Celestial Peak

Most of the time I reject and despise the idea of reliving past memories, but in order for me to defeat my past and kill the devil that lurks in my heart and soul, I know that I have to see through them and slowly accept the sight.

In a flash, w.a.n.g Ling"s thoughts flowed and the sight of him struggling to live flashed. It was dark and cold, snow continuously fell from above and his sight wavered as blood flowed out of the wound he had just received.

At the moment he was a young boy, not even six years of age, with a thin body and lacking needed nutrition. He was skin and bones and his cheeks sunken. Underneath his eyes were bags and all over his face was scattered bruise and wounds he had received throughout the years.

As he held onto half of a dirtied bread w.a.n.g Ling powerlessly held on to it.

[Being beaten to death like a dog, what a way to end this life. It seems like my dreams could not be met in this life after all.]

He thought as he began accepting the idea of death. The young w.a.n.g Ling had already lived a life that is worse than a dog"s, he was even treated worse than a dog, so he figured that dying in this way was somewhat predictable.  

As he held it like it was the most precious gem he had in his possession, a shadow cast upon him and a voice was heard.

"Boy, what are you doing there? Are you not cold lying on an alleyway with piled up snow on your body and back?" It was an ordinary voice of a man, it held no emotion other than curiosity.

w.a.n.g Ling could not see the man for he could not move even his head. His eyes was only focused on the dark skies that hid the stars from him. He chose not to answer the man.

But the shadow began to move and his view was replaced by a man with long brown hair and a genuine smile. The man looked at w.a.n.g Ling"s eyes and then spoke, "You should answer when someone speaks to you, boy. Did your mother not tell you manners?"

w.a.n.g Ling closed his eyes and inside his mind, he was cursing.

[As I lay here dying, the last person I come across is a man with no common sense. Heavens, you have forsaken me already, why do you wish to make me suffer by making such a man meddle with my business?]

w.a.n.g Ling knew he was dying and he wanted to embrace death even with a hint of peace. Yet this man was beginning to meddle with his business, and it was something he found undesirable. So, he ignored the man who just appeared.

But the man was persistent and spoke once again, "You must not have any strength to speak, those bruises of yours are quite severe. Your body lacks any life essence and your blood essence is terribly low. Your body is weak from the lack of nutrition added to that your injuries, you"re going to die, aren"t you?"

The young w.a.n.g Ling opened his eyes and then stared at the man with brown hair"s eyes which had not wavered even a little bit.

With his remaining strength, w.a.n.g Ling opened his mouth and uttered a few words, "f.u.c.k… off, let me die in peace…if you don"t, I"ll slit your throat."

An empty threat from a dying child who seem to weigh no more than twenty kilograms. The man with the brown hair frowned.

"Boy, you speak of death as if you are aware of what it truly is. Tell me, have you ever killed anyone before?"

The "boy" hesitated, for the first time in his life he found someone that managed to instill fear at him. He choked as he unconsciously answered honestly, "Yes."

It was an honest reply and far from what the man with the brown hair was rendered speechless and a single tear escaped from his left eye.

"Poor little one, for you to have blood in your hands at such a young age, what kind of hards.h.i.+p have you gone through to be pushed to such a degree?" The man shed tears for a boy he had not seen, for a murderer who admitted his crime, he sympathized with the sinner that is w.a.n.g Ling.

It was the first time he had seen someone react in such a fas.h.i.+on to that answer. Loath, hate, disgust, and contempt was the first emotion that will be shown to him once this kind of talk was brought up.

Such an event where a man sympathized with him was definitely a first, but this didn"t make him exhibit any form of a favorable image to the man with the brown hair, because it only triggered anger inside his heart. The strength he didn"t think he had was drawn out of his body.

His right hand that had no strength flailed and a sharp object cut through the air and aimed for the neck of the brown-haired man. The brown-haired man did not react and let w.a.n.g Ling"s little bade reach his neck, but as soon as it touched his skin, the sound of metal being hit rang through the air.

"Skin as tough as steel, you are… a cultivator?" w.a.n.g Ling could not believe his eyes. He had laid his eyes upon a cultivator and he had actually used his blade to attempt and murder him?

What foolishness, [My death really would come, today. But not at the way I expected it to end.] w.a.n.g Ling already thought he was going to die that day, but to his surprise, he didn"t, because the next words of the brown-haired man struck a chord even to him.

 "You are pitiful, powerless, and full of brashness that is your qualities. But in your eyes can see exhaustion, grief, and perseverance. Boy, I do not know of your past nor do I have the ability to change it, but let me ask you one thing… do you wish to become someone who lives beyond the clouds and not grovel at the cold alleyway? But you have no life in your eyes, and I can see that you have been tired of this whole thing… so, I will ask you, boy.

"In this alleyway where two strangers meet, do you wish to have another shot in this life? Do you want another chance to live as a human being with manners, rather than be a dog who is kicked around?"

w.a.n.g Ling was surprised as he nodded his head. The hand that was holding the bread crushed the bread he holds so dearly.

He was powerless, he had nothing, and was tossed away by the very people who took everything away from him. But at that moment, he heard the words, someone, his age had been wanting to hear someone say to him.

The brown haired man then smiled at him, "So be it, but in order for you to have another chance in life, you will need to toss your previous one behind and stand forefront of your path. Boy, tell me your name."

He opened his mouth and uttered, "Ling… I have no surname, so it is just Ling."

The brown-haired man opened his mouth as he said, "Hmm, then in the night where the night sky hides the moon and the white rain of winter fall over our heads, I shall grant you my own surname, w.a.n.g. Today, Ling you are reborn, and you will be known as w.a.n.g Ling. w.a.n.g Ling, I will take you with me as I find your life in need of a second chance. You who are but a young boy has blood on his hand when you do not even understand what life is.

"I am but a mere pa.s.serby who saw a young child on the verge of death. Now, I will take you with me as someone who I will educate in the ways of the Saints." With mystifying ways, the brown-haired man lifted w.a.n.g Ling"s beaten up body from the ground without harming him and even began healing him with qi.

He walked away with a dying child and as he did, he remembered something and asked w.a.n.g Ling.

"For you to walk in this new path, let me ask you… do know how to do the laundry?"

It was at this time that w.a.n.g Ling knew that he had doubted his decision to die at that alleyway.

But as we have this tale, the story of w.a.n.g Ling never stopped at the time when the brown-haired man with the surname w.a.n.g picked him up from the ground.

But as to what happened next, such part will have to wait as the sounds of fireworks was heard and he noticed that in front of him was the gate of the ThunderG.o.d Academy.