There were already a lot of people at the dining hall, but the several empty seats near the front told Wu Jian they were still a little early. He looked at the food everyone was eating as he walked by. It looked like they were having congee.

Same as usual then.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying sat together at one of the tables and a serving girl soon arrived with two trays for them. The congee had been served with sliced green onions, fried shallots, and a raw egg. Wu Jian was quick to crack the egg into the bowl. He stirred the congee until it formed silky threads. The scent wafting from the bowl wasn’t the most mouth-watering, but congee was a satisfying meal to have first thing in the morning, and he was feeling quite ravenous after their exercise. Wu Meiying added the green onion slices to hers.

Several people pointed at them and whispered, but he was positive they were either admiring Wu Meiying or making fun of her. The people here seemed to waffle between talking about how pretty she was and how weird she was.

As they ate, Wu Yong, Wu Fei, and Wu Ming entered the dining hall. Wu Jian felt like a magnet. Wu Yong’s eyes found him the moment he entered. The older boy pursed his lips in disdain, then glanced at Wu Meiying next to him and scowled as he turned away.

“Problem?” asked Wu Meiying.

“No. Wu Yong was just glaring at me, but he always does that, so it’s not a big deal,” Wu Jian tried to play off his fear with a smile. He hid his shaking hands underneath the table.

Wu Meiying found Wu Yong among the crowd, frowned, and turned back to Wu Jian. “He’s just jealous. Try not to pay him any attention.”

“I’ll do my best, but I don’t think I’ll be able to ignore him during training,” Wu Jian said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be your sparring partner.”

Wu Jian’s relief was almost palpable as he smiled. “Thanks, Mei.”

Mei grinned broadly as she thrust out her chest. “What are wives for?”

After breakfast, all of the younger children were directed toward the training courtyard. It was a large space with a floor made of wood panels, surrounded by rocks, trees, and a four-sided, open walkway. There were several mats meant for sparring. Standing on one side of the training courtyard was a man around his father’s age, with the black hair and black eyes of the Wu Clan. He was tall, had broad shoulders, a thick chest, and his hair was spiked up in all directions. A single scar running down the left side of his face gave him a menacing appearance. Well defined muscles flexed beneath his orange training gi.

“It looks like you’re all here. Good. Everyone, form up!”

“Yes, teacher!” the students shouted as they formed four rows of five.

There were twenty students. Six of them were girls, including Wu Meiying. The rest were boys.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying stood in the front row next to three boys. Wu Nai, Wu Tao, and Wu Bu were branch clan members. They didn’t have the same problem with Wu Jian or Wu Meiying that Wu Yong did, so he generally got along decently with them, but at the same time, they were not what he would consider friends.

“Good. I’m glad to see you’re all able to form up on command now. Let’s begin today’s training with some basic stretches. After that, we will practice the Wu Clan’s martial arts before breaking into pairs and practicing how to properly fall.”

“Uncle Lan doesn’t waste time,” Wu Meiying muttered under her breath as they began stretching.

“That’s just how he is,” Wu Jian said, though he agreed.

The stretches they did in the training hall were not as complicated as the ones written on the scrolls they got from the library, but they still served to warm up the body. When their stretches were done, Wu Lan had them get into their basic stances, then made them go through the forms for the Wu Clan’s martial arts.

Perhaps it was because of what Wu Meiying had said earlier, but Wu Jian felt like the Wu Clan martial arts did not fit him. He couldn’t properly explain it. He just knew that it didn’t feel natural, like his body was meant to go left when the martial arts was trying to make him go right. Yet even though it didn’t feel natural, he still completed the forms alongside everyone else. When he was done, he turned to look at Wu Meiying, who had worked up a light sweat alongside him.

“Excellent! Good job, everyone. Now, break into pairs and practice falling properly,” instructed Wu Lan.

When Wu Lan said to practice falling, what he meant was they would pair up and one person would hit the other, while the other person would lessen the impact by falling backward. This resulted in reducing the pain and chance of having the air knocked from one’s lungs. There were several ways to take a hit depending on where someone got struck. This was a lesson they had already learned and were now putting into practice.

Wu Jian tried to pair up with Wu Meiying like he always did, but Wu Yong stepped up before they could begin practicing.

“Wu Jian, why don’t you practice with me instead today?” he asked with a smile. “You’re always practicing with Wu Meiying, but you’ll never grow stronger if you always rely on a girl to help you.”

While his comment caused the girls present to glare at him, Wu Jian was getting ready to reject him. He knew that Wu Yong just wanted to use helping him as an excuse to beat him up.

“I believe Wu Yong has a point,” Instructor Lan said, arms crossed as he watched on. “Gender notwithstanding, Wu Meiying is always going easy on you. If you really want to learn how to take a hit, then you need to pair up with someone who won’t hold back.”

There was nothing Wu Jian or Wu Meiying could say now that their teacher had spoken up. Wu Jian grimaced as he clasped the fist of his right hand in the palm of his left and offered a traditional martial bow to Wu Yong.

“I understand. Please instruct me well, elder brother.”

“Of course. Just leave everything to your big brother,” Wu Yong said. He was smiling, but Wu Jian thought his smile made him look like a poisonous serpent.

Wu Meiying paired up with one of the girls, who seemed grateful since it meant she wouldn’t have to be paired with her current male partner. A few of the boys in class were mischievous and liked to play pranks on the girls. Wu Jian and Wu Yong found their own space and faced each other.

“Are you ready, little brother?” asked Wu Yong.

“Yes, elder brother. I am ready,” Wu Jian tried to hide his fear, but his breathing was coming out in heavy pants.

“In that case, here I come. Prepare yourself.”

Wu Yong took two steps forward and threw a classic front kick at Wu Jian, who tightened his stomach and tried to absorb the blow on his abdomen. He grunted in pain as the foot connected and tried to move backward with the kick. He wasn’t successful. Wu Yong had kicked too fast for him to properly take the blow. Stumbling back several steps as he was forced to expel the oxygen in his lungs, he reached up, pressed a hand to his stomach, and gasped.

“Come on, little brother. If you can’t even take this weak kick, how are you going to get any stronger?” asked Wu Yong, chuckling.

Wu Jian gritted his teeth as tears stung his eyes. He wanted to stop. He was scared. He didn’t like to feel pain. His body was shaking just by thinking about continuing. But he recalled Wu Meiying’s words to motivate him. He could not be weak. He had to be strong, so strong that he would always be able to stand by Wu Meiying’s side no matter what forces tried to split them apart.

“I am ready, elder brother,” Wu Jian said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

Wu Yong’s smile vanished. “You’re ready for more? Well, fine. In that case, let’s see if you can handle this.”

Wu Yong threw a punch this time. It was a straight punch right to Wu Jian’s face. The way to take this punch would have been to absorb the force by moving forward and taking the blow on his forehead, but even though Wu Jian was determined to become stronger, that didn’t mean he had already gained strength or become any less cowardly.

He flinched away.

The blow struck his nose.

Wu Jian cried out as he was sent sprawling to the floor. Something wet dripped down his nose, and when he went to wipe it, he looked down and saw crimson liquid now staining his hand. The sight made his pupils dilate. His breathing became erratic.

“Wu Yong, you are going too far!” Wu Meiying shouted suddenly.

“What are you talking about?” asked Wu Yong. “I’m not doing anything wrong. This is all about teaching us how to take a hit. That means I have to punch him with all my strength or he’ll never learn.”

“That may be so, but you aimed specifically for his nose, which we all know you are not allowed to hit!”

They might not be able to kill, but blows to the nose were extremely painful and disorienting. Wu Lan had also forbidden them from hitting each other in the face if at all possible. That said, mistakes did happen, and there was no way for anyone to tell if Wu Yong had meant to hit him there. They had no way to prove he had done it on purpose.

“It’s not like I meant to hit him in the nose. Fists don’t have eyes, you know. All I did was throw a punch. I aimed for his chest, but then he flinched and I struck his nose instead,” defended Wu Yong. Wu Meiying scowled because she knew it was impossible to prove that he had aimed specifically for Wu Jian’s nose. Wu Yong grinned as he looked down at Wu Jian. “Sorry about that, little brother. I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly.”

Wu Jian slowly climbed to his feet and bit his lip as he kept a hand on his bleeding nose. How should he respond? In the past, he would always take his lumps and try to pretend he wasn’t bothered. He would let it happen and not retaliate because Wu Yong was two years older than him, more aggressive than him, stronger than he was, and he was afraid of the older boy. But he didn’t want to remain like this. He didn’t want to stay a weak, frightened child.

He needed to get stronger.

For Wu Meiying if not for himself.

“I’m fine,” Wu Jian said, sniffing the blood back into his nose. “L-let’s continue.”

“Huh? You want to keep going? What about your nose?” asked Wu Yong, blinking.

“It’s fine. Like you said, I need to toughen up, right? Let’s keep going,” Wu Jian said.

“Fine. You wanna act tough in front of Meiying? Then let’s see how tough you really are,” Wu Yong said, eyes growing cold.

There was no warning this time. Wu Yong took two swift steps forward and swung his fist so quickly that Wu Jian almost missed it. He just barely managed to bring up his arms to absorb the blow, but it still broke his guard and sent him sprawling to the ground. He cried out in shock and pain. Gritting his teeth, he climbed back to his feet and got back into a basic defense stance once more.

“Again,” he demanded.

With his face red, the now angry Wu Yong launched a kick with all his strength into Wu Jian’s side. Even though he tried to absorb the blow on his obliques, the attack contained the full strength of someone who was not only older but also had more training under his belt. He simply wasn’t strong enough. The kick slammed into his ribs and he cried out as the bones cracked.

“That’s enough! This has gone too far!” Wu Lan suddenly shouted as he stepped between them.

“Too far? I’m only doing what Wu Jian asked me to.” Wu Yong crossed his arms and scowled.

“We both know that isn’t true at all! You used excessive force against someone who isn’t nearly as strong as you. It might be true that accidents happen, but I can tell this was no accident. You will receive punishment for this,” Wu Lan said with a glare.

Wu Meiying rushed over to Wu Jian as he lay on his side, struggling to suck in a breath that would not come. Her face was normally very white, but now it was an unhealthy pale like the blood had drained from it. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Wu Jian… are you okay?”

I hate this… I hate being so weak. I hate that I’m such a coward. Why can’t I be stronger? I want to get stronger. I want… to be the one who protects Mei, so why am I always the one being protected?

Wu Jian appreciated everything Wu Meiying did for him, but she also made him feel weak and pathetic. She always protected him. It was never the other way around. He wanted to be the protector, the shield that stood in front of her. He didn’t want to keep being shielded.

I need to get stronger, braver, better… for Mei… and for myself.

“I… I am… fine,” Wu Jian coughed up some blood that had gathered in his throat. “Mei, help me up… please.”

Wu Meiying looked like she wanted to tell him to stay down, but she must have seen the look in his eyes because she took his arm and helped him stand. He leaned onto her to keep himself up. His legs were wobbling and weak. They felt like jelly. Wu Jian bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from passing out as vertigo swept over him.

Wu Yong and Wu Lan were still arguing. It looked like Wu Yong was going to be punished.

“How can you punish me for doing what you commanded us?! It isn’t my fault that Wu Jian is so weak!”

“You know he’s weaker than you, so you should understand that you can’t use so much force when you attack him. Do not try and weazel your way out of this. You might be the Clan Head’s son, but that doesn’t give you the right to break the rules.”

Grunting, Wu Jian interrupted the two by saying, “Teacher, Wu Yong is right. This happened to me because I am too weak.” The two turned to him, both shocked. Wu Jian gasped and pressed a hand to his chest as he hacked up another wad of blood. It hurt. It hurt so much, but he shunted aside the pain long enough to look at the two. “However, I won’t remain weak like this forever. Wu Yong—” he pointed at the older boy with his blood-stained hand “—I challenge you. Six months from now, during the annual Wu Clan Strength Test, fight me in a duel. We’ll see how weak I am then.”

Wu Yong looked stunned, but his surprise only lasted for a second before he sneered.

“You wish to challenge me? It seems you’ve gone blind. You might have eyes, but you are unable to distinguish the leaves from the trees. Fine. I’ll give you some pointers six months from now. I hope you don’t come to regret it.”