"I can see dangers you can't. Avoiding them sensibly is the best solution. If you won't listen, I'll leave you on this subway!"
The stench of rot invaded his nostrils. They were too close, with nowhere to hide. Ci Nian could only curse Gao Ming a few times to vent his anger. Now even he had no idea what would happen next.
The doors closed, and the subway started moving again amid a rapid series of beeps. An Luan seemed to have calmed down a little, too.
This time, Gao Ming didn't ask. An Luan volunteered what happened next.
"So many things already have clear answers, but our weakness makes us keep asking, clinging to that tiny sliver of hope."
"I took the medicinal meal to Master and placed that piece of human bone on top of the food container."
"It rained that day. I remember kneeling before Master, hoping he would brush me off, lie to me, or give me a reason I could convince myself to accept."
The subway raced through the tunnel, and time seemed to return to that day. An Luan remembered every word his master had said. "Unfortunately, Master didn't lie this time. He said I'd been eating these medicinal meals since I was very young. He asked whether I remembered our first meeting. Back then, the other children in the slums had beaten me half to death, and Master tossed me into a huge vat of flesh and blood. He said the flesh and blood in that vat had been made from those children who bullied me..."
"He said I shouldn't feel repulsed or distressed. I was no longer human in the ordinary sense. He said this was the price I had to bear to pursue the limits of the Martial Path, and the