章 2: The Truth

A day later...

The fighting competition ending swiftly with only a couple of people being chosen to join the three sects. Sadly, no one was recruited to join Windwood. Like most years, only the extremely talented students of the town are able to join.

Of the ten students picked, one of was named Tu Feng. Tu Feng was different in a special way compared to the other students. Tu Feng was able to defeat all students in his class. He was the most skilled student out of Hencewood ever.

He was hoping to get into Windwood but was fought over by Darkstar and Overwhelming Wind. In the end, he was recruited to Darkstar. Darkstar had a good footing in the continent and control tons of land. They were also pretty powerful compared to the others.

Darkstar was ranked second in the Ziom content just under Windwood. After the fighting competition after all the students were picked, the whole town got ready to celebrate the whole thing.

Multiple townspeople brought over gifts for the students that were able to join the two sects. Li Zhang was at home when this was all going on. He was sound asleep in his room, waiting for the bright sun to shine through his window.

Soon after a couple of hours of sitting in bed and thinking about what happened the other day. He decided that it was time for him to get up. Removing the sheets off his bed, he stretched before walking out of bed.

First, he went to his bathroom to take a quick bath. It didn't take long for Li Zhang to get ready. Walking in the backyard, Li Zhang spotted the pit of fire he used to burn the two guards yesterday.

Their bodies were now piles of ashes. He smiled at the sight and brought over a shovel from the shed. Li Zhang had to remove the ashes to have room for the other bodies that he had hidden throughout the backyard.

His parents and other students in his school thought that he was just a weird youth. That all Li Zhang was going to the library every day and get books. Only reading all day, not doing anything else. They all just thought that he was insane.

They were kinda right, Li Zhang is an experienced in another type of skills. He wasn't really good at practical skills in terms of fighting against others or even cultivating.

Li Zhang liked a certain type of skills. After reading countless books he learned a type of arts per say. Li Zhang learned a lot in the Dark Arts. The Dark Arts are a very rare skill that can be turned into cultivation with a little bit of practice.

Of Course, Li Zhang had been learning and using the Dark Arts for a little while. Almost completely mastering the skill, making him a legendary assassin. Outside of Hencewood, Li Zhang was known as Void.

Li Zhang was a very well-known killer outside of Hencewood. Li Zhang was known for killing multiple high-value targets in the region. He was able to kill a person with only two stabs or slashes from his dagger.

Li Zhang wasn't an assassin, he killed people out of pure enjoyment. Over the years of Li Zhang killing there was a bounty put on his head. The bounty was up to 3 million gold. Which is enough for someone to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Though there was one problem, no one knew who Void was. No one has ever seen Li Zhang, and if they have they were dead as the rest of the people he has killed.

Three Days Later.

Everyone in the town heard about what happened to Li Zhang's parents. Li Zhang didn't know himself. All he was told was his parents were killed in the morning four days ago.

Though, the true reality was that they were killed during one of their trading deal with another region. The townsmen didn't want to break the news to Li Zhang, so they sent a couple of guards to his house.

Li Zhang woke up to a couple of knocks at his door. Removing his sheets he got up and walked to the door. When he opened the door, there were around six people. Two of them were the two neighbors he saw the other day.

While the other four were very popular figures from the town. They came bearing gifts and money to give to Li Zhang. Li Zhang didn't really care that his parents died and just wanted them to leave.

The people handed him gifts but he stood still emotionless. They thought it was because he just lost his parents and left. Once Li Zhang closed his door, he threw the gifts on the floor and returned to his room.

Today was the day, Li Zhang was going to leave Hencewood and move to a new hunting ground. He packed up a backpack with a little bit of food and money.

He also packed a couple of books with him, just in case he was asked where he was going or doing while he was leaving the town. Once everything was packed up, Li Zhang exited his house from the back. Making sure no one saw him when he left.

When he got to the edge of the town, towards the walls. He snuck out from a broken part of the wall. He used to always sneak out of the town that way to go kill.

Even though Li Zhang didn't really like Hencewood and didn't have great emotion towards the town he still felt a little bad for leaving. Li Zhang turned around to look at Hencewood from outside of the wall.

A huge burst of memories entered his mind. The memories started with him staring death in the eyes of a young child. The child was around nine years old. Li Zhang remembers that the kid was his childhood friend Peng Kong.

Them two used to play every day after class, but one day something snapped inside of Li Zhang's head. One day after class, Li Zhang and Peng Kong were walking home.

Peng Kong was talking normally just like they had every day. Li Zhang remembers how Peng Kong used always talk about how he was someday going to join the Windwood Sect.

At the time, Peng Kong was number one in the class rankings for swordsmanship and martial arts. Li Zhang was number one in his class for the general subjects.

Many of the teachers and students used to call them the 'Small Duo'. Li Zhang's member became blurry and came back to Li Zhang with a dagger in his hand.

Staring down at Peng Kong, blood was dripping down his dagger. While Peng Kong was holding his chest in pain. Peng Kong looked up at Li Zhang right before he died.

Peng Kong had the look of 'Why' in his eyes. Li Zhang stared back at Peng Kong with an emotionless face. He just stared at Peng Kong as he slowly bled out.

The whole memory started to fade out, Li Zhang blinked a couple of times before a new memory popped into his head. Again, he killed someone, only this someone was a teacher at the school.

Her name was Shu Mao, she was his math teacher. She was also the only person that thought she knew who Li Zhang truly was. All of the other kids in his school thought that he wasn't going to get anywhere in life.

Though, Shu Mao really liked Li Zhang and always wanted him to do his best. She was the only teacher that even helped Li Zhang. The others always stayed clear of Li Zhang.

Li Zhang like her, but one day that all changed. He doesn't really know why, but he met with her after class to make up a test he missed. While in the classroom she asked him about his day.

*Snap*

Just like the time he killed Peng Kong, he got a sudden burst of rage. He snapped the pencil he was using. This caught She Mao off guard, she knew that Li Zhang was picked on by the others.

She thought that was the reason he was so mad. She tried to calm him down and got closer to him. Li Zhang reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife.

It wasn't a dagger, it was a small steak knife. He stabbed it towards Shu Mao, striking her in the heart. She gripped onto Li Zhang hand as she tried to stop him.

But it was too late, Li Zhang was still moving the knife father and father into her chest. Tears rolled down her face as she took her last breath. It wasn't like before when he killed Peng Kong, he couldn't make up an excuse.

Li Zhang thought of the next best thing. He took the knife and stabbed himself in the chest. Making sure that he stabbed somewhere he wouldn't bleed out from.

He then started to scream in pain, soon enough another teacher came in the room and saw Li Zhang and Shu Mao both on the floor bleeding. When Li Zhang was taken to a doctor and patched up, the guards came to ask what happened.

Li Zhang blamed it on a new kid that just moved in from a nearby town. He said that he came in with a knife and stabbed him. Shu Mao came over to try and take the knife away from the kid but was stabbed herself. Li Zhang then said that the kid ran off to leave him to die.

The guards bought the story, only because the other kid wasn't home or with someone when the 'attack' took place.

The last memory that came to Li Zhang's mind was a recent memory. Only around one year old, when he first left Hencewood. It was late at night and Li Zhang was just walking around the town.

He stumbled upon the hole in the wall and decided to head out. While he was outside of Hencewood he found a couple of traders walking from a nearby town to trade.

Li Zhang at the time didn't have the mindset to kill the travelers. Though, like before his body moved on its own. How Li Zhang killed the traders was quite skilled as he thought back on it.

He first cut up his clothes a little bit to look like he was a wandering child. He slowly walked up to the two traders and forced a couple of tears. He tried to ask them if they had any money to give him.

The traders didn't say anything first and kept walking. Lucky for Li Zhang, the woman stopped the man and talked to him for a little bit trying to give Li Zhang money.

While the woman was arguing with the man, Li Zhang stood behind them with a devilish smile on his face. When the woman turned around to hand Li Zhang the money she met a surprise.

Li Zhang pulled out his dagger and slashed a couple of time at the woman. She let out a small scream but fell the ground quickly after. The man turned around to the screams of his wife and saw Li Zhang with a bloody dagger in his hand.

The man scrambled for his knife but was too slow. Li Zhang was already next to the man. Li Zhang let the panic and fear set into the man before he killed him.

First Li Zhang slashed at the man's right hand. Stopping him from being able to pull out his knife. Next, Li Zhang stabbed twice into the man's chest. In perfect spots making sure the man wouldn't die.

Li Zhang was used to killing people fast, but he wanted to see what it was like to kill them slowly. The man fell to his knees grabbed at his chest. Trying to convince Li Zhang to stop, the man begged Li Zhang to not kill him.

Li Zhang can still remember the shitty excuse the man-made.

"P-Please… I-I have a daughter."

After the man said this, Li Zhang stopped moving towards the man. The man thought that he was convincing Li Zhang.

"H-Here, you can have my money."

With his left hand, he pulled out a pouch of money and tossed it toward Li Zhang. Li Zhang picked up the pouch and looked at it for a couple for seconds.

While Li Zhang was looking at the money, the man tried to get up and run. Laughing under his breath, Li Zhang watched the man try to run away.

The man got a couple of feet before falling on his face. Blood trickled below him as he tried to crawl away. Li Zhang was having too much fun for the man to die.

Li Zhang walked slowly to the man, letting the man hear Li Zhang's footsteps become louder and louder as he walked forward. Once Li Zhang was above the man, he bent down and bent the man's neck back.

The man couldn't do anything to stop Li Zhang. Li Zhang put away his dagger and forcefully opened the man's mouth. With The pouch of money, he stuffed it down his throat and released the man.

Before the man would open his mouth and remove the pouch with his arms, Li Zhang stabbed both shoulders. Making both of his arms useless, flipping the man over Li Zhang looked at the man while he was dying.

The man was shaking violently as he tried to spit out the pouch in his throat. Li Zhang started to wonder why the man wasn't dying and remembered he could breathe through his nose.

Li Zhang moved closer to the man's face and laughed. Li Zhang was about to end the man's misery but thought of a better idea. He moved away from the man and went back over the woman he first killed.

Li Zhang wasn't worried about the man that was trying to crawl away and cut off a large portion of clothing of the woman. He stretched it out making sure it was big enough before turning back to the man.

The man was slowly backing himself up trying to crawl backward. Li Zhang walked over to the man and put the clothing around the man's head.

Wrapping it over his face, and pushing down. Making sure the man couldn't remove it. Like before he shook rapidly, only this time the man really tired.

He started to kick his legs and tried to move his arms. He was lively for a couple of seconds but the struggle started to die down as the man slowly faded away.

Finally, after a good thirty seconds, the man wasn't moving anymore and Li Zhang removed the clothing. Down below him, Li Zhang stared at the dead man's body. Blood was still flowing from his stab wounds.

While looking at the dead body, Li Zhang thought about something he read in one of his books. Calling card, he thought about what he should make his calling card.

He really couldn't think of anything at the time, so he just dug into the man's mouth. He pulled the pouch of money closer to the teeth. He then forced the man to close his mouth. Causing the pouch of money to stick in his mouth.

When Li Zhang backed up and looked at the body he nodded and walked over to the woman. He had to think of something to do to the woman but really couldn't think of much.

He decided the leave her be and just walk back to town.

When the news came to Hencewood of the brutal killing, Li Zhang parents warned him about the dangers of going outside alone at night. They even gave him a huge speech about where to go if he ever got lost. Going to the point of never talking to strangers.

Li Zhang security laughed in his mind when his parents were talking to him.

Li Zhang shook all of the memories out of his head and walked to the same path he killed the traders on. He turned around one last time and took a glance at Hencewood.

Putting on an innocent smile before turning around and walking away while the sun hit midday.