Chapter 7: Conflicted Training (3)

Tao Cai, Ao Jīn, and Wei Jie all sat around the table, indulging deeply in the feast of food and drink laid out on the table. As they finished dishes, cleared plates, and drank down the cups of water and tea, the servants quickly moved to remove them from the table, or replace them when requested by one of the three men.

"If you would excuse us, young lord." Wei Jie suddenly spoke up as he finished taking a sip of his drink before placing back down on the table. "We'd like to make sure the next set of targets is being prepared."

"Oh... of course." Tao Cai smiled as he quickly excused them. Both Wei Jie and Ao Jīn immediately stood up, bowing their heads before stepping out of the tent. As they did so, Wei Jie spoke into one of the servant's ears.

"Ensure he's well taken care of." Wei Jie spoke sternly and seriously. The servant immediately bowed their head. Wei Jie nodded in response as she turned about, stepping into the tent while he began walking back toward where they entered the fields from, a large tent visible close to the city wall. While walking, they began to speak to each other in low voices.

"What do you make of the young lord's... behavior on the field?" Ao Jīn questioned, subtly looking around at the soldiers and servants which stood all around them, engulfed in their own training and actions. "Especially the strange sharpness... fierceness, in his eyes. For them to return to normal right after... it doesn't make sense."

"I agree, something doesn't seem right." Wei Jie responded almost immediately. "His outburst of anger, his odd anguish... I find it all particularly strange."

"Do you think it's a curse?" Ao Jīn felt himself growing a bit paranoid as he questioned the possibility.

"Doubtful, but the fact that he doesn't seem to recognize his own strange behavior makes me question. It's as if he doesn't remember." Wei Jie stroked his chin in ponderance.

"Then do you think it could really be his physique? The young lord is concerned about it… consuming him, changing him." Ao Jīn quietly bit at his bottom lip as he spoke, filled with worry.

"Either way, it would be prudent to report this to Lord Li upon our return." Wei Jie spoke up as he looked over at Ao Jīn with a questioning look. The meaning of his look seemed clear to Ao Jīn as he silently questioned if he agreed.

"Agreed." Ao Jīn stroked his chin once more in quiet ponderance.

The two spoke at length while walking until they reached the large central tent. Several soldiers stood an obvious guard around the perimeter of the tent, a group of them standing by the large entrance. Wei Jie and Ao Jīn quietly nodded to the men as they entered the tent, the soldiers bowing their heads in response. It was clear that they knew the guards.

Stepping inside, they found themselves standing among numerous men quietly taking records down at nearby desks, soldiers coming in and out with scrolls. Walking forward, they approached a man sitting at a desk parallel with the tent's entrance. Stopping in front of the desk, the two men waited as the older looking man continued to write something down. Scribbling something down in a book sitting front of him for several moments, he finally looked up to greet the two of them.

"Please state your request." the man quietly waited as his brush hovered above the well ink sitting in a small cup.

"Greetings, quartermaster." Wei Jie bowed his head before continuing. "We need a new set of targets to be delivered to field 61." Wei Jie spoke, the man nodding as he began to write something in the book. As he finished doing so, he pulled a piece of parchment out from beneath the desk, writing something on it before passing it on to one of the passing scribes.

"My thanks." Wei Jie bowed his head, the man responding in kind.

"We'll have new targets delivered immediately." The quartermaster nodded while speaking, gesturing for them to leave. Wei Jie and Ao Jīn nodded in response before stepping back outside of the tent. Standing a for a moment, they began to walk back. Their walk back was more silent than their walk up, the two quietly pondering many things, exchanging words intermittently. Arriving back at the tent, they quickly entered.

"We've returned, young lord." Wei Jie and Ao Jīn immediately bowed their heads and saluted.

"Welcome back!" Tao Cai spoke up happily as he greeted them. "Did you sort everything out?"

"Yes, young lord," Wei Jie immediately responded, "the new targets should be here soon. As such, please feel free to continue enjoying your food until they're delivered." Wei Jie smiled while bowing his head. As he did so, both Ao Jīn and he sat down once more.

The three of them sat around the table for close to another half-hour before a servant entered the tent, saluting the three of them as they kneeled. "The new set of targets have been delivered."

"Very good, please begin setting them up on the field, formation 3." Wei Jie ordered. The servant bowed their head, departing immediately.

"When you're ready, young lord, we can continue." Ao Jīn spoke up as the servants left the tent.

"I'll follow you're lead." Tao Cai took one final sip of tea before placing the cup back down onto the table, standing up at the same time. Ao Jīn and Wei Jie nodded before they all stood up, stepping outside once more. While doing so, Wei Jie gestured toward the few servants standing quietly around the field, nonverbally telling them to step back toward the tent. They quickly bowed their heads and did so. As the other servants finished setting up the targets in a circular formation around the field, they quickly retreated back to the side of the tent.

As Wei Jie gathered the servants back toward the tent, Ao Jīn and Tao Cai stepped up onto the field. The servants finished setting up the targets in a perfect circle around the field, surrounding Ao Jīn and Tao Cai who stood at its center. Stepping off of the field, the group of servants which had been setting up the targets quickly made their way back in the direction of the large quartermaster's tent.

"I'll be walking around the field while you partake in this next… session of training." Wei Jie smiled as he began to pace around the field. "Should Ao Jīn or you, young lord, miss one of the targets, I'll do my best to terminate the Qi before it kills someone."

A mortified expression cross Tao Cai's face for a moment before he noticed Ao Jīn beginning to laugh. As he noticed the wry smile on Wei Jie's face as well, his own demeanor immediately began to lighten up as he smiled. "That's not funny." Tao Cai remarked with a half-hearted smile as his eyes menaced a playful glare at both Ao Jīn and Wei Jie.

"Of course not, young lord." Wei Jie affirmed with a smile while chuckling. "But rest assured, I will not let a bolt a raw of Qi leave this arena to harm anyone. You have my word." Wei Jie bowed his head and saluted while pledging his word. Tao Cai nodded in affirmation.

"I trust you." Tao Cai smiled.

"Very good. Shall we begin." Ao Jīn questioned while gesturing about the field, and toward the many targets that now filled it around them. "Your first challenge will be to hit at least three targets with Qi bolts. Begin when you're ready."

Tao Cai nodded as he looked around the field. He took a moment, taking several deep breaths before stopping. He stared down a grouping of targets, Qi jolting through his body as he circulated it. In an instant, small balls of Qi generated in his hands. He threw out both of his hands at once. As the first two balls of Qi flew toward their respective targets, he immediately formulated a third bolt, blasting it at the nearest target.

Blasting through the targets, hay was sent flying all around the field and small shocks of Qi seemed to electrify the air for a moment. A confident smile crossed Tao Cai's face as he stared at the massive holes blasted into the three targets, each of them collapsing in on themselves before crumbling to the ground.

"Very good, young lord." Ao Jīn praised Tao Cai.

"I concur, young lord, you're a natural." Wei Jie gently praised Tao Cai as he walked around the border of the field. Tao Cai couldn't help but smile as he stood there, subtly smiling for a moment as he stared at the ravaged targets on the ground. His head started to hurt as he stared at them. His head started to swirl with images of him screaming at Ao Jīn, of anger and despair filling his heart in mind.

Suddenly, Tao Cai snapped back to normal. He gently rubbed his head as he turned back to Ao Jīn. Tao Cai looked up at him for a moment, quietly thinking to himself, 'I would never do that. That had to have been a bad dream.' He felt so confused, his thoughts cut off as Ao Jīn spoke to him.

"Are you ready to move on, young lord?" Ao Jīn smiled as he questioned Tao Cai.

'Yeah, it had to be fake. A… an illusion!' Tao Cai nodded in response to his own thoughts before turning his attention to Ao Jīn. "Yeah, I'm ready." Tao Cai finally spoke up. Though his face looked faintly drained, he continued to smile as he nodded.

"Very good." Ao Jīn gently smiled back as a pair of folding-fans made of Qi formed in both of his hands. "For you next challenge, I want you to use these." Ao Jīn began his explanation. "You first need to cut down two targets at close range and throw them at two separate targets afterward. Understood?" Ao Jīn explained, questioning Tao Cai to make sure he understood his instructions.

Tao Cai nodded as he took a moment, a pair of folding-fans made of Qi forming into both of his hands. He smiled as he conjured them, suddenly turning his attention to one of the targets. Charging at it, he jumped up, stabbing the two Qi weapons into both sides of its neck before ripping down, slicing it into three separate pieces before removing its head.

Observing Tao Cai, Ao Jīn's eyes began to narrow. He could feel an ominous sense coming off of Tao Cai, his Qi flowing with a faint dark energy. Though he desired to step in, he was also concerned about what might happen if he stopped Tao Cai while in his current state.

Tao Cai abruptly shifted, slicing the head off of another target next to him, slicing it several times in the chest before bisecting it. As he ripped the Qi weapons from the target, he twirled around, throwing one and then the other into targets across from him. Ao Jīn closely watched the Qi weapons, sensing the same faint energy on them that he did on Tao Cai.

"Interesting…" Ao Jīn quietly whispered to himself as he turned to look toward Wei Jie, realizing that Wei Jie was already looking at him with knowing eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment before Wei Jie flicked his wrist, his own Qi interfering with Tao Cai's before it quickly fizzled out before hitting the targets.

"I think we should stop here, young lord." Wei Jie announced as he stepped into the field, stepping toward Tao Cai. The boy stared at him with narrow, sharp eyes. However, they quickly softened once more as Wei Jie approached.

"Oh… okay." Tao Cai sounded confused as he spoke, looking back down at the targets which he had torn to shreds only a few moments earlier. He couldn't help but smile proudly. "Did… did I do well?" Tao Cai innocently questioned as he looked between Wei Jie, and Ao Jīn who was now approached as well.

"You did very well, young lord." Ao Jīn complimented Tao Cai as he stopped before the boy. Tao Cai smiled happily up at him in response. A half smile formed on Ao Jīn's face; his face filled with a subtle, straining concern.

"Agreed, you did perfectly." Wei Jie smiled, praising Tao Cai.

"Is there a reason you destroyed my Qi though?" Tao Cai suddenly questioned. "It looked like those folding-fans were going to hit the target."

Wei Jie opened his mouth to speak, stopping for a moment. "I thought it would be better to not cause as big a mess, since we're going to head back soon." Wei Jie nodded confidently.

"Is it really that easy to terminate another cultivator's Qi?" Tao Cai continued his line of questioning.

"It is." Wei Jie responded immediately while gesturing for the servants to step forward to clean the field. "That's why techniques like these are best used against non-cultivators." He continued while stepping off of the field, Tao Cai following him as Ao Jīn walked behind them. "I would recommend using simple techniques only in last ditch situations, rather than as your primary method of attack." Before they entered the tent however, something caught Ao Jīn's eyes from the back of the group.

"Men bearing the Li Family banner are approaching." Ao Jīn announced as he stopped walking. Wei Jie and Tao Cai quickly stopped as well. As they grew closer, a familiar face became clear to Ao Jīn. "Adjutant Xu is leading them, young lord."

The group of men on horseback rapidly approached, stopping next to the tent. The one leading them, adjutant Xu, was clothed more elegantly, and possessed a short beard on his face. Though he looked aged, it was clear that his body was still capable. While adjutant Xu and a group of three officers dismounted, most of them remained on horseback.

"Young lord." Adjutant Xu kneeled down, saluting Tao Cai. His officers immediately followed suit, bowing their heads.

"Adjutant Xu," Tao Cai spoke up as he stepped forward. "Is there a reason you've come to the training fields?"

"Yes, young lord." Adjutant Xu replied, his head bowed. "Lord Li dispatched us to escort you on your way back to the residence."

"I see…" Tao Cai pondered for a moment. "You arrived just in time then, as I believe we were just preparing to leave back toward home." Tao Cai smiled as he continued, turning over to Wei Jie. "Right?"

"It is as you say, young lord." Wei Jie replied, bowing his head. He quietly gestured toward the servants that stood silently nearby. With a movement of his hand, he silently ordered them to prepare their horses.

Tao Cai turned back to the adjutant with a smile. "We'll be ready to leave soon."

Adjutant Xu bowed his head, looking back up a moment later. "Then I will prepare myself and my men to return." Adjutant Xu rose to his feet, saluting Tao Cai before turning about, speaking to his soldiers. His officers mimicked his movements, returning to the other mounted guards.

A group of servants walked from around the tent, one servant holding the reigns of each of their horses. Handing them off to each of their masters, they stepped back, bowing their heads. Tao Cai, Ao Jīn, and Wei Jie immediately mounted their horses. They slowly strode forward, moving up next to Adjutant Xu.

"Are you ready, young lord?" Adjutant Xu questioned with a nod.

"Yes, let's return..."