Feiyin sat cross-legged in the dim light of the evening, the glow of the oil lamp flickering against the wooden walls of their home. His body ached from the day's training, but it was a satisfying pain, one that reminded him he was growing stronger. Across from him, his father sat, his back straight despite the long years of battle he had endured. His mother moved gracefully through the small room, setting down a warm cup of medicinal tea in front of Feiyin before taking her own seat.
Tonight was different. Tonight was not about training his body but about understanding the people who had given him life.
His father's voice was as steady as ever when he finally spoke. "You asked me before why we train the way we do, why one day is dedicated to external refinement and the next to internal cultivation."
Feiyin nodded, sipping his tea.
"It is because strength is not just what you can see. Flesh and bone can be tempered, but if the blood is weak, if the breath is uncontrolled, then that strength is hollow. A warrior must learn to balance power and endurance, hardness and flexibility, destruction and recovery."
His mother smiled faintly, adding, "Your father and I both learned this lesson through survival."
Feiyin's interest sharpened. He had never heard them speak of their past in such a way before.
Cai Feng's gaze darkened slightly, as if looking back into a time long past. "I was once a general, Feiyin. A man who led thousands into battle, who carried the banner of a nation that no longer exists."
Feiyin's fingers tightened around his cup. A general? He had always known his father was more than just a mere warrior, but this…
"My homeland was strong," his father continued, "or at least, it seemed that way. But strength on the surface means nothing when the core is rotten. The empire that swallowed us did not win because they were stronger than us. They won because we destroyed ourselves before they even arrived."
His mother remained silent, allowing Cai Feng to continue.
"The court was filled with vipers, scheming nobles, greedy officials, corrupt generals who sold their loyalty for wealth. I fought not only against enemies on the battlefield but against those who claimed to be my allies." His jaw clenched. "I watched as the people I was sworn to protect suffered while the powerful gorged themselves on wealth and security. And when the enemy finally struck, there was nothing left to hold the walls."
The room was silent except for the occasional crackling of the oil lamp.
"I fought to the last," Cai Feng said softly. "I believed that, even if the nation fell, I could at least die standing, die fighting. But as I watched my own men cut each other down over petty rivalries, as I saw the people we swore to protect left behind to burn while the corrupt fled with their riches, something in me broke." He exhaled, shaking his head. "When the final battle came, I did not fight. I left."
Feiyin's breath hitched. His father was not a man who ran from battle. To imagine him walking away from war instead of standing at the frontlines…
"Some called me a coward," Cai Feng admitted. "Perhaps I was. But I had already lost my loyalty, my faith in the people I had fought for. A soldier without a cause is nothing but a blade without a wielder."
Silence hung between them for a long moment before Mei Liao spoke.
"Your father was not the only one who lost everything."
Feiyin turned to her, watching as her eyes darkened, their amethyst hue deep with old memories.
"I was born into a noble clan, the daughter of its leader," she said, her voice softer than his father's but no less firm. "Unlike your father's people, mine did not fall to an external empire. We were destroyed from within."
Feiyin could already guess. "Factional struggle?"
She nodded. "When my father ruled, the clan was strong, not just in power, but in unity. But as time passed, greed took root. Some believed our clan should align with larger sects, that we should trade our independence for safety. Others, like my father, believed that we should remain self-reliant, strong on our own." She sighed. "In the end, my father was betrayed. The very people he had raised, trained, and trusted, turned against him. He was killed, replaced, and those loyal to him were either executed or exiled."
Feiyin's hands tightened into fists.
"My fate was… set," Mei Liao continued, her voice laced with quiet bitterness. "I was to be married off to solidify the new leader's hold on power, to become nothing more than a symbol of the clan's submission."
Feiyin shuddered at the thought. His mother had never been one to bow, to obey without question. To imagine her in such a situation was unthinkable.
"I refused," she said simply. "So I ran."
The weight of her words settled over Feiyin. He had never truly considered just how much his parents had given up before finding their way here. They had not simply settled down to raise a family. They had left behind entire lives, entire legacies, for a new beginning.
"And that was when you met?" he asked.
Mei Liao smiled faintly. "Not in the way you might expect."
Cai Feng chuckled, shaking his head. "She tried to kill me."
Feiyin blinked. "What?"
"I had been traveling for years by that point, wandering without direction. One evening, I stopped at an inn along a quiet road. I had no plans, no destination, just another night in another place. But then she walked in."
Mei Liao smirked. "I was still being pursued by my clan. When I saw a Qi Condensation cultivator sitting in an inn, alone, I assumed the worst, I thought he was one of my pursuers."
"So you attacked him?" Feiyin asked, unable to hide his disbelief.
"Of course," Mei Liao said lightly, as if discussing the weather. "It was only after I ambushed him outside the inn that I realized he wasn't who I thought he was."
Cai Feng rubbed his jaw. "She had good technique, I'll give her that. But she didn't stand a chance."
Mei Liao rolled her eyes. "I was exhausted from running for weeks."
Feiyin laughed despite himself.
His father's expression grew serious. "That fight was meaningless in the end, because not long after, her real pursuers found us."
Feiyin leaned forward. "And?"
"We fought," Mei Liao said simply. "We killed them all."
Cai Feng nodded. "It was the first time in years I had felt like I was fighting for something real. And she… she had nowhere left to go."
"And so we traveled together," Mei Liao finished. "Two people who had lost everything, walking the same road."
The silence that followed was not uncomfortable, but heavy with unspoken emotions.
Feiyin swallowed, looking between them. "And then you had me."
Cai Feng's expression softened, and Mei Liao's smile grew warmer.
"We had you," she agreed. "And for the first time in a long time… we had something worth protecting."
Feiyin exhaled slowly, a strange emotion filling his chest.
He had always respected his parents, but now… now he understood them.
They were not just his mother and father.
They were warriors who had survived tragedy, wanderers who had found purpose again.
And because of them, he was here.
Cai Feng set his cup down. "That is why we train, Feiyin. Not just to be strong, but to endure. Because strength alone is meaningless without something to fight for."
Mei Liao reached over, gently placing a hand on Feiyin's shoulder.
"And you, my son," she said softly, "are worth fighting for."
Feiyin clenched his fists, fire burning in his chest.
He would make them proud.