A heavy silence filled the room. The attendant stared at Lin-yu's receding figure.

  Her steps resounded through the reception's hollow floor. As she left the reception hall's vicinity, the sun's yellow gleam had turned tinged orange.

  The attendant turned to Vera.

  "What happened during the test?" Her gaze turned into a sharp glare. She gripped onto the binder's thick folds; the rustling of paper sounded through the empty hall.

  Vera's expression was cold and unbothered, not a single crease on his face.

  "She lost."

  His words sent a tremor through the attendant's body.

  Her brows furrowed; she wanted to refuse Vera's words, but...

  Lin-yu's slumped gait convinced her otherwise.

  A series of deep breaths undulated through her chest; her sharp gaze weakened.

  The attendant looked down at her desk as she let go of the binder's pages.

  Just then, a shriek escaped her.

  "AHHH! I crumpled the papers again. The branch master will get mad!"

  As though the previous scene had vanished from her mind, she hurriedly pressed the papers down.

  She could only hope the branch master wouldn't notice.

  ...

  A few minutes of the attendant hurriedly flattening the papers passed. Vera walked over to a cosy corner to sit down as he waited for her to be done.

  Soon a relieved sigh filled the pavilion; having taken care of the binder, her gaze turned to Vera.

  "Sorry about that." She bowed as she spoke to Vera. Her accusing tone had cooled off as time passed, now returning to her previous 'chirping'.

  "Don't worry about it. However, it's getting pretty late; I need to meet my companions soon. Could we take care of the registration work tomorrow?"

  "Ahh... My apologies. We can take care of the registration tomorrow."

  She rummaged through her desk drawer and picked out a token and a piece of paper.

  "Could you wait for a moment?"

  Vera nodded at her.

  He could hear the scratching of a pen against paper.

  Vera waited for her to be done, fidgeting with a splinter he found to pass the time.

  After a few moments the attendant walked over to him.

  "Please take these along with you. The token is for entry. And the paper is to make up for being rude before."

  Vera pushed off the ground and stood up. He stared at the paper, a single brow raised as he examined its contents.

  "What is this?"

  "You're here to learn Law aren't you? Most wandering artists join martial schools for that purpose alone."

  Vera nodded at her again, his eyes fixed to the paper's contents.

  "Since you are to be registered as a heaven-rank entrant, you will be allowed to choose from five of the Laws the Blade Master composed himself."

  Her fingers hovered over the paper as she spoke.

  "I've noted down all the manuals available to you with a small description. Don't tell anyone that I gave this to you; I'm not allowed to share this with outsiders." Her index finger formed a cross over her pursed lips.

  Vera thanked her for the help as he took the items from her.

  He walked to the pavilion's entrance; just then the attendant rushed over to him, calling his name.

  "Hmm?"

  "You didn't ask for my name."

  The dull gold of the setting sun graced her visage: a gentle gaze, gently shaped lips, and a mole over her cheek.

  "Huh..."

  "My name, don't you want to know?" She stared at Vera with puffed cheeks.

  It could've been because he was focused on his task that he didn't bother to look at her carefully.

  "What's your name?" Vera asked, slightly taken aback.

  "I'm Chang-yu, Lin-yu's younger sister."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Her face stood a hand's width away from Vera's.

  "I'm Vera."

  She pulled back from Vera, waving as she walked back to her desk at the far end of the room.

  As Vera left the recruitment hall he thought to himself.

  She's pretty...

  ***

  Vera rushed to the city gate, where he was met with an angry Chun and Sword Dog sharing a candied apple.

  "I'm sorry about the delay. I got held up at the Blade Master sect."

  "Hmph. I didn't ask." Chun crossed his arms and turned away from Vera.

  "Did I make you wait too long?"

  His question fell on deaf ears. Both Chun and Sword Dog turned away from him, complaining as they took a bite of their snack.

  Vera walked over to the two of them and ruffled their heads.

  "I'll buy you whatever you want for dinner if you forgive me." A pleading smile crept onto Vera's face.

  And just like that, the three of them walked to the nearest inn with smiles on their faces.

  After Chun bargained with the owner for half an hour, making promises of a long stay with Vera's consent, he was able to bring down the price to just 30 coppers a day.

  For dinner, Chun asked for ten plates of noodles and stir-fried chicken. Although he managed to finish only seven of the plates, to Vera it was already a valiant effort.

  His stomach pressed into his robes as he leaned into his chair. Sword Dog polished off the remaining three plates.

  Vera gazed at Chun's arms with a smile.

  He looks like a normal child now...

  His once bony wrists thickened. Though the edges of his bones could still be seen, it was far better than before.

  By the time he and Sword Dog were done eating, Chun had long fallen to sleep.

  Vera threw the boy over his shoulder and walked to the inn's third floor.

  Before Chun had met with Vera at the city gate, he found a few inns that met Vera's requirements.

  The 'Second Home' inn, stood opposite to the Sixth Sector's Golden Dragon mercantile, was where Vera was staying.

  Thanks to Chun's aggressive haggling Vera was able to save quite a bit on their flat.

  Having laid Chun down in a room of his own, Vera gave his sleeping face a final glance.

  Sword Dog had already laid down beside Chun. With a thick blanket beneath him, he didn't seem intent on moving.

  "You're not coming?" Vera whispered to Sword Dog, but he was met with rejection.

  "Goodnight."

  ...

  A low lamplight shone over the paper Chang-yu handed Vera.

  Sat beside a polished wooden desk, he went through its contents. Though the words were scribbled on hurriedly, Chang-yu's handwriting was elegant.

  At first Vera expected over-the-top names for each Law, but to his surprise the names were very much to the point.

  "Swift Sword Law seems like a bad fit. My techniques are more focused on explosive movements and heavy strikes."

  His fingers shifted from the information on the Swift Sword Law to the Iron Blanket Law.

  While the idea interested him, he already had the Taowu canon for defence. Adding another layer of defence seemed redundant.

  Although the first two didn't meet his tastes, the last three caught his attention.

  "Point Compression, Heavy Blade, and Impact." Vera called out their names as he leaned into his chair.

  According to the description, each of the three Laws focused on raw firepower.

  Point Compression focused on increasing the destructive force of qi-based attacks by compressing them into a point.

  "The Law's basis seems similar to that of my own qi-sword technique." Vera murmured as he put the paper into his desk drawer.

  Heavy Blade, on the other hand, focused on increasing mechanical forces by strengthening the link between qi and the flesh.

  The technique suited his weapon. With a polearm, where dexterity is not the main goal, raw power was paramount.

  And finally, Impact. Unlike the previous techniques that focused on building base strengths, Impact was based on building force rapidly.

  "I can use the technique to boost my momentum at close ranges. It is largely suitable for my 'brawl' fighting style." He closed the lamp's ventilation holes as he thought out loud.

  Vera gazed at the ceiling as he contemplated which Law to learn.

  Unlike martial techniques, a single Law could take years to just learn. Once he stepped into it, turning back would be too costly.

  The one he was least geared towards was Point Compression. While it boasted extreme output, that was something he could achieve with the sheer volume of his qi.

  Vera got off the chair and walked to his bed.

  While he was plagued by the choice, in truth he already knew the answer.

  He recalled the day he'd fought in the Forest of the Nagas.

  "Don't bother with complicated things. Your strength lies in being overwhelming. That's what you said, right, Danho?"

  The dull lamplight died out; Vera's day ended.

  ***

  Come morning, Vera was out in the city.

  The sky was still a dull hue. The markets were just opening for the day. Having withdrawn a few hundred coppers from the Golden Dragon mercantile, Vera decided to buy some utensils to cook breakfast.

  With the penthouse room Vera had rented out came a clay furnace. Not wanting to waste money on eating out forever, he figured it would be best to get used to the kiln today.

  After a few minutes of walking, he had gotten all he needed.

  "I guess we are having eggs for breakfast." He muttered under his breath.

  Having only cooked chunks of meat over campfires, he wasn't particularly knowledgeable on health.

  As he walked through the streets with slumped shoulders, he met a familiar face.

  "Vera!" Chang-yu shouted as she ran over to him.

  Her energetic voice echoed through the empty streets.

  She stood a few paces away from Vera, leaning down to look into his bag.

  "Ohh! You cook? Most martial artists just eat out."

  "Hm... I have a kid back home. Figured it would be best if I learned to cook something healthy."

  Chang-yu held a palm over her mouth as she stared at Vera.

  "I didn't know you had a child. Is your wife with you in the city?"

  "Huh...? I don't have a wife."

  Chang-yu's exaggerated expression grew; her eyes widened. She placed her hand over his shoulder.

  "Must be rough raising a child as a single father. Don't hesitate to ask for help!"

  As Chang-yu's yammering trailed off, the morning silence returned.

  For the first time in a long time Vera was annoyed; a vein bulged over his temple.

  Vera exhaled slowly. He gently removed her hand from his shoulder.

  "I'm not the child's father. And before you misunderstand, he is a random kid that travelled with me from the Seventh Sector."

  "Ahh... My mistake."

  She leant over, peering into his bag again.

  "As an apology, let me help you out with some shopping. A breakfast of just eggs is not a breakfast of champions."

  After some arguing, with Vera rejecting and Chang-yu insisting, he was dragged back to the markets.

  Nearly half an hour later Vera was finally done buying groceries. Standing in front of the Second Home inn, he spoke to Chang-yu.

  "Hmm... So I must feed him vegetables?"

  "You must! Don't forget, five kinds a day!"

  Vera nodded meekly at her words. When it came to fighting he may have been an expert on the matter, however nutrition...

  At some point in her instructions she noticed Vera's empty expression.

  "Well, we will talk more on this later. I'll see you at the sect for registration today."

  "Hm... I'll see you soon then."

  Despite her constant yammering, Vera didn't find her unpleasant, rather, she was like Elem, just less cocky and more likable.

  Though as she walked away from Vera while waving at him, he caught himself thinking the same thing again.

  She really is good looking.

  In his twenty one years of life this was a first.

  The dull blue in the sky now turned a dim yellow, the sun had risen from its rest.

  "I should start cooking breakfast..." Vera spoke, his absentminded gaze stuck on where Chang-yu stood.