Immortal Foundations (Xanxia, Original setting)
- Thread starter lcxicey
- Start date
- Original
wanted to show Fan Zhong the weird cave so he knew where it was, guess that didn't come across as clear as it should.
TimEd
Meteor maker
It really didn't. Maybe a monologue of him saying all that out, deciding not to enter because Danger, then going "I guess you just wanted me to be aware of the danger huh?" Or something similar to that.
gotcha thanks for the feedback, ill look into editing this in when I have some extra time!
hey all just a quick update.. recently had some personal issues come up and really put a hitch in my writing. With that being said I decided to take a week off writing to collect myself and hopefully reignite my motivation, truly thanks to anyone who has been reading so far regular chapters will probably resume next monday.
Part 1. Ch 12. A True Battle
The world seemed to shrink in on itself as Fan Zhong pushed himself to move faster up the wide sloping ramp. Inwardly he stopped even being able to hear the sounds of the wind rushing around him or the forest rustling all about. Countless stretches of underbrush and greenery flew past him as small animals were startled in his wake.
For Fan Zhong, he could only hear the increasingly loud pulsing of his heart beating madly in his ears. Every single time the noise seemed to mock him, whisper tiny doubts about all of his efforts being wasted. As his focus narrowed and he could only see the path forward all of Fan Zhong's surroundings seemed to be deep dark that writhed with evil.
To him the world itself was turning into a dark and evil creature that was breathing down his neck, whispering of his failures and shortcomings. Every slight mark on the ground was a worry to his senses, a possible shallow grave for his faithful companion. Growing gray clouds and ominous thunder seemed to herald a truly grim failure for Fan Zhong.
In his mind, he rejected this, "curse the heavens themselves if they wanted him to give up on Little White!" Fan Zhong shouted in his mind.
If he truly allowed the little wolf to die what was all of his training for. When Wang Quiang had been in peril he had been forced to flee, to watch his friends' martial uncles die. Even then the sacrifice had not been enough, if not for his mother's quick arrival he and his friend would have met their end that day.
Now Fan Zhong had strength, he could defend Little White with his own hands! No need to rely on some mystical last-minute savior. Suddenly as his conviction and resolve firmed the world seemed to explode with color for Fan Zhong once again allowing him to see clearly.
He had arrived at the top of the sloping ramp and looking around spotted a set of bamboo shoots that were bent out of shape. Below these bent bamboo stalks, small traces of passage remained on the ground. Normally these traces would be indistinguishable from the surrounding foliage however Fan Zhong was able to spot them.
Thinking on this brought back his first memories of months ago when he had tried to hunt with Little White. At first, his lumbering moves had frustrated the small wolf and Little White had even bitten his leg a few times when he scared prey away. Eventually, through diligent practice Fan Zhong had learned how to move while not disturbing the forest around him, certainly, he was no water wolf but he could manage something quieter than a stampede.
Once he had finally gotten a grip on moving through the forest naturally he had struggled many times to keep up with his small companion in tracking prey. To Little White, the signs of passage were bright as day even when small bits of grass were the only indication something had passed by. For Fan Zhong, the process of learning to identify such markings had been arduous and had taken him many weeks.
He first started with looking for obvious tracks like broken bush branches, trampled grass, and footprints that sunk into the ground leaving deep impressions. Many days and nights had gone past with him only being able to discern obvious tracks like this leaving him unable to discern the more subtle hints of where their quarry may have gone. Finally, after studying a small bamboo shoot that had been broken by the quick passage of a deer Fan Zhong was able to notice how the grass beyond the broken plant seemed to bend away in a discernible path.
After gleaning many hints like this over the following days his ability to spot more subtle hints inside the forest environment heightened and that week Fan Zhong finally successfully tracked to hunt a deer by spotting its trail instead of chancing upon the creature while stalking silently. That night a feast had been had by both him and his small patient companion and the memory brought much warmth to his heart. After this countless months had passed and Fan Zhong's ability to track and discern the passage of animals in the forest had grown even further.
From investigating the bent bamboo and its surroundings he was able to follow a trail that eventually became much more obvious. Reconstructing the events from the clues at hand Fan Zhong thought he understood what might have happened. Little White had been carefully stalking through the forest as he always had without making a trace looking for small prey.
He must have thought that without the lumbering Fan Zhong around even this dangerous part of the forest was safe for his stealthy skills. This made Fan Zhong sigh in frustration, hadn't Little White brought him here so many months ago so he knew how dangerous the area was and avoided it? How could someone not even follow their advice!
Worry growing in his heart, Fan Zhong continued to piece together what had happened to the small wolf. It seemed that unknowingly Little White had become the prey as near the top of the ramp at some point a much larger predator had begun stalking him. At first, his companion had not noticed as the enemy was being slow and methodical while Little White still viewed himself as the hunter.
After a while the larger frame of the stalker had become its own worst enemy, betraying it by snapping a branch underfoot. At this point, Little White had tried to bolt in a curving circle to get back to the ramp and rejoin with Fan Zhong. However, the opponent, having been revealed, would not let him escape so easily and so it cut the route off pushing the small wolf deeper south.
As he followed the trail Fan Zhong felt his heart dropping like a heavy stone. He had been hoping that the predator had been anything other than the menacing force that called that eerie cave home. With the trail leading closer and closer to the cliff face it was seeming certain that was not that case.
Being a spirit beast Little White was naturally stronger than normal animals and had a good chance of fighting off other predators. However, Fan Zhong felt that whatever called that den of death home was anything but ordinary. As he approached the clearing his worst fears were confirmed.
Backed into the center of the clearing Little White stood growling at an enormous bear. Thunder crackled in the sky as the bear roared at the small wolf, its grisly visage giving off a malicious feeling. Truly the bear was enormous akin to the large furry black boulder given form.
Across its face ran a scar that caused the bear's left eye to be full white with no color, obviously blinded in that eye from some past wound. With the furious bellow of the bear, the air shook and Fan Zhong could see its maw of sharp teeth accompanying the looming pressure the mere presence of the thing brought. Deep inside of himself a deep sense of primal fear arose, the fear of death loomed over Fan Zhong's head like an executioner's blade.
Images of the yawning abyss of death overtaking him played through Fan Zhong's mind, of his hesitation when he had fought Little White's mom. He could see it now the mountainous paws of the creatures batting him into a bloody pulp, that gaping maw tearing his flesh apart to consume him. Inside of it all the insignificance of his existence laughed at him in that image as Fan Zhong viewed his death, the drowning feeling of the universe continuing forward as it cared so little about his end.
Once again the sky crackled with lightning and thunder which broke Fan Zhong from his trance in time to see the bear charging at him. With no time to react, he yelled in horror bringing his staff up in a feeble attempt to ward off the creature. With a bark that split the air of the clearing, Little White dove into the side of the bear's face, fearing no death to fight for Fan Zhong.
Lowly a soft whistle could be heard from the little wolf's claws as they swiped and dug a horizontal line across the ugly creature's face before it deftly raised a paw and swatted Fan Zhong's small companion out of the air. An instant later Little white was skittering on that ground with a hollow wet meaty sound resounding in the clearing from the impact. From the crumpled little wolf only a soft whimpering could be heard amid struggling attempts to draw breath.
Fan Zhong's mind snapped out of his stupor as if heavenly lightning had struck him. In a rush, the air moved around him as his body moved without his input, faster and more sure than any movements he had ever made. His movement technique started gathering momentum as he ran, one step turned into five steps before passing his previous limit gathering 10 steps of momentum in a single charge.
Shooting like a comet towards this monstrous creature Fan Zhong saw red as his staff spun about his arms in great wheeling circles further gathering momentum into his growing speed. During training Fan Cheng had told him that further mastery would allow all movements to gather momentum into his steps and strikes; however, Fan Zhong had never been able to shift the momentum of anything other than his steps. Now, spurned by anger and an instinct to protect his newfound friend, his training coalesced, turning his charge into a mad dash that pushed the limits of what his body could handle.
Fan Zhong's passage caused the air to move around him, parting the low grass in his way and setting the foliage at the edge of the clearing rattling. Dark shadows flitted about in those bushes and shoots but he had no time to think of that, this creature had hurt Little White and it would pay for that. With a thundering crack the lower end of his staff connected with the bottom of the bear's jaw sending a shockwave of air in all directions.
As Fan Zhong had approached the bear had charged to meet him head-on and tried to bite down on his shoulder as he came in. Using his training Fan Zhong had shifted all of his momentum into a shifting palm technique with the top of his staff to slide to the side of the bite and then used his remaining saved force to ram an earth origin palm technique in the bottom of his weapon sending it into the creature. The momentum of this strike sent the bear reeling, its twisted visage curling up into a snarl of pain.
Fan Zhong grimaced as his opponent was pushed to the side a few meters, recoil from the strike was resounding through his body causing immense pain. That charge had contained more force than anything Fan Zhong had ever consciously done, outside of the palm strike he had delivered during his Dao resonance, and the strain it had put on him was none too easy to ignore. Currently, the vibrations of impact were traveling throughout his body and it felt as if his staff had connected with a solid fortress wall.
With an effort of will, he composed himself and set his weapon into his void gate stance staring down the creature that was turning to come down on him once again. Instantly the bear lunged forward, swapping in a horizontal arc. Fan Zhong reacted quickly using the leading end of his staff to connect a shifting palm to the outside of the creature's meaty paw using his footwork to retreat and create distance.
This proved to be a mistake as almost too late he realized that the bear had been faking its attack on him. With an expression that looked as akin to a malicious grin as the bear's gnarled face could manage, it quickly withdrew that attack and turned, aiming to dash at the downed Little White and finish him off. Quickly Fan Zhong raised his staff so that one end rested on his palm pushing it forward like a spear from the back in a simple origin palm strike.
As the other end of his staff neared the bear Fan Zhong felt something was off. His opponent seemed to have slowed its charge towards Little White. Sure enough, moments, before he could connect the horrible creature, turned like a blur of black lightning swatting his weapon out of mid-air and snapping its jaws at his head.
Turbid air sent the scent of rotten meat and decay into Fan Zhong's face as razor-sharp teeth rushed towards him. As his weapon attempted to tumble from his grasp from the force of the counter he used the momentum to contact-juggle it into a spin, sending the side of the staff into the bear's jaw. This barely knocked the hulking brute off course and allowed Fan Zhong to keep hold of his weapon as a junk of flesh was ripped from his shoulder instead of his neck before a huge paw sent him sprawling on the ground.
Pain seared through his body like nothing he had ever imagined, it felt like the hottest fire Fan Zhong had ever felt was running like liquid through his shoulder. The world spun in his vision as the concussive force of his body colliding with a sturdy bamboo shoot wracked him once more. Deep cracking noises resounded through the clearing as Fan Zhong's body broke through the underbrush.
Each breath came as a wheeze for him as he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Attempting to move his arms caused him to scream in pain, as much as he could with so little air in his lungs. As he struggled desperately to move it seemed as if the world moved in slow motion. Leaves that were falling seemed to barely move and the grass that was so vigorously swaying in the wind of the brewing storm moments before were now still.
Deep within himself, Fan Zhong tried desperately to lull himself into the familiar emptiness of the void gate stance, to draw some semblance of calm back to his mind. Meanwhile, all of his fears manifested, whispering of his failures while laughing at him. All of his training was for nothing, a good-for-nothing young master who had wasted his life.
They showed him images of his clan members wounded and bleeding, the blood pooled into the ground to grow spirit stones. Next came a ghostly image of himself wearing an image of malice and spite, picking the fruits of his loved ones grown in blood and sweat. In this vision, the ghost version of Fan Zhong kept spending these spirit stones again and again even going so far as to whip his relatives to wring them dry for more benefits.
This was not him, it could never be him! Fan Zhong rejected these ideas vehemently, he was lazy and true but no monster like this! A small part of him whispered that this was already him, that everyone who had ever laughed at his laziness already saw him this way, that it truly would've been better had he never been born. Gritting his teeth he admitted it, yes he had been going down this path.
To deny this part of himself would be to deny part of his existence, he could no more deny these actions than refute himself. As all things were part of the Eternal Dao all of Fan Zhong was a part of his life, how could someone reject their own life? Doing so would be like cutting off an arm or leg simply to prove that arm or leg were not your own.
No, these feelings and desires were every bit as much a part of Fan Zhong as his burning love for his friends and family. What was important was to understand how this part of him had shaped him and how he would move forward with his convictions. He had accepted these things as a part of him, this is why he had kowtowed so vehemently to his parents.
The mistakes of his past could not be changed, only Fan Zhong's new steeled resolve to be a better person after being forged through these slights to his honor and his family. Through an effort of will, he stopped his screaming, suppressed his pain, sanding up. At that moment the bear felt the first sign of fear it had during the entire exchange, it now no longer knew who was the prey and who was the hunter.
Looking over at the bear it no longer seemed to want to finish off Little white, it stared menacingly at him bearing cruel fangs. Observing the creature he realized that it was bleeding profusely from one side of its face and was leaning on his strong side, taking weight off the side Fan Zhong had repeatedly struck with his weapon. Gathering his courage Fan Zhong turned his shouts of pain into a warcry as he saluted his opponent with his weapon before charging forward.
This time he did not charge forward recklessly and approached with three steps of momentum. For a brief moment, the bear circled him as he counter-circled in the opposite direction. When thunder next cracked in the sky both of them attacked. Fan Zhong continued forward gathering his momentum to four steps as he curved his approach preempting his shifting palm technique.
Meanwhile, the boulder of a bear coming down on him attempted no subtlety or grace; it simply rushed him to throw a mountain of weight in an attempt to grind Fan Zhong into dust. All of his saved momentum went into a shifting palm that brought Fan Zhong to the weak side of the bear as he slammed a weakened heaven-origin palm strike down on its shoulder. Now that his blow was weakened, lacking the momentum of his steps pushed into it, the staff strike connected with a dull thud and bounced off slightly signaling that not much damage had been done.
Undeterred Fan Zhong spun his staff on the outside of his arm and along his elbow up into the air. With this movement, he raised his outer leg and delivered a resounding heaven receiving palm with a kick that drove the hard as steel weapon down on the same spot the first blow had landed. Blood sprayed into the air as the pained roar of the bear resounded in the clearing.
Quickly the opponent encountered attempting to throw its weight sideways. However, the bear required a moment to shift its momentum since it was already moving in another direction. As his opponent started pushing sideways Fan Zhong delivered an earth receiving palm technique, slamming both palms into either side of the bear's weak side front leg, causing it to lose balance. Meanwhile, his knee drove up into the area between the creature's neck and leg using its own charge to add further force to his blow.
The resulting exchange sent a lightning bolt of pain down his leg making his left leg hard to move afterward. Fan Zhong had no time for this pain as his assault continued. Two cracks rang out as a combination of earth origin palm and all things birth from the origin palm rang were delivered through opposite ends of Fan Zhong's staff in consecutive strikes. Each blow rang true precisely timed to connect as the bear started to move.
Each time it was startled and its attack interrupted by these blows that continued drilling into the wound on the grizzly visage of this mountain of muscle and malice. Although it seemed like each hit was as harmful as a mosquito bite, each one caused immense pain and stunned the bear. It was like an infant repeatedly trying to reach for a pile of sweets only to be swatted on the head at the slightest movement. This continued as the rain started to pour, three shifting palms carried the momentum into a heaven-origin palm. Next, a mortal receiving palm was delivered with a mid-level kick to the side of the bear's face as Fan Zhong received the momentum of an attempted bite from the beast, redirecting it into his kick.
Blood started to ooze from the orifices of the bear and it turned into an even more terrifying demon as it looked as if it cried tears of blood. The heavens weep and a demon crying blood hounded for his soul, Fan Zhong laughed at the sky like a mad man pushing all of his emotions into the strikes. If life would keep putting him in scenarios that asked him to act like the heroes of old, who was he to question the will of heaven?
Again and again, his staff fell, the beast never seeming to waver no matter how injured it seemed. As the fight continued Fan Zhong's stamina waxed and little by little his mortal body showed its limits. The first time he slipped up in his shifting palm technique by targeting slightly off from the balance point of the bear's paw strike, the edge of the blow clipped his side and gouged out a bloody wound. From this wound blood soaked his martial robe constantly soaking into the once cloth and making it ever so slightly heavier, amplifying the pain ever so much.
Next, he used a receiving palm technique but the bear was ready, it had not put as much force into the lunging bite as he had thought, allowing the follow-up shove of its shoulder to catch him in the sternum and knocking the wind from Fan Zhong's lungs. Another mouthful of blood he spat up after this blow, at this point his mind registered branches breaking in the distance behind the drowning sound of rain but his vision swam so much he paid no mind to them. He figured at this point blood loss was slowing his thoughts, forcing him to try harder and harder to focus on the fight.
Eyes bloodshot and robe in tatters, Fan Zhong stood resolutely on his back straight and stood forward in the void gate stance. At that moment his eyes shine golden for just a moment, he knew deep inside that if his father saw him his pride would be overflowing. With his wounded leg and a broken arm, he stood resolute, unable to advance to attack anymore but unwilling to give.
The bear circled for only a brief instant before charging forth and whipping a gigantic paw towards his head with the momentum to crush Fan Zhong's face into pulp. At this moment the most unexpected thing saved his life. Like a bolt of heavenly lighting out of some immortal tribulation, Little White Collided into the side of the bear's face with all the force the small cub could manage.
Sharp claws dug into damaged skin and the tiny jaws of Little White dug into the blinded eye of the bear drawing angry red lines of blood that sprayed forth from the beast. With much struggling the beast finally swatted Little White off its face with a sweeping paw strike. At this exact moment Fan Zhong appeared to the weakened side of the bear staff spinning at unbelievable speed, momentum carried to 5 steps. With all of the energy left in his body, he rotated the staff in his hand like a drill as he placed one end on his palm and thrust it forward like a spear.
All things birth from the origin palm carried the staff directly into the grisly creature's face directly drilling a small crater of fresh blood and brain matter furry boulder. Blood splattered everywhere and an expression of pure shock was left on the remaining portion of the bear's head. Seemingly carried by a malicious will upon death it lunged forward with both paws looking to bury Fan Zhong with its weight. The air seemed to explode as a blurring dark shadow reduced the remains of the creature's head into pulp stopping its momentum in its track.
From within a low crater of dust and earth, Fan Zhong saw a familiar figure. There sat Fan Wuying, master realm warrior of the fan clan and grandfather to Fan Yong.
"Nephew Zhong, you choose worthy prey. Honor to your battle" Fan Wuying spoke in a quiet yet respectful tone even bowing to Fan Zhong during the exchange.
"This junior has much to learn from Elder Wuying however many thanks are due for your praise" Fan Zhong returned the bow slowly and stood.
The smile on his face was unassailable, he finally could stand proud in after a fight, albeit with some difficulty, without the sudden fade to black. With that thought his wounded leg buckled underneath Fan Zhong causing him to sprawl on the floor. Copious laughter flooded around from the troop of arriving observers and warriors and he felt nothing but warm affection fill his heart.
For Fan Zhong, he could only hear the increasingly loud pulsing of his heart beating madly in his ears. Every single time the noise seemed to mock him, whisper tiny doubts about all of his efforts being wasted. As his focus narrowed and he could only see the path forward all of Fan Zhong's surroundings seemed to be deep dark that writhed with evil.
To him the world itself was turning into a dark and evil creature that was breathing down his neck, whispering of his failures and shortcomings. Every slight mark on the ground was a worry to his senses, a possible shallow grave for his faithful companion. Growing gray clouds and ominous thunder seemed to herald a truly grim failure for Fan Zhong.
In his mind, he rejected this, "curse the heavens themselves if they wanted him to give up on Little White!" Fan Zhong shouted in his mind.
If he truly allowed the little wolf to die what was all of his training for. When Wang Quiang had been in peril he had been forced to flee, to watch his friends' martial uncles die. Even then the sacrifice had not been enough, if not for his mother's quick arrival he and his friend would have met their end that day.
Now Fan Zhong had strength, he could defend Little White with his own hands! No need to rely on some mystical last-minute savior. Suddenly as his conviction and resolve firmed the world seemed to explode with color for Fan Zhong once again allowing him to see clearly.
He had arrived at the top of the sloping ramp and looking around spotted a set of bamboo shoots that were bent out of shape. Below these bent bamboo stalks, small traces of passage remained on the ground. Normally these traces would be indistinguishable from the surrounding foliage however Fan Zhong was able to spot them.
Thinking on this brought back his first memories of months ago when he had tried to hunt with Little White. At first, his lumbering moves had frustrated the small wolf and Little White had even bitten his leg a few times when he scared prey away. Eventually, through diligent practice Fan Zhong had learned how to move while not disturbing the forest around him, certainly, he was no water wolf but he could manage something quieter than a stampede.
Once he had finally gotten a grip on moving through the forest naturally he had struggled many times to keep up with his small companion in tracking prey. To Little White, the signs of passage were bright as day even when small bits of grass were the only indication something had passed by. For Fan Zhong, the process of learning to identify such markings had been arduous and had taken him many weeks.
He first started with looking for obvious tracks like broken bush branches, trampled grass, and footprints that sunk into the ground leaving deep impressions. Many days and nights had gone past with him only being able to discern obvious tracks like this leaving him unable to discern the more subtle hints of where their quarry may have gone. Finally, after studying a small bamboo shoot that had been broken by the quick passage of a deer Fan Zhong was able to notice how the grass beyond the broken plant seemed to bend away in a discernible path.
After gleaning many hints like this over the following days his ability to spot more subtle hints inside the forest environment heightened and that week Fan Zhong finally successfully tracked to hunt a deer by spotting its trail instead of chancing upon the creature while stalking silently. That night a feast had been had by both him and his small patient companion and the memory brought much warmth to his heart. After this countless months had passed and Fan Zhong's ability to track and discern the passage of animals in the forest had grown even further.
From investigating the bent bamboo and its surroundings he was able to follow a trail that eventually became much more obvious. Reconstructing the events from the clues at hand Fan Zhong thought he understood what might have happened. Little White had been carefully stalking through the forest as he always had without making a trace looking for small prey.
He must have thought that without the lumbering Fan Zhong around even this dangerous part of the forest was safe for his stealthy skills. This made Fan Zhong sigh in frustration, hadn't Little White brought him here so many months ago so he knew how dangerous the area was and avoided it? How could someone not even follow their advice!
Worry growing in his heart, Fan Zhong continued to piece together what had happened to the small wolf. It seemed that unknowingly Little White had become the prey as near the top of the ramp at some point a much larger predator had begun stalking him. At first, his companion had not noticed as the enemy was being slow and methodical while Little White still viewed himself as the hunter.
After a while the larger frame of the stalker had become its own worst enemy, betraying it by snapping a branch underfoot. At this point, Little White had tried to bolt in a curving circle to get back to the ramp and rejoin with Fan Zhong. However, the opponent, having been revealed, would not let him escape so easily and so it cut the route off pushing the small wolf deeper south.
As he followed the trail Fan Zhong felt his heart dropping like a heavy stone. He had been hoping that the predator had been anything other than the menacing force that called that eerie cave home. With the trail leading closer and closer to the cliff face it was seeming certain that was not that case.
Being a spirit beast Little White was naturally stronger than normal animals and had a good chance of fighting off other predators. However, Fan Zhong felt that whatever called that den of death home was anything but ordinary. As he approached the clearing his worst fears were confirmed.
Backed into the center of the clearing Little White stood growling at an enormous bear. Thunder crackled in the sky as the bear roared at the small wolf, its grisly visage giving off a malicious feeling. Truly the bear was enormous akin to the large furry black boulder given form.
Across its face ran a scar that caused the bear's left eye to be full white with no color, obviously blinded in that eye from some past wound. With the furious bellow of the bear, the air shook and Fan Zhong could see its maw of sharp teeth accompanying the looming pressure the mere presence of the thing brought. Deep inside of himself a deep sense of primal fear arose, the fear of death loomed over Fan Zhong's head like an executioner's blade.
Images of the yawning abyss of death overtaking him played through Fan Zhong's mind, of his hesitation when he had fought Little White's mom. He could see it now the mountainous paws of the creatures batting him into a bloody pulp, that gaping maw tearing his flesh apart to consume him. Inside of it all the insignificance of his existence laughed at him in that image as Fan Zhong viewed his death, the drowning feeling of the universe continuing forward as it cared so little about his end.
Once again the sky crackled with lightning and thunder which broke Fan Zhong from his trance in time to see the bear charging at him. With no time to react, he yelled in horror bringing his staff up in a feeble attempt to ward off the creature. With a bark that split the air of the clearing, Little White dove into the side of the bear's face, fearing no death to fight for Fan Zhong.
Lowly a soft whistle could be heard from the little wolf's claws as they swiped and dug a horizontal line across the ugly creature's face before it deftly raised a paw and swatted Fan Zhong's small companion out of the air. An instant later Little white was skittering on that ground with a hollow wet meaty sound resounding in the clearing from the impact. From the crumpled little wolf only a soft whimpering could be heard amid struggling attempts to draw breath.
Fan Zhong's mind snapped out of his stupor as if heavenly lightning had struck him. In a rush, the air moved around him as his body moved without his input, faster and more sure than any movements he had ever made. His movement technique started gathering momentum as he ran, one step turned into five steps before passing his previous limit gathering 10 steps of momentum in a single charge.
Shooting like a comet towards this monstrous creature Fan Zhong saw red as his staff spun about his arms in great wheeling circles further gathering momentum into his growing speed. During training Fan Cheng had told him that further mastery would allow all movements to gather momentum into his steps and strikes; however, Fan Zhong had never been able to shift the momentum of anything other than his steps. Now, spurned by anger and an instinct to protect his newfound friend, his training coalesced, turning his charge into a mad dash that pushed the limits of what his body could handle.
Fan Zhong's passage caused the air to move around him, parting the low grass in his way and setting the foliage at the edge of the clearing rattling. Dark shadows flitted about in those bushes and shoots but he had no time to think of that, this creature had hurt Little White and it would pay for that. With a thundering crack the lower end of his staff connected with the bottom of the bear's jaw sending a shockwave of air in all directions.
As Fan Zhong had approached the bear had charged to meet him head-on and tried to bite down on his shoulder as he came in. Using his training Fan Zhong had shifted all of his momentum into a shifting palm technique with the top of his staff to slide to the side of the bite and then used his remaining saved force to ram an earth origin palm technique in the bottom of his weapon sending it into the creature. The momentum of this strike sent the bear reeling, its twisted visage curling up into a snarl of pain.
Fan Zhong grimaced as his opponent was pushed to the side a few meters, recoil from the strike was resounding through his body causing immense pain. That charge had contained more force than anything Fan Zhong had ever consciously done, outside of the palm strike he had delivered during his Dao resonance, and the strain it had put on him was none too easy to ignore. Currently, the vibrations of impact were traveling throughout his body and it felt as if his staff had connected with a solid fortress wall.
With an effort of will, he composed himself and set his weapon into his void gate stance staring down the creature that was turning to come down on him once again. Instantly the bear lunged forward, swapping in a horizontal arc. Fan Zhong reacted quickly using the leading end of his staff to connect a shifting palm to the outside of the creature's meaty paw using his footwork to retreat and create distance.
This proved to be a mistake as almost too late he realized that the bear had been faking its attack on him. With an expression that looked as akin to a malicious grin as the bear's gnarled face could manage, it quickly withdrew that attack and turned, aiming to dash at the downed Little White and finish him off. Quickly Fan Zhong raised his staff so that one end rested on his palm pushing it forward like a spear from the back in a simple origin palm strike.
As the other end of his staff neared the bear Fan Zhong felt something was off. His opponent seemed to have slowed its charge towards Little White. Sure enough, moments, before he could connect the horrible creature, turned like a blur of black lightning swatting his weapon out of mid-air and snapping its jaws at his head.
Turbid air sent the scent of rotten meat and decay into Fan Zhong's face as razor-sharp teeth rushed towards him. As his weapon attempted to tumble from his grasp from the force of the counter he used the momentum to contact-juggle it into a spin, sending the side of the staff into the bear's jaw. This barely knocked the hulking brute off course and allowed Fan Zhong to keep hold of his weapon as a junk of flesh was ripped from his shoulder instead of his neck before a huge paw sent him sprawling on the ground.
Pain seared through his body like nothing he had ever imagined, it felt like the hottest fire Fan Zhong had ever felt was running like liquid through his shoulder. The world spun in his vision as the concussive force of his body colliding with a sturdy bamboo shoot wracked him once more. Deep cracking noises resounded through the clearing as Fan Zhong's body broke through the underbrush.
Each breath came as a wheeze for him as he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Attempting to move his arms caused him to scream in pain, as much as he could with so little air in his lungs. As he struggled desperately to move it seemed as if the world moved in slow motion. Leaves that were falling seemed to barely move and the grass that was so vigorously swaying in the wind of the brewing storm moments before were now still.
Deep within himself, Fan Zhong tried desperately to lull himself into the familiar emptiness of the void gate stance, to draw some semblance of calm back to his mind. Meanwhile, all of his fears manifested, whispering of his failures while laughing at him. All of his training was for nothing, a good-for-nothing young master who had wasted his life.
They showed him images of his clan members wounded and bleeding, the blood pooled into the ground to grow spirit stones. Next came a ghostly image of himself wearing an image of malice and spite, picking the fruits of his loved ones grown in blood and sweat. In this vision, the ghost version of Fan Zhong kept spending these spirit stones again and again even going so far as to whip his relatives to wring them dry for more benefits.
This was not him, it could never be him! Fan Zhong rejected these ideas vehemently, he was lazy and true but no monster like this! A small part of him whispered that this was already him, that everyone who had ever laughed at his laziness already saw him this way, that it truly would've been better had he never been born. Gritting his teeth he admitted it, yes he had been going down this path.
To deny this part of himself would be to deny part of his existence, he could no more deny these actions than refute himself. As all things were part of the Eternal Dao all of Fan Zhong was a part of his life, how could someone reject their own life? Doing so would be like cutting off an arm or leg simply to prove that arm or leg were not your own.
No, these feelings and desires were every bit as much a part of Fan Zhong as his burning love for his friends and family. What was important was to understand how this part of him had shaped him and how he would move forward with his convictions. He had accepted these things as a part of him, this is why he had kowtowed so vehemently to his parents.
The mistakes of his past could not be changed, only Fan Zhong's new steeled resolve to be a better person after being forged through these slights to his honor and his family. Through an effort of will, he stopped his screaming, suppressed his pain, sanding up. At that moment the bear felt the first sign of fear it had during the entire exchange, it now no longer knew who was the prey and who was the hunter.
Looking over at the bear it no longer seemed to want to finish off Little white, it stared menacingly at him bearing cruel fangs. Observing the creature he realized that it was bleeding profusely from one side of its face and was leaning on his strong side, taking weight off the side Fan Zhong had repeatedly struck with his weapon. Gathering his courage Fan Zhong turned his shouts of pain into a warcry as he saluted his opponent with his weapon before charging forward.
This time he did not charge forward recklessly and approached with three steps of momentum. For a brief moment, the bear circled him as he counter-circled in the opposite direction. When thunder next cracked in the sky both of them attacked. Fan Zhong continued forward gathering his momentum to four steps as he curved his approach preempting his shifting palm technique.
Meanwhile, the boulder of a bear coming down on him attempted no subtlety or grace; it simply rushed him to throw a mountain of weight in an attempt to grind Fan Zhong into dust. All of his saved momentum went into a shifting palm that brought Fan Zhong to the weak side of the bear as he slammed a weakened heaven-origin palm strike down on its shoulder. Now that his blow was weakened, lacking the momentum of his steps pushed into it, the staff strike connected with a dull thud and bounced off slightly signaling that not much damage had been done.
Undeterred Fan Zhong spun his staff on the outside of his arm and along his elbow up into the air. With this movement, he raised his outer leg and delivered a resounding heaven receiving palm with a kick that drove the hard as steel weapon down on the same spot the first blow had landed. Blood sprayed into the air as the pained roar of the bear resounded in the clearing.
Quickly the opponent encountered attempting to throw its weight sideways. However, the bear required a moment to shift its momentum since it was already moving in another direction. As his opponent started pushing sideways Fan Zhong delivered an earth receiving palm technique, slamming both palms into either side of the bear's weak side front leg, causing it to lose balance. Meanwhile, his knee drove up into the area between the creature's neck and leg using its own charge to add further force to his blow.
The resulting exchange sent a lightning bolt of pain down his leg making his left leg hard to move afterward. Fan Zhong had no time for this pain as his assault continued. Two cracks rang out as a combination of earth origin palm and all things birth from the origin palm rang were delivered through opposite ends of Fan Zhong's staff in consecutive strikes. Each blow rang true precisely timed to connect as the bear started to move.
Each time it was startled and its attack interrupted by these blows that continued drilling into the wound on the grizzly visage of this mountain of muscle and malice. Although it seemed like each hit was as harmful as a mosquito bite, each one caused immense pain and stunned the bear. It was like an infant repeatedly trying to reach for a pile of sweets only to be swatted on the head at the slightest movement. This continued as the rain started to pour, three shifting palms carried the momentum into a heaven-origin palm. Next, a mortal receiving palm was delivered with a mid-level kick to the side of the bear's face as Fan Zhong received the momentum of an attempted bite from the beast, redirecting it into his kick.
Blood started to ooze from the orifices of the bear and it turned into an even more terrifying demon as it looked as if it cried tears of blood. The heavens weep and a demon crying blood hounded for his soul, Fan Zhong laughed at the sky like a mad man pushing all of his emotions into the strikes. If life would keep putting him in scenarios that asked him to act like the heroes of old, who was he to question the will of heaven?
Again and again, his staff fell, the beast never seeming to waver no matter how injured it seemed. As the fight continued Fan Zhong's stamina waxed and little by little his mortal body showed its limits. The first time he slipped up in his shifting palm technique by targeting slightly off from the balance point of the bear's paw strike, the edge of the blow clipped his side and gouged out a bloody wound. From this wound blood soaked his martial robe constantly soaking into the once cloth and making it ever so slightly heavier, amplifying the pain ever so much.
Next, he used a receiving palm technique but the bear was ready, it had not put as much force into the lunging bite as he had thought, allowing the follow-up shove of its shoulder to catch him in the sternum and knocking the wind from Fan Zhong's lungs. Another mouthful of blood he spat up after this blow, at this point his mind registered branches breaking in the distance behind the drowning sound of rain but his vision swam so much he paid no mind to them. He figured at this point blood loss was slowing his thoughts, forcing him to try harder and harder to focus on the fight.
Eyes bloodshot and robe in tatters, Fan Zhong stood resolutely on his back straight and stood forward in the void gate stance. At that moment his eyes shine golden for just a moment, he knew deep inside that if his father saw him his pride would be overflowing. With his wounded leg and a broken arm, he stood resolute, unable to advance to attack anymore but unwilling to give.
The bear circled for only a brief instant before charging forth and whipping a gigantic paw towards his head with the momentum to crush Fan Zhong's face into pulp. At this moment the most unexpected thing saved his life. Like a bolt of heavenly lighting out of some immortal tribulation, Little White Collided into the side of the bear's face with all the force the small cub could manage.
Sharp claws dug into damaged skin and the tiny jaws of Little White dug into the blinded eye of the bear drawing angry red lines of blood that sprayed forth from the beast. With much struggling the beast finally swatted Little White off its face with a sweeping paw strike. At this exact moment Fan Zhong appeared to the weakened side of the bear staff spinning at unbelievable speed, momentum carried to 5 steps. With all of the energy left in his body, he rotated the staff in his hand like a drill as he placed one end on his palm and thrust it forward like a spear.
All things birth from the origin palm carried the staff directly into the grisly creature's face directly drilling a small crater of fresh blood and brain matter furry boulder. Blood splattered everywhere and an expression of pure shock was left on the remaining portion of the bear's head. Seemingly carried by a malicious will upon death it lunged forward with both paws looking to bury Fan Zhong with its weight. The air seemed to explode as a blurring dark shadow reduced the remains of the creature's head into pulp stopping its momentum in its track.
From within a low crater of dust and earth, Fan Zhong saw a familiar figure. There sat Fan Wuying, master realm warrior of the fan clan and grandfather to Fan Yong.
"Nephew Zhong, you choose worthy prey. Honor to your battle" Fan Wuying spoke in a quiet yet respectful tone even bowing to Fan Zhong during the exchange.
"This junior has much to learn from Elder Wuying however many thanks are due for your praise" Fan Zhong returned the bow slowly and stood.
The smile on his face was unassailable, he finally could stand proud in after a fight, albeit with some difficulty, without the sudden fade to black. With that thought his wounded leg buckled underneath Fan Zhong causing him to sprawl on the floor. Copious laughter flooded around from the troop of arriving observers and warriors and he felt nothing but warm affection fill his heart.
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yes and no, Little White is much better at moving around unseen without Fan Zhong following him around. He figured as long as he stayed far enough away from the bear cave while he was alone he could hunt here and catch prey that was previously unavailable, an almost fatal assumption D:
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Part 1. Ch. 13 Movements of Heaven and Earth
"Elder Wuying, forgive my shortness however I humbly ask that you assist Little White." Fan Zhong asked hurriedly, the worry was returning to his mind as his eyes frantically searched for his downed companion " I fear his courageous spirit is too large for such a small body and that without immediate assistance he will surely perish!"
The aged eyes of Elder Wuying met him for a long moment, in that gaze Fan Zhong was unable to read even the smallest bit of what the elder was thinking as if the old man was an impenetrable void. Taking a look at the man in front of him Fan Zhong realized just how amazing the elder truly was, even with his advancing age the man in front of him exuded an invisible martial pressure at all times that seemed to suppress all of his surroundings. He had long shoulder-length hair that was pure white with a short white beard to match as well as the piercing golden eyes that were the hallmark of Fan Clan martial artists.
Although one could tell that Elder Wuying was getting on in years, his frame would tell a different story to one that didn't know he was a master realm martial artist. Under his golden martial robes, the lithe yet powerful build of a man that had earned his fame through countless battles lay, even on his face there were small scars that hinted at the countless battles he had undergone. Even still, once one looked past his rough exterior Fan Zhong felt the man in front of him exuded a warm grandfatherly atmosphere that truly made him feel like a child no matter his age.
Beside Elder Wuying Fan Zhong realized another elder was standing still as rain. He was slightly shorter than Fan Wuying however his muscles were larger and his build was in general stockier. From the expression the man gave off, one would think that they were in for a stern beating or had done something wrong. It felt as if the existence of the very air itself was angering the man at the moment with the aura exuding off of him.
Inwardly Fan Zhong groaned as he recognized the man as Zi Bob, father of Zi Bao. The man's expression was stern and even his short-cut hair seemed to stand still as if afraid to offend its master. On occasion Fan Zhong had met Elder Bob before however, this was his first time meeting the man face to face, he had a feeling the delayed assistance of the elders in his fight with the bear had something to do with the man's presence.
"If nephew Zhong says he has a warrior's spirit then it must be so, yes yes," Fan Wuying said while stroking his beard in a thoughtful manner "Quickly, medics tend to Little White. What a shame it would be to lose him to wounds after such a victory" with these last words a smile played on the face of Elder Wuying as if he was telling a joke only he understood.
"Brother Zhong!" A voice sounded from the back of the quickly approaching group of Fan Clan warriors, from the crowd emerged none other than Fan Yong "Thank goodness you're ok, that beast was terrifying! I thought for sure the legend of the two young masters would end this very day!"
Fan Zhong starred with his mouth agape. His friend was truly changed from the last time he had seen him. Gone was the wide fort that supported his tall tower, talked about so frequently in Little Green Bamboo Village. The Fan Yong that stood in front of him was toned and muscled and even seemed to carry himself quickly! Many words were used to describe Fan Yong during his youth however Fan Zhong had never heard anyone use the word quick or fast in the same sentence as his friend.
With most of his excess body weight trimmed Fan Zhong realized that Fan Yong had a robust build that would surely make him excellent when it came to sparing and palm techniques, it seemed that he was not the only one that had been training.
"Brother Yong, how could you question this heaven-defying genius? I merely allowed the beast a few blows to make the fight fair!" Fan Zhong raised his nose far into the sky while adopting a haughty tone, doing his best impression of an arrogant young noble.
"Juniors!" Suddenly a harsh baritone voice broke the joyous reunion of the two friends, Elder Bob leveled a burning glare at each of them.
Fan Zhong deeply felt that if Elder Bob had reached the legendary immortal realm where one could kill with a look they both might be on the way to the afterlife at this point!
"Elder please, Nephew Zhong and little Yong know one another. Meanwhile one has just been through a harsh trial while the other is fresh out of training, surely you can let them have a joyous meeting" Elder Wuying responded in a calm tone, instantly lifting the mood "besides, surely you must be satisfied at this point? If not this old man can only be unkind and ask that you bring further grievances to Brother Long" His words carried a placating tone however there was an undertone of threat hidden inside them as well.
"Hmph, fine. Coddle the younger generation, see if I care when they freeze up during a battle!" With that Elder Bob blurred storming away to the warriors on the out edge of the clearing.
"Elder and Brother Yong please excuse my rudeness however I must get to the side of Little White he needs my assistance" With this Fan Zhong used his staff as a walking stick and slowly started limping towards his companion who was now surrounded by a team of warriors with bags of medical supplies.
Within 3 steps he lost his bearings and almost fell going to one knee while coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Hmph, Little white eh? There you go Brother Zhong finding friends in all the places you go. Come let us greet this small Brother together, Father please excuse us I shall make sure Brother Zhong gets the necessary treatment" As he spoke Fan Yong slung his friend's arm over his shoulder and began helping him walk towards the downed animal.
"See that he does, there has already been more blood spilled here than there needed to be" Elder Wuying responded with a somber tone and began slowly walking over to the corpse of the fallen bear.
Slowly the two young men made their way over to the group of medics. Little by little and step by step, they waded through the rain as it slowly washed away all signs of the battle. Finally, Fan Zhong was able to see the condition of Little White. Immediately an almost translucent small wet figure barreled into his chest knocking him clean over into the forming mud on the ground.
With an amazed expression Fan Zhong stared wide-eyed at the seemingly unhurt Little White. The small wolf was worriedly nuzzling his chest and licking his wounds while whining. Thoughts quickly raced through Fan Zhong's mind as he recalled his small companion not once but twice being shot away like a cannonball by the menacing foe they had faced.
His body had been trained vigorously for the better part of a year to strengthen it, however, a single blow from those deadly paws nearly crushed his ribs. Although spirit beasts were supposed to be stronger than normal animals Little White was a young cub, how had his body survived such attacks? The surrounding warriors looked equally as surprised and a few of them were simply staring with wide-eyed expressions at the tiny wolf while still holding various ointment bottles and wrappings meant for serious wounds.
At this moment Fan Zhong simply laughed and hugged his small companion close to him. The day had simply been too exhausting to continue pondering such secrets, it was enough that Little White seemed to be ok.
"Hmmm, it seems Brother Little White has survived the battle in better condition than you Brother Zhong. First impressions are important so let me reward his valor with a prize" Fan Yong said jovially while pulling an object wrapped in paper from the supply pack on his back.
Once the paper was unwrapped Little White held no ceremony as he pounced on the large piece of aged meat that lay within as Fan Yong set it on the ground. Following this, the others took the medical supplies and started tending to Fan Zhong's wounds. He remembered little of the next few hours as two people carried him on a stretcher laden with blankets and soft pillows. It took only moments for the land of dreams to beckon and soon Fan Zhong was sound asleep.
Meanwhile at the head of the column of warriors Elder's Bob and Wuying were walking together as the vanguard, emitting the aura of master realm martial artists to scare away any beasts.
"So Zi Bob, are you quite satisfied? Or do you need me to leave you alone for a week with Nephew Zhong? I'm sure Brother Long would be most interested to hear about your objections in providing aid to his son." Elder Wuying said with a level tone, however beneath his calm the cold feeling of his threat lingered.
"Hmph, and you would have him coddled? The boy said he wishes to become a proper warrior, to walk the martial path. Who walks the martial path without difficulty? Sooner or later he would face life and death, and at that time there would be no elders watching. Fan Long should be thanking me for continuing his test of resolve to that worthless brat, at least he proved there's a spine in his body if not much talent." Elder Bob replied with clear disdain in his voice, the aura he was giving off intensified as some of his anger and discontent lessened his control.
"And forcing him to take a trial meant for a squad of three wasn't proof enough of his courage? Not only that but I know for a fact that the little beast hunted around that cave several times without attracting the ire of that bear, curious that you were the one who went to watch over it today. I wonder how it just so happened that a pitched battle ensued under your supervision?" Elder Wuying kept his calm tone however the steel in his voice was rising ever so much as he raised his accusations.
"You dare? It is well known that those in line to be clan leader take this trial alone! However, you continue to imply that I attempted to harm a fellow clansman, do you question my honor, Fan Wuying?!?!?!" Elder Bob's aura flared widely causing a cascade of shockwaves to ripple out in all directions, sending the foliage and trees bending outward and even breaking some of the younger bamboo shoots.
Harsh anger followed this outburst as well as barely masked killing intent. Elder Wuying simply looked at his fellow irate elder and with a simple exhale his aura exploded outward. The first shockwave dissipated all of the energy Elder Bob had released. Next, another shockwave simply destroyed everything within three meters of the elder's making a small clearing around them while smothering Elder Bob with an oppressive weight as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
Finally, another burst of pressure slammed down on the elder that had burst out in anger like a sledgehammer pounding the first mountain into his back and knocking him to his knees. All the while Elder Wuying maintained his calm composed gaze fixed on his fellow elder, a golden light flashed deep within the depths of his eyes. Looking in that gaze gave Elder Bob the impression of looking into a boundless storm of boiling rage that was suppressed only by the sheer willpower of the man in front of.
Initially, he had thought he would stand tall even with a core elder of the clan since they were both in the Master realm however Bob knew that he had only recently stepped into the Master Realm while he had no idea how long Elder Wuying had been at this stage. It was clear at the very least from this exchange that Elder Bob was not his match.
"Elder Bob, one should understand the position of an elder. As your senior it seems I have been lax in guiding you to fit your new role, this is understandable as you have been newly elevated since stepping into the master realm last year. Remember that death is fleeting and ephemeral however duty carries the weight of the heavens, right now you are only under a portion of that weight yet it brings you to kneel. As your senior I shall give you a lesson, remember well this weight and ponder on it" Elder Wuying's words crashed down on him in the same level tone he had always used however they boomed in Elder Bob's ears like a crashing waterfall as the Qi used to empower them was enough to level the surroundings for another two meters around them.
With his final world Elder Wuying fell into void gate stance in such a natural and fluid way that those who had observed him struggled to remember the man moving at all, it was as if he had always been standing ready to fight at all times. Suddenly a far more terrifying pressure than the aura Elder Wuying had released gathered on his right palm and in a single fluid motion he struck downward toward the ground without moving forward. At the same time, a large golden palm composed entirely of shimmering Qi appeared above the prone Elder Bob.
The palm was as large as the elder himself and in the moment after it appeared all that could be seen was a golden streak as it descended with speed barely visible to the warriors present. Loud cracks rang out from the ground as the attack caused Elder Bob to be knocked into the ground face first, forming a three-meter deep crater with him at the center. Many of the warriors who were too close to the elders were knocked off their feet from the shockwave that tore out in all directions while even those further away had to grab tall bamboo shoots for support.
Finally when the dust cleared Elder bob weakly got to his knees in the crater with blood running from his mouth, how solemnly put his hands together in a martial salute and bowed the best he could from his kneeling position
"This… j…. Junior thanks senior for the guidance. Junior will engrave this lesson into his very bones" Elder Bob sputtered between rasping breaths and clenched teeth.
It was clear that he was outraged however after receiving such a blow it seemed he lacked the energy to even push his aura outward to express the anger.
"It would be good if you could. The martial path is full of danger, as junior has said. This old man's bones will rest easy if you can truly learn today's lesson, come, the rest of you on your feet. We will march for another two hours before breaking to make camp." With that Elder Wuying calmly walked over to the downed warriors and started helping a few of them to their feet.
Meanwhile, in the City of Wei, a man was staring up a long flight of stairs. The man exuded a commanding aura as his dark blue robes hung loosely on his muscled frame. Long wild black hair streaked with dark azure ran down to the midpoint of the man's back while his face was slender and thin giving one the impression that he was lazy yet sly.
However when he opened his deep azure eyes his face changed, becoming honest and forthright. Slung on his back was a spear with a wide blade that had a small loop at the end of it. This man was Wang Hei, the newly appointed clan leader of the Wang clan.
Today he was standing in front of the palace of Wei to discuss trade throughout the valley. Normally the Wei were not on the best terms with the other clans of the valley as they mostly felt threatened since the Wei could negotiate from a position of power however to prevent open warfare they would normally allow the clans within the Flowing Grass valley some leeway and benefits. Lately, however, they had been imposing severe taxes on both transportation and merchant services that the Wang clan provided as well as the services provided by the other clans.
Things had escalated to the point that minor skirmishes had broken out with Wei clan tax collector groups and Wang Hei had been forced to come here in person to hash out this craziness. Viewing the Wei palace left him feeling disgruntled, all along the long stairway leading to the main hall were banners carrying the Wei crest. These banners and even the trimming of the steps were lined in gold and other expensive materials, even the buildings themselves seemed to be made of some valuable stone and wood!
What right did the Wei have to squeeze the rest of them dry while their palace was ornate with such stairs and when they consisted of not one but three triple-layered lavish pagoda halls? This wasn't even mentioning the vast personal residences and manors he had seen on his way here. Meanwhile, the Wang clan headquarters was a humble two-story pagoda that had simple homes and courtyards surrounding it.
Even he as the clan leader only had a small manor to himself as a personal residence. All of this had already been putting him in a bad mood, however, what made it worse was that when his party of 20 arrived there were asked to wait here at the bottom of the palace steps, the Wei hadn't prepared a waiting hall to receive them! As Wang Hei's anger threatened to spill over after waiting for a whole hour to be received he finally spotted movement at the top of the stairs
Coming down the steps were a group of twenty warriors in two columns with dashing green and gold armor, each sporting an expensive-looking sword on their backs. Their armor was form-fitted and had elaborate inlays making it look like dragon scales that alternated in emerald and gold. The hilts of their swords each had a green gem inlaid into the pommel that exuded Qi constantly. These were some sort of magical treasure and every soldier had one!
This level of spending made Wang Hei froth at the mouth. Truly this newly appointed Wei lord was too brazen to be left alive! With such a show of wealth, it was as if Wang Hei's money had been taken from his hands then used to smack him in the face directly.
"Brother Hua, how kind of you to take the time of day to see me" Wang Hei spat the words at the Lavishly dressed lord as his two-column of soldiers parted way to allow him to walk forward
"Indeed, my kindness knows no bounds speaking to a fisherman peasant like you" Wei Hua responded as if it was the most natural response in the world "Now quick out with it, what have you been barking so loudly about that you must do it directly outside my door"
Wang Hei starred in wide-eyed shock at the brazen arrogance of the young city lord.
"Hmph, it seems the legendary hospitality of the Wei has been fed to the dogs and they have let one of those dogs become a lord. Are these truly the words you meet with someone to negotiate?" Wang Hei spat back at the arrogant young man, barely containing his seething anger.
"My hospitality is not for the likes of peasants to receive, now I give you one more chance mongrel. State your business and stop wasting my time" Wei Hua answered with clear contempt
Wang Hei looked the young Wei clan leader up and down. He was dressed in robes that were similar in design to his soldiers' armor however it seemed like each of the 'scales' that formed the robe was woven from natural treasure fabric. Wei Hei's eyes were piercing emerald green and his hair was black streaked with emeralds similar in color to his eyes and it reached just to his shoulders. On the young man's back was a pair of crossed swords that seemed to exude even greater pressure than those carried by his soldiers.
"You know why I'm here brat. In the past month, your tax collectors have demanded double the amount of taxes on both mercantile trade and income earned through our transport services. Even our fishing trade has seen a 50 percent increase in taxes. The clans report our finances to the Wei and bow the knee as to keep the peace, these rates are simply untenable. Are you looking to start open warfare? Some of the poorer, more isolated villages rely on these services and already some of them are starving as they cannot afford your insane taxes!" Wang Hei could no longer contain himself bursting forth with unbridled anger and spite.
"These lands are mine by birth, this tiny place cannot contain me and are simply my resources to be used. Do you ask your fish how they feel as you collect them for dinner? No, I think not, so too I use my resources as just that resources. It doesn't matter if they are used up as soon I will ascend beyond these petty resources. If you're so noble why don't you try feeding those starving villages for free? There are no taxes on charity" Wei Hua finished his final words with a sneer
"You dare?!??!" Wang Hei roared as he started to draw his spear.
Instantly the pressure of all the guards fell on him and at least five of them drew their swords.
"Hmph come then, show me the power of the Wang clan if you dare" Wei Hua smiled, seeming eager for the exchange to come to blows "You do look quite strong, it might be quite good for my magic treasures to have a taste of your strength.."
A cold chill ran down Wang Hei's spine and he stopped reaching for his weapon.
"There will come a day where you will rue this decision brat, mark my words" With that Wang Hei turned around to leave.
"Truly I wonder when you'll make good on that promise, do make sure to hurry it along or I might simply come harvest you early. I am eager to see the heights of the legendary immortal realms after all" Wei Hua laughed as he watched the receding back of the Wang clan leader
There was something in those words that seemed wrong to Wang Hei however he simply shrugged it off, the Wei lordling was simply raving in his madness. Now was not the time to understand this lunatic, now is the time to gather support and topple him before his mad reign reached too far.
In a distant land, the sky was blotted out by heavenly swords. Hundreds of thousands of them glowed with golden luster over a mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see. Each of these swords hummed with the power to level a city. Inside the array in the sky stood an incredibly handsome youth with pitch-black hair that fell to his waist, in his hands were two swords exuding an ancient aura. One of these swords was spotless white with a midnight black handle and the other had a blade of midnight black with a spotless white handle.
The piercing gaze of the youth seemed to cut through all things as his eyes shared the same characteristics of his swords, one being pitch black and the other pure white. Below the sword array in a valley stood a figure. It was a man dressed in a simple brown martial arts robe with no crest or emblem. The man was quite plain in almost every way with only his dull red eyes being notable.
Everything else from his muddy brown shoulder-length hair to his build seemed as average as could be. However, surrounding this man was the silhouette of a pure white humanoid demon. This demon had six wings, three to each side of its body, and eight arms. It had a lithe frame that was just barely larger than the man standing inside of it and wore the soft delicate face of an angel with a slender horn protruding from the forehead.
Jade white hair trailed down the demon's back to its ankles and it stared up at the youth inside the sword array. Although the silhouette looked nothing like the man inside it moved according to his actions as if he was inside another body piloting it. This demon silhouette was like a thick mist that roiled and writhed within the constraints of its outline making it sometimes appear solid and other times appear almost transparent.
Staring at the writhing mist inside the form too long caused one to start hearing millions upon millions of screaming voices wailing in agony even though no noise was actively coming from the figure. Such an attack from the soul was so powerful it would instantly kill any mortal who looked upon the silhouette.
"Teng 'White Devil' Hanying, today you die. It took years to track you to this desolate lesser territory and all the while I had to watch your villainous acts continue. However now that you came here to cultivate in seclusion, I no longer have to worry about the collateral damage, this lesser infinity sword array covers heaven and earth and there's no escape! Surrender now and kill yourself! Only then will this righteous man allow your soul to enter the cycle of samsara." The youth proclaimed loudly with enough qi to shake the entire surrounding mountain range.
"Hmph, Li Cheng, you think a mere foundation establishment disciple can contain me? Who cares if your Heavenly Infinite Sword Sect is backing you all I have to do is kill you quickly before your babysitters arrive!" Teng Hanying replied in defiance.
Both men glared at each other with enough killing intent to once again cause the surroundings to shake, and within the next moment the white silhouette materialized eight glowing white lances, one in each hand, and shot them into the sky. Four of the lances were aimed directly at Li Cheng while the remaining four went forth in four directions to destroy parts of the sword array. Instantly the entire mountain range the two were standing in was vaporized by the shockwaves of the lances hitting the sword array and a large cloud of dust swirled around Li Cheng's position.
In the sky, huge circular holes appeared in the sword array and none of the glowing swords could be seen on the horizon. However, Teng Hanying's face soon portrayed a grimace of horror as the dust cleared around Li Cheng, and there stood the youth with a few bloody cuts across his face. Other than looking slightly paler the youth seemed just fine however what drew Teng Hanying's eyes was not his opponents' condition but the sheathed sword floating in front of Li Cheng.
His opponent had sheathed his two short swords and instead a single slightly longer sword sheath drifted in front of him exuding a pressure that dwarfed the attack Teng Hanying had just made. Quickly Li Cheng's hands went to the new weapon and he held it vertically with one hand on the sheath the other on the handle in preparation to draw it.
"I… Immortal treasure?!?!? Impossible! Are you crazy? That thing will kill both of us!" Teng Hanying panicked as he saw not only had his opponent drawn such a fearsome magic treasure but the 'lesser infinity sword array' he had thought destroyed had reformed overhead. "With your cultivation base there is no way you have enough mental energy to control that thing, you'll self detonate from the inside! I don't care if you infused it with 100 years of saved mental energy it won't work! Do you hate me so much that you'll die here? What have I ever done to you?!?!?"
Looking around he desperately searched the surroundings for some advantage. Currently, however, Teng Hanying stood in a giant crater that spanned to the horizon, the exchange earlier had completely leveled everything in sight leaving him nowhere to hide.
"What have you ever done to me? That spirit demon avatar you're using is something you refined after absorbing the souls of 10,000,000 mortals. You roamed freely through the lower territories refining city after city of mortals and low-level cultivators all for this pitiful amount of power. I need no reason to judge you. Any righteous path cultivator that met filth like you and stayed their hand deserves execution, and your right 100 years wouldn't be enough. Feel honored ,scum ,this strike took me 1,000 years of infusing this sword to use" With these words, Li Cheng focused his energy.
Instantly the entire sword array that blotted out the sky condensed into the sword in Li Cheng's hands and the world simply turned white for as he drew the sword and made a simple horizontal slash with it.
Hours later Teng Hanying was sputtering as he dragged the up half of what remained of his body across a barren desert while downing healing pill after healing pill. Slowly his body was regenerating as he expended massive amounts of the souls he had absorbed to heal himself. He showed no signs of slowing down as he felt lucky to be alive, that brat Li Cheng had leveled an entire lesser region with that strike just to kill him!
With a heavy heart, he made a decision, through his 4,000 years of cultivation he had set up multiple inheritance grounds to carry on his legacy through post mortem disciples. Each had a city refining array setup around a country of mortals. It pained him to cut off a chance for his legacy to live on however there was no choice, he would head to the nearest one and use this array to replenish a small part of his collection of souls.
Li Cheng roared in rage as he consulted the divination treasure that he had used to track Teng Hanying to this desolate lesser territory. Somehow that demon had gotten away! Worry quickly suffused his heart.
At first, he had only accepted this assignment to earn the reward of becoming a core disciple of the Heavenly Infinite Sword Sect however after observing Teng Hanying for the past 100 years it became clear that he was a true menace to the world. After so long he had finally cornered the old demon in a desolate lesser region that had been left feral in some long-forgotten war. This had been his best chance to finish him off and he even used the sword his master gifted him to make sure the deed was done, it had taken him 1,000 years to even store up enough mental energy in the sword to even use it without exploding!
Who would've known the slippery man had a secret technique to directly burn souls to teleport away. Sighing Li Cheng prepared to begin chasing the Teng Hanying once again. That secret technique must have burnt the vast majority of the souls he absorbed to get him out of this lesser region completely so he must be weakened. Perhaps if Li Cheng caught up to him quickly the battle could be contained enough to happen in civilized lands.
With a heavy heart Li Cheng set his resolve and chased Teng Hanying, hoping to catch him before more innocents died.
The aged eyes of Elder Wuying met him for a long moment, in that gaze Fan Zhong was unable to read even the smallest bit of what the elder was thinking as if the old man was an impenetrable void. Taking a look at the man in front of him Fan Zhong realized just how amazing the elder truly was, even with his advancing age the man in front of him exuded an invisible martial pressure at all times that seemed to suppress all of his surroundings. He had long shoulder-length hair that was pure white with a short white beard to match as well as the piercing golden eyes that were the hallmark of Fan Clan martial artists.
Although one could tell that Elder Wuying was getting on in years, his frame would tell a different story to one that didn't know he was a master realm martial artist. Under his golden martial robes, the lithe yet powerful build of a man that had earned his fame through countless battles lay, even on his face there were small scars that hinted at the countless battles he had undergone. Even still, once one looked past his rough exterior Fan Zhong felt the man in front of him exuded a warm grandfatherly atmosphere that truly made him feel like a child no matter his age.
Beside Elder Wuying Fan Zhong realized another elder was standing still as rain. He was slightly shorter than Fan Wuying however his muscles were larger and his build was in general stockier. From the expression the man gave off, one would think that they were in for a stern beating or had done something wrong. It felt as if the existence of the very air itself was angering the man at the moment with the aura exuding off of him.
Inwardly Fan Zhong groaned as he recognized the man as Zi Bob, father of Zi Bao. The man's expression was stern and even his short-cut hair seemed to stand still as if afraid to offend its master. On occasion Fan Zhong had met Elder Bob before however, this was his first time meeting the man face to face, he had a feeling the delayed assistance of the elders in his fight with the bear had something to do with the man's presence.
"If nephew Zhong says he has a warrior's spirit then it must be so, yes yes," Fan Wuying said while stroking his beard in a thoughtful manner "Quickly, medics tend to Little White. What a shame it would be to lose him to wounds after such a victory" with these last words a smile played on the face of Elder Wuying as if he was telling a joke only he understood.
"Brother Zhong!" A voice sounded from the back of the quickly approaching group of Fan Clan warriors, from the crowd emerged none other than Fan Yong "Thank goodness you're ok, that beast was terrifying! I thought for sure the legend of the two young masters would end this very day!"
Fan Zhong starred with his mouth agape. His friend was truly changed from the last time he had seen him. Gone was the wide fort that supported his tall tower, talked about so frequently in Little Green Bamboo Village. The Fan Yong that stood in front of him was toned and muscled and even seemed to carry himself quickly! Many words were used to describe Fan Yong during his youth however Fan Zhong had never heard anyone use the word quick or fast in the same sentence as his friend.
With most of his excess body weight trimmed Fan Zhong realized that Fan Yong had a robust build that would surely make him excellent when it came to sparing and palm techniques, it seemed that he was not the only one that had been training.
"Brother Yong, how could you question this heaven-defying genius? I merely allowed the beast a few blows to make the fight fair!" Fan Zhong raised his nose far into the sky while adopting a haughty tone, doing his best impression of an arrogant young noble.
"Juniors!" Suddenly a harsh baritone voice broke the joyous reunion of the two friends, Elder Bob leveled a burning glare at each of them.
Fan Zhong deeply felt that if Elder Bob had reached the legendary immortal realm where one could kill with a look they both might be on the way to the afterlife at this point!
"Elder please, Nephew Zhong and little Yong know one another. Meanwhile one has just been through a harsh trial while the other is fresh out of training, surely you can let them have a joyous meeting" Elder Wuying responded in a calm tone, instantly lifting the mood "besides, surely you must be satisfied at this point? If not this old man can only be unkind and ask that you bring further grievances to Brother Long" His words carried a placating tone however there was an undertone of threat hidden inside them as well.
"Hmph, fine. Coddle the younger generation, see if I care when they freeze up during a battle!" With that Elder Bob blurred storming away to the warriors on the out edge of the clearing.
"Elder and Brother Yong please excuse my rudeness however I must get to the side of Little White he needs my assistance" With this Fan Zhong used his staff as a walking stick and slowly started limping towards his companion who was now surrounded by a team of warriors with bags of medical supplies.
Within 3 steps he lost his bearings and almost fell going to one knee while coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Hmph, Little white eh? There you go Brother Zhong finding friends in all the places you go. Come let us greet this small Brother together, Father please excuse us I shall make sure Brother Zhong gets the necessary treatment" As he spoke Fan Yong slung his friend's arm over his shoulder and began helping him walk towards the downed animal.
"See that he does, there has already been more blood spilled here than there needed to be" Elder Wuying responded with a somber tone and began slowly walking over to the corpse of the fallen bear.
Slowly the two young men made their way over to the group of medics. Little by little and step by step, they waded through the rain as it slowly washed away all signs of the battle. Finally, Fan Zhong was able to see the condition of Little White. Immediately an almost translucent small wet figure barreled into his chest knocking him clean over into the forming mud on the ground.
With an amazed expression Fan Zhong stared wide-eyed at the seemingly unhurt Little White. The small wolf was worriedly nuzzling his chest and licking his wounds while whining. Thoughts quickly raced through Fan Zhong's mind as he recalled his small companion not once but twice being shot away like a cannonball by the menacing foe they had faced.
His body had been trained vigorously for the better part of a year to strengthen it, however, a single blow from those deadly paws nearly crushed his ribs. Although spirit beasts were supposed to be stronger than normal animals Little White was a young cub, how had his body survived such attacks? The surrounding warriors looked equally as surprised and a few of them were simply staring with wide-eyed expressions at the tiny wolf while still holding various ointment bottles and wrappings meant for serious wounds.
At this moment Fan Zhong simply laughed and hugged his small companion close to him. The day had simply been too exhausting to continue pondering such secrets, it was enough that Little White seemed to be ok.
"Hmmm, it seems Brother Little White has survived the battle in better condition than you Brother Zhong. First impressions are important so let me reward his valor with a prize" Fan Yong said jovially while pulling an object wrapped in paper from the supply pack on his back.
Once the paper was unwrapped Little White held no ceremony as he pounced on the large piece of aged meat that lay within as Fan Yong set it on the ground. Following this, the others took the medical supplies and started tending to Fan Zhong's wounds. He remembered little of the next few hours as two people carried him on a stretcher laden with blankets and soft pillows. It took only moments for the land of dreams to beckon and soon Fan Zhong was sound asleep.
Meanwhile at the head of the column of warriors Elder's Bob and Wuying were walking together as the vanguard, emitting the aura of master realm martial artists to scare away any beasts.
"So Zi Bob, are you quite satisfied? Or do you need me to leave you alone for a week with Nephew Zhong? I'm sure Brother Long would be most interested to hear about your objections in providing aid to his son." Elder Wuying said with a level tone, however beneath his calm the cold feeling of his threat lingered.
"Hmph, and you would have him coddled? The boy said he wishes to become a proper warrior, to walk the martial path. Who walks the martial path without difficulty? Sooner or later he would face life and death, and at that time there would be no elders watching. Fan Long should be thanking me for continuing his test of resolve to that worthless brat, at least he proved there's a spine in his body if not much talent." Elder Bob replied with clear disdain in his voice, the aura he was giving off intensified as some of his anger and discontent lessened his control.
"And forcing him to take a trial meant for a squad of three wasn't proof enough of his courage? Not only that but I know for a fact that the little beast hunted around that cave several times without attracting the ire of that bear, curious that you were the one who went to watch over it today. I wonder how it just so happened that a pitched battle ensued under your supervision?" Elder Wuying kept his calm tone however the steel in his voice was rising ever so much as he raised his accusations.
"You dare? It is well known that those in line to be clan leader take this trial alone! However, you continue to imply that I attempted to harm a fellow clansman, do you question my honor, Fan Wuying?!?!?!" Elder Bob's aura flared widely causing a cascade of shockwaves to ripple out in all directions, sending the foliage and trees bending outward and even breaking some of the younger bamboo shoots.
Harsh anger followed this outburst as well as barely masked killing intent. Elder Wuying simply looked at his fellow irate elder and with a simple exhale his aura exploded outward. The first shockwave dissipated all of the energy Elder Bob had released. Next, another shockwave simply destroyed everything within three meters of the elder's making a small clearing around them while smothering Elder Bob with an oppressive weight as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
Finally, another burst of pressure slammed down on the elder that had burst out in anger like a sledgehammer pounding the first mountain into his back and knocking him to his knees. All the while Elder Wuying maintained his calm composed gaze fixed on his fellow elder, a golden light flashed deep within the depths of his eyes. Looking in that gaze gave Elder Bob the impression of looking into a boundless storm of boiling rage that was suppressed only by the sheer willpower of the man in front of.
Initially, he had thought he would stand tall even with a core elder of the clan since they were both in the Master realm however Bob knew that he had only recently stepped into the Master Realm while he had no idea how long Elder Wuying had been at this stage. It was clear at the very least from this exchange that Elder Bob was not his match.
"Elder Bob, one should understand the position of an elder. As your senior it seems I have been lax in guiding you to fit your new role, this is understandable as you have been newly elevated since stepping into the master realm last year. Remember that death is fleeting and ephemeral however duty carries the weight of the heavens, right now you are only under a portion of that weight yet it brings you to kneel. As your senior I shall give you a lesson, remember well this weight and ponder on it" Elder Wuying's words crashed down on him in the same level tone he had always used however they boomed in Elder Bob's ears like a crashing waterfall as the Qi used to empower them was enough to level the surroundings for another two meters around them.
With his final world Elder Wuying fell into void gate stance in such a natural and fluid way that those who had observed him struggled to remember the man moving at all, it was as if he had always been standing ready to fight at all times. Suddenly a far more terrifying pressure than the aura Elder Wuying had released gathered on his right palm and in a single fluid motion he struck downward toward the ground without moving forward. At the same time, a large golden palm composed entirely of shimmering Qi appeared above the prone Elder Bob.
The palm was as large as the elder himself and in the moment after it appeared all that could be seen was a golden streak as it descended with speed barely visible to the warriors present. Loud cracks rang out from the ground as the attack caused Elder Bob to be knocked into the ground face first, forming a three-meter deep crater with him at the center. Many of the warriors who were too close to the elders were knocked off their feet from the shockwave that tore out in all directions while even those further away had to grab tall bamboo shoots for support.
Finally when the dust cleared Elder bob weakly got to his knees in the crater with blood running from his mouth, how solemnly put his hands together in a martial salute and bowed the best he could from his kneeling position
"This… j…. Junior thanks senior for the guidance. Junior will engrave this lesson into his very bones" Elder Bob sputtered between rasping breaths and clenched teeth.
It was clear that he was outraged however after receiving such a blow it seemed he lacked the energy to even push his aura outward to express the anger.
"It would be good if you could. The martial path is full of danger, as junior has said. This old man's bones will rest easy if you can truly learn today's lesson, come, the rest of you on your feet. We will march for another two hours before breaking to make camp." With that Elder Wuying calmly walked over to the downed warriors and started helping a few of them to their feet.
Meanwhile, in the City of Wei, a man was staring up a long flight of stairs. The man exuded a commanding aura as his dark blue robes hung loosely on his muscled frame. Long wild black hair streaked with dark azure ran down to the midpoint of the man's back while his face was slender and thin giving one the impression that he was lazy yet sly.
However when he opened his deep azure eyes his face changed, becoming honest and forthright. Slung on his back was a spear with a wide blade that had a small loop at the end of it. This man was Wang Hei, the newly appointed clan leader of the Wang clan.
Today he was standing in front of the palace of Wei to discuss trade throughout the valley. Normally the Wei were not on the best terms with the other clans of the valley as they mostly felt threatened since the Wei could negotiate from a position of power however to prevent open warfare they would normally allow the clans within the Flowing Grass valley some leeway and benefits. Lately, however, they had been imposing severe taxes on both transportation and merchant services that the Wang clan provided as well as the services provided by the other clans.
Things had escalated to the point that minor skirmishes had broken out with Wei clan tax collector groups and Wang Hei had been forced to come here in person to hash out this craziness. Viewing the Wei palace left him feeling disgruntled, all along the long stairway leading to the main hall were banners carrying the Wei crest. These banners and even the trimming of the steps were lined in gold and other expensive materials, even the buildings themselves seemed to be made of some valuable stone and wood!
What right did the Wei have to squeeze the rest of them dry while their palace was ornate with such stairs and when they consisted of not one but three triple-layered lavish pagoda halls? This wasn't even mentioning the vast personal residences and manors he had seen on his way here. Meanwhile, the Wang clan headquarters was a humble two-story pagoda that had simple homes and courtyards surrounding it.
Even he as the clan leader only had a small manor to himself as a personal residence. All of this had already been putting him in a bad mood, however, what made it worse was that when his party of 20 arrived there were asked to wait here at the bottom of the palace steps, the Wei hadn't prepared a waiting hall to receive them! As Wang Hei's anger threatened to spill over after waiting for a whole hour to be received he finally spotted movement at the top of the stairs
Coming down the steps were a group of twenty warriors in two columns with dashing green and gold armor, each sporting an expensive-looking sword on their backs. Their armor was form-fitted and had elaborate inlays making it look like dragon scales that alternated in emerald and gold. The hilts of their swords each had a green gem inlaid into the pommel that exuded Qi constantly. These were some sort of magical treasure and every soldier had one!
This level of spending made Wang Hei froth at the mouth. Truly this newly appointed Wei lord was too brazen to be left alive! With such a show of wealth, it was as if Wang Hei's money had been taken from his hands then used to smack him in the face directly.
"Brother Hua, how kind of you to take the time of day to see me" Wang Hei spat the words at the Lavishly dressed lord as his two-column of soldiers parted way to allow him to walk forward
"Indeed, my kindness knows no bounds speaking to a fisherman peasant like you" Wei Hua responded as if it was the most natural response in the world "Now quick out with it, what have you been barking so loudly about that you must do it directly outside my door"
Wang Hei starred in wide-eyed shock at the brazen arrogance of the young city lord.
"Hmph, it seems the legendary hospitality of the Wei has been fed to the dogs and they have let one of those dogs become a lord. Are these truly the words you meet with someone to negotiate?" Wang Hei spat back at the arrogant young man, barely containing his seething anger.
"My hospitality is not for the likes of peasants to receive, now I give you one more chance mongrel. State your business and stop wasting my time" Wei Hua answered with clear contempt
Wang Hei looked the young Wei clan leader up and down. He was dressed in robes that were similar in design to his soldiers' armor however it seemed like each of the 'scales' that formed the robe was woven from natural treasure fabric. Wei Hei's eyes were piercing emerald green and his hair was black streaked with emeralds similar in color to his eyes and it reached just to his shoulders. On the young man's back was a pair of crossed swords that seemed to exude even greater pressure than those carried by his soldiers.
"You know why I'm here brat. In the past month, your tax collectors have demanded double the amount of taxes on both mercantile trade and income earned through our transport services. Even our fishing trade has seen a 50 percent increase in taxes. The clans report our finances to the Wei and bow the knee as to keep the peace, these rates are simply untenable. Are you looking to start open warfare? Some of the poorer, more isolated villages rely on these services and already some of them are starving as they cannot afford your insane taxes!" Wang Hei could no longer contain himself bursting forth with unbridled anger and spite.
"These lands are mine by birth, this tiny place cannot contain me and are simply my resources to be used. Do you ask your fish how they feel as you collect them for dinner? No, I think not, so too I use my resources as just that resources. It doesn't matter if they are used up as soon I will ascend beyond these petty resources. If you're so noble why don't you try feeding those starving villages for free? There are no taxes on charity" Wei Hua finished his final words with a sneer
"You dare?!??!" Wang Hei roared as he started to draw his spear.
Instantly the pressure of all the guards fell on him and at least five of them drew their swords.
"Hmph come then, show me the power of the Wang clan if you dare" Wei Hua smiled, seeming eager for the exchange to come to blows "You do look quite strong, it might be quite good for my magic treasures to have a taste of your strength.."
A cold chill ran down Wang Hei's spine and he stopped reaching for his weapon.
"There will come a day where you will rue this decision brat, mark my words" With that Wang Hei turned around to leave.
"Truly I wonder when you'll make good on that promise, do make sure to hurry it along or I might simply come harvest you early. I am eager to see the heights of the legendary immortal realms after all" Wei Hua laughed as he watched the receding back of the Wang clan leader
There was something in those words that seemed wrong to Wang Hei however he simply shrugged it off, the Wei lordling was simply raving in his madness. Now was not the time to understand this lunatic, now is the time to gather support and topple him before his mad reign reached too far.
In a distant land, the sky was blotted out by heavenly swords. Hundreds of thousands of them glowed with golden luster over a mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see. Each of these swords hummed with the power to level a city. Inside the array in the sky stood an incredibly handsome youth with pitch-black hair that fell to his waist, in his hands were two swords exuding an ancient aura. One of these swords was spotless white with a midnight black handle and the other had a blade of midnight black with a spotless white handle.
The piercing gaze of the youth seemed to cut through all things as his eyes shared the same characteristics of his swords, one being pitch black and the other pure white. Below the sword array in a valley stood a figure. It was a man dressed in a simple brown martial arts robe with no crest or emblem. The man was quite plain in almost every way with only his dull red eyes being notable.
Everything else from his muddy brown shoulder-length hair to his build seemed as average as could be. However, surrounding this man was the silhouette of a pure white humanoid demon. This demon had six wings, three to each side of its body, and eight arms. It had a lithe frame that was just barely larger than the man standing inside of it and wore the soft delicate face of an angel with a slender horn protruding from the forehead.
Jade white hair trailed down the demon's back to its ankles and it stared up at the youth inside the sword array. Although the silhouette looked nothing like the man inside it moved according to his actions as if he was inside another body piloting it. This demon silhouette was like a thick mist that roiled and writhed within the constraints of its outline making it sometimes appear solid and other times appear almost transparent.
Staring at the writhing mist inside the form too long caused one to start hearing millions upon millions of screaming voices wailing in agony even though no noise was actively coming from the figure. Such an attack from the soul was so powerful it would instantly kill any mortal who looked upon the silhouette.
"Teng 'White Devil' Hanying, today you die. It took years to track you to this desolate lesser territory and all the while I had to watch your villainous acts continue. However now that you came here to cultivate in seclusion, I no longer have to worry about the collateral damage, this lesser infinity sword array covers heaven and earth and there's no escape! Surrender now and kill yourself! Only then will this righteous man allow your soul to enter the cycle of samsara." The youth proclaimed loudly with enough qi to shake the entire surrounding mountain range.
"Hmph, Li Cheng, you think a mere foundation establishment disciple can contain me? Who cares if your Heavenly Infinite Sword Sect is backing you all I have to do is kill you quickly before your babysitters arrive!" Teng Hanying replied in defiance.
Both men glared at each other with enough killing intent to once again cause the surroundings to shake, and within the next moment the white silhouette materialized eight glowing white lances, one in each hand, and shot them into the sky. Four of the lances were aimed directly at Li Cheng while the remaining four went forth in four directions to destroy parts of the sword array. Instantly the entire mountain range the two were standing in was vaporized by the shockwaves of the lances hitting the sword array and a large cloud of dust swirled around Li Cheng's position.
In the sky, huge circular holes appeared in the sword array and none of the glowing swords could be seen on the horizon. However, Teng Hanying's face soon portrayed a grimace of horror as the dust cleared around Li Cheng, and there stood the youth with a few bloody cuts across his face. Other than looking slightly paler the youth seemed just fine however what drew Teng Hanying's eyes was not his opponents' condition but the sheathed sword floating in front of Li Cheng.
His opponent had sheathed his two short swords and instead a single slightly longer sword sheath drifted in front of him exuding a pressure that dwarfed the attack Teng Hanying had just made. Quickly Li Cheng's hands went to the new weapon and he held it vertically with one hand on the sheath the other on the handle in preparation to draw it.
"I… Immortal treasure?!?!? Impossible! Are you crazy? That thing will kill both of us!" Teng Hanying panicked as he saw not only had his opponent drawn such a fearsome magic treasure but the 'lesser infinity sword array' he had thought destroyed had reformed overhead. "With your cultivation base there is no way you have enough mental energy to control that thing, you'll self detonate from the inside! I don't care if you infused it with 100 years of saved mental energy it won't work! Do you hate me so much that you'll die here? What have I ever done to you?!?!?"
Looking around he desperately searched the surroundings for some advantage. Currently, however, Teng Hanying stood in a giant crater that spanned to the horizon, the exchange earlier had completely leveled everything in sight leaving him nowhere to hide.
"What have you ever done to me? That spirit demon avatar you're using is something you refined after absorbing the souls of 10,000,000 mortals. You roamed freely through the lower territories refining city after city of mortals and low-level cultivators all for this pitiful amount of power. I need no reason to judge you. Any righteous path cultivator that met filth like you and stayed their hand deserves execution, and your right 100 years wouldn't be enough. Feel honored ,scum ,this strike took me 1,000 years of infusing this sword to use" With these words, Li Cheng focused his energy.
Instantly the entire sword array that blotted out the sky condensed into the sword in Li Cheng's hands and the world simply turned white for as he drew the sword and made a simple horizontal slash with it.
Hours later Teng Hanying was sputtering as he dragged the up half of what remained of his body across a barren desert while downing healing pill after healing pill. Slowly his body was regenerating as he expended massive amounts of the souls he had absorbed to heal himself. He showed no signs of slowing down as he felt lucky to be alive, that brat Li Cheng had leveled an entire lesser region with that strike just to kill him!
With a heavy heart, he made a decision, through his 4,000 years of cultivation he had set up multiple inheritance grounds to carry on his legacy through post mortem disciples. Each had a city refining array setup around a country of mortals. It pained him to cut off a chance for his legacy to live on however there was no choice, he would head to the nearest one and use this array to replenish a small part of his collection of souls.
Li Cheng roared in rage as he consulted the divination treasure that he had used to track Teng Hanying to this desolate lesser territory. Somehow that demon had gotten away! Worry quickly suffused his heart.
At first, he had only accepted this assignment to earn the reward of becoming a core disciple of the Heavenly Infinite Sword Sect however after observing Teng Hanying for the past 100 years it became clear that he was a true menace to the world. After so long he had finally cornered the old demon in a desolate lesser region that had been left feral in some long-forgotten war. This had been his best chance to finish him off and he even used the sword his master gifted him to make sure the deed was done, it had taken him 1,000 years to even store up enough mental energy in the sword to even use it without exploding!
Who would've known the slippery man had a secret technique to directly burn souls to teleport away. Sighing Li Cheng prepared to begin chasing the Teng Hanying once again. That secret technique must have burnt the vast majority of the souls he absorbed to get him out of this lesser region completely so he must be weakened. Perhaps if Li Cheng caught up to him quickly the battle could be contained enough to happen in civilized lands.
With a heavy heart Li Cheng set his resolve and chased Teng Hanying, hoping to catch him before more innocents died.
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both of them are at foundation establishment so definitely stronger, current Xing Zheng is at the peak of Qi condensation. These two most likely somewhere in the middle with both being able to surge to stronger strengths with their secret techniques ( Li Cheng's immortal treasure and Teng Hanying's demonic soul absorbing stuff) so I would say Xing Zheng has a bit to go before he can match them. for reference cultivation levels go
Mortal: third-grade martial artist > Second-grade martial artist > First-grade martial artist > Master martial artist > Grandmaster martial artist > Supreme Grandmaster martial artist
Spirit: Qi Condensation > Foundation establishment > Core formation > Nascent Soul > Supreme Unity
Immortal: Spoilers
the reason there are mortal realms is that it always rubbed me the wrong way wuxia levels of power are skipped over by xanxia and someone meditates for a day with a manual and suddenly they are stronger than any mortal no matter the training. Such the mortal stages serve to make one a uber skilled mortal before being allowed to start going through the spirit and immortal realms, I still wanted the traditional 9 realms that exist above the mortal realms so those fit closely ( spoiler if you're doing the math that means there are 4 immortal stages) most cultivation sources stay consistent up to nascent soul and diverge there so I followed that format. hopefully this provides some context!
in many cultivation stories yes, however they also give those same qi condensation level cultivators obscene levels or power, basically skipping over the process of learning mundane martial arts and perfecting it so that one can start getting stronger, this is typically delinated in the 'wuxia' stories where martial artist get to only around city level at the peak and spend a lot of time being weaker were as in "xanxia" people just start at qi condensation and skip mundane training all together. the extra mortal stages I added when I was setting up my world build are meant to act as a gap between these and as such qi condensation gets to truly feel like an immortal cultivation stage instead of this weird stage that rapid skips mundane training. for reference qi condensation cultivators in this setting have 5,000 years of life span. a lot of this world building I planned out things that either address small nit picks I had while reading stories ( that I mostly otherwise enjoyed ) or just changes I made to make things fall in line with the rest of the setting I wanted to craft
Part 1. Ch 14. Means to an end
Fan Zhong awoke to the arousing smell of fresh meats and cooked vegetables wafting into his nose. Opening his eyes greeted him to the site of a plain-looking ceiling with shifting candlelight dancing in slow lazy patterns. It took a moment but he recalled the clan warriors carrying him on a stretcher through the forest after his battle with that malicious bear.
Just thinking of the fight caused his wounds to flare with pain and so Fan Zhong decided to set those thoughts aside and lifted his head to look around the room he was in. The bed he lay on was pressed against the center of the wall directly opposite the entrance and a square table sat at the center of the room surrounded by four chairs. Although not extravagant the table seemed to be made from solid wood and was trimmed in jade green with a dark hue to the wood itself.
Looking around the chairs seemed to share the same aesthetic as both were carved in pleasant curving lines that gave off the aura of an excellent craftsman. Sitting at the table were two people that Fan Zhong soon realized were Fan Yong and Fan Wuying who were casually chatting while they ate strips of meat and vegetables with a steaming bowl of broth to the side. Saliva quickly coated the inside of his mouth and he realized that having slept through most of the trek to what seemed like an inn had probably left him without food for quite some time.
Eagerness superseded common sense and Fan Zhong tried to quickly set himself up in the small one-person bed only to quickly fall back down while shouting in pain as the wound in his shoulder shot a lance of pure pain into him.
"Brother Zhong, how are you supposed to stand as the tall tower when you can't even support such a little weight? Truly it seems the heaven-defying genius is no more" Fan Yong said as he looked over first in alarm before smiling when he realized his friend was simply in pain
A loud whack could be heard as Fan Yong recoiled slightly before looking back at Elder Wuying with an expression of someone who had been wronged.
"Hmph, stop that nonsense Little Yong, can't you see that Nephew Zhong is still on the mend? Don't tease him into reopening those wounds, and Nephew Zhong please keep still. I have no idea what I would tell Brother Long if you were permanently injured. We were already worried enough as it was, thankfully such a good doctor was visiting Butont. The heavens were truly on our side this time." Elder Wuying chided Fan Yong while keeping his ever calm tone and demeanor.
"Tease what… you just like hitting me. Even making me train without wine or the entertainment halls.." Fan Yong complained, continuing to act as the innocent party while rubbing his cheek.
"And? Do you mean to tell me it is fair for you to galavant and play while Nephew Zhong is progressing so much? Little Yong, this old man's bones won't rest easy if you can't take care of yourself" Elder Wuying sighed, slight amounts of forlornness seeming to seep through his ever-present atmosphere of poise and calm.
"Huh? Father, of course, you can rest easy! If this lout can learn so much so quickly then surely I can, and what do you mean rest easy? Your decades from even old age for someone of your realm, please refrain from saying such ominous things, the heavens have ears you know" Fan Yong's attitude quickly changed, becoming filial and worried at the same moment.
Fan Zhong stared blankly at the two, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fan Yong had always been good at acting the innocent party and inciting guilt in one's heart and Fan Zhong thought his friend quite adept at this skill. However, it seemed that this talent was not wholly his own but simply one inherited from the greater talent of Elder Wuying! The old man had caused the stubborn Fan Yong to change his tune in only a single sentence, truly terrifying!
"Lout? Is the rolling turtle of Little Green Bamboo village truly saying I am lazy? I seem to recall one even Little Ning at the Soft Moonlight Hall saying that because you lacked motion she had to… owwwww!" Fan Zhong cried out as a beanstalk struck him directly in the forehead.
"Ahem…. Father, Brother Zhong doesn't know what he's talking about. Your son of course only goes to such places to placate the lavish tastes of this lazy young master, I would never partake of the products of such a place. Wasteful! Too wasteful I say!" Fan Yong's face scrunched up in embarrassment while his eyes shot a hateful glare at his friend.
"Haha!" Elder Wuying's boisterous laughter caused both youths to look at him like they had seen a ghost, to see such a display from this usually calm elder was truly a rare sight! "As if you can resist the urges of nature more than any man Little Yong, however, you might find your little fairies hard to keep if your stamina keeps failing!"
At these words, even Fan Zhong's face started to redden and Fan Yong's gaze turned down to the floor as thoughts of how to escape such an awkward conversation churned in his head. It was at this moment Fan Zhong decided to save his friend from the pool of despair, he figured this dunk into those trepid waters had been enough payback.
"Elder, you said that we are in Butont? That's quite far from Little Green Bamboo Village, just how long was I unconscious for me to be carried to a testing grounds here?" Fan Zhong with growing curiosity.
From what he remembered Butont was a village that was located on the southeastern side of the valley. It was supposed to be a month-long journey from his home even by boat down the river. His elder brother had taught him about many places within the valley during their lessons this last year and Butont had been noteworthy enough to be mentioned.
For around 50 years this village had been run by the Rong clan, with the current village leader being Du Rong who was at the peak of the first-grade realm, however, it tended to change leadership often. Butont itself had been around for a few hundred years and was home to many minor clans that didn't own enough territory to have an entire village to themselves. Some even called Butont the hidden city of the Flowing Grass Valley as its population was quite a bit higher than most villages due to so many clans living there.
Within the dozens of clans, various squabbles existed; however, the ten strongest clans had long ago formed a council and each of the ten had a representative on that council. For day-to-day operations the village leader took care of them, serving for most mundane administrative functions. However when Butont needed to make a major decision on laws, taxes, or any other important choice they would hold a council meeting to vote on it.
With this split of power and surprising openness, compared to villages run by single clans who tended to be a bit more closed-minded about their traditions and rules, the village had flourished as a trading hub. They had even attracted many of the unaffiliated martial artists in the area and it was popular for wandering martial artists that were getting on in years to settle in the area to open various schools and sects. According to Fan Cheng, one of the only reasons that Butont had not become a sprawling city that ruled the area was suppression from the already existing super forces that enclosed the valley.
Both the Wei, who controlled the mouth of the Flowing Grass River as it entered the valley, and the Deng, who controlled the river as it exited the valley and the vast plains beyond, saw Butont as one of the several forces with enough potential to threaten their rule over the area. So throughout the last few hundred years, they had mutually agreed to enact harsh taxes and trade restrictions upon the village to make sure its power and influence never passed a certain point. This led to Butont being a hub of inter-clan activities and meetings for those that lived in the valley but also lacking the means to have much contact with trade routes and supplies outside the valley.
Interestingly enough Fan Zhong had also learned that the last major war that happened in the Flowing Grass Valley, which his grandfather had died in, was related to Butont. The Jie, one of the ten clans apart of the Butont council at the time, had been fed up being suppressed by the Wei and Deng and had allied with every powerful clan they could to rebel against this suppression. They had made a deal with the Wei that they would receive 50% of the war spoils if they stayed out of the conflict and then amassed an army to destroy the Deng clan.
Deng clan mounted archers had harried the army all through the plains; however, the united army did manage to get to the City of a Thousand Rings, the capital of the Deng clan. Hope had surged in the hearts of the united clan army as this city was the power base of the Deng clan and if they could siege it the mounted archers of the Deng would have nowhere to resupply and could only abandon these lands, something that would ensure the victory of the united clan army. At that moment, however, an ancestor with a terrifying aura had walked out in front of the army alone, carrying a bow with no quiver and only wearing a simple martial arts robe bearing the Deng clan emblem of a white dragon launching from the bowstring of a pitch-black bow set on top of a jade green sun.
In a flash that terrifying master had drawn his bowstring and shot what seemed like a single time; however, in the sky, thousands of wind arrows shimmering with Qi appeared. One had to know that the united clan army was made of various experts and all of them erected Qi barriers and defenses of their own while throwing out a storm of attacks to kill the lone bowman. The ground rumbled and the sky quaked as an army of experts ranging from second grade to the few generals at the grandmaster rank attacked and charged to enter melee with the solitary figure. Headless of all this the wind arrows tore through defenses that were hard enough to make steel look like paper and slew the united clan army in the thousands.
These experts were insanely fast and could cover hundreds of meters in just a few seconds, however before they closed even half the distance, the terrifying expert had repeated his technique to summon a storm of wind arrows over a hundred times. When all was said and done only a handful of experts even made it through this storm of attacks, of the original 100,000 man army only 100 remained. What happened when the remaining experts engaged that archer is unknown however in the aftermath of the battle the outer 500 layers of the huge City of a Thousand rings were destroyed, obliterating the western half of the city, and no one from the united clan army lived.
A month later Deng clan experts hunted down every last man, woman, and child of the Jie clan, eradicating their bloodline from history. No one knows who the terrifying expert was however some think it was a mythical Supreme Grandmaster expert and so the idea that the Deng clan has a hidden Supreme Grandmaster ancestor living in seclusion became incredibly popular. After that, no one in Butont had ever mentioned rebelling against the Wei or Deng clans ever again.
During the last hundred years, they had silently replaced the Jie clan on the council and mostly been content being a melting pot of ideas and clans, a place where new ideas flourish. Fan Zhong had even had dreams one day of performing his music in one of the many concert venues in this place. Thinking of it, his music had improved substantially after incorporating his life experiences into it; perhaps his trial taking place nearby was a sign from the heavens.
"Indeed Nephew Zhong Butont is usually at least a month away from home" Elder Wuying replied having regained his calm tone and demeanor however a smile still lingered on his lips "however Brother Long wanted to personally make sure there was no delay in you passing this trail. He carried you here using his qi strengthening to bound through the canopy of the forest, you should know Brother Long is quite skilled at movement. With a few energy restoring pills he brought you here in a little over a day and personally watched over you for a month and a half while I gathered your examination group. You should have seen him, it has been quite some time since I've seen Brother Long push himself so hard physically but he took it in stride and was barely worn out after running here with no sleep"
Inwardly Fan Zhong blanched, his father had personally taken over a month of his time to watch his trial? That meant that he had seen the shameful fight against Little Whites' mother as well. Conflicting emotions mixed in his stomach as he felt shame from not performing better but an immense feeling of warmth from receiving so much personal attention from his father.
"It had been a while since I had seen clan leader Long but something is bothering me father, he looked extremely troubled when he left. Is something wrong in the valley? What could cause someone so powerful to be worried?" Fan Yong added in a questioning voice very happy to be moving onto a different topic.
"Honestly I'm not quite sure myself, it seems to be related to the reports the observers delivered to him however we had no time to discuss as he left quickly upon our arrival. In any case, how are your wounds feeling? Originally this exam group was supposed to observe a squad of three warriors in training taking this trial as a group, that being you, Little Yong, and Su Lin who is from one of the branch families. However after some… objections… Brother Long agreed to have you take this trial alone as is tradition for mainline clan members. That does leave Little Yong and Su Lin having not taken their trial though. As much as I would like you to remain in the exam observation group Nephew Zhong I feel it prudent to take you home to start recovering before proceeding. This way we can also choose another young clan member to serve the third position as well." Elder Wuying explained
"So to say in so many words, my presence is delaying things elder?" Fan Zhong asked, more so as a formality rather than needing confirmation
"I would never say Nephew Zhong's presence is a burden per se. However, it does seem like the original timetable for this exam will need to be extended due to the current circumstances." Elder Wuying confirmed with a small sigh
"Understood," Fan Zhong said as he groaned getting to his feet gritting his teeth in pain the whole way up
Quickly Elder Wuying and Fan Yong stood up and tried to rush over to him afraid he would fall over, however it turned out there was no need as Fan Zhong slowly limped the few steps he needed to arrive at the nearest chair and sat down.
"Food speeds up recovery or so I'm told, you'll have to forgive me for being rude Elder, and not standing on ceremony. Please understand this is all to delay you as little as possible" Fan Zhong could barely finish his words before he ravenously dug into the food in front of him
"Wounded? What wounded? Simply looks like a pig that wishes to stuff its face to me. Father, it seems this one is as healthy as Little White, quickly throw him into the forest again as someone has replaced my best friend with a demon from the abyss!" Fan Yong laughed loudly and slapped his friends' back good-naturedly.
Fan Zhong could only groan in pain and endure as he stole several strips of meat off his friend's plate in retribution and continued to eat.
"Truly the appetite of a young hero, Little Yong, you could learn something from him" Elder Wuying's belly laugh carried through the room and smiles showed on the face of all three men.
It didn't take long before Fan Zhong had finished the meal that had been at the table, having ordered a second one before he even finished the first! Quickly jovial banter overtook the group and they spoke of small things while quipping back and forth. Fan Zhong felt truly at peace in a way he hadn't in over a year since he started training.
This too it seemed should be a part of his path, getting stronger was nice however what use was it if you couldn't come back to friends like this and enjoy life? He no longer thought the martial path was truly a waste but he was also determined that the martial path would be a means to an end. It would not encompass his life as it had for so many others, leading him to throw away this wonderful feeling of camaraderie for power. As long as he had such wonderful people to come back to, who cared about upturning the heavens?
Early the next morning Fan Zhong awoke feeling refreshed and invigorated, the meal and afternoon with Fan Yong replenished his body and soul! Although his wounds still ached like crazy it was endurable, at least within the level of 'durable' he had come to expect training under his brother. With his renewed energy he informed Elder Wuying looking to have them set out today as to waste no time.
Elder Wuying would have none of it however and told him that he would have to rest at least three more days before they would set off, besides the boat had already been booked. During this time Fan Zhong spent most of it doing light exercise with Little White or catching up with Fan Yong. The latter was much harder to do than the first day as now that he was up and walking Fan Yong had to focus on his upcoming trial. It truly shocked him that his portly cousin had shaped up and adjusted to martial training.
Upon observing his training for a day though Fan Zhong wondered if it could truly be called 'training' at least by the standards of his elder brother. What Yong was doing was akin to the level of training that he received during his first week in the cliffside training ground with Fan Cheng. It was physically taxing and would cause one to feel tired afterward however it truly lacked the utter bone draining exhaustion and bruises that came with the level of training he had received after voluntarily undergoing the ordeal.
He was surprised to learn though that Fan Yong had been doing this type of training for five years and as such he had taken the appropriate amount of time needed for this 'normal' training method to be effective. Apparently Elder Wuying had been making Fan Yong slowly take more time away from his arts pursuits and use that time for training, hence why Fan Zhong had never seen him train as this was time they both usually spent apart honing their arts at home. After observing Fan Yong and Su Lin do the Two palms Shifting Heaven and Earth drill a few times he had to say both of them were decently skilled.
Although he had no metric to measure how well he would do against someone closer to his skill level, thanks to Fan Cheng's 'sagely palms of tutelage' pummeling him with no mercy, Fan Zhong imagined that he would have a hard time winning more than 50% of the time against either of them. Quickly after he was found in the training courtyards the inn had rented them he was ushered away by Elder Wuying, he was afraid that Fan Zhong would be too eager to start sparring and further delay their trip which he supposed was a reasonable worry. The remainder of Fan Zhong's time in Butont was peaceful and he wrote several songs for his lute that he felt came out nicely, however he lacked his lute to play them.
He had thought about borrowing Fan Yong's however that felt wrong somehow. In the end, he could only wait until he got home to play them. Going home turned out to be rather uneventful as they boarded their ship and were soon rowing upstream towards Little Green Bamboo village.
Upon arriving at home Fan Zhong was greeted with a surprise, that being his little brother and sister patiently waiting to see him.
"Elder Brother!" Fan Jia shouted as he ran up to hug Fan Zhong "you were gone so long and Eldest Brother and Father wouldn't say where you had gone!" the young boy whined with a slightly hurt expression as if someone had wronged him by sneaking away to do something exceedingly fun without him.
'If only you knew little Jia… Although with your personality maybe you would have found all of that fun' Fan Zhong thought inwardly while rolling his eyes
Taking a look at his younger brother Fan Zhong could only sigh considering how much he looked like the spitting image of their father. Fan Jia was young so he lacked much of the stoic aura and chiseled features of Fan Long however the unmistakable hallmarks of classical handsomeness and his dark black hair were a perfect match. Currently, the youth was only 11 years old, even younger than Jingyi, however, it wouldn't be long before Fan Zhong would have to hide all the jade beauties from this little brat lest he take them all for himself!
"Hahaha, that's because it was a secret Little brother. Father and Eldest Brother know you're such a heaven-defying talent that you would destroy all obstacles and find all secrets for your dear Elder brother if you were given a chance to help. Therefore they must throw me in without your aid to leave some scraps for your poor talentless elder brother" Fan Zhong replied in while laughing
"Talentless you say? Last I heard you were a heaven-defying genius, destroying higher realm martial artists with one hand while wooing all the ladies of the Soft Moonlight Hall with the other" a soft voice that seemed to ring in Fan Zhong's mind sounded from behind his little brother.
Although Fan Zhong had seen his little sister waiting when he descended from the riverboat the sound of her voice caught him off guard as she had been so quiet in her approach he almost forgot she was there. What was even more shocking was the numbing effect of her voice seemed to be a passive effect, an indication that her ability with mental Qi-based techniques was reaching an absurd level for her age. Although she was too low realm to generate her own Qi, that was something only master realm martial artists or higher could do, core disciples of the observers like her were required to constantly wear magical treasures aligned to mind Qi that they could control with mental energy to use the Qi of the magical treasure.
In this way, even an observer under the master realm could activate a mental Qi technique if only in an incredibly weakened form.
"Little Sister, more and more every day you become one of the fairies of legends. It makes me afraid that at any point you'll eclipse the heavens themself and they will snatch you away due to envy" Fan Zhong replied with feigned worry after a brief pause having regained his wits from the slight brush of mental Qi
"Hmph, Elder Brother you can at least act as if it worked. I thought I had it that time, but mom says you'd stare at me like an idiot for at least five seconds if it worked. Perhaps it's hard to tell on you since you're always half in that state already?" Fan Jingyi giggled as she replied in a high pitched happy tone more fitting her age, quickly the young girl wrapped her arms around both of her brothers not seeming to notice that Fan Jia was indeed still in a daze from her technique
Fan Zhong figured that the motivation for her would be good and chose to refrain from correcting her on the effectiveness of the technique, besides with how much mischief she liked to cause when they were younger perhaps it was good to delay her being able to stupify people on command. Fan Zhong took a deep breath and smiled at his siblings he realized with everything happening over the last year they had barely spoken since his warrior ceremony and he was simply overjoyed to have time to spend with them. He even forgot about playing the songs he wrote and simply spent the rest of the day playing small games and catching up with Fan Jinyi and Fan Jia.
That night when Fan Zhong retired to go to bed he chose to go to the mediation hut that had served as his home for the last year, there he made a calligraphy piece that seemed to contain everything that had happened in the year from his changes in perspective to new gains and everything in between. Fan Zhong felt that although much had happened this was only the first step in his life, he couldn't wait to find out what awaited him next.
Just thinking of the fight caused his wounds to flare with pain and so Fan Zhong decided to set those thoughts aside and lifted his head to look around the room he was in. The bed he lay on was pressed against the center of the wall directly opposite the entrance and a square table sat at the center of the room surrounded by four chairs. Although not extravagant the table seemed to be made from solid wood and was trimmed in jade green with a dark hue to the wood itself.
Looking around the chairs seemed to share the same aesthetic as both were carved in pleasant curving lines that gave off the aura of an excellent craftsman. Sitting at the table were two people that Fan Zhong soon realized were Fan Yong and Fan Wuying who were casually chatting while they ate strips of meat and vegetables with a steaming bowl of broth to the side. Saliva quickly coated the inside of his mouth and he realized that having slept through most of the trek to what seemed like an inn had probably left him without food for quite some time.
Eagerness superseded common sense and Fan Zhong tried to quickly set himself up in the small one-person bed only to quickly fall back down while shouting in pain as the wound in his shoulder shot a lance of pure pain into him.
"Brother Zhong, how are you supposed to stand as the tall tower when you can't even support such a little weight? Truly it seems the heaven-defying genius is no more" Fan Yong said as he looked over first in alarm before smiling when he realized his friend was simply in pain
A loud whack could be heard as Fan Yong recoiled slightly before looking back at Elder Wuying with an expression of someone who had been wronged.
"Hmph, stop that nonsense Little Yong, can't you see that Nephew Zhong is still on the mend? Don't tease him into reopening those wounds, and Nephew Zhong please keep still. I have no idea what I would tell Brother Long if you were permanently injured. We were already worried enough as it was, thankfully such a good doctor was visiting Butont. The heavens were truly on our side this time." Elder Wuying chided Fan Yong while keeping his ever calm tone and demeanor.
"Tease what… you just like hitting me. Even making me train without wine or the entertainment halls.." Fan Yong complained, continuing to act as the innocent party while rubbing his cheek.
"And? Do you mean to tell me it is fair for you to galavant and play while Nephew Zhong is progressing so much? Little Yong, this old man's bones won't rest easy if you can't take care of yourself" Elder Wuying sighed, slight amounts of forlornness seeming to seep through his ever-present atmosphere of poise and calm.
"Huh? Father, of course, you can rest easy! If this lout can learn so much so quickly then surely I can, and what do you mean rest easy? Your decades from even old age for someone of your realm, please refrain from saying such ominous things, the heavens have ears you know" Fan Yong's attitude quickly changed, becoming filial and worried at the same moment.
Fan Zhong stared blankly at the two, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fan Yong had always been good at acting the innocent party and inciting guilt in one's heart and Fan Zhong thought his friend quite adept at this skill. However, it seemed that this talent was not wholly his own but simply one inherited from the greater talent of Elder Wuying! The old man had caused the stubborn Fan Yong to change his tune in only a single sentence, truly terrifying!
"Lout? Is the rolling turtle of Little Green Bamboo village truly saying I am lazy? I seem to recall one even Little Ning at the Soft Moonlight Hall saying that because you lacked motion she had to… owwwww!" Fan Zhong cried out as a beanstalk struck him directly in the forehead.
"Ahem…. Father, Brother Zhong doesn't know what he's talking about. Your son of course only goes to such places to placate the lavish tastes of this lazy young master, I would never partake of the products of such a place. Wasteful! Too wasteful I say!" Fan Yong's face scrunched up in embarrassment while his eyes shot a hateful glare at his friend.
"Haha!" Elder Wuying's boisterous laughter caused both youths to look at him like they had seen a ghost, to see such a display from this usually calm elder was truly a rare sight! "As if you can resist the urges of nature more than any man Little Yong, however, you might find your little fairies hard to keep if your stamina keeps failing!"
At these words, even Fan Zhong's face started to redden and Fan Yong's gaze turned down to the floor as thoughts of how to escape such an awkward conversation churned in his head. It was at this moment Fan Zhong decided to save his friend from the pool of despair, he figured this dunk into those trepid waters had been enough payback.
"Elder, you said that we are in Butont? That's quite far from Little Green Bamboo Village, just how long was I unconscious for me to be carried to a testing grounds here?" Fan Zhong with growing curiosity.
From what he remembered Butont was a village that was located on the southeastern side of the valley. It was supposed to be a month-long journey from his home even by boat down the river. His elder brother had taught him about many places within the valley during their lessons this last year and Butont had been noteworthy enough to be mentioned.
For around 50 years this village had been run by the Rong clan, with the current village leader being Du Rong who was at the peak of the first-grade realm, however, it tended to change leadership often. Butont itself had been around for a few hundred years and was home to many minor clans that didn't own enough territory to have an entire village to themselves. Some even called Butont the hidden city of the Flowing Grass Valley as its population was quite a bit higher than most villages due to so many clans living there.
Within the dozens of clans, various squabbles existed; however, the ten strongest clans had long ago formed a council and each of the ten had a representative on that council. For day-to-day operations the village leader took care of them, serving for most mundane administrative functions. However when Butont needed to make a major decision on laws, taxes, or any other important choice they would hold a council meeting to vote on it.
With this split of power and surprising openness, compared to villages run by single clans who tended to be a bit more closed-minded about their traditions and rules, the village had flourished as a trading hub. They had even attracted many of the unaffiliated martial artists in the area and it was popular for wandering martial artists that were getting on in years to settle in the area to open various schools and sects. According to Fan Cheng, one of the only reasons that Butont had not become a sprawling city that ruled the area was suppression from the already existing super forces that enclosed the valley.
Both the Wei, who controlled the mouth of the Flowing Grass River as it entered the valley, and the Deng, who controlled the river as it exited the valley and the vast plains beyond, saw Butont as one of the several forces with enough potential to threaten their rule over the area. So throughout the last few hundred years, they had mutually agreed to enact harsh taxes and trade restrictions upon the village to make sure its power and influence never passed a certain point. This led to Butont being a hub of inter-clan activities and meetings for those that lived in the valley but also lacking the means to have much contact with trade routes and supplies outside the valley.
Interestingly enough Fan Zhong had also learned that the last major war that happened in the Flowing Grass Valley, which his grandfather had died in, was related to Butont. The Jie, one of the ten clans apart of the Butont council at the time, had been fed up being suppressed by the Wei and Deng and had allied with every powerful clan they could to rebel against this suppression. They had made a deal with the Wei that they would receive 50% of the war spoils if they stayed out of the conflict and then amassed an army to destroy the Deng clan.
Deng clan mounted archers had harried the army all through the plains; however, the united army did manage to get to the City of a Thousand Rings, the capital of the Deng clan. Hope had surged in the hearts of the united clan army as this city was the power base of the Deng clan and if they could siege it the mounted archers of the Deng would have nowhere to resupply and could only abandon these lands, something that would ensure the victory of the united clan army. At that moment, however, an ancestor with a terrifying aura had walked out in front of the army alone, carrying a bow with no quiver and only wearing a simple martial arts robe bearing the Deng clan emblem of a white dragon launching from the bowstring of a pitch-black bow set on top of a jade green sun.
In a flash that terrifying master had drawn his bowstring and shot what seemed like a single time; however, in the sky, thousands of wind arrows shimmering with Qi appeared. One had to know that the united clan army was made of various experts and all of them erected Qi barriers and defenses of their own while throwing out a storm of attacks to kill the lone bowman. The ground rumbled and the sky quaked as an army of experts ranging from second grade to the few generals at the grandmaster rank attacked and charged to enter melee with the solitary figure. Headless of all this the wind arrows tore through defenses that were hard enough to make steel look like paper and slew the united clan army in the thousands.
These experts were insanely fast and could cover hundreds of meters in just a few seconds, however before they closed even half the distance, the terrifying expert had repeated his technique to summon a storm of wind arrows over a hundred times. When all was said and done only a handful of experts even made it through this storm of attacks, of the original 100,000 man army only 100 remained. What happened when the remaining experts engaged that archer is unknown however in the aftermath of the battle the outer 500 layers of the huge City of a Thousand rings were destroyed, obliterating the western half of the city, and no one from the united clan army lived.
A month later Deng clan experts hunted down every last man, woman, and child of the Jie clan, eradicating their bloodline from history. No one knows who the terrifying expert was however some think it was a mythical Supreme Grandmaster expert and so the idea that the Deng clan has a hidden Supreme Grandmaster ancestor living in seclusion became incredibly popular. After that, no one in Butont had ever mentioned rebelling against the Wei or Deng clans ever again.
During the last hundred years, they had silently replaced the Jie clan on the council and mostly been content being a melting pot of ideas and clans, a place where new ideas flourish. Fan Zhong had even had dreams one day of performing his music in one of the many concert venues in this place. Thinking of it, his music had improved substantially after incorporating his life experiences into it; perhaps his trial taking place nearby was a sign from the heavens.
"Indeed Nephew Zhong Butont is usually at least a month away from home" Elder Wuying replied having regained his calm tone and demeanor however a smile still lingered on his lips "however Brother Long wanted to personally make sure there was no delay in you passing this trail. He carried you here using his qi strengthening to bound through the canopy of the forest, you should know Brother Long is quite skilled at movement. With a few energy restoring pills he brought you here in a little over a day and personally watched over you for a month and a half while I gathered your examination group. You should have seen him, it has been quite some time since I've seen Brother Long push himself so hard physically but he took it in stride and was barely worn out after running here with no sleep"
Inwardly Fan Zhong blanched, his father had personally taken over a month of his time to watch his trial? That meant that he had seen the shameful fight against Little Whites' mother as well. Conflicting emotions mixed in his stomach as he felt shame from not performing better but an immense feeling of warmth from receiving so much personal attention from his father.
"It had been a while since I had seen clan leader Long but something is bothering me father, he looked extremely troubled when he left. Is something wrong in the valley? What could cause someone so powerful to be worried?" Fan Yong added in a questioning voice very happy to be moving onto a different topic.
"Honestly I'm not quite sure myself, it seems to be related to the reports the observers delivered to him however we had no time to discuss as he left quickly upon our arrival. In any case, how are your wounds feeling? Originally this exam group was supposed to observe a squad of three warriors in training taking this trial as a group, that being you, Little Yong, and Su Lin who is from one of the branch families. However after some… objections… Brother Long agreed to have you take this trial alone as is tradition for mainline clan members. That does leave Little Yong and Su Lin having not taken their trial though. As much as I would like you to remain in the exam observation group Nephew Zhong I feel it prudent to take you home to start recovering before proceeding. This way we can also choose another young clan member to serve the third position as well." Elder Wuying explained
"So to say in so many words, my presence is delaying things elder?" Fan Zhong asked, more so as a formality rather than needing confirmation
"I would never say Nephew Zhong's presence is a burden per se. However, it does seem like the original timetable for this exam will need to be extended due to the current circumstances." Elder Wuying confirmed with a small sigh
"Understood," Fan Zhong said as he groaned getting to his feet gritting his teeth in pain the whole way up
Quickly Elder Wuying and Fan Yong stood up and tried to rush over to him afraid he would fall over, however it turned out there was no need as Fan Zhong slowly limped the few steps he needed to arrive at the nearest chair and sat down.
"Food speeds up recovery or so I'm told, you'll have to forgive me for being rude Elder, and not standing on ceremony. Please understand this is all to delay you as little as possible" Fan Zhong could barely finish his words before he ravenously dug into the food in front of him
"Wounded? What wounded? Simply looks like a pig that wishes to stuff its face to me. Father, it seems this one is as healthy as Little White, quickly throw him into the forest again as someone has replaced my best friend with a demon from the abyss!" Fan Yong laughed loudly and slapped his friends' back good-naturedly.
Fan Zhong could only groan in pain and endure as he stole several strips of meat off his friend's plate in retribution and continued to eat.
"Truly the appetite of a young hero, Little Yong, you could learn something from him" Elder Wuying's belly laugh carried through the room and smiles showed on the face of all three men.
It didn't take long before Fan Zhong had finished the meal that had been at the table, having ordered a second one before he even finished the first! Quickly jovial banter overtook the group and they spoke of small things while quipping back and forth. Fan Zhong felt truly at peace in a way he hadn't in over a year since he started training.
This too it seemed should be a part of his path, getting stronger was nice however what use was it if you couldn't come back to friends like this and enjoy life? He no longer thought the martial path was truly a waste but he was also determined that the martial path would be a means to an end. It would not encompass his life as it had for so many others, leading him to throw away this wonderful feeling of camaraderie for power. As long as he had such wonderful people to come back to, who cared about upturning the heavens?
Early the next morning Fan Zhong awoke feeling refreshed and invigorated, the meal and afternoon with Fan Yong replenished his body and soul! Although his wounds still ached like crazy it was endurable, at least within the level of 'durable' he had come to expect training under his brother. With his renewed energy he informed Elder Wuying looking to have them set out today as to waste no time.
Elder Wuying would have none of it however and told him that he would have to rest at least three more days before they would set off, besides the boat had already been booked. During this time Fan Zhong spent most of it doing light exercise with Little White or catching up with Fan Yong. The latter was much harder to do than the first day as now that he was up and walking Fan Yong had to focus on his upcoming trial. It truly shocked him that his portly cousin had shaped up and adjusted to martial training.
Upon observing his training for a day though Fan Zhong wondered if it could truly be called 'training' at least by the standards of his elder brother. What Yong was doing was akin to the level of training that he received during his first week in the cliffside training ground with Fan Cheng. It was physically taxing and would cause one to feel tired afterward however it truly lacked the utter bone draining exhaustion and bruises that came with the level of training he had received after voluntarily undergoing the ordeal.
He was surprised to learn though that Fan Yong had been doing this type of training for five years and as such he had taken the appropriate amount of time needed for this 'normal' training method to be effective. Apparently Elder Wuying had been making Fan Yong slowly take more time away from his arts pursuits and use that time for training, hence why Fan Zhong had never seen him train as this was time they both usually spent apart honing their arts at home. After observing Fan Yong and Su Lin do the Two palms Shifting Heaven and Earth drill a few times he had to say both of them were decently skilled.
Although he had no metric to measure how well he would do against someone closer to his skill level, thanks to Fan Cheng's 'sagely palms of tutelage' pummeling him with no mercy, Fan Zhong imagined that he would have a hard time winning more than 50% of the time against either of them. Quickly after he was found in the training courtyards the inn had rented them he was ushered away by Elder Wuying, he was afraid that Fan Zhong would be too eager to start sparring and further delay their trip which he supposed was a reasonable worry. The remainder of Fan Zhong's time in Butont was peaceful and he wrote several songs for his lute that he felt came out nicely, however he lacked his lute to play them.
He had thought about borrowing Fan Yong's however that felt wrong somehow. In the end, he could only wait until he got home to play them. Going home turned out to be rather uneventful as they boarded their ship and were soon rowing upstream towards Little Green Bamboo village.
Upon arriving at home Fan Zhong was greeted with a surprise, that being his little brother and sister patiently waiting to see him.
"Elder Brother!" Fan Jia shouted as he ran up to hug Fan Zhong "you were gone so long and Eldest Brother and Father wouldn't say where you had gone!" the young boy whined with a slightly hurt expression as if someone had wronged him by sneaking away to do something exceedingly fun without him.
'If only you knew little Jia… Although with your personality maybe you would have found all of that fun' Fan Zhong thought inwardly while rolling his eyes
Taking a look at his younger brother Fan Zhong could only sigh considering how much he looked like the spitting image of their father. Fan Jia was young so he lacked much of the stoic aura and chiseled features of Fan Long however the unmistakable hallmarks of classical handsomeness and his dark black hair were a perfect match. Currently, the youth was only 11 years old, even younger than Jingyi, however, it wouldn't be long before Fan Zhong would have to hide all the jade beauties from this little brat lest he take them all for himself!
"Hahaha, that's because it was a secret Little brother. Father and Eldest Brother know you're such a heaven-defying talent that you would destroy all obstacles and find all secrets for your dear Elder brother if you were given a chance to help. Therefore they must throw me in without your aid to leave some scraps for your poor talentless elder brother" Fan Zhong replied in while laughing
"Talentless you say? Last I heard you were a heaven-defying genius, destroying higher realm martial artists with one hand while wooing all the ladies of the Soft Moonlight Hall with the other" a soft voice that seemed to ring in Fan Zhong's mind sounded from behind his little brother.
Although Fan Zhong had seen his little sister waiting when he descended from the riverboat the sound of her voice caught him off guard as she had been so quiet in her approach he almost forgot she was there. What was even more shocking was the numbing effect of her voice seemed to be a passive effect, an indication that her ability with mental Qi-based techniques was reaching an absurd level for her age. Although she was too low realm to generate her own Qi, that was something only master realm martial artists or higher could do, core disciples of the observers like her were required to constantly wear magical treasures aligned to mind Qi that they could control with mental energy to use the Qi of the magical treasure.
In this way, even an observer under the master realm could activate a mental Qi technique if only in an incredibly weakened form.
"Little Sister, more and more every day you become one of the fairies of legends. It makes me afraid that at any point you'll eclipse the heavens themself and they will snatch you away due to envy" Fan Zhong replied with feigned worry after a brief pause having regained his wits from the slight brush of mental Qi
"Hmph, Elder Brother you can at least act as if it worked. I thought I had it that time, but mom says you'd stare at me like an idiot for at least five seconds if it worked. Perhaps it's hard to tell on you since you're always half in that state already?" Fan Jingyi giggled as she replied in a high pitched happy tone more fitting her age, quickly the young girl wrapped her arms around both of her brothers not seeming to notice that Fan Jia was indeed still in a daze from her technique
Fan Zhong figured that the motivation for her would be good and chose to refrain from correcting her on the effectiveness of the technique, besides with how much mischief she liked to cause when they were younger perhaps it was good to delay her being able to stupify people on command. Fan Zhong took a deep breath and smiled at his siblings he realized with everything happening over the last year they had barely spoken since his warrior ceremony and he was simply overjoyed to have time to spend with them. He even forgot about playing the songs he wrote and simply spent the rest of the day playing small games and catching up with Fan Jinyi and Fan Jia.
That night when Fan Zhong retired to go to bed he chose to go to the mediation hut that had served as his home for the last year, there he made a calligraphy piece that seemed to contain everything that had happened in the year from his changes in perspective to new gains and everything in between. Fan Zhong felt that although much had happened this was only the first step in his life, he couldn't wait to find out what awaited him next.
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Part 1. Ch. 15 The Duty of Power
A rush of air whistled through a walled courtyard as a fierce howl sounded. Immediately a white blur rushed into a youth wearing a golden robe trimmed in azure, eliciting a groan as the air rushed from the boy's lungs. Slowly the breeze settled down as the low grass and orderly flowers in the courtyard stilled and the sunlight of the high sun gave way to the silhouette of a narrow visage of a young wolf.
"No fair Little White, you weren't supposed to go invisible. Elder brother, Little brother is cheating!" Fan Jia huffed out indignantly as Little white climbed up on his chest to take a triumphant victory pose before bending down to lick the face of the youth.
"Hmph, are your eyes and feet cheats as well? Little White was born with his skills and you were born with yours no reason to blame others when you find yourself lacking Little brother" Fan Zhong smiled as he bent down at his knees, to accent his point he leveled a finger and forcibly poked the forehead of his Little Brother with enough force to push his head back to the ground.
Currently, Fan Zhong was standing inside his private courtyard within the Fan family compound. Around them were four-meter-high walls that surrounded the space squarely. The courtyard itself was 10-meter by 10-meter giving ample space in the center for sparring, technique practice, or other recreational pursuits.
At one wall of the space stood a wide doorway within which sat a set of hardwood double doors inlaid with golden and azure trim to match the crest of livery that adorned the rest of the compound. On the opposite wall to this doorway, there was another opening that simply held a gold-colored curtain that loosely swayed with the breeze, being open for passage otherwise. The doors led to Fan Zhong's quarters and were where he kept most of his personal effects and the open entree way led into the greater compound.
Positioned to the left of his bedroom doors, if one was facing them from the middle of the courtyard, in the corner of the space was a set of racks. On top of these sat various practice weapons as well as instruments covered by protective clothes that had talismans on top of them to keep out the elements and protect them from wear. To the right of his chamber doors sat a small open-air meditation hut that had a small table that sat low to the ground with a sitting mat next to it.
This meditation hut had a rounded roof with thin wooden beams at each corner supporting it. Each of these wooden beams was carved into the likeness of a true immortal level beast from his favorite legends, those being: a true dragon, a kunpeng, a phoenix, and a kirin. Originally each of these support beams had been thicker and unadorned, however, Fan Zhong's love of the beasts of legends had caused him to take carving as a pastime.
Through much effort, he had roughed out the shapes of the beasts' likeness however he was far from pleased with it. Eventually, Fan Zhong realized he was not born with a talent for carving and had asked his father to ask one of the clan craftsmen if they could salvage his middling work. Many had been more than happy to do this small favor for him to curry favor with his father and so the current artful renditions came into being.
A young Fan Zhong had been overjoyed to see the finished carvings and almost immediately began spending most of his practice time for music and calligraphy within the small hut. Looking at it now brought about fond memories for him and it pained him a bit to think that it had seen almost no use over the past year. The meditation huts in the clan training grounds atop the cliff were more spacious and comfortable to sit in; however, Fan Zhong felt that he would never be as comfortable as he was when composing music or calligraphy works within this tiny structure in his courtyard.
As for the rest of the space, it was taken up by a small garden of pleasant-looking flowers, positioned to the left of the exit if one were looking at that doorway from the center of the courtyard. Fan Zhong had never had any particular interest in gardening or raising herbs however when his mother had recommended the addition to add the fresh scent of the flowers to his space as well as adding color and variety that was lacking. Initially, he had been resistant to the idea thinking it would take too much upkeep, a large factor in the considerations of his lazy 10-year-old self who had lived in a room adjoining his parents' larger courtyard until that point.
His father had told him that upon receiving space to call his own, he would also be responsible for making sure the space lived up to the standards he was raised under. To this point, his mother had been rather understanding and simply allowed some of the groundskeepers to maintain his small flower garden for him. With the extra allowance of staff to maintain the garden, he had acquiesced to his mother's idea.
Finally to the right of the exit was a standing wooden post with multiple sections and pegs sticking out from the cylindrical center. This was a simple training post to practice hand-to-hand martial techniques and his father had insisted that space in his quarters be allocated for at least this much training equipment. Much to his father's dismay however the training post showed little sign of use and looked almost as pristine as the day it had been installed.
"Elder Brother you speak of lacking skill howev-" Fan Jia began to reply before a nervous-looking Little White leapt from his chest onto his face as if to dodge something.
"Hmph, little puppy don't run away now. Brother has played with you enough and I can run much faster than him, besides the elder sisters don't believe me when I talk of how soft your coat is! Come, we must show them." Fan Jingyi's voice could be heard as she dashed over from the chair she had been sitting in a moment before.
Previously Fan Zhong's little sister had been quietly reading a copy of her flying dagger technique manual and pondering in silence while observing Fan Jia play with Little White. Fan Zhong however had known his younger sibling was not so calm as that and had seen the subtle signs such as her humming to herself in an increasingly fast manner or her fingers drumming the back of the manual in her delicate little hands with increasing force. It had been two days since he had returned to the village and each day Fan Jingyi had scooped up Little White with bewildering speed and carried him around held to her chest like a precious stuffed toy.
At first Little White had resisted and tried to struggle free; however, the young fairy had proven far stronger than the little wolf had anticipated. Next, he had tried to bite at Jingyi however after he left a small bite mark on her hand a single look of pouting cuteness from the distressed young girl had quelled any ideas of violence from Little White's mind. Thus Fan Zhong's brave battlefield companion simply had to endure two full days of being held in the embrace of the young fairy with only small whines to vent his anguish.
Fan Jia had complained about not being able to play with the young wolf and Little White had quickly voiced his approval with approving howls and such he had enough a momentary reprieve. However, it seemed his idea of prolonging the time spent away from Jingyi's grasp was foiled as her patience had quickly wrung dry after only a few hours and it was barely the start of the afternoon at the moment she was retrieving him. Little White shot Fan Zhong a pleading glance but he could only shake his head wryly as he had no way to stop his little sister once she set her mind to it.
Quickly Jingyi's hand shout out and grasped the ear of the small wolf causing him to momentarily yelp with surprise and pain before he was scooped up and firmly nestled in the young fairy's arms
"Hehe, Elder Brother I'm going! Please try to behave while you're resting, the more you move the higher chance your injuries will open. Take too long and the Elder Sisters at the Soft Moonlight hall will think you have abandoned them!" Fan Jingyi huffed out with a hint of mirth while Fan Zhong's face turned to beat red.
"Littler Sister you are a fairy unsullied by the mortal world, surely you need not know of these matters, and since when are the fairies of the Soft Moonlight hall your 'Elder Sisters'?" Fan Zhong asked while coughing.
"How else do you think mother always knows where you are Elder brother? Besides, they don't just provide Elder brother's… services. As you know, some work there just to provide company, others also cook, help with makeup and hair dressings as well as many other things!" Fan Jingyi chided over her shoulder as she hurried from the courtyard, seeming eager to show off her new pet.
Both Fan Zhong and his little brother were left staring after the fleeting form of their younger sibling at a loss for words.
"Ahem… So Little brother, what was this about lacking skills?" Fan Zhong leveled an inquiring gaze at Fan Jia who was now fully standing up while dusting off his clothes.
"Well… Elder Brother you know what type of reputation you've cultivated. How can my life be pleasant when your shadow follows me around every day? No matter if my martial arts improve judgment still descends especially when you aren't present for others to vent their emotions on" Fan Jia said with a sigh
"Oh? Since when does your brother lack skills? Has Eldest Brother not told you of my heaven-defying genius lately?" Fan Zhong adopted his mock offended noble tone while sticking his nose high in the air
"Honestly Elder brother you have to admit that you've been training for too short a time. I understand you have made great gains but perhaps in technical skill even I am close to your match" Fan Jia countered not wanting to back down.
"Little Jia, who put you up to this? This isn't like you. We are brothers and I have a responsibility to you as your Elder Brother. Please tell me what is bothering you" Fan Zhong said, his tone turning serious as he regarded Fan Jia.
Although Fan Zhong had in the past never had a mind for the martial practices that did not mean he viewed his family lightly. If anything he was more protective of his family especially his younger siblings as Fan Long had impressed on them from an early age that it was an elder sibling's responsibility to take care of their younger siblings. Fan Jia had been especially close to him as Fan Cheng had been old enough to start taking on missions and leaving the village by the time the young boy could walk and speak.
As such it had fallen to Fan Zhong to act the role of elder brother to Fan Jia and he had spent much of his time making sure the youth never wanted for someone to play with or express his thoughts to. With this, he knew that Fan Jia would not say such words to him unless something was pressuring him. In Fan Zhong's mind he was ok with others insulting him however insults to his family were a different matter, those who did so needed to be dealt with swiftly.
"It's just that… Well, Elder Brother, the other youths at the academy have been increasingly hostile ever since your warrior ceremony. Most of them come from the warrior branch families and their fathers all tell them that father used some underhanded cheat and bribery to elevate you to the position of an official warrior without the approval of the other elders. They call me the brother of the liar and gang up to bully me… I've fought them off and two leave bloody for every beating I take however this has been going on for weeks. However, no one is home at the moment, mother and father are away because of some issue I'm not allowed to know about and Eldest brother is running the clan affairs in father's place. Strength is the key to the martial path I know so I have stayed silent to make father proud but… My body aches brother… it hurts all over, I don't know how much more I can stand '' At this point, Fan Jia's words ran from his lips in a torrent and it seemed that the only thing keeping the youth from tears was the stoic demeanor drilled into him by their father.
Fury blotted out Fan Zhong's sight for a moment, visions of heads spitted upon spikes lining a mountain that blotted out the heavens themselves entered his mind. It took a moment however he concentrated those thoughts deep inside himself where those terrible whispers hid, a tactic he had long sought reprieve in to deal with these thoughts. Still, the boiling fury threatened to loose not only his current wrath but all the negative emotions Fan Zhong had ever bottled up causing slow cracks upon the seal imprisoning the abyss in his mind. Calmly he put a steadying hand to the shoulder of his little brother.
"Little Jia, come" These were the only words that left Fan Zhong's mouth however to Fan Jia they felt like a set of three mountains that fell to suppress all things around the two, it was almost as if their father were the one speaking instead of his lazy Elder Brother.
"Captain, I need two warriors and two observers at my command now" Fan Zhong's voice boomed as he walked out of his courtyard and exited the main doors of the Fan Clan compound pausing only to speak this to the captain of the guard manning the gate.
"Good afternoon to your young mas-" The guard captain started before he saw the barely contained fury boiling in Fan Zhong's eyes
"Now captain, this is urgent" Fan Zhong intoned in a more restraining yet commanding tone.
Quickly after Fan Zhong stormed out into the Little Green Bamboo Village with Fan Jia and two first-grade martial artist clan warriors in his wake. Silently in the shadows of their passing two observers followed with such skill that no one under the second-grade martial artist realm even knew they were there. Soon they were nearing the academy that all youths living in the village attended.
The academy was humbly constructed as with most buildings in the village. In the center of the compound stood the largest structure that was a two-story pagoda that had a large lobby and several administrative offices on the first floor. Upon the second floor were three lecture halls that were used interchangeably for announcements and wandering scholars as well as martial artists to give presentations. Adorning the pagoda were banners sporting the colors of the Fan Clan along with the clan crest fluttering at every corner.
At the perimeter of the building on each floor was a narrow walkway that had several chairs positioned on it allowing the area to be used to overlook the rest of the academy as well as providing areas for leisure and rest among the staff. To either side of the main building stood four lesser square buildings, on one side the buildings were used as storage for practice tools and teaching texts. On the other side, the remaining structures were used as additional classrooms and each building was large enough to house 4 separate classrooms that seat roughly 50 students.
Finally directly behind the academy stood a section of 10-meter by 10-meter training arenas fenced off and were either empty to allow a clean area for martial arts sparring or filled with training posts to allow solo practice. Technically students were only required to study here until they were 13 and many of the clan members hired personal tutors for their children on top of their academy studies. However, the Fan Clan had always been adamant that anyone living in Little Green Bamboo Village deserved to be educated and so whether or not one received personal tutoring they would attend.
Fan Zhong himself had only graduated from the academy two years ago, only a year before his training began and had only been able to enjoy a single year of total freedom. As his mind thought of it Fan Jia was turning 13 near the end of the year and this would be his last year here as well. It was a shame that his younger brothers last year at the academy would be so disastrous as Fan Zhong had truly enjoyed his last year here and held fond memories of this place.
However, at this moment he had no desire to reminisce about his academy days, and quickly the group made their way to the staging ground behind the academy. In front of the fenced-off training arenas, there was an open grass field that could easily hold a few hundred people that was usually used to house stands for audiences if the academy wished to hold a tournament.
Using this field Fan Zhong quickly had one of his observers and a warrior go to the headmaster of the academy to have Fan Jia's class brought to the field. The headmaster was an elder of the same generation as Fan Wuying, that being Fan Zhong's grandfather's generation, and led a branch of the clan. During the past Fan Zhong had good relations with the elder however with what had been allowed to happen here to his young brother he was in no mood to see the man at the moment in fear that he might do something colossally stupid like openly attack an elder.
Soon enough the youths were gathered along with a nervous-looking teacher who looked very confused.
"Young master Zhong, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today? I received no word of your coming so forgive my ignorance" The teacher approached Fan Zhong with apprehension as well as obvious irritation at having his lesson interrupted.
"Quiet! Wait to the side. These youths are the ones I have business with!" Fan Zhong leveled a blazing glare on the man before dismissing him and walking forward with Fan Jia in toe "Which ones?"
"Elder Brother wha-?" Fan Jia spluttered looking incredibly nervous.
"Tell me who caused you pain Little Jia" Fan Zhong said, his demeanor and mood turning soft and warm as he politely turned to his little brother.
In short order, the youth had pointed out five of the offenders and Fan Zhong lined them up.
"Young master… please have mercy we truly meant no offens-'' One of the accused attempted to protest before a shockwave cracked the air as Fan Zhong's all things birth of the origin palm strike connected with his chest with enough force to send the youth flying a few meters
"Did I ask you to speak?" At this moment Fan Zhong seemed like the devil incarnate to the group of youths, his eyes smoldered as if they were trying to ignite a fire that would destroy all of heaven and earth.
"So it's true, you're just a lout like father says. You can't fight other adults so you bully us, disgusting" Another one of the youths attempted to show bravado while puffing his chest up.
Quickly the air split again as one of the second-grade warriors arrived by the blustering youth before Fan Zhong could move and forced the young man to his knees.
"Apologize to the young master boy, quickly" The guard was stern however his eyes seemed to be pleading with the boy instead of trying to threaten him
"I… I apologize to Young Master Zhong" All the courage seemed to fade from his eyes as the young boy looked at the floor, a downcast expression covering his face.
"See Young Master? They are just kids and are truly repentant, surely there's no need to go too far, we will give them all a fitting punishment and inform their elders!" The guard nodded to Fan Zhong trying to keep up an air of assurance and control.
"A fitting punishment? Yes that seems fair, Observer Ping come forth please" Fan Zhong said while stroking his chin as if he was thinking deeply
"Yes Young Master?" a melodic voice trailed over the group as a woman wearing azure robes seemed to materialize from the tall knee-high grass around them.
Fan Ping was one of the observers that Fan Zhong had known the longest as she was very close to his mother's inner circle and often stayed within the main family compound as a bodyguard when not on assignment. As was typical of Clan observers she had the pristine jade skin and figure of beauty with a lithe figure that spoke of grace and speed. Flowing down to her ankles her hair was a dark emerald and her eyes were tinged with the familiar piercing silver that came with being a master realm observer.
Fan Zhong knew that she had long advanced to the master realm and could have become a village elder to raise her standing however Fan Ping had remained loyal to his mother and to his knowledge she had never even brought up the topic.
"I understand you've recently ascended into the master realm, tell me how precise is your control?" Fan Zhong asked lazily as if falling into a leisurely mood.
"Youn… Young master my control is impeccable, I promise on the honor of my name" Fan Ping seemed to be taken aback by the question and confusion was spreading across her face before horror quickly replaced it as she realized why he had asked
"Good good, you know I recently heard an interesting tidbit about the technique 'height of the sky overbears the deep earth' from my sister Jingyi. Apparently, the human body experiences pain as a flaring of the nerves when large forces impact them. According to my little sister if you simply amplify the normal feelings the human body experiences it can feel as if the very air itself is made of swords rending one's body apart. All of that without even touching the opponent, quite fascinating don't you agree" Fan Zhong continued as if he didn't see the paling faces of those around him
"Young master I can-" Fan Ping attempted, however, Fan Zhong gave her no room and kept speaking in a level manner that seemed to carry enough weight to command mountains.
"I seem to recall Little Jia saying his body hurt all over from his various beatings. It seems only fair that those complicit in that pain feel the same no? Observer Ping, deliver the pain of 100 lashes to each youth in the class over the course of 10 seconds, then my Dao heart will be satisfied." Fan Zhong's words dropped like an executioners ax and all of the others started shouting at once to countermand him however his voice rang out once again
"I, Fan Zhong, Command You. In The Name Of The Fan Clan. OBSERVER PING, DELIVER THIS PUNISHMENT!" The air shook with this final command and Fan Ping simply sighed while leveling a pitying gaze on the youths who were all cowering in fear.
Only an instant passed as Fan Ping's arm blurred and dozens of translucent silver Qi needle phantoms filled the air. Fan Ping kept excellent control of the attack and made sure to infuse no more or less pain than she believed would be contained by the punishment dictated by Fan Zhong. As a newly promoted master realm martial artist she could not summon hundreds of attacks on a whim with precise control over their power like Fan Yuhai however the attack was incredibly swift to the eyes of those present and soon the phantoms sailed through the air with unerring accuracy.
Just before they were about to connect the sky seemed to shatter as a blur appeared between Fan Zhong's group and the recoiling students and a swiping golden hand gently wiped away Fan Ping's phantoms as if they didn't exist.
"Hmph, is this how young heroes celebrate their victories nowadays? Bullying children and using their authority like a bull? Nephew Zhong you disappoint me" As the dust settled the ever calm voice of Elder Wuying could be heard clear as day echoing through the field as he leveled a piercing gaze at Fan Zhong.
"Bullying? Elder, you of all people would allow this? My Little Brother has suffered repeatedly here yet where are the elders? This is justice" Righteous fury boiled in Fan Zhong's eyes as well as a small seed of trepidation.
He knew that Elder Wuying was an upright and just man, if he was against Fan Zhong's actions then perhaps there was context he was not understanding.
"Observer Ping clean up this mess with your fellows. I need Nephew Zhong, do take care of Nephew Jia as well in the meantime." With a sigh, Elder Wuying disappeared and Fan Zhong felt the world blur before he stood atop the academy's roof.
"Elder, what is the meaning of this? If father finds that Little Jia was beaten black and blue on the academies watch I can assure you that I will be the least of your worries" Fan Zhong frowned as he looked at the older man
"Pfft, you threaten me junior? This old man was watching men twice your measure and three times your skill march to their deaths before your father was born, watch your tongue. Even I can only take so much of your disrespect" Elder Wuying spat a rare spot of contempt showing on his face "Do you think I knew about this and allowed it to stand? Most of the elders of the clan have been busy and Nephew Jia has been rather stalwart in telling his elders. Only this morning was I informed of this happening and things were being put in motion to set things right. Then you go off and bluster into town and start beating children. Think Nephew Zhong, you are not the miscreant they say you are but today you give people the inclination you are! These are children for heaven's sake Nephew Jia is the same way, he stubbornly did not tell us because of the things your father told him about warrior values. Do you think these youngsters follow what their parents say any less? Had you given me time the instigators would have been rounded up and this would have been dealt with quietly, then your growing martial prowess would speak for itself. As it stands now you have made a public display that when Young Master Zhong gains power he lets it go to his head. I wouldn't be surprised if most view you as no better than Zi Bao now" Elder Wuying's anger abated into a sigh as he simply looked exhausted from the whole ordeal.
These words however hit Fan Zhong like a mountain. He had always thought of himself as the type of person that was different from the arrogant young masters of other clans, not abusing his power simply enjoying its benefits. However it was true, he had gained some power and used it to take his anger out on those immediately near him without thinking the situation through or his responsibilities.
What truly shocked him wasn't this though it was a single thought, was he truly just as bad as Zi Bao in the end?
"No fair Little White, you weren't supposed to go invisible. Elder brother, Little brother is cheating!" Fan Jia huffed out indignantly as Little white climbed up on his chest to take a triumphant victory pose before bending down to lick the face of the youth.
"Hmph, are your eyes and feet cheats as well? Little White was born with his skills and you were born with yours no reason to blame others when you find yourself lacking Little brother" Fan Zhong smiled as he bent down at his knees, to accent his point he leveled a finger and forcibly poked the forehead of his Little Brother with enough force to push his head back to the ground.
Currently, Fan Zhong was standing inside his private courtyard within the Fan family compound. Around them were four-meter-high walls that surrounded the space squarely. The courtyard itself was 10-meter by 10-meter giving ample space in the center for sparring, technique practice, or other recreational pursuits.
At one wall of the space stood a wide doorway within which sat a set of hardwood double doors inlaid with golden and azure trim to match the crest of livery that adorned the rest of the compound. On the opposite wall to this doorway, there was another opening that simply held a gold-colored curtain that loosely swayed with the breeze, being open for passage otherwise. The doors led to Fan Zhong's quarters and were where he kept most of his personal effects and the open entree way led into the greater compound.
Positioned to the left of his bedroom doors, if one was facing them from the middle of the courtyard, in the corner of the space was a set of racks. On top of these sat various practice weapons as well as instruments covered by protective clothes that had talismans on top of them to keep out the elements and protect them from wear. To the right of his chamber doors sat a small open-air meditation hut that had a small table that sat low to the ground with a sitting mat next to it.
This meditation hut had a rounded roof with thin wooden beams at each corner supporting it. Each of these wooden beams was carved into the likeness of a true immortal level beast from his favorite legends, those being: a true dragon, a kunpeng, a phoenix, and a kirin. Originally each of these support beams had been thicker and unadorned, however, Fan Zhong's love of the beasts of legends had caused him to take carving as a pastime.
Through much effort, he had roughed out the shapes of the beasts' likeness however he was far from pleased with it. Eventually, Fan Zhong realized he was not born with a talent for carving and had asked his father to ask one of the clan craftsmen if they could salvage his middling work. Many had been more than happy to do this small favor for him to curry favor with his father and so the current artful renditions came into being.
A young Fan Zhong had been overjoyed to see the finished carvings and almost immediately began spending most of his practice time for music and calligraphy within the small hut. Looking at it now brought about fond memories for him and it pained him a bit to think that it had seen almost no use over the past year. The meditation huts in the clan training grounds atop the cliff were more spacious and comfortable to sit in; however, Fan Zhong felt that he would never be as comfortable as he was when composing music or calligraphy works within this tiny structure in his courtyard.
As for the rest of the space, it was taken up by a small garden of pleasant-looking flowers, positioned to the left of the exit if one were looking at that doorway from the center of the courtyard. Fan Zhong had never had any particular interest in gardening or raising herbs however when his mother had recommended the addition to add the fresh scent of the flowers to his space as well as adding color and variety that was lacking. Initially, he had been resistant to the idea thinking it would take too much upkeep, a large factor in the considerations of his lazy 10-year-old self who had lived in a room adjoining his parents' larger courtyard until that point.
His father had told him that upon receiving space to call his own, he would also be responsible for making sure the space lived up to the standards he was raised under. To this point, his mother had been rather understanding and simply allowed some of the groundskeepers to maintain his small flower garden for him. With the extra allowance of staff to maintain the garden, he had acquiesced to his mother's idea.
Finally to the right of the exit was a standing wooden post with multiple sections and pegs sticking out from the cylindrical center. This was a simple training post to practice hand-to-hand martial techniques and his father had insisted that space in his quarters be allocated for at least this much training equipment. Much to his father's dismay however the training post showed little sign of use and looked almost as pristine as the day it had been installed.
"Elder Brother you speak of lacking skill howev-" Fan Jia began to reply before a nervous-looking Little White leapt from his chest onto his face as if to dodge something.
"Hmph, little puppy don't run away now. Brother has played with you enough and I can run much faster than him, besides the elder sisters don't believe me when I talk of how soft your coat is! Come, we must show them." Fan Jingyi's voice could be heard as she dashed over from the chair she had been sitting in a moment before.
Previously Fan Zhong's little sister had been quietly reading a copy of her flying dagger technique manual and pondering in silence while observing Fan Jia play with Little White. Fan Zhong however had known his younger sibling was not so calm as that and had seen the subtle signs such as her humming to herself in an increasingly fast manner or her fingers drumming the back of the manual in her delicate little hands with increasing force. It had been two days since he had returned to the village and each day Fan Jingyi had scooped up Little White with bewildering speed and carried him around held to her chest like a precious stuffed toy.
At first Little White had resisted and tried to struggle free; however, the young fairy had proven far stronger than the little wolf had anticipated. Next, he had tried to bite at Jingyi however after he left a small bite mark on her hand a single look of pouting cuteness from the distressed young girl had quelled any ideas of violence from Little White's mind. Thus Fan Zhong's brave battlefield companion simply had to endure two full days of being held in the embrace of the young fairy with only small whines to vent his anguish.
Fan Jia had complained about not being able to play with the young wolf and Little White had quickly voiced his approval with approving howls and such he had enough a momentary reprieve. However, it seemed his idea of prolonging the time spent away from Jingyi's grasp was foiled as her patience had quickly wrung dry after only a few hours and it was barely the start of the afternoon at the moment she was retrieving him. Little White shot Fan Zhong a pleading glance but he could only shake his head wryly as he had no way to stop his little sister once she set her mind to it.
Quickly Jingyi's hand shout out and grasped the ear of the small wolf causing him to momentarily yelp with surprise and pain before he was scooped up and firmly nestled in the young fairy's arms
"Hehe, Elder Brother I'm going! Please try to behave while you're resting, the more you move the higher chance your injuries will open. Take too long and the Elder Sisters at the Soft Moonlight hall will think you have abandoned them!" Fan Jingyi huffed out with a hint of mirth while Fan Zhong's face turned to beat red.
"Littler Sister you are a fairy unsullied by the mortal world, surely you need not know of these matters, and since when are the fairies of the Soft Moonlight hall your 'Elder Sisters'?" Fan Zhong asked while coughing.
"How else do you think mother always knows where you are Elder brother? Besides, they don't just provide Elder brother's… services. As you know, some work there just to provide company, others also cook, help with makeup and hair dressings as well as many other things!" Fan Jingyi chided over her shoulder as she hurried from the courtyard, seeming eager to show off her new pet.
Both Fan Zhong and his little brother were left staring after the fleeting form of their younger sibling at a loss for words.
"Ahem… So Little brother, what was this about lacking skills?" Fan Zhong leveled an inquiring gaze at Fan Jia who was now fully standing up while dusting off his clothes.
"Well… Elder Brother you know what type of reputation you've cultivated. How can my life be pleasant when your shadow follows me around every day? No matter if my martial arts improve judgment still descends especially when you aren't present for others to vent their emotions on" Fan Jia said with a sigh
"Oh? Since when does your brother lack skills? Has Eldest Brother not told you of my heaven-defying genius lately?" Fan Zhong adopted his mock offended noble tone while sticking his nose high in the air
"Honestly Elder brother you have to admit that you've been training for too short a time. I understand you have made great gains but perhaps in technical skill even I am close to your match" Fan Jia countered not wanting to back down.
"Little Jia, who put you up to this? This isn't like you. We are brothers and I have a responsibility to you as your Elder Brother. Please tell me what is bothering you" Fan Zhong said, his tone turning serious as he regarded Fan Jia.
Although Fan Zhong had in the past never had a mind for the martial practices that did not mean he viewed his family lightly. If anything he was more protective of his family especially his younger siblings as Fan Long had impressed on them from an early age that it was an elder sibling's responsibility to take care of their younger siblings. Fan Jia had been especially close to him as Fan Cheng had been old enough to start taking on missions and leaving the village by the time the young boy could walk and speak.
As such it had fallen to Fan Zhong to act the role of elder brother to Fan Jia and he had spent much of his time making sure the youth never wanted for someone to play with or express his thoughts to. With this, he knew that Fan Jia would not say such words to him unless something was pressuring him. In Fan Zhong's mind he was ok with others insulting him however insults to his family were a different matter, those who did so needed to be dealt with swiftly.
"It's just that… Well, Elder Brother, the other youths at the academy have been increasingly hostile ever since your warrior ceremony. Most of them come from the warrior branch families and their fathers all tell them that father used some underhanded cheat and bribery to elevate you to the position of an official warrior without the approval of the other elders. They call me the brother of the liar and gang up to bully me… I've fought them off and two leave bloody for every beating I take however this has been going on for weeks. However, no one is home at the moment, mother and father are away because of some issue I'm not allowed to know about and Eldest brother is running the clan affairs in father's place. Strength is the key to the martial path I know so I have stayed silent to make father proud but… My body aches brother… it hurts all over, I don't know how much more I can stand '' At this point, Fan Jia's words ran from his lips in a torrent and it seemed that the only thing keeping the youth from tears was the stoic demeanor drilled into him by their father.
Fury blotted out Fan Zhong's sight for a moment, visions of heads spitted upon spikes lining a mountain that blotted out the heavens themselves entered his mind. It took a moment however he concentrated those thoughts deep inside himself where those terrible whispers hid, a tactic he had long sought reprieve in to deal with these thoughts. Still, the boiling fury threatened to loose not only his current wrath but all the negative emotions Fan Zhong had ever bottled up causing slow cracks upon the seal imprisoning the abyss in his mind. Calmly he put a steadying hand to the shoulder of his little brother.
"Little Jia, come" These were the only words that left Fan Zhong's mouth however to Fan Jia they felt like a set of three mountains that fell to suppress all things around the two, it was almost as if their father were the one speaking instead of his lazy Elder Brother.
"Captain, I need two warriors and two observers at my command now" Fan Zhong's voice boomed as he walked out of his courtyard and exited the main doors of the Fan Clan compound pausing only to speak this to the captain of the guard manning the gate.
"Good afternoon to your young mas-" The guard captain started before he saw the barely contained fury boiling in Fan Zhong's eyes
"Now captain, this is urgent" Fan Zhong intoned in a more restraining yet commanding tone.
Quickly after Fan Zhong stormed out into the Little Green Bamboo Village with Fan Jia and two first-grade martial artist clan warriors in his wake. Silently in the shadows of their passing two observers followed with such skill that no one under the second-grade martial artist realm even knew they were there. Soon they were nearing the academy that all youths living in the village attended.
The academy was humbly constructed as with most buildings in the village. In the center of the compound stood the largest structure that was a two-story pagoda that had a large lobby and several administrative offices on the first floor. Upon the second floor were three lecture halls that were used interchangeably for announcements and wandering scholars as well as martial artists to give presentations. Adorning the pagoda were banners sporting the colors of the Fan Clan along with the clan crest fluttering at every corner.
At the perimeter of the building on each floor was a narrow walkway that had several chairs positioned on it allowing the area to be used to overlook the rest of the academy as well as providing areas for leisure and rest among the staff. To either side of the main building stood four lesser square buildings, on one side the buildings were used as storage for practice tools and teaching texts. On the other side, the remaining structures were used as additional classrooms and each building was large enough to house 4 separate classrooms that seat roughly 50 students.
Finally directly behind the academy stood a section of 10-meter by 10-meter training arenas fenced off and were either empty to allow a clean area for martial arts sparring or filled with training posts to allow solo practice. Technically students were only required to study here until they were 13 and many of the clan members hired personal tutors for their children on top of their academy studies. However, the Fan Clan had always been adamant that anyone living in Little Green Bamboo Village deserved to be educated and so whether or not one received personal tutoring they would attend.
Fan Zhong himself had only graduated from the academy two years ago, only a year before his training began and had only been able to enjoy a single year of total freedom. As his mind thought of it Fan Jia was turning 13 near the end of the year and this would be his last year here as well. It was a shame that his younger brothers last year at the academy would be so disastrous as Fan Zhong had truly enjoyed his last year here and held fond memories of this place.
However, at this moment he had no desire to reminisce about his academy days, and quickly the group made their way to the staging ground behind the academy. In front of the fenced-off training arenas, there was an open grass field that could easily hold a few hundred people that was usually used to house stands for audiences if the academy wished to hold a tournament.
Using this field Fan Zhong quickly had one of his observers and a warrior go to the headmaster of the academy to have Fan Jia's class brought to the field. The headmaster was an elder of the same generation as Fan Wuying, that being Fan Zhong's grandfather's generation, and led a branch of the clan. During the past Fan Zhong had good relations with the elder however with what had been allowed to happen here to his young brother he was in no mood to see the man at the moment in fear that he might do something colossally stupid like openly attack an elder.
Soon enough the youths were gathered along with a nervous-looking teacher who looked very confused.
"Young master Zhong, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today? I received no word of your coming so forgive my ignorance" The teacher approached Fan Zhong with apprehension as well as obvious irritation at having his lesson interrupted.
"Quiet! Wait to the side. These youths are the ones I have business with!" Fan Zhong leveled a blazing glare on the man before dismissing him and walking forward with Fan Jia in toe "Which ones?"
"Elder Brother wha-?" Fan Jia spluttered looking incredibly nervous.
"Tell me who caused you pain Little Jia" Fan Zhong said, his demeanor and mood turning soft and warm as he politely turned to his little brother.
In short order, the youth had pointed out five of the offenders and Fan Zhong lined them up.
"Young master… please have mercy we truly meant no offens-'' One of the accused attempted to protest before a shockwave cracked the air as Fan Zhong's all things birth of the origin palm strike connected with his chest with enough force to send the youth flying a few meters
"Did I ask you to speak?" At this moment Fan Zhong seemed like the devil incarnate to the group of youths, his eyes smoldered as if they were trying to ignite a fire that would destroy all of heaven and earth.
"So it's true, you're just a lout like father says. You can't fight other adults so you bully us, disgusting" Another one of the youths attempted to show bravado while puffing his chest up.
Quickly the air split again as one of the second-grade warriors arrived by the blustering youth before Fan Zhong could move and forced the young man to his knees.
"Apologize to the young master boy, quickly" The guard was stern however his eyes seemed to be pleading with the boy instead of trying to threaten him
"I… I apologize to Young Master Zhong" All the courage seemed to fade from his eyes as the young boy looked at the floor, a downcast expression covering his face.
"See Young Master? They are just kids and are truly repentant, surely there's no need to go too far, we will give them all a fitting punishment and inform their elders!" The guard nodded to Fan Zhong trying to keep up an air of assurance and control.
"A fitting punishment? Yes that seems fair, Observer Ping come forth please" Fan Zhong said while stroking his chin as if he was thinking deeply
"Yes Young Master?" a melodic voice trailed over the group as a woman wearing azure robes seemed to materialize from the tall knee-high grass around them.
Fan Ping was one of the observers that Fan Zhong had known the longest as she was very close to his mother's inner circle and often stayed within the main family compound as a bodyguard when not on assignment. As was typical of Clan observers she had the pristine jade skin and figure of beauty with a lithe figure that spoke of grace and speed. Flowing down to her ankles her hair was a dark emerald and her eyes were tinged with the familiar piercing silver that came with being a master realm observer.
Fan Zhong knew that she had long advanced to the master realm and could have become a village elder to raise her standing however Fan Ping had remained loyal to his mother and to his knowledge she had never even brought up the topic.
"I understand you've recently ascended into the master realm, tell me how precise is your control?" Fan Zhong asked lazily as if falling into a leisurely mood.
"Youn… Young master my control is impeccable, I promise on the honor of my name" Fan Ping seemed to be taken aback by the question and confusion was spreading across her face before horror quickly replaced it as she realized why he had asked
"Good good, you know I recently heard an interesting tidbit about the technique 'height of the sky overbears the deep earth' from my sister Jingyi. Apparently, the human body experiences pain as a flaring of the nerves when large forces impact them. According to my little sister if you simply amplify the normal feelings the human body experiences it can feel as if the very air itself is made of swords rending one's body apart. All of that without even touching the opponent, quite fascinating don't you agree" Fan Zhong continued as if he didn't see the paling faces of those around him
"Young master I can-" Fan Ping attempted, however, Fan Zhong gave her no room and kept speaking in a level manner that seemed to carry enough weight to command mountains.
"I seem to recall Little Jia saying his body hurt all over from his various beatings. It seems only fair that those complicit in that pain feel the same no? Observer Ping, deliver the pain of 100 lashes to each youth in the class over the course of 10 seconds, then my Dao heart will be satisfied." Fan Zhong's words dropped like an executioners ax and all of the others started shouting at once to countermand him however his voice rang out once again
"I, Fan Zhong, Command You. In The Name Of The Fan Clan. OBSERVER PING, DELIVER THIS PUNISHMENT!" The air shook with this final command and Fan Ping simply sighed while leveling a pitying gaze on the youths who were all cowering in fear.
Only an instant passed as Fan Ping's arm blurred and dozens of translucent silver Qi needle phantoms filled the air. Fan Ping kept excellent control of the attack and made sure to infuse no more or less pain than she believed would be contained by the punishment dictated by Fan Zhong. As a newly promoted master realm martial artist she could not summon hundreds of attacks on a whim with precise control over their power like Fan Yuhai however the attack was incredibly swift to the eyes of those present and soon the phantoms sailed through the air with unerring accuracy.
Just before they were about to connect the sky seemed to shatter as a blur appeared between Fan Zhong's group and the recoiling students and a swiping golden hand gently wiped away Fan Ping's phantoms as if they didn't exist.
"Hmph, is this how young heroes celebrate their victories nowadays? Bullying children and using their authority like a bull? Nephew Zhong you disappoint me" As the dust settled the ever calm voice of Elder Wuying could be heard clear as day echoing through the field as he leveled a piercing gaze at Fan Zhong.
"Bullying? Elder, you of all people would allow this? My Little Brother has suffered repeatedly here yet where are the elders? This is justice" Righteous fury boiled in Fan Zhong's eyes as well as a small seed of trepidation.
He knew that Elder Wuying was an upright and just man, if he was against Fan Zhong's actions then perhaps there was context he was not understanding.
"Observer Ping clean up this mess with your fellows. I need Nephew Zhong, do take care of Nephew Jia as well in the meantime." With a sigh, Elder Wuying disappeared and Fan Zhong felt the world blur before he stood atop the academy's roof.
"Elder, what is the meaning of this? If father finds that Little Jia was beaten black and blue on the academies watch I can assure you that I will be the least of your worries" Fan Zhong frowned as he looked at the older man
"Pfft, you threaten me junior? This old man was watching men twice your measure and three times your skill march to their deaths before your father was born, watch your tongue. Even I can only take so much of your disrespect" Elder Wuying spat a rare spot of contempt showing on his face "Do you think I knew about this and allowed it to stand? Most of the elders of the clan have been busy and Nephew Jia has been rather stalwart in telling his elders. Only this morning was I informed of this happening and things were being put in motion to set things right. Then you go off and bluster into town and start beating children. Think Nephew Zhong, you are not the miscreant they say you are but today you give people the inclination you are! These are children for heaven's sake Nephew Jia is the same way, he stubbornly did not tell us because of the things your father told him about warrior values. Do you think these youngsters follow what their parents say any less? Had you given me time the instigators would have been rounded up and this would have been dealt with quietly, then your growing martial prowess would speak for itself. As it stands now you have made a public display that when Young Master Zhong gains power he lets it go to his head. I wouldn't be surprised if most view you as no better than Zi Bao now" Elder Wuying's anger abated into a sigh as he simply looked exhausted from the whole ordeal.
These words however hit Fan Zhong like a mountain. He had always thought of himself as the type of person that was different from the arrogant young masters of other clans, not abusing his power simply enjoying its benefits. However it was true, he had gained some power and used it to take his anger out on those immediately near him without thinking the situation through or his responsibilities.
What truly shocked him wasn't this though it was a single thought, was he truly just as bad as Zi Bao in the end?
Part 1. Ch 16. Eruption
Chaos whirled in Fan Zhong's mind as he tried to comprehend that thought. Had he truly let himself go to this extent? Thinking back on things he realized that for most of his life the solution to conflict was simple, flee.
When someone such as Zi Bao confronted him, fleeing had always been the only option as he lacked the means to fight them. In this way even when he told the family guards, elders, or even his parents of people bullying him he was exercising a form of running away by dumping the responsibility onto others. However, with such a mindset he had never thought to use his authority to take command of a situation.
With the confidence he had gained after his training that mindset had switched, no longer did thoughts of retreat appear in his mind when he thought of confronting a challenge. It was the opposite in fact as part of his resolve to get stronger had been a crystallization of his desire to never have to run away again so he could save those he cherished when they were in peril. Thus when he had heard of his little brother's plight the blinding fury had commanded him to show no mercy and crush the opposition with overwhelming force!
"Nephew Zhong, I bring you here not to berate you but to make you understand why things must be handled this way. Others may have lost hope however in this old man's humble opinion you will one day be a strong leader for the clan if guided well. When I looked at you on that field I saw not the eyes of a leader reprimanding his subordinates but the eyes of an executioner sending souls to the afterlife. Take that anger and fury, channel it into improving yourself, and learn from these events. Only then will you emerge from the fire of conflict a better man." Elder Wuying calmly intoned to him, not a single hint of patronization or contempt in his words, the old man was truly trying to help Fan Zhong
These words resonated with Fan Zhong and his fears of himself on a deep level. What had ultimately shaken him the most about this event was not even the idea that his entire perspective on conflict had changed, it was the fact he was capable of such cruel and malicious thoughts. At that moment Fan Zhong feared that small part of himself that hid away, capable of pushing him to the extremes of his emotions. In the right circumstances, the surges could be acts of good, such as defending Little White and Wang Qiang.
The uglier side however was that his suppressed feelings could result in him lashing out in an ugly and malicious manner, caring for nothing other than to sate a desire for revenge, fury, and slaughter. At this time Fan Zhong thanked the heavens for having wise people such as Fan Wuying and his father around to guide him through such feelings, perhaps if he was born around lesser men they simply would let him devolve into some savage beast that simply wore the skin of a man. In any case, Fan Zhong felt that he needed to be in seclusion, both to absorb what he had learned and to remain out of the public eye so that matters could cool down.
"Elder, this junior understands. This one thanks you for your wisdom and is ready to accept any punishment you deem necessary, I simply ask that it be carried out in seclusion so that these lessons have peace to take root in my Dao heart" Fan Zhong said in a respectful tone while bowing deeply to the elder.
"Alas if only it were that easy Nephew Zhong. For now, go to the clan training grounds and study the materials left in your meditation hut, they are the basics of arrays and magical tool forging you asked Nephew Cheng for. As for your penance, currently, you are not to leave the clifftop training grounds until further notice, someone will alert you once everything is settled" Elder Wuying said before wrapping an arm around Fan Zhong and bounding off the rooftop
The jarring leaps continued until the elder took a single final enormous jump that brought them from the base of the cliff that overlooked the village straight to the outcropping where Fan Zhong once stood with Fan Cheng facing their father almost a year and a half ago.
"Train earnestly now, and no funny business Nephew Zhong. The observers stationed here are under orders to restrain you with immediate force if so much as your foot leaves these grounds" Elder Wuying casually spoke in his ever calm tone before simply jumping down the cliff face.
Fan Zhong sighed at the amazing feats the elder could perform, perhaps the decades of practice to reach the master realm would be worth it to move so freely among the world. At the moment such things were too far away so he put them out of his mind quickly. Moving to the familiar meditation hut, Fan Zhong sat down and began adding the insights he gained over his trial into the musical pieces he had previously made while training here.
At first, he had simply thought to add the pieces he wrote while living in the forest to his music that was based on the Fan Clan style; however upon his arrival home Fan Zhong had started reflecting on this approach. If he simply kept adding pieces to his insights it would be like making a new technique every time he learned something or perhaps a new chapter in a journal. For something like a memoir or story perhaps continuously adding to the work would be a boon making an ever-growing tale of epic proportions.
However Fan Zhong felt differently about his music, it was something that was the embodiment of over a year spent practicing and honing himself. When the individual pieces that helped him learn the techniques were combined to solidify his insights Fan Zhong had made many changes so that all of his thoughts and themes fit into a seamless set of pieces meant to be played in a certain order to evoke the correct feelings and emotions. If this sequence were needlessly bloated it would risk losing the effect and for some reason simply felt wrong on a fundamental level. So it went that Fan Zhong decided to take his existing music on the clan fighting style and refine them with his newfound insights instead of simply writing new additions to the score.
The end product was indeed longer and denser than before with some old insights removed and replaced by lengthier and more complex ones. Entirely new sections were added to reflect his experience with the mental technique and movement technique of the clan now that he had insights from using those in actual battle. For Observing the roaming earth Fan Zhong included soft accent notes that seemed to hide beneath the melodies and chords of other parts of the music.
This was to emphasize that Observing the roaming earth was all about noticing the tiniest of movements even within an object already in motion. If one could pay enough attention to detail to notice and pick out these notes then surely they had at least reached familiar realm attainment in a similar or superior mental technique.
Next came additions that incorporated his understanding of the Momentum of Shifting earth. To add these insights Fan Zhong changed the arrangement of the sections within each piece and the order for them to be played in so that it gave one the impression that the music was shifting in all directions, formless and without restriction. Inside of these shifting tones and tempo he also increased the pace of the shifts and base tempo to match the increasing strain and speed of the technique as one gathered more momentum.
With that done night was upon him and Fan Zhong turned in for the day. Upon waking he immediately set about completing his work. All that remained was the calligraphy piece that would adorn the cover and solidify all the work done to this point. It started simply with the core of the symbol being straight and sturdy like the mountains to represent the straightforward and firm origin palm strikes.
Next came the outline marks, to which Fan Zhong added subtle accents to represent Observing the roaming earth. To the outmost lines and marks shifting curves were added to represent the shifting palms and Momentum of Shifting earth. While making the curving lines Fan Zhong varied the pressure of his brush to make the lines become more transparent and ethereal as they moved away from the core symbolizing the ethereal and unrestrained nature that emerged one felt when fighting someone who combined the two techniques.
When Fan Zhong finally looked up after adding the last stroke he realized that it was already nighttime. Shockingly he realized that someone was standing in the doorway to his meditation hut. Leaning his back against the frame of the entryway was none other than Fan Cheng
Fan Zhong's elder brother was much as he remembered him but at the same time different. Normally a firm and solid aura followed the man all the time as if he himself was a mountain. Now that pressure was still there but it was dull as if the foundation of that mountain was struggling to stay up.
There were other signs that Fan Cheng was under some form of stress for instance his normally well-ordered short hair was in a slightly unruly mess and his eyes had the faint forming lines of rings. Telling still were the small traces of dirt maring the splendor of his golden martial arts robes, a clear sign he had come here with some haste without bothering to change his clothes or travel slow enough to prevent such wear. Normally the small cleaning formations woven into the robes given to someone at the master level, usually an elder, would still keep the robes clean. Obviously Fan Cheng had been putting that function through its paces to consume enough energy to weaken it to this extent.
"Come" Fan Cheng simply said with a commanding tone as he tossed Fan Zhong his staff.
Fan Zhong followed with some trepidation and confusion. He was very happy to see his brother as Fan Cheng had always been a shining genius in his eyes, someone who seemed to always have the solution no matter what the problem. However, he had expected some sort of lecture on his mistakes or perhaps a more compassionate talking down since Fan Cheng had a soft spot when it came to punishing him. Now however he was handing him a weapon and they were walking into the training clearing as if to spar as they had for the past year, surely he hadn't come here to simply continue training Fan Zhong?
"Good, let it out. We cannot speak with this weight-bearing over you" Fan Cheng said while nodding at him before falling into a void gate stance.
"Elder Brother, what do you wish for me to let out? Forgi-" Fan Zhong began before Fan Cheng cut him off
"Speak like a warrior, you can fight, can't you? Or can you only prance around like some stuck up brat" the older man said as his steely gaze pierced into Fan Zhong like a set of spears heavenly lances
Fan Zhong was taken aback, never in his life had his kind elder brother ever said something like that to him. Inside, however, that familiar anger started to burn and fester, it whispered to him of breaking that arrogant face of this so-called 'genius'. What kind of genius would allow their youngest brother to be beaten so much? However, Fan Zhong quieted this voice with a measured exertion of his will
"This one can fight as kind sage elder brother taught him, it was an honor to learn under one so learned" Fan Zhong retorted back with a slight tremble in his voice being the only sign of his boiling emotion.
"Hmph, can you not even defend your honor? Was my valuable time wasted on someone who can only whore and drink? Do you want to be beaten blue before you can move then? Attack like a man if you're even able to do so while soiling yourself over there" Fan Cheng sneered clear contempt ringing out in his strained-sounding voice.
It happened again at that moment, all of Fan Zhong's hidden fears about wasting his brother's time were voiced here. These words hit him harder than even the earlier events with Elder Wuying and as Fan Cheng voiced his deepest seeded fears it felt like his soul shuddered. Deep down he had always known that his brother noticed his envy, the desire to be as revered as the genius of the clan.
He had always secretly thought, no perhaps hoped, that Fan Cheng harbored secret disdain for him. That way in some small semblance he could drag this heaven's chosen son down into the depths of despair with him if even only an inch. The next thing Fan Zhong knew his vision was completely red and his body moved on its own accord.
Quickly he took three steps forward covering half the distance between both of them while body juggling his staff to gather more momentum, having about five steps saved up. Fan Zhong feigned an earth-origin palm strike with the lower end of his staff as he used the footwork of a mortal shifting palm technique to swing out in an arc to his left as if to deliver downward arcing heaven receiving palm with a kick to Fan Cheng's shoulder. At the distance of a single step away Fan Zhong had gathered 10 steps of momentum through contact juggling and movement. He used two steps of momentum to swing his body low, cutting a counter arc to swing wildly to his right.
Quickly Fan Zhong's staff spun in an arc across his back as the center arrived at his right elbow he left contact with it briefly before shoving the remaining nine steps of momentum into an all things birthed from the origin palm technique. Fan Zhong's palm connected with the bottom of the staff, sending it shooting forward like a lance as his other hand ran across the length to spin the weapon like a drill. In an instant, he had covered the space and feinted twice before sweeping into this final position change and discharging a technique on par with the strike that obliterated the giant bear's face.
Fan Zhong may not have been in a frame of mind to contemplate complicated fighting tactics, however his body still knew that the opponent was far above him. The only path to victory was to go all out and such his opening attack was one aimed to kill immediately. Slowly the barest hint of a smile crested at the corners of Fan Cheng's lips as he kicked the bottom of his staff with the inside of his foot. In an incredibly swift motion the weapon spun into action as he executed a shifting palm strike that had the upper end of his weapon collide with the center of gravity of Fan Zhong's attack.
Quickly the enormous force put into the blow was thrown off and before Fan Zhong could even react Fan Cheng used another shifting palm step moving inside his guard from his left while hooking a foot into Fan Zhong's instep. With a quick tug the youth was falling backward. Finally, before his head hit the floor Fan Zhong felt a sharp blow to the back of his head followed by a force that collided with his stomach and sent the youth flying for ten meters.
"Again, or is that all you amount to?" Fan Cheng asked although strangely the contempt and tremble were missing from his voice
Inside of Fan Zhong the storm of emotions had barely been satisfied and he was on his feet in a moment launching a rapid mix and origin and shift palm strikes. First, he came in high with two heaven-shifting palm strikes. When Fan Cheng tried to counter the second one with a receiving palm he stomped down on his foot while executing a heaven origin palm to drive his staff down from overhead. At first, the strike seemed to be aimed at his opponent's shoulder but right before it was blocked by a clever movement of the upper part of Fan Cheng's weapon Fan Zhong shifted the blow to target the outside of his elder brother's leg.
Although the impacts from the stomp and connect blow were dull, Fan Cheng's smile only widened as he slammed an earth origin palm into the side of Fan Zhong's ribs. This force sent the youth sprawling onto the ground 5 meters away. These exchanges repeated and soon Fan Cheng was not only smiling but lecturing his younger brother on his technique.
"That was good, your battle intent is strong and you no longer fight like some green dojo disciple. Be more decisive though, when you're ready to take a hit, take it! No flinching!..." Fan Cheng intoned sagely after the exchange with the stomp.
"No no, don't forget your form simply because you wish to hit me. Fighting is ruthless but giving into instincts fully makes you predictable and stupid like a wild beast!" Another exchange and more bruises for Fan Zhong.
"Yes, shifting and origin palms must be mixed, and receiving palms are for punishing mistakes. Flexibility is key, always keep your opponent guessing." Fan Cheng proclaimed to an exhausted Fan Zhong who was attempting to get up but barely had the strength to kneel.
"Hmph, good good, now are your wits about you enough to talk?" Fan Cheng said sadness and exhaustion showed through his eyes as his face now carried an expression of worry.
"Broth… Elder Brother, can you still ask me this? Do you feel no shame?" Fan Zhong asked with mixed emotions while glaring at Fan Cheng.
Currently inside of him hate, guilt and confusion warred in equal measure however his thoughts somehow felt lighter as if the pressure had been removed from his mind.
"Little Zhong… Truly, do you think I mean these things? I say them to drag these emotions out of you, it wounds me deeply but I know these are things you fear deeply. Even if you thinking of me in such a way hurts me, how can I let such things fester? Before arriving here I spoke with Elder Wuying and we noticed a worrying bout of outbursts from you. Not just here but in your trial, thinking back on our day's training over the past year I realized my mentorship had done you a disservice. As your brother, the signs should have been clear, however these hints were pushed to the wayside as it pained me to think our relationship had grown so distant, however it is my duty as your senior and teacher not only to resolve your feelings about me but your deep-seated anger. Once again, are you feeling better?" Fan Cheng spoke as if every word was a trek up a tall mountain and he seemed to visibly deflate when mentioning their relationship.
Fan Zhong recoiled physically after hearing this. Of course, his brother had known, how could you not when they had lived so closely the last year. It pained him even more as he truly felt their brotherly bond had grown quite a bit during his training however this obviously had forced that a step backward.
"I… am fine Elder Brother." Fan Zhong said as he forced himself to a position closer to his brother before kowtowing forcibly "Truly my actions have been not only unfilial but also unbrotherly. Junior hopes that great sage Elder Brother can be magnanimous and forgive this little one for old times sake"
"That could definitely be arranged, Little Brother. For now, speaking with you about this is only my personal reason for coming here but there is also clan business to attend. Fan Zhong as the acting administrator of the Fan clan in place of our father Fan Long I deliver the verdict of the council of elders. Five days from now you will depart on a bodyguard assignment lasting until the end of the year six months from now. If the employer deems our services are no longer needed before the end of the year you are to report to the nearest clan office and serve under the branch head until the time has elapsed. In effect you are exiled from Little Green Bamboo Village until the year ends. Under this exile if you are caught entering the village under any means your exile will become permanent, is this decree understood?" Fan Cheng delivered the verdict in a commanding tone that seemed to shake the air, his aura of a firm stoic mountain seemed to be on the mend.
"Fan Zhong receives this decree and obeys, will this assignment be for me alone or will others be there as well?" Fan Zhong asked curiously
"The assignment will be a group one however the others are not in exile as you are. Leading the squad of four will be Fan Shun who is a first-grade clan warrior his second in command will be Su Fen who is a second-grade clan warrior from a warrior branch family. Finally, there's you and… Zi bao'' Fan Cheng said with a grimace.
When someone such as Zi Bao confronted him, fleeing had always been the only option as he lacked the means to fight them. In this way even when he told the family guards, elders, or even his parents of people bullying him he was exercising a form of running away by dumping the responsibility onto others. However, with such a mindset he had never thought to use his authority to take command of a situation.
With the confidence he had gained after his training that mindset had switched, no longer did thoughts of retreat appear in his mind when he thought of confronting a challenge. It was the opposite in fact as part of his resolve to get stronger had been a crystallization of his desire to never have to run away again so he could save those he cherished when they were in peril. Thus when he had heard of his little brother's plight the blinding fury had commanded him to show no mercy and crush the opposition with overwhelming force!
"Nephew Zhong, I bring you here not to berate you but to make you understand why things must be handled this way. Others may have lost hope however in this old man's humble opinion you will one day be a strong leader for the clan if guided well. When I looked at you on that field I saw not the eyes of a leader reprimanding his subordinates but the eyes of an executioner sending souls to the afterlife. Take that anger and fury, channel it into improving yourself, and learn from these events. Only then will you emerge from the fire of conflict a better man." Elder Wuying calmly intoned to him, not a single hint of patronization or contempt in his words, the old man was truly trying to help Fan Zhong
These words resonated with Fan Zhong and his fears of himself on a deep level. What had ultimately shaken him the most about this event was not even the idea that his entire perspective on conflict had changed, it was the fact he was capable of such cruel and malicious thoughts. At that moment Fan Zhong feared that small part of himself that hid away, capable of pushing him to the extremes of his emotions. In the right circumstances, the surges could be acts of good, such as defending Little White and Wang Qiang.
The uglier side however was that his suppressed feelings could result in him lashing out in an ugly and malicious manner, caring for nothing other than to sate a desire for revenge, fury, and slaughter. At this time Fan Zhong thanked the heavens for having wise people such as Fan Wuying and his father around to guide him through such feelings, perhaps if he was born around lesser men they simply would let him devolve into some savage beast that simply wore the skin of a man. In any case, Fan Zhong felt that he needed to be in seclusion, both to absorb what he had learned and to remain out of the public eye so that matters could cool down.
"Elder, this junior understands. This one thanks you for your wisdom and is ready to accept any punishment you deem necessary, I simply ask that it be carried out in seclusion so that these lessons have peace to take root in my Dao heart" Fan Zhong said in a respectful tone while bowing deeply to the elder.
"Alas if only it were that easy Nephew Zhong. For now, go to the clan training grounds and study the materials left in your meditation hut, they are the basics of arrays and magical tool forging you asked Nephew Cheng for. As for your penance, currently, you are not to leave the clifftop training grounds until further notice, someone will alert you once everything is settled" Elder Wuying said before wrapping an arm around Fan Zhong and bounding off the rooftop
The jarring leaps continued until the elder took a single final enormous jump that brought them from the base of the cliff that overlooked the village straight to the outcropping where Fan Zhong once stood with Fan Cheng facing their father almost a year and a half ago.
"Train earnestly now, and no funny business Nephew Zhong. The observers stationed here are under orders to restrain you with immediate force if so much as your foot leaves these grounds" Elder Wuying casually spoke in his ever calm tone before simply jumping down the cliff face.
Fan Zhong sighed at the amazing feats the elder could perform, perhaps the decades of practice to reach the master realm would be worth it to move so freely among the world. At the moment such things were too far away so he put them out of his mind quickly. Moving to the familiar meditation hut, Fan Zhong sat down and began adding the insights he gained over his trial into the musical pieces he had previously made while training here.
At first, he had simply thought to add the pieces he wrote while living in the forest to his music that was based on the Fan Clan style; however upon his arrival home Fan Zhong had started reflecting on this approach. If he simply kept adding pieces to his insights it would be like making a new technique every time he learned something or perhaps a new chapter in a journal. For something like a memoir or story perhaps continuously adding to the work would be a boon making an ever-growing tale of epic proportions.
However Fan Zhong felt differently about his music, it was something that was the embodiment of over a year spent practicing and honing himself. When the individual pieces that helped him learn the techniques were combined to solidify his insights Fan Zhong had made many changes so that all of his thoughts and themes fit into a seamless set of pieces meant to be played in a certain order to evoke the correct feelings and emotions. If this sequence were needlessly bloated it would risk losing the effect and for some reason simply felt wrong on a fundamental level. So it went that Fan Zhong decided to take his existing music on the clan fighting style and refine them with his newfound insights instead of simply writing new additions to the score.
The end product was indeed longer and denser than before with some old insights removed and replaced by lengthier and more complex ones. Entirely new sections were added to reflect his experience with the mental technique and movement technique of the clan now that he had insights from using those in actual battle. For Observing the roaming earth Fan Zhong included soft accent notes that seemed to hide beneath the melodies and chords of other parts of the music.
This was to emphasize that Observing the roaming earth was all about noticing the tiniest of movements even within an object already in motion. If one could pay enough attention to detail to notice and pick out these notes then surely they had at least reached familiar realm attainment in a similar or superior mental technique.
Next came additions that incorporated his understanding of the Momentum of Shifting earth. To add these insights Fan Zhong changed the arrangement of the sections within each piece and the order for them to be played in so that it gave one the impression that the music was shifting in all directions, formless and without restriction. Inside of these shifting tones and tempo he also increased the pace of the shifts and base tempo to match the increasing strain and speed of the technique as one gathered more momentum.
With that done night was upon him and Fan Zhong turned in for the day. Upon waking he immediately set about completing his work. All that remained was the calligraphy piece that would adorn the cover and solidify all the work done to this point. It started simply with the core of the symbol being straight and sturdy like the mountains to represent the straightforward and firm origin palm strikes.
Next came the outline marks, to which Fan Zhong added subtle accents to represent Observing the roaming earth. To the outmost lines and marks shifting curves were added to represent the shifting palms and Momentum of Shifting earth. While making the curving lines Fan Zhong varied the pressure of his brush to make the lines become more transparent and ethereal as they moved away from the core symbolizing the ethereal and unrestrained nature that emerged one felt when fighting someone who combined the two techniques.
When Fan Zhong finally looked up after adding the last stroke he realized that it was already nighttime. Shockingly he realized that someone was standing in the doorway to his meditation hut. Leaning his back against the frame of the entryway was none other than Fan Cheng
Fan Zhong's elder brother was much as he remembered him but at the same time different. Normally a firm and solid aura followed the man all the time as if he himself was a mountain. Now that pressure was still there but it was dull as if the foundation of that mountain was struggling to stay up.
There were other signs that Fan Cheng was under some form of stress for instance his normally well-ordered short hair was in a slightly unruly mess and his eyes had the faint forming lines of rings. Telling still were the small traces of dirt maring the splendor of his golden martial arts robes, a clear sign he had come here with some haste without bothering to change his clothes or travel slow enough to prevent such wear. Normally the small cleaning formations woven into the robes given to someone at the master level, usually an elder, would still keep the robes clean. Obviously Fan Cheng had been putting that function through its paces to consume enough energy to weaken it to this extent.
"Come" Fan Cheng simply said with a commanding tone as he tossed Fan Zhong his staff.
Fan Zhong followed with some trepidation and confusion. He was very happy to see his brother as Fan Cheng had always been a shining genius in his eyes, someone who seemed to always have the solution no matter what the problem. However, he had expected some sort of lecture on his mistakes or perhaps a more compassionate talking down since Fan Cheng had a soft spot when it came to punishing him. Now however he was handing him a weapon and they were walking into the training clearing as if to spar as they had for the past year, surely he hadn't come here to simply continue training Fan Zhong?
"Good, let it out. We cannot speak with this weight-bearing over you" Fan Cheng said while nodding at him before falling into a void gate stance.
"Elder Brother, what do you wish for me to let out? Forgi-" Fan Zhong began before Fan Cheng cut him off
"Speak like a warrior, you can fight, can't you? Or can you only prance around like some stuck up brat" the older man said as his steely gaze pierced into Fan Zhong like a set of spears heavenly lances
Fan Zhong was taken aback, never in his life had his kind elder brother ever said something like that to him. Inside, however, that familiar anger started to burn and fester, it whispered to him of breaking that arrogant face of this so-called 'genius'. What kind of genius would allow their youngest brother to be beaten so much? However, Fan Zhong quieted this voice with a measured exertion of his will
"This one can fight as kind sage elder brother taught him, it was an honor to learn under one so learned" Fan Zhong retorted back with a slight tremble in his voice being the only sign of his boiling emotion.
"Hmph, can you not even defend your honor? Was my valuable time wasted on someone who can only whore and drink? Do you want to be beaten blue before you can move then? Attack like a man if you're even able to do so while soiling yourself over there" Fan Cheng sneered clear contempt ringing out in his strained-sounding voice.
It happened again at that moment, all of Fan Zhong's hidden fears about wasting his brother's time were voiced here. These words hit him harder than even the earlier events with Elder Wuying and as Fan Cheng voiced his deepest seeded fears it felt like his soul shuddered. Deep down he had always known that his brother noticed his envy, the desire to be as revered as the genius of the clan.
He had always secretly thought, no perhaps hoped, that Fan Cheng harbored secret disdain for him. That way in some small semblance he could drag this heaven's chosen son down into the depths of despair with him if even only an inch. The next thing Fan Zhong knew his vision was completely red and his body moved on its own accord.
Quickly he took three steps forward covering half the distance between both of them while body juggling his staff to gather more momentum, having about five steps saved up. Fan Zhong feigned an earth-origin palm strike with the lower end of his staff as he used the footwork of a mortal shifting palm technique to swing out in an arc to his left as if to deliver downward arcing heaven receiving palm with a kick to Fan Cheng's shoulder. At the distance of a single step away Fan Zhong had gathered 10 steps of momentum through contact juggling and movement. He used two steps of momentum to swing his body low, cutting a counter arc to swing wildly to his right.
Quickly Fan Zhong's staff spun in an arc across his back as the center arrived at his right elbow he left contact with it briefly before shoving the remaining nine steps of momentum into an all things birthed from the origin palm technique. Fan Zhong's palm connected with the bottom of the staff, sending it shooting forward like a lance as his other hand ran across the length to spin the weapon like a drill. In an instant, he had covered the space and feinted twice before sweeping into this final position change and discharging a technique on par with the strike that obliterated the giant bear's face.
Fan Zhong may not have been in a frame of mind to contemplate complicated fighting tactics, however his body still knew that the opponent was far above him. The only path to victory was to go all out and such his opening attack was one aimed to kill immediately. Slowly the barest hint of a smile crested at the corners of Fan Cheng's lips as he kicked the bottom of his staff with the inside of his foot. In an incredibly swift motion the weapon spun into action as he executed a shifting palm strike that had the upper end of his weapon collide with the center of gravity of Fan Zhong's attack.
Quickly the enormous force put into the blow was thrown off and before Fan Zhong could even react Fan Cheng used another shifting palm step moving inside his guard from his left while hooking a foot into Fan Zhong's instep. With a quick tug the youth was falling backward. Finally, before his head hit the floor Fan Zhong felt a sharp blow to the back of his head followed by a force that collided with his stomach and sent the youth flying for ten meters.
"Again, or is that all you amount to?" Fan Cheng asked although strangely the contempt and tremble were missing from his voice
Inside of Fan Zhong the storm of emotions had barely been satisfied and he was on his feet in a moment launching a rapid mix and origin and shift palm strikes. First, he came in high with two heaven-shifting palm strikes. When Fan Cheng tried to counter the second one with a receiving palm he stomped down on his foot while executing a heaven origin palm to drive his staff down from overhead. At first, the strike seemed to be aimed at his opponent's shoulder but right before it was blocked by a clever movement of the upper part of Fan Cheng's weapon Fan Zhong shifted the blow to target the outside of his elder brother's leg.
Although the impacts from the stomp and connect blow were dull, Fan Cheng's smile only widened as he slammed an earth origin palm into the side of Fan Zhong's ribs. This force sent the youth sprawling onto the ground 5 meters away. These exchanges repeated and soon Fan Cheng was not only smiling but lecturing his younger brother on his technique.
"That was good, your battle intent is strong and you no longer fight like some green dojo disciple. Be more decisive though, when you're ready to take a hit, take it! No flinching!..." Fan Cheng intoned sagely after the exchange with the stomp.
"No no, don't forget your form simply because you wish to hit me. Fighting is ruthless but giving into instincts fully makes you predictable and stupid like a wild beast!" Another exchange and more bruises for Fan Zhong.
"Yes, shifting and origin palms must be mixed, and receiving palms are for punishing mistakes. Flexibility is key, always keep your opponent guessing." Fan Cheng proclaimed to an exhausted Fan Zhong who was attempting to get up but barely had the strength to kneel.
"Hmph, good good, now are your wits about you enough to talk?" Fan Cheng said sadness and exhaustion showed through his eyes as his face now carried an expression of worry.
"Broth… Elder Brother, can you still ask me this? Do you feel no shame?" Fan Zhong asked with mixed emotions while glaring at Fan Cheng.
Currently inside of him hate, guilt and confusion warred in equal measure however his thoughts somehow felt lighter as if the pressure had been removed from his mind.
"Little Zhong… Truly, do you think I mean these things? I say them to drag these emotions out of you, it wounds me deeply but I know these are things you fear deeply. Even if you thinking of me in such a way hurts me, how can I let such things fester? Before arriving here I spoke with Elder Wuying and we noticed a worrying bout of outbursts from you. Not just here but in your trial, thinking back on our day's training over the past year I realized my mentorship had done you a disservice. As your brother, the signs should have been clear, however these hints were pushed to the wayside as it pained me to think our relationship had grown so distant, however it is my duty as your senior and teacher not only to resolve your feelings about me but your deep-seated anger. Once again, are you feeling better?" Fan Cheng spoke as if every word was a trek up a tall mountain and he seemed to visibly deflate when mentioning their relationship.
Fan Zhong recoiled physically after hearing this. Of course, his brother had known, how could you not when they had lived so closely the last year. It pained him even more as he truly felt their brotherly bond had grown quite a bit during his training however this obviously had forced that a step backward.
"I… am fine Elder Brother." Fan Zhong said as he forced himself to a position closer to his brother before kowtowing forcibly "Truly my actions have been not only unfilial but also unbrotherly. Junior hopes that great sage Elder Brother can be magnanimous and forgive this little one for old times sake"
"That could definitely be arranged, Little Brother. For now, speaking with you about this is only my personal reason for coming here but there is also clan business to attend. Fan Zhong as the acting administrator of the Fan clan in place of our father Fan Long I deliver the verdict of the council of elders. Five days from now you will depart on a bodyguard assignment lasting until the end of the year six months from now. If the employer deems our services are no longer needed before the end of the year you are to report to the nearest clan office and serve under the branch head until the time has elapsed. In effect you are exiled from Little Green Bamboo Village until the year ends. Under this exile if you are caught entering the village under any means your exile will become permanent, is this decree understood?" Fan Cheng delivered the verdict in a commanding tone that seemed to shake the air, his aura of a firm stoic mountain seemed to be on the mend.
"Fan Zhong receives this decree and obeys, will this assignment be for me alone or will others be there as well?" Fan Zhong asked curiously
"The assignment will be a group one however the others are not in exile as you are. Leading the squad of four will be Fan Shun who is a first-grade clan warrior his second in command will be Su Fen who is a second-grade clan warrior from a warrior branch family. Finally, there's you and… Zi bao'' Fan Cheng said with a grimace.
Part 1. Ch 17 Ch. 17 Setting Out
"That is… An interesting lineup for such an excursion. Forgive me for the rudeness however it feels relevant to note that Zi Bao has a troubled relationship with me, perhaps another assignment would be better?" Fan Zhong grimaced as the words left his mouth, on one hand asking for the mission of his punishment to be changed was rather audacious. However, trouble could only ensue if he and Zi Bao had to spend so long in each other's company.
"Indeed, Elder Wuying and I thought the very same thing. However, cooperation is a core part of being a clan warrior even when one has to assist clan members they don't necessarily see eye to eye with. As such the rest of the elders ruled that remaining professional and fulfilling your duty alongside Zi Bao would be part of your exile to prove you can be a functioning part of the clan" Fan Cheng said while sighing "Despite your past interactions Zi Bao has proven to be a loyal and consistent warrior while on missions. In the half dozen assignments he has taken, following his elevation to an official warrior, there has been little complaint from his superiors, colleagues, or clients. Therefore it will be assumed that any friction generated during this mission will be a result of you since he has already proven himself."
Fan Zhong's frown deepened at these words even if he knew the logic behind them. If Zi Bao truly had learned to rein himself in and tame the normal arrogance he displayed then Fan Zhong causing waves in the mission could only be his fault. Although he had misgivings about the haughty youth's ability to truly turn a new leaf inwardly Fan Zhong steeled himself to be particularly mindful of his actions during this exile and assignment.
"Understood, I will be mindful of myself and avoid conflict as much as possible, especially with Zi Bao," Fan Zhong said resolutely.
"Good it warms my heart to see your resolve, take these five days to firm your heart and prepare. In the meantime, the material you requested on formations and arrays is gathered here" Fan Cheng said while gesturing to a small orderly stack of manuals that had been stacked near one wall of the meditation hut "feel free to take these with you during the mission, who knows maybe your 'heaven-defying talent' also applies to these side skills? Just remember the martial path is long and hard, try not to stray too far or you might find the peak forever out of reach. As for the books on magical treasure crafting, their delivery was delayed due to… issues with the Wei, they should be here soon and I'll have someone pass them along to you.."
With these words, a smirk crossed Fan Cheng's face and he turned to leave. As he watched his brother go Fan Zhong felt a complex mix of emotions well up inside of him. Firstly he had to admit to himself that there was indeed a lingering feeling of bitterness that dwelled in that dark abyss of his heart. Whispers of indignation at being punished when others had beaten his brother tried to escape that well of dark emotions, however with his newfound fear of that place in his heart Fan Zhong quickly smothered them.
Thankfully the rest of his emotions were mostly positive ones. Mostly he felt the bonds of kinship with his elder brother and clan grow ever stronger, even if the elders were sending him into exile it was to temper him and broaden the experiences of his worldview! Some may simply be looking to attack his father or elder brother politically or simply still think his martial achievements were faked somehow. However, Fan Zhong believed in his heart that the majority truly had his best interests at heart and viewed his ability to conduct himself as a proper warrior around Zi Bao as a test of his Dao heart.
In any case, another piece of news had also shocked him slightly, Zi Bao had already been on half a dozen missions as an official clan warrior! Thinking on it this wasn't too strange as the arrogant man had achieved third-grade warrior status around when Fan Zhong had just begun his training, this meant that he had been a part of the clan warriors for almost a year now. This fact did worry Fan Zhong however as he remembered how much this trial had allowed his martial prowess to rise.
Surely not all missions were as long as the one they would embark on nor his recent trial but even with shorter assignments with half a dozen under his belt Zi Bao no doubt had gained a heap of practical experience during his outings. Although the martial realms were classified with the grading and master systems those titles only gauged when one had a qualitative breakthrough in strength. For individuals in those realms differences still existed and they could be as vast as the distance between a child and a trained warrior.
An example would be comparing a normal musician and Fan Zhong who had devoted many years of his life to the craft. Between the two no qualitative difference existed such as one's music being imbued with energy, touching the soul, or similar change. However, Fan Zhong had composed countless pieces that were praised throughout the local villages and even a good portion of the valley while many casual tavern and entertainment hall musicians lacked the skill to compose and play complex works.
Thus even without a qualitative difference Fan Zhong's abilities would completely overwhelm the other musicians in this aspect. The same could be said for martial ability, two warriors may be at the third-grade realm but with experience in combat and practical application one may completely overshadow the other. Although the difference would not be as clear as fighting between realms, where one could overcome many being an unstoppable force, in single combat the skill difference would quickly spell defeat for the weaker martial artist.
Fan Zhong now secretly wondered if he would even be able to match Zi Bao with his training, perhaps with the practical experience the other party had gained the gap between them was even wider than it was previously? Slowly Fan Zhong sighed and pushed the issue to the back of his mind, truly it didn't matter if he could fight Zi Bao at the moment what mattered most was avoiding conflict with him and silently completing this assignment. After that, his exile would be lifted and he could return home once more proudly raising his head!
Having decided to act lowkey during this assignment Fan Zhong eagerly turned his attention to the stack of manuals on arrays and formations. Previously he had been so wrapped up in the adjustments to his music and calligraphy the stack had gone unnoticed, now with nothing to do for a few days, he was eager to have a distraction to dig into. The pursuit of these skills was not wholly unrelated to his martial arts as Fan Zhong had constantly been searching for a way to incorporate his music and calligraphy into practical skills.
With an understanding of arrays and formations, he was hoping to use his calligraphy to become proficient in inscribing arrays adding a much-needed support skill to his repertoire. This idea was still in its infancy however Fan Zhong felt something resonating within the idea and so he chose to believe in the instincts that were guiding him.
So it went that Fan Zhong decided on a schedule where he would exercise and practice martial arts until the sun was high in the sky before taking an hour to practice music and calligraphy each. After that, he would study the manuals regarding the fundamentals of arrays and formations. Within these five days, Fan Zhong was confident he had at least grasped the basic terms and even started doing the simplest exercises the manuals listed for beginners.
For the arrays, he learned that the fundamentals book was titled "Fundamentals of the arrays and formations of heaven and earth". It turned out that the term 'array' and 'formation' actually referred to very similar things and could sometimes be used interchangeably. Generally speaking, arrays referred to a set of markers, mobile or immobile, that formed a pattern to produce an effect that needed minimal supervision.
Examples of this were things like Qi gathering formations that produced environments with higher ambient Qi to grow natural treasures or speed up the advancement of those in the master realm or higher. Once the markers, something akin to inscribed array flags or posts stuck into the ground with similar inscriptions, were placed they could run the effect with minimal supervision usually powered by spirit stones or natural treasures placed near the energy cores of the array. On the other hand, formations were generally formed by items similar to the markers for arrays; however, each item was more flexible and meant to be manually run by a martial artist actively providing Qi or Mental energy.
Formations could be run by fewer people than there were cores, however, this required one of the controllers of the formation to split their awareness. Formations received the advantage of not using expendable resources such as spirit stones and natural treasures by allowing them to be powered by martial artists. The inscriptions used to make the cores of formations and arrays were made of runes that were derived from the more complex forms of 'True Dao Runes' that represented parts of the Eternal Dao.
True runes contained too many mysterious truths about the laws of the universe and would destroy the minds of mortals if they looked upon them so countless lesser runes had been derived from the original forms that contained less power but were safe for use of the less powerful. This basic primer on runes contained little info on how far away the more mundane inscriptions of mortals were from the source, only that innumerable lesser runes had been derived from the power of the true ones immortals used. These runes could imbue the various aspects of the different elements that made up the world in a sequence that represented the desired effect. Oftentimes to replicate the effect of a technique a martial artist knew as an understanding of the technique itself would allow for the model to better mimic the strength of the original.
The practice of using these runes extended further into what was known as spells and talismans where spells were a way to draw the symbols in the air with Qi or mental energy and use the ambient energy of heaven and earth to power the effect. Although the power of such spells was limited by the original person who derived it and took much study to understand, the results would allow for techniques that consume less energy. In a fight between higher realm, martial artist's energy reserves often could be the deciding factor between life and death. Additionally once one had a deep foundation in spells they could learn more of a similar level quickly without studying the foundations of even wildly different techniques, only requiring the spell itself. For example, a Water Qi user would normally have to start over from the beginning to use Fire Qi at all and might even face backlash to the cultivation of their martial art if they misused the fire technique.
With an understanding of basic spells, the Water Qi user could learn basic fire spells for utility purposes such as lighting torches or campfires without the time needed to familiarize themselves with how fire techniques work, instead of relying mainly on their basic understanding of spells to form the fire techniques. From a utility perspective, this would also serve the user better as that basic foundation in spells would extend to other elements as well such as small bursts of wind to dry clothes. These factors made it a great boon to learn the basics of spells for martial artists however most stopped after that as higher-level spells became immensely more complicated and time-consuming to understand.
The book did say that higher level spells could start producing incredible effects by combining simpler spells into more complex ones, however, techniques for this seemed to be closely guarded secrets of certain nobles and scholarly sects who focused on such things. Similarly talismans functioned very similarly to spells however they tended to have different rune models as they condensed the power of the spell into a physical medium such as talisman paper at the time of creation. Talismans could generally be made with any natural treasure that one could inscribe the runes on with the energy capacity of the material determining how strong a talisman could be.
Using natural treasures as material made talismans costly to make and the expense of training a talisman master was even more costly as novices would often fail in their early attempts wasting precious material. The benefits to them were plain to see however as most talismans cost a fraction of the energy to activate compared to the original technique and served as easily stored trump cards in a fight. As talismans were single-use items they were made to display the full strength of the technique without requiring as much mastery as spells did, in the hands of a skill talisman master it was said they could even bring out more power than the original through their understanding of the talisman itself.
While much of this interested Fan Zhong he was relieved to see that he could make progress on the front of formations and arrays as well as spells by learning the basics of runes themselves. Although he wouldn't be able to use any of his knowledge of spells or runes before becoming a first-grade martial artist, as he wouldn't be able to actively control mental energy before then, it was possible to study the theory and be able to do so as soon as he advanced to that realm. Reading further into the information on arrays and formations deeper he was able to learn the basics of how they were constructed.
The simplest form of either was a technique, powered by a user or natural treasures that contained the correctly aligned Qi to power the technique, with an energy core attached to it with a complementary element to boost the power of the technique. These two core types, energy, and technique formed the basis of simple arrays and formations. Within this, a primer was given on how elements interact with each other.
All elements were classified into the duality of yin and yang beneath which exist the quadrants of sentience and the six pillar elements that formed heaven and earth. Elements all had an alignment of either yin or yang whereas the quadrants of sentience embodied the minds and souls of all living beings. Finally, the six pillars represented the physical objects that made up heaven and earth.
Those aligned to the Yin were as follows: Beast, Mind, Wind, Water, Metal. Conversely, the Yang aligned elements turned out to be: Man, Body, Earth, Wood, Fire. Pure elemental laws are known as normal alignment to yin or yang and can each serve to feed each other except in the case of being fed by their overcoming element (i.e. Fire cannot feed water as fire evaporates water). Composite Elements if they contain both yin and yang are said to be neutral elements or in the case, both elements are of a single yin or yang alignment they are noted as strongly aligned. When a Yin Element feeds a Yang element to do something it will receive a 25% boost in power and the same is when a Yang element feeds a Yin element.
Next, the work defined the Quadrants of sentience as containing the elements of Body -> Beast -> Mind -> Man <-. Body is the starting of all living things and so gives rise to Beast. In turn, beast must think to live and so gives life to mind and finally, mind gives rise to sentience creating man who in turn begins the cycle anew giving birth to body ( or sentience in this case man refers to any sentient creature including spirits and spirit beasts). In turn, man exhausts mind which exhausts beast who in turn exhausts body who finally exhausts man forming the reverse cycle.
Elements of the sentience cycle provide a 25% boost when used to feed the element they birth and conversely when used against the element they exhaust they are 10% more effective.
Finally the six pillar elements were defined as Earth -> Wood -> Fire -> Wind -> Water -> Metal <-. Earth gives birth to wood which burns birthing fire whose temperature gives rise to wind who forms clouds that make water who washes away soil to reveal metal who decays and breaks back down into earth. Metal Exhausts water through outlasting it as water exhausts the power of the wind through formless ripples. Wind exhausts fire with fierce gales and fire exhausts woods through burning its roots while wood exhausts earth through absorbing all of its energy and earth exhausts metal through a millennium of wear. Earth Defeats fire through smothering, wood defeats wind with stout trunks and dense forests, fire defeats waters through evaporation, wind defeats metal through erosion, water defeats earth by washing away the soil, metal defeats wood through felling all its dense forests.
The first of these cycles of the six elements relates how the six elements feed each other providing a 50% boost to power when they feed the right elemental. Secondly is the exhausting cycle when an element is used against one which it exhausts it is 25% more effective in this cycle, conversely if you try to use an offensive technique against a defense technique and the defensive technique exhausts the offensive, say a fireball at a windshield, it will be 25% less effective. Finally is the Destroying cycle, when you use an element against one it destroys the technique is boosted by 100% conversely if an element wishes to overcome a technique aligned with its destroyer, for example, you want to defeat a wind barrier with a metal attack, the weak element would need to display 200% the strength of the strong element to achieve equal exchange.
Composite elements further complicated the matter and were out of scope for the basic manual. As far as setting up formations and arrays, the last topic mentioned was utility formation cores. These formation cores provided neither qi nor techniques, instead working to do things such as change the elemental alignment of Qi, move formation cores, and link different layers of multilayer formations/arrays.
Once one understood and comprehended all of this they could be said to have begun on the path of a formation or array master. With this, though Fan Zhong felt his eyes had been opened wide open, he had never known there were such complex relations between energy types, let alone such varied ways to use them! Although the text seemed dry to others he drank it up like a desert that had been given water for the first time in centuries.
During this time Fan Zhong had also been beginning to learn the basic set of runes as well and found his calligraphy skills to be a great boon as high levels of precision and control were needed to draw even the simplest of the characters. Finally, the day arrived and Fan Zhong was summoned to the ship that would take them out of Little Green Bamboo Village. On the way down the path, he looked around, marveling at the wide expanse of the underbrush and the tall bamboo all around.
This had been his world for many years, so much so that it wasn't wrong to say this village was all that he knew. With a breath Fan Zhong steeled his resolve and continued into the village until he was at the that led ramp onto the merchant ship his team would be on. Arriving on the deck he spotted a few crew members milling about securing various things or loading crates with various labels. In the center of the ship stood a stocky man who had a slightly round belly and a long thin black beard that drooped down to his chest.
The man had soft features on his face and wore an opulent-looking dark red robe that had the sigil of a jade crate on it. Atop the man's head rested short black hair and his eyes were a deep brown reminiscent of the depths of a shallow pond when a large fish is disturbed near the bottom. To his side stood three others dressed in the warrior robes of the clan.
Of these three all were standing opposite the man in the red robe, one to either side of the man in the middle who stood slightly ahead of the others. This man Fan Zhong assumed was Fan Shun, the leader of his team and a relative of his although they had never met. Fan Shun was a well-built man who stood only slightly shorter than Fan Zhong himself.
His blonde hair was cut to shoulder length, an odd feature for someone of direct clan descent Fan Zhong noted. Fan Shun's eyes showed specks of golden lights infrequently appearing on a gray backdrop, signs he was nearing the master realm. Martial robes of the clan colors were worn astutely in a professional manner and a small sword hung at the man's waist. To his side away from Fan Zhong stood someone that could only be Su Fen.
Although Fan Zhong had never met the man he seemed amicable enough from a distance. The man carried himself with an air of ease; his dark blue eyes betrayed his astute alertness of the surroundings. Su Fen wore his robes loosely and slung across his back was one of the mortal natural treasure staffs used by most clan warriors.
Finally, Fan Zhong focused on the person standing on the other side of Fan Sun, a youth who stood almost two heads shorter than himself. Upon the youth's face sat sharp eyebrows and his eyes were a soft blue. The sharp angles of the youth's short auburn hair and angular jaw added to the stern look he cast on the rest of the world as if he was challenging the heavens for the mere fact of their existence. This of course was none other than Zi Bao. Fan Zhong took a final deep breath and walked forward to greet his team.
"Indeed, Elder Wuying and I thought the very same thing. However, cooperation is a core part of being a clan warrior even when one has to assist clan members they don't necessarily see eye to eye with. As such the rest of the elders ruled that remaining professional and fulfilling your duty alongside Zi Bao would be part of your exile to prove you can be a functioning part of the clan" Fan Cheng said while sighing "Despite your past interactions Zi Bao has proven to be a loyal and consistent warrior while on missions. In the half dozen assignments he has taken, following his elevation to an official warrior, there has been little complaint from his superiors, colleagues, or clients. Therefore it will be assumed that any friction generated during this mission will be a result of you since he has already proven himself."
Fan Zhong's frown deepened at these words even if he knew the logic behind them. If Zi Bao truly had learned to rein himself in and tame the normal arrogance he displayed then Fan Zhong causing waves in the mission could only be his fault. Although he had misgivings about the haughty youth's ability to truly turn a new leaf inwardly Fan Zhong steeled himself to be particularly mindful of his actions during this exile and assignment.
"Understood, I will be mindful of myself and avoid conflict as much as possible, especially with Zi Bao," Fan Zhong said resolutely.
"Good it warms my heart to see your resolve, take these five days to firm your heart and prepare. In the meantime, the material you requested on formations and arrays is gathered here" Fan Cheng said while gesturing to a small orderly stack of manuals that had been stacked near one wall of the meditation hut "feel free to take these with you during the mission, who knows maybe your 'heaven-defying talent' also applies to these side skills? Just remember the martial path is long and hard, try not to stray too far or you might find the peak forever out of reach. As for the books on magical treasure crafting, their delivery was delayed due to… issues with the Wei, they should be here soon and I'll have someone pass them along to you.."
With these words, a smirk crossed Fan Cheng's face and he turned to leave. As he watched his brother go Fan Zhong felt a complex mix of emotions well up inside of him. Firstly he had to admit to himself that there was indeed a lingering feeling of bitterness that dwelled in that dark abyss of his heart. Whispers of indignation at being punished when others had beaten his brother tried to escape that well of dark emotions, however with his newfound fear of that place in his heart Fan Zhong quickly smothered them.
Thankfully the rest of his emotions were mostly positive ones. Mostly he felt the bonds of kinship with his elder brother and clan grow ever stronger, even if the elders were sending him into exile it was to temper him and broaden the experiences of his worldview! Some may simply be looking to attack his father or elder brother politically or simply still think his martial achievements were faked somehow. However, Fan Zhong believed in his heart that the majority truly had his best interests at heart and viewed his ability to conduct himself as a proper warrior around Zi Bao as a test of his Dao heart.
In any case, another piece of news had also shocked him slightly, Zi Bao had already been on half a dozen missions as an official clan warrior! Thinking on it this wasn't too strange as the arrogant man had achieved third-grade warrior status around when Fan Zhong had just begun his training, this meant that he had been a part of the clan warriors for almost a year now. This fact did worry Fan Zhong however as he remembered how much this trial had allowed his martial prowess to rise.
Surely not all missions were as long as the one they would embark on nor his recent trial but even with shorter assignments with half a dozen under his belt Zi Bao no doubt had gained a heap of practical experience during his outings. Although the martial realms were classified with the grading and master systems those titles only gauged when one had a qualitative breakthrough in strength. For individuals in those realms differences still existed and they could be as vast as the distance between a child and a trained warrior.
An example would be comparing a normal musician and Fan Zhong who had devoted many years of his life to the craft. Between the two no qualitative difference existed such as one's music being imbued with energy, touching the soul, or similar change. However, Fan Zhong had composed countless pieces that were praised throughout the local villages and even a good portion of the valley while many casual tavern and entertainment hall musicians lacked the skill to compose and play complex works.
Thus even without a qualitative difference Fan Zhong's abilities would completely overwhelm the other musicians in this aspect. The same could be said for martial ability, two warriors may be at the third-grade realm but with experience in combat and practical application one may completely overshadow the other. Although the difference would not be as clear as fighting between realms, where one could overcome many being an unstoppable force, in single combat the skill difference would quickly spell defeat for the weaker martial artist.
Fan Zhong now secretly wondered if he would even be able to match Zi Bao with his training, perhaps with the practical experience the other party had gained the gap between them was even wider than it was previously? Slowly Fan Zhong sighed and pushed the issue to the back of his mind, truly it didn't matter if he could fight Zi Bao at the moment what mattered most was avoiding conflict with him and silently completing this assignment. After that, his exile would be lifted and he could return home once more proudly raising his head!
Having decided to act lowkey during this assignment Fan Zhong eagerly turned his attention to the stack of manuals on arrays and formations. Previously he had been so wrapped up in the adjustments to his music and calligraphy the stack had gone unnoticed, now with nothing to do for a few days, he was eager to have a distraction to dig into. The pursuit of these skills was not wholly unrelated to his martial arts as Fan Zhong had constantly been searching for a way to incorporate his music and calligraphy into practical skills.
With an understanding of arrays and formations, he was hoping to use his calligraphy to become proficient in inscribing arrays adding a much-needed support skill to his repertoire. This idea was still in its infancy however Fan Zhong felt something resonating within the idea and so he chose to believe in the instincts that were guiding him.
So it went that Fan Zhong decided on a schedule where he would exercise and practice martial arts until the sun was high in the sky before taking an hour to practice music and calligraphy each. After that, he would study the manuals regarding the fundamentals of arrays and formations. Within these five days, Fan Zhong was confident he had at least grasped the basic terms and even started doing the simplest exercises the manuals listed for beginners.
For the arrays, he learned that the fundamentals book was titled "Fundamentals of the arrays and formations of heaven and earth". It turned out that the term 'array' and 'formation' actually referred to very similar things and could sometimes be used interchangeably. Generally speaking, arrays referred to a set of markers, mobile or immobile, that formed a pattern to produce an effect that needed minimal supervision.
Examples of this were things like Qi gathering formations that produced environments with higher ambient Qi to grow natural treasures or speed up the advancement of those in the master realm or higher. Once the markers, something akin to inscribed array flags or posts stuck into the ground with similar inscriptions, were placed they could run the effect with minimal supervision usually powered by spirit stones or natural treasures placed near the energy cores of the array. On the other hand, formations were generally formed by items similar to the markers for arrays; however, each item was more flexible and meant to be manually run by a martial artist actively providing Qi or Mental energy.
Formations could be run by fewer people than there were cores, however, this required one of the controllers of the formation to split their awareness. Formations received the advantage of not using expendable resources such as spirit stones and natural treasures by allowing them to be powered by martial artists. The inscriptions used to make the cores of formations and arrays were made of runes that were derived from the more complex forms of 'True Dao Runes' that represented parts of the Eternal Dao.
True runes contained too many mysterious truths about the laws of the universe and would destroy the minds of mortals if they looked upon them so countless lesser runes had been derived from the original forms that contained less power but were safe for use of the less powerful. This basic primer on runes contained little info on how far away the more mundane inscriptions of mortals were from the source, only that innumerable lesser runes had been derived from the power of the true ones immortals used. These runes could imbue the various aspects of the different elements that made up the world in a sequence that represented the desired effect. Oftentimes to replicate the effect of a technique a martial artist knew as an understanding of the technique itself would allow for the model to better mimic the strength of the original.
The practice of using these runes extended further into what was known as spells and talismans where spells were a way to draw the symbols in the air with Qi or mental energy and use the ambient energy of heaven and earth to power the effect. Although the power of such spells was limited by the original person who derived it and took much study to understand, the results would allow for techniques that consume less energy. In a fight between higher realm, martial artist's energy reserves often could be the deciding factor between life and death. Additionally once one had a deep foundation in spells they could learn more of a similar level quickly without studying the foundations of even wildly different techniques, only requiring the spell itself. For example, a Water Qi user would normally have to start over from the beginning to use Fire Qi at all and might even face backlash to the cultivation of their martial art if they misused the fire technique.
With an understanding of basic spells, the Water Qi user could learn basic fire spells for utility purposes such as lighting torches or campfires without the time needed to familiarize themselves with how fire techniques work, instead of relying mainly on their basic understanding of spells to form the fire techniques. From a utility perspective, this would also serve the user better as that basic foundation in spells would extend to other elements as well such as small bursts of wind to dry clothes. These factors made it a great boon to learn the basics of spells for martial artists however most stopped after that as higher-level spells became immensely more complicated and time-consuming to understand.
The book did say that higher level spells could start producing incredible effects by combining simpler spells into more complex ones, however, techniques for this seemed to be closely guarded secrets of certain nobles and scholarly sects who focused on such things. Similarly talismans functioned very similarly to spells however they tended to have different rune models as they condensed the power of the spell into a physical medium such as talisman paper at the time of creation. Talismans could generally be made with any natural treasure that one could inscribe the runes on with the energy capacity of the material determining how strong a talisman could be.
Using natural treasures as material made talismans costly to make and the expense of training a talisman master was even more costly as novices would often fail in their early attempts wasting precious material. The benefits to them were plain to see however as most talismans cost a fraction of the energy to activate compared to the original technique and served as easily stored trump cards in a fight. As talismans were single-use items they were made to display the full strength of the technique without requiring as much mastery as spells did, in the hands of a skill talisman master it was said they could even bring out more power than the original through their understanding of the talisman itself.
While much of this interested Fan Zhong he was relieved to see that he could make progress on the front of formations and arrays as well as spells by learning the basics of runes themselves. Although he wouldn't be able to use any of his knowledge of spells or runes before becoming a first-grade martial artist, as he wouldn't be able to actively control mental energy before then, it was possible to study the theory and be able to do so as soon as he advanced to that realm. Reading further into the information on arrays and formations deeper he was able to learn the basics of how they were constructed.
The simplest form of either was a technique, powered by a user or natural treasures that contained the correctly aligned Qi to power the technique, with an energy core attached to it with a complementary element to boost the power of the technique. These two core types, energy, and technique formed the basis of simple arrays and formations. Within this, a primer was given on how elements interact with each other.
All elements were classified into the duality of yin and yang beneath which exist the quadrants of sentience and the six pillar elements that formed heaven and earth. Elements all had an alignment of either yin or yang whereas the quadrants of sentience embodied the minds and souls of all living beings. Finally, the six pillars represented the physical objects that made up heaven and earth.
Those aligned to the Yin were as follows: Beast, Mind, Wind, Water, Metal. Conversely, the Yang aligned elements turned out to be: Man, Body, Earth, Wood, Fire. Pure elemental laws are known as normal alignment to yin or yang and can each serve to feed each other except in the case of being fed by their overcoming element (i.e. Fire cannot feed water as fire evaporates water). Composite Elements if they contain both yin and yang are said to be neutral elements or in the case, both elements are of a single yin or yang alignment they are noted as strongly aligned. When a Yin Element feeds a Yang element to do something it will receive a 25% boost in power and the same is when a Yang element feeds a Yin element.
Next, the work defined the Quadrants of sentience as containing the elements of Body -> Beast -> Mind -> Man <-. Body is the starting of all living things and so gives rise to Beast. In turn, beast must think to live and so gives life to mind and finally, mind gives rise to sentience creating man who in turn begins the cycle anew giving birth to body ( or sentience in this case man refers to any sentient creature including spirits and spirit beasts). In turn, man exhausts mind which exhausts beast who in turn exhausts body who finally exhausts man forming the reverse cycle.
Elements of the sentience cycle provide a 25% boost when used to feed the element they birth and conversely when used against the element they exhaust they are 10% more effective.
Finally the six pillar elements were defined as Earth -> Wood -> Fire -> Wind -> Water -> Metal <-. Earth gives birth to wood which burns birthing fire whose temperature gives rise to wind who forms clouds that make water who washes away soil to reveal metal who decays and breaks back down into earth. Metal Exhausts water through outlasting it as water exhausts the power of the wind through formless ripples. Wind exhausts fire with fierce gales and fire exhausts woods through burning its roots while wood exhausts earth through absorbing all of its energy and earth exhausts metal through a millennium of wear. Earth Defeats fire through smothering, wood defeats wind with stout trunks and dense forests, fire defeats waters through evaporation, wind defeats metal through erosion, water defeats earth by washing away the soil, metal defeats wood through felling all its dense forests.
The first of these cycles of the six elements relates how the six elements feed each other providing a 50% boost to power when they feed the right elemental. Secondly is the exhausting cycle when an element is used against one which it exhausts it is 25% more effective in this cycle, conversely if you try to use an offensive technique against a defense technique and the defensive technique exhausts the offensive, say a fireball at a windshield, it will be 25% less effective. Finally is the Destroying cycle, when you use an element against one it destroys the technique is boosted by 100% conversely if an element wishes to overcome a technique aligned with its destroyer, for example, you want to defeat a wind barrier with a metal attack, the weak element would need to display 200% the strength of the strong element to achieve equal exchange.
Composite elements further complicated the matter and were out of scope for the basic manual. As far as setting up formations and arrays, the last topic mentioned was utility formation cores. These formation cores provided neither qi nor techniques, instead working to do things such as change the elemental alignment of Qi, move formation cores, and link different layers of multilayer formations/arrays.
Once one understood and comprehended all of this they could be said to have begun on the path of a formation or array master. With this, though Fan Zhong felt his eyes had been opened wide open, he had never known there were such complex relations between energy types, let alone such varied ways to use them! Although the text seemed dry to others he drank it up like a desert that had been given water for the first time in centuries.
During this time Fan Zhong had also been beginning to learn the basic set of runes as well and found his calligraphy skills to be a great boon as high levels of precision and control were needed to draw even the simplest of the characters. Finally, the day arrived and Fan Zhong was summoned to the ship that would take them out of Little Green Bamboo Village. On the way down the path, he looked around, marveling at the wide expanse of the underbrush and the tall bamboo all around.
This had been his world for many years, so much so that it wasn't wrong to say this village was all that he knew. With a breath Fan Zhong steeled his resolve and continued into the village until he was at the that led ramp onto the merchant ship his team would be on. Arriving on the deck he spotted a few crew members milling about securing various things or loading crates with various labels. In the center of the ship stood a stocky man who had a slightly round belly and a long thin black beard that drooped down to his chest.
The man had soft features on his face and wore an opulent-looking dark red robe that had the sigil of a jade crate on it. Atop the man's head rested short black hair and his eyes were a deep brown reminiscent of the depths of a shallow pond when a large fish is disturbed near the bottom. To his side stood three others dressed in the warrior robes of the clan.
Of these three all were standing opposite the man in the red robe, one to either side of the man in the middle who stood slightly ahead of the others. This man Fan Zhong assumed was Fan Shun, the leader of his team and a relative of his although they had never met. Fan Shun was a well-built man who stood only slightly shorter than Fan Zhong himself.
His blonde hair was cut to shoulder length, an odd feature for someone of direct clan descent Fan Zhong noted. Fan Shun's eyes showed specks of golden lights infrequently appearing on a gray backdrop, signs he was nearing the master realm. Martial robes of the clan colors were worn astutely in a professional manner and a small sword hung at the man's waist. To his side away from Fan Zhong stood someone that could only be Su Fen.
Although Fan Zhong had never met the man he seemed amicable enough from a distance. The man carried himself with an air of ease; his dark blue eyes betrayed his astute alertness of the surroundings. Su Fen wore his robes loosely and slung across his back was one of the mortal natural treasure staffs used by most clan warriors.
Finally, Fan Zhong focused on the person standing on the other side of Fan Sun, a youth who stood almost two heads shorter than himself. Upon the youth's face sat sharp eyebrows and his eyes were a soft blue. The sharp angles of the youth's short auburn hair and angular jaw added to the stern look he cast on the rest of the world as if he was challenging the heavens for the mere fact of their existence. This of course was none other than Zi Bao. Fan Zhong took a final deep breath and walked forward to greet his team.
Hey all sorry its been awhile since there's been a chapter. Truly I was ready to get back on the horse and keep my upload schedule however then I caught this mysterious disease called elden ring... However my Dao heart is strong and the heart demons are routed! Also I'm honestly feeling better after extending the break and it gave me more time to better understand what I want to write and do some world building, a thousand thanks to anyone still reading and hope you enjoy the chapter!
Part 1. Ch 18. Measuring Progress
"Junior Brother Zhong, it's good to see you. Although I regret we've not had the chance to meet previously, the elders have had high praise for you of late" The man, who Fan Zhong assumed to be Fan Shun, addressed him as he approached.
"Senior, it is my honor to meet the esteem company present, please forgive my inexperience and thank you in advance for your guidance and wisdom," Fan Zhong said while bowing to the group
"Ahh, it's no matter, with such a long assignment you'll gain ample experience. Now introductions are in order, I am Fan Shun and have the honor of leading this assignment." Fan Shun gestured for the unknown man across from him to continue with the introductions
"Teng Lian at your service lads" The man answered with a beaming smile "Merchant by trade, my clan runs our business up and down the Flowing Grass River, however, we are based in Flowing Arrow City. In the coming months, I'll be in your care. Never let it be said that the Teng treat those they employ poorly, just let me know if you need anything and accommodations will be made, within reason of course."
"Su Fen, second in command of this assignment and at your service Sir Teng. Junior Brother Zhong, it's an honor to make your acquaintance" Su Fen said in a relaxed manner, his mind seemed elsewhere.
"Zi Bao, faithful servant of the Fan clan and heir to the Zi clan," Zi Bao said, in a slightly haughty voice, emphasizing the last words as he directed them towards Fan Zhong with a subtle sneer.
"Junior Fan Zhong greets seniors and Sir Teng, sincere thanks for your hospitality. Truly it's my honor to be among such heroes, please instruct as you see fit" Fan Zhong kept his tone pleasant emitting a feeling of subservience and passivity.
In all actuality, he was surprised Zi Bao had been so reserved in his provocations. Generally speaking, during his previous interactions with the youth, Zi Bao could barely contain his contempt and aggressive nature even around elders. Perhaps there was more truth to the reports about Zi Bao being reigned in than he had thought.
The idea brought a smile to Fan Zhong's face, if that were true then this assignment suddenly would become much easier for him to bear. However, at that moment, he saw a slight smile cross Zi Bao's lips. A signal that things might not go so smoothly after all.
"Brother Zhong, it has been far too long since we've seen each other. Perhaps you'd be interested in a bout? That way we can all see your new martial prowess and show Sir Teng the skill of Fan clan warriors!" Zi Bao said earnestly, portraying an honest and upright attitude, the only thing that betrayed any other intentions was the small smile still hinted at by the slight curving of his lips.
"Hmph, since when are you the authority on martial prowess, Junior?" Fan Shun curtly replied to him, leveling a commanding gaze at the younger man.
"Se…Senior Fan Shun, no disrespect was meant! I was simply excited, seeing someone familiar from the same generation." Zi Bao spluttered a reply, alarm flashing in his eyes as he slightly bowed to Fan Shun.
"No matter," Fan Shun said, sighing and facing Teng Lian "Sir Teng please forgive them, however testing Junior Brother Zhong's martial prowess is something that will need to be done. Preferably before we depart. This will be his first time working with our team and as such, I'll need to understand his strengths to assign him duties. Would you be interested in watching an exhibition match? Of course, if you have other duties to attend I understand" Fan Shun respectfully asked the merchant, maintaining his air of professionalism.
"Hmmm, suppose some time can be spared, and the crew could always use some entertainment. If the current schedule is to hold we can spare maybe half an hour to an hour at most, will that do?" Teng Lian replied while stroking a hand through his beard thoughtfully.
"More than enough surely. Junior Brother Fan Zhong, Junior Brother Zi Bao, since you're so eager for a reunion, you may have that bout. However, myself and Su fen will be watching closely. No head strikes or lasting injuries. This is a mission, not a training ground, having either of you injured seriously will hamper our ability to guard Sir Teng. Do I make myself clear?" Fan Shun's last words seemed to echo over them, amplifying the air of authority Fan Zhong had already felt from him.
Inside the older man's eyes, he could see the countless battles and experiences Fan Shun had accumulated throughout his life. This was no idle command, it was an edict from someone superior to him on all roads of the martial path. At that moment, Fan Zhong felt both awed and profoundly moved. Previously, he had looked down on those under the master realm. That level was required to produce the Qi of heaven and earth, which produced marvelous effects. Surely, anyone below this was barely worth notice.
However, the aura Fan Shun gave off was no less oppressive than what Fan Zhong had felt from his older brother or father when he was younger. Now after being around both first-grade martial artists and true master realm experts, such as elder wuying, and experiencing his own journey upon the martial path the difference was plain to see. It was much like a man coming out of being in darkness for an extended time. Able to be blinded by both the sun and a torch, both too bright for the difference to be discerned.
Now Fan Zhong was like the same man whose eyes had time to slightly adjust to the ambient light of the outside world. As such he could look at the torch and see that it was, although still bright, a mere shadow of the sun's eternal glory.
"Yes, senior" Both Fan Zhong and Zi Bao replied promptly while bowing to Fan Shun.
Quickly they both walked to the middle of the deck, as members of the crew moved to clear a space for the two approaching warriors. While they walked Fan Zhong took in the sight of the ship, eyeing his surroundings. The deck of the ship was wide and, aside from a few boxes of cargo that had yet to be loaded, was relatively clear.
At the center stood a wide and tall mast with staircases lining either end of the open space, one leading up onto the bridge and the other down into the hold on the other end. The widest open area was the half of the deck from the mast to the prow, soon both of the youths stood there facing one another surrounded by a crowd of waiting crewmen. Fan Zhong and Zi Bao stood five paces from each other, both looked forward with a resolute gaze before giving a martial salute.
"Since both of you lack mental energy to control precise strikes we will hold this bout unarmed, strike firm and fast until a stop is called. Begin!" Fan Shun commanded from the side where he waited with Teng Liang and Su Fen.
At the command of the older man, all noise in the world seemed to fall away. The sound of the water gently flowing under the ship, crewmen conversing while betting on the results of the bout and even the slightest groans of deck fled Fan Zhong's perception. His eyes were hyper-focused on Zi Bao trying to read the tiniest movements in his opponent.
Surpassing all his expectations, however, the young warrior managed to fall into void gate stance so naturally, Fan Zhong was just barely able to notice the movements. Zi Bao's entire body tensed and burst forward in a single fluid motion. Readying himself, Fan Zhong was only able to enter into his void gate stance by the time Zi Bao had taken his second lunging step forward. This one was faster than the first, an obvious sign he was using Momentum of Shifting Earth. Upon seeing this, Fan Zhong took a step forward at an angle to curve to the outside of his approaching opponent.
By the time his first step was complete, Fan Zhong's Momentum of Shifting Earth working to transfer the momentum into his next action, Zi Bao had already completed his third step. With that the shorter youth shot forward like a spear, an earth origin palm technique forming as he swooped in a low arc cresting upward to connect with Fan Zhong's chest. Caught off guard by the speed of his opponent, Fan Zhong could only throw his saved momentum into a twisting earth-shifting palm. Twisting low and to the outside to dodge the blow and redirect Zi Bao further upward.
Zi Bao, on the other hand, seemed to have no qualms about the direction he was going and slammed his other palm down on his arm, with Fan Zhong's arm still contacting him, creating a vice-like hold. As he continued forward, the momentum pulling along Fan Zhong with him, Zi Bao twisted to turn the bounding forward momentum into an arcing throw across his chest to drive Fan Zhong into the ground. Raising his outstretched leg high he brought it down like an ax to complete a slightly modified, if not effective, heaven receiving palm. Seeing the incoming kick Fan Zhong flexed his core muscles redirecting some of his momentum so that he flew outward at a wider angle. Immediately the latter half of the devastating heaven receiving palm hit him directly in the stomach eliciting a rush of air as he was sent tumbling backward seven paces, crashing in a heap.
As the pain washed over Fan Zhong's body the world seemed to wobble and shake, running in many different directions for a mere moment before he regained his wits. A shaky Fan Zhong stood, spitting a mouth full of bile and blood onto the ground as he leveled his gaze back on Zi Bao who was already approaching. This time he didn't give the arrogant bully a chance to rush him as he stepped forward with two steps of his movement technique faster than ever before.
Quickly, they both covered three paces, as Fan Zhong entered measure he struck aggressively with three palm strikes. The first strike was a shifting palm strike aimed at Zi Bao's outstretched off-hand, quickly this was countered by the shorter warrior with a mortal receiving palm. Seeing this Fan Zhong shifted his momentum to twist his body to the inside of his opponents' stance, pulling back his initial shifting palm and delivering a heaven shifting palm aimed at the shoulder to use Zi Bao's counter to push him off balance. As this landed and his opponent was pushed past him, back open, Fan Zhong planted his feet and channeled all his gathered momentum into an All Things Birthed from the Origin Palm, landing directly into Zi Bao's exposed back.
Off-balance and struck while vulnerable, Zi Bao slammed face-first into the hardwood deck. Immediately after he rolled, dodging the stomp Fan Zhong had aimed for his back. Jumping up, he quickly fell into a void gate stance while taking while his eyes quickly found Fan Zhong once again. Each youth looked at each other, anger and indignation spread in varying quantities across their faces.
A lull started as they began slowly circling each other, silently analyzing their opponent while taking stock of their injuries. Fan Zhong took the initiative, taking two steps towards Zi Bao with the circular steps of shifting palm strikes. He feinted to the outside with an origin palm strike then attempted to catch the answering shifting palm in an earth receiving palm.
Zi Bao quickly shifted as well, setting his feet and putting his weight behind what was originally a shifting palm strike. He switched to an origin palm aimed at the joint of Fan Zhong's offhand, an attempt to break one part of the vice of his opponent's receiving palm technique. Fan Zhong stopped his offhand strike and used his footwork to allow his main hand to deliver a shifting palm strike to deflect Zi Bao to the side. Like this they exchange blows several times, disengaging before rushing forth to clash.
As the bout continued for several more exchanges it became apparent that Zi Bao outclassed Fan Zhong. Fan Zhong managed to keep up through clever combinations and the solid foundation Fan Cheng had given him. However the more they fought, the better Zi Bao had his measure. With time his feints had less and less effect. For his part, the former bully turned clan warrior was just ever so much quicker than Fan Zhong, having ever so slightly sharper reactions as well as his techniques being slightly harder hitting and quicker.
The result became obvious, as by the tenth exchange Zi Bao landed a combination of two earth-origin palms, one from either side and then quickly delivered an All Things Birthed from the Origin Palm to Fan Zhong's chest. After this, Fan Zhong could barely stand and was left kneeling while coughing up a mouth full of blood while Zi Bao stood over him. Suddenly Fan Zhong's eyes widened in surprise when his opponent raised his leg and snapped it at his head. A wave of air rushed over the deck as Fan Shun burst into motion, appearing as a blur and arriving in between both of them in an instant.
In a motion that neither could follow the older warrior had removed his still sheathed sword from his belt and blocked Zi Bao's kick with it in a casual motion as if swatting a fly.
"That will do, Junior Brother Zi Bao. I do hope you didn't intend to crush Junior Broth Fan Zhong's head? It seemed quite clear to me that he had been subdued" Fan Shun raised an eyebrow while looking at Zi Bao, his eyes seeming to pierce into the youth to probe him.
"Of course not senior, how could I dare? It was only that senior had instructed us to fight until ordered to stop. This one wouldn't dare question senior's ability and so even though I knew the fight was over it had to continue until orders were given otherwise." Zi Bao said in the tone of someone who had been wronged while giving a slight bow to Fan Shun
"Hmmph, at least you know how to listen. That display was adequate at least. Junior Brother Fan Zhong, your fundamentals do you credit, you respond well and without delay. The ability you've shown to form varied combinations with basic Nine Palms Subdue the Nine Heavens forms was commendable. However, it cannot cover up the lack of experience and time spent practicing. I would guess that your attainment in that style is only at the beginning of the familiar realm whereas your opponent's is in the middle. At this point, you simply require time and consistent practice, as well as practical experience to improve. As for Junior Brother Zi Bao"
Fan Shun turned to face the shorter youth "Your technique is sharp, it shows the diligence of your training and parts of the experience you've while on assignments. At this point, I would estimate your attainment will approach the expert threshold within a year. Fast progress indeed, however, if you continue as you are, that will be your limit. Forever stuck at the peak of familiar attainment. The problem lies in your rigidness and aggressive fighting. Taking the initiative in fighting is useful but a sharp mind is as well."
During this time, Fan Shun seemed to take on a sagely tone, obviously familiar with instructing new warriors. "During those exchanges, your opponent used creative combinations as well as a mix of aggression and patience to engage you according to the situation. Meanwhile, you progressed forward as the aggressor regardless of position. With the difference in skill present, victory should have been assured in half the time without such heavy damage being done to you.
Finally, the older man's voice tone shifted back to that of a commander on the battlefield, commanding, and grand. "Think what would happen if this were a battlefield instead of a duel, even with your victory, are you in any condition to engage further enemies? Reflect on this in your training, and learn when to retreat and when to advance. Then, even if your attainment doesn't rise you will be a far more formidable warrior! Now go, settle your things and meet me here in a few hours. For now, further arrangements with Sir Teng must be settled" Fan Shun finished, turning to face the merchant with his last words in a sign to dismiss both Fan Zhong and Zi Bao.
With one last glance at Zi Bao, who seemed to be slumping now that there was less attention on him, Fan Zhong gathered his pack and walked to a crew member who was approaching him. After a quick conversation with the man, he was quickly led to his quarters, a small cabin below deck. Cabin was a generous word to describe the tiny space, it barely had enough room to contain a small table and chair.
Stuffed to the back wall of the small space was a bed, which was slightly too short for Fan Zhong to lay down on it straight. In this respect, the ceiling of the small room was also just barely tall enough to allow him to walk inside. However, this caused the top of his head to brush it, causing Fan Zhong to bend down slightly. With a sigh, he sat down at the table and put his pack on it.
Slowly the adrenaline of the bout faded from his bones and an agonizing pain spread through Fan Zhong's chest reminding him of the involuntary flight he had taken across the deck. Similar pains started making themselves known and soon he was left groaning every few minutes while slumping over the table. A dim candle flickered in the corner, barely illuminating the polished wooden walls. At that moment the darkness seemed to creep in from all sides whispering of loneliness and despair.
Moments like this made Fan Zhong wish for the company of Little white, a small companion to ward away his pain. Slightly before departing the little wolf had gone missing, neither his sister nor little brother knew where he had gone. Although he knew this was a common occurrence, Little White would regularly disappear into the forest to hunt small game, it left him in a complex situation where he had to depart and leave his little companion in the care of Junior Sister Jingyi and Junior Brother Jia.
At that moment a small sound caught Fan Zhong's attention. A scratching sound could be heard followed by a muffled whine, quickly he unlatched the clasp of his pack. Suddenly, a white blur shot forth and before he knew it Fan Zhong was lying back with half of his body resting on the bed behind him, assaulted by an excited Little White. As the small wolf hurriedly licked and nipped at his face a wide smile crossed Fan Zhong's lips, perhaps this day wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Senior, it is my honor to meet the esteem company present, please forgive my inexperience and thank you in advance for your guidance and wisdom," Fan Zhong said while bowing to the group
"Ahh, it's no matter, with such a long assignment you'll gain ample experience. Now introductions are in order, I am Fan Shun and have the honor of leading this assignment." Fan Shun gestured for the unknown man across from him to continue with the introductions
"Teng Lian at your service lads" The man answered with a beaming smile "Merchant by trade, my clan runs our business up and down the Flowing Grass River, however, we are based in Flowing Arrow City. In the coming months, I'll be in your care. Never let it be said that the Teng treat those they employ poorly, just let me know if you need anything and accommodations will be made, within reason of course."
"Su Fen, second in command of this assignment and at your service Sir Teng. Junior Brother Zhong, it's an honor to make your acquaintance" Su Fen said in a relaxed manner, his mind seemed elsewhere.
"Zi Bao, faithful servant of the Fan clan and heir to the Zi clan," Zi Bao said, in a slightly haughty voice, emphasizing the last words as he directed them towards Fan Zhong with a subtle sneer.
"Junior Fan Zhong greets seniors and Sir Teng, sincere thanks for your hospitality. Truly it's my honor to be among such heroes, please instruct as you see fit" Fan Zhong kept his tone pleasant emitting a feeling of subservience and passivity.
In all actuality, he was surprised Zi Bao had been so reserved in his provocations. Generally speaking, during his previous interactions with the youth, Zi Bao could barely contain his contempt and aggressive nature even around elders. Perhaps there was more truth to the reports about Zi Bao being reigned in than he had thought.
The idea brought a smile to Fan Zhong's face, if that were true then this assignment suddenly would become much easier for him to bear. However, at that moment, he saw a slight smile cross Zi Bao's lips. A signal that things might not go so smoothly after all.
"Brother Zhong, it has been far too long since we've seen each other. Perhaps you'd be interested in a bout? That way we can all see your new martial prowess and show Sir Teng the skill of Fan clan warriors!" Zi Bao said earnestly, portraying an honest and upright attitude, the only thing that betrayed any other intentions was the small smile still hinted at by the slight curving of his lips.
"Hmph, since when are you the authority on martial prowess, Junior?" Fan Shun curtly replied to him, leveling a commanding gaze at the younger man.
"Se…Senior Fan Shun, no disrespect was meant! I was simply excited, seeing someone familiar from the same generation." Zi Bao spluttered a reply, alarm flashing in his eyes as he slightly bowed to Fan Shun.
"No matter," Fan Shun said, sighing and facing Teng Lian "Sir Teng please forgive them, however testing Junior Brother Zhong's martial prowess is something that will need to be done. Preferably before we depart. This will be his first time working with our team and as such, I'll need to understand his strengths to assign him duties. Would you be interested in watching an exhibition match? Of course, if you have other duties to attend I understand" Fan Shun respectfully asked the merchant, maintaining his air of professionalism.
"Hmmm, suppose some time can be spared, and the crew could always use some entertainment. If the current schedule is to hold we can spare maybe half an hour to an hour at most, will that do?" Teng Lian replied while stroking a hand through his beard thoughtfully.
"More than enough surely. Junior Brother Fan Zhong, Junior Brother Zi Bao, since you're so eager for a reunion, you may have that bout. However, myself and Su fen will be watching closely. No head strikes or lasting injuries. This is a mission, not a training ground, having either of you injured seriously will hamper our ability to guard Sir Teng. Do I make myself clear?" Fan Shun's last words seemed to echo over them, amplifying the air of authority Fan Zhong had already felt from him.
Inside the older man's eyes, he could see the countless battles and experiences Fan Shun had accumulated throughout his life. This was no idle command, it was an edict from someone superior to him on all roads of the martial path. At that moment, Fan Zhong felt both awed and profoundly moved. Previously, he had looked down on those under the master realm. That level was required to produce the Qi of heaven and earth, which produced marvelous effects. Surely, anyone below this was barely worth notice.
However, the aura Fan Shun gave off was no less oppressive than what Fan Zhong had felt from his older brother or father when he was younger. Now after being around both first-grade martial artists and true master realm experts, such as elder wuying, and experiencing his own journey upon the martial path the difference was plain to see. It was much like a man coming out of being in darkness for an extended time. Able to be blinded by both the sun and a torch, both too bright for the difference to be discerned.
Now Fan Zhong was like the same man whose eyes had time to slightly adjust to the ambient light of the outside world. As such he could look at the torch and see that it was, although still bright, a mere shadow of the sun's eternal glory.
"Yes, senior" Both Fan Zhong and Zi Bao replied promptly while bowing to Fan Shun.
Quickly they both walked to the middle of the deck, as members of the crew moved to clear a space for the two approaching warriors. While they walked Fan Zhong took in the sight of the ship, eyeing his surroundings. The deck of the ship was wide and, aside from a few boxes of cargo that had yet to be loaded, was relatively clear.
At the center stood a wide and tall mast with staircases lining either end of the open space, one leading up onto the bridge and the other down into the hold on the other end. The widest open area was the half of the deck from the mast to the prow, soon both of the youths stood there facing one another surrounded by a crowd of waiting crewmen. Fan Zhong and Zi Bao stood five paces from each other, both looked forward with a resolute gaze before giving a martial salute.
"Since both of you lack mental energy to control precise strikes we will hold this bout unarmed, strike firm and fast until a stop is called. Begin!" Fan Shun commanded from the side where he waited with Teng Liang and Su Fen.
At the command of the older man, all noise in the world seemed to fall away. The sound of the water gently flowing under the ship, crewmen conversing while betting on the results of the bout and even the slightest groans of deck fled Fan Zhong's perception. His eyes were hyper-focused on Zi Bao trying to read the tiniest movements in his opponent.
Surpassing all his expectations, however, the young warrior managed to fall into void gate stance so naturally, Fan Zhong was just barely able to notice the movements. Zi Bao's entire body tensed and burst forward in a single fluid motion. Readying himself, Fan Zhong was only able to enter into his void gate stance by the time Zi Bao had taken his second lunging step forward. This one was faster than the first, an obvious sign he was using Momentum of Shifting Earth. Upon seeing this, Fan Zhong took a step forward at an angle to curve to the outside of his approaching opponent.
By the time his first step was complete, Fan Zhong's Momentum of Shifting Earth working to transfer the momentum into his next action, Zi Bao had already completed his third step. With that the shorter youth shot forward like a spear, an earth origin palm technique forming as he swooped in a low arc cresting upward to connect with Fan Zhong's chest. Caught off guard by the speed of his opponent, Fan Zhong could only throw his saved momentum into a twisting earth-shifting palm. Twisting low and to the outside to dodge the blow and redirect Zi Bao further upward.
Zi Bao, on the other hand, seemed to have no qualms about the direction he was going and slammed his other palm down on his arm, with Fan Zhong's arm still contacting him, creating a vice-like hold. As he continued forward, the momentum pulling along Fan Zhong with him, Zi Bao twisted to turn the bounding forward momentum into an arcing throw across his chest to drive Fan Zhong into the ground. Raising his outstretched leg high he brought it down like an ax to complete a slightly modified, if not effective, heaven receiving palm. Seeing the incoming kick Fan Zhong flexed his core muscles redirecting some of his momentum so that he flew outward at a wider angle. Immediately the latter half of the devastating heaven receiving palm hit him directly in the stomach eliciting a rush of air as he was sent tumbling backward seven paces, crashing in a heap.
As the pain washed over Fan Zhong's body the world seemed to wobble and shake, running in many different directions for a mere moment before he regained his wits. A shaky Fan Zhong stood, spitting a mouth full of bile and blood onto the ground as he leveled his gaze back on Zi Bao who was already approaching. This time he didn't give the arrogant bully a chance to rush him as he stepped forward with two steps of his movement technique faster than ever before.
Quickly, they both covered three paces, as Fan Zhong entered measure he struck aggressively with three palm strikes. The first strike was a shifting palm strike aimed at Zi Bao's outstretched off-hand, quickly this was countered by the shorter warrior with a mortal receiving palm. Seeing this Fan Zhong shifted his momentum to twist his body to the inside of his opponents' stance, pulling back his initial shifting palm and delivering a heaven shifting palm aimed at the shoulder to use Zi Bao's counter to push him off balance. As this landed and his opponent was pushed past him, back open, Fan Zhong planted his feet and channeled all his gathered momentum into an All Things Birthed from the Origin Palm, landing directly into Zi Bao's exposed back.
Off-balance and struck while vulnerable, Zi Bao slammed face-first into the hardwood deck. Immediately after he rolled, dodging the stomp Fan Zhong had aimed for his back. Jumping up, he quickly fell into a void gate stance while taking while his eyes quickly found Fan Zhong once again. Each youth looked at each other, anger and indignation spread in varying quantities across their faces.
A lull started as they began slowly circling each other, silently analyzing their opponent while taking stock of their injuries. Fan Zhong took the initiative, taking two steps towards Zi Bao with the circular steps of shifting palm strikes. He feinted to the outside with an origin palm strike then attempted to catch the answering shifting palm in an earth receiving palm.
Zi Bao quickly shifted as well, setting his feet and putting his weight behind what was originally a shifting palm strike. He switched to an origin palm aimed at the joint of Fan Zhong's offhand, an attempt to break one part of the vice of his opponent's receiving palm technique. Fan Zhong stopped his offhand strike and used his footwork to allow his main hand to deliver a shifting palm strike to deflect Zi Bao to the side. Like this they exchange blows several times, disengaging before rushing forth to clash.
As the bout continued for several more exchanges it became apparent that Zi Bao outclassed Fan Zhong. Fan Zhong managed to keep up through clever combinations and the solid foundation Fan Cheng had given him. However the more they fought, the better Zi Bao had his measure. With time his feints had less and less effect. For his part, the former bully turned clan warrior was just ever so much quicker than Fan Zhong, having ever so slightly sharper reactions as well as his techniques being slightly harder hitting and quicker.
The result became obvious, as by the tenth exchange Zi Bao landed a combination of two earth-origin palms, one from either side and then quickly delivered an All Things Birthed from the Origin Palm to Fan Zhong's chest. After this, Fan Zhong could barely stand and was left kneeling while coughing up a mouth full of blood while Zi Bao stood over him. Suddenly Fan Zhong's eyes widened in surprise when his opponent raised his leg and snapped it at his head. A wave of air rushed over the deck as Fan Shun burst into motion, appearing as a blur and arriving in between both of them in an instant.
In a motion that neither could follow the older warrior had removed his still sheathed sword from his belt and blocked Zi Bao's kick with it in a casual motion as if swatting a fly.
"That will do, Junior Brother Zi Bao. I do hope you didn't intend to crush Junior Broth Fan Zhong's head? It seemed quite clear to me that he had been subdued" Fan Shun raised an eyebrow while looking at Zi Bao, his eyes seeming to pierce into the youth to probe him.
"Of course not senior, how could I dare? It was only that senior had instructed us to fight until ordered to stop. This one wouldn't dare question senior's ability and so even though I knew the fight was over it had to continue until orders were given otherwise." Zi Bao said in the tone of someone who had been wronged while giving a slight bow to Fan Shun
"Hmmph, at least you know how to listen. That display was adequate at least. Junior Brother Fan Zhong, your fundamentals do you credit, you respond well and without delay. The ability you've shown to form varied combinations with basic Nine Palms Subdue the Nine Heavens forms was commendable. However, it cannot cover up the lack of experience and time spent practicing. I would guess that your attainment in that style is only at the beginning of the familiar realm whereas your opponent's is in the middle. At this point, you simply require time and consistent practice, as well as practical experience to improve. As for Junior Brother Zi Bao"
Fan Shun turned to face the shorter youth "Your technique is sharp, it shows the diligence of your training and parts of the experience you've while on assignments. At this point, I would estimate your attainment will approach the expert threshold within a year. Fast progress indeed, however, if you continue as you are, that will be your limit. Forever stuck at the peak of familiar attainment. The problem lies in your rigidness and aggressive fighting. Taking the initiative in fighting is useful but a sharp mind is as well."
During this time, Fan Shun seemed to take on a sagely tone, obviously familiar with instructing new warriors. "During those exchanges, your opponent used creative combinations as well as a mix of aggression and patience to engage you according to the situation. Meanwhile, you progressed forward as the aggressor regardless of position. With the difference in skill present, victory should have been assured in half the time without such heavy damage being done to you.
Finally, the older man's voice tone shifted back to that of a commander on the battlefield, commanding, and grand. "Think what would happen if this were a battlefield instead of a duel, even with your victory, are you in any condition to engage further enemies? Reflect on this in your training, and learn when to retreat and when to advance. Then, even if your attainment doesn't rise you will be a far more formidable warrior! Now go, settle your things and meet me here in a few hours. For now, further arrangements with Sir Teng must be settled" Fan Shun finished, turning to face the merchant with his last words in a sign to dismiss both Fan Zhong and Zi Bao.
With one last glance at Zi Bao, who seemed to be slumping now that there was less attention on him, Fan Zhong gathered his pack and walked to a crew member who was approaching him. After a quick conversation with the man, he was quickly led to his quarters, a small cabin below deck. Cabin was a generous word to describe the tiny space, it barely had enough room to contain a small table and chair.
Stuffed to the back wall of the small space was a bed, which was slightly too short for Fan Zhong to lay down on it straight. In this respect, the ceiling of the small room was also just barely tall enough to allow him to walk inside. However, this caused the top of his head to brush it, causing Fan Zhong to bend down slightly. With a sigh, he sat down at the table and put his pack on it.
Slowly the adrenaline of the bout faded from his bones and an agonizing pain spread through Fan Zhong's chest reminding him of the involuntary flight he had taken across the deck. Similar pains started making themselves known and soon he was left groaning every few minutes while slumping over the table. A dim candle flickered in the corner, barely illuminating the polished wooden walls. At that moment the darkness seemed to creep in from all sides whispering of loneliness and despair.
Moments like this made Fan Zhong wish for the company of Little white, a small companion to ward away his pain. Slightly before departing the little wolf had gone missing, neither his sister nor little brother knew where he had gone. Although he knew this was a common occurrence, Little White would regularly disappear into the forest to hunt small game, it left him in a complex situation where he had to depart and leave his little companion in the care of Junior Sister Jingyi and Junior Brother Jia.
At that moment a small sound caught Fan Zhong's attention. A scratching sound could be heard followed by a muffled whine, quickly he unlatched the clasp of his pack. Suddenly, a white blur shot forth and before he knew it Fan Zhong was lying back with half of his body resting on the bed behind him, assaulted by an excited Little White. As the small wolf hurriedly licked and nipped at his face a wide smile crossed Fan Zhong's lips, perhaps this day wouldn't be so bad after all.
First, thanks for the chapter
Part 1. Ch. 19 Journey before destination
Thunder rang as rain poured from the sky atop an opulent pavilion. Beneath that roof stood a handsome young man with sharp features holding a wooden sword as four martial artists attacked him. As the attackers closed in the rain itself slowed as Wei Hua's perception focused to take them in.
In a world that seemed to stand still around him, the young Wei lord struck out knocking aside two of his opponent's blades with a flick of his wrist, the wooden practice sword in his hand moving with inhuman precision and control to deflect the strikes. With a sweeping motion, his blade flowed into a semi-circle swing over his back to intercept the remaining attacks. In a single blur, Wei Hua executed a circular slash in the opposite direction of his parry, striking each of his opponents in the chest hard enough to send them flying.
With his assailants sent flying a wicked grin crossed the young lord's face and he pounced at each of the falling opponents delivering a series of slashes that marked a cross shape on each of their cheeks before the men even hit the floor. By the time that happened Wei Hua stood in the center of the pavilion his sword held to the side as he observed the rain outside. Only a single raindrop had fallen from the height of the roof to the ground during the entire exchange, if a normal person were observing and blinked they might think that Wei Hua had not moved at all.
Callous laughter rang out from the young lord as power surged out all around him, causing his now kneeling opponents to sprawl on the floor once more. Wei Hua had struggled to defeat these training instructors a mere year ago however now things were different. The others in the valley thought him mad with power, they were correct in one respect he had gained power. Ever since that fateful day his father had shown him the message left by his grandfather, the one that detailed how the old man had ascended from this pitiful valley.
His father had given up, had thought the cost too high, too risky. Wei Hua was different, he would ascend from this lowly mortal existence. This war was simply a celebration to herald his ascension. A chorus of screams and a river of blood to mark the birth of grim phoenix that would rebirth from that blood and climb to immortality. For what were lives in the face of eternity? In his gut, the young lord believed this valley was left as his birthright, resources left behind by his grandfather to pave the way for his ascension. As Wei Hua's smile grew even more demonic he laughed one final time as he flipped a small silver coin, the one that would enable his ascent. Staring at it the coin seemed to vibrate in anticipation as well and in the darkness of his palm, it glowed an ethereal ghostly silver…
Fan Zhong awoke with a start, gasping for air. He had an awful dream, one where a ghost chased him into an endless abyss. In that chase, Fan Zhong was driven deeper and deeper into that abyss and it felt strangely familiar. The abyss seemed full of all the emotions he kept tightly locked in his heart, in that place he swore to never go. In that place the demon and that dark corner of his heart crushed him like an ant between two colliding mountains. a whisper urged him to give into the hate and darkness, seize the power they held and smash the demon to a bloody pulp! Drown in the blood of those who stood before him, make them weep and cower to know the price of defying his might!
With a start Fan Zhong quickly sat up from his bed, cold sweat pooling on his brow. What led him down such a path? Did his heart truly contain such anger and despair to fuel these dark acts? This must somehow be a lingering feeling of guilt due to his exile.
Yes that must be it, some small part of him wanted to indulge those dark emotions he felt while hearing of Fan Jia being bullied, perhaps one of the legendary heart demons was taking shape in his mind? Fan Zhong started breathing heavily as his thoughts clouded before a soft breathing caught his ear. Laying on his chest, sleeping peacefully, was Little White.
The sight of the little wolf instantly brought calm to his mind and Fan Zhong attempted to rise. After a few minutes of shuffling about Little White was left defiantly sitting on his bed as Fan Zhong dressed and headed to the mess hall to receive an earlier breakfast. On the way there the bustling sounds of crewmen about their business and the running waters around the ship helped ease his mind. After finishing his meal Fan Zhong made his way back to his room to retrieve his staff and then set out for the captain's cabin to relieve Fan Shun and begin his guard shift. While walking his thoughts started to wander and he recounted the rest of the events from the previous day
After the initial excitement wore down Fan Zhong had introduced Little White to his team and they had been mostly amicable to the little wolf, aside from Zi Bao who thankfully kept his remarks to himself for once. The only stipulation Fan Shun had provided was that Little White needed to not interfere with his duties and anything the little animal did would be Fan Zhong's responsibility. To him, those things were a given and with no objections to these rules, the addition of Little White to the team had been settled.
With that out of the way, Fan Shun had set a scheduled rotation for their bodyguard duties as well as team training and personal training. For Fan Shun and Su Fen, as well as any other veteran warriors, things like personal training were expected to be done during free time. However, for new warriors like Zi Bao and Fan Zhong the older team leader had been very clear that mandated personal training would be implemented into their schedule to ensure they were making progress.
This was also done to work the scheduling such that at least one of the older warriors would be off duty to be present during their training. After everything was said and done they had determined that for the first leg of their journey, three weeks of travel to a place known as Scale and Fin Village, Fan Shun would take the early morning shift that began from 1 A.M. to 8 A.M. Next, Fan Zhong would take the next shift starting from 7 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Zi Bao would follow with 1 P.M. to 8 P.M. and Su Fen would round out the day from 7 P.M. to 2 A.M. With this schedule they would overlap the previous guard by an hour to make sure no gaps occurred and the person who would take the next shift would cover a meal period for the person currently on duty after 4 hours of their shift. Su Fen Opted to take the early morning shift and forgo his meal period until his free time, taking on the most difficult task as the leader.
This would leave Zi Bao to cover Fan Zhong's meal period and Su Fen to cover Zi Bao's meal. Fan Shun would sleep during the day after his morning shift so that he could wake late into the night to assist with training and cover Su Fen's meal. Seeing how much hassle the scheduling caused Fan Zhong had felt they were short-handed and had expressed this to Fan Shun. This caused the older warrior to admit they were indeed short-handed and normally one or two clan observers would usually be assigned to a team of their size.
However, the recent tensions with the Wei and rumors of war had caused the request for observers from the other clans and villages to be at an all-time high. In addition, this put the Fan clan's forces on high alert as well. All of this demand for observers caused normal bodyguard missions like this to have to do without. One of the reasons Fan Shun, an elite warrior who would usually be assigned to harder duties, was here was a cause of just that.
The merchant had paid in advance for a full team before the troubles began. As the agreed-upon date neared and it became apparent the clan wouldn't have enough observers to spare they had instead offered to send one of the clan's elite veterans to lead the guard detail. Fan Shun had not minded an easy assignment in the least and had happily accepted the task.
For someone like him, who would normally be requested for dangerous assignments, the discomfort of a little less sleep was truly no trouble at all. Having set down a rotation for the duty schedule Fan Shun outlined the details of their guard assignment. Sir Teng had commissioned the team of clan warriors to bodyguard him for the duration of this mission. At all times one of them would personally watch over him, hence the tight scheduling.
In the contract, the merchant had not only listed himself for priority protection, but he had also listed his crew. When one hired clan warriors they could specify things under three levels of protection. Life-oath, Martial-oath, and Material-oath. For items or persons listed under Life-oath, the bodyguards swore to protect them with their own lives as long as the client and those being protected remained friendly to the bodyguards, as well as not actively harming or threatening to harm the guards.
Martial-oath was for things or persons the guards swore to make the best attempt they could to protect them, putting their martial artist pride on the line. However, once they were defeated or felt they had no hope of succeeding they could choose to give up on those marked under the martial oath. There was another layer to this as a Fan clan warrior giving up on a martial oath target was admitting his defeat in the martial way and seen as a large disgrace. Most would only do this if they truly felt their lives were in danger. Finally, Material oath protection indicated an item or persons that the guards would put effort into defending and keeping safe however they wouldn't risk major harm to do so.
Normally the clan warriors had pride in keeping all the clients' goods and people safe as a matter of principle. However the oath levels were an ironclad rule not just about the honor of the individual but the honor of the clan as a whole, those who broke the agreed upon oaths would be exiled from the clan permanently along with their immediate family. Sometimes exceptions could be made if their immediate family were particularly loyal or did something to restore their honor however it would still take decades to fully recover from such a disgrace in the eyes of the clan and many would look down on them for generations to come. When a clan warrior swore loyalty they were agreeing to uphold the rules of the clan and so they too agreed to the oaths of each assignment when they accepted them.
Each of these designations cost additional spirit stones when added to a contract and the life oaths cost considerably more than either of the others. In addition life oaths requested were personally reviewed by all the elders and voted on before being accepted. The clan may sell their services however they valued warriors highly, agreeing to have them put their lives at stake was indeed a serious matter.
Sir Teng had asked for himself as well as every member of his crew to be placed under life oath protection, while only assigning material oath protection to the goods and ship. This showed two things. One that Sir Teng was of good moral character, as he cared more about his men than the material goods on board the ship. Secondly, it showed that tensions were not only high throughout the inner parts of the valley.
Flowing arrow city, the place Sir Teng called home and did business from, was about as far away from the center of the valley as a place could be and still be considered part of the Flowing Grass Valley. In normal times even a merchant who cared for his crew wouldn't see the need to pay such a large sum to ensure Life-oath protection as the chance of finding danger was quite low. However, with the possibility of the valley clans going to war with the Wei, these were not normal times indeed.
Fan Zhong also noted that Teng Liang had commissioned this level of protection right before news of impending war was being widely circulated in public spaces. Perhaps the Deng, who ruled over Flowing Arrow City, knew more about the hostile attitude of the Wei than it seemed. Either that or 'Sir Teng' was more than the simple merchant he seemed to be.
With the life oath covering so many people, they had been given detailed instruction on how the guard detail was to play out. A guard needed to be with Sir Teng at all times to ensure his safety. As for the life oath on the crew, the off-duty guards were to remain vigilant and protect them as much as possible while remaining rested and fit for their guard shifts. Fan Zhong finished recounting this briefing of information as he neared Fan Shun in preparation to take over his first day of guard duty.
As he approached the door to the captain's cabin Fan Zhong studied the passageway and surroundings. Leading up to the cabin the hallway, which led to the rooms of the crew officers and his fellow team members, widened to an open area. To his right, about five paces, were the stairs that led onto the deck.
Looking to his left, the familiar narrow hallway that led to the mess hall, which had its own set of stairs to the deck, greeted Fan Zhong. Finally, directly across the open space about 10 paces away was a set of double doors which Fan Shun stood beside. Other than that the room contained a few tables and low seats that could allow around 10 people or so to use the open space as a common room of sorts.
Remembering the night before Fan Zhong had seen a few people having drinks in this room however they had cleared out early in the night. He assumed Sir Teng had expressed his opinion on the common room being noisy late into the night on more than one occasion prompting his crew to avoid being here to disturb the captain's sleep. With a final step, Fan Zhong arrived in front of Fan Shun and gave a martial bow to the older warrior.
"Senior, I hope the morning found you peacefully. This one is here to fulfill his duty so that you may get well-earned rest" Fan Zhong intoned respectfully
"Oh? You're the arbiter of who has earned rest, Junior Brother?" Fan Shun said in a neutral voice while leveling his gaze at Fan Zhong.
"I… I wouldn't presu…" Fan Zhong stammered quickly, feeling flustered and off-balance at the accusation.
"Hah, relax Junior Brother Zhong. If you're this tense already I doubt you'll last through the whole shift. Thankfully the night was silent and peaceful if not a touch boring. Come, take up your post opposite me." Fan Shun replied, a rare smile crossing his face as humor entered his voice.
Fan Zhong quickly obeyed and was soon standing on the opposite side of the double doors from Fan Shun, staff held vertically to his side.
"Good you brought your weapon at least, relax your posture a bit. Trust me your back will thank you later." Fan Shun said as he glanced around the room, returning to his more neutral commanding tone "Will Little White be joining us this morning Junior Brother?"
When he had woken up earlier this morning Little White had been sound asleep on top of his chest, likely enjoying the warmth of being so close. Fan Zhong had to practically pry the young wolf off of him to get out of the cramped bed space. However, Little White slept through the whole process without fail.
"Most likely not, he seemed exhausted from seeing so many new people and sensations. Perhaps in the evening he will make his presence known, do watch out. I don't think I've ever heard of such a young water wolf so adept at cloaking itself." Fan Zhong replied, not that he had ever heard how good water wolves could use their cloaking ability but he felt that Little White being able to turn nearly completely invisible at such a young age was slightly abnormal.
Fan Shun started for a second and then looked at Fan Zhong with an incredulous expression.
"You don't mean… The elders didn't tell you?" Fan Shun asked with clear shock in his voice.
"Tell me what senior?" Fan Zhong replied with a confused expression.
"I see… so a test is it? Hahaha, well I'll just tell you this junior brother, most water wolves aren't able to use that qi cloak of theirs until they are at least one year old. At that time they can only partly reflect light and it mostly helps when moving with dense cover. Although it varies on average, the prowess to turn completely invisible is something water wolves don't have until at least 10 years old" Fan Shun said with a smirk on his face.
This information ripped through Fan Zhong's mind like a lightning bolt. Instantly questions started to surface in his mind. Little White was a newborn that still needed his mother to nurse him at the time they met. Was the little wolf some sort of heavenly defying genius? Or perhaps Little White had some sort of physique that left him looking young and weaker of body but with greater control over Qi.
Possibilities whirred around in his head, perhaps his little companion was a beast king? How was that possible inside of Flowing Grass Valley? With his love for stories, Fan Zhong had read many fantastic tales and legends while growing up. He had inevitably asked his parents why the valley seemed so much less magical than some of the places in the legends.
The answer had been quite simple, it all came down to ambient qi richness. Put quite simply, Flowing Grass Valley was lacking enough Qi-rich environments to support an ecosystem of spirit animals and plants. On the upside, this made the valley safer to live in for mortals as things like legendary beasts and immortals supposedly stayed away as they would have more difficulty cultivating their legendary techniques here.
With this, though those lofty existences took their tales of grandness with them to far away immortal paradises Fan Zhong had only ever read about. Considering all of this one had to know that a beast king being born in the valley was exceedingly rare. Almost all such births had heralded the clans uniting to form beast extermination squads to kill the young beast king and thin the number of spirit beasts. On the rare occasion this did not happen, records spoke of the river running red with blood and hordes of beasts running rampant.
Ultimately at the last time such a thing happened the baron of the Twisting Territories Lesser Region had to resort to requesting imperial intervention. An imperial army then descended from the heart of the royal court of the Xing Empire shaking the heavens in the earth as they retook the valley in the name of humanity. Truly Fan Zhong could not comprehend the chances of the only beast king born in the valley for hundreds of years happening to stumble across his path while both young, weak, and in need of protection!
If this were truly the case then he felt heaven worked in mysterious ways indeed. Regardless, Fan Zhong viewed Little White first and foremost as his companion. Whether he was a genius spirit beast, an old monster secretly hiding deep secrets or the lost king of the valley's water wolves none of that mattered more than the experiences they had shared!
"Senior, do you know why Little white is so talented at his age then? Perhaps there is something I missed with my lack of knowledge on spirit beasts, is he simply very old yet appearing young or truly some lineage of beast king?" Fan Zhong decided to ask Fan Shun's opinion on the matter as the council of his elders had always helped in situations like this.
"Hmm, it seems that information is not mine to give. Ask Elder Wuying or your elder brother when we return. Now to the matter of this morning's shift, Sir Teng has informed me that he should be rousing in around an hour. Since it's your first day I will accompany you both to take the morning meal and then onto the deck. Once there Sir Teng will be amongst the crew and Su Fen should be about so at that point we will part ways. Report to me at six this afternoon for training, we will participate in light teamwork drills and sparing before Su Fen takes his meal. This will keep you up until around 9 in the afternoon, do you think that leaves enough time for adequate rest?" Fan Shun asked him.
"Hmm, that seems agreeable senior, thank you for taking the extra time to guide me. If any of this causes problems for you please let me know, father may be strict but I hardly think he or elder brother would want me to be given extra consideration on their behalves" Fan Zhong replied amicably, a hint of irritation and indignation seeping into his voice.
"Hahahaha, you should be more thankful when you do receive such things, Junior Brother Zhong. Regardless of the reason, it is rare enough in this world for people to be so kind, I say this not to imply you should rely on the kindness of others or as an assault on your character. Simply remember that in life you will have plenty of opportunities to experience the indifference of others, if I can't offer my nephew a bit of my time then that's a failure of my own and not yours. In any case, keep watch for a moment. Nature has been calling me since before you arrived and keeping her waiting might prove disastrous for us both" Fan Shun laughed and replied in a jovial manner, a conspiratorial grin crossing his lips before he departed in the direction of the restrooms.
Fan Zhong barely stopped his jaw from dropping to the floor at the rather crass remark from the usually stoic older warrior and attempted to settle into his spot by the door to Teng Liang's room. Soon Fan Shun returned and they fell into a silent vigil guarding the merchant captain's room. The hour seemed to pass quickly and in what seemed like no time at all a sleepy Sir Teng made his way out of the doors the two had been guarding so vigilantly.
Unlike the normal boisterous tone and atmosphere that usually pervaded the air around the man this morning, Teng Liang seemed more subdued. Obviously, the normal charisma he exuded took an effort to keep up and this being so early after he woke the portly merchant had inadequate time to prepare his social armor. They exchanged greeting nods as the sleepy man bad his way towards the mess hall with half-lidded eyes as he started towards the mess hall while stroking his long thin beard.
Fan Zhong fell in step behind him just as Fan Shun had been instructing him to do during the hour they had stood watching while Sir Teng still slept. By contrast, the older warrior walked beside Sir Teng as an equal, seeming happy to strike up a casual conversation now that his shift was officially over. As such time passed and the older men had breakfast while Fan Zhong stood guard, he had taken his breakfast earlier before reporting to Fan Shun so that he could stay alert while his charge ate. Finally, as the group of three were heading up the stairs to go onto the deck a shout rang out
"Captain, mirage wave inbound!" A sailor yelled down the passage from the deck right as Teng Liang and Fan Shun were taking the last steps up the stairs.
Fan Zhong had no idea what a mirage wave was, but he could hear multiple shouts and the sound of Fan Shun drawing his short sword. One thing was clear, they were under attack.
In a world that seemed to stand still around him, the young Wei lord struck out knocking aside two of his opponent's blades with a flick of his wrist, the wooden practice sword in his hand moving with inhuman precision and control to deflect the strikes. With a sweeping motion, his blade flowed into a semi-circle swing over his back to intercept the remaining attacks. In a single blur, Wei Hua executed a circular slash in the opposite direction of his parry, striking each of his opponents in the chest hard enough to send them flying.
With his assailants sent flying a wicked grin crossed the young lord's face and he pounced at each of the falling opponents delivering a series of slashes that marked a cross shape on each of their cheeks before the men even hit the floor. By the time that happened Wei Hua stood in the center of the pavilion his sword held to the side as he observed the rain outside. Only a single raindrop had fallen from the height of the roof to the ground during the entire exchange, if a normal person were observing and blinked they might think that Wei Hua had not moved at all.
Callous laughter rang out from the young lord as power surged out all around him, causing his now kneeling opponents to sprawl on the floor once more. Wei Hua had struggled to defeat these training instructors a mere year ago however now things were different. The others in the valley thought him mad with power, they were correct in one respect he had gained power. Ever since that fateful day his father had shown him the message left by his grandfather, the one that detailed how the old man had ascended from this pitiful valley.
His father had given up, had thought the cost too high, too risky. Wei Hua was different, he would ascend from this lowly mortal existence. This war was simply a celebration to herald his ascension. A chorus of screams and a river of blood to mark the birth of grim phoenix that would rebirth from that blood and climb to immortality. For what were lives in the face of eternity? In his gut, the young lord believed this valley was left as his birthright, resources left behind by his grandfather to pave the way for his ascension. As Wei Hua's smile grew even more demonic he laughed one final time as he flipped a small silver coin, the one that would enable his ascent. Staring at it the coin seemed to vibrate in anticipation as well and in the darkness of his palm, it glowed an ethereal ghostly silver…
Fan Zhong awoke with a start, gasping for air. He had an awful dream, one where a ghost chased him into an endless abyss. In that chase, Fan Zhong was driven deeper and deeper into that abyss and it felt strangely familiar. The abyss seemed full of all the emotions he kept tightly locked in his heart, in that place he swore to never go. In that place the demon and that dark corner of his heart crushed him like an ant between two colliding mountains. a whisper urged him to give into the hate and darkness, seize the power they held and smash the demon to a bloody pulp! Drown in the blood of those who stood before him, make them weep and cower to know the price of defying his might!
With a start Fan Zhong quickly sat up from his bed, cold sweat pooling on his brow. What led him down such a path? Did his heart truly contain such anger and despair to fuel these dark acts? This must somehow be a lingering feeling of guilt due to his exile.
Yes that must be it, some small part of him wanted to indulge those dark emotions he felt while hearing of Fan Jia being bullied, perhaps one of the legendary heart demons was taking shape in his mind? Fan Zhong started breathing heavily as his thoughts clouded before a soft breathing caught his ear. Laying on his chest, sleeping peacefully, was Little White.
The sight of the little wolf instantly brought calm to his mind and Fan Zhong attempted to rise. After a few minutes of shuffling about Little White was left defiantly sitting on his bed as Fan Zhong dressed and headed to the mess hall to receive an earlier breakfast. On the way there the bustling sounds of crewmen about their business and the running waters around the ship helped ease his mind. After finishing his meal Fan Zhong made his way back to his room to retrieve his staff and then set out for the captain's cabin to relieve Fan Shun and begin his guard shift. While walking his thoughts started to wander and he recounted the rest of the events from the previous day
After the initial excitement wore down Fan Zhong had introduced Little White to his team and they had been mostly amicable to the little wolf, aside from Zi Bao who thankfully kept his remarks to himself for once. The only stipulation Fan Shun had provided was that Little White needed to not interfere with his duties and anything the little animal did would be Fan Zhong's responsibility. To him, those things were a given and with no objections to these rules, the addition of Little White to the team had been settled.
With that out of the way, Fan Shun had set a scheduled rotation for their bodyguard duties as well as team training and personal training. For Fan Shun and Su Fen, as well as any other veteran warriors, things like personal training were expected to be done during free time. However, for new warriors like Zi Bao and Fan Zhong the older team leader had been very clear that mandated personal training would be implemented into their schedule to ensure they were making progress.
This was also done to work the scheduling such that at least one of the older warriors would be off duty to be present during their training. After everything was said and done they had determined that for the first leg of their journey, three weeks of travel to a place known as Scale and Fin Village, Fan Shun would take the early morning shift that began from 1 A.M. to 8 A.M. Next, Fan Zhong would take the next shift starting from 7 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Zi Bao would follow with 1 P.M. to 8 P.M. and Su Fen would round out the day from 7 P.M. to 2 A.M. With this schedule they would overlap the previous guard by an hour to make sure no gaps occurred and the person who would take the next shift would cover a meal period for the person currently on duty after 4 hours of their shift. Su Fen Opted to take the early morning shift and forgo his meal period until his free time, taking on the most difficult task as the leader.
This would leave Zi Bao to cover Fan Zhong's meal period and Su Fen to cover Zi Bao's meal. Fan Shun would sleep during the day after his morning shift so that he could wake late into the night to assist with training and cover Su Fen's meal. Seeing how much hassle the scheduling caused Fan Zhong had felt they were short-handed and had expressed this to Fan Shun. This caused the older warrior to admit they were indeed short-handed and normally one or two clan observers would usually be assigned to a team of their size.
However, the recent tensions with the Wei and rumors of war had caused the request for observers from the other clans and villages to be at an all-time high. In addition, this put the Fan clan's forces on high alert as well. All of this demand for observers caused normal bodyguard missions like this to have to do without. One of the reasons Fan Shun, an elite warrior who would usually be assigned to harder duties, was here was a cause of just that.
The merchant had paid in advance for a full team before the troubles began. As the agreed-upon date neared and it became apparent the clan wouldn't have enough observers to spare they had instead offered to send one of the clan's elite veterans to lead the guard detail. Fan Shun had not minded an easy assignment in the least and had happily accepted the task.
For someone like him, who would normally be requested for dangerous assignments, the discomfort of a little less sleep was truly no trouble at all. Having set down a rotation for the duty schedule Fan Shun outlined the details of their guard assignment. Sir Teng had commissioned the team of clan warriors to bodyguard him for the duration of this mission. At all times one of them would personally watch over him, hence the tight scheduling.
In the contract, the merchant had not only listed himself for priority protection, but he had also listed his crew. When one hired clan warriors they could specify things under three levels of protection. Life-oath, Martial-oath, and Material-oath. For items or persons listed under Life-oath, the bodyguards swore to protect them with their own lives as long as the client and those being protected remained friendly to the bodyguards, as well as not actively harming or threatening to harm the guards.
Martial-oath was for things or persons the guards swore to make the best attempt they could to protect them, putting their martial artist pride on the line. However, once they were defeated or felt they had no hope of succeeding they could choose to give up on those marked under the martial oath. There was another layer to this as a Fan clan warrior giving up on a martial oath target was admitting his defeat in the martial way and seen as a large disgrace. Most would only do this if they truly felt their lives were in danger. Finally, Material oath protection indicated an item or persons that the guards would put effort into defending and keeping safe however they wouldn't risk major harm to do so.
Normally the clan warriors had pride in keeping all the clients' goods and people safe as a matter of principle. However the oath levels were an ironclad rule not just about the honor of the individual but the honor of the clan as a whole, those who broke the agreed upon oaths would be exiled from the clan permanently along with their immediate family. Sometimes exceptions could be made if their immediate family were particularly loyal or did something to restore their honor however it would still take decades to fully recover from such a disgrace in the eyes of the clan and many would look down on them for generations to come. When a clan warrior swore loyalty they were agreeing to uphold the rules of the clan and so they too agreed to the oaths of each assignment when they accepted them.
Each of these designations cost additional spirit stones when added to a contract and the life oaths cost considerably more than either of the others. In addition life oaths requested were personally reviewed by all the elders and voted on before being accepted. The clan may sell their services however they valued warriors highly, agreeing to have them put their lives at stake was indeed a serious matter.
Sir Teng had asked for himself as well as every member of his crew to be placed under life oath protection, while only assigning material oath protection to the goods and ship. This showed two things. One that Sir Teng was of good moral character, as he cared more about his men than the material goods on board the ship. Secondly, it showed that tensions were not only high throughout the inner parts of the valley.
Flowing arrow city, the place Sir Teng called home and did business from, was about as far away from the center of the valley as a place could be and still be considered part of the Flowing Grass Valley. In normal times even a merchant who cared for his crew wouldn't see the need to pay such a large sum to ensure Life-oath protection as the chance of finding danger was quite low. However, with the possibility of the valley clans going to war with the Wei, these were not normal times indeed.
Fan Zhong also noted that Teng Liang had commissioned this level of protection right before news of impending war was being widely circulated in public spaces. Perhaps the Deng, who ruled over Flowing Arrow City, knew more about the hostile attitude of the Wei than it seemed. Either that or 'Sir Teng' was more than the simple merchant he seemed to be.
With the life oath covering so many people, they had been given detailed instruction on how the guard detail was to play out. A guard needed to be with Sir Teng at all times to ensure his safety. As for the life oath on the crew, the off-duty guards were to remain vigilant and protect them as much as possible while remaining rested and fit for their guard shifts. Fan Zhong finished recounting this briefing of information as he neared Fan Shun in preparation to take over his first day of guard duty.
As he approached the door to the captain's cabin Fan Zhong studied the passageway and surroundings. Leading up to the cabin the hallway, which led to the rooms of the crew officers and his fellow team members, widened to an open area. To his right, about five paces, were the stairs that led onto the deck.
Looking to his left, the familiar narrow hallway that led to the mess hall, which had its own set of stairs to the deck, greeted Fan Zhong. Finally, directly across the open space about 10 paces away was a set of double doors which Fan Shun stood beside. Other than that the room contained a few tables and low seats that could allow around 10 people or so to use the open space as a common room of sorts.
Remembering the night before Fan Zhong had seen a few people having drinks in this room however they had cleared out early in the night. He assumed Sir Teng had expressed his opinion on the common room being noisy late into the night on more than one occasion prompting his crew to avoid being here to disturb the captain's sleep. With a final step, Fan Zhong arrived in front of Fan Shun and gave a martial bow to the older warrior.
"Senior, I hope the morning found you peacefully. This one is here to fulfill his duty so that you may get well-earned rest" Fan Zhong intoned respectfully
"Oh? You're the arbiter of who has earned rest, Junior Brother?" Fan Shun said in a neutral voice while leveling his gaze at Fan Zhong.
"I… I wouldn't presu…" Fan Zhong stammered quickly, feeling flustered and off-balance at the accusation.
"Hah, relax Junior Brother Zhong. If you're this tense already I doubt you'll last through the whole shift. Thankfully the night was silent and peaceful if not a touch boring. Come, take up your post opposite me." Fan Shun replied, a rare smile crossing his face as humor entered his voice.
Fan Zhong quickly obeyed and was soon standing on the opposite side of the double doors from Fan Shun, staff held vertically to his side.
"Good you brought your weapon at least, relax your posture a bit. Trust me your back will thank you later." Fan Shun said as he glanced around the room, returning to his more neutral commanding tone "Will Little White be joining us this morning Junior Brother?"
When he had woken up earlier this morning Little White had been sound asleep on top of his chest, likely enjoying the warmth of being so close. Fan Zhong had to practically pry the young wolf off of him to get out of the cramped bed space. However, Little White slept through the whole process without fail.
"Most likely not, he seemed exhausted from seeing so many new people and sensations. Perhaps in the evening he will make his presence known, do watch out. I don't think I've ever heard of such a young water wolf so adept at cloaking itself." Fan Zhong replied, not that he had ever heard how good water wolves could use their cloaking ability but he felt that Little White being able to turn nearly completely invisible at such a young age was slightly abnormal.
Fan Shun started for a second and then looked at Fan Zhong with an incredulous expression.
"You don't mean… The elders didn't tell you?" Fan Shun asked with clear shock in his voice.
"Tell me what senior?" Fan Zhong replied with a confused expression.
"I see… so a test is it? Hahaha, well I'll just tell you this junior brother, most water wolves aren't able to use that qi cloak of theirs until they are at least one year old. At that time they can only partly reflect light and it mostly helps when moving with dense cover. Although it varies on average, the prowess to turn completely invisible is something water wolves don't have until at least 10 years old" Fan Shun said with a smirk on his face.
This information ripped through Fan Zhong's mind like a lightning bolt. Instantly questions started to surface in his mind. Little White was a newborn that still needed his mother to nurse him at the time they met. Was the little wolf some sort of heavenly defying genius? Or perhaps Little White had some sort of physique that left him looking young and weaker of body but with greater control over Qi.
Possibilities whirred around in his head, perhaps his little companion was a beast king? How was that possible inside of Flowing Grass Valley? With his love for stories, Fan Zhong had read many fantastic tales and legends while growing up. He had inevitably asked his parents why the valley seemed so much less magical than some of the places in the legends.
The answer had been quite simple, it all came down to ambient qi richness. Put quite simply, Flowing Grass Valley was lacking enough Qi-rich environments to support an ecosystem of spirit animals and plants. On the upside, this made the valley safer to live in for mortals as things like legendary beasts and immortals supposedly stayed away as they would have more difficulty cultivating their legendary techniques here.
With this, though those lofty existences took their tales of grandness with them to far away immortal paradises Fan Zhong had only ever read about. Considering all of this one had to know that a beast king being born in the valley was exceedingly rare. Almost all such births had heralded the clans uniting to form beast extermination squads to kill the young beast king and thin the number of spirit beasts. On the rare occasion this did not happen, records spoke of the river running red with blood and hordes of beasts running rampant.
Ultimately at the last time such a thing happened the baron of the Twisting Territories Lesser Region had to resort to requesting imperial intervention. An imperial army then descended from the heart of the royal court of the Xing Empire shaking the heavens in the earth as they retook the valley in the name of humanity. Truly Fan Zhong could not comprehend the chances of the only beast king born in the valley for hundreds of years happening to stumble across his path while both young, weak, and in need of protection!
If this were truly the case then he felt heaven worked in mysterious ways indeed. Regardless, Fan Zhong viewed Little White first and foremost as his companion. Whether he was a genius spirit beast, an old monster secretly hiding deep secrets or the lost king of the valley's water wolves none of that mattered more than the experiences they had shared!
"Senior, do you know why Little white is so talented at his age then? Perhaps there is something I missed with my lack of knowledge on spirit beasts, is he simply very old yet appearing young or truly some lineage of beast king?" Fan Zhong decided to ask Fan Shun's opinion on the matter as the council of his elders had always helped in situations like this.
"Hmm, it seems that information is not mine to give. Ask Elder Wuying or your elder brother when we return. Now to the matter of this morning's shift, Sir Teng has informed me that he should be rousing in around an hour. Since it's your first day I will accompany you both to take the morning meal and then onto the deck. Once there Sir Teng will be amongst the crew and Su Fen should be about so at that point we will part ways. Report to me at six this afternoon for training, we will participate in light teamwork drills and sparing before Su Fen takes his meal. This will keep you up until around 9 in the afternoon, do you think that leaves enough time for adequate rest?" Fan Shun asked him.
"Hmm, that seems agreeable senior, thank you for taking the extra time to guide me. If any of this causes problems for you please let me know, father may be strict but I hardly think he or elder brother would want me to be given extra consideration on their behalves" Fan Zhong replied amicably, a hint of irritation and indignation seeping into his voice.
"Hahahaha, you should be more thankful when you do receive such things, Junior Brother Zhong. Regardless of the reason, it is rare enough in this world for people to be so kind, I say this not to imply you should rely on the kindness of others or as an assault on your character. Simply remember that in life you will have plenty of opportunities to experience the indifference of others, if I can't offer my nephew a bit of my time then that's a failure of my own and not yours. In any case, keep watch for a moment. Nature has been calling me since before you arrived and keeping her waiting might prove disastrous for us both" Fan Shun laughed and replied in a jovial manner, a conspiratorial grin crossing his lips before he departed in the direction of the restrooms.
Fan Zhong barely stopped his jaw from dropping to the floor at the rather crass remark from the usually stoic older warrior and attempted to settle into his spot by the door to Teng Liang's room. Soon Fan Shun returned and they fell into a silent vigil guarding the merchant captain's room. The hour seemed to pass quickly and in what seemed like no time at all a sleepy Sir Teng made his way out of the doors the two had been guarding so vigilantly.
Unlike the normal boisterous tone and atmosphere that usually pervaded the air around the man this morning, Teng Liang seemed more subdued. Obviously, the normal charisma he exuded took an effort to keep up and this being so early after he woke the portly merchant had inadequate time to prepare his social armor. They exchanged greeting nods as the sleepy man bad his way towards the mess hall with half-lidded eyes as he started towards the mess hall while stroking his long thin beard.
Fan Zhong fell in step behind him just as Fan Shun had been instructing him to do during the hour they had stood watching while Sir Teng still slept. By contrast, the older warrior walked beside Sir Teng as an equal, seeming happy to strike up a casual conversation now that his shift was officially over. As such time passed and the older men had breakfast while Fan Zhong stood guard, he had taken his breakfast earlier before reporting to Fan Shun so that he could stay alert while his charge ate. Finally, as the group of three were heading up the stairs to go onto the deck a shout rang out
"Captain, mirage wave inbound!" A sailor yelled down the passage from the deck right as Teng Liang and Fan Shun were taking the last steps up the stairs.
Fan Zhong had no idea what a mirage wave was, but he could hear multiple shouts and the sound of Fan Shun drawing his short sword. One thing was clear, they were under attack.
Part 1. Ch. 20 Subtly and Bombast
"Sir Teng I think it best you retreat below deck with Junior Brother Fan Zhong for your safety. Meanwhile I shall lend what aid my sword can provide to the crew," Fan Shun said as his eyes focused on the surroundings.
Both older men stood at the top of the steps blocking Fan Zhong's view of the deck itself. Ahead all he could hear were shouts and the cascade of hundreds of splashes in the water as if a horde of small creatures were jumping out of and landing in the river.
"The concern is appreciated however, a captain must see things through with his crew! Worry not mirage waves usually aren't that dangerous if enough hands are around. Also, young Sir Zhong will surely protect me! Come lad we make for the helm!" Sir Teng let out in a jovial tone.
The old merchant captain seemed almost excited as he pulled a dagger from the inside of his robe and charged forward with an astonishing amount of speed for his rotund form. Fan Zhong stared after him with both confusion and bewilderment evident in his expression.
"Sir… the contract…" Fan Shun sighed as Teng Liang bound onto the deck before sternly looking at Fan Zhong and coughing in irritation at the lack of instant response from the youth.
"Oh.. of course, senior. Sir Teng, please slow down!" Fan Zhong called out as he sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could.
Although he attempted to use the momentum of the charge to fuel his movement technique Fan Zhong quickly found he was too flustered to control his movements in the way the technique required. Irritated with his lack of focus Fan Zhong pushed off with all his might as he crested the stairs causing him to jump out of the opening onto the deck. As he flew in a shallow arc for a few feet his training kicked in and Fan Zhong quickly scanned the scene all around him. Crewmen raced around securing riggings while others stood between them and the sides of the ship holding large wooden shields.
Water kicked up on all sides of the ship as it quickly became apparent what the shields were guarding against. From within some of the larger water eruptions, Fan Zhong saw silver semi-transparent fish. These fish appeared thin in one direction while being wide in the other like the flat head of a shovel. At the top and bottom of each fish, their bodies came to a razor edge of slim blade-like protrusions that curved back like saber blades, each fanning out around five to ten centimeters from the main body.
In effect, the fish looked like carp with ridges on top and bottom that contained scales shaped into dozens of miniature sabers. The most startling thing about them however wasn't the menacing shapes the sharp ridges took but the horrifying amount of the fish coming at the ship. From three separate waves of water, they emerged each wave seeming to spew an endless stream of the creatures. Fan Zhong couldn't count them all but to him, it seemed as if thousands of blade-like fish were about to engulf them in a sea of swords sure to mince the entire crew.
As Fan Zhong observed he saw Sir Teng charge forth with dagger in hand. Quickly the dagger went to work gliding through the air to slice a fish in half from the side. Teng Liang laughed in joy and as his long thin beard tousled with the roiling wind he pulled a second dagger from the inner folds of his robe. His attacks seemed to double in speed as each hand-worked independently to seek the fish out of the air and bisect them. Fan Zhong stared in amazement as the merchant captain single-handedly held back one of the impossible streams of fish!
Although Sir Teng's dagger work was excellent, Fan Zhong doubted he could have tracked it only a year ago, he still moved with the speed of a mortal. There should be no way for someone moving at that speed to cut down such a large amount of incoming attacks let alone hold back a continuous stream of them for any period of time. Examining closer Fan Zhong noticed that although the daggers seemed to blur in his vision sometimes, obviously Sir Teng had some skill at using them, but there was something else at play.
Whenever one of the fish was cut down dozens of others seemed to disappear as if they were dissolving into thin air. It was then that he looked over to the other two waves of fish that were attacking his side of the ship to the crew members that were holding the shields. They still stood covering those that worked with the riggings and upon the shields were dozens of cuts. However, on the deck below them lay only a dozen or so fish, not the hundreds Fan Zhong had expected.
With all of these clues, he finally realized what was going on! It was all in the name "Mirage wave" these fish weren't so numerous as they appeared. Instead, they were using a Water Qi ability akin to Little White's, but instead of shunting away light, they were reflecting it to create mirror images of themselves. Quickly Fan Zhong thought of how he could determine which of these fish were the real and which were the illusions. Of course, he could always attack all of them but then he would just be swinging wildly, although higher realm martial artists could perhaps overpower this problem with brute force he lacked the physical speed to do so.
Suddenly a memory hit him like a bolt of lightning. It came from a time when his sister was being lectured on the use of illusions. This had been shortly after Fan Jingyi had been accepted as a core disciple of the clan observers and as such was still being trained in theory at home by their mother.
"Remember Little Jingyi, illusions flashy displays but they also aren't only about subtle changes either. If an opponent sees two of you all he has to do is determine which is the real one and then a technique you spent large amounts of time and energy on is wasted. Neither are small parlor tricks overly effective, observant mortals or those with strong mental techniques will see through slight course alterations in punch kicks, strikes, or even slight color shifts and the like. No illusions are most effective when the two blend seamlessly when the opponent cannot tell if what they are seeing is the cause of a large effect or the product of reality. When subtly and bombast truly coalesce into your illusion arts that is when they will truly shine. Any two-bit illusionist can make it appear as if two of themselves have appeared, a true illusionist would make the opponent question if they had truly somehow duplicated. In the same way, any simple warrior can alter the path of their sword to throw off an opponent, we strive to make the opponent question whether the path of the sword was altered or the senses they have honed over decades have deceived them. This is ideal we set for illusion techniques"
Remembering this Fan Zhong wanted to test the fish, since they were doing something bombastic perhaps they forgot to alter a simple detail that would expose them. Narrowing his eyes he focused on a set of fish and set all of his attention on his mental technique. Within a few seconds Fan Zhong noticed the flaw in these 'two-bit' fish illusionists, the clones lacked the subtle twitches and lively movements of the fish.
The true bodies still moved their eyes and bodies like a living creature experiencing outside feelings, like the wind, bodily functions, and the like. Conversely, the mirages were static, only making a menacing expression and angling to put their bladed ridges on a path to cut one of their targets. Having spent a few moments observing them, and knowing what to look for, it became obvious that anyone who had trained in a good quality mental technique should be able to pick out the live fish. Knowing this Fan Zhong understood why the more normal crewmembers simply stood behind large wooden shields while people with training could confidently hold off the jumping fish.
Now that he was calmer Fan Zhong even noticed a few of the crew members had drawn their weapons and were fending for themselves. These crewmen were striking those that lay on the deck and occasionally dashing out from behind the shields to attack some of the fish mid-flight. It seemed not all members of the crew were completely untrained.
A scream from in front of him caught Fan Zhong's attention and he spun to see a blade fish, what he had chosen to call them for now, that had deflected off the shields of the two crewmen in front of him. In the confusion of the battle, the blade fish had flopped about and gotten behind one of the unlucky men. With a shove, the blade fish had propelled itself back off the deck towards the water and cut a bloody gash in the side of the man's leg as it dove back into the water.
Many of the fish that landed on the deck and weren't killed during the flight seemed to be doing the same and almost all of the shield bearers now sported some kind of cut of varying degree.
"Boy, are you here to help or gawk. What am I paying you for? Not to stand around surely." Teng Liang shouted from the side as he continued to ward off a newly formed stream of attacking blade fish
" Of course not Sir Teng! I'll be right there, apologies!" Fan Zhong shouted back, although it had only been a minute or so since they came on deck his cheeks reddened at the embarrassment of forgetting his duty.
"All good on this front good sir, help the men if you don't mind. I'll shout if my old rump gets in too deep" Teng Liang shouted back with a chuckle, the jovialness returning to his voice.
Fan Zhong only nodded and sprinted forward to the men in front of him juggling his staff in spinning arcs and occasionally bringing it down on any living blade fish with heaven origin palm techniques when they were within reach. As he ran across the deck Fan Zhong noticed his team scattered across the ship. Fan Shun was on the opposite side of the deck and only visible for fractions of a second, appearing as a black blur of motion after each slight pause.
Each time the older man appeared he was sheathing his short sword with the sheath held vertically in front of himself as dozens of the blade fish fell to the deck, minced into tiny strips. Su Fen was actually on the upper side of the deck near the helm where Sir Teng had originally intended to go before the fighting had distracted him. The older warrior seemed to casually walk along as if he didn't notice the streams of blade fish appearing to his side, however, his staff spoke a different story.
It moved in a blur around his body in a complex series of contact juggling spins that Fan Zhong couldn't even comprehend. Su fen seemed to be using shifting palm strikes as the basis of his technique combined with momentum of shifting earth to deliver dozens of the relatively low power techniques to tenderize the blade fish into a pulp before they even neared him. Finally, Fan Zhong neared the crewmen that stood on the same side of the deck as him and Sir Teng, sliding to a halt in front of them as his staff slid into his hands.
With precision, he slid the staff forward on his outstretched off hand in the void gate stance and executed three all things birthed from the origin palm techniques. Using his dominant hand he struck the bottom of his staff while his offhand spun the length of the weapon sending the business end spiraling forward like a lance of spinning destruction. Each time the technique left the target little more than a rain of bloody fish pulp with power to spare to pierce additional targets. This was the technique Fan Zhong had used to kill a full-grown bear during his warrior trial and it felt unique to him as he hadn't seen many others use the palm techniques in such a spear-like way.
In this instant, he noticed that for weaker foes like the blade fish the technique was overkill so he used the leftover momentum to pull the staff back into the original position. Next, he funneled the remainder into his momentum of shifting earth technique to help power the next strike. Previously Fan Zhong hadn't been able to do this; however, now that he was more comfortable taking momentum from none full-body movements, such as his contact juggling, the process of transferring the momentum felt almost natural.
Feeling comfortable with this change to his technique he decided to give it his own name "Origin Piercing Palm". This name felt appropriate as the modification of the simple palm strike turned the staff into a spear-like strike rather than the blunt damage strikes most common in the clan style. Although he was far away from the master realm, Fan Zhong looked forward to the day that he could proudly display this technique to his father during his advancement ceremony, a technique he could call his own.
Such thoughts quickly faded as he executed the technique another dozen times, wincing as one of the blade fish got past his guard drawing a shallow cut across his left shoulder. After this a brief lull ensued as the two streams of fish that were attacking Fan Zhong and the men behind him vanished, falling back into the river. Breathing hard Fan Zhong looked up to see that one of the crew members from below deck had retrieved the wounded shield-bearer behind him and was replaced with a fresh crew member who smiled and nodded at him.
Returning the nod he turned to face the river as the sound of churning waters returned and two waves of water started to rise to deck level. Panic flared through Fan Zhong's mind as two streams of blade fish fell upon him, earlier he had arrived after one of the streams had begun to falter and only held off the tail end of the assault. Now he was staring down two fresh assaults from these bladed fish and he felt anxiety well up inside of him.
Resolutely he stepped forward and struck with Origin Piercing Palm dozens of times. Slowly as more and more blade fish joined the assault Fan Zhong began to falter. Soon the Origin Piercing Palms stopped coming and he was forced to utilize rapid Shifting Palm techniques. Mortal, heaven, and earth variants were all used in a flurry to deflect the cascade of blade fish.
Unwounded fish parted around him landing on the deck and jumping around sporadically before diving back into the river. Most of them flopped harmlessly over the rails but ever so often one would arc near Fan Zhong causing him another cut. In just a few minutes his martial robes were in tatters and blood ran from the multiple cuts covering him.
"Fool, how could the elders praise someone so reckless!" Fan Zhong heard a voice to his side, unable to recognize it through the pain and battle haze flooding his mind " Step to the right, earth origin palms sweeping outward attacks!"
A figure came up to his side and took up attacking the left-hand stream of blade fish. What surprised Fan Zhong was that he recognized the newcomer, it was Zi Bao! The other youth used shifting palms to slide into position beside Fan Zhong and then swept low, preparing to execute an upward sweeping earth origin palm technique with his staff as he had commanded Fan Zhong to do. Somehow Fan Zhong found himself falling into the motion as Zi Bao did as if falling into the tempo of a song.
As one they swept out killing three to four blade fish apiece as the stronger origin palm technique put much more force into the attacks than Fan Zhong's shifting palm strikes had been able to.
"Hmph, at least you can follow instructions. Heaven Origin palm next, make sure to sweep. Follow my lead!" Zi Bao intoned in his normal harsh voice as he contacts juggled his staff into a high position and swept it in a downward sweep to his outside.
Like this, Fan Zhong and Zi bao stood in void gate stance back to back facing outward from one another, a stream of blade fish incoming on each side. Over and over they repeated a loop of outward sweeping strikes using earth origin palm and heaven origin palm techniques. This seemed to go on for an eternity, with the pair moving multiple times to follow where the blade fish were assaulting the ship. Finally, while they were on the upper deck near the helm, where Su fen had originally been, no attack came for a full 10 minutes marking the end of the 'mirage wave'.
"Ancestors save me your an idiot, if my hands could move I'd pummel you," Zi Bao said between breaths as he dropped down next to the railing, leaning his back on it "Who in their right mind jumps in front of two streams of mirage carp without using the cover of a shield bearer at all?"
"I…. weren't we supposed to protect the crew?" Fan Zhong said as he lay sprawled on the deck, ignoring the fish guts covering everything around him as his brow furrowed in confusion
"Keyword crew, they do this all the time and aren't strangers to mirage carp attacks. This one was larger than most but anyone who has traveled by river ship enough knows to duck behind the shields and attack them once they land, what do you think you are a master or something?" Zi Bao said, exasperation mixed with waning irritation evident in his tone
"Well… Sir Teng met a stream head-on. Surely it isn't too abnormal?" Fan Zhong replied, his embarrassment rising.
"Again you're missing the key points. One, he took on one stream not two and he's been sailing this river for at least a decade. Something you'd know if you bothered to talk to any of the crew. I'm not even sure if anything me or you could handle would threaten the man. Of course, that's mainly what the seniors are here for." Zi Bao replied, most of the usual arrogance and irritation missing from his tone.
Fan Zhong was a bit startled as the other man simply sounded tired, he had never heard such a subdued tone from Zi Bao. He thought the tone sounded much more pleasant on his fellow warrior than the normal anger that seemed to suffuse Zi Bao's soul.
"Well done junior brothers, rest easy for a few hours. Su Fen and I shall see to Sir Teng's protection until you're recovered." Fan Shun shouted from the lower deck giving them an approving nod.
"It must be nice… having this all the time" Zi Bao said quietly under his breath, in a whisper that Fan Zhong could barely hear.
A look of profound sadness and isolation crossed Zi Bao's face for just a moment before he shook his head and an angry scowl once again fell upon his visage like a mask. Quickly he stood and started walking below deck. Fan Zhong could only stay frozen in place, remembering the pure emotion on his former bully's face.
Seeing that was a stark reminder to him that although trials and tribulations had been thrown at him, everyone else also had their own difficulties. It was one thing to be told such words another to experience it first hand. With a sigh, Fan Zhong looked up as a weight fell on his chest pushing all air from his lungs.
Standing there on top of him was a happy-looking Little white with a fat Mirage Carp held in his mouth. With a small muffled noise, the little wolf dropped the fish on Fan Zhong's chest and made a small cry of triumph, obviously happy with delivering his kill. Smiling Fan Zhong took the mirage carp and threw it off the ship before wrapping Little white in a hug, squirming as he might to dive after the fish, the little wolf was held tight and he stopped after only a small whimpering.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity Fan Zhong stood up and pushed off as much of the fish guts as he could.
"Time to go find Sir Teng Little White, want to come with?" Fan Zhong said while smiling and petting his small companion.
Little White growled slightly at him and gave him a look of faux betrayal. Rolling his eyes Fan Zhong looked around and picked up a mostly intact mirage carp and tossed it to Little White. With a happy sound, the wolf cub caught it and as Fan Zhong started walking away Little White followed along, carrying his prize the whole way.
Both older men stood at the top of the steps blocking Fan Zhong's view of the deck itself. Ahead all he could hear were shouts and the cascade of hundreds of splashes in the water as if a horde of small creatures were jumping out of and landing in the river.
"The concern is appreciated however, a captain must see things through with his crew! Worry not mirage waves usually aren't that dangerous if enough hands are around. Also, young Sir Zhong will surely protect me! Come lad we make for the helm!" Sir Teng let out in a jovial tone.
The old merchant captain seemed almost excited as he pulled a dagger from the inside of his robe and charged forward with an astonishing amount of speed for his rotund form. Fan Zhong stared after him with both confusion and bewilderment evident in his expression.
"Sir… the contract…" Fan Shun sighed as Teng Liang bound onto the deck before sternly looking at Fan Zhong and coughing in irritation at the lack of instant response from the youth.
"Oh.. of course, senior. Sir Teng, please slow down!" Fan Zhong called out as he sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could.
Although he attempted to use the momentum of the charge to fuel his movement technique Fan Zhong quickly found he was too flustered to control his movements in the way the technique required. Irritated with his lack of focus Fan Zhong pushed off with all his might as he crested the stairs causing him to jump out of the opening onto the deck. As he flew in a shallow arc for a few feet his training kicked in and Fan Zhong quickly scanned the scene all around him. Crewmen raced around securing riggings while others stood between them and the sides of the ship holding large wooden shields.
Water kicked up on all sides of the ship as it quickly became apparent what the shields were guarding against. From within some of the larger water eruptions, Fan Zhong saw silver semi-transparent fish. These fish appeared thin in one direction while being wide in the other like the flat head of a shovel. At the top and bottom of each fish, their bodies came to a razor edge of slim blade-like protrusions that curved back like saber blades, each fanning out around five to ten centimeters from the main body.
In effect, the fish looked like carp with ridges on top and bottom that contained scales shaped into dozens of miniature sabers. The most startling thing about them however wasn't the menacing shapes the sharp ridges took but the horrifying amount of the fish coming at the ship. From three separate waves of water, they emerged each wave seeming to spew an endless stream of the creatures. Fan Zhong couldn't count them all but to him, it seemed as if thousands of blade-like fish were about to engulf them in a sea of swords sure to mince the entire crew.
As Fan Zhong observed he saw Sir Teng charge forth with dagger in hand. Quickly the dagger went to work gliding through the air to slice a fish in half from the side. Teng Liang laughed in joy and as his long thin beard tousled with the roiling wind he pulled a second dagger from the inner folds of his robe. His attacks seemed to double in speed as each hand-worked independently to seek the fish out of the air and bisect them. Fan Zhong stared in amazement as the merchant captain single-handedly held back one of the impossible streams of fish!
Although Sir Teng's dagger work was excellent, Fan Zhong doubted he could have tracked it only a year ago, he still moved with the speed of a mortal. There should be no way for someone moving at that speed to cut down such a large amount of incoming attacks let alone hold back a continuous stream of them for any period of time. Examining closer Fan Zhong noticed that although the daggers seemed to blur in his vision sometimes, obviously Sir Teng had some skill at using them, but there was something else at play.
Whenever one of the fish was cut down dozens of others seemed to disappear as if they were dissolving into thin air. It was then that he looked over to the other two waves of fish that were attacking his side of the ship to the crew members that were holding the shields. They still stood covering those that worked with the riggings and upon the shields were dozens of cuts. However, on the deck below them lay only a dozen or so fish, not the hundreds Fan Zhong had expected.
With all of these clues, he finally realized what was going on! It was all in the name "Mirage wave" these fish weren't so numerous as they appeared. Instead, they were using a Water Qi ability akin to Little White's, but instead of shunting away light, they were reflecting it to create mirror images of themselves. Quickly Fan Zhong thought of how he could determine which of these fish were the real and which were the illusions. Of course, he could always attack all of them but then he would just be swinging wildly, although higher realm martial artists could perhaps overpower this problem with brute force he lacked the physical speed to do so.
Suddenly a memory hit him like a bolt of lightning. It came from a time when his sister was being lectured on the use of illusions. This had been shortly after Fan Jingyi had been accepted as a core disciple of the clan observers and as such was still being trained in theory at home by their mother.
"Remember Little Jingyi, illusions flashy displays but they also aren't only about subtle changes either. If an opponent sees two of you all he has to do is determine which is the real one and then a technique you spent large amounts of time and energy on is wasted. Neither are small parlor tricks overly effective, observant mortals or those with strong mental techniques will see through slight course alterations in punch kicks, strikes, or even slight color shifts and the like. No illusions are most effective when the two blend seamlessly when the opponent cannot tell if what they are seeing is the cause of a large effect or the product of reality. When subtly and bombast truly coalesce into your illusion arts that is when they will truly shine. Any two-bit illusionist can make it appear as if two of themselves have appeared, a true illusionist would make the opponent question if they had truly somehow duplicated. In the same way, any simple warrior can alter the path of their sword to throw off an opponent, we strive to make the opponent question whether the path of the sword was altered or the senses they have honed over decades have deceived them. This is ideal we set for illusion techniques"
Remembering this Fan Zhong wanted to test the fish, since they were doing something bombastic perhaps they forgot to alter a simple detail that would expose them. Narrowing his eyes he focused on a set of fish and set all of his attention on his mental technique. Within a few seconds Fan Zhong noticed the flaw in these 'two-bit' fish illusionists, the clones lacked the subtle twitches and lively movements of the fish.
The true bodies still moved their eyes and bodies like a living creature experiencing outside feelings, like the wind, bodily functions, and the like. Conversely, the mirages were static, only making a menacing expression and angling to put their bladed ridges on a path to cut one of their targets. Having spent a few moments observing them, and knowing what to look for, it became obvious that anyone who had trained in a good quality mental technique should be able to pick out the live fish. Knowing this Fan Zhong understood why the more normal crewmembers simply stood behind large wooden shields while people with training could confidently hold off the jumping fish.
Now that he was calmer Fan Zhong even noticed a few of the crew members had drawn their weapons and were fending for themselves. These crewmen were striking those that lay on the deck and occasionally dashing out from behind the shields to attack some of the fish mid-flight. It seemed not all members of the crew were completely untrained.
A scream from in front of him caught Fan Zhong's attention and he spun to see a blade fish, what he had chosen to call them for now, that had deflected off the shields of the two crewmen in front of him. In the confusion of the battle, the blade fish had flopped about and gotten behind one of the unlucky men. With a shove, the blade fish had propelled itself back off the deck towards the water and cut a bloody gash in the side of the man's leg as it dove back into the water.
Many of the fish that landed on the deck and weren't killed during the flight seemed to be doing the same and almost all of the shield bearers now sported some kind of cut of varying degree.
"Boy, are you here to help or gawk. What am I paying you for? Not to stand around surely." Teng Liang shouted from the side as he continued to ward off a newly formed stream of attacking blade fish
" Of course not Sir Teng! I'll be right there, apologies!" Fan Zhong shouted back, although it had only been a minute or so since they came on deck his cheeks reddened at the embarrassment of forgetting his duty.
"All good on this front good sir, help the men if you don't mind. I'll shout if my old rump gets in too deep" Teng Liang shouted back with a chuckle, the jovialness returning to his voice.
Fan Zhong only nodded and sprinted forward to the men in front of him juggling his staff in spinning arcs and occasionally bringing it down on any living blade fish with heaven origin palm techniques when they were within reach. As he ran across the deck Fan Zhong noticed his team scattered across the ship. Fan Shun was on the opposite side of the deck and only visible for fractions of a second, appearing as a black blur of motion after each slight pause.
Each time the older man appeared he was sheathing his short sword with the sheath held vertically in front of himself as dozens of the blade fish fell to the deck, minced into tiny strips. Su Fen was actually on the upper side of the deck near the helm where Sir Teng had originally intended to go before the fighting had distracted him. The older warrior seemed to casually walk along as if he didn't notice the streams of blade fish appearing to his side, however, his staff spoke a different story.
It moved in a blur around his body in a complex series of contact juggling spins that Fan Zhong couldn't even comprehend. Su fen seemed to be using shifting palm strikes as the basis of his technique combined with momentum of shifting earth to deliver dozens of the relatively low power techniques to tenderize the blade fish into a pulp before they even neared him. Finally, Fan Zhong neared the crewmen that stood on the same side of the deck as him and Sir Teng, sliding to a halt in front of them as his staff slid into his hands.
With precision, he slid the staff forward on his outstretched off hand in the void gate stance and executed three all things birthed from the origin palm techniques. Using his dominant hand he struck the bottom of his staff while his offhand spun the length of the weapon sending the business end spiraling forward like a lance of spinning destruction. Each time the technique left the target little more than a rain of bloody fish pulp with power to spare to pierce additional targets. This was the technique Fan Zhong had used to kill a full-grown bear during his warrior trial and it felt unique to him as he hadn't seen many others use the palm techniques in such a spear-like way.
In this instant, he noticed that for weaker foes like the blade fish the technique was overkill so he used the leftover momentum to pull the staff back into the original position. Next, he funneled the remainder into his momentum of shifting earth technique to help power the next strike. Previously Fan Zhong hadn't been able to do this; however, now that he was more comfortable taking momentum from none full-body movements, such as his contact juggling, the process of transferring the momentum felt almost natural.
Feeling comfortable with this change to his technique he decided to give it his own name "Origin Piercing Palm". This name felt appropriate as the modification of the simple palm strike turned the staff into a spear-like strike rather than the blunt damage strikes most common in the clan style. Although he was far away from the master realm, Fan Zhong looked forward to the day that he could proudly display this technique to his father during his advancement ceremony, a technique he could call his own.
Such thoughts quickly faded as he executed the technique another dozen times, wincing as one of the blade fish got past his guard drawing a shallow cut across his left shoulder. After this a brief lull ensued as the two streams of fish that were attacking Fan Zhong and the men behind him vanished, falling back into the river. Breathing hard Fan Zhong looked up to see that one of the crew members from below deck had retrieved the wounded shield-bearer behind him and was replaced with a fresh crew member who smiled and nodded at him.
Returning the nod he turned to face the river as the sound of churning waters returned and two waves of water started to rise to deck level. Panic flared through Fan Zhong's mind as two streams of blade fish fell upon him, earlier he had arrived after one of the streams had begun to falter and only held off the tail end of the assault. Now he was staring down two fresh assaults from these bladed fish and he felt anxiety well up inside of him.
Resolutely he stepped forward and struck with Origin Piercing Palm dozens of times. Slowly as more and more blade fish joined the assault Fan Zhong began to falter. Soon the Origin Piercing Palms stopped coming and he was forced to utilize rapid Shifting Palm techniques. Mortal, heaven, and earth variants were all used in a flurry to deflect the cascade of blade fish.
Unwounded fish parted around him landing on the deck and jumping around sporadically before diving back into the river. Most of them flopped harmlessly over the rails but ever so often one would arc near Fan Zhong causing him another cut. In just a few minutes his martial robes were in tatters and blood ran from the multiple cuts covering him.
"Fool, how could the elders praise someone so reckless!" Fan Zhong heard a voice to his side, unable to recognize it through the pain and battle haze flooding his mind " Step to the right, earth origin palms sweeping outward attacks!"
A figure came up to his side and took up attacking the left-hand stream of blade fish. What surprised Fan Zhong was that he recognized the newcomer, it was Zi Bao! The other youth used shifting palms to slide into position beside Fan Zhong and then swept low, preparing to execute an upward sweeping earth origin palm technique with his staff as he had commanded Fan Zhong to do. Somehow Fan Zhong found himself falling into the motion as Zi Bao did as if falling into the tempo of a song.
As one they swept out killing three to four blade fish apiece as the stronger origin palm technique put much more force into the attacks than Fan Zhong's shifting palm strikes had been able to.
"Hmph, at least you can follow instructions. Heaven Origin palm next, make sure to sweep. Follow my lead!" Zi Bao intoned in his normal harsh voice as he contacts juggled his staff into a high position and swept it in a downward sweep to his outside.
Like this, Fan Zhong and Zi bao stood in void gate stance back to back facing outward from one another, a stream of blade fish incoming on each side. Over and over they repeated a loop of outward sweeping strikes using earth origin palm and heaven origin palm techniques. This seemed to go on for an eternity, with the pair moving multiple times to follow where the blade fish were assaulting the ship. Finally, while they were on the upper deck near the helm, where Su fen had originally been, no attack came for a full 10 minutes marking the end of the 'mirage wave'.
"Ancestors save me your an idiot, if my hands could move I'd pummel you," Zi Bao said between breaths as he dropped down next to the railing, leaning his back on it "Who in their right mind jumps in front of two streams of mirage carp without using the cover of a shield bearer at all?"
"I…. weren't we supposed to protect the crew?" Fan Zhong said as he lay sprawled on the deck, ignoring the fish guts covering everything around him as his brow furrowed in confusion
"Keyword crew, they do this all the time and aren't strangers to mirage carp attacks. This one was larger than most but anyone who has traveled by river ship enough knows to duck behind the shields and attack them once they land, what do you think you are a master or something?" Zi Bao said, exasperation mixed with waning irritation evident in his tone
"Well… Sir Teng met a stream head-on. Surely it isn't too abnormal?" Fan Zhong replied, his embarrassment rising.
"Again you're missing the key points. One, he took on one stream not two and he's been sailing this river for at least a decade. Something you'd know if you bothered to talk to any of the crew. I'm not even sure if anything me or you could handle would threaten the man. Of course, that's mainly what the seniors are here for." Zi Bao replied, most of the usual arrogance and irritation missing from his tone.
Fan Zhong was a bit startled as the other man simply sounded tired, he had never heard such a subdued tone from Zi Bao. He thought the tone sounded much more pleasant on his fellow warrior than the normal anger that seemed to suffuse Zi Bao's soul.
"Well done junior brothers, rest easy for a few hours. Su Fen and I shall see to Sir Teng's protection until you're recovered." Fan Shun shouted from the lower deck giving them an approving nod.
"It must be nice… having this all the time" Zi Bao said quietly under his breath, in a whisper that Fan Zhong could barely hear.
A look of profound sadness and isolation crossed Zi Bao's face for just a moment before he shook his head and an angry scowl once again fell upon his visage like a mask. Quickly he stood and started walking below deck. Fan Zhong could only stay frozen in place, remembering the pure emotion on his former bully's face.
Seeing that was a stark reminder to him that although trials and tribulations had been thrown at him, everyone else also had their own difficulties. It was one thing to be told such words another to experience it first hand. With a sigh, Fan Zhong looked up as a weight fell on his chest pushing all air from his lungs.
Standing there on top of him was a happy-looking Little white with a fat Mirage Carp held in his mouth. With a small muffled noise, the little wolf dropped the fish on Fan Zhong's chest and made a small cry of triumph, obviously happy with delivering his kill. Smiling Fan Zhong took the mirage carp and threw it off the ship before wrapping Little white in a hug, squirming as he might to dive after the fish, the little wolf was held tight and he stopped after only a small whimpering.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity Fan Zhong stood up and pushed off as much of the fish guts as he could.
"Time to go find Sir Teng Little White, want to come with?" Fan Zhong said while smiling and petting his small companion.
Little White growled slightly at him and gave him a look of faux betrayal. Rolling his eyes Fan Zhong looked around and picked up a mostly intact mirage carp and tossed it to Little White. With a happy sound, the wolf cub caught it and as Fan Zhong started walking away Little White followed along, carrying his prize the whole way.
Hey guys thanks for anyone still reading, sorry for all the missed uploads. Honestly just don't have the motivation to write sometimes and Id rather not force myself and end up with a story I'm not happy with. Hopefully everyone's still enjoying and understands thanks for your view. Amitabha fellow Daoists!