‘Good. Very good,’ Qin De’s eyes radiate killing intent.
******
The place where East Vanquishing Prince Qin De lives is called the Qian Long continent, which has a large area. To this day no one has ever been able to measure it.
This is due mostly to the fact that the easternmost part of the Qian Long continent is occupied by an immense wilderness. The wilderness has many high mountain ranges and is covered by thick forests. It also has countless demonic beasts. The deeper one goes into the wilderness, the more dangerous the beasts he will encounter. Therefore, not even the powerful people honorably styled ‘Shangxian’ on the Qian Long continent have been able to explore this Immense Wilderness fully.
On the west side of the Immense Wilderness, there are 3 big kingdoms, ruled respectively by the Chu dynasty, the Ming dynasty and the Han dynasty.
The populations of the 3 kingdoms amount to approximately 10 billion people. The continent’s area is even more shockingly large. Of the 3 dynasties, Chu is the most powerful, but there is a very special clan within its kingdom -- the Qin clan.
The Qin clan occupies the 3 counties comprising the Eastern region out of the Chu kingdom’s 12 counties. It has a heritage that has been passed down for several hundred years. Its footing in the 3 Eastern region counties is so profound that even the Chu Emperor will find it extremely difficult to deal with the Qin clan. Moreover, the clan has a unique corps called the Fierce Tiger Corps.
Fierce Tigers, crimson from head to toe and having a fairly large body, are a particular type of tiger. The method of breeding them on a large scale is the most important secret of the Qin clan.
The Qin clan has charge of an army of 600,000 men, 50,000 of whom belong to the Fierce Tiger Corps. Every soldier of the Corps rides a Fierce Tiger. Having astonishingly strong attacks itself, coupled with the mounted soldier, the tiger becomes even more difficult to defeat.
The roars of the 50,000 Fierce Tigers alone can cause a lot of damage to the enemy’s morale. The 50,000 Fierce Tiger soldiers can easily annihilate a large army of over 100,000 ordinary cavalrymen.
The power of martial arts is of paramount importance on the Qian Long continent. Each of the 3 big kingdoms here has at least one Xiuxianist who serves as a national guardian. In the eyes of commoners, Xiuxianists are godlike. Once their flying swords are drawn, they can behead a person from hundreds or thousands of li away; using their swords, they can fly up to the ninth level of the sky. Are such feats not what only immortal beings are capable of?
******
Misty Villa is built on Mount Donglan. The mountain is 3,000 m high and therefore can be considered a high mountain.
2 years has passed.
Qin Yu is now an 8-year-old boy. He has grown taller quite a bit. His eyes occasionally radiate wisdom but deep in the eyes there is a hint of sadness. At this moment Qin Yu is walking on a mountain road alone with a black young eagle standing on his shoulder.
‘Xiao Hei, it’s been 2 years. My father has only visited me once in 2 whole years.’ Qin Yu nips his lips then talks to the young eagle on his shoulder.
He found this young eagle 1 year ago while going about on Mount Donglan and conveniently brought it along. Having the eagle as a friend, he has not been very lonesome. His father was his everyday friend before he turned 6. But it has been 2 whole years since then and he has only seen his father once.
The black eagle flaps its wings and gently caresses Qin Yu’s childish face, making him laugh immediately.
After walking for a while, he suddenly sees a pregnant woman ahead of him who is arduously carrying firewood. He promptly turns to the eagle and says: ‘Xiao Hei, let’s help this auntie, OK?’
Xiao Hei flaps its wings at once and shakes a couple of times on Qin Yu’s shoulder. Without delay Qin Yu runs very fast to the woman while laughing.
‘Auntie, allow me to carry the firewood for you.’ Qin Yu says to the woman.
Hearing that, she puts down a bundle of firewood and wipes the sweats on her face. When she sees that Qin Yu is only a boy, she says laughingly: ‘Thank you, little kid. Your auntie here can carry it by herself. It’s still about 1 li from here to our hamlet.’ Saying to here, she puts the firewood on her back again and continues to advance.
‘I’m not a little kid. I’m 8 years old already. I’m sure I can carry the firewood.’ Qin Yu looks at the sweats on the woman’s face. With just 2 actions he abruptly snatches the firewood from her and puts it on his back.
A bundle of firewood is nothing to an ordinary people, but to an 8-year-old boy it is very heavy. However, because Qin Yu often soaks himself in the hot spring in Misty Villa, his body is much stronger than that of a normal 8-year-old child, and he is actually able to carry it on his back.
‘Auntie, you see, aren’t I carrying it? Humph, you still call me a little kid?’ says Qin Yu proudly. His childish little face is covered in dust at the moment, looking very dirty.
The woman is amazed briefly. She soon says with a smile: ‘Your strength is really not bad. But there’s a li to go. I’m sure you can’t go on till the end, kid. You’d better let auntie carry it.’
‘Who says I can’t go on till the end?’
Seeing the woman reach out her hand, Qin Yu hurriedly starts to run forward. Then he turns his head around and says: ‘Auntie, I’ve run about this Mount Donglan many times. I know there’s a hamlet just over a li from here. It must be your hamlet. Let’s go. Hurry up. Hah, you’re not as fast as me!’
The pregnant woman smiles broadly: ‘This kid, what family is he from? Having a son like this, his parents must be very happy.’
At first it is not difficult for Qin Yu to carry the bundle of firewood but after going some length he feels his own legs start to weaken. After all, he has been going on a mountain road while carrying firewood on his back. Even though Qin Yu surely is strong, he is also merely 8 years old.
After a while, his legs suddenly tremble.
‘Kid…’ says the woman alarmingly.
‘Don’t worry, this is a piece of cake,’ says Qin Yu after turning his head around and struggling to put on a smiling face. Those words make him sound like a strongman. But the mountain road does not agree with them. Qin Yu’s foot hits a stone and he cannot help stumbling.
Then his whole body falls to the ground with a thud.
The woman immediately walks up. She takes hold of the firewood and helps Qin Yu stand up. His little face is now full of dust and looks very dirty. Feeling deeply wronged, he turns to the woman and says: ‘Auntie, actually… I can still carry it. Just now I only tripped on a stone.’
‘Alright, auntie knows you can still go on. But the hamlet is up ahead. I thank you very much.’
The woman puts the firewood on her back. Seeing that Qin Yu is not injured, she helps him clean his face. Then she carefully warns him again and again to go home. Only after Qin Yu has nodded and promised that he will does she return to the hamlet.
Qin Yu looks at the hamlet which is about 100 m in front of him and says with a frown: ‘Xiao Hei, it’s time to go home.’ Then he immediately smiles: ‘But it’s much easier for auntie now. She’ll arrive at the hamlet soon.’
His smile is brilliant. It is a smile from the bottom of his heart.
At a secret place nearby, 3 people look at each other. They are experts who secretly protect Qin Yu.
He is East Vanquishing Prince’s son, and Third Prince, no less, so how is it possible for him to run around alone on a big mountain?
‘Third Prince is still a kid, but he is already so kind. I can’t understand why His Highness sent Third Prince to Misty Villa. He only visited it once in 2 years. Every time seeing Third Prince sit alone at the top of the mountain for a whole night, seeing his small body engulfed in the cold wind of the night, I felt unhappy,’ groans one person in a low voice.
Another man nods and says: ‘Whenever Third Prince looked up at the sky, his expression made my heart ache. His Highness he… Alas!’
> ‘Enough! What His Highness wants to do is not what we can understand. Our duty is only to protect Third Prince well.’
Suddenly, on the mountain road, a swarthy man of an imposing build with eyes as large as copper bells is coming up at a high speed on a crimson tiger. He says loudly as he sees Qin Yu: ‘Third Prince, First Prince and Second Prince have arrived!’ Qin Yu is so excited that his eyes glitter. He runs to the swarthy man at once and jumps on the tiger’s back. His face has reddened with excitement. He says hurriedly: ‘Uncle Wang, hurry up, let’s go. Let’s get back to Misty Villa!’
The man hugs Qin Yu carefully then drives the Fierce Tiger to descend the mountain at top speed, leaving behind a dust cloud.
Chapter 2: Resolution
Misty Villa is located on the mountainside of Mount Donglan. On the surface it is patrolled and guarded by a group of ferocious soldiers, but how many experts it has in secret is not known to outsiders. Moreover, because Misty Villa belongs to East Vanquishing Prince, only people who think their lives are too long would come here to cause trouble.
Outside of Misty Villa, there are 2 huge stone lions and 2 soldiers who wear black armors standing upright on the sides of the main entrance. They glance outward constantly and look like 2 lone, proud pine trees. Their large, strong bodies have a natural air of murder. That murderous air is what only soldiers who have really gone through bloody battles can possess.
‘Third Prince!’
The 2 black-armored soldiers kneel down suddenly and say respectfully.
Qin Yu quickly jumps down from the tiger’s back. The black eagle is standing firmly on his shoulder. Qin Yu is obviously very happy and excited at this moment. He runs through the entrance at a very fast speed and at the same time he says laughingly to the 2 soldiers: ‘Uncles, please stand up quickly.’
The 2 black-armored soldiers stand up. There is a hint of fondness in their eyes as they see Qin Yu’s small body rush into the main yard.
‘Ha-ha, big brother and second brother must be soaking in the hot spring.’ Without thinking much, Qin Yu runs directly toward the hot spring in the west garden of Misty Villa. He even murmurs: ‘Humph, humph, I’m obviously the master of Misty Villa. How dare these 2 guys enter the hot spring without my permission?’
After a short while, Qin Yu has arrived at the villa’s west garden.
He stands akimbo then suddenly points with his right hand. Glaring at the 2 people in the hot spring as if he is indignant he says: ‘Hey! You daredevils! I’m the master here. How dare you get into the hot spring without my permission? Ah…’ Qin Yu could only utter a loud cry before a hand reaches out and pulls him. He loses balance at once and falls toward the hot spring.
‘Hey, I haven’t taken off my clothes!’ cries Qin Yu. His body falls into the hot spring with a loud splash, sending out countless sprays of water. The black eagle, which is standing on Qin Yu’s shoulder, has to flap his wings hurriedly to have the luck to avoid falling into the hot spring. Otherwise this mighty eagle would have become a soaked chick.
‘Ha-ha, Xiao Yu, don’t you dare be so arrogant to your older brothers. You’ve gone too far. While your brothers work their butts off day in day out, you soak in this hot spring, and it’s the hot spring of Misty Villa, no less!’ says a juvenile very indignantly, but there is a hint of amusement deep in his eyes.
‘Pfff!’
Qin Yu forcefully spits out a gulp of water. His whole body is drenched. He looks angrily at the juvenile before him.
‘Second brother, so it’s really you. I knew it was you. Only you would pull me into the water. Big brother would never do that.’ Qin Yu quickly takes off his gown and pants. He jumps into the hot spring wearing only a pair of shorts and looks resentfully at his second brother Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng is still just a 12 year old juvenile, but there is always an amiable, smiling expression on his face. He always makes people he deal with feel as if they are bathing in a spring breeze. Only when he is with his siblings can Qin Zheng fool around as a juvenile.
‘You said big brother? Ha-ha, he fell asleep quickly already,’ says Qin Zheng laughingly.
‘Qin Zheng, you think your big brother is like a pig? How could I have gone to sleep so fast?’ says a cool and collected young man who just moments ago was lying with his eyes closed on the other side of the hot spring. After opening his eyes and saying so to Qin Zheng, he turns to Qin Yu with a smile and says: ‘Xiao Yu, this Misty Villa’s hot spring is really unusually effective. Last time I only soaked in it once yet my wounds got much better. Now only their dim marks can be seen. If I soak in it for some more days, maybe my whole body would be like yours.’
This is Qin Yu’s big brother Qin Feng, who is already 16 years old. Due to practicing martial arts, he looks as if he is 18 or 19 years old. Big brother Qin Feng is the person Qin Yu adores the most. The last time they met, he saw with his own eyes that big brother could blow a tree as large as an adult’s thigh into smithereens with a single punch, and so he has been very envious of his martial prowess.
Hearing big brother talk about the unusual effects of the hot spring, Qin Yu stands up in a very mischievous manner, sticks out his little chest, raises his little head and says proudly: ‘Of course, there’s no question that Misty Villa’s hot spring is unusually effective. Humph, can’t you see who Misty Villa’s master is? It’s none other than your little brother!’
‘This brat!’
Both Qin Feng and Qin Zheng burst out laughing.
As Qin Yu has not seen his big brother and second brother for a long time, they enjoy messing around together. But Qin Feng and Qin Zheng give Qin Yu a slight advantage because they both dote on this little brother of theirs. They all lack a mother so naturally they care more about their little brother.
After playing for quite some time, Qin Yu lies down comfortably and quietly in the hot spring. Qin Feng and Qin Zheng also lie down.
‘Aren’t you very busy, brothers? How could you have time to visit me?’ asks Qin Yu.
‘Father, he…’ Seeming to notice that he has said something wrong, Qin Feng immediately says: ‘It’s nothing really. It’s just that there’s no business in the army for the moment so I returned. Father also allowed this. Then I found second brother and brought him along.’
Qin Zheng also nods and says to Qin Yu with a smile: ‘That’s true. You may not know that to find the time for this visit I had to try hard. But even so, I only got a half-day break. After half a day, I’m hurrying back.’
‘Me too, after a half day I’m leaving with second brother,’ says Qin Feng apologetically.
‘Oh, only a half day,’ responds Qin Yu. He is obviously a bit disappointed. His earlier excitement and mischievousness are totally gone.
Qin Yu has 3 relatives -- his father and his 2 older brothers. Father is so busy that he has only visited him once for the last 2 years. It is so hard for him to meet his brothers this time, but after a half day, he will be all by himself again, or perhaps, to be more exact, he will still have Xiao Hei, which is standing beside the hot spring.
Qin Feng and Qin Zheng exchange a look. They both feel powerless.
Qin Yu suddenly smiles and stands up. ‘Big brother, father went over there in the Immense Wilderness. He taught you a lot about the art of war, didn’t he?’ asks he immediately, ‘I know father is very good at marshaling forces. Grandpa Lian told me so.’
‘That’s right. Father’s art of war is terribly good. When he and I were carrying out land battle chess drills, it took me a half year of practice to barely meet his demands.’ Qin Feng seems to be remembering those days. He says unconsciously: ‘Father’s art of war is truly extremely good!’
‘Big brother!’ Qin Zheng looks at him. Qin Feng’s heart skips a beat. He cannot help smiling bitterly inside. He knows he was careless about what he said.
Qin Yu does not seem to take notice of that. With a very excited expression, he starts to talk with Qin Zheng and Qin Feng about what has happened to them these day
s. The 3 brothers chat in the hot spring for a long time. Then only after having a dinner party do Qin Feng and Qin Zheng leave.
Outside of Misty Villa, Qin Yu, dressed in a black brocade robe, follows his 2 brothers with his eyes as they are going away and waves his hands.
‘Goodbye, big brother, second brother!’ Qin Yu’s eyes twinkle nonstop.
Qin Feng and Qin Zheng turn their heads around and smile to Qin Yu. Then they jump onto 2 Fierce Tigers. There are about 100 crack soldiers behind them, who are also riding Fierce Tigers. In a short time they have already disappeared on the mountain road without a trace.
……
At a place down the mountain road, Qin Feng and Qin Zheng are riding 2 Fierce Tigers side by side.
‘Big brother, this time you were careless with your words. Xiao Yu doesn’t like stuff like scheming or policy making. Also, because of his dantian’s problem, he can’t practice to become a military commander. So, he can’t do well in both military and literary arts. Father’s energy has been spent on the two of us whereas Xiao Yu couldn’t see him in a whole year. He’s been all by himself. You said father and you had conducted land battle chess drills for a half year. What do you think he felt about that?’ says Qin Zheng to Qin Feng. He is obviously very annoyed.
Stellar Transformations Page 4