As winter approached, Ye Huang grew and turned one year older.
He would perform the dao of the Mountain Tea Ceremony with his parents once a week. He would also learn the dao of the pen with Old Bai once a week.
Except for that, and also for that fact that his parents were advanced cultivators who turned their entire life into cultivation itself, Ye Huang lived leisurely.
His every meal was taken care of by a specialized diet doctor. Every nutrient he ate was specially made by a mix of precise diagnosis and peerless cuisine.
His waking and sleeping hours were controlled tightly by his Martial Arts instructor.
And his exercise time was also regulated by the same instructor.
This instructor's name was Xiao Guan, and he was a buddhist monk which tried to understand the Way through this religion.
His first martial arts class was at age 2, and it was meant to teach him how to properly walk. In this class, Xiao Guan would work fighting stances and footwork, which Ye Huang hurriedly and happily tried to imitate.
His father was not supposed to teach him his own martial arts yet, as, per his own rationalizing:
"A parent must be a model for the child, however, the child must not be a model for the parent. Once the parent decides to impart a descendant with his or her martial arts, it must work as if it was teaching a fellow disciple, not its own son or daughter. This way, the parent avoids inner demons which would appear by doting on the child and could consume its heart."
"A master martial artist must treasure its legacy as if it was its own life. The true meaning of its martial arts must not be revealed, and they shall not be imparted to others, except if one is willing to risk its own life by putting it on the hands of another. A master and a disciple are like father and son. The father must protect the son on his early years, whilst the son must protect the father on its old age. The father must provide for the son in his early years, while the son must provide for his father on its old age. The father must teach the son how to cultivate the three treasures whilst the son is still young; And the son must help his father to protect his three treasures once old age threatens to take them away from him."
The truth is, as his son, young Ye Huang wasn't on par with the talents and skills he would require from a disciple. Even though his body had a perfect constitution, even though his mind flourished with mental power and all of his souls were strong to the point of ridicule, none of that was enough.
His father was Ye Han, the founder of the Blue River Mountain Sect. In order for Ye Huang to learn his Martial Arts, he had first to prove his worth to his father - otherwise, it would be like giving an axe to a donkey. It would at best hurt itself.
So, Xiao Guan, Guardian Master of the Hall of Military Arts of Blue River Mountain Sect, became his teacher.
For Xiao Guan, taking Ye Huang in as disciple meant being protected and given perpetual provision from the sect. Ye Huang, just for the fact of being the son of the Sect Founder and Master, could already fulfill his part on taking care of him when his old age arrived.
So, all of his techniques and might did he try to teach young Ye Huang, albeit his occasional crying and tantrums.
- I DON'T WANT TO! BALD! UGLY BALD!
- Little Ye must understand that his teacher will not let him out to play until he sees his prowess in kicks and fists.
Ye Huang, indeed, was right in the middle of one of these tantrums.
His father and mother, like always, appeared on the spot, confirmed the situation, and then left.
Ye Huang felt even more frustrated, but his deep anger soon turned into bottomless sadness.
His cries and tantrums changed nothing around him. Feeling powerless was the least one could expect from a child that age.
Trembling and sobbing, Ye Huang felt to the ground. His posture was different from before. Instead of crocodile tears, now his were real. He was really hurt.
- Little Huang, are you feeling pain? - Xiao Guan, in a light tone, so said.
- yes… - Ye Huang said between sobbing once and then twice.
- Then, were does this pain come from? Do you know?
Ye Huang pointed towards his chest and throat.
- That's correct. But it isn't the same as when I hit you in there, is it?
Xiao Guan would spare with Ye Huang from time to time. He wouldn't hit him strong enough to cause any damage, and usually would just flick his finger lightly on the little child. Still, that was enough to cause a small and underlining pain to appear on Ye Huangs' chest when he was hit.
As for his answer, Ye Huang just lightly turned his head up and down.
His teachers' proximity, however, brought him a little bit of peace.
- Now, little Huang, listen to what your teacher has to say to you. What you felt is called "frustration". Frustration comes from using your imagination to try and guess the future, and then becoming attached to it.
Ye Huang looked at Xiao Guan with inquisitive and, at the same time, lost eyes. His teacher smiled to him.
- You don't need to understand it now. However, always remember: You won't hurt yourself with frustration if you keep your imagination under control. As much as you can imagine without wanting for it to come true, is as much as you can imagine without hurting yourself!
Ye Huang, obviously, didn't understood much of what his teacher said. But something seemed to be engraved on his mind that day.
Then, from behind his teacher, came his parents. Ye Huang ran and gave them a hug. They smiled in return and then told the little boy to go practice what his teacher had said.
Pouting a little, Ye Huang returned to his kicking and fist techniques demonstration.