The Witch Bone

Bai Yur gingerly dusted the weird object and looked at it closely. It was cylindrical in shape and looked like a finger ring but it was too huge to be a ring. It was so old that he could not even see its original color. It just bore a dirty and rusty stubborn appearance that nobody would have given a second look. But it was clearly emitting an aura, it was not a dangerous aura but it was not a familiar one either. Bai Yur tried to insert some of his spiritual force into the ring to figure out more about it but it rejected his force or more like it did not have any effect on it. But it continued to emit its soft aura.

"Why don't we call a ring forger, father? Perhaps he will be able to figure out its origin," Bai Hua ventured as he saw that his father was really curious about this object.

"Perhaps yes and perhaps no. I have a weird feeling that it doesn't belong to our kingdom. Hmmm... I'll let it have apprised later though. I can't seem to find out more about it. It keeps rejecting my spiritual force."

" Besides this, I have another important thing to discuss with you," Bai Yur solemnly began, "I have kept you all to myself for the past one month and made you spar with me after I found out about your peculiar soul. The Head Shaman has been reminding me, again and again, to organize a celebratory feast for you after the completion of your initiation ritual. And I know you don't like such dreary things but a tradition is a tradition even I don't like it very much."

He gave a sigh and continued, "I have fixed it for tonight. And you have to be present," and continued to add when he saw that Bai Hua was resisting against it, "I don't care for your excuses. You have to be THERE. The Head Shaman demands it and our people has been expecting it. Don't even think of escaping if you value your life."

The threat was explicit. And Bai Hua knew his father's impulsive temper. He may act all cool and lazy a second and the next, his eyes would be glinting like a beast thirsting for blood.

Bai Hua gulped and replied solemnly, "I will be present."

"Good," said Bai Yur and left with the weird ring.

Bai Hua never liked parties or in fact any type of social interaction. He hated it! He hated meeting his relatives and having small talks. And he hated talking to little girls who tried to fawn over him. He hated all those snobbish aristocrats' children who think that they were friends. He had escaped many parties in his life. It was the same thing for Cheng Yan. Both of the two souls that had ever inhabited this body hated social gatherings. And now he had no choice but to follow his father's orders.

--------------------

While in the town square of the Lord's city...

"Have you heard? The Lord has prepared a feast for all the citizens tonight."

"What's the occasion?"

"Are you new here? Don't you know that our Young Lord, Bai Hua has recently finished his initiation ritual?"

"Wasn't that like a month ago?"

"Yes, but we all know that our Young Lord was kidnapped by his own father to fight with him for one whole month. That's why the celebration is happening tonight!"

At this, the gathered citizens of the kingdom of Soaring Dragon laughed heartily. They all knew that the father-son duo was both a fighting addict! But they were happy all the same as they were going to get free delicious food that night.