"This soup is so good," Xiao commented.
Bradley nodded in agreement. "Where did you get the chicken?"
Xiao laughed. "It's a funny story really. I went to three places for meat but they all told me that the mayor's son bought all the meat. And at the butcher shop, there was a chicken that was pre-ordered. So obviously I bargained for it. But before the butcher could sell it to me, the mayor's son came. So we wrestled and I got the chicken."
Bradley frowned. "The mayor's son?"
"Yeah. A spoiled brat, really."
"Why would you go around offending the mayor's son?"
"Don't tell me you're scared." Xiao took Bradley's bowl and smiled at Bradley over the edge of the bowl.
Bradley wrenched the empty bowl back from Xiao. "We are still on their territory, aren't we? Why can't you just hold off on playing with them?"
"What could they do to me?"
"Maybe they can't. But why would you cause trouble when there was no need for it?"
"They bought all the meat in the city!"
"How childish could you be?!" Bradley exclaimed.
Xiao rolled his eyes. "Can't you just be glad that we have good food now?"
"You just got off the sickbed and you're already wrestling with the mayor's son. What happened to all the discipline that we learned on Mount Huai?"
Xiao was just picking up a piece of green pepper but he slammed his chopsticks down on the table as soon as he heard this. "Don't connect everything to discipline."
"So what if you eat vegetables only for another day? Another week? Why can't you just go around like a proper person?"
"Proper? Discipline? Why do you keep on bringing this into the conversation?"
"Because you need some discipline! You're becoming a wild and spoiled thing!"
Xiao leaned back and downed a goblet of alcohol. "Tell me exactly what you think of me, Bradley."
Bradley glared at him but didn't say anything. So Xiao did.
"Bradley, don't think that because you're my brother that you can keep on lecturing me like mentor could. Ever since we met, you scolded me more than mentor did. What did I do that you find so offending? Why pick out all my flaws? And you think you're so righteous. You're just pretentious. If there was some high status knight who broke the law, you would still bow down to them. Now you're scolding me for wrestling with the mayor's son? What is he to me?"
Bradley shook with anger. "Pretentious? Am I wrong to lecture you? You cause trouble everywhere you go. And the weeks we spent on Mount Huai. All I see you do was sneak off to the back. Shouldn't you be responsible to your brothers?"
Xiao sneered. "They are all like mentor and you. They abide by every rule and don't ever think about innovative tactics. No hidden weapons, no smart strategies, just fighting in the same sequences again and again - "
"You're going to go off with your beloved Wen River disciples then?"
Xiao started. "Wen River? You think I should be in the Anlang Sect?"
"You might as well join them. One day you'll cause trouble for Mount Huai and consequently Mount Gudu."
"This is your loyalty towards your brother - " Xiao cut himself off with a laugh. "Oh I get it. This is your loyalty towards people of high status. Of course you would stand on the mayor's side, because he's rich. But I'm just a lowlife's son, right? I got onto Mount Huai by sheer luck. That's why you lecture me ten times a day. Because I can never be as good as you."
Bradley sat there in silence.
"Alright," Xiao said with a dark laugh. "I see. Because I am born into a lower social status unlike Childe Howell, obviously it wouldn't be too hard for you to associate me with those outlaws and prostitutes - "
"Watch your mouth!" Bradley shouted.
Xiao laughed even harder. "What? Should I call you King Howell? God?"
"Xiao, calm down. I don't judge people by - "
"By what? Appearance? Social class?" Xiao demanded.
"Neither of those! I only lecture you because you're my brother. And admit it, what you did today was impulsive and unnecessary."
Xiao let out a breath. Bradley was right, of course, on that aspect. He didn't need to get the chicken. However, Bradley was getting angry.
"Are you one to talk about loyalty? What happened to all the times I took care of you! Are you forgetting your roots? Your home?"
"Maybe it's better to not have a home, then," Xiao said. "The past two years, without anyone with me, it was way more pleasurable. And you asked why I avoided you for the past two years? Shirked off your letters? It's because of how insufferable you are."
Bradley's eyes widened in shock and pain and his jaw dropped. Xiao felt that what he said was out of the line but he didn't want to take it back.
"What?" Bradley said quietly.
His show of weakness further prompted Xiao's anger. "Yes, Bradley. Who would want to go around the world with you by their side? I really feel bad for Rose when you marry too. What a life she will have."
Bradley stood up. "Shut up, Xiao! How could you talk to your older brother like this?"
Xiao stood up too. "Bradley, frankly, I don't care for anything. I talk to you how I want."
"Let me tell you, Xiao. Whether you've done those things or not, there are rumours. I've been covering for you - "
"Bullshit! Who would have told mentor of my whereabouts?"
"He found out himself! You think he doesn't watch where you are?"
"Me specifically?"
"He knows how greedy you are with martial arts. He feared you would be spying or doing other things ... "
Xiao shook his head. "Alright, Bradley. I'm off."
Bradley grabbed his sleeve. "Where are you off to?"
"Wherever I want," Xiao said, shaking Bradley off.
"Fine! Piss off to some cave and declare yourself king! Don't ever talk to us Mount Huai disciples again!"
Xiao huffed. "You think I want to?" He grabbed his bag and a bottle of alcohol, and left the guest house. Bradley didn't come after him. This disappointed Xiao just a little bit. He could have beaten Bradley up if he had done so.
He went around the town and ended up at the temple. Monk Olga saw that his expressions weren't right and let him into an empty room without a word.
"Stay however long you like," Monk Olga told him. Xiao saluted him thanks and sank onto the hard cot. He was exhausted from his argument with Bradley.
It seemed that after almost ten years, they did break apart in the end.
Xiao was ten years ago again as he sat with his eyes closed.
The big black dog belonged to the mayor's son. It was barking at an old lady turning the corner in the dusk. There was no one on the streets except the old lady and himself. It was the perfect opportunity to kill the dog and make some money. Even if he didn't make any money off of it, he would at least have a full meal. The family he lived with - his neighbour back when his parents were alive - never fed him enough. Rarely did they let him off of working. The days of swimming in the lake and fishing was now replaced with working on the field from dawn to dusk. Tonight, he had sneaked out after the meal to get away from his neighbour's wife, who could always find fault in him. He would have a beating after she realized that he was gone but short term happiness was the only thing ten-year-old Xiao cared for.
He pulled out his sickle from his belt and hid it behind himself. "Doggie!"
The dog turned and ran towards him, jaw dripping with drool, fangs gleaming, and tongue lulling. Xiao waited until it came close then jumped away from its claws with the agility of an experienced fish catcher and slashed at the dog's side. His sickle was newly sharpened so red appeared as soon as contact was made. Xiao followed up with a hack at the neck that finished the dog. Then he dragged the body away into a ditch at the back of his neighbour's house.
It was his usual place for an extra meal. He knew there was still some firewood from the last time he caught a chicken. He got the fire up and then skinned the dog. Then he cut off a big piece and roasted it over the fire.
The next morning, with a full stomach, he took the dog meat out to the streets for sale. It was an off day for him arranged by his neighbour. So Xiao walked around, loudly advertising his dog meat. People knew he was an orphan and thus everyone he passed bought some to support him.
Soon, only one piece is left. Xiao decided that he wanted to eat that piece so he started packing up the dog meat. However, a boy about his age dressed in fine silk robes came up to him. He was buffer than the lanky Xiao. "For how much?"
"It's not for sale," Xiao told him.
"I saw you selling dog meat just a few seconds ago! That old man just bought a piece home. Why aren't you selling it to me?" the boy demanded in a superior tone that Xiao hated. So what if this boy was rich? Xiao had had enough of bad tones of voices from the neighbour's wife.
"Not everything is about you," Xiao thus replied.
"Then why aren't you selling it?"
"I want it for myself," Xiao said.
"Then why did you bring it out? It will make people think you want to sell it."
"Only stupid rich brats like you," Xiao said.
The boy threw a punch at him. Xiao jumped away and kicked the boy's left leg. The boy jumped back too then came up again. The two boys fought for a while until an older man called the other boy away.
"Bradley! What are you doing?"
The boy dodged a punch and ran towards the man. "Mentor, he was being rude."
"So let him be," the older man said. "Be the bigger person."
Bradley glared at Xiao and turned his back on him. Xiao didn't feel like his actions were biasedly described but he didn't bother to correct this Bradley. These two were clearly travellers.
So he kept on walking back home. On the way, he was stopped once more, this time by the mayor's son.
"Xiao Sa!"
"Joon Sa," Xiao replied.
"I've been waiting for you," Joon Sa said. "How much did you sell for my dog, huh?"
"Your dog?" Xiao asked innocently.
"Yeah, the black one, Kiwi! The one that used to bite you on my orders?"
"So how do you know the dog I've been selling was your dog?"
"Who else would kill my dog and then sell it?"
Xiao laughed coldly. "So if I did do it, what will you do?"
"Beat you up," Joon said.
"I'd like to see you try."
With a wave of Joon's hand, a bunch of thugs came up to Xiao. They kicked and punched him. At first, Xiao could dodge and return a few blows but he was overwhelmed quickly. In the end, he had a bruise on his cheek, a throbbing leg, and could only attempt to dodge the hands that wanted to hold him down.
Thankfully, someone yelled for the fight to stop. The voice was deep and full, and it reverberated in the alleyway. The servants all froze and Xiao blasted through them and ran towards his home. Footsteps sounded behind him.
Xiao turned around to find the Bradley boy again. "What - "
"Are you alright?"
Xiao was taken aback at the kindness. "Yeah."
"You shouldn't just go around getting into fights," Bradley said. "Especially when you are outnumbered."
"I didn't ask for fights," Xiao muttered. "Anyway, goodbye."
Bradley grabbed at his forearm, which just happened to be bruised. Xiao flinched and jerked away.
"Sorry!" Bradley apologized. "But mentor asked me to bring you to him."
"What for?" Xiao didn't forget the old man who believed him to be rude.
"Probably to lecture you," Bradley told him honestly.
Xiao found his frankness funny but didn't want to be lectured. "I'll pass."
"What's your name, then?"
"Xiao."
"Alright, Xiao, you've got to come with me," Bradley said in a commanding tone.
Xiao laughed out loud this time. "What are you trying to do, arrest me?"
"I have to carry out my mentor's orders," Bradley explained.
"What type of mentor is he?"
"He's a knight," Bradley boasted. "The Grandmaster of Mount Huai. I'm his newest disciple."
"Mount Huai? That's far isn't it?"
"He came to this region for me specifically," Bradley said.
"Bradley!" the grandmaster called. He was walking towards the two boys. Xiao made to leave but Bradley grabbed onto him again. This time purposefully onto his bruise.
"Mentor, this is Xiao."
The man smiled benevolently at Xiao but his eyes shocked Xiao. They were as bright as diamonds - though he'd never seen any, of course. "My boy, why do fights follow you around?"
The left corner of Xiao's lips lifted up. "I'm just that lucky, grandmaster."
"Come and eat with me and Bradley," the grandmaster said. "If you are bleeding anywhere I can give you some ointment."
"I'm fine, thank you," Xiao said. "I still have to go and hide my piece of dog meat before heading home for dinner. Otherwise the wife will kill me."
"The wife?" Bradley asked curiously.
The grandmaster looked at Xiao thoughtfully. "I'll make sure I get you back before dinner, how about that?"
Xiao thought about it. His hands drifted to his pocket and he felt the money in it. He had enough money.
The grandmaster understood his movement. "I'll pay for it, Xiao."
Xiao's eyes widened. "But then I would have to pay you back!"
The grandmaster laughed. "Come along."
They sat down in a luxurious restaurant that Xiao had never been to. The diners pointed at him when they saw him. Among many murmurs were the words "how did he get beaten up" and "who is he with" and "I sure hope he gets enough to eat tonight".
"You're quite popular here," Bradley commented. On the way to the restaurant, Bradley had peppered him with questions about whether he sold dog meat for a living ("no, it's a new occupation"), what he did everyday then ("farming and getting scolded"), whether he had siblings ("nope"), and why he was beaten up ("I wasn't beat up!").
"People pay attention to kids," Xiao replied.
A waiter served them and brought out a bowl of sweet curd for Xiao.
"We didn't order it!" Xiao protested.
"It's on the house, Xiao."
"Waiter-ge, I'll pay for it," Xiao insisted. The waiter smiled and left. Xiao slumped against the chair. "Seriously. Don't they know I made money today? I suppose they don't."
Bradley laughed. "Who are you talking to?"
Xiao shook his head.
The grandmaster looked at Xiao. "Where are your parents?"
"They passed away," Xiao said.
"I figured that was why you were out there alone. Who do you live with?"
"My neighbour, Mr. Toucan and the wife."
"They don't treat you too well?"
"It's nothing I can't handle," Xiao said, his chin up.
The grandmaster smiled. "Where did you learn to fight?"
"I grew up getting into fights with Joon Sa, that was who ordered the servants to beat me up. He ran as soon as you came, grandmaster."
"Who is he to you?"
"My late father was the scribe of the town hall. But before, he was a servant under the mayor. That's why I have the same last name as those bastards." After he said the last word, he felt that he should have watched his mouth, so he bit his lips and looked down.
The older man only smiled. "Why did he choose to surround you tonight?"
"I was selling his dog," Xiao said.
The grandmaster scrutinized him for a moment. "What do you think about being a knight?"
"That would be cool. I would take all the mayor's money and give it to my friend George so he could study. The corrupt man doesn't need all that gold."
"Would you like to come to Mount Huai?"
"Him?!" Bradley asked in shock.
Xiao looked at Bradley and didn't say anything. Clearly this boy did not want him there.
"What do you think, Xiao?"
"I don't want to cause any trouble on the mountain," Xiao said.
The grandmaster gave Bradley a hard look. "You wouldn't be."
Xiao smiled a little. "That would be amazing, grandmaster - no I mean - mentor!" He instantly fell onto the floor and kowtowed the older man. His new mentor laughed and helped him up.
"Alright, alright. Let's finish this meal, then I will go and talk to your guardians."
Xiao nodded enthusiastically and dived into the dishes. While he did so, he glanced at Bradley who had a small smile on his face.