Thundering Dragon

Chapter 19: Devil in the wind

Jie could be spotted dashing past the lumberjacks, and guardsman on guard protecting the lumberjack from wild animal attacks... Jie was the fantasy of many young hearts. His mysterious, yet dominant face. His long black hair that swayed in the wind, his confidence that made girls of tender hearts swoon.

Jie descended the hills of where his master resided, and approached a forest just outside of Crater City. His speed was truly astonishing, moving through the wind. His goal was to hunt 20 Iron Boars for dinner, he completed this task twice a week as training. The first time, his master dropped him in the middle of the forest with agitated Iron Boars as a test of reflex, also to see how he performs under pressure.

The second time was to test how he could handle tracking, and killing without disturbing a herd of Iron Boars. Each time, he would struggle as each training required something new from him to perform, adapt and to understand. Each time he grew learning how to track, kill silently and understand his abilities. However, he didn’t quite enjoy silently killing. Something about doing something in the shadows irritated him. He would rather have his targets know they fell under his hand.

Looking at the forest, daylight still hung high allowing for clear inspection of the forest. He approached a nearby tree with a buzzing sound around it. Looking up to spot a bee hive. Jie began to rotate his Dantian, supplying his body with the required Qi. Moving up the tree in one single graceful movement, he stood before the hive. As the bees sensed his approach, some assaulted him only to be left stuck slowly moving through the Qi exuding from his body.

‘Heh, this should attract them faster than usual. I’ll have the 20 in no time’, he thought meticulously.

Holding onto the Bee hive, he moved down. Dashing into a deeper part of the forest. He moved through the thicket of trees before coming to a decent amount of clearing. Enough space to move about if needed.

He placed the Hive down, bending near it. He picked up a few branches, placing the Hive on top of the branches. Using a flint to get the fire starting, he quickly moved back as the fire surrounded the Bee hive. The Bee’s furiously came flooding out but it was too late, the fire quickly spread all over the Hive burning their honey in the process.

J

ie seeing all in his view, moved into a kneeling position. Both hands on his knees, he closed his eyes allowing time to do the rest.

As the burnt honey wafted out, soon a pungent smell took place. Holding firmly and spreading around the forest in a few breaths of time. A few more seconds later, trees shook slightly. Jie opened his eyes from his meditative positon, thinking to himself silently, ‘Iron Boars can’t stand the smell of burnt honey. It makes them restless, unable to rest as long as the smell resides in the forest. They would surely come to inspect and possibly try to destroy the smell.’

As the trees slightly shook, it soon turned into a tremble as more than 20 Iron boars came stampeding through the forest looking crazily at the area of the spell. Their noses sensitive, they just couldn’t handle this smell, not one bit at all! The longer it lingered in their home, the crazier they got!

‘Oh. You idiot ha-ha. Why do you carry such a heavy spear with you? It’s a horrible hunting tool. You should learn the bow like me’, as he said he pulled back on the string of the bow. Testing his fine weapon of choice.

‘Why do you always try to force other people to like what you like? I rather kill with the spear, for a real man doesn’t hide at a distance...’ he said trying to uplift his own spirits.

‘How many boars did you manage to kill with that spear? I can collect a clean kill from 30 yards out. You, however run around like a headless chicken...’ His mocking tone wasn’t hidden at all.

‘Master said a man shouldn’t be ashamed of his shortcomings. When I make it to my 1st star rank as a Martial Artist. I’ll be able to employ the wind to my advantage and my spears will become twenty metres further.’ The lad said, puffing his chest out looking prouder of himself the more he talked.

His friend looked approvingly at what he said, then added ‘I’ll probably get to the 2nd star ranking once we ascend to the gateway. Once we get there, it’s all dependant on our luck and each other which school, or sect...’

‘Or clan!’ The spear wielding youth interjected. Looking with expectations in his eyes. He continued, ‘I want to join the Lion Clan of the Bright Moon.’ I have heard stories of how wild and arrogant they are.’

‘Shameless all of them...’ the confident youth said, looking at his spear wielding friend from the corner of his eyes, with a sheepishly grin he added, ‘Which I like!’ They both laughed at the thought of joining a clan filled with such people!

‘Shh’ he waved at his friend. Something caught his senses. ‘Do you hear that? Is it a mini earthquake?’ He added curiously.

His friend looked lost for a moment, he added dazedly ‘Woah~. Look at the dust being kicked up! It has to be a stampede of Boars!’

‘Come on lets go then! We need to kill a few before we go back to school anyway!’ Spear wielding youth was clearly ignorant of what a stampede of boars could do!

‘Are you serious? We can hardly handle five between us, maximum eight if it’s a stampede we will get chased to the ends

of the earth. Why would you...’ He looked angrily at his friend who would disregard his own safety for his daily quota.

‘Bro. You scared? BWak bwak’ He started yelling chicken noises, coupled with his terrible chicken impersonation.

It must have struck a nerve, because his friend agreed. Spear wielding youth took the lead, as his friend followed suit.

The both of them quickly moved through the dense forest, before making it to a small clearing. Hiding behind a rock, looking from the side staying out of the way the Boars would come through. The spear wielding lad turned around to his friend and said, ‘All we got to do is pick them of from the sides. Easy days’ work right?’ He said as he had a look like everything was planned by the gods.

His friend had a look of dread on his face, he didn’t voice anything and just thought inwardly to himself, ‘Roquan you are an imbecile.’ He just turned back to get ready, with a heavy look on his face. He knew he would have to do most of the work yet again. He should have definitely made other friends...

Roquan blurted out as he caught sight a young boy with black hair, ‘Oh. Look somebody beat us to the punch already? Over there look he’s sitting in the path of the boars! Who is that?’

‘How should I know? I just got here with you, if you don’t know how should, I know!’ His irritation had come out as he answered back.

Roquan felt like his friend was in a foul mood, so he didn’t talk back just watching the scene unfold. He thought for some time, before he said, ‘Should we extend our help to him? We shouldn’t sit and watch should we?’

‘You have this fools need to keep getting involved with everything. I swear, Roquan. You are a lost cause. He’s luring the boars himself. Look at the fire, he’s burning honey and that pungent smell is evident of it!’

‘Oh... but do you know anybody who can fight so many boars alone?’ Before he could turn to his friend for answers, the stampede was upon them! The ground shook violently as the crazed boars with red eyes and clear frustration written across their faces filled the view of the forest!

Trees kicked down, pieces of earth and rock flying the storm of the stampede.

Jie slowly opened his eyes, changing into a fighting stance. His whole body was in an L shape. His left hand foremost out, his body slightly bent and springy. He inhaled, exhaled slowly... inhaling again, and exhaling for the last time. Slowly a faint glow of green leaked out from his body. The wind died down, even with the boars flooding towards him he felt no fear. His face fixed with concentration, the first four boars at the front was in close proximity.

15 metres.

13 metres.

7 metres!

Jie’s body flowed like the vast sea, and stood as strong as the open land! His right moved past his body, drawing him closer to the flood of boars! Drawing an arc in front of him, his body twisted slightly to the left pivoting from his left foot and hip.

A crashing amount of wind came bolting from the seamless air! Like a wave of wind struck the middle two boars along the side piercing their thick hide inches deep as they gave a dying squeal and their body’s crashed into the ground like a giant boulder! Jie didn’t stop! No! How could he! The boars, that wasn’t able to fight ran past him bearing their tusks towards him! But it was for naught! A billowing wind wall pushed them off! The closer they edged the stronger the wind got pushing them off!

They had no choice, continuing on their designated route! Unable to turn around, unable to hurt Jie they kept squealing and rushing away!

Jie kept moving, with each arc and movement, a wave of wind like the boundless sea came crashing down towards the horde of Iron Boars.

‘Rising wind, crashing heaven!’ His voice came out dominating the playing field. This was all calculated in his mind!

‘Did he say crashing heaven?’

‘Gulp’... waking up to his friends shout, revealing a look of shock on his face! This young lad didn’t shirk away from the Iron Boars! Instead he edged closer and closer, dropping boar after boar! Like a devil in the wind!

Step after step he grew more devouring! Like a tiger as agile as the wind, taking bite after bite!

Jie moved slowly, but surely! Each move containing a subtle sway of the wind, yet as heavy as the mountains that adorned the horizon!

His left arm drew arcs, his right arm drew arcs as three more boars fell. There lifeless bodies slid in the dirt, stopping by his feet.

‘Gale Tiger!’ His shout accompanied by an instantaneous fierce howl of the wind! He jumped two metres ahead as both arms from the back of his body, and crossing past each other! This movement came with immense speed! His palms in the shape of two tiger claws scratching the wind!

As his hands abruptly stopped, ten lines of screeching winds sliced the atmosphere into ten parts! Ten parts! The crying squeals and crazed roars of the boars bean to quake throughout the forest! More than 12 Boars sliced from limb to limb in that single exchange! Headless Boars slumped to the ground! Their bodies didn’t slide like the rest! They died instantly as their bodies jumped back at the frightening movement of the wind! Their instincts told them to run away! This is the end!

Jie quickly, moved back into his stance. Unwilling to stop, this was a form of training! His gaze grew more carnivorous! He looked past the sliced wind as the sliding and slumping bodies of the dead boars made his view look hazy. It didn’t matter though! He could feel the wind, the vibrations!

He moved his body into sharp positions, two fingers on both his hands stuck out with each movement! His body constantly moved piercing the nearby area, moving in sharp movements!

Greater amounts of deafening howls erupted as a last cry of plea from the Iron Boars! Finger sized holes had penetrated their halted bodies through their stomach piercing their hearts and rupturing past the back of their thick, strong hide!

He didn’t just stop there! With each move, he felt more in control of the wind! His distance to strike grew even greater! Feeling the rustling of the wind, the howling screams of the boars he grew more avaricious!

He wanted to taste blood, agilely stepping onto the wind platform he had created his body was carried with a gust of the wind!

‘Gale steps!’ He thought in his mind, instantly he appeared above his target!

Both his hands in the form of a claw, he struck down! Accompanied by the dominating force of the movement, and the wind under his control! His fingers penetrated the boar from his nape. Jie’s body rotated as he landed facing the Boars head! Malicious look in his eyes, he kicked off as his hands ran through the spine of the Boar!

A torturing death! Blood dripped on his fingertips as the boar’s lifeless body shuddered for a second, then dropping into the dirt.

Slowly moving around the other boars whose sight was distorted by the dust wall created by the dead animal carcasses hitting the ground with great weight.

‘Did you see that?! His movement! He’s Jie!’ A shock of enlightenment hit the spear wielding lad!

‘Jie? The Tiandi School’s student?’ he answered back to his friends shocked call.

‘Yes! I remember seeing him defeat senior Pinjing on the platform in town! Don’t you remember?! He was defeated in a single move!’ His alarmed cries grew louder and louder!

Jie circled the remaining four boars, who was easy pickings. Their minds had gone numb, but they was still in a crazed state thrashing their tusks into the empty space trying to get a clear sighting. Clearly distraught by being unable to move, they felt hot blood on their skin making them grow wilder!

Jie picked one boar, looking at him crazily attacking the empty space he moved! His palm in the shape of a war blade his chop descended! Slicing the tusk into two, the boar was struck dumb! His head moved back! Bringing into view dirty teeth and dirty smelling breath! Jie moved faster as he slipped past the Boar striking across the side of its stomach! His stomach sliced, an unwilling look of death appeared in the boars eyes! He tried to move but he couldn’t! His body wouldn’t listen, his body wouldn’t do as it’s told!

It seemed as he had the greatest strength in the horde of Boars. When he fell the remaining three fled the idea of fighting this devilish youth! Jie looked at their backs as they trembled from head to toe, scrambling away into the thicket of trees.

Wiping the blood on some nearby Boars hide, he looked towards the two lads hiding behind the rock, ‘So, are you going to introduce yourself, or should I take it as you being rude?’

Both of the lads caught in the unusual sight, took a moment to process Jie calling out to them as they both looked at each other trying to figure out who else could have been hiding, when they realized it was themselves. They came out with look of awe plastered across their faces.

‘Juni...’ before the spear wielding youth could finish, his friend elbowed him angrily and with a look of disgust!

‘Senior Jie! Sorry for intruding on your training... we came for the boars before we realized it was you luring them all to this spot. Sorry for the interruption.’

‘Nonsense. I was done anyway. I guess if you needed to hunt boars and I killed a dozen, you can just take back some carcasses from here I won’t be able to fit it all into my dimensional ring anyway.’ He said without care.

‘Thank yo...’ again before his spear wielding friend could finish his sentence, he hit him with another nudge! This time more piercing and clearly left his friend in pain as his eyes grimaced on the spot.

‘How could we dare take from a Senior...’ He said extremely respectfully.

‘It doesn’t matter. You’re both from the Zhi Che school right? I utilize the wind as well, so this could be considered a lesson for us all’ He said humbly.

Both lads bowed towards Jie, receiving the same from him. They moved to provide space for Jie as he absorbed the carcasses into his Dimension ring, counting as he did.

1, 2, 5, 9, 12, 18, 22!

Twenty two Boars do you see Raquan! He will surely be a master level in no time! He’s probably already at the 3rd rank! He controlled the wind so fiercely and sharp, like holding a weapon in his palms!

‘Damn yo! I can’t wait till I am just like that. Watch me pierce enemies before they even take a step. Watching him has already gave me techniques to create and utilise!’

‘Stop daydreaming. You are too much of a blunt head to create your own techniques!’

Jie bowed once more to the boys who are too busy bickering between them, before he dashed away unceremoniously.

‘Bye Senior!’ They both shouted as loud as possible ensuring he would hear them.

After half an incense stick to burn, the rest of the carcasses moved into the young lads dimension rings.

‘Woooooo. He killed 34 alone. We have a story to tell once we get back.’ As Raquan said happily.

‘OW! What was that for this time?!’ he cried out in pain as he received another piercing elbow nudge.

‘You are so slow in the head. If we tell them Jie killed all the Boars master will make us go out and hunt again! Think sometimes you stick wielding moron.’ His friend critiqued him.

Dashing away from the scene of slaughter, he moved to wipe the sweat of his brow. Still not enough, just few breaths of utilizing the wind had left me drained. If I didn’t kill the leader, I would have required help to finish the final three.’

Dashing away he clenched his fists tighter. His speed was nowhere near the speed he entered the forest with, but he made his way back skipping through the town.

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Authors notes

Longer chapter than usual. let me know what you think so far of the book!

I hope you enjoy & thanks for reading!

Also I'm not going to put -- when I change scenery anymore or sounds and phrases of sounds like whoosh or bang and shit because I think it sounds childish and I'll let you guys imagine the sounds if you do imagine!