Chapter 7: Family Practicing Day
Winter had been unusually cold this year. Frigid air blew in from the vast frozen land in the north, whitening most of the Empire's land.
Heavy snow like cotton quilts covered the ground. The spacious drill ground in front of the Luo residence was also wrapped in a thick blanket of snow.
On Family Practicing Day, servants of the Luo Clan cleaned up the snow on the drill ground. Twelve teams of Luo children stood in a neat queue, awaiting the review of the Luo Clan elders.
The Luo Clan originally had thirteen branches. Ever since the allegations against Zen's family and the dissolution of their branch, only twelve branches remained.
In order to encourage all the Luo children to practice diligently, Family Practicing Day was held once a year. This day was important for both, the Luo children and the human punchbags.
Based on the performance of each branch of the Luo Clan, resource allocation for the subsequent year would be decided. Good performance would naturally imply that the winning branch would get more resources, such as useful pills that improved the speed of body refining, and the rejuvenation medicines that quickly healed wounds.
For slaves, this day determined their life or death, and freedom.
Zen and the other slaves headed toward the drill ground. Today, every punchbag looked serious. Their determination was clearly visible in their expressions. Each of them was aware of the significance of this day.
There were only two options for a slave in a death match, win a free life or die trying.
For the Luo children, the death match was a test. Winning meant that they got rewarded and earned the support of the whole family. The consequence of losing was limited to feeling ashamed.
Most elite children already had good strength. Both their skills and power were better than ordinary person's. However, many of them still lost at this crucial time due to low exposure to actual combat. It was thus, a common thing to see the elite children lose in this competition.
The original intention behind setting the rules of the death match was to maximize the potential of the slaves by motivating them to fight the Luo children eagerly. This was the only way for the Luo children to get real combat training experience.
A few moments after the slaves arrived, a middle-aged man wearing a green robe entered the ground. Zen's uncle, Ken Luo, had long beard and a face as smooth as jade.
Upon seeing him, Zen's eyes flashed with hatred. He remembered how Ken Luo had played a part in the death of his father. This man pretended to be a modest gentleman, but he used tricks to poison his oldest brother. To Zen, he was nothing more than a hypocrite.
If Zen had greater confidence in his strength, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill Ken Luo. However, Ken Luo was a master at the organ refining level. His entrails had been refined thoroughly. Furthermore, his strength was comparable with the weight of three ancient tripods. It was said that he could tear a tiger and a leopard with his bare hands, and smash the great walls with his fleshy fist.
Ken Luo stood on the high platform, took a deep breath, and then spoke,“Today we have good news. My nephew, the young master of the Luo Clan, has been admitted to Cloud Sect. He is now their inner disciple.”
Ken Luo didn't speak loudly, but everyone could hear him clearly. Since he was a master at the organ refining level, all his internal organs had been honed. Even though he had whispered, his voice was still vivid.
Upon hearing the announcement, envy reflected on the faces of the Luo children.
Perrin being admitted to Cloud Sect was almost an expected thing. Cloud Sect's disciples were divided into many levels. Many people passed all the assessments and stood out from their competitors. However, all they got was an outer disciple's position. In essence, that meant that these disciples did not get the best resources.
How was it that Perrin was able to improve quickly enough to be exceptionally qualified as an inner disciple? This was beyond the expectation of all present. It was no wonder that they were jealous.
Zen was also wondering the same. Could it be that the Magical Pill Perrin took was so effective and powerful that it helped Perrin gain admittance as an inner disciple at Cloud Sect? Worried and anxious, Zen clenched his fists.
The reason why his uncles hadn't killed him yet was that they thought Zen was no threat to the Luo Clan. However, Yan was an exceptional talent. She was a threat to them. When the coup happened, Yan escaped because she was at Cloud Sect. But now that Perrin was at Cloud Sect, his presence would definitely be unfavorable to her. Thinking about the threat to his sister, Zen knew he had to go to Cloud Sect as quickly as possible!
“ Perrin is the pride of the family. However, we must not focus on his achievement. Today is Family Practicing Day. The Luo children must choose a slave for the death match. If you win against the slave in the death match, next year, the winners will get double the quota of Refining Pills. Furthermore, the winners' monthly money will also be doubled. There is another bonus as well, a Purple Pill...”
Upon hearing about the several attractive rewards being offered to the winners of the death match, the Luo children began talking amongst themselves. Their excitement was palpable.
The slaves, however, looked gloomy. The greater the rewards, the more challenging the death match. Spurred by greed, the Luo children would become more ruthless. Although the slaves had only a low chance of survival, now, that chance had become even smaller.
After Ken Luo finished his speech, he walked back toward his high chair. The steward, Grey walked on to the elevated terrace. His eyes swept through the slaves and stopped at Zen. Viciousness flashed in his eyes as he thought, 'Boy, you will die today!'
That done, Grey spoke loudly,“Now the Luo children can begin selecting their punchbags. The first competitor for the death match will be Andrew Luo, the oldest son of the third branch!”
Andrew leaped onto the arena on the ground. After paying due respect to his father, Ken Luo, he turned to pick his punchbag.
It wasn't long before Andrew's eyes fell on Zen. When their gaze met, a small smile played on Zen's face. A month ago he beat Grey. Zen thought that Andrew would retaliate immediately. However, Andrew had bid his time quietly. Zen now knew why. Andrew had been waiting for Family Practicing Day. He had planned to choose Zen as his punchbag in the death match so that Andrew could beat him to death without raising anyone's suspicions.
To his surprise, Andrew did not pick Zen. Instead, he selected a sturdy man standing behind Zen.
A frown grew on Zen's face.
The Luo Clan had recently bought this sturdy middle-aged man. Although a condemned prisoner, he did not suffer any serious internal injuries. He looked strong and healthy. Zen guessed that he was at the flesh refining level.
Once Andrew had selected his target, the middle-aged man didn't hesitate. He jumped in to the arena. His eyes flashed with a primeval fierceness. In a death match, there were no escapes. Flinching could mean death for the punchbag. Rather than passively awaiting destruction, it was better to fight with all of one's strength. That was the only way to increase the odds of survival for a punchbag.
There was not much etiquette involved in a fight to the death either.
The middle-aged man made a preemptive move in the arena. He rushed toward Andrew with all of his strength. Since he was quite well-built, the middle-aged man ran across the arena like a raging bull. The mysterious rock that made up the floor of the arena burst out with a 'boom' sound.
Andrew chuckled as a purple light condensed in his hand. His fingers clasped into an arch as he waited for his target. When the middle-aged man closed in on Andrew, he dodged and threw the light toward the rushing target. As Andrew stepped aside, the Purple Fist Strength hit the middle-aged man.
“Poof!”
The impact of the Purple Fist Strength didn't show instantly. However, it was severe enough to stop the middle-aged man suddenly. He couldn't hit Andrew, so he turned around and prepared to rush him again.
Unaware that he had been injured, the man took a step. “Bang bang bang bang bang bang.” Six dull bursts of sound came from his body. Blood began spraying out from six areas on the middle-aged man's body.
His eyes widened, and disbelief reflected on his face. When he opened his mouth to speak, there was only a gurgling sound. Gradually, his eyes dulled and he crashed to the ground.
It had taken Andrew only one punch to kill a sturdy, healthy man!
All the children watching the match burst into cheers. Even some of the onlookers began applauding.
In the midst of all this noise, no one noticed the handful of Luo children who looked indifferent.
Andrew, as the oldest son of the third branch, had a reputation. Everyone knew that he had been refining his body with all kinds of powerful pills since his childhood. They knew that was his secret to refine his body so quickly.
However, the progress could not be this fast. The only explanation was that Andrew had taken the second Magical Pill. Since Perrin had taken the first, this was the only remaining pill. And now, it had been consumed by Andrew.
Zen shook his head at the thought, and a bitter smile emerged on his face. His uncles had done the unthinkable. No one had dared to take these two Magical Pills in the Luo Clan for hundreds of years. After taking control of the family, his uncles had shared the pills.
When Zen first heard that Perrin had taken the pill, his fury came from his heart. But now, Zen felt calm at the revelation that Andrew had taken the last Magical Pill.
The pill was said to be powerful and effective. And the Luo Clan only had two of these pills. Now, there were none left.
Zen didn't feel as though he were at a disadvantage. While the Magical Pill had its effects, Zen's refinement process ensured that he could continue to clean his body. In result, the Magical Pill was not significant to Zen anymore. That didn't stop Zen from feeling disappointment at his uncles' behavior.
Just then, Grey's voice rang out,“The winner of the first death match is Master Andrew!”
Andrew flexed his wrist and shouted toward Grey who was standing on the high platform,“I am still warming up. I want to challenge one more person.”
Grey was secretly delighted at the thought that the moment when Andrew would avenge him had finally arrived. He grinned and replied,“Master Andrew, you can choose another slave if you want the challenge.”
Andrew turned to face the slaves. He pointed at the slaves randomly. As and when Andrew pointed at a target, that person's face paled. They had all witnessed Andrew's strength. The targets knew that there was no escaping death if Andrew picked them. Andrew's fingers were now like the sickle of death, the person who was chosen by him would go to see the King of torture.
Finally, Andrew's eyes stayed fixed on Zen. He hooked his fingers and laughed,“You, come on!”
Everyone looked where Andrew was pointing. An audible gasp could be heard when they realized he was pointing at Zen!
A death match for a slave could only have one of two outcomes - either the target won, or he died trying.
Zen was considered a part of the Luo Clan, even after the rebellion. In these past two years that he had been relegated as a slave, none of the children had truly hurt him. They hadn't shown this kind of mercy and thoughtfulness toward the other punchbags, however.
But today, Andrew had selected Zen. This was beyond everyone's expectations. Some shook their heads in pity when they realized that Zen would probably die today.
“Finally, come!”
Zen didn't hesitate. Nor did he say anything. He simply walked out from where the slaves stood, climbed into the arena with no expression on his face. As he approached Andrew, Zen arched his hands and said,“Master Andrew, please.”
“Cousin Zen, why are you being so polite?” Andrew replied as he squinted at Zen.