The Ten Canvases

Chapter 1 The vast open field stretched as far as the eye could see. Over the mountains in the west, the sun was setting while the yellow and green dry grasses gently swayed and undulated in the twilight wind. In the northern part of Shaanxi Province, there was a peaceful land as quiet as always. The towering trees in the forest were lush while the water in the river streamed unpolluted. A middle-aged man was strolling through the grass as three children trailed behind him, chatting and laughing with each other endlessly. The man paced around that area back and forth, before stopping under a wilted tree. Suddenly, he said, “Yuan’er, pick up a branch and spar with your brother to polish your sword fighting skills.” When the three children heard that, they knew it was time for practice again. The two teenage boys replied at once, “Understood!” The younger boy picked up a long branch, holding it like a sword in his left hand. Despite his age, his movements were strict and precise. Meanwhile, the other boy stepped into position and let out a breath. Then, two children exchanged blows. The remaining child, a little girl of eight or nine, hopped up to the man, blinking her eyes and asking, “Father, is Brother Wen using the South Pointing Sword Style? It’s quite unimpressive.” The man patted the little girl’s head and smiled. “Don’t say that, Xuan’er. Be good and watch your brothers’ techniques carefully.” Although the boy with the branch was not very strong, his stance was very stable. Meanwhile, the other boy was much stronger despite using his fists only. He swiftly changed between his strikes and jabs, opening and closing his hands into striking punches and hits. Clearly, he possessed immense skills. After watching about ten moves, the man said, “Alright, stop!” The two children each withdrew their stances and ran over to the man. He took the branch from one of the boys and said, “Yuan’er, the move you did just now where you stabbed the left shoulder was not delivered well. You should turn the blade like this and stab like this... The same goes for Yang’er. If you hit the abdomen instead, your brother would have lost…” The little boys listened attentively to their master’s teachings, while the little girl sat on the grass, watching with interest as her father spoke and gestured. Only after the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky did the four of them slowly leave the grassland. Days like these repeated over and over until one day, only three of them came to this grassland. The two young boys had grown into radiant youths, and the girl behind them had turned into a beautiful young woman. The three of them came to rest under the tree in the middle of the isolated field. It was early summer and the land was lush and green. The tree was no longer wilted, but was covered in vibrant green leaves. Below the tree was a solid rock engraved with the characters, “Tomb of Hua Xuanqing”. The young girl bowed to the tomb and muttered, “Father, we’re here to see you again.” As she spoke, she opened a bag of rice wine and poured it all over the rock. The young girl was Hua Xuan, the only daughter of the man in the tomb. The shadows of the swaying leaves fell on her picture-perfect face and a graceful body. She was indeed a beautiful maiden. The two young men were Hua Xuanqing’s disciples. The older one, Xiang Yang, was already 20 years old, with a dashing face and flamboyant stance. The younger one, Wen Yuan, was only 17, which was two years older than Hua Xuan. He was handsome and graceful, with elegance exuding from him. Actually, he resembled more of a scholar than a martial disciple. Wen Yuan bowed to the tomb and said, “Master in heaven, my brother, my sister, and I are leaving today. We will use the skills that we have learned from you to fight for justice. May your spirit bless us.” Xiang Yang patted Wen Yuan on the shoulder and smiled, “Alright, alright. With the skills you have now, you don’t really need Master's blessings for protection.” He paused, before continuing, “We are under the same Master, but each of us has our own strengths. Even so, no one could tell how the world would talk about the three of us in the future. Every year on this day, we shall come back here. Whoever fails to carry on Master’s teachings and eliminate the evildoers will have to kowtow to Master 365 times!” Hua Xuan clapped her hands and laughed. “Brother Xiang, are you sure you want to make this suggestion? When your head is cracking from kowtowing, don’t start complaining to us!” Xiang Yang merely laughed loudly in response. However, Wen Yuan smiled and said, “Elder brother is the best at what he does. I might even be the one kowtowing actually.” Amused, Xiang Yang laughed and replied, “Nonsense, let's go!” The three of them left the place where they learned their skills. Under the setting sun, they parted ways. Their futures were uncertain, as they started on their journeys into the world. After one year, they would recount their stories when they met again! Xiang Yang bid farewell to his younger brother and sister before traveling eastward. Generally, he was quite a simple and easy-going person. Although he felt lonely occasionally, he would drink and practice his martial arts when the mood struck him. When he met injustice, he would intervene using his fists. After all, he had been with Master Hua Xuanqing the longest. Hence, he had gained a lot of knowledge and experience from his training. He was completely undefeated, beating up tycoons and kicking vicious officials on his way. After all, his martial arts skills were extraordinary, thus the ordinary villains were no match for him.