After Situ Qing's ninth birthday, My father and I received a few invitations to the Situ Clan. However, he and I were both wary of the heinous world outside of White Tiger Village. Instead, we focused on ourselves.
At least, that's what my father would have wanted. But, on the other hand, I focused on being a filial son, which meant I had to return my parents to the world of cultivation someday. I know my father noticed, but he never commented as my training session became more prolonged and more intense.
I was currently practicing three weapons: Sword, Spear, and Archery. My father drilled basic combat into me while I picked up my old-world hobbies of the Guqin, literally an Ancient Zither, and the game of Go to keep my mind sharp.
After that debacle at the Situ clan, my mind needed organizing. I had a plan in the works, but I had to meet a few criteria first. Until then, I trained like a mad man. Weeks had turned into months, and my body had become refined. My martial foundation was strong, and the primary forms were becoming second nature. But it wasn't enough.
However, my mother thought otherwise...
"Orym, you've been training since before dawn. Take a break and come with me to the market." She called out.
I stopped my shadow sparing and panted as I looked at my mother. I wanted to argue that it wasn't enough, but she would only counter, which would lead to a waste of time. So I caved.
"What's at the market?" I asked.
My mother smiled at me. She had a beautiful smile I never tired of seeing. She was barely twenty years old, and her beauty had yet to reach its peak. Like the rest of my family, she has the essential Elven traits of our Clan -Silver hair, olive-brown skin, and purple lilac eyes.
"People and goods to buy. There's also a new restaurant. Come on, keep your mother company. Your father's away again." she replied in a calm voice.
"And Nimue?" I asked as I walked over to her.
"Your sister is cultivating. It'll just be us." My mother spoke, using her Qi to clean me of my day's work. She then popped a pill in my mouth, and my body began to emit the fresh scent of the world after a nice rain shower.
Sometime later, we, mother and son, roamed the market happily as I stopped at every other vendor. That was the best part about being a child again—the undiluted, unrestrained wonder. I looked at everything that caught my eyes. I picked it up, tried it on. I tested street food and got to know my village first hand.
That's when I saw it.
"Young lord. Lady!" A man called out to my mother. "The perfect maidservant for the Vamoria Clan! 5 Gold pieces, and the debt slave is yours!"
I saw the young girl in chains. Her parents on posts with their guts hanging out and hands chopped off. That was the sign of a thief who had stolen a year's wage from a person. The gutting was a symbol of taking food from the belly of another.
This was the reality of my new world: cruelty and the indulgence of the darkest parts of the soul. My smile faded, and my mature aura returned. I could hear my mother's sigh.
She never liked that I wasn't like most children, but it was Lord Taylor's fault. My soul had nearly over three decades worth of mileage on it, and that bastard forgot to give me Old Lady Meng's soup of forgetfulness. I couldn't pretend. I did not want to act the part.
'Sorry, mother.' was a recurring thought every time I relieved her of her duties as a loving mother for a needing child. Thankfully she had Nimue. But it wasn't the same, and I knew it.
"Debt Slave? What debt can that little girl incur? I assume that's her parents strung up on the posts." I spoke out.
My words caused a lot of people to double-take. But, as I said, I was a different child.
"Y-young master, this girl freed my Twin Colored Swallowtail." The man replied with residual anger as he glared at the girl.
The crowd murmured, and I chuckled. 'Stupid girl,' I thought.
"What's fu--"
"Easy! Slaver!" My mother stepped forward, but I raised a hand to stop her.
"Slaver..." I said, "Cut her parents down. I'll take all three of them. The next time you execute somebody in our village with the consent of the big three, I'll attach your limbs to horses and watch as they tare you apart."
"Y-yes, young lord." he stammered.
"Mother, please."
"Haiz, alright."
As my mother handled the business with the slaver, I stuffed my face per usual, and heaven decided to bless me.
"Young lord Vamoria." A familiar voice called out.
I looked to my left and saw Lord Ironwood and Shane. Quickly wiping the powder sugar from my face, I greeted them with no more than a smirk.
Shane Ironwood was eight years old with sun-kissed skin and nutmeg hair. His body was well-toned and a bit bulky for a fan user. Like his father, he just couldn't discard the baby fat that clung to his body. He was about four feet and nine inches tall, with calm eyes despite an impulsive attitude. I chuckled it up to grown pains and not an actual character trait.
"We finally ran into you." said Lord Ironwood, "We went by your clan, but it seems you were busy."
"I refused you," I replied bluntly, shocking the father and son.
"I'm sure with good reason... Say, you helped my Shane a while ago and saved my Clan a lot of embarrassment. How about you visit the Clan and keep my boy company." Said Lord Ironwood.
"Haiz! Dad, I can find my own friends." Shane mumbled.
Pah! Lord Ironwood gave a smack to the head.
"Boy, no one wants to be your friend. You've been stage one of body refinement for almost three years. " Lord Ironwood growled. His attitude then changed as he looked back at it with a friendly smile.
I laughed at the interaction, but I soon stopped once I noticed how it embarrassed Shane.
"Here, little boy. She's your responsibility now." My mother walked the slave girl over as she spoke to me.
"I guess she is," I replied. "Say, Lord Ironwood. How about you and Shane come by the Clan in few days. I was really interested in fan arts. I actually think my father bought a manual for a fan skill a few years back. And if Shane has no friends, haha, I'm sure he doesn't have a sparring partner."
"Y-you!" Shane growled. "You're weaker than me!"
Lord Ironwood laughed, and my mother immediately agreed.
'This is it,' she thought, 'My little Orym might actually make his first friend.'
"Good. Good! We'll be sure to stop by. Will your husband be there?"
"I d--"
"I'll make sure of it, Lord Ironwood." I quickly interrupted my mother.
The family's attitude was much to my liking. So why not entertain them and become more than just neighbors. Fortunately, Lord Ironwood had more business to tend to, and an invitation was his goal, so he moved on after achieving it.
My mother shook her head and giggled at the pudgy man as he walked away and heavy-handedly patted his son on the back.
"Do you remember your father's teaching?" My mother asked.
"Yes, every word. That Shane and his father are pretty decent. Lord Ironwood is dotting a father who's content with his life in the Mortal World. After Shane spends some time with me, there's no way he'll develop the young master syndrome."
"Hahaha! Young master syndrome? Boy, when did you learn to joke?" My mother asked.
"One of my many talents, mother. We should go, the girl looks hungry, and she smells."
After we left the market, it was a slight stretch to the Vamoria Clan as we liked our privacy. On the road, my mother suddenly vanished and returned, holding a boy by his collar. After dropping him, I noticed the slave girl's eyes widen in surprise.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The boy frowned at me like I was a sworn enemy. In a world like this one, where stupidity and stubbornness reigned supreme, I knew his look was a bad thing. At the same time, a tall, slender man was watching over me, saying, 'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Lilian!'
If I had known what was happening, I would have killed this boy here and now.
"Ace Zenith..." he replied, "Wu Zexi's my fiancé."
"Says who?" I asked.
"Says this!" The boy held out a contract. I snatched the paper from his hand.
"Not anymore. Forget about, Zexi. Live your life. This girl belongs to me." I pulled on the girl's chains and walked past the boy. He reached out and held on to Zexi's leg, forcing me to kick him away.
The kid had no idea what trouble he was asking for by trying to claim the girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night I sat across from a basin where maidservants were cleaning little Wu. She was six years old with long golden locks and steel grey eyes. Combined with her platinum blonde eyebrows, she had a subtle allure to her.
"This is yours. When you reach the age of maturity, Ill give this to you. If the boy comes and you have this paper, I'll let you leave with him, not a day before. But for now, this is the safest place for you, with a master like me." I held up her marriage contract for her to see that it was still in one piece.
"Yes, master."
"You're room will be next to mine. Every morning you'll find madam Yamir, and she'll train you. Follow her instructions, and you'll be fine. Also, you only answer to my family and me. If anyone tells you anything, if they touch you, you come to me. Pointy ears, silver hair, purple eyes, and olive-brown skin. Those are the trait of the people who own you."
"Y-yes, master."
"Good. Madam Yamir. Bring her back to me every day at a mid-day and before sunset." I finished, then moved to leave.
"Yes, little lord." Madam Yamir replied. I then tossed a white jade bottle that she was familiar with. Without a command, Madam Yamir understood what to do with the pills inside.
"T-thank you! Thank you for saving me and letting Ace go." Wu Zexi called out, but I kept walking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haaa!
Clang!
Chink! Pah!
Fan and fan collided as Shane, and I sparred. Our fathers watched from the steps of the main hall.
"Your son has an amazing Martial aptitude. To think he could pick up the fan so quickly." Lord Ironwood praised me to my father.
"Your son is gifted as well. With the Cloud Splitting Swan manual, his foundation is a lot better." My father replied.
The two-man nodded at each other with big smiles, silently agreeing to end the praise session. In the inner Courtyard, I twisted the air as Shane gracefully slid under me, snapping his fan closed. My eyes widen as I swept the fan at nothing to change my direction mid-air.
"Haha! That was good. You almost had me." I laughed once I land on my feet.
"Almost?! Guy, you're a monster!" Shane replied as he panted.
Shane had been stopping by for a week now. He and his father were regular visitors. During his first visit, I talked my father into giving him the Fan art manual. He had been collecting manuals since my name day. So sharing one didn't hurt us in the slightest.
"Young Master..." A small voice spoke out. Turning to my left, I saw little Wu carrying our towels. Madam Yamir was standing behind.
"Is it Mid-day already?" I asked.
Madam Yamir gave a quick and firm nod. 'Ahh, the training session was good if I've lost track of time,' I thought.
"Shane..." I paused once I saw the twinkle in his eyes. I looked at Little Wu. She noticeably more attractive after taking the detoxification pills that I gave her. Her cultivation had also risen to the middle of 1st stage body refinement.
"T-this is the girl you purchased.."
"Yes, and she's spoken for. Bug off." I tell him.
I watch as his cheeks turn red, and he becomes coy.
"Ahh, Little Wu, go inside and get ready for your test."
"Test? You teach your slaves?" Shane was shocked.
"How else can they carry out their duties. Come on, let's have a meal so I can send you on your way."
"Haiz! You work too hard for your age." Shane muttered,
"You don't work hard enough." I fired back with a friendly smirk.
About a month later, I was soundly sleeping in bed with books scattered about as I had fallen asleep studying again. As I slept, I was once again dreaming about my lost love, Chen Suyin. Tears rolled down my cheek as I lightly groaned, tossing and turning on sweat-drenched sheets.
Images flashed across my mind of Suyin and me during our college days. The long, cruel nights of lab projects and assignments. Our trips to Greece and Bali, the happy effortless love during the time we shared.
"Suyin..." A broken voice escaped my lips.
Across the estate, my mother winced when she heard the name of the witch that plagued her son's dreams. My mother was using her soul sense to observe me once again. It had become a habit. Every time she watched me, she felt pain as she noticed the deep sorrow in my eyes even when I was joyous. When the night came, all of that hidden sorrow revealed itself, and it shattered my mother's heart as she had no idea how to help me. All she could do was silently curse Chen Suyin. But It wouldn't be for years that she would learn Chen Suyin wasn't a witch but an angel. And Chen Suyin didn't plague my heart but my regret.
My father reasoned that my sorrow had something to do with cursed streaks in my hair and always begged my mother to stop torturing herself by watching me. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, she retracted her attention when a sudden boom came from my Courtyard.
My parents quickly rushed over and found that I had condensed my meridians. They watched as qi gathered around me and formed my meridians one by one. But just like Nimue, my bloodline had steep thresholds, and the Mortal World's qi was falling short.