Chapter 1
The sun just rise over the eastern wall of Wu Lan city by uncovering the veil of darkness in the sunshine
Thick, golden mist rose from the Serpent River and wrapped around the tiled roofs like a living thing. ...Steam poured out from bamboo baskets at the food stalls, filling the air with the smell of spiced paste, fresh ginger, and golden steamed buns.. The stone streets were already busy and loud , vendors were shouting to attract the attention of people. children ran barefoot through the streets ,playing and laughing . far away from that the bronze tower let out its lowers bell . A deep sound through the whole city like a giant heart beat .
the light in the Wu Lan was strange and special . It did not just shine down on Wu Lan: it seemed to come form mist itself making everywhere golden and warm , when you looked the whole city glowed softly with smell air that felt heavy .
But one part of the city totally quite. the ling family house.
It sat in the middle of the merchant district.
where most family show there money with big walls and beautiful iron gate but this ling family some different . they have the oldest peach tree in the region . it had been about 200 years older.
It is present in the middle of the courtyard . its roots were grown deep , spread and wide ... cracking the ground.
Under it , pinks blossoms fell everywhere like snow making the place like anyone stop and see.
under the tree's shadow a sitting platform of stone. in this place, like past 3 years no doubt this morning some one laying . who definitely should not be there .....
ling Jian was eighteen years old , with a face that made people stop and look . High cheekbones , dark eyes and hair black as ink . but right now it seem to be different , his mouth hung open and a pink blossom stuck to his left cheek like it had found a home .
His snoring was not just loud , it was a performance . the nearby student had giving up by complaining and just accept there faith as it is part of the morning
"ling jian" !!
the shout cam from the practice yard . it was the kind of shout that had been building up for a long time . it cracked across the courtyard like stick braking and birds flew up from the peach tree in pure panic as they heard there death .
he's one eyes open! it took like very long time as though each eyelid weighted a thousand pound . he moved like some excavating himself from tomb . his head turn slowly. like checking to make sure world was still there .
"Mmmmag" he said
Ling Fei stood at the edge of the courtyard. seeing the reaction of ling jian , his hand were shaking from anger, the kind that builds up day after day, year after year, until a man starts questioning his life choices.
Ling fei was not like his cousin . HE is a discipline and hard working . His robes had no wrinkles . every morning while other people slept like normal humans, He wake up and practice . His sword was polished and so clean that it shine like a mirror.
"At dawn , You were supposed to train with swords ," Ling Fei said. Each word came out like a hammer hitting a nail.
Ling Jian sat up slowly, removing the petals off his face like he had all the time wake "Good morning, Cousin Ling Fei," he said with a smile that suggested he found this entire interaction hilarious. "The sun is still lazy this morning , why can't I be?"
"The sun came up two hours ago."
"Exactly." Ling Jian yawned so wide it looked like his jaw might unhinge. "Still lazy by normal standards."
"You were supposed to—"
"To train my Qi through practice and hard work." Ling Jian grinned with the confidence of a man who had perfected the art of nonsense. "I was training. In my dreams. Very advanced skill, actually. I achieved perfect peace while lying down. That's also counts, right? Peace? Enlightenment? Spiritual harmony?"
"Are you find me a stupid "
"yes! , oh sorry, sorry " ling jian said some thing that he didn't .
Ling Fei's grip on the wooden sword tightened until the wood began to creak " what did you say " a thunder that stirk on the ling jian .
ling jian started make the environment little lighter . "I was meditating," Ling Jian said with absolute seriousness, as if this was the most reasonable excuse anyone had ever made. "The best masters meditate all the time. Some find truth in perfect stillness." But this time also his mouth make it worse .
"They don't find it by snoring loud that enough to wake up birds"
"That was breathing practice. Circulating my power inside." Ling Jian stretched dramatically, making his spine crack in about seventeen different places. "You wouldn't understand. It's very advanced. Requires years of sleep to master."
The two cousins looked at each other across the courtyard. The sword trembled once more in Ling Fei's hands. one final, desperate vibration. he turned and walked away fast, his feet making deliberately loud sounds to announce to everyone within a mile that he was furious. Ling Jian watched him go with a satisfied expression, then lay back down under the ancient peach tree like he'd won battle .
The platform was still warm from where his body had made a permanent dent in it. The blossoms kept falling, each one moving in a different arc, like the tree was writing a very slow, very pink poem with flowers and wind. Above him, the branches made patterns against the sky that looked different depending on your mood, your angle, and probably your life choices.
He had been training for ten years. Ten years of dedication and hard work and cultivation but his power was still stuck .It wouldn't move forward . It had basically refused to acknowledge the possibility of progress.
Thinking of that his breath felt weak and shaky like a candle in a hurricane ,instead of a bright, strong flame like the other trained students who actually tried he's different .
The elders had a different phrase entirely for him , the one they used when they thought he couldn't hear them: "The Ling Family's sleeping shame ."He had his own name for himself though: "the professional champion of comfortable sleeping positions."
A smile appear in the Conner of his face . He put his hands behind his head and settled down for more hours of rest, or maybe more sleep. The pink blossoms kept falling like nature's own serenity , and far away, the Bronze Tower bell rang out its deep and slow, like judgmental song.