Author's Note: Late upload because I was not satisfied with the chapter even after reading it over until midnight. I feel like I'm losing the direction of the story with how many fights there has been. There needs to be more adventure and interesting character exchanges, so this arc should bring some of that back. How are the elaborate descriptions of the fights? Do you simply skim over it? Should I make it shorter? As always, thanks for reading.

“Mei-Mei, it is acceptable if you do not win,” Meili told Qiu’yue as the younger girl climbed to her feet.

The girl frowned. “Big Sister Meili, don’t you know you’ll be struck by lightning if you lie?”

“Brat, didn’t your parents teach you the Confucian ideals?” Meili pulled Qiu’yue’s hand, holding her still. “Promise me, promise me — swear on Lei Gong [referenced earlier in thestory; Lei Gong is a righteous god figure who punish evil with his lightning conjured by a chisel/hammer] — to not use more than 25% of your qi.”

Qiu’yue leaned in and unexpectedly kissed Meili on her brow. The mischievous brat poked out her tongue. Meili, overcome by embarrassment, became flustered.

Cai also pulled Qiu’yue aside as she walked toward the center of the clearing to meet Jang-Guo.

The older boy smirked at Jang-Guo as he tilted his body down and whispered something to Qiu’yue.

“Oi, oi! Aren’t you all being too unfair? Especially you, Meili! I am your real brother for Heaven’s sake! Carved from the same flesh and bone, sharing of the same blood and birth date,” Jang-Guo shouted indignantly. He waved his two gigantic gauntlets erratically, causing himself to stumble like a drunkard due to the excitement.

“Aiyah, aiyah,” Meili groaned as she plugged her ears with her fingers, looking away from her brother. “Ge-ge, you are too annoying! Meili hates you!”

“If my arms weren’t covered with earth right now, I would roll up my sleeves, and spank you! Can you believe such a child? I’m her actual brother — her twin even!”

“Oh, shut your whining,” Cai scolded. The boy took his place in the shadow casted by the ancient tree. His hands placed neatly behind his back. Children tended to do these things to appear more mature — though, in actuality, those things they did were simply childish things carried into adulthood by habit. The two fighters met at the center of the clearing. A distance of 5 meters between the two.

“Cai looks old,” Qiu’yue commented, stifling her giggles with her hand.

“Mm, Cai, who are you trying to be? Jian-Yan?” Jang-Guo laughed as well, his eyes wide like a turtle egg.

Cai glared at the two. Though his increasing blush around his cheeks caused Jang-Guo to laugh even more fiercely than before. He choked on his own spittle laughing.

Enduring enough of the humiliation, Cai swung one of his hands to the front up into the sky. The faint reverberation of a sword hung in the air, silencing the surrounding with the majesty of the stars. He held the hand there, as still as the blade of a guillotine.

The blade dropped.

A burst and a roar. Jang-Guo plowed his body through the clearing, tearing up the grass and dirt, digging deep ditches into the earth with each step. The boy drove across the emerald ground on four. His front claws grew large as they launched him across the air with the velocity of an albatross. When he landed on his powerful hind legs, a squall of dust bloomed behind him — and the aura of a beast with golden eyes towered behind him.

Rather than meeting the beast at full force, the girl hopped backwards. As she hopped backwards, the girl twisted her waist and spun her body like a bamboo dragonfly. Every time her toes landed, pristine spirals formed. While she spun, her hands moved in front of her, sweepingly in arcs— their movements created a large circle, much like the union of Yin-and-Yang, in front of her, resolute against all threat and overbearing in fortitude!

However, a bamboo dragonfly cannot match up to the ferocity of the beast. It did not take long for Jang-Guo to catch up. He leapt forward into the air and somersaulted into position: his two mighty gauntlets clasped together, he hammered his meteor down causing the air to rumble.

Contrary to expectations, little Qiu’yue hopped to the side, rather than back. Though the hammer struck deep into the ground, causing great ridges to spring up, most of the debris scattered forward and missed Qiu’yue completely.

The impact of the falling meteor still assaulted the girl and flung her to the side. Utilizing one of the more extravagant parts of internal martial arts, the girl spun and landed on one of her palms and cartwheeled. Such a maneuver attained much momentum and qi for Qiu’yue.

The girl stopped her cartwheel by digging her heel into the clearing and sweeping her foot forward in an arc, kicking up dirt and grass. Her palms now moved in such a mystical way that the thick layer of qi manifested to the naked eye and left traces long after the movement of the palms. An illusion of the Yin-Yang union came forth in the span of the girl’s circular motions -- two rivers of movement engaged in harmony.

The unyielding rage of a golden-eyed beast, and the shifting, almost ash-like, illusion of the union of Yin-and-Yang. With the two gathered, the fight truly began.

No longer running, the two approached one another with careful steps. Qiu’yue tested her path with circular sweeps and successive taps of the forward way. Jang-Guo stalked the unofficial circular ring with an arched back and sharp shoulder blades.

Yet, the instant the two forces collided, the circular formation of Yin-and-Yang shattered. With one mighty roar and a single swipe, Jang-Guo crushed the illusion and sent Qiu’yue flying.

The young girl managed to spin as she flew through the air and landed in a sweeping motion. She quickly resumed her circular rotation of the arms. That one encounter had swollen her two palms. Blood trickled out not only her mouth, but her ears too. The impact had sent shocks throughout her system.

“Junior Cai, does little Qiu’yue stand a chance?” Senior Brother Sha scrambled his way toward Cai.

Cai held a hand out. “Senior Brother Sha, even though you are my senior, I am currently the impartial referee. Please, go back to the viewing stand.”

With balled up hands, the senior brother scrambled his way toward Meili who rested her butt on her thighs.

“To tell the truth, this fight is too difficult for Mei-Mei right now,” Meili said as she nibbled on her bottom lip. “Ge-ge’s cultivation level is much higher than Qiu’yue’s, and that is why she is unable to keep her formation stable and counter.”

Each time Qiu’yue formed the illusion with her palms and confronted the beast, it was shattered by Jang-Guo’s mighty ocean-sweep.

“Aiyah, don’t look so glum, Senior Sha,” Meili quickly said. “It makes you look even more terrifying if you are depressed. The fight is not decided yet. Though Mei-Mei is being pushed back, if she can somehow land a single counter, the fight should result in her favor.”

“How can she land a counter if she keeps getting pushed back?” Senior Sha cried with urgency in his voice. He got up and began pacing around his area. “Junior Sister Meili, what would you do?”

Meili watched the fight before responding.

Qiu’yue’s palms had swollen to such a point that blood flowed from the tips of her fingers due to the congested blood in her palm. She once again met the beast only to be swatted away.

“I don’t understand.” Meili muttered. “Why is Mei-Mei still meeting him with the same strategy? Aiyah, Cai better not have told her something stupid again...”

Senior Sha repeated his question.

Meili looked up at him before diving her face back toward the fight. “If I was at her level of training, I would shift my body weight at the moment of ge-ge’s blow. Pivoting on my foot, I would step inward, and borrowing the momentum of his sweep, I would twist my waist along with that motion, and then backhand his head. Ge-ge could never cover up his head since he can never make his earth-helmet cover all his face while leaving holes for his nose. Then while he is stunned, I would pivot my foot again and spin my body one more time and palm strike his spinal region on his neck.

“But I have battle experience, and she doesn’t. Still, even an idiot would stop using the same method if it kept failing — unless someone with authority told that idiot otherwise.”

Senior Sha stopped pacing and screamed silently. He plopped himself back onto the ground. “Who would do such a thing though?”

Meili palmed her forehead. She pointed at Cai who observed the fight with a knowing smirk. “That battle idiot must have said something to Qiu’yue. I am going to chop his little brother off one day if this continues!”

Instinctively, Senior Sha inched away from Meili and covered his crotch area. Farther away, Cai felt a cold and shivered. He turned and saw Meili glaring at him. Cai waved.

Meili got up and walked toward Cai. She poked the boy in the chest. “What did you say to Mei-Mei this time? The last time you were like this, you almost got her killed.”

“You guys became sisters. Don’t forget that,” Cai said. Meili backed away without even realizing. His eyes flashed the same hatred present when Qiu’yue first met him. He looked away. “I told her that

Jang-Guo will still hate her if she doesn’t defeat him using your River Carving Fist.”

Meili blinked. Her mouth hung opened. “So you didn’t tell her how she had to fight in this one way?”

Cai shook his head. He smiled. “It is rather impressive in its own way.”

Meili sank to the ground and hugged her knees. “Aiyah, my little sister is as dumb as a pig.”

“I do not recall you being any better when you first came, Meili Gu-Gu [Gu-Gu means aunt, in case you've forgotten. Basically, Meili thought being called gu-gu would be a sign of respect...but not really],” Cai chuckled. “You were five then too, right?”

Meili jumped to her feet with reddened cheeks. “I-I, you, ugh! I told you to never bring that up ever again! I was young and stupid, ok?”

Cai waved his hand. “Yes, yes. Calm down, Meili Gu-Gu. Let’s just watch the remainder of this fight in peace.”

“Oi! Are you going to keep doing the same thing over and over again?” Jang-Guo paused in his pursuit and shouted.

Qiu’yue innocently nodded. Though her hands kept swelling up, it never took long for her body to fix her bruising.

Jang-Guo almost palmed himself on the forehead. He realized in time that encased on his arm was

earth with spike protrusions. Instead, the boy slammed his claw into the earth and ripped it apart.

“Are you making fun of me?” Jang-Guo shouted.

Qiu’yue shook her head.

“Then stop wasting my time!”

“But I’m not,” Qiu’yue cried in fear. Her face flushed and she shook her head furiously.

“Then fight me seriously.” The voice floated from the boy quietly, but once it left his lips, it crashed through the torn-up field of green and washed over the young girl.

Drenched in killing-intent, the girl stopped still of breathing. Seized up by fear, the girl no longer possessed the ability to cry; her mind retreated into the depths of its body — the only course of survival was to fight. With a steadfast heart, the girl adopted her stance once more. The old, bloody skin peeled off. Underneath, two spades fashioned from jade glittered underneath the rain of pale light.

The two forces collided once more. All eyes bursted open. The Yin-and-Yang illusion held. The transparent, almost ash-like, formation became more real as Qiu’yue followed through before the window of opportunity expired. The formation holding, the girl pushed back against the beast’s strike with the force of her whole body. Gliding her palms over Jang-Guo’s earth gauntlets, the girl prepared a strike at his exposed neck.

Not giving the girl such a chance, Jang-Guo sweeped his arms outward and unleashed a torrent of claws. Qiu’yue responded with her formation: sweeping away swipes, gliding over thrusts and stepping further into Jang-Guo’s range, palms ricocheting off the multiplying fists.

Senior Sha leapt to his feet and ran toward the other two observers. He clamored, “She’s doing it! She’s doing it, right? Junior Sister Meili?”

“The body granted by Yun Leader’s Innumerable Lotus Ritual is too impressive,” she breathed her words out with awe. The constant repairing of the arms led to a drastic increase in durability and

Qiu’yue barely withstood an impact, when some 2 incenses ago she was unable to.

Meili furrowed her brows and grabbed both Cai’s and Senior Brother Sha’s arms. Pulling the two boys close to her, she whispered, “But why would she do such a thing for Mei-Mei?”

Cai opted not to open his mouth yet. Senior Sha made a difficult face and merely responded with, “Nevermind that — little Qiu’yue is holding her own right now! And we all heard what Yun Leader Meng said about the conditions about Sect Master Mo.”

“That’s the point, Senior Brother Sha,” Cai said with a frown. “Everyone knows Yun Leader Meng fought against Sect Master Mo in the succession trials. It would have been more beneficial for Yun Leader Meng if Qiu’yue had become a cripple that day. But she didn’t because of Yun Leader Meng’s intervention and sacrifice.”

Senior Sha rubbed his patches of hair. Unfathomable thoughts flitted across his eyes. He scrunched up his lips before saying angrily, “Yun Leader Meng seem to know Qiu’yue’s parents. Why are we even worrying about this right now?”

The three observers turned their attention back to the fight.

Both fighters bejeweled by silver drops of sweat, sighed content as the autumn wind swirled around them playfully. The two stood at a distance. Visible on Jang-Guo’s neck and collar were red palm marks demonstrating signs of swelling as bluish tints bled through the red, approaching bloating and compression of the throat.

Jang-Guo smiled. The smile stretched his face, pulling the cheeks backwards as if broad tusks occupied the corners of his mouth. Thick veins bulged on his neck and ran from the edges of his brow to meet at the center of his bald head. Sharp brows folded down to meet on the bridge of his nose.

The golden-eyed beast behind him snarled. Qiu’yue breathed heavy. Her left leg shook. The girl neared the exhaustion of her qi.

The beast leapt forward. The golden-eyed aura blotched out the sun and the beast plummeted to earth — a meteor’s drop.

Meeting the impact stood the mirror of Yin-and-Yang. Qiu’yue moved her hands in fascinating circular ways in front of her body.

The meteor struck the mirror. Inevitably the mirror shattered and broke to pieces. Qiu’yue’s arms buckled and the illusion became lost. Strained from the pressure and force, the girl’s arms quickly bursted and blood poured forth.

However, inevitably also was the meteor to be reflected by the mirror of Yin-and-Yang. Before the girl’s arms gave out, her legs stepped forward in a sweeping arc, her body twisted, and she threw Jang-Guo overhead.

The beast crashed into a tree and a cloud of dust swelled up like a blanket. The girl sighed and fell onto her bum.

Cai, the self-proclaimed referee, stepped forward. He waved his hand to clear the dust. Jang-Guo struggled to pull himself from the trunk of a tree. His butt wiggled and shook unceasingly. The boy tried to force his head from the trunk with his two great gauntlets. However, it was much too painful on the boy’s neck, and everyone could see how the tree would crush the boy if Jang-Guo himself broke the tree.

“Oi! Oi!” He called. “Someone help me. I’m stuck!”

Cai looked at the two combatants. He smirked and rubbed his chin. “It would seem that our two fighters are both incapacitated! Naturally, the first person to stand would be the winner.”

“Oi! Oi! Cai, you bastard, what the hell are you saying?” Jang-Guo shouted. “I clearly can’t get out without killing myself!”

Cai pushed his lips out. “In a real battle, if the enemy got up before you, would that not spell your death regardless?”

“That brat simply got lucky and threw me into a tree. I broke both her arms. She can’t do donkey shit!”

“She still has her legs. One good kick to your family jewels —” Cai didn’t need to finish the sentence. The sentiments got across wonderfully.

Jang-Guo hopped and jumped and shook his entire body about as he attempted to dislodge himself from the tree. “Oi! Meili come help your brother!”

Meili frowned and crossed her arms. She turned away from the view of her older brother’s butt.

Instead she called out to Qiu’yue. “Mei-Mei, stand up! You’ll win if you just stand up.”

The beast’s struggle to extract himself from the tree intensified. “Oi! Shit, Meili, what the hell are you doing? Come help me.”

“Aiyah, ge-ge, you’re being too annoying. And your butt looks too funny!”

Qiu’yue who was on her bum had difficulty standing up without the use of her arms to push herself off the ground. Hopping in place. It surprisingly did not take long before she managed to hop to her feet.

Recalling something about family jewels, Qiu’yue asked Cai.

“Mei-Mei, there’s no need for you to do any of that. Don’t pay attention to the battle idiot,” Meili exclaimed and jump to her feet. She turned to Cai. “Just announce the winner, will you?”

“Oi! Can someone please help me first?” Jang-Guo yelled at the top of his lungs.

Senior Sha held Jang-Guo at the waist with his head tilted down toward the earth. Cai looked at Senior Sha who nodded. Cai helped Jang-Guo split the tree in order to free his head from the trunk. As soon as the tree was split, the two halves tumbled down. Senior Sha took his junior brother and burrowed into the earth before reappearing away from the felled tree.

“Do you think we can trade the lumber for some cultivation dan?” Meili asked. She held Qiu’yue close. The damage to Qiu’yue’s arms turned out to be not as severe and already healed quite a bit.

Cai shook his head. He faced Jang-Guo with a devious smile. “Anyhow, Jang-Guo, you lost this fight.”

With a snarl, the boy responded, “Fine! She can come with us. But I refuse to be nice to her.” Then he angrily stomped his way away from the clearing, muttering underneath his breath, “She didn’t even win fairly...”

Cai and Meili made a difficult expression toward one another. Senior Sha bit his lips but nevertheless celebrated for Qiu’yue.

Over the course of the remaining month, the group devised and followed an intense schedule in order to prepare Qiu’yue for tomb hunting. After the usual events in the morning, the transport of goods and Yun Leader Meng’s visit, the rest of the day filled with sparring.

First, Qiu’yue trained with Cai. The purpose of fighting against Cai was to improve Qiu’yue’s battle sense. The more the two trained, the more impressed Cai became. Impressed by Qiu’yue’s slowness at least; however, if given hints, the girl would quickly figure out the answer.

Next, the girl sparred with Senior Brother Sha. When the two first began, Qiu’yue went in with an attitude reminiscent of cotton. That first day, the girl ended up badly bruised and cut. Senior Sha fought much like a spider would — hiding until an opportune chance. The purpose of sparring with a spider was to improve the girl’s reaction and prediction in a real life-death situation.

Third, Jang-Guo tortured and made use of Qiu’yue’s special body. After exhausting Qiu’yue’s qi, the beast would continue fighting her without the use of his own martial arts. The purpose was to rebuild the girl’s body and drastically improve her body’s own physical endurance.

Lastly, before Qiu’yue trained in her River Carving Fist, Meili would send Qiu’yue to hunt enough forest creatures to make soup. Such an exercise trained Qiu’yue to relinquish her morality, to hone her senses, and to make her hungry.

By the end of the month, Qiu’yue held quite well against Jang-Guo for much longer, despite not having progressed too much in either cultivation or in her River Carving Fist.

On the night before the day to venture to the tomb, Qiu’yue meditated quietly by herself. It did not take long for her to come out of cultivation with a glum look.

She uncrossed her legs and laid them onto the grass. Qiu’yue leaned back and rested her head on the soft grass. Peering up, the girl tried to spot constellations through the clouds.

Her musings became interrupted by someone leaning over her, blocking the view. It was Meili. They smiled at each other. The relationship between the two girls were exceptionally well.

Taking a spot next to the younger girl, Meili asked, “What’s my cute Mei-Mei doing still awake? It’s not a good night for star-gazing either.”

Qiu’yue pushed out her lips and rolled to face Meili. “Big Sister Meili, do you think I can do it?”

Meili stroked Qiu’yue’s face. She played with the younger girl’s bangs. “Your hair has grown long.”

Confused, Qiu’yue nodded. “But I don’t feel like I grown older or bigger, Big Sister Meili. How does anyone know they have grown? My mama used to tell me that I will know when my chest becomes bigger.”

Meili looked at the starless sky and palmed herself on the forehead. “Mei-Mei...I’m not sure that’s exactly right. So what if you don’t know if you have grown bigger or older? We have grown closer.”

Qiu’yue poked Meili on the nose. “Big Sister, that was really lame.”

Blushing, the older girl slapped Qiu’yue lightly on the forehead. “Brat, didn’t your parents teach you to listen respectfully to your elders?”

Qiu’yue nodded. “But mama also told me to not let people say stupid things and get away with it.” That statement earned Qiu’yue a lengthy session of her cheeks being pinched.

“Brat, don’t worry about it. We still have ten months, and you still have me and Cai and Senior Sha.”

“I thought I was just a tool for you guys to use to enter the inner sect,” Qiu’yue said with a pout and turned away from Meili.

“Why you little,” Meili laughed and proceeded to tickle Qiu’yue. The little girl flipped over to counter-attack. Tears came from both girls due to laughing to hard.

“Will you two quiet down?” Cai growled as he appeared before them in a stream of light. “We are going to be in a tomb starting tomorrow.”

“Oh, quiet down, Cai. Can’t you act your age?” Meili muttered. A twinkle gleamed in her eyes and before Cai could react, she pulled the boy to the ground and began tickling him. It did not take long for Qiu’yue to join in. The boy writhed like a fish as laughs bursted from him.

“Stop it, both of you,” he laughed unwillingly and began tickling both girls at the same time.

It took less than the time to brew tea for the three to collapse side by side in exhaustion.

“Qiu’yue are you ready?” Cai asked. “For tomorrow?”

Meili hugged Qiu’yue. “Of course she is, she has me.”

Cai rolled his eyes. “You’re turning into your brother, Meili Gu-Gu.”

The three talked about various odd topics, the stars, cultivation, and food they want to eat. Meili fell asleep first.

“Hey, Cai. When’s your birthday?”

“I don’t have one.” Cai responded with a straight face.

Qiu’yue frowned. “Don’t you know liars will get struck by lightning?”

Cai smiled. He got up to his feet and swore, “If I am lying, let Lei Gong strike me down.” Nothing happened and he lied back down onto the grass, though that did not prove much of anything.

“Then what do you mean that you don’t have a birthday?”

“I threw it away. And that’s all you need to know.” Cai said with a stern voice. He looked at her with the same hate-filled eyes she saw the day they met. He turned away. “When’s your birthday?”

Qiu’yue realized at that moment that she didn’t know much about the people around her. She knew very little, too little. Whether the names they have are the names their parents gave them; why they cultivate in the first place; and not even simple things like their birthdays.

“The twelfth month of the year, 22nd day.” She responded.

“Your birthday coincides with the Dongzhi Festival [Winter Solstice Festival; family gathering],” Cai commented. “It will be your first festival with your new family.”

Qiu’yue nodded. She yawned. The two bid each other goodnights and went to sleep.

The following morning, the air greeted the sun with a certain tension — similar to the wait when fishing. The Village of Lost Orphans completed their last transportation of goods for the foreseeable future. The Village informed the Yun Leader and saw the trio off.

Trekking through the forest, the Village arrived at the desolate clearing. Cai stopped the group.

“Qiu’yue stay near the entrance since this is your first time.” Meili informed her. Then she joined the rest of the group in pacing around the clearing. Meili asked, “Do you think the opening this time is near Liu Da-Ge’s grave?”

Qiu’yue lingered near the entrance of the clearing as she was told. She rocked back and forth on her heels. In a daze, it was not until a great gaping rift opened up underneath her that she noticed and screamed.

“Shit, that brat,” Jang-Guo cursed and dove after the young girl into the hole since he was the closest to her.

The rift quickly closed, leaving Meili stunned on her knees beyond belief.