When people are away from that which makes them unhappy, it is easy to form an illusion of self, of perhaps an untainted nature, when one is feeling shameful, or of an aloof existence, when one is usually quaking in one"s boots. For a pet.i.te youth like Sun, it is easy to form a persona of sunny, energetic youth, when reality had once drained his spirit listless. His sister"s friend"s little shu sibling wanting to make him be her husband so she could enjoy this not entirely favoured son"s family"s status was actually the last straw that sent him fleeing to the Ascending Mountain Inst.i.tute.Sun"s family pursued Martial Arts, but not every Martial Artist in the family had been fortunate enough to be born with roots in which to cultivate and gain strength. So when the second son of the second son of General Ramas happened to naturally awaken his root, there was some celebration, but also there was envy. This envy turned to scorn as time pa.s.sed and this "natural" protege failed to break through the boundary of Secondary cultivation. Not only his cultivation, but his height and stature were inherited from his mother, considerably lacking compared to other men in the family. So what that he had awoken his root without pills, not only was his a mere minor root, he clearly was a failure, a short, insignificant failure.
His grandfather became increasingly displeased with this grandchild, who looked feeble in comparison to even his third son"s small shu son, who had just had his root forced to awaken and it was a major root. Many of the resources that once were Sun"s were redirected to the illegitimate child. And then the Iondis family matchmaker came to call...
Sun shook away his despondent thoughts. He was not the same now, he"d broken through that barrier, reached Secondary stage. They could no longer claim he was a waste, without anymore use than to form a connection with another family for money.
The carriage pulled up outside a gargantuan estate.
Leon glanced outside, his jaw dropping as his eyes fell upon the imposing stone walls, in which a few tree tops could just be seen peering above the heights. Two stone columns rose either side of a large wooden gate, each topped with a stone dragon with fierce expressions. Guards stood at the gate, broad of chest and dressed in leathers and wearing swords. A plaque upon the column stated that this was the Ramas estate.
"This is your h-house?" Leon whispered in disbelief, while Jin Li shook his head with indulgent eyes over his small alchemists naivety.
Sun sighed, head sagging to his chest as he mumbled. "No, this is my family"s palace. My courtyard is just a small part of it."
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As the three and two beasts left the carriage, one of the guards eyes widened in recognition and he nodded to the other and slipped inside the gates for a moment. Not even had the other guard completed his greeting than did a tall man, with similar colouring to Sun and more mature of appearance, stepped outside to welcome him.
"Little brother," Mond greeted him. His expression was quite stoic, but his eyes were curved with genuine happiness. Sun was startled, he"s thought that Mond didn"t care for him very much.
Mond was truly Sun"s first idol and hero and his heart still recalled the warmth of affection from before his big brother went to train with the army. Mond did not have a inner root, but this never detracted from the strength he exuded, nor his talent with standard Martial Arts. It was just that, when Sun continuously failed to breakthrough, Mond"s eyes held the most obvious of disappointment, breaking his heart and damaging the bond between them. Perhaps it had been his own perception that was wrong all along? "Big brother, I"m back," Sun smiled more brightly than before.
Mond nodded in recognition, before his eyes settled upon Jin Li and Leon behind him. He also showed some appreciation for the two eye-catching Coeurl beasts accompanying them. "These are the friends you mentioned?" Mond queried.
"En," Sun replied and indicated one after the other. "This is Jin Li, my room mate and fellow Martial Artist and this is Leon, his alchemist. The two Coeurl"s belong to them."
Mond gave both a nod in greeting, before indicating that they should continue on inside. "Grandfather has been waiting for you, little brother." Sun almost crumbled at the thought, but took his best step forward into the walls that suddenly felt more like a prison.
Walking through those guarded, tall walls was not too dissimilar to stepping into a transmigrator slipping through the cracks in one world and into another without the need of death"s flesh-less hand guiding them. Leaving behind them the wide, yellow paved street, the world around them became almost ethereal, in a man-made sort of way. Four steps in and they came to see something Cenapar was famous for; a bridge.
The bridge was made of painted wood and solid of construction with just a hint of embellishment as dragons wound their way up the first and last posts of the structural feature. The bridge itself arched over a large lotus pond which was fed by a small stream that trailed off into the distance. Visitors would not know this, but it was a fact that this water came from one of the great rivers and the pond was not artificial in its creation. Although the path beneath their feet lead off to the left and right, the two brothers guided them towards the bridge, only pausing to glance at the two Coeurl before looking towards a pa.s.sing servant.
"Take the beasts to the stable and ensure their comfort completely," Mond instructed the man, who nervously looked at the two beasts. Wu Ye yawned, revealing all of his sharp teeth telling one side that he could indeed do with a nap, while warning the other that he was no kitten. Li Ming was less inclined to be stabled.
Leon reached out for the Coeurl with one hand and picked out a solid wood carving of a dream hare, with long upright ears from his pouch with the other, before waving it before the beast. "B-be g-good," Leon smiled and the Coeurl yowled softly then s.n.a.t.c.hed away the gift proudly. He followed Wu Ye quietly after this. The latter rolled his eyes before staring at the servant who had no choice but to try still his trembling body as he lead the way.
After this, the brothers lead them over the bridge of the lotus pond, which was decorated in bare willow trees and sweeping shrubs. Small rockeries created fake mountains either side of the bridges end as it curved a hidden corner and returned to the path on the other side. In late spring and summer, the garden would have been even more impressive, with large, rare flowers and colourful blossoms to highlight the greenery. At the moment, it just seemed cold.
Beyond the rockeries, the path opened up and split into two, both which lead through large moongates in white walls. The brothers took one at lead deeper into the grounds, the other would have lead to a Hall and courtyard meant for waiting guests, but Sun was too nervous to voice this in pa.s.sing. Beyond this moon gate was yet another garden, this one filled with sizeable ca.n.a.ls that were straight and long. These ca.n.a.ls also were staggered, the bottom most length horizontal and across their path, whereas the next length was coming towards them before tipping its contents into the lower ca.n.a.l. And there was a third staged higher up, built upon a wall and tipping its waters into the second ca.n.a.l.
The lowest ca.n.a.l had a bridge in which the brothers wandered over before the path lead them to travel along the length of the ca.n.a.l. There was even a pleasure boat floating in its waters, though Sun was relieved to know there was no one aboard right now. This pathway lasted quite the while before they came to a cross section of paths and finally walked away from the ca.n.a.ls and towards another wall and moongate. This one lead into a large and structured courtyard with a very imposing building wrapped about most of it. The courtyard itself was mostly unadorned, with the exception of another pair of dragon statues in the middle.
The brothers approached the rear section of the building, which had a length of fixed wooden awning, stretching from wing to wing, providing a little shelter from the elements without needing to enter the building itself. Posts held up the covering adding to the structural feel it emanated. A manservant stood outside of the door and greeted both brothers, before requesting their patience as he went inside to announce their presence. It wasn"t long before the two brothers went in, however, Jin Li and Leon were forced to wait outside.