Cover by Conni_Chan

Notes

ΑꞴΩ Birth/Courtesy Name [note] Height

 

Anyang Huo Clan [lives in Anyang Valley]

Ω [unknown] / Huo Guowang [Sect Leader, cousin of MC]

Disciples:

Ω Huo Huli / Huo Laoda [MC]  172 cm

Ω Huo Ningjing / Huo Dier [MC’s younger twin brother]  162 cm

Α Huo Cheng / Huo Lan [Another cousin, youngest brother to Huo Guowang] 188 cm

 

Seven Star Sect [lives in Tiger’s Grotto]

A [unknown] / Mu Wei [Sect Leader]

Disciples:

Α Zhou Lieren / Zhou Rong [ML] 189 cm

Α [unknown] / Mu Yi 188 cm

Α [unknown] / Fan Su 187 cm [Thanks to Bun for helping me name this side douche]

 

**prior member, Α Zhou Jiang [Zhou Lieren’s Shizun]

 

Heavenly Lake Sect [lives in Heavenly Lake Mountain]

A [unknown] Fan Li [Sect Leader]

Disciples:

A Bai Ming / Bai Luo 188 cm

A [Unknown] / Wu Kuan 187 cm

Ꞵ [unknown] / Zhang Yong 173 cm

 

** I may give the nameless names, but for now, they don’t matter in my head, only my OTP Liuli.

 

“Xiao Huo, stop fidgeting.” Huo Huli whispered to his younger twin brother. He stood alongside his other family members in a hallway just around the corner from the Main Hall. While Huo Huli was a patient person, his brother Huo Ningjing, was not.

 

“We’ve been standing here for over an hour,” Huo Ningjing complained out of the corner of his mouth. He continued to fidget and lightly rock between his feet, swaying left and right. “What are we still waiting here for?”

 

Huo Cheng, a cousin of theirs, bent down to whisper. “I think Elder Huo is trying to make a dramatic entrance.”

 

Yet another cousin, Huo Guowang, tapped his ivory and red fan on top of each of their heads. It was not hard enough to reprimand, but a hard enough poke to get their attention.

 

“This is a momentous occasion. I prefer they all gossip amongst themselves now and be forced to shut up once they witness me.” Huo Guowang puffed out his chest, looking much younger than his thirty years of age. “Besides, it is best to be fashionably late.”

 

Huo Huli joined his other family members in a collective snicker until Huo Guowang placed a gentle hand on him, his face more serious now. His cousin beckoned him with his fan to follow and lead Huo Huli further down the hall away from the other two.

 

Huo Guowang stopped and turned in an about-face to look up at Huo Huli. As an omega, Huo Guowang was short like Huo Huli’s twin brother. Though he too was also an omega, Huo Huli stood much taller, at a whole head above his Elder and twin.

 

“I wanted to check with you. I am also delaying to make sure you collect yourself properly,” Huo Guowang opened his fan and delicately aired his face. His lips were set in a thin, stern line, but his eyes were warm and his brow furrowed in worry. “I know Minister Gong is in there now.”

 

Huo Huli took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Minister Gong managed the prefecture that the three cultivation sects were in, so naturally, he would be at today’s special proceedings. The three sects in the region normally met at the Peach Tree Training Grounds to share skills or exchange knowledge of various disciplines. However, they gathered today to start the Mentorship Trial.

 

At the age of eighteen, three specially chosen disciples from each of the three sects would go through a trial in order to gain the next step in leadership. After a banquet, the disciples were sent off to a town in the prefecture that was experiencing trouble, where they would stay there for three months then return successfully, or not at all.

 

The Gongs were a family from his past that he would rather not be reminded of. Given that his core element was fire like the rest of his family who cultivated, his was particularly...volatile. He appreciated his cousin’s concerns and foresight, but it didn’t make it any easier to prepare for this day. Finally, he said, “I will remember my breathing exercises. I will not embarrass you, Elder Huo.”

 

Huo Guowang reached up and clasped Huo Huli’s shoulder again and gave a firm squeeze. His Elder spoke softly, but with a note of pride, “You could never embarrass me. When we go in, I want you to hold your head high. But if I sense any disturbance in your energy, I’m pulling you out of there.”

 

He nodded and swallowed down the lump in his throat. Besides his mother, Huo Guowong was the only other person to know his secrets regarding the Gong family. Huo Huli worked hard to try and put it all behind him by becoming a top cultivator and he prided himself on his skills. For his elder to have such confidence in him was a deep honor. Suffering through a few moments will not undo any of my work, he reassured himself.

 

He nodded once more and smiled, “Let us make our grand entrance.” 

 

Huo Guowang smiled wide and shut his fan to rub his palms together in childlike glee. They rejoined his other two clan members and they made their way to the doors where the steward was posted. He was an elderly, stout man that was short enough that Huo Ningjing didn’t even have to go on his tiptoes to whisper to the steward.

 

The steward bobbed his head up and down as he listened to Huo Ningjing. Once finished, they gathered in their respective positions and waited for the steward to open the double doors. The old wood groaned as they swung, but that did not stop the chatter inside. The steward stepped into the Main Hall and loudly cleared his throat and still no one quieted down. The steward took a deep breath, sucked in his gut, and spoke in a high, nasally voice above the buzz of conversation.

 

“Announcing the Honorable Elder Huo Guowang of the Anyang Huo Clan!” 

 

Huo Guowang stepped through the door first with Huo Huli and the others following in a single file line behind him. Just as his cousin predicted, a single drop of water could echo off the walls from how silent it was. All heads were turned towards them, some even peeking over other people to get a glimpse.

 

For his first formal entrance as an Elder, Huo Guowang was the picture of elegance. Drenched in long, flowing red robes, he crossed the floor looking like an elegant flower. His immaculate blonde hair was pulled into a pristine half-bun set inside an intricately carved white jade crown that was handed down to the Huo Elders through the generations.

 

As he walked behind his cousin, Huo Huli carefully took stock of each person’s face without looking towards the elevated platform at the other end where Minister Gong would certainly be. The expressions on the men and women in the Hall were a mix of awe and polite indifference. Thankfully he did not see anyone aggressive. Good. The most we can hope for is not open disdain. While it was a momentous occasion for the chosen disciples, it was even more important for Huo Guowang.

 

Not only was Huo Guowang the youngest clan leader at thirty, but he was the youngest sect leader and an omega. Unlike the other two sects, the Anyang Huo Clan always had omega disciples, but it was only in the past five years that Huo Guowong rose to the top and was appointed by the former Elder to take over. For an omega to be at this rank was, quite frankly, unheard of. This was his first time engaging in larger sect meetings as an official, and they had to give a good impression. Or, in Huo Guowang’s words, a dramatic entrance.

 

The Huo Clan gathered in front of the Minister’s spot to greet him. Huo Huli kept his eyes down as they all bowed to the Minister. After expertly avoiding Minister Gong, they then paid respects to the two other Elders. There was only one table left open, so they gathered to it. Huo Guowong sat first, dramatically fanning out his robes before gracefully sitting down. With less flair, Huo Huli and the other clan members joined him around the table. It was still dead silent in the Hall, so when Huo Guowang opened his fan with a loud thwack!, several people jumped in their seats.

 

Huo Ningjing covered his mouth with his large sleeve to hide a snicker. Huo Guowang held his fan up towards his face and turned to mouth the word behave towards them, but there was also a sneaky grin on Huo Guowang’s face. Now that everyone was accounted for, the meals were served, and eventually, everyone started chatting again.

 

During the meal, he paid attention to his plate instead of eagerly looking around the Hall like his brother did. In terms of temperament, Huo Huli would have to say that his brother often resembled a puppy - eager, happy, and very loveable. While he normally appreciated this about his twin, it became bothersome when Huo Ningjing would latch onto something like it was a bone and persist. His biggest bone yet was alphas, and in a room full of them, Huo Ningjing’s eyes kept straying while shoving food into his never-ending belly.

 

Huo Ningjing swallowed a huge bite of the roast pork and nudged his shoulder against Huo Huli’s arm. His brother spoke in a low, conspiratorial tone. “There are some attractive alphas here, gege! Do you see anyone that catches your eye?”

 

Huo Cheng leaned over and flicked Huo Ningjing on the nose before he could. “Keep your eyes on your plate and chew your food all the way.”

 

Huo Ningjing huffed and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. He glared at their cousin. “You wouldn’t understand, Huo Cheng. You are already arranged to marry, and I have not had any offers from the other families in Anyang!”

 

“Not even any of your brother’s sloppy seconds?” Huo Cheng arched an eyebrow his way. Huo Huli narrowed his eyes in warning.

 

“None of the people who ask for gege even bother to ask for me after he rejects them.” Huo Ningjing pouted, elbows on the table and he stuck his chin in his hands. “They just want to marry the Tianshanghuo-jun.”

 

The Heavenly Fire was a title the city of Anyang bestowed on Huo Huli after he achieved some success as a young cultivator, but it was one he never asked for. On top of that, he was a nobleman’s son. Many of the other top families in the entire prefecture clamored to ask for a match with their alpha son or daughter. Huo Huli was not interested in marriage because whatever noble spouse he married would put an end to his cultivation, so he rejected each and every one of them. This caused some problems for his brother.

 

Huo Ningjing gave a long-suffering sigh and slumped forward. “I just want to find a nice alpha with a beautiful face. Like that one!”

 

Huo Ningjing pointed across the Hall towards a table full of men wearing blue and green robes decorated with intricate silver waves embroidered on the back. It was easy to tell the Heavenly Lake men apart from the Seven Star sect, who wore plain all-black attire and looked more like mercenaries than cultivators.

 

Huo Huli grabbed his brother’s wrist and brought it down to the table. “Mind your manners,” he gently reminded his brother. “We are representing not just the Clan but also Elder Huo’s leadership and other omegas.”

 

Huo Ningjing’s lower lip jutted out and he turned back to his meal. Huo Huli picked up his bowl of rice and picked at it. He didn’t have much of an appetite from all his nerves bunching in his stomach, but he knew he should fill up on something before their journey. He forced down a few mouthfuls between pushing his food around.

 

The large doors creaked again under the strain of being opened. Huo Huli looked up to see the steward step forward, and just as he did before, he swept in a lung full of air and loudly announced a new arrival. “Announcing the venerable sons of his excellency Minister Gong - Gong Wu and Gong Shao!”

 

Oh no. His heart stopped and he dropped his sticks. The delicate wood clinked against the table when it fell and echoed in his ears. Huo Huli watched in horror as the two Gong brothers strutted across the room, looking exactly like they did the last time he saw them. He had no reason to suspect that either of them would show up. Why would they? He was prepared for Minister Gong, but not them. When Gong Wu turned his head and made the briefest of eye contact with him, flashes of memories Huo Huli thought were long buried flashed before him.

 

A chill raced up his spine and Huo Huli closed his eyes tight, trying to shut them out. His heart began to pound as Minister Gong’s voice boomed through the Hall, though he could barely make out the words. The speech slurred and slowed down until they were nothing but a buzz between his ears that made his head throb.

 

Through the incessant ringing, he heard a firm but gentle voice call to him, “Huo Huli.”

 

Snapped back to reality, Huo Huli’s eyes flew open when the noise abruptly stopped. Snap! The small bowl of rice in his hands formed a large, jagged crack on one side, but luckily it did not shatter. The two other Huos wore matching looks of concern as they watched Huo Huli carefully. He pushed himself to take several deep, calming breaths through his nose. He reached for a napkin to cover the broken bowl before he responded to Huo Guowang.

 

“Y-yes, Elder Huo?”

 

Huo Guowong’s cold blue eyes stared deeply into him. If Huo Huli didn’t know his cousin so well, one might assume from Huo Guowang’s stern expression that he was being chastised, but he knew that look wasn’t for him. Huo Guowong was probably just as upset as he was about Minister Gong’s sons’ sudden arrival. Instead, Huo Huli saw the depth of understanding and sympathy directed at him in his cousin’s eyes. Huo Guowang covered his mouth with the fan and spoke in a hushed tone only to him.

 

“Go take a walk - if anyone asks, tell them I ordered you to check on your supplies for the trial.”

 

Huo Huli nodded and cupped his hands to his cousin. “Thank you, Elder Huo.”

 

He rose and gave his brother a tight smile that was meant to reassure him before he quietly, but swiftly, exited the hall. He wound his way around corridors and passed several servants before finally reaching the main entrance. He threw the heavy wooden doors open and breathed in the fresh air.

 

As he ran across the training grounds in front of the hall, he felt lightheaded, and his stomach ached with the burn of churning bile. He felt like he was about to empty his stomach, so he slowed to a stop. Figuring it was a safe distance from the building, he let himself take a break and before he lost what little lunch he had eaten.

 

He slowly sucked in some air, taking deep, calming breaths. After several more rounds of breathing, he felt slightly back to normal. He wiped the cold sweat off his brow with the back of his sleeve and sighed. “That was close…”

 

“What was close, gege?”

 

Hearing his brother’s sweet voice made Huo Huli jump nearly a foot in the air. He whirled around and almost had to catch his breath a second time after such a fright. Huo Cheng trotted up too, and when Huo Huli peeked over their shoulders, he saw that all the other disciples were coming out.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked Huo Ningjing.

 

“When you left, Elder Mu made a show of asking if the omega needed to tend to some personal matters.” Huo Ningjing rolled his big brown eyes. “Elder Huo explained that he thought it best to send a disciple to check on our provisions and make note of anything that may be missing. Elder Fan agreed and thought they should send all of us to check.”

 

Huo Huli understood the implication, which irked him as much as it did his brother. He knew those sorts of comments would be there, but he didn’t expect them to start so early. Since his cousin selected two omegas as part of the top three disciples of their sect, it was inevitable that their every move would be carefully monitored simply because they were omegas.

 

Though he deserved it, Huo Huli thought picking him was a big mistake and sure to make even more waves. Huo Guowong just brushed off his concerns with a flick of his fan and explained that he already made a name for himself, so it was only natural that he was selected. But then there was Huo Ningjing, who was only selected because he went wherever Huo Huli did. Though his brother had skills, his cultivation was medium at best, and he was rather...well, naive. It was up to him to take care of his younger twin.

 

“Don’t worry, Shixiong.” Huo Cheng said, and Huo Huli frowned at the formal address, which was something Huo Cheng had never done with him before. Obviously seeing his confusion, Huo Cheng stepped closer to the twins and whispered. “Elder Huo suggested I act formally with you both, to solidify your position.”

 

“That is a great idea!” Huo Ningjing beamed and bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. His cheerful attitude quickly changed to a pout, turning towards Huo Huli. “But I can still call you Li’er, right?”

 

“Oi!” A gruff voice called out to their small huddle. All three of them turned and faced a small crowd of the six other disciples. Huo Huli relaxed his shoulders and stood up tall beside his cousin. His brother hopped in front of them and addressed the group.

 

“Hi! I’m Huo Dier!” Huo Ningjing’s voice sing-songed their greeting. “But please, let us regard each other as brothers! You may call me Huo Ningjing. What are your names?”

 

The sole beta present, a Heavenly Lake disciple, started first. He gave a small wave. “Uh, hello. I’m Zhang--”

 

One of their alphas cut in front of his sect brother before they could finish and bowed to Huo Ningjing. He was a tall, tanned young gentleman with dark hair and light eyes that sparkled.

 

“I’m Bai Luo, of the Heavenly Lake Sect.” Bai Luo smiled ear to ear down at Huo Ningjing. Like many alphas, Bai Luo towered over his brother’s short, omega stature. Huo Ningjing had to crane his head all the way back to look up at the fellow.

 

If he had a sword to his throat, Huo Huli would confess that he found Bai Luo to be somewhat attractive. He looked strong and his face personable - not too chiseled, nor too beautiful. His eyes were a light grey, contrasting against his darker features in a way that was pleasing to even Huo Huli’s eye. Bai Luo clearly hadn’t mastered self-restraint as his pheromones leaked in the air as he smiled down at his brother. He narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on Huo Ningjing’s shoulder to delicately pull him back towards them.

 

“I’m Zhou Rong.” One of the Seven Star Sect disciples stepped forward next. Huo Huli held his chin high and met Zhou Rong’s gaze. 

 

Though the same height as most of the alphas, Zhou Rong’s upright posture, and broad shoulders made him stand out amongst the rest. His eyebrows were two perfect black ink strokes that brought out the yellow color of his eyes. Two braids on both sides of his head were pulled through a simple black ribbon into a long tail, and the short sections of his hair and bangs framed his face. Wearing a midnight black robe and a polite smile that did nothing to soften his features, Zhou Rong could be mistaken for a Demon Lord instead of a cultivator at first glance.

 

Everyone made their introductions until it finally fell onto the two remaining Huo’s. His cousin thankfully went first. “I’m Huo --”

 

“I know who you are!” The gruff voice that called to them earlier - Mu Yi - interrupted Huo Cheng. He approached Huo Cheng and bumped his shoulder in a brotherly way with his fist. “You are Anyang Huo Clan’s Heavenly Fire, aren’t you? When I heard you would be here, I almost fainted! You’re legendary!”

 

His brother and cousin comically froze in place and looked at one another before turning their gaze back to Huo Huli. Mu Yi’s smug, ruddy-cheeked face broke out in a big grin. Huo Huli wasn’t bothered by the misunderstanding, because he knew that from the second he saw Mu Yi that he was going to be one of those alphas.

 

Huo Cheng laughed and shook his head, “No, no. I’m Huo Lan, but you may call me by my birth name Cheng.” Huo Cheng pointed a thumb over at him. “That’s Tianshanghuo-jun, my cousin.”

 

All the other disciples gaped but Zhou Rong simply tilted his head speculatively and slid his eyes up and down Huo Huli. He muffled his sigh and made his own introductions.

 

“I am Huo Laoda. You do not need to refer to me by my city’s title, I simply ask that we all treat each other politely and with respect.” He demonstrated this by letting go of his brother and politely bowing to the group.

 

“You’re the Heavenly Fire of Anyang?” Mu Yi pointed at Huo Huli, and he responded with only a nod. Mu Yi squinted, his nose twitching. “But...you are...?”

 

Mu Yi took two steps to get closer, turned up his nose, and loudly sniffed the air. Huo Huli purposefully suppressed his scent and pheromones with the power of his core, so while he knew that Mu Yi wouldn’t be able to smell him, he still considered it highly improper behavior to do it so openly.

 

“It is rude to do that, you know,” He narrowed his eyes at Mu Yi. “I would expect a member of the renowned Seven Stars sect to carry themselves with a bit more poise.”

 

“Uh-Uhm...I think that Huo Laoda is an omega, Shixiong.” The other Seven Stars alpha tugged on Mu Yi’s sleeve, pulling him back. “Elder Mu said there would be three omegas from Anyang today.”

 

Mu Yi blinked once, twice, and then reared his head back and laughed so hard that his half-bun shook. The alpha and beta from Heavenly Lake chuckled nervously between a strained, teeth-clenching smile. Everyone else remained silent and stared, except for his brother.

 

“And what’s so funny about that, huh?” Huo Ningjing marched up to Mu Yi and stuck his hands on his slender hips. Mu Yi stopped laughing and glared down at his younger brother with his lip raised in a snarl. Huo Huli’s senses went on alert and he watched his brother carefully. If Mu Yi tried something, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

 

“Y-you…” The alpha that had Mu Yi by the arm stammered. His eyes darted between him and Mu Yi. “Y-you really are the Heavenly Fire of Anyang? Who single-handedly fought off two hundred drought corpses?”

 

“It wasn’t two hundred,” Huo Huli smiled when there was a collective murmur amongst the disciples. Finally, he added, “It was two hundred and fifteen.”

 

The Heavenly Lake sect disciples stepped back, wide-eyed with their mouths hanging open. Their beta lunged forward, standing in front of Huo Huli now with a wide smile.

 

“Did you really capture the snake charmer demon?” he asked excitedly.

 

“That was a joint effort, I can hardly claim that as a single achievement.”

 

“And that time where you found the priceless ancient Bronze Mirror that belonged to the Tao Shu Temple?”

 

“I simply communicated with the soul of a former priest in order to find where it was hidden, that is hardly noteworthy.”

 

“But what about the witch in Angkor?” Asked another who also stepped forward to crowd around Huo Huli.

 

Huo Huli shook his head, “That was simply a misunderstanding. An old woman was possessed and needed to be exorcised.”

 

“Who performed the exorcism then?” Mu Yi sneered, sounding like he was trying to catch him in a lie. Huo Huli met his beady eyes head-on.

 

“I did.”

 

Zhou Rong, who had been quiet up to this point, added his deep voice to the mix. “Impressive.”

 

Huo Huli shifted his gaze towards Zhou Rong. “I know.”

 

Zhou Rong’s lips twisted into the tiniest of smirks. It did not look condescending, but unexpectedly playful. Huo Huli couldn’t resist returning a small smile of his own.

 

Who actually was condescending was Mu Yi who behaved like a small, petulant child with his arms crossed and glared at Huo Huli. “Why are you even here if you are so special?” 

 

“Well, Mu Yi…” Huo Huli turned on his politest tone, hoping to finesse his way out of this discussion. “I just turned eighteen, and it would be unfair of me to skip a time-honored tradition simply based on my merits. Besides, I have much to learn from you all, and I hope to share how the Anyang Huo Clan handles threats.”

 

“Tch!” Mu Yi dropped his arms and nudged Zhou Rong in the chest with an elbow then gestured back to Huo Huli.  “What can we learn from some defective looking omega?”

 

Those words were the kind that managed to break past Huo Huli’s carefully constructed calm. It was true that while he and Huo Ningjing were twins, the only likeness they shared was their looks, but even that was a stretch. Huo Ningjing was small, lithe, and his dark brown eyes shone with delight. Even his earthy colored brown hair was perfect - long, straight, and beautiful regardless of how he wore it.

 

Huo Huli stood just a fraction shorter than the Heavenly Lake beta, making him the tallest omega he’d ever come across. He’d been told his angular, intimidating eyes were less pleasing than his brother’s round and magnetic ones. Huo Huli always wore his hair down because though his waves were slight and weren’t too unruly, it was too thick to hold back in a crown or a tail for too long. It would just sag down or break the tie.

 

He wasn’t self-conscious about all this. He was happy to be considered unattractive by alphas and betas alike and avoided any unwanted attention from them by covering up as much of his skin as possible with layers. Mu Yi’s words made him angry because people like him looked down on omegas and valued them only by their pigheaded, backward standards of worth: looks and breeding.

 

“I promised my Elder that I would lead by example,” Huo Huli looked back to the disciples' dormitory, which held their equipment. He held out a hand in that direction and waited patiently.

 

“Oh no, you’re in for it now!” A big smile appeared on Huo Ningjing’s beaming face. He tugged on their cousin’s arm and pulled him back while sticking his tongue out at the other disciples.

 

“Shixiong…” Huo Cheng resisted the tugging and whispered to Huo Huli. “Do you need to go take a breath?”

 

“Eh?” Mu Yi huffed. “What are you all going on about? Tell me, brothers, aren’t I right? I say we go back inside and ask the prefecture to disqualify the Anyang Huo Clan from participating this year. This is a disgrace--”

 

The doors to the dormitory burst open and Tian Shang Huo, his white bow that shared the same name as his title, flew into his hand. He squeezed the grip and turned back to Mu Yi. Several of the disciples gasped while his other two clan members hurried to step away from him. Only his brother was smiling brightly, the others either had a mix of confusion or worry on their faces. 

 

Huo Huli flexed his hand, the worn leather of his glove felt buttery soft against his skin. He curled his two leather covered fingers around the string and drew it back. He closed one eye and set his sight on Mu Yi.

 

The ignorant alpha just laughed and pointed at him. “You don’t even have an arrow!”

 

A pure, white blazing flame appeared in his hand holding the string. It slowly stretched forward, narrowing into a point at the other end in the shape of an arrow. Its flames licked at his cheek and fingers but did not burn him, for the ethereal arrow was made from a fraction of his energy, so it would not harm its source. The sharp white tip was aimed directly between Mu Yi’s eyes, which were now wide open. The Heavenly Lake disciples scrambled back to join Huo Ningjing and Huo Cheng, but the Seven Star members were firmly rooted in place.

 

After waiting what felt like an appropriate amount of time to get his point across, Huo Huli quickly pointed the arrow at a tree in sight just over Mu Yi’s shoulder that stood just a few yards away. When he let the arrow loose, the force of it made Huo Huli’s robes and hair billow out as if a stiff breeze blew past. Mu Yi closed his eyes tight and dove to the ground at the last second as the arrow whizzed past him. It sailed through the air and struck the object resting on the branch he aimed at and disappeared with a hiss of a doused flame the instant it made contact.

 

Mu Yi sat up and sneered, pointing towards where Huo Huli shot. “Ha! You missed me!”

 

“Oh, fellow disciple Mu Yi, I didn’t miss.” Huo Huli stepped up to his brother and offered his bow to him. He gave a toothy grin and a thumbs up with one hand, and the other clutched the bow that was nearly half his size to his chest. Huo Huli turned and motioned to the tree. “Take a look.”

 

All eyes turned to the tree in question and a large snake fell from the branch, its charred carcass landed with a thunk. Earlier this morning, he had sensed the presence of the venomous asp blending in with the tree. It was pure luck that Mu Yi happened to be standing in a position that offered Huo Huli a chance to take care of two pests.

 

“I said that I would teach by example.” He held out his hand to Mu Yi now, offering to help him stand. “I will teach how the Anyang Huo Clan deals with threats. If I wanted to shoot you, Mu Yi...I would have to consider you a threat first.”

 

Mu Yi’s face went through several shades of red. His mouth opened and closed in an impersonation of a blushing fish. He finally shut his lips and smacked Huo Huli’s hand away. One of his sect brothers helped him up instead, so Huo Huli brushed his hands off and turned to his clan.

 

“How about we check on our supplies, hmm?”

 

Huo Huli wrapped a protective arm around his brother and walked to the dormitory side by side with him and Huo Cheng. Without having to look back, Huo Huli could already sense the glares and hear the murmurs. He gently squeezed Huo Ningjing’s shoulder.

 

“Is something wrong, gege?”

 

“Nothing is wrong, Xiao Huo,” he reassured his brother. He let go of Huo Ningjing and hung back with, glancing over his shoulder at the other disciples. Some were arguing amongst themselves while the others watched their retreat. Huo Huli shook his head with a heavy sigh.

 

I’m going to have to protect you from this pack of wolves.

Author’s Note:

Anyang is actually the current modern name of a city that was once the ancient capital city of Yin during the Shang Dynasty (1550/1600 - 1046 BCE). One of the Shang dynasty kings King Zhou (name Di Xin of Shang) is the inspiration for ML’s name “Zhou”. In this world, Anyang is the capital.

This story does not take place during the Shang dynasty, but if you wanted specifics of what time era I am inspired by, I would have to roughly say Mid-Ming dynasty. 

Also, regarding courtesy names; the rest of society falls according to tradition that it’s 20 years of age. However, given that the disciples selected for the trial are going onto leadership positions, they are given courtesy names early.