Memories of Heaven Sword School 1

Two hours later, Qin Feng had already been briefed and was given a suit of clothing that would make him less visible in the forested area they were in. And he had already memorized the map of the terrain where he was going to be tested in.

Accompanying him as he did all of this was the Second Ducal Prince, who looked more anxious about the whole thing than he was!

"This is not an easy test, Young Master Qin. And there is a risk of injury, even if you are not caught. Not to mention the dangerous wild beasts that are in this part of the woods. You should be careful."

"Not to worry about that. I ... have had some experience with the same, when I was at the Heaven Sword School. I should be able to handle this. And I doubt that the army scouts that are out there would simply kill me out of hand. After all, their orders are to bring me back as a spy, aren't they? After humiliating me a bit?"

"Still, it is a bit of a risk. Why are you doing this yourself? Why not get your servant to handle this instead. As a Completion Realm martial artist, it should be a simple matter for him."

He had expected the Second Ducal Prince to ask about his puppet. After all, he had always never brought it out with him, ever since they arrived at the City. But it was looked like it was inevitable that he would meet up with more of these questions in the future, so he might as well nip them in the bud right now!

"Uncle Wen is someone who has been with me since I was a child. He seldom speaks as far as I know, but is rather good with martial arts. You might wish to consider him ... my assistant, who helps me with my gear when I travel.

"Unfortunately, he does have orders from my dead parents, to make sure that I am capable of standing up on my own. So unless I am in grave danger ..."

"He doesn't show himself unless you are in danger? That is a little ... irresponsible, isn't it?"

Qin Feng laughed at that. Irresponsible? That was an interesting way to put it. "Well, like I said, he is a rather unusual person. And he has never questioned what my parents had asked of him, before they died. As I am sure that you must have noticed, he tends to be a little ... arrogant, they say? I suppose I must have picked up some of my own habits from him," he sighed then, a little theatrically.

It would help to cover any social gaffes that he might have made. Or was likely to commit in the future! After all, it was unlikely that he would always this lucky in his interpersonal interactions, as he was with this Second Ducal Prince!

"Well, I can only wish you good luck for this. My uncle is rather strict with regards to his soldiers, so I can't interfere at all. All I can tell you is that his Third Army is made up of ... the more unruly subjects of his Domain, compared to the First and Second Armies. So you can expect them to use ... somewhat unorthodox tricks, now and again."

"Oh?"

That was something that he had not expected. Were these really soldiers then? Or some sort of uniformed triad gangsters? He had not dealt with that sort of people for a long time. Ever since his time in the Outer School, actually. There were a number of that sort, back there.

He would have to be a little more careful, it seemed.

*

Three years ago ...

The bright morning sun shone down upon the small space that stood before the entrance of the Lower Gate of the Heaven Sword Martial Arts School. Above the same stood a simple signboard, which bore the title of Outer School, in faded characters of gold.

And in front of the same were sixteen children, kneeling on the hard, bare earth that covered that same space. Most of them looked no more than ten or twelve, although there were three of them that were clearly older.

Their dressing was different and the shapes and conditions of their bodies differed greatly as well. There were some who looked sturdier than others, and there were some who were dressed in rich silken robes. Yet, all of them wore an expression of utmost determination on their faces, as if they were facing the greatest trial of their young lives.

One that had all of them kneeling there for close to a day and a night, before that gate.

It was clear from the exhaustion on their faces that most of them were at the end of their endurance. In fact, there was one of them that was already beginning to sway, his long shadow wobbling in the light of the morning sun, and drawing the eyes of the other boys.

There was surprisingly, no sign of compassion or interest on the faces of the others, and they simply watched in silence, as the boy continued to waver. When he collapsed, in the end, there at the last step of their trial, there were still no changes of expression on the faces of the others.

Not even when another group of young men, all clad in grey robes, made their way out of the trees and the shade, on either side of that worn path, to pick up the fellow that had fainted, and carried him away.

Now, there were only fifteen boys left, there in front of the gate. Still kneeling in silence.

Then there was a creaking sound, and all of the eyes in the yard looked up, to see the small wooden door, covered with peeling paint, finally swing open.

A moment later, a man with a robust-looking body, and a rather ugly scar on his lower jaw, stepped out of the same door, to meet the expectant gazes of all the fifteen children that were still on their knees in the dirt road.

"Very well. You lot are accepted as Outer School disciples. Get up and come with me."

* * *