Chapter 1: Family of Two
FROM a very high cliff well hidden in the mountains, one could see a tiny village (giving the distance) squashed neatly between hills. Nearby it was a lake so pure and azure that it was named Pure-Azure Lake.
The hills were green, fitting the current season, late spring, the water shiny, almost shrouded in sunlight, and in general, the weather could only be described as delightful. The scenery as well was perfect.
No sign of snow remained. Even streams went dry already.
And on the said cliff the summer wind, that came slightly faster than its host, was stroking Lonely Willow's hair.
That willow, large, old, and bushy grew on the very edge of the cliff. As a result, some of its roots were exposed below, resembling thick ropes.
In appearance, they were firm, enough to support a human at least. However, on a very first thought, no normal person would dare to test that out. The fall would be disastrous! It would last long; it would end quickly, with a "squash", and reincarnation after.
Still, that is all about "normal" people. Warriors are entirely different kind. As the legends goes: "once one step on the path of Cultivation, one will be cursed by Heavens themselves, and the road of rebirth will be closed for him forever!" An archaic tale, but still belief of many.
They are rebels, those who go against the Heaven's Will, and so they have to pay the price.
Exactly that kind of person was this youth. He wore a black martial robe, visibly shabby and old, somehow tight for his tall stature, he had his hair tied in a ponytail, and he was climbing down the willow's roots. Clearly, not a common man. Ponytails were long out of fashion.
On his belt, there was a little empty pouch and a row of pitch-black knives. Crude but sharp, they were made of black stone and could reflect no light.
Suddenly, the youth moved his fingers, placing them on shadowy part of the root, away from the sun. Then he released his grip. But he didn't fell, for his hand as if glued to the shadow. It was absorbing all weight and now he could easily adjust his position, and jump, without fear of breaking his life-rope. Of course, he could do the same and without Qi, his balance long ago surpassed that of a normal human. But for what?
"Well then…"
The youth concentrated, searching for the target with his eyes. It was the cliff wall, pure rock, nothing else. Was it a suicide? Doubtfully, for the youth had an expression of someone doing a routine, and as the legend goes: "Closed forever!" Future and past.
He lowered his leg; some kind of blackness spread from his toe, growing blacker and blacker and then…
"Shan!"
The lad was startled, losing his focus. The Qi on his leg suddenly exploded, sending lower part of his body forward. Gladly, his hand kept him glued to the root, and only a bit of his mental health was damaged. A lot of it, at most.
He looked up and saw that a pair of shiny big black eyes was staring at him with worry from the cliff.
"Young Master?"
It was a kid. His head, full of cluttered white hair, hung upside down, as he was laying on the edge of the cliff while looking at him. "Shan, are you okay?" He asked, concern and guilt in his voice.
Shan hastily answered:
"Yes, young master, please don't worry. Just get away from the cliff! It is very dangerous. I have told you already to stay away from this place."
"Sorry, it's just…"
"No matter, no matter. Just step away, please."
This time kid didn't answer. He lifted his head and then Shan heard his steps, getting louder then quieter. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief. With a swift motion, he touched his nape, slowly clenching a fist.
…
Young Master, named Wei Xin, looked at the protruding cliff, at the Willow and finally at the far-away blue sky. Seven clouds, he counted, and none in any meaningful shape.
A disappointing scenery, he thought and then sat down. Then stood up again. Crossed hands, uncrossed, tasted his tongue between teeth and finally relaxed, feeling the wind on his jade-like skin.
He was dressed in a white, sleeveless martial robe. It was stiff and timeworn, washed too many times already. It made quite a contrast to Shan's, who has already got there, standing by the willow, awkwardly smiling at him.
"Sha… I mean servant. Do you see that willow? It is THE Lonely Willow, old enough to have a name! It has been growing there for many years, and it hasn't fallen yet. Cliff is safe; I'm not stupid to fall from it. Also, why haven't you woke me up? I couldn't find you and therefore had to check under the cliff!"
He said, his mind blank, no meaning behind words. He thought up his phrase beforehand, repeated it several times, then once more and finally said it aloud; finally without any mistakes. He was a bit flustered about that, not even feeling sorry for some lost intonations.
The awkward smile became more awkward. Gladly, not by silence:
"Sorry, Young Master, I thought I would have finished everything before you would wake up. But as you have already, how about having breakfast now? Then we'll have some more time before my departure."
Said Shan and started to walk.
Wei Xin hesitated for a bit, but no longer, and soon the two of them were walking along the path of trodden grass amidst the growing, fresh spring grass, which extended to the distance, darkened at forest-line and then became deep morning sky.
They were heading for a large mansion. Large for a home, not for a mansion. As one of its kind, it was quite shabby:
Four corridors surrounding a vast, green inner courtyard (currently a vegetable garden), two rooms and a kitchen in between for servants, three rooms opposite of them for owners, and to the north of it, a sandy outer courtyard bordering a mountain forest.
In addition, an underground. Very convenient for it could be accessed from any other room.
Shan and Xin went into the kitchen. It had a straight passage from the side facing the cliff to the inner courtyard. The place was all wooden, full of different drawers containing ingredients of all kinds. Shan took the hot pot from the Heating Formation Seal located on the floor, which immediately turned grey from glowing red, and then looked at the sky.
"Good weather today, Young Master. How about having breakfast in the Garden?"
"Hmm, well, let's. But Shan, don't you think it will be a bit weird?"
"In what way, Young Master?"
"Eating vegetables in a garden is the same as eating beef at a farm. Sounds weird." The kid frowned.
"…Such an interesting observation, Young Master! Truly, you'll grow up to be an outstanding philosopher."
"I don't want to be a philosopher. They're weak and always oppressed. I want to be a Warrior." At these word kid's eyes shined with burning desire.
The servant, who was currently laying the table made a gentle smile.
"You will, Young Master. However, don't look down on people of mind. In a way, their profession has many similarities to the way of Martial Cultivation. They also try to comprehend the world."
"Yeah, I got it. By the way, it's just a week from mine birthday, right? I will be ten then. It's the age when you can awake your Spirit Root and start cultivating. Just a week!"
"Yes, Young Master."
Just a week…
…
Soon the table was laid. Two bowls, two shares of boiled vegetables with plenty of meat. After a thorough cooking the meat has become grey, losing all the redness, but even so, despite strong and hot steam assaulting his nose, Xin could feel the scent of blood in the air. That aroma was deep, hypnotizing. The kid smiled and with a savage vigor started consuming an unusually large portion of Spirit Beast's meat mixed with some berries and unrecognizable spices.
"A lot of meat today." He said.
"Oh, so you have noticed, Young Master. That's because I'm going to visit the village and buy some more today, so I thought that we could finish off what we already have. It has already started to lose its vitality, after all. We shouldn't waste staff."
"I see." Replied the kid, still engrossed in eating.
"What's more, your Awakening is incoming. You will need a lot of energy for that occasion, so why not to be a bit more lavish for some time? I also think that we should cancel our lessons for this week."
Suddenly, Wei Xin's froze, his eyes shined, but only for a bit, and soon he had restrained himself, and in steady voice asked:
"Why?"
Shan smiled at his reaction.
"More than anything for Awakening you need a calm mind. There's nothing hard about it, but any mistake can be grave. I think a short rest will be helpful."
"Got it."
Once again, they've returned to food. Wei Xin seemed much happier now. He was eating more hurriedly.
He quickly finished his portion and said:
"Thanks for the food, it was delicious. I'll be in my room, call me when you'll be departing."
"I will, Young Master. Have a good day."
Wei Xin swiftly ran off from the table.
The servant was left alone, all on his own. And with solitude came silence. Nothing was bothering the tranquility, but a rare, passing by wind. Shan was eating, and this sight was strange. If anyone could see him now, they would immediately get an urge to clean his ears.
The movements of the spoon, of lips, nothing was producing any sound.
Several clouds were traveling across the sky, bringing a shadow upon him, and swallowing his own.
Soon, he was walking along a desolate corridor. He came to the northern part of the mansion, where the main family's rooms were located. Not a place for a servant, but who would mind now?
Slowly, he opened the door. In the room, the darkness greeted him; thick curtains were sealing the windows, no bed was present.
In the left corner two piles of stone lay, equally black, but in one the stones were sharp, in other rough. One pile big, the other small.
He sat down between them and started to carve. A slime blade of darkness had emerged from his finger, and with it, he was polishing, cutting, distracting himself.
Shan's face was blank, but for a dance of shadows that came from the wind fluttering the curtains.
Everything as usual.
…
Wei Xin had a happy smile when he ran into his room. It was spacious and full of sunshine. On the wooden wall a large sabre was engraved, the symbol of his Clan.
The kid jumped on his bed and took a book from behind the pillow. It was visibly worn, wasted by frequent rereading, but not enough for title words to vanish.
«Blade Manual of Wei Family, Part I (Revision of 82nd year of Han Empire)».
That was a real cultivation manual, a great treasure for anyone, and simply an entertaining read for Xin. A glance at the mysterious world of Martial Arts.
He started to read from the very beginning, a lengthy historical introduction.
"Wei Family…"
Wei Family was an offshoot branch of Wei Clan, Wei of Darkness, the most frightening and fearless assassins of the Empire. They lurked at shadows, getting closer, and when they got close, there always was only one slash of sabre.
After that, well, depends on your luck.
Said slight note. Handwritten and honest.
Wei Xin shook his head, smiled, and continued to read. The Wei Family came to be roughly seventy years ago, at the 23 Year of Han Empire. Not too long after the Great Unification, when the Distasteful and the Disgraceful (said Wei Xin's own mark) Emperor Tian Long had finally put an end to the Period of Hundred Warring Clans and established the Empire. About that time a massive campaign to colonize Eastern Lands had started.
All prominent clans were sending their descendants beyond the Distant Heavens Mountain Range as protectors and governors of newly acquired territories.
So did the Wei Clan and so the Wei Family came to be.
Wei Yifei, the first Patriarch of the family was a great governor, and after just a few generations Wei Family had risen to become one of the richest factions of the New Lands.
The current generation of the Wei Family consists of three Patriarchs, three main pillars. Oldest brother Wei Yang, martial genius, second brother Wei Yin, martial genius, and youngest one named Wei Zu, medicine genius. Together they will lead the family to the glory…
Those were last words written in the introduction.
Wei Xin felt the usual surge of sadness inside, great imagination wasn't helping a bit. What a good time it was! But now, "only ashes remain", as Shan told him with a bitter smile on his face.
Everything after was nothing short of a tragedy.
When he was only a child, a terrible news came from the mainland. Wei Clan had been annihilated; all its descendants were proclaimed as traitors, no one to be spared.
Immediately an alliance of all factions and government forces of New Lands besieged Wei Family. They were killing everyone, be it a woman or a child.
Three brothers were last to fall. First Wei Yang, then Wei Yin, like they were born, so they had died. At last, Wei Zu, enraged and bitter made a final suicidal attack and beheaded enemy's general. In the process, almost hundred of arrows and spears had stricken him.
Seven years passed since that moment. Now Wei Clan and Wei Family consisted only of him and his servant, Shan.
"I will avenge you."
Silently vowed the little boy, clenching his little fist. Actually, he was so young at that time that he had no recollections or memories of his dead relatives; it was hard for him to remember even the face of his father. He grew up under the care of this loyal servant, Shan, who has taught him everything he knows.
Once he asked Shan, whether he really was the only descendant of Wei Clan remaining. The answer made his blood boil.
Shan told him that Wei Clan had been proclaimed cursed by the Empire, even the treasures and manuals had to be destroyed, and all relatives, even with the tiniest suspicion of blood connection had been executed. Only this hidden mansion was left.
"I will be your curse." Said Wei Xin in a deep voice and smiled at how intimidatingly he sounded.
After fantasizing about history, he set his eyes on the next chapter:
"Principles of Martial Arts."