The year is 300 of the Zhou dynasty. The Demonic Inferno Sect has toppled the old ways of cultivator chivalry. Wars rage on between the three factions of Jinzi, Yin, and Qingtong. Three out of four people are deprived of the necessary resources to cultivate qi, forced to live their lives as mortals in a dangerous world. They bunch together in tribes, using what little strength they have to carry on.
A sixteen-year-old girl is born into a nomadic family known as the Demonic Bone Tribe. They are attempting to find safety in the lands of the Qingtong faction, one of the more neutral and agreeable of the three.
"Gu Wanshan! Gu Wanshan! Can you hear me? Time to wake up!"
Clang, clang, clang!
Metal objects are banged together, creating a cacophony of deafening noises. I look up from my half-closed eyelids to see a broad-shouldered woman facing me. Though she has only lived for thirty-three years, I notice several wrinkles forming between her bushy eyebrows. She is wearing hemp pants and a shirt, looking as inelegant as possible. My mother is a bit of a bear.
"What did you say?" she asks, glowering at me.
"Nothing, mama," I reply. Can she read minds?
A man, even bigger than my mother, suddenly enters the tent.
"Are you two arguing again?" he huffs, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Good morning, baba," I yawn, raising my two arms above my shoulders and stretching. "And no, we are not arguing. Mama is the one getting mad at me for no reason."
She points a metal ladle at me as if making an accusation. "You should've gotten engaged to that boy,"
"Do not bring this topic up again, mama," I say. "He is not for me, and I know baba will agree."
My father is a strong pillar of the community and supports our family as much as he can. He is a hefty man with a bulging belly and a bushy goatee like the philosophers of the past, but he is also tall enough to touch the heavens and wide enough to carry boulders.
He hesitates but finally speaks. "Shan'er, I will respect your decisions for as long as you live. But you do have to get married someday." He takes one final glance around, pats my mother on the shoulder, and retreats out of the tent.
"Che!" my mother says, waving her hand dismissively. "What a coward."
I nod, eager to get out of my mother's grip and avoid the topic of marriage. "I have to go help big brother, little brother, and little sister. Love you, mama." I kiss her on the cheek and scurry out of the tent opening. She opens her mouth and mutters something to me, but I don't hear it.
I run out to the barren fields and take in a breath of fresh air. I sit down in a lotus position and start to attempt to circulate my qi within my dantian.
Nothing happens, as expected.
All living creatures are born with qi, but only those who have the right training, talent, and resources are able to become cultivators. My late grandfather tried to teach my big brother and me how to cultivate when we were young, but we never caught on. He said that it might be a blessing in disguise, as those who have talent from a young age are often taken by sects vying for power.
My grandfather was named Gu Junjie and belonged to a dead clan known as the Flying Sword Clan. He never talked much about it, but we are all aware that he was much older than he claimed to be. He would talk to us about the difference between clans and sects and how clans were more powerful than sects because clans are tied by a familial bond while sects nurture anyone who has talent. He changed his surname to Gu, or Bone, only after he married into the Demonic Bone Tribe.
I never did believe him when he would go on his rants about clan superiority. After all, if they were so strong, how did the Demonic Inferno Sect crush the old cultivators?
"Little sister!" a voice shouts, coming from down the hill. It is my big brother, a reedy man of eighteen years who has not yet been able to find a wife. "Please help me with the wood!"
I run down to meet him, trampling over dirt and little patches of brown grass on the way. The land is qi-deprived and only a few trees are able to grow in this place. Rain has not fallen in many years, and the ground has dried up.
I make a final, exuberant leap and land in front of him. "What do you need, big brother?"
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He is breathing hard, and it sounds like he is struggling just to suck in air. He has always had breathing problems, but my parents still think it is wise for him to get out and do some exercise. A man who cannot find a wife has no worth, they say.
"Please help... with... carrying... the wood," he says, sweat running down his nose. I nod and lift the bundle of wood off of his arms. I pity my big brother, but it is not the case that I like him very much. I do not know much about medicine, but it is just far too odd that my parents birthed someone so weak!
He gives me a cordial smile. "As expected of the strongest martial artist in our tribe." I smile at the compliment, but I know he is just doing it to be nice. We are too different, him and I. He prefers to dig through books and scrolls while I love playing and fighting. But I do know that he is speaking the truth. Even without qi, the intricacies of martial arts have always fascinated me, and I have always rivaled the boys in the tribe at fighting.
We walk back to the tents in silence.
I help my little sister and my little brother out with their chores, and noon soon falls. I watch the setting sun with fascination, an impulse within urging me to run from this lifestyle for some greater purpose. But then I would have to abandon my family, and where would I even go? I cannot cultivate, so I will be made a slave or killed by those who can.
"Hey, Wanshan! You're a butthead!" I turn around at this childish comment to see a boy not older than eight years blowing a raspberry at me. "Butthead! Butthead!"
A young man comes and places a hand on the boy's head. "Sorry for my little brother; I hope you can forgive him." He gives a sly smile.
This is Mao Feng, a young warrior of the Demonic Spear Tribe who attempted to ask for my hand in marriage.
I refused.
"I am here to propose a duel. If I win, you will become mine. If you win, then of course I will promptly stop courting you," he says. "And by the way, your mother has already given permission for this." I curse under my breath. Was this what she was trying to tell me earlier in the day?
"I refuse," I say. "There is no reason for me to accept this."
A team of men come out from behind a tent. His entourage.
Mao Feng says, "Are you so sure?"
Che. Cowards.
"Fine," I sigh, walking up to him. "We will duel."
We shake on it, though he holds my hand for longer than I would've liked. As he is about to leave, he turns around and smiles, looking me up and down. He licks his lips.
"You will be mine soon, Wanshan," he says, a lecherous gaze in his eyes.
I scoff in reply, though his actions make me shudder inwardly.
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The next day soon comes, and my little sister prepares me by tying my long hair up. Usually, only married women can curl their hair up, but my parents allow an exception for today. They will allow a fair fight, at the very least.
"Beat that asshole up, big sister," she says.
"Language." I reprimand her, but I smirk all the same. She is small for her age and has delicate features, which men will surely like when she matures further. I worry for her future, but today is not the day. Today is the day I fight for my own future.
I walk out of the tent with my back straight and chest puffed out. I will not show any weakness, especially not to Mao Feng.
The two of us walk up a hill and meet each other on opposing sides. A crowd surrounds the two of us, the Demonic Bone Tribe on one side and the Demonic Spear Tribe on the other.
I am presented with a selection of wooden weapons, and I refuse them all. I do not need a weapon to defeat this man. He takes his time picking out his spear, an immaculate wooden spear with a gentle luster to it. A smile crawls to his lips while he is admiring his weapon.
Whoosh!
He suddenly sprints at me, lunging his spear in front of his face. A weak ploy.
I sidestep the attack and punch him, aiming for the bridge of his nose.
He barely ducks the attack, growling and panting. He tackles me, but I push him off and jump backward. Though the Demonic Spear Tribe excels at using the spear, they are also experienced with grappling techniques. I do not want to meet him on the ground.
With a swift kick from my left leg, I knock the wooden weapon out of his hands. My knee hangs in the air, ready to counter any attack he may try.
He snarls and enters a stance I have not seen before. A light begins to encompass his right fist.
My eyes widen. Is he trying to use qi? Were the Demonic Spear Tribe able to raise a cultivator under our noses all this time?
He dashes at me, and the side of my body gets caught in the qi attack, causing a gash to form. I grunt. However, the light flickers out as quickly as it appeared, and he falls on the dirt floor. He faints, exhausted from pulling qi out of his dantian.
An anticlimactic end, but my few supporters from the Demonic Bone Tribe cheer me on and applaud. My father rushes in and bandages my side.
"Good job," he whispers in my ear. I smile.
The rest of the crowd jumps in, and chaos ensues as they accuse the Demonic Spear Tribe of hiding a qi user from them. The Demonic Spear Tribe responds by saying that they are not obligated to reveal everything to the Demonic Bone Tribe, as friendly as their relations may be.
My father gets me out of there, and I mutter a thank you to him before passing out. A strange feeling passes into me as I close my eyes, a sensation that feels as if I am running down a hill at full speed.
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I wake up and find myself lying on very comfortable material. Did my parents finally splurge on a bed for me? I open my eyes and am shocked to see bare walls with extravagant paintings strewn about on them. Am I in a palace? I try to get up, but every part of my body is hurting. Did someone beat me while I was sleeping? I grit my teeth, hoping that it is not Mao Feng who has done this.
The blanket on top of me is fluffy and dense. I look to my right and see my reflection as clearly as if I was staring into a puddle, but beyond that, I see magical lights floating in the sky and buildings that seem to scrape against the heavens. There are large creatures outside that move swiftly and make loud noises, making me wish that I could cover my ears.
A secret door opens, startling me. Was there always an opening there? A woman with soft eyes and blonde hair walks in and looks at me as I stare at her with my mouth agape. Is this an angel?
"Are you alright, Griffon?" she asks.
Griffon? Who?