1. Green Forest Pavilion
The book contained a page on the Forked Tongue Grass. The image was instantly familiar, the description of the grass noting its poisonous potential, difficult cultivation requirements, and how it tended to attract poisonous snakes. On the next page there was the drawing of a cute green snake with huge cartoon eyes and a blue hair bow on top of its head. The absurdity of the image made him pause for a moment. It seemed impossible for anyone to have dreamed up something like this. Well, perhaps something similar might appear in a nightmare. Or as a phantasm during a bout of insanity. There was something disturbing about the drawing, but it was difficult to pinpoint what. The drawing had no writing next to it, or anything else that might serve as explanation. After a while, gave up and tended to more pressing things. Like clothing.
The trunk contained sets of simple, serviceable, and quite worn clothes. Simple black pants, green shirt, broad corded belt, straw slippers. A closer look revealed a forest pattern skillfully included within the hemp cords that form the belt. Obviously, a school uniform. It fit quite well,even if the slippers were a bit annoying.
Investigating the white smoke led him outside the house. There were dozens of threads lazily swaying in the afternoon air. Up ahead, on the practice area, the twelve students were sitting in a circle, cross legged, meditating with eyes closed. Motionless apart from breathing, making no sound at all. Zhu Wenlong could clearly hear the sounds of forest, wind, the birds in the air.
Walking around the students at a comfortably slow pace and with hands behind his back was the elder. Just then, a smoke thread trembled. It was close to a tall, refined looking lad of eighteen or so years. The smoke continued trembling, then slowly snaked down towards the youngster's nostrils, as if it was being inhaled.
The student revealed a look of intense concentration. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead; his breathing became audible. The wisp of smoke trembled, as if struggling, before hesitantly entering the student's nostrils. Instantly, the student's face became bright red. Evan the skin on his hands was red. The concentration on his face contorted into struggle.
The instructor noticed what was going on, of course. "Good! Good! Feng'er, keep calm, compress that qi into your Golden Stove point. Patience and tranquility. Remember and slip through the pain." He stood behind the student, as if ready to intervene somehow.
All the other students opened their eyes and turned to stare at the red-skinned youngster. One of them had a viciously envious spark in his eyes. The spectacle went on for the duration of a stick of incense. Turing the time the student's face gradually became less red, until he finally recovered. After taking a deep breath, he stood up, faced the old man and bowed deeply. For his part, the old man looked embarrassed.
"No, no. It was all your own doing, this old man had nothing to do with it. Feng'er, you should instruct your fellow students on how you managed to condense qi into your body. You all should learn from your big brother's experiences."
The old man smiled, then looked over at Zhu Wenlong.