"Young man, I see potential in you"
The old man's words hung in the air, simple, straightforward yet so suffocating that it torn Minh apart internally
The mysterious elder uttered these words as he was standing over the headless bodies of seven bandits. Bandits who were blocking their path mere seconds ago now sprawled flat on the earth
Ming, an average height servant boy with black hair, obsidian eyes and a study build was merely running an errand, buying some hair ointments from a nearby village for the young lady he serves
While he was on his way back he saw a strange old man who was wearing ragged blue robes, his body alarmingly emaciated, as if he hadn't eaten anything in days yet his eyes were lively, and peaceful yet they carried a sense of deep yearning
Seeing his state, Ming took pity on him and approached while offering some dumplings he had brought along the way as snacks
"no need young man, I am plenty full" the old man said mysteriously as he waved his hand in rejection
"Where are you heading mister? There's an inn nearby if you need rest, we can beg them to give you a room" Ming said earnestly, clearly concerned for the man's well being
"No need young man, I appreciate your concern but I'll be gone from here by dawn"
"In that condition? I'm afraid you won't even make it to nightfall." Ming say bluntly not intending to be rude
As we kept walking, we heard laughter as a seven bandits appeared from the roadside and surrounded them
While bandits were quite rare around these parts due to the Crimson Cloud Manor's influence, meeting them wasn't implausible
"hand over your belongings now" one of the thugs, burly, bald and scared said with a demanding tone voice, gesturing an inviting motion with his hand
"Hey! Stay back elder" Ming said as he quickly move to the front, attempting to shield the already frail from these hooligans
"Leave us, we have nothing to offer you" Ming said with as much bravado as he could muster, though it won't have much of an effect. Seeing as he is nothing more than a servant-robed runt in front of their eyes
"Big talk for a serva-"
But before the bald thug could finish his sentence, a shadow quickly cast over my head as a blur of blue from the elder's tattered robes glided in front of the man and cleanly beheaded him, his head fell to the ground with a resounding thud, his eyes still open and his mouth still trying to finish his words.
Before Ming could react, the rest of the bandits were killed in the same manner
Ming was speechless, he had never witness death j person, let alone seven at once
"These thugs had it coming when they chose this path, do not pity them young man" The elder said as he stood menacingly before their corpses
The realization dawned, Ming froze in shock witnessing their sudden death at the hands of this starved-looking elder. Could this be the rumored tales of wandering masters Ming had been warned about all his life?
" I-I gre-"
Ming hesitated before stumbling and hastily kneeling, shifting his tone, recalling that people of high authority and martial prowess do not tolerate any amount of disrespect
"I greet venerable elder, I apologize for my ignorant behavior earlier" As if second nature, Ming offered my respect, having been conditioned by a lifetime serving the Crimson Cloud's household
"Stand up young man" The old man smiled gently and he dismissed Ming's courtesy
"What is your name?" The elder asked with a wise and knowing smile
Ming stand up, brushing off the dirt on his knees before looking up at the elder, clasping his hands as a sign of reverence
"It's Ming, Elder, I am but a humble servant of Crimson Cloud Manor"
"Do you wish to learn martial arts?" He said with a piercing gaze, some level of expectation was clear in his tone
"I do, but I'm afraid that I'm merely a servant, such wishes are beyond me" Ming answered truthfully, yet the words came out strained and unwilling
Ming's hands balled into fists as he continued, barely above a whisper, his deepest, truest desires leaked out "If only I was born different"
Ming looked back upon his upbringing, his mother was a servant of the Crimson Cloud household, and died giving birth to him. He was brought up as a servant by the collective care of older servants, Ming had always appreciate them but felt no love from them growing up, only obligation
As i was deeply lost in thought, the elder observed Ming's furrowed brows and spoke, breaking him out of his self deprecating trance
"Young man, I see potential in you" He said with a kind smile, his tone light yet ridden with authority.
'Potential? Me? This can't be, how could I, a mere servant be worthy of such praises' Ming thought, racking his mind to justify the elder's words
"Please don't… don't give me hope" Ming said as he tighten his grip, clearly pushing back any hint of doubt that he's not talentless as they say
'I don't want to be a disappointment, not again'
"You saw my movements earlier, did you not?" He chuckled wisely with a hint of pride in voice
"Y-yes? I saw a blur as their heads flew off" Ming said nervously, still processing the old master's statement about his potential.
"Even a first-rate practitioner wouldn't have been able to catch that, and yet you did, your eyes and martial insight are exceptional young man" he said while stroking his long beard before continuing
"Moreover, you have shown me that your character is just, talented or not, that alone proves that you are worthy of pursuing martial arts"
He stepped towards Ming and pulled out a stone token from his robes, on it engraved the words "Participation accepted"
"Take this token and participate in the Martial arts expo held at the Shaolin temple in two months, join our orthodox faction and make a name for yourself, be confident in your talents, Young Ming"
The elder said before waving his hand, his dirty robes fluttering before he abruptly disappeared, leaving Ming dazed, token in hand, and very hopeful
At this point, his heart was beating fast at the thought of maybe, just maybe he wasn't totally untalented.
'Just maybe…'
And then Ming snapped out of it, realizing that he was running late for his errand
"Oh no, I'm gonna be late!" Ming panicked and rushed back to the Crimson Cloud Manor, although the ointment is for young lady Zhu Lian, and Ming knew for a fact that she wouldn't mind him returning a bit late
Her brother, Zhu Feng on the other hand, would punish him for breathing wrong, Ming had to hurry
'I really don't want to give that jerk, Zhu Feng, any more reason to bully me'