Blood Bonds And Golden Ties

Chapter 1: Successful Entry Exam?

[Luo Xiao Zhao]

"Get up boy! It's time for you to cut the wood!"

Xiao Zhao was lying on the mat when he felt the blanket ripped away from him. The cold seeped into his pores and he was yanked to his feet.

"What! Do you think that just because you're hurt, I should pity you? Or do you think I should give you a break? I'm telling you, that you are nothing but scum to me! I can get rid of you if I want! Now get up before I do!"

The boy moaned as he was dragged out of the shack and brought in front of a pile of wood partially covered by snow. The man shoved the boy who collapsed onto the ground. He unbuckled his whip from his belt and hit the boy. The boy groaned.

"I said get up! Get up!" The boy covered his head and ears and braced himself as he was beaten. It's been 18 years and he still hasn't changed.

"You worthless person! I can't believe your mom had a child like you! Humph!" He raised the whip and brought it down. The boy caught it, refusing to let go.

"Let go!"

"Don't mention my mom," he said quietly. The words hung in the air, cold.

Soft snow started to fall.

"Humph!" He yanked the whip and the boy let go. "I'm tired. You better have finished cutting this pile of wood before noon, or else you will have no breakfast."

The boy was left in the snow and felt relieved as he heard Zheng Xia Ning's receding steps. His resolve slowly melted.

After a minute, he got onto his knees and reached for the wooden pile. It took a couple of tries before he finally managed to grab the edge of a wooden block. His body screamed in pain. He felt his stomach splitting open. Despite this, he slowly used one of his arms to pull himself up. He was almost successful when his knees buckled under him. As quick as lightning, his other hand grabbed the wooden ledge, and he stabilized himself. Now he stood, but barely. His heart was racing wildly, and his breath was shallow.

Only at this moment did he realize he did not have proper clothing on. Except for a thin white robe, he wore nothing that could block him from the cold. Even knowing this, he knew retrieving his clothes would be near to impossible. Zheng Xia Ning always made sure he suffered as much as possible.

Shivering violently, he picked up a solid piece of wood but dropped it due to his shaking hands. He tried again and managed to put the wood on the stump of a tree. He bent down, picked up an equally frozen ax, lifted it over his head, and brought it down. The wood split, and he made a new pile of split wood on the ground next to him.

I hate him! I hate him! With each strike of the ax, he hit harder and harder despite his muscles protesting in pain. With every blow, his resentment grew. Yet every time his resentment surged, he tried to remember the good times he had with the old man when he was younger... It was only mid-morning when he finished. He wiped the sweat off his brow, walked to the door of the main house where Zheng Xia Ning lived, and just stood there waiting, something he had been taught since he was a child.

"I'm done," he called.

No answer.

He tried again, "I'm finally done."

Still no answer.

The boy started to shift back and forth between his two feet and stared at the ground. He was startled when he heard the front door squeak open and slam shut. He furtively glanced up.

There stood Zheng Xia Ning. His hands clenched, his feet apart, and shoulders tensed. He shot his hand to his left, where he grabbed a neatly folded pile of clothing on the porch's railing. Throwing them on the steps covered in snow, he sneered, "Get changed. Come back when you are done. I have a task for you."