A rush of air whistled through a walled courtyard as a fierce howl sounded. Immediately a white blur rushed into a youth wearing a golden robe trimmed in azure, eliciting a groan as the air rushed from the boy's lungs. Slowly the breeze settled down as the low grass and orderly flowers in the courtyard stilled and the sunlight of the high sun gave way to the silhouette of a narrow visage of a young wolf.
"No fair Little White, you weren't supposed to go invisible. Elder brother, Little brother is cheating!" Fan Jia huffed out indignantly as Little white climbed up on his chest to take a triumphant victory pose before bending down to lick the face of the youth.
"Hmph, are your eyes and feet cheats as well? Little White was born with his skills and you were born with yours no reason to blame others when you find yourself lacking Little brother" Fan Zhong smiled as he bent down at his knees, to accent his point he leveled a finger and forcibly poked the forehead of his Little Brother with enough force to push his head back to the ground.
Currently, Fan Zhong was standing inside his private courtyard within the Fan family compound. Around them were four-meter-high walls that surrounded the space squarely. The courtyard itself was 10-meter by 10-meter giving ample space in the center for sparring, technique practice, or other recreational pursuits.
At one wall of the space stood a wide doorway within which sat a set of hardwood double doors inlaid with golden and azure trim to match the crest of livery that adorned the rest of the compound. On the opposite wall to this doorway, there was another opening that simply held a gold-colored curtain that loosely swayed with the breeze, being open for passage otherwise. The doors led to Fan Zhong's quarters and were where he kept most of his personal effects and the open entree way led into the greater compound.
Positioned to the left of his bedroom doors, if one was facing them from the middle of the courtyard, in the corner of the space was a set of racks. On top of these sat various practice weapons as well as instruments covered by protective clothes that had talismans on top of them to keep out the elements and protect them from wear. To the right of his chamber doors sat a small open-air meditation hut that had a small table that sat low to the ground with a sitting mat next to it.
This meditation hut had a rounded roof with thin wooden beams at each corner supporting it. Each of these wooden beams was carved into the likeness of a true immortal level beast from his favorite legends, those being: a true dragon, a kunpeng, a phoenix, and a kirin. Originally each of these support beams had been thicker and unadorned, however, Fan Zhong's love of the beasts of legends had caused him to take carving as a pastime.
Through much effort, he had roughed out the shapes of the beasts' likeness however he was far from pleased with it. Eventually, Fan Zhong realized he was not born with a talent for carving and had asked his father to ask one of the clan craftsmen if they could salvage his middling work. Many had been more than happy to do this small favor for him to curry favor with his father and so the current artful renditions came into being.
A young Fan Zhong had been overjoyed to see the finished carvings and almost immediately began spending most of his practice time for music and calligraphy within the small hut. Looking at it now brought about fond memories for him and it pained him a bit to think that it had seen almost no use over the past year. The meditation huts in the clan training grounds atop the cliff were more spacious and comfortable to sit in; however, Fan Zhong felt that he would never be as comfortable as he was when composing music or calligraphy works within this tiny structure in his courtyard.
As for the rest of the space, it was taken up by a small garden of pleasant-looking flowers, positioned to the left of the exit if one were looking at that doorway from the center of the courtyard. Fan Zhong had never had any particular interest in gardening or raising herbs however when his mother had recommended the addition to add the fresh scent of the flowers to his space as well as adding color and variety that was lacking. Initially, he had been resistant to the idea thinking it would take too much upkeep, a large factor in the considerations of his lazy 10-year-old self who had lived in a room adjoining his parents' larger courtyard until that point.
His father had told him that upon receiving space to call his own, he would also be responsible for making sure the space lived up to the standards he was raised under. To this point, his mother had been rather understanding and simply allowed some of the groundskeepers to maintain his small flower garden for him. With the extra allowance of staff to maintain the garden, he had acquiesced to his mother's idea.
Finally to the right of the exit was a standing wooden post with multiple sections and pegs sticking out from the cylindrical center. This was a simple training post to practice hand-to-hand martial techniques and his father had insisted that space in his quarters be allocated for at least this much training equipment. Much to his father's dismay however the training post showed little sign of use and looked almost as pristine as the day it had been installed.
"Elder Brother you speak of lacking skill howev-" Fan Jia began to reply before a nervous-looking Little White leapt from his chest onto his face as if to dodge something.
"Hmph, little puppy don't run away now. Brother has played with you enough and I can run much faster than him, besides the elder sisters don't believe me when I talk of how soft your coat is! Come, we must show them." Fan Jingyi's voice could be heard as she dashed over from the chair she had been sitting in a moment before.
Previously Fan Zhong's little sister had been quietly reading a copy of her flying dagger technique manual and pondering in silence while observing Fan Jia play with Little White. Fan Zhong however had known his younger sibling was not so calm as that and had seen the subtle signs such as her humming to herself in an increasingly fast manner or her fingers drumming the back of the manual in her delicate little hands with increasing force. It had been two days since he had returned to the village and each day Fan Jingyi had scooped up Little White with bewildering speed and carried him around held to her chest like a precious stuffed toy.
At first Little White had resisted and tried to struggle free; however, the young fairy had proven far stronger than the little wolf had anticipated. Next, he had tried to bite at Jingyi however after he left a small bite mark on her hand a single look of pouting cuteness from the distressed young girl had quelled any ideas of violence from Little White's mind. Thus Fan Zhong's brave battlefield companion simply had to endure two full days of being held in the embrace of the young fairy with only small whines to vent his anguish.
Fan Jia had complained about not being able to play with the young wolf and Little White had quickly voiced his approval with approving howls and such he had enough a momentary reprieve. However, it seemed his idea of prolonging the time spent away from Jingyi's grasp was foiled as her patience had quickly wrung dry after only a few hours and it was barely the start of the afternoon at the moment she was retrieving him. Little White shot Fan Zhong a pleading glance but he could only shake his head wryly as he had no way to stop his little sister once she set her mind to it.
Quickly Jingyi's hand shout out and grasped the ear of the small wolf causing him to momentarily yelp with surprise and pain before he was scooped up and firmly nestled in the young fairy's arms
"Hehe, Elder Brother I'm going! Please try to behave while you're resting, the more you move the higher chance your injuries will open. Take too long and the Elder Sisters at the Soft Moonlight hall will think you have abandoned them!" Fan Jingyi huffed out with a hint of mirth while Fan Zhong's face turned to beat red.
"Littler Sister you are a fairy unsullied by the mortal world, surely you need not know of these matters, and since when are the fairies of the Soft Moonlight hall your 'Elder Sisters'?" Fan Zhong asked while coughing.
"How else do you think mother always knows where you are Elder brother? Besides, they don't just provide Elder brother's… services. As you know, some work there just to provide company, others also cook, help with makeup and hair dressings as well as many other things!" Fan Jingyi chided over her shoulder as she hurried from the courtyard, seeming eager to show off her new pet.
Both Fan Zhong and his little brother were left staring after the fleeting form of their younger sibling at a loss for words.
"Ahem… So Little brother, what was this about lacking skills?" Fan Zhong leveled an inquiring gaze at Fan Jia who was now fully standing up while dusting off his clothes.
"Well… Elder Brother you know what type of reputation you've cultivated. How can my life be pleasant when your shadow follows me around every day? No matter if my martial arts improve judgment still descends especially when you aren't present for others to vent their emotions on" Fan Jia said with a sigh
"Oh? Since when does your brother lack skills? Has Eldest Brother not told you of my heaven-defying genius lately?" Fan Zhong adopted his mock offended noble tone while sticking his nose high in the air
"Honestly Elder brother you have to admit that you've been training for too short a time. I understand you have made great gains but perhaps in technical skill even I am close to your match" Fan Jia countered not wanting to back down.
"Little Jia, who put you up to this? This isn't like you. We are brothers and I have a responsibility to you as your Elder Brother. Please tell me what is bothering you" Fan Zhong said, his tone turning serious as he regarded Fan Jia.
Although Fan Zhong had in the past never had a mind for the martial practices that did not mean he viewed his family lightly. If anything he was more protective of his family especially his younger siblings as Fan Long had impressed on them from an early age that it was an elder sibling's responsibility to take care of their younger siblings. Fan Jia had been especially close to him as Fan Cheng had been old enough to start taking on missions and leaving the village by the time the young boy could walk and speak.
As such it had fallen to Fan Zhong to act the role of elder brother to Fan Jia and he had spent much of his time making sure the youth never wanted for someone to play with or express his thoughts to. With this, he knew that Fan Jia would not say such words to him unless something was pressuring him. In Fan Zhong's mind he was ok with others insulting him however insults to his family were a different matter, those who did so needed to be dealt with swiftly.
"It's just that… Well, Elder Brother, the other youths at the academy have been increasingly hostile ever since your warrior ceremony. Most of them come from the warrior branch families and their fathers all tell them that father used some underhanded cheat and bribery to elevate you to the position of an official warrior without the approval of the other elders. They call me the brother of the liar and gang up to bully me… I've fought them off and two leave bloody for every beating I take however this has been going on for weeks. However, no one is home at the moment, mother and father are away because of some issue I'm not allowed to know about and Eldest brother is running the clan affairs in father's place. Strength is the key to the martial path I know so I have stayed silent to make father proud but… My body aches brother… it hurts all over, I don't know how much more I can stand '' At this point, Fan Jia's words ran from his lips in a torrent and it seemed that the only thing keeping the youth from tears was the stoic demeanor drilled into him by their father.
Fury blotted out Fan Zhong's sight for a moment, visions of heads spitted upon spikes lining a mountain that blotted out the heavens themselves entered his mind. It took a moment however he concentrated those thoughts deep inside himself where those terrible whispers hid, a tactic he had long sought reprieve in to deal with these thoughts. Still, the boiling fury threatened to loose not only his current wrath but all the negative emotions Fan Zhong had ever bottled up causing slow cracks upon the seal imprisoning the abyss in his mind. Calmly he put a steadying hand to the shoulder of his little brother.
"Little Jia, come" These were the only words that left Fan Zhong's mouth however to Fan Jia they felt like a set of three mountains that fell to suppress all things around the two, it was almost as if their father were the one speaking instead of his lazy Elder Brother.
"Captain, I need two warriors and two observers at my command now" Fan Zhong's voice boomed as he walked out of his courtyard and exited the main doors of the Fan Clan compound pausing only to speak this to the captain of the guard manning the gate.
"Good afternoon to your young mas-" The guard captain started before he saw the barely contained fury boiling in Fan Zhong's eyes
"Now captain, this is urgent" Fan Zhong intoned in a more restraining yet commanding tone.
Quickly after Fan Zhong stormed out into the Little Green Bamboo Village with Fan Jia and two first-grade martial artist clan warriors in his wake. Silently in the shadows of their passing two observers followed with such skill that no one under the second-grade martial artist realm even knew they were there. Soon they were nearing the academy that all youths living in the village attended.
The academy was humbly constructed as with most buildings in the village. In the center of the compound stood the largest structure that was a two-story pagoda that had a large lobby and several administrative offices on the first floor. Upon the second floor were three lecture halls that were used interchangeably for announcements and wandering scholars as well as martial artists to give presentations. Adorning the pagoda were banners sporting the colors of the Fan Clan along with the clan crest fluttering at every corner.
At the perimeter of the building on each floor was a narrow walkway that had several chairs positioned on it allowing the area to be used to overlook the rest of the academy as well as providing areas for leisure and rest among the staff. To either side of the main building stood four lesser square buildings, on one side the buildings were used as storage for practice tools and teaching texts. On the other side, the remaining structures were used as additional classrooms and each building was large enough to house 4 separate classrooms that seat roughly 50 students.
Finally directly behind the academy stood a section of 10-meter by 10-meter training arenas fenced off and were either empty to allow a clean area for martial arts sparring or filled with training posts to allow solo practice. Technically students were only required to study here until they were 13 and many of the clan members hired personal tutors for their children on top of their academy studies. However, the Fan Clan had always been adamant that anyone living in Little Green Bamboo Village deserved to be educated and so whether or not one received personal tutoring they would attend.
Fan Zhong himself had only graduated from the academy two years ago, only a year before his training began and had only been able to enjoy a single year of total freedom. As his mind thought of it Fan Jia was turning 13 near the end of the year and this would be his last year here as well. It was a shame that his younger brothers last year at the academy would be so disastrous as Fan Zhong had truly enjoyed his last year here and held fond memories of this place.
However, at this moment he had no desire to reminisce about his academy days, and quickly the group made their way to the staging ground behind the academy. In front of the fenced-off training arenas, there was an open grass field that could easily hold a few hundred people that was usually used to house stands for audiences if the academy wished to hold a tournament.
Using this field Fan Zhong quickly had one of his observers and a warrior go to the headmaster of the academy to have Fan Jia's class brought to the field. The headmaster was an elder of the same generation as Fan Wuying, that being Fan Zhong's grandfather's generation, and led a branch of the clan. During the past Fan Zhong had good relations with the elder however with what had been allowed to happen here to his young brother he was in no mood to see the man at the moment in fear that he might do something colossally stupid like openly attack an elder.
Soon enough the youths were gathered along with a nervous-looking teacher who looked very confused.
"Young master Zhong, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today? I received no word of your coming so forgive my ignorance" The teacher approached Fan Zhong with apprehension as well as obvious irritation at having his lesson interrupted.
"Quiet! Wait to the side. These youths are the ones I have business with!" Fan Zhong leveled a blazing glare on the man before dismissing him and walking forward with Fan Jia in toe "Which ones?"
"Elder Brother wha-?" Fan Jia spluttered looking incredibly nervous.
"Tell me who caused you pain Little Jia" Fan Zhong said, his demeanor and mood turning soft and warm as he politely turned to his little brother.
In short order, the youth had pointed out five of the offenders and Fan Zhong lined them up.
"Young master… please have mercy we truly meant no offens-'' One of the accused attempted to protest before a shockwave cracked the air as Fan Zhong's all things birth of the origin palm strike connected with his chest with enough force to send the youth flying a few meters
"Did I ask you to speak?" At this moment Fan Zhong seemed like the devil incarnate to the group of youths, his eyes smoldered as if they were trying to ignite a fire that would destroy all of heaven and earth.
"So it's true, you're just a lout like father says. You can't fight other adults so you bully us, disgusting" Another one of the youths attempted to show bravado while puffing his chest up.
Quickly the air split again as one of the second-grade warriors arrived by the blustering youth before Fan Zhong could move and forced the young man to his knees.
"Apologize to the young master boy, quickly" The guard was stern however his eyes seemed to be pleading with the boy instead of trying to threaten him
"I… I apologize to Young Master Zhong" All the courage seemed to fade from his eyes as the young boy looked at the floor, a downcast expression covering his face.
"See Young Master? They are just kids and are truly repentant, surely there's no need to go too far, we will give them all a fitting punishment and inform their elders!" The guard nodded to Fan Zhong trying to keep up an air of assurance and control.
"A fitting punishment? Yes that seems fair, Observer Ping come forth please" Fan Zhong said while stroking his chin as if he was thinking deeply
"Yes Young Master?" a melodic voice trailed over the group as a woman wearing azure robes seemed to materialize from the tall knee-high grass around them.
Fan Ping was one of the observers that Fan Zhong had known the longest as she was very close to his mother's inner circle and often stayed within the main family compound as a bodyguard when not on assignment. As was typical of Clan observers she had the pristine jade skin and figure of beauty with a lithe figure that spoke of grace and speed. Flowing down to her ankles her hair was a dark emerald and her eyes were tinged with the familiar piercing silver that came with being a master realm observer.
Fan Zhong knew that she had long advanced to the master realm and could have become a village elder to raise her standing however Fan Ping had remained loyal to his mother and to his knowledge she had never even brought up the topic.
"I understand you've recently ascended into the master realm, tell me how precise is your control?" Fan Zhong asked lazily as if falling into a leisurely mood.
"Youn… Young master my control is impeccable, I promise on the honor of my name" Fan Ping seemed to be taken aback by the question and confusion was spreading across her face before horror quickly replaced it as she realized why he had asked
"Good good, you know I recently heard an interesting tidbit about the technique 'height of the sky overbears the deep earth' from my sister Jingyi. Apparently, the human body experiences pain as a flaring of the nerves when large forces impact them. According to my little sister if you simply amplify the normal feelings the human body experiences it can feel as if the very air itself is made of swords rending one's body apart. All of that without even touching the opponent, quite fascinating don't you agree" Fan Zhong continued as if he didn't see the paling faces of those around him
"Young master I can-" Fan Ping attempted, however, Fan Zhong gave her no room and kept speaking in a level manner that seemed to carry enough weight to command mountains.
"I seem to recall Little Jia saying his body hurt all over from his various beatings. It seems only fair that those complicit in that pain feel the same no? Observer Ping, deliver the pain of 100 lashes to each youth in the class over the course of 10 seconds, then my Dao heart will be satisfied." Fan Zhong's words dropped like an executioners ax and all of the others started shouting at once to countermand him however his voice rang out once again
"I, Fan Zhong, Command You. In The Name Of The Fan Clan. OBSERVER PING, DELIVER THIS PUNISHMENT!" The air shook with this final command and Fan Ping simply sighed while leveling a pitying gaze on the youths who were all cowering in fear.
Only an instant passed as Fan Ping's arm blurred and dozens of translucent silver Qi needle phantoms filled the air. Fan Ping kept excellent control of the attack and made sure to infuse no more or less pain than she believed would be contained by the punishment dictated by Fan Zhong. As a newly promoted master realm martial artist she could not summon hundreds of attacks on a whim with precise control over their power like Fan Yuhai however the attack was incredibly swift to the eyes of those present and soon the phantoms sailed through the air with unerring accuracy.
Just before they were about to connect the sky seemed to shatter as a blur appeared between Fan Zhong's group and the recoiling students and a swiping golden hand gently wiped away Fan Ping's phantoms as if they didn't exist.
"Hmph, is this how young heroes celebrate their victories nowadays? Bullying children and using their authority like a bull? Nephew Zhong you disappoint me" As the dust settled the ever calm voice of Elder Wuying could be heard clear as day echoing through the field as he leveled a piercing gaze at Fan Zhong.
"Bullying? Elder, you of all people would allow this? My Little Brother has suffered repeatedly here yet where are the elders? This is justice" Righteous fury boiled in Fan Zhong's eyes as well as a small seed of trepidation.
He knew that Elder Wuying was an upright and just man, if he was against Fan Zhong's actions then perhaps there was context he was not understanding.
"Observer Ping clean up this mess with your fellows. I need Nephew Zhong, do take care of Nephew Jia as well in the meantime." With a sigh, Elder Wuying disappeared and Fan Zhong felt the world blur before he stood atop the academy's roof.
"Elder, what is the meaning of this? If father finds that Little Jia was beaten black and blue on the academies watch I can assure you that I will be the least of your worries" Fan Zhong frowned as he looked at the older man
"Pfft, you threaten me junior? This old man was watching men twice your measure and three times your skill march to their deaths before your father was born, watch your tongue. Even I can only take so much of your disrespect" Elder Wuying spat a rare spot of contempt showing on his face "Do you think I knew about this and allowed it to stand? Most of the elders of the clan have been busy and Nephew Jia has been rather stalwart in telling his elders. Only this morning was I informed of this happening and things were being put in motion to set things right. Then you go off and bluster into town and start beating children. Think Nephew Zhong, you are not the miscreant they say you are but today you give people the inclination you are! These are children for heaven's sake Nephew Jia is the same way, he stubbornly did not tell us because of the things your father told him about warrior values. Do you think these youngsters follow what their parents say any less? Had you given me time the instigators would have been rounded up and this would have been dealt with quietly, then your growing martial prowess would speak for itself. As it stands now you have made a public display that when Young Master Zhong gains power he lets it go to his head. I wouldn't be surprised if most view you as no better than Zi Bao now" Elder Wuying's anger abated into a sigh as he simply looked exhausted from the whole ordeal.
These words however hit Fan Zhong like a mountain. He had always thought of himself as the type of person that was different from the arrogant young masters of other clans, not abusing his power simply enjoying its benefits. However it was true, he had gained some power and used it to take his anger out on those immediately near him without thinking the situation through or his responsibilities.
What truly shocked him wasn't this though it was a single thought, was he truly just as bad as Zi Bao in the end?