INN - ZIYU
"That sect is weak! Nobody can match your strength Ziyu?" Jingzhou leaned back lazily, inspecting the piece of paper closer. It looked like an ordinary shopping list with burn marks.
"You think I'm lying about this?" Ziyu's gaze sharpened.
"Of course not! I'm just saying there's no way someone was there! It's impossible someone actually escaped your Fan Silk Orbit technique. No one can hold a candle to Myriad Sect's Chief Disciple candidate."
Ziyu clicked his tongue. "Any word from the scouts?"
"If this person truly exists and YOU can't even locate him, I doubt a handful of small-fry will succeed. Are you sure this didn't fall from one of those Wind Slash Sect recruits?"
"There is no mistake," he said coldly. "I can never forget that scent, it's identical to the masked disciple from that unknown sect three years ago."
Jingzhou sighed, stretching his arms. "You're still stuck on that? What just because we failed that S-rank subjugation mission?"
"It is not about the mission," Ziyu's expression darkened. "It was about that disciple's talent. When Master reported how events unfolded on that mission, the Sect Leader's face froze with fear."
Jingzhou raised a brow. "Even without that, I still think you pretty much have that position in the bag."
Ziyu sighed, exasperated "You know, as the third in line in becoming chief disciple. You should be taking this more seriously."
"Since when have I ever wanted the chief disciple position? That's your thing Ziyu." He stretched lazily. "Besides I'm nowhere near third in terms of power or ability. If I became Chief Disciple, the sect would crumble in days."
"If you focus more on harnessing your abilities and give up your nightly escapades you'd overtake me in a day."
"How could you say such cruel things to me? I'd rather rot here with the ladies of the night in this desolate place than give up my romantic rendezvous!"
"Aishan is a desolate city. There's almost nothing here…"Ziyu let the thought linger."Could there be more to this mission?"Then, as if he'd solved a puzzle, he stood and strode toward the door.
Jingzhou toppled backward in his hurry. "Hey where are you going?"
"I am returning to the capital to report to the Sect-Leader."
Jingzhou perked up instantly. "Finally. I've been dying to leave this place. My beautiful ladies are waiting for my return in the capital!"
Ziyu glanced at him. "You will stay."
Jingzhou froze. "Excuse me?"
"You will remain here and monitor the situation. You have to continue investigating this lead. If you see even a trace of that person, send word immediately."
Jingzhou blinked. "…So I'm just stuck here alone?"
Ziyu nodded once. "Yes."
Jingzhou slumped dramatically. "Ziyu, you can't be so cruel to me! Are you seriously leaving me here alone!"
Ziyu was already walking away.
"Some friend you are! At least leave me more money so I can have more blissful nights in this city! Hey Ziyu! Hey Seriously!"
DEWDROP SECT - LIANHUA
"Hey, seriously, is she actually strong enough to be Chief Disciple?" Mingzhe asked, whispering to Lianhua.
Lianhua's eyes narrowed instantly.
"How dare you question Big Sister Meiruo's strength when you still can't even control your Qi properly!"
SMACK!
A wooden stick hit Mingzhe's head.
"OW! I told you to stop hitting me, you little brat!"
It had been five days since he became a disciple of the Dewdrop Sect, and during that time he woke up before dawn broke to perform basic chores; cleaning, fetching water, and cutting wood daily.
Apparently, the "capable teacher", the sect master had assigned him was Lianhua, who in her own way was extremely tyrannical in leading what she called training.
She would have Mingzhe sit in meditation within a circle deep in the bamboo forest, then send him climbing up and down the stone steps and afterward force him into horse stance in the middle of the training courtyard until the moon rose.
This was nothing like the world he had imagined. There was no luxury, no grand tournaments, and no thrilling subjugation mission waiting for him. It was far from the stories told by the traveling merchants and cultivators.
Meanwhile, poor Lianhua was having a hard time training Mingzhe. In her mind, this talentless, tactless, and downright unruly guy was completely hopeless. "She couldn't see innate Qi like Master or Meiruo. But at the very least, this guy should understand the basics of manifestation."
"Don't call me a brat! I am your senior!"
"You're seven!"
"And you're the seventh disciple!" she shot back. "That makes me, Master's third disciple, your senior!"
She whacked him again.
Mingzhe caught the stick mid-swing, "Alright, I've had enough. I don't usually hit kids. But you've been hitting me so much that I oughtta teach you some manners!"
Lianhua grinned menacingly. "Oh? Is that a threat? Maybe I should double your training since you've got so much energy!"
"Tch! You call this training?" Mingzhe scoffed, "The cultivators that come to our village train like this and that" he proceeded to throw awkward kicks and punches in the air.
Lianhua stared. "…That's the worst form I've ever seen."
"The worst?! I'm the strongest in my village!"
"You? the strongest! You couldn't take me down, even if I have one hand behind my back!"
"You and Me! You're on!" Mingzhe raised his head not really catching up with his impulsive nature, not realizing he just went on and challenged a seven-year-old little girl.
But this little girl was no one ordinary, behind her three creatures rose.
Lulu bared his fangs.
Chichi coiled midair.
Hanhan circled above.
"One versus four," Mingzhe clenched his teeth revved up for a fight. "You four don't scare me, I've fend off tigers and wolves in our village!"
Just before Lianhua was about to throw the first swing, Meiruo came between them. She placed a cloth cap on Mingzhe's head and handed him a wooden sword. Then she swapped Lianhua's stick for a thinner one.
"If you're sparring," she said calmly, "you must use these."
Linahua inspected the training gear, "Eh! No fair how come he gets protective gear, and you give me a disadvantage!"
Mingzhe looked at the cloth-hat, it had a strange pattern embroidered on it, he was certain this flimsy thing couldn't block anything.
"He's still learning to manifest qi after all, and since you can't control your emotions in a fight it's best not to fight with your familiars out." Meiruo in one swift move the three familiars were entrapped inside a rectangular piece of paper.
These rectangular pieces of paper was Qi Scripts. It was a unique talent of Meiruo, and she has only ever used them openly inside the walls of the dewdrop sect.
"I would like the sect to remain structurally intact for the Moon Festival."
Then she tossed four Qi-Scripts into the air and it lingered floating.
"Lianhua," she added, "Remember he is not your enemy, you are training him. Qi-manifestation doesn't come easy to everyone remember that." She turned to Mingzhe "Just try to focus protecting your head."
Meiruo then retreated to her little corner in the courtyard, resuming her embroidery.
Mingzhe blinked. "You're pulling my leg right? You don't expect me to actually fight with a little girl, do you?"
"Since Big Sister Meiruo said so, I'll go easy on you" Lianhua having had enough of his talk made the first move.
Imbuding her Qi on her little stick, she lunged at Mingzhe.
She moved fast.
Too fast.
Mingzhe barely raised his sword in time.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
"He blocked the first strike, surprised by the heavy pressure. He didn't expect that such a small stick would have so much strength. It felt like he was fending off a heavy sword.
He blocked. Again. Again.
More than he could count.
"Not bad," Lianhua said. "You can at least defend."
"W-what—why are you so fast?!"
"If you think that's fast…" she grinned, "keep watching!"
Her strikes accelerated.
Stronger. Sharper.
He could only retreat under the relentless barrage, each strike pushing him to a corner of the training ground. He was retreating so fast to fend of Lianhua's strikes that he slipped off the edge.
Mingzhe should have fallen off the court and fallen bad but instead he went..
BOING
He bounced back like he hit an elastic wall. Recoiling him shooting towards Lianhua.
"What?!"
He shot straight forward.
Lianhua didn't even flinch. With perfect timing, she flipped forward, planted one foot on his back and vaulted off him like he was a stepping stone. The sole of her shoes was engraved with a special pattern. This allowed her to jump off his back with a strength of an elephant.
CRACK
"YAYAOUCH!" screamed in pain as he ricocheted around the barrier.
He flung toward the opposite side, only to smack into another invisible surface.
Boing. Boing. Boing.
Left. Right. Forward. Back.
He was officially no longer a person. He was a projectile.
"Hey! quit playing around! We're in the middle of training here!" she ran towards the invisible elastic wall, kicked off trying to chase Mingzhe down.
"IT'S NOT LIKE THIS IS MY CHOICE! MAKE IT STOP!" Mingzhe said spinning out of control.
Outside the barrier, Meiruo looked up from her embroidery and gave an approving nod, "Lianhua's so clever using an elastic barrier like that."
"An elastic barrier? That's a new one!" a voice spoke up from behind her.
"Big brother Yinchen you're back!" Meiruo turned to see a familiar face.
Yinchen, three years older than Meiruo and Master Baiqing's second disciple had his traveling bag bursting with herbs clearly returning from a long trip. "I'm back! I also found master pass out drunk on the stoned steps."
He showed Master Baiqing who was dragged on a makeshift stretcher hugging a mud-stained sword and wine. Master Baiqing hiccupped "I found 'em! I promise you didn't I?! I found 'em!" he mumble a few incoherent words "You go now! go!"
Meiruo sighed "Geez! This old geezer really something else, he went out drinking again. I'll go put him in his room."
"Thank you! He's rather too heavy and I'm just wiped out."
"Meiruo he placed a small Qi Script and the stretcher floated in the air. She pushed him towards his sleeping quarters with ease "It's no problem big brother Yinchen. Could you please tell Lianhua to get started with dinner?"
"Alright I will, who's that inside the training ground with her?" Yinchen finally noticed the new face in their midst.
"That's master's newest disciple" Meiruo nodded approvingly.
"Really? Poor guy I should probably go rescue him from my little sister."
"Then I leave them to you Big Brother Yinchen."
Back in the ring, as Yinchen approached, Mingzhe's momentum had slowed. He landed face flat on the center of the court.
At some point; whether it was because of Lianhua used his spine as a launch pad or the from being tossed around by an invisible wall, he lost consciousness.
Lianhua poked him with a stick "Hey! Hey wake-up! Are you dead? Wake-up!"