Koyo knelt to check on the unconscious boy. His breathing was steady, but he would wake with a nasty headache.
“Oops,” Bataa said. He had the decency to look slightly abashed.
Koyo had been impressed the whole match. Shang’s endurance and dexterity were admirable on their own, but considering he had yet to reach the Nascent Realm, it was nothing short of unbelievable. In the last sequence of attacks, Koyo noticed a perceivable shift in Shang’s movement. His speed had dramatically increased, and his usual aura was denser in her spiritual sight.
The last strike proved her theory.
Since he had no core, he somehow managed to use a wind attribute technique without physically channeling and transforming nascent qi. Koyo had never witnessed it before, but she had heard it was possible. Some very imbalanced cultivators could sense elemental attributes from birth.
These anomalies were more pitied than envied. While it gave them an unusual skill at the Foundation stage and more attack power at the Nascent Realm, they rarely progressed further. Early elemental control pointed to an imbalance. Those with spiritual nodes favoring the outside of the body tended to be yin dominant while nodes favoring the inside tended to be yang dominant.
As a result, the speed at which they can cycle ambient qi is greatly diminished if their yin/yang ratio differs significantly from the ambient qi. At the lower realms where advancement was relatively easy, it’s possible to override the slower qi flow with elixirs and patience. However, further development would be nearly impossible since slower qi flow impedes the development of higher realm techniques.
If Koyo had not known better, she would have assumed that the boy’s attributes were highly imbalanced. She was not at the stage where her senses were able to perceive attributes, but she was there during the readings. So why and how did this happen? Her mind raced through several possibilities, but they all seemed too far-fetched.
“Did you have to knock him unconscious?” she asked.
“Hey, he broke the rules. We agreed on no techniques. You know I’m a stickler for rules.” Bataa rubbed at a red slash mark on his chest. It was already healing. If not for the tear in his robes, Koyo could almost convince herself that she had made the whole exchange up. “So…are you going to make me ask? Is he just completely imbalanced? I’m pretty perceptive, you know, and I didn’t sense any spiritual imbalance.”
Koyo shook her head. He trusted Bataa. The Vuls had been great allies for her family for centuries, but it was always better to be careful.
“Where’d you find him?” Bataa asked seriously.
“Would you believe me if I told you it’s just dumb luck that we met? I know as much about him as you do and probably less than Nio here.”
“Then why are you so certain he’s not a spy or an assassin?”
The Vuls were largely outside of normal court politics, so it surprised Koyo that he was so cautious. “First and most importantly, he would be the worst spy in the world. Can you imagine someone more suspicious than him? A cultivator with that kind of talent at the Foundation stage? It’s absurd.”
Nio and Bataa both nodded in agreement. Nio was sweating gratuitously as though he had been the one sparring. “I would have to agree with Mistress Koyo, his strange readings aside, I’ve never had a student like him. I have always been taught to be reticent with my praises, but his talent speaks for itself. If I had half the potential with combat at his stage, I would rule half the continent by now,” Nio gushed. “Apologies Mistress Yong, I don’t mean to overstep.”
Koyo waved away his apology. “He also carries around an expanse bag of his own. It’s linked to his aura so there’s no way for me to look inside without breaking it.”
“And you don’t want to break it because…” Bataa prompted.
“Because I don’t want to alienate his trust. While I don’t think it’s likely, the last thing we want is for him to turn his loyalty to the Ming family or Heavens forbid the Tora family.” Even though Koyo resented her Matriarch, she still cherished the many cousins and servants she left behind.
If there was an overturn of power, they would likely be slaughtered to the last child. The Tora clan had gained far too much influence in the past century, largely due to their partnership with the Shadow Tiger Sect. The sect had cemented itself as the strongest sect in the mainland of the Eastern Continent. If Koyo’s family did not remain vigilant…Koyo shuddered to imagine the bloodshed that would ensue.
She disagreed with the Matriarch on the future of the Yong dynasty. The Matriarch relied too much on the bloodline technique and its specialized Path. She favored those of Yong blood to a fault. Koyo saw the value and necessity of recruiting disciples outside the family. Now more than ever, she was determined to prove the Matriarch wrong.
“An expanse bag and a connection to external wind qi at the Foundation stage. It’s too weird to be a coincidence,” Bataa said, rubbing his jaw in thought.
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“I agree. Something larger is at play here. I don’t like it, but let’s play along for now,” she responded. Not like they had any other choice.
Shang nursed a sore jaw for a few days following the fight. When Koyo had explained his last attack to him, he was eager to recreate it. It had felt right. It was like the feeling he sometimes had when practicing the sword. Despite his enthusiasm, he failed to recreate the phenomenon in the following weeks even with Rue’s help. He could almost feel it when practicing his sword forms. He had taken to running through his normal katas and the ones Nio used with his sword in hand. He sparred with Nio and Bataa regularly. During the sparring matches, no matter how hard he tried, the wind did not come. The only one that didn’t participate in his training was Koyo, and Shang was secretly glad. He was already going to bed covered in bruises, only to face torture in his sleep. He wasn’t sure he could handle another Master, and Koyo did not seem someone to pull punches.
Shang awoke to the sound of hushed arguing.
“Should lighten up a bit. The boy looks like he’s about to collapse.”
“Nonsense friend, he looks fine to me.”
“Fine? He woke up screaming last night for the third time in a row.”
“Boys that age get nightmares. It’s normal.”
Shang suppressed an internal groan. It would have been nice if they were nightmares. Nightmares sounded so much kinder than what actually happened. Rue had taken to using darts in his new trial. Airborne attacks were so much harder to evade, and being pricked with a hundred tiny needles hurt more than Shang expected.
Ah, if only they knew. Mwahahaha.
Rue, do you have to act so…
What? funny? Infinitely intelligent yet loveable?
Evil.
A good kind of evil, I hope.
Sure. How long have you been listening?
Oh, my sleepy human, I’m always listening.
Have they said anything interesting about me?
Hmmm…depends on what you define as interesting. If you ask me, no. They never say anything very interesting.
Shang coughed loudly and the conversation stopped. “You don’t have to worry about me. You aren’t pushing me. I want to practice. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to focus on cultivation, and I have so much to catch up on.”
“Yes, but overdoing things won’t help. It’s all about finding the right balance, and it’s up to your Masters to decide what that balance is,” Nio said. “Moreover, all that practice you’re doing won’t do much if you don’t advance. You’ve already reached the limits of what Foundation can offer.”
“You’re right Master Nio. I trust your judgment as my teacher. I will advance once we leave this cavern,” Shang promised. “I have not properly expressed my gratitude. You have all been invaluable to me. I am forever indebted to you.”
“Nonsense boy, it’s not like we had anything better to do in this damned place. Might as well put our time to good use,” Nio grumbled. The direct thanks left him off-center. “My youngest is just a bit older than you. He’s the reason I’m here, you know. He’s the star of the LanSho line, blessed by our ancestors. I was his instructor until he reached the mortal realm. Can you believe it? Mortal Realm before he hit twenty.” Nio’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Everything I made in the gorge is being used to fund his application to the Imperial College. I’m not pushing him there mind you. It’s his dream, and I can only do what little I can to help.” Nio continued to ramble about his son and his many talents. His face glowed with happiness and pride as he spoke.
Shang felt an uncomfortable feeling build in his chest. He cleared his throat, but the feeling only rose, threatening to suffocate him. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t make a sound. A proud father. It was right for a father to feel so much pride for his son.
“Good man Nio. If only all fathers were as good, or all sons,” Bataa said.
Shang looked away from the pair, turning on his side to face the opposite wall. His eyes met violet ones as the first tear streaked down his face. Koyo looked away, not uttering a word. He was grateful for her silence. Koyo could understand him better than most. They both had their own demons.
Wake up! Shang startled awake. He had just managed to fall asleep. He felt spent and empty. The last thing he wanted to do was more training. He kept those feelings to himself. He needed to train.
Can’t wait for the new flaming arrows coming my way, he groaned sarcastically.
This isn’t about training. I hear something.
Shang bolted up immediately. The sudden action startled his companions awake.
“Another nightmare?” Nio asked. He was sleeping closest to Shang, and he turned to face him, rubbing his eyes groggily.
“No, I thought I heard something.”
The haze of sleep left Nio’s eyes as he reached for his weapon. Shang pushed out his senses but could only pick up the faint scampering of tiny rodent feet on the ceiling. Bataa turned his head to the sound.
“I hear it but it’s faint.” In a flash, a large bat replaced Bataa’s human form. “A scream,” the bat said.
“An exalted beast?” Koyo asked. The bat’s ears swiveled toward the sound.
“No, it sounds human.”