A Family of Oddities

Ever since the Xu Household had chosen a site and begun building the Dragon Elephant Martial Hall, Gu Yiping had lived in a room in its western courtyard.

Every morning at the hour of the dragon, he spread rice paper across the desk by his window and copied down martial arts principles and Medicinal Cuisine recipes.

The old locust tree in the courtyard grew thick with leaves.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Gu Yiping placed copies of the Little Dragon Elephant Art and the Xiantian Dragon Elephant Art, seven or eight martial techniques including the Seven Extremes Sword, Wind-Treading Steps, Mad Dragon Fist, and Divine Wind Palm, and four Medicinal Cuisine recipes into a rosewood box and handed it to Xu Mingwei.

"Sorry for the trouble, Hall Master Gu."

"It was a trade we both agreed to."

They exchanged a glance, and Xu Mingwei took the box to the ancestral hall for safekeeping.

He had given each text a quick look.

The four Medicinal Cuisine recipes mattered most.

Three were suitable for martial artists below the Xiantian realm. Only the remaining recipe described Medicinal Cuisine that could aid a Xiantian Martial Artist's cultivation.

Xu Mingwei chose several techniques that suited him and practiced them whenever he had time.

Once he had made some progress, he invited Gu Yiping to spar.

The golden crow sank in the west, turning heaven and earth to gilded gold.

The bluestone bricks of the training ground still held the day's warmth.

Xu Mingwei curled his fingers into fists and fixed his gaze on Gu Yiping. Before he threw a punch, the fallen leaves at his feet began to swirl.

Gu Yiping stepped into the Seven-Star Steps. His left palm traced an arc as though cradling the moon, while his right struck toward Xu Mingwei's chest with the sound of wind and thunder.

Xu Mingwei neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his left arm across his body, rigid as iron.

A muffled thud rang out. Gu Yiping felt his palm go numb and had to retreat half a step before regaining his balance.

His pupils contracted. What tremendous strength. It doesn't feel like Houtian strength at all.

Xu Mingwei pressed forward, then drifted aside like willow fluff. By the time his toes touched the ground, he had circled to Gu Yiping's flank.

He pushed his right fist straight out. Before the blow arrived, the surrounding air began to tremble.

Gu Yiping hurriedly used a blocking move from the Mad Dragon Fist, only to feel an overwhelming force surge toward him. His blood and qi churned, and pain throbbed between his thumb and forefinger.

He had not used Xiantian true qi, but he had never expected to end up at a disadvantage.

"You truly kept your abilities hidden, Young Master Xu."

"You saw through me, Hall Master." Xu Mingwei smiled faintly. He had known before they fought that he could not fool a Xiantian Martial Artist.

But chances to exchange moves with one were rare, so he had not minded.

"Xiantian before twenty..."

Gu Yiping let out a long sigh. Memories surfaced in his eyes.

Back when the Dragon Elephant Sect was at its height, it might produce two or three Xiantian Martial Artists under twenty every decade or two.

Such people often became Grandmasters by thirty-five or thirty-six.

They had a chance of reaching the peak of the Grandmaster realm before sixty.

As for Gu Yiping himself, he had only reached the late Xiantian realm after forty. He would be fortunate to break through to Grandmaster in this lifetime.

Unless he had Grandmaster-level Medicinal Cuisine to help him.

Yet even the Dragon Elephant Sect possessed no Medicinal Cuisine so precious.

If it had, those Xiantian Martial Artists under twenty would have had a seventy or eighty percent chance of reaching the peak of the Grandmaster realm, provided they did not die or suffer a severe injury that left lasting damage.

"I was lucky, that's all."

"There's no such thing as luck on the martial path. Even with resources to help, someone without sufficient talent cannot go very far."

Xiantian was an enormous threshold: the point where a martial artist began to transcend the mundane and could contend with an immortal cultivator. Not everyone had the fortune to cross it.

Even if they swallowed ten or twenty Qi-Inducing Pills from the Commandery Seat, some people would remain as impervious as rotten wood.

"Young Master Xu, let's end the spar here. If you have any questions while practicing the Xiantian Dragon Elephant Art, feel free to ask me."

"Thank you, Hall Master Gu."

"By the way, I have two younger siblings who also practice the Little Dragon Elephant Art. Might you give them some guidance?"

"I'd be glad to watch them."

"No need to trouble yourself by going to them." Xu Mingwei smiled and instructed a servant, "Go fetch my fourth sister and fifth sibling."

"Yes, Young Master."

The servant bowed respectfully and left at once.

A short while later.

Xu Mingshu rode the White Tiger into the courtyard, with Xu Mingxian standing beside her.

"Big Brother, what did you call us here for?"

"Father isn't here, and I'm afraid you two will slack off. So I've invited an expert to instruct you. Make the most of it."

"Fourth Sister slacks off. I don't." Xu Mingxian lifted her little chin and retorted coolly.

"This is my fourth sister, Xu Mingshu, and my fifth sibling, Xu Mingxian," Xu Mingwei introduced them with a smile.

Gu Yiping studied the pair. They were worthy of being children of an Aristocratic Clan.

Though young, they already showed remarkable talent.

"Perform the Twelve Dragon Elephant Forms three times for me first."

Xu Mingshu obediently climbed down from the tiger's back and patted it. The White Tiger walked to a corner of its own accord and lay down.

Gu Yiping was astonished.

They've tamed a Variant White Tiger this thoroughly? Can it even understand a child's words?

Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingxian stood side by side, a dozen or so paces apart.

Then they began to move together.

With each form, Gu Yiping recited the essence of its verse.

"An infant dragon wakes its spine; as the dragon raises its head, it draws in purple qi, its tailbone hanging earthward to steady the eight directions."

"An elephant's trunk coils water; it draws in a river of heaven three thousand miles long, and qi sinks to the dantian to become thunder."

"Fire Dragon Sweeps Its Tail; its tail sweeps with the weight of a thousand jun, burning away evil and filth, while its feet tread the southern position to refine true fire."

"Dragon and elephant join in harmony; the dragon rises, the elephant descends, heaven and earth settle, and a single thread runs from the crown to the soles."

He nodded repeatedly.

Their movements and forms showed how much work they had put in. At the very least, they had practiced tirelessly for years.

Their fists whistled through the air.

To produce such power, they had certainly reached the level of Third-Rate Martial Artists.

"What nimble, graceful movements! Such skill at so young an age. The Xu Household has clearly spared no effort in raising its children."

A faint smile rested on Xu Mingwei's lips, but he said nothing.

"The Martial Arts Hall isn't finished yet, and I've been eating and staying at the Xu estate for free. It's only right that I guide the younger generation."

"In that case, sorry for the trouble, Hall Master Gu." Xu Mingwei nodded slightly.

"Big Brother."

She had only just begun to enjoy a few easy days.

Xu Mingshu ran up to Xu Mingwei. Her almond eyes curved like crescent moons, full of appeal.

Xu Mingwei looked down at her, the breeze through the courtyard lifting a corner of his dark robe.

When he wore a stern expression, his authority ran so deep that even the White Tiger tucked its tail and kept its distance.

Now his brows drew together slightly. Xu Mingshu swallowed every coaxing word she had meant to say.

She was a little more willful than the rest of the Xu Household, but she could read the occasion. She knew when to act and when not to.

Xu Mingwei was the acting head of the Household now.

With Xu Chuan away, his word was an order that everyone in the Xu Household had to obey.

When they were alone, she could indulge her temper. But in front of an outsider, she could not undermine him and diminish the head of the Household's authority.

"Fourth Sister, don't think you can take it easy just because Father isn't keeping an eye on you."

"You little brat!"

"Then don't take the pastries I bring you next time!"

Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingxian often bickered. Xu Mingwei was used to it.

Gu Yiping watched in silence before speaking a moment later:

"The breathing method is the heart of the Little Dragon Elephant Art. Only by combining it with Dragon Elephant Breathing can you bring the Twelve Dragon Elephant Forms to their limit. That is also the key to sensing the power of heaven and earth and breaking into the Xiantian realm."

"Keep practicing with the breathing method. Your Household has the corresponding Medicinal Cuisine recipes I provided; using them alongside your practice will speed up the opening of your Apertures."

"How much faster?" Xu Mingshu immediately perked up, her eyes almost bursting with light.

Gu Yiping smiled at the mischievous girl before him. "Becoming a First-Class Martial Artist at seventeen or eighteen should be no problem. If you're talented and diligent, you could reach the Houtian Peak before twenty."

"If it's really that fast, won't I be able to catch up with Big Brother's pace of breakthroughs?"

"Little girl, how could ordinary Medicinal Cuisine compare with the secret recipes the Dragon Elephant Sect developed over centuries?"

"All right, I'll practice!"

Gu Yiping stood to one side with his hands behind his back and watched the two use the Little Dragon Elephant Art's breathing method while punching through the Twelve Dragon Elephant Forms.

It was much like doing two things at once. Anyone without exceptional comprehension would struggle to master it perfectly.

That was also why many people in the Dragon Elephant Sect had failed to enter the Xiantian realm.

Xu Mingshu held her palms in a loose circle. Her breaths were long and fine as a spring silkworm's thread, and each inhalation stirred her sleeves as if a gentle breeze had caught them.

Her stance was steady, but she always faltered slightly in the transition from Dragon Leaps into the Abyss to Elephant Treads the Mountain, as though an invisible thread held her back.

Xu Mingxian presented a different picture.

She sat firm as a bell, each segment of her spine aligned. With Gu Yiping's guidance to "inhale like a dragon lying deep, exhale like a calling elephant," she found the flow of qi on her third breath.

Faint green qi appeared at the crown of her head, and a dragon's hum rolled in her throat as she breathed out.

Light flashed in Gu Yiping's eyes. Stroking his beard, he turned to Xu Mingwei. "The fourth young lady and fifth child are both exceptionally gifted."

"Thanks to your guidance, Hall Master," Xu Mingwei said mildly. "When the Xu Household first obtained the Little Dragon Elephant Art, we had no one to teach us. We stumbled our way through the beginning."

"And who in the world today understands the Little Dragon Elephant Art better than you?"

"You flatter me, Young Master." Gu Yiping raised a hand and smiled.

"Still, while the fourth young lady's comprehension is extraordinary, the fifth child is even more gifted at the breathing method. Even with my guidance, someone who can grasp it in moments is rare in this world."

"My father has said that my fifth sibling is the most talented of us. Her future achievements will certainly surpass mine."

Gu Yiping was secretly astonished, and his curiosity about the head of the Xu Household grew.

In the gathering dusk.

Xu Mingxian had already glimpsed the secret of shifting between the breathing method and the forms.

Gu Yiping's eyes flashed. He nodded again and again, murmuring, "What a promising seedling."

He even thought of taking her as a disciple and passing down the Dragon Elephant Sect's teachings.

But then he remembered how much the Xu Household valued Xu Mingxian. They surely would not agree.

For now, he could only extinguish the thought.

Time slipped away, drop by drop.

Where the red sun sank in the west, it suddenly seemed to struggle against death.

First it burst into thirty feet of scarlet flame, burning the wisps of cloud into curtains of red-gold gauze. Then it shrank to a golden bead the size of a cherry, wavering above the blue-black mountain ridge.

A flock of crows crossed the sky. As their wing tips skimmed the patches of light, they seemed to carry off a little of its golden glow.

The last ray of sunset swept across the training ground.

Xu Mingxian suddenly rose to her full height. Her left palm arced like a dragon sweeping its tail, while her right foot stamped down like an elephant shaking a mountain. Fallen leaves within three feet of her spun without a breath of wind. She had clearly grasped the essence of Form and Intent in Harmony.

"Excellent!"

Gu Yiping applauded, his eyes full of appreciation.

"You've gotten ahead of me again."

Gu Yiping's praise stirred Xu Mingshu's competitive spirit.

"Let's spar. Our wins have always been split evenly. Let's see who comes out ahead today."

"Fourth Sister, are you asking for another beating?" Xu Mingxian gave as good as she got.

Blazing torches had been lit around the training ground, illuminating the whole space.

"There's no need for the two of you to fight each other. You're still at a low level and wouldn't learn much from it. Join forces instead. Whoever manages to gain even the slightest advantage over me wins."

"How about it?"

Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingxian exchanged a glance and answered together, "All right!"

They took positions to Gu Yiping's left and right, their three shadows stretching across the bluestone in winding, dragonlike shapes.

All at once.

Xu Mingshu touched her toes to the ground like a dragonfly skimming water, then slipped forward with a snake's sinuous motion. Every step raised a three-inch wave of dust.

As Gu Yiping reached for the Jianjing Aperture on her shoulder, she suddenly lifted her knee and swung her arm. When knee met finger, a faint clash of metal rang out.

A sharp gleam flashed in Xu Mingxian's eyes. She sank her waist and released her strength, cracking the bluestone beneath her into a spiderweb of fractures.

A dragon's hum rolled in her throat as she thrust out her right palm; her left traced an arc like an elephant's trunk coiling around the sky. The two forces blew every torch thirty feet away sideways.

Still smiling, Gu Yiping raised his other hand to meet them.

Bang!

The sisters met each other's eyes and abruptly crossed over, switching positions.

Xu Mingshu drove her sword fingers straight toward his center like a dragon probing the abyss, while Xu Mingxian's palm wind sealed his escape like an elephant's trunk shaking a tree.

Light and shadow whirled. Xu Mingxian's right palm glowed red as a branding iron and left a scorch mark on Gu Yiping's lapel, while he stopped Xu Mingshu's sword fingers with two fingers of his own.

The surrounding torches crackled and popped.

After exchanging blows, Gu Yiping was rather surprised. Both sisters had the strength of Third-Rate Martial Artists, though Xu Mingxian had a slight edge in the depth of her inner force.

Xu Mingshu looked clever and mischievous, but her martial forms were precise and proper. Her young age was part of the reason. Xu Mingxian was the same age, however, and despite her cool, proud manner, she did not follow the expected pattern.

If she had not changed her move at the last instant and caught him off guard by attacking the hem of his robe, Gu Yiping would likely have blocked her with ease.

"Both of them have the makings of Grandmasters."

"Even without the Dragon Elephant Sect's secret Medicinal Cuisine, he had made this much progress. With it, he might advance a thousand miles in a single leap."

Gu Yiping marveled that someone so young already knew how to hide his abilities and had such a shrewd mind.

Just like Xu Mingwei, there was no telling by looking at him. Only by actually crossing hands with him would anyone know.

Who knew where he had learned that trick?

The second young master of the Xu Household was just as adept at dealing with people, and his mind was meticulous.

When they had discussed the details of the Martial Arts Hall earlier, Gu Yiping had followed his train of thought almost the entire time.

The young man had found just the right way to sway him at every turn, leaving him unable to find fault.

The girl, meanwhile, had keen instincts and exceptional comprehension.

The Xu Household was full of oddities!

Then again, the third young master, Xu Mingxuan, seemed fairly ordinary.

But that was only compared with his brothers.

Compared with the children of other Aristocratic Clans in the county, he was probably more than qualified to inherit a lineage.

Gu Yiping had wandered for over a decade, passing through dozens of counties. He had seen plenty.

"Among the county's Aristocratic Clans, the Xu Household is certainly one of the finest."

"To have raised children like these, I really would like to meet the father they keep talking about."

After Xu Mingyuan obtained the Dragon Elephant Sect's Medicinal Cuisine recipe, he began buying the required medicinal herbs in bulk, each at least ten years old.

One serving cost around ten taels.

The Medicinal Cuisine recipe for aiding Xiantian Martial Artists was even more precious.

Xu Mingwei told him not to worry about his needs for now, so Xu Mingyuan gathered all the ingredients for the martial artist's Medicinal Cuisine within a few days.

Besides that,

the Xu Household also began growing those herbs in the Medicine Field.

If they wanted to open an apothecary, they would need their own source of herbs, supplemented by purchases from people living in the mountains.

These days, Xu Mingyuan was so busy his head spun.

He was recruiting workers and setting up a smithy, a carpenter's workshop, an apothecary, a school, and more.

He did not expect them to bear fruit immediately.

He was laying the groundwork first.