Heir to the Ancient Scriptures

Failure

After being declared a cultivation failure, Fen Lian left the place feeling whipped. For the umpteenth time, she had to fail again in cultivation. Fen Lian had already promised herself that after failing, she would not want to cultivate again. Because it would be a waste of time, it would be useless to try again with the same result of failure. Fen Lian walked helplessly, her mind blank, only sadness consuming her. Until a few seconds later, she was already quite far from the place when suddenly a small child approached her. It was Xiao, the little boy she knew at that place.

The little boy walked hand in hand with Fen Lian because Xiao was so small, to the point that Fen Lian was unaware of Xiao's presence beside her. Similarly, Xiao, who felt that she was being ignored, immediately raised her voice.

"Hey! Adults can't be sad!" Xiao said suddenly

Hearing that, Fen Lian suddenly snapped out of her reverie. She turned her head and looked down to see where Xiao was standing next to her. Their steps stopped for a moment, and Fen Lian also still looked surprised by Xiao's presence beside her.

"Xiao, why are you here? And who are you with?" Fen Lian asked curiously.

Xiao smiled sweetly, displaying her neat and clean teeth. This little boy was cute and adorable to anyone who saw him.

"I'm alone; what's your name?" He asked boldly.

"Just call me Fen Lian."

Xiao nodded in understanding. "Don't be sad; adults shouldn't be sad. Remember that failure is the key to success; you have to be enthusiastic again to fight for what you want!" She spoke wisely, but with a childlike tone. It cannot be denied that Xiao is indeed a child once he speaks adult, even though people's views are still those of small and adorable little children with a language style like children in general.

Fen Lian smiled as she crouched down to balance herself with Xiao. I don't know where Fen Lian got the courage to gently rub Xiao's head, channeling her affection for Xiao.

"I won't be sad anymore for your sake! I will learn from my mistakes so far. When I come back, I will definitely study harder," Fen Lian said confidently.

Xiao gave a thumbs up when she heard Fen Lian's words. It was a great joy for Xiao to have managed to make an adult like Fen Lian melt into her.

"Good! Don't pay attention to what others say; focus on yourself. By the way, if you can't cultivate, it doesn't mean you can't do other martial arts. Keep your spirit up and train according to your ability; don't force it!" He said.

Fen Lian smiled as she heard Xiao's words, which were polite and very motivating for her, who was not doing well. Looking at the sunlight that had begun to sink made Fen Lian bend her face in disappointment. It was a pity that her meeting with Xiao Hua had to end here; she couldn't chat with Xiao for long because she had to return to Jiangnan before it got too late.

"Xiao, I'm sorry that we can't chat for long. I have to go back before it gets dark. I will always remember your words, and I will study harder!" Fen Lian said.

Xiao nodded. "Go; I hope to see you again someday," she said without any sadness. Unlike Fen Lian, who felt a little sad about having to say goodbye to Xiao, I don't know what feeling she felt, but it was clear that this sadness and affection grew naturally in Fen Lian's day without any coercion.

After that, she said goodbye to Xiao and returned to Jiangnan. Fen Lian walked quickly out of the village. Slowly,  the shadow of Fen Lian's back was no longer visible. While Xiao was still standing, rooted to the spot, staring at Fen Lian's departure.

"A humble, mature man," she murmured.

After that, Xiao went back into the hall to continue the next session. As it was written in the agreement, whoever managed to cultivate properly would have to do the next stage. Xiao successfully passed the cultivation, so he had to stay in this place for a week or possibly a month to do the next stage.

***

Fen Lian walked alone into the forbidden forest of the village. The lighting that was getting late was getting less and less bright, and the cold and lonely air made the atmosphere even more tense. But that right did not make Fen Lian afraid at all; her warrior spirit had been formed from an early age, and she was not afraid of the outside world at all. According to her, traveling is very fun and challenging, so she really likes traveling.

His burly hands raked through the leaves of the bushes several times, looking for a way out. He carefully walked along the path he had chosen to get to Jiangnan.

Not all journeys are as straight and smooth as we imagine. Halfway through the journey in the late night, there was an impromptu attack coming from behind him. This attack was in the form of a pointed tonbak that stuck perfectly into the large tree in front of him.

It must have taken Fen Lian by surprise. But a few seconds later, she normalized her shock by immediately turning her body around and looking for the person who threw the spear. There was no one behind her, but that made her even more vigilant.

"Who's there?" Fen Lian shouted loudly.

There was still no answer at all, until a few seconds later an arrow flew into the air, which fortunately Fen Lian swiftly dodged. So that the arrow did not hit her.

"If you're a warrior, please come out; don't hide like a coward!" Fen Lian sarcastically said

Until a few seconds later, three warriors wearing all-black clothes stood tall in front of her. Fen Lian immediately frowned when she saw who was in front of her. The three men stared sarcastically at Fen Lian, while Fen Lian herself was still surprised by the presence of this man in front of her.

"What do you want from me that you keep bothering me?" Asked Fen Lian sternly.

The man smiled sarcastically. "I just want to make you realize that you're still a useless swordsman and will always fail your cultivation!" He said it in a mocking tone. Along with that insult came the sound of satisfied laughter that escaped the lips of the three of them very loudly.

"You're mocking me?" Fen Lian asked casually. Then Fen Lian crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Better we fight now to prove your words!" Challenged Fen Lian confidently.

The man smiled mockingly. "How arrogant of him," he said.

Continued...