Zixin Quon, the new emperor of the Chinese Empire, lives with his family in the Crown Kingdom in the Peace Province in the Jasmine City. He enjoys his new life as the emperor and he learns and practices how to manage the affairs of people on a nationwide scale. His past experience in managing his farmers and his subsequent position as the Imperial Minister of Finance has helped him greatly in being a competent leader for the nation. Chinese people conceal their hatred for Zixin and his coup because they were living a decent life under the reign of Emperor Wei Jian. They consider Zixin and his coup a threat to the national unity of the Chinese Empire. Moreover, they detest the brutal actions of Zixin such as killing the emperor, the empress, the Imperial Family and some of the ministers. The Chinese citizens are aware that Yueliang and Taiyang have survived the coup along with Junjie Song and that they are now hiding somewhere. Many people speak about Yueliang Jian as the Crown Prince of the deposed government who might seek revenge for the murder of the Imperial Family. They look at Yueliang as the potential competitor to Zixin but they doubt his ability to retaliate. This is because Zixin has so much power now and he recruits armies of tens of thousands of soldiers across the Chinese Empire.
One night, Zixin stayed up late chatting with the new empress, Xiulan Yongnian. Here is a snapshot of their conversation:
Zixin: Dear Xiulan, are you happy now that the coup succeeded and now I am the emperor and you are the empress?
Xiulan: Of course. I am the happiest woman on earth now. I am now the First Lady of the Chinese Empire. What else should I dream of?
Zixin: Glad to hear that. Do you remember when you opposed the coup and wanted to turn my mind away from proceeding with the coup?
Xiulan: Yes, I remember. At that time I was extremely afraid that the coup might fail and all our power and fortune would evaporate overnight.
Zixin: I know. I told you before that you were considering the worst case scenario and I was considering the best case scenario. Things worked in our favor and now all our dreams have come true.
Xiulan: I like the luxurious life of the Imperial Palace. I have not imagined such pleasure, happiness and comfort are possible.
Zixin: Everyone here is at your disposal and service. Just utter a word and maids will be serving your diligently.
Xiulan: What a great honor! Sometimes I feel that it is like a dream that I am the new empress.
Zixin: It is no longer a dream. You are the real empress now. Enjoy your authorities to the maximum.
Xiulan: Zixin, do you feel that your position as the new emperor is firm and well-established? I mean do you sense any dangers that might thwart our plans?
Zixin: To be honest, I feel secure in my position to a great extent. However, I am afraid of Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie Song. They might create troubles for us in the future.
Xiulan: Yueliang and Taiyang are still in their youth. I doubt they can be a serious threat for us. Junjie Song has hidden connections with his employees in the Ministry of Intelligence of the deposed government and they might play various tricks against us in the future.
Zixin: Underestimating Yueliang and Taiyang is unwise in my opinion. They have all the motivation to retaliate and avenge their loved ones. I am afraid that one day they will rise like a phoenix from the ashes. I also consider Junjie Song as a great threat to my dominion. He has influence and control over the Ministry of Intelligence and they might devise various plans in the future to hurt our government.
Xiulan: I agree. Do you remember the failed assassination attempt in the Imperial Palace? I conjecture that it was planned by the Ministry of Intelligence.
Zixin: True. That is the logical interpretation I have for this incident as well.
Xiulan: As long as you are generous with your ministers, soldiers and other government officials, you guarantee to have their love and allegiance at all events.
Zixin: You are right to a great extent. I have learned an important lesson in politics, though. Allegiance fluctuates with interest. There is no permanent allegiance in politics. Those who are with me today might abandon me tomorrow. I will do my best to secure the allegiance of my people as long as I could.
Xiulan: You are a wise leader. I trust your planning, management and leadership.
Zixin: I am so much more powerful when you are by my side, my sweetheart.
Xiulan: Thank you, my love. I cannot describe by words what you mean to me.
The Merlin School
In the Rainbow City in the Silk Province in the Star Kingdom, Yueliang Jian, Taiyang Jian and Junjie Song currently reside in the house of Liqin Bowen, the old friend of Junjie's father. Liqin Bowen is a righteous Chinese citizen and cherishes loyally the old relationship and friendship he had with Junjie's father. He knows that Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie are now chased by Zixin and he is aware of the gargantuan monetary reward for capturing these three significant people. He advised Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie that they should limit their trips in the Rainbow City to minimize their exposure to people and therefore reduce the risk of being discovered by pursuers seeking to capture them.
One important information about Liqin Bowen is that he is the owner of the Merlin School. The Merlin School is one of the most prestigious schools in the Chinese Empire that offers classes in different disciplines. One of the programs in this school is a 2-year program that teaches horsemanship, swordsmanship, archery, philosophy, politics and economy. The name of this program is the Body and Mind Growth Program and is ideal for those wishing to train their bodies and minds alike. One night, Liqin Bowen had dinner with Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie and after dinner they had an informative conversation as follows:
Liqin: Dear Prince Yueliang, Princess Taiyang, Imperial Minister Junjie, please rest assured that your safety and security are certainly my top priority. It breaks my heart greatly that you all lost your families as a result of the greed and perfidy of Zixin. Unrestrained evil selfish interests lead to unimaginable tragedies. I will defend your cause heart and soul.
Yueliang: Thank you so much, dear Mr. Liqin. Your hosting of us under these stressful dangerous circumstances is of the utmost value and we will never forget your beneficence. True men and women prove their morals during times of crises and hardships.
Taiyang: Thank you so much, dear Mr. Liqin. It is hard to find such a loyal and caring man who cherishes the meanings of true friendship. We will remain indebted to you for the rest of our lives.
Junjie: Thank you so much, Mr. Liqin. You were the best friend of my father and he always complimented you for being the exemplar of a true loyal dependable friend. I know that by hosting us you are risking your life and properties to a great extent. Your sacrifice for our sake will be an indelible memory and we will do our best to reward your generosity in the future if we succeed in defeating Zixin and his soldiers.
Liqin: Junjie, do not say “if we succeed”. I believe that you will certainly succeed. It is only a matter of time. All you need is optimism, patience and good planning and execution. Zixin has usurped the throne and paved his way to sovereignty with blood and injustice. His dominion is resting on a fragile basis and I do not think he will be able to rule the Chinese Empire successfully in the long run.
Junjie: Thank you for your soothing words that glow with hope and encouragement. I hope to overthrow Zixin today before tomorrow but we are bounded by the circumstances, many of which are beyond our control.
Yueliang: As long as I breathe, Zixin will never dream of peace and tranquility. I will exert every effort to avenge my wronged family, Junjie's family and all the oppressed ones whom Zixin harmed.
Taiyang: We must translate words into actions. We must plan and execute our plans with wisdom. We are now in the weak position and we should move with cautious steps. Rash and impulsive actions lead to disasters.
Liqin: I admire your wisdom tremendously. You are all intelligent and thoughtful. Since you are the only surviving descendants of your families, you should pay extra heed for your safety and security. Work with prudence under the right circumstances and you will reach your goals. By the way, I have one suggestion to share with you and I hope you will find it useful.
Yueliang: Please go ahead. We are all ears.
Liqin: I want you to enroll in the Body and Mind Growth Program at the Merlin School. This will help you acquire new skills and reinforce the existing skills you already have. This program is a 2-year program and very beneficial both on the theoretical and practical levels.
Taiyang: Wow! What a great suggestion! I am really enthusiast to enroll in this program. Could you tell us more about it?
Liqin: Of course, my pleasure! In this program, you will learn horsemanship, swordsmanship, archery, philosophy, politics and economy. These skills are important for you in the upcoming days to confront your enemy with power. No one knows when you need the skills of horsemanship, swordsmanship and archery to defend yourselves and your loved ones.
Junjie: What a brilliant idea! It will be also a valuable opportunity for us to network with excellent students and build bridges of friendship.
Yueliang: I am excited to begin this interesting journey. What are the fees for enrolling in this program?
Liqin: Do not worry about the fees. I will enroll you for free.
Taiyang: Thank you for your astounding generosity but we must pay our fees as regular students. We do not want to be an extra burden on you.
Liqin: Please do not embarrass me. I will never accept any fees from you. You are my guests and I should treat you the best I can.
Junjie: Do not worry, Liqin. Although we are now chased fugitives but the Ministry of Intelligence of the legitimate government finances us regularly. They provide enough funds for us once we ask them to do so. What are the fees for the Body and Mind Growth Program?
Liqin: Since you insist you paying the fees, I will accept them from you with shyness. The fees for this 2-year program are 10000 golden taels per person.
Junjie: Consider it done, Liqin. I will pay you 30000 golden tales for Yueliang, Taiyang and myself.
Liqin: There is one issue we must raise at this stage. If you want to enroll in the Merlin School, you must change your names to disguise yourselves as new persons irrelevant to your true identities. This is essential for your safety and security as a camouflage tactic to distract your pursuers.
Junjie: Thank you for the advice, Liqin. This step was in my plan and now it the good time to do it. Yueliang, Taiyang, each of you must choose a new name that will be used always as your new identity. You are free to choose whichever name you prefer.
Yueliang: My new name is Huang Lok.
Taiyang: My new name is Xiuying Lok.
Junjie: Now it my turn. My new name is Dingbang Lok. We will pretend that we are cousins in order to increase the degree of disguise.
Taiyang: You mean that I will not pretend that Yueliang is my brother but my cousin?
Junjie: Exactly. Huang Lok is the cousin of Xiuying Lok and Dingbang Lok is the cousin of both Huang Lok and Xiuying Lok. We will also feign that we are the relatives of Liqin Bowen and residing in his house during our study period. Moreover, we need to invent names for our parents in case we need to disclose these information to some people under certain circumstances. Not only do we need to change our names, but we also need to invent fake history for our fake identities. We need to be able to speak about our history and backgrounds confidently in case we are interrogated by Zixin's soldiers in the future.
Yueliang: Junjie, will we pretend that we are natives of the Rainbow City or natives of another city?
Junjie: It is unwise to pretend that we are the natives of the Rainbow City because if Zixin's police wants to run background checks on our identities in the Rainbow City in the future, they will easily find that we have no original roots in this city since we have no relatives and no records in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. A better solution is to pretend that we are the natives of the farthest city from the Rainbow City. In this case, if they want to trace our identities in that city, we will make their task very difficult and time-consuming.
Taiyang: But what if they are diligent enough and they could reach that farthest city to investigate our backgrounds?
Junjie: During their quest for such information, we will either flee to a more secure place or find some convincing made-up story why we do not have relatives in that farthest city. I hope we will not need to reach such stage in the future. But wisdom dictates that we should always be full prepared for the worst case scenario at any time.
Yueliang: Thank you so much, Junjie. I feel very confident when you are by my side. You are indeed one of the wisest and most intelligent persons of the Chinese Empire. It is no wonder that you were the favorite Imperial Minister in the eyes of my father.
Junjie: It is my duty to protect you and Taiyang to the fullest. The most important matter is that we should always be consistent in our narrations about our fake identities. Any contradictions about our stories will raise doubts and incur suspicion about us. We do not want to give anyone the opportunity to exploit or thrive on our mistakes. Let us all agree on all the missing information that we need to add to our fake identities and practice sharing such information with others via repeated dialogues. Ready?
Yueliang and Taiyang: Ready. Let us brainstorm and practice together!
Liqin: I wish you all the best. You are smart and wise and am sure you will not make mistakes.
Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie then spent some time practicing how to speak and behave with their new fake identities. They are now confident enough to share these fake identities with other people and they are competent enough in masquerading as ordinary citizens of the Chinese Empire.
The Rainbow City is the hometown of Liling Heng and Mei Shun, the two excellent tailors. Today, Mei invited Liling for dinner in her house after a long stressful day of tailoring. They had a variety of tasty food prepared by Mei's mother. After the dinner, Liling and Mei had an exciting conversation as follows:
Liling: Mei, how do you feel about the political situation in our country?
Mei: To be honest, I feel sad for what happened to our emperor, Wei Jian, and empress Fang Huan. Zixin killed them in a cold-blooded manner. Not only had he killed them, he also killed the entire Jian Imperial Family. I do not like Zixin or what he did but he ascended to power with his coup and by coercion. We have no choice but to accept him as the new leader of the Chinese Empire. Liling, it is your turn; what do you feel about that?
Liling: Likewise, I feel sad and sorry for what happened to the Jian family. I heard that only Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang have survived from the Jian family after the coup. They are now the only alive descendants of the Jian family. Zixin exerted a great effort to capture them but till now his efforts are to no avail.
Mei: I heard that Zixin announced a great reward for capturing Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang. Are you aware of this monetary reward?
Liling: Yes, I heard that the reward for helping to capture Prince Yueliang is five million golden taels and so is the reward for helping to capture Princess Taiyang.
Mei: That is right. Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang must be full of fear and anxiety these days. They are pursued and sought by so many people who have hope to win the monetary reward.
Liling: Zixin wants to exterminate all the Jian family so that he rest assured that no rivals for him appear in the future to seize the throne. Do you remember The Imperial Art Gallery of the Dragon and the Phoenix in the Jasmine City which portrays the original paintings of Princess Taiyang and the calligraphy works of Prince Yueliang?
Mei: Yes, I remember it. It has numerous branches across several Chinese cities. What happened to it? Any news?
Liling: I heard that Zixin ordered to permanently close The Imperial Art Gallery of the Dragon and the Phoenix and all its branches across the Chinese cities. It seems that Zixin wants to root out every possible trace of the Jian Imperial Family. He wants to eradicate the beautiful memories of Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang from the minds of the Chinese nation.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Mei: That is really another sad annoying news. Do you remember when we visited the art gallery here in our city and enjoyed the imitations of the works of Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang?
Liling: Of course! That was an indelible memory. Do you think Prince Yueliang will be able to defend himself and his sister?
Mei: I hope so. I hope the circumstances will work in his favor.
Liling: I feel that Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang are not ordinary persons. They are very smart and have distinguished talents. They will not surrender to Zixin easily.
Mei: I am afraid that their success will not culminate if they are betrayed. I heard that some uncles of of Prince Yueliang were betrayed and that was the reason for their capture by Zixin.
Liling: Betrayal is the bitterest option they might face. Let us be optimistic and hope that they will not be betrayed in the future.
Mei: Sure. Liling, the issue of Prince Yueliang and Princess Taiyang is irrelevant to us in our daily lives. Let is focus on what is relevant to us in our daily lives. I mean let us move to talk about something of practical significance to us.
Liling: As you like. What do you want to talk about?
Mei: Have you heard about the Merlin School in our city?
Liling: Yes, I know it. Students and staff from this school come to our shop regularly to tailor uniforms that are required by the school. Why?
Mei: I heard they have an interesting program called the Body and Mind Growth Program. In this program they teach horsemanship, swordsmanship, archery, philosophy, politics and economy. I truly like this program and I think it is a valuable opportunity for us to advance in our personal growth journey. What do you think?
Liling: That is really brilliant. I like the program. Human growth is an incessant journey and there are always new things to learn down the road. What are the fees for this program?
Mei: I heard that the fees are 10000 golden taels per person.
Liling: It is a reasonable price. Mei, tell me, what are your plans?
Mei: To be honest, I am greatly interested in enrolling in this program to acquire new skills and learn about different subjects. I am sharing this news with you hoping that you will accompany me in this journey and enroll as well in this program.
Liling: I will definitely be your companion. It is our destiny to share the same road in our lives. Since we both can afford the fees of the program, it is not impossible.
Mei: Really? I am very happy now. Thank you so much, Liling. I hope we will have a great time in our learning endeavor.
Liling: You are most welcome. I must thank you for offering me this dazzling opportunity. Thank you for sharing this news with me. Remember: “Together we are better!”
Mei: Ever since I was a child, I wanted to learn how to defend myself using ordinary weapons like swords, spears and bows with arrows.
Liling: You are right. Every woman must be strong enough to defend herself from evil people. I feel sorry for women that are raped because they are mainly raped because of being weaker in than their rapers.
Mei: Not only do men have to be physically strong but also women must be strong enough.
Liling: That is correct. I have 10000 golden taels ready for my enrollment. How about you?
Mei: Yes, I also have 10000 golden taels for my registration. We are ready. Liling, how about our tailor shop?
Liling: Of course we will multitask. We will keep operating our tailor shop but at a reduced capacity in order to accommodate for our studies at the Merlin School.
Mei: That is a good solution. Do you have sufficient money to support yourself and family during these two years?
Liling: Currently, I have 50000 golden taels in my savings. After the fees of the Merlin School are deducted, I will have 40000 golden taels remaining. I think they should suffice me for two years. Remember I will not count only on these 40000 golden taels. We will have also extra income from operating the tailor shop at a reduced capacity. How about you?
Mei: Similarly. I have 35000 golden taels in my savings. After the fees of the Merlin School are deducted, I will have 25000 golden taels remaining. I hope they will suffice along with my income from the tailor shop.
Liling: Let us handshake as a token for making a solemn oath that we will help each other in the future no matter how difficult our journey is. (They had a genial handshake and made the oath!)
Mei and Liling: Together is better! Together forever!
The Student List
Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie enrolled in the Body and Mind Growth Program at the Merlin School. Mei and Liling enrolled in the aforementioned program as well and they were placed in the same batch with Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie. In total, the class consists of twenty students, ten males and ten females. Here is the student list:
Male Students
Female Students
Student
Age
Student
Age
Huang Lok (Yueliang)
27
Xiuying Lok (Taiyang)
27
Dingbang Lok (Junjie)
37
Liling Heng
25
Ji Biming
25
Mei Shun
25
An Bo
27
Baozhai Aiguo
28
Chang Dequan
29
Chyou Bolin
24
Cong Fai
31
Daiyu Chaoxiang
30
Jiang Qi
33
Fen Huizhong
32
Wen Yu
23
Ju Jianyu
26
Zhong Ming
29
Nuo Park
32
Guotin Chuanli
34
Shu Qianfan
27
The Merlin School requires students to wear specific uniforms that are white. In preparation for attending classes, Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie went to the Lily Tailor Shop for purchasing their uniforms. In that shop was the first meeting between Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie and the two tailors Liling and Mei. When Yueliang and Liling saw each other, they fell in love with one another at first sight. Similarly, Junjie fell in love with Mei at first sight. Here is a snapshot of the conversation between them:
Yueliang: Hello, how are you?
Liling: We are doing well. How are you?
Yueliang: We are doing great. Thank you. Are you familiar with the uniforms that are required by the Merlin School?
Liling: Of course. A myriad of students in the Merlin School come to our shop to buy their uniforms.
Yueliang: So do you have uniforms of our sizes ready or do you need to measure our sizes and tailor the uniforms for us?
Liling: Your sizes look ordinary. We have already a set of uniforms that fit your bodies. If you like, you can try them in the fitting room.
Yueliang: Thank you. We appreciate your help.
After a while, Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie wore the uniforms and they were fit for their body sizes. They purchased the uniforms and paid the prices for Liling and Mei. Before they left, Liling asked them:
Liling: Which program in the Merlin School have you chosen?
Taiyang: We are all in the Body and Mind Growth Program.
Liling: What a nice coincidence! I and my friend have also enrolled in this program. Perhaps we will meet if we are in the same class.
Yueliang: It will be a beautiful opportunity if we study in the same class. You are excellent and respected tailors. By the way, What are your names?
Liling: My name is Liling Heng.
Mei: My name is Mei Shun.
Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie: Nice to meet you Liling and Mei.
Liling and Mei: Thank you. Nice to meet you too. What are your names?
Yueliang: My name is Huang Lok.
Taiyang: My name is Xiuying Lok.
Junjie: My name is Dingbang Lok.
Liling and Mei: We are blessed to meet you and have you at our shop.
Liling: Are you from the same family?
Yueliang: We are cousins.
Liling: We hope to meet you in the Merlin School as the classes begin.
Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie: We hope that too. Take care and goodbye.
Liling and Mei: Take care and goodbye too.
Then Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie left the Lily Tailor Shop. During that time, four pugnacious scoundrels entered the Lily Tailor Shop to plunder all the money. They unsheathed their swords and threatened Liling and Mei in order to hand them all the money they have. Liling and Mei were very frightened so Liling pulled the money she had in the drawer and gave them to the scoundrels.
While Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie were walking, Taiyang said: “I like the veils at the Lily Tailor Shop. I regret that I did not buy some.” Yueliang said: “There is no need to regret. Let us head back to the shop.” Then they moved towards the shop. When they entered the shop, they found the four scoundrels departing and saw the signs of fear and anxiety in the eyes of Liling and Mei. They asked them: “What is wrong with you? You do not look normal!” Liling and Mei said: “Those four men plundered our money.” As Yueliang and Junjie heard this, they ran quickly to capture the plunderers. Yueliang and Junjie unsheathed their swords in front of the four scoundrels and they said: “Surrender and hand us the money you plundered or we will let you regret tremendously.” The four scoundrels refused to surrender and unsheathed their swords as well to fight Yueliang and Junjie. The fight started and it was fierce. Yueliang fought two men and so did Junjie. After a while, Yueliang and Junjie defeated the four scoundrels and forced them to surrender and return the money. During the fight, the police came and when Yueliang and Junjie narrated the story to the police, the police detained the four scoundrels and took them for a thorough investigation. After the scoundrels confessed their crime, they were detained in a jail.
Yueliang and Junjie returned the money to Liling and Mei and alleviated their fear and anxiety. They said: “We are like your older brothers and we are happy to protect you.” Liling and Mei thanked deeply Yueliang and Junjie for their bravery, chivalry and gallantry.
Liling: Thank you so much, Huang and Dingbang. We owe you a great favor! Without your help, our money would have evaporated. We hope that we will repay your favor in the future.”
Yueliang: It is our pleasure to help you anytime. Do not mention it! We only did what any good man would do in this scenario.”
Mei: Thank you again. We are greatly indebted to you for your noble defense.
Junjie: We are always happy to help you whenever we can.
Liling: By the way, why have your returned to our shop? You just returned in the right time!
Taiyang: I liked the veils in your shop and I returned to pick some for myself.
Liling: I will show you the prettiest veils we have.
After Taiyang chose some veils to purchase, Liling refused to take the price of the veils.
Taiyang: Liling, please accept my payment.
Liling: Certainly not! The veils are a modest gift from me to you as a token of appreciation for helping us against the scoundrels and restoring our money.
Taiyang: Please accept my payment. I do not want to be a burden on you and take your commodities for free. This is your shop where you earn money by hard work. I do not want to make you lose money.
Liling: Please accept my gift, Xiuying. My greatest profit today is meeting you and getting to know you. There is no loss in gifts between friends.
Taiyang: Thank you so much. Those five veils will be a beautiful memory that will remind me always of you whenever I wear or look at them.
Liling: It is my pleasure. I will also remember you. Stay safe always.
Taiyang: We will meet you in the Merlin School. Take care and goodbye.
Liling: Thank you. We will meet soon in the Merlin School.
Then Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie left the shop with a beautiful memory with Liling and Mei. During night, Yueliang could not stop thinking about Liling and her charming beauty. She captivated his heart to the fullest. He loves her and the way she looks and speaks. His soul chimes with her soul. How beautiful love is at first sight especially if it is mutual. Also, Liling admired Yueliang greatly and she fell in love with him but at this stage it is early to disclose her love for him. She hopes that their relationship will be strengthened once they mingle with one another in the Merlin School. Junjie and Mei were also thinking about one another and they have mutual love as well that is in the early stages.
On the first day at the Merlin School, Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie prepared well and dressed the uniforms. They headed for the Merlin School full of enthusiasm and energy. Also, Liling and Mei were excited to begin the classes and they walked with strong determination to excel and get the most out of their program. As Liling and Mei were walking on the School's road, three wolves appeared suddenly from behind the trees and they approached Liling and Mei. The wolves seemed aggressive with an intention to attack. Liling and Mei were scared and they started to flee backward. The three wolves started to chase Liling and Mei. As Liling and Mei were running, they met Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie who were walking in the opposite direction while proceeding to the Merlin School. When Liling and Mei saw Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie, they felt a great relief. They shouted: “Please help us! Wolves are attacking us.” Immediately, Yueliang and Junjie dragged their bows and arrows and shot the wolves. The three wolves were killed successfully. Yueliang killed two wolves and Junjie killed the third. That was the second instance when Yueliang and Junjie saved Liling and Mei from danger.
Liling: Huang and Dingbang, thank you so much.
Mei: Huang and Dingbang, thank you so much.
Liling: We truly appreciate your help. You rescued us again. Without you, we could have been injured seriously by the wolves.
Yueliang: It is my pleasure. It is incumbent on us to save you whenever we can.
Junjie: Do not mention it. I am happy that we arrived at the right time.
Liling: Currently, we have no skills in archery or swordsmanship and this cause us to fail in protecting ourselves from certain dangers. This is one of the reasons why we chose to join the Body and Mind Growth Program. We want to be stronger and defend ourselves in emergencies.
Mei: Your archery skills are superb. Your shots were precise and swift.
Yueliang: Men learn swordsmanship and archery at early stages of their lives because they need it in many occasions.
Taiyang: My cousins are excellent and they trained very hard in the past until they reached such level of mastery.
Junjie: Thank you, Xiuying. We still have a lot of things to learn and practice. Attaining perfection in any art requires persistence, perseverance and incessant training.
This incident increased the love and admiration Liling and Mei have for Yueliang and Junjie. Love increases as more favors and services are rendered to the loved ones. Liling and Mei felt that Yueliang and Junjie are the strong, capable and competent men who can protect them and with whom they feel the utmost safety and security. Yueliang and Junjie were also happy that they could protect Liling and Mei and increase their balance of favors in their hearts. Love is about doing favors and repaying them.
The group then headed towards the Merlin School to start their first class. In the school, students will study the subjects in the following order: swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, politics, economy and philosophy. In the first class, students introduced themselves to one another. They were from diverse backgrounds and with different goals. After the first class in swordsmanship finished, there was a lunch break in the school's restaurant. Liling and Mei invited Yueliang, Taiyang and Junjie for lunch as a token of appreciation for protecting them twice. The group had a delicious lunch with a lovely chat.
Liling: I feel delighted to learn new skills. The pleasure of learning is matchless.
Taiyang: True. We live in a world full of dangers and uncertainties and we need to always be prepared for the worst and be able to surmount difficulties when they arise.
Yueliang: Although I know how to wield a sword, I leaned new skills from the first class. It seems that the road is still long toward perfection.
Junjie: You should be happy that you did not spend money for learning what you already know or have.
Yueliang: True. This way I feel that my money was spent for something of value.
Liling: The value of our program is not only in learning new subjects or acquiring new skills but also in forming new friendships and networking with students and staff.
Taiyang: True. People complement one another and by forming friendships, we broaden our horizons and open the door for the possibilities of many good things in our lives.
Mei: I hope you enjoyed our lunch and hope we will meet more frequently in the future.