Chapter 7: The Jade Palace
Hey everyone I am so glad to be back. But I had major writer's block for weeks and also I was to busy having fun on vacation but that is beside the point. All that matters is that I am back and I am happy to bring you all another chapter.
When Tigress first looked at the interior of the Jade Palace it put all her definitions of luxury to a whole new level. The halls displayed all the kung fu artifacts that were collected from the ages. The reflections of those noble weapons and tapestries were reflected on the glorious marble floor that was the foundation of this great museum and Kung fu academy.
"So Tigress what do you think of the Hall of Heros?" Shifu asked while showing her around.
"It's so cool here this is certainly the nicest building I have ever been in" Tigress complimented.
"Yes it is quite an extensive collection that expands through out all the history of Kung fu." Shifu stated.
"What's Kung fu I never heard of it?" Tigress asked curiously.
"Well Tigress Kung fu is a martial arts style of fighting the goal of Kung fu is to be able to defend yourself and others from attackers or anyone who poses a threat to your way of life" Shifu said.
"Wait so your a Kung fu teacher I just thought you were a rich old man" Tigress admitted. Shifu chuckled at this.
"Most people make that prediction but it is simply false I am the grandmaster of the Jade Palace and it is my job to protect the Valley of Peace and train students in Kung fu so for future generations the valley and all of China will be at peace." Shifu said as they stopped in front of the reflection pool.
"So how many students do you have?" Tigress asked.
"It really doesn't matter how many students I have even though there is only about four of them. They are all actually on a mission and it is indeed a shame that you won't be able to see them" Shifu said.
"Well that's ok. I was just curious is all. So Shifu can I please go to bed now it's been a long day for me" Tigress yawned.
"Of course after that run in with those bandits it could leave anyone tired" Shifu said as he showed her to the student barracks.
"So Shifu were you the one who beat those bandits in the woods?" Tigress asked as they were in front of the spare room at the end of the hall.
"Yes like I said it is my mission to protect and serve but it was funny that we met each other like that" Shifu said as he opened the door. The room inside was very plain with one bed in the corner, one mat on the floor, a window, and a truck nothing truly out of the ordinary but all the same it struck Tigress's interest.
"Wow do I actually get a window that actually closes!" Tigress exclaimed as she ran to open and close it repeatedly.
"Yes…." Shifu said awkwardly.
"Why wouldn't you have a window?" Shifu asked.
"It's kinda a long story but to make it short I didn't exactly have the best time at the orphanage" Tigress said sadly as she rested her stuff on her new bed.
"Well I would love to hear a good story would you care to share?" Shifu asked hopeful to know more about Tigress.
"Ok but I warned you." Tigress said as she talked about every problem she ever had at the orphanage including the conditions of her cramp damp room, her daily encounters with Lee and other bullies, and of course all her sad years waiting to be adopted by a family that deep down in her heart she knew would never come. At the end of her backstory (excluding the parts about Rees of course) Shifu had tears well up in his eyes.
"That is the most saddest story I ever heard. I am so sorry to hear about how you were treated" Shifu said in quiet sobs. Tigress was sadden to see Shifu upset so she thought to herself 'What would Rees do right now?' so without warning she wrapped her arms around Shifu like Rees use to do when she was sad. Shifu returned the hug and looked up at her.
"Tigress how would you like me to teach you some Kung Fu?" Shifu asked as they separated.
"I don't know don't you have to be super strong to be a great warrior?" Tigress asked doubtfully because she didn't think she was strong enough to be anything but a victim. Shifu looked at her with a wise calm look he then placed his hand over her heart and said "The strongest warrior is one who fights for what's right without fear of death or injury if you have someone in your life that you would die for then you will have the inner strength needed to do anything. I see in you that you have a lot of strength and a lot of heart something a great warrior needs. For you see a warrior fights with his heart not the strength of his body."Shifu said in a wise tone.
"Wow you really are a wise teacher" Tigress complemented. Tigress considered the idea in her head for a few minutes then she found her answer.
"I would be honored to be your student" Tigress said as she embraced Shifu in another surprise hug.
"Excellent, so when you hear the morning gong you will stand outside your door and wait for me then I will tell you what will happen for that day then we will either go and meditate under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom or we will have breakfast but after breakfast I will take you to the training hall where I will teach you the basics of Kung Fu and if I see that you have worked hard for that day you and I will go down to the village to how do the kids say it these days 'hang out'." Shifu smiled and Tigress laughed at the funny old man.
"Sounds like a plan" Tigress said giving Shifu a thumbs up.
"Goodnight Tigress and remember fight with your heart and you will always win" Shifu said as he closed Tigress's door behind him and made his way to his room.
Tigress snuggled into her new bed which was softer and warmer than her last one.
"Oh Rees I wish you were with me now" Tigress whispered as she fell into a deep sleep.
In an unknown location in the dead of night a large bear was carrying something wrapped in a blanket when he got to a large steel door he opened it and threw the blanket into the room and lit the torch to see the blanket unfirl and when he saw a teen Rees stand up he knew he could leave so he closed the door and left the room pitch black.
"One of these days I will rip your heart out you fiend" Rees sneered as he slowly made his way to his bed. For years Rees had been put through rigorous training everyday. And everyday would leave him feeling stronger and stickier (Thanks to the blood that nearly covered his body) every training session would end with his slave driver taking him to the hospital in the academy to get patched up and have more blood and fluids pumped into his system all against his will of course. The scars that lined Rees's back were perfectly straight and a brilliant white so bright they glowed in the dark and they were so strong that when the whip would strike across his back he no longer felt the pain.
"Well maybe this is a good thing?" His inner voice told him.
"How is any of this a good thing I lost my best friend to a monster that is keeping me here against my will who is treating me less than dirt how is any of this good?" Rees growled.
"Well I believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and your already free of the pain you felt during training so everything should be smooth sailing from here on out" the voice chuckled.
"Maybe you're right" Rees sighed in defeat.
"Now that's a good boy now go to bed we have a big day ahead of us" The voice said as it went back to whence it came. Rees rolled on his side to avoid his scars and went into an uneasy sleep.
In another part of the academy Junji and his lackeys were in his office discussing the matters at hand.
"So how are the other 'students' doing?" Junji said wickedly.
"There are over 2,000 'students' including Rees at your disposal sir" the leader spoke up.
"Excellent soon my plan will soon come to fruition and I will finally get to take my rightful place as Grandmaster of the Jade Palace." Junji laughed.
"But sir please explain to us again why we can't just attack now we have plenty of men and weapons to do the job" the leader asked.
"Our troops need a leader while my army lays waste to the Valley of Peace I will take down Shifu myself and I will start a campaign to rule all of China using the Jade Palace and it's artifacts to make me an unstoppable force." Junji explained.
"But sir I could lead the troops I am the most qualified here" the leader objected. Junji smiled as he grabbed the leader by the throat and threw him into a wall. The leader stood up shaking his head.
"Rees is stronger than you, smarter than you, and more obedient than you. Need I go on?" Junji sneered.
"But sir he doesn't respect you. You haven't made any progress with the boy for over 3 years. He won't even call you master! How do you expect for him to lead your army if he doesn't see you as his leader." One of his soldiers said.
"A very good question. Because you see after I work his body to the edge I will only need to weaken his mental strength to make him more compliant. And thanks to his condition he has. He is slowly coming around and I can see in a few years that he will be strong enough to fight and follow me as his master." Junji explained while stroking his chin. The room applauded Junji on his cunningness all except for the leader who stumbled off with his comrades into the night.
"Why do we have to follow him? We should kill that bastard!" One of the leader's men said angrily.
"We should just leave him!" The other soldier said.
"You're both right but we need to wait until the right moment to strike I have a plan that could save both us and that poor boy we captured.
I hope to hear everyone's opinions on how the story is going so far. So please review and favorite if you liked it. Also feel free to PM me to ask me any questions about the story or if there was something I missed or some kind of grammar problem that you may have noticed but I didn't I hope you all have a great day. Newguy100 :).