All-Knowing Novice, page 9
Fan Shun was the only one in the whole city he’d voluntarily let see him without his hood or mask in years. “Thank you,” he told her, his voice shifting to a deeper tone, caused by the emotion he was feeling.
Nothing else was said, and they sat in companionable silence for the rest of the afternoon. Taryn knew that as Rala rose on the morn, so too would his life change forever. His time being a Clanless was over, and it was time for him to forge his own destiny.
Taryn glanced down at his bag, but he didn’t see it. He only saw the journal and what it meant for his future.
AS DAWEN REACHED ITS apex, two men reached the top of the wall overlooking Haven City. The two men were tall, taller than anyone in Haven City. Both men wore a mishmash of armor pieces on top of black-and-red robes, but their body types were completely different. One was heavyset, with a thick barrel chest and wide shoulders. A pair of axes hung from metal rings on both hips, giving him easy access to his weapons and the ability to draw them at a moment’s notice. The man’s red eyes glinted with predatory glee as he stared out over the city.
In stark contrast to the first man, the second man’s red eyes held only boredom and contempt. Rather than being heavyset, this man was thin and wiry, his body designed for speed rather than power. A long stick poked over his right shoulder, the top of which had been wrapped in a thick cloth and secured with a leather strap.
Without a word passing between them, the two men stepped off the wall and plummeted towards the ground. They landed on a rooftop in the market district without a sound—not even dust was disturbed by their presence.
“I don’t sense anyone here,” the heavyset man said. His voice was raspy and sounded as if his throat had been seriously wounded before. As he spoke, the two spotted a guard patrol weaving their way around the buildings a street away. There were only two men in the patrol, and though the two men did not know it, the red robes and clinking of weapons revealed them to be part of the Cai clan.
“They must possess some form of script or technique that conceals their cultivation,” the thin man guessed.
The heavyset man gave him a questioning look, which prompted the thin man to roll his eyes in consternation. “Fine, but be on your guard. We don’t know what tricks these... people are hiding. And if possible, try to contain yourself. This could be an opportunity for us to walk freely in the city.”
“I know I know,” the heavyset man grumbled. He leapt into the air, clearing five buildings in a single jump. He landed behind the guards and withdrew his axes. To his surprise, neither man reacted to his presence. He rotated his axes so the blades pointed away from the men, and then swung; even though he’d been holding back, the axe hit the first man hard enough to collapse his skull. The heavyset man grew annoyed, as even after the death of his comrade, it took the other man a few seconds to react, and in that time the heavyset man swung again.
“Pathetic,” the heavyset man spat. He’d barely attempted to conceal himself and yet the two men still hadn’t noticed him. And they were so fragile. Light swings, like the kind he might have used to discipline a child, were enough to kill them. They were little more than infants. “Duan He,” the heavyset man said into the darkness. A moment later, the thin man emerged from an alleyway to stand by his side.
“Yes, I noticed it as well. They aren’t concealing their cultivation, it’s much simpler than that; they’re just so weak we can’t sense them.” Duan He grabbed the leg of one of the Cai men and looked to the heavyset man. “We must dispose of the bodies before someone sees us.”
“And why would that matter? These men were no better than a child, a toddler, even.”
“Because children can be sneaky. They haven’t learned what it means to be honorable yet. It is better for us to lie low and learn about these... people. If it turns out that everyone here is as weak as these two men, then we can act accordingly.” Duan He jumped, clearing two buildings in his first jump, and arrived back at the wall in only one more. He leapt again and kicked off the wall several times as he ascended to the top in mere moments.
The heavyset man, otherwise known as Gu Qigang, grumbled a bit at being ordered around but followed after Duan He anyway. Even with his massive bulk, Gu Qigang scaled the wall almost as easily as Duan He. The Cai clansmen would never be seen again, but the creatures outside the wall would surely appreciate the free meal.
Chapter 7
DEEP INSIDE THE QIAO clan’s massive compound was a tiny courtyard with a large tree in the center.
A small stream flowed into two branching paths that rejoined on the other side of the tree, forming something of a circle around it.
A warm summer’s breeze drifted through branches of the large tree, and Qiao Xia Yawen’s ears focused on the sound of leaves shaking in the wind.
The courtyard was just outside her bedroom, and she rather liked coming out here to meditate while sitting at the base of the tree, especially at night when she was sure no one would bother her.
As was the case now.
With no one around to disturb her, Yawen could focus on the things that really mattered—like her cultivation. Ever since she’d reached the body refining stage a few months ago, her family had begun placing more pressure on her than ever before, and to make matters worse, her mother had given the order that she be watched both day and night.
While this was meant for her protection, all it did was make her feel like she was a prisoner in her own home, her only solace being in the times she spent training with her younger sister, Xia Yazhu.
Especially after the “Incident” earlier in the year. Her mother would barely allow her out of the compound after that. The only way she was ever allowed to leave was if she took her uncle Tao or younger brother with her. Neither of which she could do and still meet up with her friends on the outside.
Divines help her if her mother ever found out that she was in love with someone from outside the clan.
She expelled such thoughts from her mind and focused on re-centering herself. Once she was confident that she would no longer be distracted by such trivialities, she focused on moving the Eco inside her.
Focusing all her attention on her core, which was located just beneath her heart, she visualized it as a transparent sphere containing a small puddle of golden liquid.
Connected to the sphere were six transparent tubes that extended towards her limbs and head: these “tubes” were called channels, and they were the vessels through which Eco traveled throughout the body.
Each tube had tens of thousands of smaller tubes branching off of it. They spanned the entirety of her body, most following the paths of her blood vessels. At her will, the sphere released its hold on the liquid and allowed it to move into the tubes leading into her right arm.
From that moment on, she followed the golden liquid with her mind’s eye as it traveled throughout her body, never staying in one place for more than a fraction of a second. This was the key to the body refining stage; each and every day it was required that she allow her Eco to saturate her bones, muscles, and veins until they could hold no more.
Over the course of a decade, this would allow her body to take on the attributes of her destined Eco form, permanently enhancing her physical attributes to a level that would match, or even exceed, her current strength while channeling Battle Eco.
This would no doubt multiply her power by several magnitudes. It would also prolong her lifespan by several decades, though that was secondary. Yawen didn’t care to live forever, that was never her goal. All she wanted, all she’d ever wanted, was to live her life by her own desires.
That she was already at this level while only sixteen years of age was the cause of her mother’s newfound paranoia.
Though her mother would never admit it, Yawen knew she didn’t see her as a daughter anymore. No, she was a symbol now. A symbol to the rest of the Qiao clan that their future would be bright under her “leadership”.
What Yawen wanted at that point became irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was the clan. And Yawen knew that whether she liked it or not, she was destined to become the next matriarch, with all the consequences of that position.
That is, until she was allowed to decide what her coming-of-age quest would be.
All Qiao children were given a test upon their eighteenth birthday that showed whether or not they were ready for the responsibilities of adulthood. As the daughter of the matriarch, Yawen would never be allowed to have a simple task. No, her task must be befitting of her station... Hence her decision to go to the Qiao ancestral home.
Well, there was another reason for her decision.
The Qiao ancestral home was located in the ruins of Old Haven City: supposedly, a place no one had been to in generations. But she knew from looking at old maps and drawings that there were multiple ways in and out of the old city. One such entrance was controlled by the Qiao, while another was controlled by the Ukata.
Yawen smiled at the thought of meeting her love again. She’d secretly sent him a letter, asking him to meet her in the old ruins so they could run away together. She knew it was possible, as she’d seen the other exits on the maps they kept in the archives.
All it would take was an “accident,” and the two of them could escape the city together with no one the wiser. Yawen would rather die than live under the clan’s thumb for however long they deigned to keep her around.
Whether that come from faking her death or not, Yawen wouldn’t be returning to Haven City.
And that thought made her smile wider still.
“Something’s got you in a good mood.” At the sound of her mother’s voice, Yawen opened her eyes.
She saw Qiao Xia Zexian kneeling before her. Her overly long green robe had been wrapped around her waist to keep it from getting wet as she crossed the small stream.
Her mother was a gorgeous woman. They shared the same black eyes and silver hair color, but where they differed was her mother’s hair was always kept short, barely long enough to touch the top of her ears. And while Yawen was petite, Xia Zexian was curvy, with wide hips and a narrow waist.
Xia Zexian was also in the spirit rising stage, which meant she was one of the most powerful cultivators in the city and would likely keep her current appearance for at least another century or two.
“Just thinking about my coming-of-age quest. I’m excited,” Yawen told her, which was the truth, if not the whole truth.
“Good, excitement is good.” Though her mother agreed, Yawen could feel that there was a but coming. “However, since you’ve been so insistent on pursuing this particular quest, some of the elders suggested that we send you with some protection, just in case something... unexpected happens.”
Yawen’s stomach dropped at her mother’s words. “What kind of protection?” she asked hesitantly. She hoped her mother couldn’t see the shock on her face.
“Nothing too extravagant, I assure you. In the morning we are going to send word that we are looking for a few porters to escort you, that’s all. Per the clan rules, we can’t send anyone from the clan to protect you; this is still something you and your brother must do on your own. But there’s nothing stopping us from sending someone to carry your luggage, right?” Xia Zexian winked at her, then stood up and brushed off her knees. “We’ll let you know once we’ve decided who we’re going to send with you.” Xia Zexian lightly bent her knees and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Yawen couldn’t see her movements, but she knew where to look. Her eyes landed on her mother in time to see her slide open the door. Yawen watched her go through narrowed eyes. Having someone coming along with her would certainly make things difficult. She’d need to send out another letter soon.
“Oh, and one more thing, dear. Be careful going down into the ruins. I received a report yesterday morning about an Eco Beast that managed to get through our defenses a few nights ago, wounding several warriors in the process. Luckily, it was killed before it could get to any civilians, but its presence means that they are getting bolder. I’d certainly hate to have to train your sister to replace you should anything happen.” Xia Zexian showed Yawen a sly smile, then disappeared through the door to Yawen’s bedroom.
Yawen’s jaw muscles flexed, and she tightened her fists until her knuckles went white and her fingernails cut deeply into her palms, causing trickles of blood to seep from between her fingers. “Divines curse you, Mother...”
THE MORNING AFTER TARYN and Fan Shun came to an understanding, Taryn found himself back at the training field. This time he wasn’t there to be punished, at least not intentionally. Instead, he was there to prove to Fan Shun once and for all that what he’d said was true.
Though she wanted to believe him, and she didn’t think he would lie to her about something of this nature, a part of her just couldn’t believe it.
Taryn’s first thought was just to have her read the journal herself, but that only ended up making her even more skeptical. Because to Fan Shun, the pages of the journal were blank.
So, to ease her nerves and prove that he wasn’t lying, Taryn decided a little demonstration was in order.
Thinking back to his makeshift weapon, Taryn borrowed a twenty-foot-long rope and a simple ring pommel dagger from his grandmother. He looped the rope through the ring and created a secure knot to keep it from slipping out, then he practiced spinning the blade through the air.
The dagger was a bit shorter than his forearm, which meant it was still slightly longer than his/the Mourner’s memories recommended, but the basic principle remained the same. The dagger was an extremely light weapon and was predominantly used for stabbing, which suited the function of this weapon perfectly. Taryn only wished he knew what to call it.
That was the most frustrating part about his situation; he had all this knowledge at his fingertips, practically given to him by the divines, and yet it was incomplete.
However, even if he only knew a fraction of a single martial art, it made him infinitely more capable than he was a few days ago.
Taryn knew he had no right to complain about something that quite literally fell into his lap, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself.
He gradually increased the speed of his swings until the blade sung as it traveled through the air. And then, once the blade was nothing but a blur to his own eyes, he hooked his leg around the rope and kicked, causing the blade to follow the direction of his foot and stab into a tree ten feet away.
He gave the rope an easy pull, which caused it to fall free of the thick tree bark, and just before it hit the ground he yanked on the rope, causing the knife to smoothly return to his awaiting hand. Following the momentum of the blade, Taryn quickly rotated on the spot and flung the dagger in another direction, only for it to suddenly change directions once again just before it would’ve pierced another tree.
Fan Shun seemed honestly impressed by the demonstration. Which made sense; for someone who’d been unable to throw a decent punch five days ago, Taryn was surprisingly skilled with the rope dagger.
By his own metric, Taryn even believed that he had better-than-average odds of surviving an encounter with someone from the core forming stage.
Though, the longer she watched him manipulate the rope dagger, the more she frowned.
“Well, you’re not awful.” Her appraisal was succinct, but accurate. “From an outside perspective, the way you manipulate the rope is definitely confusing, but only at the beginning. Anyone with even a modicum of experience can tell how difficult it would be for you to move while spinning the rope and would use that to their advantage. You do deserve some praise since you definitely have some grasp on how to use this... weapon.” Fan Shun looked remarkably uncomfortable at calling it such, mostly because it was so foreign to her, but she would give credit where credit was due—the weapon would surely give pause to most people in the city. “But can you fight without it? What if it gets taken from you or you’re unable to move it because the dagger got stuck in someone’s body? What happens then?”
Taryn had expected that question. And the truth was, a more experienced user of the rope dagger wouldn’t have that issue. They could run and wield the dagger with equal amounts of skill. However, while Taryn certainly had the knowledge, what he didn’t have was the experience to properly put it to use.
“I... can certainly try,” Taryn vaguely replied.
“Can you?” Fan Shun tilted her head to the side, the amusement she felt at his response showing in her lifted eyebrows and strained lips. It was clear to Taryn that she wanted to laugh but was forcing herself not to. “Let me give you a piece of grandmotherly advice, Taryn. You don’t ‘try’ to survive a fight. You either put your life on the line and make it happen or you die.”
Taryn was promptly knocked off his feet by a palm strike to the sternum.
Fan Shun had moved so quickly that she’d appeared as nothing but a blur. The air was knocked from Taryn’s lungs as he landed squarely on his back. As he gasped at the unexpected pain, he stared at his grandmother’s face. She was still wearing that amused expression and was standing with her arms folded beneath her chest. “Well, come on, then. Show me what you can do.”
“Just—just try not to die from the shock. I’d hate for your old heart give out,” he snarked while grinning.
“I’m sure my heart will be just fine.” She laughed.
Taryn tried to roll over his shoulders and return to his feet, but Fan Shun was there to stop him. She grabbed his right leg before he could use it to right himself and pulled him off balance. His eyes bulged as he felt a sharp pain across his backside. The slap to his rear was strong enough to send him stumbling forward a ways, forcing him to do a forward roll over his shoulder or risk falling on his face.
