"Master, Master look...look I can make the candle's flame dance."
Indeed the candle flame was flickering violently. For a child to be able to grasp the first stage of a Practioner at this young an age of four years, it was unheard of. But when the old man looked down at his young pupil, there was no pride in them. His eyes were dark and reflected only sadness. His hand patted the child's full head of hair.
"Excellent work. Tomorrow we can begin training you into guiding the qui of earth through you into heaven and opening up your qui channels."
"Dahahahaha Master, this excellent pupil of yours will break through the next stage in a week's...no a day's time. Just you wait."
The boy's infectious laughter brought a smile to even this melancholic master's face. But under his breath he whispered.
"I know you will and that, is what I fear the most."
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"Master Guard! Master Guard! I don't belong here...I..I'm innocent. Please, just let the minister of the harem's feng shui know that his pupil Hao Liqun is here, he will explain the rest...Master Guard Mas..."
SPLOCH!
A huge wad of porridge slammed into his face and shut the imploring prisoner up.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha"
The two prison guards were back. The two of them looked nearly identical with their matching sets of armor, were it not for the wispy mustache worn by one of them, they could have passed for twin brothers. Apparently their sense of humor was identical as well, for they took great pleasure in toying with the hapless prisoners in these Imperial Dungeons. Following close behind them was a new recruit, learning the ropes.
"Senior Brothers, isn't this a little...excessive?"
The recruit asked hesitantly.
"Shut it noob. Alright ten copper taels says I get the next one square in the face as well."
"Yer on!"
They walked with the reassured gait of a Master, despite being lowly prison guards. The clean shaven one clanged the iron bars as he crossed cells, waking up the prisoners for their breakfast.
"Chow time! Chow time you useless bastards, come and get it!"
The seasoned prisoners eagerly positioned themselves so as to gain the maximum amount of porridge possible when it was chucked in by the guards. This made the guards happy and the prisoners managed to get some food in them.
"You can always tell how long a prisoner has been here by how they behave during chow time, the new arrivals are the defiant ones, they take offence to us flinging food at them. In a few weeks their defiance melts away and they become beggars and pleaders like the minister's apprentice back there. A few months, they become trained like a monkey."
"Haha, yeah, after all even monkey's know how to behave where food is concerned."
"Hahahahahahahahaahahaha"
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother, what if a Prisoner doesn't do any of these things?"
"Shut it noob. I have been walking this beat for fifteen years now. The only one's who don't fit this pattern are the very old ones. The one's who have been here for decades, those poor bastards have been inside a prison cell for so long that they have lost their minds, forgotten about their will to live and are now just waiting to die. Those kinda prisoners you need to watch out for."
"Indeed. The warden will punish us if any of these scum die on our watch. But there's no danger of that, there are no prisoners like that in this ward."
"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!"
"Waaaat Noob?"
"This prisoner, It seems he has been here for centuries, look he's nearly dead."
"What?"
Indeed, in the cell adjoining a dark skinned foreigner who was happily munching on his full mouth of porridge was a blue robed gentlemen, perhaps he once had a proud countenance, perhaps he once had a handsome face, but right now he looked like death. His face was long and emotionless, his eyes did not reflect any light, his tongue flapped about idly and his body lay prone, half on the stone bench, half on the floor. The guard's porridge throw had missed him completely and splashed the wall behind him instead yet he had not noticed it. A few flies that were buzzing over his prone form buzzed over to the porridge and happily started lapping it up.
"This fool? Hah, he's only been here a day."
"One day?"
"Hehe yeah, don't worry some of these rich bastards don't have any spine. He'll fall in line soon enough. Hahahahahahaha"
The hours passed by yet the prone form of the blue robed gentleman did not stir, to the unkeen observer he would have indeed appeared dead. As day turned slowly yet steadily to night some activity other than that of the guards was noted by the other prisoners. The heavy wooden door of the cell wing slammed open and two swordsmen entered with lit torches. This lot looked very different from the prison guards. They wore no armor, they wore instead identical silk robes of teal color and matching red scabbarded swords tucked in a shimmering red sash, on their waists. Between them walked one who could never be mistaken for a common man. Erect posture, hair neatly combed into a overhead bun, held in place with a golden clip and pin. Gold and black flowing robes draped his shoulders and the Emperor's golden dragon flowed on his back, identifying him as either an official of the Emperor's Sect or an Imperial relative. He walked with a steady gait, wrinkling his nose at the filthy dark skinned foreigner, and came to a halt in front of the cell of Zang Xuan.
Zang however did not notice his arrival, his mind was still lost in the golden memories of his childhood. A defence mechanism to escape from the reality of his situation and cope with his tragic fate. One of the noble's bodyguards clanged loudly on the cell door with his torch but there was no reaction. The other bodyguard now annoyed at having to make his master wait spat into the cell.
"Oye, wake up you lousy bastard, the young master has come and granted you the honor of a visit before your execution."
No reaction.
Before the bodyguard could get any angrier the nobleman placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him. Then he spoke with the honeyed voice of a practiced courtly lord.
"Little brother, your Senior Brother Cao Mao Li has come to greet you. Will you not even provide me with the courtesy of a welcome?"
Somewhere deep inside the recesses of Zang Xuan's mind, the voice and the name struck a chord. Suddenly tears welled up in those dead eyes and the world once again swam back into focus for Zang Xuan. Licking his dry lips, he crawled to the edge of the cell doors. He looked up with the expectant eyes of a puppy.
When he spoke his voice rasped and grated like the harsh croak of a toad, his throat of course was parched.
"Se..senior...brother....senior brother....at last you have come to save me from this grey fog of oblivion!"
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*You have, haven't you?*
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