Chapter 1 (2/2)

“Looks like the lives of the small folks in the capital are quite good, vastly different from that of those living in the western edges of the empire,” the teen thought as he took in the sights.

Taking the reins of his horse, the teen turned right onto another avenue, then stepped into a small alleyway to the left after a short walk. It wasn’t long before he saw the front doors of his home. The alley itself wasn’t much, and its inhabitants were all ordinary individuals, yet it is hard to imagine that in less that a few decades in the future this same street will be filled to the brim with tourists coming to visit the house that their Emperor once called home.

“Aunt Wu!”

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

“Who?” As the door opened with a creak, a middle aged women around forty years came walking out. The teen immediately recognized her as Aunt Wu, his neighbor from his childhood days.

“It’s me, Wufeng”

“Wufeng, it’s really you, where have you been these past two years? There weren’t even a simple message, you really had me worried. If something have had happened to you, how could I fulfill my promise and face your mother, heaven bless her soul.”

“Aunt Wu, aren’t I back now? Not to mention, I’m not young anymore, and just like I said when I left, I’m capable of taking care of myself now.”

Unwilling to let go, Aunt Wu asked about all aspects of Wufeng’s health with concern, making it a while until he was able to describe his journey over the last two years.

“Wufeng, you are only sixteen yet you’ve already visited such a great number of places, it must have been hard on you to be alone in the past years.”

“It was nothing much really, ” despite saying these words, recalling his original 14 year old self, the hards.h.i.+p that he endured in the past two years has really forged his growth from a frail child into a athletic teen. ‘To be bestowed with great responsibility, one must be suffered with ordeals and tribulation so as to break one’s will; subdue one’s spirit; exhaust one’s muscles; starve one’s flesh.’ Heeding the teachings of his master, these two seemingly short years has opened his eyes, deepened his wisdom, and tempered his body, greatly improving his martial skills. It was these two years of hards.h.i.+p that set him onto the path of adulthood.

“Oh, speaking of which, I haven’t seen Daniu and Erniu.”*

“Daniu and his father went to the docks to help out, Erniu has already married to the fourth son of the Zhang family across the street, who works at the pharmacy as a clerk, and from what I heard, they are pretty well off. That being said, I heard lately that there’s been war in the east and bandits to the north, I fear that the peaceful days will soon be over. Your uncle will soon be here, I’m going to go prepare the food, wait until then and we will celebrate your return.”

Resting in the home that he hasn’t returned to for more than two years, Li Wufeng couldn’t help but be touched by the heartfelt concern of his neighbors. Now that he is home, he would have to consider his next steps in life. Suddenly, he remembered what Uncle Wu said during dinner about the army’s recruitment drive at Victory Square, perhaps this is a chance, a start that he can use to realize his childhood dream.

His master had already mentioned two years past that in the current state of the continent, the Tanghe Empire is surrounded by threats, to the east, ambitious military governors threatens the stability of the Imperial court; to the north, the Empire is faced with annual incursion by the northern nomadic tribes; at the same time the Empire is also surrounded by enemy states seeking to topple its hegemony. Internally, the situation isn’t any better, minor slave and peasant revolts are increasingly more common, leading to a rise in banditry. Compared to the empire of ages past, the current Tanhe Empire has long since lost its might.

Nations in the central part of the continent faces constant war from the aggression of the northern nomadic tribes. Towards the south lies the alliance of smaller cities states who have had been at peace for the last decade. While the situation may seem calm on the surface, because of of imbalance of economic development, smaller conflict are not eliminated and the threat of war still persists.Towards the east lies a constant state of war between four major powers, three large kingdoms and a fourth grand alliance. This state of conflict is further aggravated by the nomadic tribes of the north who invades their southern neighbors year after year without fail.

Thinking of the current state of the world, Wufeng is deeply reminded of the words of an unknown philosopher, that in order to make a difference and voice in today’s world, one must possess strength and skill, without them, one could only dream.If he enters the army today, then he can show off his strength and skill, making a name and place for himself. Thinking of this, he could not help but make up his mind before gradually drifting off to a peaceful slumber.

After the first comfortable sleep he have had in a long while, he woke up on the second morning when the sun hasn’t even risen yet. Walking out into the yard, he proceeded to practice his martial arts, a routine that, under no special circ.u.mstance, he would be doing without fail. It is as the proverb said, against the current, if you are not steadily advancing, then you being slowly pushed back.

When Li Wufeng heard Aunt Wu calling him for breakfast, he tidied up after himself then quickly went to  their side. After breakfast, he discussed his decision with the Wu family. While Aunt Wu have some concerns, Uncle Wu is fully supportive of Wufeng’s decision, thinking that a young man should be willing to go through hards.h.i.+p and test his skills in the real world.

*Edit 1: I just realized, the “niu” used for Daniu is the one used for cattle, implying that the character is male while the “niu” used for Erniu is one of the short form/nicknames to describe a girl.

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