#sect:jiang

The man sucks a breath in between his teeth, he stares his father right into his eyes. There’s a fear in him, and he’s not too sure why it’s there, or what kind of fear it is, it’s not a fear he has felt for.

“So? What’s your ultimate desire?” the elder asks.

The question hits him hard, it’s a question he has yet to find an answer for. What he wants to do with his life, what his life’s purpose is, what’s his goal in life is. He doesn’t know it, it feels like everyone knows it except him. He feels like looking down, looking away, at least not staring the man who asked the question right into the eyes. He doesn’t have an answer, why does he not have one? Even after so many years.

He’s about to answer it, answer the question with another ‘I don’t know’, until it hits him, he has an answer.

“what do you truly desire the most?” mingyan remembers kneeling as a twelve year old on the cold tiles of the ground, one wintery night, at the feet of the jiang sect, tears shedding down her cheeks as snow gathers upon her shoulders. “is it cultivation? Or revenge? It can only be one or the other, child. Or the jiang sect will not adopt and accept you in.” she remembers her fingers, nearly freezing as they clenched into the snow, her breath nothing but puffs of air that huff from behind her lips.

“the road to cultivation is not for revenge.” The man’s voice lowers pitying, as she turns her eyes towards her dead brother, clutching her ankle with his eyes wide open, as though beseeching her not to turn and leave him behind. “why don’t you make your decision after seeing if you have the gift for it?” she’s nothing but a blind deer in headlights as she scurries after him, the warmth of the room inviting and the hope before her refreshing.

“put your hand on the crystal ball, and we will see if you have any spirit roots that would help in your cultivation growth.” No sooner than she had placed her hand upon the crystal, the ball shone with a steady glow, flickering slowly as a pulse of five different colours bled through the seams of her fingers that covered the ball.

She hears the man suck in a breath—surprise colouring his face, before its replaced by calm ferventness.

“you…have the chaos spirit root.” His voice is soft but gentle. “one of the greatest spiritual roots for the road to cultivation.” A gentle hand rests upon her head, heavy but warm. “take the road to cultivation, child. It’s the best road for you to go.”

Mingyan watches as the doors close on her dead brother’s body, laying outside on the cold snow, a fresh layer dusting upon his deadened cheeks.

Jiang Lian. The star of Jiang clan.

Some say that he’s better than Jiang Cheng himself.  His skills are widely sought after and even some of the leaders think that he should have been part of their clan.