Right at the entry of the mansion he really spotted his companions waiting for him: Yong, Xing, Lao and Ku Zhan. The mansion felt bigger now than it looked from the Jade-Palace. Shiren looked strait up to the tower on it whose first floor was also the entry at the same time. This was surely the place where someone could observe the fights safely and being able to fall back unseen whenever he likes. Jujie had to be up there. It almost looked creepy with the dark clouds and the reflections of a flash.

"You're almost late," Ku Zhan said and Lao explained:

"Me and Ku Zhan are waiting now for a few minutes. Sorry but I was not able to spot you from above. The fights were too tense for my like."

Shiren did not blame Lao. Maybe just a little bit but at this time it did not matter. He nodded and said: "Good to see you. I almost thought you didn't make it. Now we are all here, right? So let's move on." He counted the party again and made sure he was rigth everyone made it through, mostly unharmed. His strategy worked tightly but the entire act was not over yet. Shiren went right into the mansion. He did not waste more time than necessary on the outside.

The inside was surprisingly warm. Bright lamps hanged on every wall but it was quiet and lifeless. It was way to quiet for Shiren. He expected someone engaging him here.

The mansion looked like someone lives here; Expensive and good locking furnitures stood around the whole first floor and pictures of landscapes and portraits of rabbits decorated the corridors but as well as every other house in this village the people living here were already gone.

The smell tasted hardly as wood like this is a very new house. But it somehow reminded Shiren of the cabin of the caretaker back in Xun.

But the lamps revealed that somebody was in here for sure currently.

"Let's go up?" Ku Zhan asked and Yong immediately put a finger at him and whispered:

"Shhhh! Quiet!"

"Common, they already know we are here. Do you think Junjie is a fool?" Lao whispered back.

"Whatever it is, we might find a trap or two somewhere here. Precede with cautious," Shiren said and made his way upstairs the long, approximately up to seven floors up, stairs which didn't even made any sound.

The stealth was so clean Shiren wasn't even able to hear his comrades following him. If he would not know they were here he would not have noticed them.

The quietness made him feel uneasy but maybe, with all the luck he always had, Junjie might not even expect them at all.

It sounded dump because when Junjie is watching everything from here he also already might have seen him but maybe he did not luckily.

With the lamps shining at the stairs and everywhere on the corridors Shiren feared any type of ambush every time so he carefully listened to everything he was able to hear, which was not much, and looked mostly upstairs, especially at locations where someone could maybe hide, like girder, furnitures and slightly open doors. But he did not see anyone. It was quite scary and it got on his nerves. The farther he came the more he had to run if some emergency would happen. He kept being on guard the whole time with not looking back. He knew his companions were there. They would warned him whenever something happened. He trusted in them.

When he was on the last floor he looked around. There was only one door leading forward and as he looked backwards he recognised his comrades were gone somehow. Or vanished, like they never went up the stairs. Or what ever. He did not know when they were gone. He was pretty sure they followed him upstairs. What else could the possibly doing down there? Nobody ever talked so Shiren was sure they were silently sneaking the whole time. He did not realize when they were gone. But as he looked down the stairs he saw the long emptiness of a house, it stairs and the lamps. Nobody was in here. Did they fled? Went out? No, Shiren would have heard the door.

Shren turned away. He had no time to go and search for them. If they are not here right now they would not come in the next few minutes either. He hoped he did not grew crazy and started hallucinating. He was pretty sure they were there when he spoke to them. Yes, he did never touched them or something but he tried to no longer think about that.

He had a mission and he knew those were tough. Whatever happened to them, they will find a way out.

He opened the door and was surprised again. As he entered the room he actually went outside somehow and another place. A place which was familiar to him.

"This is… Xun!" he said to himself. As he looked back he just came out of the house of the Caretaker which's door slowly closed itself with a little creaking. But this time he had no message for Jil neither did he see Yong and Lao cleaning anything. The facility looked decent which was unusual.

What was this game? It clearly had to be some kind of illusion. Shiren was sure in the Valley of Peace. Nowhere else. Or did he really start to hallucinate? He hoped not to. How could he do his job when he was not sure what was real or not?

Or was he just dreaming? Maybe He was out of consciousness from Jil's attack. Maybe he just dreamed Tigress went to him to help and his mind did not accept the outcome and made his own win now. But why would he dream being at Xun again? There was no reason for that. Maybe he wished to set everything back a few days and pretend nothing ever happened?

Or was the whole war just a dream? A very very crazy one?

Shiren stopped investigating this topic any deeper. Even if it would had been just a dream, he would had to finish the job no matter where; in a tower, an illusion or just in a dream. He even had less things to loose right now if the dream would had been the case. With nobody being here Shiren started moving.

Perhaps Junjie is hiding here. Shiren remembered Shifu saying that Junjie likes to hide and most of all: Playing unfair.

Maybe Junjie was taking out his comrades for a purpose. But when? Why? And most important: Why not Shiren?

Nothing made sense to him but he refused looking for any logic right now.

Instead of wondering any much more he moved on instead of wasting more time. He had to find Junjie and went exactly the route we went just like back in time when he looked for Jil. He wondered how long this illusion might be so he wanted to find a place outside of this facility in order to look onto it from the trees or something.

Waiting and ready to strike when Shiren comes in search for Junjie. All felt real though so it could not had been any simple illusion. Or perhaps Shiren never engaged any illusion at all as if he could judge. Even the air smelled fresh like back the good mountain air. Everything felt real. Even the warm sunshine. He only missed the sound of all the other students or some trainers screaming around the area when they trained.

But unexpectedly he find someone he recognised as Junjie. Red fox and a blue robe.

And he was the only other person around here than Shiren.

Junjie stood right on the exit of Xun and looked to the outside. Maybe he was expecting Shiren to come from the other side. However, Shiren quietly run right to him but stopped as Junjie rose his arms. "This is where your journey begun," he said.

When Shiren stopped he recognised something else unusual. Well, unusual for this place how he remembered him: Four red statures of warriors which looked familiar at some way to Shiren but he did not paid too much attention to them. He was to mulish to look for anything else than his targed. "Actually, this was just a little stop," Shiren explained. His journey begun right as he left his home. Xun was just a training facility, a stop, just like Wong Fu or Gongmen City. Junjie sighed and turned around.

Junjie sighed. "This in specific, I mean," he said.

"And what does that make us? You're preparing such a scenario here… for what? Why did you spare me from a group of five people? Explain yourself, Junjie, before I take you with me!"

Junjie chuckled with a scornful grin. A grin that told everything about him right now. He stood prepared here, knowing he will wipe Shiren out in the next few moments. It reminded him of a face when he played Chógi with someone who just figured out a plan to destroy Shiren. But more in a nasty way. "Oh, I'm not sparing you! I tried to get rid of you the whole time right when I heard the reports of your attack in Wong Fu and even more as I heard your having a conversation with a member of the furious five."

Shiren connected some dots as he tried to figure out what Junjie meant.

"You mean… Quántóu."

Junjie shook his head while begin to answer loudly: "And that's your problem. You don't know when to shut up and stop. Of course he is my servant. We tried to get rid of you without any suspiciousness on our side. Sadly setting you in cages was not enough, our test, the letter, proved it. You were willing to learn more about the Chi and we had to stop it."

"Looks like you were not prepared enough. As far as I remember your attack failed and Quántóu was arrested for good!" Shiren contered and Junjie nodded calmly.

"Indeed. You moron lost the latter but luckily for me Quántóu was no longer needed. As I heard you went to the Jade-Palace I predicted you would side up with them. So when the time was ready and I heard reports of your… strange choises I pushed everything that went against you. I persuaded everyone to mark you as a traitor. At least I pushed familiar faces into you as most as I could. Sadly these warriors I sent weren't enough to stop you…"

Shiren breathed. He heard so much right now and all of it made sense now. But was there ever a way to confront Junjie faster? Was there something Shiren could had predicted earlier? But in his coming range he did not care to think about that. He just heard he had to face Jil and Huan because Junjie wanted it to. "So it was YOU who directed Huan and Jil?" Shiren asked angrily and went out to strike against him.

Immediately four red coloured animals stroke for a counter-attack against him.

Junjie stood still and enjoyed his view Shiren getting surrounded.

"Yes of course," he explained while Shiren was occupied with battling the four warriors. Now with him paying attention to them he realized: They were his classmates. It did not wonder him.

He expected nothing else in an illusion from a person like Junjie. Luckily they did not fight as good as their originals. They were not coordinated. Everyone fought for himself independently from the others. This all though was clearly according to Junjie's plan but Shiren wondered how he could have done it better.

Junjie spoke on while Shiren was fighting against his four Jombies: "I truly could have sent a more decent warriors to stop you but I was not about risking anything. I had to brake your mind before I would face you in a fight. Looks like it worked."

Shiren did not understand how he self was that powerful right now in this battle. Since he was healed by Tigress he felt perfect. Or his enemies were not even half as strong as their originals.

But still his foes fought Shiren back. He was not able to fight four warriors at once, not even with that much power in him.

But in his mind the rage grew up again right as Junjie was talking to him. He started to really personally hate Junjie for what he has done. He now understood and was unable to break trough him. Shifu was right about what he said about Junjie who was following the fight satisfied. "I'm more than surprised Shifu just sent you alone. Very disappointing. I cannot imagine he would have any difficulties coming for me personally. I prepared my situation for a much more dire state. But he just sent a joke at me. Not even a master. How do you think would you be able to beat me? You're just so naive. I bet he wanted you just to give him some time to arrive here in person to stop me. Laughable. The fight is still going on out there and I'm winning."

"At least I fight on my own!" Shiren answered the moment he was grappled by his previous friends and unable to move and dragged down.

Junjie was not interested in Shiren's statement and said lackadaisically: "Yeah, divine soul, you are so brave and stuff. Just like your aunt and probably the rest of your people. Sadly my servant missed you. A mistake I can now correct by wiping you out personally and make you silencing once and for all. The power and knowledge of the use of Chi is only mine to posses. Not that you could change anything right now. I could let you being here for a while but I want to start somewhere."

An unendingly rage grew up in Shiren. He looked up to the person who, in his eyes now, was responsible for the death of Hao and all the people in his home. Junjie just said his servant, so indirectly Junjie himself…

And all of that was because of addiction to power.

He was now no longer about holding anything back as his body and mind were fully filled with anger and rage. He started breathing faster and heavier while a strong will to just go out and strike no matter what grew ungovernable inside of him.

With he rage's power he freed himself from the grab of whatever this things were supposed to be. He did not let Junjie out of sight now, who was surprised of Shiren's sudden counter attacking while yelling at him. His face showed the exact meaning of the word surprise.

Shiren forced Junjie to back off but he followed incredibly fast with an inconsiderately attack.

"You ruined everything!" he bellowed while attacking: "Took everything I ever cared about and loved!" Shiren lost everything holding him back. His mind was a simple storm of chaos which reached it's top.

Shiren didn't pay attention to what happened to his environment during this reckless attack.

The illusion actually flickered and started to disappear while Junjie lost control over the situation. Even his Jombies weren't moving because they became no direct order from him.

In the actual room he destroyed the furnitures and everything he could break near by him. If not he pushed it away.

"You took Hao! Took my home! And you took my friends!" Shiren bellowed on and did not let Junjie any possible way of rest or opposition.

Junjie was overwhelmed by the sudden berserk in front of him and Shiren did not let him any time to rebuild his defence. It did not even matter if he would had anything to say right in this moment. Shiren had one goal: Wiping him out. He had to revenge his losses. Just everything!

"I do not have any word for you!" he said as he caught him at last and pressed him hardly against the ground.

"Feel my vengeance! How does it taste?" he asked loudly, angrily and totally out of control.

The moment he was going for the last attack, a bite, he actually saw fear in Junjie's face.

The face of someone who watches something getting destroyed he built up passionately; Something he maybe loved burning into ashes. A face you may across just few times in your life.

It made him hesitating for a second. Some part of him still had pity when seeing it. He never was able to really punch into a face that showed fear to him. He always fought to be handled with respect. In order for that he always had to help wherever he could. Sparing people as most as he was able to.

But right now the feeling only made him hesitate shortly, briefly a second where he would had let go under normal conditions.

He bent his neck, opened his mouth and prepared for a strike, just like a real snake.

But right when he wanted to attack, suddenly someone from behind him hold him back.

Junjie immediately used the chance to free himself from Shiren's now by the surprise weaker grab and vanished by running out of the room and jumping out through a window.

"What's the meaning of this?" Shiren asked Lao loudly and aggressively who was just now letting go of him. He wanted to have an answer very quick and he expected it to be a very good one to let his victim go. He was so close getting revenge and paying back for everything which was taken from him.

He did not wonder how the rest of his team somehow some way came back to him right now.

Shiren was not paying attention to anything but Junjie the last few seconds and he was very loud. Everyone in this house could had hear him approximately.

But after a few seconds of silence he remembered and just realized what exactly happened to them and why they were here now.

They looked scared or confused when they looked at him.

That might gave him some reasons to wonder with normal conditions but not right now. In his mind he did the only reasonable thing.

Ku Zhan explained calmly: "We could ask the same question, Shiren. What did you think you were doing there? This is not what we came for to do."

Shiren wheezed disgustedly. "This is no excuse! This guy is responsible for too much mess and… and the whole war! You know that! He took away so much I do not want to count and he does not even feel guilty or anything about that. How can you ignore that?" He saw them looking at each other and doing some non-verbal talk Shiren did not understand.

Xing took a deep breath and answered: "We're not ignoring this. It's just… this type or revenge you are seeking leads nowhere. Or is that how you will be remembered? A reckless hunter chasing down his victim and kill it trough venom? Do you believe that will bring Hao back? Or anything else you lost? I remember you trying to find the best solution in any case with less harm as possible."

Lao added: "She's right, you know? I know about your past and your hard life but this won't change anything at all."

"This is not the same! We are at war! This fox is a killer! A monster!" Shiren argued still aggressive.

Yong sighed: "And that makes you better when you wipe him out like you were just now? You're better than this!"

"You do not understand this. How-"

Lao interrupted him and spoke truly awake and seriously, loudly and clearly for his standards while putting a step forward: "We do, Shiren! Is it necessary for me to remind you that actually killing someone will last permanent for ever, while it does not suit your conditions in any way at all? The people will start to fear you as soon as they hear about what you've done. Is this truthfully what you want for your life?"

Shiren breathed deeply and answered: "But I do not want this guy suddenly vanish and coming away with it!"

Yong nodded and said: "He won't. We make sure of that. You can trust me with that."

Lao made his way to the broken window and looked down. "He is currently in the garden, rallying his guards around him. If we are fast enough we can still catch them off guard while they are not positioned and prepared."

"Alright,"Ku Zhan said, went to Shiren, looked at his eyes and said: "Shiren… we are going down there and I swear this man will pay for what he has done. But I must rely on you. We are doing this together this time. Nobody gets left behind. I need you to not try to do something wild or brutal. We catch him and hand him out to the Jade-Palace and the Alliance It won't be easy at all but to get trough this, we need to work together. So… can I rely on you?" he asked. His face allowed no joke and his behaviour showed he would not let Shiren pass him without agreeing.

Shiren hesitated while looking back strictly but slowly agreed. "Fine. I'll never forgive him but…" He sighed. "No matter. I'll comply with you."

Shiren did not feel well but he accepted the circumstances. He still felt his rage and this will to crush Junjie's face against the next wall and punch him through it but he agreed going too far would not change anything. Nobody would be satisfied and no problem would have been solved.

Also he had to work together with his companions. If they are not his allies they will become his enemies. Shiren learned it the hard way.

Shiren and his companions climbed down the tower quickly and careful this time. Everyone had an eye on each other except for Shiren who run straight forward. Ready for a fight they entered the courtyard of the mansion.

The impermeable barrier of dark clouds grew more open.

Few rain still was falling down from the sky but a few thin sunshine's illuminated the landscape again and the air smelt fresh and wet.

The courtyard was quite big and open enough to fight. It contained a tiny stream, some trees, benches and rocks. Paths connected the whole area and made it's way towards a shrine on the other side of the courtyard. For rich people this really was a very dignified garden. Shiren loved it's look with the trees and bushes. Sadly this was not his own house.

Junjie couldn't had come far when he rallied his first warriors around him.

Shiren recognised those warriors as the same people he fought on his first battle with Quántóu. The bandits from the Lotus Sea. Of course. That's why Quántóu went that aggressively against the Jade-Palace's forces. He just realized Mantis and Crane may have saved Shiren this day actually.

"Shiren, focus on the guards and give me cover. I'll try to engage Junjie directly and finish him off with a nerve-strike," Ku Zhan said.

"Watch out," Yong warned him: "He is still manageable to use his Chi against you. I better back you up before he takes your power. Lao, Xing, assist Shiren in any way. Look for reinforcements. We can't afford any mistake here."

Lao nodded: "Acknowledged."

"Shiren?" Ku Zhan turned at Shiren to make sure he paid attention.

Shiren nodded still with an unhappy face but said: "Don't worry about me. I said I'll comply. Punch this scum from me."

"Alright. I am counting on you," Ku Zhan answered, turned at Yong and they both made their way to Junjie while Shiren, Lao and Xing turned to his allies.

"Well then, here goes nothing!" Xing readied up and moved on with Lao and Shiren.