Dao listened patiently to the tsunami of words flowing out of Kitsune's mouth. For a moment we wondered if the kid would ever stop talking. The prospect of having to spend a lot of time on the road with this fiery fox guy wasn't to promising. However it was the best lead to the whereabouts of his brother that master Wong had in a long time. The large tiger just had to put up with the energetic kid for the time being. Just as Dao was about to say something but Kitsune started to walk towards the road again. The kid really had no patience at all. But before the young Lyn could leave the dojo, Dao grabbed him by his clothes, lifting him up from the ground effortlessly with just one arm. “Wait here for a bit Kitsune. No need to rush. We'll take the steam train to the crossroads. That will shorten the journey by days.”

As master Wong put the kid down he waved to one of his students. “See to it that our guest gets a proper meal. He has traveled all the way from the south up here and must be hungry.”  The student ran off and Dao turned towards Kitsune again. “If you don’t do swords, you better hide your sword. The people in the west are crazy about sword duels. Walking around with a sword in plain sight will only draw attention from people who want to test their strength. I’ll be off now to grab some stuff. Keep in mind, we depart in 1 hour.” Said master Wong as he turned around and started to walk towards one of the buildings that functions as dormitories for those who inhabit the school.

Dao opened up the door of his room. The small room did not have much furniture besides a bed, a table and chair. Next to the bed was a trunk that holds Dao’s personal possessions. On the wall was a small sword rack holding a single sword. The large Lyn picked it up from the wall land pulled the blade out of the pitch black sheet. The perfectly straight blade reflected the little light that entered the room from the small window. Dao stared at the blade, as if he was looking for imperfections. Any sign that the blade was damaged. On the blade, just above the guard was a small signature of the sword’s creator, Xiang Ji. 

Xiang Ji was considered the best swordsmith of the last couple of hundred years. The quality of his swords are legendary but he is retired now. 20 years ago Jiang Ji made his last 2 swords, a pair of two straight bladed swords. One came finished with a black scabbard and handle while the other sword came with a white scabbard and handle. Xiang Ji called them Yin and Yang. Two swords that complement each other. Two forces that create balance in a world at chaos as long as they stick together. Once separated, they would be nothing more than tools for murder. Jiang Ji eventually gave the two swords to two young Lyn brothers.

However, it was not the time to reminisce about the past. Dao had to prepare for the journey ahead and put his sword back into its sheet. He reached for the trunk and opened it. The trunk was mostly empty. It contained not much more than some spare clothes, a small knife, a small leather pouch, containing master Wong’s money and some other stuff. On the back of the trunk lid was carved into the wood “Never forget what you’re responsible for”. Dao quickly grabbed the stuff he needed for the journey and closed the door of his room behind him.

As the large Lyn left the dormitory and walked towards where he left Kitsune, he could see some of the students on the move with the food. One carried two bowls of rice while another carried a bowl with vegetables and meat. Dao sincerely hoped that the kid had walked off to the kirrin know where. It would be a drag to find him.