Rushing air resounded throughout the training ground as Fan Cheng struck out towards his brother with a palm strike. The sheer force of the wind generated by this strike was enough to rattle the walls of the bamboo huts surrounding them as the bamboo shoots themselves shuddered in response. On the receiving end of the shockwave of force Fan Zhong stood firm, his left arm raised to chest level upturned with palm facing the heavens, left leg forward with his right back and bent. Finally, his right hand poised in an open palm position facing forward at his waist with elbow cocked.
Even in the face of the shockwave made to throw him off balance Fan Zhong remained with his eyes closed, upper body loose, and ready to react to incoming attacks. His legs and core were as sturdy as a mountain, unmoved by even the raging winds. His gaze fell ever forward, armored in determination, giving off a stalwart feeling as deep within his eyes sparkled a slight hint of gold. Fan Cheng nodded to him, which he met by gracefully returning to a neutral pose before saluting and bowing in the exact way that had been drilled into his bones all week.
“Truly praiseworthy brother, it seems you are a tiger gaining his wings soon to soar high in the clouds above your earthly bound siblings. Perhaps, even at your age, I did not have such a perfect and firm stance!” Fan Cheng praised his brother sincerely, it truly astonished him how much the promise of a weekend of respite had motivated the once slow-moving and docile Fan Zhong!
Right away from the time he had so much as a hint of this reward, Fan Zhong had thrown himself into training like a drowning man who had found land. During stance training, he did not falter once even when the exercises continued for hours on end. In the face of the sharp retorts of his brother's punishment stick, Fan Zhong remained unflinching and stoic. In the afternoon during his lessons about martial arts cultivation and worldly matters he was attentive and focused, giving no interruptions while even asking diligent questions when he was confused or lost!
Fan Cheng did not know whether to laugh or cry. On one hand, his brother was mercilessly picked on by the branch families and visiting martial clans for being so lax in his training. Even with the bullying, Fan Zhong had begged their father to continuously postpone his training during his younger years leading to this ultimatum where he would be personally trained in isolation. With this, many thought Fan Zhong would end up as a wasteful young master who would amount to nothing. However, on the other hand, when he was given a goal or drive to accomplish something, this wasteful young master became a furious demon destroying all obstacles in his path!
Even Fan Cheng felt his ability to improve in such a way extraordinary, one must know that Fan Cheng being a Master realm martial artist at the age of 16 was considered a once in 10,000 years genius of the clan. He was only rivaled by his father who achieved the realm at the young age of 15 shortly after the war of the Butont Alliance. The two were so miraculous they were known as the rising peaks of the Flowing Grass Valley’s martial arts world, father and son challenging the heavens themselves!
However, in the face of Fan Zhong’s talent, even this heaven-defying genius was impressed! If his talent could be brought to focus and used properly what kind of results would occur? However Fan Cheng understood his brother well, the heavens themselves would descend before he took to heart the path of martial arts.
“Please brother, spare me the pity. Compared to you, I am a dull rock next to the shining sun. Come now, give me your honest opinion so we may continue.” Fan Zhong’s somber retort broke Fan Cheng’s contemplation
“Hmph, you dare question my praise?” Fan Cheng feigned anger and rapidly swatted his brother with the punishment stick lightly a few times to emphasize his theatrics. “If this master says you excel, then you excel! Now, we are approaching the end of our first week of training. Recite to me the method of training through each realm up to the master realm, if you have taken to your lessons properly then this will conclude my instruction until the weekend is over.” Fan Cheng’s final words were characterized by a small smile as he placed the carrot in front of his charge one final time.
“To enter the realm of Third-Grade martial artist one simply needs the recognition of his peers, no other means. To advance to Second-Grade martial artist the practitioner must hone their abilities until their mental focus and physical body start to become one, a breakthrough is signified by being able to sense a wisp of mental energy which will greatly increase one’s perception and control over their physical body. Finally, to breakthrough to First-Grade martial artist, one must train their newly found mental energy through rigorous mental exercises such as tracking fast-moving objects thrown at them, counting grains of rice as they fall from an upturned container, or quick mathematical calculations. While doing this it is important to keep developing martial techniques along with one’s physical body, keeping all three aspects in harmony. At the point of harmony, a new sense will awaken allowing one to focus their mental energy actively and feel this new energy with a 6th sense. Following a brief few days of rest, to familiarize oneself with the new overflow of information one can feel, a breakthrough to 1st Grade Martial artist will be complete leaving one with the wall of the master realms to overcome next.” Fan Zhong’s answers flowed like water, eyes closed as he recalled the information.
“Good good, an explanation even father would approve of I think. Disciple, you are dismissed. I need time to consolidate some… enlightenment, gained while instructing you. Reflect on what you’ve learned and we will resume at the dawn of the new week.” Fan Cheng maintained the most formal tone he could while grinning like a madman, extending his dismissal simply to watch his younger brother writhe with anticipation to be off. “Alright, alright, be off, another second and you’ll jump off the cliff in desperation.”
Fan Zhong nodded eagerly, leaving his brother laughing heartily in the training grounds. Briskly he jogged down the track, reveling in the rustle of the leaves throughout the bamboo forest. The sun still hung high enough in the sky to give the entire earth a healthy glow that filled the area with a sense of warmth and joy. Birds sang in the air and the wind rang at his back as Fan Zhong’s whisked toward Little Green Bamboo Village, his body feeling lighter than it ever had.
Training may have been a dull and lengthy process however, Fan Zhong had to admit the results spoke for themselves. After jogging for a bit, he felt that the trail was rushing by far faster than it ever had before, spotting some of the usual signs that tracked his progress; it seemed that he was moving at about twice the speed he had before training. By Fan Zhong's estimation, it normally took him around 20 minutes to reach the village from the ancestral training grounds. With his newfound speed, it would take half that time, only 10 minutes!
Even with that much exertion, he felt only slightly short of breath and a vibrant feeling ran through his entire body. Curiously Fan Zhong picked up a stone and threw it overhand as hard as he could at one of the bamboo shoots. The resounding crack heralded the site of a large chunk of flesh being torn from the shoots and the stone falling in two pieces to the ground.
Fan Zhong gaped, had his strength truly advanced by such a degree? It seemed his brother's guidance was just as heaven-defying as his talent in martial arts. He could even take a layabout like Fan Zhong and train him to such a degree! With his newfound awe for Fan Cheng’s teaching ability and an incredibly good mood Fan Zhong soon arrived at the western gate of the village.
Although the guards eyed him curiously, they simply nodded at him out of respect and let him pass through. Apparently, his older brother had done more than allowing him out of seclusion. Perhaps he had told the guards to allow him some freedom?
The possibility put him at ease and he reminded himself to pay thanks to Fan Cheng when he returned. With that, Fan Zhong started his leisurely stroll through the village, taking in the scents of food being prepared and the sounds of people simply going about their days. The liveliness of being around so many people made him feel alive in a way that he never could while alone.
These people were the heart and soul of the fan clan without which Little Green Bamboo village would just be a name in some dusty library records. You could never truly understand a place until you had been there, talked to its people, ate the local cuisine, and experienced the entertainment provided there. This was a principle Fan Zhong took as one of the core truths of the world, something immutable and unchangeable!
Upon finishing this thought he arrived at the Yellow Dragon noodle stall. Pushing aside the curtain and he took a seat next to one of his dearest friends, poking him in the side as he did so.
“ Hey who did…. Brother Zhong! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in some backwater training hell enduring 10,000 years of beatings from your father and elder brother?” Fan Yong replied at first with surprise which quickly turned into a pleased grin.
Fan Yong was a distant relative to Fan Zhong from a branch of the clan that was led by a powerful clan elder and was one year older than him. He was shorter than Fan Zhong, who was considered tall for his age, but stockier of build. Many had said that if Fan Zhong was the high tower that observed when trouble arrived then Fan Yong was the wide foundation that kept them out of the deep waters.
Of course, this implied that Fan Yong was quite fat however, he was adamant that his family was simply big-boned. Furthermore, he insisted his dashing dirty blonde hair and penetrating fire-red eyes were more than enough to overcome his other shortcomings!
They had met at a zither recital held by one of the clan's elders. After meeting the two had discovered that they both had increasingly enjoyed listening to the music and discussing their preferences for such things. As such, meeting to attend such recitals became a common occurrence for the pair.
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Upon reaching the age of six Fan Zhong even chose to start learning the four-stringed lute Fan Yong had a love of. That way they had more things to discuss and at the same time, Fan Yong started learning about calligraphy so he could match Fan Zhong’s skill in the craft.
So it went that the two became inseparable and at the age of 10 they became known as the two young masters of Little Green Bamboo village, famous for hanging out and creating mischief during their time at the village academy. This title grew bolder as three years later after an afternoon where they first discovered a joint love of wine, they had both visited the Soft Moonlight Hall demanding company for the two vaunted young heroes of the Fan clan! That night both of them had learned just what a visit to the Soft Moonlight Hall entailed and, even under the reproachful eyes of their peers and parents, they became frequent patrons of the establishment, preferring to retire there.
While lounging with a maiden on each arm, these two young masters would drink fine wines and discuss their days while exchanging pointers on their various hobbies. Many Others felt this an affront to their wallets as the amount of expensive wine and ‘companion’ services used by them would add to enough spirit stones to feed a small family for a month, and they spent such sums each night! This behavior had gone on for months before their elders simply could not take it anymore and started restricting them to a monthly allowance, which sharply limited the amount of time they could lounge about in such luxury.
For a time this had slowed down their antics and allowed some face to return to the clan elders.
“Hmph, you simply underestimate this esteemed expert. My results were so heaven-defying that I simply upturned my palm and all obstacles fell away. Defeating all things and upturning heaven with a single palm, isn’t this befitting of this young noble?” Fan Zhong attempted to maintain the tone and expression of an indignant young noble who had been offended.
This lasted all of a few seconds before both burst out in raucous laughter.
“It’s truly impressive you’ve managed to escape from under your elder brother's watchful eye, truly this is a moment for celebration!” Fan young composed himself and said in a jovial tone “Come, recently I’ve come into possession of some wine that is said to be served in the vaunted halls of the Great Xing Empire’s royal palace, who even the Baroness is subordinate to! Let’s settle down in true comfort at the Soft Moonlight Hall and you can regale me with your tales of martial prowess”
“All well and good, however, should we not round up Brother Qiang before though? Without him, I'm afraid my monthly allowance is short to cover such a celebration” Fan Zhong replied inquisitively. Wang Qiang was another kindred spirit he and Fan Young had met while indulging in their pleasantries, he was the son of a wealthy merchant of the Wang clan who controlled many vessels that sailed the Flow Grass River. The two young masters of Little Green Bamboo village had been elated to befriend him and the young Wang clan scion had been doubly as happy to befriend such powerful sons of the Fan clan. With the addition of them being kindred spirits who enjoyed the luxuries in life, it was almost a match made in heaven for Wang Qiang to join their group and solve the issue of funds for their partying endeavors.
“Ahhh, no chance of that Brother Zhong. Recently, he was recalled to his clan. Apparently, something to do with rising tensions between the Wang and the Wei over taxes or something like that. Never really understood all that math he goes on about, must be a merchant thing.” Fan Young waved dismissively as he rose from his seat, handing a few spirit stones to the noodle shop's owner as he did so.
Fan Zhong stared intently at the spirit stones, supposedly they contained the very energies of heaven and earth themselves concentrated into a solid form. High-level martial artists in the master realm could use their mental energy to extract what was stored in the stones and use them for all sorts of things from making magical tools to powering formations that protected villages. Fan Zhong had always been curious about them; however, try as hard as he could; the stones were just exceptionally hard, beautiful rocks to him. Although their almost translucent blue glow was slightly aesthetically pleasing and you could use them as lights in a pinch, for a normal mortal like him they had no more practical use.
Someday, however, if he trained hard enough those stones would be portable power. It was a tantalizing image, almost enough to motivate him into training harder. However, the Master realm was so far away, who wanted to spend decades of their life to achieve such a thing? By the time you got there all of your friends and family would be estranged, not having socialized with you in years and that was if you were talented.
Some poor sods went their entire lives practicing diligently and never broke through to that vaunted realm. Unless you were a genius, like Fan Cheng who achieved the master realm at the incredibly young age of 16, it was better to live a normal life and enjoy your time here.
With that thought, Fan Zhong started down the road towards the Soft Moonlight Hall with his friend in tow, all thoughts of martial ascension far from his mind. As they walked and the conversation between the two waned he noticed that suddenly it was all too quiet. Surely the sun was halfway down by now and the streets shouldn't be too busy, however, there should still be a good deal of bustling and moving about. With that, his awareness of the surroundings sharpened and Fan Zhong observed three youths in snow-white robes striding towards them with pride and arrogance.
“So, the Fan clan even lets defective products have dogs? I’d have thought they’d find you a new owner Fan Yong, this one seems defective” The lead youth loudly proclaimed.
Fan Zhong's face slowly twisted into a grimace. He recognized the leader of this group as Zi Bao, the only son of the leader of the Zi who served as one of the warrior branch clans under the Fan clan. Zi Bao had always hated Fan Zhong and took special pleasure in bullying him since they were the same age.
After all, Zi Bao was considered quite gifted for being a Third-Grade martial artist by the age of 13 while Fan Zhong hadn’t attained such a realm even though a year had passed! This truly gave many of the youths from the subordinate warrior clans the feeling of coughing up a mouthful of blood as they watched Fan Zhong spend all of his monthly allowances on luxuries. In their eyes, he could have been saving such wealth to buy training resources. Things they could never afford were being looked down on by this useless young master!
“Zi Bao, my time is limited and we have no prior qualms. Simply let us pass and our parting will be as two ships that pass in the night. No one need know of it!” Fan Zhong proclaimed loudly, hoping to seize the momentum and quickly resolve the situation.
“Hmph, you intend to slip away so easily? Come, this junior requests that you instruct us well, Senior Brother Fan Zhong!” Zi Bao exclaimed, a smile on his face as he spat out Fan Zhong’s name with contempt and malice in his voice.
In that instant, Zi Bao charged head-on at the two while his lackey’s fanned out approaching from the flanks. The youths may have been bullies however, they were trained by the clan's warriors. This was a classic formation to allow the strongest warrior to approach head-on and disrupt the enemies while the followers attacked the weakened foes from the flanks.
Fan Zhong panicked for a moment, however, that vibrant resonant energy that lay dormant within him seemed to wash over him, calming his senses. After a slow exhalation Fan Zhong drew in a sharp breath and in a single fluid motion fell into the stance his brother had spent the entire week drilling into his body. The charging youths hesitated briefly, feeling as though the martial pressure of a peerless heaven-defying expert had descended upon them.
Fan Zhong leveled his gaze at them attempting to keep himself from grimacing. Although his stance had received praise from his brother, with Fan Cheng’s methods of teaching he did not move on before perfecting the current step.
That is to say during his training he had not yet been instructed on any of the palm techniques their father had shown, leaving him incapable of using them in an actual fight. Seeing the weakness in his eyes, Zi Bao laughed maniacally before continuing his charge. At that moment, a silver light flitted across all of their vision causing all the youths to retreat.
As they did so the light flickered across the street again, seeming to retract as it left a clean shallow cut at the same perfect height on each of Zi Bao and his lackeys' cheeks. Before any of them could react from the rooftops a small lithe figure in azure robes that bore the crest of an all-seeing eye descended, as graceful as a fairy from the legends. The newcomer was young and delicate, with snow-white skin underneath her robes and dark abyss-black hair.
Her deep blue eyes gave others the feeling of gazing into an abyss of the harshest winter.
“ Senior Brother Zi Bao, since when have you gained the gall to openly attack fellow clansmen? Perhaps you think the Zi clan is treated unfairly? Or is it that you’re simply too stupid to understand your own actions.” The small high voice of the young girl was in complete opposition to the severity of her tone, her last words a declaration instead of a question.
Finally, the girl touched the ground with her arm outstretched as a thin, almost invisible string, finished retracting a flying dagger to her outstretched hand, the blade dripping a single drop of blood
“ O… Of course, not Young Lady, it was my mistake. Truly, with the fading light, I didn’t recognize the Young Master. How could I attack such an illustrious young noble if I had known?” Zi Bao’s eyes smoldered with rage and indignation as he attempted to make his tone as servile as possible “If Young Lady does not need anything else I must attend to my father, he had need of me this evening.”
With that Zi Bao hurried away without looking back, to others it looked as if he was fleeing from a ghost.
“Brother Zhong,” The girl's voice rang out as Fan Zhong and Fan Young were trying desperately to slink away. “Mother bids you to please behave. She says to take this time to truly have your fun so that you may finish your training in peace. Also, remember, forgiveness is not a thing handed out repeatedly.”
“Of course, and may I must say, you're looking absolutely adorable as always sister!” Fan Zhong replied, trying hard to suppress the dread in his heart.
With a small smile and a nod, the young girl leapt gracefully backward onto the roof of a nearby building and was gone from sight.
“Brother Zhong, please remind me to never anger Junior Sister Jingyi. I fear not even my soul would escape such a mistake!” Fan Young wiped his brow in relief.
“Yes… she used to be such an adorable little sister. Once she started training with mother though…” Fan Zhong’s voice began to trail off before he shouted in startlement, almost falling over as an incredibly thin blunt-headed needle struck the top of his head accompanied by a faint girlish giggle.
With a rueful smile, he collected himself and continued onwards. All the while Fan Yong was watching the roofs waiting for his silent reprisal from the young fairy of the Fan Clan.