The bandit leader raised his massive sword, preparing to lung at Li Hua. But Li Hua, remaining incredibly calm, drew his rusted blade only halfway out of its scabbard. At that exact moment, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and struck the golden star engraved on the hilt.
The bandit leader's eyes widened in shock the instant he saw the mark. His sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. In a trembling voice, he stammered: "That... that is... the 'Celestial Mark'! Is... is this the Commander who went missing?"
Li Hua looked at his sword in surprise. "Commander? Me? I just thought I was a guy who owed money for rotis!"
Without a single word, the bandit gang turned their horses and fled into the forest at lightning speed. They were so terrified that they even dropped a bag of silver coins. Li Hua picked it up and turned to the old woman at the food stall with a triumphant smile. "There you go, Mother, I've settled my debt!" he said.
But at that very moment, his eyes caught sight of a young woman walking swiftly down a narrow village path. She was clad in a long, sky-blue cloak. Suddenly, she turned and looked straight at Li Hua. The moment he saw her eyes, a sharp, lightning-like pain surged through Li Hua's mind. "I have seen this face before... she was there amidst that golden light!" he recalled.
Her face bore a smile that was both sorrowful and mysterious. Li Hua tried to run toward her. "Wait! Who are you?" he shouted.
But before he could reach her, a shroud of blue mist swirled around her. Within seconds, the mist cleared, and the spot was empty. She had vanished, leaving behind only a small, delicate blue flower.
She was no ordinary woman. Living in the solitude of the forest, she possessed the wondrous ability to speak with trees and animals. She was a master healer; she could breathe life even into a dying plant. Her sole purpose was to protect nature from destruction. However, she lacked the combat strength to defend the world against the dark forces spreading across the land. She was waiting for someone who could provide the strength her mission required.
Li Hua picked up the small blue flower. Even though he did not know who he was, his heart was driven to find the connection between himself and this woman. Yet, he had no specific direction. He turned back toward the blue mist.
His journey now had no set destination. He was not walking to find a path, but rather waiting for the path to create itself before him. As the village faded into the distance behind him, he entered the mist-shrouded forest once more.
The Divine Punishment
Li Hua sat under a tree in the forest and stared at the 'Celestial Mark' on his sword's hilt for a long time. The way the bandit leader had looked at it in terror was still a puzzle to him. As he gazed at that golden star, his mind slowly drifted away from the present and was pulled into the dark memories of the past.
His eyes closed. Suddenly, a series of violent visions flashed through his mind.
A great golden palace... it was situated high in the sky, above the clouds. He saw thousands of warriors kneeling before him. But in the next moment, everything changed. The sky turned black, and a massive roar of thunder echoed. From a high throne in the palace, a figure pointed a golden weapon toward him.
"Divine Punishment!" a thunderous roar bellowed.
Streaks of golden light fell from the sky like rain. Li Hua felt a piercing cold, as if his entire body were being shattered into pieces. He began to fall from the heavens. He felt his power, his rank, and all his memories dissolving within that golden light.
Li Hua startled awake. His entire body was drenched in sweat. "Divine Punishment? Who punished me? What was the wrong I committed?" he asked himself.
He only remembered the biting cold and the fall. Beyond that, he remembered nothing. He felt a deep sense of fear and curiosity about himself. He was now certain that this incomparable strength he possessed and this 'Celestial Mark' did not belong to the ordinary world.
He looked at the blue flower in his hand. That mysterious woman must be someone from his past. Perhaps she had been there when he received his punishment.
He stood up. His journey now had a purpose: to find out who had punished him and to discover his true identity. He moved forward into the dark path of the forest.