150: [Bonus chapter] 4.15 Ningning

[Bonus chapter] 4.15 Ningning

As soon as Heimo left the village, his light blue robes which he borrowed from Jingxue-Jun instantly blackened from the edges of his sleeves down to the hem. Gold patterns crawled up from the hidden place beneath the seam as he tied his long hair up into a high ponytail with a gold ribbon. Everywhere he stepped, the resentful energy that was hiding in the dark shadows, underneath the crack of the cobblestone, and in between the uninhabited houses crept out and swirled around him like a group of dancers with flowy dresses. "Take me home." Heimo commanded and the resentful energy swallowed him whole.  2

When it finally dispersed, Heimo's figure vanished from the spot and what was left on the ground beneath his feet was a patch of wilted, brown grass that looked conspicuously eerie surrounded by lush, healthy green meadow.

The home Heimo was talking about was the base of the Demonic Sect. It was built right atop of a dormant volcano, the solid ashes as the ground and the greyed, stormy sky as the roof. The weather was humid and dry all year along, the heat was sweltering. The air was thick with demonic energy and no sane person would dare to venture unless they wanted to risk having qi deviation. 

"Shijie!" Heimo called out as soon as he burst in through the door. Almost every member of the sect were there, scattered across the main hall with their faces pale and solemn. In an instant, Heimo's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. His eyes darted around wildly in search of a familiar figure. "Uncle Liu, where's Shijie? How is Ningning? Am I… Am I too late?!"

"She—"

"I am here." A petite woman stepped in from the inner hallway. She was still dressed as the flower selling girl, proof that the matter was urgent enough that she couldn't bother to change. Alas, the trepidation and timidity she showed when she bumped into him on purpose earlier was nowhere to be found, replacing it with sharp intelligence and wits. Now that Heimo could take a good look at her, he found dark circles below her eyes and the obvious signs of exhaustion between her brows. "You're fast, Lan."

Heimo almost bristled. "How can I not when you suddenly appeared and told me that Ningning needs me?! Haven't we already agreed not to appear in the same place at the same time? Don't you know who was with me earlier?!"

"Jingxue-Jun." Luqiu Hong spat out venomously. "You know well what kind of cultivator he is. What are you doing with that kind of person, Luqiu Lan?!"

"I—" Heimo was flabbergasted and his anger was doused in an instant, replaced with a shame he couldn't describe, not when his Shijie was looking at him with such a piercing look as if she could see through his soul. He fumbled to change the topic. "Anyway! I know for certain what I am doing! Don't worry about me, Shijie. More importantly, how is Ningning?"

Luqiu Hong sighed and led Heimo inside toward Ningning's room — Luqiu Ning, the youngest daughter of the couple who took Heimo in so technically it was his half sister. 

The nine years old little girl was laying on the bed, her skin as pale as a corpse with black veins protruding up her neck. Her limbs were chained to the bedpost and she was currently writhing in pain, barely conscious. "Her condition worsened this morning." Luqiu Hong pinched her brows. "We have been trying every method to help her but—"

Heimo flew to Ningning's side and took hold of her hand. Her nails had wholly turned black and the color had travelled up to her palm. "Ningning…" He whispered, broken. "Ningning, I am here. I will help you now, okay?." As he murmured encouragement, he reached out to position his palm right above Ningning's chest and prepared to pull out the resentful energy that was rampaging inside the small body of the nine years old.

As soon as Heimo began to fish the excess energy out, the little girl's eyes abruptly snapped open — wholly black — and she lunged toward Heimo only to be pulled back by the chains. Growls escaped from her mouth and her eyes were manic with rage. Heimo took in the sight of the little girl who used to be so cheerful and kind, and his heart squeezed painfully. He braced himself and continued to work. "It's okay." He murmured, his face paling by seconds as whirls of black smoke fumed out of Luqiu Ning's body and curled up Heimo's arms, seeping into his skin and invading his seven orifices. "Everything will be over soon."

It was draining, to say the least. 

Heimo was practically gambling with his life every time he used his body as a vessel to contain the demonic energy before releasing it to the nature of the dormant volcano. Alas, wisps of it would still cling into his own body, pushing him further and further toward the path of no return. Usually, Heimo would have fainted after each session but this time, he managed to keep his consciousness albeit he was already swaying on his feet when he stood up. Ningning's breathing had already calmed down. A healthy flush appeared on her cheeks and the black veins receded. Heimo let out a sigh of relief, tucked the blanket around Ningning's body and went out to search Luqiu Hong who had gone out sometime in between the session.

He found her tidying his room and brought out the blanket for Heimo to sleep in. Warmth flooded his chest at the sight. 

Heimo had no parents. He had no memory of how he came to live on the street. As far as he could remember, his childhood was always filled with insatiable hunger, thirst and coldness. He dug out scraps from the garbage can to eat and sometimes — in desperate moments when he couldn't bear it anymore — he resorted to stealing. If he was lucky, he would be able to slip away unnoticed. Yet most often than not, little Heimo would be caught red-handed and ended up being beaten black and blue. He slept in the darkest corner of an alley, tucked securely within the thin comfort of his tattered and smelly clothing. Life had taught him to be harsh, to be strong and independent, to rely mostly on himself.

It was in one winter morning when Heimo almost died frozen that he was saved and taken in by the kind couple. He was given warm food to eat, thick clothing, a roof above his head and most importantly, the warmth of parental affection. Not only that, he also got two siblings; Luqiu Hong, a strict and no-nonsense older sister, and Luqiu Ning, an endearingly adorable younger sister.

Uncle Luqiu welcomed him, this worthless and homeless child, then gave him a surname and brought him up as a son.

Now that he was no longer here, was it not Heimo's job to protect his siblings?

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A/N: Luqiu is a surname :)

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