First Day of Training
"Now then, you probably already know that you're a weakling, right?" Haoran was standing on a rock in the forest clearing, looking down at Daiyu, who had woken up at the crack of dawn for her first day of training.
"To become a master, one must build a stable foundation first. That means working on your body, inner Qi and the foundation of swordsmanship. Now then, let us begin with warming up. Run fifty laps around this clearing." Haoran waved his hands, as if to tell Daiyu to start running.
"Fifty?" Daiyu looked at the man standing in front of her with a nervous expression. The clearing was quite vast. Fifty laps would be impossible.
"Yes, fifty. Now, start running before I count till ten. One, two, three…" Daiyu panicked when she heard Haoran's threatening voice and began running. She knew her master had a nasty temper and she didn't want to be at the receiving end of it if possible.
"You're slowing down already! Put your back into it! What a lazy brat." Haoran yelled at Daiyu who could feel her lungs and her legs burn with exhaustion. The monster would come screaming at her if she slowed down even for a bit.
"I- I can't!" Tears began forming in Daiyu's eyes as she finished her thirty fifth lap.
"You can. I will make sure you do. Stop whining and finish the rest of the laps!"
By the time she was done, Daiyu's body felt as if it had been beaten continuously. Each and every part in her body ached and her mouth felt dry. Haoran looked down at the collapsed princess who had turned into a sweaty and crying mess.
"Tch. What a weakling. When I was twelve, I could already run a hundred laps without sweating." The sound of the cocky man's voice scratched against Daiyu's ears painfully.
'What a pretentious prick.'
She cursed the man with all her might. How could he call this hellish treatment training?
"Now then. Get up. Let us begin with doing some muscle strengthening exercises." Haoran got down from the rock and walked towards Daiyu. She could feel a sudden chill penetrate her soul and her eyes widened with fear. That was the first time she wondered if she had made the right choice.
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It was almost noon when Daiyu crawled back to the Black Jade Palace and gave everyone a fright. They couldn't believe that the dirty and sweaty mess on the floor was the Princess. After much complaining and crying from Lishu, she finally relaxed while soaking herself in warm water.
"Ah that guy seriously. I think he will drive me to an early death before I get to do anything." Daiyu muttered to herself as her muscles continued to throb. However, even such a hellish day felt like the best day of her life.
After the bath, Daiyu had her food and she felt like she could finally relax. However, the guy who had made her morning hell came back to train her some more.
"Now, now. Let us do some breathing techniques, yes? You don't know any? Oh what a shame. I guess I'll teach you one. It is the best breathing technique out there. I must dare to say that it is even better than the Soaring Violet breathing techniques only heirs learn." Haoran, who was in high spirits, rubbed his finger against his nose with a pleased expression.
"... Crazy bastard." That was the only thing Daiyu could say after seeing Haoran act this way. She wondered if he had the same nasty personality when he was alive.
'It was probably worse.'
Daiyu shuddered at the thought but changed her posture to sit in the lotus sitting position anyway. Even though she felt fatigued, she was excited to learn something new.
"Tsk, how ungrateful. Okay then. What I'm about to teach you is the best breathing technique that actually compliments the unstable nature of demonic qi. Since it is volatile, demonic techniques give the opponent a bit of an advantage if they are from the Wudang or the Shaolin Sect." Haoran sat behind Daiyu before continuing his lecture.
"You know why? Because those bastards believe in having a calm and unshakeable base. Which is completely different from the Demonic Sect. The techniques we learn are fast, volatile and explosive. But!" Haoran extended his arms and placed his palms on Daiyu's back. Even though he was nothing but a remnant of spirit, Daiyu could feel heat radiate from the place Haoran's palms were resting. She couldn't feel him touch her physically but the warmth gave her a sense of security.
"Me, the most talented and genius Heavenly Demon came up with a way to stabilize the Demonic Qi without changing its fundamental unpredictable nature. I named it the Harmonious Violet Breathing Technique." A pleasant and familiar energy began flowing through Daiyu's body.
"Now, take deep breaths and remember the way my Qi is flowing through your body. You must learn to move and gather your qi with this method. It sure is a bit slow than other techniques but it gives you a much stronger base." Daiyu focused on the sensation of the energy flowing through her veins and continued to meditate in that exact position, even after Haoran stopped guiding her.
'So she learns fast, huh?'
Haoran watched Daiyu cultivate Qi using his technique with a smile on his face. It reminded him of his disciples who used to follow him around like baby chicks. Although most of them died during the war, Haoran remembered the time spent with them quite fondly.
Daiyu continued to meditate and she finally woke up right when the sun was about to go down. She felt a fresh surge of energy running through her veins and the aching muscles did not feel so sore anymore.
"So, how is it?" Haoran, who was lounging on his now favorite chair, asked Daiyu with a bored expression.
"I feel so energized!" Daiyu exclaimed before getting up.
"Of course you do. I taught you personally after all." Haoran smirked and closed his eyes.
'Tch. What an unpleasant personality.'
Daiyu rolled her eyes but she was happy with the progress she had made. The training was awful and she felt like dying, but it gave her a sense of purpose.
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"What? That girl woke up?" Ah Duo's beautiful face contorted with hate and fury. "You're saying that the Lord actually visited her with gifts? She is being assigned a martial arts instructor?"
"Yes, Lady Ah Duo. I have verified the information." A masked man kneeled in front of Ah Duo who was seething with anger.
"That worthless peasant girl. How dare she? Martial arts? As if she can ever gather and use qi." She scoffed in her haughty voice and started pacing around the room frantically.
Even though she had made sure to block Daiyu's dantian when she was a child, something about this turn of events made her nervous.
"You. Gather your people. You need to dispose of her discreetly. I can't believe the child of that measly peasant is being such a headache for me." Ah Duo's biggest worry was finally coming to life. She already knew the Heavenly Demon was especially affectionate towards Daiyu and her late mother, which was a threat to her son's position in the Cult.
"As you command, Madam." The man slipped out and vanished in the night, leaving Ah Duo with her uneasy heart.
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A cold breeze drifted inside the open window in Daiyu's room and Haoran continued to look at the moon illuminating the sky. His disciple had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, which left Haoran in peaceful solitude for the rest of the night.
"After I said I would never take a disciple again…" Haoran muttered under his breath. The Great Orthodox-Demonic War had taken away the lives of his disciples, comrades and family alike. After suffering such great losses, Haoran had sworn that he would never get attached to anyone again. The war that continued for five years ended with the Justice Alliance's victory but Haoran had no idea what had happened after he created the marbles.
Suddenly, he felt a presence lurking around the Black Jade Palace. The man was good at concealing his presence but it didn't work on a master like Haoran.
"So they finally decided to make a move, huh?
Another cold breeze pushed through the window and Haoran smiled wistfully. His disciple's life was going to get much more difficult now.