After this day, Yun came over by himself and later, the Shuis did too. Ling was not with them though for some reason. I did not know if what occurred had caused her to loathe me, since Yun explained to me what befell her brazen father.
To lose his dantian was akin to losing his path and purpose for living in this kind of world. Those who did not cultivate had no meaningful place among the communities and were considered trashes and wastes with no futures or uses.
In only six years, I had managed to destroy a few lives and hopefully not take up the same bloody path I followed during my kingship.
But for now, until I resolved my first predicament, Ling's situation had to be set aside I'm afraid. It wounded me to sleep at night knowing I caused her pain when she had done me so much kindness in return. It wounded me that I couldn't go and apologize to her right this moment.
With less than a year left, and my progress still growing thin, this wise and ruthless child had to step up his game and train diligently.
My training began right here and right now.
It began during the day when the rooster first crowed and the sun rose at the very edge of the peaks. I woke up very early, before even my parents did and headed straight to the edge of the forest where the teaming wildlife and lush greenery prevailed.
After a long discussion with my father, we agreed that my assimilation of the breathing technique had reached a level high enough for me to begin martial arts properly regardless of my age. My father being the kind man that he was, gave me two manuals in which I could dabble and subsequently reach the first layer of the corporeal realm.
If I achieved it, I could develop my first body transformation and begin with the foundation.
I sat down among the rich environment where qi was at its densest in the forest. It was not far nor dangerous and I could safely read the different moves inscribed into the manual called "Close Half-Step".
The sequences and combinations inside it were moves I had to repeat over and over so that my body grew the perfect build for the technique. It said in the manual that I could only perform these moves for a double-hour and a half each day, and if exceeded, I would suffer some backlashes and setbacks.
(Three hours.)
So safely conforming to the restrictions, I disrobed and made myself comfortable.
The movements were so delicate and nimble, I felt my limbs loosen and follow the flow of the surrounding qi in the air at their mere practice. The Close Half-Step technique made use of the elements to close in the distance between me and my destination.
It was described as a standard technique that all martial artists performed to reduce distances between themselves and their targets, be it men or beasts.
Three hours elapsed quickly and I stopped after counting them second by second.
Sweating and reeking extensively, I examined myself to see if there were any changes with my body. Nothing worth of note was clear and I shrugged.
Of course I didn't expect to look any different on the first day, in the first hours of the first practice. Now that this technique's time was up, my next plan was to practice with the short sword I picked up from those bandits.
For that, I needed not to train within the forest and could do so very comfortably on the farm. The first step I took, my leg moved faster than before and, even though I was not paying attention to it specifically, I noticed the slight change in my pace.
"Did I—" I stopped directly after this feeling.
Sceptical, I made a few more, turned around a tree and skipped over a boulder as a test.
"I became slightly more agile" I marvelled at this discovery, beaming with joy. "Even my paces have grown somewhat faint."
Incredible!
Only after a single session, progress was apparent. If I trained till the due date, I was quite confident I'd be capable to outrun anything this prick of a god threw at me. That's without even taking the notion of the selective technique itself with which I could make an instant dash by condensing qi into my legs.
"Let's go back for now."
Content and pleased with the progress, however minor it was, I trekked back to the farm where I took out my short sword for a few practices I used to do when I was still a covert operative of my kingdom.
Having this clumsy and short child body didn't really help to sync in the memories of my past trainings. It was hard to move the same way I did and perform in the same manner I used to.
Truly pathetic but nothing I couldn't bypass with time.
Patience was the key whether I had so little time left or all the time in the world. With patience came progress and that was the current philosophy I assumed…for now until it failed I suppose.
Swipe after swipe, cleave after cleave. A puncture here, a small jab there, a downward strike and another diagonally descending. I spun in place, jumped and struck the air violently and performed every single move I ever knew.
A few times, the sword slipped from my hand. Others, I stumbled and got caught up with my own feet. And the lesser few problems I faced, were that I got a few cramps and aches whenever I either swung too harshly or incorrectly.
A full day of sword training passed by and I felt no difference from the first instance I grabbed the bandit's dagger back in the forest. Unlike the movement technique, I felt as weak as before and could tell every loophole in my swordsmanship while I was not able to correct them.
Day took its end and night came crawling like a baby to mark the conclusion of my outdoor training.
I retreated back home and had my late meal with my parents before I secluded myself in my room. With the level I reached practicing the Qi Sweeping Breath, I was finally able to ignore sleep and meditate instead. It was the same as resting but I could effectively build up my qi and perhaps gain some insights that will allow me to reach the next boundaries.
With nothing in the middle of the room and the furniture cleared away, I crossed my legs and sat on the carpet of my bedroom floor. It was not the most comfy of seats, but better than my bare ass laying on the wooden flooring.
"Oh, I better use the fruit" I was careful to remind myself.
Shui Jie's refining box proved quite the benefit to me. I experimented on it all day and placed a normal fruit within its space to test its effects.
I got it out of the space bag I stole, my grin at the ready, and opened the lid eagerly to see the results.
And indeed, a normal fruit became a qi infused fruit and was now beneficial for meditation. Since that was the case, I will be storing already spiritual components and expand their effects every single day and consume them every single night before I initiated.
Excited, I flicked it inside of my mouth and swallowed it whole without any thought.
In the moments of it reaching the depth of my system, a cool and soft chill coursed down my throat and to my stomach till I became exuding dense heat. Sweat beaded all over my skin while I inhaled the fresh qi and expelled the unnecessary out.
My meditation endured the whole night and I broke it off sometime during the morning when I was interrupted by a spiking stench.
"Uuuugh…" my pupils flickered madly after I synchronized back my consciousness and whiffed the strong smell. "What is this nose-searing stench?"
My vision adjusted back to the little bit of daylight protruding from the curtains and I searched for the source of this reek.
Surely my mother did not dump my laundry in the room?
No…not a chance. It was probably the very beginning of dawn and mother should be fast asleep. I doubt my father did anything too. So unless Chu Qiang or someone else came inside my room during the night, then I was the only probable cause.
Doubtful, I inspected myself.
I was covered in a black mass of stinking liquids, dripping down from the pores of my chest. I was scared and panicking as I did not know what was happening to me.
"What in the…" I tried to touch it as it raced down my chest. It didn't help me calm down and I shouted,
"What is happening to me?!"
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*Check the very first chapters at the very beginning for the Index*