Chương 3: The Rabbit’s Disgrace

Just out of the mist, at the top of the stairs stood a pair of doors in a free-standing arch. Nothing could be seen on either side of the arch except an ethereal haze. When the arch holding the two doors swung wide open invitingly before them, Paike and his little sister stopped to take in the sight. Just through the door materialized an old man, wearing sect robes worn beyond thin, tied at his waist with a bright red sash.

Behind him milled people—hundreds and hundreds of young, newly awakened cultivators, almost all just barely into the first realm, or Ruby cultivators as it was widely known. Each year, more than a thousand disciples attempted to join the outer sect. How many got in varied depending on how many passed the first trial. It appeared this year was just as competitive as any other. The pair stepped forward in lock step even as they dropped each other's hands.

As they passed through the doors, they swung shut with a thunderous boom that echoed all over the now traditional courtyard of the outer sect compound. Paike felt the tendril of qi, still trying to slowly worm its way into his dantian, immediately lose all animation and begin to dissolve. Paike took a deep breath of their new home. The air was thin, but still, the clouds were high above, with the sun just peeking through. Not at all like the near asphyxiating atmosphere of their family home.

But neither was it welcoming. All of this registered in the back of Paike's mind as the powerful cultivator standing in front of him demanded his full attention. He and Liming performed identical bows of greeting, dipping low with their hands pressed together.

"Greetings, honored elder," they chorused. Paike wasn't sure how exactly powerful the elder was. His spiritual sense wasn't nearly advanced enough for that. Paike just knew that he was just far, far above him, at least beyond the Fourth Realm. The old man stroked his beard as he studied them.

"Two members of the Kong family," he said, the note of question in his voice not really a question, but nonetheless, they both nodded in agreement. The old man studied them more before nodding to himself.

"If I may," Liming said beside him, and the elder gave her a patient glance.

"Ask, child," he said.

"The disciples we passed on the stairs. Will they be okay?" she asked with genuine worry in her voice. Paike felt a small smile creep on his lips. His little sister had always been the nicest of his family, the little baby somehow untouched by the cruel realities of the world around them. He and all of the family had spoiled her. Hopefully, that illusion would hold for a bit longer.

The elder smiled graciously, showing a surprisingly intact set of teeth that the long, thin, gray hair wouldn't have suggested based on appearances alone.

"Three days after one enters the stairs, they will be removed and shooed away from the sect. Someone with so little resolve is not welcome here. But," the man said, the brief moment of solemnity vanishing as he produced two wooden tokens with a flourish. He raised his voice and announced to the courtyard, "Kong Liming, two hours, 42 minutes, 36 seconds. Kong Paike two hours, 42 minutes, 38 seconds. This announcement set the group of people buzzing.

This was the third day of admittance, so most people who were getting in had a time measurement in days. The Kong family had a different standard and always started their students on the last day of the enrolment period.

"Congratulations," he said in a softer voice, handing them their tokens.

"I suggest you mingle with your fellow disciples and then find your housing. Housing is not assigned, but do keep in mind that after a week of orientation is over, you will have to defend it. So don't pick anything too overly ambitious," he said with a wink and vanished as quickly as he had come. The siblings stood there as Paike stared at where the elder had been. Together, they moved away from the entrance, making space for other disciples to enter.

As they stepped deeper into the courtyard, people followed them with their eyes.

"Under three hours," Paike muttered to his sister.

"That's good, right?" he asked with a frown. It didn't make sense. He had thought they had been running for most of a day at least, and he had carried her for almost half of the ascent. It shouldn't have been a fast ascent. They should have barely passed their families' standards. Liming looked up at him with a certain amount of respect in her eyes.

"Big brother is fast," Liming stated simply.

"The mist didn't seem to affect you as bad. Many of the phantoms you just ignored." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Paike frowned. Had it been affecting him strangely? The crowd muttering around him was distracting, and he was having trouble sorting out the overwhelming events in his mind. So he had nothing to do but shrug and continue on. As they walked and thought, a young boy, no more than 12 years old, appeared in front of them.

Next to him stood a short and dainty woman around Paike's age, but clearly not a new member of the sect. She stood at least somewhere in the second realm, judging based on his spiritual senses. But she stood slightly to the right and a half step behind the young boy in front of him. There was a certain resemblance between the two of them. Frowning, he recognized him from descriptions. This was the youngest son of the Han family's Patriarch. The woman must be from a branch family.

Sometimes, members of the outer sect would come to greet their family members when they passed the first trial. Paike was glad that he didn't have any siblings in the outer sect. There actually were none of the Kong family in the outer sect at all. So, no one was going to come and greet them. Occasionally, there were some branch members in the outer sect for more than just the first year, but not this time. The support might have been welcome if he had thought that they would have given it.

Not that he didn't like his siblings and cousins, but there was definitely a sink-or-swim mentality amongst his family. With him, well, the expectations weren't high. A senior member of his family still in the outer sect would have only been dragged down by him. That this woman was still there did not speak much for her talent. That she was his age—well, she might have been more talented than him.

Still, the Han boy and Liming would long surpass the two of them, explaining the subservience despite the disparate cultivation abilities.

"A pair of Kong siblings," the young man said, throwing his nose up in the air to the point where, despite being a head shorter than Paike, he could almost see up his nostrils. Despite the horrid personality, the boy was admittedly handsome. He had the look that was so popular in court, where it might have been difficult to tell him apart from a lady without his dress. Long, straight black hair shimmered with oils and smelled like perfume, even from several steps away. Paike gave him a nod.

"Indeed, as someone who—" He was cut off by the boy talking, speaking directly to his sister.

"You are quite the beauty." Paike bristled, hearing his little sister described as such.

"The Kong sect has quite the reputation for producing numerous quality offspring. They are a bit like rabbits, though. At least your mother is. I will speak to Father. Perhaps you will make a good concubine when I'm older. He always said that powerful young masters like myself will have many women." Liming did not rise to the bait nor seemed insulted. Paike wasn't sure if she actually understood what was being said.

Instead, she cocked her head in a slightly childlike manner as she stared at the boy, who was at most one year older than her.

"I'm sorry. I don't know who you are," she said.

"Would you care to make introductions?" Paike watched as the boy's face grew increasingly red. His mouth moved to speak, but no words came out, just indignant spluttering. Everyone watched calmly as he regained control over himself. Able to speak again, the boy shouted, raising his fist in the sky as if performing in a theater troupe.

"I won't let this insult to my family go unanswered. Even your disgrace of a brother isn't so above his station despite being where he clearly doesn't belong." The Han scion started pontificating, proclaiming his family's honor and personal insult. Paike had heard from family members that this sort of thing wasn't just stories. Outside of their family, people actually tried to lean on family names and liked to make a big deal of honor.

It apparently was even more common before the emperor had consolidated the sects into an arm of the government.

"Why!" The Han boy shouted, pulling his hands from his robe sleeves and adopting a martial stance that, to Paike, didn't quite look right. His feet were a little too close together, and his knees were not bent enough to properly fight.

"I challenge you to back up your words," he shouted, leveling his gaze for the first time to meet Liming's, who stood there looking slightly befuddled with a half-grin on her face.

"Now, cousin," the young woman said next to him, putting her hand on his upper arm, "wouldn't it be rude of you to beat up a young girl? This is a woman's matter. Allow me to step in and fight in your stead." Paike bristled at the clearly dishonest front. She was an entire realm higher. It didn't matter that the Han scion was male. This fight wouldn't be one-sided at all. But if she fought…

"Allow me to make up the difference," he said, stepping forward without fully considering it. He bowed.

"If you feel your family honor has been trampled, allow me to answer for it instead of my sister."

"Oh," the Han scion said, finally looking at him.

"I see the rabbit's disgrace has a voice. You want to bring even more shame to your family?" Paike felt a familiar frustration flush through him at the accuracy of the situation. His level of skill reflected poorly on his family, but at the same time, it was one thing for him to know and another for him to stand there while someone threatened his sister. Calling them a rabbit sect and insulting his mother was one thing, but insulting their power?

Well, now it wasn't just personal that stepped into the realm of business. The Kong wouldn't fight over insults or honor. They would fight if someone thought they were weak.

"Very well," the Han scion said.

"Prepare yourself." Liming stepped to the side, a look of concern pinched on her face. But Paike pushed that aside as he fell into a proper combat stance, starting to use his thin and newly carved qi channels that ran down the length of his limbs. Slowly and painstakingly, he forced qi through both arms at once. As the energy filled them, he studied his opponent, who was gathering qi in a swirl between his palms.

"Take my family's ultimate technique, Phoenix's Trail!" he yelled, thrusting both hands forward, and a gout of blue flames rushed towards Paike's face.