Chapter 17: End of the Festival
"That is enough second brother. Doctor Lu please take care of Zhang Chen. Brother Xincheng, announce the result." Right as Zhang Wuji's fear was about to take over the control of his body, he heard his father's voice.
'Atleast you are not completely useless.' he sighed in relief. His father was the strongest and the one with most authority among those present. Although he was still pissed at the indifference he showed before, it was undeniable that his life now depended on his father's support.
He was sure that he would definitely get that support, but still was scared shitless looking at the red eyed enraged man with veins popping out from every inch of his face infront of him.
"Third brother! What do you mean?! Your son maliciously harmed my son in what was supposed to be a friendly competition between two family members. Elders, you saw what happened. I wish you could pass a fair judgement and cripple this viscous dog!" He spat out these words with clenched teeth trying his best to not erupt infront of the elders.
"Yes, they saw Zhang Chen sway the public into goading Zhang Wuji into fighting a battle with someone above his level, they saw the fight from beginning to the end and saw how Zhang Chen despite being clearly defeated, continued to stubbornly struggle and howl in fury forcing Zhang Wuji to incapacitate him to ensure victory. They saw him clearly pause to give his opponent a chance to admit defeat and upon not receiving a signal along those lines, look towards his elders to confirm before making the move to incapacitate his opponent.
Second brother, Zhang Chen was given ample opportunities to surrender. Zhang Wuji clearly waited for someone to end the match before making the move upon not receiving any such command. I don't see the malicious intent you are speaking of."
"Zhang Han do not TWIST THE TRUTH! My son was clearly screaming in agony, not howling with fury." He was finding it difficult to keep himself in check.
"Maybe. But I think your position as a father is effecting your judgement. Take your son home and get him treated by doctor Lu. Also I think it'd be better if you take a little break from your duties for a while. Your son is bleeding and is in immense pain and you are more interested in arguing with me. You gotta be in better control of yourself brother."
He then turned towards the elders and bowed a little "I hope you will allow second brother this much needed leave. I know that his duties are of much importance but I'll make sure the family business runs without a hitch even in his absence."
'Wait what's happening? When did I look at them for confirmation? I looked at you with a 'how you like that now' look. Does he think everyone here are fools?' Zhang Wuji looked amazed at his father character's shamelessness.
'There is no way this is gonna end like that.'
"Sigh. There is no need for that. Zhang Jian take your son home and get him treated. Don't delay it further. Little fellow being too vicious is not good. You will not be given the reward for the competition. Are you okay with that?" After seeing that no one spoke, the old man sitting in the center said. He was the oldest in his generation and was the eldest brother of Zhang Han's father. His wife died before giving birth to a child and he never remarried so he didn't have much desire towards family politics and was respected as a just elder.
'Ofcourse I'm not!' was what Zhang Wuji wanted to say but bowed and said "As you say oldest grandfather."
"Alright then. Give the reward to Zhang Chen as compensation and Xincheng, continue the competition." he said to the referee.
'No way! Just my ass!' If he didn't get the rewards, he could shrug it off, but giving them to Zhang Chen! There was no way he could swallow that. He looked towards his father hoping he could do something about it.
Unfortunately, his father simply sat back down and said nothing. Zhang Wuji grumbled inwardly and went back to his seat.
"Lil' bro that was amazing! Why didn't you tell me you had reached completion in Eagle Claw Art." Zhang Yuxi was finding it difficult to keep her voice down due to her excitement.
'You never asked, you were more interested in the unnecessary stuff.' He just smiled and didn't answer.
She thought he was still mad about earlier and decided to talk to him about it later.
After the competition the elders gave a little speech before everyone dispersed.
"Lil'bro wait for me." Zhang Yuxi ran and caught up with him. "Are you still angry about earlier?" she looked at him with a concerned face.
He initially wanted to say something and shake her off but decided against that after looking at the obvious concern on her face. "Ofcourse not. I won. Did you see his arm? There is no way I will continue to stay angry after that. By the way thanks for your support back there."
"No need for thanks, what are big sisters for?" She said patting her chest.
After a moment of silence, she closely scrutinized his face for any detail and asked "Do you blame uncle?" She clearly saw him looking at his father for a moment before he broke Zhang Chen's arm.
"Don't be silly. Why would I blame father? He saved my ass in the end didn't he? I am real grateful to my father, how could I blame him for anything." He replied with a fake smile on his face.
Unfortunately for him, she saw a slight change in his expression when the topic was brought up. "Sigh Wuji, whatever uncle did there must be a valid reason for that. You know how much he cares about you right?" she did not take her eyes off his face for a second.
"I know." This time he didn't bother faking a smile.
'Sigh, uncle you really need to change the methods you use to spark little Wuji's interest in cultivation otherwise I don't know whether he would gain interest in cultivation but I know you would definitely lose your son.' Zhang Yuxi was helpless. She can't talk about this with his mother and worry her and his father just wouldn't listen. She didn't want her brother to have a strained relationship with his father, but the man is hell-bent on changing his son's timid character.
They parted ways and Zhang Wuji went to his room and directly went to sleep. He was really tired after the whole incident.
Morning.
Zhang Wuji woke up two hours before the sun rose and got ready for the end of the year ritual. This ritual was all about showing gratitude for all they have received in the past year. Mainly for making it alive through the year.
Religious people show their gratitude to their god or whatever they believed in, following whatever ritual is prescribed in their scriptures.
Others, expressed their gratitude to mother nature. The ritual had two parts, five elements ritual and sun and moon ritual.
The sun and moon ritual is a funny looking bizzare dance done to honor and express gratitude to the sun and the moon that rise at the same time that day. According to the qi condensation realm cultivators of the family, it is a beautiful sight.
It should be known that the next day, the first day of the next year, was a new moon day. Therefore the part of the moon that could be seen on this day was too small and couldn't be seen with naked mortal eyes. Once one reaches qi condensation, one could cover their eyes with qi and witness this spectacle. Although the only thing visible is a very thin crescent, that still is awesome for some.
After going through the embarrassing dance ritual, it was time for the five element ritual. It was normal. To show one's gratitude to the five elements- wood, fire, earth, metal and water, which basically provide everything for one's existence, people plant a five elements thorn clover.
After finishing both rituals, Zhang Wuji spent some time with family and cheat hunting before retiring for the day after a round of training.
The next day was the new year where the whole family participates in a ritual honouring their ancestors. After which their glorious achievements are remembered.
'Drilling obedience into the members, I see.'
The day after, kids that turned twelve are tested for their spirit root. This is where their fate is decided for them. Everyone has a spirit root. It may be good or bad, it may be special, may have some elemental affinity but it definitely is present in everyone.
The fifth and final day of the festival, various foods of different tastes are prepared and are eaten without avoiding any foods that you dislike to symbolise the different aspects of life that one has to experience.
Fifth day of festival. Night.
'Finally! Tomorrow I can leave. What an absolute waste of time. I'll apply to become an alchemy assistant the moment I step into the sect. My days of comfort are not far. Once I start earning as an alchemist, I can buy as many relics as I want. Even if there is no cheat, I might find something amazing. Just thinking about it makes me excited.'
.....
The next day. Morning.
"Why are you in such a hurry? You could leave a few days later. You can only come home once in an year." Chen Yunxi followed her son as he walked towards the manor entrance.
"Mother I don't want to leave so soon either. It's just that I have something to do back at the sect." Zhang Wuji continued walking.
"Atleast wait till your father comes back! He just went to the family meeting and won't be long."
"I need to get to the Clam city before night falls. I can't wait longer. He'll understand."
They reached the entrance, a servant was already waiting with his horse. He mounted his horse, ready to set off.
"You didn't even give me enough time to prepare something for the road."
"It's fine mother. I could try different delicacies on the way. Alright. Take care."
"You too." She sent her son off with an unwilling face.
'This doesn't feel good. Sigh' He looked at her face and felt bad. 'This is all that father character's fault. He doesn't even let me have a nice goodbye before leaving.'
He did not want to listen to his father telling him the ways of the world and the importance of cultivation. Most importantly he just didn't want to see him. 'He didn't know I had reached completion in Eagle Claw Art. Even if he did, there is no guarantee that I'd win. He just wanted to see me get beaten to a pulp and humiliated infront of the whole family just to make a point.' He was really pissed at his father.
Long after leaving the city, he felt like he was forgetting something.
'Right I promised big sis that I'd go shopping with her. Shit! She's gonna chew my ear off next time we meet.'
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