Letting go of self-restraint 2 - All that is missing is a little one

Chapter 10

Wei Wuxian was frozen stiff, he was not breathing anymore, his mind went blank and his only thought was to flee. The enormous hellhound dog beast made the last step, it was now sniffing him from less than an outstretched hand's distance.

He somehow came to tolerate the small fluffy puppy that Jiang Cheng rescued but this was something else, it was not a normal dog either, it was huge and its fangs were as long as the Yunmeng Jiang disciple's arm. He had already faced a beast like this in the past, this one however was a lot bigger. The boy's body trembled so violently he let go of his sword.

The sound of his weapon hitting the ground caused the monster to growl and in consequence Wei Wuxian to run away frantically, without looking where he was going and without any regards for branches that were scratching his legs. He was in complete panic.

When he was tired and could not catch his breath anymore, he hid himself high in a tree and searched for his pursuer. There was none, the beast was nowhere to be seen. The Yunmeng Jiang disciple gave out a big sigh, incredibly relieved that the monster did not follow him or had lost his tracks. He was still trembling violently, his hands were ice-cold and sweat was running down his back.

He only managed to slightly calm himself down after a while, at least enough to be able to think clearly: "That was insane! I would have never imagined the beast would be a huge dog. In the end, I think Lan Zhan was right, I should not have come, I am a complete wreck right now. I have even lost my sword. Stupid me! Thinking I could take it on alone...

I am cowering here like a coward while the town's people are in danger, I need to go back and at least try to distract that thing so it will not venture into the town. I have already seen a beast like this one before, it was terrorizing a village near Lotus Pier. Madame Yu send me out alone to take care of it by myself. Until today, I do not know if she was aware of the monster's nature... It is not important right now! I need to go back for my sword and prepare a plan how to defeat it.

How did I do it last time anyway? I was scared out of my mind so everything is a little hazy..."

*** Flashback start ***

Wei Wuxian was running for his life, as soon as he saw the beast, his mind blanked and he was thinking only about fleeing. He had already lost his sword somewhere but he had no intention of turning back and going to look for it. Maybe later, when the sun would be out and the monster asleep back in his den.

Madame Yu had send him out alone, as so many times already; he had long learned not to rely on anyone and to take care of himself and his duties. It was one of her favourite training methods, she always told him that he needed to be strong enough to protect Jiang Cheng and Shijie on his own.

He agreed with her normally, however this time, he was not sure he would be able to prevail. It was not that the beast was too strong for him, it only had an average amount of power and was not really all that dangerous, it had yet to attack humans. It was his fear that was preventing him to fight it fair and square. Was it not a dog, he would have already dealt with it and would have been back in his warm bed.

He shivered in the cold air, it was close to winter and the temperatures were dropping steadily from one day to another. The hellhound was still on his heels; the boy was sure it would catch him any time now. Suddenly he tripped and fell into a freezing river, being carried away by the current until he managed to climb on top of a rock in the middle.

The cold water helped him to calm down, he could also not see the monster anywhere. He wanted nothing more than to go back home and abandon his task; however, he feared Madame Yu's punishment nearly the same as dogs. And innocent people still needed his help. He could not run away, he had to finish his task somehow.

Cautiously, he headed back into the forest searching for his sword by extending his spiritual energy far and wide all while looking out for the beast. He found his weapon soon enough, armed, he felt more at ease. He decided that it would be best to go back to the monster's den and plan a surprise attack there.

The den was actually a big cave in the middle of the forest. Its inhabitant was still nowhere to be found, it reassured the boy and he relaxed slightly his tense muscles. He climbed up the tallest tree just outside the cave, he would jump down once the beast would come back and attack it from above. Hopefully it would be surprised and he would be able to defeat it.

This way, he would also had no other choice but to finish his attack, he would not be able to retreat in the middle of the jump even if he got scared out of his mind again. With his sword pointing downwards, exactly to the place where the monster had to pass to reach his den, he waited for it to come back and face its death.

***Flashback end ***

Although remembering his previous encounter with the beast's kin made him start trembling again, his mind was clear, he had a plan now. He turned back and followed his tracks, it was fairly easy due to the broken branches and flattened bushes he destroyed in his panic flight.

With his spiritual energy almost depleted again, he had to search for his weapon the hard way; luckily, he could follow the path back just fine with all the damage he caused earlier. He was looking around and listening attentively, he did not want to be surprised by a sudden attack.

He reached the beast's den soon enough and just like last time, its inhabitant was not inside right now. He retrieved the sword from where he had dropped it and chose a suitable tree. Just like last time, he prepared himself into position and waited.

"Right, it is like last time, nothing will go wrong..." Wei Wuxian was still extremely scared and nervous, he was however determined to defend the town's people at all costs. "It is just... The beast is bigger this time. I have matured and I have more experience, it will be alright. But... I am pretty weak right now. Maybe I should have listened to Lan Zhan. Knowing him, he was only worrying for me, not implying I was not good enough for him or that he had gotten tired of me.

I have overreacted, I need to apologize to him when I come back. I hope he would not be too mad that I have run away and even went for the night hunt by myself. I should have waited for him to come find me and not coming here and attempting to settle it alone, but the people are still scared, I do not want them to suffer another minute of this terror! Lan Zhan will surely understand.

Thinking back, it is really my fault for not listening to him. I realize only now that I still did not let him through the mental bond we share. He must be extremely frustrated. Why did he not say anything before? Right, I was in no mood to talk to him seriously, he probably did not know how to tell me...

Poor Lan Zhan, you could have finally expressed yourself freely and I have deprived you of this. I am such a coward, I should face my fears head on and not let them fester in my heart... I have a lot of things to apologize for. Lan Zhan really is a saint when it comes to the patience he has with me. I am so lucky to have met him."

His thoughts were interrupted by a cracking sound; the beast was probably coming back. He tightened his hold on the sword, adjusted its position and prepared to attack. He wished Lan Zhan was here so they would be able to fight together, it was however too late now, he had to face this alone.