Chapter 13: The Origin Of The Hatred - Part Three

"The unrivaled tribe in Valgarel, since beasts and humans settled in New Earth, has always been the Red Rose Beaks tribe". Kartius explained to Zax. "When the four of us escaped, the only one who could protect us from Karns's and Kardelion's rage was the strongest beast in New Earth, His Valor Ozeyn, the sole Chaoyue Demonic Scarlet Crane in New Earth and the leader of the Red Rose Beaks tribe".

"Martial son, since most of the tribe members in the Red Rose Beaks tribe are bird type beasts, the locality of the tribe is spread across a chain of caves with many large mountain ranges. When we arrived to the territory of the Red Rose Beaks tribe, Big brother did not have the means to meet His Valor Ozeyn, therefore, when we reached to the Cave Of Long Beaks, the core cave of the Red Rose Beaks tribe, I, little sister and her maidservant stayed in hiding as big brother burst his way through to His Valor Ozeyn's Blue Mountain".

"Big brother's conduct did not intend to hurt anyone, only to attract His Valor Ozeyn's attention. When few of the Red Rose Beak tribe's elders descended to arrest big brother, he did not fight back and was willingly detained".

"Luckily, the length of big brother's detention was short enough for him to plea to see his His Valor Ozeyn over an important issue, before Karns's and Kardelion's associates in the Red Rose Beaks tribe could inform them about big brother's whereabouts".

Kartius glanced at Zax. "Things that happened afterwards are the nucleus of our household's enmity with the Black Horns tribe and those that helping it".

"The four of us found safe haven in the Red Rose Beaks tribe, after big brother demonstrated before His Valor Ozeyn the supremacy of the initial stages of what you know today as the 'Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement', the two made an agreement. His Valor Ozeyn's part of the deal, in fascinated admiration toward big brother's bodily regiment technique, was to accept us four to his tribe as honorary guests, while big brother's part of the deal was to share is technique with His Valor Ozeyn. As long as big brother could develop the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement further, His Valor Ozeyn let us stay".

Kartius gave the impression of suddenly wanting to sneer at the next part of the story, but insisted, the muscles on his face twisted and it took couple of seconds before he could calm down and continue narrating.

"Unable to refute His Valor Ozeyn's decision, knowing that they could not under any circumstances offend and arouse his wrath, Karns's and Kardelion's state of mind was near madness from anger. Still ... the peace we acquired in the Red Rose Beaks tribe was short lived".

"As honorary guests of His Valor Ozeyn, it wasn't dangerous anymore for big brother to resume his 'Master apprentice' relationship with Raroen, and Raroken himself did not mind where his favored son would receive his proper training. I and little sister, however, severed our 'Master apprentice' relationship with big brother. Other than our new familial bond, the reason we stopped training under the guidance of big brother ... For me it was the decision to halt my mist cultivation to start cultivating my body following the principles of the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement, which back then did not require profound teachings, only short instruction. Little sister, in contrast, chose to indulge herself in the violet stone, since only she could reap the most benefits from it and big brother was not proficient with its uses at the time".

"Like that couple of decades passed. Big brother's diligence studies would, every five to nine years, help him attain new small insight for the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement, and his agreement with His Valor Ozeyn sustained. Then, after forty seven years in the Red Rose Beaks tribe, little sister got pregnant..." Kartius's stomps penetrated deeper into the ground. "News of her pregnancy somewhat made their ways to Karns's ears, despite big brother efforts to shush them".

"Over the years, Karns's bigotry and discrimination only intensified due to what happened with big brother. Karns could not accept his daughter birthing the child of a Brown Stag, moreover, the one who stole his violet stone, which no matter how much he wanted he could not get back so long that we stayed in the Red Rose Beaks tribe. Thus, Karns's insanity went out of bounds ... Rather than a daughter with the child of a Brown Stage in her womb, he preferred a dead daughter ... Karns sent assassins to kill little sister!"

BOOM!

Recalling what his father did, Kartius furiously stomped and a few hundred meters long and tens of meters deep fissure split the ground. If the two were followed by some of the household's enemies, after this raging performance, Zax was certain that no one will bother them until they will get to their destination, Kingdom Earth. Furthermore, although Zax knew that this is a story of a past and Laivien is safe and sound in right now, he too experienced a spike in his killing intent.

Zax's number of interactions with Laivien was small, but the two had been in the company of each other for a long time. In his Martial household, the impression and warmth he received from Laivien was somewhere between a Martial mother to a Martial aunt. If someone dare threaten her, he or she will be panelized with the same fate as the Derneldar family.

"Even today there are no incriminating evidences that Karns was the perpetrator who organized little sister's assassination, but other than him, who could? No other tribe except the Silverhorned tribe and the Black Horns tribe had the resources for a small scale infiltration into the Red Rose Beaks tribe. The Silverhorned tribe's first leader, Raroken, was content with big brother for Raroen's improvement. And of the two leaders of the Black Horns tribe, Kardelion, regardless of how much hate he had for big brother, would not dare to go after my or little sister's life without Karns's consent. Besides, Kardelion was aware that the vindictiveness in Karns's heart was far more potent than his. Sooner or later, Karns was bound to retaliate. There was no need for Kardelion to go through the trouble in addition to risk angering His Valor Ozeyn".

Kartius explained his hypothesis.

"Karns used his associates in the Red Rose Beaks tribe to help two second level Core Masters human assassins to secretly enter the Cave Of Long Beaks and locate little sister".

"Little sister is alive, that you obviously know, Martial son", reaching to this point after nonstop talking over an exasperating story of the past, Kartius's voice became awfully hoarse. "When the two assassins attacked, little sister's maidservant, a Peak phase first level Core Master, a Shenghuo Brown Doe, was by her side. At the nick of time she changed to her animalistic form, taking the two attacks that were intended for little sister and dying".

A strange gleam reflected in Kartiius's eyes. When Zax saw it, his heart felt heavy almost taking his breath away.

'Did Master and Laivien's maidservant were... '

Wondering only in this moment about the manner in which Kartius kept referring to Laivien's maidservant, not calling someone who was part of their small group of four by her name ... It dawned on Zax just now that perhaps his Master had a personal relationship with Laivien's maidservant, and due to her death it was difficult for him to say her name.

'Master... ' Zax wished to comfort Kartius, but the events he mentioned were not something that, for good or bad, could be reason with words. Furthermore, Zax, too, had someone he loved. Even before he realized his feelings for her, Anet, were someone tried to hurt her, no words would be enough to sooth his anger...

"Little sister's maidservant sacrificed herself, and the noise she made brought what happened to the attention of those outside of little sister's room, including His Valor Ozeyn and big brother. His Valor Ozeyn got their first and killed the two human assassins, but the short span of time it took him to arrive enabled one of the assassins to release a last attack at little sister. This attack ... it wasn't enough to take little sister's life, but it hit her in the abdomen and damaged the embryo and".

"That day, I and big brother were seething in tremendous rage. Little sister's maidservant died, the embryo was hurt and little sister resorted to sustain it with her cultivation base ... a pregnancy of two short years is now delayed by nearly a hundred years!" Kartius bellowed.

"Martial son, the words I used are for this moment only and in our household they are taboo from saying outloud. If little sister or big brother wishes to unburden, they alone can repeat what I told you". Kartius clarified after a slight moment of calming down.

"Yes, Master". Zax understood well his Master and in a short reply assented.

"Good". Kartius nodded. "There is not much left to tell", he continued. "Unable to restrain our rage, I and big brother sought Karns's life. Over the forty seven years, big brother reached the Intermediate phase of the second level in the Core Master realm and I was not far behind him, in the Peak phase of the first level in the Core Master realm. Generally, it was not enough for even both of us together to challenge either Karns or Kardelion, but mist cultivation was not our main aim. Training mostly in the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement, back then big brother completed the sixth gate and I broke through the fifth. With the support of the tempering our body received, in addition to our mist energy, we had the strength to contest against Karns".