章 83: Unequal Fight
If you had to create a path with the same concept like Pill path, theft path, Killing path that comes down to human actions or creations, what would it be?
And if you could create a path by joining two existing paths, what would this new path be? And what would be the two paths used to create it?
Also don't forget to check out the discord, we have good discussions about Reverend Insanity there, as well as almost all RI fanfic authors being there and talking routinely for the code : 5efZtawZKC
And don't forget to check my patreon : patreon.com/CreedFollower
------------------
"Argh! This damn thing won't catch fire!" Yu Fu threw a flintstone to the ground in a fit of anger as he stared at the dry straw in front of him, which seemed to stubbornly refuse to ignite.
"...damn it, I still have to clean the guts of the fish we caught earlier and cook something!" He got up to retrieve the flintstone he had thrown, which had bounced off a piece of wood and ended up behind him, all while wearing a frustrated expression on his face.
"Honestly, the twenty copper taels a month aren't worth this menial job..." Yu Fu muttered, but despite his dissatisfaction, he picked up the flintstone and returned to try to light the fire once more.
In the end, there wasn't much he could do because he didn't want to be harshly reprimanded in front of everyone again, and having them all laugh at him like before for not being able to make a fire even after hours of failed attempts was not a good experience.
The worst part for him was that he couldn't say anything to defend himself or complain about the jokes and mockery. This was his first formal job in the village, which he had gotten thanks to his parents threatening to kick him out of the house if he didn't stop wandering around all day with his friends at the age of sixteen, practicing martial arts and partying.
So, he couldn't even talkback to his fishing team colleagues, who had only accepted him for the job because of his father's recommendation and were now dumping all the unpleasant tasks on him.
"Ah, I've even lost my appetite..." he said, glancing at a bowl of wood filled up to half with a delicious-looking dish he had prepared earlier that morning.
In fact, the only compliments he had received so far from the group were about his cooking skills, which was a surprise even to him. It wasn't a pleasant surprise, though, as one of the guys jokingly proposed to him while drunk, saying that Yu Fu cooked better than his wife and could very well replace her.
Pushing aside these useless thoughts for now, Yu Fu sat near the dry straw, turning his back to the river to protect the fire from the humidity, and started striking the stones again. "Argh! A job cleaning pig shit would be better--"
Yu Fu stopped mid-sentence when he saw, dozens of meters ahead, a young man around his age emerging from the forest, his naked body covered in dirt and with a cut on his rib area.
Not only was he dirty, but he was also covered in mud and blood, looking as if he had endured a hard and difficult journey, making anyone feel sympathy for him after seeing his utterly deplorable health state.
"Thank the heavens I found someone!! I need help!" Yu Fu watched in shock as the young man staggered and stumbled, one hand clutching his wound and the other using a stick as a cane.
"Y-You're okay?!... What happened? Why are you dirty and with a cut on the belly?!... Wait don't come too close!" Yu Fu was shocked to see someone who seemed quite injured but still remembered to keep his guard up, recalling stories of bandits disguised as beggars to attack travelers.
"Quickly tell me where you came from and why you're in this state... and if there's anyone else with you, don't try anything stupid or I'll teach you a lesson," Yu Fu said, raising his fists in a basic martial arts stance he had learned from a famous old martial arts master in the village.
"I warn you, I'm a respected martial arts practitioner in my village...." he said seriously, trying to deter this possible disguised bandit from attacking him.
"Please believe me, I'm not a bandit trying to deceive you," Chen Wei said with an honest expression on his face.
"...in fact, my caravan was crossing a route through the mountains but was attacked and plundered by demonic Gu masters not far from here," Chen Wei said with a look of desperation, stopping in his tracks.
"They might still be roaming this region," Yu Fu felt a growing concern in his chest upon hearing this, knowing his village was not far from here.
"You can see the cut on my belly, it was inflicted by them... Do you think a bandit would mutilate himself just to steal some fish?!" Chen Wei said, removing his hand from his wound, revealing a face of pure pain.
"Then why are you like this?" Yu Fu asked, his eyes briefly glancing at Chen Wei's who's dick is swaying around freely for anyone who wanted to see, making him look like some big degenerate.
"Don't tell me these demonic Gu masters stripped you? I've never heard of thieves stealing even someone's underwear..." Despite his still slightly suspicious words, Yu Fu's posture relaxed a bit, though he kept his fists raised.
"I was sleeping... with my wife when they attacked," Chen Wei said with a look of pure sadness, tears streaming down his face as he began to sob softly.
"I can still hear her cries for help while those animals committed their inhuman acts!" Chen Wei fell to his knees, in a seemingly desperate posture but actually ready to launch an attack. Yu Fu, however, saw only a man crying in anguish.
"Friend... I'm sorry for doubting you..." Yu Fu realized the weight of the young man's words and quickly recognized his own insensitivity, trying to make amends while feeling great shame. "...you can come to the camp. I'll help you bandage your wound."
"My other team members won't take long to arrive. They're setting fish traps downstream; you can talk to them when they get here," Yu Fu said, innocently lowering his guard in front of Chen Wei, genuinely believing his words because of how sincere his tears seemed.
And even if the young man in front of him tried to attack, Yu Fu believed he could defend himself well, given his routine practice of martial arts with Si Ga, a renowned martial artist with a dojo in the village who taught mortals various combat arts.
In fact, according to Si Ga himself, if someone achieved absolute mastery in his martial arts, they could even fight on equal terms with a Gu master barehanded, despite being a mortal.
"After we finish this fishing job, you can come with us to the village to inform the elder about these demon--" Yu Fu was left shocked and speechless when Chen Wei, who had been kneeling and crying just a few meters away, suddenly advanced in a single, fluid, and extremely skillful movement.
"Damn!" Yu Fu reacted instinctively, throwing a clumsy punch.
But the punch hit only air as, unlike what he was used to in his martial arts practice, Chen Wei dodged his blow by ducking swiftly, then grabbing Yu Fu's legs with each of his hands.
"Damn it! Fu--!" Yu Fu shouted as he tried to hit Chen Wei's back with his elbows. But with a powerful thrust, Chen Wei drove his shoulder into Yu Fu's waist while simultaneously lifting his legs up and back, executing the move with impressive fluidity and speed, catching Yu Fu completely by surprise and throwing him off balance entirely.
"Argh!!!" This was the sound Yu Fu made, a mix of pain and surprise, as his back slammed hard against the ground, almost knocking all the air out of his lungs that were unprepared for the fall.
But as if that weren't enough to worsen his situation, he now felt completely disoriented after hitting his head hard against the ground. And now he found himself in a situation he had never encountered before in a fight, where his opponent, instead of exchanging punches or kicks, had simply thrown him forcefully to the ground.
"Damn it! You fucking bandit!" Yu Fu shouted angrily, trying to land punches on Chen Wei, who easily already on top of him, is completely preventing any strong punches from his fists. This was increasingly desperate for Yu Fu, as he had never been in this kind situation before.
But it didn't end there. He could only watch helplessly as Chen Wei, unimpeded, threw all his weight against him, easily isolating his arm and holding it firmly, using his own body as leverage against Yu Fu's arm.
With ease, in just an instant, Chen Wei extended Yu Fu's arm, applying pressure to the elbow joint, rendering Yu Fu unable to defend himself. Feeling desperate like a child being beaten for the first time, Yu Fu began to thrash around in a frantic attempt to escape.
"Please! Please! I surrender, I'll give you everything you want! Please stop, you're going to break my arm!!" Yu Fu screamed desperately, tears streaming from his eyes due to the pain, completely forgetting the honor of a young warrior he always boasted about to his friends.
But there was nothing he could do about it, as the martial arts he learned from Si Ga in the village, which he once believed could even rival the abilities of a low-rank Gu master, were now completely useless and easily suppressed by Chen Wei, who was handling him as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"Please, if it's money you want, I can gi—Argh!!" Yu Fu interrupted himself, screaming in pain as his arm was twisted forcefully in an unnatural direction until it broke, sending waves of excruciating pain throughout his body.
"Argh! Argh!! Argh!!!" Yu Fu screamed incessantly, tears streaming down his face as he descended into total panic.
In fact, the pain that now consumed his entire being was the worst he had ever felt, even combining all the injuries and fights he had been in before, as they generally had many rules to prevent serious injuries like this.
The pain was so intense it could have made him pass out, not that it would be necessary, because while he was lost in this world of pain, writhing and crying, completely losing control over his actions, Chen Wei easily shifted positions and choked him with a rear-naked choke, until he passed out in just a few seconds.
"Ahh, believe me, this isn't how I wanted this to go...." Chen Wei whispered as he continued to hold the choke, albeit with less pressure now, allowing the unconscious Yu Fu to breathe so he wouldn't suffocate to death.
"Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I don't know who had worse luck, you or me...." Chen Wei said, stopping the choke, certain that the young man was truly unconscious.
He quickly got up from the ground and scanned the area to see if anyone had heard the commotion or if one of the young fisherman's companions might be returning by coincidence, which would be terribly unlucky and even worse timing.
"But at this point, it wouldn't be paranoia to expect that..." he muttered as he checked his wound, which seemed to have worsened slightly, even though the fight had been quick and with him in total control.
This consequence was one of the reasons he had tried to sneak up on Yu Fu and take him by surprise, choking him into unconsciousness before he even knew what was happening. But as a cruel joke of fate, the young man had thrown the flintstone in anger and had to get up to retrieve it from behind him, coincidentally looking in the direction Chen Wei was coming from when he sat back down to try to light the fire again.
"Ahh, so goes my punishment for my arrogant jokes..." he said, remembering his ironic words to Wang Mei, which were now almost completely fulfilled, lacking only the killing of the poor young man to make them reality, but that wasn't his plan.
"...food, clothes, shelter, drinking water, and a guy to get all the information I need to know...." Chen Wei walked to the middle of the camp, dragging Yu Fu by the foot with him.
"Well, from what he said and from these tents, there must be at least three more of them for me to deal with," Chen Wei said to himself as he searched the camp.
"Here! This will help a lot!" Chen Wei exclaimed as he picked up a knife, more like a cleaver used for gutting fish, but in his hands, it could be quite deadly.
"Hmm, why not..." Chen Wei said, grabbing a half-full bowl of food that looked quite delicious after a whole day of walking and physical effort.
"This... this guy must have a high talent for Food Path... or maybe I'm just starving?" Chen Wei wondered as he enthusiastically ate the food, glancing at the young man lying on the ground with a broken arm and drool running from his mouth, seeing him in a new light.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット