| Fan Fiction |
by Melanie
OUTSKIRTS OF CITY OF HOI YEUNG
WOODS
EVENING
While the moonlight is sparse elsewhere in the woods, here in the clearing, a generous wash of silver light bathes the entire area, throwing Chi Chi’s tearstained face in stark relief against the inky blackness of the forest. Sitting amid a pool of dark red blood, she raises bloody fingers weakly toward Sai Chung, her eyes blank and hollow, expressionless…
“Little Brother!” Sai Chung’s heart skips a beat upon seeing her slumped on the ground. Surrounding her, a deep dark pool of blood spreads across the earth, the humidity keeping the blood from congealing. However, although the immense amount of spilled alarmed Sai Chung, it is the look of absolute desolation and shock on Chi Chi’s pale face that has the warning bells firing off loudly in his head, telling him something is wrong, terribly wrong.
Even as Sai Chung sprints toward Chi Chi, she hunches forward and retches uncontrollably. Once he reaches Chi Chi’s side, he holds her supportively, until her body stops convulsing from the vomiting. While he rocks her gently, he performs a frantic visual inspection of Chi Chi. Finding no physical wound, Sai Chung breathes a sigh a relief, but his breath catches again as he glances behind her and spies the reason for her nausea.
The stench permeating from the corpse leaning against the tree trunk behind Chi Chi surrounds them like a putrid wall. Known for having a strong stomach, he nonetheless almost vomits at the sight and smell. Only pure determination and self control keep Sai Chung from losing the contents of his stomach.
Although the body is probably about only one day old, the balmy weather has quickened the decomposition process, melting the flesh to a soft and sticky consistency. Maggots have already started feasting on the body, covering the corpse’s every available surface. But most disturbing of all are the eyes. Wide open, yet sightless in death, the victim’s eyes seem to stare directly into one’s soul, begging any passerby to help him, to listen to the untold secrets he has yet to tell.
Shivering slightly, Sai Chung turns his attention back to Chi Chi. “Little Brother, come on, let’s hurry out of this forest.” Glancing around nervously, he squints his eyes into the darkness as wild animals howl. “There is something about this place that makes me very uncomfortable.”
However, just as he manages to draw Chi Chi upward and a few paces away from the body, she catches him off guard by pushing him away and tearing back to the corpse.
“NO!” Chi Chi screams like a banshee. “NO! I won’t leave him! I won’t leave him like this!” Reaching the dead person’s side, she drops down onto her knees, heedless of the blood soaking her pretty, delicate gown. Reaching a tentative hand forward, she gently brushes at the man’s hair, a moan of agony escaping from her lips, its sound soft at first but quickly crescendos to an ear-piercing, painful cry that echoes throughout the woods.
Hurrying to her side, Sai Chung kneels down beside Chi Chi, confused by her actions and yet very alarmed at seeing the always cheerful young woman in such a state. “Little Brother, do you know this man?”
However, she doesn’t seem to hear him and continues to sob inconsolably. From the corner of his eye, he notices a glint of silver. Leaving Chi Chi’s side briefly, Sai Chung follows the direction of the flicker of silver a few feet away and unearths a discarded sword covered beneath a pile of fallen leaves.
“This sword must have belonged to the victim.” He murmurs to himself. As he examines the sword further, his heart suddenly stops as his eyes happen upon three Chinese characters, “Lam Yik Wah,” etched onto the sword hilt. Glancing over quickly to the devastated Chi Chi, he now knows who the dead person is.
Walking slowly over to Chi Chi, Sai Chung kneels down next to her again. By this point, Chi Chi has stopped screaming and is now huddled over, sobbing softly. Keeping silent, Sai Chung kneels quietly beside her, allowing her privacy to express her grief.
As the minutes tick by, Chi Chi’s cries finally subside, leaving behind only despairing silence. Wrapping his arms tightly and protectively around her, Sai Chung nuzzles the top of her head for comfort.
“Little Brother,” Sai Chung begins, his voice hoarse from unshed tears upon seeing his usually vibrant, energetic Little Brother so distressed. “Is he Lam Yik Wah, your brother?” He asks, referring to the corpse behind them.
Sniffling, Chi Chi nods, her head resting against Sai Chung’s chest.
“Are you sure?” Sai Chung questions. “His features are not clearly identifiable due to degradation from the humid weather. We could be incorrect. He could be someone else.” He tries to come up with reasons how the body couldn’t be Chi Chi’s elder brother, but deep down, a sickening feeling tells him the corpse is indeed Lam Yik Wah, especially with the very telling sword nearby.
Taking in several shaky breaths, Chi Chi breaks away from Sai Chung’s embrace to glance up at him with tear filled eyes. “I’m sure.” She replies with certainty. “He is my second elder brother, Lam Yik Wah, the same elder brother I have adored since as long as I could remember. He is... He was the very same patient brother who tolerated my constant chatter, who allowed me to tag along with him whenever he courted my sister-in-law Sik Sik, who brought me little presents whenever he traveled.” She finishes on a choked sob. Clutching onto Sai Chung tightly, Chi Chi wails, “I can’t believe he’s gone! I dearly wish I am wrong and that the body behind us is not my brother, but I know my own brother.”
Sighing, Sai Chung could only hold onto Chi Chi comfortingly. “Lam Yik Wah was not a weak fighter and could not be easily defeated, let alone killed. Who could the culprit be?”
“I don’t know.” Chi Chi answers in a small voice. “Being the leading martial arts family in wulin, we have many friends, but we probably have even more foes.” Shaking her head, she squeezes her eyes tightly together in pain. “Second Brother didn’t deserve such an ending. When my second sister-in-law, Sik Sik, died in childbirth a few years ago and with the baby passing away not too long after, I thought Second Brother would never survive such a blow. He loved his wife so much, and when she died, we feared he would give up on life, too. But survive, he did. He lived on for her, because he knew that was what Sik Sik would want him to do. I kept hoping that he would fall in love again, and I could tease him about his new love, just like the old days. Second Brother would always turn beet red when I teased him about women.” Looking up at Sai Chung with a pitiful look, Chi Chi confesses forlornly. “I enjoyed teasing Second Brother and always had great fun making him speechless.”
Smiling softly at her, Sai Chung strokes Chi Chi’s hair. “I know you did, sweetheart. I know you did.”
Leaning back into the comfort of Sai Chung’s arms, Chi Chi cuddles against him for a second. However, in the next second, she jerks backward with a worried look on her face. “I need to bring Second Brother back to Lam Mansion. I can’t leave him here all alone. He would want to rest alongside his wife, Sik Sik. But I can’t let Mother and Father see him like this! I don’t want them to remember him like this...”
Nodding with understanding, Sai Chung gives Chi Chi a final tight squeeze before lifting her up into his arms. Setting her down on the forest ground a few feet away from Lam Yik Wah’s body, he covers her hand reassuringly. “You stay right here, Little Brother. This might take a while.”
As Sai Chung turns, Chi Chi clutches onto his hand. “Where are you going, Big Brother Sai Chung?”
Turning back toward Chi Chi, Sai Chung crouches down on the ground again. “I’m going to clean up your elder brother a bit, so that when we bring him back to your parents, he will be more presentable. I’ll take care of this, Little Brother. Don’t worry.”
As Sai Chung heads back toward the body, he grimaces inwardly as he racks his brain for a way to remove all the maggots from the corpse. With an idea in mind, he channels his internal energy toward his right palm. With delicacy and incredible finesse, he directs a wave of energy between the maggots and the surface of Yik Wah’s body. The blanket of internal energy forcibly removes the maggots from the corpse, causing them to drop off and shrivel up on the ground. Methodically, he repeats the process over and over again.
After an indeterminable amount of time and concentration, Sai Chung finally successfully removes every dead flesh eating organism from the surface of Yik Wah’s body. Wiping his sweat from his forehead, he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. Glancing up, he sees a grateful smile on Chi Chi’s tearstained face.
“Thank you, Big Brother Sai Chung.” Chi Chi whispers with a heartfelt, bittersweet expression. “Thank you for helping me clean up my brother. I...I couldn’t bear to look at him with...with...the mag...maggots...” She stutters as her teeth chatters uncontrollably. Tears swim in her large eyes before spilling silently down her cheeks.
Leaping up immediately, Sai Chung engulfs Chi Chi protectively in his embrace. “Shh... It’s all right. You don’t need to explain yourself. He was your elder brother, someone you looked up to. It must be difficult seeing him this way in death.” Tenderly brushing away her tears, he cups her face in the palms of his hands. “If there is anything I could do to help ease your pain, I will do it, Little Brother.”
Nodding, Chi Chi throws Sai Chung a solemn look before blinking back her tears. Swiping her cheeks dry, she responds, “I know I can count on you, Big Brother Sai Chung, but I think I can take over cleaning up Second Brother now. He’s my brother, and I will take care of him, just like I know he would do the same for me if the situation were reversed.”
With those words, she resolutely walks over to Yik Wah’s body. Kneeling down in front of him, Chi Chi takes a wooden comb from her pocket and gently untangles the knots from his hair, chattering aimlessly to him. “Second Brother, remember when we were little children? I begged you to let me braid your hair, but you refused, shooing me away because you didn’t want to look feminine. Adamant about having my way and stubborn, I sneaked into your room while you were asleep and braided your hair, decorating the braids with pink ribbons. I thought you looked so pretty, but when you woke up and saw what I had done, you chased me around the courtyard yelling at the top of your lungs until Eldest Brother intervened.” Pausing, she chokes back her tears. “If I were to braid your hair now, would you come back to life and yell at me?”
Behind her, Sai Chung wraps his arms around her. “Little Brother, are you all right?”
Sniffling, Chi Chi tries to smile. “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just need to straighten his gown up a bit and then we can go find a coffin to transport Second Brother back to Lam Mansion.”
Reaching forward, she gently brushes away debris and dirt from Yik Wah’s gown. As she continues to pick off loose leaves and branches from the gown, Yik Wah’s dead weight slumps forward, causing the front of his gown to gap open, revealing a red palm print on his chest.
Snapping to attention at the palm print, Sai Chung catches Chi Chi’s hand, preventing her from closing the front of Yik Wah’s gown. “Wait, Little Brother!” He gasps, clutching onto Chi Chi’s hand tightly. Leaning forward, he squints in the dark, hoping that his suspicions are incorrect. However, even with the scant moonlight, the very telling red palm imprint on Yik Wah’s chest stares back at Sai Chung clearly, alarming him.
“What is it, Big Brother Sai Chung?” Chi Chi inquires anxiously as she notices his concerned expression.
“This red palm print...” Sai Chung reaches forward and tentatively touches the imprint on Yik Wah’s chest. “I never thought I would live to see this, but this must be the imprint of the Blood Shadow Palm. Little Brother, I think your brother was murdered by someone using the Blood Shadow Palm.”
“Blood Shadow Palm?” Chi Chi repeats, confused. “What Blood Shadow Palm? I’ve never heard of such martial arts.”
Shaking his head, Sai Chung explains. “You probably have never heard of this palm technique, because it has been extinct from the martial arts world for nearly five-hundred years. I’m not positive if this palm print is due to the Blood Shadow Palm, since I’ve never seen such martial arts before. However, the injury on your brother’s chest exactly fits the description of a wound inflicted by the Blood Shadow Palm. In my many years as an assassin in wulin, I have learned bits and pieces of information regarding a deadly palm technique, known as the Blood Shadow Palm. According to legend, centuries ago when the Blood Shadow Palm terrorized the martial arts world, many martial artists, even highly skilled ones, greatly feared this palm sequence, for the Blood Shadow Palm executed its victims in an excruciatingly slow, tortuous manner. Victims injured by a practitioner of level three of this palm sequence will experience an agonizingly slow death as their internal organs burn and then liquefy from the Blood Shadow Palm’s venom. Eventually, they drown to death in their own bodies. But most terrifying of all, the poison also paralyzes the victims’ muscles, disabling them from moving, from screaming in pain. Hence, they must bear the pain of having their internal organs eaten alive in silence.”
Chi Chi shivers. “Who invented such dark martial arts?”
“Err...” Pausing, Sai Chung looks uncomfortably away from Chi Chi. Clearing his throat, he then glances hesitantly at her again. “Err...actually...”
“Big Brother Sai Chung, do you know who the Blood Shadow Palm creator was?” Chi Chi looks at Sai Chung with a curious expression.
“Well...” Sai Chung begins reluctantly. “I have heard rumors that the Blood Shadow Palm creator was a beautiful, vicious woman named Poison Snake, the leader of an ancient clan called the...something...Thousand Snake Black Rose Clan. Ummm...in fact, I have heard rumors that your Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting is remotely related to the creator of this vicious palm sequence.”
“What?” Chi Chi draws in her breath sharply, her expression turning indignant. “That’s impossible! I belong to the Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting, and yet, I’ve never heard of the Blood Shadow Palm. Besides, Sun Moon School has always been one of the leading forces in the fight against evil. It is preposterous to even imagine my school being associated with any type of dark martial arts.”
Angry and insulted, Chi Chi leaps up and stomps away from Sai Chung.
“Little Brother, wait!” Sai Chung calls after her. Intercepting Chi Chi, he grabs onto her hand.
“Let go!” Chi Chi angrily retorts, trying to shrug off his hand.
However, he stubbornly tightens his grip, pulling her close to him, despite her struggles. “I’m sorry, Little Brother. Please don’t be mad at me. I don’t mean to malign your family’s good name.”
Already heartbroken over her second brother’s death, Chi Chi is in no mood to be reasonable and remains heedless to his apologies. “Let go! Let go! I need to bring my brother’s body back to Lam Mansion.” She glares at Sai Chung.
Still hugging her tightly against his chest, Sai Chung nods. “All right, then. I’ll go with you.”
“No.” Chi Chi objects stiffly. “This is my family business. There’s no need to bother an outsider with this matter. Please let go.”
Her words, though spoken softly and civilly, pierce through Sai Chung’s heart, hurting him a thousand times more than if he were stabbed with a knife. Numb from her words, he drops his arms heavily to his sides, allowing Chi Chi to move away. “I know I’m not your family, Little Brother.” He mumbles, crestfallen. “I just thought you would want me with you during this difficult time.” With a sorrowful look, he glances down at the ground dejectedly. “We’ve been through so much together, are you really going to leave me behind and return to Lam Mansion alone?”
Suddenly feeling petty and small, Chi Chi sniffs, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Pushing him away, she brushes impatiently at the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “Will you stop being so nice and considerate toward me? You idiot, you foolish man!” She hammers at his chest, but only lightly with no intent to hurt him. “Why must you be so kind and patient with me all the time? You stupid man! I’m being mean and unreasonable toward you! Why don’t you ever yell back at me once? Why?! Ugh!! You make it so hard to be furious with you!”
Throughout Chi Chi’s tirade, Sai Chung stands still, keeping his eyes downcast, allowing Chi Chi to vent. But at her last statement, he immediately perks up. Leaning down toward her, he grabs and engulfs her in a bear hug. “You’re not mad at me, Little Brother?” He grins like the idiot Chi Chi described earlier. “Then, you won’t go back to Lam Mansion without me? You’ll let me accompany you? I knew you wouldn’t leave me behind!” Swinging her around happily, he squeezes her with all his might.
“Ahh!” Chi Chi, crushed by Sai Chung’s exuberant embrace, squeals. “You’re suffocating me, Big Brother Sai Chung! I can’t breathe! Put me down, put me down!” She demands, somewhat indignant, but also embarrassed.
Alarmed that he has hurt her, Sai Chung quickly sets Chi Chi down. “I’m sorry, Little Brother! Are you hurt? Where are you hurt?” Not thinking for a moment about propriety, he frantically runs his hands up and down her body, afraid that he may have injured her unintentionally with his tight clasp.
“Hey, watch where your hands go!” Chi Chi whacks at Sai Chung’s chest. However, the more she struggles, the more anxious Sai Chung becomes and the more he attempts to pat her body, misunderstanding that she is in pain. Flustered, Chi Chi squawks, randomly batting at Sai Chung’s face with her hands. “Eeee! Stop pawing at me! Eeee!” At that moment, however, Chi Chi chokes on her own saliva and starts to cough violently. Sputtering, she clutches at her chest.
Misinterpreting her actions, Sai Chung starts stroking her chest urgently. “What’s wrong, Little Brother? Are you in pain?” When Chi Chi continues hacking while grabbing at her chest, Sai Chung freaks out even more. “Is it chest pain? Little Brother, did I squeeze so hard that I caused you to have chest pain? I’m so sorry!” He cries out, rubbing her chest.
Finally able to catch her breath and speak again, Chi Chi hollers. “AHHH!!! STOP RUBBING MY CHEST!!!”
She yanks onto his earlobes, pulling down hard. When he jerks upright in pain, Chi Chi delivers a resounding slap to Sai Chung’s cheek. Caught off guard with the slap, Sai Chung reaches up to massage his aching cheek.
“Ouch, ouch, Little Brother!” Sai Chung tries to reason with Chi Chi, keeping his shoulders hunched forward to protect his face from Chi Chi’s attack. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to... OUCH!” He yelps before he is able to finish his apology as Chi Chi steps down with all her might onto his right foot.
As Sai Chung hops around massaging his throbbing foot, Chi Chi breaks away from him and runs toward her second brother’s body. However, the darkness prevents her from seeing the loose tree roots protruding from the ground, and she promptly trips and falls down. Even before she hits the ground, Sai Chung appears beside her in a matter of seconds, wrapping his arms around her protectively, taking the brunt of the fall as he lands onto his back while keeping Chi Chi safely on top of him.
Grunting a bit from the pain of impact with the gritty, pebbly forest ground, Sai Chung looks up at Chi Chi anxiously. “Are you all right, Little Brother? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Noting their compromising position, Chi Chi scrambles up, her head lowered with embarrassment. “I’m fine.” She mumbles as she turns away from him.
Oblivious to her sudden bashfulness, Sai Chung scoots closer to Chi Chi, taking her hand in his. “Are you still angry with me, Little Brother?” He asks earnestly, bringing her hand toward his heart. “I was only trying to check you for any injury. I did not mean to be disrespectful. And I did not mean to insult you or the Sun Moon School earlier.” Sai Chung rushes to explain. “The association of your school with the Blood Shadow Palm are simply rumors I have heard. However, I have heard enough of the same rumors from many different people that I suspect there must be some truth to the stories claiming a link between the Blood Shadow Palm and the Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting.”
Chi Chi remains silent for a while, keeping her head lowered. Rubbing her eyes, she starts sniffing before breaking out into a full sob. Turning toward Sai Chung, she looks to him for comfort, her anger already starting to dissipate. “Big Brother Sai Chung, my second brother is dead! He’s dead, Big Brother Sai Chung!” She wails, as the reality of Yik Wah’s death finally settles in. “Who could have killed him? My second brother doesn’t deserve to die this way, to be left in the woods after death for the animals to eat.”
Throughout Chi Chi’s sobs, Sai Chung embraces her in his arms, keeping quiet, allowing her to cry. As he patiently waits for her to calm down, he strokes her hair gently. Finally, Chi Chi, exhausted from crying, closes her eyes as she presses her cheek against Sai Chung’s chest, seeking solace.
After a long moment, Chi Chi finally speaks. Her mind much clearer now after her bout of tears, she is ready to discuss about this Blood Shadow Palm that could have killed her second brother. She wants to know who cruelly murdered Yik Wah; she wants to seek revenge. “If the rumors are true about a link between the Blood Shadow Palm and my school, how come I have never heard my parents mention the palm sequence before?”
“Perhaps it is because this palm technique is supposedly extinct...until now.” Sai Chung glances worriedly back at the red palm imprint on Yik Wah’s chest.
Quiet for a moment, Chi Chi mulls over this information. “If a practitioner of the Blood Shadow Palm did indeed kill Second Brother, and if there is truly a link between this palm technique and Sun Moon School, then could it be possible that Second Brother’s murderer is someone from Sun Moon School?” Even as that thought leaves her lips, she immediately shakes her head in denial. “No, that could not be possible. Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting is a very close knit school, consisting of only family members. My siblings and I are my parents‘ only disciples. My parents have accepted no other students. It is ludicrous to even suspect anyone from my family!” She exclaims fiercely, glancing up at Sai Chung with a stubborn look in her eyes. “My family has been the upholder of justice in the martial arts world for as long as I can remember. We help the oppressed and punish the murderers and thieves. And though we may not be saints as we all have our flaws, we would never murder a good person, let alone our own flesh and blood!”
“I know, sweetheart. I know.” Sai Chung whispers soothingly as he strokes her tearstained cheeks. “Why don’t we concentrate on bringing your second brother back to Lam Mansion first, all right?”
Nodding numbly, Chi Chi makes a move to stand up. Helping her up, Sai Chung walks with her toward Yik Wah’s body. Kneeling back down next to Yik Wah’s body, Chi Chi again starts brushing debris from his gown front, breathing in deeply to fight back tears. From the corner of her eyes, something shimmery clutched in Yik Wah’s hand catches her eye. Frowning, Chi Chi leans down for a closer look.
“It can’t be...” She whispers. Gently prying Yik Wah’s fingers loose, she pulls a small silk coin pouch with delicately woven silver threads intertwined into the fabric to form small caricatures of a bride and a groom in their wedding attire.
“What? What is it, Little Brother?” Sai Chung stares at the silk pouch in Chi Chi’s hand before reverting his gaze back to the dumbfounded expression on her face.
“This silk pouch belongs to my father.” Chi Chi mumbles stupidly, more so to herself than to Sai Chung.
“And...so?” Sai Chung shakes his head in confusion, not quite sure why Chi Chi is so shocked.
“I don’t understand why the pouch is in Second Brother’s possession.” Chi Chi mumbles again.
“Perhaps your father gave your second brother the pouch?” Sai Chung suggests.
“No,” Chi Chi objects assertively. “Father would never part with his silk coin pouch. Not this one...” She shakes her head firmly. “Do you see the embroidered bride and groom on the pouch? Mother sewed this as a gift for Father on their wedding day. Father treats this silk pouch like the most precious possession in his life. Father spoils me the most out of all my siblings. He never once yelled at me when growing up, but I remember, one time when I was age twelve, he nearly punched out the wall in our foyer in fury when he realized I had snuck into my parents‘ chambers to play with his silk money pouch. He wouldn’t let any of us touch it because he feared we would accidentally rip the delicate fabric. He told us this pouch was a symbol of Mother’s love for him, and he would protect it with his life. Therefore, Father would never give the pouch to Second Brother.”
“Maybe your father misplaced the silk pouch and your Second Brother found it?” Sai Chung muses.
“No,” Chi Chi disagrees. “My father is an extremely cautious person. He would never carelessly misplace something so valuable to him.”
Thinking the situation through, Sai Chung wrinkles his brow as he ponders how Yik Wah was clutching the silk pouch in his fist. “If your father did not give the pouch to your second brother, nor did he drop the pouch, then there could be only one explanation why your brother has the pouch...”
Chi Chi stares off into space. In the far recesses of her mind, an unpleasant thought forces its way to the forefront like a virulent organism, poisoning Chi Chi’s mind, raising suspicions in her heart she would have never imagined of before tonight. Her previous conversation with Sai Chung about the Blood Shadow Palm and the Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting echoes loudly in her mind like a ticking bomb.
There are rumors that Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting could be linked to the Blood Shadow Palm... Sun Moon School of Sword Fighting could be linked to the Blood Shadow Palm... Rumors... Linked with the Blood Shadow Palm... Sun Moon School is a close knit school... Sun Moon School consists of only family members... Second Brother killed by the Blood Shadow Palm... Practitioner of the Blood Shadow Palm may belong to Sun Moon School... That could only mean family murdering family...
As the thoughts pound through her mind, Chi Chi clutches her stomach, feeling nauseous, her entire being desperately trying to reject that evil seedling of suspicion gaining life rapidly and spreading like a vicious disease. She could hear Sai Chung’s voice faintly, as if he is calling for her from far away. She turns toward him, sees his lips move, but she can’t seem to react.
“Little Brother? Little Brother!” Sai Chung shakes her slightly, bringing her out of her reverie. “Are you all right? After discovering the silk pouch on your second brother, you’ve suddenly become so still and quiet.”
Clenching the pouch in her fist, Chi Chi shakes her head. “I’m...I’m fine.” She answers, trying to put a reassuring expression on her face. Quickly stuffing the pouch into her gown pocket, she runs her hand down her face, fatigue overcoming her. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
Nodding with understanding, Sai Chung reaches over and tenderly brushes away some dirt stains on Chi Chi’s cheeks. “Why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit? I’ll take care of cleaning up your brother and putting together a temporary makeshift coffin for him.”
“Thank you, Big Brother Sai Chung.” Chi Chi smiles at him slightly, grateful for some time to think.
She walks slowly over to a fallen log and lowers herself onto it. Closing her eyes, she pretends to sleep. But rather than peaceful somnolence, dark amorphous shadows invade her thoughts. Keeping her hand fisted around the silk pouch, she keeps trying to come up with excuses to explain why her second brother was clutching her father’s precious silk pouch in his dying hand. But deep in her heart, she knows there is no need for excuses. The presence of the silk pouch places her father at the scene when her second brother died. And if her father was present in the forest, why didn’t he save Yik Wah? Why would he let someone kill Yik Wah and leave his body lying about to be consumed by the elements and animals? Unless... Unless...her father is the very person who murdered his own son. That very possibility frightens Chi Chi so much that she fears that she will become violently ill. How could the hero she has worshipped since childhood be such a ruthless killer? How could her father possibly be the demon who has murdered his very own flesh and blood?
Whimpering softly to herself, a single tear trickles down Chi Chi’s cheek. With her eyes closed, she doesn’t notice Sai Chung observing her a few paces away, a concerned expression on his face.
Watching Chi Chi, Sai Chung sighs. Knowing Chi Chi’s naive, yet rash, nature, he worries what she will do next...
**********
If you enjoy this story, please also read my other story, Legendary Book of Sun-Moon Swordplay - The Prequel. Thank you.
http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/legendprequel/
1/12/11