Volume One: A Visitor
Chapter X
Responsibilities / The Third Choice
Now embraced by the rising sun, the Valley of Peace and Jade Palace stretched its dawning purple crepuscular lights, patting onto peaceful lands. Two pigs in dawn kimono robes heaved a long metal pole, ringing the tower's bell beside the steep mountain. Shoji doors inside Student Barracks slid open, summoning all nine warriors (Lei Lei and Bao included).
"Good morning, Masters!"
Many announced Shifu and Dragon Warrior's presence.
Po and Shifu wandered into the Student Corridor, observing every warrior's face. The panda had dressed his simple outfit to Shifu's robe. "Good morning, students!" the panda greeted back. "Now, this day is going to be awesome. Despite dawn is our appetite to eat dumplings, noodles, and kick dummies, we now train outside of the Jade Palace Arena."
"It's a spar day!" Monkey approved.
"Yes! Taste of awesomeness test to train us fighting experience. But that will be later," He softly clenched his fist and strolled back. "Today, Tigress's group will shop in the Valley of Peace, deliver foods in the kitchen, and head into Fighting Square to improve your skills. Shifu and I will write down the list of goods before my partner's team can head there. My team will be outside the Jade Palace square, and we'll meditate later."
"Great!" Viper grinned.
This training to the albino had been familiar to many of his kung fu levels before. Not necessarily kung fu as Shen had trained previously, his complex combat Cai Li Fo from Master Thundering Rhino was part of his gift as that followed to rare teachers.
Lord Shen towered his feather limbs with push-ups against a solid structure beside Monkey and Mantis. Approvingly to the peacock's mind was not part of himself fresh as he became before, during his twenties. It might be worth the time to burn your inner strengths at the elder age while the young can burn their muscles faster.
While their priorities progressed, including their warm-ups, Mantis, Monkey, and Shen jogged over the Jade Palace arena, about two hundred laps improved their hardcore awesomeness. On the top platform in between the stairway, both Shifu and Po sat and crossed their limbs, sipping their mugs of green tea.
Shen peered at his model opponent with its wooden tail and circular motions, its nostrils pointing forward. The peacock readying his bo staff unfurled his red and black train, launching ahead with his rapid talons kicking twice. He swept underneath its feet, bowling its whole head toward the flat surface.
Monkey proceeded to his advantage. Leaping among crocodile dummies that engulfed the simian's space, Monkey pounded his feet, his tail springing, and let his foot clobber against the model's jaw. Next to his partner at a speck of the green trail of zig-zag, Mantis pelted the Ox dummy toward the air, slamming toward other horde models down to the side. The panda student Bao encountered his arms against his wooden opponent without its long, spiky tail, blending his quick durability when sidestepping on both ways.
Po sipped his mug. "These days are getting better and better, would you agree, Master Shifu?"
"Yes."
Shifu saturated his soft lips after sipping his hot tea that stroked within his throat. This morning by doing many training processes and observing every student disciplining his and her improvements, there were most of his reminiscent optics; the red panda indeed chronicled most of his eyes, so conceiving to put a smile on his face. The tortoise master perched forward, and beside him was his hot-headed, brilliant student who mainly shattered two mugs of his - gripping were first, and the other swaying his gesture.
Shifu smirked and turned to Po. "Has your student been improving his mental?"
"Shen has been going smoothly," Po said. "My student's a little concern to his act. And — well, a bit of boldness, however, he'll have to be concentrating on serenity."
"Hěn hǎo. Very good."
Po grinned as he poured some tea into his mug. The panda drank while observing his peacock student manifest his group the intricate techniques of Cai Li Fo — the only capability Shen was excellent at, the side from Kung Fu, the peacock also interested. Each of them followed their intellectual forms to flow their mobility and strength, and where substantial impacts they could hail, releasing their chi.
"Po, you have many characteristics of how you managed your experimental kung fu. Your teaching ability is simplistic rather than facing difficulties. Jade Palace can be yours for you to be accountable."
At first, the panda recalled this vital conversation before. This retiring moment to Shifu was to offer one of his students looking after Oogway's sanctuary palace. Po considered this management too challenging to achieve: taxes, insurance, meeting disciple masters, and many more.
"I don't know, Master Shifu. I do focus on defending the Valley, students to educate them, my dads receiving their goods to feed many villagers, and handling bandits over China." Po admitted. "You know, my adoptive dad cherishes me to keep his legacy going by taking responsibilities."
"Your Noodle Restaurant to look after."
"Yes. Not only customers."
"Of course."
Not only as Po being a master to "teach" students or do priorities, the panda thought of his newest obligation could go difficult than one of his mistakes that he did to the Furious Five inside the Training Hall. Teaching from Po's perspective was slightly awkward, but he had handled his greatest challenge as his teacher conversed with him.
Both Monkey and Shen sparred; their bo sticks aimed to themselves as if one expected an easy mistake, while the other wickedly grinned before going for a defensive encounter. Both panda disciple and green insect master Bao and Mantis trained on Monkey, and Shen shifted their sticks with swift spins and impacts.
"Our students will have to hear this discussion later this month. When your teacher takes on a journey to the peaceful Realm, there will always be Masters of Jade Palace looking after the historical temple."
Po agreed to his teacher's statement, reflecting on the situation of their conversations to be shared. Po would be arranging on how his fate could go. The Furious Five indeed had theirs to persist, as the Dragon Warrior apprehended more.
"Viper, head over to Mr. Ping and buy flour and pasta. Crane, find some nets next to Mrs. Chow's gift shop. And Tai Lung, you will walk with me."
Serpent and avian masters diverged toward where they went. Tai Lung only observed whole paths and sections on these roads, filled with settlement and prosperity he rarely saw. Sometimes this village never changed to his viewpoint, even as if a few elders but many witnessed the outrage and destruction, lived on — shattered in pieces. He also glanced at one pig farmer, who had bob cheeks with gray left eye patch fur, shrank both pupils, and looked away, shutting the wooden door hard.
With every step Tai Lung took, was merely swarms of sobbing. And the other was the scorching fire raging against the structures, a pile of plates and cups smashing, and bones cracking when his fist swirled against the people. The oddest thing that the fortunate son looked at these people: almost many, but the elders paid no attention to the presence of Shifu's son.
Tigress's panda student Lei Lei scurried to her aunt's apartment, where Pandivas waved their fans outside the front door. At this time, Tigress determined that Lei Lei's companions of three of Four Constellations arrived in the Valley of Peace to support Pandivas - only a side mission the trio Nu Hai, Jing, and Fan Tong would achieve Mei Mei's marketing. The girl would not remind her teacher to let Lei Lei occupy Mei Mei's place or help wrap a few sticks with wavy silks.
"So, this is the brother and sister walk, isn't it, Tigress?" Tai Lung spread his lips into a marvel.
Both warriors sauntered toward the river bridge. "Shifu anticipates us both to be precise when eying on the villagers," Tigress answered.
"Is this part of the Dragon Warrior's idea?"
"Mine."
Both warriors headed into The Tea Restaurant, which spread its fragrance of green tea and dumplings. Tigress and Tai Lung approached the tea owner's main deck; the whole room died its people's voices. The Great Dragon remained his gold star eyes on the dash - a few customers (wise and old) looked away instead.
Tigress sat on a tower stool and pawed her yuans to the Tea Restaurant owner, a gray pig with a right-eye patch in a green silk robe. To the leopard's mind, he could attend this pig's expression that he masked distrustful and frightening. Tai Lung persisted in his stand as his fur bristled from murmurs behind him. Shortly, the owner exchanged two cotton bags of tea bags (three hundred in each pack) to Tigress and Tai Lung and gave a pleasant pleasure to the Five alpha.
"These people focus on the stranger who broke half of the villagers in pieces," Tai Lung spoke out, exiting the entrance toward main roads. "Do you think these villagers expect me to be pardoned? I will not be disappointed if they forgive me."
"Perhaps," Tigress was certain.
"Perhaps?" Tai repeated with solemn awareness.
"Or perhaps not. Whether you have done terrible things in the Valley like many of us know the tale of the son who turned to darkness, forgiveness takes longer than you expect."
"Every person's eyes I see through them; they despised the fortunate son."
This village had changed ever since Tai Lung's rage struck every last one of the innocent. As Tigress discerned, most of the villagers observed that perpetual fears of seeing the snow leopard were unbearable, knowing most people pulled a few children of theirs when Tai was near. And their exposal miseries lasted years.
The leopard and tiger strolled toward the main road where the group was supposed to travel along. A serpent master slithered, with her tail gripping a pasta bag. The avian, soaring above her steadily, landed with two large nets. "Here you go, Tigress," Viper grinned. "Do we have a list from Po?"
"Yes. We go to the Bakery store," Tigress inspected the small scroll's list of groceries.
The avian caught up to Tai Lung when the group strolled toward a few stores. "This village has been changed ever since you were, you know, in Chorh-Gom Prison." Unreasonably to be polite to Shifu's adoptive son, Crane would have cringed as if Tai Lung was not interested in conversing with strangers (or enemies to Tai Lung as he opposed the Furious Five before).
Tai Lung kept his view on Tigress and many paths, disregarding Crane's public speaking that these masters presented their attention as friendly as the Furious Five could manage. "What is this partner to you?" he queried. The trio glanced when Tigress retrieved some pack of bread from an old sow. "What I meant was: the panda. Does he reckon that Oogway's prophecy chose him rather than me?"
"I would consider that the grandmaster had his prophecy of Po when Oogway met panda monks," Tigress began.
"Were the panda monks became the disciples of chi?"
Tai Lung's question enrolled with full of astonishment. The Furious Five might improve their expressions, wondering if the leopard followed up his characteristic of the father's son, equivalent as close as Master Shifu. "They must have," Viper answered. "I believe the monks were the only founders how they empowered their souls and shared chi to our grandmaster."
"Is chi like a soul?" Crane asked, his talon scratching his chest.
"That, my old friend," Tigress determined, "I cannot clarify how growth fragments share to every living thing. The only answer I think of this interesting theory, chi has been dwelling within our hearts."
Well said, sister.
Tai Lung impressed, widening his brows.
For half an hour, Tigress's group roamed on the stairway after their time of purchasing needs was pacing. Time is the age of perpetuality - either slow or pace, have yourself focus on many things before you knock in front of heaven's door.
The Dragon Warrior unlatched the Arena's gateway; the presence of Tigress's team was shining to expect. Only three revealed their smirk to their long-time companions. But their teachers masked their grins. "Do you have the rest of the sustenance?" Shifu asked first next to Po.
Tigress bobbed. "We have, Master."
"Good. Po's student Bao went to see his companions of the Four Constellations," the red panda said. "Come in here. There's this terrible news you must hear."
The group entered the Jade Palace Entrance. The gate only left it opened, so Shifu preferred fall breezes coming in the whole palace. Zeng crossed his feathers ahead of him, trembling his head once the masters revealed their old messenger's expression.
What happened? Tigress thought.
"We have a report of the Bamboo Forest. A family of five rabbit travelers witnessed Crocodile Bandits, slaughtered." Shifu announced.
Half of the masters gasped. "Crocodile bandits?" Crane feared.
"I'm afraid they were. Many, but two are dead."
"Two?" Tigress repeated. "What are their names?"
"Fung and Gahri. They are missing."
Shen glanced at his black and white bear master, noticing Po's look familiar to the peacock that he witnessed his former adversary hurling the fireball away at Gongmen Harbor. The exact expression Shen felt, his back bristling with hot foams. Po cast his view into troubling thoughts.
Where could they be? I should have checked them last week!
Shifu cleared his throat and continued on every student's weary eyes. "There are other familiar reports that other villagers from across China witnessed as well. The deer community from Chengquin saw the battle amidst the heart of the bamboo forest. A dow master heard the name of the black bear, Phantom. Huoju's commander appeared and fought against the gray bull with fierce horns. I believe we know the name of our grandmaster's closest friend."
A serpent master meddled into the meeting circle. "Does that lead to our tiger colleague's explanation that his grandmother's villager and two of the Nine witnessed Kai and Phantom?" Viper regarded.
"Whatever the case leads the attack, we must share this news with the Nine."
"Speak of the Nine," Crane met the feline's amber eyes, "how is your nephew been doing right now?"
"CURSE THAT BEAR!"
The Nine's Barrack, which enchanted by the Maker's shout, rumbled its structures and elegant shoji paper walls. Underneath his fluff throat was sweat tinging, and his breath panting with a storming warm. These were never in his immortality life. Despite being a ghost or a spirit warrior, you should say that aroma, sweat, and age dissipated in Spirit World. This incredible, threatening jade power, whatever he experienced only power of hate, made him mightier. And now, everything else went back to normal as if this familiar feeling was nostalgic.
Mortal.
This feeling was always he had experienced before, during the war, fighting battles you conquered lands because not only the war was filled with madness as if warlords fighting against warlords. It had done spread with the disease, and neither Kai nor his brothers liked that — winning the war was one thing, but the other, the enemy, searched for ways to win as well.
Calming his breath while swimming his head to this cozy room with shoji walls of high steep mountains of Qinling, Kai trained on this one-eyed gray figure sitting beside him. He recognized the scent of a canine.
"Well. Er — You're alive," the wolf surprised.
Kai stormed his fiery head, bending his nostrils. "Speak! I dare you to demand where I am residing in here?!"
"Easy, sir —" Wolf Boss interfered with his open-paw gesture, but —
"SPEAK MY RANK, NAME, AND THE TITLE OF THE WARLORD!"
As the wolf immediately trembled his body, he answered. "Easy now, General Kai, Supreme Warlord of all China."
That's better. Kai was relieved from his short-temper. "You are living within the chambers at Shui Palace," he heard the wolf's answer.
The bull sighed his harsh breath. "You recognize my reputation and a name! THANK THE GODS!"
"You have been out for three days, sir."
Kai glanced at one-eyed lupine. "Three days. Three days, you said?" The lupine nodded once. "I better find this lady who almost snapped my neck. Damn her!" Kai hammered his hoof.
"The black bear's gone from China for good."
Kai trained his eyes on him. "Oh? Based on who's information, puppy?"
Wolf Boss growled under his throat, his fists crushing.
"Mine."
This calming voice thrived between the shoji door, appearing the tiger in a midnight silk gown and black pants. The scar beside Chen Xing's right eye darkened the tissues Kai could see. "I'll take it from here, Zhong. Lotus desires more attention."
Zhong was calm and headed towards the shoji door. "Are you sure?"
Xing nodded. "Yeah."
Upon this term of keeping a high alert on this Beast of Vengeance, the Nine had their turns (one about each hour) sitting in Xing's room where Kai was resting. The tiger sat ahead of the bull warlord near his left knee. "You are that kitten from my birdie brother's city. Many mortals mentioned the panda's next successor," Kai spread his lips, curving his back straight enough to tower Xing's sitting height. "Tell me. You are this Mightiest Warrior, who forms into a white dragon?"
"I was born into something miracle, shared by many ancestors before me," Xing said. "I'm glad you have awakened, General Kai, Supreme Warlord of all China."
"General? Do you serve the army?"
"I'm not a soldier, sir —"
"A pacifist," Kai jolted his limbs. "DAMNATION!"
"Neither a pacifist," the tiger bit his lip.
"Good! I almost address myself to spare your life! I shall deem your worthiness to grasp your chi."
The bull unclawed his hoof forward, his twisted-looking face darkening his brows, keeping Kai grunt more. Neither of his hooves gleamed his pure jade color that endured his soul for many years. He repeated more until he plummeted his hands.
WHAT ON EARTH HAS HAPPENED?!
"Don't bother," Xing reassured him. "A friend of mine who remains not to reveal his name discovered your intrinsic jade power that followed dark magic from demons had taken away."
Kai fiddled his clenching fist and the other, grimacing more. If he wanted his intrinsic chi to feed his strength, why should he want more while being mortal now? It was his particular strength than mortality.
"Instead of taken away your power, let me phrase you this: If you could steal my chi, perhaps you should ask my thing inside me, protecting me from all the mortals and warlords like you. So, I wouldn't disturb her if I were you." Xing warned Kai.
He spread and slammed his hooves onto his legs. "Gods. That witch cursed me."
"And what does that lead you, exactly?"
Kai glanced at the tiger fiercely and left his glare toward shoji structures of mountain paintings, and beside the Mighty's left side was Heaven's Wrath katana, stashed on two wooden holders. "Someone hasn't taken a bath for centuries. Someone hasn't devoured healthy food and drink for centuries. And now, somebody is no longer immune from being immortal."
The tiger viewed Kai's wound between the bovine's ribcage as the scar paled with a soft gray line. The Mighty bent his ocean eye in determination. "Where am I, Little Kitten?" Kai asked.
"Allow me to manifest you, my peaceful palace, General," Xing said, reaching his paw to Kai. "Come with me."
Regardless of trusting issues toward Oogway's disciples into jealousy as this bovine had no one to stand aside him, but to lead the way, the Mighty grasped and rose forward.
"Welcome to Shui Palace. These are the Fellowship students educating with the essential subjects of Wing Chun, and Kung Fu."
Outside of Shui Palace courtyard, when Xing and Kai left the Nine's Barrack, three students of gorilla Bao, cobra serpent Fanshe, and bunny Hong sparred their Wing Chun forms. Xing's grandmother Ming demonstrated her chin stance as her limbs flown her agility strikes. Without hesitating to stare at Kai, who bestowed his unusual posture, the Nine maintained their current forms on a fighting square.
Many geese servants over the courtyard positioned six wooden dummies and three crocodile models next to Master Ming, so as the Nine's Messenger pointing his gardener crew watering every kind of plant at the patio. With a distinctive smell returning to Kai's muzzle, scents of a fourth quarter's dry foliages and jasmine flowers whiffed into the beast's muzzle.
Kai spread his large limbs. "Not a terrible place you got here, Little Kitten," his giant tone softened.
"Marvelous, isn't it?" Xing simpered.
"Who owns this palace?"
"My grandmother. This palace used to be the boatman's dock," the tiger gestured toward the palace while his grandmother hailed her chi to the Nine, and students copied her straight pounce. "When she and I moved on to this place, she purchased this temple. The monastery is now part of half dojo and the other half of cooking restaurant."
The Mighty's stomach inside his fur belly Kai hoofed on now grumbled. "You are hungry. I feel your mind, setting your tongue to my grandmother cooking lunch."
"The Jade Slayer gorged some souls I claimed before. Their flavor individuals filled my belly and never got hungry."
"With some ability which made you immune from odors and tastes, you remained deathless for a long time. Instead of gorging souls after you encountered masters in the Spirit Realm," the tiger met Kai's eyes, "what was the last food you devoured before you became the Jade Slayer?"
Kai's stomach ghastly growled. He clasped his belly. "The Maker has no memory of the meal. Are you planning to serve me a portion of food?"
"Master Ming and I will," said the tiger, whose eyes caught one of the Nine's students entering the Fighting Square. Both wolves bowed to the feminine tiger. Xing's paw gestured to Kai. "In case if your questionable thoughts interfere, my partner at the Fighting Square is the one who brought you here, had assistance with the Nine's Remedy and companion. She recovered you with her healing chi, and she and I are your masters to seek your guidance."
Lotus massaged her paws beside her dad without hardly drifting her eyes on the Mighty warlord.
Did she heal me? I didn't propose to anyone with mercy.
Kai lastly watched the brief memory of his struggle, knelt on the meadow grass, and saw multiple black and white bears in elegant garments and straw hats bent and healed his dying tortoise brother. A group of monks treated him too after Oogway. "Assuming this old fashion healing technique to recover many people from wounds," Kai heard the tiger's regard in reality, "pandas aided your old friend first, and you were the last one briefly recover your scars."
Xing breathed in, glimpsing his thought. "Of course, I remember something, " he began. "You arrived in Gongmen City with conscious thought. You did reach there because you wanted Huoju's head and take everyone's chi. You went there because someone before me reasoned you to prevent the army and wrath from happening."
Kai chuckled. "Anonymous reasons, mortal."
His answer cannot be complexed. I wonder someone who either made him guide to the battle or possibly himself realize where he wanted my nemesis.
The tiger clasped both paws behind his back. "Am I not the only mortal like the rest of us, especially you?"
The Mighty's lips opened before giving an inch of this concept to defend but starting to reconsider each individual's age and soul. Kai was part of mortalities that made him alive and became the ghost: Breathing with mortals, bonding with mortals, sticking with mortals, touches meeting with mortals, and tastes you devour, including drinks for living with mortals. These were his mentalities.
"Reminding you on this, I do have this absolute energy to suppress dark magics," Xing added, his paw flashing a soft silver. "It's either you or the rest of normal beings."
Kai crossed his limbs into perception. "So, what brings me here, Little Kitten? The rest of you followed Oogway. Can you not deny your thought of me to destroy my brother's legacy?"
"Oh, there's no denying that, General," Xing widened his eyes and gave a slight grin. "There are ways for you to decide your fate. And this outcome, however, you only have one path where you shall never go back."
Kai had seemed to impress this bold discussion to listen to this young master, underlining these aspects that unmatched his brother's but envied the tiger. "By the Gods," Kai scoffed when the Nine's Messenger beside Xing handed the tiger a piece of gold and red scroll, spreading the sheet enough to let Kai foresee.
"The Resistance and the Emperor are looking for you," Xing presented the wanted scroll of a mighty bull of glaring green eyes and fierce horns. "They think of you as the next greatest threat in all of China. I can take you in —" he wrapped and pawed the parchment to Kong, "— but that will not solve the settlement. You could jombie the Emperor and many people — nevertheless, your power might not be coming back soon as I expected.
"The second choice is: Be with your tortoise brother in the Spirit Realm for a very, very, very long time," Xing continued while sauntering sideways and eying on the warlord. "There will not be a chance to see hope. I won't exist, neither of my colleagues. But you might see the other tiger who shall remain my legacy and never remember who you are. It's either the two, in which the first decision is a terrible play. The second is a flip of a coin, which I won't play the odds to banish you or stay."
The Nine's Leader ceased to a halt and glanced sharply at Kai, towering his index finger. "The third choice might be promising."
Kai spread his massive arms. "And what is this third decision if I may ask the worthy student before I decide to steal your chi someday?"
"You stay here — train Wing Chun with your teacher," he told the beast; Kai leveled his head into a sudden relief. "Regain your honor to the rest of the people. Take back your reputation. Think of you as a memoir statue, the way you fought by your brother's side where many will commemorate you. The masters could pardon you, depending on tons of damages you have caused."
I've had done over things you shall not want to know, Little Kitten.
"I recommend the third choice," Xing continued, strolling past Kai. The tiger watched all students bow to Master Ming. "I might be your only hope because my family of two, including me, are the last remaining tigers left, General Kai."
Kai could see the tiger turning to him. "My ancestor raised you, and you pledged her to be Wing Chen's almighty student she ever had. I thought of her and you — many times after Second Gongmen Battle."
The tiger's words endured honesty, and Kai would not have rejected him. Seeking Ming and Xing's expressions reminisced of his former teacher, who made her student so mighty before opponents, before the venture with his warlords. "Can you not deny how Wing Chen blessed you the most?"
Kai spread and patted his hooves on his legs. "The third shall be my newest path."
The Mighty followed the Nine's Leader toward the side of the fighting square; Lotus and Wolf Boss awed when glancing at a towering bull before them. Ming simpered and nodded to her grandson, and Xing palmed in front of his belly. "There will be occasions. There will be lessons to prove what you are. And there will be — a bit of strict."
"What do you mean a bit of strict to the Mighty General Kai, Little Kitten?" Kai snapped his harsh tone.
Xing gestured his paw. "You will not defy, insult, or prattle at anyone how you talk more and loud. Master Ming's neighbor, my sow teacher, can hear you from halfway across the village."
Kong behind the tiger cleared his silk voice. "About a mile away, Master Xing."
"Thank you, Kong."
Regarding every master's eyes, Kai fiddled his Fu Manchu beard. "What if I reject?" he asked warily.
"Then there won't be a third choice," Xing said, his pose was straightening. "Let everything else behind you go. The war, betrayals, losses, Huoju, your brother, jombies, pandas — everything behind your past does not matter anymore." Lotus winked her gold-ring eye at her partner as he also blinked back at her. "Here are words saying: There is always hope in the future, that mysteries could loom elsewhere, but be wary as always."
"You sound like one of my warlord brothers," Kai pointed his hoof at him, his mane slipping to his right shoulder. "Not thoroughly compared, but tiny whiskers quoted like my turtle brother. I respect that."
"Good. You are now officially my pupil."
The Mighty widened his limbs once more. "Yes! Thank the Gods! I was beginning to worry that you will not pardon me."
"Do I? We shall see," Xing hummed.
This task was only the beginning to give Kai see what he missed his opportunity, which fitted him on war aspects that drove the Mightiest Warrior to a stern warlord. Emotions weaken your perception. Suppressing it, you cast your persistence without hesitation. Gladly, Kai found someone from the past who was on his side.
Around the afternoon, the Nine had embarked on their training since midday. On the edge of the Square, Lotus spread her half-grin shyly while standing next to Master Ming, and to the feminine's side, Kai trained on his new teacher combating Wolf Boss within a close range of chi sao encounters. The tiger sidestepped to the right; Zhong threw his front kick and the other back spinning above Xing's head.
Wolf Boss launched his circle punches that the tiger mirrored palm deflections. The lupine thrust his whole uppercut, and the other delivering a blow against Xing's chest. His opponent's palm ceased the wolf's agile strength; Zhong pressed on his tense arm while pushing Xing. The tiger's slight grin signaled in lupine's eyes, and his stripped tail wiggled.
Oh, no.
Before hailing, the Nine's Leader jabbed his potential palm force and let Zhong hurl back, almost tumble at the edge of the north square. Smooth chi. Xing's grandmother smirked and clasped her paws.
Zhong heard the trio of gorilla, cobra, and bunny behind the tiger cheer for their brother and the wolf after balancing his stance. Kai huffed his muzzle.
"The Nine seek Zhong's oath in two weeks."
Xing announced the group, and the Nine (but Ming smiling and Kai pondering in awkwardness) cried their joy once more.
Evening in Lake River
A dow traveler in brown cotton kimono dipped her soft pink hanfu garment in the bank water, washing with a bar of soap. Her deer husband, across thick bamboo trees and logs, was camping the fire with two of their children, foretelling night tales. Their sixth night traveling from the western province was not terrible when a deer family had their best of lucks -
The dow cleaned her children's garments as she desired for them to dress on later in the morning, while her hanfu had to be clean to pay a visit to her husband's mother in the Valley of Peace, celebrating her sixtieth birthday in less than a week. While ripples were elegant with crisp resonances of soft waves and the river pouring with misty melodies, a harsh splash deafened amidst the lake.
Is someone taking a bath?
Quiet ripples waved off as neither travelers nor outsiders appeared. The dow fastened her dawning eyes on banking sides, and the lake underneath where the surface was difficult to see the darkening shape, which ruptured with ripples. Her hooves held against the soft garment and soap for a moment, her flesh muscles flooding in the cold. As the sky cloaked with specks of outer clouds mirroring the dusk and stars glittering, deafening water swooshed to the other side of the lake; the dow stopped washing her hanfu after her son called his dow mother.
On the bank, which trailed with rough steps and water storming down behind the figure's body, its green eyes shimmered toward the dow and drowned in the gaps of trees, dragging the clinking chains with dimming green velvet blades from the water.
End of Volume One
Author's Note:
Suspense is a fun way to develop these insights that you bring mystery genre in a play. Not a simple task, however, but the writer's job is to make readers guessing while determining who they are in the game. I left some errors here, so if you saw plenty, I'll self-edit the rest later. My writing is quite rough during off-limits on gaming and under quarantine.
Bear with me on this important note to my readers out there. For over two weeks, I've had been within the cave and self-quarantined after COVID-19 loomed and brought me a rough start on those symptoms. I was told that I must be home for two weeks since I had to test myself, although I was sick. The good news for this week, I received a negative three days ago, and I am well recovered. But there's still much life going on to handle this pandemic that my whole family of three I lived with still needs to recover. Thank you to anyone from Discord who gave thoughts of me during my recovery.
At this time, my novel will get postponed until further notice. I am still writing my project that needs to fill the blanks before starting the second draft, and I'll need beta readers to check most of my chapters before I publish my novel. The Trinity is not going anywhere. Coronavirus will be gone when and if there's a vaccine to dissipate. Wear the mask, even when you travel somewhere else and for those who are sick and have positive. Take care of yourself.
Ever wonder who will be recklessly doing with these blades? We find out in the next volume of The Trinity! That will be the conclusion of Volume One, much more of a mysterious image ending.
Thank you all for reading! Smash favorite and follow if y'all like the story so far! More chapters will be on the way, and expect one of your favorite trios! What do y'all think of the story?!