A young boy, of barely four years old, was sitting on a rock, near a pond. The water was crystal clear, and, on a sunny day, it seemed like thousands of diamonds were swimming alongside the fish. The pond was surrounded by a small forest of grey bamboo, from which sometimes wild animals came to clench their thirst. Right now, a tiger was drinking calmly. It observed the human cub for a moment, but immediately dismissed any thoughts of attacking. The satisfied strange cat at his feet triggered its conservation instinct, warning the tiger of the unimaginable consequences.
The boy was Shen Lu and the strange cat was his Demon Beast. The Dragon Cat, after months of fighting and quarrelling, not only among his parents but also among the clan, was allowed to stay with him. One of the first things he did after being able to talk was to name it. For six months he thought about many names, but, in the end, he just named it Mao.
His eyes were closed, his whole body relaxed like he was deeply asleep, but the fishing pole in his hands and the two buckets full of carps told a different story.
He thought about what happened in the Underworld. It was confused but he could remember a lot of it. His past lives were the problem. The memories were there, but when he tried to recall something specific, like a technique or a cultivation method, everything turned to shadows.
A servant came from behind him. "Third Young Master, Lord General Shen Xuefeng is calling you for your first swordsmanship lesson," he said.
"I'm going," replied the kid. Shen Lu didn't want to attend the lesson, but his father insisted. It wasn't because he didn't like the sword, but because of his brothers. Shen Wu was fourteen and Shen Kai was twelve and both of them were competing with their cousin, Shen Zhi, to decide who would be the next King. He was new to the fight among the younger generation, and the fact that the Elders, even the King, showed particular attention to him since his birth, made him quite unpopular. Needless to say, they didn't threaten his life, but they were very mean to him. He didn't have any proof that they were the ones making his life impossible, but he was pretty sure. If he was a common four years old he would have already broken under the bullying. He wanted to maintain a low profile for now, but he was tired of it. It was time to show these brats how to really play this game. He may have problems with his cultivation related memories, but he still had seven lives of experience in his head.
He arrived at the training grounds, just in time and wearing a little armour given to him by his uncle Shen Su.
"Greetings, Father! Greetings, Brothers!" said Shen Lu, with a sweet expression on his face.
"Son, until now you learned simple movements and trained with a stick. But today I will impart to you the sword technique of the Shen clan. Of course, it's a simplified version of it. It was first created by the Ancestor, and during all the years our family existed we followed the path of the sword. The greatest of us modified and refined the Ancestor's technique, polishing it like a fine piece of jade. Remember, even the most powerful sword technique in the whole Three Realms can't be called perfect. Perfection doesn't exist."
Shen Xuefeng lightly tapped his forehead and thousands of images filled his mind. A man was slashing his sword in front of a white shadow, who disappeared and kicked him in the nuts. Suddenly he saw a flashback from when he was called Bai.
"Indeed a good sword technique, but you are too week to master it... You did your best, little guard."
Bai's blade flashed and penetrated the man's chest "I'm giving you a chance. I hope you'll survive and find me again.. who knows... until then, Goodbye."
Shen Lu was disappointed by his Ancestor: he obviously got an expert's inheritance but he still told everyone it was his own work... quiet despicable.
The flashback stopped, but the different parts of the technique continued to flash before his eyes.
Then, it paused again. The man and Bai were one in front of the other. The red hair of the assassin resembled flames, and his eyes were mocking the other swordsman.
"How is it possible? I am better than you! My sword is more powerful, more elegant, faster than yours! Why did I lose? WHY?" he shouted to his old enemy, falling to his knees.
The smile on Bai's lips left, only bitter resignation could be seen. He walked beside the man and whispered in his ear "It's because you have something to live for. I'm already dead, my life, the others' lives, they don't mean anything to me anymore. I don't care about anything but my death. I count every single second. I can smell it, it's nearing, but it's still far. That's why you can't win. I can't die yet, so I won this battle even before it started."
He didn't kill him, he just left, not even protecting his back while he slowly walked away from the Ancestor. The visions ended. Shen Lu wanted to throw up. He just went in and out of three different lives, and it was the most awful experience of all his lives. At least he learned the Ancestor's sword technique. Sure, he got bullied by Bai his whole life and that lessened a bit the respect he had for him, but he remained a skilled swordsman.
"You got it?" asked his father. He nodded.
"Very well! It would be of no use meditating on it now. You should immediately practice what you saw, to fix it and make it your own. Shen Kai sparr with your little brother. Go easy, he's a beginner."
His father then gave him a real sword, tailor-made for him. He took it, remaining deadpan while he got in position. He looked calm on the outside but he was deeply shocked on the inside 'Holy...! These aren't even blunt weapons. On the contrary, I never saw a sharper blade! What is Father thinking!'
Shen Xuefeng stayed at the side as a referee.
"Big Brother, please give me pointers."
Shen Kai smiled and cupped his hands, "Do your best, Little Lu!"
Leaping forward like a tiger, his Second Brother slashed his sword aiming for the head, but his leg was ready to strike his knee. It was a simple but effective feint. Unfortunately, the only thing he hit was air. All he saw was a blur before he felt a blow to his chest as if a sledgehammer had hit him.
"Peng!" Shen Lu had hit Shen Kai's chest with the hilt of his sword.
"Coff, Coff! Maybe I went too easy, hehe! It seems like Little Lu has a really high comprehension." he said staggering. A few seconds later he was again in a fighting position, seriously staring at his younger brother.
The toddler smiled widely and with an innocent expression, he regained his stance.
"Yaay! Again Big Bro!"
Seeing his playful behaviour, Shen Xuefeng frowned dissatisfied. He wanted to say something, but he changed his mind: some lessons were easier to learn the hard way.
And then, Shen Lu attacked! His speed seemed as fast as lightning!
This time, Shen Kai saw it. He saw the stone by his feet crack as he stretched out his sword to his stomach. But even then, he could not avoid it. Shen Kai had no way of avoiding it, there was only the time to block the attack. He could only subconsciously arch his body to intercept the slash with his own blade, to resist the blow relying on his strength.
'Fast, too fast! Father imparted to him the technique just now, but his mastery of it is already this high! He's a monster!'
Shen Kai kept intercepting every blow, continuously on the defensive. His father and Shen Wu were watching with an open mouth as he received a good beating.
The sword was getting swifter as if the wielder was getting the hang of it, reaching a point where he couldn't see it. At that point, their father stopped the fight, fearing Shen Kai might get too many injuries.
"Hahaha! Good, good, good! It seems like you comprehended it faster than your brothers. It's incredible! They trained for years, before achieving what you did in a few hours. But don't get cocky. Look at yourself! You are sweating like a pig and trembling like a leaf!" said his Father pointing at his sorry figure. While he wasn't injured at all he was about to collapse on the ground. His Brother instead was still fresh as a flower and seemed a bit disappointed they couldn't continue the match since it was obvious that it was his turn to return the beating. "Look at your brother: he may have been beaten black and blue but he still has energies for another ten rounds like the last one! Starting tomorrow you'll train your body and your mind in addition to sparring with your brothers! Now go to bathe and rest, before a whiff of wind sends you to the Yellow Springs!"
Shen Lu was bathing in a small lake in his courtyard. His father was right, his body was really too weak. In the last four years, he didn't do much. He read a few books in the library, went fishing, met all the family members he could, spoke with the servants and the guards and explored the gigantic mansion he was living in. He was lazing around and building up relationships, a habit he got from his last reincarnation. He also found himself stealing things from the house. Fortunately, he was young so nobody thought he was stealing, they took it as a game. He dried himself and crawled to his bed. Years of hell awaited him, so he might as well have a good sleep, one last time.