A Visit from Shao Yun

Memories and fancies drifted through Shao Ling's consciousness like lotus blossoms floating on the surface of a stream. It took mere moments for him to achieve this meditative state, which enabled him to seek enlightenment without searching violently. In addition to cultivation, it was imperative for martial artists to ponder the insights gained from cultivating Heaven and Earth Qi; understanding the forces of Heaven and Earth was necessary, as blinding cultivating might increase one's strength, but would never allow a martial artist to achieve the ultimate goal of martial arts: overcoming Heaven and Earth. Shao Ling's master explained this to him four years ago, then proceeded to ditch him in the training room after returning from the forest every day since then.

A few minutes into his meditation, the wooden doors to the training room were flung open unceremoniously, and an upbeat youthful voice shattered the silence.

"Cousin Ling, guess what!"

A girl just entering her teens with silky black hair wound into two buns bounced into the room as if her small body could barely contain the energy flowing through it.

Shao Ling opened his eyes with a wry smile. Most martial artists would be angered by an intrusion during their meditative periods, but he knew that he wasn't anywhere close to reaching an epiphany, so his younger cousin's carefree interruption didn't harm his martial development.

He remained seated with his legs crossed as the girl came before him. Shao Yun stood a ways under one and a half meters, and despite a gulf of three years separating their ages she was as brazen as a cat reigning in a meadow. She had a cute round face and eyes that seemed to perpetually shine with excitement.

"What is it Yun'er?"

Shao Ling could tell that his cousin was especially excited, which was saying something.

"Old Master Shao bought Hazard Beast meat for your birthday feast!"

"Really, he did?"

"Yeah! And not some small and weak Hazard Beast, but a big fearsome Four-Tusked Hazard Boar!"

"Oh wow, that's impressive."

"Haha, you sure are lucky Cousin Ling, for the Old Master to be so generous. I guess it's only natural for our Shao Clan. You're the young master, so not some common animal any poacher could kill will do! This humble girl wanted to let you know how much old master values you."

Shao Yun made this declaration with her chest swelled up with pride. Humble would be more apt to describe a lioness lording over the savanna. It was actually pretty impressive to have Four-Tusked Hazard Boar meat as part of a birthday banquet. Although the Shao Clan was a prominent family in the Zhu Kingdom, Shao Ling's father was merely the head of an insignificant branch family of the Shao Clan with the modest luxuries of a countryside official. The most impressive thing about Shao Ling's Shao Clan was its name. Killing Hazard Beasts required the prowess of a martial artist, as there was really no such thing as a weak Hazard Beast, save for newborns, and even then some newborn Hazard Beasts were capable of killing martial artists who had been cultivating for years. The Four-Tusked Hazard Boar was a formidable Hazard Beast that an experienced martial artist wouldn't look down upon. Hazard Beasts were prized for their bones, which could be refined by alchemists into medicinal essences that would be greatly beneficial to both health and cultivation. Some Hazard Beast corpses were treasures of their own. Obtaining Hazard Beast meat was naturally an extravagant expenditure for Shao Wei; despite the meat being less effective than the bones, it still provided substantial health and cultivation benefits. And the meat still required the services of a martial artist or an itermediary to procure, so the cost was considerable.

Shao Ling knew that his younger cousin hadn't interrupted his training to brag about the means of their Shao Clan. They were both well aware that compared to the main family their branch of the Shao Clan was a weed beside an oak tree. The reason Shao Yun came to inform him about his father purchasing Hazard Beast meat was to impress upon him that he was valued. Shao Ling was naturally aware of the rumors spread amongst the villagers about him. "The Ghostly Young Master" was an amusing moniker in his mind. The residents of Shao Manor were naturally aware that Shao Ling wasn't a restless spirit haunting the region of his birth, but the muttering in the Shao residence cut deeper than the villagers' superstition. Shao Ling's relatives, and even some servants gossiped about how Shao Ling was incapable or unfit to take over as the head of the Shao Clan due to his poor constitution and obsession with martial arts despite slamming his head repeatedly into a dead end. On the other hand, there was endless praise circulating in both the village and the Shao residence for Shao Ling's half-brother, Shao Zhi. Shao Zhi was a robust and approachable young lad who studied diligently for the civil service examination. He had a large group of friends, and the village girls and younger servants were eager to speak of him. Both the village and the Shao residence were filled with people who sincerely wished that Shao Zhi would be made the heir apparent in stead of Shao Ling.

Shao Ling endeavored to turn a deaf ear to the miasma of distain and fear surrounding him, but billions of water droplets can wear down a mountain. Shao Wei purchasing Hazard Beast meat for his son's birthday banquet despite feeling the pinch of it could be said to be him expressing his support for Shao Ling' status as his heir. Although she was young, Shao Yun was able to pick up on this, and so she made sure to bring it to Shao Ling's attention. This act warmed Shao Ling's heart, and he appreciated her kindness greatly. Of the various people in the Shao residence, Shao Yun was one of the few who favored Shao Ling over his half-brother, although she wasn't on bad terms with him either.

He smiled and rose to his feet in order to ruffle Shao Yun's hair, resulting in a contented sigh from the young girl.

"Thank you for letting me know, I'm looking forward to the banquet even more now," he said with a smile on his lips.

"It's this insignificant cousin's pleasure."

"What is it you wanted to ask me for?"

"Why, Cousin Ling, I have no clue what you mean," Shao Yun protested with a burgeoning smile ruining her efforts at feigning confusion.

A knowing look from Shao Ling caused her to drop all pretenses and grin like a thief eyeing a rich mark.

"Say, noble Cousin Ling. would you be willing to grant this humble girl a little extra Four-Tusked Hazard Boar meat?"

"Of course my dearest cousin, a reward is necessary for bringing this excellent news to me," Shao Ling said with a warm chuckle.