140 Grueling Training (1/2)
The child was unable to stand up in time, and could only roll on the ground in obvious pain; his reaction was pure reflex, an instinctual reaction to avoid danger and survive.
The six horses galloped past him, brushing past his face with little room to spare. The danger was finally over…
The child then stood up in a sweeping motion as stars greeted his vision just as his feet planted themselves on the ground. He immediately fell over again. The near-death situation earlier had taken all his energy; now that the danger was past, he lost his hold on consciousness the moment he heaved a sigh of relieve.
”Wake him up!” The old mistress was enraged. ”How can he faint at such a time? Splash him awake with cold water! The training has to continue!”
One of the noblewomen standing at the sides could no longer watch as she begged weakly, ”Mother… please… let them rest a little more… Little Fif, he’s only six years old!”
Shangguan Lingxiu, who was standing on the other side, bit her lips tightly. Determination painted her face instead of the supposed gentleness of a woman.
The old mistress shut her eyes and sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt in her heart.
In most occasions, she would have been obstinately resolute, but this time, she finally softened her stance.
”Alright. Why not…” Just as she spoke, Shangguan Lingxiu hollered loudly, ”No! No rest! Nobody gets to rest before the time is up!”
The determination in her tone held no room for discussion.
”Lingxiu!” The middle-aged woman beside her was spewing fire from her eyes. ”Do you intend to torture them to death?”
Shangguan Lingxiu bit her lips tightly.
”This drill ground has existed in the Shangguan Family for over seventy years! All these years, the men of Shangguanhave all trained and drilled in this very spot before they entered the battlefield.”
”I was born late. I was not fated to watch my grandfather train here.” Shangguan Lingxiu said loudly, ”However, I have seen my father and uncles trained and ground to perfection here!”
”I have also watched my brothers take charge of this place, clenching their teeth and bleeding, drilling themselves since they were three or four!”
”All of them worked hard, really really hard.” Shangguan Lingxiu said aloud, ”But even though they broke their backs practicing here, they still died in the battlefield!”
”The difficulty of training now has only increased a tiny bit compared to when my brothers trained at this age. However, it’s still far from satisfactory!”
”I’d rather they trained to their deaths in this drill ground than to enter the battlefield in future and fall on the cold-blooded earth, beneath the enemy horses' hooves, for them to become the enemies’ meritorious achievement!”
”Keep it up! Continue the training! The only way you can rest before the time is up is if you die!”
”No favors for anyone! Now, get back to work!”
Shangguan Lingxiu’s delicate face was flushed, her gaze burning with fervor. ”Faster! Otherwise, you’ll be caned!”
With the slicing sounds of the whip, six children shakily climbed up onto the horses again as they gritted their teeth and continued to go through the different motions.
”This is the Shangguan Family of Generals!” Shangguan Lingxiu announced loudly, ”This is how it is for the descendants of the general family. You either revive the Shangguan Family of Generals’ glory by stepping on the enemy’s corpses and carrying the heads of your foes or you succumb to the enemy’s blades and become their victory!”
”This is the destiny of the Shangguan Family of Generals’ men. There is no other way!”
Her declaration was shrill and sharp, carried by the autumn wind, adding a chill to the billowing wind.
…
It was evening when Shangguan Lingxiu brought her nephews out as the group moved soundlessly.
Their route grew increasingly deserted.
Finally, the group arrived at a squalid destination.
This was the red-light district of Tiantang City; countless thugs and gangsters, criminals and fugitives gathered here, surviving in this dark slum.
This was the land of the forgotten.
It was quiet abandonment where almost no person or activity could be seen during the day yet when night came, all sorts of monsters and demons came out from their hiding spots to hold a party of their own.
People drank and argued; some brawled while others grabbed onto any woman that was handy to fulfill their carnal natures.
Under the dim lantern lights, twisted faces were everywhere – menacing, scary, and brutal.
A burly man came stumbling over and extended his claws towards a ragged woman. ”Come to me my love, have fun with this father.”
Before his claws could reach his target, a tiny shadow suddenly appeared as a punch landed on the man’s stomach.
”Little f*cker, you dare punch your father? Are you seeking your death?” The man could feel the intensity of the punch as if his guts were about to spill out. However, he was furious enough to ignore the pain and countered the attack mercilessly.
His opponent was a tiny shadow who could only be five to six years old at most. The shadow stealthily dodged the attack and skipped agilely away. He was avoiding the man's strikes while trying to find a window to counter; the tiny fist that seemed weak could actually pack a powerful punch. The man cried out in pain as the began to throw a flurry of punches in his direction.
It looked like victory and defeat was clear but the burly man was an adult after all. A single punch or kick that reached the child could turn the situation around as the child would never be able to shrug it off, small as he was.
Even though he had been through an extremely grueling training regime, he was still just a six years old child after all.
Thud!