Phoenix Rise: XieRong-Chapter 1 The Last Straw

"Fa Chun," a weakened woman called feebly.

A seven year old Fa Chun got up from where he was reading his mother's medicine book disguised as a children's picture book.

He limped to his mother who was sitting by her window and making a parcel. She always did so in the hour of the monkey (15:00 to 17:00).

His mother smiled at him weakly before giving the parcel to him.

He leaned in to hug his mother.

"Mother, is it today?"

"You'll know Fa Chun, when the time is right," she replied as she patted her 'son's' back.

Five year old, Fa Bai who was playing in the corner hobbled up to her mother.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," she said, as she rubbed her tummy.

Fa Chun felt the piece of bread in his pocket. He had saved his lunch so that he could skip dinner.

"Here," he said, giving the bread to his sister.

He knew she didn't understand that their mother had lost their father's favour long before they were born. There was a silent rage in his eyes when he thought of his father.

"Fa Bai, how many times to tell you to not call me 'Mommy'," Fa Hua sighed as she picked up her daughter. She frowned at the piece of bread her daughter was holding. She had seen her son save his lunch instead of eating it, but she told nothing as she was unable to provide either of her children with food.

Her heart filled with pride when she thought of Fa Chun.

"Fa Chun, know that your mother loves you and is proud of you."

Fa Chun smiled, as he looked at his mother's maid.

"Please take care of them until I return, Auntie Li."

The An pavilion was where Fa Chun and his little family resided. It was the smallest, most shabby courtyard located in a remote corner of his Father, the Prime minister Fa's, estate.

The only good thing about it was that it served as an entrance to the forest from where Fa Chun collected his herbs and other edible things. He limped all the way to the back wall making his presence as small as possible.

The usual first sons and daughters weren't there to bother him today.

He hated all of them.

The current First wife had stolen the position from his mother long before he was born. Sad to say, his mother had let her. His mother didn't love his father anymore and it was understandable looking at the scars on her back which she had received from his beatings.

His mother had hid his identity as the first daughter by portraying him as a limp idiot so that he didn't have to suffer as much as she had.

His mother had once told Fa Chun his real name, 'Xierong', he'd found it beautiful but unfitting as in his seven years of existence he had brought no glory to his mother. Instead, he had contributed in making his mother lose face.

Crawling out of the hole in the back wall, Fa Chun stood up straight and ran to the tree in which he hid the supplies. His mother had been planning on escaping for a long time. She was the one who'd marked the tree with a white ribbon.

He could tell the time of their escape was near. They had collected enough supplies to make it to his grandfather's, The General Guo's, province.

He climbed the tree quickly to carve another mark on the tree. Another day in Hell on Earth he supposed.

Fa Chun had grown fond of this tree. The tree that safeguarded their hope and looked over their residence. He sometimes wished he had the wood element so that he could talk to the spirit within the tree. But neither did he know if he even had an element nor did he know whether people with the wood element could actually talk to spirits within the flowers and trees. He had just overheard what little he knew.

His mother, the gossips had said, had been one of the finest cultivators in all of the country, but where her cultivation had gone, no one knew. She had possessed the rare dual combination of water and wood and his father had married his mother because of it. He had hoped to have a child who possessed an even rarer dual element of water and fire, but what he got was two pieces of trash and a wife who lost her cultivation as the days passed by.

Fa Chun was about to climb down the tree when he heard his little sister's terrified scream. He watched horrified as his sister was pulled along by her hair.

"You dare to steal my food!" Fa Mei Lien slapped Fa Bai.

Fa Chun saw red. How dare that pretend Di daughter bully his sister!

He may have no cultivation whatsoever but he definitely knew his poisons well.

He was about to jump down when something pinned the collar of his shirt to the tree. He tried to pull it out but couldn't. He looked up and saw his mother meet his gaze and shake her head in a silent 'no'.

Fa Mei Lien stomped on Fa Bai's fingers. Fa Bai cried in pain as she felt her fingers crack one by one.

"You dare cry out when you have stolen, you thief!" Fa Mei Lien slapped Fa Bai again.

Fa Bai whimpered but did not cry out this time.

Fa Hua quickly came to her daughter's rescue.

"Young miss, have mercy on Fa Bai," she pleaded, her eyes tearing up when she saw Fa Bai's broken future.

"Why should my daughter have mercy on a little thief," Fa Lihua asked as she arrived on the scene.

"Jie, for the sake of our past friendship, please let my daughter go."

"Jie? I don't recall having a Mei Mei like you!" Fa Lihua seethed as she remembered how every single time her junior would upstage her, how her master would praise this junior of hers in front of everyone, and how behind her back she was mocked for not being able to teach this junior of hers anything.

"Jie, please."

By now, Fa Hua knew her senior's jealous and bitter heart well. Fa Lihua would definitely use this opportunity to punish her.

"You want me to let her go? Fine. But then you will be punished in your daughter's place instead!"

Fa Hua let her tears slip. As long as her children would live, she'd be fine with anything.

Fa Chun ground his teeth so that he wouldn't scream. He pulled and pulled at the hairpin but it wouldn't budge. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she saw her mother get beaten and raped by the servants Fa LiHua had set on her like ravenous dogs set on a piece of meat. Fa Chun saw Fa Bai cry silently from where she was held by two servants.

Fa Chun felt defeated as his mother did not fight back and let the servants do as they pleased with her.

He promised in his heart that he would make this people pay back every drop of blood and tear they owed his little family.