Three brothers walked into a bar. One old, one middle-aged, one young.
If one tried, one could probably make a joke or similar about it, but as it had to do with Jiao in question, she squared that thought away.
" Cough, Hello, daughter. " Coughed Yu Liwei and greeted his daughter.
Seeing the awkward face of her new father, who had trouble voicing his thoughts to her, Jiao smirked a bit and spoke hurriedly. " Father, how could you do that to me? I trusted you. Not only did you barge into my room unannounced. You even brought men with you. How could you do that? What if I was doing something forbidden? Something only we women are able to do? "
Hearing that any coherent thought that had begun to bubble in Yu Liwei's head vanished as he was stumped into disbelief. Hearing the tone and the words of his old but still new daughter, he had no choice but to remember the conversations they had.
Immediately his face paled with the possibilities.
Possibilities that he never wanted to know existed.
Possibilities that he had forced himself to forget but now had been forced to resurface.
More silence passed as his mind whirled before a hand on his right shoulder woke him up. " Second brother, calm down. I am not sure why your face paled so fast but look at Jiao's face better. See that hidden smirk on the left side of her cheek. I think she intentionally said those words to unhinge you and not question our purpose here. "
Taking a deep breath, Yu Liwei exhaled, glanced at the youngest of their generation, and spoke. " Sigh, thanks, little brother. It seems I have not processed the events as much as I imagined. "
Seeing the awkward feeling on her father's face gone, Jiao spoke again. " It does look like it. Seeing your reaction to a little joke like that, I have to say that you shipping me here for years must have been quite the smart thing to do. Either that or something is going on to which I am not privy to? "
Having steadied himself, Liwei addressed his changed daughter properly. " Maybe, but your change has not helped with my feelings. You said that you wanted to improve your health and not your looks? "
" Looks? What? " Stomped by her new father's admission, she had no idea how to reply.
" What, indeed? " Remarked a third person from the side. Yu Qiao added himself to the conversation. " Second, do tell me what you're talking about? "
" What do you mean, what? Can't you see, that she changed from the Jiao that we knew? First, I am talking about her face. " Remarked Yu Liwei to his older brother, yet he still saw the confusion on his face.
Seeing the serious face of his Second brother, he began to compare the Jiao he was seeing in front of his eyes to the ones in his memories. " Aside from gaining some plumpiness on her cheeks due to a more vigorous routine, food included, I don't see any difference. "
Shaking his head he looked back at his Second brother. " Second, I still don't see what has gotten you so worked up. Could it be that not seeing her face for four months has made you forget it? "
" First, Aside from being smarter and more talented than you, did you forget why our father made me Heir instead of you? I am the people person out of the both of us. Listen to me when I tell you, she did something to herself. " Yu Liwei insisted even on his observations.
" Second, we both know how little difference there is between us. If I had stayed, you would not have been chosen as the Heir so early. So you listen to me. I have observed Jiao over the months since she was here. Whatever you are seeing, it does not exist. So listen to me. It's in your head. I think Jiao's earlier joke has affected you more than you think. " Having said that, both brothers dismissed each other.
" First, I think that, Second brother is on to something. " At that moment the Third brother joined them.
" I am? " " He is? "
Nodding his head Yu Ying explained his reasoning, as he looked at the girl in question who wore a perplexed face on her head. " I do not know if she did something, but right now as I look upon her, I can't help but see the differences that Second Brother must be seeing. In my head I know it's Jiao and it's very obvious that it's Jiao, but it's like… finally meeting someone that you have heard about your whole life for the first time. Familiar but strange. "
" Really? " Liwei and Qiao asked again just to be sure. Ying nodded for more confirmation.
Seeing the surety of their youngest, they had no choice but to set aside their quarrel.
If the youngest of them said it was like that, then it was like that. He was smarter than both of them put together.
After all, being smart was one of the basic requirements of becoming an alchemist.
As all this happened, on the side Gao Junjie had stayed silent. He knew better than to interfere in whatever they had agreed on.
The oldest among them was preoccupied with observing the apparition that was displaying Tao Fang's Roots.
Meanwhile, Jiao finally found some space to talk as her father and her two uncles observed every inch of her face. " So let me get this straight. You two can see the obvious change of something, that I doubtlessly don't have, while you can't see it? " She asked while pointing at the respective people.
When all three nodded, she went quiet for a second. Then she left their gaze and approached, the oldest among them.
Once beside him, she hit him on the leg with her foot. " Oy, old man. I know you have enough mental capacity to split your attention between what is happening here and that projection. I need your advice. "
" Sigh. Fine, go ahead. " Replied the old man. Nodding, Jiao spoke. " Back there, in that life, I have once read a theory that memories can affect one's facial expressions. Have you heard of something like that? "
Peeked by the arousing question, He Shoushan considered his medical knowledge and came to a simple conclusion. " If I consider everything that happened to you, then the answer is surprisingly simple. As much as the body affects the mind, the mind in return affects the body. "
" Good, that's enough for me. " A second later Jiao was back in front of the three brothers. " There the discrepancy has been examined and proven. If you have more questions as to how that is possible, find Elder He later and he can explain, I think. Let us get back to the real topic. Why have all three of you come into my bedroom? Do you three have an agenda going on? "
With that question, all three of them sensed that their niece and daughter would not take a flimsy excuse out of them as she looked up to them with her bright green jade eyes.
Just as Liwei and Qiao prepared to answer, Ying sensed his chance and spoke first. " It's not that important, it can wait. I am more interested in that? " He said as he pointed at the projection of Tao Fang's Roots.
" Oh. Well as you so loudly exclaimed loudly earlier. That is a Root Light projection. " Jiao confirmed. " I made it to facilitate an easier exchange between Tao Fang and the old man's instructions. I mean that part is obvious to everybody observing it for a bit.
That said, Jiao tilted her head for a bit as if thinking of the best way to explain it. " As for the reason, well… his Divine Sense is not as subtle as my perception, so once we noticed it interfering with her meditation, I had that made that. As for the specifics. Well, Tao Fang started to cultivate yesterday and with my help, we managed to have her roots change their quality. Currently, they are still in the process of transforming. Slowly as it goes, it will probably still be for some time, but once it's done she will have what is called Heavenly Roots. "
" What? " Shouted Yu Liwei, with shock on his face.
" Impossible! " Dismayed Yu Qiao at the absurdity of it. It hadn't even been a week since his niece had asked him about the very same thing.
" What kind? " It was only Yu Ying that asked the much-needed question. Earlier in the coach, when his oldest brother had mentioned Jiao's wants and the event that happened a thought had slotted itself in his mind.
" Ah, Second Uncle, you are especially quick to ask that question? Are you accusing me of breaking the Clan's laws about bestowing the Heavenly Jade Mantra upon someone? " Lightly smirking at her uncle as she said that.
In the same instant, a regretful expression appeared on his face before it returned to suspicion.
Jiao shook her head and denied that line of thought. " Don't worry, I have not done that. The Jade intent I took that day is still with me and it will probably stay with me for the foreseeable future. No, after consulting the books about what to give my servant, I decided on a different route. So yesterday, I explained my theory to her. We tried it and it worked. "
Hearing it a relieved expression came upon the three brothers but seconds later their intrigue returned. After all such events are rare to come upon.
" I am sorry, Jiao. I came here with an open mind, but earlier when I heard my eldest brother explain the events that happened, my mind just naturally thought of the possibility. " Just like that Yu Ying apologized to his niece. " Again I am sorry, I will try my best to stray away from the negative and look for the positive. "
" It's ok, uncle. Before I tried this, I had imagined a scenario of being accused. It's for that reason that I tried to invent something new instead of using the old. " With the forgiveness given, Jiao went on. " When I decided on this task, I wanted something similar to Life Essence or at least the equivalent of it in Qi, if it existed. Of course, they will never be the same, but I looked for the principles that they share. "
" Which are? " Yu Ying questioned, not being able to contain his curiosity.
" The ability to influence the mortal human body, the most. In both the mental and physical aspects. " Replied Jiao.
" You see. Nothing will beat Life Essence in that department. So once I knew what I was looking for, it was easy to locate it. " With that said, Jiao focused on her Second uncle more.
" Second uncle, I have heard you're an alchemist and a successful one. Your knowledge about the transformation of the physical elements and their corresponding Qi and vice versa should be quite wide. Is that not so? " Ying nodded and Jiao went on. " That being the case, what do you think is the answer I arrived at? "
" Ah, my niece is testing me. Very well, let me think for a second. " Siad Yu Ying and went into his thinking mode.
Still, to look more impressive he voiced out his thoughts. " If I consider that the Root transformation was successful without a problem, it must mean that you found what you needed. A type of Qi that has a vast influence upon the human body. Normally the first choice would be the type of Qi associated with life, like Wood Qi, after all, your power has Life in its name. But I don't think this is what you're asking of me. While Wood Qi has the element of Life, its influence upon the human body is not that great over a longer period of time, at least not the one you are probably looking for. No, there is another Qi that is far closer to what you're looking for, Vital Qi. "
With that said he looked at his niece and spoke his inner felt wonder. " To think it was possible to initiate a transformation of such. I wonder how you did it. As a matter of fact, what I am most curious about is the type of treasure that you used to even think of such a thing. "
" Uncle, uncle, you are close but still not there. Think some more. " With an amused expression, Jaio encouraged her uncle to continue.
" More? " A bit astounded that he didn't get the whole picture in one go, this time Yu Ying did not vocalize his thoughts and reconsidered them. It took but a glance at the target of the experiment to figure it out. " Oh, Vital Yin Qi Heavenly Roots. Fascinating. Fascinating indeed, but, but. "
Stopping there Yu Ying looked at the girl in question and the healer that was currently observing the projection before him.
" Niece Jiao, please tell me that you have thought about the consequences that could ensure and that Elder He is not currently fixing your mistakes? " He asked with some hostility leaking into his voice.
His leaked hostility reached his brothers and their attention peaked as well. They may not be as knowledgeable about alchemy as their youngest brother, but the basics of cultivation had been taught to them early on. Especially about the dangers of reaching for the extremities of Qi transformations, like Extreme Yin and Yang and their variations.
Such extreme transformations brought along Power but as a consequence had far-reaching side effects.
Blood lust being the most well-known, alongside insanity, delusions, arrogance, apathy, etc, etc.
As all three brothers reached such conclusions, a shake of Jiao's head brought them back into the here and now.
" Uncle, you are correct. Tao Fang has managed to acquire Vital Yin Heavenly Roots and no, what the old man is doing has nothing to do with the consequences of my actions. His current intervention is for a different purpose. " Stopping for a second, Jiao spoke again. " From seeing your face and hearing your voice I can infer where your thoughts have led you. Let me caution you uncle, especially since I am different from how you remember me. Do not mistake the trees for the forest. "
Yet the moment she did say her caution, Jiao regretted it. ' Holy moly, did I just spout bullshit to sound cool, in front of my new family? ' In the instant that Jiao regretted it, she coughed and continued as if it never happened. " Anyway, uncle, you have nothing to worry about. I have thought of that possibility and included a resolution to the problem. Look at Tao Fang and tell me what you see and don't use your Divine Sense. Tell me what is the most obvious that comes to your mind? "
Relaxing slightly, Yu Ying nodded and observed the servant girl. The girl in question showed nothing obvious to him, much less something his niece wanted to show him as the obvious.
' Wonder what she was inferring at? ' He examined the girl from top to bottom, well to the middle bottom as currently she was seated in a meditation pose with her legs crossed and palms on the knees.
Still, as he observed, an itchy feeling began to manifest in his mind. He knew it should be obvious but somehow it was eluding him and then as he observed the girl's face much closer to it came to him.
" Jiao, you said you started yesterday with this? " At that Jiao nodded. " Then, tell me this, how is a girl like her, that probably never meditated in her life in such a deep meditative trance? "
" Haha. " Laughed Jiao at her uncle's question. " Finally we get to the core of it all. How indeed? By the same method, I had recovered the memories of my past life. By Dreaming it. "
" Dreaming? " Triplets sounded around Jiao as Gao Junjie and Elder He already knew about it.
" Yes, I made her dream about who and what she was. With that as a foundation, a mere Qi Extremity has no hold on her. Well, it won't after a few more dreaming sessions, I hope. After all, repetition is the mother of success. "
" Very well, I might not understand how dreams can do such a thing, but I will take your word for it. Say if it's so miraculous can I experience such a dream? " Accepted and asked the alchemist in the room.
" Umm, depends on your cultivation stage. By the way, what is yours, uncle? " Replied Jiao.
" Can you not tell? "
" No, I don't have a Divine Sense or a version of it that works here. The Qi in the air is interfering too much, and I have not yet explored a way around it. I have a few ideas but in favor of recovering my physical health, I delegated them for later. So what stage are you at? " Jiao explained herself while waiting for an answer from her uncle.
She had considered such a possibility before but with no subjects to test it on, it too was left for the future.
" Not long ago, I left closed meditation and entered the Core stage. Is it possible? " He asked his niece.
' Core? And not just one but two since he practiced the Jade Mantra. If I consider the quality of the Jade intent I absorbed a few days ago, it probably won't work. Still, I can't just leave a willing experiment with nothing. ' Though Jiao.
" Well… the Dream of the Void is the closest meditation trance of the Truth you can conceivably imagine, without actually doing the real thing. If I do attempt it on somebody with Core cultivation, much less somebody with two Core's amount of Qi in one body, it will undoubtedly fail. Say, uncle, is there a way for you to Seal your own cultivation, temporarily that is? " Jiao reasoned with her uncle.
Yu Ying on the other hand became mortified at the thought of sealing his cultivation and leaving himself wide open to his changed niece's menstruations.
" Cough. It is possible, but if that is the case let me think about this more. I will give you an answer before I leave for the capital. "
Hearing that, Jiao remained optimistic. ' Such an obvious power-up is irresistible to Cultivators. ' Yet despite the refusal racing her ears, another opportunity arose. This time it came from her First uncle, Yu Qiao.
" Good choice there, Third. Safe and steady is the way of cultivation. A sudden increase in power is never desired. " At that Jiao rolled her eyes slightly. " That being the case, Jiao, if my ears haven't played tricks on my mind, does this mean you can make anybody below Core enter such a meditative trance? Even Foundations? "
" Those that lack a Divine Sense, meaning those below Foundation, are very easy to induce into the Dream. Similar to Cores, I would prefer if there is a way for Foundations to Seal their cultivation. Still, contrary to those with Core cultivation, I can nevertheless do it without too much trouble. " Explained Jiao, but then added more while pointing to the girl on the bed. " In theory that is. So far I have only ever had two chances to do it. Myself and Tao Fang. "
" I see, can you tell me what the benefits are in more detail? " Yu Qiao asked. In his mind, if the benefits justified the investment, he wouldn't mind integrating it into the newest generation of trainees that they had.
" First Uncle, I can imagine where your mind is taking you. " With a smile on her face, Jiao replied. " The first benefit would be that those who went through the Dream of the Void unlock their self-awareness, meaning they unlock their Will and if you didn't know before, Will mixed in with Qi creates Divine Sense. "
" Oh! " Another triplet sound emerged from the brothers.
Not waiting for their minds to catch up with her, she went on. " The first benefit will happen no matter the amount of involvement on my part. It will just take some time for them to have enough Qi to mix those two up, in theory. Now, the second benefit will happen if I get involved personally. "
With a smug smile on her face, Jiao dangled the bait to her uncle. "With my help, they will gain a complete map of their Roots from the get-go. I am sure you guys can imagine the benefits of that one. " Seeing their nods, Jiao went on. " And if I truly, truly get involved, then multiple sessions will only benefit more. "
With that example in the air, Yu Qiao could already see the benefits his 'unofficial sect' will gain.
Yu Liwei on the other hand can already feel Jiao's contribution to the Clan stack on his desk.
Meanwhile, Yu Ying imagined how it would have been if he had such benefits from the start.
The ease with which he could have learned and practiced Pill making. He could have probably shaved off years of practice and attained a Foundation that much sooner.
" But! " The voice of their daughter, and niece, dragged them away from their imagination. " I do not do Free Labor. What will I gain if I invest so much of my attention into helping the Clan? "
" Jiao " After staying quiet for so long her father finally spoke again and reminded her of the past. " Remember our Deal? "
Looking at him, Jiao replied a bit grimly. " Oh, Father, how could I not remember the day, when I had to stake my new life on a gamble? " For a second Yu Liwei's face twitched with regret. " No, that will not happen this time. I have a different idea. I want my Second uncle's expertise as an alchemist, instead. "
With that proclamation, the three most involved in this stared at the man in question.
Noticing the eager faces of his older brothers, Yu Ying had no choice but to offer his skills. " I don't mind lending my skill to my niece. How much help I will be able to provide is a different thing. "
" Ok. Thanks, Second Uncle. First Uncle, how about a suggestion from me? " Jiao offered.
" Go on. " He said.
" While I have no doubt there will be a great difference if we do this. The question is of how much. " Jiao said and expressed her proposal to him. " How about we first test it? My idea is to have the 10 worst placing fighters in this year's annual tournament undergo the Dream of the Void and have their progress be compared to the 10 best. The details can be settled later, so what do you think? "
" Hmm, that is a good idea for a start. Let's do it that way. " After thinking about it for a few seconds Yu Qiao agreed.
" Ok, with that settled, are there any more questions? If not I would like to get back to that. " Jiao said and pointed at the projection beside the bed.
At that, the three brothers stayed quiet for a few seconds and Jiao ignored them and focused on Tao Fang's projection.
After those few seconds passed she turned around and made an exaggerated sound of realizing she forgot something. " Say, what brought you all here in the first place, much less on the first day that you arrived here? "
This time it was Yu Liwei's years of experience as a merchant that he realized that he and his brothers had been duped by his daughter and big-time too. Before any of the other two messed up even more he spoke. " It's ok, just like Third said before, it's not that important. Since you're busy we shall take our leave. "
Tapping his older brother's shoulder he motioned for them to leave but before he could, his younger brother voiced out his thoughts. " First, Second, I will stay here for a bit. I am genuinely interested in how I could be of help to my niece. "
Nodding to him, he and Qiao left the guest room and made their way to the carriage that was waiting for them in the snow.
Once inside Qiao spoke. " Huizhong, my residence! "
" Yes. " Was the only reply alongside the movement of the carriage.
" She led us by our noses. At least she knew to give the benefits where they are due. " Remarked the older brother.
" Maybe. We still didn't get a whiff of her Powers, only that we can benefit from her. " Sighed the younger brother.
" There will be opportunities, besides, our youngest curiosity is boundless. I am sure he will get her to talk, in some way. " The older brother added.
" True. True. Let's wait for the answers then. "
***
' Phu, they are gone. What a relief. Never knew I had it in myself to do it. Thank god for accelerated thought processing. Definitely would not have been able to pull it off otherwise. '
Feeling like huge boulders fell from my shoulders in relief, I turned to my Second uncle that stayed.
Looking him up again, I knew he realized what I had done as soon as the other two had, but his desire to stay only came with benefits.
" Second uncle. I am sure you're curious as to why I specifically asked for your help. Well, it's not that hard to imagine, you are an alchemist after all. " To that, he nodded. " But I do need your skills to develop a Pill recipe. "
Immediately I saw the intrigue on his face. " The old man there told me that Pills that have to do with Vital Qi are almost nonexistent, and those that do are usually a last resort type of Pill. With that being the case, I don't think a Take or Die Pill like that will be of benefit to Tao Fang. "
" I see. " His eyes showed understanding as he considered my proposal before he replied. " What Elder He said is mostly true. I can try but I don't think I will be of as much help as you imagine. "
" And what if you did not have to create Vital Qi Pills from scratch but with a Qi template? " I asked as I raised my head and in it appeared a small bubble of Auril. It contained a very small amount of the Vital Yin Qi flowing in Tao Fang's body.
Immediately I could feel his Divine Sense enter the bubble, but only after it laid on my Auril bubble for a few seconds too long.
" Will you be able to create a pill that mimics that type of Qi as much as possible? " I asked.
Seeing his thinking face I left him alone for a bit. The old man was currently observing and calculating the optimal flow of Vital Yin Qi in Tao Fang's roots.
' He never actually said it, but I could see his intrigue in doing this. '
Some minutes later my uncle recovered from his cloudy haze and spoke. " I have considered my memories. There may be a way, but I can't promise anything without actually trying it. "
" As long as there is a way, that is good. " It would be a lie if I said I was not relieved to hear that but my part in this wasn't over. " One more thing uncle. Since I will be exchanging my contribution to the Clan for this Pill recipe I need to mention a few things. "
" Alright, I am listening. " He said as we gazed into each other's eyes.
" First, I have no idea how much the research will cost you, as I want the best possible product from you, so talk with Father about the expenses. Oh, and I am sure he won't notice if the pill will require some exotic herbs or treasure for the research. " With a wink, he noticed what I meant and nodded.
Happy that he understood my bribe, I went on. " Second, since I am the one commissioning this from you, who belongs to the Alchemy guild, this Pill recipe will belong to me as I am the one supplying you with the money needed to do the research. If you are successful, I will allow you to make and sell the Pill if you want but you will not share the recipe with anybody else, especially not with the Guild. Is that understood? "
Seeing my serious face must have gotten through and he nodded.
" Good, since you are family I won't be asking for a Legally binding agreement from you and I will trust that you will do this for me, as I am your niece and you are my uncle. Even if things are not as they used to be. Is that fine with you? " I ask, still staring right into his eyes.
" That is fine with me. " Hearing the agreement did give me the relief I needed.
Ever since I had the idea with the Vital Yin Roots, I knew I would have to rely on his skills.
That he had come here this year, when he usually stayed in the capital, was just a plus on my side.
" Good, as I didn't expect you to be here, that little sample of the Qi is the only thing I was able to prepare in the few minutes that you guys arrived and the old man warned me about. In the next few days, I will give you more. I am sure you will find some use for it. " With all said and done, I left his gaze and focused on the projection.
A minute or so later my Second uncle spoke again. " You already said that whatever Elder He is doing has nothing to do with you. Mind telling me what he is doing? "
" That is easy to answer. " I explained. " You see, currently Tao Fang has far too little Vital Yin Qi in her body and roots. The old man is examining and calculating the best possible route to take with the Root transformation. He is observing where the Qi is flowing freely, where it's slowing or eventually stopping. He hopes that with his many years of medical expertise he can reduce the number of side effects that could appear. "
" Indeed, I expected nothing else from a healer. " He commented. " But why does this make me think that your goal is something else? "
"Haha. I want to enable her Cheat. " I laughed at that part but glancing at him I saw he did not understand what I was pointing at.
Shaking my head in disappointment, I went on. " Sigh, of course, you and everybody else would not realize what I meant. Of course, you wouldn't, why would you? " That did get his attention. " Uncle, you don't realize what I mean because you do not know a different way, after all, a fish does not ask the question of how it could breathe in the water. It just does it. "
This time I stared at him as he realized my meaning. I saw his eyes open wide as it sunk into him.