Those citizens who saw all of this paled slightly.
"That young man is new executioner?"
"He's on death row? What did that young lad do?"
"Shh… he's a Shou."
"What?!"
Smack!
"I said shut up!"
The people gossiping in the crowd tried to stay as silent as possible whilst talking about Shou Xin.
They dared not do so during his opening ceremony due to the nature of it being watched over by the Lord Sea Spring, but now was different.
"The child of a murders clan would naturally be a murderer. Ptui. Serves them right."
"Shou Clan…? Who?" A merchant who was not from Sea Spring and had come for the yearly conference in Cloud Seer City which was further along the route asked.
Many of the people looked over at him, only a single man dared to speak after the merchant gave a little in the ways of coin.
As a merchant, it was imperative to be up to date with such things, especially when travelling famous trade routes like that of the Cloud Seer Cities trade route where many merchant guilds traversed.
"...The Shou Clan once ruled a large portion of the Sea Springs underworld. But once the Lord Sea Spring was appointed here directly by the Court, they were swiftly… executed." The man said lightly, "Word has it, that boy survived because the previous executioner refused the work of killing the child. And so, he was given the chance to instead kill his benefactor and took it. The Shou Clan is an ungrateful worm-like clan which is now back where they belong in the ground."
The merchant scowled as he looked at the youth on the platform, any sort of pity vanishing instantly upon hearing of how he turned on the executioner and instead executed him in order to save his own life after he saved his.
To merchant's, loyalty and trust were the paramount, and hearing such a thing would churn the stomach of any of them.
The merchant found a good place to watch the executions.
It was, after all, the duty of regular people to witness justice dispensed under the authority of the Exiled Court.
Shou Xin who had arrived looked over the various peoples kneeling in wait of their deaths.
None of them looked like scoundrels and murderers, many looked to be merchant's or warriors who had by one way or another, crossed the new Lord Sea Spring.
One man even looked like a scholar.
Regardless of their look however, Shou Xin steeled himself.
He soon arrived before the first man.
The representatives of Lord Sea Spring, Young Sea and Little Spring, looked over the proceedings.
"For the crime of embezzlement and bribery, Mu Zhuo is sentenced to death by decapitation." Young Sea spoke emotionlessly.
"For the crime of accepting bribes and endangering the public due to lax conduct, Chen Ji, is sentenced to death by decapitation alongside his fellows." Little Spring said coldly.
The two women were those that followed Lord Sea Spring from his place in the Exiled Court's famous training facility.
Cloud Seer Academy.
Having brought them along, the position he held was like a thick iron plate and any who lived her trying to break it would be like using a stick to break metal.
His authority within Sea Spring Town was absolute and no one dared question the cruelty.
For a single bribe, death to not only the one bribed, but the others guilty by association.
Shou Xin shook within his own mind at the cruelty of it.
Yet, his arms remained steady.
Despite the torturous training, his body was always ready in the early morning for more, and he always felt a little bit more stable.
As he unsheathed Sea Spring Executioner's Blade, it rang with a freezing killing intent which was barely contained within it's metal.
Mu Zhuo, who shook like a life could not muster the words to resist.
"Safe journeys, Traveller." Shou Xin took to a simple phrase partially stolen from the previous executioner of Sea Spring.
He was after all, not a poet.
His blade fell with greatly stability, yet it was not able to decapitate in a single blow, taking multiple.
The others watched in horror as Mu Zhuo screamed to death from the immense pain he was forced to endure.
Within Shou Xin's mind, the Talentless Sword Art rose like a tiny flicker upon the little light.
He had tried to use the first form, Listless Slash.
But his technique was horrible, and his bodily strength could no execute it with enough stability thus causing a horrific death and even worse spectacle for the people.
Yet, he smiled slightly at the feeling of knowing he could practice it.
That he had just used a technique!
Such a thing was a dream to him!
Unknowingly, his smile grew larger and he appeared before the next target who wailed before the blade even came down.
"Safe journeys, Traveler." He spoke the phrase solemnly, but that brought no comfort to the warrior set to die.
A buffet of screams rang out that day in the plaza upon the executioner's platform before the final prisoner died in his unconsciousness, having passed out from fear watching the others' horrific deaths.
Having completed his tasks and feeling happy with his first step upon the Talentless Sword Arts, he stepped off the platform after giving the twins, Little Spring and Young Sea, a deep bow.
He sheathed the Sea Spring Executioner's Blade, it sang as it reentered it's sheath.
By the time the regular populace began to move again, he was gone but the rumor's would not be far behind as by the time he had stepped foot from the city, word had already spread to every corner.
Sea Spring's Executioner of the fallen Shou Clan is a bloodthirsty madman!
All forms of rumors befell him, though he would not know for quite a while.
---
"Trash." Vienna spoke.
"Yes." Shou Xin replied.
"What did I say before."
"If I were to allow even one of my knee's to touch te floor, you would rip my soul out and-"
"So you do remember." Vienna's voice was insurmountably cold, "Then what is this."
He did not ask, he demanded a response.
Shou Xin acuted knew that if his answer did not satisfy him, he would be dead immediately.
"My knee's are not touching the ground, therefor, I've not gone against your order."
A long silence ensued.
Having arrived at his home which was just a bed and a kitchen in a clearing, Shou Xin saw the frigid expression on Vienna's face as he left his shadow almost killing him from shock and immediately took a pillow and rested his knees on it.
"I see. Then, tell me, why are you kneeling?"
Shou Xin stared at the floor as though it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"I am resting my knees on this pillow to beg for forgiveness."
"For?" He could hear Vienna tapping his fingers rhythmically with his arms crossed.
"..."
"Do you know why I called you trash when you arrived?" Vienna did not wait for a response, "It is because you are not only stupid, but also talentless, making you trash. The only good side of you is that instinct you have which is also faulty."
Vienna stared down at him for a while longer, his gaze sharp Shou Xin felt he was deliberating on killing him and trying again or not.
Ultimately, Vienna's pride won out.
Yes, not a feeling of pity, nor responsibility to his disciple, but his own pride.
He said he would make him a master, and he would do it.
"From today forward, you are called Trash until the time comes I can acknowledge you without being made fun of by the entire Chaos Realm." Vienna continued, "You will practice the Listless Cut, ten thousand times. Every single morning. Every slash you fail to complete by the end of the day will be ten cuts I deliver upon you myself."
Shou Xin began to sweat for he knew Vienna was not joking, not being over the top.
He was dead serious and Shou Xin felt he was soon to be dead.
He looked up at the sun high in the middle of the sky and said, "Surely you don't mean to…"
"By the end of the day." Vienna said with a frigid grin, "Now begin."
----
Shou Xin let out a long, almost eternal breath.
He gaze slowly widened as his mind sank slightly.
His blade did not cry as a master's blade did, nay, it screamed.
His face remained without a single hint of emotion.
"First Form, Listless… Slash." Shou Xin's soft voice spread out like a ripple upon calm water.
The light mist which had rolled in up to about his ankles dispersed for a moment before rolling back in.
"Trash."