All The Gods We Can Touch - Book : Under this Iron Sky

二 Life, Dripping Down the Walls

The Huai Nian Sect was built on blood, tears and gratitude, one hundred years ago.

The lowland between the continent and what would become Huái Lóng Island was much higher, and thus, the now mushroom-shaped landmass was accessible by foot.

One day, two dragons descended from the skies and settled onto the coastal peaks : Bì Hǎi the sweet and Bái Xiá the cautious. Both had spent the last centuries roaming the skies over the Mortal Realms with gleeful abandon, before age and lingering weaknesses pushed them to settle down to try for younglings.

The mortuary family living nearby were distrustful at first, but built a shrine and made offerings as was customary, but quickly warmed up after the two dragons accepted their boons and started cleansing the surrounding soil of resentful and demonic energy.

After a dozen years of this, Bì Hǎi, who'd always been of the weakest constitution, fell sick, and their constitution deteriorated briskly, in spite of Bái Xiá sharing its spiritual energy and continuously cleansing its blood of the disease that was rotting in their veins. After a thousand fortnight of desperation, both mates concluded Bì Hǎi's life was waning, and should be accepted as thus.

However, both beasts grieved for their future of raising a child together, of teaching them their ancestral ways, and so the mortuary family nearby, hearing their cries and touched by their plight, offered them an accord: they would hand off one of their young to the dragons, and in turn the family would vow to perpetuate and spread the creatures' teachings.

Moved beyond words, Bì Hǎi accepted. And when Bái Xiá saw joy bloom once more upon his fading mate's face, he too gave his consent.

Thus was how the first master of blood-conjuration was nurtured beneath twin dragon wings, and thus was how the Huai Nian Sect rose from these mythicals' tombs.

The shrill shriek of children trying to kick down the door to his quarters suddenly woke Bái Jiānwēi up, followed by the faraway bellowing of one of his martial sisters. "Come back, you little brats!" She howled from farther into the building.

Groaning, he rubbed a hand against his eyes, plopping himself on his elbows after noticing he fell asleep on his desk. He groggily got up from his slouch to slap his door open and allow the kids inside. They slammed the door shut, and nervously tried to keep their laughter down as they listened to their Shījiě run past the room.

When it was safe to do so, they noisily sprawled around the tea table, swiftly dumping their pockets full of this morning's adventures as Jiānwēi was boiling water for the morning tea. "So, should this senior tax you for the help?" He mused aloud, to the immediate protests of the younger ones. "You only opened your door, Yǔ-Gēge!"

At the address, Jiānwēi tutted, disapproving. "It's 'Jiānwēi-Shīxiōng' to you, Liàng-Shīdì."

A-Liàng groaned, dramatically rolling his eyes to the sky and letting his skull thump on the table. This caused the hilarity of their little Shīmèi, who was licking a mix of spice and sugar on her palm. "You are only a few years older than us!" A-Liàng bemoaned.

Little A-Xiang patted him pityingly on his bun. "There there, A-Liàng. It's okay, Jiānwēi-Shūshu is teasing."

The adult stopped his sipping to smirk, a dangerous light in his eyes as he gazed upon the children. "This one is 'Shūshu' to you now?"

The solemn boy nodded, as their Meimei grabbed ahold of A-Liàng's hair with her sticky hand and pulled it under her nose, puckering her lips and obviously mimicking a moustache. Eyes shining with mirth, she used her other hand to sign: "You're only missing the beard, Gēge" .