A Snail's Wisdom

Kenja carried a bag of food as he walked toward the western edge of Ryuga.

There are entrances to the city from the northern, southern and eastern sides with pathways leading all the way to the castle Square. The western side originally had a gate, but it was sealed some time before it was fully completed. The city"s layout could be divided roughly into three concentric circles. The outer circle housed a large percentage of the city"s population with a few shops here and there for living necessities. The central circle dealt with farms and plantations as well as a couple of middle cla.s.s shops. The Flowing River Sect was located here and utilizes a large plot of land. The inner circle sheltered the upper cla.s.s, military and high-cla.s.s shops. And at the center of the inner circle, Emperor Ryu"s castle stands tall over everything and everyone.

Half a kilometer away from the western side of the city lay a thick and lush forest. The citizens originally called it Lost Forest because a vigorous patch of green was very out of place in a desert, similar to a royal eunuch lost in his king"s harem. The name ended up being more apt than they previously thought.

Multiple attempts were made to domesticate and clear the forest all of which ended in failure. Those tasked to deal with the forest ended up disappearing, never to turn up again. Of the three dozen workers sent into the forest, all were lost to the forest.

Therefore, they halted the progress on the west gate and sealed it so that curious citizens and tourists would be less tempted to venture into the forest.

Kenja spotted the incomplete gate as well as the line of buildings parallel to the city wall. This side originally had a road that led to the center of the city as well, but homes and stores were built on top of the road making it inconvenient to get from the western gate to anywhere else and vice versa. As a result, living here was quite cheap.

Kenja entered one of the buildings in front of the gate and peeked into the kitchen. The kitchen had a table with three chairs next to it. Off to the side, an old woman was looking outside the window as she rocked back and forth in her chair. Her snow-white hair reached past her shoulders. Her hands were wrinkled and her feet were swinging slightly with the chair.

"I"m home, Babsan." Kenja placed the food on the table and approached the old woman. He kneeled next to the chair and waited for the old woman to respond.

The woman turned to him and smiled, placing her hand gently on the top of his head.

"You grow more and more with each pa.s.sing day, Kenja. When are you going to get married and introduce me to your kids?" She joked with him.

Kenja lifted his head letting the old woman"s hand caress his cheek.

"Who needs a wife when I have you?" Kenja gave the old woman a toothy grin.

The old woman chuckled. "Such a smooth talker. Perhaps I should worry that you"ll bring back too many wives."

Kenja nodded his head. "Of course! One to cook for you; one to clean for you; one to ma.s.sage your feet..." Kenja continued with no apparent end in sight.

The old woman shook her head joyfully. "The twins are upstairs getting ready. I"ll ready their food, so go make sure their nerves are steeled."

Kenja nodded and got up. He placed some money next to the bag of food before leaving the kitchen.

The old woman Babsan had taken care of Kenja and the twins since they were young. Kenja and the twins had been orphans living in the streets when Kenja was able to strike a deal with Baba. He had scrounged up nine copper coins over the course of a month as he took care of the 3-year-old twins. He ran into the first house he saw and negotiated with the old woman for a room. He successfully rented one room for a month with his nine copper coins. It was not until much later that he found out nine copper coins couldn"t pay for a single day at a normal inn and that the old woman had let this slide for their sake.

He headed upstairs and saw two doors facing each other in a hallway. As he approached the doors, he heard two pairs of voices breathing in deeply behind the right door. Kenja rolled his eyes and entered the room.

"Why are you guys practicing in my room?" Kenja scolded the twins before him.

Before him stood two 15-year-old girls. They both had short brown hair that curled at their shoulders. They had modest builds that contained the potential for growth. Their eyes were a light brown that went well with their hair color, and their faces held an innocent countenance. They were wearing white robes usually meant for female cultivators. One twin had a pink ribbon on the right side of her hairstyle, and the other had a purple ribbon on the left. Truthfully, the ribbons were gifts from Kenja that helped him differentiate between the two. When they were on the street sc.r.a.ping by, he could easily tell the two apart due to the various dirt spots and tears on their clothes. Now that they were clean all the time and wore a matching set everyday, the ribbons became a necessity for him.

The girls" pupils met each other while facing Kenja. Having understood each other, they maintained their silence as they seemed to struggle for an excuse. Kenja"s stare became increasingly heavy to the point that one of the twins began stammering.

"K-K-Kenjniisan, we didn"t mean to intrude." The pink-ribboned girl declared.

"Yes! We didn"t mean to intrude. Please, forgive us Kenjniisan." The purple-ribboned girl agreed with her other half.

"Then why are you in here?"

Their pupils met once more while still facing Kenja. Again, they began looking for an excuse. The purple-ribboned girl was the first to break the silence.

"It is easier to practice if we can smell niisan," she admitted shamefully.

The pink-ribboned girl nodded her head in agreement while bowing her head in shame.

Kenja stared blankly for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I see. But you will have to get used to doing it without me being around; otherwise, your progress will be quite slow. For now, resume practicing so that I can evaluate the both of you."

The breathing exercise was the same one he did this morning as well as the first part of the entrance exam. The more relaxed one was, the greater the benefits during this exercise. Because the twins grew alongside him all their lives, it was natural for them to achieve a more relaxed state when he was nearby.

The two girls smiled gleefully at each other before getting back into position and breathing in deeply. Perfectly in sync with each other, they slowly revolved their hands in front of them as they breathed in and out. If the ribbons were the same color, it would look like one person was practicing in front of a mirror. They could feel the Qi cycle through their meridians with each breath.

After a minute of practicing, Kenja could feel the Qi in the air going to and from the girls. They were successfully breathing the Qi in and regulating it back out at a steady pace. With this, they should have no problem with the entrance exam.

"Good, good." Kenja nodded his head in approval. "You should do well in the examination."

The girls smiled at each other with excitement in their eyes.

"Regardless of what happens, Shizuka, take care of your younger sister."

The purple-ribboned girl accepted her brother"s command with a nod.

"And Yoshie, make sure to stick with your sister. Never separate from her and lean on each other in your times of need."

The pink-ribboned girl nodded as well before giving her brother a look of deep grat.i.tude.

"Now go downstairs and eat some food. We have a long walk ahead of us."

The two girls grasped their hands and bowed to their brother before scurrying down the stairs.