Chapter 6: Before the Tournament
851 Words
Four days.
That was all Ren had left before the Azure Domain Tournament. Before the attack, he had been counting the days because he wanted more time to train. Now he counted them for a different reason. His ribs still hurt whenever he moved too fast, and every day that passed gave him less time to recover. The healers finally allowed him to leave the clinic two days after he woke up. His mother wanted him to stay longer, but Ren kept asking until she finally gave in.
"Only light training," the head healer warned before he left. Ren nodded.
He had every intention of listening. The next morning, he was back at the training grounds. The first few movements reminded him how badly he had been beaten. Every punch pulled at the bruises on his ribs. Every kick made his side ache. Even holding a simple stance for too long became painful.
He slowed down, but he didn't stop.
The tournament wasn't going to wait for him. If he wanted to prove himself, he had to keep moving. On his second day back, Bi Chen found him training alone. He stood nearby for a while without saying anything. He simply watched Ren finish another form.
When Ren lowered his arms, Bi Chen finally spoke.
"You're putting too much weight on your left side."
Ren wiped the sweat from his face.
"I know."
"If you keep doing that, someone will notice during the tournament."
"I know."
Bi Chen shook his head.
"You've always been stubborn."
A small smile appeared on Ren's face.
"I've heard that before."
Without another word, Bi Chen picked up a wooden sword from the rack and walked onto the field. Ren picked up another one. Neither of them needed to say anything else. They both took their positions.
"Ready?" Bi Chen asked.
Ren nodded.
The spar began.
Bi Chen wasn't using his full strength, but he also wasn't going easy on Ren. Every attack forced Ren to move. Every block made his sore muscles complain. Ren gritted his teeth and kept fighting. He could feel every hit. His ribs hurt every time he twisted his body. His breathing became heavier much sooner than before.
Still, he refused to stop.
He would rather train through the pain than sit in his room doing nothing. After several exchanges, Ren suddenly froze. Something felt strange. It wasn't pain. It wasn't exactly qi either. It felt like a small warmth deep inside his body. It stayed there for only a second before disappearing.
Ren frowned.
"What is it?" Bi Chen asked.
"...Nothing."
"You sure?.
"Yeah."
Ren waited.
Nothing happened. After standing there for another moment, he convinced himself he had imagined it. The two of them continued training until the sun began to set.
The attack was still being investigated. Ren didn't know much about it, but he heard small pieces whenever the elders talked. His father rarely mentioned it. Even so, Ren sometimes heard short conversations while walking through the compound. The have caught two of the disciples who attacked him, but the seem not to recall what happened after the pendant cracked.
The third disciple...still hadn't been found. That bothered Ren the most. One evening, he finally asked his father about it.
"I don't understand," Ren said. "Three people attacked me. Somebody has to know why."
Bi Wen Hao looked up from the papers on his desk.
"Maybe they do."
"Then why isn't anyone saying anything?"
His father stayed quiet for a moment before answering.
"Knowing something and proving it are different things."
Ren frowned.
"You think there's more to this?"
His father looked at him carefully.
"What do you think?"
Ren was silent. He thought about the attack, the broken pendant, the strange heat inside his body. Everything after that became a blur.
"I don't know," he admitted.
"But it doesn't feel normal."
His father slowly nodded.
" I agree."
Ren looked at him.
"I think whoever attacked you either made a terrible mistake..."
He paused "...or they knew exactly what they were trying to do."
Neither answer made Ren feel any better. His father folded the papers and placed them on the table.
"Until we know the truth, don't go anywhere alone after dark."
Ren opened his mouth to argue. His father raised a hand.
"That isn't advice."
"It's an order."
Ren sighed.
"Alright."
He still had many questions, but the look on his father's face told him he wouldn't get any answers today. Either his father didn't know...or he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. For now, Ren decided to focus on the only thing he could control which is his training.
The next morning, he arrived at the training grounds before sunrise. The air was cold, the field was empty. He sat down, closed his eyes, and slowly began circulating his qi. The First Meridian answered followed by the Second Then the Third.
As the qi flowed through it, that strange warmth returned. This time it didn't disappear. Instead, it slowly spread through his body. Ren's eyes snapped open.
"...What is happening to me?"
- Writer
