While we reached the Grasslands, many from other clans of the Tagh Boru tribe came to greet me and gift me with various things. News of the Sky Wolf has spread widely among all the Tribes in this region now; some believe it, some do not, and some don't even care. Gathering Festival of a great tribe like the Tagh Boru also have a guest from other tribes and might attract faraway tribes to join. But this gathering is different. Temurel invited as many tribes as he could because the Wall People had recently begun attacking many desert clans. His plan was to use me, the Sky Wolf, as a sign from the Sky to unite all the tribes in this region and to form a kind of permanent multi-tribal confederation to defend ourselves from Imperial China and other threats.
As the Iron Hand, was the one who suggested the idea, he had to nominate other tribes to lead this confederation. While the Tagh Boru were well united, they didn't have a permanent Tribe Leader. Normally, the main lineage would act as the Leader in times of emergency, but they would assemble to discuss until they reached an agreement first. So, after the animals of all the tribes settled, and the yurts were set up on the gathering site. The Chiefs of the Tagh Boru tribe assembled briefly and quickly agreed to suggest other tribes to form the confederation.
The heart of the Summer Gathering beat with the rhythm of drums and the joyous shouts of the tribe. As the sun climbed towards its zenith, casting a golden light over the assembled people. I turned towards the vast expanse of clear summer sky. This was the Sky Offering, a moment to honor the celestial powers that watched over them, the ancestors who now resided among the stars, and the very breath of life that flowed from the heavens. A small fire, carefully kindled with fragrant cedar branches, crackled gently, sending spirals of sweet-smelling smoke towards the azure canvas above. The Shamans raised their hands, palms open to the sky, and began to chant in a deep, resonant voice that carried across the clearing. Their words, ancient and familiar, spoke of gratitude for the sun's warmth that nourished their lands, for the rain that quenched their thirst, and for the vastness of the sky that sheltered them. He invoked the spirits of their ancestors, those who had walked this land before them and now guided them from above.
After the festival ritual finished, the Tribe Leaders and Clan Chiefs came to the grand yurt and started the discussion in the Mountain Tribes language, as it was their lingua franca. Temurel nominated the honorable "Huna," one of the elder tribes of the Mountain Tribes that moved south and used to live in edge of the Southern Desert close to the Wall People long before the Tagh Boru moved west, as the Confederation Leader, and no one disagreed with that choice because of the number of their warriors who had more experience in raiding and fighting the Chinese. Later, the Huna tribe leader "Tumen" suggested that the Tagh Boru should lead other Mountain and Northern Tribes on the Left Wing, while combining the Eastern and a few Western Tribes as the Right Wing, allowing them to nominate their own leader. Everyone agreed on this arrangement.
Later, "Azhdar," the chief of the Zaravani clan of the Tograk tribe – one of the Western Tribes – was elected as the Leader of the Right Wing. Most of the Tograk tribe had already moved to the west, but the Zaravani, as a mighty blacksmith clan, chose to stay here in the mining area. They garnered respect from every tribe for their craftsmanship and their expertise in Horse Archery, employing their hit-and-run tactics. "Atashan," son of Azhdar, already betrothed to Aycecek, made them allies of the Altin. Temurel planned to propose making "Zarir," Azhdar's eldest daughter, to be the bride of Temurcin at this year's gathering.
The air crackled with a different kind of energy now, a tangible buzz that replaced the earlier serenity of the Sky Offering. The rhythmic beat of a larger, skin-covered drum pulsed through the crowd, drawing everyone's attention to a cleared circle of packed earth. Sunlight beat down on the expectant faces gathered around the makeshift arena, casting long shadows that danced with the slight breeze.
The scent of roasting meat from the ongoing feast mingled with the dust kicked up by restless feet. Laughter and excited chatter punctuated the drumming, a wave of anticipation washing over the Summer Gathering. Children, their eyes wide with excitement, squeezed through the legs of adults to get a better view. Looked at the wrestlers who warm up.
Temurcin suggested I should participate in wrestling matches due to my poor horse riding and archery skills. So, he and Aycecek taught me the rules and basics of wrestling. The rules were quite simple: If any part of body (besides their feet and hands) touched the ground first, that person lost. No striking or kicking was allowed, and there were no time or weight limits. There wasn't a starting grip, and no jacket or belt was needed to compete.
Chinese martial artists often consider wrestling a sport rather than a martial or killing art. However Chinese wrestling or Shuai Jiao is regarded as a basis or foundation for many Chinese martial arts. The martial art that I had learned is an Internal Art, which some might consider a wrestling art because they have only seen the public aspects of it which used as exercises for healthy body and mind. I didn't learn all the family secrets, just only some usage forms, but I grasped the general idea of the Internal Arts. Later, I developed my personal touch to it and made it my own art.
I don't think many have knowledge about true Internal Arts. Wuxia novels, films, series and animations mislead the true understanding of Chinese martial arts. Some aspects are also mystified by religious and belief elements. However, this has given popularity to all traditional martial arts. For me, the basic form of Internal Arts involves using a high level of awareness and directing your movements with your intentions. It's basically present in every modern sport, but are you truly aware of all your surroundings? Or do you intentionally direct all your movements by engaging all necessary muscles? If not, that separates you from Professional Athletes and true Internal Artists.
Next is a core stylistic preference which in my case, we tend to use Natural Force as a Passive force that you can access anytime and anywhere. It's simply Gravity force and Ground reaction force. If you push against a solid wall, you'll feel as though you're pushing yourself – it's that simple. However the way we train to align ourselves to receive and transmit Natural Force, becoming like the wall itself is not easy at all.
Another important step is using Active force, or what I would call true Internal force. "Internal" has two meanings here: first, the internal aspects of yourself, which include the mind, intentions, awareness, etc. And second, the Internal force that you generate from inside of your body – in my case, it's a kind of pumping technique. With this, the force we generate feels like a stealthy force. Before you can detect the oncoming force, you will have already been pushed away or striking by it.
The last aspect is Usage Method, which is much like a thin layer of fabric covering an object inside and making you wonder what it is. You can use the system I've described like a hammer to clash against opponents, or use It like a needle to sew or pin them. It's entirely up to you, but in our case, we use our force to harmonize with the opponent's force, neutralizing, controlling, or even using their force against themselves.
As for this wrestling match, I might have some advantage in manipulating and controlling, but their wrestling techniques might be more refined than mine. So, I practiced some basics and strategies like hand positions, trips, sweeps, takedowns, and throwing techniques. I really hoped they would find someone without much experience to match me, but while I was thinking, Atashan and Zarir had approached us.
"So, the Black Rose can wrestle?" Zarir said with a mocking tone.
"It's an honor to be praised by you, Your Highness — Princess Zarir Soraya, the shining star among men." Aycecek replied sarcastically.
"My bride-to-be has such a sharp wit and tongue." a voice said from behind Zarir. "Why are you guys practicing for this fool?" Atashan burst out and walked directly to Aycecek.
"Stop… don't come… near her." I stepped up, shielding her, and speaking the language badly.
Atashan smiled, then laughed, and said, "So, he's not a fool but a retard?"
After he tried to push me down, I received his force, redirected it, led it into emptiness, and let him fall to the ground.
"What the fuck!" he said angrily. "Step away from my bride, idiot." he said after seeing me still standing in front of Aycecek.
Then he said again in a loud voice to reach everyone, "I, Atashan, son of Azhdar the dragon, chief of the Zaravani clan of the Tograk Tribe, the Leader of the Right Wing, will challenge Kirisen the Sky Wolf in a wrestling match. If I win, you have to stop being close to my bride."
"What if he wins?" Temurcin asked for me.
"If he wins… he can have my bride!" he struggled a bit before saying that out loud without thinking about the consequence.
After that, Temurel came to talk with Temurcin, Aycecek, and me. "What are you doing? This might lead to the end of us all. The Confederation might fall."
"Atashan started it, Father. Kirisen was just protecting Aycecek." Little Iron replied to his father.
"I'd rather marry Kirisen than that hot-headed idiot, Father." The Black Rose broke in.
"Umm… I see, what's done is done. I will talk to Azhdar. Don't make any more problems, alright?" Temurel said before walking towards the Zaravani's yurts.
I couldn't do anything but prepare and ready myself. I just didn't want to lose to anyone, especially that jerk. It seemed like Aycecek knew my thoughts and said this to me, "Just beat the shit out of him. We don't have to worry about the marriage."
Now, I just had to focus on the match. Atashan might be an easy target to provoke, so I decided on luring him into pushing me, just as before. After all the other wrestling matches had ended, we took off our shirts and warmed up, The drummer's beat intensified, a primal call to contest. The air felt thick with anticipation, the collective breath of the tribe held in the moment before the clash of strength and skill. The stage was set, the warriors were ready, then they called Atashan and me to the field. The announcer introduced us to the crowd before the referee signaled us to start the match. I started provoking him by charging in and then stepping back twice, the crowd cheered and laughed. He snapped and started running towards me with all his might. I acted as if I would stand still and receive his force like last time. When we touched each other, I shifted my internal structure to receive his force. Then, I twisted my body, redirecting his force and structure. While he was losing balance and going to fall to the ground, I connected and seized his structure once again. Then, I pushed him with both internal and external strength, and unexpectedly sending him flying away five meters, rolling on the ground. The crowd cried out loudly!
Atashan stood up and refused to accept his loss. "He's using witchcraft, not wrestling skills!"
Azhdar stepped onto the field and stopped him. "Enough! Accept your loss. Everyone here saw it, the Sky Wolf clearly won the match by a mile."
"The Sky Wolf wins and gets the Bride!" the announcer yelled.
With the match ended, I went to talk with Temurel's family in their yurt.
"You won fair and square, Kirisen the Sky Wolf. Will you marry my little daughter? It's okay if you refuse, but we will have a new problem if you don't want to. Atashan will not stop if Aycecek doesn't betroth or marry." he said while looking at me and then turning to Aycecek.
"I'm glad to accept you as my husband if you want, Kirisen the Sky Wolf." Aycecek said with a straight face.
"If that's okay… with you guys… I, Kirisen… will accept her… To end all problems…" I tried to say as clearly as I could.
Aylaqun looked at me and said, "I, Aylaqun from the Argin clan of the Ergene tribe, the Shaman of the Altin clan, and the mother of little flower Cecek, gladly accept you as my daughter's husband, Kirisen wise Sky Wolf."
"I, Temurcin the Little Iron, son of Temurel the Iron Hand, of the Altin clan of the Tagh Boru tribe, big brother of Karagul the Black Rose, am honored to accept you as my little sister's husband, mighty warrior Kirisen the Sky Wolf. From here on, we will be bound as brothers, Sky Wolf." Temurcin said with a smile.
"Finally, me. I, Temurel the Iron Hand of the Altin clan, of the Tagh Boru tribe, the father of little Moon Flower Aycecek, happily accept you as my daughter's husband, Kirisen holy Sky Wolf. The wedding will be held at the Summer Gathering after you two pass the Winter Trials." Temurel said with a grin.
After the problem was solved, we still had two more events. Aycecek was quite good at both Horse Riding and Archery, so they asked her to pick only one competition, and she chose the Archery competition. Temurcin decided to compete in Horse Riding. Aycecek won the competition with a full score, while Temurcin was the runner-up. Even though we ended up having a problem with the Zaravani clan, the Confederation would stand. It seemed like this year's gathering was a success for the Tagh Boru. I, the Sky Wolf had been accepted by all the Tribes, while some accepted me as a true messenger of the Gods because of that five-meter push. Why did I have to do that?!
But not long after the wrestling match, I tried to check my whole body once again. I don't think this is my old body at all. It's totally not reincarnation, nor transmigration into someone else. It might be a summoning or teleporting of me, or just my soul. Something or someone might have fully healed me or reconstructed me based on my old self, from my soul or just a body. Such a terrifying thought—the power or technology of this someone is far more advanced than I imagined. I think this is some kind of Gods or something close to it. So, I've decided to call it "Gods" for now.
Nonetheless, now my body is like a completely trained internal body sent from heaven. I was thinking like that before I started seeing something weird. My body doesn't have any scratches, my scoliosis is gone, birthmarks, scars, moles, freckles, wrinkles, and tattoos are all gone. They genetically reengineered the shit out of me. Totally modified and reconstructed. I'm just like a newly born baby Jesus! I'm a freaking holy engineering lab rat! Why didn't I notice this before! I was just worried about surviving this, surviving that. But what's done is done, just like Temurel said. I need to calm myself down for now and think about surviving again. It's not like they have interfered, intervened, or shown any divine intervention right now, right? "So calm the fucking down right now, Kirisen."