The Dragonblood Warrior Clan (Part 1)

Six months slipped by. Linley trained his body and built his strength through the warm spring and scorching summer, until the cool depths of autumn arrived. Whenever the wind swept through the row of towering poplars beside the training ground east of Wushan Town, withered yellow leaves spiraled down and carpeted the open field.

Night was closing in.

There were an unusual number of people on the eastern training ground that day—nearly three hundred in all.

“This evening's training is over,” Hillman said. “Before that, let us wish well the children of Wushan Town who are about to enlist.”

Once the autumn harvest ended, enlistment season began. In an era when the entire continent revered martial prowess, every young man took pride in becoming a great warrior. Many also dreamed of becoming a Magus, but the requirements were far too demanding. Only about one person in ten thousand possessed the aptitude. With odds that low, ordinary people could only abandon the dream.

Becoming a warrior was much easier. So long as one had reached adulthood at sixteen and become at least a first-rank warrior, one could readily enter the army.

“Uncle Hillman, thank you!”

One hundred and twenty-six youths of seventeen or eighteen bowed respectfully. They did not normally come to training; they were already adults and had work of their own. But Hillman had trained them since childhood, so he was practically their mentor.

Before enlisting, they had come to bid Hillman farewell.

Looking at the vigorous youths of seventeen and eighteen, Hillman was filled with emotion. He knew that they were now full of longing for military life, but after ten years in the army, how many of them would return?

Of these one hundred and twenty-six, Hillman could only hope that half would return alive.

Hillman looked at the group and called out, “Listen carefully, you brats. You are men of Wushan Town. Men of Wushan Town should hold their heads high, face every challenge, and fear nothing. Do you hear me?”

The youths raised their chests and stood straight. Their faces shone with anticipation for the lives awaiting them in the army as they shouted together, “We hear you!”

“Very good.” Hillman's upright bearing and stern gaze carried the distinctive air of a soldier.

“You leave tomorrow. Make your preparations tonight. I know your abilities well. Every one of you can enter the army with ease! I, Hillman, will wait in Wushan Town for the day you return in glory!” Hillman declared.

The one hundred and twenty-six youths straightened with excitement.

To return home in glory was every young man's dream.

“Now I order you to go back and prepare yourselves at once. Dismissed!” Hillman commanded sharply.

“Yes!”

The one hundred and twenty-six youths answered respectfully, then departed beneath the expectant, admiring gazes of nearly two hundred children who had not yet come of age. The next day, they would set out on an entirely new journey.

“In two more years, I'll be an adult too. Then I'll be able to join the army.”

“I really want that kind of military life—the kind that sets your blood racing. If I spend my whole life in Wushan Town, it won't matter how long I live. It will still be meaningless.”

…

The thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boys talked among themselves. They all longed for a passionate, thrilling life. They wanted to win achievements, earn the admiration of girls, and receive the praise of their hometown and relatives.

That was their dream.

“Linley, your father, Lord Hogg, has something very important to discuss with you today. Don't stay here playing with the other children. Come back with us.” Hillman walked over to Linley. Seeing the boy pleased him as well.

Linley was very intelligent. Under Hogg's instruction since childhood, he had learned many characters and could read ordinary books.

Reading was an extremely extravagant thing. Usually, only nobles had the opportunity to learn. The Baruch Clan was a very ancient family, however, and it possessed many books.

“Uncle Hillman, I know. Father has already told me three times today. He has never taken anything this seriously before, so I won't stay and play.” Linley grinned, revealing a row of white teeth—with one missing in the middle.

Linley had begun losing his baby teeth.

“All right, you're missing a front tooth. Air leaks out whenever you smile,” Hillman said with a laugh. “Come on. Let's go back.”

******

In the front courtyard of the Baruch Clan's ancient estate, the family had finished dinner, and Linley was playing with his two-and-a-half-year-old brother.

“Big brother, hold me. Hold me.”

Little Wharton gazed at Linley with clear, innocent eyes. He toddled toward him on unsteady feet, his plump little hands outstretched. Linley crouched a short distance away and waited for Wharton to reach him.

“Come on, Wharton. You can do it,” Linley encouraged him.

Wharton’s steps were so wobbly he looked ready to fall at any moment, yet he still managed to hurl himself into Linley’s arms. His soft, pale skin had flushed red, and he called in a childish voice, “Big brother, big brother.”

Looking at his little brother, Linley felt boundless affection.

He had no mother, grandfather, or grandmother. Though he had his father and the old steward to care for him, the precocious Linley loved and protected his little brother dearly. In Linley's eyes, as the older brother, he ought to take care of Wharton.

“Wharton, what did you learn today?” Linley asked with a smile.

Wharton furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. Then he said excitedly, “Today I learned how to use a hemp cloth!”

“A hemp cloth?” Linley smiled. “What did you wipe?”

Wharton counted on his fingers. “First I used the hemp cloth to wipe the floor. Then I wiped the chamber pot. Last I wiped... the bowls. Yes, the bowls we eat from!” He looked at Linley eagerly, waiting for praise.

“You wiped the chamber pot, then wiped the bowls?” Linley's eyes went wide.

“What's wrong with that? I wiped them very clean.” Wharton raised his little head and looked at his brother, his eyes full of confusion.

“Young Master Linley, your father is looking for you. I will carry Young Master Wharton.” A kindly old man with a bulbous red nose walked over. He was Hiri, the Baruch Clan's steward. In the entire clan, aside from the steward, there was not even a single maid or servant.

Linley had no time to continue his conversation with Wharton. He immediately handed Wharton to Grandpa Hiri, stood, and headed toward the living room.

“Father, what exactly is this about?” Though he was still young, Linley could sense that his father had something important to discuss with him.

******

When he entered the living room, Linley saw a grandfather clock taller than himself in one corner.

A grandfather clock was a rather expensive object, generally owned only by wealthy or noble households. His father sat before the fireplace, facing the flames as the wood crackled and popped.

Why had Father changed clothes? Linley was surprised as soon as he saw him. At home, his father usually dressed simply. At dinner, Hogg had worn ordinary clothes, but now he had changed into luxurious garments.

Hogg possessed the distinctive bearing of an ancient noble. It was not something money could buy, but something nurtured by the traditions of an old family. How could an ordinary family compare with a clan passed down for five thousand years?

Hogg rose and turned around. His expression softened when he saw Linley.

“Linley, come with me to the ancestral hall. Uncle Hiri, you know about our family affairs too, so come along as well,” Hogg said.

“The ancestral hall?” Linley was surprised.

The members of the Baruch Clan generally lived in the front section of the estate. The rear courtyards were usually neither maintained nor cleaned. Only the ancestral hall in the back, where the ancestors were worshiped, was still cleaned every month.

It isn't time to worship the ancestors. Why are we going to the ancestral hall?

Leaving the living room, Hogg and Linley, along with the steward Hiri carrying Wharton, followed an old stone road covered in moss toward the rear courtyards.

The late-autumn night air held a watery chill.

A cool breeze swept past, and Linley shivered. But he said nothing, for he could feel that something unusual was happening. Following his father, Linley and the others entered the ancestral hall.

Creak.

The doors of the ancestral hall closed.

After a row of candles was lit, the entire ancestral hall became bright. At a glance, Linley saw the ancestral tablets arrayed at the front. Their dense ranks showed just how ancient the Baruch Clan was.

Hogg stood silently before the many tablets.

Linley grew tense. The faint hiss of burning candles was the only sound in the hall, and the silence weighed heavily on him.

Suddenly, Hogg turned around. Fixing his gaze on Linley, he said solemnly, “Linley, there are many things to do today. Before that, I will tell you some things about the Baruch Clan.”

Linley's heart pounded.

The family's affairs? What could they be? Linley felt anticipation rise within him, but he did not dare speak.

Pride showed on Hogg's face as he declared, “Linley, our Baruch Clan has been passed down for five thousand years. Looking across the entire Kingdom of Fenlai, there is probably not another family as ancient as ours.” Hogg's voice was filled with absolute pride.

Antiquity was something many nobles valued greatly.

“Linley, do you know that the legends of Yulan Continent speak of Four Ultimate Warriors?” Hogg turned to look at Linley.

Linley nodded at once. “I do. I heard Uncle Hillman say that the legendary Four Ultimate Warriors are the Dragonblood Warrior, the Violetflame Warrior, the Tigerstripe Warrior, and the Undying Warrior.”

Hogg nodded with satisfaction. “That's right. Now I will tell you this: the Four Ultimate Warriors actually represent four ancient clans, and our Baruch Clan is the ancient clan that carries the noble bloodline of the Dragonblood Warrior!”