Chapter 3: “Echoes Of The Past, Shadows Of The Present”

The Next Day, Recently awake

Yuri stretched, his muscles aching from the previous night's ordeal. "Yawn. (I had a nice sleep.)"

A gentle knock echoed through the small room.

"Knock, knock."

A woman's voice, soft and melodic, called out, "Hello? Mister."

Yuri, his mind still clouded with sleep, mumbled, "?"

"The feast is ready, Mister," the woman announced, her voice filled with warmth.

Yuri's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, thank you."

"Welcome, enjoy your food," the woman replied, her voice laced with genuine hospitality.

Yuri, still somewhat bewildered, nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Uhm. (nods)"

The woman, satisfied that she had delivered her message, turned and left.

Yuri, now fully awake, sat up in bed, his thoughts swirling with gratitude. (It's good that someone sheltered me last night.)

He rose from the bed and made his way to the small table, where a steaming bowl of food awaited him.

Nom, nom

Yuri devoured the meal, his eyes widening with delight. "This is delicious," he exclaimed, his voice filled with appreciation.

An Hour Later

Yuri, his stomach full and his spirits lifted, prepared to depart. "Thank you for helping me, is this enough?" he asked, extending his hand.

In his palm lay a delicate necklace, its gold chain glinting in the morning light.

"This is a real gold," Yuri explained, his voice tinged with sincerity.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise, her hand flying to her mouth. "What!? Really?...Thank you," she stammered, her voice filled with gratitude.

Yuri smiled, relieved that he could repay her kindness. "Uhm, I'll be going now, Miss. Again thank you for your help."

The woman's face softened, her eyes filled with warmth. "Good bye, Mister."

With a final nod of farewell, Yuri turned and continued on his journey.

As he walked, his thoughts turned to his destination. (I need to find a carriage.)

"The lady says the market is just ahead, maybe I can find a carriage there," Yuri mused, his pace quickening with anticipation.

As he continued his walk, the events of the previous night replayed in his mind, casting a shadow over his thoughts. (Last night was so scary, I couldn't forget about that man. If I have seen his face clearly last night maybe I will not be able to sleep.)

He shuddered, his body trembling involuntarily. "His eyes are so scary. (shivers)"

Minutes later, Yuri arrived at the bustling market, its vibrant atmosphere a stark contrast to the darkness he had experienced the night before.

"I need to go home now," Yuri muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the crowd for a sign of a carriage.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a commotion unfolding nearby.

"I told you this is fake!" a man's voice boomed, his tone laced with anger.

"No, Mister. It's real silver," a woman's voice pleaded, her tone tinged with desperation.

"How can you say so!?" the man retorted, his voice rising in volume. "This is fake, I've check it. Return my money now!"

"Sorry, I can't return your money," the woman replied, her voice trembling slightly. "You broke it."

Yuri, his curiosity piqued, paused to observe the unfolding scene. (A commotion over a ring..)

The man scoffed, his face contorted in anger. "It broke? Then your products is low quality then, listen Miss. My brother is a treasure hunter and he have seen many jewelry's already. And he said this is fake!"

"That jewel is a high quality, that jewel is produce by one of the wealthiest clan here," the woman countered, her voice growing stronger.

"Hah, really? Stop saying things like this now and return my money!" the man demanded, his face turning red with rage.

"That jewel is owned by the Masaru clan, and their policy is no returning of money if the items has been broke," the woman declared, her voice filled with defiance.

The man's eyes widened in shock. "What kind of policy is that!"

Yuri, his heart skipping a beat, realized the significance of the woman's words. (Shocked. It's our product!)

"I told you, return my money now!" the man roared, his patience finally snapping.

With a swift movement, the man grabbed the woman, his grip tightening around her arm. People nearby began to scatter, their faces etched with terror.

Yuri, his instincts kicking in, knew that he had to intervene. (Sht)*

"You, return my money!?" the man snarled, his face contorted in anger.

The woman, her eyes filled with fear, stammered, "I can't, I will lose my job please have mercy."

"Hah! I will take all of your money now," the man threatened, his grip tightening even further.

Without hesitation, Yuri stepped forward, his voice ringing out with authority. "Stop!"

The man, startled by the interruption, turned his gaze towards Yuri. "?"

"Let her go," Yuri commanded, his eyes blazing with anger.

The man, his face contorted in a sneer, retorted, "And who are you to command me?"

Yuri, his chin lifted with pride, declared, "I'm Yuri....Masaru."

The man and the woman both gasped, their eyes widening in shock.

"So, your the owner of this shop then," the man stammered, his voice tinged with fear.

"Yes, I will compensate you so put her down now," Yuri replied, his voice firm and unwavering.

The man hesitated for a moment, his mind racing. Then, with a shrug, he released the woman, sending her stumbling backwards. "Hah!"

The woman, her body trembling, stared at Yuri with gratitude. (Shocked)

Yuri, his eyes fixed on the man, demanded, "You! Can't you be gentle to a woman?!"

The man scoffed, his face contorted in a sneer. "I don't care."

With a menacing stride, the man approached Yuri, his eyes filled with malice.

Yuri, his senses on high alert, took a step back. "What are you doing?"

The man, his voice dripping with sarcasm, sneered, "You might be vulnerable, haha Miss."

Yuri's face flushed with anger. "Miss? I'm a man, you idiot!"

With a swift movement, the man lunged at Yuri, his hands reaching out to grab him.

"Ahh!" Yuri cried out, his body recoiling in surprise.

"You yourself will do a compensation," the man snarled, his grip tightening around Yuri's arm.

"You!" Yuri exclaimed, his anger reaching a boiling point.

With a surge of adrenaline, Yuri kicked the man in the shin, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Ahh! You!" the man roared, his face contorted in pain.

With a snarl, the man lunged at Yuri, throwing a punch.

Yuri, his reflexes honed by years of training, dodged the blow and retaliated, his fists flying.

Kick, kick

Punch, Punch

Yuri, his body moving with agility and grace, landed a series of blows on the man, sending him staggering backwards.

"There's too many of them," Yuri muttered to himself, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

With a burst of energy, Yuri jumped into the air, delivering a flying kick that sent the man sprawling to the ground.

"Ahh! You bastard!" the man groaned, his face contorted in pain.

"You're the bastard!" Yuri retorted, his eyes blazing with anger.

Suddenly, one of the man's subordinates pulled out a knife, its blade glinting in the sunlight.

Yuri, his heart pounding in his chest, went cautious.

The man with the knife approached Yuri, his eyes filled with malice.

Suddenly, a figure appeared as if from nowhere, his sword flashing in the sunlight.

"Ahh!" the man with the knife cried out, clutching his bleeding arm.

Kei, his face impassive, surveyed the scene of destruction. (Tsk, the whole market is destroyed)

His eyes scanned the crowd, taking in the faces of the terrified onlookers. (Twenty men) Fine, come at me.*

With a battle cry, the remaining members of the gang charged at Kei, their weapons raised.

Yuri, his eyes wide with awe, watched as Kei moved with incredible speed and precision, his sword flashing like lightning.

Swing, swing

Swoosh, swoosh

With a series of swift and decisive blows, Kei knocked out all of the gang members, leaving them lying unconscious on the ground.

Yuri, his jaw

Kei turned his head towards Yuri, his gaze intense and piercing.

Yuri, caught in the Master's gaze, felt a jolt of recognition, his heart pounding in his chest. (His eyes!)

Kei, his brow furrowed in confusion, tilted his head slightly. "Confused"

Yuri, struggling to regain his composure, stammered, "Uhm..."

Kei, his voice devoid of emotion, inquired, "Are you alright?"

Yuri, his voice barely a whisper, replied, "Yes..."

Kei, his gaze lingering for a moment longer, simply glanced before turning away.

Yuri, relieved that he had escaped the Master's scrutiny, offered a tentative smile. "Thank you," he mumbled, his voice laced with awkwardness.

Kei, his expression unreadable, remained silent.

Suddenly, a group of cultivators arrived, their faces etched with concern.

Cultivator 1, his voice filled with remorse, apologized, "Apologies, Master Kei."

Kei, his eyes blazing with anger, demanded, "What took you guys so long to patrol in this area? Look, it's devastated. Because of these bastards!"

Cultivator 1, his head bowed in shame, replied, "We're so sorry, Master."

Kei, his voice dripping with authority, commanded, "Clean this up! And half of all your salaries will be deducted for a month."

Cultivator 1, his face paling with dismay, replied, "Yes, Master."

Yuri, his eyes wide with disbelief, remained speechless.

Kei, his gaze sweeping across the scene, added, "Report to the temple after."

With a swirl of his robes, Kei vanished, leaving the stunned onlookers in his wake.

Yuri, his mind reeling from the encounter, could only utter a confused, "?"

Cultivator 2, his voice filled with awe, whispered, "He changed."

Cultivator 1, his face etched with guilt, replied, "It's our fault, let's clean this up now."

Yuri, his curiosity piqued, stammered, "Uhm..."

Cultivator 1, his brow furrowed in confusion, turned towards Yuri. "Confused"

Yuri, gathering his courage, inquired, "Wouldn't you mind if I ask?"

Cultivator 2, his face softening, replied, "Sure, what is it?"

Yuri, his voice barely audible, asked, "Who is he?"

Cultivator 1, his eyes widening in surprise, exclaimed, "Oh, you didn't know?"

Yuri, his face flushed with embarrassment, nodded his head. "nods"

Cultivator 2, his voice filled with reverence, explained, "That is Master Kei, the head Master of the God of nature's sect."

Cultivator 1, his eyes sparkling with admiration, added, "And the current strongest cultivator."

Yuri, his mind struggling to process the information, could only utter a simple, "Oh..."

Cultivator 1, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, observed, "You, you seem to look like someone?"

Cultivator 2, his eyes widening in agreement, added, "Yeah."

Yuri, his face paling with unease, stammered, "Uhm, I'll be going now. Excuse me."

Cultivator 1, his suspicion momentarily forgotten, replied, "Oh, okay."

With a hasty bow, Yuri turned and left, his mind racing with questions.

As Yuri disappeared into the crowd, Cultivator 2, his voice filled with curiosity, remarked, "He looks familiar."

Cultivator 1, his brow furrowed in thought, replied, "Yeah, but I can feel it's not him."

Cultivator 2, his attention returning to the task at hand, declared, "Well, let's start now. We need to report after this."

At the Temple Study Room

Netheyam, his face etched with concern, greeted Kei upon his return. "Kei, you're back."

Kei, his eyes unfocused and distant, replied, his voice barely audible, "Dazed (That man feels so familiar)."

Netheyam, his voice filled with concern, inquired, "The meeting assembly will be ahead, I've prepared everything."

Kei, his expression unreadable, simply replied, "Good."

Kei, his body slumping into a chair, sat in silence, his mind lost in thought.

Netheyam, his voice hesitant, inquired, "They didn't do anything wrong, right?"

Kei, his eyes snapping back into focus, replied, "Yes, they do all of their works fine."

Kei, his voice dismissive, stated, "You can leave now."

Netheyam, his face etched with unease, replied, "Yes..."

With a respectful bow, Netheyam left the study, leaving Kei alone with his thoughts.

Kei, his body wracked with exhaustion, sighed heavily. "Sigh (Meeting assembly? This is so tiring)."

With a flick of his wrist, Kei cast a portal, its shimmering surface reflecting his troubled gaze.

Kei, his heart heavy with longing, stepped through the portal. "How are you, Natsou?"

Kei, his voice filled with tenderness, continued, "You know, today there are really bad cultivators. But don't worry, I've punished them already."

Kei, his eyes filled with sorrow, reached out and held Natsou's hand, his touch gentle and reverent.

Kei, his voice barely a whisper, vowed, "I will make a way for us to be together again."

With a deep breath, Kei began to unleash his nature's energy, carefully channeling it into Natsou's lifeless body.

Kei, his face etched with concentration, thought to himself, "This is all of the nature's energy that I consume from other cultivators, this should be enough."

As Kei finished unleashing his energy, he waited with bated breath, his eyes fixed on Natsou's face.

Kei, his expression filled with anticipation, murmured, "Dazed"

But Natsou remained still, her eyes closed, her face peaceful but unresponsive.

Kei, his shoulders slumping in defeat, sighed heavily. "Hah..."

Tears welled up in Kei's eyes, his voice cracking with grief as he confessed, "Teary I've been doing this for five years now, Natsou. Maybe you really didn't want me. Cries"

As the tears streamed down his face, Kei embraced Natsou's lifeless body, his heart breaking with each sob. The temple study room, once a place of power and authority, was now a sanctuary of sorrow, a testament to the enduring power of love and loss.

End of chapter 3

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