Man from the Wild South

chapter 1

hapter 1 (part 1 of 2)

High above at the peaks of Ling Feng, a beam of sunlight cuts through the sea of perpetual clouds that shroud the mountain peaks in a misty cocoon.

A woman cut weightlessly through the air, lead in hand by a man who guides the both of them to land at a rocky ledge. He has spotted a yellow flower growing on the ledge - a cheery spot of colour amidst he barren landscape - from where they were standing just now and has leaped to where the flower grows. Some rocks loosen beneath his weight and rubles downwards towards a ravine several thousand feet below, too far for human eyes to see. Worried that he may fall, the woman pales and quickly wraps her arms securely around his waist. "Er Shi Ge!*"

Her action effectively buries her face in his warm chest and she can feel his unmistakable laughter as he picks the flower from its rocky home before tucking it firmly around her hair knot at the back of her head. "You look lovely."

A flush replaces her pale cheeks and she is at a loss of what to say. She pushes herself away from his warm embrace but can still feel his warmth emitting from his big hands that has moved to wrap her smaller hands in his while he looks down adoringly at her. As she lost herself at the sight of his familiar face, she can feel her world spinning into a fuzzy daze....

******

Shaking her dizzy head, Shang Guan Jing realizes too late that she has lingered too long in the forest.

With towering trees that stretch like giant pillars towards the sky, broad leaves growing from their sturdy branches, the dense vegetation of the tropical forest has blocked most of the strong sunlight from reaching the forest floor which is covered with roots and grass. She can hear her own footsteps as her feet crunches on the dried leaves on the forest floor and groans inwardly. Her qinggong is considered excellent and when it has deteriorated to the point when she can hear her own footsteps, she must be in pretty bad condition.

She must have inhaled some poisonous gasses just now despite being careful to breathe lightly when entering the forest. Teacher has warned her before about the poisonous gasses that exist in the tropical forest of Nan Man (Wild South) but apparently, she has not been alert enough. Right now, she is starting to feel nauseous on top of being giddy.

Fighting the urge to throw up, she tries to regulate her breathing and wills herself to move forward. As she crosses a rocky patch of forest covered with molasses, she suddenly hears voices.

People! She may be able to seek their help!

She stumbles towards the sounds and spots them first before they spotted her. From her position from behind a tree, she sees several men, all with swords at their hips. They are circling a man dressed in white and her guts instinct tell her that something is wrong and she quickly moves a step back to stay hidden.

As she fights off another dizzy spell, she can hear their voices clearly this time.

"Good looking. Very good looking. Come closer now, pretty boy. Don't be afraid..."

"Yes, yes. Don't be afraid. Come over to me because I have a treat for you...."

"Who cares about your treat? I have my own 'delicious' treat which is bigger and more fragrant than yours. And hotter, harder too. Come here..... come on, open your mouth. You will like it, don't be afraid....."

By now, Shang Guan Jing is certain that her instincts are correct. There is something wrong with the scene, something wrong in the air and these men - no beasts! - have loosened their belts and pants as they sprout their lewd nonsense. When they reach out in tandem to touch the hardness between their legs, she figures she has enough of their filth.