….a moderately affluent family living in one of the moderately large villages in the northwestern mountain range.

However, unlike others who were farmers and craftsmen, they didn’t work in any such profession. Why was that?

Well, that was because, thanks to the system of arranged marriages, they produced at least one powerful cultivator every generation for the past century, if not longer.

Their surname was Wang, and they were thus one of the most influential clans of this region. And with influence and esteem came ambition- the clan elders desired to spread wings all over the north, and then perhaps the south too, and eventually rival famous families such as the Bai of the Wuyun.

Luck would have it, there were two prodigious young boys in the youngest generation. They were twins, born to the same mother. Both of them had exceptional cultivation talent and manifested foundation and golden core at a very young age.
Yet, these brothers were like fire and water. In other words, their personalities were nothing alike.

The older one- here older was very relative and meant he came out of the womb first- was of a diligent and ambitious character. He always studied hard and treated his superiors, equals, and inferiors alike with a certain dose of respect. He was considered a prodigy and was favored by the clan elders.

Thus, it was decided that at the age of 10 he should be sent to a prestigious Songshu sect in the town of Yafan, to represent the interest of the Wang clan and expand the family’s influence to one of the largest northern towns. It was hoped that a boy of such talent would eventually succeed master Yao Erzhan, and become a new leader of the prominent Songshu sect.

The other twin - let’s call him the younger one, as illogical as it sounds - was….very different, to speak lightly.

He wasn’t concerned with studying, nor with cultivating, nor was of particularly moral or disciplined character. From an early age, he was a troublemaker, and he brought shame upon the Wang family on multiple occasions.

Thus it was decided he should be sent to the remote village of Chenfei, to train under the guidance of master Lan Caolu, a man well known for his noble character and virtue. It was hoped that the boy would be brought up virtuously there, and under the guidance of such reversed persona, grow up to be a man worthy of representing the Wang clan.

Wang Shunji wasn’t at all happy about it. He wanted to enjoy his life, have cool friends, play games and have fun…what fan could there be in the literal middle of nowhere?
Yet his family would have none of it.

“You should have listened to your elders and looked up to your brother, then you’d go to Yafan too!” exclaimed his grandfather, who was currently the acting head of the clan.

….And thus, in the year 96 of the Changan era, the 10-year-old boy was sent off with a letter of recommendation and outgoing caravan, not even saying goodbye to his uncles, aunts, and grandparents, not one of whom stood up in his defense.

However, his brother didn’t fail to see him off.

“Shun-er, I hope that by the time we meet again, you will be a better person!” he said, purposely using the diminutive that he knew the other one hated so much.

His clothes were neatly cleaned, and his hair, already reaching to his chest, was neatly tied up in a bum. Nothing in his appearance was imperfect, and he knew that, carrying himself with an air of well-deserved superiority.

On the other hand, Wang Shunji’s hair was messy, and his clothes, although cleaned up by the maidservants this morning, have already been stained in unknown substances. There was a fire burning in his eyes, and rage in his voice, as he stomped the ground shook his first at his brother.

“And I hope I will never see you again, jerk!”

He hated his twin even more than he hated the other family members, and there was no lie in saying he never wanted to have anything to do with him. The adults were somewhat forgiven in having this kind of attitude - because they were old and boring in the head - but Wang Shunhu was literally the same age as him.

Yet, for as long as he could remember, he was playing the role of a golden child, the puppy of their parents. Whenever Wang Shunji looked at his brother, he was reminded of who he most certainly never wanted to be or become.

As the cart began moving, and his home village eventually disappeared from sight, he made a resolution.
No matter how difficult or gruesome the training at the Shuangshan sect is going to be, he promised to never lose himself. He would never become like these boring adults, and never forgo enjoying his life, no matter what punishments he was subjected to, and no matter what others wanted him to be.

…………

Chenfei village was no more, no less exactly what he thought it was going to be. A backwaters location, removed from main roads, whose inhabitants were primarily farmers, fishermen, and hunters…without as much as a single interesting location or person in sight.

However, what surprised him, was a fairly significant percentage of yaren residents.
Just by walking through the streets early morning, and up one of the twin hills overlooking the settlement, he estimated that they constituted at least 1/3rd of the local population. Was it because of relative proximity to the lowlands?

He inquired about this at the reception office in the library where he was checking in. The receptionist laughed and explained that master Lan simply has an affinity for beastfolk and hires them exclusively as servants.

“M-my family does the same” a quiet, yet distinctively high-pitched voice mumbled behind him.

It was some girl standing in the queue behind him. By the looks of it, she was also one of the new recruits who arrived with the caravans this day.
She was now looking at her feet, seemingly embarrassed for speaking up unasked, and her cheeks were tinted red.

Wang Shunji also felt embarrassed - because he thought she looks extraordinarily cute - and because he didn’t know how to talk to girls. Thus, he just laughed awkwardly, until the receptionist told him to move and stop clogging the queue.

……

The girl’s name was Bai Lianfei, and apparently, she came from a wealthy family in Yafan - the very same large town where Wang Shunji wanted to go!
Thus, he didn’t fail to ask her about every little detail of city life.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to tell him that much. Apparently, her mansion was located somewhere beyond the limits of the city, and her parents didn’t allow her to leave unattended.

He felt a sting of pity and sympathy, and that melted the ice between them.

“My family was strict too, but thanks to me being the younger brother, they weren’t nearly overprotective of me to that extend…..I know! Since you’re not supervised by your parents anymore, let’s have a lot of adventures together now!”

She kept looking at him with sheepish eyes and nodding, but after a while, her expression darkened and she looked to the side.

“I don’t know…Lady Mother wouldn’t be happy if she learned I’m slacking off.”

She called her mom a what?

“In that case, let’s hang out after training! I’m sure it’s not a big deal, I will help you if you’ll struggle with something! I’m really talented!”

Light once again returned to her eyes, and she nodded enthusiastically over and over again.
And thus, Bai Lianfei and Wang Shunji became friends.
Sometime after that, they befriended another kid- Ming Libai- and soon the trio became inseparable as form and shadow.

SakeVision

Yaaay more flashbacks!