Liu Yang

The morning sun, reflected from the mirror opposite the window, softly touched the pale skin of the sleeping youth. Running across the cheek, the beam lingered briefly on the long eyelashes, which trembled from this touch, and finally became entangled in the silk of the hair, scattered in a black waterfall over the chiseled shoulders.   

The eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly trying to stay on a flower in the breeze. Their owner opened his dark sapphire eyes and stood up in one smooth and quick movement. A dazzling smile began to play on his lips, capable of rivaling in its brilliance the glare of the sun that awakened the young caster.

A slight shadow of discontent crossed his face. There was too much gold around, and the intoxicating smells of aromatic oils that permeated everything in the palace seemed to be enough to drive anyone crazy. But such were the peculiarities of life in the Fengling Gong Order, which, however, were completely redeemed by the opportunities received by the adepts of the Order.

Yang was a visiting student. Not long ago, the Head Gong, having accidentally seen him in battle, invited him to study in his Order. Not belonging to any of the Clans, he agreed — it is always useful to learn something new, and it was curious to see the life of the Order from the inside. Moreover, no one knew that he practiced the dark art, and in general, they knew nothing about it. And he himself was in no hurry to tell.

Still moving with the same ease and grace, Liu Yang dressed himself in the robes of the Order and cast a skeptical glance at his reflection in the mirror. Well, he had had to put up with worse things in his life. He ran his hand over the ornate frame and, turning away, picked up his weapon. From one touch to him, a charming smile bloomed on his lips again, and his mood soared to the skies, like a bird that had been sitting in a cage for a long time, finally breaking free.

There were no special plans for today, classes were cancelled, and the day was completely free. Unaccustomed to sitting around and wasting time, Yang decided to take a walk into the nearby forest and practice alone. Such an opportunity was rare, and the peculiarities of his sword required training different from that practiced in the Fengling Gong Order.

A forest path winding through the trees led to a clearing that was ideal for his purposes. Safely hidden from prying eyes, it was large enough to comfortably train on.

Yang walked around it, carefully studying the relief, and was completely satisfied. The uneven surface was reliably masked by withered grass, which created additional difficulties, and therefore contributed to the acquisition of the necessary skills of real combat.

Despite the fact that winter was in full swing and it was only +4° outside, the brightly shining sun warmed the air, touching the skin with warm rays. A gentle breeze, sometimes disappearing, sometimes appearing out of nowhere, gently ruffled the hair, as if inviting to play catch-up to find out who is faster.

Yang affectionately stroked the handle of his favorite weapon, and in a moment the sword was in his hand. Having switched it to double blade mode, it began to spin around the clearing. The air was filled with a characteristic hiss, as if someone had carelessly stirred up several snake nests.

The caster moved with such speed that it seemed his feet did not touch the ground, and the dark haze that always enveloped the blade surrounded it, creating a cocoon of darkness around it, making it look like a shadow sliding across a brightly lit clearing. After a while, without stopping the mesmerizing action, he made an almost imperceptible movement, dividing the hilt, and there was a sword in each hand.

The sun was already setting when Liu Yang finally returned the weapon to its sheath. Also subtly quickly collecting it back into a single whole, he ran forward, with his characteristic instinct sensing the water ahead. Gradually slowing down, he came to a very picturesque place, where among the stones, a fairly wide and deep stream babbled.

Having undressed, he plunged into the icy water, which instantly washed away all traces of fatigue and gave his body the desired coolness. Without staying longer than necessary in the cold streams, Yang went out onto the shore and, grabbing his clothes, ran a little, letting the droplets of water dry, which remained in a small scattering on the skin, shimmering in the rays of the sun like thousands of diamonds.

Already getting dressed, he noticed that the sound had become different. Following the stream with his gaze, he saw that it was lost in the mountain rising ahead. Satisfying his curiosity, he approached and discovered a well-camouflaged passage.

The stormy stream flowed into a small lake, which was found in the western part of the cave. The walls were dotted with multi-colored rock lines and glistened with moisture. Apparently, there was a hole in the ceiling through which sunlight penetrated, giving a mystical charm to this place.

The young man brought firewood and, having lit a fire, settled down comfortably nearby, watching the bright sparks rising upward and thinking about how he could use the unexpectedly discovered secret place.

Gong Sheng Li (Li Xin)

Sheng Li pulled the fabric towards himself with a sharp movement, unhooking it from the dry snag lying on the ground.

 – Horrible day, – the spellcaster muttered under his breath as he continued his way towards the cave.

He came here occasionally, hiding from everyone. Only here could he take off his mask and take a break from the intrigues that probably only the lazy did not weave in the Phoenix Valley. Sheng Li stared at the uninvited guest with surprise and irritation.

— Who are you and what are you doing here? — without coming close, he stood at a distance, looking with curiosity.