“Shang, wait up!” a poorly concealed whisper cut through the silence. The stifling heat of the FuLong summer had finally relented on the eve of the moon festival, and the field was oddly quiet without the chirping of cicadas. Unfortunately for Shang, this made the clumsy plodding of three children even more obvious.

Shang pressed a finger firmly against his lips, glaring back at the girl who was trying her best at a silent approach. YiHua gave a weak smile and mouthed an apology. She took the final steps towards Shang on tiptoes, making a clear, if lackluster, attempt at silence. The group of children moved further into the glade before crouching down in the waist-high grass. Their eyes and the tops of their hair buns were the only things peeking out from their hiding place.

Xin was the first to spot their prey. He looked back excitedly at his friends and gestured wildly with his hands, first imitating floppy ears, then spreading out three fingers. Shang grinned, the golden specks in his mismatched eyes sparkled in the late afternoon sun giving his cherubic face a mischievous glint.

This endeavor had been his idea, as were most of the misadventures of this group. Despite his promise to his mother that he would not lead his friends into trouble, they were now miles away from the village, near sunset, crouched in mud that would surely stain their robes. In his defense, the heavens had aligned to give him this once in a lifetime opportunity, and who was he, a mere seven year old, to deny the heavens?

Shang pushed himself upwards and looked in the direction Xin indicated. He quickly spotted three pairs of snow-white ears sprouting from the tall grass. One for each of them. The heavens were again on his side! The pearlescent ears stood out starkly against the yellowing vegetation.

The wind picked up, causing ripples in the grass and the lustrous white fur of their soon to be mounts. The breeze washed over Shang, and his skin prickled at the sudden chill. The long ears of their prey flickered toward the group. Shang held his breath at their attention, hoping the wind hid the direction of his movements. After a brief pause, the beast lowered its ears and continued to feast on the undergrowth.

Shang directed his attention back to his friends. He gave them a confident smile before closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, indicating the start of his cycling. His friends quickly followed suit. He took even breaths, matching his breathing to the beating of his heart. He felt warmth tingling through his body starting from the soles of his feet.

He wasn’t technically supposed to start cycling qi until his admittance to the JaLong martial school at age nine, but technicalities were never something to hold Shang back. He had managed to convince Xin to teach him the breathing techniques shortly after the older boy’s admittance to the school.

While this wasn’t anything resembling a true cycling technique, Shang felt his body immediately become lighter and his mind cleared. He was only able to funnel a morsel of the world energy into his body, but it was enough. Even a taste of qi for a novice like him sent shocks of energy down his spine. Shang opened his eyes, holding his breath, careful not to let any of his gathered energy dissipate. He still hadn’t figured out how to store qi in his meridians. If he breathed out, the energy would disappear with his breath.

After ensuring that everyone else was ready, he assigned a beast to each person. The back left would go to YiHua, the center to Shang, and the farthest to Xin. Xin was a great deal taller and stronger than the rest of the group and would have the greatest chance of jumping the two dozen paces to the most distant mount.

Shang counted down with his left hand and took the appropriate stance. As the last of his fingers disappeared into his fist, the whole group bounded out from their hiding place. Their leaps generated a gust of wind that flattened the surrounding vegetation. Shang’s target was thirteen paces away. An impossible distance to overcome for a normal child. But nothing to a cultivator, Shang thought gleefully. As he reached the apex of his leap, Shang could see their prey. Three giant white rabbits were hunched in the glade, their heads turned to study the incoming children. Their jade green eyes were calm and trusting, gently glowing in the waning light.

The rabbits did not jump away but simply stared as the flying humans bolted from the undergrowth. As Shang started his descent, he quickly realized he had undershot his course. He would land directly behind his intended steed. Shang contorted his body ineffectually midair hoping to gain extra distance. At that moment, the wind picked up. Shang could feel the cold force of the wind at his back. It was so strong that it felt like a physical entity pushing him toward his goal. It was just the help he needed. With a cry of triumph, he landed, rather gracelessly, on the back of a gigantic jade rabbit.

He immediately took hold of the long floppy ears of his mount. His small fists closed tightly at the base of the ears. The rabbit was the size of a large hog and was covered from head to toe in dense and surprisingly soft white fur. Shang angled his body forward and sank his face into the lustrous coat exhaling his long-held breath.

His rabbit finally reacted to the indignity of having its ears wrangled. It hopped away from the open valley into the surrounding forest. Each hop brought Shang and his steed ten paces into the air. Each descent made Shang’s stomach flip and each landing jostled the bones in his spine. Shang’s fingers were white as he held on for dear life. Around him, he could hear his friends curse and scream in fright. These creatures were much faster and larger than their dopey looks might suggest.

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He cried out in glee. He had never felt more alive.

The forest rang with the shrill laughter of children and the soft rhythmic thumps of rabbit feet hitting the soft earth. Everyone had reached their intended target though Xin may have started his ride being dragged through the field if his ruffled hair and dirtied robes were any indications. Xin was now near the front of the group, his mount adjacent to Shang’s.

“You hit your head, Xin? It really can’t afford any more hits,” Shang goaded, gesturing at the grass and debris littering Xin’s hair.

“If anyone’s getting a head injury, it’ll be you, Fu Shang. Aunty will have your skin for this. We were supposed to be back at the village by now!” Xin grumbled back. His voice modulated with the rise and fall of each hop.

“But isn’t this worth it?”

The half-moon grin on Xin’s face was response enough. The rabbits pushed further into the forest, in the exact opposite direction of the village. But Shang wasn’t worried about that now.

The wind buffeted him as his steed picked up speed causing tears to stream from his eyes. The world around him blurred and Shang imagined he was a hero of legend riding his contracted beast through the air. He was Yuedi, the jade warrior on his dragon as he defeated a field of monsters in one breath. He rode on, letting his imagination grow wild as they ventured further into the forest. It would be misleading to say that he was steering the beast. It was all Shang could do to hold on. His fingers were growing numb from the force of his grip and the impending chill.

As they passed into a thicker grove of trees, the last rays of the sun were obstructed by the canopy overhead leaving the forest in a darkness resembling true night. Despite his mother’s stories about the ghouls that haunted the dark, Shang was not scared. He was too old to be frightened by mere tales. He rode on, fueled by the thrill of adventure. Shang could still catch glimpses of his friends peeking out periodically from the underbrush, but they all seemed far away, their shapes indistinct in the distance.

Shang grabbed hold of the rabbit’s ears and attempted to steer his mount closer to the shape he thought was Xin, but the rabbit did not budge. He pulled until his hands were numb from the effort, but the rabbit continued on its course.

As they rode on, the scourging wind and biting cold bombarded Shang’s body. Shang sank deeper into the rabbit’s fur, hoping to absorb some of its warmth. Upon direct contact with the rabbit’s skin, his frozen cheeks began to thaw. His face tingled with the heat. From this vantage, the rabbit’s long fur completely obstructed Shang’s view. Shang conceded that there was no real benefit to seeing his surroundings given he had no way of controlling his mount. Instead of trying to steer, he pushed his body flat against the rabbit, borrowing its heat.

As the rabbit journeyed on, he felt his body relax under the pattern of its jumps. The roaring wind created a cocoon around him, muting the sounds of the forest and that of his companions. Shang’s nose filled with a musky and slightly metallic scent. His face was so close to the jade rabbit that he could feel the pulsing blood of the creature through his cheek.

The rabbit’s heartbeat reverberated through his whole body. He could feel the beating of his heart submit to the rhythmic sound and match its slower tempo. Shang closed his eyes, reveling in the sensation of being so close to a wild beast. Its body was so much larger than his own. He imagined what it would be like to be so fast and so big.

With each jump, his body seemed to grow lighter. A sense of weightlessness washed over him. The only thing grounding him was the rabbit. The texture of its fur. The sound of its breath. The smell of iron, of earth, of life.

Shang’s head was heady with the push and pull of the rabbit and the sky. The air around him grabbed at him, tearing at the loose hairs of his bun, urging him to fly like the Golden Oriole, uncaring and free. But Shang did not let go. He focused on the feeling of the white fur clutched tightly between his fingers. With his eyes closed, he could discern the subtle coarseness of the fur. His focus intensified their roughness until it almost hurt to hold on. Still, Shang’s fists did not slacken. Letting go meant submitting to the wind, cold, and weightlessness. He preferred the warmth of his rabbit.

As suddenly as it began, the feeling of weightlessness disappeared, leaving his body feeling heavy in its wake. The heaviness grew with each passing second until he felt the world emptying beneath him. He was falling. Falling from the weight of the heavens on his back.

His stomach lurched in protest, and his eyes shot open in alarm. They were carpeted in darkness. He could see nothing, not even the distant light of stars. Shang looked down to catch a glimpse of the forest floor. There was only darkness under him. His heart jumped, panic rushing through him. His grip on his rabbit was so tight that he felt his hands and legs deaden at the intense pressure. His screams were silenced by the lump of fear in his throat.

They were falling.

Did I go over a cliff? Where were Xin and YiHua? Shang’s thoughts raced through his head as he prayed to the heavens, apologizing profusely for his many misdeeds. Divine heaven above, I promise to respect the wishes of my parents and elders from now on. I am an obedient, pious child. If only you could allow me to show my piety.

It seemed his prayers did not fall on deaf ears. Seconds later, his mount landed gracefully on soft earth. Shang hardly felt the impact. With a sigh of relief, Shang quickly dismounted and surveyed his surroundings.

He was in a meadow. The grass appeared pale and tender under the glow of the full moon. A soft susurrus permeated the meadow, hinting at rustling leaves or running water, but he could see neither. He breathed in deeply, savoring the feeling of the earth beneath his feet. The air was crisp and clean with a hint of a winter bite.

He walked away from his rabbit, towards the sound of running water.