Chapter 309 - One Hundred and Nine - They spar in the woods (1/2)
The pair from the Savage Red Sands Force were not the only group to have set about exploring the landscape of the famous Ascending Mountain Institute, a place they'd thought that they'd only ever know by reputation.
A group of seven young men and women were currently traipsing though the mountainous forests close to where they had been advised that the (outer) martial arts school could be found. If there was a truth to admit, though their lips remained firmly sealed to it, they were lost.
Of this group, five were male, two female, but all wore styles of dress that were of high quality of fabrics and excellent tailoring. The embroidery was flawless and intricate, despite the patterns seeming somewhat simple in comparison to what they might otherwise had worn and they wore boots rather than slippers or embroidered shoes. Others of their ilk would nod their head, believing that their style was quite appropriate in order to 'fit in' with a lower class of people who lived in a more untamed environment, unaware that they had completely missed the marked point. The twig of an unpruned shrub caught the silk threads of the peony sewn upon one girl's skirt.
”Ling Ling, help me!” The girl had a m.a.t.u.r.e form yet young face, her slightly rounded cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she attempted to loosen the catch without ruining the silks. The other girl, a tall young woman with a willowy frame and indifferent expression, paused before stepping over to assist her friend.
The most angry of the youthful men clicked his tongue then kicked at a stone that had scuffed his boot when he'd inadvertently tripped over it. ”What sort of landscape is this? No paths, no sense of placement. It's simply barbaric!”
”That student might have given us the wrong direction,” a sunny faced youth with naturally smiling eyes pointed out. His naturally golden hair added to his amicable appearance, however, if one looked deep enough into those dark eyes, one might witness a scheming mind behind them.
The angry youth seemed of simpler temperament, hot headed and brash, but without complicated thought. ”That person should not dare!” The person they spoke of wore the hemp cloth of a peasant, his only reactions to their presence should be of fear and obedience. This was their experience, they had never thought too deeply beyond this.
The blond haired man was not so naive as his friend, but also unlike his friend, who would forget this possible slight come the following daybreak, he would set this wrong into his heart and seek recompense.
”Never mind,” the tallest youth amongst them adjusted slim framed glasses and glanced around himself. ”Teacher did mention that this Institute was much wilder and uncouth than its generous reputation suggests. We will take this as a lesson learned.” The youths nodded as if all agreeing with him.
Suddenly, a clash of metal came to ear and attracted their attentions. Glancing at each other quickly, they soon moved forward as a group seeking the increasing rhythmic beating of metal against metal, aware that there was likely people behind those familiar sounds. And where there was people, there was their way out of this ghastly forest.
The sounds increased in volume and a flash of midnight cloth caught the eye of the sharpest amongst them and he glanced towards the movement which happened to within the canopy of trees. The thud of a heavy boot sounded as did a deep hearted chuckle and a man in brown appeared before their vision as he leapt from one branch to another, cold steel in hand. That steel clashed against more of its ilk, though this was possessed by another man, who wore black cloth decorated with vivid orange koi.
The two men were who were well known to the Institute as Bowyer and Jin Li, were not known to outsiders, who could only watch as they furiously sparred.
The blood within their veins was hot and flowing intensely as their hearts raced and bodies sought to move more agilely and with increased swiftness. Their minds instructed and their muscles moved, their swords had already become an extension of themselves as they tested each other over and over. This was a game that they had long since become accustomed too, yet as was suggested by Bowyer's Teacher, it was one that had become stale. In truth, few real battles took place in an arena, so why not extend their experience to outside? The perimeter of the inner school was protected and not extensive as the positioning of the school was overly high without great boundaries, better to use the expansive forests stretching around in every direction of the outer school.
Hence how they came to be here and how the students of the Qilin Academy of Excellence came to find them.
Although they were deep into their battle, they were not so focused upon their opponent that they neglected their surroundings, something that would be fatal in the outside world after all. They quickly came to notice that their battlegrounds had been intruded upon. At first they thought it might have been their own, spectating. First years were particularly curious about seniors, but also seniors never failed to scope out who they might learn from in the future. However, something wrung false.
With mutual understanding, they paused and sheathed their weapons in order to confront these strangers.