Ling Da Chuanli would become a formidable force in the future, like the rumors said the Ling brothers' way of the sword was something to fear when faced in person. Feng Shuchang was itching to see the elder brother's abilities if this was just the start of such blossoming talent. A mature and steady Ling Da Chuanli would no doubt be the pride of his sect after his elder brother. But tonight, Ling Da Chuanli was still an inexperienced junior who had yet to go through countless tribulations and trials. Feng Shushang calmly took advantage of Da Chuanli's misstep ruthlessly kicking the teen's sword from his hand and sending it flying again. The tip of his blade pointed at the empty-handed teen's chest with a humourous glint in his eyes.
"If you continue to wait to retaliate you will never win against me. Perhaps if you were as skillful as your master or elder brother I have no doubts you could send back my attacks tenfolds. However, right now you are facing an opponent stronger, faster, and more experienced than yourself." Lowering his sword he gestures for the teen to pick his back up which Da Chuanli did so without complaint. Watching as the teen wraps a cloth over his right red palm so he can hold it without letting it slip due to the tears and blisters developing on it. Feng Shuchang admired the boy's relentless spirit again.
"You're stubborn and ruthless enough. Yet you insist on learning the way of the strong instead of the weak, perhaps it was because you were taught by those who were already strong and conditioned by your environment to become like them. But the you now does not fit this way, you're too weak." Da Chuanli glanced at the leisurely man without a ripple in his gaze making him chuckle. "Did I offend you just now? It wasn't meant to be offensive, take for example the way your junior sister fought." Hearing her be mentioned Da Chuanli's eyes flicker with a flame however before he could speak he choked on his words seeing familiar footwork to his junior sister and master appear on a stranger.
His fluidity although rough had the same outline and familiarity as whenever he spotted Wang Lan Biyu secretly practicing alone in their master's courtyard at night after coming back to report once he returned from his missions. Her expression of frustration at her failure the first time before stubbornly doing the same set of movements till it was barely satisfactory in her eyes. The powerful thrust of his whirling movements unfit for the Jian sword mimicking Wang Lan Biyu filling Da Chuanli with complexity. Pretending not to notice the teen's oddity Feng Shuchang chuckled at his inadequacy with the girl's rough style.
"I believe it was something like that, however, because I'm unfit for her style it may have been strange and awkwardly looking. But the way she moved and each direction she struck held a calculated intention much before she did so. As quickly as she thinks she's moving so. Usually, it's hard for people who think a lot to do what she did but your junior sister seemed a bit of a special case." Feng Shuchang respected the girl, even if she was overshadowed by her senior brother's strange win afterward it didn't hide the fact that she was a diligent and talented child too.
"Although it appears inelegant for a girl to use the cold blade she moves as if she were merely dancing with herself and the aftermath unfortunately happens to land on her opponents who have to give her the respect she is demanding. Of course, she was still a bit rough over the edges too." If she were stronger she could have shattered her opponent's sword into four but because it wasn't a fight to the death perhaps she held back on purpose. He also had no idea what that child endured but she seemed more, experienced in a serious fight as each swing had proper killing intent.
Looking over to Da Chuanli who had recovered from his lost train of thought Feng Shuchang kindly brought him back to the present. "She was fully intuned with her weapon from beginning to end treating it with respect instead of as a mere weapon used to hurt others. Do you see my meaning?" Not knowing what he said that triggered the teen, he watched as Da Chuanli's eyes clouded over before clearing up with a hint of strangeness after listening to his last sentence. Although curious about what it was the teen was thinking he dismissed it and held up his sword gesturing for the teen to join him.
"Again, this time I want you to come at me first. Don't overthink and just do what your instincts tell you to do without questioning it, trust in yourself. Those who doubt in battle reach the neck of their enemy after theirs is already rolling in the dust." With new resolve and advice, Da Chuanli raised his sword again even though his limbs cried out and throbbed painfully making Feng Shuchang's lips curl up. "I understand." Really, a terrifyingly good seedling. The Azure sect is truly lucky. Seeing his youthful determination made Feng Shuchang somewhat miss his own inner disciple back in their sect.
Catching Da Chuanli's wobble Feng Shuchang's gaze sharpened as he was about to disarm the boy again. This time, the teen surprised him a bit by dropping his blade in reaction to his kick, letting his right palm take the brunt but the sword successfully landed in his left ready to swing back maliciously. Eyes twinkling further Feng Shuchang using the momentum lands heavily and swiftly swings his other leg to brutally land a harder blow at the teen's left hand successfully knocking the sword out of his hands again. Da Chuanli was slower so although he saw Feng Shuchang's movements he wasn't fast enough to counter and found himself staring down with thinned lips at the end of the man's blade again.
"You've died a total of twenty-three times tonight, enough to make a small platoon of corpses." Faced with this joke Da Chuanli didn't find it amusing at all and even faintly felt a bit of resentment in his heart towards this man who was only a few years his senior. "Bwuahaha! Are you glaring at me? I never thought such a mature and polite little disciple like yourself would know how to feel resentment. Hahaha!!" "I'm not that childish. Thanking King Feng for his lessons and advice." Faced with this cold reply Feng Shuchang wasn't bored at all and humorously watched as Da Chuanli once more went to retrieve his sword.
"I'm positive that you don't have a proper senior brother and that you're the oldest under your master's tutelage am I right?" Hearing this Da Chuanli knew that Feng Shuchang was about to say something half important and half nonsense again. The playful man eyed him teasingly "With your patriarch in seclusion you haven't had anyone properly put you in your place besides your own master correct? I'm sure you've heard this numerous amounts of times but there are always stronger people out there. People who will kill you without much thought to get their way or what they want."
Da Chuanli didn't need this lecture as it was something he knew and had long acknowledged since he was a young child. "When I return to my sect my inner disciple lacks a traveling companion when he sets out to the mortal realm beyond our sect's walls. Would you mind accompanying him?" Not expecting this Da Chunali sent Feng Shuchang a suspicious look "I believe my master has already declined your invitation to become allies." The bright-eyed man beams at him "Ah, he indeed declined. However, that doesn't mean you can't befriend a person from my sect. The more people you meet the more you will know. I'm sure you're also curious as to what type of person my direct disciple is do you not?"
"I do not." He laughs good-naturedly "Count this as granting me a favor, my disciple is too uptight to truly let down his guard around his fellow students and doesn't have a close enough person who is willing to tolerate his bland personality for countless days all at once. Unlike the others, he didn't come from a normal family so he's a bit abnormal despite being a good child." Seeing the man's sincere worry for his disciple Da Chuanli ponders more thoughtfully this time. He would also eventually leave the sect to experience the outside world and didn't have a person his age to travel with. Knowing his master, most likely Wang Lan Biyu and he would have been sent out at the same time together for convenience when the time eventually came. But now his junior sister... "I will ask my master when the time comes."
Feng Shuchang's expression brightens and his gaze grows more friendly "Good. Now, pick your sword back up. Try using your left hand this time." When the sun rose and it was time to start packing to leave the ruins Da Chuanli refused to let out even a single breath of pain when he bandaged his wounds in the courtyard by himself. Feng Shuchang with the excuse of needing water left him by himself to tend to his injuries after their spar, being considerate not to hurt the teen's already injured ego. Before he left though, he gave Da Chuanli one last piece of advice as he knew the boy's master would probably never tell him.
"Ling Da Chuanli, don't doubt yourself so much. You will only become stronger as the days go on, I also lost people close to me who were the only family I knew when I was around your age. But because I lived past those hard times I became as strong as I am now and earned the position of sect master long before I should have. I suggest that you do not tarnish the precious memories you have of the person you've lost by isolating yourself from the ones who are still with you now with the excuse of mourning. Also," Feng Shuchang gave him a firm clap on the shoulder meeting the younger man's eyes soberly.
"-if it becomes too hard to endure remember that you are also just a human. Forgetting is not a sign of weakness, but it can also be seen as a way of coping. Don't relive painful things, and don't force yourself to remember either. Sometimes forgetting is better for the heart, you and your master are different people." "..." Flexing his stinging bloody hands Da Chuanli quietly left the messy courtyard to freshen up with Feng Shuchang's lessons engraved deeply into his subconscious. In the end, he neither agreed nor disagreed with what Feng Shuchang said to him. Whether he would continue to remember or not, was unknown to all but himself.