Volume 1 Mysterious Seal, Chapter 1
Jian yi slowly managed to open his eyes as a waves of cascading pain spread from within his head. He barely manages to sit up right with a grimace encompa.s.sing the corners of his lips. When his eyes finally came into focus, he notices that he is still laying in the Western hills of Tian ridge’s medicinal field.
Reaching up to touch his Ostrich egged swollen ball of a head, Jiang Yi’s heart is filled with a ravenous fury. Early this morning he had run into Jiang Ruhu, and a few other young masters attempting to steal medicine. The behavior of these skirt-chasers wasn’t taken seriously, usually ignored by the family guard as if they had never noticed.
Unfortunately, Jiang yi was unaware of this and he couldn’t bear the urge to stop them. He never believe they would gang up and beat him maliciously. “Jiang Ruhu, I only asked you to do the righteous act, yet you were this ruthless… one day soon I will collect this debt with interest from you!”
After muttering a few fierce words, Jiang Yi lifts himself up only to encounter a sharp pain coursing through his body sending him tumbling down in the face of the heartless b.i.t.c.h that is gravity. With a muddled mind and a body covered in small, and large wound causing his youthful face to distort,
What a pity except for a scolding from two elder and increased length of punishment, what will they get? (Ed. I changed this sentence towards the kids because didn’t make sense, if I’m wrong ill edit it later)
Jiang Yi’s Jiang Family is one of the five great families in Tianyu City. There are plenty of children within the family creating a strict hierarchical structure based on status.
In the Jian younger generation, is made up of the young masters of direct blood line, various respected bloodlines, as well as a few juniors of ordinary blood lines. The direct blood lines masters like the Elder son and some remarkably talented branch younger masters are of the upper layer. This is followed by those of like Jiang Ruhu, and other branch young master’s whose latent talent is ordinary. Therefore they can only be label as second rate at best.
As for Jiang Yi…
Although, he is a Jiang family branch young master and his status cannot be compared with the ordinary juniors placing him much higher. His t.i.tle exists in name only and in recent years has led to him being insulted and bullied by various other young masters of the branches. The wounds he receives from these encounters vary every time but this event was extremely vicious leaving him unconscious for a whole morning.
“Strength”
Without formidable strength! I Jiang Yi will be trample underfoot for a whole lifetime by Jian Ruhu, and face every humiliation possible, I don’t wish for such a life, I will not tolerate such a life. “while recall the event from early this morning, Jiang Yi’s blood vessel’s swell, clenching his fist so tightly his nails bite deep into his palm as his blood seeps out spilling on the ground.”
He stubbornly lifts his body even as his mind becomes weighted , all the while ignoring the strange eye of others, he endures every step as he limps forward towards home, along the way bearing a burning pain that twisted his features with every step making his eyes blood red seething full of resentment.
12 years ago…
When Jiang Yi was only three years old, Elder p.r.o.nounced while holding him that he would become the most formidable member of the Jiang family, thus granting him his high status as a junior master.
Jiang Yi was five years old when he began practicing the foundation martial skill with the other children. At that time he revealed his astounding perception towards martial arts. No matter what they gave him from various complex to hard foundation skills he could learn them as easily as playing with clay, this made him famous as Jiang’s boy genius.
However just two years later all of this was reversed as If the heavens had flipped with the earth.
He was just turning seven that year, this was the time when all the juniors of the family that had reached the age of 7 would practice Yuan force following conventional training. Jiang Yi was especially given a high grade river system Yuan force law named Jiangshui Jue (Piercing River) normally reserved for direct descendants.
However in the preceding months jiang yi worked endlessly and only managed to refine several insignificant river system yuan forces. Even the worst of the juniors in the family could achieve that effect in just 3-5 days of time.
In the Xiang Continent, there are five elements, so every attempts to refine yuan (elementary) forces in heaven. If the body had a profound elemental force, then a person can display a mirage of powerful martial arts, splicing mountain in twain, flying through the sky, etc. Yet if there was no elemental force, even if you practice a martial art till the end of time or even with the knowledge of a thousand skills. Then you would only be trash and nothing more.
Jiang Yi’s martial perception, strong body, and intelligence were all of the highest rarity, this is what left everyone in the Jiang family stunned.
After confirming the results, the elder personally went to handpick a few laws for Jiang Yi, but after consulting the other elder and repeated failures they found he was unable to even cultivate the lowest grade of laws placing him below even the ordinary students.
Having no alternative Jiang Yi practiced many secret laws, elementary laws of each type and experimented for almost a year to find his refinery achievements based on a month couldn’t even compare to other talents daily refinement.
Why would such a large contrast in talent even coexist? When the elder finally decided to get Jiang Yi a checkup out of worry; he discovered a secret that startled him. Inside Jiang Yi’s Dantian, there was a complex seal that was a thin film, this film wrapped up Jiang Yi’s entire Dantian perfectly restricting the inside and outside. This greatly reduced the speed the yuan force could pa.s.s in and out of his Dantian! In other words, this strange seal was the culprit behind his inability to store yuan force!
The elder pa.s.sed down an order for the design of the seal to be depicted. When the design was completed it resembled a strange yet mystical dragon covered in runes, but no one could understand the runes or explain their existence.
After determining Jiang Yi would be unable to practice, the elder officially adopted him, after these events he stayed home most of the days, indulging in reading various types of symbol related old book, searched for rune masters, all the while hoping to one day destroy the seal binding him.
Time continued flowing like water, when Jiang Yi was nine years old, the elder left a letter for Jiang Yi and once again left, after his departure, there was no news for over six year it seemed like he had vanished into thin air.
From being a peerless talent to a piece of trash in an instant, not only being labeled this way but also blamed for the elder’s disappearance, which damaged the Jiang family strength greatly. Since then he was treated as the culprit and no longer held a high status within the family. Even in the last six years he struggled to upgrade to single layer Dao territory from nothing. This caused his status in the family to continue deteriorating. Only 4 years after the elder had left, he was forced out of the family and admitted to the servants houses in the west hospital area. Now only 6 months left before his 16th birthday and the final confirmation of his status as a jiang family descendant. If anyone couldn’t practice to the third layer of Dao territory those family members will be made responsible for trash jobs such as inventory of the medicine field, and harvesting work.
“Real men did not grow up brave from childhood, recollecting the stories of how many heroes began useless and unknown, they don’t know that a young slave will later grow to be a mighty hero, would they then be worried about him.” (Ed. I guess he was thinking about how they’ll treat him when they realize he will be powerful.)
While the thought of being a slave is still in his mind, Jiang Yi’s grim expression finally calms down, It seems the pain in his body has begun to easy finally, Even after a hard day he has not given up and believe the most important is to continue to fight with courage. This sentiment bring to mind the memory of the little girl he grew up with, brother and sister never abandoning each other.
Bang!
In the desolate yard of Jiang western hospital, the gate was blown open as it could not persist under Jiang Yi’s staggering body as he pa.s.sed through it. With knit brows and bloodshot eyes still reeling from the pain, he slowly reached up to wipe the remaining blood from the corner of his lips.
The room doesn’t not have the familiar candle light or the delicate form. As he bends down on the table panting for a few moments before he begins to light a candle he notices a note waiting to be read.
“There is steamed bread and meat gruel in the pots, Xiaonu is going to a relative’s house, I will return tomorrow do not worry, Young master you must rest diligently” the hand writing is crooked and ugly but Jiang Yi stares at it enduring a pain in his heart.
Relative? This silly girl…
Twelve years ago according to a foggy memory his mother died of an illness and he was carried to this Tianyu city by the elder. He was held under the elders right arm while another child was under the left being Xiaonu. In this city besides the clansmen of Jiang family and Xiaonu, he doesn’t know anyone else. If he isn’t a relative to her then who would be?
Jiang Yi is extremely clear about his circ.u.mstances in the last few year becoming progressively worse. Even jiang Yi’s monthly allowance had been reduced continually. If Xiaonu hadn’t gone to work not to mention the basic drugs needed to lead an ordinary life he feared he would not have enough meat to even feed his body.
He had wanted to go to work himself to gain silver to support their home. However every time he tried he would be firmly reprimanded and stopped by Xiaonu. She always says that odd business is to be done by slaves and he is a young mast of Jiang, The young master must be a person of importance in the future. How could he lower himself to do these menial jobs?
“Important matters? Young master? The young master of s.h.i.t. Hahaha” (Ed. quoted things are his inner thoughts I guess)
Jiang Yi left out a self-depreciation laugh as he weakly returned to bed to lie down again. The splitting migraine began to come back increasing in pain as if his mind was about to collapse and his head explode. It didn’t take long for him to pa.s.s out again without even eating the dinner that was prepared.
That night, Jiang Yi dreamt.
When he finally awoke and opened his eye he found Xiaonu was cooking, her back to him looked extremely fragile and tired.
He was about to get up and help her but he saw a tall slenderly built old man with white hair holding a stack of books enter the room. The books he held in his arm were piled on the table and sternly told him that inside these law he will definitely find suitable practice method.
“Great grandpa, you… You were all right…” Jiang Yi’s whole face became covered in tears as he cried out towards the old man.
Xiaonu lit a candle and said, “Master come on”
He complied with the request and grabbed a book from the table, it was old and tattered but as he opened the first page there was a flower and he saw dozens of small black seal scripts typeface in the tattered book, unexpectedly the flower flies out of the book and gently moving in midair it approaches softly spinning above his head.
“The vast world, the martial world is eternal, the path of yang law, must repair oneself first”
Jiang Yi kept reading those small seal scripts and was startled in his heart as those tiny black seal character were revolving around him softly hovering in the are like small tadpoles full of life.
Jian yi was smiling inwards and did not realize at that moment the small characters had started to transform!
The dozens of black tadpole characters, suddenly dispersed the formation and like dancing minions dashed, clawed their way towards his mind. They began biting his body, even attempting to drill in through his ear and eyes.
“ahhh.. stop, DON’T!”
Jiang Yi suddenly awoke from his dream and began howling in pain, his face twitching insistently and his body contorting unceasingly. After a halt the time it takes an incense stick to burn the tormenting pain began to slowly dwindle leaving him sprawled and covered in cold sweat. Quite a while had pa.s.sed before he had enough strength to sit up with difficulty.
“so it was a dream”
“no,no”
Jiang yi let out a long sigh but suddenly his complexion changed as if he had been in shock.
Because at this moment he discovering in his mind were dozens of those small black seal revolving. The writing he saw in the dream are exactly the same as the own present in his mind like small tadpoles swimming cheerfully as they revolve.