The courtyard thinned as night settled over the ridge. The last bowls were cleared. The lower sheds were shut. The wind slid along the cracked outer wall and caught faintly in the iron braces.
Yan was sweeping near the drainage channel when Muchen stopped beside him. He did not announce himself.
“Servant, Come with me,” Muchen said.
Yan followed him toward the left pens where the older livestock stood in dim lantern light, their shapes narrow and uneven. Ribs pressed sharply against hide with shallow breath.
Muchen walked between them slowly, halted in front of a thin looking goat, and pressed two fingers against a goat’s throat, examined the ribs, and lifted it's jaw and said
“This one.”
He stepped aside, examined another.
“And this.”
He selected five in total.
Each was thinner than the rest and each barely holds weight.
“Bring them to the courtyard,” Muchen said.
Then he left without another word, Yan untied the first rope and pulled the goats towards the courtyard by holding the rope to their collars.
The goat followed without resistance.
Muchen already stood in the courtyard and was waiting
"Hurry up" Muchen ordered.
One by one, Yan led the five into the open square beneath the cracked training platform. Moonlight traced the fracture running across the stone slab.
Yan stood there watching the goats.
"Why are you still standing here?" Muchen looked at Yan.
"Leave"
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Yan bowed and began to leave the store house, and while going back he glanced at the goats.
"And don't you dare come out till morning after going back"
Muchen said.
The drainage channel beside it remained dry and
the animals stood where he left them.
Their dull eyes still could not leave his thoughts.
They remained upright, motionless, as if already emptied of urgency.
Yan arrived at the storehouse and closed the door.
He did not hear what followed, the dark held until dawn.
When Yan returned to the courtyard before sunrise, the five goats were no longer present at the training ground.
He walked towards the drainage channel.
Fresh red marked the slope, darker near the bend. The surface still held moisture.
He crouched briefly.
The scent was of the fresh blood mixed with metal.
Footsteps approached him lightly.
“Yan, You have woken up early” Ren said.
Yan straightened.
Ren’s gaze shifted to the channel. It paused there for a breath too long.
“They butchered the animals so early, they do really work hard " Ren said.
Yan did not say anything.
"Let's have a small walk" Ren suggested.
Yan and Ren started walking through the courtyard and while they were walking,
“Yan the weird thing is, every night, a senior disciple with the hat, comes and announces a time until when we are allowed to go out at night", Ren said.
" After that time, we are banned from going out" Ren explained.
Yan looked at him but did not say anything.
Then Ren stopped.
Yan stopped walking as well while Ren adjusted the cloth bundle tucked beneath his arm, he opened the cloth and took out a book and moved it in front of Yan's eyes.
“They gave this to me in the morning.”
"It's a cultivation manual, finally I can cultivate"
Then Ren pulled the book back to him, but Yan's eyes still remained on it.
"Do you remember the twins? How did they dream of flying by becoming cultivators?"
Yan nodded.
"It is not just about flying, cultivation gives you supernatural strength and longevity, and I am going to take the first step" Ren said.
“And they gave it only to me, Do you understand what it means? ” Ren added.
"Hehe..I will be the first to cultivate among others who arrived with us" Ren said.
"Why it was given only to you?" Yan asked.
“The others do not know the classical script, they will learn it first, then they will get the cultivation manual" Ren replied.
"I am the first" Ren repeated again.
"Yes, you are " Yan said.
At the same time, two older disciples emerged from the lower sheds carrying empty buckets and passed through them.
Then Ren looked at Yan
" The others, they are ordered to gather in the outer wing, where Classical Script is going to be taught ", Ren said.
Ren hesitated only slightly, “If you’re assigned nearby to work on chores, try listening"
"Will try", Yan gave a small nod.
" I have to go, will meet you later" Ren said and walked toward the main hall without looking back.
Yan remained a moment longer.
The first light of dawn reached the drainage channel.
The red brightened briefly—Then dulled into ordinary stone.
"Classic Script? " Yan murmured.