“You should stop picking fights you can’t win.”

“What about that story makes you think I started the fight?”

Pengfei followed Jin Neng up the mountainside, holding a very frazzled vulture under his arm. They had covered its head with a sack and bound its feet together to avoid scratches and pecks, but it still tried to break free from time to time.

“You said you punched Hongyu first, right?”

“Well, yeah, but – “

“And back with Jin Nanxi? You attacked him?”

“The fights started before the first punches were thrown.”

Neng shook his head, “That’s not how the elders see it. We’re not allowed to fight outside of the training ground.”

“They haven’t noticed it yet.”

“They’ve noticed, they’re just cutting you a break. Don’t expect that to last.”

Conversation lulled as they walked up a particularly steep grade. They were quite far from the sect now, farther than Pengfei had been since waking up in Kunlun. Only possible since it was a rest day. Breakfast was suspended, the disciples expected to fend for themselves or go hungry. Pengfei had convinced Neng to set out early, in the time that normally would have been spent around a table.

When the ground leveled out again, the conversation continued.

“So, I’m supposed to sit back and let every asshole in the sect screw with me?”

“No, I think you have the right idea in fighting them. Nothing is going to change if you just take it. But you need to fight them during sparring. They’re not even allowed to refuse if you challenge them.”

“Alright…” Pengfei considered the new information but saw no improvement in his situation. “So, I fight them during sparring. But I’m still not a match for anyone in the sect. I doubt letting them kick the shit out of me is going to discourage them much.”

Neng fell silent and screwed up his brow for a few moments. He seemed to be putting a great deal of thought into Pengfei’s problems.

“You don’t have to beat them… just convince them you’re not an easy target. You could get to that level in a month or two, but you’d need to practice more. Before breakfast, after dinner. Any time you have a free moment.”

“A month? That’s still a long time. Nanxi is already looking for me during sparring. From now on, Hongyu and Daoping probably will be too.”

“If you get a couple more people to run interference, we can buy you some time until you’re ready.”

“You’d do that for me?” Pengfei asked in surprise, but the other boy just shrugged, as if to say it was not worth mentioning.

--Put up with all the petty little pranks, train hard for a month…fight them. Put an end to the bullshit. Maybe?--

Pengfei reviewed the crude plan in his mind, then asked Neng. “Do you think it will work?”

“50/50.” The rocky path they followed crested a hill where more vultures circled overhead. Neng confirmed they had reached their destination. “This is it.”

A charnel ground, a place of bones. The human remains were hard to distinguish from the rocks and earth. They were either buried, broken, or dyed in the colors of the soil but every now and then an irregular shape gave away a rib-bone or a jaw.

In the middle of the small plateau was a fresh white skeleton. Not intact, but the constituent parts were grouped closely together for the most part. A long bone, part of an arm or a leg, had been dragged far out to one side.

Pengfei made no move to approach nor did he desire to look too closely at the scene. He removed the sack from the captive vulture’s head and untied its legs before placing it gently on the ground.

Freed, the bird waddled awkwardly to join its fellows. It ducked its head to the ground from time to time, hunting for any missed scraps. But the place had been mostly picked clean by now. Not nearly as grisly as Pengfei had been imagining. Sanitary and impersonal. No blood or viscera to be seen.

It still felt wrong.

When Pengfei shivered involuntarily, Neng looked him up and down, then asked, “You really didn’t know this is how we did things?”

“I should have asked more questions about Feng, I just… didn’t want to. I’m surprised the elders didn’t tell me though.”

“They probably didn’t want to freak you out.”

The two of them stood there in silence for a few moments breathing in the cool air and feeling the wind on their faces. The only other sound was of the carrion birds.

Neng seemed content to wait there all day if necessary. Pengfei’s senior could hold a conversation but still possessed a noticeable penchant for quiet. It had become clear this was not because of a foul temper, just someone comfortable sharing a silence without a need to fill it.

Pengfei appreciated someone with a demeanor so similar to his own, though he liked to throw out barbs and quips from time to time.

“Alright, fuck off and leave me here.”

Neng chuckled and turned to head back down the mountain. He looked over his shoulder and called out.

“Practice later?”

“I have some errands. I’ll find you after lunch.”

Pengfei picked out a large boulder to lay atop.

He held up his hand and turned it over in the sun, examining his knuckles.

--Felt good hitting those pricks. Felt good, hitting in general. It really seemed like it clicked there.--

He could still feel a throb in his forearm, where the impact of his punch had reverberated through his flesh. Foot, waist, and shoulder synchronized to transmit power.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He let the sunlight filter through his fingertips, and watched the sky as more vultures circled overhead.

*************************************************************************************

The disciples of Kunlun had one day to themselves every two weeks. Most chose to spend their time in relaxation or amusement but Pengfei’s docket was full.

Coming down the mountain path, he sought out Chen Lei and found the man in the Medicine Hall, just as Pengfei had hoped. For once, the grey-haired physician was not alone in the infirmary. He was treating one young patient while another boy looked on studiously.

“Pengfei, how are you?” The doctor asked distractedly as he examined a weeping sore on his charge’s leg.

“I’m fine, thank y- ugh!”

Pengfei gagged at the sight of oozing puss and drew the full attention of the three others in the room.

The elder noticed Pengfei’s scratched and bruised cheeks, “What happened to your face?”

“Oh, nothing important. I’m here about something else, sir.”

“Alright.” The elder turned to his apprentice. “Apply the salve we made last week, then a dressing. Make sure he comes in once a day to change it.”

The physician stepped toward Pengfei as the medical assistant set about the task.

“Elder, I wanted to ask you some questions about the inner energy methods of the sect.”

Pengfei pulled a book out of his robe, the copy of ‘Mystical Heaven Infinite Skill’, and began looking for a particular page of the text. The physician looked over his shoulder curiously.

“Where did you get that?”

“The library. Elder Chen Mo gave it to me but I’ve been a little nervous to try it out until I cleared up a couple questions.”

“Only a couple?”

Pengfei detailed what he had learned about the meridians which formed the internal circuits for the body’s energy, the pathways for qi harnessed from the outside world. When he raised the same questions he had previously asked of Neng, the doctor just laughed.

“Hahaha…good, good.” The elder nodded his approval, which only confused Pengfei. “You clearly have a mind for the technical details. If you had a stronger stomach I might consider taking you on as a student.”

Chen Lei nodded at the other disciples in reference to Pengfei’s earlier aversion, his little outburst.

--Thank goodness for near misses.-- He shuddered at the thought of examining gushing pustules on a daily basis.

“Still, there is a proper order to things. You are too bogged down in theory. You should learn this with your body first before exploring the technicalities.”

The elder handed the book back to Pengfei and beckoned him to follow. They left the large patients’ quarters and entered a smaller, more comfortable, room. The doctor motioned for Pengfei to sit on the floor and took a position behind him. He placed his hands on Pengfei’s back, similar to when he had explored the young disciple’s meridians a week ago.

“Breath in and out. Listen to my voice.”

Once again the doctor circulated his qi through Pengfei’s body. Gentler than before. Instruction, not an examination. Instead of a raging flood that overran every tributary of his inner pathways, the energy seeped through him slowly and calmly.

“For now, focus only on what you can control. At this stage, your body will do much of the work unconsciously as you meditate.”

The heat moved imperceptibly until it reached a reservoir in the lower abdomen where the fire grew.

“Your qi will naturally gather here. The first step is just to breath until you can feel it. It will be difficult, a small spark in the night, swaying in the breeze. Feel it circulate within the dantian. And once you can feel it, grab it.”

The heat that had been swirling like a whirlpool in a churning sea then flowed downward into an abyss.

“Conception Vessel, Governing Vessel… the names are not important. Follow the great pathway down to the base of the spine, then up along it.”

The little embers tickled every nerve and fiber on their way up Pengfei’s body. They sparked their way around the back of his skull and to the front of his face.

“Finally, bring your qi down the front of your body and back into your dantian, completing the circuit.”

The Taoist master’s qi followed the path he had described then evaporated into nothingness. Just like last time, Pengfei felt a cold numbness once the energy had gone from his body.

“Once you can complete one such revolution, come and find me for the next step.”

Elder Chen Lei stood, his short but profound lesson complete.

“But I still have so many questions! I thought the Governing and Conception Meridians took years to unlock, I thought – “

“As I said, it’s too early for the theory.”

“… Yes, Elder.”

“If you don’t make any progress in a year, come back and see me.”

--A year of grasping at invisible straws? Kill me.--

“Thank you for your guidance, sir.”

*************************************************************************************

While most of his day was free, Pengfei’s dormitory was still responsible for lunch and dinner, not to mention all the associated chores that went with the meals. He tucked his sliver of insight into the folds of his memory and made his way from the Medicine Hall to the Dining Hall to begin preparation for the midday service.

Andong, the head of the Jin disciples, put Pengfei on dish detail again. Xiaotong was jabbering into Shutian’s ear at a nearby station.

“Can you two help me out with something?” Pengfei broached.

“Ah, the young master. What do you need?”

“Spar with me for a month.”

Shutian was immediately suspicious, “What are you talking about?”

“Spar with me, run interference, don’t let any of the assholes,” Pengfei nodded in Nanxi’s general direction, “take my head off.”

“Fuck that.” Shutian declared sourly.

“Are you always so miserable Shutian? What’s the problem? You’re going to be practicing with someone anyway, might as well be me. And I’ll owe you.”

The short and stout Xiaotong stepped forward on his friend’s behalf.

“Deal. Take Shutian’s herding shift for the next week.” Xiaotong agreed for his companion without hesitation and drew Shutian’s anger.

“What the hell?” The thin disciple stiffened at his friend but his outrage quickly died down and soon became acquiescence.

“Yeah, alright.”

“Great. What’s a ‘herding shift’?”

“You and a couple other disciples go down into the valley to herd the goats for a week. Eat stale food, shit outside, sleep in the cold. That kind of thing.”

“Sounds like a party.”

“Actually, it’s a great deal for you, young master. You’ll be out of danger of your friends for a whole week,” Xiaotong nodded to the crowd of possible assailants among their dormmates, “and when you get back, we’ll be your sparring partners.”

Pengfei smiled in growing appreciation of the arrangement.

--Can’t be any worse than the trip here from Sichuan…--

“Alright, sounds good.”

“Good. You leave tomorrow.”

Shutian gave one last bit of advice.

“Pack a good coat.”

*************************************************************************************

Pengfei loitered behind Neng as he searched through the shelves of the sect’s small library. The senior disciple had led the way excitedly and with minimal explanation when he heard of the deal Pengfei had struck with Shutian and Xiaotong.

“Here it is.”

Neng extracted a text and immediately began examining the contents. Pengfei was able to identify it from the cover as his friend flipped through the pages; ‘Heaven Shaking Fist’.

“Focus on this section for the next week.” Neng pinched a few pages between his fingers, a small section at the very beginning of the book. Pengfei took the text and leafed through the selected passage.

“I know all of this already. Shouldn’t I study the next section?”

“You wouldn’t understand it.”

“Why? Everything is written down in there, right?”

“You can’t just read a book and become a master. You don’t know anything about martial arts, no offense – “

“None taken.”

“ – so you have no context to interpret it. The best you can hope for is to solidify what you’ve already seen.”

Pengfei was a bit taken aback. Not by Neng’s appraisal of his abilities, but with his sudden change in speech. He examined his companion over the edge of the tome.

“This is the first time I’ve heard you speak so… well, you’re normally a bit more reserved. Seems like you’re a real scholar when it comes to martial arts.”

“Lucky for you.” Neng took the compliment with a touch of embarrassment. “There’s not actually much to do when you go herding so you should be able to get some good training done. This could be great if you’re not partnered up with someone completely lazy.”

“Shutian said he didn’t know who my partner would be.”

“Yeah, you usually don’t find out until you meet them at the gates. And someone else usually comes down a day or two later.”

The pair spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing the first section of the ‘Heaven Shaking Fist’ and comparing what Pengfei knew with what was written in the book. Neng explained a few of the more confusing passages and gave some of his own commentary for Pengfei to keep in mind.

They worked up until it was time to return to the Dining Hall to work the dinner service. Pengfei would have continued training after the meal as well but felt it prudent to get a good rest before waking up early for his long journey.

As the next day dawned, he packed the manuals ‘Heaven Shaking Fist’ and ‘Mystical Heaven Infinite Skill’ along with a few spare sets of clothes into a sack of bare essentials. He donned the only heavy coat he had been provided and made his way out of the dormitory while most of the other disciples were still sound asleep. The walk to the sect’s front gates was eerily quiet.

Shutian and Xiaotong said herding was done in shifts of two or three disciples but that did not seem to be the case this time. After a few minutes, a single person walked down the sect’s main path to join him.

“This disciple greets Elder Chen Weidao.”

Pengfei held his fist out in salute to the Taoist master who had saved his life. The old swordsman nodded his head silently and looked down the dusty path leading away from the sect. He had the same casual demeanor and dress as the first time Pengfei had seen him. Sleeves and pants legs rolled up like a fisherman, not seeming to feel the early morning cold.

“You’d better get started. It’s a long walk.”

“I’m just waiting for the rest of my group, Elder.”

Chen Weidao shook his head, “No, it’s just you. You’re going down alone.”