30 Brotherhood

"Didn't you hear me? Are you looking to die, Zhou Xian?" repeated Wang Jun in a cold voice.

Zhou Xian laughed nervously. "I'm not sure what you mean, Wang Jun. I'm just robbing a pair of adventurers. What does that have to do with you? You've never gone out of your way to stop me in the past." Zhou Xian smirked, not giving an inch.

Meanwhile, Wang Jun noticed Huxian pulling at the hem of his robe. His face turned ugly when he noticed Cha Ming lying on the ground, severely poisoned.

"Where's the antidote? Give me the antidote, and I'll spare your life and let you leave. Otherwise, you're dead. You have five seconds to decide." Wang Jun had no time to bicker, or else it would be too late to save Cha Ming.

He laughed again. "An antidote? You wouldn't think that I'd be so foolish as to make an antidote for my finishing move, would you? More to the point, you wouldn't dare make a move on me. You know who my backing is."

"Elder Bai, kill him," barked Wang Jun.

"Yes, young master!" The green-robed elder quickly darted out toward Zhou Xian, who looked at Wang Jun incredulously. He instantly stepped back, withdrawing a silver talisman from his bag of holding.

"You'll regret this! I'll make sure your stay in Green Leaf City is miserable and unprofitable. You'll have no choice but to leave!"

Just as Elder Bai closed in on Zhou Xian, an intense fluctuation emanated from the silver talisman. Before anyone knew what to do, Zhou Xian had disappeared. Elder Bai looked back at Wang Jun regrettably.

"Young master, there was nothing I could do. Who would have thought that a junior like him would have a teleportation talisman? Even core-formation experts wouldn't easily get their hands on one."

Wang Jun shook his head and immediately kneeled in front of Cha Ming, ripping open his shirt. A black spot the size of a fist was spreading from the center of his chest, with poisonous tendrils spreading outward toward his entire body. Right above the black spot, a green wood rune was glowing, preventing the spread of the poison as much as possible.

"Tch, even with a wood-element body-refining technique, which provides the strongest self-healing properties, he won't last more than five minutes. We have no way to get him back to town for treatment. Little fox, I'm afraid Cha Ming is doomed to die, and there's nothing I can do to stop it." Wang Jun shook his head self-deprecatingly, while Huxian continued to nudge Cha Ming mournfully with his wet nose.

Huxian inched close to Cha Ming and hid behind his leg. Tainted blood began pooling below Cha Ming from his leg.

"You little animal! Now that your friend is dead, you're going to eat him?" Elder Bai was outraged, but as he moved forward to swat Huxian, Wang Jun put his arm on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Just wait and see." Wang Jun observed Huxian as he speculated what he might be trying.

As the blood slowly trickled on the ground, Huxian reached down to his paw and bit himself hard with his sharp fangs. His normally impenetrable skin was pierced, trickling blood to the ground, which mingled with Cha Ming's blood, which was laced with the black poison.

Time seemed to pause as Cha Ming and Huxian were surrounded in gray light. In that gray light there was a large circle. Cha Ming was like a white spot in a swirl of darkness, while Huxian was spot of darkness in a swirl of light. They formed a yin-yang symbol inside the circle. Extending into their gray and endless surroundings were eight trigrams, all combinations of three broken and unbroken lines. This was the bagua symbol, and it was the symbol of the yin-yang bagua fox!

The spectating Wang Jun and Elder Bai were slowly forced away until they could no longer make out what was happening. They were prevented from interfering by a force beyond their comprehension. Only Wang Jun could gain an inkling, as blurry characters surrounded the immediate area of the circle.

"Elder Bai, it seems like he's going all out to save Cha Ming. I knew the beast wasn't normal, but I didn't expect that it was on this level. To be able to initiate a contract of equals that summons the natural laws as protection, the little runt is at least on the level of a Godbeast. Furthermore, he should only be able to initiate one such contract in his entire life. This is a huge lucky chance for Cha Ming if he survives. However, I'm not sure how this will help him. Unless he is choosing to share life and death?"

As Wang Jun finished his explanation, Elder Bai's expression became one of pure shock. Sharing life and death—that meant that the little fox was now sharing half his lifespan with Cha Ming. Further, if one of them died, they would both die. However, they would both be able to draw on each other's vitality in the future.

--

Cha Ming awoke from his deep sleep to the sight of Huxian and a small golden sheet of paper. He looked down at his physical body, which was incapacitated and poisoned. He could no longer see the surrounding woods, as the natural laws had descended and surrounded them, isolating their immediate vicinity from their surroundings.

As he looked toward the glowing sheet, he noticed it was written in characters that Cha Ming could see but not read. It seemed to be written in the same language as the characters on the Clear Sky Brush. As he looked at them, a booming voice resounded inside his soul.

"Bagua Huxian has invoked the contract of brotherhood, swearing to always protect you, care for you, and be there when you need him the most. Brothers accompany each other in life and death. While one lives the other cannot truly die; when one dies, the other cannot truly live.

"The terms of the contract are as follows:

1. Half of each of the participants total lifespan will be shared with the other.

a. This will be effective immediately, and any damages to one party will be divided into two portions, affecting both participants.

b. Any gains or losses in longevity will be divided equally between participants.

c. In the event of the death of one of the participants, the other participant will immediately die.

d. In the event of the dispersion of one participant's soul, the other participant's soul will immediately be dispersed.

2. Mental communication will always be possible, the limit being a distance proportional to the participant's cultivation level.

a.This is heart communication on a fundamental level, and no lie can be spoken.

b.This ability cannot be prevented by any means, magical or otherwise, unless the means supersede the laws of Heaven and Earth.

3. All tribulations will be shared equally between participants.

a.In the event of a tribulation, the total tribulation will be multiplied by two and shared equally between participants. The penalty for failure will be jointly divided between both parties.

b.Each participant will be liable for the other's karma, and vice versa.

c.Both weal and woe will be immediately divided, and in the future, be divided equally upon receipt.

d. Both merit and sin will be immediately divided, and in the future, be divided equally upon receipt.

4. Betrayal is unacceptable. Any betrayal of one participant to another will lead to immediate extinguishment of the participant's soul and immediate cancellation of the contract.

5. The contract is irreversible, except for termination via Clause 4.

"Do you accept?"

This was all very sudden for Cha Ming. He was just following his moral code and couldn't abandon Huxian in his moment of plight. Unknowingly, at some point they had formed a deep bond. Could a human truly be brothers with a beast? Could he refuse this gesture? Cha Ming was currently unware of the situation outside. For all he knew, Zhou Xian was about to kill both of them.

"Screw it, we're probably going to die anyway. Fine, I'll call you brother. I, Cha Ming, accept you as a brother. I'll care for you, protect you, and be there when you need it the most. And if we get out of here, I'll help you fight the heavens every time you get a new tail. If the heavens are jealous of your talent, who needs the heavens?"

As he spoke these words, a thick golden thread of karma immediately formed between the two of them. In addition, a portion of Cha Ming's true spirit and Huxian's true spirit separated from their respective spiritual bodies. The true spirit energy seemed to come to life as it formed a few characters. These characters were Cha Ming's true name and Huxian's true name.

The characters flew to the golden contract, forming a soul-binding signature. When both signatures appeared on the contract, the contract immediately burst into two motes of golden light that rushed toward both their foreheads. The light sent searing pain through their bodies and through their souls. Where the light touched their foreheads, a golden character appeared, the character meaning "brother."

As the gray light faded away, they both came back to reality. Cha Ming was still on the ground, but the effect of the poison had lessened greatly. Huxian, however, was now collapsed on the ground next to Cha Ming. He was currently very weak and fighting off the poison, but they looked stable enough to move.

Wasting no time, Elder Bai and Wang Jun snatched the disabled pair and darted off to Green Leaf City.

--

Cha Ming awoke to soft snoring sounds on his stomach. The crisp morning air, which was blowing through a slightly opened window, was a refreshing contrast to the soft, warm bedsheets he was lying in. His lips were dry, and he was immediately overwhelmed with the desire to drink a whole bucketful of water.

"There now, there's no rush," said the soft voice of an elderly man. "You're allowed to drink a half cup of water, and nothing more!" the voice instructed sternly. Cha Ming slowly opened his eyes, which were terribly dry, and cautiously observed his surroundings. An elderly man with graying hair and gray robes was preparing something in a corner of the room. There were vibrant green bamboos adorning the room, which instantly reassured Cha Ming.

He pushed himself up weakly, only to notice the soft sleeping ball of fur on his stomach, lying there to keep him warm.

Huxian, he thought.

Hearing his name, the baby fox quickly woke up with an expression of pure joy on his face. Brother, you're up!

That's right, brother. Huxian and Cha Ming were now life-and-death brothers. He smiled and gently rubbed the top of Huxian's head. He then noticed that a half cup of water was waiting for him on the bedside table. He quickly finished the cup, which barely wet the dryness in his parched throat.

"You're thirsty because all of your blood was poisoned, and I had to replace it with new blood. This thirst will pass in a few days. Synthesized blood is not as effective as the real thing." The gray-robed elder finally walked over from the corner holding a fuming, opaque flask.

"Relax, young Master Wang hired me to treat your wounds. You were dreadfully poisoned by the time they woke me in the middle of the night; if they hadn't found me within the hour, I'm afraid that it would have been impossible for any other spirit doctor in Green Leaf City to save you." His voice was laced with a gentle hint of pride. He was no doubt happy whenever he managed to save a poor soul from the brink of death.

"By the way, drink this."

Cha Ming didn't have a chance to refuse before a bony hand pushed back his forehead and forced a foul-tasting concoction down his throat.

"Relax, it's purely herbal."

Cha Ming relaxed significantly, as he was afraid he had unknowingly been fed snake bile or something equally vile. He wiped a brown residue from his mouth with a grimace.

Despite the horrendous taste, a hint of reddish color appeared on Cha Ming's gaunt cheeks. His thin frame spread out, and he felt that if he had not fully recovered, he had at least recovered to 95%. The spirit doctor nodded in satisfaction.

"You will feel thirsty for the next few days. You've only been in bed for five days, and if you didn't have such a strong physique, you would have died before making it back to the city. If, by chance, you had managed to come back in time, your recovery would have taken at least three months.

"Your little friend, on the other hand, was almost fully recovered by the time you arrived in the city. He only took one additional day to recover to peak strength. Even among spirit beasts, your contracted beast has the best constitution I've ever seen." With that, he packed up his things, put away his glassware, and walked out of the room.

A few moments later, Cha Ming heard some quick steps walking back toward the door. The spirit doctor poked his head in and said, "Oh, I forgot to mention. I can tell you're on the verge of a breakthrough. You should suppress it until your thirst fades in a few days. Otherwise, you might be left with residual harm." He then quickly shut the door and walked off.

Spirit doctors are a wonderful occupation! Cha Ming said telepathically. He could tell I was about to break through and saved me from the brink of death by replacing my blood. Of course, I wouldn't be here without you, Huxian!

He's wonderful, Huxian replied. He could even tell that I'm an awesome spirit beast! He's definitely got an eye for talent.

Cha Ming rolled his eyes as he stood up, knocking Huxian off the bed. Huxian scowled and bared his teeth jokingly.

"Let's find Wang Jun and see how everyone is."

--

Wang Jun was relieved when he saw the duo coming downstairs. He quickly ordered many dishes through the maid, who had been standing to the side. She gave a deep bow and trotted off quickly, not delaying a single second. Cha Ming thanked him for saving his life.

Wang Jun nodded. "I'm very relieved that we were able to make it on time. Both Elder Bai and I just happened to be looking at my divination compass, which I had been using to try locating you for an entire two weeks. We rushed over at Elder Bai's full speed, but unfortunately, we didn't arrive before you'd been poisoned. Fortunately, your little friend's timely intervention saved your life. It's extremely uncommon for such a young spirit beast to be able to establish such a strong contract of equals." Wang Jun gave Huxian a meaningful glance.

"We're life-and-death brothers now. I would do the same for him if I were in his position. I will also do my all to help you, too, Wang Jun. Just let me know if you ever need any help, and I'll come help you through hell or high water." Cha Ming smiled as he pulled Wang Jun in and gave him a hug. "Thank you for all your effort, my friend. Are the other three safe?"

Wang Jun, embarrassed, quickly pushed Cha Ming off and motioned for them to sit down. He'd even prepared a raised stool for Huxian to sit down at the table next to Cha Ming. Before they could continue the conversation, a host of maids quickly laid plate after plate of food down in front of them. They had specially set many exquisite vegetable and tofu dishes in front of Cha Ming, while they laid down large amounts of roasted meat in front of Huxian.

The famished duo didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat right away.