บท 8: First Slaughter
Today was the day that Yaan planned to kill Xinti. He spent the day sharpening a blade that he personally crafted from a sturdy stone. It was just a basic knife, but it would be enough to kill an unconscious Xinti, whilst something like this would be difficult to trace back to him…not that he planned on letting anyone find the murder weapon.
After cutting down a few trees and dragging back the lumber, Yaan acted as normal in front of Xinti. Beyond his calm facade, lingered a ray of killing intent.
He waited until night descended on the world, covering the village in darkness. The crescent moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the faint mist which spread throughout Zong Village on this night.
After counting down the time, Yaan's eyes shone with a cold and determined gleam. He grabbed his knife, then silently left his home. He made sure that nobody was watching and set off towards the centre of the village, making his way to Xinti's abode.
Xinti's residence was far more luxurious compared to any other building in the village. The architecture and craftsmanship were clearly a level above the rest. Yaan directly headed towards the rear of the building, where a window had been left hanging open carelessly.
During these warm summer nights, Xinti always left his window wide open, not even considering the possibility that one of those children that he deemed as trash would dare to target him.
Yaan peered in through the window cautiously. Upon seeing the large body and hearing the oblivious deep snores, he slipped through the open window and stood over Xinti's bed. He stared at this person who had caused him no end of trouble whilst clenching his hand tightly around the handle of the knife. Yaan's silhouette was cold and ominous, like a spectre of death looming above its prey.
Seeing the inside of this room up close only increased Yaan's desire to kill. Whilst the rest of them lived in poverty and squalor, Xinti slept comfortably on a large cotton mattress, adorned with delicate embroidery to match his clothing and other furnishings. Various expensive looking ornaments that Yaan could not even identify decorated the room, but he ignored all of this and focussed on the task at hand.
He tried to remain calm and collected, but his heart started racing violently as the grim reality of his plan set in. He grasped the knife in two hands, taking a step closer towards Xinti nervously. With each step he took, his body trembled more intensely from the fright.
Yaan swallowed, then showed a determined look as he leapt forwards with a crazed expression on his face.
Chi!
There was no error in his strike. He was all too aware that he needed to get it right on the first try, so he had been practicing his knife wielding skills in the dark forest.
The knife pierced directly into Xinti's throat. It almost seemed anticlimactic, leaving Yaan standing there, staring blankly for a moment.
"Kuh…" Xinti's eyes shot open, making Yaan jump back in fright. The confused young man tried to stand, but after Yaan removed the knife, the blood spurted out from his neck like a broken faucet. Xinti managed to take a single step before his blood pressure dropped and he collapsed to the floor.
Thud!
His body hit the ground with a thump, then twitched for a few moments before becoming motionless.
"I, I kill-"
"Xinti, are you-!"
"Huh?!"
The door suddenly burst open, frightening Yaan into crying out. He was extremely on edge right now, so the shock caused him to rashly slash out, in the direction of the sudden noise and movement.
He stared forwards with wide eyes as a girl looked back at him in shock. He felt mortified when he lowered his gaze and saw a red line appear around her throat.
Tss!
He had apparently slashed her jugular, because the blood sprayed out audibly. The girl's eyes rolled back and she fell forwards, almost knocking Yaan down, but landing on top of Xinti when Yaan quickly moved out of the way.
A pool of crimson stained the carpet beneath his feet. The entire room was stained in red, creating a stifling feeling that weighed down on Yaan's stunned mind.
"She, she, what was she doing here, I didn't, ah…" Yaan felt disoriented as the stench of blood filled the room. He became light headed and stumbled back, grabbing onto the windowsill as he tried to process the unexpected sequence of events.
The girl was Xinti's plaything, but she didn't usually stay around his home this late! Yaan had calculated that she absolutely should not be here on this night, and yet, here she was…
And he killed her on reflex without thinking.
"I, I need to go…" He muttered to himself, staring at the two corpses even as he climbed out from the window.
When he got outside, Yaan turned away and ran. After turning away from that horrible scene, he remembered his original plan and gritted his teeth.
'To the forest!' He sprinted away at his highest speed.
His figure blurred silently through the village in the dead of night. The village residents slept soundly, oblivious to the fact that a killer was passing them by.
Yaan didn't stop until he reached the forest, and even then, he continued to run. He ran and ran, all the way until he reached the stream two miles away. As soon as he reached the stream, Yaan threw the red-stained blade into the murky waters without a second thought. This had been his plan all along; to dispose of the murder weapon after doing the deed.
"Hugh…"
He fell to his knees and threw up, then continued to dry heave for half an hour after. His eyes were now burning and his throat was dry, but the only thing on Yaan's mind were his earlier sinful actions, actions that he had once deemed as being 'evil'.
Yaan didn't intend to kill the girl. He only planned to kill Xinti, but she surprised him and he acted on reflex. He realised he had killed an innocent person…perhaps he had crossed a line that he could never come back from.
When he finally stood, his legs were shaking. He retreated a hundred feet from the river, then stopped before a wooden bowl that he filled the day before. Yaan thoughtlessly stripped off his clothing, then began washing the rags to remove the bloodstains.
The more blood he saw soak into the clear water, dying it with a crimson taint, the more his hands shook unsteadily.
In truth, what bothered Yaan the most about this situation wasn't actually the fact that he had killed. He wasn't most distraught by the fact that the plan had gone wrong, causing him to slaughter an 'innocent' girl.
Rather, what left Yaan feeling the most disgusted in himself, was the perverse sense of power he had felt back there. Seeing Xinti's final confused and fearful expression had actually made him feel pleased. He felt powerful, that he, a small mortal child, managed to cut down an almighty cultivator!
Yaan knew that this was wrong. He hadn't done anything good, so why did he feel a sense of accomplishment amidst the fear and guilt?
His emotions were in turmoil, leaving him distraught and confused. He felt like he didn't even know himself anymore…
Worse yet, Yaan felt a desire to kill even more. He quickly realised that this must be due to the fiend foundation and the Slaughter Aura that he absorbed after proactively killing two people of his own free will.
Knowing that it would be bad to let this feeling escalate any further, Yaan calmed his breathing and closed his eyes. He hung up his washed clothes to dry, then sat down and leaned against a nearby tree. He tried to clear his mind of all thoughts, with the idea that he couldn't have malicious thoughts if his mind was free from thought itself.
This actually worked to a degree, but he struggled to remain calm as the time passed by. He continued to sit silently until daylight returned to the world, light which could barely be seen through the thick foliage in the dark forest.
After opening his eyes, it was clear that Yaan had finally calmed his overactive mind. He still felt a bit nervous and nauseated when thinking back on his prior actions, but at least that bloodthirsty feeling from before had been suppressed.
He didn't head back to the village just yet, despite knowing that Xinti's death would soon be discovered. His plan was to continue as usual, chopping down trees and dragging back the lumber, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. This way, people would hopefully assume that he had headed out to work early in the morning just like always.
When he finally returned to Zong Village after a full day's work, Yaan immediately discovered that something was different. Well, that was to be expected of course. Xinti was the tyrannical ruler of the village, without him around, who would take charge? What exactly would happen now?
Seeing that there was a crowd gathered around the centre of the village, Yaan ignored his pounding heart and made his way towards the loud group.
The first voice that he was able to discern from the crowd was actually Jash's.
"You all, you're truly going to rebel against the sect?!" Jash yelled out at the top of his voice, but a hint of panic was visible in his eyes.
"Shut up Jash you lapdog, now that Xinti's dead, you have no power over us!" A boy much larger than Jash yelled back, causing him to step back uncertainly.
"You all should do as we say." The other boy who followed Xinti, Hauk, stepped forwards. "Now that Lord Xinti has been murdered, it is our duty as his subordinates to maintain order whilst we investigate and wait for someone from the sect to arrive!"
"What subordinates? You only followed that fatty so that you could lord over the rest of us!" The large boy didn't seem to be backing down.
In fact, many people began yelling out in agreement with him. This argument had been going on all day, ever since Jash discovered Xinti's corpse in the early morning.
Of course, Yaan knew exactly what was going on, he knew better than anyone why this was all happening, but he needed to act ignorant.
"What's going on? Why is everyone arguing here?" He walked forwards and spoke to a boy named Fouya, a person he was somewhat familiar with. As Yaan spoke, he feigned a curious expression.
"Hmm? Oh, Yaan! I guess you just got back from the forest so you don't know yet, but…Xinti is dead!"
"What?!" Yaan showed an exaggerated look of shock. This was his first time lying about something so huge to someone's face, but perhaps, he might actually have a talent for acting?
Fouya was completely fooled. He didn't for a moment suspect that Yaan was the instigator of this entire situation. This allowed Yaan to blend into the crowd as Fouya went on to explain everything that had transpired until now.
After Jash found the two dead bodies, he immediately panicked and sprinted out to find Hauk. This attracted some commotion, leading to a crowd gradually forming over time. Some people had left for work before Xinti's body was discovered, so not everyone was aware of the situation, but there were now only a few people missing.
The situation had not deescalated at all. No, even now, everything was still becoming more and more heated.
"Hauk, I always hated you…don't think that I've forgotten about this scar you gave me back then!" The large boy clutched the scar on his cheek, remembering how three years ago, Hauk had cut him with a knife to please Xinti.
These two arrived from the same village and originally vowed to protect one another, but years of suffering ended up sending them on very different paths whilst slowly tearing them apart.
Unknowingly, Yaan found himself drawing towards the front of the crowd. Before he knew why his feet were moving, he was already standing a few feet away from this argument, staring at Hauk and the other boy whilst Jash cowered in the back.
It was only now that something came to Yaan's attention. He was alarmed to see that both boys were holding weapons. When he looked around, he saw that many others were also holding weapons of their own, from knives, to scythes, to axes.
In fact, Yaan was also subconsciously gripping onto his own axe tightly.
"Yaan, you…are you rebelling too?!" Seeing Yaan at the front, Jash jumped up and screamed at him accusingly.
"Wh- no, I-"
"You're taking his side?" The large boy turned towards Yaan sharply. The attention of the crowd was suddenly all brought onto Yaan, making him break out in a cold sweat.
"No, I'm not taking any side, I just don't think we should be fighting amongst ourselves!" Yaan managed to say this through gritted teeth.
Unfortunately, the crowd was too riled up. Tensions were high, nobody was really listening to one another, and things were rapidly getting out of hand.
"Yaan, I bet it was Yaan that killed Xinti! He hated Xinti as much as anyone and he's definitely crazy enough to do it, he even dared to argue with Elder Sun!" Jash suddenly screamed as he pointed at Yaan with a trembling finger.
Yaan was completely stunned. He knew that Jash had gone to unforgivable lengths to ensure his own wellbeing, but this? Why was Jash throwing him to the dogs like this with no evidence?! There was no way that he truly believed his own words, it was clearly just a desperate attempt to remove the pressure from himself!
Seeing the crazed look in Jash's eyes, Yaan dazedly realised something. Fear could truly turn people into disgusting creatures, to the extent that they would even sacrifice their own friends. Yaan's heart grew colder as he stared at Jash darkly.
"Get him, we need to capture him! When an elder from the sect arrives, we can hand him over!"
As Jash continued to rile up the crowd, he revealed a steel knife in his hand. He inched closer towards Yaan and raised his hand threateningly.
Yaan panicked. Jash pointing a weapon at his throat, even if it was just a bluff, combined with the earlier memories of slaughter still fresh in his mind, caused Yaan to act without thinking.
Swoosh…Thud!
It instantly dawned on him that he had committed a grave mistake, and the crazed look in Yaan's eyes dispersed without a trace. He slowly shifted his gaze towards the axe in his hand, which was stretched straight out in front of him…and imbedded in the side of Jash's head.
Jash's eyes widened. At first, he stared at Yaan in disbelief, but after a moment, the light faded from his eyes and his body lost all tension.
Thump!
Jash's body dropped to the floor…dead. His skull was caved in from the side with Yaan's axe, he had basically zero hope of surviving such a brutal wound.
"You…you killed him…" Hauk stared blankly.
The large boy now became silent, cautiously turning his gaze towards Yaan.
"Hey…did you actually kill Xinti?" He asked slowly.
At first, very few people truly believed in Jash's hasty words of accusation. After seeing Yaan's extreme reaction though, it was beginning to seem like he might actually be the perpetrator…
"N-No, I didn't, it wasn't me-"
"Shit, it really was you!" Hauk muttered. He was about to say something, but then someone suddenly moved.
The person to dash out unexpected was actually large boy, who until now, had been extremely vocal throughout his argument with Hauk. But now, his target had changed. Holding onto an axe, he charged at Yaan crazily!
"Ah!" Yaan stepped back in surprise, instinctively swinging down his axe as he did so. He closed his eyes, but felt the tool reach its target once again. When he opened his eyes, Yaan stared in horror at the blade of the bloody axe, which was wedged into the large boy's throat.
The kids were all malnourished, but Yaan possessed the fiend foundation. Compared to the others, his strength and reflexes were a full level higher.
"Puh…bah…" The boy sputtered a few times, then fell forwards, nearly pulling the axe from Yaan's hands.
"I, I didn't mean to, ah, why do I keep killing?!" Yaan cried to himself sorrowfully. This was not his plan! He didn't want to kill these people, they were just pitiful kids just like him, ripped from their homes, and innocent of any wrongdoings! And this large boy…Yaan had nothing against him, he didn't even know the boy's name!
Of the four people slain by Yaan's hands, three were accidents, pitiful mistakes caused by Yaan's fearful instinct to preserve his own life. Unfortunately, the crowd didn't see it that way.
"He killed Xinti and now he's lashing out at us!"
"He's dangerous, let's get away!"
"No, we need to take him down or he'll kill more of us!"
"…"
Yaan wanted to explain himself, but his voice was drowned out by the explosive chatter. His case wasn't helped by the maddening bloodlust, which was exuded from his body after absorbing the Slaughter Aura from Jash and the large boy.
He didn't have enough time to calm down his straying mind, whilst the pressure from the crowd only escalated this feeling into a state of near-psychosis. Yaan started breathing heavily and his eyes became bloodshot. Thoughts of guilt and regret dissipated into thin air, replaced only by the burning desire, no, the need, to survive this situation!
Yaan's killing intent became too obvious, causing many of the younger children to retreat in fright. The older kids who had been living in Zong Village for many years were less timid, hardened by the years of suffering and hardship.
The next to act was Hauk.
'If I can kill him, or even capture him alive, then the sect will definitely reward me! Perhaps I could even enter the inner sect this time!'
Hauk's greed overcame his fear.
In fact, he wasn't the only one to think along these lines. Many of the older and larger children stared at Yaan viciously. They didn't care too much about the deaths of the others, they were only thinking about their own future prospects. If they could capture Yaan personally and earn merit with the sect, they would finally be able to leave this lifestyle of poverty, ascending to greatness in one step!
In Yaan's crazed state, he became acutely aware of his surroundings. Those waiting and biding their time, those retreating fearfully, and those acting right now…he became aware of everything in this single, manic moment.
Swoosh! He turned rapidly, shocking Hauk into stopping. Unfortunately for the ambitious boy, that moment of hesitation cost him his life.
Thud!
"Ahh!" He screamed out in agonising pain as Yaan's axe embedded itself into his rib cage. The cracking of his ribs echoed out, causing some people to falter and turn pale. The axe blade slid past his crushed ribs and punctured a lung, filling his lungs with blood and forcing him to the floor as he choked on the scarlet fluid.
Yaan pulled out the axe, then swung again, this time connecting with his head.
Thump!
Hauk hit the floor lifelessly, never to move again. The axe shattered his skull, sending fragments flying inwards and mashing up his brains. This was something that no mortal could hope to survive.
Invisible to everyone present, a strand of Slaughter Aura slipped into Yaan's body yet again. He killed Hauk so viciously, and now, any trace of hesitation had disappeared from his actions. This was not due to Yaan becoming heartless, it was a result of the Slaughter Aura influencing his mind.
The Slaughter Aura's didn't only affect his mind, it also affected his instincts. He was slowly turning into a more optimal vessel of slaughter.
He saw two more people moving towards him from either side and acted right away.
Yaan slid to the side, swinging with the axe at the same time. The girl blocked with her scythe hastily, but unexpectedly found herself thrown back from the force of impact.
She was a girl, but towered over Yaan by almost a foot. She was extremely shocked. How was he so strong?!
Unfortunately, her question would never be answered. The girl could only stare as Yaan removed the axe from her chest, then ignored her entirely in her final few seconds of life.
The killing intent within Yaan's eyes increased to a whole new level. His entire body felt invigorated as the obsession with slaughter took over his mind. His original vow to only kill those evildoers was long forgotten. He could not remember that he had made a vow to only kill those who were deserving.
The insanity caused by absorbing too much Slaughter Aura in a short period of time reached its peak. The only thought on Yaan's mind was killing.
An eery smile spread across his face as he turned towards the next assailant.
Swoosh!
The boy's throat was completely torn out by the axe blade, sending chunks of flesh splattering across the faces of various stumped onlookers. Some people who were previously hesitating, now backed away in terror.
"Wait, we can't back down now!" Someone yelled out. "We need to band together to defeat him! Look at him, he's clearly gone crazy, he won't let anyone off!"
"Yaan, you-" Fouya stepped forwards uncertainly as he tried to reason with him. However, sensing someone entering his close proximity caused Yaan to lash out wildly, bringing down the full weight of the axe onto the boy's face, crushing his skull inwards.
This bloody scene left everyone frozen in shock, but Yaan didn't stop there.
He was totally indiscriminate in his killing now. Old or young, male or female, friend or enemy, it didn't matter. Any living person within range became his target, his prey. Without fail, anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves facing Yaan dropped dead to the floor after exchanging at most three strikes.
Yaan's killing intent rose further, to the point that a faint bloody aura could be seen gathering around his body. Some weaker individuals found themselves frozen on the spot, petrified by the unbelievable demonic scene that entered their eyes. They were filled with despair-inducing levels of fear right now. They became overwhelmed by the feeling that they were being targeted by a crazed demon.
In a way, they were right. As someone with the fiend foundation, Yaan could be considered a half-fiend, and hence a half-demon.
They didn't run away and neither did they attack, but they were shown no mercy. Not moving simply made them easier targets.
As time passed by, the bodies accumulated and blood flowed across dusty ground like a newly formed crimson river. Yaan himself was not uninjured either. During the chaos, he received multiple cuts, blows and even a stab wound to his shoulder.
He didn't even acknowledge the injuries, it was as if he couldn't feel pain. Yaan had completely lost his mind, engrossed in killing, and unable to see anything other than a maddening sea of blood and death.
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