Nayu was not the gentlest of people when it came to her physical strenght, despite that, Kaixue stood up from being laid on his stomach very fast, and ran as fast as his legs let him, it was the instinctual fear of not wanting to get caught in a clash between two beings much more powerful than oneself.
Between his brother and assailant, steel met steel. Gangzhi’s ferociousness overpowered the man’s lighter weapon, if he had not pulled his waist back, his guts would have been spilled. However, in the aftermath of the ambitious horizontal swing, a simple thrust aimed at one of Gangzhi’s eyes. His Shield snuffed the attempt. The dark-cloaked man retreated.
„Let’s introduce ourselves, my name is B-“ A cut of the greatsword would have split him in two had he not ducked. The man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Gangzhi placed his sword above his head in a roof guard, the lanterns at his side flared up, their Fire and Light Force rose, now he wasn’t just using them to empower himself, he was preparing a technique. The first of the Cockcrow Radiance techniques, Helios. From the initial stance, it would appear to be a soaring overhead slash that mimicked the sun flying across the day’s sky. The real motion involved a faint, instead of an overweight slash, there was a transition to an ox guard, followed by sliding the foot forward and performing a thrust, then, a motion of the first ray of sunshine piercing the retreating night would be recreated, a straight beam of fire and light that tore a hole in anything that stood in its path. Recognising the stance, Nayu moved to Gangzhi’s side, both to not interfere with his aim, and technique, and to defend him in the moment of vulnerability that would arise from using such a technique.
The stranger’s eyes widened in surprise, he stepped to the side, and the beam of fire tore through the black cloak, he had to throw it away in its entirety as the edges of the tear started burning. There was also a burn wound on his arm, the technique had cut through a forearm protector. The man’s face was now revealed, his head and chin were completely shaven, he had a round face, in the centre of which were placed a pair of brown eyes. He had a few wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, Gangzhi estimated the man to be a quarter of a century older than himself.
The man sighed: “Have it your way.” Both of his opponents felt a sort of hole of darkness open inside the man’s chest, he had activated his Core, showing his further developed cultivation. He used a strange technique, a combination of Dark and Beast Forces, from Nayu’s shadow, spider legs came out with sharpened ends, she raised her shield to defend herself, but that was all she could do, techniques with more than thrice the power of a mortal firing a longbow hammered on her shield and armour. Gangzhi went to help, but his movements were cut off by the black dressed man. He now moved too fast for them to keep track of. He stepped on Gangzhi’s foot as the greatsword wielder attempted to slash at the black spider legs, he then hit Gangzhi in the stomach with his dagger’s pommel, causing him to struggle to breathe, then he tried kicking him, but Gangzhi recovered enough to move his head back, barely keeping his balance in check. A black spider leg came out of Gangzhi’s shadow, and wrapped around his neck, pushing him off-balance into the stone path, and choking him.
“Let’s start over.” The man offered, not expecting a response he continued: “My name is Bazhen, and I am here to re-examine your skills, Gangzhi Main.” He then pulled out an accessory Gangzhi would have never imagined on this man, a blueish silver badge with the characters for ‘Shine’ and ‘Waterfall’, the Luminous Cascade school.
He continued: “Did you really think your Mother or Uncle couldn’t kill me in the time it took me to exit the room? They simply realised my identity, and allowed me to continue.”
Gangzhi growled: “You put a knife to my brother’s throat!”
“Personal Interest.”
The furious young man continued: “You put a snake in my sister’s present.”
Bazhen took out a small clay bottle: “Antidote. She was going to get bitten, and I’d give you ten minutes to beat me, you were too fast, congratulations.”
This did not subside the feelings Gangzhi felt. In fact, it made him sick how easily this person talked about his family’s lives, and to a lesser degree Bazhen’s own life.
“Why did you come to re-examine my skills, Honourable senior?” He put on some manners, by exerting control over his words, he had hoped to calm himself down.
“That is the School’s own matter, but I’m sure you’ve heard some of the rumours.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The oldest Main child was not aware of any such rumours, but he didn’t let it show.
“Now, let us start over.” As he said that, the black spider’s legs let go of both him and Nayu. The black spot in his chest also stopped radiating the Dark Force, his active power returning to Gangzhi’s level.
Gangzhi had plenty of motivation to fight, he instantly rolled to his feet and raised his sword again.
“You successfully used a sword technique without saying it’s name, so you must have achieved Unity with a sword.”
The Unity rank separated those who merely had a tool to aid in combat, and real wielders of a weapon, for someone to be handed down a clan’s sword techniques, Unity was usually seen as an stepping stone to be reached before studying the techniques themselves, for the Cockcrow Radiance, it was a necessity.
“So, I have ten minutes?” Gangzhi asked, focusing on something beside his irritation.
“No, you have until dusk, you proved worthy as a disciple the moment you burnt my cloak, if you manage to draw blood today, I’ll put in a word, you might even get personal guidance by one of the masters if you’re talented enough to make me bleed.”
“Thank you for the opportunity.” Gangzhi said, his mind focused more on slamming this person’s face into the mud, or stone, or a tree, actually, not a tree, Kaixue would probably not be very happy with that.
-
Kaixue stroked the bronze head of his canary, his senses didn’t reach the garden, so he had no idea what was going to happen to his brother. The mechanically sounding notes the canary made were periodical, every two seconds, and they usually calmed Kaixue down, but after this day, it was akin to pouring a watering can into a volcano. He was worried about Gangzhi’s safety, and choked up about his own uselessness.
A knock came at the door: “I’m coming in.” It was Yiban’s voice.
Kaixue placed the bird back in its cage. He tried to steel himself mentally, knowing it was a meaningless effort: “You may come in.”
In the end, his uncle was a guest, especially if it came to entering his room, his choice of words were to remind Yiban of the idea of hospitality.
The man’s steps brought anxiety to Kaixue, he had acted out of line towards the acting Patriach of the clan, in front of many, Yiban is known as a prodigy and a hero of a dozen war campaigns, he is not known for being lax with discipline, or merciful.
“Are you calm now?” Asked the man, who seemed to get bigger and bigger with every breath he took in the room.
Condescendence was something the blind boy got used to a long time ago. He wouldn’t call himself calm at any rate, he was close to quivering with fear, but any delay to this conversation might make Yiban grow impatient.
“I apologise for my earlier behaviour, Uncle, what I did was far out of line, and I do hope that you do not take this as a sign of any slight on my part, I would not impart any disrespect on my Father’s own Brother, I simply couldn’t handle being called a fraud in front of my own sister, and I reacted in an uncivilised way not worthy of my status.” Kaixue was impressed with himself, he said his pre-planned speech without stuttering, and without forgetting any part.
Now, his Uncle is going to apologise for belittling him, and essentially challenging a child to challenge him in a duel.
“I will leave that punishment to your mother.”
Or. Maybe. Not.
“So now, Nephew, are you a fraud?” He changed the topics.
“No.” Kaixue said without a need to gather resolution.
“What is the origin of that core?”
“I traded for it.” Kaixue kept his answers short and precise.
“You do not understand, do you?”
The boy stayed quiet after that.
“How powerful do you think a High-King Beast is?”
“Probably stronger than a Petty-King Beast.” Kaixue gave his best guess.
“A Black Princess Swan, boy, could bury everyone in this palace, except for your mother and myself, one of us could drive it away, maybe stay in one piece afterwards. You would be knocked through a wall with a flap of its wings, and it would eat Gangzhi with a single bite. The core is probably worth a fully armed fortress.” Kaixue found it unnecessary to remind his uncle that swans do not, and cannot bite.
Putting that, and the story of his Father and Uncle nearly losing their lives hunting a Petty-King Grey Lynx when they were younger into perspective made Kaixue truly appreciate Ponava’s gift, and realise the danger the higher echelons of cultivation truly represented.
“Do you still insist you traded for it?”
“Insist on the truth? Of course, Uncle.”
Yiban vented out his annoyance in the form of a strip of pink flame that flew between the birdcage’s bars. Kaixue felt something drag his heart down two inches.
“Tell me then, what did you trade for such a valuable item?”
“I fulfilled six requests.”
Yiban forgot to be angry at the sheer absurdity:”What!?”
“In the central garden, there are three and and a half dozen swans, beasts with enough intelligence to talk, I asked for help with Chere’s gift-“
“Are you trying to get me to go wander in the garden, when there is an assassin running in your palace?” Yiban seemed to be testing him.
“Of course not, Uncle.” Kaixue then suddenly remembered: “The assassin, I saw him in the garden, Gangzhi is fighting him right now!”
“I know.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s from that school your brother entered, seems like a trial of sorts.”
“I-I see.”
Yiban cleared his throat: “Tommorow morning, I’ll inspect the garden myself, I suggest you prepare a better, different apology for your mother.” He exhaled Fire Force, this time to light tobacco, and left the room.
Now smoke lingered in the room, good thing Kaixue wasn’t staying, he had an inner garden to visit, now that two dangerous men knew about it, it was at least polite to warn the new black swan, or perhaps more appropriately, beg it to be merciful.