Thud!
Arran groaned as he opened his eyes. Through the window, he could see that the first light of dawn was only just starting to appear. Only half-awake, he dully wondered what had just interrupted his sleep.
Thud! Thud!
This time, he realized that the sound came from the door. Someone was knocking.
"Who is it?!" he called out.
"Time to get up!"
Hearing that the voice was Lord Jiang's, Arran hurriedly got out of bed. It had been over two weeks since he had last seen any sign of his host, but after all the man had done for him, the last thing he wanted was to offend him.
When he opened the door, he saw Lord Jiang standing outside, dressed in simple brown clothes. Once more he marveled at the sheer size of the man — he resembled a living mountain.
"Today, we begin your training," Lord Jiang said, smiling brightly. "You've had time enough to recover, and then some. Now, it's time for some good hard work."
Arran nodded. It was true — he had already fully recovered, and the past few days, he had spent much of his time roaming the estate with Jiang Fei, enjoying the food, and spending long mornings sleeping in. Now, it seemed, the peace and quiet were finally at an end.
In a hurry, he changed into some simple clothes, then stepped out of the door. Already, he was feeling eager at the chance to learn new skills.
"Follow me," Lord Jiang said the moment Arran stepped outside. Immediately, he set off at a run.
Arran hurried behind him, but he quickly discovered that he was barely able to keep up with the man. Despite his size, Lord Jiang was faster and more agile than Arran could have imagined, and even running at a full sprint he had trouble just matching the man's pace.
After just a few minutes of running as fast as he could, Arran found himself completely winded. Panting loudly, he doubled over, trying to catch his breath.
"Use the circulation technique to recover." Lord Jiang had stopped behind him, but unlike Arran, he showed no signs of tiredness whatsoever. From what Arran could tell, not even the man's breath had sped up in the slightest.
Arran did as Lord Jiang said and used the circulation technique he had practiced over the past several weeks. Tired as he was, it took him some effort to find the concentration he needed, but after several tries he succeeded. Within moments, he felt his weariness subside.
"Good," Lord Jiang said with a nod. "Again, follow me."
Once more Lord Jiang set off at a run, and once more Arran followed behind him.
They spent several hours training this way, with Arran following Lord Jiang at a full sprint until he could run no more, then using the circulation technique to recover in a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise.
Every time, Arran found it a little easier to use the circulation technique, and soon, he was able to start it almost immediately after he stopped running.
"It seems like you're getting the hang of it," Lord Jiang said. "But now, try using the technique while you run."
Arran nearly gaped in astonishment. Suddenly, he understood that the circulation technique could do far more than just help him recover.
Seeing Arran's shocked expression, Lord Jiang grinned in approval. "I see you've finally caught on. Go on then, give it a try."
Eager to see what would happen, Arran began to run again, although this time, his pace was a little slower than before as he tried to focus on using the circulation technique at the same time.
After just a few moments he realized that while the idea seemed simple enough, putting it into practice would be far harder. The circulation technique wasn't too hard if he was standing still and could focus his intention, but when he was running, his body was moving constantly, and it became far harder to circulate his Essence.
Just a few minutes later he came to a halt, completely exhausted. To his surprise, he found that using the technique while running was far more strenuous than running alone. It was like trying to create a delicate painting while at the same time performing a wild dance.
"Not so easy, is it?" Lord Jiang said with a chuckle.
"I don't understand why it's so hard," Arran said. He could run and he could circulate his Essence, yet doing both at the same time proved almost impossible.
"The technique requires you to be fully aware of your body," Lord Jiang said, "yet when you exert yourself, your body is constantly changing." With a thoughtful nod, he added, "There is only one way to learn it."
"What is it?" Arran asked eagerly.
"Keep practicing!" Lord Jiang let out a rumbling laugh.
Arran's face fell, but he took the man's words to heart. With a sigh, he got back to running, all the while constantly trying to perform the circulation technique.
The hours that followed were exhausting, both mentally and physically. Occasionally Arran had to take short breaks to recover from the exertion, but other than that, he didn't waste a single moment, practicing continuously.
It was past midday when Lord Jiang finally stopped him.
"That's enough for today," the man said. "Right now, what you need is a good meal and plenty of rest. We will continue your training tomorrow."
Having made little progress in the last few hours, Arran could not help but feel disappointed. Even though he was exhausted, some part of him wanted to continue practicing, at least until he could see some results.
Then, a thought entered his mind, and he turned to Lord Jiang.
"Lord Jiang," he began.
"Uncle Bear," Lord Jiang corrected him.
"Uncle Bear," Arran said, although he still felt uncomfortable at addressing the man so casually, "could Jiang Fei join us in training tomorrow?"
"Learning my secrets isn't enough?" Lord Jiang asked, looking amused. "Now you want to share them as well?"
Arran felt some embarrassment at making such a request from someone who had already helped him a great deal, but he did not let up. He owed Jiang Fei at least this much, he figured.
"Jiang Fei is part of the Jiang Clan," Arran said. "If you can teach me, surely it would be okay to teach her as well?"
Lord Jiang chuckled. "It isn't quite as simple as you think. You're an outsider, and what I teach you won't affect the clan much. If I teach her, on the other hand…"
The man gave Arran an examining look. Finally, he nodded, and a broad smile once more appeared on his face.
"Very well," he said. "I suppose if I teach you, she'll find out anyway. There are no secrets between lovers, after all." At that, he gave Arran a meaningful wink.
Arran coughed loudly, very much hoping that Lord Jiang would never repeat those words in front of Jiang Fei.
"And besides," Lord Jiang continued, grinning slyly, "the clan could do with some shaking up. Those gray old foxes have grown far too comfortable." He nodded again, a decisive look in his eyes. "Alright, go get the girl."
Although he did not entirely understand what Lord Jiang was talking about, Arran vaguely sensed that the man's decision to teach Jiang Fei had implications beyond her simply learning a few techniques.
Still, he did not worry about it too much — if Jiang Fei had been happy just meeting Lord Jiang, she certainly would be ecstatic at the chance to be taught by him.
With a grateful nod to Lord Jiang, he set off toward the cottage where she was staying.
