The village of Kinan welcomed its new addition yesterday. He was the son of the village's scholar and his wife, who was one of the daughters of the village's chief. His induction into the village was followed by a ritualistic ceremony, and a grand feast where 6 cows and 7 pigs were killed and fed to the entire village.
This was one of the more prestigious events of the last 5 years, as the scholar had come from lands afar; and had been cemented as the teacher of the entire village's population. The chief's daughter needed no more introduction, and was equally charming to all.
"My son, he shall be named Yunming, and he shall hold the keys of destiny in his hands.", the proud scholar proclaimed as he looked at his son. Below him, there were circles of concentric variations, with strange markings and symbols known only to the scholar. In the 5th year of the Tai, in the house of the smiling warrior, under the 7th heaven. Years of experience put the father at rest, knowing that he had received a favoured boon for his son.
Besides him, nobody understood, but they all praised the scholar regardless. Kinan had a population of about 9000 people, and was one of the larger villages in the Greater Nanming region. However, most of the population were farmers, hunters, and a makeup of other professions.
Scholars were rare; as most of the sanctioned men of knowledge, the scholars that carried wisdom, were working in cities and towns under the lordship of the Emperor. There, they received better treatment, more worship, respect and riches beyond normal people.
Yunming, being the son of this scholar, would be educated in his ways, the village chief believed. Thus, their tiny village had more chances of producing more scholars, making life better for everyone here.
"Kongming, congratulations. You have sired a fine young man.", the chief guffawed as he looked at the baby being held by the mother's tender hands.
The proud father rubbed his beard, trying to hide his excitement, though his trembling hands betrayed him.
"Let Yunming and his mother rest.", the scholar spoke, and the ceremony ended.
The months passed quickly after the ceremony.
Yunming did not behave at all orderly. He would refuse all food, milk, and writhe uncomfortably in his mother's hands.
Still, he was a child. This was normal for babies, the father thought. The two parents still looked at him with great love, and coddled him.
Years passed now.
The three year old Yunming was disobedient. He carried within him a wild temper, and never behaved well with the other kids from the village. The chief pinned it down to being pampered from birth, and feeling as if he was above the rest. This could be solved with some training. The scholar had a different opinion, and thought that he had inherited some of the worse traits from the smiling warrior's house. Deviations were common in the field of astrology.
No matter the cause, Yunming was greatly tempered and would cause a great scene wherever he went. It was to the point that any child who saw Yunming on the streets would flee to their parents in terror. To them, he wasn't a child, he was an animal at heart, and they could not get along.
Still, out of respect for the old scholar, the villagers did not mention anything. They simply thought that this was how the son of a scholar should be, wild and willful. He would settle down sooner or later.
Winters came and passed, the seasons changed, and the winds blew everywhere.
Slap.
"Little devil, what's two apples and two apples together add up to?", an angry voice berated a child as he tried to count on his fingers.
Yunming never exhibited much of a human's traits from his birth. In his mind, he was still Shi Bai, that old failure who had gone through 3 lives already.
To make matters worse, his own body resembled the strange figures who killed him and his pack in his previous life. He strained his brain trying to understand what his parents wanted from him, but it was difficult to teach a wild animal how to count.
Yunmimg scrunched his face and snarled, just to get slapped by his mother, who put her hand to her head, as if tired.
"Pay attention, little devil. You're not a dog, you're the son of Kongming. Be smarter. And don't bare your teeth at others.", she spoke to Yunming, and she sounded as if she had repeated these words for the 100th time. But like every time before, all she received in return was a snarl, or a bellow.
"Kongming, your son is a fool!", she shouted as she left the room with a huff.
Yunming's temper flared again. He had been trying his best from the start, but what's all this talk of a apple and another apple. Why couldn't he lift something, why couldn't he hunt for food or why couldn't he guard his pack?
At least those things were easier, he thought. This here made no sense, and he would be better off without it. In anger, he flipped the table upside down, jumped on it as if attempting to break it, and ran out of the house, yelling like a savage and disturbing everyone on the way.
Sigh.
Were my calculations wrong? But all of the signs added up.
A stressed Kongming looked over the whole thing, trying to recall the diagram he made on the day of Yunming's birth. The world had told him that his son was to be gentle, fierce, smart, and loyal. Where were those traits now? Why was he a fool and so terribly tempered?
Nevermind. Yunming was still his child. A father cannot stay disappointed for too long.
He stared at the letter on the desk, thinking for a very long time, and decided on something, as he put it into his bag and called out to his wife.
"Bai'er, I've made my decision now. It's better that we do it before it's too late.", the scholar spoke.
Kongming caressed his wife's belly as she looked distressed, which was getting bigger by the day. This child would be his second, and he would have to take stricter measures to prevent this one from turning out to be like that little rebel.
Kongming sighed once more, looking out to the lands before him, wistful.