Second Day of Training — Dawn
Wang Tao didn't wake his siblings with a shout. He woke Yan Li first, pressing a cold dagger against her throat.
— An enemy doesn't give warnings — Wang Tao said, his voice like ice. — You either learn this now, or you die later.
Yan Li trembled—not out of fear, but with sudden, sharp anger.
— You...
— GET UP — he cut her off.
And so it began. Next was Wei Lian. Wang Tao repeated the action, and the younger brother shivered under the steel.
— Brother Tao, is this really necessary? — Wei Lian asked, his voice shaking.
— Get up, NOW! — Wang Tao bellowed in response.
Then he vanished.
The training began in earnest: they ran until they vomited, fought until they bled, and fell until their legs refused to hold them. By the time night fell, they could barely crawl. Wang Tao watched them impassively, but he wasn't finished.
The night brought a different kind of hell—survival. He threw them aimlessly into the forest, forcing them to dodge traps and arrows in the dark.
When it finally ended, the two were hunched over, shivering. Their clothes were shredded, their hair caked in mud, and their eyes were filled with desperation. Wang Tao looked at them—his heart tightened for a fraction of a second, but his resolve remained unshaken.
— Tomorrow will be worse.
And it was.
---
Third Day
Yan Li didn't cry anymore. When she fell, she scrambled back to her feet instantly. Wang Tao took notice.
— Better — he said. It was the first time he had offered praise.
She didn't smile. She just kept moving. She understood now: it wasn't about being the strongest; it was about never stopping.
Wei Lian, however, was facing a different demon: the act of killing. Wang Tao placed a small rabbit in front of him.
— Kill it.
Wei Lian stared at the animal. It was tiny, breathing fast, and utterly defenseless.
— It's just a rabbit — Wei Lian whispered.
— In war, it will be a person — Wang Tao countered. — Practice now, or freeze later.
Wei Lian gripped the knife. His mind was a storm of confusion, his hands trembling violently.
— Fast — Wang Tao ordered. — Hesitation is its own form of cruelty.
And so, Wei Lian did it: quick and precise. The rabbit didn't suffer, but when it was over, Wei Lian doubled over and vomited. Wang Tao didn't offer a shoulder to lean on.
— Tomorrow it will be a straw man. After that, perhaps it won't be straw.
He walked away, leaving Wei Lian alone with blood on his hands and a void in his chest. Is this what it means to be a cultivator? the boy wondered. What will be left of me if I stay on this path?
He lamented in the silence.
---
Fourth Day
Yan Li's foot caught a nearly invisible wire. Dammit...
A smoke bomb exploded instantly. She coughed violently, her body tensing as she lost her sight.
VOOM—the sharp whistle of an arrow.
Using her soul perception, she heard the trajectory and rolled. Another followed, hitting her square in the chest. She fell back, gasping for air. The arrowhead was rubber, but the pain was agonizingly real. But she didn't stop. More were coming, and the night was only beginning.
Wei Lian stared into the darkness, his ears straining for any ripple in the silence. Where is he?
He stepped forward slowly, light as a ghost to avoid leaves and twigs. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
— Don't just look for noise — Wang Tao's voice echoed from nowhere. — Look for intent. Feel the danger before it arrives. Again...
And he vanished into the shadows once more.
Fifth Day — The Ambush
---
Wang Tao attacked at night without warning. A blade passed a mere hair's breadth from Yan Li's face—she felt the wind of the strike before her mind could even process it.
Pure instinct.
Her brush sliced the air. Ink exploded in a jagged, desperate arc; it wasn't a beautiful painting, but it was fast. The strike parried Wang Tao's blade, though the steel still scraped her shoulder, drawing blood. Yan Li hit the dirt, rolled, and forced herself up through the burning pain. She couldn't stop.
On the other side, Wei Lian sensed the danger a second too late. Something heavy crashed behind him, and the ground exploded. He rolled by reflex, his knife finding his hand without a thought. He lunged.
He didn't hit Wang Tao, but the blade passed close enough to whistle—close enough to be a threat.
Wang Tao stepped back into the moonlight. Silence. Both siblings were breathing in ragged gasps, drenched in sweat and blood. Wang Tao looked at them and, for the first time, he smiled—a small, proud thing.
— You've learned.
Yan Li's chest was heaving.
— Did we survive? — she panted.
— Barely — Wang Tao said. — But yes.
He paused.
— If I were a real enemy, you'd still be dead. But... at least you would have fought back first.
Wei Lian looked down at his hands. They weren't trembling anymore. Something had changed inside him. He didn't know if it was good, but he knew it was necessary.
Sixth Day — Night
---
Yan Li sat alone, staring at her hands. They were calloused, filthy, and twitching from exhaustion. Wei Lian approached and sat beside her. They didn't speak for a long time.
Finally, Yan Li whispered:
— It hurts.
Wei Lian nodded slowly.
— I know.
— But tomorrow — she continued — it will hurt less.
Wei Lian looked at her. Yan Li offered a small, exhausted, but genuine smile.
— Because we are getting stronger.
Wei Lian found himself smiling back.
— Yeah.
— And... — Yan Li hesitated — thank you.
— For what?
— For not giving up — she answered. — Even when I wanted to.
Wei Lian reached out and touched her shoulder.
— You didn't give up on me either. So, we don't give up. Ever.
Yan Li nodded firmly.
— Ever.
They sat there in the quiet of the mountain.
— Besides... — Wei Lian added — we can't leave all the weight for Brother Tao to carry alone.
Yan Li's smile widened.
— We'll get stronger. Even if it's just to lighten his burden a little.
In the silence, the two siblings stood together, sharing the weight of their own growth.
---
Seventh Day — Dawn
The three gathered on the plateau. No words were exchanged. They simply looked at one another and saw the truth:
Yan Li: Her eyes were harder, her posture firm, a small sword now resting at her waist.
Wei Lian: His expression was colder, his movements precise, with knives concealed beneath his tunic.
Wang Tao: Still wounded, still bandaged, but standing tall—because giving up had never been an option.
— Ready? — he asked.
The two nodded in unison.
They weren't ready—none of them were truly ready for what was coming. But ready or not, the time had come. They grabbed their packs, checked their weapons, and began the descent.
Toward the border. Toward the war. Toward the unknown.