SWORD OF FLAME

Fei Hung

For the villagers of Lufeng, the ravine was considered extremely haunted. Many people had disappeared, swallowed by the mysterious ravine, and no one ever dared to venture to its depths.

"That boy fell into the ravine. Let's go back!" shouted one of the men who had been chasing Fang Yun.

"He must be dead by now!" replied another man.

The two bandits then ran back to Lufeng, which had already become a scene of massacre and rape by their group.

Meanwhile, Fang Yun's body continued to fall until it hit the bottom of the ravine hard. The unfortunate young man's body no longer moved. Whether he was dead or simply unconscious was unclear.

The next day, an old man with a short body and long, unkempt hair walked towards Fang Yun’s unconscious body lying face down. Dried blood was visible coming from the boy’s mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.

The old man examined Fang Yun’s condition and noticed a large open wound on his back. He then checked the boy's left wrist to see if he was still alive or already dead.

His brow furrowed in surprise.

"His pulse is extremely weak. He should have died after falling from such a height," he muttered, lifting his face in confusion.

The short, old man then picked up Fang Yun’s body. Despite his small physique, the old man seemed to carry him effortlessly, as if he were carrying cotton. He brought Fang Yun into a cave and gently laid him down.

On the fifth day, Fang Yun still had not regained consciousness. The old man grew increasingly puzzled. Logically, the young man before him should have been dead by now.

"It seems something has destined this boy to stay alive," he thought.

The old man, the sole inhabitant of the haunted ravine, looked at Fang Yun in both confusion and admiration for his resilience. Nearly all of his bones had broken from the fall, yet the heavens had allowed him to live.

Months passed, and Fang Yun remained in a state of suspended animation. During this time, whenever the old man was not in the cave, the red snake tattoo on Fang Yun’s wrist would glow brightly, enveloping his entire body.

In the tenth month, as the old man wiped Fang Yun’s body with a damp cloth, he was suddenly shocked by what he saw.

He stared in amazement at the red snake tattoo on the right wrist of the young man he had saved.

"Could this be the reason he’s still alive?" he wondered.

When he removed Fang Yun's clothing, he was once again surprised as an ancient book fell from beneath Fang Yun’s shirt. His wrinkled hand picked up the red-covered book from the cave floor.

"Fire God Technique," he read aloud softly, frowning as he pondered the meaning.

Suddenly, Fang Yun’s fingers began to twitch, and the young man slowly opened his eyes.

"Father… Mother…" were the only words that crossed Fang Yun’s mind.

"You’re finally awake, young man."

Fang Yun slowly turned his head. His body felt incredibly stiff from lying still for so long. He saw an old man sitting nearby, smiling at him.

"Where am I?"

"You’re at my place, young man," the old man replied.

"Who are you, Grandpa?" asked Fang Yun weakly.

"I am Fei Hung. Just call me Grandpa Joyo."

"I’m Fang Yun, Grandpa."

Fang Yun tried to sit up, but Fei Hung immediately stopped him.

"Take it slow, Fang Yun. You’ve got many broken bones." Fei Hung checked Fang Yun's body, but to his surprise, he could no longer feel any broken bones, unlike when he had first found him.

"How strange!" Fei Hung furrowed his brow, puzzled, then helped Fang Yun sit up.

"Wait here. I’ll get you some food," said Fei Hung as he stood and walked out of the cave.

As Fei Hung left, Fang Yun recalled the events before he fell into the ravine. He remembered that his back had been severely slashed by a sword. His hand instinctively touched his back, but he felt no scars. His back was as smooth as ever.

"How strange!" Fang Yun muttered, baffled by his own condition. He could not understand how his body seemed to have never gone through such a tragic event.

Moments later, Fei Hung returned, bringing fruits in his hands.

"Eat these first to fill your stomach," said Fei Hung.

"Thank you, Grandpa." Fang Yun grabbed a banana and eagerly devoured it.

After Fang Yun finished eating, Fei Hung started a conversation. "How did you end up falling into this ravine?"

Fang Yun gazed at the cave ceiling, his mind drifting back to the events before he fell.

Soon, he began to tell his story.

"There was a massive raid on my village, Grandpa. Hundreds of bandits dressed in black with black headbands attacked every house."

Fang Yun fell silent, his eyes beginning to well up with tears. Fei Hung saw the sadness in the boy's eyes and let him continue without interrupting.

The young man then went on to recount in detail the events up to the moment before he fell into the ravine.

Fei Hung sighed heavily. "Your story is truly tragic, Fang Yun."

"Do you want to take revenge for the death of your parents and your village people?"

"I really want to, Grandpa. But what can I do? I’ve been labeled as someone who can’t learn martial arts. An elder from the Black Eagle Sect once examined me. He said I have no talent at all and that my body cannot store internal energy."

"And you believed him?"

Fang Yun nodded. "That elder was responsible for selecting new disciples for the sect, Grandpa."

Fei Hung smiled. "Let me see your left hand."

Fang Yun offered his left hand. The old man took it and turned it palm up.

Fei Hung checked Fang Yun's pulse, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Your pulse is irregular, so your blood flow is not smooth. That’s what makes you unable to store internal energy."

"So, I really can’t practice internal energy cultivation?"

"Hahahaha…" Fei Hung laughed heartily. "That’s what they say because they don’t know how to realign your pulse points. For me, that’s an easy task!" Fei Hung reassured him.

Fang Yun's eyes sparkled. His hope to learn the Fire God Technique reignited. "Grandpa, can you really help me?"

Fei Hung nodded, still smiling. "I will realign all your pulse points later. But for now, let’s leave this cave. There’s something I want to show you."

"I’ll follow your every instruction, Grandpa, as long as it’s not for committing evil."

Fei Hung smiled happily. After decades of living in solitude in the ravine, he now had a companion.

Fei Hung's mind drifted back to when he was about twenty-eight years old. He had chosen to isolate himself in the ravine due to an incident that had left him deeply wounded.

"Grandpa, you said you wanted to show me something, but now you’re daydreaming instead."

Fei Hung snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh… yes, Fang Yun, let’s go out now!"

The two of them walked out of the cave. Upon reaching the outside, Fang Yun was astonished by the view at the bottom of the ravine. He never expected such a supposedly haunted place to hold such breathtaking beauty.

At the bottom of the ravine, Fang Yun saw many fruit trees growing abundantly. There was also a small river flowing not far from the cave. The crystal-clear water made Fang Yun want to dive right in.

Fei Hung led Fang Yun along the river until they reached a fairly large pool. Strangely, steam was rising from the pool as if the water were being boiled.

In the center of the pool was a large, flat-topped rock.

"See that big rock, Fang Yun? That’s where I will realign your pulse points."

Fang Yun stared at the rock, feeling an inexplicable pull toward it.

"Come, let’s go back to the cave. There are some things I want to explain to you," said Fei Hung.

"Yes, Grandpa."

As they walked back to the cave, Fang Yun's thoughts returned to his parents, who had been killed. His determination to learn martial arts grew even stronger. He swore to avenge his parents’ deaths.

Once inside the cave, they both sat on a wide stone slab.

"Fang Yun, I need to ask you something. Please answer me honestly."

"I’ve never lied in my life, Grandpa," Fang Yun replied.

"Where did you get this book?" asked Fei Hung, pulling out the Fire God Technique book from his clothing.

Fang Yun touched his stomach but didn’t find the book he had hidden there.

"I found it under a wooden floor in the ruins of an ancient temple, Grandpa," Fang Yun answered truthfully. "Why do you ask, Grandpa?"

Fei Hung paused, thinking carefully about how to explain this to the fifteen-year-old sitting before him.

"Nearly a hundred years ago, this book once shook the martial world, Fang Yun. Many warriors, both from the dark and righteous sects, killed each other to possess this book. They didn’t value life at all in their ambition to control this legendary manual."

"So, what makes this book so special, Grandpa?"

"Show me your right wrist."

Fang Yun rolled up his sleeve, revealing the red snake tattoo on his right arm.

"That mark means you’ve been chosen as the successor of the Fire God Warrior, Fang Yun. You are fortunate to be chosen as the heir of the strongest warrior to ever walk this earth."

Fang Yun stared in disbelief. How could he, who had always been ridiculed by the youths in his village and often targeted by Chong Li, be chosen as the successor of the Fire God Warrior?