XIAO SHUXIANG'S

43 - Zong Ming's Story [Revised]

Zong Ming nodded, he confirmed that Dai Chen was indeed a grudge against him. "We met during the Exploration of the Ancient Tomb, about two years ago..."

Zong Ming explained that Dai Chen was with his sister Dai Chan, a 5-year-old girl.

In the exploration, one of the places in the tomb was inhabited by Demonic Beasts in the form of Legam Black Ants the size of an adult cow.

"... Me and Ying Liu had a hard time fighting with that demonic beast, so we tried to lure him towards the tomb trap. Unfortunately we got lost and instead met the Dai Brothers..."

Zong Ming also explained that the four of them had finally teamed up to defeat the Demonic Beasts. One of the attacks leads to Ying Liu, but Dai Chan quickly protects her.

"... I also gave the ant an attack, as Dai Chan protected Ying Liu. But..."

Zong Ming could not continue his story, there was a deep sense of guilt and sadness as he recalled the events of 2 years ago.

From Zong Ming's incomplete story, Xiao Shuxiang could already guess the follow-up. He said, "Your attacks are about his sister Dai Chen, right?"

Zong Ming bowed when he heard the question from Xiao Shuxiang, he found it difficult to speak.

Xiao Shuxiang was still waiting for an explanation, even though he already knew what Zong Ming was going to say.

"I. that's right. Dai Chan was hit by my attack and left him disabled forever. From then on, Dai Chen hated me and Ying Liu..."

Zong Ming's throat and chest ached as he said so, Jing Mi and Qi Xuan were as if they could feel Zong Ming's regret. The two of them could also feel how much revenge Dai Chen had for this new friend of theirs.

"That means... Dai Chen is not the evil child like brother Liu said?" Qi Xuan felt that this was just a mere misunderstanding.

"That's Not Right!!"

A female voice made Qi Xuan, Jing Mi, Xiao Shuxiang and Zong Ming shocked. The voice was none other than Ying Liu.

"Liu'Er's? You're..." Zong Ming looked at Ying Liu who was standing on the lips of the door. There was anger and anger on the girl's face.

"You're a fool to feel guilty...!" Ying Liu stepped closer to Zong Ming and the others, he stared one by one at the faces of these friends.

Ying Liu then spoke in a voice filled with anger, "Dai Chen and his sister are indeed arrogant children, always looking down on others. Many do not like them because of their nature. And what happened to Dai Chan was a punishment for everything he did!"

"Liu'Er?! Don't say that," Zong Ming rebuked Ying Liu for not liking to hear this girl's words.

Ying Liu stared intently at Zong Ming, "What's the matter?! Did you forget how many people they hurt?! Dai Chan deserves it!"

"YING LIU!! Dai Chan helped you, don't you remember that?!" Zong Ming yelled and snapped at her, he firmly gripped onto Ying Liu's arm and slightly pushed her away.

Ying Liu was startled, this was the first time Zong Ming had snapped at him. Zong Ming was similarly shocked, he had never snapped and spoke this high to Ying Liu before.

"Liu'Er, i..."

"YOU DEFEND THEM!! DEFEND THEM AS YOU LIKE!!" Ying Liu shouted while crying, he then ran away leaving his friends.

"LIU'ER?!" Zong Ming chased after Ying Liu without caring for his friends.

Zong Mi, Qi Xuan and Xiao Shuxiang were extremely shocked when they heard Ying Liu's scream earlier. Whereas what they had seen all along, Ying Liu was a quiet girl and could not possibly shout that loud.

"What actually happened...?" Qi Xuan and Jing Mi looked at each other and asked each other.

Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his chin, "I guess, their problems aren't as simple as they seem."

Next to the room of Xiao Shuxiang and the others, Xiao Lu was seen sitting together with Gu Ta Sian and Yang Shu.

The three of them were shocked when they heard the sound of shouting, immediately Xiao Lu stood up and stepped out to check on him.

Just as Xiao Lu opened the door, he saw Ying Liu running while crying.

"Brother Liu?! Why you...?" Xiao Lu tried to restrain Ying Liu, but the girl quickly went down the stairs and went out of nowhere.

"Liu'Er?! Wait...! Liu'er!!" Zong Mi ran after Ying Liu, she was then restrained by Xiao Lu.

"Brother Zong? What's the matter?"

Xiao Lu looked puzzled as Zong Ming felt anxious and quickly left him to catch up with Ying Liu.

Yang Shu and Gu Ta Sian called Xiao Lu and asked him about Zong Ming and Ying Liu.

"Lu 'Er. What's going on?"

"I don't know either, Brother Zong suddenly left without saying anything to me."

Yang Shu and Gu Ta Sian then invited Xiao Lu to meet his other fellow students.

As they were inside the room where Xiao Shuxiang, Jing Mi and Qi Xuan were.. Yang Shu then asked them for their explanation of the matter that had happened to Zong Ming and Ying Liu.

Jing Mi then told her everything, from the beginning until the moment Ying Liu shouted and ran away leaving them.

Hearing Jing Mi's story made Gu Ta Sian sigh slowly. Xiao Shuxiang noticed that there was a change in the look on Gu Ta Sian's face, he then asked Gu Ta Sian because he felt that this man knew the truth.

"This is all because Dai Chan used to be rude to Liu'Er's mother..."

Gu Ta Sian also explained that Ying Liu's mother worked as a servant at the Dai Chan residence. Ying Liu's mother was tortured several times by Dai Chan and often mistreated by the child, resulting in Ying Liu's mother falling ill.

Dai Chan's father apologized and tried to treat Ying Liu's mother, he also scolded and punished Dai Chan for acting outrageously.

It was just that Dai Chan had never changed his attitude even after being punished by his father. She instead held a grudge against Ying Liu's mother for feeling her father had been incited so as to punish her.

Dai Chan then pretended to be a good boy and apologized to Ying Liu's mother by bringing her some medicinal pills.

"... The pill turned out to contain poison with a slow reaction, only to be discovered after a year."

Yang Shu and his students bowed down miserably, they did not expect their new friend's matter with the Dai Brothers to be so complicated.

"I... I'll catch up with brother Liu..." Xiao Lu intended to step away from his friends, but soon Xiao Shuxiang held him back by grabbing and grasping Xiao Lu's right hand.

Xiao Shuxiang, "Don't now. Let brother Zong calm brother Liu first, you don't interfere.."

Xiao Lu, "But.."

Xiao Shuxiang, "Zong Ming must apologize to Ying Kiu for yelling at him earlier, you don't bother them first.."

Yang Shu and Qi Xuan nodded in agreement with Xiao Shuxiang's remark. Gu Ta Sian and Jing Mi also did the same.

With a heavy heart Xiao Lu nodded, "Alright, I will wait for brother Liu and brother Zong..."

Yang Shu and Gu Ta Sian then walked over and sat down on the chair that was in the room. While Qi Xuan, Jing Mi, Xiao Lu and Xiao Shuxiang were sitting by the window while looking at the scenery around the inn.

In a half-snurried voice, Xiao Shuxiang asked Jing Mi and Qi Xuan about the traces of blood on his face. He was a little anxious if Yang Shu and Gu Ta Sian suddenly noticed it.

Jing Mi and Qi Xuan helped clear the blood marks under Xiao Shuxiang's lips, nose and ears.

Jing Mi and Qi Xuan slightly turned their heads towards Gu Ta Sian and Yang Shu. Thankfully, the two seemed to be talking seriously.

After they finished helping Xiao Shuxiang, they then looked back at the people who were passing by far below them.

"I feel sorry for Dai Chan, he has to be paralyzed for the rest of his life..." Jing Mi started the conversation, she let out her opinion of Dai Chan.

"If I even feel that Dai Chan deserves it, he has already made sister Liu's mother have to live with the poison in her body" Xiao Lu said, looking vexed on her face.

"But Dai Chan is young, he's still a kid..." Jing Mi actually wanted to defend Dai Chan, only that she also felt that Dai Chan's actions were indeed outrageous.

Qi Xuan exhaled heavily, "If I were to become Liu's brother, I would also definitely be that hateful to Dai Chan. Even though he was still a child, but his actions were extremely unfaithful."

Xiao Shuxiang just kept quiet while listening to his friends, "Haah... I don't need to interfere. It's none of my business."

***