Orphan’s Hidden Fire

Chapter 5: Blood in the Village

Shen Hao had no money for a horse, so he ran.

His new body carried him fast. He pushed hard for long stretches, then slowed only long enough to catch his breath. By the next morning a small village appeared ahead.

Something felt wrong.

No one walked the streets even though the sun was already up. Low growls drifted on the wind. Shen Hao slipped behind a broken wall and looked carefully.

Ten blood wolves tore at human bodies in the middle of the street. A bigger poison wolf stood in the center — the alpha. All of them were Tier-1 beasts. The alpha was at the peak of that level, strong enough that most Gathering Qi cultivators would run.

The alpha’s ears twitched. It suddenly smashed through the door of a nearby house, dragged out a large wooden chest, and broke the lid with two heavy swipes.

A small girl sat inside, shaking so hard she could not even scream.

The alpha lowered its head, ready to bite.

Shen Hao moved first.

He stepped into the open and let out rough wolf-like howls. Every beast turned toward him.

*I have to split them up. If they stay together, I lose.*

Instead of running, he charged straight at the pack, then swerved hard toward the alpha. He jumped and drove a heavy kick into the poison wolf’s snout. The alpha crashed to the ground with a pained snarl.

Before it could recover, Shen Hao was already gone between the houses.

“Over here!” he shouted, forcing the pack to chase and separate.

Two wolves smashed into a house after him. The moment they broke the door, Shen Hao burst out a side window. He split his Qi the way the voice had taught him — pure Yang on his right fist, pure Yin on his left.

His right fist smashed into the first wolf’s stomach. Bones snapped. The beast dropped, choking on its own blood.

The second wolf turned too late. Shen Hao’s left fist struck low and hard. Yin energy exploded. The wolf’s lower body tore apart. It dragged itself a few steps and died.

Shen Hao stared for half a second.

*These things are supposed to be dangerous… Why do they feel so weak?*

He did not waste time. He moved two houses down, rubbed dirt on his clothes to hide the smell of blood, and prepared again. The voice had warned him: Yin and Yang had to stay balanced or his meridians would suffer.

He leaned out a window and sent a beam of Yin Qi flying. It traveled a few hundred feet and exploded with a sharp crack. The remaining wolves charged toward the sound.

Shen Hao waited until most of them passed. Then he gathered more energy than before — extra Yang this time. His right hand burned. His left felt freezing cold. He held on.

As the last four wolves ran by, he thrust both palms forward.

Twin shocks of opposite energy slammed into them. Two wolves burned. One froze solid. The fourth simply blew apart into bloody pieces.

Four left, including the alpha.

The poison wolf roared and leapt straight at Shen Hao’s throat, fangs dripping.

Shen Hao was ready. He had compressed dense balls of Yin and Yang Qi into each palm. The moment the alpha closed in, he clapped both hands against the sides of its head.

The two forces met.

They went wild.

A violent blast tore the wolf’s head clean off. Only the body remained.

Pain like fire shot through Shen Hao’s palms. A raw sound ripped from his throat. The last wolves saw their leader destroyed and fled into the trees with their tails down.

Shen Hao looked at his hands.

When he forced them apart, skin peeled away in bloody strips. The flesh underneath was raw and ruined.

The pain finally won.

His knees hit the dirt. Darkness closed in.

The last thing he heard was a small, shaky voice from the broken chest.

“Big brother…?”