He heard Qin's call and the cries of the children. But he had to move on; he walked away from them to reach the pinnacle. Along the markets with howling hoakers and the bustling traders, he strolled like a lone wolf. Only one word echoed in his mind...
"Become a Great General, Wan Heian!"
The last words of Guang, before he departed for the promised land. Before that noble sacrifice that led him here.
He was at the outskirts of the capital, with his chest held tight, he stood there staring into the far horizon. He whispered...
"Something is bursting inside me..."
All the images of their sacrifice flashed into his mind and haunted him. He held his head with his hands. His eyes widened, and his heartbeat increased. Tears rolled from his eyes, and he fell to his knees.
"Heavens...why did this happen to me...?"
A breeze went past, cooling his body and slightly moving the green grass under the azure sky with parting clouds. The next moment, something struck his downcast face. It was a ray of light, a single ray that emerged from beyond the clouds. The chartreuse and sapphire made him realise that something broke inside him. He walked and disappeared amidst that twilight scene.
Two days passed, and he slept on the roads and ate fruits from nearby trees. The scorching heat made him dizzy, but he still walked carrying something on his back. He had taken up the job of a potter, carrying vegetables for various traders. The nightfall, he plucked a fruit from the nearby tree and went behind a shop and slept near it.
He started to shiver as it was getting colder. He had only one goal: to eat something every day and find somewhere to sleep.
"Slowly, my aim was moving away from me"
"That is when he appeared..."
Someone came walking, the shadow made Heian wake up. He opened his eyes, and before him stood an assassin. He was holding Ao and his other sword.
"My sword!"
The assassin ran away with those swords. He chased after him, but the man was too fast.
"The sword which they gave me..."
He ran faster, but unfortunately, his legs gave up, and he fell. However, a sound emerged; it was far, but someone was coming.
SFX: NEIGH
"A horse?"
In an instant, like a thunderbolt, a man went passed him. He was on his horse and was following that assassin. Heian mustered his force on his legs and ran again. Following that man. He was right in front of him on that horse.
The man stood up as the horse was moving, and he aimed at the assassin who was running above the roofs of the houses. He had two swords on his back.
He pulled out the two swords on his back. Both of them were silver in colour and reflected the blue moon. He was following the assassin as he tried to escape through the roofs.
"Sakuramitsuki!", the man murmured.
He disappeared from the horse and was on the top of the roofs. He leapt over the houses with insane speed.
"It's just like sakura..."
A visual of sakura trees flashed into his mind, and he was running calmly. Similar to a sakura petal that falls on the ground. Again, he muttered something...
"Hekireki"
SFX: SLASH
Blood splashed, and the head of the assassin moved in the air. The man was standing right in front of him. In an instant, he teleported to the assassin's spot. At that moment, Wan saw something weird, and it slipped out of his mouth...
"That was aura..."
Those techniques were ingrained in Heian's head. The feeling was weird, but it was as if he understood that sword style. The man snatched Heian's swords from the assassin and threw them to him. Heian caught it and asked about his identity.
"Who are you?!"
The man smiled and replied to Wan Heian's question.
"A bounty hunter"
"A bounty hunter...?"
The shocked Wan Heian stood there in awe; at that moment, curiosity sparked in his mind. The curiosity to check out what a bounty hunter is.
The horse came running, and the man plunged onto it. He disappeared that night, in that darkness.
* * * * *
The sun rose, and Heian walked to the eastern end of the capital, the bounty district. However, the district did not resemble a place where bounty hunters resided. It was clean, and most of the men were making furniture.
The dust from wood particles covered Heian's view.
The smell of wood tickled his nose.
Small wood particles rubbed off his skin.
However, to him, that sensation felt different. He could understand that the people were not normal just by looking at their build. The excessive muscles on their arms were signs of swordsmen.
He entered a shop, and the owner noticed his swords and stood in front of him. His sharp eyes stared at Heian's body. He was analysing Wan Heian's physique. The man understood Heian's objective and told him the details.
"Prove yourself"
"Capture Nei Qong, spotted in the Xiongnu district, 5000 Huan is the bounty"
All of the other workers observed Heian. Heian discerned them as off-duty bounty hunters. Their eyes were similar to a lion; they were beasts on their own. Heian walked away from that shop and exited the district's gate. He leapt onto his horse and headed towards the main gate. From there, he got outside the royal capital region and departed for the Shanxi region, where the Xiongnu resided.
It was in the northwest of Han, along the borders with Zhao. Wan Heian cruised through the Zhongyuan plains. Clouds welled up in the sky, and the downpour started. Still, Heian rode in that rain to reach Shanxi. He was drenched in water due to the rain. Night fell, and Heian stopped in a forest and slept under a tree, retiring for the day.
The next day also he continued to ride. The terrain changed, and he rode across several rivers. Huge mountains appeared as 6 days passed, and finally, he was in the Shanxi region. A large market came to his attention, and he travelled there. He tightened the headband the headed to the market. He murmered...
"I am here to hunt you Qong..."