Elder Chen Lei prodded Pengfei’s face with his fingertips, drawing winces from the disciple.

  “The eyes are fine, the jaw is intact…”

  The doctor spoke distractedly as he conducted his examination. Chen Rulan nodded along with the man’s words, looking over his shoulder. Hongyu had been brought to the Medicine Hall as well but Pengfei had not managed to inflict and visible damage on his opponent, and so the boy had been dismissed back to the dormitory.

  The doctor held Pengfei’s face between his hands, examining thoughtfully. “The nose is the problem.”

  “The nose? What’s wrong with my nose?”

  Instead of answering, the doctor handed Pengfei a small round mirror. A grotesque face looked back out at him. Two black and swollen eyes, a busted lip, and a crooked nose, not to mention several scrapes and cuts.

  “Fuck! My nose! Can you fix it?” Pengfei tentatively touched the warped shape on his face but the doctor shooed his hands away.

  “Yes, yes, I can fix it. Are you ready?”

  “Ready for what?”

  CRACK!

  Chen Lei gripped Pengfei’s broken nose between thumb and forefinger and snapped it back into place with a crunch.

  “Fuuuckkk!”

  Chen Rulan slapped the back of the cursing patient’s head and stated curtly, “That’s another week of punishment.” The martial arts instructor then turned to the doctor, “Can I leave him here for tonight? I don’t want any more trouble in the dormitory.”

  Chen Lei nodded his permission and the two elders turned to leave Pengfei alone in the infirmary. The boy held a rag to his freshly gushing nostrils and leaned his head backwards to slow the torrent.

  A month in the cliffs … that was the punishment Chen Rulan had proclaimed when he found Pengfei standing over Hongyu. Five weeks now.

  --I didn’t know the elders took cursing so seriously.--

  The ‘cliffs’ were still a mystery to Pengfei. His friends were already three weeks into their own two-month sentence.

  --Wonder if I’ll be able to see Neng and the others.--

  For better or worse, there was no danger of being locked up with Hongyu. The other disciple hadn’t received any admonishment at all. Perhaps because Chen Rulan had walked in the dormitory just in time to see Pengfei standing over and slapping the other boy. If you just went by that, and completely ignored Pengfei’s battered face, you could be forgiven for mistaking who the real aggressor was.

  --Maybe Neng was right. Maybe the elders know about my other fights and want to teach me a lesson… whatever. It was worth it.--

  He had accomplished his goal. By almost any measure, he had lost the fight with Hongyu but no one could deny that he had made an impression.

  --Senior brother will think twice before he screws with me again. That’s worth five weeks.--

  ******************************************************************************

  In many ways Chen Ji was just like all the other elders of Kunlun. Grey hair and beard, an air of wisdom, perhaps an edge that could belie a martial mastery.

  Visibly, he was set apart by his height. Shorter than the rest of the Chen generation and most of the Jin as well. Pengfei was already a head taller than the man, looking clear over the elder as he led the way down a rocky path.

  But what really made Chen Ji stand out was his effusive kindness. One might expect the head of the Discipline Hall to be stern and overbearing but Pengfei saw no trace of such things in the small man’s demeanor.

  Like all the other groups within Kunlun, the Discipline Hall was a shadow of its former self. In a great sect like Shaolin or Wudang, Chen Ji would have led a staff of dozens to oversee hundreds of disciples, levying punishments against internal and external parties alike. But there could not be much work for the elder considering the greatly reduced population of the current Kunlun sect.

  --Maybe he’s just happy to have something to do?--

  Pengfei’s attention drifted in and out as the elder spoke of the Discipline Hall’s… accommodations.

  “-are really quite beautiful. The cells, though they’re not really cells, have some of the best views in the region, although I’m afraid it can be a little cold. But it shouldn’t be a problem for a strong young disciple such as -”

  Pengfei had gotten the gist of the situation within five minutes of meeting Elder Chen Ji. The little man had fetched him from the Medicine Hall first thing in the morning, to escort Pengfei to his temporary home. Cells cut into a nearby cliffside, reserved for isolation training. Or in occasional cases like this, punishment.

  The journey from the sect’s main compound was not long. Perhaps half an hour in the early morning darkrness. It was along a path Pengfei had never taken before, so he could only follow the elder and try not to lose his footing.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Suddenly, the small man stopped in his tracks, mid-sentence, to announce, “Here we are!”

  Pengfei nearly walked over the man but caught himself at the last moment. He looked about, confused.

  “But Elder, I don’t see anything.”

  Chen Ji chuckled and ushered Pengfei around him on the path. The disciple took a step forward on the rocky ground then jerked back with a jolt of fear, finding himself at the very edge of a sheer cliff face.

  “Shit!”

  Pengfei peered over the precipice. It was an enormous drop, a full li maybe. A deadly fall ten times over.

  “Elder, where are the cells?” Pengfei asked nervously

  Chen Ji laughed boisterously, “Haha, don’t worry boy. They’re still down there.”

  “No, I mean, how do I get down there, sir? Where is the path? Or are there stairs? A ladder?” Pengfei stepped back from the ledge and turned to find the elder retrieving a weathered and frayed rope from behind a nearby rock. He looped one end of it around a boulder a few times, did not bother with any knots, and held the other end out to Pengfei.

  “What’s that rope for, sir?”

  Chen Ji looked at the pathetic piece of cordage and said candidly, “For the climb down. Well, to be honest, it is mostly just to make you feel better.”

  “It’s not working, elder.”

  “I understand. Start climbing.”

  Pengfei reluctantly tied the free end of the rope around his waist and stepped up to the edge of the cliff.

  --There is no way this is going to hold me up!--

  Pengfei was sure that the safety line would disintegrate in his hands if he tugged on it too forcefully. He looked over the side of the cliff and looked for the cell he was supposed to climb down to, could not find it, and turned back to the kindly old man.

  “Elder Chen Ji, I don’t think I can do this. Please forgive me.”

  “Disciple…”

  “Yes sir?”

  “Get the hell out of my sight.” The elder’s eyes, once soft and caring, suddenly glinted like a wolf’s on the hunt. His teeth even seemed sharper when he sneered at the trembling disciple. But as eerie as the sudden change in the elder’s personality was, the prospect of a long fall with a sudden stop was even more terrifying.

  “Sorry, elder, I can’t d- huuhfff!“

  A forceful kick from the head of the Discipline Hall sent Pengfei over the edge of the cliff. He could feel his stomach drop, he swung his arms wildly as if he was a bird trying to take flight but plummeted toward the earth nonetheless.

  Just when Pengfei was managing to put together a scream of terror, the rope around his waist went taut. The sudden tension sent him toward the rock wall, but instead of bashing his skull against hard stone the disciple encountered more empty air. A cave, hidden in the cliff.

  The rope was released from its anchor above. Pengfei’s momentum carried him further into the cave, bouncing and sliding across the rough stone floor.

  “What…THE FUCK!”

  The volume of the scream that he had not managed to eke out found its way into his curses now. He stood and inched his way to the cave opening, a large hole in the cliffside the size of ten men standing shoulder to shoulder. Pengfei fist looked downward to the ground, so far below, and then craned his neck upward.

  He had not fallen far. Perhaps thirty paces. Elder Chen Ji, his chipper personality seemingly restored, smiled kindly down at Pengfei.

  “What the hell old man!?”

  If the elder could hear the words, he did not acknowledge them. He shouted something down to the disciple but his words were similarly lost in the wind.

  Chen Ji’s face disappeared and Pengfei nervously stepped back from the ledge.

  He made a quick survey of his current living arrangements. From the opening in the cliff, the cave widened greatly. It was perhaps the size of his dormitory building but with higher ceilings.

  A person could easily swing a sword overhead here.

  And indeed, the cave seemed manmade and intended for training. In the interior, the rough natural rock floor was replaced with the same smooth stones that were used in the sect’s training yard. There was even a weapons rack with dusty but sound wooden training swords.

  Large urns were filled with the same bland fare that had been at the barn in the valley. Another was filled with water, a wooden ladle resting on top of the lid. Bedrolls and blankets were piled in one corner.

  Pengfei’s gaze fell on an old wooden bucket tucked in a corner. Guessing it’s intended purpose, he let out a groan.

  “Shit.”

  ******************************************************************************

  The true nature of the punishment revealed itself within a few hours. Boredom. Unrelenting, unending boredom.

  Exploring the cave was the work of a few minutes but Pengfei stretched it out to two hours. He carefully inspected every nook and facet of the rock walls, every crack in the stone floors. He sorted through the bedrolls, finding the least threadbare and most comfortable option. Picking the ideal location to place the bedding took another hour.

  Pengfei even overcame his fear and stood in the cave’s opening to take in the view. It was a clear day and he could see into the distance for dozens of li. The grey and rocky foothills dropped away to the north and gave way to greenery. Grassy valleys and even some patches of forest.

  He tried to look right and left out of the cave but could not see any other entrances cut into the rock. He knew his friends were nearby in similar alcoves but he couldn’t hope to spot them. They could be ten paces to the side and still be hidden by the ridges in the cliff face.

  It seemed that the month would hold nothing except what little surrounded him now.

  Life in the sect could be routine and monotonous but Pengfei found a new appreciation for it within a day. His time in the valley had also been more pleasant, even when he had been alone. Now, he just had a dull stone room and a window out to a world he couldn’t touch.

  The hours passed slowly for him. He practiced the ‘Heaven Shaking Fist’. He even did the calisthenics that he normally dreaded. Pushups, lunges, frog jumps, and so on. He would occasionally attempt the ‘Mystical Heaven Infinite Skill’, but the finer points of the internal energy method still eluded him.

  In theory, a disciple undergoing punishment would spend a significant portion of each day reflecting on their transgressions and a similar amount of time should be spent on contemplating the dao. But Pengfei felt no guilt at the actions that brought him here and still had no interest in the metaphysical.

  He chose to spend that time sleeping instead.

  ******************************************************************************

  Chen Rulan announced himself at the Sect Leader’s residence and was quickly beckoned inside. Chen Huanzhong poured two cups of tea and wordlessly held one out to his martial brother.

  Elder Rulan accepted the cup and held it to his lips, pausing to say, “I was making some preparations for next year.”

  The sect leader nodded, understanding perfectly. “Do you think there will be any problems?”

  “Most of them are ready.”

  “And the ones who aren’t?”

  “I paid some visits today. Suggested to some of the disciples that they may want to increase their training. I don’t think I gave anything away. But the new boy, Pengfei… he’s in the cliffs now.”

  The sect leader considered for a moment, sipping his tea. Then he asked, “How long is he there for?”

  “Five weeks.”

  “We could be a bit more direct with him without the other disciples finding anything out. Then, announce things when he returns from his punishment.”

  “I was thinking the same.” Chen Rulan nodded. “I could see to it, but maybe Chen Weidao should show him some swordsmanship.”

  “No, he’s not a practical man. Weidao would spend a month just teaching him how to hold a sword properly and the child would be in the same place he is now. Just do what you can in the time you have.”

  “Yes, sect leader.”

  Elder Rulan drank the last of the tea from his cup, set it down, and turned to leave. He got as far as the doorway before he paused with one hand reaching out, then turned back to the sect leader.

  “There was one other thing. Chen Ji took the boy to the cliffs. On his way back, he saw signs of the Mountain King.”

  “The Mountain King…it’s been years.”

  “Maybe we should just bring the children back from the cliffs early?”

  The sect leader considered Rulan’s proposal but eventually shook his head. “No, he’s never bothered one of us before.”

  Master Rulan bowed and moved to leave. He took a step out into the night but was stopped again, this time by another word from Chen Huanzhong.

  “Brother Rulan, make sure the boys have a way out. Just in case.”