Chapter 16 - The Fury of a Mother

With the blood coming to his head, obfuscating his judgment, Hei pounced toward Little Blade while emitting a wild scream. He wanted to tear apart every single piece of his enemy's body.

However, while he was running, Xing, from the position she was, threw one of her spiderwebs towards Hei’s ankles. Although it wasn't strong enough to lock him in place, that move was enough to make Hei fall on the ground, letting him avoid the sword that otherwise would have cut his head in half.

Seeing this, Little Blade was surprised. He didn’t expect the boy in front of him to remain alive in this attack. Or the spider to save his master that had lost his reason.

But that did nothing but postpone the inevitable. Little Blade wouldn’t let Hei escape, not only because of the risk that he was part of a big sect but also because of his potential. A kid with a talent like that would be a dangerous enemy in the future if he grew up and learned how to use spirit power. He might as well uproot the roots in this way now that his fangs were yet to develop.

With slow steps, he approached Hei, who was still motionless on the ground. The fall had made him regain his reason. The adrenaline that was fueling his body until now was fading away. That created a moment of exhaustion in which it was difficult for Hei to move.

Little Blade looked into Hei’s eyes and, how his brother did with his mother, he prepared to cut the throat of the son, finishing unknowingly the cycle that united their families.

But as the blade was about to fall, a sudden shiver ran down his back, paralyzing him. Unconsciously, he shifted his eyes where he felt the thing that was giving him such a thrill could be found. Looking up, what he saw was a creepy sight.

In the air, where Hei and Little Blade were, there was a large spider about 1 meter in size, with its eight eyes looking downwards. These were concentrated on three different points, and when they saw the conditions of Hei, Xing, and Ye, Lei Bai trembled slightly. Not because she was scared or anything but because she was in a rage.

Suddenly, it could be heard the sound of something cracking, no, it was the air that was forming friction sounds like it would crumble at moments. Then an immense pressure descended on the bandits in the square and outside the village. There became paralyzed on the spot.

The villagers who weren’t directly victims of that pressure, were still on their knees trying to breathe slowly. For people without spirit power, it was dangerous to be subjected, even passively, to a mighty spirit power as the ripples of that could cause severe injuries on their bodies.

In Leaf City, various high-level martial artists lifted their heads at the same time. Unconsciously, although their perception didn’t arrive that far, they could still feel that someone very powerful was about to unleash his power.

Seeing the big spider, Little Blade, as his brother 12 years ago, only managed to mumble some words, “High-grade spirit beast, then it was true-"

But it was unable to say anything else because suddenly he felt something crawling near his feet. After looking down, his blood froze at the sight of what he saw: hundreds and hundreds of little spider were climbing his legs, going up on his body

Panicked, he began to take them off with his hands, but there were too many spiders. He tried a roll on the ground. However, this did nothing but facilitate the small animals that had reached the neck.

With resolution, Little Blade tried to use his spirit power to drive them away, but even that didn't work. In desperation, he also scratched his face and throat in an attempt to drive them away. Soon blood started coming out of his neck because of his nails that went deeper and deeper into the flesh, but he didn't seem to care much about it. His only concern at the moment was to kill these lousy spiders.

He wasn't the only one squirming on the ground in terror. Even the bandits in the square, as well as all the others outside the village, were in the same conditions. All of them went so far to self-harm themselves to get rid of those infernal creatures.

As they witnessed this, the villagers were both terrified and disoriented. The pressure on them had abruptly diminished, and they could now move if they wanted, but none of them did. They were all witnessing with horror at the sight in front of them. The bandits had suddenly slumped to the ground for some reason. After that, they began scratching themselves, even going so far as to pierce the flesh on the neck and face. They were overwhelmed by the shock, and they couldn’t understand the reason for their actions.

It must be known that the spiders that suddenly appeared weren’t real spiders. Everything the bandits thought was happening, was happening in their minds. This was, in fact, an illusion created by Bao Bei, who, in her anger, decided to make them pay hard for how they had beaten her children. For this reason, she chose this illusion: in this way, she would have caused despair in their hearts, causing them to commit suicide to end the nightmare they were experiencing.

Meanwhile, in an unknown time, Lei Bai had awakened from fainting. The kick was heavy, but he could still move, though with difficulty. Fortunately, the bandit leader hadn’t attacked him intending to kill him, but he had thrown a kick casually.

In small steps, he approached Lei Lei to examine her conditions carefully. On her face, there was a large bruise due to the hit received, but she didn’t seem to be seriously injured. Relieved that she was all right, he looked up at the big spider who had descended to Hei while carrying Xing and Ye on her legs.

This spider was carefully touching them with its legs, moving their bodies to examine their wounds. From the delicate way in which it was moving its legs, it didn’t seem to be the ferocious creature of before. The one descended so suddenly into the middle of the night. Especially while considering that the bandits were still shaking on the ground while emitting inhuman rales because of self-harm.

The way it was behaving, more than a spirit beast, was like a mother examining anxiously if her children were all right.

‘Mother? ... Mother?! Could-?!’ Lei Bai, after seeing that scene, came up with an impossible hypothesis, but this impossibility was now being shown before his eyes.

The elusive mother he hadn’t met even once during all these years.

The clothes made with that strange silk that couldn’t be found anywhere nearby and Hei's peculiar behavior regarding human customs.

Ye and Xing, those two little spirit beasts who had a high intelligence and obeyed Hei without having formed a spirit pact.

All of a sudden, the various pieces of the puzzle connected, and Lei Bai finally came to formulate the impossible hypothesis that appeared more like an absolute truth at this time.

‘His mother is a spirit beast. He was raised from an early age by a spirit beast; that's why he considered Xing and Ye to be his sisters, they really were so. So when he said he was going home, he meant the heart of the forest?!’

Noticing his gaze fixed on her, Bao Bei shifted her eyes towards Lei Bai, who was startled by that while he was about to be engulfed by fear. Then she started moving towards Lei Bai, her son's master, as she carried her children on her front legs.

‘Stay calm. I'm not going to hurt you.’

An unfamiliar voice appeared in Lei Bai's mind that he immediately forgot his fear. Because whoever had spoken was none other than the big spider who was approaching him.

‘You are Lei Bai, Hei’s master. Although this is the first time we see each other, I know you because of the many stories my son told me. I wanted to thank both you and your daughter for all that you did, not only for Hei but also for my little ones, Ye and Xing.’

Lei Bai was speechless. From such a beast, he would have expected anything but words so cordial and respectful. But it was another thing that caught his attention. The expression ‘my son’ used by the spider. This confirmed the hypothesis that a spirit beast had raised Hei as its son.

“T-there is no need to thank me. Hei has done so much for me, and he is also my student. Ye and Xing were also very helpful, and they brought a lot of happiness to my daughter. Welcoming them was the least I could do to repay all they did, especially for Lei Lei. "

After he had said this, he gently rubbed his daughter's face. He had taken a significant risk this time; he could have died before and left Lei Lei alone, or worse, he could have lost her while having to live alone. He had promised his wife that he would protect their daughter, but he had failed to do so. Fortunately, Hei's mother had come to save them from that desperate situation.

"I ... I want to thank you very much for what you did. If it weren't for you, I would have lost the most precious thing left to me in this world. If I had lost Lei Lei, I don't know what I would have done. After all, my daughter is the only reason left for living. No, in these recent years, I have had another one: to see Hei rise to the pinnacle of this world. As a teacher, there is nothing more comforting than seeing your pupil reach the top with the techniques taught to him. Although in this case, I doubt that my techniques can be handy. "

‘You're wrong, you've taught my children so many useful things. I'm sure these techniques will be indispensable for their future. The same goes for your daughter. That's why I have a gift for you.’

Having said this, Bao Bei placed her children on the ground, and then she carried one of her legs towards her mouth. At that moment, a small ripple was created in space. From there, a big sack then came out that she handed to Lei Bai.

"T-this ... how is it possible. A pocket dimension?! I read that such things were possible, but they were described in the books about the old era, how is it possible that-? "

‘How I did doesn't matter. What you have to be concerned about is the content of this bag. There, you could find the spirit core of the spirit beasts I killed during these years. Although being of low grade, their value is, however, more than enough to repair your village and help the various families that are victims of this tragedy. They should also make enough money to send your daughter to a school for doctors in the Leaf City. I ask you not to refuse, not only because I would find it rude, but above all, for your daughter. The task of a parent is to protect and guarantee the future of their children, even at the expense of their pride and their life. You know this concept well, so I ask you again not to refuse. Also, because, after all, all this is partly my fault.’

To this, Lei Bai could do nothing but accept. That money was beneficial now more than ever. Although Leaf City would sent aid, they would certainly not pay all the necessary expenses out of their pockets. And the villagers had to work anyway, so it would become challenging to make a quick reconstruction of the village. However, with these spirit cores, the story was different.

The term spirit core referred to a concentrated sphere of spirit power found in spirit beasts. These varied according to the level of the killed spirit beast, and they could be used in multiple ways: alchemy, creation of formations, or directly applied to enhance one's cultivation. Therefore their market price, even for low-grade ones, was high in the eyes of ordinary people.

‘I advise you also to collect the weapons and other objects of the bandits. Although they aren’t of great quality, those things can still be sold for a fair amount.’

"We can't. You killed those bandits. We can't take their weapons. They belong to you. "

‘Their leader is more than enough. The others are just useless weights. I am also doing this because I want to ask you to say nothing to those who will come to investigate. This incident cannot be hidden even if I make all the bodies disappear, so I ask you, at least, not to reveal what you know about Hei. You know the consequences if you reveal his origin, don't you?’

Bao Bei said in a harsh tone as she took the corpse of the leader in her pocket dimension. Although she didn't want to use that tone of voice, she used it instinctively when it came to the safety of her children.

"Yes, I understand perfectly. Don’t worry; I could never reveal anything that could harm Hei after all that you did for us. I guess this is goodbye then. I honestly knew that this day would come, but I thought it was still quite far. However, I imagine that with Hei's talent, there was something to expect. I wish you a good trip then, Hei. That your road can take you wherever you want to go and that you can realize all your dreams. If my techniques are useful to you one day, then it will be the greatest reward for me."

After those words, Lei Bai bowed his head in gratitude, but he was stopped by a vigorous hand.

"You mustn’t, Master. I am not worthy of accepting your bow. I couldn't protect Lei Lei as I should have. But I will become stronger so that something like that won’t happen again. Thank you for everything you have taught me. I also want you to tell Lei Lei that I am sorry for everything. Tell her to follow her path and her dreams; that she is an extraordinary woman and that she deserves only the best. If the future allows it, maybe one day we will meet again, but in the meantime, tell her to go ahead with her life without expecting me. Tell her that I will never forget her, NEVER."

Hei, who had struggled to communicate his message, fainted and fell between the legs of Bao Bei, who also took Xing and Ye. With a nod of her head to Lei Bai, she vanished into the darkness of the night while the last bandits finished took their lives, ending this hellish nightmare.