Descendants of the False Gods - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Life in the Imperial Capital (Part 1)

Little Bear told everyone that this forest hadn’t been visited by anyone for many years, and the ground was covered in fallen pine needles. Even if they fell a few times, they wouldn’t get hurt.

Little Bear led the way into the woods, walking for a long time until they found a 10-meter by 10-meter open space in the middle of the forest. Proudly standing in the open area, Little Bear said, “Not bad, huh? Stick with me, and you’ll get all the good stuff!”

Luo didn’t pay attention to the chubby boy but glanced at the open space and said to Lan, “Brother, this place is good. We can practice here in the future.”

Lan, however, noticed that the way Little Bear had referred to him as “Big Brother” wasn’t very pleasant. “Big Brother, huh? Don’t come crying home later. Remember, whoever loses has to call the other ‘Big Brother.’ Let’s go!” Lan stepped into the open space and took a stance with his hands in front, signaling Little Bear to begin.

Little Bear, acting all bossy, turned to Xiao Yi and said, “Xiao Yi, you go first and show them who’s boss.”

Shen Yi, a rather introverted child, didn’t say much. He just muttered a soft “Oh” and took a stance, standing across from Lan in the open space, carefully placing his feet in a standard “bow step punch” posture.

Lan assumed his own stance and waited for Xiao Yi to attack. Xiao Yi, after finishing his stance, remained still. After a long pause, seeing that neither of them moved, Little Bear, growing impatient, shouted, “Hurry up! Don’t let his height and build scare you.”

Xiao Yi had practiced martial arts with Yan Yu, but it was his first time fighting someone, so he hesitated, unsure how to attack.

Lan, being quick-tempered, couldn’t wait anymore. He advanced, stepping forward two paces, and threw two jabs aimed directly at Xiao Yi’s face, taking advantage of his height to strike downwards.

Xiao Yi blocked both punches smoothly with his arms but still didn’t dare to strike back. Seeing his hesitation, Lan quickly stepped back and gave advice: “Not bad. But you’re lacking in follow-up strikes. After blocking, you can step forward and counterattack. Back and forth is what makes it fun.”

Xiao Yi nodded obediently, replying with a simple “Oh.”

Lan came at him again, delivering two more jabs. Xiao Yi blocked them again and, this time, took a step forward, shifting from a left bow step to a right one. He then delivered two straight punches, the first a feint with his left fist followed by a powerful right punch aimed at Lan’s face.

Lan dodged the two punches, stepping back quickly. Just as he did, he immediately launched a “step punch,” taking a large step forward with his left foot, lowering his body, and striking upward with his right fist towards Xiao Yi’s face. At the same time, he threw a straight punch with his left hand, which came from under Xiao Yi’s raised right arm and hit him squarely in the abdomen. Xiao Yi, struck in the stomach, fell to the ground, winded and unconscious.

Little Bear saw Xiao Yi fall to the ground, clutching his stomach and curled up, silent. He hurriedly ran over and helped Xiao Yi up, concerned, “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Luo also approached Lan, worry written on his face. “Brother, do you think he’s okay? He didn’t get hurt, did he?”

Lan casually crossed his arms, standing at the side with ease. “It’s fine, I didn’t use much force. It’s probably just a stomach cramp from the punch. He’ll be okay once he recovers. This kid isn’t bad, but he has too little combat experience. Either he doesn’t attack, or when he does, he doesn’t hold back. He needs more practice.”

Luo, listening to Lan’s words, looked at Xiao Yi, who was starting to recover. Just then, Xiao Yi groaned, “Ouch!”

Little Bear quickly asked, “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? If you’re broken, I’ll be in big trouble at home.”

Xiao Yi took a couple of breaths and replied, “I’m better now, not hurting so much, just a little sore.”

Lan and Luo watched as the two kids took a break and were no longer worried. Lan turned his attention back to Little Bear. “So, what’s it going to be? You coming again? Call me ‘Big Brother.’”

Little Bear had already figured out that the two brothers opposite had also learned martial arts, probably at a higher level than him. But he didn’t want to admit defeat without a fight, as that would be embarrassing. So, he decided to go ahead with it.

Little Bear stood up and walked into the woods. After a while, he returned with two short tree branches, each less than a foot long, and said to Lan, “Let’s make this a weapon fight. These are my ‘small knives.’ If any part of your hand, foot, arm, or shoulder gets touched, you’re out. If it’s your abdomen, chest, or head, you lose instantly.”

Little Bear knew that Lan was strong, so he wanted to use the rule of short weapons to avoid being at a disadvantage. He had learned about daggers during his martial arts training, so he had picked up two small branches as weapons, hoping Lan wouldn’t use something too long, like a spear or staff, or he would be outmatched before even getting close.

Lan didn’t mind and said, “So, do I have to declare my weapon and rules beforehand?”

“Sure, choose any weapon you like,” Little Bear replied, trying to sound confident, though he still had some reservations.

Luo, finding this amusing, said to Lan, “You’ve played once, so this round is mine.” He went into the woods and collected many short branches. Then, from his pocket, he pulled out a red string used for rope tricks and tied the branches together into a small round shield. He wrapped the leftover string around his hand and fingers to prevent it from loosening.

Luo then picked up one of the branches, about a foot long, and said to Little Bear, “Chubby, my left hand is the shield, my right hand is the short sword. The rules are the same as yours. Let’s begin.”

Little Bear, feeling that the odds were now more even, agreed, “Alright, I’m going to win!”

Little Bear wielded the two branches, switching between attacks—stabs, slashes, and sweeps—his moves were fast and relentless.

Luo held up his shield, blocking, dodging, and shifting left and right to counter Little Bear’s attacks. Despite the constant movement, he stayed in the center of the open space. Lan, watching from the side, noticed that Luo was handling things effortlessly.

Suddenly, Little Bear lunged forward and aimed to strike at Luo’s legs, but Luo stepped back and dodged. Little Bear, without missing a beat, spun and attacked again, aiming at Luo’s legs. Luo had no choice but to crouch and block with his wooden shield.

Little Bear used his momentum to cross a step to the side, swinging the branches downward toward Luo’s head. Luo, in response, shifted his foot forward into a small bow stance, raising his shield to block the flurry of strikes. Then, with his right hand, Luo thrust the branch, which acted as a short sword, quickly beneath his left hand shield and struck Little Bear in the chest.

The branch snapped with a loud “crack” as it made contact, and Little Bear cried out, “Ouch!”

Luo stood up and, pleased with his victory, said, “Chubby, you lost.”

“Alright!” At that moment, a loud cheer echoed from a distance.

The four kids turned to see a middle-aged man in his thirties, accompanied by a child around their age, slowly walking toward them, followed by a few guards in brightly colored armor. It was clear that the man was a noble.

As the kids were whispering to each other, the middle-aged man reached them and asked, “Hmm! Not bad for such young kids. Where did you learn martial arts?”

Little Bear, not one to be shy, proudly answered, “We’re both from the Imperial Capital, and those two just moved here. We learned martial arts from my dad, and they learned from theirs.”

The middle-aged man asked, “Did your fathers ever serve in the military?”

Lan, feeling like he had claimed the position of the oldest, didn’t want his little brothers to take the spotlight and answered, “Our fathers said they served in the northern borders when they were young and fought against the wolf tribes. When we grow up, we’ll take down the wolf tribe too.”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. “Good, good! You have ambition!”

The noble child suddenly asked, “Can I play with you guys?”

The middle-aged man, hearing this, appeared to be in a bit of a dilemma.

Luo, sensing the middle-aged man’s hesitation, quietly said, “We’re going to practice soon, but you can watch. When your dad takes you home, you can play with us if you want. With your dad and the guards around, no one will bully you.”

The child looked at his father with eager eyes, and a guard brought over a chair for the middle-aged man to sit. The middle-aged man, looking at his son, smiled and nodded, allowing him to go.

Children always long for more companions, and as the group gathered, the atmosphere immediately became lively.

Little Bear was the first to ask, “What’s your name?”

The new kid confidently replied, “I’m Li Yao.”

“Li? You’re from the Wang family! That’s impressive! No wonder you have so many guards.” Little Bear remarked, “Does that mean your dad is a prince?”

Li Yao glanced at his father and smiled, nodding. Realizing the conversation was turning toward his family, Li Yao changed the topic. “How did you find this place?”

Little Bear, seizing the opportunity to brag, replied, “We go to school at the academy over there. One day, after class…”

Friendships among children are so simple.

The lively “tea party” soon ended, and Lan and Luo began their daily practice, focusing on basic cuts, slashes, and thrusts, which were paired with footwork, nothing flashy.

The other kids didn’t have this habit and soon grew bored, watching Lan and Luo practice. Little Bear suggested, “How about we all do a set and see whose skills are better?”

Little Bear led the way, using the short tree branches as daggers and performing a set of dagger techniques. The branches spun in the air, paired with quick footwork, showing his hard work.

Xiao Yi spent a long time looking for a long branch in the woods and tried to smooth out the rough spots but had little success. He ended up clumsily performing a set of spear techniques with a branch that was uneven and awkward.

Li Yao went into the woods and found two branches, one for a sword and the other for a shield. He demonstrated a standard shield-sword technique, performing it decently.

By the time they finished, Lan and Luo had completed their thousand slashes for the day. The two brothers stood with their arms crossed, watching the others. Little Bear, eager for some fun, urged them to perform.

Lan, however, had no interest in showing off. “My father always said that all martial techniques are based on basic movements. If you don’t have your basics down, you won’t learn the techniques. That’s why we don’t perform martial arts.”

The other children fell silent, unsure whether this was right or wrong, and didn’t know how to respond.

At that moment, a guard approached and whispered something to the middle-aged man. After listening, the middle-aged man stood up and called out, “Yao’er!” It seemed they were about to leave.

Li Yao responded, “Oh, I’m coming!” He quickly asked his new friends, “When can we play again? Can I come find you?”

Luo responded, “Sure, whenever you like. You’re welcome to come.”

Li Yao, waving goodbye, ran toward his father. Little Bear waved too. “See you next time!”

Soon, the noble entourage left. The group of children waved as they departed, but the training wasn’t over yet.