The group landed on the training grounds. Liang Shufen didn't give the two any time before he walked over and hit them on the head with the back of his sword. "What were you two thinking!"
The two idiot disciples grunted out in pain, but did not make any noise of protest. They were silent, their eyes blown wide and their mouths agape.
It was a known thing between disciples that their Shizun had an accident and had been secluded in his house for years, only ever coming out when a demon had been spotted a little too close to the Sect or if another Sect Leader requested his presence. The latter of the two never ended well.
Xing Fu and Qing Jie entered the Sect together. They had always been told that if they wished to speak to Shizun they would have to talk to the head disciple first. Only to find out later that even if they requested to speak to Shizun, Shizun would never come.
To be scolded like they are now was like a gift from the heavens.
Liang Shufen was not amused by their blank stares. "Your Punishment-"
"Shizun! Please hold off their punishments, at least for now." Chun Hua bowed her head as she stepped in front of Xing Fu and Qing Jie.
"Shiji?" The two said in unison.
Chun Hua did not spare them a glance, her eyes trained solely on their Shizun. "Their injuries are too severe."
Liang Shufen hummed, "I will keep your request in mind, but these two still need to be taught a lesson." His sharp gaze fell on the two idiot disciples. "What were you thinking?" The two flinched. "What is the number one rule of the Sect?"
"Don't engage with demons!" The two recited with perfection. Their backs straightened to the best of their abilities and they held their heads high. Though after a moment their faces fell.
Liang Shufen closed his eyes and nodded, "Breaking the Sect rules over a petty argument is uncalled for and I expect it never to happen again."
"Yes Shizun!"
Liang Shufen turned around and was silent for a moment before adding, "Not only did you make a fool of yourselves, you made a fool of your Shizun." He paused, "In front of the other Sect Leaders."
"Shizun!" The two boys came rushing forward, "This lowly one is sorry!" They fell to the ground bowing deeply despite their wounds.
"This lowly one will never do it again! I promise!" Xing Fu said.
"This lowly one as well! This one will never fight with fellow disciples ever again!" Qing Jie added.
Liang Shufen hummed, "Go. Tend to your wounds. Report back to me when you are done."
"Yes Shizun!"
"Xue Ma, help them."
The girl bowed, "Yes. Shizun." She turned on her heel and ushered the two to the medical wing.
Xue Ma had shown early on that she was skilled in the healing arts. It only took her a couple of years to master the few healing books he had kept on his Peak and another year before she started writing her own techniques. Liang Shufen had given her control over the Medical wing as a gift and before he knew it, he could no longer recognize the medical hut.
Liang Shufen often found himself wondering why Gao Donghai had passed up the opportunity to have such a skilled disciple. He could only imagine how her gift would have flourished in such a Sect, but…it wasn't like she would have ever gotten such a chance.
Just like the other Sect Leaders, Gao Donghai only looked at children from wealthy backgrounds. Xue Ma, like the rest of his disciples, came from a poor family.
Liang Shufen clicked his tongue as he remembered choosing his first disciple.
Out of all the hopeful children that came, a young boy whose cultivation looked promising piqued Liang Shufen's interest. As the disciple choosing went on, Liang Shufen watched in slight confusion as the boy was passed up for others with weaker if not non-existent cultivation roots.
So, against the others' judgments he chose the boy as his first disciple. The look on the boy's face was all that was needed for Liang Shufen to know he made the right choice.
It wasn't long though, before he was pulled to the side by the other Sect Leaders and admonished for choosing such a disciple. For he had come from a poor family and not one of wealth or status. Liang Shufen rebuked their words and insisted that his new disciple will become someone great in the cultivation world.
Sadly, such a dream never came to fruition.
The young boy was found dead at the base of the mountain. His body was cold by the time Liang Shufen had found him. The other told him that the boy was trying to impress him and went to the forest to find a mythical beast and defeat it, with the intention of giving it to him.
As much as that story would have melted anyones else's heart, Liang Shufen knew deep down that his new disciple, his first disciple, had been killed by those that disapproved of his acceptance.
He vowed from then on out that he would choose his disciples by himself, away from the prying eyes of the others.
"Chun Hua. A new ward needs to be set up. Take a few other disciples and head out to replace them as soon as possible." He paused for a moment, thinking of the demonic beast that was just killed, "Bring only those that have developed their core and have received their spiritual weapon. I do not want any more accidents tonight."
"Yes, Shizun." Chun Hua did not leave immediately, "Pardon this lowly one, but Shizun…was the demon who appeared summoned by a demonic cultivator?"
Liang Shufen paused at his disciples' words. Fear and worry gnawed at his heart, but when he glanced at his disciples face and saw the exact same feelings written on her face, he calmed his heart and pushed away his worry.
'No. As long as I am here. As long as everyone stays on this Peak. Nothing will happen. It won't happen. It won't.'
He shook his head and waved his hand, "I can not say for certain if a demonic cultivator was the cause of the demonic beast appearing, but from what I have gathered, that demonic beasts has been there for a while now. It could have been left here…from that time." He gritted out the last part with difficulty. "This one will investigate further on the matter. It is better to be careful than not. If there is a demonic cultivator…they will not live to see another sunrise. Now until then, we will set up stronger wards and begin scouting missions for the surrounding area."
With those final words, Liang Shufen left his disciple for the security and comfort of his home. When he crossed the threshold to his home, all the discomfort and weight lifted from his body and he let out a long sigh.
He hadn't been this active in a long time and it was beginning to take a toll. He didn't make it far into his home before he sunk to the floor.
His son's head popped out from his robe. His big wide eyes gazed up at him and his chubby little hands reached for his face as he babbled. It brought a rare smile onto Liang Shufen's face. He let out a small laugh as pulled his son close to his face, listening as his son babbled and laughed. He couldn't help but laugh along.
"What shall I call you little one?" He mused as he cooed at his son's chubby cheeks.
Said little one had raised his hands up and down and then in circles as he kept blabbering as if he were talking.
Liang Shufen smiled, "Are you trying to tell me your name?" He cooed, "I'm sorry little one, but I don't speak baby."
His son puffed out his cheeks and smacked Liang Shufen's face with his hands.
"Oh little one, don't be mad. I'll find a perfect name, just for you." He lightly touched his son's nose, watching in amazement as his son wrinkled his face in an attempt to touch his nose.
"Shizun." Qing Jie called out. His voice interrupted the small moment he was having with his son.
Instantly Liang Shufen's smile fell. He moved off the floor and shuffled towards his desk. Taking a seat and placing his son on his lap and moving the pile of unfinished paperwork around to look as if he had been doing something productive.
"Come in."
Qing Jie and Xing Fu walked in side by side. Their complexion looked better than it did an hour ago, but appearance wise they looked as if they had been through a war.
Qing Jie's eyes had a bandage around it and with every move, Liang Shufen could catch a glimpse at the many bandages that wrapped around his body. Xing Fu on the other hand looked worse than Qing Jie. Not only was his body bandaged, but his arm was in a sling. They both had their heads hung low, but Liang Shufen could see the two glaring at one another as they walked in, shoulders bumping into one another as they did so.
"Shizun…" Qing Jie started, his voice soft. He glanced up and immediately stopped talking. His mouth agape he nudged Xing Fu, who shot him a cold glare before noticing his gaping mouth and blatant stare. He followed Qing Jie's gaze and his mouth fell open.
"Shizun?" Xing Fu glanced at his son and it took everything in Liang Shufen to not hide away his son.
"Why is there a baby in your lap? And why does it look so dem…" Xing Fu shut up.
The baby, once innocently sitting on Shizun's lap, was now glaring at them. Its dark eyes seemed to glow an eerie red.
The two unconsciously took a step closer to one another. A chill ran down their spines and they couldn't help the thought that ran through both their minds.
This child was not normal.
Liang Shufen saw their complicated and confused gazes and let out a long sigh. Grabbing the child, he turned his son towards him and held his hands, playing with him as he spoke, "This is my son." A faint smile made its way onto his face.
"Your…son?" Xing Fu asked numbly.
Liang Shufen nodded.
"…What's his name?" Qing Jie hesitantly asked. He pushed in front of the still dumbfounded Xing Fu and sat down a little away from his Shizun, making sure to give him enough space as he played with his son.
Liang Shufen paused, a frown painting his face, "I haven't thought of one yet."
"I'm sure whatever name Shizun chooses will fit him wonderfully." Qing Jie beamed as he spoke, slightly leaning in as he did so.
Xing Fu finally snapped out of his dazed state and horridly sat down next to Qing Jie, nudging him slightly as he did so.
"Yes! Whatever Shizun names him will be a magnificent name!" Xing Fu mimicked Qing Jie's movements and leaned forward, this time purposely hiding Qing Jie from Laing Shufen's view.
Qing Jie was fuming. He shot Xing Fu a glare. With a calculated gleam in his eyes he glanced back at the strange child in his Shizun's arms. Throwing out any concern he had for the child he smirked, "Shizun. This lowly one understands that children require certain items, this one volunteers himself to go and retrieve such items for Shizun." To make it appear more heartfelt, Qing Jie bowed, completely ignoring the open mouthed Xing Fu.
Liang Shufen hummed at the suggestion. He glanced down at his son. It was true, children required many items as they grew and he-he didn't have much, especially for a boy. Instead of answering Qing Jie, he instead asked his son "Would you like that little one?"
Qing Jie's eyes glued onto the strange child, a shiver running down his spine. The strange child looked between him and Shizun with what had to be a calculated gaze.
Qing Jie was almost convinced that the child was planning something.
The little one glanced up at Liang Shufen and began to babble nonsense. Liang Shufen nodded along with a serious face as if he understood what his son was saying.
"I think so as well."
Xing Fu and Qing Die both froze and glanced at one another in confusion.
Liang Shufen did not spare them a glance, "They both need to be punished for breaking the rules." Liang Shufen turned towards his two wayward disciples who were turning paler by the second, sweat rolling down their faces as they glanced at the ground.
"Both of you broke the most important rule in the Sect and could have caused serious harm to not only your fellow disciples, but to the Sect as well. Both of you need to reflect on your actions." Liang Shufen frowned at the two of them. "Both of you will be taking over your Shijie's chores for the next month as well as run twenty laps around the Peak before nightfall."
Xing Fu and Qing Jie's heads fell and they let out a mournful, "Yes, Shizun."
"Before that," The two's heads snapped up, an expectant if not worried look crossed their faces, "Head down to the village at the base of the mountain and attain all the necessary items my son will be needing."
Liang Shufen reached over and grabbed a piece of paper, being careful of his son, he quickly wrote down a message and passed it over to Qing Jie.
"Hand this letter over to Lo Feng."
"Yes, Shizun!" Qing Jie bowed once more before rushing out the house. Xing Fu was left in the dust as he sat, dumbfounded at how quickly the other had left.
"Well?" Liang Shufen spoke up after noticing that the other was not moving.
"Yes, Shizun! This one will make sure Shizun's son has all the necessary items." Xing Fu bowed as well, his eyes lingering briefly on the baby before quickly running out of the house.
Liang Shufen watched as the two figures ran. He didn't miss the small curses as they yelled at one another nor the way they purposely tried to trip one another. He let out a soft sigh and shook his head. It seemed that no matter how much the two were disciplined, they would never curve their old ways.
Liang Shufen glanced down at his son who was watching the two figures as well. He lifted his hand and let out a burst of Qi, forming a small blue butterfly. He let it dance around his son's head, gently touching his son's nose as it did so.
His son let out small shrieks and giggles as he tried to catch the butterfly with his chubby hands.
Liang Shufen smiled.
His daughter was unlucky to be born with no capability to cultivate, just like her mother. It was hard for him to accept at first, but his wife, his precious jade, had reassured him that one of their children would be able to cultivate, he just had to be patient.
It was a reassurance that would crumble along with his heart as he held her dead body in his arms.
But now-now he had a son! A son with strong spiritual roots and at such a young age.
He pulled his son into a tight hug. 'My Jade was right. There was no reason for me to worry.'
"Liang Kuo."
His son glanced up at him, his head tilting slightly. Laing Shufen smiled and rubbed his son's cheek.
"From now on, you shall be called Liang Kuo."