lost his breathing for a while before beaming rays of joy, "Thank you so much Daozhang! This one-"
"Noisy," the immortal clicks his tongue, "Leave already."
"Y- yes!" Ming Fan hurriedly lifts his servant's body and runs back to his manor like a little duckling.
The autumn night, painted in snow frost and blood.
So cold [warm].