Chapter Three: Little Secrets Between Siblings

Although she had humiliated that troublesome boy, Hongjian couldn’t shake off the heaviness in her heart. This was only the beginning; in a few years, when their adversaries no longer restrained themselves out of deference to her and her brother’s youth, would they simply have to endure bullying in silence? And then there was the imminent evaluation—if they didn’t perform well enough, the sect would abandon them without hesitation.

Preoccupied by these worries, she forgot to comfort Fang Zheng further. As they walked, he grew more uneasy, trailing behind his sister until he finally spoke up, “Sis, please don’t be angry. I won’t cause trouble again.”

A pang of tenderness shot through Hongjian’s heart. She reached out, hugging her brother to her side, glanced around, and whispered, “Let’s go to the cave. I’ll help you put on some medicine.”

The cave she referred to was on a secluded, steep slope of Pill Cliff Mountain. Not a blade of grass grew on that side; the entrance was marked by ugly rocks, and just north lay a stretch of reefs. Sometimes, when the boundless sea’s tide rose, the waves would surge right up to the base of the slope, tossing spray into the cave itself. The cave was perpetually damp and home to a variety of creatures that shunned the light—hardly a comfortable place.

It was precisely because of this that, ever since she had discovered it, Hongjian would bring Fang Zheng here every few days to spend half a day or more, and no one had ever found them.

They slipped inside like thieves. Fang Zheng’s ankle had stopped bleeding, but Hongjian was still uneasy. She made him sit and cultivate, knowing that wood-based true energy was especially effective for healing and health. She applied medicine to his wound, then circled to sit cross-legged behind him.

Sensing something, Fang Zheng stirred and opened his eyes. Hongjian chided him, “Focus. If you don’t want to be bullied like today, bear it—don’t cry out in pain so easily.” Without waiting to see how he responded, she placed one hand on the crown of his head, the other against his back, and silently channeled her own true energy.

Water nourishes wood.

Hongjian had been precocious from an early age. She was nine when she was sent to Pill Cliff Sect; Fang Zheng was only five. She remembered her parents vividly—her father’s reluctant hand stroking her hair, his voice solemn, “Jian’er, you have great talent. Take care of your little brother. You’re still so young; your father is sorry for you both.”

At that age, she already knew why her mother, with a water spiritual root, was so frail, confined to her bed. Fang Zheng had no spiritual affinity, but the Fang family held a secret art: the Everchanging Cycle Technique. Her mother had sacrificed her own cultivation to forge a wood spiritual root within Fang Zheng, pushing him to the first stage of Qi Refining. Their parents had urgent matters to attend to and had no choice but to leave the siblings at Pill Cliff Sect.

Back then, Hongjian was barely taller than a broom, yet she clung to her parents, sobbing, before grabbing Fang Zheng’s hand and proclaiming loudly, “I’ll look after my brother. You must come back for us soon.”

That promise had now stretched four years. The siblings had not seen their parents since, but in this cave, Hongjian had used the family’s secret art to help her brother reach the second stage of Qi Refining. She had once thought that being at the second stage at nine years old made her exceptional among her peers, but today, witnessing the talents from Mist Cloud Sect, she realized it was far from enough. Shi Zheng’s temperament—so honest and compliant—lacked wit and adaptability. As he grew, and given the sect’s preference for sons over daughters, there would be less and less she could do for him. He had to grow stronger quickly; if he could reach the third stage of Qi Refining before the critical evaluation at the end of the month, perhaps a master might finally take notice of him.

The Everchanging Cycle Technique was a self-sacrificing art that benefited others at one’s own expense. Hongjian herself had only reached the fourth stage of Qi Refining, and after a while, sweat soaked her robes and that familiar emptiness surged through her limbs. She took a deep breath, slowly withdrew her energy, and after a moment managed to suppress the waves of nausea and dizziness before moving her hands away from Shi Zheng.

She opened her eyes and carefully observed his condition. His color looked fine; in her experience, this session should have greatly benefited him. Yet she wondered why, in the past two years, he began to complain of pain whenever she helped him like this. Hongjian looked away, deciding not to dwell on it.

The cave was damp all over, but Hongjian’s true energy recovered quickly. In the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the emptiness had vanished. She dared not use the Everchanging Cycle Technique again today—too much would be worse than too little. If she overused it, no matter how diligent she was, she would struggle to keep up with others.

Moving quietly, she bent low and made her way to the cave entrance. There was still time before sunset; the waves rhythmically battered the reef, making the world seem all the more tranquil.

Sitting with her back against the stone wall, she felt hollow inside. She gazed at the blazing red sun, lost in thought, then raised her right hand and traced a circle in the air, following the outline of the sun. A crystal clear ring of water gradually took shape at her fingertip, then suddenly shattered. Hongjian sighed, sounding much older than her years. Whenever she was with Fang Zheng, she missed her parents terribly. That promise felt like a burden, growing heavier by the day, pressing down until she could barely breathe.

“Sis!” At some point Fang Zheng had finished cultivating and was now staring at her in awe.

Hongjian’s face grew stern. “Does it still hurt today?”

Fang Zheng opened his mouth, dodging her gaze in embarrassment, muttering something she couldn’t quite hear.

Every time she saw him like this—so timid and unsure—Hongjian felt a headache coming on. She swallowed her irritation. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll wait for you outside the Spring Forest at this time every day. We’ll come here and train together. Zheng’er, when I’m not with you, you must still work hard, understand?”

Fang Zheng was surprised; for once, he didn’t agree immediately as he always did. Instead, he crawled over to her, squatting at her side with unease in his eyes. “Sis, I’ll work hard. Please don’t give me your true energy anymore, alright?” He didn’t understand what the Everchanging Cycle Technique was, but he knew his sister was sacrificing her own cultivation for his sake.

Hongjian shot him a look. “If you really care about your sister, then hurry and reach the third stage of Qi Refining.” Seeing Fang Zheng’s face flush, on the verge of tears, she regretted her tone and rested her hand on his growing shoulder, her words softening. “Alright, tell me—how are the senior brothers treating you? Has anyone bullied you?”

Fang Zheng shook his head quickly. “Everyone’s nice. No one bullies me.”

Hongjian knew he feared her more than he felt close to her. She tried again, “Then has anything interesting happened? Tell your sister.”

He hesitated, thinking, but finally answered, “Not much.”

She patted his head. “Zheng’er is growing up—look how tall you are now. Lend me your shoulder for a while.” With that, she slowly rested her head on his shoulder.

After a while, Hongjian spoke again, “I’ve heard that at the end of this month, the sect will evaluate us. I don’t know if it’s true, so don’t tell anyone. But Zheng’er, work hard these days and aim for a good result, alright? If you succeed, your sister will share in your glory.”

Fang Zheng nodded vigorously. “Alright, I will.”