Chapter 3: The Young Hare in the Mountains (Please add to your favorites, click, and recommend!)

After all, she was a young lady, and though she taught Jiang Feng martial arts, it was impossible for him to remain in her courtyard from dawn till dusk. In truth, he only spent half the day there; the rest of the time, he would return to the southern quarters to practice alone.

Jiang Feng’s favorite place was a nameless little valley on Mount Taiwu, barely ten meters across, its entrance well hidden. He had stumbled upon it by accident years ago while chasing a wild boar, and it had since become his secret base. Before meeting the young lady, he spent more time here than in his own room in the southern quarters—now, that remained unchanged.

The place was spacious enough, quiet, and secluded, making it an excellent spot to practice his skills. The principle of “strength following intent” meant having complete control over one’s power—never using more than was called for, three parts strength when three were needed, never seven. Jiang Feng had nearly mastered the former, but his precision with the latter was still lacking. With his current progress, though, he was certain he’d meet the young lady’s expectations by his sixteenth birthday.

Glancing at the sky, Jiang Feng saw it was nearly time to return to the courtyard. He left the valley, crossed a shallow river, and had just set foot on the mountain path when a shadow leapt from a boulder above, lunging straight at him. Instinctively, Jiang Feng dodged to the side with astonishing speed.

Halfway through his movement, he realized what the shadow was and, surprised, halted and reached out to catch it. It was a rabbit, barely the size of a fist—a baby, by the look of it. It had actually fallen from above, and as soon as it landed in Jiang Feng’s hands, it curled up, barely clinging to life. He glanced up at the boulder—there was nothing there, no sign of a predator.

Jiang Feng stroked its fur; it squirmed weakly, its long ears brushing his palm before it fell still again. Was it hurt? He thought for a moment, then decided to bring it back to the young lady for treatment.

He had barely taken a few steps with the rabbit nestled in his hands when he ran into a group of people. The moment he saw them, his expression darkened.

He knew all three. The leader was Jiang Wei, with two followers from the same clan—a pair of lackeys. They were of the northern branch, not as high-ranking as the main house, but still far above those from the southern quarters. Jiang Wei had always been a troublemaker, but lacking real ability, he was ignored in the north and loved to flaunt his sense of superiority in the south.

Jiang Feng, orphaned and without background, was the perfect target. If they were in a good mood, they’d come and amuse themselves at his expense; if not, they’d vent their frustrations on him. He’d received many beatings from them over the years.

It wasn’t for lack of resistance on his part, but they were older, stronger, and had trained in martial arts since childhood—he was no match for them.

Jiang Feng stopped, shifting into a guarded stance. Jiang Wei was two years his senior and had taken the Soul Seed test a year ago, but failed to fuse with one. The other two had just taken their tests, and judging by the fact that they remained Jiang Wei’s lackeys, their results were clear.

Jiang Wei grinned as soon as he saw Jiang Feng. “Well, isn’t it Jiang Feng? I hear you’ve been doing well lately. How does it feel, following the young lady around like a lapdog?”

Swaggering over, he caught sight of the rabbit in Jiang Feng’s hands and exclaimed, “Oh, what an adorable little thing! Taking it to the young lady, are you? Let me see—”

He reached to snatch the rabbit, but Jiang Feng twisted his wrist, dodged, and stepped back. “Get lost!” he snapped.

Jiang Wei’s smile turned cold. “What, can’t even part with a rabbit? You’ve climbed up in the world and forgotten who you are, have you?” He pressed closer, reaching out to slap Jiang Feng’s face. Jiang Feng grabbed his wrist, twisted hard, and Jiang Wei let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered. Jiang Feng pressed down on his shoulder and shoved—Jiang Wei stumbled back three steps, landing hard, clutching his wrist, which was already swelling, red and shiny like a steamed bun.

Clearly, Jiang Feng had dislocated it with a single move.

The two lackeys were stunned. They had beaten Jiang Feng many times and knew his abilities. They hadn’t expected that after a year, he’d become so quick!

Jiang Feng carefully placed the rabbit inside his shirt. “Sorry, but it’s mine,” he said flatly.

The pair exchanged glances, then roared and rushed him from both sides. Jiang Feng’s stance was rooted; he leaned back, dodged a punch, sidestepped, grabbed the arm of the one behind, and yanked him forward.

He used just the right amount of force—his opponent lost his balance, staggered a few steps, and collided headlong into his companion’s flying kick.

Jiang Feng seized his shoulder, tugged and twisted; with a scream, the man’s shoulder popped out of its socket. Jiang Feng kicked him to the ground.

Now, only one remained, face white with fear. He looked from Jiang Wei to his fallen friend, too frightened to advance.

Jiang Feng stared him down. “What are you afraid of? Didn’t you train in Thunderclap Palm? It’s been a year—you should have improved, right? Come, show me what you’ve got.”

As if just remembering his own training, the man shouted and lunged at Jiang Feng, palm raised. Before he’d even reached him, Jiang Feng kicked a stone into the air; it shot forward and struck his nose dead-on. Stars exploded in the man’s vision and blood gushed from his nose. Jiang Feng followed up, curling his fingers into a fist, and struck the same spot.

His punch was far harder than the stone. After two hits, the man’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed, unconscious.

Jiang Feng sneered. “And you call that Thunderclap Palm?”

A year ago, these three had treated him like a dog, and he could only counter with sneak attacks to their ankles. Now, in a matter of moments, he’d felled all three—unscathed, barely winded.

He stepped up to Jiang Wei, planted his foot on his chest, and said calmly, “Sorry, this rabbit is mine. I don’t want to give it to you—do you understand?”

Jiang Wei’s wrist had been broken by force, and cold sweat streamed down his face. He looked up, about to curse, but caught sight of Jiang Feng’s eyes and froze. There was a dangerous glint there—Jiang Wei suddenly felt that one wrong word would earn him a broken rib, perhaps even his life, and Jiang Feng wouldn’t care. Terrified, he nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes!”

Jiang Feng patted his face lightly. “Next time you see me, best keep your distance. Otherwise, I might just settle old scores when you least expect it.”

He rose, stroked the rabbit at his chest, and walked up the mountain path. Only once he’d gone some distance did his breathing slow and his expression return to calm.

In that instant, as he’d knocked the three of them down, all the humiliation and rage he’d endured over the years had surged in his chest. For a moment, he’d been tempted to finish them all off.

It was then that the rabbit moved against his chest and he regained control.

If he were still alone as before, he wouldn’t have cared about the consequences. But now that the young lady was part of the Jiang family, any trouble he caused would make things difficult for her as well.

Jiang Feng let out a long breath. “No matter. Once I obtain a Soul Seed, they’ll have nothing left to look down on me for!”

…

The young lady was a reserved soul; in Jiang Feng’s absence, the small courtyard was nearly silent.

That day, a group entered, breaking the tranquility. At their head was a plump, richly dressed woman, who strode in and immediately spotted the young lady reading alone under a tree.

She shrilled, “Where are the servants? All off shirking their duties?!”

The young lady frowned, then greeted her. “Second Madam.”

This was Jiang Tengqing’s wife, the matron of the Jiang family. She hurried forward and, with forced warmth, took the young lady’s hand. “My dear, I told you to choose younger maids—quick on their feet, diligent. Instead, you keep these old crones around and get neglected!”

The young lady offered a gentle smile, ignoring the remark. “What brings you here, Second Madam?”

The matron was visibly unsettled by this direct manner of speaking, but forced a smile and continued, “As your aunt, I’ve come to see you, of course.”

“If you have something to say, please speak plainly.”

Her gaze flickered, and at last she gathered her resolve. “My dear, you’re about to turn sixteen.”

“Thank you for remembering my birthday, Aunt.”

The matron suspected sarcasm but wasn’t sure, so she coughed lightly. “For a young lady, sixteen marks adulthood—it’s time to consider marriage…”

“I have no intention of marrying for now,” the young lady interrupted quietly. “Sixteen is also the time for the Soul Seed trial. My first priority is to train, to pursue the martial path.”

The matron replied, “Of course that’s important too, but it doesn’t conflict with marriage, does it? You can do both at once! Just hear me out about this match I’ve found for you—”

“Second Madam,” the young lady cut her off again, her tone edged with unmistakable mockery. “I suggest the clan leader wait a little longer. The stronger I become, the more valuable I’ll be. Why rush? Perhaps with time, the clan leader might find an even better buyer.”

The matron left in embarrassment. The young lady remained calmly seated under the tree from start to finish; only when peace returned did she sigh deeply and gaze up at the clear sky.