Rantori Village was festive with the tournament beginning only a day away. Vendors brought out their wears, enticing anyone they could over to their stalls. Most seemed affected by the many herbs used to help with cultivation, or the small amount of martial arts techniques that masters had within memory stones. It seemed most might want to gaze at the wears, except three small children who made their way purposely through the crowded street. They kept their eyes forward, no matter how much the vendors tried to gain their attention. They were children, were they not?
Though the aromas of cooked food and the promises of strength were enticing for most, none seemed to gain the attention of the small children who made their way to the living area of the village. As they yelled the benefits to their battle equipment, Hong Zhao only smiled slightly. He knew that anything they had to offer was only second rate compared to the equipment and cultivation resources Lan could give him. Though some of the sales seemed to grab for the attention of the other two children, they stuck closely to Hong Zhao, following his lead. They knew that if they truly needed something, he would most likely supply them with it.
The vendors marveled at the small children's conviction as not one of them turned to the stalls. Such confidence was rare within the village. They watched to see the children walk into the Li family estate. Anyone who knew of the Li family knew that Li Wen was next in line to be the Village Elder and had two children, some even recognized Li Wei and Li Wuhan within the small group. Yet only a select few would recognize the child that led them into the estate, and even out of them, none could understand how such esteemed children could be led by someone they had not heard of.
Hong Zhao shut the door behind himself as they entered the Li family estate and sighed in relief. though he enjoyed his excursions into the forest, it was always good to have a solid floor under him from time to time. The thought of having a bed under him for the night kept him walking towards the family library where he knew he would find Li Wen. He was curious to see if the man had made the copies of the books like he had asked, or if he was still working on it.
Hong Zhao knocked three times on the door to the study. Within a few moments, it swung open to a disheveled man. Ink stained his robe and his hands. His stern expression he had gained from years of cultivation and study faded away and was replaced by fatherly pride as he noticed his children. Li Wen looked in wonder at his son and daughter, his eyes slightly going wide. "You have made it to the fifth star student rank in two weeks?" His eyes went from his children to Hong Zhao. By his expression, Hong Zhao knew the man could see that he had reached the sixth rank. "I would ask how you did it, but I don't truly think I want to know."
Hong Zhao gave Li Wen a brief summary of what their training entailed. He left out the part where he had gotten Li Wei eaten by a snake, and instead told him of the training environment they had lived in while in the forest. "You seem to have also grown a little in such a short time. I can no longer sense what cultivation rank you are at." Hong Zhao raised an eyebrow and smiled at the man. "I take it you have broken through to the disciple rank?"
Li Wuhan's eyes went wide as he took in his father's cultivation. "Father, have you truly done the impossible?" When his father nodded, Li Wuhan's eyes beamed with pride. "You make the first cultivator in the history of our village to reach the disciple rank!"
Hong Zhao smiled at the slightly older boy, yet held his tongue. He knew eventually he would have to give the siblings the same history lesson he had been given by Lan, but for now, he would just let this child be proud of his father.
Li Wen opened the door wider for Hong Zhao to enter, yet stopped his children. "There is something I need to discuss with Hong Zhao for a moment. You two look hungry, ask the cook to make you something." He smiled at Li Wei and Li Wuhan.
Though they wished to complain, Li Wuhan and Li Wei truly were hungry. Hong Zhao had pushed them relentlessly through the forest to make it home with enough time to rest before the tournament. Nice warm bowls of soup and rice seemed to call their names from beyond the hall of the study as the two children ran down the stairs.
Li Wen stared after them for a moment. A look of pride on the man's face. When the two disappeared, he looked to Hong Zhao with a look of excitement. "You have some explaining to do."
Hong Zhao gave a sheepish smile to the man as he contemplated what to say. He could always tell the truth, yet he also didn't want to insult Li Wen's intelligence. He supposed he would have to gauge what he already knew. He sat down at a chair in front of the large oak desk Li Wen used for his study. As the man took the seat behind the desk, Hong Zhao thought of a way to begin. "How much do you know of a man named Li Xiao?" He tested the waters by offering the name.
Li Wen's complexion went pale slightly as he looked at Hong Zhao. "How do you know that name?" His voice came out in a whisper. "We are only told of his name when the oldest of the Li children of their generation become ninth star student rank."
"Then I take it you also know of the upcoming raid within ten years time?" Hong Zhao mentioned the attack as if it were an event coming up in the village. He watched the once serene man bolt up from his chair. His knuckles white as fists fell upon the desk.
"How would you know such things?" He demanded as he fixed Hong Zhao with a glare.
Hong Zhao would never have thought that the man would be so well informed. "I have my own source of information about the raid." He said cryptically. Such words from a child would catch anyone off guard. If Li Wen didn't know Hong Zhao, he would think he was talking to someone even older than himself. "My master is not from the other continents, so do not worry. But she is very concerned about the way the world is right now." He decided to tell him just a little of Lan, if only to keep suspicion off of him.
"Your master?" Li Wen's jaw went slightly slack. He had thought this young boy to be just a lone child out of the forest, yet he was an apprentice to an esteemed master the whole time? "May I ask the name of such an expert, so I may give thanks for the bountiful resources she has gifted my family?"
Hong Zhao met Li Wen's wide eyed glare with a serene smile. "My master wishes to remain anonymous at this time, yet I should tell you. She had gifted me the materials to help with my own cultivation. If I had used it all, I'm sure I would be well on my way to being even more powerful than you right now." He said matter of factly. "Yet I don't pride myself on the strength only I can achieve. One strong man can still fall to many, yet several strong men seem to have a better chance within the grand scheme of things, don't you agree?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the older man.
"You are not a normal child." Li Wen said this in a way that almost demanded answers, yet Hong Zhao only smiled apologetically to him.
"Have you copied the books like I had asked?" He was anxious to change the conversation from himself. He was hoping that two weeks was long enough to have copied the material.
Li Wen could tell that he would gain no more by interrogating Hong Zhao, so instead he smiled slightly and nodded his head. "I studied for myself as I copied the books. I was able to copy them all within the first week. I have been in closed door cultivation since."
"Has the village elder received the copies of the books?"
Li Wen nodded. "The moment I finished the final book and let it air out, I sent the books to Huang Ji. He was slightly annoyed that the information was not within a memory stone, yet after having told him that the anonymous donor insisted on books, he took a look." Li Wen smiled slightly as he remembered. "His face had gone white when he read the first page. I believe that he made copies for himself already and sent the rest to Yuan Academy. Soon, we will have a new generation of disciple ranked cultivators!" His eyes seemed to lose focus and Hong Zhao could tell he was thinking of the upcoming raid.
"Li Wei and Li Wuhan have progressed quite well into the student rank themselves." Hong Zhao changed the subject once more. "They will most likely surprise you during the tournament."
"They are attending?" The thought hadn't seemed to cross Li Wen's mind. He had still thought of his children as just that, children. Yet their strength was now as strong as most ten year old children within the village, even at the ages of six and eight. "I suppose they will be." His voice trailed off in wonder. He looked back to Hong Zhao, having focused truly on him for the first time. "You have also reached the sixth star student rank, so I suppose you will also participate in the tournament?"
Hong Zhao nodded. "I need to test my strength among my peers." He said simply. "I need to see where I stand and figure out what I will need to improve for the future."
"You truly are not a normal child." Li Wen shook his head slightly. He had originally thought to tell Hong Zhao and his children exactly those same words in order to convince them to participate, yet it seemed Hong Zhao had done his job for him.
Having finished with the serious talk of the cultivation resources Hong Zhao had gifted the village, they continued their discussion on the training Li Wei and Li Wuhan had undergone. Hong Zhao did end up telling Li Wen of Li Wei's unfortunate encounter with the snake. The father's eyes lit up in worry as the young boy told him how he severed the head of the snake and pulled his daughter by the foot from the stomach of the fierce beast. The older man looked with newfound respect towards Hong Zhao. Not only had he given the continent a fighting chance against Li Xiao's forces, but also saved his daughter a second time. He knew the boy wasn't normal, but he thanked the gods he prayed to that Hong Zhao had met his children in the forest last year. If not for him, he surely would not have ever seen his children again.
As the day became night and Li Wen talked trivial matters with Hong Zhao, he noticed the boy was becoming slightly weary. "I apologize for keeping you here so late!" Li Wen looked out the window to see that the sun had set and stars replaced it within the sky. "The tournament starts mid day tomorrow, so you will be able to sleep for some time. I will have a servant come to your courtyard in the morning to inform you when we plan to leave and to request you join us for breakfast."
Hong Zhao bowed his thanks. It had been a long two weeks and he was anxious to wash away the sweat and grime of the excursion. As the young boy left the library, Li Wen looked after him until the door finally shut. When it did, he allowed his face to finally go pale. This boy truly was not normal.