Cai Kang is currently practicing martial arts on a cliff, overlooking the valley with only the full moon serving as her source of light. By the cliff was a large river, wide enough to go on a nice boating trip.
Cai Kang is a young girl at around seventeen. Her braid sways along to her swift and sudden movements. In the distance, it looks like a graceful dance in the moonlight. But it was a warmup before she can actually begin training. In the darkness, a man suddenly ambushed her from the bushes. She dodged his first attack sheepishly like she had expected him and fought him off for a while until she fell off the cliff. The girl quickly did a flip and landed on top of the water with the soles on her feet without getting a drop on her. She looks up at the cliff with a glare while the man looks down on her.
"I win." The man chuckled arrogantly. He is a middle-aged man with chiseled features, a freshly shaved goatee, and a large muscular body that his clothes couldn't easily cover. His hair is tied up in a low ponytail and he is dressed in casual dark chinese robes.
"Dammit, that's cheating! You snuck up on me!" She yelled from below, staring up at the man angrily.
"We're martial artists. We cannot expect fairness outside of competition." He said to her. "As my pupil, you should already know that." After staring her down for a bit, he looks dissatisfied, "You improved your chi circulation but you're too slow." He flatly said.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She muttered and walked back to land. Cai Kang is the heir to her father's martial arts school. It is not a prestigious school, but it is open to anyone regardless of class. Suddenly, her father gracefully jumps off the cliff and lands on top of the water leaving behind ripples.
"I'm here to tell you that we'll be leaving soon." He said, with no sign of humor in his tone nor change in expression.
She froze in surprise. It hasn't been long since they got here. "Already?" She said incredulously.
With a snap of a finger, a giant sea turtle appeared underneath his feet.
"Enough questions. Our next stop is Shanghai." He spoke. Then he tossed her their luggage.
Cai Kang was quite astonished that he didn't even bother to answer her question. Irritated but compliant, she put on her backpack and hopped on the turtle. The turtle then sank into the water.
She continues to stare into the river as it sank until the moonlight couldn't be seen anymore. The turtle was a Jing, a Chinese familiar, of her old man mainly used for transportation. Even if it is a turtle, it looks more like a snake with a giant snail shell for accommodation, but the old man insists that it is a turtle albeit a long-necked turtle. She looked around as the shell acts as a transparent barrier which provides both space and air. However, there is no view. It is nighttime after all so all she can see is complete darkness. She could've used night vision, but she prefers not to have any distractions. Her old man told her that they would leave their home to go on a trip to the east. They took a trip to Hubei province and now they are headed to Shanghai. They are a long way from home, and she means it.
"Old man, won't you get in trouble for this? It is already a crime for us to be this far from home without notifying any of the other schools or the local government." She asked.
"If we intend to steal any of their styles then I would've done it a long time ago. We're going somewhere else. Besides you know by now that all Xian have a contract to study only one style. I couldn't, even if I wanted to."
Cai Kang nodded and collapsed onto the bed with her arms behind her back. Cai Kang herself is a Xian, a Chinese term for a person who can manipulate chi. She has trained in martial arts in the year she learned how to walk and has mastered her school's art at a young age but continues to train as she intends to evolve and create more techniques, enough to become a true master.
"You are awfully quiet today. Aren't you gonna change back?" Cai Kang opened one eye to her father staring back at him.
"Doesn't matter. I can still remain the same even with the change." She replied indifferently. Seeing her assurance, he looked forward.
Her old man doesn't like her condition; however she has mastered her control of chi to the point that even he cannot complain. Feeling bored, she fell asleep. The trip to Shanghai even on this snake will take several hours at most.
"Wake up"
She opened her eyes to see that it was still dark but she noticed that it was different. There were bright lights and buildings high enough to reach the sky. This is not the Shanghai she recognized. She went to take a closer look from where she was and stared at her father.
"Are we in Qiyuan?"
Her father nodded.
"What are we doing here then?! Are you trying to get us arrested by the authorities?!" She hissed.
Indifferent at her disapproval, he stared back at her with disdain. "I know what I am doing. I need to meet someone here. You just stay on the turtle until I come back." He then left the turtle and ran to the shore on water.
Qiyuan is the term used to describe the world where magic or chi-users aren't the norm. The world which is the opposite of Qiyuan is Shenmi, a world where magic is common. One of the most important rules when going to Qiyuan is to never get caught at the risk of being discovered. Very few people have the privilege of going to Qiyuan unless they have special permission, but this rule is knowingly broken many times for the simplest of reasons but as long as their secret stays safe then no one really cares what they do there. This is one of the most overlooked rules and sometimes the least concerning. Cai Kang grumbled as she got comfortable. Whatever business her old man has is not up to her. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
She suddenly felt movement and immediately woke up. Her father was back on the turtle, and they were quickly on the move again. She didn't even bother to greet him as he immediately fell asleep upon arrival. She looked to see that they were in the middle of the sea now. Judging by the sky and stars, it will be daylight soon. She then noticed something strange poking out of her father's bag. She got up and looked inside. Passports, travel visas, other documents in Chinese and in Japanese. She puts two and two together and realizes that their final destination is to Japan. Not just to the Japan she is familiar with but to the Qiyuan side of Japan.
The world works differently than what outsiders are familiar with. The world is separated into Shenmi and Qiyuan; the former being the Inverse and the latter being the original. Qiyuan used to be the original world, but a very powerful and ancient magic was cast to create a mirror world hidden and separate from the original. Those who are oblivious to magic stay in the original and those who are not only aware of magic but able to use it stay in the Inverse. For thousands of years, the Inverse has been aware of the other world and their advancements and took notes on it, adopting and adapting to their technology, cultural habits, discoveries, and other changes. Embassies and sites were built there for any visitor from Shenmi. Very few natives from Qiyuan are truly aware of Shenmi although there were a few close calls of others discovering it.
The trip to Japan is still quite sudden since her father never bothered to tell her anything. She is fluent in multiple asian languages and dialects, both dead and alive, and tested in the languages at least once a week. The strange part is if they plan to go to a different country; it normally takes weeks to prepare. Why did the old man suddenly want to go to Japan? Why did he bring all these documents? Tired of even asking, she decided to sleep until they reached Japan.
"Wake up"
Cai Kang woke up to the sound of her old man's stern voice. She woke up realizing it was daytime and looked down to realize the change. Judging by the direction of the sun, it's noon and they are at the beach. Since it isn't summer, there seems to be less tourists. However, there are a few people passing by but they don't seem to be noticed. Both quickly grabbed their belongings and left the shore. The turtle disappeared in the water before anyone noticed it. After getting to the nearest village, the old man is reading a map and stares at his compass. Cai Kang looked around to see a lot of Japanese characters everywhere from stops and posters. They're in Tokyo. In addition, Cai Kang quickly noticed the looks from the locals. Both Cai Kang and the old man are not dressed like them. Hell, to them, they may not look like they are dressed in their time. Cai Kang quickly got their more modern style clothes and headed to the nearest bathroom where they could change. They managed to change fast enough for the old man to not be kept waiting for too long.
While heading to their destination, Cai Kang decided to ask their father. "What are we doing in Japan? Where exactly are we going?"
He continues to walk without staring at his child. "We are gonna go to Nerima ward where we will meet an old friend." He said.
Cai Kang was a bit surprised to hear that. "An old friend? I didn't know you have friends here." They said incredulously.
"It will take a couple hours on foot but before that we go to the nearest Shenmi embassy here in Qiyuan to discuss our state of business first. Hopefully we will be at our destination before daybreak."
Cai Kang went to get something to eat. Thank the gods that they at least can understand the customs on Qiyuan. They hadn't neglected his studies thanks to the old man. They brought some food and the moment he came in the building, he seemed to be done.
"Thanks" The old man said as he started eating while on the road.
Cai Kang was taken in by the sights for the first time in years and has the attitude of a tourist, enjoying their surroundings and being excited at almost every small thing, surprisingly something that the old man hasn't stopped him from doing. They kept walking until it got extremely dark. Later, they decided to camp for the night in the middle of the woods, away from any sign of human civilization. Cai Kang seems to notice that they might be almost at their destination just by judging her father's expression and her own sharp intuition.
"Are you gonna explain now why we are in Japan? Are we here to train?" She curiously asked.
He grumbled. "Can't this wait til morning?"
"No, we can't."
Seeing Cai Kang's seriousness, he gave in. "Fine. We're not here to train. I will be wandering Japan for a couple weeks to maybe a few months while you go stay with a friend of mine."
"What do you mean?"
The old man stopped for a moment to look at the night view. "When I was eighteen, I visited the training grounds of Yokohama in Japan for the first time. I do not know the language and the way of life there is different. Then I made a friend here. He taught me the language and a few other things in Qiyuan."
Annoyed that her question wasn't answered, regardless, she gave in to her father's rambling. "So, we're here to visit your friend?" She asked bluntly.
"Yes, he is the Grandmaster in this land."
A grandmaster? Grandmaster is a title for martial artists who is the strongest martial artist representing a government regulated martial arts academy but are also in charge of the local militia and has high influence in politics and society. The old man is also a considered a grandmaster himself, but his influence is small compared to the others that he isn't openly acknowledged as one. It surprises her to know that her father knows a grandmaster here.
"Wow, I didn't know you knew a Grandmaster in this land." She commented.
"His name is Shiratori Shoraku. He is also the current heir of one of the elite clans in Shenmi Japan. Before we parted ways, we made a promise to each other." Her father said while getting ready for bed.
Cai Kang is getting nervous. "What promise?"
"He and I promised that once I have a child of age. You and a girl from his clan are to be engaged. Luckily for him, his clan is extremely large and there are plenty of young girls. This marriage will strengthen both our ties and the prestige of our school."
She is genuinely shocked. Marriage? Her?
"But I can't get married. Not when I'm like THIS?!" She panicked enunciating the last word and motioning her head to herself. "Does the guy even know about it?"
"No, but I plan to explain when we get there," He said.
"And then what? The deal is off then. He will never accept this." She said, clearly still agitated.
"Cai Kang, he is not that kind of person. He never discriminates." He said.
Cai Kang immediately started packing her things and made a run for it. Her old man ran to chase her after getting his things too.
It was the middle of twilight and people were still asleep. It would have been peaceful if it weren't for the loud sounds of yelling, albeit in a different language, ruining a night of sleep.
"This is stupid. You pick my fianceé without even asking me first?! I thought we're here to train in Japan not to get me hitched!'' She yelled.
Just by her yelling alone, many people from blocks away start waking up to see what the commotion was about and see what they thought they could see in a movie so they didn't do anything but watch. The girl was just given the news that she is to be engaged to someone in Japan not long after arriving in Tokyo and she is clearly not very happy to receive such news after a long, tiring trip.
"Don't you care for the school? Engagements are common in our society. Marrying someone of high position is what we need to further increase our school's reputation." He said.
The girl turned to look at him with repulsion. "Reputation?! I can take care of the school without an arranged marriage. Besides, no one is willing to marry a freak like me."
That took him off guard and upon noticing it, she glared at him. Clearly, he did not think this through.
"I'm going back home. Suck it old man. Tell your friend that this agreement is off." She said and flipped him off. She started to head back to the shore but was knocked out from behind and carried over her father's shoulders.
However, the bystanders, despite watching, clearly do not understand a word they said to each other. The man started jumping on rooftops. Astonished, no one made a move or even attempted to call the police.