Phoenix Rise: XieRong

Chapter 33 - The Boy in the East District

The old man kept weaving through the crowd trying to get rid of the child now at his tail.

"Leave me alone!" He said, tired.

He didn’t remember how many times he had shouted at the girl and this time, like every other time he’d asked her to leave him alone, she said,

"No."

He groaned. He’d never met someone as stubborn as this girl before him.

It wasn’t very long before he had reached his shabby little hut and she was still following him.

"Why won’t you go away, you little pest?"

"Why won’t you accept me as your disciple, drunken old man?" XieRong asked him in the same tone.

The grumpy old man stomped into his hut and shut the door in XieRong’s face.

"Old man, I’ll take my leave for today," she said, turning around to leave.

’Finally,’ the old man thought.

"But I’ll come again tomorrow!"

XieRong giggled when she heard the old man grumble profanities at her and the gods.She had taken care to memorise the route she’d taken as she had followed the old man through East District.

She couldn’t believe how many poverty stricken people lived here. There were no shops and no vendors. Only beggars, p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.es, and thieves of all shapes and sizes lining the streets. She was starting to think this had been a bad idea. It was as if she were the little lamb in a den of hungry wolves.

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She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Young miss, it’s dangerous for a little girl like you to be around these parts. If you can pay me ten coppers for my services, I can guide you out of these parts," a young boy of around twelve to thirteen offered. His clothes had been reduced to rags and had dirt covered his face, hands and legs. He was barefoot and his unevenly chopped hair was tied back with a string.

XieRong already knew the way, but she couldn’t resist the extra protection. She knew she shouldn’t trust the boy but gave him a chance looking around at the wolves that were ready to pounce.

"I already know the way, big brother, but I want you to come with me anyway."

The boy didn’t say anything further and began to follow her.

When they were out, she took out her purse slowly, waiting for the boy to snatch it from her hands. She could see he was tempted to with the way his fingers twitched, but he just clenched his hand instead.

XieRong smiled, tossing the entire pouch to him.

"That’s for you. It has forty silvers in it."

"Young miss, I won’t deny that I desperately need this money, but I can’t take it."

XieRong remembered the time when she refused to take money from her master.

"Consider it advance payment. I want you to come pick me up in front of MeiYing brothel every day when the hour of the sheep (1PM – 3PM) starts and leave me here, near the Weimin restaurant, by the hour of the monkey (3PM – 5PM)."

"Thank you, young miss, I will not disappoint you."

"I didn’t ask, what’s your name?"

"WeiSheng, young miss."

"Good, I’ll see you tomorrow then."

Saying so, XieRong quickly left for the Guo Residence. She had lessons with her aunt.

Before entering the Guo Residence, XieRong had snuck into a corner and removed her veil and cloak.

XieRong found her second aunt and FeiHong practicing the water spells in her room.

Her Aunt possessed a yellow water spirit root and a blue wind spirit root, so they could both learn spells from her at the same time.

XieRong saw FeiHong try make a ball of water, but the water would only rise an inch and then fall with a ’plop’.

"Don’t be upset, FeiHong. I just made you try the spell to see what I will be working with," her second aunt said, gently patting FeiHong’s back.

"Both of you aren’t ready to practice spells yet, and although I agreed to teach you how to cultivate, seeing your progress in one night tells me that you both don’t really require my help."

Her aunt got up.

"I think I’m more suited to teach you the four arts, that is if you wish to learn."

XieRong and FeiHong looked at each other.

-Jie, I’ve already learnt two of them in my previous life, I’ll learn the remaining two from aunt, what about you?-

-I will have to learn three-

XieRong sighed.

-Even if I don’t want to...-

-Jie, it’s good to learn new skills, doesn’t matter if you’re good at them or not-

"Second aunt, I only know how to play chess, but I’m willing to learn from you everyday for a Shi Chen after we have breakfast."

"Second aunt I know two of the four arts, chess and painting, I want to learn the other two from you during the same hour my sister learns from you."

"Then why don’t we start tomorrow at the hour of Dragon (7:00 AM to 9:00 AM)? We’ll learn in your mother’s study room."

"What will we tell the servants who are not blood bound?"

"That I’m making you clean your mother’s courtyard."

"Thank you second aunt."

"You’re welcome. Now go cultivate. You have a lot to learn."

The duchess closed the door behind her as she left.

-Jie, where had you gone all this time?-

XieRong showed FeiHong her memories.

-Jie, are you sure you want that drunk old man to teach you? You’re already going to learn from uncle.-

-I am. That old man is experienced enough to defeat a cultivator without having any cultivation himself and judging from how the man at the register knew where I could find him, he must have been fighting in the ring for a long time.-

-Then how come so many people bet against him in the restaurant?-

-I think that drunk old man must lose fights on purpose to make people believe that when he does win, it’s because of sheer luck. Speaking of stubborn old men, have you convinced the old general to teach you?-

-Not yet. I can feel that he’s coming around, but it might take the week to get him to start training me.-

-We’ve both got our work cut out for us, haven’t we?-

-Yes. Why don’t we go update grandfather inside your ring before we head into mine to cultivate?-

Both the sisters sat in lotus position, holding each other’s hands as XieRong willed both of them into her spatial ring.

"Grandpa, we’ve come to visit!" XieRong called out.

"Finally," her grandfather said, coming from behind a shelf.

"So I assume you’ve reached the Guo Residence safely and settled in?"

"We have and we also have a lot to tell you."

They all sat down at the table and XieRong told her grandfather about their journey excitedly while FeiHong calmly sipped her tea.

"I see you’ve had quite the adventure. Have you gone to check your spirit roots and mind strength checked, yet?"

XieRong hesitated but told him about her spirit roots and mind strength anyway.

"I can see why you hesitated," her grandfather said at last.

"While I am glad for both of you, this will put the two of you in grave danger. The Cultivation Realm is cruel and ruthless. The sects that cannot have you will seek to destroy you and the one which has you will want to use you."

"We understand, grandfather. We came here to tell you that we won’t be able to come here for a while as we will be cultivating."

"Go then. This old man will be here waiting for your good news."