A few weeks had passed since Feiyin first began training with the militia, and the onfamiliar faces of the warriors had bee as familiar as the trees that lihe vilge. At first, they had treated him as an amusing curiosity—an eager child tagging along with his father, wide-eyed aermined. But as the days turned into weeks and he showed up each m without fail, his pce among them shifted. They no longer looked at him as just Cai Feng’s son, but as their little brother, a part of their rough, battle-worn family.The m air was crisp as he made his way toward the training grounds, his pace quick with excitement. He had learned so mu these past weeks—not just about bat, but about the men themselves. Jiang Hu, the burly warrior who always had a teasing remark, was the loudest but had the sharpest eyes when it came to assessing footwork. Sun Ke, barely out of boyhood himself, took a special i in training Feiyin, though he never missed a ce to py small tricks on him. There were others, too—Zhao Wei, the quiet but steady swordsman, and Lao Min, who always cimed to be too old for this but never missed a single drill.As Feiyin stepped into the training grounds, he immediately caught sight of Sun Ke leaning casually against a wooden post, his sharp eyes flig toward him. Without a word, he slipped something into his palm and closed Feiyin’s fingers around it. Feiyin didn’t even have to look to know—it was another piece of died hawthorn. Sun Ke had a habit of sneaking him treats before training, as if bribing him to keep quiet about it. Feiyin smirked and popped it into his mouth, sav the burst of sweet and sour before Jiang Hu’s booming voiterrupted.“Oi, you two whisperis again? Feiyin, don’t let Sun Ke corrupt you. hing you know, he’ll be teag you how to sneak into the wie.”Feiyin quickly swallowed, trying to look i, while Sun Ke scoffed. “I would hat’s more of Lao Min’s expertise.”Lao Min, stretg nearby, didn’t even bother looking up. “A I’m not the one who got caught st time.”Laughter rippled through the group as Jiang Hu cpped a heavy hand on Feiyin’s baearly making him stumble. “Alright, little brother, let’s see if you’re ready for today’s lesson. No more easy drills.”Feiyin straightened, his chest swelling with anticipation. He had spent these past weeks perfeg his stance, learning how to bance his weight properly, how to redirect forstead of just abs it. But today, they were fog on movement. His father had always said that footwork was the foundation of every great warrior, but training with the militia had drilled that truth into him in a way that simple words never could.Jiang Hu gestured toward the training area. “We’re w on movement efficy today. Doesn’t matter how strong you are if your feet are in the wrong pce. You step wrong, you fall. You hesitate, you die.” He grinned. “And since you’re so small, Feiyin, you better be quick.”Feiyin scowled at the mention of his size but said nothing, stepping into position alongside the others. The drill began with simple evasive movements—sidesteps, pivots, trolled retreats—but quickly escated. The warriors had to reastantly, dodging imaginary strikes while maintaining their ter of gravity. Feiyin watched how the older warriors moved, how Jiang Hu barely wasted a step, how Zhao Wei seemed to glide rather than walk.He closed his eyes for a brief moment, feeling the osciltions of the grouh him, the shifti of those around him. When he opehem again, he moved—not by thinking, but by instinct, flowiween steps rather than f them. His feet barely made a sound as he adjusted his stance, always oep ahead of where an attack might nd.When the drill ended, Jiang Hu eyed him with approval. “Hmph. You’ve got good instincts, little brother.”Feiyin grinned, sweat beading on his forehead. “Of course.”They moved on to stability training. It was ohing to dodge and weave, but another eo hold one’s ground when it mattered. Feiyin aired with Sun Ke again, who grinned as he cracked his knuckles. “You ready?”Feiyin nodded, brag himself. Sun Ke pushed against him, not too hard at first, testing his stance. Feiyin dug his heels into the dirt, feeling his internal strength settle into his core. The first few pushes, he held firm. But Sun Ke wasn’t going easy. His shove was stronger, ued. Feiyin’s body tilted, but at the st sed, he adjusted, using a small shift i rather than brute force to stabilize himself.Sun Ke chuckled. “Not bad. You’re learning.”The drills tiransitioning into hand-to-hand bat practice. They weren’t throwing full-strength blows, but the movements were precise, testing reflexes, ters, and trol over internal strength. Feiyin was small, but he had one advantage—he was fast, and he knew how to move.When Sun Ke lu him, Feiyin ducked, redireg the force of the attack rather than blog it head-on. He shifted his weight, tering with a quick palm strike to the chest, which Sun Ke barely dodged.Jiang Hu, watg from the sidelines, let out a ugh. “You sure you’re only five, kid? I know grown men with worse form than that.”Feiyin wiped his brow, breathing hard, but grinning. “You’re just old, Brother Jiang.”Jiang Hu let out an exaggerated gasp. “The disrespect!”The other warriors burst into ughter, and Feiyi something warm settle in his chest.As training wound down, they sat together, sharing food and stories. Feiyin listened as the warriors spoke about Red Moon City, about disputes between merts, about bandits lurkihe borders. Even though Pine Vilge was small, it wasn’t isoted. The world beyond was full of movement, of power struggles, of dangers lurkih the surface.Sun Ke leaned over, nudging Feiyin. “You keep training like this, and one day, you’ll be leading a militia of your own.”Feiyin raised an eyebroould I stop at just a militia?”Sun Ke grinned. “Now that’s the kind of ambition I like to hear.”The sun hung lower in the sky by the time Feiyin made his way home, his legs ag but his heart full. As he walked, he realized something.These past few weeks, training with the militia hadn’t just been about learning to fight. It had been about finding his pce among warriors, feeling the bonds of camaraderie, uanding the strength of standing together.He wasn’t just a boy training with soldiers anymore.He was one of them.