Jin Se

Chapter 32

Kill, or be killed.　　

Such was the way of the world. Everything you desire, you must seize, for who would simply deliver it into your hands?

Scheming. What's the use in scheming? After all, man proposes, god disposes. You could make thousands upon thousands of plans, only for heaven to ruin them all, wouldn't that be a joke?

If you wanted to become fearless, you had to become powerful. If you couldn't tread on life, life would tread over you - not that you need to understand what that means, for right now you are lesser than I, and your flesh and blood is mine by right.

That withered hand, smelling of rot and decay, reached towards him out of the dark, yet he was powerless to even scream. His breath caught in his throat. His entire being was paralyzed by fear.

The utter helplessness, the terror of having nowhere to run, the knowledge that there was nothing to do to prevent himself from being used, as well as defiance and rage, filled him to the brim - Bai Li woke abruptly, gripping the bedsheets. His nails had lengthened almost three inches into claws that were sharp beyond compare. They poked holes into the bed like it was made of tofu, and gouged streaks of blood into his palm.

But the blood that seeped from his injuries was black as well and dripped like ink. Perhaps all of his insides were just as dark; heavens knew how he managed to look so pale and delicate.

Lured by the scent of blood, his shadow began rising from the ground, climbing onto his bed. The things inside it were stirring in anticipation, like a dog drawn to a hunk of raw meat. It curled around his bleeding palm, greedily, gluttonously. It seemed animals weren't the only ones that would die for the sake of sustenance, even demon creatures would risk their lives for food.

Finally, one of the "black shadows" gave in to temptation. A portal tore open through the air. A black claw reached out from within and shot towards Bai Li's wrist. Bai Li had been sitting numbly on the bed when he suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were terribly empty. A cold malice emanated from within those pitch-black depths. He raised his hand and caught the shadow in his grasp, his nails digging into its body. It popped like a ruptured bladder and let out a thin scream as it dissolved into black mist and was sucked into Bai Li's mouth.

Bai Li, not the slightest concerned about getting a stomach ache, chewed it up and ate it like it was a midnight snack. The shadows that'd been eager to have a go just a moment ago slowly backed off, cowed by the show of violence.

Bai Li lifted his hand, looking at his nails and wounds dazedly. A while later, he seemed to wake from a trance. His sharp nails slowly returned to normal. He bent down and gently licked the blood off his palm. The injuries that he licked stitched themselves together as if his tongue was made of needle and thread or something, turning back into an unblemished expanse of skin. One could hardly tell that it had just been dripping so much ink-like blood.

Bai Li lit a lamp with the wave of his hand, then curled into a ball and buried his face in his knees.

He thought, what do I do, I'm still scared.

It had been a long time ago already. He'd escaped that placed already. He'd eaten the person who'd watched to eat him. Bai Li thought that he had already overcome his enimies, yet for some reason, he was still afraid. Every time he became just a bit more powerful, he wouldn't even have the chance to feel proud of the achievement before he'd be overwhelmed by the irrational fear that "someone even stronger would come along to harm him."