Chapter 10:

Chapter 10

‘It is virtuous to be mighty, but might does not grant virtue.’

These were the words of the Empress more than 500 years ago when she decried the treachery of the of the Stellar Blade Sect as they decided to betray her while she was busy trying to exterminate the Eastern Spider Clans.

I am more surprised by the fact one of the documents I have been managing to find in the Archive had an actual quote from the woman than the fact that the empire did not see Might as inherently moral, but did view wishing to acquire it as such.

It is for that reason that, even assuming that I am not going to succeed in becoming a cultivator, I will still walk in the path of my father and be a guard. It might not be glamorous work, but it is good honest work.

A single swoosh and in a split second I was on the ground and the mock spear was at my neck, albeit calling it a spear was generous.

It was a stick with a sack of dirt tied around it to serve as a tip.

“Twenty to eight Tai, you’re getting better.” Father said as he held to false spear to my neck.

He quickly removed it and gave me hand to lift me up and I eagerly took it.

“Still not good enough.” I declared after I was standing.

“You are better than I was at your age, your fundamentals are good, you only need experience and a few life or death situations to hone you.” He observed.

He never stopped me from training, that was the most jarring thing, neither he or mother.

Constant work, training, social obligations, all of these were expected. There was no attempt at getting me to quit, to slow down or to try to pursue any other path.

My father is one of the community leaders and protectors of the village and the surrounding area as well as a warrior. Me wishing to both be a warrior and pursue cultivation was seen as ambitious and my parents fully supported me. No attempt at control, no constant ‘suggestions’ that felt more like orders, just full support of my wish for power.

“Until I can get that, more training won’t harm.” I replied simply and went back to the other end of the improvised arena.

It was a fancy way of saying dirt circle with some rocks saying where the ‘arena’ ended and where normal dirt started as there wasn’t much of a difference otherwise.

I didn’t get to finish settling in properly or put my own ‘spear’ up that my father struck.

Two quick jabs that I quickly deflected, a low sidekick I jumped back from, another few jabs as he tried to overwhelm me as I continued to lose ground.

I didn’t care for holding ground, I don’t own it, it’s not mine, what I care for is opportunity.

My father fights like a raging tempest, filled with energy and his self-taught style of which I incorporate certain elements, like the way he holds up the spear and the way it flows. I do not use it however, I am no raging river, but a calm flood, something slow and almost serene even as the water continues to rise.

An opening, he overextended with his latest thrust and his spear passed me to the left side and I took the opportunity to repay the last time he tripped me with a foot-sweep which he avoided with a jump.

I smiled madly at this as he can’t dodge in the air, and my father’s brown eyes locked into mine as he realized it, because I am in the perfect position to jump, while he has no way to move and I proceeded to do just that and pushed the tip of the spear straight into his chest.

“Twenty to Nine.” I declared happily as it was my turn to help my father up.

The old man had the same determined eyes as mine as he rose up and we prepared to continue our sparring.

“Boys, dinner!” Mother shouted.

That pulled us out of it. We gave each other a look and nodded.

That was enough for today, time to eat something.

I picked up the two water skins from near the stone circle and passed one to my father and drank greedily from it and the older man proceeded to do the same.

“Why isn’t Bao training with you Tai?”Father asked after he finished drinking.

“She is, just not with weapons.” I replied.

Father looked disapprovingly at me for that.

“Writing is useful yes, but it’s not training.” He replied reproachfully.

That's an easy enough mistake to make as writing is quite dangerous when a cultivator does it.

“It will be once she can use Qi and learns how to make talismans like in the north. It’s not like she isn’t training, but her future weapon will be a brush, not a spear and she needs to learn how to use it. She does train with a spear too, she was here the last time we made time to train.” I explained.

Father started stroking his chin as he thought of what to make of that.

Bao and I have already decided on our paths. I would take the path of the warrior and supplement it with whatever else I could learn or use while Bao would focus on formations and talismans. I know they exist, this I have both heard rumors of and teacher Hao Wen confirmed and the path fit my wife perfectly as it still allowed her to be powerful, respected and to follow her own passion and talents.

“What happens if that path is not available to either of you?” Father asked as we were getting closer to home.

“If our preferred paths are closed we adapt, if cultivation is barred then I follow your footsteps and she those of teacher’s perhaps. She has the skill in calligraphy to make a living for herself and make herself known.” I answered.

“It is good to hear, but it is not what I meant, what happens if only one of you can cultivate?” Father asked.

That was not a question I was expecting, it was not one I'd thought of, nor one I wished to think about.

“We’ll cross that river if we get to it.” I answered truthfully.

I did not know and did not wish to think about it.

We’ve been together on the same path, since close to birth as our parents decided. When we decided to pursue power together, that was not going against their wishes, that was merely choosing how. I don’t know what we’ll do if one of us has cultivating talent and the other doesn’t, all I know is that if one of us was in that position the other would probably feel horrible if they were the cause for getting the other to abandon that dream.

“Life is rarely what we wish to be Tai, or what we think it will be. I was lucky to get all what I could want and more and you are better than me, but remember that what I got was through work and luck and you know which one of those is more important.” Was all father said as we entered home.

“Luck.” I replied promptly.

Father did not reply back to that, both of us knew that I was correct.

Where you were born, who decided to take a chance of you, the resources you started with and what opportunities became available was just as if not more important than how hard or smartly you could work.

If you were not born in a family that could read, you were unlikely to learn, if you were born without the ability to cultivate, then that path was forever barred. Hard work can improve your situation, but it can never truly give you more than what luck does, not in this world that is.

In my past life, hard work could lift you up until you ruled cities, countries or even continents, even if you came from conditions similar to mine. In this one becoming someone like my father would have been considered lucky and becoming a cultivator might as well have meant winning the lottery. I've already used up a lot of my luck, now it's up to me to find out what that got me and work hard to see what I can make of it.

“No, both of you go outside to the barrel and clean yourself right now, little Xia just fell asleep and I’m not letting your dusty air and bad smells set her crying again.” Mother declared as she saw, or better said smelled us.

The two of us looked at each other and nodded to each other. We should probably take a bath, the last thing we wanted was to get Xia to cry.

Her cries were louder than mother's and far more frightening and frequent. If we could do something to not have to face them then we'll do it.