Michael made his way to bed and sat down in a lotus position. He grasped the white jade looking pill that Grandpa Yin had given to him before his punishment.
'Swallow and meditate for 2 hours' he repeated in his head.
Michael shrugged his shoulders and threw it down the hatch. The moment it entered his mouth it began dissolving and making its way into his body.
A cool sensation was felt from his throat all the way to his stomach, remembering Grandpa Yin's words he directed the medicinal energy to his affected meridians. The moment the energy met the torn flesh, Michael felt an indescribable bone-deep itch.
"Arghhh" He gritted his teeth in pain, doing his best not to curse out loud.
After what seemed like eternity, Michael finally felt the throbbing pain begin to subside. Filled with relief, he used his minds eye to inspect his meridians.
"Whoa, good as new" he exclaimed in amazement. The previously mangled meridians were now sturdy and elastic, brimming with energy.
'I wonder what was in that pill?' he asked in his heart. 'If I could make my own, I'd never have to worry about it happening again'. Filled with fanatical thoughts about Grandpa Yin's secret medicine, he began to move his minds eye throughout the rest of his meridians.
"Huh??" upon leaving the newly repaired meridians, the meridians in his legs came into view. Something looked wrong.
"Why do they look so… small" he asked confusedly.
"Master, you have yet to refine those meridians" Archie piped up in his usual chirpy voice.
"F*** me!" Michael jumped up in fright and his vision returned to the bedroom.
"Master, you really need to work on those nerves of yours" with a slight grin on his face, Archie appeared in front of Michael.
Whoooosh
An errant fist was thrown toward the grinning Archie and the expected sound of flesh colliding did not happen. The fist made its way through the head of the 10-year-old looking Michael and hit nothing but air.
Michael who had thrown the fist with full force spun around and fell on his backside.
"What have I told you about using my appearance" Michael complained as he rubbed his behind.
"Sorry Master, what form should I take?" tilting his head, he asked Michael innocently.
"Can't you take the form of a cute girl or something?".
Archie was silent in thought for a moment before he nodded. Spinning around once, Archie's short hair grew out to his shoulders and his chest began to increase in size.
"Something like this?" he asked coyly with his hands clasped together.
Michael could feel the blood rushing to his face as he took in the sight in front of him.
"Don't F*** with me!!" he threw out another punch toward Archie.
"M…Master, what's wrong" Archie began to run away even though he knew he couldn't be hit in this form.
Michael looked at the now long-haired and big chested 10-year-old version of himself and felt even more rage and humiliation.
"Are you making fun of me?" he yelled and chased Archie around the room.
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"Ahem" Michael who was now sitting back on the bed cleared his throat as he looked at Archie now bowing at his feet.
"I…I'm sorry Master, it wasn't my intention" he apologised. Turning his head to the side he puffed out his cheeks 'I thought I looked good' he thought inwardly.
Michael let out a long sigh "So what were you saying about my meridians?"
"The other meridians that were not damaged have yet to be refined, which is why they're so small in comparison Master" Archie said in his usual chirpy manner.
Michael stroked his bare chin and pondered "So I just need to damage my other meridians and heal them with Grandpa Yin's medicine as well then?".
Archie's faced turned horrified as he looked at his masochistic master. "N…no Master, you shouldn't damage them. You need to gently expand and refine them with your own Qi" he said gingerly.
"Ah, that sounds easier" Michael nodded succinctly.
Archie cringed at the thought of Michael's previous suggestion 'Luckily I'm here to help this idiot' he said in his heart.
Michael narrowed his eyes at the cringing Archie "Ar---chie, you didn't just think something disrespectful, did you?" he inquired suspiciously.
"Ha hahaha ha I would never do such a thing Master" Archie shook his head and laughed nervously.
"You know, I was thinking about making you take the form of a dog. Maybe a Pug? What do you think Ar---chie" a smile formed on his lips as he looked at the kneeling Archie.
"Eeek" Archie let out a little squeal and began to cry and grab at Michaels feet. "Please no Master!" he pleaded bitterly.
Freaked out by the sudden water works, Michael shook Archie off his feet. "Okay, okay sheesh. Just chill out. Teach me how to reinforce my meridians" he said in an exasperated tone.
Archie nodded profusely "Yes Master!"
Michael first got into the lotus position and used his minds eye to enter his body once again. Archie who had taken form in the room had disappeared before reappearing next to Michael in his body.
"First off you need to absorb Qi from your surroundings. Do you have a cultivation technique?" Archie asked.
Nodding, Michael thought of the 'Qi Technique' that had allegedly imprinted itself on his mind. The next moment, a copy of the old looking book with the words 'Qi Technique' appeared in front of the duo.
Michael turned the page and the original diagram of the person in the lotus position appeared on the page.
"Huh?" Michael was shocked, the once still page of the Qi Technique had seemingly come to life. The Qi and meridians were moving in a rhythm as they entered the body and began circulating through the channels in the arm.
He also noticed another change within the book, originally the diagram specified to cycle the Qi through the meridians of one arm via the wrist, elbow, shoulder, heart then Dantian. However, the book in front of him was now showing both arms as one cycle.
"Whoa" Archie's eyes had almost popped out of his sockets as he exclaimed loudly.
"M…Master, where did you get this Cultivation Technique?".
"My Father gave it to me; he said it was from our Ancestor" he replied simply.
"I think this is one of the Ancient Cultivation Techniques that were perfected during The Human Alliance Era" Archie exclaimed excitedly.
"Wow so cool!" A giant smile made its way onto Michael's face.