Chapter 5: The Truth Revealed
The five surviving bandits were bound to trees at the edge of their clearing, their eyes wide with terror as they watched the boy who had defeated them single-handedly. Zhou Ming ignored them completely, his attention focused entirely on Zhi Fan, who sat cross-legged on a flat stone beside their cabin.
The Mark of Calamity was still faintly visible through the boy's thin shirt, pulsing with a dim red glow that had not fully faded since the previous day's battle. Zhou Ming had seen many strange things in his fifty-eight years, but watching that cursed birthmark activate had chilled him to the bone.
"The truth," Zhou Ming began, settling himself on the ground before Zhi Fan, "begins before your birth. Before your parents ever met. It begins with the fall of the Celestial Lotus Sect and the rise of a monster wearing the face of a righteous cultivator."
Zhi Fan's dark eyes fixed on his guardian with unwavering attention. After twelve years of carefully parceled information, he sensed that all secrets were about to be laid bare.
"Di Tian was not always the master of the Celestial Void Sect," Zhou Ming continued. "A century ago, he was merely an elder—powerful, yes, but still answerable to others. The Celestial Lotus Sect was their greatest rival, possessing cultivation techniques that traced back to the ancient era. Their bloodline arts were legendary, their mastery of nature's forces unparalleled."
Zhou Ming paused, his weathered hands unconsciously clenching into fists. "I was there when Di Tian led the campaign against them. Officially, it was because the Celestial Lotus Sect had been accused of demonic cultivation. In truth, it was because Di Tian coveted their ancestral techniques."
"What happened to them?" Zhi Fan asked though he suspected he already knew.
"Slaughter," Zhou Ming said simply. "Not just the warriors, but everyone. Men, women, children, elderly—all put to the sword. I was young then, serving as a mercenary in Di Tian's forces. I thought we were righteous, cleansing the world of evil. Only later did I learn the truth."
The old warrior reached into his tunic and withdrew the jade pendant that had protected them during their escape twelve years ago. In the afternoon sunlight, its green surface seemed to swirl with inner life.
"This belonged to your mother, Mei Lin. She was the last daughter of the Celestial Lotus Sect's bloodline—a child who had been away from the sect when Di Tian's forces attacked. For decades, she lived in hiding, concealing her identity, learning to suppress her cultivation to avoid detection."
Zhi Fan's hand rose instinctively to his chest, where the Mark of Calamity lay hidden. "And my father?"
"Zhi Tian was a talented outer disciple of the Celestial Void Sect. Not brilliant, but dedicated. He possessed earth-attribute spiritual roots and showed promise in defensive techniques. He might have become an inner disciple in time, perhaps even an elder." Zhou Ming's expression softened slightly. "But he was also kind-hearted. Too kind for the ruthless world of cultivation politics."
"How did they meet?"
Zhou Ming smiled at the memory. "During a mission to clear out a demonic beast infestation in the southern provinces. Your mother was living as a village healer then, using her knowledge of herbs and minor spiritual techniques to help the common people. When your father was injured fighting a corrupted dire wolf, she tended his wounds."
The smile faded as Zhou Ming continued. "They fell in love, as such things happen. But when Zhi Tian brought her to meet his sect brothers, certain elders began to ask questions. Her cultivation was too advanced for a mere village healer, her knowledge of spiritual herbs was too extensive while her healing techniques are too sophisticated."
"They discovered who she was?"
"Not entirely, but enough to be suspicious. Di Tian himself took notice when reports reached him of Zhi Tian's mysterious lover who could accelerate healing with touch and seemed to commune with plants. The descriptions matched certain records from the Celestial Lotus Sect's archives—techniques thought extinct."
Zhou Ming stood, pacing as the weight of old memories pressed upon him. "Your father was given a choice: surrender Mei Lin for questioning or face exile from the sect. He chose exile without hesitation."
"So they fled together?"
"Yes, to the village at the foot of the mountain where I had taken up residence after my own... disillusionment with the sect. I had begun to question much about Di Tian and his methods. Your father's kindness reminded me of the man I had once hoped to be before years of violence had hardened my heart."
Zhi Fan absorbed this information silently, pieces of a puzzle falling into place. "But they found happiness for a time?"
"They did. Your father established himself as a merchant, trading in common goods to distant villages. Your mother became known as a gifted midwife and healer. I served as their guard and... friend. For five years, they lived quietly, and peacefully. They thought themselves forgotten."
"But Di Tian never forgot."
Zhou Ming's face darkened. "Di Tian forgets nothing. And when the blood aurora appeared the night of your birth, when the Mark of Calamity blazed forth on your chest, he knew immediately what it meant. The prophecies were clear—such a mark appears only when bloodlines of immense power converge. The child who bears it will either save the cultivation world or destroy it."
"And he chose to believe I would destroy it."
"More than that," Zhou Ming corrected grimly. "He needed you to be the destroyer. You see, the Mark of Calamity is not truly about destruction—it is about change. Revolutionary change. And Di Tian has spent centuries accumulating power, influence, and dark secrets that such change would expose."
Zhou Ming returned to his seat, fixing Zhi Fan with an intense stare. "There are things about Di Tian that even his own elders do not know. His cultivation method is not orthodox. His longevity exceeds what should be possible for his stated realm. And his true goals..." The old warrior shook his head. "I have only suspicions, but they terrify me."
"What suspicions?"
"That Di Tian seeks not just to rule the cultivation world, but to transcend it entirely. To break free of the natural order and become something beyond mortal comprehension. The destruction of the Celestial Lotus Sect was not just about acquiring their techniques—it was about eliminating bloodlines that might one day produce someone capable of stopping him."
The revelation hung in the air between them like a blade. Zhi Fan felt the implications washing over him, the true scope of his inherited burden becoming clear.
"So when I was born with the mark..."
"You became the single greatest threat to his ambitions. A child born of two powerful bloodlines, marked by fate itself as an agent of change. Your very existence is proof that his plans are not inevitable."
Zhou Ming reached into the wooden box that had sat hidden beneath their cabin's floorboards for twelve years. From it, he withdrew a scroll bound with silver thread and sealed with wax.
"Your father's cultivation manual," he explained, breaking the seal carefully. "But more than that—it contains his final message to you, written in the hours before his death."
With trembling hands, Zhi Fan accepted the scroll and unrolled it. His father's neat calligraphy filled the parchment, the ink still dark despite the passage of years:
*My beloved son,*
*If you are reading this, then Zhou Ming has succeeded in keeping you safe long enough to grow strong. For this, I am grateful beyond words.*
*You must know that your mother and I chose our fate gladly. We had twelve precious hours with you before the sect came—twelve hours to hold you, to love you, to burn your perfect face into our memories. It was enough. It had to be enough.*
*The power in your blood comes from both sides of your heritage. From me, you inherit the earth-deep strength of the ancient Zhi bloodline—the ability to stand unmoved against any storm. From your mother, you inherit the celestial arts of the Lotus Sect—the power to nurture new growth and to destroy what has become corrupt.*
*But power alone will not serve you. The cultivation world is vast and treacherous, filled with those who will seek to use you or destroy you. Trust sparingly. Love carefully. And remember always that strength without compassion is merely tyranny by another name.*
*Di Tian believes he eliminated all threats to his rule when he destroyed the Celestial Lotus Sect. He believes the Mark of Calamity makes you his enemy by destiny. Prove him wrong. Become not the destroyer he fears, but the healer the world needs.*
*We have given you life, but you must choose what to do with it.*
*With all our love,*
*Your father, Zhi Tian*
Tears that Zhi Fan had not shed since early childhood now flowed freely down his cheeks. For twelve years, his parents had been distant figures, noble but abstract. Now, through his father's words, they became real—loving people who had sacrificed everything for him.
"There is more," Zhou Ming said gently, withdrawing a small vial from the box. The liquid within glowed with soft golden light. "A drop of your father's blood essence, refined with the last of his spiritual energy. If consumed during a breakthrough, it will help stabilize your foundation and unlock portions of your inherited bloodline abilities."
Zhi Fan accepted the vial with reverence, understanding its significance. This was more than just a cultivation aid—it was his father's final gift, his essence preserved to guide his son's growth.
"And from your mother," Zhou Ming continued, indicating the jade pendant, "comes this. It is not merely a concealment tool, but a key to the hidden vaults of the Celestial Lotus Sect. When you are strong enough, it will guide you to their ancient treasures—techniques, and artifacts that Di Tian believes are lost forever."
The weight of legacy settled on Zhi Fan's shoulders like a mantle. He was no longer just an orphan training in the mountains. He was the heir to two powerful bloodlines, the keeper of extinct techniques, and the living symbol of opposition to Di Tian's tyranny.
"What do I do now?" he asked, his voice steady despite the magnitude of his inheritance.
Zhou Ming smiled—the first truly warm expression Zhi Fan had ever seen on his guardian's weathered face. "Now, you choose your path. You could remain hidden, living quietly as your parents did. You could flee to distant lands, beyond Di Tian's reach. Or..."
"Or I could become strong enough to face him."
"Yes. But understand, boy—that path leads through darkness and pain such as you have never imagined. The cultivation world will test you in ways that make our mountain training seem like child's play. You will be forced to make choices that will stain your soul. You will lose people you care about. And in the end, you may find that the monster you sought to destroy has made a monster of you as well."
Zhi Fan was quiet for a long moment, contemplating the crossroads before him. When he spoke, his voice carried a certainty that surprised even Zhou Ming.
"My parents died to give me the chance to choose. I will not waste their sacrifice by hiding in the mountains forever." He rolled up his father's letter carefully, storing it next to his heart. "I will grow strong. I will master both my bloodlines. And when I am ready, I will tear down Di Tian's empire stone by stone."
Zhou Ming nodded slowly. "Then tomorrow, your true training begins. No more holding back, no more gentle lessons. If you are to face the cultivation world, you must be forged in its fires."
As the sun set behind the mountain peaks, casting long shadows across their valley, both master and student understood that childhood was ending. The boy who had awakened his Mark of Calamity through violence would soon become the man who would either save the cultivation world or burn it to ash.
The bound bandits watched them through the gathering dusk, too terrified to speak, sensing that they had witnessed something momentous. They were right to be afraid. In the morning, Zhou Ming would release them with a warning to spread the word of what they had seen—a boy with power beyond his years, marked by fate itself.
Let Di Tian hear the rumors and wonder. Let him send his disciples to investigate.