Chapter 2: A Friendly Challenge

Wang Zen walked through the streets of the town with his head drooped low.

“Now come, young lord. Why the long face?” His body guard said after not being able to take the boy’s sombre mood.

“Haven’t you heard? I am to leave for the Snow Ram Province the day after tomorrow.”

“Ah, I have,” his elder guard said, rubbing his black beard. “You must be proud of yourself, Goixi Academy. That is a difficult academy to get into.”

“Hmpf! I don’t even want to attend it I want to attend Wuming but father doesn’t seem to want me to.” Wang Zen looked at the sky and narrowed brown eyes as they followed the progress of the orange and red furred monkey jumping from stall to building to stall. His face scrunched up in anger. “He hates me. He has ever since big brother died.”

His guard’s large hand grasped his shoulder roughly, shocking Wang Zen out of his emotions. “Do not bring the late master Wang Hun into this,” the man said with a stern look on his face.

Wang Zen was about to shout at his bodyguard and ask him who he thought he was to tell him what to do but then the older man’s face softened and his grasp on his shoulder loosened.

“Your father does not hate you. All that he does, he does for your benefit.”

“My benefit?” Wang Zen shrugged his shoulder away from the body guard’s hand. “How does sending me away from my home, my family and my friends benefit me?”

The older man sighed before continuing. On the way they met up with two more people waiting for them. One was a woman, slightly overweight with a round baby carrying life within. The other was a boy, who was the same age as Wang Zen, who looked like a mixture of the woman and Wang Zen’s bodyguard.

“Yin Zheng!”

“Father! Zen’er!”

They both said as both groups met.

Yin Bhiki, Zen’s bodyguard, and his wife shared a quik kiss while the two friends shook hands.

“You should not be on your feet, darling.” Yin rubbed her protruding belly. “You rest for the sake of our coming child.”

“A little exercise won’t hurt,” she smiled at him.

“Fine, but get home and I will see you later after I drop off the boys.” Bhiki kissed his wife goodbye while her son waved goodbye before he and Wang Zen walked together a little ahead of Yin Bhiki.

After a short conversation with his friend, Yin Zheng smiled sadly at his friend. “So, you will not be coming with me to Wuming. It is sad but at least you will be going to a better school.”

The orange and red furred monkey jumped from the tent of a stall in the market place and landed on Zheng’s shoulder, causing the boy to laugh. “And I assume you’ll be taking Shibi with, so you will not be alone!”

Even with his foul mood, Wang Zen could not help but smile at this.

“Hey, I have an idea.” Zheng rubbed the monkey’s head. “How about as a send-off, tomorrow we could have a friendly sparring match to gauge each other’s strength and when you come back, we can have a duel again to see how much we’ve grown? That would be okay, right, Father?”

The man behind them shrugged. “I do not see a problem with it.”

Zheng looked to his friend. “So, what do you say?”

Zen nodded. “That would be nice and I also want to give you a present before I go.”

Zheng nodded. “Well, I’ll also have a favour to ask of you but after the duel.”

Shibi climbed on Zheng’s head and ruffled it up before leaping onto Zen’s own black head of hair, doing the same thing.

The two boys laughed at the mischievous monkey’s antics.