Young Master 1

A little boy with wavy black hair and big almond shaped grey eyes sat next to his lady mother in a not quite perfect way. He was around two years old and the first signs that he was practicing martial arts were visible. His little hands had calluses on his knuckles and palms while his limbs looked more composed than ordinary children. His skin was free of all blemishes, not even the usual scrapes could be found, while his eyes were moist and his hair shiny and healthy. None of these things were particularly noteworthy in his family however.

The best proof of this fact was that the five year old sitting next to a elegantly dressed woman opposite the first pair showed the same signs of practice. As did the seven other children behind that five year old boy, all of them between 3 and 5 years old.

Benjamin's lady mother looked at him and then the little boys with a complicated expression. Her own son was not among them. Her son was seven years old, too old to be a companion to the young master. A boy two years older than the young master might accidently or intentionally take over the leadership of the group, after all. This group was meant for the young master, to get used to giving orders but also to build a foundation in the family. Letting the most talented children serve the important sons and daughters of the family head was the best method to ensure unity for the future.

The two women were talking in gentle, cultured tone about status, prestige, leadership, cultivation and the offspring of various people while little Benjamin was busy staring at the older boy. The boy, in turn, was staring at him. In the back the seven other boys were subtly pushing each other and elbowing each other's sides, an obvious sign that they were bored. None of the kids were old enough to comprehend what the adults were talking about.

After a little while the five year old next to the other woman pulled her sleeve. "Mother, can we go play outside?"

Ripped out of the serious conversation, both women looked at the little boy and then the hopeful expressions on the other kid's faces. They were all sitting obediently just then, obviously raised with good manners, but they were still very young. They couldn't understand the topic and didn't have the maturity to think things through, let alone worry about minor political moves within the family. They were bored and forced to sit still for ten minutes already, which seemed to be the limit of their patience. "You are all wearing your good clothes. Go to your nannies and let them change you before you go outside." The elegant woman decided. Eight little faces broke into excited smiles and the obedient young lords turned into a band of rowdy children.

Little Benjamin next to his mother looked at them enviously at first, then sent pleading looks towards his mother. His lady mother, in turn, raised her eyebrows and gave the other woman a look. The elegantly dressed lady smiled at Benjamin encouragingly. "Run along."

Grinning widely Benjamin got to his feet, hugged his lady mother and then ran after the other children, lifting the cloth of his fine robes. Being a cultivator although only in the initial stages, his steps were not the least bit clumsy and his speed was already comparable to an ordinary teenager's. To a master this was nothing, but the women both looked at his prowess with appreciation.

At this age body refining and qi integration were the most importantsince his meridians were not yet blocked like those of a teenager starting to cultivate would be. They were still easy to unblock and preventing impurities as he grew was the key part of their family's cultivation knowledge. Their techniques were average, but their early development procedures ensured their future achievements. Changing cultivation techniques was not that hard, it simply took time and effort. Changing the quality of one's body and meridians was far more difficult. Therefore, the family was very careful to guide their youngest members' cultivation. To see these signs of success was always an indicator for a bright future.

The elegant lady's smile was a little more genuine when she looked at Benjamin's lady mother the next moment. But Benjamin did not care any longer. He was presently in a small side chamber with his nanny who pulled a blue shirt over his head and helped him pull a pair of black trousers on. Finally, she took a piece of leather and bound his hair back.

Once he had finished changing Benjamin was impatiently hopping towards the door and stretched to try and open the bolt locking the door. While the nanny was folding the expensive clothes the little boy couldn't bear waiting any longer. It took him three jumps to get a good grip and slide it to the side before he fell back down on his butt. His nanny tried to come and fuss over him, but Benjamin impatiently shook her off and pushed the door open to zip along the corridor towards the boys waiting on the veranda.