Chapter 21 - Instructor Sun

"During the first decade of peace, the surviving leaders of the Crimson Century worked tirelessly to restore the war-torn continent. At the same time, they collaborated to establish a new system that would help preserve and promote peace and prosperity across all four nations. It wasn't until the start of the second decade of peace that a new system was unanimously agreed upon. The new system divided the grand continent into two parties: the Martial Alliance and the Grand Government.

The Martial Alliance is a collective of all the righteous martial sects in the grand continent, joined together to serve as the executors of justice. Each sect leader is given a seat at the Martial Council. Each seat, regardless of who sits in it, has equal say in all major decisions made by the Martial Alliance. With this privilege, each member of the Martial Council is also tasked with the responsibility to uphold justice and punish those who would use martial arts as a means of evil- even if the abuser is a member of the Martial Alliance. By uniting each sect under one alliance and giving each leader an equal seat of power and responsibility, the founding members hoped to promote collaboration while dissuading greed and violence through a simple system of checks and balances.

The Grand Government is a united body of all four royal families and their nations. While each nation can operate independently under their own laws, all four nations are required to follow the laws of the Grand Government. Much like the Martial Alliance, the Grand Government has its own council made up of scholars and political figures from all four nations who are responsible for overseeing these laws. In the same way the Martial Alliance is sworn to uphold justice and punish evil, each nation under the Grand Government is sworn to uphold peace and promote prosperity. If any nation choses to break this oath, they would have to face repercussions from the other three nations.

During the third decade of peace, the founding members realized that there were cracks and flaws in their new system. While it seemed good on paper, the problem of animosity between rivaling sects and post-war nations still existed. In order for this system to work, the founders knew that they needed a way to bridge the divide. At the end of the third decade, founding members of the Martial Alliance and the Grand Government joined together to establish the Academy in the southern district of the grand capital. The idea was simple: if we cannot let go of our biases and join hands, perhaps our descendants can. Although it was not far from wishful thinking, the founding members were right.

For almost a thousand years, the Academy has fostered countless scholars and martial artists. More importantly though, the Academy served as the breeding ground for amicable relationships between different sects and nations."

***

By the north-east region of the Academy grounds, just thirty minutes walking distance south of Lake Unity's central district, a man sits peacefully beneath a maple tree situated in the center of his new residence. The property rests on a long rectangular plot of land that stretches north to south. White walls, a few heads taller than an adult and topped by dark gray tiles, surround the plot of land, separating it from the properties to the west and east. A variety of small trees and bushes decorate the interior of the south, road-facing, wall. At the center of the wall is a large gate that connects the road with the front yard. Past the front yard is the main building of the property.

The building looks to be recently renovated. Although it is far from extravagant, the craftsmanship and fine materials make the building look befitting of a respectable family. The building spans from the west wall to the east wall. A walkway, lined by large stones, passes through the east side of the building, connecting the front yard with a grand courtyard behind the main building. The walkway continues along the courtyard and east wall towards an empty building at the north side of the property.

As the bright afternoon sunlight darkens into a golden evening glow, the man at the center of the courtyard opens his eyes to the voice of a little girl.

"Mister! Yuyu is home!"

The little girl darts past the gate and through the front door. Without even looking around, she continues straight past the back door of the house and into the courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard, she sees Sun sitting in his usual spot.

"Hi, Yuyu. How was school?" Sun asks with a soft smile.

"School was fun!" Yuyu replies as she runs towards Sun. Upon arriving in front of him, she jumps onto his lap.

"Can Yuyu tell mister about what you learned today?" Sun asks as he brushes the little girl's hair behind her ear. "Mister wants to learn more about the history of the grand continent."

"Yuyu can't! Yuyu only has history once a week. Hehe." She replies with a giggle. "Yuyu had herbs and medicine class today. Instructor Lianyi taught Yuyu about ginsengs, their medicinal properties, and how they become stronger and stronger as they grow older. Yuyu even got to see a hundred year old ginseng! That's like… more than fourteen times older than Yuyu!"

"Is that so?" Sun chuckles as he listens to the little girl's excitement. "What kind of medicine can Yuyu make with ginsengs?"

"Well…" The question causes Yuyu to pause for a moment as she tries to recall Instructor Lianyi's lecture. "Yuyu can use it to make lots of things! Like medicine to decrease stress or even medicine to increase cultivation! But Yuyu needs reeaaaallly old ginsengs for that. Yuyu also needs practice because Instructor Lianyi hasn't taught Yuyu how to make medicine yet. Hehe. Oh! Speaking of making medicine, Dan!"

Yuyu turns towards the house and waves her hands at the young boy standing by the door. The young boy, with his eyes towards the ground, nervously makes his way through the courtyard.

"Dan greets uncle Sun!" He says as he bows with cupped hands. "I'm Yuyu's classmate at the Academy. Yuyu has told me many great things about you!"

"So you're Dan." Sun, with a soft smile still on his face, stands up from his meditative pose with Yuyu in his arms. "Yuyu has been talking about you ever since school started."

Dan tenses up as the god-like figure from Yuyu's stories stands before him. With his eyes still glued to the ground, Dan recalls the time when he told his esteemed father about Yuyu's stories.

"Gyohoho! It seems you've made an important friend, son. I know of one such man. The throne at the pinnacle of the martial world remains empty simply because he does not wish to claim it. Even Grandmasters such as myself and your uncle Liu would have to pay our respects."

"I've also heard a lot about you from your father, Grandmaster Yi."

These words cause a cold sweat to form on the back of the boy's neck. Dan involuntarily shivers as it slowly moves down his spine.

If he knows father… then that means…

As nervous as he was, Dan tries his best to muster up the courage to lift his head. Upon seeing Sun's face up close, Dan's mind suddenly races as he recalls an event from three months prior. An event that was fueled by stupid desperation. An event that, despite the stupidity, changed his life. An event he had long hidden in the recess of his mind ever since Grandmaster Liu sternly commanded him to never speak a single word of that day.

"T-th-the ma- the man from t- the lak-"

"Thank you for being Yuyu's friend." Sun cuts Dan off before he could finish his sentence. Smiling at the boy, Sun subtly signals for him to stay quiet. "My name is Sun. I suppose you should call me Instructor Sun while we're on Academy grounds. Feel free to call me uncle Sun otherwise."

"Dan greets Instructor Sun!" Understanding the meaning behind Sun's gesture, Dan pulls himself together to greet Sun again with an even deeper bow.

"Grandmaster Yi wasn't wrong about you." Sun chuckles at Dan's excessive display of respect while also noting the young boy's ability to decisively recompose himself. "A polite and talented young boy."