CHAPTER 2: SHAOYANG

         A little girl that looked about ten years of age was sitting on a large, slightly blue rock next to the pond. Her long and shiny black hair was not combed, and was carefully thrown over her shoulders. She was staring lazily at the book in her hand.

         "...Yue Geng Mountain is three hundred kilometers to the south. There is no vegetation, but a lot of water, and big snakes. There are beasts..."

            She memorized a few names of the beasts in the Book of Ten Thousand Monsters, then took off her shoes, and she gently kicked her jade-white feet in the pond, sending flurries of water up, and teasing the giant golden carp swimming around. "This fish will certainly be delicious!" She exclaimed.

"What is delicious?" A young boy's voice suddenly came from behind, seeming to be smiling.

The little girl lazily retracted her feet from the pond, put on her shoes, and said without looking back, "First Senior Brother, what is delicious?"

Du Minxing walked over to her, touched her little head lovingly, then smiled and asked, "So, that's why I'm asking you. What did you just mumble about?"

The little girl showed him the thick book in her hand. "I'm memorizing the Book of Ten Thousand Monsters, but it's so boring."

Seeing a sloth-like expression on her face, Du Minxing couldn't help but laugh. "No wonder Master (4) and Madam call you lazy everyday, and say that you don't even try to practice and improve. You don't even want to memorize the Book of Ten Thousand Monsters? Hm, way too lazy."

The little girl said nothing, and lowered her head to play with the jade pendant on her skirt. After a while, she said in a rather old-fashioned way, "Well, it's always practice, practice, practice! It makes my legs hurt and my back sore, and I don't see how it's helpful. I just don't believe that everyday who is cultivating to become an immortal is like those senior brothers, sweating profusely. It's so stinky!"

Minxing laughed. "Practicing is for helping our bodies become stronger. Have you seen any sick immortals? Only when your body is strong can you cultivate your internal energy. Otherwise, how would you be able to fly and slay demons?"

She didn't have any more excuses, and felt that what First Senior Brother said was reasonable, but if you told her to practice her sword and Wu Shu (5) skills, she really couldn't.

Du Minxing did not intend to reason with a little girl.

This little girl was different from Linglong. If you tried to reason with Linglong, she would definitely argue if she didn't like what she heard, but be obedient a short time later. But with this girl, she would forget the reminder right away even if you talked for three days and three nights and cut the skin of your mouth. She was just so lazy that the heavens would even be enraged.

"Madam gave the Broken Gold Sword to Linglong Junior Sister today." He said while teasing the carp in the pond with a willow branch. "From now on, your older sister doesn't need to practice her martial arts (5) skills anymore. She can practice sword skills now."

"Oh." She responded, clearly absent-minded.

"Chu Xuanji." He suddenly called her name, and sounded very serious.

Xuanji froze for a second, reluctantly jumped off the big rock, and saluted him. "Xuanji is here, what can First Senior Brother advise me?"

Du Minxing asked sternly, "Why aren't you willing to practice cultivation?"

She bit her mouth, and had an expression that was both childish and stubborn. After a while, she pouted, "I understand the principles that are often said by mother, father, aunts, and uncles, but understanding them does not mean that I have to do them. I don't understand why I have to practice. You have asked me a thousand times, but I still don't understand."

Du Minxing could only sigh. He had always treated the two sisters equally, and loved them as if they were his own sisters. It was just that Linglong was more outgoing and lively, and everyone couldn't help but spoil her. To be honest, even with his good temper, he couldn't help but want to beat Xuanji several times to vent his anger. And, don't even bring up Master and Madam. Who would want to spoil a rock? Even if you shouted and berated her, she wouldn't react at all, making you more frustrated than ever.

"Master was furious at the martial arts grounds today." He looked slightly worried. "He said that you haven't practiced for ten days now, and have completely forgotten about Shaoyang Peak's rules. He told me to come find you, and then to punish you severely. What do you think you should do?"

Xuanji was a little frightened. She fidgeted with the corner of her clothes, mumbled for a while, then said quietly, "Can't...I not go? Just tell daddy that you couldn't find me..."

Du Minxing shook his head. "Master can't be persuaded this time. Your twin sister Linglong has already inherited Madam's Broken Gold Sword, but you can't even do a set of Xuanming Fists properly. As a sect leader, he can't always protect his daughter. If you are not punished severely this time, what will the other disciples think?"

Xuanji said miserably, "Who cares what they think...it's always rules and more rules...we're not dogs! We don't need to follow so many rules!"

Du Minxing took out his black iron sword, Wishful, and gently threw it into the air. The two-foot-long pitch-black sword swayed twice in the air, then steadied itself.

He jumped onto his feet, bent over and stretched out his hand towards her. "Come on, don't nag now. Let's go see Master. Madam and I will plead for Master to go easier on you. But you can't be so lazy like this anymore!"

Xuanji had only ten million reluctances in her heart, but couldn't fight against her father's strictness, so she could only slowly grab First Senior Brother's hand, while thinking what she would say to her father when they were there. She put on a sad puppy face and said, "First Senior Brother, I don't want to be beaten..."

She really was pitiful, and Du Minxing's heart softened. He said gently, "Okay, I will say some good in front of Master for you! But if you don't practice cultivation for ten days straight again, I won't help you anymore!"

Xuanji didn't answer and Du Minxing sighed silently. His right foot sank slightly, and the black iron sword suddenly turned around and flew to the martial arts grounds. The two of them became a black dot in the blink of an eye.

Shaoyang Mountain had more than a dozen training grounds, and each one was used by disciples of different groups. With such talented disciples, Shaoyang Sect was inarguably the number one sect at immortal cultivation in the world. From the sect leader Jingyan Immortal, who led the sect a few generations ago, Shaoyang Sect was divided into seven branches. The main branch is led by sect leader Chu Lei, and the other branches, such as the Qinghu Branch and Xuyang branch, were led by the sect leader's senior and junior brothers and sisters.

There are many branches, so the disciples all mixed. The sect focuses on the cultivation of immortality and the health of their bodies, and do not participate in the disputes of other sects. Their teachings have always revolved on the principles of being humble and working hard, and perhaps this is the reason why Shaoyang Feng has never collapsed in its history of a few hundred years.

At this time, Chu Lei, the sect leader, was supervising his disciples practicing moves at the martial arts field at the top of the peak. His wife, He Danping, was earnestly instructing the female disciples on the different techniques of Wu Shu. In the afternoon, the martial arts ground was very hot, so hot that it felt like a bun steamer, and everyone was sweating so excessively that their sweat seemed like rain. Besides the occasional Wu Shu commands, the training grounds were almost silent, and everyone was only in charge of themself. The reason why Chu Lei just lost his temper was because his younger daughter Xuanji was just too lazy, and never even tried to devote herself to cultivation. All the disciples knew that their master had a bad temper, and were extremely cautious to not get on his bad side. Even if they broke a bone, they dared not shout out.

After watching two disciples practice their swordsmanship, He Danping walked to the sidelines and took a sip of tea. The height of the sun signified that it was almost noon, and practice was almost over, but Du Minxing had still not arrived with Xuanji yet. She looked back at Chu Lei, and seeing the faint shadow cast across his face, assumed that he was also suppressing his anger.

She sighed in her mind, then said gently, "Husband, Xuanji has recently been complaining about her stomach hurting. I think that her body is unwell. Don't be too angry. She is still young. I'm afraid that it will not be good if we are too demanding of her."

Chu Lei said nothing and just smiled coldly. He looked afar at Linglong, who was looking at her mother's Broken Gold Sword seriously, the sword trembling slightly. She was clearly hot, as her face was bright red, but she didn't complain. He said bitterly, "Still young? She and Linglong are twin sisters. Linglong is already practicing her swordsmanship! What about Xuanji? This is all because you have spoiled her way too much! You dote on her way too much! She doesn't practice, or follow the rules at all!"

He Danping knew that this time, her husband was terribly enraged, or else he wouldn't be yelling like this. So, she should just keep her mouth shut and not add oil to the fire.

Over there, Linglong had just finished her practice, and dragged her heavy sword to her Six Senior Brother, Zhong Minyan with great strength, and shouted, "Hey! Let's fight!"

Zhong Minyan was squatting, his face wet and covered with sweat. He frowned, and said, "My name is not 'Hey'!"

Linglong stomped her feet anxiously. "Come on! Just a short fight!"

He still wouldn't budge, but there was humor in his words. "I'm not called 'Come on' either!"

Linglong was just like her father, as they both had a temper that could burst at any second. She had called Minyan two times already, but he hadn't moved at all, which angered her greatly. "If you don't come over and show me a few moves, I will stab you!"

Seeing that she was angry, Zhong Minyan returned to the main hall and said with a laugh, "Only if you call me 'Nice Person Big Brother Minyan. Otherwise, even if you stab me into a hornet's nest, I still won't fight with you."

Linglong stomped her feet harder, and yelled, "Zhong Minyan! You only know how to say stupid stuff! You don't want to fight with me because your skills are not as good as mine. I won't ask you ever again!"

"Okay, okay." Zhong Minyan borrowed a sword from a nearby female disciple, got into a stance, and laughed. "I'll practice with you. Oh, look at your temper."

Linglong was extremely impatient, and seeing that he was ready, immediately pulled out her sword. But she was so weak that the sword would've clattered to the ground if not for Zhong Minyan saving it just in time. He said with a smile, "How can you fight with me if you can't even hold the sword?"

Linglong's face flushed red, and was about to argue back when Chu Lei said from behind them, "Minyan, come over here."

Zhong Minyan quickly took away his comical expression and bowed. "What can I do for Master?"

Chu Lei said sternly, "Your First Senior Brother went to find your junior sister, but they haven't come back yet. I'm afraid his heart softened again, and pitied her. You go and get her, but don't tell her anything."

Zhong Minyan thought that he was very unlucky. He could talk to anyone, except for that annoying Xuanji. They were always at odds, and for some reason, he would always want to beat her up before they even started a conversation. And now, Master told him to go grab her.

He quickly came up with an excuse. "Master...I...I...I'm practicing with Linglong Junior Sister..."

His Master didn't respond. He lifted his eyes to find Master staring up at the sky. He also turned his head, and saw First Senior Brother Du Minxing and Xuanji flying towards them.

After a short while, all the disciples stopped practicing and prepared to watch a good show. Xuanji's reputation among everyone was not as good as Linglong's. She was weird, and not easy to cooperate with, which was why everyone was so eager to see how she would be punished.

Xuanji jumped off the black sword, and was trembling slightly. Noticing the strange atmosphere around her and her father's cold stare, she stayed in the same spot for a while, not daring to walk over.

Du Minxing retracted his sword, rubbed her head, then said gently, "Don't be afraid. Go on, go greet Master."

Xuanji had no other option, and could only be dragged by him over to Chu Lei. Kneeling, she said, "Xuanji greets Sect Leader."

Chu Lei snorted, and said harshly, "You surprisingly still know that the sect leader needs to be greeted! I had thought that you had completely forgotten about Shaoyang Sect!"

Xuanji knew that he was enraged, and didn't dare say anything, and lowered her head to play with the strap on her clothing. She thought she did nothing wrong, but knew that it wasn't a time to be stubborn.

"You tell me, what are you doing everyday behind the mountain? Besides being lazy everyday, have you ever done a single thing that people who are cultivating would do?"

Xuanji dared not raise her head. Du Minxing raced to her aid and smiled respectfully. "Master, don't be too angry. When I found her behind the mountain, she was memorizing the Book of Ten Thousand Monsters in the flower garden, which shows that she wasn't being lazy. It's just that her body is weak, and she is not fit for cultivating. Master, please show some mercy!"

Chu Lei smiled coldly. "What is the use of simply memorizing stuff? When you go down the mountain, will you be memorizing things to the demons? What immortal cultivation are you doing when you don't know swordsmanship or any magic?"

Du Minxing was about to say something else when he was interrupted by a wave. "Go back! I will not repeat the two words again!"

He could only retreat out of the training grounds.

Chu Lei stared at Xuanji for a while, but said nothing.

Looking at her beautiful complexion, his heart was full of compassion for his daughter. Chu Lei had devoted his whole life to cultivation, and did not pay much attention to family matters. He had finally got a fair of twin daughters in his middle age, both of whom were beautiful girls, seeming to be composed of ice and snow. Xuanji looked very much like her mother, having a slender and weak body, and he didn't really intend to be very strict with her over cultivation. But, Xuanji was just too lazy, and couldn't even do the easiest squats. And, as the sect leader, how could he never punish her and convince the sect members in the future? Thinking of this, he was angry again, and said even more coldly, "Stand up. I want to see your Xuan Ming Fist skills. Just do it here, in front of everyone. Don't be shy."

Xuanji didn't even know the very basics, not to mention the Xuan Ming Fist. But because the sect leader ordered her to do it, she could only stand up.

For a while, it was so quiet that if a pin was dropped on the ground, everyone would be able to hear it. The hot afternoon wind blew through Xuanji's long hair, and her entire back was covered with sweat. Thousands of eyes were pinned to her alone, and she seemed to be frozen, unable to move even a finger.

He Danping couldn't bear to see her daughter being so humiliated in public, but she was stopped by Chu Lei's hand. He turned his head to Xuanji, and said, "Do you not know how to do it? Then let me ask you, what exactly have you been doing these past years?"

Xuanji still didn't reply. The bright sunlight shone blindingly on her face, making her feel fatigued. The disciples who were impatient for her punishment before were wiping sweat off their foreheads. If she stays silent like this, Master will only get angrier.

"Chu Xuanji, talk." Chu Lei's voice was very soft, like ice that had just been shattered.

Xuanji suddenly knelt down, and said in a low voice, "I don't know! Please punish me, Sect Leader!"

Chu Lei suddenly laughed. "Punish! What a punishment! You actually know the word punish!" He stopped laughing, and said sternly, "Listen, go home tonight, pack some clothes. From tomorrow on, you shall live in Mingxia Cave of Tai Yang Peak, Bei Mountain! Do not come out until I say so!"

Everyone was shocked. Everyone knew that Mingxia Cave was a thousand feet deep. There, it was pitch-black, like hell, it was freezing all year round, and was home to many scary snakes and insects. Usually, disciples would go crazy in it after just a few moments, not to mention staying in the cave for an undetermined amount of time! She was just an eleven year old girl. No matter how people would argue, this punishment was just too serious! He Danping started crying immediately, and Linglong rushed up and kneeled. "Sect leader, please spare younger sister this time. Her body is so weak. She will freeze to death if she goes into Mingxia Cave!"

Du Minxing and Zhong Minyan and all the disciples with the name "Min" knelt onto the ground. "Master, please take the punishment back! Junior Sister is so young! She won't be able to bear such a severe punishment! Master, please show some mercy!"

Chu Lei was a little surprised. "Get up, everyone! I have already made my decision, so there's no need to talk about it anymore!" After speaking, he turned to Xuanji, who was a little pale, but did not seem scared.

Although he was still angry, he still couldn't bear this deep in his heart. He sighed. "Xuanji...There are many people in this world who can only be ordinary people, living, aging, becoming sick, and eventually dying. Their lifetime goes by in a flash. But you can't be like them. You are a disciple of Shaoyang Peak, and cultivation is your lifetime goal. How...are you satisfied being an ordinary person?"

She pondered for a moment, then said softly, "So...we aren't ordinary people?"

Chu Lei froze, and only after a long pause did he say, "You...can go now."

He stared at the thin silhouette of the little girl, not knowing what it was like to be in her shoes.

Rotten wood could not be carved.

But this piece of wood was his daughter. Even if he couldn't carve it, he would still carve out a shape from it.

Du Minxing still wanted to intercede, but Chu Lei walked over to the side of the training grounds before saying solemnly, "Minxing, come to my room tonight. I want to see what level your Yang Yue Gong fighting is at."

Du Minxing couldn't help but be ecstatic when you heard those three words, Yang Yue Gong. This was Shaoyang Peak's most difficult spell, and ordinary disciples could only start learning it when they were twenty. The sect leader or leaders of the other branches would only teach the spell to a disciple earlier if they were particularly outstanding. He was only eighteen, and by asking what level he was at, Master was meaning that he was about to teach him the spell! The nearby disciples all looked at him enviously, and all came over to give him their congratulations. Du Minxing was so excited that he almost lost his balance, and had completely forgotten about what had just happened to Xuanji.