Vol Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1: Qing-Yun Sect
“Sir… please, I beg of you! Please take me in...
My clan was once extremely prosperous, but --- those wretched evil framed and murdered all three hundred members of my clansmen.
My slave and I were the only survivors from the catastrophe. We had nowhere to go, until we heard about [Qing-Yun Sect] and how wonderful it was. We’ve begged and scourged our way to your door steps.
Please show this one mercy. I will prove my worth if you take me in!”
The [Qing-Yun Sect] stood over one of the world’s nine Great Spirit veins in the [Nan-Zhan Province] of the almighty [Chufung Kingdom]. Hundreds and thousands of youths could be seen lined up eagerly waiting to be questioned by a plump Taoist. And in front of the line was a young boy around the age of 10. His face covered in dirt and tears yet his watery eyes shone brightly through his muddy face.
“Do you have any recommendation letter?” Asked the plump Taoist impatiently.
“No…” The boy embarra.s.sedly answered.
“How about any jewels?”
“No…”
“What about any special innate powers or talents?”
“No”--
“No letter means you’re insignificant. No jewels means you’re poor. And no talent? Then you’re just worthless.” The questioning ended in just a few seconds before the furious Taoist kicked the boy down the flights of stairs.
The Taoist screamed at him angrily, “What is a loser like you doing here? How dare you even want to learn from the great [Qing-Yun Sect]? This is not a charity! Leave!”
A cacophony of laughter burst from the long line behind the boy. Everyone who laughed thought the same: ‘Penniless but wanting to join the [Qing-Yun Sect]? What a joke!’
After all, the [Qing-Yun Sect] had rich roots dating back to over 3000 years ago and held an irreplaceable position in the [Chufung Kingdom]. Any one of its Inner Sect disciples could easily take down a martial arts master. Take a recent example with a group of bandits living in the Northwest of the [Chufung Kingdom], who were so ruthless and cunning that even the local officials were unable to do anything about them. That was until Xiao Jianmin, a Core Disciple of the [Qing-Yun Sect]’s Inner Sect heard about their evil deeds. By himself, along with his sword, he infiltrated the bandit headquarters and killed nine of all 10 bandits. Only the 10th and the youngest bandit was able to somehow escape. Of course, as this was great news to the villagers and the local officials, Xiao became a celebrity and a hero to the people of [Chufung Kingdom] overnight. Because of events like this, the [Qing-Yun Sect] became a household name within the [Chufung].
Coincidentally, this year held [Qing-Yun Sect]’s Recruiting Ceremony, which occurred once in every ten years. The affluent families did whatever they can to enroll their children into the Sect, whether through bribery or through connections, just so that they would have a chance in learning to master the Qi and spiritual cultivation. And, hopefully, maybe even becoming a hero like that of Xiao one day.
[TL note: Qi: 气, or chi, is the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis of much Chinese philosophy and medicine.]
Yet this boy, empty handed and dressed in dirty rags, with nothing to offer dares to want the same as these families who have spent a fortune? Such wishful thinking.
After the boy was kicked by the Taoist, he quietly dusted himself off, stood up, and briskly walked back to about 30 yards away.
He screamed at the top of his lungs: “HOW DARE YOU KICK ME! You freakishly fat pig with pus running out of your smelly feet and that haemorrhoid-growing stupid thing of yours you call a head! Oh, and your face is like a cow! How dare you call me worthless! You should be thankful that I’m even considering to join your sect! You will regret this as you’ve failed to recognize someone of such great importance! And when I come back to burn your pitiful monastery down…”
“You son of-- How dare you insult me!” Grabbing his long sword without a second thought, the infuriated plump Taoist rushed towards the boy.
But the Taoist couldn’t even touch him as the boy zig-zagged swiftly across those waiting in line. Without much success, the Taoist soon gave up. And after catching his breath, he broke into a series of loud curses. The supposedly solemn and sacred Recruiting Ceremony of the [Qing-Yun Sect] was soon filled with laughter and chatter as the cat-and-mouse chase took place.
“You should be thankful that I want to join your sect, you know! You’d better let me in or when I do join a different sect and master the Qi,” the boy laughed as he yelled at the Taoist, “I’ll beat the h.e.l.l out of you until you wet your pants and asks for mommy!”
“Someone… If someone…” As the Taoist tried to catch his breath, he thought of a plan, “If someone catches him, they can skip the line! I will register them straight away!!”
Upon hearing the plump Taoist’s plan, the boy started to fret and readied to leave.
Everyone else, however, was thinking the same thing. Skipping the line would literally save hours of waiting, especially when the line on this narrow path was thousands of people long. But some thought even deeper. This was also a hidden opportunity to get on the good side of the plump Taoist, and all one had to do was to take down a small child. If by any chance that they could become a disciple of the [Qing-Yun Sect], having a s.h.i.+xiong who would be able to look after them would bring a lot of ease in settling in.
[TL note: s.h.i.+xiong: 师兄, Senior Martial Brother, Senior Apprentice-Brother.]
For a while, the young boy was able to escape multiple men almost double his age. Until a pale-faced man, whose body was so thin that he almost looked sick, finally caught him. Despite his weak disposition, the pale-faced man was deceptively strong as he firmly grabbed the boy by the collar and coldly asked, “So you know a bit of Kung Fu, huh?”
The boy tried squirming, but was unable to do anything of his situation.
“Thank you, brother! What is your name?” The plump Taoist panted as he ran up to the man.
“Please call me Hou Qing,” the pale-faced man said politely, hoping to please the plump Taoist, “and please don’t mention it. I was just helping s.h.i.+xiong in catching this little monkey.”
“Of course, yes. As soon as I teach this monkey a lesson, I will take you to registration,” smiled the Taoist, then turning to the boy with a smirk while rubbing his fat knuckles, “I am an Outer Sect disciple of [Qing-Yun Sect]. How dare you curse me? Even if I’m not going to kill you today, you ain’t leaving here without paying something for what you’ve said. As a disciple of a well-known sect, the plump Taoist wouldn’t dare to hurt the life of the boy, even if he’s just a beggar. At most, a few punches and slaps to teach the boy a lesson.
“P… Please don’t hurt my young master….” A little girl, with her small arms spread, suddenly jumped in front of the boy, attempted to protect the boy from the Taoist. The little girl’s thin stature looked especially small standing in front of the fat Taoist. She looked to be around 6 or 7 years old and just as dirty as the boy. However, her dirt-ridden face could not cover her beautiful facial features. In particular, her bright eyes that seem to have a slight tint of emerald. The little girl’s ears were also peculiar as they were slightly pointy, like that of a fox, which made her look like a Mahn.
“What are you doing! Stupid Xiao-Mahn! Didn’t I tell you to stay out of trouble?” The boy scolded.
[TL note: Xiao means small in Chinese, can usually be seen used when nicknaming someone]
“But young master, if… If I don’t come out to stop them, they’ll hit you!” Xiao-Mahn stubbornly said, spreading her frail arms even more widely.
“I, your master, is more powerful than you think! Who do you think you are! Go away now!” The boy threatened the Mahn girl all the while still hanging mid-air, making it look like a rather awkward scenery.
“Say wha-? A beggar like you has a Mahn for a slave?” The plump Taoist interrupted and spoke in a manner as if he had starved for days, voraciously gazing at the little girl in front of him.
Mahn, or Mahn people are simply just half-breeds, born between a human parent and a beast parent. They were regarded as the lowest rungs of this world, as the beast tribes considered Mahn people to be inept, due to them being tainted with weak human blood; while the human tribes feared Mahn people’s beastly features and tendencies. With such prejudice from both sides, Mahns have become domesticated pets, slaves, and even concubines to their human masters. Despite their lowly status, it is only the wealthy or powerful individuals that were able to afford a Mahn. Which, clearly, was not how the young boy looked.
“Shut up, you lowly creature,” Hou Qing gave the girl a kick from the back, sending her flying.