《A Shaolin Story》 Part 1 Two riders threaded their way through the snow-laden branches of the pine forest. The leading rider, on a brown horse, was a grand-looking man with a red fur-lined hat and cloak. Following him seated on a grey horse that was certainly too large for him was a boy dressed in a dark blue hat and cloak. Occasionally, the boy would lift an arm to shield himself from the whiplash of pine branches. ¡°How many schools was that, Mao? What number are we up to?¡± said the man with an evenness that belied his absolute disappointment. Mao focused on his father, his daydream shattered. ¡°How many schools have I had to pull you from now?¡± Mao shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, little boy! Little boys never care in the slightest! That was the fifth school in the last three years that has failed to impart the slightest bit of care into your head!¡± Aramond bit his lip to prevent himself saying any more until the fury had subsided. ¡°Are you treating my words like earside breeze again? Do you know how much trouble I¡¯ve gone through on your behalf?¡± Aramond said, after they had gone another mile. ¡°I was perfectly happy staying at home, father,¡± said Mao. ¡°Oh, fine! Terrific. And what will become of you then? You are the son of a warlord. How do you expect to carry yourself in my world if you do not learn a decent amount of martial art?¡± ¡°Granddad doesn¡¯t make a big deal of it,¡± Mao said quietly. ¡°Pah! That old fool always makes a big deal of the inconsequential, and never enough of what is truly important.¡± ¡°That is a matter of opinion, father.¡± The duke cast a baleful eye at his son, and lapsed into stony silence. When they got to his castle, he enclosed himself in his rooms, and did not come out again until he had thought of the perfect solution. He could not force his son to learn the art, but there were certain people who just might be able to persuade him. And Granddaddy, the eternal pacifist, could hardly disapprove ¡­ ~~~ The grey-robed monk led the two arrivals through the vast, rambling grounds of the temple. When he got to Seiskein Monk¡¯s room, he knocked and waited by the side. Silos Seiskein opened the door. He was an imposing man dressed in red and gold robes. His white beard flowed, and his bald head shone. ¡°Two newcomers to see you, master,¡± said the grey-robe. Seiskein frowned upon the two boys. Mao stepped forward, and bowed. ¡°Master, I am Mao Aramond, and I was sent here by my father, Duke Aramond, Warden of the North. Here is a letter.¡± Seiskein took the envelope and removed the letter. Shaking it open, he scanned it. Seiskein looked at the other boy, who was dressed in clothes that looked like they once belonged to a scarecrow. He had on his shoulders a bulky canvas knapsack. ¡°This is my servant ¨C¡± ¡°There are no boy servants here,¡± said the tall monk. ¡°All disciples are required to serve themselves. You must send him back.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that, master,¡± said Mao. ¡°My father got him to be my peer companion.¡± ¡°Really? If he¡¯s a peer, why is he in rags?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s really a commoner. My father bought him off this old couple a few days ago ¡­ and ¡­ um ¨C¡± ¡°Ah-huh ¨C¡± ¡°Yes. He thought if I had a peer companion, it would motivate me to learn better.¡± ¡°There will be no need for such here,¡± said Seiskein Monk. ¡°Send him back.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that! If I send him back, then father will most likely have him returned to his old grandparents and they have five little ones to look after, as well as a sick one. They will have to pay father back the first sum, and lose the wage he sends them.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said the tall monk, his dark eyes hooded and glittery. He came to a decision. ¡°Well then, I shall take him to see Greson Monk. He will no doubt find him something useful to do while you train with us. Come along.¡± Seiskein strode away so fast that the two boys had some trouble keeping up. They stopped at one of the smaller courtyards. A pile of firewood and a chopping block with an embedded axe took up half of it. There was a door from which steam billowed, and the aromatic smells of ginger and herbs and spices wafted.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Come along, little boy,¡± the tall monk said to the ragged child. He led him into the vast room filled with stone stoves, steaming pots, tables of vegetables, all attended to by servants dressed in the simple brown jackets and black trousers which made up their uniforms. A large monk bustled towards them, dressed in the usual yellow over which he had a large brown apron to mark his rank as kitchen taskmaster. ¡°Greson, I have a little worker for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is Mao¡¯s servant.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Find him something useful to do.¡± The big taskmaster picked up the boy¡¯s thin arm. ¡°What am I supposed to do with him? How can I expect him to do a man¡¯s job?¡± ¡°I will leave him with you then.¡± Seiskein stalked off without giving Greson a chance for further protest. The scarecrow-kitted boy looked up with hard-eyed fearlessness at the big monk who rubbed his shiny head thoughtfully. His impressive black beard bristled as he muttered to himself. ¡°Well, I hope you are stronger than you look, little boy. What is your name?¡± ¡°Keiham Lam, master.¡± ¡°Well, Keihan, let¡¯s go and see about getting you some suitable clothes.¡± They left the steamy kitchen with its crowd of hot-faced servants. Greson was large and bluff, but he was not unkind. The hour he was supposed to spend making sure the vegetables were cut to the right size and the water hot enough before they were put in, he spent finding something suitable for the little chap to wear. Everything was too large ¨C he selected the smallest jacket and trousers. He would just have to grow into it! He cut a strip of material to tie around the little boy¡¯s waist and decided that would have to do. Then he cut his hair into a more manageable length. ¡°Hungry?¡± The taskmaster took him to where the servants ate, and left him with a big bowl of soup and rice buns. A short while later, a troupe of servants came to set the tables for the junior disciples¡¯ evening meal. After Greson had sorted them out, he went to Keihan and said, ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to do anything today, but report to me tomorrow morning at the first stroke of the bell. I will have thought of something for you to do then. Now, let me show you where the servants sleep.¡± He led the boy to the room behind the kitchen. It was a large room. Pallets lined the floor and bunks were built into the stone halfway up the walls. ¡°Oh dear, I haven¡¯t thought this through. There doesn¡¯t appear to be room for you here. Tell you what, if you don¡¯t object and your little master doesn¡¯t object, I see no harm in you sleeping outside his room.¡± He picked up one of the pallets from the floor with one arm and tucked a pile of blankets under the other, and led the way. After some enquiry he found Mao¡¯s room in the junior residential courtyards and left Keihan there after reminding him to report at the first stroke of the morning bell. The room was very small. There was a bed, a desk, a chair and a small chest for clothes. There was just about enough room to store the pallet under the bed. The windows and doors of the rooms in this part of the temple were bare wooden frames with paperless slats, unlike those of the senior residential hall and the monks¡¯ quarters. Keihan dumped the canvas knapsack he¡¯d been lugging around onto the desk. After a while, he thought he¡¯d make himself useful by emptying the contents onto the desk and ordering them. The few clothes and personal items he stowed away in the chest, and the rest were books which he put into a neat pile. He recognised some of the titles from home, and so making himself comfortable in the furthest corner of the room (hidden from casual passers-by), he occupied himself with one until Mao finally showed up. ¡°All¡¯s well?¡± said Mao. Keihan nodded. ¡°Settled in, have you?¡± ¡°I feel right at home.¡± Mao laughed. ¡°We shall see. Anyway, the main thing is, you are inside Shaolin, not outside.¡± Again, Keihan nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°No need to thank me,¡± said Mao waving his hand dismissively. ¡°That monk sure can talk. I thought he¡¯d never get to the end of his sermonising. Anyhow, I better get a start with my sleep. The first bell is at some godforsaken hour! Hey, where are you going?¡± ¡°I sleep outside this room.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that! I¡¯ll have a word with Seiskein.¡± ¡°I sort of got used to sleeping on floors and outside,¡± said Keihan. ¡°Really, it¡¯s no trouble.¡± ¡°You did? Well, it makes me uncomfortable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a better option than the servant¡¯s dormitory between the kitchen and the latrines.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sleep outside. What if it gets really windy and cold, as it does this high up ¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble ¨C¡± ¡°All right, enough already,¡± said Mao. ¡°Here¡¯s what we do ¨C compromise ¨C how about ¨C you don¡¯t sleep on the outside, but on the inside, and I don¡¯t go to Silos Seiskein this very minute and demand they give you the emperor¡¯s guest suite?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Keihan laughed. He pushed the desk and chair as far back as they could go, and rolled out his bed and blankets. The two boys settled themselves and went to sleep for the first night in Shaolin. ~~~ In his room, Seiskein Monk finished his work for the day, and tidied the papers on his desk. He picked up Duke Aramond¡¯s letter and read it again: Honoured and Venerable Masters of Shaolin, I am a man of blunt words so I shall speak my desire straightforwardly. This is my son Mao Aramond. I have sent him to several excellent schools of martial art but in each one he has failed to grasp even the most simple of Forms. I know my son well and this is not due to lack of ability. Given a choice, he would rather spend his days with a book in his hand and be like his grandfather. However, it is my determination that as a scion of his lineage, he ought to have some proficiency in martial art. Shaolin kungfu is of the highest order, and although you have a tradition of not allowing it to be used for warfare, nonetheless, it is highly desirable for defending oneself against enemies. My son does not realise it yet, but by his birth alone he has many enemies and should be taught to defend himself. So, here is the deal: you impress on him the importance of this, and train him in your art, then, when he becomes a man, if he so chooses it, he may receive ordination with my blessings and my worldly goods. He is my only son and heir. Humbly and respectfully yours, Dao Aramond, Warden of the North Part 2 Hing, whom Seiskein had ordered to help the new boy settle in, woke Mao up the next day: ¡°Come on Mao, aren¡¯t you up yet! Didn¡¯t you hear the bell? Hurry, or we will be late for Morning Rites.¡± ¡°I¡¯m up!¡± Mao yelled. ¡°Stop banging on my door. Are you trying to break it down?¡± He got out of bed, noticing that Keihan had already left and his sleeping pallet was rolled up neatly and stowed away under the bed. Hing hopped about impatiently as Mao washed and dressed in the clothes Hing had brought for him. The uniform for a junior disciple was a black jacket paired with black trousers. Then he ran off the way the others had gone. Hing was a full head taller than Mao, and he slowed down to be sure he was not losing the smaller boy as they rounded corners of the buildings. They finally arrived at the main chanting hall where the junior disciples were assembled, cross-legged, in rows. The last two arrivals seated themselves at the back. They watched Seiskein Monk in his red and yellow, and two other monks dressed in yellow, burn incense, and listened to their droning prayers. Some of the more pious boys joined in the chant. Most of them sat with bowed heads and folded hands. Some, like Mao, sat trying to keep off the sleeping demons. When the Morning Rites were finished, the monks departed silently and with grave dignity. This was the signal for the boys to break up and go in their scraggly groups to the breakfast hall. At the sound of the next bell, they assembled in the junior hall to be put through their paces by the junior sihfu. The older disciples went through warming exercises while the sihfu interrogated Mao on his level of skill. On learning that it was little, he told Mao to do some sit-ups, push-ups and stretches. That occupied him until noon when there was an hour of meditation before midday meal. Then back to the same yard to cover basic forms. Punch, block, lunge, kick, sweep. The sihfu would correct their posture and urge them, ¡°Balance, balance, balance. Concentrate. Focus!¡± Then there were one or two hours of classroom lessons such as arithmetic, reading and composition. The bell rang for afternoon prayers and tea. Then for the rest of the day the boys could do as they wished. Some continued to practise, others went to the library, or to seek the monks for advice. Hing usually spent this time learning the different languages spoken by the different kingdoms. He wanted to travel the empire when he was older. Mao flipped through books of poetry. The bell rang for evening prayers and meditation, then supper. Hing discoursed on himself and the habits of the temple to Mao as they ate. ¡°¡­ And just so you know, the monks graduate disciples by ability, not by how long you¡¯ve been here. I¡¯ve been here for six years, and I¡¯m still wearing this black jacket. There¡¯s some only been here a couple of years and they get to wear the grey jacket, that¡¯s senior. Grey disciples get to learn the Sixty Four Forms. How long do you think it will take you to get to that point?¡± Mao chewed his food thoughtfully. ¡°You know, I really can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Well, only Masters of the Sixty Four can wear the white jacket, and get to learn the temple¡¯s most guarded Form.¡± ¡°Do you have to shave your head and become a monk?¡± ¡°Oh no. Only if you want to take the vows of faith. But you don¡¯t have to,¡± said Hing. ¡°The secret Form is passed on to any one who masters all of the Sixty Four Forms regardless of whether they become a monk or not, although I think the monks will most likely expect it of you, so I¡¯ve heard.¡± ~~~ Even though Keihan and Mao shared the same room, the two boys saw little of each other as the days progressed. Keihan had to start early and finish late. When Keihan reported to the taskmaster on the first morning, Greson gave him to Lazuro who did not know what to do with him either. First there was chopping of the wood ¨C Lazuro showed Keihan the servants¡¯ gate at the back of the temple ¨C there was fetching of the water ¨C there was a little path in the wood down to the streams ¨C Keihan went about the tasks with diligence and stoicism ¨C there was the food preparation before lunch ¨C after lunch, there was the sweeping of the yards and other areas. In the training yards, Keihan caught sight of Mao with the other boys listening to the sihfu. ¡°¡­ There are exercises for each part of the body from the head down to the toes. Every muscle counts, and their reach and limits must be remembered and co-ordinated. And it is important to breathe correctly. You bring air to the muscles, to bring air to the internal fires, and to lift the body. Always along the flow of your movements, unless ¨C well you will learn of that when the time comes. Remember, always with the flow, or damage to the internal gates will ensue. This will lead to ruin of your health. If the correct ways of marshalling the energies are not adhered to, you risk damage, which will shorten your life, or bring demon fires to your brain and confuse you. It is of the utmost importance that the correct flow is learned and maintained. You will later see that each Form has its own natural flow and it is essential that you discern it ...¡± Mao did his exercises correctly, if without much enthusiasm. There was little to fault. There were other boys not so fortunate. In particular, a gawky chap named Lingmon who always had difficulty remembering the order of movements. The rap of a knuckle to his head by the sihfu did not help, and in fact incensed him to complain.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°So when do we get to learn some real kungfu?¡± ¡°Idiot! You haven¡¯t even learned the foundation ¨C how do you expect to master the sky?¡± The sihfu would, again, correct Lingmon¡¯s posture and reiterate instructions. ¡°Don¡¯t stiffen yourself. Balance and remain fluid in your motion and your thoughts. Find the natural flow of energy in your limbs. Be relaxed but ready to strike when you need to strike.¡± He continued around the yard correcting postures and directing movements ¡­ Once the vast junior and outer courtyards had been swept, the two servants had a little time to themselves before the evening meal ¨C after which there was much tidying to do and preparation for the next day¡¯s work before they were allowed to go to bed. Lazuro used the spare time to try to amuse the little chap and some of the other servants joined in, but the more the adults prodded and teased, the more the child withdrew. Greson came out before the affair got too messy and ordered them back to work. The days passed and Keihan got used to the work. His favourite task was sweeping of the yards. He would spend hours doing it. The monks seldom noticed him, but the servants often joked that Keihan seemed to have dedicated himself to sweeping the yards spotless for his little master to train in. ~~~ The months went by. Mao felt some guilt at the neglect of the friend he had brought into the temple. He had made friends amongst the junior disciples, but he felt somewhat responsible for Keihan whom he hardly saw, much less exchanged words with since the first evening. One afternoon, he decided to seek Keihan out, and maybe help him with the chores he had to do for the sake of the masquerade. Outside the kitchen, he questioned one of the brown-clad servants, and was told he¡¯d gone to get water for the well. So Mao went out through the back gates, and found Keihan returning with two pails of water. ¡°Let me help you, Keihan.¡± ¡°No, it is alright, Mao. I am used to it by now. It isn¡¯t so hard once you are used to it.¡± Keihan poured one pail into the well, and took the other round to the stoves. ¡°Well, that is that. Now I have to get these baskets of vegetables done. You had better not help; this is the place of servants. If you aren¡¯t one, you would only get in the way.¡± Lazuro, overhearing the conversation, offered to do Keihan¡¯s share of the work, so he could spend some time with his master, but Keihan refused the offer. Mao decided to get out of his friend¡¯s way, promising to catch him at a better time. Lazuro found it odd that Keihan refused. If he thought about it, he would have realised that Keihan did not treat Mao like a master, eager to obey his word, and be near him at the slightest excuse. And Mao did not treat Keihan like a servant whose sensitivities counted for nothing in relation to those of the one he served. The next day, Mao saw Keihan sweeping the training courtyard flagstones. As soon as the lesson ended, he was at his side, ignoring the calls of some boys to him. ¡°Hey, Keihan, did you see the way sihfu marshalled his Qh¡¯i and chopped through five tiles with his bare hand?¡± Keihan nodded. ¡°I bet you wish you could do that.¡± Keihan shrugged. Hing reached the pair of them. ¡°Hey Mao, I want to show you something.¡± ¡°Not right now, Hing.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Er, I thought, I¡¯d, er ¡­¡± Mao wanted to say that he wanted to catch up with Keihan, but with his servant status it did not sound justifiable. ¡°Nothing, what was it you wanted to show me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really cool, you¡¯ll never believe it!¡± said Hing excitedly, leading the way out of the yard. Mao went off with Hing, leaving Keihan to sweep and contemplate. Mao thought that if he wanted to speak to Keihan, it was best to catch him just as he goes off with his buckets to fetch the water. The time coincided with the afternoon rest, so finally he could walk with his friend without being disturbed by either servants or disciples. But, having this perfect opportunity to talk, he was at some loss to find a subject. He felt it might be insensitive to talk about his training since that was sure to make Keihan feel bad. Left out, barred from the very thing he had come so far to obtain. And Keihan was silent. So they walked to the streams in silence. Mao helped Keihan fill one of the buckets. He was clumsy, and splashed the whole front of himself. He would have fallen into the stream if Keihan hadn¡¯t reached out at the last minute and steadied him. ¡°Here, you better give me that bucket. It is easier to carry two, rather than one, because it is balanced,¡± said Keihan. He shouldered the frame, and then noticed the state Mao was in and burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he collapsed onto the mossy bank and knocked over the buckets of water. Mao joined in the laughter. When they finally sobered, Keihan said it was best if Mao went back to change. Mao shrugged, saying that a little wetness never hurt. It would soon dry. He picked up one of the empty pails to fill it. He was more dextrous the second time round. Then they made their way back up to the temple, taking it in turns to carry the water. They chatted and discovered a shared love for stories and favourite classics. Keihan stopped minding his friend so much, and the fact that his presence made it impossible for him to practise the kungfu exercises he had observed. Over the past few months he had learned to ground himself. How to unite controlled breath with controlled motion until it was a natural part of himself. With increasing strength came increasing perception. By the stream, he had become aware of his senses, and held his balance, looking into the changes of the stream. Stilling his mind he had observed, and swiftly, he had struck into the water and caught silvery fish with his hands. He felt the dormant powers of his growing knowledge. Part 3 The other boys noticed how Mao liked to walk with his servant. They wondered if they might poke some fun at this. A gang of eleven, including Lingmon and Hing, gathered and followed the two boys as they went down to the stream. They were headed by Junho, the oldest in the group. He was a rather tall and good-looking boy with a nasty temper when things did not go his way. Mao and Keihan were naturally silent, while the group laughed and joked behind them. When they reached the stream, Keihan began to fill the pails. One of the rude boys jumped forward as if to help, but really to cause mischief as he splashed into the stream and falling over, grabbed the pails so that they fell into the middle of the stream. ¡°What the hell did you do that for?¡± shouted Mao. ¡°Quick boys, grab the buckets before they are swept away,¡± said one of the other boys, giving Keihan a shove. ¡°Oi! Leave him alone!¡± shouted Mao. ¡°And what if we don¡¯t?¡± said Junho evilly. For too long Mao had sidestepped his taunts and challenges. Here, at last, was a way to get Mao to lose his temper. Mao clenched his fists and struck. Junho blocked easily and laughed. Hing grabbed Junho¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Wait a minute. No fighting ¨C it¡¯s against the rules.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell the monks?¡± Junho snarled. The two mortal enemies weighed each other up. Keihan held Mao back by the sleeve. ¡°Master, let it be. Don¡¯t fight because of your humble servant.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is not your battle,¡± Keihan insisted. He stared at Mao, daring him to contradict. Mao saw that Keihan wanted desperately for him to leave. He did not understand but felt that if he were a friend he could not do otherwise. So he walked past Junho and called to Hing. He did not look back. ¡°Hey, where do you think you are going?¡± Junho shouted. ¡°We have unfinished business, you and I! Hey!¡± But Mao did not look back. ¡°What about your little boy?¡± Mao did not stop. The other boys wavered a little, and then followed Hing and Mao. ¡°I¡¯ll hit him!¡± Junho yelled. He struck Keihan, hoping that his cries would bring his master running. But Keihan took the blow that floored him, in silence. Junho lashed out with his foot. Keihan remained silent; he hardened the muscle at the target areas to minimise injury. Unable to get a sound out of the boy, Junho gave up, and sulked back to the temple. But he knew Mao¡¯s weakness now, and so, over the next week, he would kick out at the boy, throw stones his way, stick out a leg to trip him up ¨C whenever Mao was present. The fact that Keihan was dextrous at sidestepping the nuisances when they occurred should make Junho think, if he wasn¡¯t so obsessed with rousing Mao¡¯s ire. The only time Junho could trip Keihan, as he swept the halls, was when Keihan saw Greson Monk approaching around the corner, and fell flat on his face. But before Mao could get there to pick him up, Greson had interposed. The taskmaster had seen, unmistakably, the way Junho had stuck out his leg at the last moment, right in Keihan¡¯s way. ¡°If I ever see you do that again, I will see you out of this temple, Junho. I will see you are expelled in full disgrace!¡± Junho cowered before the big monk¡¯s fire. The taskmaster helped Keihan to his feet and then saw the livid bruises on his chest. It so happened that Keihan¡¯s belt was loose, so his jacket was tugged aside. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± the taskmaster exclaimed. ¡°I climbed a tree and I fell,¡± said Keihan. Unseen by the monk, he allowed a little smile which cut through to Junho¡¯s very bone. That snivelling little worm. Junho itched to strangle him. ¡°What were you climbing a tree for?¡± asked the taskmaster. ¡°No reason ¡­ I just wanted to climb.¡± ¡°Well, it is dangerous, so don¡¯t do it again. You could have killed yourself.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, Master Greson.¡± Greson nodded, and went off. He was a busy monk. ¡°It was you, Junho, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Mao said, as soon as the monk was out of hearing. Junho did not reply. He turned on his heel, pushed down the rage in his belly, and left. Keihan kept Mao from going after Junho. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Keihan, ¡°he won¡¯t do it again. He wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ~~~ Greson Monk found Seiskein Monk doing some research in the temple¡¯s vast library. ¡°That Junho fellow has been beating up my little boy,¡± he said, without preamble. ¡°Pardon?¡± said Seiskein, putting down his writing brush. ¡°Remember that little boy you told me to take care of?¡± ¡°Yes ¡­¡± ¡°One of the disciples has been beating him up, and I am certain it was Junho.¡± ¡°Are you sure? That is quite serious,¡± said Seiskein. ¡°Did you actually see Junho beating up the little boy?¡± ¡°Not with my own eyes, but I saw him stick out a foot to trip him up ¡­ and then I saw some bruises on Keihan¡¯s body, so ¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite follow, Greson. You say that this little boy was tripped up and from that he got bruises ¨C¡± ¡°No, no. The bruises were there from before ¡­ I saw Junho stick his foot out, and it was definitely no accident ¨C¡± ¡°And from this you draw the conclusion that he must have done some injury to the servant beforehand?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°My friend, unless you saw it with your own eyes, you can¡¯t make such a serious claim. It could have been any one of the six hundred odd disciples we have ¨C although you could safely discount the ones under the age of ten. As for the tripping up, it may be deliberate, but it is no major offence. Boys will be boys. I doubt any one of us could claim to be a saint while we were growing up. I will certainly not make a note of it. Also, Wai Sihfu has recommended that Junho be one of the disciples going up to the senior level this spring. When that happens he will have less time for mischief. In my opinion, Junho is a fair disciple and the higher study will refine him.¡± ¡°But you are missing the point. Somebody bullied that little kid.¡± ¡°Did he say whom?¡± ¡°No,¡± Greson admitted. ¡°He said he fell out of a tree.¡± ¡°Then that ends the matter, my friend.¡± Seiskein picked up his brush and prepared to write. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. If he had really fallen out of a tree there would be scratches, but there wasn¡¯t. So clearly, he was covering up out of fear.¡± ¡°No name, no culprit, nothing to be done,¡± said the venerable monk. His brush poised over a fresh sheet of paper. ¡°If you really want to pursue the matter, then you should keep an eye out for further incidences. A bully ¨C as you insist there must be one ¨C will certainly bully again. Also, while you are at it, you should note how much time that little kid spends sweeping. It seems to me that he spends an inordinate amount of time doing the job in the junior yards.¡± ¡°He does?¡± said Greson, eyebrows raised. ¡°Do you mean to say he might be lingering so he can learn Shaolin martial art in secret?¡± ¡°I am just observing that he spends rather a lot of time in the training yards ¨C at least, that seemed to be the case last time I checked,¡± said Seiskein. He found his place in the book and began to make notes. Greson left the library frowning. He had searched out Seiskein with one worry, and now left with another. He made his way to his kitchen and, passing through one of the yards, he came across Lazuro talking to Keihan. He took the broom out of Keihan¡¯s hands and thrust it into Lazuro¡¯s, saying, ¡°From now on no more sweeping for you little boy.¡± And he bustled off. Nonplussed, Lazuro and Keihan stared after him. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Beats me,¡± said Lazuro. ¡°What was that you wanted to say?¡± ¡°Oh, I was going to ask ¡­ actually, it¡¯s a bit beside the point now, considering ¡­ I was going to ask if you¡¯d like me to sweep up around the inner yards, but no matter.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, you wouldn¡¯t have needed to in any case because keeping the inner yards tidy is a chore for the senior disciples.¡± ~~~ It was the middle of a freezing winter. Everyone started to dress in thick, padded jackets and leggings and hats with earflaps, except for the wizen monks in their perpetual robes. A letter arrived for Mao and after reading it, he ran off to find Keihan. ¡°Hey, we are going home. One of my dad¡¯s men is at the village below waiting for us,¡± he said when he found him chopping up some wood. ¡°Hurry, we can get there by this evening, and start our journey home tomorrow.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well, come on,¡± said Mao. ¡°You¡¯ll meet my grandpa who is just super!¡± Keihan got up and followed Mao as he ran off to his room to pack. Mao flung open the little chest and pulled out his clothes. He found they did not fit him and was annoyed. He wrapped the whole lot into a bundle, except for two thick fur-lined cloaks. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to wear what I have on now and get proper clothes when I get home. I¡¯ll get some for you too.¡± ¡°Do you really have to go home?¡± asked Keihan. ¡°My father demands it, and grandpa is looking forward to it. Of course I have to go. But it is just for a visit. We¡¯ll be back here by springtime.¡± ¡°Oh, alright. I could do with a break,¡± Keihan remarked. Mao laughed and tossed one of the cloaks to Keihan. He wrapped the other one around himself. He put all the old clothes into a knapsack and thus the two boys left, after giving word of their departure to their respective mentors. After a fifteen-day journey on horseback, they arrived at the sprawling castle town where Mao¡¯s family lived in their ancestral seat, Aramond Castle. Before they reached the castle, Mao stopped at a tailor shop to buy two sets of clothing, one for himself and one for Keihan. Mao would not hear of Keihan¡¯s protest, stating that he could not possibly introduce his friend to his family dressed in servant garb. The guardsmen had sent word ahead of their arrival and Lao Aramond was waiting at the castle gate to greet his grandson. They exchanged a joyful embrace, and then Mao introduced his friend, and asked where his father was. Old Lao commented that his Maoi had grown taller, and was much too heavy to swing in a circle, even if he had the strength. He told them that the duke was ensconced in a council with his advisers and captains and was probably not in the mood to be disturbed. They exchanged gossips of what had happened over the year, and as they walked through the castle, Mao greeted the elders, his sisters and cousins. Lao asked Keihan a few questions, but when he only got monosyllabic answers in return he stopped asking, and lavished all his attention on his beloved grandson. At dinner, Lao went to his own room, as was his custom. Mao was to go to the grand hall, and he took Keihan with him and made him sit next to him at the lower end of the high table. When the meal was finished, Dao Aramond greeted his son for the first time and told him they would speak first thing tomorrow morning. Mao got one of the servants to make up a guest room for Keihan, and then after calling on his mother to ask after her health, went to his own bedroom. The next morning, he knocked on his father¡¯s door. After a few pleasantries, Aramond asked Mao what had he learned during his time at Shaolin. Mao blinked. ¡°Er ¡­¡± ¡°Follow me,¡± said Aramond curtly, after a few minutes of awkward silence had passed. He led the way to the central garden. He snapped his fingers at a passing soldier. When they were assembled in the middle of the garden, the duke ordered the soldier to attack Mao. The soldier hesitated. ¡°Go on,¡± Aramond ordered. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid you¡¯ll injure him. I want to see if the Shaolin Masters have taught him anything useful.¡± The soldier towered over the little boy, and bunched up his fists to attack. Mao blocked and with a twist, got behind the soldier and with a well-aimed kick, felled him. The soldier scrambled up. ¡°Draw your sword,¡± said Aramond. The soldier obeyed and attacked again. Mao dodged and blocked, and after a few close nicks, Aramond ordered, ¡°Enough!¡± and dismissed the soldier. ¡°It seems the Shaolin Masters have taught you nothing,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe I shall have to take your education into my own hands ¡­¡± Mao did not know how to answer. Aramond began to walk, so he followed mutely. After a few minutes, he spoke up, ¡°Actually, father, I think I should go back.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. It would spare you the trouble.¡± ¡°It would ¡­¡± ¡°There are many supreme masters at Shaolin ¨C¡± ¡°Ah! You find them very impressive?¡± ¡°¨C Their reputation is not undeserved ¨C And I have made numerous friends ¨C¡± ¡°Yes. I see you brought one of them here.¡± Mao nodded. ¡°There¡¯s lots of things to learn at Shaolin ¨C I have barely started!¡± Aramond pondered a few minutes and then nodded. ¡°Very well. Return to Shaolin, but if I see no great improvement next time, I shall think of something else.¡± He dismissed his son. Mao thought it odd that his father made the comment about taking his education into his own hands. He wondered if the duke really meant he would take it upon himself to teach his son. During a game of chess, he asked his grandfather about it. Lao sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t think he meant it. He has many things weighing on his mind ¡­¡± Mao moved his queen and captured Lao¡¯s knight. ¡°Ah-hah!¡± Lao swiftly counter-captured, and smiled. Mao frowned at the board. Keihan was sitting on a stool watching the game intently. Mao glanced at him hoping for some inspiration or help. ¡°I heard that he has lost the favour of the court,¡± Lao commented after a while. ¡°So that is one reason for his discontent. In my opinion he spends too much time wishful thinking. The borders are quiet and there has not been much opportunity for warring against other nobles lately ¡­¡± ¡°Oh? That should be a good thing!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± After the boys left for Shaolin, it occurred to the duke to ask Lao if he had learned anything about Mao¡¯s new friend. Lao had little to report. ¡°But don¡¯t you even know the boy¡¯s background?¡± Aramond asked. ¡°What of it? He seems a good friend and frankly that is all I need to know,¡± said Lao peevishly. ¡°Your trouble is that you think the whole world answers to you. It doesn¡¯t. And the sooner you realise that, the sooner you will be content.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t it bother you?¡± said Aramond, ignoring his father¡¯s advice. ¡°The fact that you don¡¯t even know this little boy¡¯s background? Don¡¯t you think that a bit strange?¡± Part 4 When junior disciples became senior grey disciples, there were no more formal training sessions. They would be each assigned to a sihfu who oversaw their progress and taught as they saw fit. The grey disciples¡¯ progress depended on their aptitude and diligence, and guidance from the sihfu. Junho was a bit nervous at his first meeting with his new sihfu, Cragon Monk. Cragon was of smaller-than-average size and height, and approaching his fortieth year. His face was wide and generous and clean-shaven. Cragon appraised his new disciple and then asked, ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Nearly fifteen, sihfu,¡± Junho replied. ¡°And what can you do?¡± ¡°Er, what can I do? What do you mean, sihfu?¡± ¡°I mean, beyond the basic training ¨C have you learned any of the Sixty Four Forms?¡± ¡°No sihfu. I thought that would be what I am to learn now.¡± Cragon nodded. ¡°Come with me.¡± The small monk led the way to the temple library. He showed him a recessed corner where the dust was especially thick on the top shelves. ¡°There are those who like to teach their disciples as if they were juniors. I choose not to do this. Here are the manuals for each Form. Here are fifty-two of the Sixty Four Forms in modern text. The rest are still in old text and if someone hasn¡¯t got round to translating them by the time you¡¯ve mastered this lot then I¡¯ll teach you them myself. So, you may start with the first book, The Sweeping Willow. If you have any questions, anything that doesn¡¯t make sense, then you may ask me. The original book is not to leave this library so you may wish to make your own copy. If you do make a copy, it is not to leave Shaolin. I advise you to thoroughly absorb the words before you start practising. The straightforward parts you could probably work through yourself, but the difficult parts you should go over with me before you train in earnest ¨C for your own safety. Clear?¡± Junho nodded. ¡°You did learn to read, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course I did, sihfu.¡± ¡°Good. You can make a start whenever you like.¡± Cragon left the room. Junho read through The Sweeping Willow. It was a rather thin text and he was finished by the end of the day. But it made hardly any sense to him. So the next day, he made his own copy and spent much time reading it over, trying to discern the meaning and absorb it. Only half of it talked of body-stance and practical movements, which was easy enough to understand. The other half talked of mind-state and energising Qh¡¯i, which flummoxed him. He went to ask Cragon Sihfu. ¡°First of all,¡± Cragon started to explain, ¡°your basic training has taught you to sharpen your senses and strengthen your body. You learn to move better, and be mindful of yourself and your surroundings. You should be able to move without disturbing the ground, leaves, water and other elements. All nature is as one with you when necessary. You also learn the basics of marshalling Qh¡¯i through breathing exercises. Now you must use that knowledge to achieve perfect air and heat energies. This provides the power behind each Form. There is a flow inherent in each Form. You must find it and master it. There is a naturalness to everything you will learn from now on. It is a dao you must learn for yourself. I could teach you the kungfu, I could even tell you the dao of the lesser Forms, but with the higher Forms I would only be able to guide you so I would prefer you learn to find it yourself. Sharpen your mind, strengthen your body. They are two parts of the same oneness. Spirit and substance. Train them together and thus the barriers of possibility are pushed back. You will find that with greater mastery, what was impossible before becomes commonplace. Then you will be ready for the secret scroll, which is ¨C I¡¯ve been told ¨C a short time to learn, a lifetime to master.¡± ¡°Right. Erm ¡­ What exactly is Qh¡¯i?¡± ¡°That is a difficult thing to explain,¡± said Cragon. He stood up and rummaged through a stack of books on the stool by his window. He found what he wanted and gave it to Junho. ¡°This book will go some way towards explaining it, but the best way to understand it is to practise Qh¡¯i Kung. It is like an aura of moving air and energy, a breathing that pervades us, surrounds us. You should train yourself to see it in others and to hide your intentions in combat. A master of perfect Qh¡¯i will be able to see through webs of confusion. He will see unseen possibilities. He is a master of changes.¡± Baffled by this oblique explanation, Junho made a speedy exit so he could study the book, Qh¡¯i Kung, and see if it explained it any better. Lingmon found him sitting on the steps by the gigantic statue of Buddha in the outermost courtyard. ¡°Oi! Junho! Get your nose out of that book and help us sort out that snotty little kid.¡± ¡°What?¡± Junho wrenched his thoughts from the complex sentence he had just read. ¡°That Mao and his servant are back. Let¡¯s go and show them who¡¯s boss!¡± ¡°What do you disturb me with that for! Idiot! I have no interest in your jumped-up shenanigans!¡± Junho snapped his book shut and stood up. ¡°If you disturb me again for such stupid reasons, I¡¯ll give you what for!¡± he said, and stalked off to his room in the senior quarters. ~~~ With no access to the training yards and fewer chores, Keihan spent most of his days idling by the streams. Occasionally, he saw some of the grey disciples practising Forms at the streams, and in the depths of the forest, but there was little he could learn from them. He could sense the power, but he did not know how it was achieved. He had fully mastered the initiate exercises and had perfect control. Sometimes, he delighted in demonstrating to himself how far he had tempered his body. The lightness and spring of perfect balance and Qh¡¯i, which takes him across the lake surface like a skipped stone. But most days were now spent lazing by the stream and fishing with a hook and bit of twine. He did not volunteer for more chores and it was mid-autumn before Greson Monk thought of and wondered what to do about him. At first, Greson thought it would be no matter that he had so much spare time. Then he worried that he might be using it to learn Shaolin¡¯s secrets without being properly indoctrinated. Thus he made up his mind to spy on him. Even though Keihan had the habit of mindfulness of his surroundings, he could not have detected the taskmaster unless the big monk chose to reveal himself. Greson had withdrawn his presence so completely that only a master of equal stature to Greson, or better, could have detected him as he shadowed the little boy when he saw him leave the temple and make his way to the stream. Thus Greson wondered at first what Keihan was doing throwing a hook-line into the stream and then settling himself onto a comfortable low-lying branch. Then it dawned upon him ¨C Startled, Keihan turned and saw the taskmaster appear from behind a boulder like a titan from an earthquake. Greson Monk then pontificated on the sanctity of life and proclaimed his horror at how he could so casually destroy a living creature. Food was plentiful; there was no excuse ¨C Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Keihan stuttered an apology and promised to not do it again. ¡°¨C How am I to believe you?¡± Greson berated. ¡°That you would not come here tomorrow and do the same thing. No, I¡¯ve decided you need new duties. No more fetching of water or wood. From now on your duties will be strictly inside the temple. I don¡¯t want to see you outside, or even near this stream. Back to the temple with me, now!¡± Keihan followed the big monk, dreading the change the taskmaster had in mind. Greson was gruff in his scolding, but secretly glad the boy was only fishing, and not practising stolen lore. He chuckled at himself for his silly suspicions. Nevertheless, a change of duties was needed to occupy the lad and keep him on the straight path. Thus, he set new duties; to dust, wipe and sweep the inner sanctums, chambers, walkways and outer courtyards; to work in the laundry; to work in the side kitchens; and to help in the herb and vegetable gardens. Keihan resigned himself to the new chores. One of the things he found remarkable as he commenced his new dusting duties was the sheer number of statues around the temple. There was the colossal one in the courtyard in front of the buildings ¨C a serene Buddha of pure-white stone ¨C life-sized statues in the main chanting hall ¨C half-sized ones in alcoves high up. Every inner room had at least one. Even the library had one. A very curious statue, it had a sagely face and a body between combat and prayer ¨C there were two arms in front with the palms facing but not touching. Keihan marvelled at the way the sculptor had managed to give it sixty-four arms ¨C he counted ¨C which were arrayed in an astonishingly inventive design. Every statue, from the most human-like to the most unhuman-like had its own story. This one must be intricately linked to the secrets of Shaolin and he took care not to wonder too much about it lest someone took note of his wonder. The work kept him busy but his mind idled. There was no one keeping tabs on him beyond noting that his chores were done, and he found himself one or two spare hours on most days. He sometimes spent them reading and re-reading Mao¡¯s books. When he got bored of them, he thought about finding others in the library. So, knowing that all the monks ¨C except for Greson who almost always stayed in the kitchen ¨C would go into an inner sanctum for yet another ritual in the evening, he decided that was the perfect time to browse. ~~~ Hing looked up from his studies of contemporary and ancient language at the sound of the door opening. Keihan blanched at finding the library occupied, not deserted as he had hoped. He immediately backtracked. ¡°Oi! Mao¡¯s servant boy,¡± said Hing, glad of having something to break the monotony of his study. Keihan had no choice but to approach Hing¡¯s desk. ¡°Yes, Master Hing,¡± he bowed. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not like Junho. I just want to ask you a few things, if that¡¯s alright.¡± Keihan bowed. ¡°I will answer what I can, sir.¡± ¡°Yes ¡­ what is it like ¡­ I¡¯ve heard that Mao¡¯s father is one of the most famous generals of the Imperial Court, so what is it like? To serve such a great lineage?¡± ¡°Er ¡­ I really can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Am I too nosy? Then you need not answer. I¡¯m just curious what it must be like ¨C to rub shoulders with the great. I¡¯ve heard Duke Aramond is a trusted aide to the emperor himself!¡± ¡°It is not a servant¡¯s place to gossip about his masters,¡± said Keihan, eventually. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m sorry. It is just that Mao hardly speaks of his home whenever I ask him. I can respect that you shouldn¡¯t talk about your masters behind their back. But you know I¡¯m his good friend. I won¡¯t tell him anything you tell me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s his home like?¡± The silence built up until Hing gave up prying and returned to the books and papers on his desk. This was the signal to Keihan that he may leave, but he did not. He look at Hing¡¯s books with open curiosity. Hing noticed his interest. ¡°You want to know what this is? This is a dictionary. That¡¯s a book that tells me the meaning of words. This one here shows me how old words become new words. I bet you never realised words can change with history. It¡¯s a shame you don¡¯t know how to read, because then I could really show you something. In this library are gathered all kinds of knowledge. Every now and again the monks like to travel and gather new knowledge from all places to study. Quite awesome, isn¡¯t it? To think of all those types of learning, recorded for all time here in this stuffy old room!¡± Hing laughed at the round eyes of the little servant. ¡°You won¡¯t ever need to worry your little head over this ¨C you know I actually envy you your ignorance. You won¡¯t know the need to torture your brain trying to make sense of these squiggly lines that make up the written language ¨C beat your head over the layers of subtle meaning ¨C cooped up at your desk ¨C knowing that you just might grasp the meaning of it if you apply yourself a bit more ¨C and hearing the sound of people outside, longing to join them if you could only finish with the work here ¡­ but I am losing your attention. What can I be thinking, to talk on and on to someone who has no idea of what I¡¯m talking about. Go on, little one, I shouldn¡¯t be keeping you from your work with my nonsense.¡± Keihan bowed and left the room. Alone, Hing went back to his torturous study. He had spent eight years at the temple now. At fifteen, he was fully grown, and even sported the beginnings of a flowing moustache. His study balanced well with exercise and his progress with the basic training is such that he would soon follow Junho in going up to the grey jacket. ~~~ Cragon Monk found Junho practising the second Form, The Snarling Tiger, in one of the small senior training yards. ¡°There you are! Here, I thought you should also be acquainted with this book,¡± said Cragon, holding up a white-covered book bound with sturdy blue thread. Junho took the book and read the title, Anatomy and the Essential Points of Y¡¯id. ¡°What is it about?¡± ¡°The body has certain pressure points and it is important that you learn about them. They can be points of weakness if you are not careful. It is through these pressure points that a kungfu master can immobilise, even kill his victim. You can use Qh¡¯i to protect these points. And it is also through these points that certain types of energy are channelled depending on the Form and the pressure point. But that is all detailed in the book. How¡¯s your tantric focus?¡± ¡°My ¨C what!¡± ¡°Tantric focus ¨C the way by which one attunes oneself in mind and body to the surroundings, the non-self and the self.¡± ¡°Pardon!¡± ¡°Ah! So much to learn,¡± said Cragon happily. ¡°You must also exercise your brain as well as your body. First, there is the Qh¡¯i. That is a marshalling of internal energies to give power to your motions. A punch followed though with Qh¡¯i is much stronger. A strong man with no Qh¡¯i might demolish a wall. A strong man with Qh¡¯i might demolish ten. A master with perfect Qh¡¯i may demolish untold numbers, although it would not be wise to unleash such a force all at once. Each Form has its own particular way of marshalling Qh¡¯i and it is important to recognise the correct way in each. You must learn to appreciate this and be mindful of your internal gates or you could damage them. You must always ¡­ so rare that anyone can learn this ¡­ achieve this ¡­¡± Junho nodded attentively. ¡°I do not expect you to learn this in one day, or even one week, or one year. Shaolin has many disciples but we expect few to ever reach the state of master. It is rare for five out of a thousand to achieve complete mastery of all that the temple has to teach.¡± Cragon continued, ¡°Second, there is the Y¡¯id. These are nodes around the body, rather like internal gates which one must always be mindful of. Study the diagrams and identify those points on your body and the relationships between them. Be mindful of them in ordinary activity, and especially in combat. Theoretically, it is possible to self-heal if you fall victim to a pressure point attack, but it is so difficult that it is impossible ¨C¡± ¡°Sorry, sihfu, but did you say the Y¡¯id nodes are the same as the internal gates?¡± ¡°Ah ¡­ not so ¡­ they are similar. The position of each pressure point is charted and can be learned, but the internal gates are uncharted ¡­ they are ¡­ felt ¡­ this leads me to my third point ¨C tantric focus. This is what you must train yourself in as well. It is one thing to learn the motions of each of the Sixty Four Forms, but quite another to awaken the dormant powers of each Form. This is achieved by the marshalling of internal energies and you can only do this when you have perfected Qh¡¯i Kung and tantric focus.¡± ¡°I sort of understand Qh¡¯i Kung, but what is this tantric focus? How do I perfect that?¡± asked Junho. ¡°Hmm ¡­ I think we shall leave that for another time. You have quite enough to do for now. It is a whole different level of mastery and you will learn to achieve it ¡­ in good time.¡± Junho bowed obesiance, and the little monk nodded and went about his other business. Part 5 Mao finished his exercise for the afternoon and went to his room. He discovered Keihan there wiping the desk with a dustsheet. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± said Keihan dropping the dustsheet and picking up his book. He marked his place and put it down again. ¡°Did you want something?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just done for today. I¡¯m glad I caught you, yes, I¡¯ve been meaning to have it out with you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Mao waved his hand around the room and towards the desk, and the chair ¨C at the numerous untidy towers of books and pamphlets. ¡°This is a bit much, don¡¯t you think? You couldn¡¯t swing a dead cat in here before, now you can¡¯t swing a dead rat! Now, I¡¯d be the last person to complain if you want to store stuff here, but this is too much.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯ll take them back. I just got a bit bored ¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean. What are you reading?¡± Mao picked up the book Keihan had just marked. ¡°Selected stories of immortal sages ¨C what¡¯s it about?¡± ¡°Oh, you know, stories of this and that. The statues in this temple have each their own story ¨C quite remarkable some of them. Some are unbelievable, some are just plain daft ¡­¡± The two boys chatted a bit until it was time for Keihan to do more chores, and Mao went off to supper. Later in the evening, Keihan went to the temple library to return a pile of books and browse a little. He thought that since it was such a late hour it would be empty and balked when he turned a corner and saw Seiskein Monk at one of the desks writing by the light of the moon streaming through the open window. Keihan bowed and stuttered an honorific. Seiskein raised his head and appraised the little boy. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he said at length. ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ er, I was ¡­ Master Mao told me to return these books.¡± ¡°Oh yes?¡± Seiskein got up and reached a hand out. Keihan put the books into his hand obediently. Seiskein glanced at them, reading the titles: A comprehensive introduction to karma and karmic prayers; Sum sutras; Meanings in mantra verses; Selected myths and fables vol VI ¡­ ¡°It¡¯s rather dark in here, master,¡± Keihan said. ¡°Hmm, yes ¡­ I ¡­ lost track of time ¡­¡± ¡°Would you like me to get you a candle, master?¡± ¡°No candles in this room, little one. You may get a light for the lamps, but there is no need. I am just about finished here.¡± Seiskein put the returned books onto the table. ¡°Please inform Mao that in future the books here are not to be removed from this room. He should read them here, or make his own copy here if he wants it for reference. And he should always return them to where he found them otherwise no one else would be able to refer to them when they need to. I suppose these ones are fine to borrow for a short while, but only one at a time or it will be easy to forget where they should be returned ¡­ I really must work out some way to reference and order them properly ¡­ I shall return these to their proper places. You may go.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Keihan bowed, and was about to leave when ¨C ¡°Wait,¡± said Seiskein. Keihan turned back. ¡°Yes, master?¡± Seiskein stroked his long white beard as he scrutinised the lad. At length he said, ¡°Nothing. No matter. You may go.¡± Keihan bowed obeisance and left the dark library. He wondered at Seiskein¡¯s lack of ease ¡­ ~~~ It was nearly the end of a mild winter when Mao was again ordered to visit home. With some annoyance, he discovered that the clothes he had bought last time for himself and Keihan no longer fitted. ¡°Oh well,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to buy another set.¡± And so the two boys set off. When they arrived within sight of the castle, Mao dismissed the soldier who had escorted them so they could browse the shops for new garments before going home. Grandfather Lao was overjoyed to see his Maoi and commented at length how much he had grown. This time, Duke Aramond was also at the castle gate to greet his son with a huge smile. ¡°How have things been for you this past year?¡± he inquired. ¡°Splendid, father,¡± said Mao. ¡°Have you a great deal to show me?¡± ¡°I have learnt a great deal!¡± Mao replied. ¡°Excellent, excellent. You will show me later. Now, please introduce me to your little friend.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Mao. Everyone looked at Keihan who could not help a frown at this undue attention. ¡°Um, this is my good friend Keihan Lam. Er, we got to know each other on my first day at Shaolin.¡± ¡°Oh yes.¡± Aramond nodded. He led the way back to the main building. ¡°Where is he from?¡± ¡°Er ¨C¡± ¡°I am from a village in Gnarlin originally, sir,¡± said Keihan. ¡°That is in the east, just under the northern border, near the sea.¡± ¡°I know where Gnarlin is. Did your family travel there from the Western Provinces? Are you from a notable family?¡± ¡°Not very notable at all, sir,¡± said Keihan. ¡°Are you mocking me with a show of humility?¡± Aramond raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°No, sir.¡± ¡°Ah! Do you have any brothers?¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± ¡°An only son? Well, well. You must be your father¡¯s heir. What does he do? What is his name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know my father. I never knew my mother either. My grandfather raised me. He is a merchant. His name is Iyan Lam.¡± ¡°Indeed ¡­ are you sure he is a merchant?¡± What an odd question. ¡°Why would I not be sure?¡± said Keihan. ¡°That is what I know.¡± ¡°Why did he send you to Shaolin? Is it just to learn martial art or is it to make up for some terrible misdeed?¡± Old Lao noted how uncomfortable the interrogation was for the little boy. ¡°Don¡¯t you have something you need to be getting on with, Dao Aramond?¡± he said. ¡°Some devious plan you need to concoct?¡± ¡°Am I not allowed to ask questions of my son¡¯s friendships, now?¡± Aramond retorted. ¡°If you used half as much of the energy thinking evil of others as you should to cultivate your inner self, you¡¯d be halfway to nirvana by now.¡± ¡°What makes you think I want nirvana?¡± Aramond spat. He turned on his heel and left without another word. The two boys relaxed visibly once he had gone. It was a few days later that Aramond once again turned his attention to the strange little boy. It was after supper, and knowing that the two boys sometimes spent this time in Mao¡¯s room playing board games, he made his way there and after a perfunctory knock, he entered. ¡°Father,¡± Mao acknowledged. Keihan got up. ¡°Sir.¡± Aramond shut the door behind him and said, ¡°I have questions for you Keihan. You may choose not to answer, but I would advise against that. And don¡¯t even think to lie to me. I am very good at knowing when someone is lying.¡± ¡°Dad, is this really necessary?¡± asked Mao. Aramond ignored his son. ¡°Keihan. Is your grandfather really Iyan Lam?¡± Keihan frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He sounds like someone I should know of. Describe him.¡± ¡°Er ¨C¡± ¡°Dad! You can¡¯t possibly know a merchant from Gnarlin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what I can and cannot know!¡± snarled Aramond. He went forward and grabbed Keihan by the scruff of his neck. ¡°You look very much like an enemy of mine.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Mao jumped up amazed at this vicious paranoia. He tried to help his friend, but Aramond pushed him to one side easily. ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re strangling him!¡± Aramond released his grip on Keihan¡¯s collar, and gripped his arm instead. ¡°What are the names of your uncles?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°Really? Not one?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What about cousins? Do you know any?¡± ¡°Dad! This is insane! Can you leave off this ridiculous interrogation!¡± ¡°You find this disturbing, my boy?¡± said Aramond smoothly. ¡°I am so sorry. Let me take this elsewhere.¡± He opened the door and dragged Keihan with him. ¡°Stop! No! Don¡¯t!¡± said Mao, horrified at the thought that Aramond was going to take Keihan to his dungeon for a spot of torture. But the dungeon was not Aramond¡¯s intention. He dragged the little boy to his own quarters, and there, closed the door firmly after he had ordered the guard to keep Mao from disturbing him, outside. ¡°Now then,¡± said Aramond, as he released Keihan. ¡°Where were we? Oh yes ¨C cousins?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°How would I know cousins if I don¡¯t know any uncles?¡± Keihan said, massaging his arm. ¡°So your sole family consists of you and your old grandfather?¡± ¡°As far as I know, yes.¡± ¡°And he is a merchant?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± said Aramond thoughtfully. He sat in his chair and appraised the lad for a full moment before asking another question. ¡°So why did he decide to send you to Shaolin?¡± ¡°He, er ¡­ didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°No? Then what are you doing there?¡± ¡°I, er ¡­¡± ¡°Shall I go and ask Mao? Or maybe I should write to the monks and ask ¡­¡± ¡°No! That is, I decided to go there myself.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I wanted to learn martial art for myself.¡± Aramond nodded. ¡°And how did you meet my son? Be aware that I shall ask him the same questions in a moment.¡± ¡°We met on the road going up to Shaolin.¡± ¡°Are you in the same class?¡± ¡°Yes ¡­ that is, no.¡± ¡°No, as in, not the same class?¡± Keihan shook his head. ¡°No. I, er, am a ¡­ er ¡­ worker.¡± Aramond raised his eyebrows. Keihan continued, ¡°I knew it would be hard ¨C getting accepted as a disciple, so I went in as a servant. Well, that wasn¡¯t what I intended originally, but, well, Mao thought I¡¯d be accepted if I were his peer companion, but ¨C¡± ¡°Excuse me, you mean you are masquerading as a servant in Shaolin?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that ¨C¡± ¡°¨C And got my son to help you in this?¡± ¡°Well, he offered, he thought he¡¯d be helping me out ¨C¡± Aramond held up a hand. ¡°Let me get this perfectly straight. The monks think you are my son¡¯s servant boy and you¡¯ve stolen into Shaolin solely for the purpose of their martial art?¡± ¡°Er, yes, that¡¯s the long and short of it,¡± Keihan admitted. ¡°And does your grandfather know you are at Shaolin?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Would he approve, if he did know?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Keihan. ¡°He would not.¡± ¡°Is he not a pious man?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t it, sir,¡± said Keihan. ¡°Oh? Please explain.¡± ¡°He is, well, he abhors violence and the fighting arts.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why? I don¡¯t know! All my life it¡¯s been, learn this book, learn that book, keep head down, out of trouble, and there was one time I asked to learn martial art ¨C he threw a fit!¡± ¡°Books, huh? Did you not like them?¡± ¡°Well ¡­¡± ¡°Did you not find them useful?¡± ¡°Not then, I didn¡¯t. But ¡­ well, there are different types of books.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed there are,¡± Aramond said, and smiled. ¡°Let me get this clear ¡­ As a child you were made to book learn and you hated it so much that ¨C all of a sudden ¨C¡± he chuckled, ¡°¨C you left home to go to Shaolin and there, to learn what you really wanted?¡± Keihan nodded and narrowed his eyes at Aramond¡¯s obvious merriment. Aramond snorted, ¡°You wanted it so badly you threw all caution to the winds and trekked all that way ¨C¡± he could not speak, overcome with laughter ¨C ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Aramond recovered himself. ¡°Nothing, absolutely nothing.¡± He squeezed the tears from his eyes and said, ¡°Tell me ¨C how much have you learned, little boy?¡± ¡°Er ¨C¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry that I shall disclose your little secret. I have no interest in writing to Shaolin and informing them of your masquerade, even though you have my boy in complicity. That serves me no purpose. How much of their martial art have you learned?¡± Keihan was reluctant to answer. Aramond waited ¡­ then cracked his knuckles. ¡°Shaolin kungfu is of the highest accolade. I¡¯ve always wanted to test it myself, but never found the time ¡­¡± Mao burst into his grandfather¡¯s room. Lao was in his pyjamas resting on his couch. On the side table was an abandoned game of geotropolis. ¡°Granddad! You¡¯ve got to help me. Dad¡¯s gone crazy! He¡¯s ¨C¡± ¡°What has he done now?¡± said Lao. He got to his feet with a weary sigh. ¡°He¡¯s marched my friend off for interrogation! Hurry!¡± Mao grabbed hold of his grandfather and tugged his gnarled hand. ¡°Steady, steady, lad,¡± said Lao. They made their way to Aramond¡¯s rooms with as much haste as Lao¡¯s bones allowed. There, Lao told the guard that Aramond¡¯s order to keep people out could not possibly extend to him. The guard disagreed. The thick wood of the door did not completely muffle the sounds of thumping and crashing and furniture breaking ¨C Mao kicked the guard on the leg in his agitation and Lao managed to push the door open just in time to see Keihan fly across the room and break another priceless floor-standing vase by landing on it backwards. ¡°What the devil are you doing!¡± cried Lao. ¡°Nothing that need concern you, father,¡± said Aramond evenly, and leaned casually on his map-strewn table. He waved aside the apologetic guard who was attempting to prise Lao away from the threshold enough to close the door. ¡°What are you trying to prove?¡± said Lao, throwing his hands up in the air. Mao rushed in and tried to help his friend up. He was bruised and cut in several places. ¡°Can you move?¡± Mao asked. ¡°Take him to the doctor,¡± said Lao. ¡°Do no such thing!¡± said Aramond. ¡°Stay right there! I¡¯m not done with you.¡± ¡°What is it with you?¡± yelled Lao. ¡°What has this boy done to you?¡± ¡°Done? Nothing yet ¨C and nothing it will remain if I have anything to do with it,¡± said Aramond. ¡°I am perfectly within my rights to know everything that passes in my castle.¡± ¡°Have you completely lost your mind? This is totally out of order and you know it!¡± ¡°Oh? You think I should, instead, be a complete fool and let some cunning peddler trick me out of my property?¡± ¡°What? Is that what you think he is? He is just a boy! How could you beat him up like that! Have you no shame?¡± ¡°Shame! Don¡¯t talk to me about shame! You don¡¯t know this boy! You don¡¯t know what he is capable of!¡± ¡°I know what I see with my eyes! This boy is no threat to you! You should be ashamed of y¨C¡± ¡°Shame!¡± Aramond bared a crocodile smile. ¡°Shame is for the foolish! And the weak! People who lose their lands, their wealth, their wives and sons, all they should hold dear ¨C all because they can¡¯t deal with matters. Cowards who stand aside ¨C pushed aside ¨C while stronger men take everything that was once theirs.¡± ¡°Standing aside is not weakness,¡± said Lao. ¡°Oh,¡± Aramond folded his arms, ¡°so you think we should all adopt an unworldly stance? That we should all just pack up and go back to living in caves?¡± ¡°What?¡± Lao was flabbergasted by this sudden change in tack. ¡°You think I should lay down and let people walk all over me?¡± Aramond unfolded one arm to wave it for emphasis. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you did. If I hadn¡¯t returned when I did all those years ago, you think we¡¯d still have our ancestral seat? We¡¯d be living in some heathen cave while you recite this poet-sage, that sage-poet.¡± ¡°It would do you good to read their works once in a while!¡± ¡°Pah!¡± Aramond said. ¡°And I would never say you should lay down and let people walk all over you! Stop twisting my words. I only say that war is never the answer!¡± ¡°Not the answer? Tell me ¡­ what is?¡± ¡°Calm and peace and diplomacy and talk ¨C¡± ¡°Talk! What¡¯s that ever going to achieve? Words! Pah! Just because someone knows a lot of words doesn¡¯t make him great! Just because someone talks a lot or writes a lot doesn¡¯t mean he is smart! If your sage-poet is so flipping clever let him achieve something through action! Then I should applaud him.¡± ¡°What good is all your striving? Look around you! Look at yourself! This room for instance! What is more important, Dao! Transient wealth? Deluded grandeur? Or your son?¡± Lao pointed at Mao for emphasis. ¡°I do everything for him!¡± ¡°Do you?¡± said Lao. He sat down wearily on one of the unbroken chairs. Silence descended. Keihan coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. ¡°Maoi, help him to his room,¡± said Lao. Aramond folded his arms and glared, but did not object and so the two boys departed. Lao lectured quietly for about ten minutes, during which time Aramond did not move a muscle. When his father prepared to leave, he vented his shocking temper by coldly telling him to inform the steward that there was furniture needing to be replaced and broken crockery to be cleared up. Then he proceeded to smash up the rest of the antiques in his room. Lao ignored him ¨C and a short time afterwards ¨C Aramond was forced to instruct the steward himself. Over the next few days, things were somewhat strained between them all. On the last evening before the two boys were to return to Shaolin, Aramond knocked on Keihan¡¯s door, pushed it open, but did not enter ¨C ¡°Mao, there you are ¡­ I must say I am very pleased at your advancement in the martial arts. If I¡¯d known the monks would do such a good job of teaching you, I¡¯d have sent you there sooner and wasted less time ¡­ no matter ¡­ I shall certainly expect you to fulfil your promise that you will be starting on the senior level by the end of another year. Well then, your mother wants a word with you, attend to her immediately,¡± said Aramond. Mao frowned and glanced at Keihan with his bandaged torso and splinted left arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry ¨C I shan¡¯t raise a finger against your little friend, but I do wish to give him a warning ¨C in private.¡± Mao had no choice but to leave. ¡°Well, well, well,¡± said Aramond stalking into the room and shutting the door. ¡°I am very impressed.¡± Keihan did not know how to reply. ¡°I am curious ¡­ what is the name of your father?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Grandfather never told me.¡± ¡°Is he dead?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that either.¡± ¡°Why? It can¡¯t be that your mother ¨C¡± ¡°My mother died a few days after I was born.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aramond did not look sorry. ¡°Was your mother your grandfather¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I really don¡¯t know anything about my father. Every time I ask grandpa, he¡¯d mutter that I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°Calm yourself. Tell me ¨C What was that style you used in defence? ¨C Pointless against me of course, but I can see the power it would have in a stronger opponent.¡± ¡°Er, it is ¨C The Moving Bamboo Forest Standing Still.¡± ¡°Ah, an excellent name for such a fluid ¨C such an unexpected style. Excellent indeed!¡± Aramond chuckled. ¡°Well, well, well. Shaolin kungfu certainly deserves its reputation. With perfect Qh¡¯i it would be an almost flawless defence. Well, little boy, let me tell you something ¡­ since you have set your heart on stealing their kungfu ¡­ know that as you gain mastery of the Shaolin Forms it will become very apparent to anyone else with mastery ¨C should they care to look.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Aramond smiled cryptically. ¡°Oh, it will become all too apparent soon enough,¡± he said, opening the door. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± He exited chuckling, and shut the door quietly behind him. The two boys were rather sober on the journey back to Shaolin. And when they arrived, Greson Monk exclaimed to Keihan, ¡°Amitofu! What the heck happened to you!¡± ¡°Riding accident,¡± said Keihan ¨C ¡°Hunting accident,¡± said Mao at the same time. ¡°Riding accident whilst they were hunting,¡± said Keihan. ¡°Hmmph,¡± said Greson, but decided not to make an issue of it on this occasion. When the other boys heard of it, they discussed that it rather looked like someone had given the servant boy a sound thrashing. Junho took up the theme with Mao when their paths crossed outside the assembly hall: ¡°Did you do something to piss off the old folk?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± said Mao. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that in noble families, the precious prince never gets beaten,¡± said Junho snidely. ¡°If he does wrong, it is always the poor scapegoat companion that is taken to the beating stick.¡± ¡°That is not the case!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Junho, ¡°you could have fooled me!¡± He laughed and stepped into the quietening hall. Mao seethed in silence until he regained his calm and trooped in with the other boys.