Chapter 14: Lunar Festivals [1] (1/2)
Throughout the following month, Ju Feng was spending more time cultivating his soul and vigorously practicing his martial arts. He had resolved not to disappoint his mother and grandparents, but rather, to make them proud in all things.
Everyday, he practiced martial arts from morning till the afternoon, mystical arts from the afternoon till evening and cultivation technique till late in the night. These extensive trainings were having a massive effect on his development.
In martial arts, he was focusing more on the Shifting Heavens hand technique since It was not an element affiliated technique, but a technique that relied on the chi energy inside the body. Although he was still at the initial stages of swordsmanship, he shifted his attention to hand combat which was more easier to learn.
His training in the mystical arts had continued with him using the Soul Pith technique making his soul gained more awareness and got more connected to his affiliated elements.
Meanwhile, he was still at the early stage of Chi refining in cultivation, but using the astral primal technique had increased the quantity and quality of Chi in his body to an alarming state.
As the festival date got nearer, there was great happiness in the air as the villages were gripped in the celebration mood, preparing food and drinks to be shared with others. Lunar dumplings made of rice, lunar cakes of millet, lunar grubs of moon-bugs and lunar milk from the mountain yaks, were some of the treaties that were being arranged for the festival.
Ju Feng was extremely anxious to see what a major festival would look like as the following day would be the beginning of the lunar festival. The villages chieftains, designated village elders and the nascent soul cultivators would all be there. However, if there were no nascent souls in a village, golden core cultivators would be representing the village. And since it was an open festival, any villager who could also make the trip was a highly welcomed.
He had never seen a major festival before talk-less of one involving all the nine villages, hence, he had been preparing for the day. At one corner of the room, was his folded the new robe, given to him by his mother. All these were creating anxiety in him which he tried to alleviate through meditation, but after a while, he slowly slept off.
The following morning, he woke up very early and cleaned himself before putting on his new robe. As a special day, there would be no form of training on this day. He arrived in the living chamber as his mother and grandmother were preparing the morning food, and the ones for the festival.
”Good morning ma, grandma.”
”Good morning, son.”
”Good morning, my grandson.”
Zhang Wang Jing smiled before pointing to her grandson's robe.
”Is that a new robe you have on?”
”Yes grandma. Ma just got them for me.”
He smiled gleamingly while patting his robe. His conversation with his grandma was cut short by Zhang Xiu Ying who set the prepared food on the table before reaching for the basket.
”That's the last one, ma.”
The lunar plain was at the centre of the nine villages which was over seventy miles from their village. As a special occasion's day, they decided to ride their swords which quickly turned to streaks of lights as they sped towards the plain. And in a matter of seconds, they arrived at the lunar plain.
Alighting from their swords after arriving in a matter of seconds, they quickly located headman Huan Yu and the section for their village containing needed cultivators and other villagers. As they headed in the direction of headman Huan, they continued exchanging greetings with the people they met from other villages who were happy to be there.
Standing beside Huan Yu, was the other peak-stage nascent soul cultivator in Sky-Spring village, Chu Shang Wu — the terra bane — a powerful terra element cultivator. He cordially greeted Zhang Xiu Ying due to their non-competitive relationship as nascent soul cultivators before extending greetings the other family members.