Book 2: Chapter 10: Gossip
Yin stepped through shrubs near the Qi vein, feeling the gentle breeze rustle her hair. A jute basket hung by her waist, tied with two little strings that kept the thing firmly in place. Searching through the grass, she picked up stalks of spirit grass, before placing it into the basket. Just another day as usual for her, if not for the person accompanying her.
"I still don't know how you can pick these without any Qi sense," Yan Yun said, walking behind Yin. She had been accompanying Yin in her task the past few days, learning how to help out in chores. Yin had been worried at first, but Yan Yun had become a great help, finding more spirit herbs than Yin did.
She tried not to sigh at the thought. It felt unfair at times, all the more so with cultivators living amongst her, so the difference between them was more than obvious to see. Yet the envy was unsightly, and she tried to push it down. Yun Yun had been nothing but kind to her, and she was even teaching her all about the various sects and the empire as a whole.
"Is something wrong Yin Yin? Your basket is barely filled," Yan Yun said, pulling Yin out of her thoughts.
"Huh? N-no, nothing. Just got distracted," Yin replied, realising she'd been dazing out. "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired," Yin replied with a quiet smile.
"If I'm going too quickly then do let me know. I'm not too used to doing these tasks. So I apologise if I've been rushing you," Yan Yun said.
"N-No.. it's alright," Yin said. A moment passed in silence, before Yin glanced back to Yan Yun. "Well… actually, it's about someone I've been curious about… but I can't seem to ask," Yin said, fidgeting awkwardly.
Yan Yun's frown increased before a red flush rose on her cheeks. The girl looked around as if to scan for people before walking closer and whispering in Yin's ears.
"Is it Lu Jie?"
Yin looked at the girl with wide eyes, before nodding. "Did he say something?" Yin asked.
"No!" Yan Yun exclaimed abruptly, louder than she'd anticipated by the look on her face. She coughed, calming herself, before continuing. "No! He didn't. Knowing him, I feel like he may not even notice. I just thought it might've been him. You tend to stare at him a lot."
"I-I do? Is it that noticeable?" she asked, concerned if Lu Jie himself had noticed her, and thought she was kind of a strange girl.
Yin saw a sparkle flash through Yan Yun's eyes. The girl seemed positively excited about the topic, though Yin couldn't tell why.
"Lu Jie huh? I can't blame you. He's pretty adorable once you get to know him, and he's tall. You should just ask him, Yin Yin," Yan Yun said, patting her shoulder.
Yin stared at the girl, unsure of what she was talking about.
"I-I tried to. But he was busy. I just… don't know. Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding. But the celebration for Zhang, and all of it. It just felt right to me. When I looked at him there, I felt like I knew that I was right," Yin paused when she heard something that sounded an awful lot like a squeal from Yan Yun. She spotted the girl looking at her with glowing eyes, eager to listen more. Yin, still confused, continued.
"But I don't even know him too well. What if I'm wrong? And no matter what, he is still a cultivator. I just… don't know," Yin said, feeling her anxieties starting to swell, as they began to pour out of her.
Yan Yun closed in, grasping her shoulders. "It'll be fine. Lu Jie is a bit quirky, yes. But he's a good guy. And he cares for people close to him. You don't have to worry about him being a cultivator or anything either, I've never seen him treat mortals or cultivators differently. It's part of why he tends to get in so much trouble," Yan Yun said.
Yin laughed. When the children had been too scared to join with cultivators, she'd seen the boy be pushed into the mud by a boy. The entire village had held their breath, when instead of getting angry, the boy had called for his spirit turtle and shouted something silly before drenching them all.
"That is true. I feel better… thank you Yun Yun," Yin said, smiling at the girl. Yan Yun looked at her in surprise, before returning a bright smile of her own.
"Anytime, Yin Yin. Though I can't claim to understand… I never had the chance to develop something like that. But I have always wanted to have some female friends of my own age to whom I could talk about such things, and laugh and share stories with. It's something of a dream for me," Yan Yun trailed off.
Yin looked at the girl, seeing that same expression of sorrow. Moving in, she grasped Yan Yun's hand, feeling the tender skin that was perfect beyond measure rest in her palm, as she looked up into her pear green eyes. "I'm your sister. I-I can talk," Yin said, before she paused. "I-if you'd like me to."
Yan Yun looked back into Yin's eyes, surprised by her words. A moment later, she nodded smiling brightly as little tears filled her eyes.
"Okay, enough about me," Yan Yun said, before leaning closer once more. "Will your father approve of things with you and Lu Jie?"
"My father? He doesn't know of it," Yin replied, confused by the question.
Yan Yun nodded. "That's fine for now, but you'll eventually have to take it up with him. Lu Jie is not very normal, and now with the Lord protecting him, it may not be strange if he's made to marry for politics, and that'll put your position in jeopardy. It's best to clear these things out in due time. I've seen far too many mistresses and how they get treated, and I don't want to see that happen to you," Yan Yun said.
Yin stared blankly at the girl. "I… don't understand? I don't intend to marry Lu Jie?"
"Oh. Are you sure…? That seems… awfully scandalous…" Yan Yun said, her voice getting quieter with each word by the confused expression on Yin's face.
"I… think you misunderstood. I'd been talking about my grandfather. I think they both shared the same home, and I've been meaning to ask him," Yin said.
She watched Yan Yun's face slowly but surely turn a bright red as her eyes darted around in embarrassment. "Oh, I thought— people had been gossiping since they saw Lu Jie leave your place late at night and you'd been with him."
Catching the implication, Yin found her own face lit up. "No! Heavens no! I-I could never. If anything I thought Yun Yun was… I'd never even entertained the thought because of that."
"Oh heavens no. I like Lu Jie, but not like that at all. Not to mention… I have been stripped of my family's ties and have lost my cultivation. If anything, Lu Jie who's favoured by the Lord currently would never look at someone like me twice."
"That isn't true, Yun Yun! You're so pretty, any man would be glad to have you. I on the other hand am merely the daughter of a small village's head. Someone like Lu Jie, a cultivator of such strength… I could never."
The two girls drifted into an awkward silence, resuming their herb gathering tasks for a while. A few minutes of silent work later, Yan Yun spoke up once more.
"So… before I'd misunderstood, you'd been mentioning your grandfather and that they shared a home?" Yan Yun asked.
Yin nodded, plucking another herb and putting it in her basket. "Yes. It's a very distant land, and… Lu Jie reminds me of him" Yin said, glancing at Yan Yun.
"Now that you mention it, Lu Jie has always known strange things. He'd taught a class about lighting and such, and I'd been meaning to ask him where he'd learned such things, but we'd gotten interrupted, and then the thought slipped my mind," Yan Yun said, looking at Yin. "Where is his home?"
Yin grew silent for a moment, picking up the little herbs, before glancing back at Yan Yun. "Truthfully, I don't know either. It's a very far off land, and my grandfather said that he could likely never return to it."
Yan Yun frowned at Yin's words, "Perhaps he arrived here from one of the continents beyond the Azure sea. But… he looks to be from the empire. I hear the people beyond the Azure sea have much more colour hair and eyes. We get some traders on the coast every so often."
"I don't want to pry too much. But… if he does share a home… I have something to share with him. And I would like to know more about my grandfather's home. Before he passed away, he told me stories about his home. I was hoping to know how things were." Yin said, quietly looking in the distance.
"You should talk to him. I'm sure he'll be glad to tell you," Yan Yun said.
"Do you truly think so?" Yin asked, receiving a nod from Yan Yun. She thought over the topic, feeling a strange joy at the idea of hearing more of her grandfather's home.
Surely it wouldn't hurt to ask? Yin decided to ask Lu Jie, the next chance she saw him.
The two girls continued to talk about the topic as the hours passed by. With the sun starting to cross the sky, they made their way back to the village. Arriving into the village Yin paused at seeing a crowd gathered around her home. Walking faster, she made her way in, asking one of the villagers what had happened.
The old woman looked at Yin, a deeply concerned look on her face. "Oh Yin, you're here. The sect… sent a messenger. They'll be cutting us off right before winter, the village will starve without them!"
Book 2: Chapter 11: Bad News
I walked across the plains, taking in the rushing wind. Chi flowed through my feet, my steps barely touching the ground as I stepped throughout the whole way. The sensation was akin to being flung off and at the edge of falling, as the world seemed to warp around me, yet I never hit the ground. There was something oddly relaxing about speeding through grassy plains, following no particular path in general as the world stretched on endlessly.
Little tid bits that I'd picked up jingled in my pouch. If allowed to, I would've emptied the entire place, but for now, I only took the bare minimum of things. There will be time later to utilise the Lord's generosity, but for now, we had a new drug industry to start.
As I closed in towards Taizhou, I slowed my steps down, returning to a more regular run, before transitioning into a light jog. The sun was setting as I walked down the hill that led towards the entrance path of the village. Reaching a bit closer, I sensed a small crowd gathered around the village head's place.
Watching the people walk past, I could see an odd tension in their body language. Speeding up my approach, I walked closer, when a familiar face stopped me. Chen, the blacksmith and carpenter of the village found me, a worried expression on his face.
"We'd been looking for you Lu Jie. There's a visitor in the village. A cultivator," the man said, walking beside me. I frowned, glancing towards the Village head's home. Sure enough, I could sense a first realm cultivator.
"What are they here for?" I asked, speeding up on my way over.
"The sect sent a messenger," the man replied. Before he could finish, I was already rushing over.
Making my way through the crown, I walked up to stand beside the village head. The man briefly glanced towards me, but there was none of the regular nervousness or courtesy in his eyes.
"What is it?" I asked, glancing down, when the village head handed me the scroll.
"They've decided to terminate their trade with Taizhou for spirit herbs, and withdraw their protection," the village head said grimly.
Silently, I held the official scroll in my hand with the termination of the contract for buying the spirit crystals and spirit herbs produced in the village of Taizhou, and its protection from spirit beasts and the like.
I'd expected Elder Yan to do something petty like this, the only thing that surprised me was how long it took him to do it. Despite my anticipation of the event, I did not feel any less angry as I heard the villager's fearful whispers and saw the anger and frustration crawling upon their faces.
It was not easy for villages like these to survive on their own, not in proximity to something like this Qi vein and especially not when winter was this close to arriving in full force. Winter was when spirit beast activity was its highest. The solstice was a day notable for the rise of demonic beasts and even just that single day alone was why many villages had protection contracts with sects. Without the protection of the sect, and they would be far more susceptible to attacks by both spirit beasts and bandits looking to lay claim to the resources present here.
The only real solution was to offer the produce to some other sect or clan, yet on the seventh peak the only ones who could were the Lord and the Cloudy Peaks sect. With one of them out of the picture, and the other unlikely to put any further aggression towards the sect, they were caught in between a rock and a hard place.
It would not be unreasonable for the villagers to blame my arrival for the problems, and try to remove me to provide a solution for it. Though I doubt it'd work, even if they did make me leave, I doubt the elder would simply let them have the agreement back that easily. It was a simple tactic, to create trouble for me, especially since they knew they were the one who held authority here. But that didn't make me any less angry at being on the receiving end of it.
I turned towards the village head, surprised to see the man's expression remain rather calm. Lines dotted his forehead as the man frowned, but there was no nervousness that I could usually spot in Guo Zou. He stood with his back straight, and calmly talked with the disciple. It was futile, I knew as much, the disciple was at the peak of the second realm and would have no authority, but from the village head's perspective, it was his only method to understand the situation and he made the best use of it. I could see why the man had done so well in his position as village chief over the years.
"I thank you for coming all the way here to deliver the message, honoured cultivator. Please relay my regrets for events that have turned out this way to the sect," Guo Zou said to the disciple when nothing came of their talks. The boy nodded once, glancing at me warily. He wasn't surprised to see me here, so he'd known of my presence. I suppose word had spread around, as it had been bound to. I did cause a huge mess right before I left. After the brief glance, the disciple walked away, making his way back to the sect.
Guo Zou turned to face the gathered crowd of villagers looking at him with worried expressions. "It is a difficult time that lies ahead of us," the man said to the crowd, glancing to observe their faces one by one. "But we've faced such things before. Both the wretched beasts, and the wrath of cultivators. And we will do so again, as long as we remain united."
I saw nods coming from some of the villagers, yet others looked far from satisfied from the man's words.
"We did so because of the sect's protection. Even when the elder Guo had founded this village, it had been with the sect's protection. How in heaven's name are we going to get money now? Or protection? If the cultivators have forsaken us then this place will soon be overrun by spirit beasts! And without herbs and crystals from the mine to sell… how will any of us eat?" a woman shouted, clutching a young baby in her arms. Similar shouts of protests rose from the crowd, as anxiety and uncertainty rose among the villagers.
"If I may," I spoke, interjecting the shouting crowd. Though I did not inject any Chi in my voice, they listened to me with rapid attention just the same. "My friends and I are heavily in debt to this village. I know some of you will not agree, but that is how I feel. This village has provided us a home to stay as, and treated us as one of you. It is only right that we give back. No one here will have to worry about the spirit beasts, we will protect and guard the village perimeters," I said, quieting down some of the protesting voices.
"That's still just spirit beasts. What about the mines and the herbs? We still won't have any food to eat if we don't sell them, and with winter almost here… the children will starve," a man asked. The village head spoke up in my place.
"I have a treasury stacked away. It has enough to keep us afloat through winter. I will arrange some trade agreements in the meanwhile. The heavens are not merciless. When they close a path, they open another one. This is merely a trial, and it is especially crucial that in these trying times, we support each other," the village head said, standing straight with his eyes set forward.
One by one, I saw the villagers nod and reply in agreement, their fears calmed for the moment. Eventually, the villagers began to return to their homes to discuss and make plans with their families, while some others remained to discuss with the village head.
I watched them talk, my eyes briefly taking note of Yin and Yan Yun, standing nearby with varying expressions of concerns and curiosity.
As I mulled over my plans, the two girls made their way towards me. Yan Yun stood next to me, her fists balled and even without a spirit bond, I could sense her anger as clear as day.
"Do you think… no what am I saying. This was most certainly my grandfather's work."
"Likely," I replied, looking ahead at the villagers talking and fretting. "But that does not mean you're responsible," I said, turning back to look at Yan Yun.
"How can I not be?" Yan Yun asked, her voice wavering as she looked me in the eye.
"Because I am too. And because your grandfather's choices are not yours. He has made his decision, and now I will make mine. There is no avoiding this conflict that has begun," I said, turning to face the village of Taizhou and its residents.
Perhaps there had never been a way to avoid this. If not Li and Lei, then there would've been someone else who would've stepped on my toes. Sect elders, lords, bandits. There was no end to it. This world was tied in the chase for immortality, that as long as you had power, your actions were justified.
I clenched my fists, letting out a deep exhale. Feeling my anger settled, I looked sideways. For a brief moment, my eyes met Yin's and I saw a strange pause in her gaze, as if she wanted to say something. But if that was so, then the girl did not seem up to the task, quickly diverting her eyes away instead.
I ignored it for the moment. "Yan Yun, can you get my spirits? Zhang bring Granny and everyone else at the village head's place. We need to discuss some things."
Yan Yun nodded, stepping away. Yin looked at me briefly, before running after Yan Yun. I let out a breath, reaching out to Labby, Sheldon and Twilight through my bond.
Stepping to the village, I patted the man's shoulders. Guo Zou turned towards me, grim wrinkles dotting the corner of his eyes, but the man kept a composed face. "What can I do for you Lu Jie?" the man asked calmly.
"I believe I have some important things to discuss with you. I may have a way out of this problem for all of us," I said to the man.
Guo Zou looked at me with wide eyes. The man's composure returned quickly, and he nodded, heading towards his chamber.
I followed behind him, gathering my resolve at the discussions to come. If I succeed, then this would be it. The first step towards a new era.
Book 2: Chapter 12: Making Plans
I waited as everyone gathered at the village head's place, trying to compose everything that I needed to say. After the last person had joined, I closed the doors, before I began to address everyone.
"Without too long a startup, I'd just like to say to the village head that all us here think of this place as a home for us. And in parts bear some responsibility for events to have turned out the way they have. So if you would wish that we leave the village, then now would be the time to speak up," I said, feeling more than a few glances looking at me in surprise.
The village head looked at me, taking a deep breath. "Lu Jie, to be truthful to you, there are people who have expressed such thoughts. They do not dare speak up, because despite how comforting and friendly all of you appear, it is hard to forget the difference between us, when we see you lift boulders with ease," the village head said, and I tried not to sigh. I'd anticipated as much. Whispers carried on the wind far more than they realised, especially to a cultivator's ears.
I sensed Su Lin about to say something, but sent him a pulse of Qi to keep him quiet.
"But," the village head continued. "I would be ashamed to face my father after my death, if I let such a thing come to occur. Quirky a man though he had been, he'd found this place to be a welcoming home to any who arrived here and all of you are a part of this village as much as anyone else."
I looked at the village, and saw the sincerity in the man's eyes. Nodding, I glanced around at my friends, seated all around me, before I began to talk. "I have had a meeting with a Lord, which is where I'd disappeared to yesterday. We have come to an arrangement, where, I need to provide him with alchemy pills in enough amount," I said, glancing around that table. "I've had the idea in mind for a while now, and to that end, I've been looking for ways to allow anyone to make the most simple pills there were. Even people who could not sense Qi whatsoever."
Looks were exchanged around the table, varying expressions of raised eyebrows, but none of my friends looked terribly shocked to hear any of it. Perhaps desensitized, or perhaps it's because they already knew what my goals were. Guo Zou on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten to breathe for a while. I did not wait for the man to recover and simply continued.
"I need the villagers' help to develop the tools to produce the pills in large amounts. We will be selling these for money and distributing these based on tasks across everyone involved in the process. Most of the villagers can continue to harvest spirit stones and spirit herbs as they always have, and we will compensate them properly for the tasks."
I glanced towards the door of the chamber, my smile fading slightly as I sensed someone standing outside. A moment later, I figured out the identity of the person and sent a pulse of Chi carrying a message to them.
"You can come in, you know? There's a ward on the door so you won't be able to hear anything from the outside."
I heard Yin stumble back in surprise, before she picked herself up and hesitantly opened the door. Her face was bright red at having been caught and I tried my best not to laugh at it.
"You have a terrible habit boy," Granny Lang scolded me, and I ducked my head in embarrassment at her words. I could not deny my joy at surprising people with the things I did or planned.
Coughing, to retain some measure of seriousness in the conversation as Yin took a seat near her father.
Returning to that topic, I turned towards the village chief. "To that end, I want to pick three people who will be learning Alchemy under me, for the process of general alchemy, and granny, to ensure I don't miss any basics."
"I…" Guo Zou looked down at me. "Why would you entrust such a task to a man such as me?"
"Because you know the people of this village better than any of us do. And I need people I can trust. People who would be willing to abandon common sense and take up what tasks I'm giving out to them. I saw you handle the villagers, and they have your respect. Rightfully so. It's why, this has to be done by you."
Guo Zou looked down for a moment, thinking over something.
"I-I'll do it," Yin said, raising her hand, as she looked at me. "I-If you'd have me, and it is not overstepping. But… I want to do it."
"Yin'er… are you sure? You do not—"
"I want to father," Yin interrupted, looking at her father with a fierce expression. "I've wanted to learn so many things forever, but you've always protected me from everything. All the more so since mother died. I know these aren't womanly skills and you worry for me but… I wish to learn how to do this. I wish to learn from the libraries, read books, and become someone of worth. Not someone who has to rely on others."
I looked at Yin, feeling more than a little surprised. That was… not an attitude I would've expected from the girl. "I take back my words, village head. You only need to pick two," I said, glancing at Yin, as I smiled. "I have my first candidate selected."
The village head looked at his daughter before looking at me. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "Since my daughter insists. I ask of you to take care of her, and accept the task with honour."
I smiled, nodding. "Zhang, pick three villagers to train in combat. We will be clearing out the Qi vein to establish a production base inside. It's the ideal location and will help keep the work hidden as well."
"With pleasure brother," Zhang replied.
"Sii!" Silverlight whistled as well.
"Granny Lang, I'll share the methods for the pills when they're complete. I'll need your help with the development process of course, and to supervise the production to make sure things are working fine."
Granny Lang snorted. "What'd you do without me boy?" she said, and I flashed a smile back at the old woman. I turned to look at Yan Yun.
"Yan Yun, I will need your help to guide the trainees through the basics of combat. You're the only one here who's received a proper education in such matters," I said.
After a moment of consideration, Yan Yun nodded. "I'd be happy to."
"Su Lin, your job is the same. Scout the market, make sure Silver Fang is not hounding our tail, and find a way to sell and distribute the pills" I said, before taking a glance around the chamber.
"Here's to hoping for a new start," I said to the room, feeling a storm of emotions stirring up in my gut.
Many faces looked back at me, some with respect, others with worry, and a few with anticipation. One way or another, the dream that I'd seen upon waking up; of a world of magic so rich and advanced was starting to take shape.
Book 2: Chapter 13: Banquet of Snakes
Poison Qi flowed around in a mortar, mingling with the spirit herbs set inside. Liuxiang focused her senses, the pestle in her hand grinding down the spirit herbs. The action was calming, soothing, a reminder of the days she'd left behind her. She also enjoyed the far greater efficiency with which she could control her poison now, having broken through to the fourth realm.
The poison Qi slowly began to hiss, as the spirit herbs were ground down into a liquid slurry. Liuxiang knew the medicine was ready, and she put aside the pestle, removing the last few coarse bits of herbs set on it with her finger.
Carefully taking the mortar, she drained it into a small bowl, before covering it with a cloth and tying a string around it. Several such bowls of medicine and poisons lined the shelves of her room now.
"Liuxiang should probably send some to the apothecary. There won't be much space left here soon," Zhi Zhu said from within Liuxiang's spirit.
"I will. But for now, I want to keep them here," Liuxiang replied.
"Eldest won't be very pleased."
"We do enough to please her. She can deal with this much," Liuxiang replied, walking back to her table. It had been nearly a month since she had been taken from the sect by her great-grandmother. During the time, Liuxiang had been made to quickly learn all sorts of etiquettes and had been put through intensive training to enhance her arts.
It had been brutal, with many sorts of poisons being put inside her body. But she had survived, and she'd grown stronger. Despite the pain, Liuxiang could not deny that she felt more in control of herself, and her spirit than she had felt in a really long time.
Her eyes glanced at the notes and scrolls on her table. Many had diagrams and figures drawn on them, explaining the effects of various poisons and dissecting the human body. Yet, one in particular stood out from the rest. A scroll bound tightly with a cat's paw print at one corner of it.
Liuxiang smiled as she looked at the scroll from Lu Jie. Picking it up, she opened the letter, reading through it once more.
As was the norm for the boy, he started off with a long paragraph about the latest project that he felt excited about, before asking what she was up to. She'd asked him in her last letter why he wrote as if he was actually there talking to her, and he'd replied that he was used to things working that way. Something called messenger apps that could relay messages at an instant. Akin to sending, but with no limits on distance.
"A strange friendship, yours and his," Zhi Zhu commented.
Liuxiang nodded, rolling up the scroll, before she put it back inside her drawer. "All the more precious because of it," she replied to her spirit.
"So Liuxiang says. But can she keep the boy from the Eldest? One day or another, his anomalies will be in front of the world. And to the Eldest, he will be another tool to be made use of. Like us. Like Liuxiang."
A sombre expression took over Liuxiang's features. Not replying to Zhi Zhu, Liuxiang walked up to the mirror in her chamber. She looked at the girl staring back at him from within it, with lustrous white hair adorned with beautiful ornaments and the ornate green garments of the Shie clan.
"It is selfish of me, I will admit," Liuxiang said, glancing down her chest. "But I do not wish to give up on the few friends I have made. And I trust Lu Jie, enough to contend with grandmother, and make use of her if she tries to do so with him."
"A risky gamble. Divinities are beyond even us, they are immortals. Gods that roam the earth. What is to say that Eldest will not simply kill him because he represents a threat?"
"I won't let her," Liuxiang replied firmly. Zhi Zhu did not reply to that, and Liuxiang stood a moment longer, watching the person inside the mirror.
For a long moment, she felt as if she could barely recognise who she was anymore. The deep red eyes, the silvery-white hair. The person within the mirror wore ornate jewellery that had taken the work of five handmaidens to arrange. Her hair had been polished till it shone like glistening silk, and her clothes likely cost more than a disciple's yearly income. She had escaped to be someone else. To be Yi Liuxiang. But this was who she had been from birth.
Yet… how come, whenever she looked inside the mirror, she saw a stranger look back?
Three sharp knocks rapped against the wooden door of her chamber. "Enter," Liuxiang replied smoothly, turning her expression neutral and straightening her posture.
A chamber maid entered the room, bowing her head once. "The banquet awaits you, my lady."
"Wait for me outside. I will be there in a minute," Liuxiang said in a single breath, as the maid left.
She was a second realm cultivator. At the seventh peak, she would be treated like a respectable cultivator. But here, at the Shie manor, she was nothing more than a servant.
Despite the month-long training forcing her to remove her habit of speaking humble herself, Liuxaing still couldn't help but feel odd at the way she was made to act, and order about the people who worked at the manor.
Putting the thoughts aside, Liuxiang took one last look at the mirror, to see if the hours of work by the handmaidens had been ruined by her own lack of care. Finding her appearance suitable, she walked outside her chamber, when the figure standing there made her stop in her tracks.
"You look quite fabulous Junior sister, that I must admit," Shie Han said, smiling at her brilliantly. The boy was the definition of a well groomed child of the Shie clan, his smile was not too excited or uncouth, but a calm and careful expression of sincerity.
Something she knew the boy did not feel an inch about her. Not when she was about to replace him today.
"You jest, senior brother. I may very well look the part of a clown with all these ornaments," Liuxiang replied. And she knew it to be true. The handmaidens had made sure to go overboard with her preparations, on whoever's orders. She did not care to find it. She'd let them, before cleaning up herself of the most excessive ones. It'd solidify her image as an ignorant girl raised at the edge of the empire, making it easier for her to go behind their backs.
"No such thing, Junior sister. I do not lie or praise dishonestly," the boy said.
"Well, then I must thank you for your words, senior brother," Liuxaing replied with a bow. "But it would not do for me to tarry any longer. The elders are waiting."
"Indeed. Let us proceed," the boy said, walking ahead of her. She didn't say anything, following behind him silently. She knew their little tricks. To walk in front of her, Shie Han would be establishing his superiority upon her. Referring to her as junior sister, among the many others things were all done for the same purpose. She was not as blind or ignorant as any of them thought her to be.
"Precisely the weapon we must use," Zhi Zhu whispered in her mind.
Liuxiang did not nod, she did not need to. The intent was transmitted to her spirit. But the other truth of the matter was also that she could not care. These games they played here, so close to the heart of the empire, were all things done by the weak. She would not need to play any, so long as she could meet her grandmother's expectations, they would respect her all the same.
The long halls snaked across the manor, stretching on endlessly. For a moment she wondered if Shie Han was taking advantage of her being unfamiliar with the place to make her be late for the banquet, but to her relief, they quickly arrived at the entrance to the hall.
Shie Han, as she'd expected, walked in first. Not paying it any attention, she followed behind the boy, entering the banquet. The wide hall stretched on endlessly, made wider than physically possible using great arts she could barely comprehend. Luxurious food dripping with essence lined the rows, so exquisite and rare Liuxiang felt herself absorbing wisps of essence just by being near them.
She noted the people within the banquet halls, sensing many elders, and even some experts among the people within. The entirety of the Shie clan had joined in today to celebrate the rise of their Matriarch to divinity, and the reclamation of their position within the jade court.
Making sure not to breach any of the etiquettes she'd been taught of, Liuxiang made her way through the banquet. She could feel the eyes and the Qi senses, prodding at her.
To those who had kept an ear out, they'd heard of the girl who'd returned with the Eldest. Liuxiang saw them watching her curiously from the corner of her eyes, likely waiting for her to be introduced by someone, which is how they would be able to tell her rank, and how to interact with her.
Liuxiang saw a couple of people glance at her, and give her a smile or a nod. She took note of those that did. They likely knew of who she was, if they did so, and they wanted her to know that. It'd do her well to keep in mind people perceptive and well informed enough of the happenings in their clan.
Walking through the blanket of Qi senses and auras, which thankfully most of the elders kept in check, Liuxiang retreated to a side corner. Not many would approach her, until her apparent position was made clear, though there were some children, who either did not care for such etiquettes or were low ranked enough that nearly everyone would be above them.
Liuxiang made small talk with these children, letting their blatant compliments and attempts to chalk favour with her pass her by. She knew that not all of it was a lie, yet the portions that were still ended up souring the experience.
After a while of talking, the children receded, realising that she was not very interested in talking, and neither were any of the other higher ranking clan members approaching her.
Liuxiang did not let out a sigh of relief, yet she dearly wanted to. She was grateful at the silence. The stares and glances were pointed enough to bear, not to mention the rude intrusion of Qi senses every so often.
"They will regret it once they know of your stature," Zhi Zhu replied.
"Yet what better will I be from them, if I let my stature speak for me, instead of my actions," Liuxiang replied, watching the people pass her by.
Zhi Zhu did not reply to her words, and the two of them returned to silence. One that was shared by the entire banquet hall all of a sudden.
It took her a moment to realise the reason for this, and she quickly felt the familiar presence of her grandmother. Having spent the past month nearly glued by her side, she'd stopped noticing just how jarring the sensation of someone else having absolute control over you was. She could see many people shifting uncomfortably under the feeling, some children even breaking down in tears.
It took a moment for Liuxiang to spot her grandmother at the further reach of the hall. Yet, despite the distance, her voice echoed clearly throughout the chamber as she spoke.
"My children, my kin. It has been nearly a century since I saw some of you. It has pained me to be away for so long, but I have returned now," the woman announced, stepping further into the hall. "I have rejoiced to see how far some of you have come, and grieved to hear of the passing of others. Yet, today is a day of celebrations. For I have returned, reaching the heights of Divinity itself," her grandmother spoke, as the pure white spirit rings of her soul reflected in her eyes.
As one, the entire clan bowed to the woman, rejoicing at the return of the divinity amidst their ranks. Liuxiang joined in the motion, bowing deeply.
"Raise your heads," her great grandmother said. "We do not bow today. And we will not do so for centuries to come. The Shie have regained what had been taken from us, and we will not forget the slights we suffered when weak. But no more, we are weak no more. And the jade-court itself shall celebrate our rise."
Excitement coursed through the hall at the words. A divinity amidst their ranks again would put Shie back in power, perhaps enough to regain their glory from their founding days.
"But that is not. I have also come to announce a kin I had sent far to study in secret. Now the time for her to return has come, as my great-granddaughter. And as my disciple," the woman said, her eyes turning towards Liuxiang.
Within an instant, the entire hall was watching her. Hundreds of eyes rested upon Liuxiang as a myriad of expressions spread throughout the court. Keeping a tight grip on her expression, Liuxiang walked across the hall, to stand by her grandmother.
"I would like to introduce my newest disciple. Shie Liuxiang. If any object my choice then speak up now," the eldest said, and Liuxiang looked back at the people watching her. They were eyeing her, trying to spot any sign of weakness. She would not give them any.
She did not bow, did not bend. She merely looked back, and then, with a quiet breath intake, let out a hiss.
A cold smile presented itself on her grandmother's face.
"None have spoken, and so it is done. Now, let us celebrate," she announced, letting go of the grip from her presence, as the banquet began in earnest.
Liuxiang stood where she had, as droves of people came by to introduce themselves, or their sons. Some, even their daughters. A fairly common sight within their clan, but one that surprised her nonetheless.
Yet, even as Liuxiang greeted and smiled and made merry with people of her own blood and kin, she couldn't help but feel more lonely than she had felt in a long time.
She wondered what Lu Jie was up to right now.
Book 2: Chapter 14: Explosion Science
Things had slowed down after my discussion with the village head, when I had been forced to tackle a few important questions. How would I defend the village through winter? Money was the lesser of the issues, and a long-term concern instead, but winter was just around the corner.
A horde of demonic beasts frenzied out on the winter solstice would need more than just a few cultivators. Even if I went full demon mode, there's no guarantee I'd be able to last something like that out.
At the end, the solution I came up with was simple. If I couldn't defend them, then I'd make them capable of defending themselves.
The air flickered and danced in front of me. Sparks spewed out, emitted by various fire spirit herbs in the cauldron. I stirred an iron ladle through the contents, crushing up little chunks of the herbs any time I noticed them, while simultaneously guiding the fire.
The temperature in the room rose rapidly as I worked, watching the fire herbs hiss and bubble as the rising heat turned the iron cauldron red. For a moment, I was concerned about an explosion, but I channelled my Qi, letting the fire essence focus inwards. Slowly, but surely, the herbs began to mix as I stirred. After they'd mixed enough, I grabbed the last bits of spirit grass and added it in.
Red hot fire essence surged, glowing brightly like molten lava within the cauldron. A powerful jet of flaming liquid shot outwards and I ducked back, trying my best not to lose control. Eventually the herb mingled in forming a pill at the centre of the cauldron. I let out a breath, glancing to my side to see Nyan lazily sitting nearby and watching me work.
I was surprised the heat and flames hadn't scared the cat away, but then, Nyan had always been mysterious. Taking note of my attention, he walked over to where I was, and rubbed himself against my leg.
Dishing out a good dosage of pets and scritches onto the orange sassy furball, I returned to the pill I'd formed. Picking the burning hot pill up, I stared at it with narrowed eyes, trying to determine if I'd obtained what I wanted to. Only a test would tell.
Setting the pill on the counter, I took out a blade and scraped a small amount out, before curshing it into a powder. I scraped the pinch of powdered I'd gathered into a little porcelain dish, and walked through the scattered mess of boxes that covered my half-constructed lab. Though a far cry from the alchemy pill churning factory I was hoping to turn it into I'd still made quite some progress, the primary bit of which was figuring out my equivalent of a bunsen burner. I could not exactly get a flow of gas going for it, or set up an industry that did not even exist, so I'd been forced to improvise.
My version, which I'd named Hydro-electric burner ran a lightning, and a water spirit crystal. The key of the puzzle had been figuring out how to use the crystal to naturally gather water, instead of water Qi. Turned out, that was a simple matter of letting water condense around the crystal due to its nature.
A pulse of Qi would circulate electricity from the lightning crystal, the lightning would turn the water gathered by the water crystal into hydrogen and oxygen across the two copper plates attached to the crystal, which would flow into the central chamber with the flames, igniting with a flame that was devoid of almost any Qi.
There were still some issues to work out, but it was a mostly functional prototype. Turning the hydro-electric burner on, I watched the sharp blue colored flames stream out. I set my dish of porcelain with the new drug made powder atop, and waited.
I watched quietly as the powder began to heat up, starting to crack and pop and stir. After a minute or two of heating, smoke began to rise, and I found my hopes renewed. Yet, things were not meant to be. The powder set itself on flames, burning slowly with thick smoke filled with fire essence streaming out. I set down the flaming powder, putting the flames out, and let out a sigh.
This had been my seventh failed attempt at making a drugnade that could be used as a replacement for gunpowder or black powder. Having an explosive was pretty nice, but the fact that it could be remotely triggered with Qi by anyone, even an enemy, made it less than ideal as a weapon. I was also far from satisfied from the lack of explosive reaction as the current drugnades had a tendency to instead create whirlpools of flame instead. Rather than drugnades, it was more appropriate to call them drug-flame-tornadoes. Bit of a mouthful if you asked me.
Nyan walked over to the counter where I was working, sniffing the burnt powder of the fire pile. After a moment or two of inspection as I pet the cat once more, it decided to lick the powder. One taste was enough to find the pill too spicy for the cat, as it hacked and coughed, before returning to its lounging destination, now watching my pills with a wary gaze.
I smiled, feeling slightly better as I returned to my pills. I had hoped that I would be able to create something that could ignite with heat, flames or a spark, and use much more conventional methods to create potential weapons. Things I knew I would need, if I wanted to protect the people here, for the eventual changes to come. It wasn't just cultivators that were a concern, having weapons would allow the mortals of the village to fight back against spirit beasts as well. And if Silver Fang ever tried to target those close to me, I wanted them armed.
But so far, all my attempts had either exploded because they were unstable, or didn't explode because they were unreactive to heat.
I let out a sigh, putting away the porcelain dish when the door creaked open behind me. I didn't really need to turn to see who'd just walked in, but did so anyway.
"Hey granny, Yin. Sorry about the mess," I apologised to the two standing at the entrance to the chamber, as I watched their gaze go through the chaos scattered all around.
The granny snorted, stepping over a pile of stashed porcelain bowls and plates I'd asked Chen to deliver that I'd just left on the floor for some reason. "You need to keep your things better organised boy, or you'll never be an Alchemist of any worth."
I grimaced at her words, taking a second glance at the chaos. "You're right, I do. I've just been busy with everything."
"Excuses, bah," the old granny said, rapping her fist against my chest. I smiled at her apologetically, watching Yin carefully walk around all the delicate items scattered around as she made her way to me. She carried a basket full of herbs in her hand that I'd specially requested from the Qi vein. Zhang or one of the others likely had taken that job.
I took the basket from the girl's hands, thanking her, before setting the basket on the counter behind me.
"So, how has it been going?" the granny asked, glancing at the counter I'd set up.
"Not good," I said, turning back to the little pill I'd made. Taking the drugnade powder on the petri dish, I presented it towards granny. "It works with Qi, but is unresponsive to heat or fire," I said, pulsing a sliver of Qi at the powder. The pill exploded with a crackle, sizzling away in little embers.
"What's the issue then? Just use that. Seems to burn just fine," Granny Lang said.
"The problem is that anyone can burn these up. Even an enemy. You don't want to carry something like that around. Not to mention, these burn up in flames, when I want a rapid spontaneous explosion, instead of a swirling tornado of fire."
The granny frowned, narrowing her eyes at my herb basket. "Show me the herbs," she said, walking closer. I picked up the basket where I kept the fire herbs for the drugnades and presented the herb.
"You said you wanted something powerful that could explode, instead of burn up in flames. Yes?" she asked me.
I nodded, watching the granny sort through the herb. "Throw this one out, it's got flames, but they burn with a steady fire instead. Use the flaming poison herb, the fire spreads rapidly, throw half of these fire herbs out. Dry some of these to get any water out, you may think it doesn't matter, but plain water can hinder fire essence too. And get some lightning ginseng and add a pinch, add about one third's worth of wood Qi herbs, and some earth Qi herbs."
My eyes widened in surprise, before I quickly began to write down everything she'd said on my notes.
"You want an explosion, then the fire needs something to burn rapidly. Wood and earth will provide that, given that they do not dominate the flames. The pinch of lightning essence is key here, it will temper the wood and earth, keep their natures under control while providing enough energy for a blast, while the fire essence rapidly consumes through the pill. That will cause your explosion. An act which is strange on its own, given that pills are meant to be eaten, not used as weapons," the granny said, glaring at me.
I shrugged with an embarrassed smile.
"Even with all your strange heavenly mysteries and powerful Qi control, you're still very much an apprentice Alchemist boy," the old woman said, shaking her head. "Stop trying to use alchemy for what it wasn't meant to do. If you need something that can prevent an enemy from using these pills of yours, instead of setting them aflame, create a formation device instead."
"A formation device?" I asked out loud.
"Yes, I'm sure you could make one that works by touching a spirit crystal on it, or setting it on fire or whatever. I'm not a formation master," the granny replied.
I tried my best not to facepalm at her words. Of course. How did I not think of that?
"Don't beat yourself up. Like I said, you're still merely an apprentice. Focus on learning all you can. Alchemy can't be the only tool you rely on for these strange creations of yours," the old woman said, turning around.
"Try the new method, test it out, if it doesn't work then grind the herbs up before adding some exploding fern from the third peak. Costly things, and not used in any alchemy pill recipe normally, so they'll be difficult to obtain," the old woman said, walking out.
"Thank you, Granny," I said to the old lady as she made her way out. Yin remained standing, as the granny left, and I looked at her for a while. My gaze made the girl look down, uncomfortably, and I felt a bit awkward. I'd always been unsure of how to talk to her. The girl seemed very… jumpy around me. Even though she mingled well with Su Lin and the rest.
"Do you… want to watch?" I asked Yin, and to my surprise, received a nod.
A smile came on my face at the interest, as I turned around, and began to read through granny's notes. Changing the herb recipe, I took out all the herbs Granny had written down, having to make some last minute adjustments because I did not have everything listed.
With a flick of my wrist, I set the cauldron on flame, letting Qi brim into it, and soak in. Pouring in just a small amount of spirit water to infuse out Qi, I set to work.
The first step was some trusty spirit grass, followed by the various fire herbs. I let them stir, and soak, seeping their essence outwards into the water, making it steam and bubble. At the same time, I added some crushed earth essence herbs in, that also began to spread out into the cauldron, mixing in with the fire essence. Stirring the two together, I let them mix, before quickly adding some more fire essence herbs.
Qi swirled within the cauldron as more the heat within began to rise, yet this time, it was fiery, but not unstable. There was more volume to it, and I could sense the earth essence, keeping the flames heavier, more in control and voluminous. I let the essences mix in, swirling them carefully within the cauldron.
Yin stood nearby, her eyes watching my hands move around in fascination, and I realised how this must look to her. I was moving this entire cauldron's contents with just my Qi, it responded to my will and my guidance, bubbling and hissing with heat and essence. To her, this was mysterious, and wondrous, unfamiliar yet captivating. The very same emotions I'd felt when first observing the magic Alchemy had.
A smile came to my face as I continued to stir my Qi into the caldron, as the water evaporated, leaving only flaming essence swirling within the cauldron.
"Step back," I instructed Yin, as I picked up the last herb to add. I tore off the edge of a lightning ginseng's root, before crushing it in a bowl. Crackles of lightning zapped my hand, making my fingers tingle lightly, as the lightning Qi stored within began to escape. Not wanting to lose too much of it, I quickly transferred the ginseng into the cauldron.
The reaction afterwards was instantaneous. Lightning cracked within the flames, as they began to bubble rapidly. It was un-tempered, and furious, pure Yang energy that wished to lash out unchecked. I let it course, let it flow around, swirling in circular motions to stir inside the cauldron, yet the reaction was rapid, as the cauldron itself began to shake.
Sweat beaded my forehead as I watched the flames start to gush out the edges, dripping over like flowing magma, as the lightning began to crackle harder and harder. I poured my Qi in, trying to push back down, but that only seemed to worsen the effect.
Apparently having had enough, Nyan turned around and leapt from the counter, dashing away, and I knew it was too late to stop what was to come.
"Get away!" I screamed.
Chi flooded my feet, as the world warped around me. I grabbed Yin into my arms as I moved to the other side. The next moment, a powerful explosion rocked the ground beneath me, followed by the sound of shattering porcelain.
Yin yelped, clutching her ears as I covered her shoulder, protecting her with my body. We stayed crouched for a moment longer, as the shockwave passed, before I let go of the girl and turned back around to see the damage.
My burner laid broken, porcelain dishes shattered and scattered all over. A section of the lab was aflame where the cauldron had flipped over, pouring its burning contents out.
"Fucking hell," I cursed out in English without thinking, watching the explosion. Yet, even at the disastrous scene, I could feel a joy rising inside of me. The explosion had worked! The lightning essence had provided the explosive energy needed to create a working explosive material. All I needed to do was stabilise the formula, and then figure out a way to prevent unintentional activation by enemies, and I had a weapon that I could give any cultivator, even a first realm one.
A whimper broke me out of my thoughts, and I almost cursed again, turning back to Yin. "Are you okay?" I asked the girl, who continued to look back at me, with wide eyes. Tears filled in her beady eyes as she looked at me with a terrified expression, and I felt guilt wrack my heart.
"I'm really sorry, I hope you aren't hurt," I said in as gentle a voice as I could manage, extending a hand towards her.
The girl snapped out of her daze, wiping her eyes. "I-I'm fine. Apologies," she whispered back, before her eyes returned to me, a strange emotion reflecting off her face.
"Where did you… learn those words?" she asked, her voice wavering midway.
I looked at her, confused, unsure of what she meant. "That I'm sorry?"
Yin shook her head. "The other language. Not of the empire," she asked, and my eyes widened in surprise.
"Ah, that— Well. It's the language I grew up with, the one of my previous home," I replied to Yin, feeling a strange nostalgia wash over me. "I'm afraid I can't really go back anymore, it's a very far place."
I turned towards Yin, and found tears flowing down her eyes as she stared at me. I watched the girl, confused, when all of a sudden she moved towards me, grasping my hands in her own.
"I… I was right. You are from there. From his home," Yin said, her voice heavy.
I found my voice stuck in my throat as I stared at the girl, not because of what she'd said, but because of the language she'd said it in.
Yin had just talked in English.
Book 2: Chapter 15: Taizhou's Legacy
I walked silently behind Yin, as she guided me back to her home. A thousand questions ran in my mind, all that I'd been wanting to ask the girl, but she'd insisted on taking me to her place, and seeing her resolute expression, I'd given in to her demands.
The village swept by beyond my awareness, as my eyes remained set firmly on the back of the girl walking in front of me. I nodded absently to the village head as I walked into his home. The man squawked, looking at me nervously in confusion, and then at Yin. For a while he tried to stop me for tea, but I briskly refused the offer, thanking him once, as I continued to follow behind Yin.
Stepping in the girl's chamber, I waited for her to enter. Yin shut the door behind her leaning against the frame as she looked at me with beady eyes that seemed to still be staring in disbelief.
"This is my chamber. Before me, it used to be my grandfather's. He gave it to me in his will," Yin said, in the Azure-Jade language, straightening her back from against the door frame.
"Were you close to him?" I asked in English, keeping my eyes on the girl.
Yin nodded, walking past me. She went to a drawer set at the corner of the room. Crouching on the floor, the girl pulled out the bottom most cabinet, letting out plumes of dust. From within, she picked out a single dusty book, coughing twice. Gently, she cleaned the book, before turning to face me, as she took a seat on the floor, and opened its contents.
"This is my grandfather's book," Yin said. "He only ever showed me this. The one place where he wrote of his home, and his past."
I took a seat in front of Yin, watching her go through the book. Her gaze was distant and nostalgic, likely going through the memories of her time with her grandfather.
After a moment, Yin closed the book, and turned it towards me. "I think my grandfather would have wanted you to read it."
I looked up to meet Yin's eyes, as I gave her a nod. Carefully picking up the book, I inspected it. The cover was of leather, sewed in with threads on the side. Sloppy work, clearly not someone who was used to the task. There was no name or title written on the book. I flipped the page open and frowned as I saw the contents within.
"This isn't… the Azure-jade script is it?" I asked, looking up at Yin.
The girl shook her head. "It's the language of his homeland. One similar to ours, but not the same," she replied.
I read the letters, finding quite a few of them familiar. It was definitely a language similar to this world. Mandarin, I suspected. Briefly I remembered Ki's ability to understand the languages from earth, and I wondered if I could replicate any of it, having inherited the tree.
I pressed a palm against the page, letting Chi flow through it as I closed my eyes. I could sense a shift happen, as the Chi soaked into the pages. Opening my eyes, I read the words again and… of course that didn't work. It wouldn't be so easy.
"There is a section ahead, written in another language that you should know. My grandfather had written this book in the hopes to reach out to someone else who might be lost in this world like he had been," Yin said, and I flipped the pages, finding the language switch to English about halfway.
"My name is Guo Wei. If you can read this, then either you are my kin, and have learned this language. Or you come from a world very far from this one.
If you are my kin, I thank you for keeping my legacy alive.
If you are from my world, then understand that though I may not be alive, I offer you the heartiest comfort I have to give, and welcome you as a fellow kin in this strange land. Just the understanding that there are others from our home in this strange world is a comfort that I so dearly wish to share with you."
I read the words, feeling a strange warmth fill me. Here this man had lived and died, having never met me, yet his words remained, offering me comfort of sharing a past home. I flipped the page over, reading ahead.
"The day I reached this world was 23rd February, 1988. I was twenty-two back then, living in America after my family had escaped our home around a decade ago. My memory is not very clear on how I had arrived on this world, merely that I had been working on a ship when the seas had taken me, and when I opened my eyes, I was here. It had taken me some time to find settlements. My first encounters with the wildlife of this world had been difficult, given how they possessed seemingly magical abilities that I lacked the ability to deal with.
It took me a week before I found civilization. They spoke a language similar to Mandarin, but distinctly different. I struggled at first, but explaining it as a dialect from a remote village seemed to work with them. After I'd changed my clothes, little to no one seemed to regard me strangely anymore, though my mannerisms raised more than a couple of eyes."
I chuckled, finding the train of thought oddly relatable. A brief glance showed Yin watching me instantly. The girl averted her eyes when I looked up, but I didn't pay it any attention, returning to the book.
"In just a few days, I had realised something strange about the place I was in. It wasn't just the lack of industry, roads and civilisation, which had been obvious, but also the fact that Qi existed in this world. An energy that allowed feats of magic to be performed by people revered as gods by the common public.
At first, I'd believed my inability to use this power resulted from my nature as an outsider in this world, but I'd quickly found out that only one in ten men in this world possessed the strength to use this magic. They were called cultivators and formed a social hierarchy above regular people. Furthermore, they had ranks for cultivators as well, where each further rank raised you that much higher in society. But said rank was not the only thing that judged one's position, but also the age someone reached it. These were called as realms of cultivation.
Suffice to say, all of this took me some time to adjust to. But with time, I managed. Despite my many hopes, I was mortal and could never touch upon this mystical Qi during my lifetime.
After spending some years near the coasts, I made my way further into the vast empire of Azure-Jade. It took me just a few months to figure out that this world was much vaster than I had expected before. On my travels westwards, I found information regarding different lands outside this continent. After some understanding of distances and talking to sailers about routes, I roughly estimated this world to be nearly twice the size of ours, if not larger. Further in my travels, as I crossed the empire over nearly a decade, and reached upon the west coast, I got the chance to meet a stranger who took an interest in me.
The man appeared to arrive from a culture similar to ancient Rome. One that gave a different name to the Qi the Azure-Jade empire used, but followed the roughly same mystical nature of magic. After some talking with this merchant, he mentioned he had once met a man who claimed to be from a distant land in a different world. A place called America. After talking more, I found out the man had arrived here from the year 1899, from western America.
From this merchant, I remained a trinket of this other stranger from earth. An old pistol carved with a name on it that read John Smith."
I paused at the word, struggling to take in everything written. I'd always suspected lands outside the empire existed, because while it was entirely possible that this world just had a single supercontinent, it was entirely likely that that wasn't the case as well.
But to hear of another person from earth, from all the way back from 1899… I wasn't sure what to think of it. After a moment or two of thought, I flipped the page, and read further.
"Along my travels, I met some others. None were from my home, but some had mentioned encounters with people who may have been. I documented these encounters in a diary, and along my travels, I also made notes of the industry and development in the empire. Little ideas and comforts that I wished to introduce in my life here. I'd once met a merchant who'd been willing to gamble on my ideas, but that is a long story that had ended in tragedy by the hands of the mighty gods that ruled this land.
"After nearly a decade of travelling through most of the Azure-Jade empire, I grew weary of my life as a wanderer. As chance had it, I met a wonderful woman in a quaint little town near the seventh peak of the empire. Having been a lone wanderer for nearly a decade, I longed for the company of others, and settled down with her near a Qi-vein that was recently discovered. Somehow, I was elected as the head of this new village, and decided to name it Taizhou, after my homeland that my family fled from, back home.
It pleased me immensely, to finally have a place to call home. But as the decades passed, I felt a strange loss about my home, and how I had never found anyone who'd come here from Earth. I had met strangers, and obtained trinkets, but they were far and few in between. And so, when my granddaughter Yin had shown interest, I told her of the secret, something not even my wife knew of. I'd told her stories of my home, and of the adventures I'd had in this land. Eventually, this led me to write the book that you hold in your hands, hoping if one day, someone else is brought to this world like I was, they would know that there was someone before them, and that there might be others out there, waiting to be found."
I sat there in silence, as I read the last portion of the entry. Further pages showed the man's ideas on general technology, documents of his travels and other things. A strange feeling filled me, that I couldn't quite describe.
"I never thought I would get to meet someone from my grandfather's home. For a long time I'd thought that he had just invented these things to tell me stories. Even the languages, I'd thought of them as quirks of my grandfather. He'd always been a strange man. But… the day before he passed, he showed me something. Asked me to promise that I would not share this with anyone till someone like you came around," Yin said, tears pooling in her eyes, and trickling down her cheek.
Wiping the tears off her face, the girl turned, and pulled open the drawer. Putting her hand in, she reached into the back, and ran her hand around. A few moments later, I heard a click as the drawer fell out of the cabinet, and Yin pulled out a thin rectangular box that'd been hidden inside the cupboard.
Yin presented the box to me, setting it on the floor. "This is my grandfather's legacy. I'd like you to have it."
I stared at the wooden box, looking at it hesitantly for a moment. Nodding, I grabbed the small lid at the top, and pulled it open. My heart began to race as I saw the contents of the box inside.
There was a letter, ruled with lines clearly printed from an electrical printing machine, with words inside. Pages from a book I didn't recognise. Next to it were two electrical devices with small screens. Pagers, I think they were called. I touched the plastic coverings on them and felt something go through my chest at the sensation of the material.
The box was full of items like these. A metallic compass, a pen. Yet, at the bottom of everything here, I saw one particular item covered in a white handkerchief. The name John Smith was carved on it, now blurred and scraped from rust.
Gently I picked up the pistol, and felt a world from my past be far closer to me than I'd ever imagined.
Book 2: Chapter 16: Alchemic Chemistry
The past day had me spend hours talking with Yin about her grandfather and reading through the many notes the man had gathered over the decades. Guo Wei may not have shattered the heavens, but he was by no means a meagre man. The notes that I'd made were far more detailed and incredible than the childish messing around that I did with my own projects.
He'd even worked with cultivators, alchemists, and other literary scholars on his travels to research how Qi worked. I recognised one of the names of the contributors as the author who'd written a book about Gu that I'd read back at the library. Though I saw no mention of Chi, they had certainly discovered the relation that tied Gu and Qi.
Yet the discovery that interested me most was their attempt to quantify Qi. An unseen mystical energy that was so dependent on individuals that it seemed near impossible. I leaned back on my chair, looking at the notes scrambled around on my desk. Of them, Wei Guo's book rested at the centre, with my own notes scattered nearby all over. I flipped open the pages, opening the description regarding the measure of Qi.
"Cycle of Qi: The method to quantify an unseen mystical energy such as Qi had seemed difficult at first, but the problems had only increased as we'd delved further into the subject. There were notable variations across practitioners, it seemed like an impossible task to isolate factors without extensive research facilities, and I am no scholar. Luckily for me, my colleagues are, and as I'd been ready to move to my other more money oriented ideas that I'd come to them for, they'd cracked the problem.
The solution lay in cultivation realms. The way cultivators absorbed Qi itself, and how it was stored. Without delving too deeply into research jargon, this is how Qi was quantified.
A single unit of Qi, which we name as a 'Cycle of Qi' is the minimum amount needed to cycle Qi once within the dantian.
Upon hearing of the answer, I'd asked the obvious question on how this was not reliant on the practitioner and the size of their dantian. Yet, it turns out, it does not. No matter how vast, the minimum Qi required to cycle Qi once within one's dantian will be a single cycle.
It had been as if an entire new world had been unlocked. Yet the problem had not been solved there. There were smaller amounts of Qi found in mundane things than this cycle, and, more curiously, in mortals. We'd been excited, wondering if the mystery to why some people could cultivate and others could not.
Unfortunately, as I write this, we have yet to find this out. Just injecting objects or people with Qi did not create cultivators. Perhaps some day someone will find this out, but for now, the mystery remains."
I flipped the pages over, closing the book as I set it on my desk. I'd repeated the experiment using Qi crystals, and had found the experiment to be accurate. The minimum amount of Qi that could be absorbed at any point by anyone was a cycle. It was not a precise measure, as I had no way to measure Qi precisely, but it had been consistent in every test I'd done.
I lamented not having the research notes of the scholars he'd worked with, but perhaps I could locate them and find the notes eventually.
For now, my focus had shifted on redoing my notes on my pills, and checking how they measured up with this new unit in place. One big thing had been taking a test for purity, to check how much Qi each pill possessed, and how pure it was.
"Entry 43: Purity test.
Premise: Spirit Crystals have mass, and months ago, I had noted a reduction of mass upon spending the Qi inside.
Assumption: Qi has a small amount of mass, enough to be detectable.
Process for measurement: Take two bundles of pills of both kinds that weigh the same. Measure weights for both using a simple weighing tool. Dissolve both types of pills in separate containers and boil away the water and Qi, leaving just the residuals behind. Weigh again, comparing differences. Repeat multiple times with different groups of pills.
Results:
Qi Gathering pill (Vr. 1):
Qi value: 125-150 cycles.
Qi purity: 20-30%* (Approx)
Qi Gathering pill (Vr. 2):
Qi value: 150-180 cycles.
Qi purity: 40-60%* (Approx)"
I had to make the scales as precise as possible, enough to detect different as small as a grain of rice. If not for the fact that I could observe miniscule differences with my super human capability the task would've been impossible. But I'd managed, generating rough values with error margins in place for any mistakes in my calculations.
I wasn't sure how helpful these measurements would be for the general purpose of establishing a drug network but they were certainly a beginning to a completely different take on Alchemy, and I couldn't help but smile at how it'd taken building upon the work of someone from earth who'd come before me.
An interesting point of measurement that I'd also gathered was that my dantian contained quite a bit of Qi. And that the measurements of cycle remained accurate across Gu, Qi, but for Chi, they were doubled. So the minimum amount I could gather in my dantian for Chi was two cycles.
And by that measure, I had nearly four thousand four hundred ninety two cycles of Chi, and the double cycles of Qi and Gu respectively. Labby, on the other hand, had around twelve hundred cycles of Qi in her dantian, and a brief talk with Yan Yun let me know that I was curving well above the average in Qi capacity. "Borderline strange" is how she'd phrased it.
On a whim, I'd written down the details on my notes, as game notes.
"Character Sheet:
Name: Lu Jie
Age: 20 years
Realm: Fourth realm-ish (Second Spirit Circle)
Chi capacity: 4492 cycles
Key Traits:
First Law of Cultivation: Duality of Chi
Spirit tree of Unity: Becomes a big tree upon world quest completion. Probably.
Skills:
English - Fluent
Azure-Jade script - Fluent
Alchemy - Junior level
Fire Bending - Decent
Sending - Good
Stepping - Decent
Bonds:
Labby - Cute rat spirit. (Third realm)
Twilight- Tiny bloodroot spirit (Second realm)
Sheldon - Big tortle of doom (Seventh realm)"
I smiled at the stupidity of it all, and put the notebook aside. Fooling around aside, I had some tasks that I had to finish. The primary of which was developing a method that I could use to consistently create a large number of pills with.
The first test pill, as always, had been simple Qi gathering pills. I'd gathered batches of herbs of various kinds, spirit grasses, and then created the pills using normally alchemy methods. With a way to measure purity with some accuracy now, the data collected had allowed me to find the best herb to use, which turned out to be the current one in usage. Turns out, spirit grass was good as there was for a cheap source of Qi in alchemy.
What remained now, was to initiate step two. I pulled out my drawer full of spirit grass, and set them on the table. Taking out a mortar and pestle, I began to grind up the herbs into paste, using Qi infused water, at near saturation levels to create a paste.
I crushed the herbs, creating a slurry. After I had a big bowl of spirit herb juice, I took the contained and poured it into my cauldron. A flick of my wrist had a flame rising at its base, as the liquid began to bubble.
The difficult part came here. I brought over the lid for the cauldron I'd had one of the villagers get for me. It was a cauldron lid, with a hole in the centre. In that hold, I'd set in the other apparatus I'd specifically made. A metal pipe that after rising above a certain level, angled down sideways, to allow the condensing steams of Qi to flow and gather. A distillation chamber.
Lastly, I'd gatherest Frosted lilies, and added them to a metal tray, where I'd then freeze the liquid into pills.
Picking up the apparatus, I began to set up my cauldron, carefully placing everything in place. The metal pipes clanged around, jerking as I screwed them in, and stepped back.
Letting my Qi flow into the cauldron, I raised the heat of the flames and within moments, I felt wisps of Qi flowing out of the cauldron and rising through the pipes. I guided the Qi wisps, letting them gather, and flow naturally as they cooled down, while I managed the flames at certain levels.
In a minute, I saw the first drop of what should be liquid Qi drip into the beaker. A light green and gold liquid brimming with purified Qi sloshed in the collecting bowl. Drop by drop, I watched the liquid starting to gather and a few minutes later, I had a beaker half filled with the liquid, as nearly all the water had faded.
Taking out the bowl, I looked at the liquid inside. Powerful wisps of Qi flowed through as I took the shimmering liquid and poured it onto the cooling tray making sure to spread it evenly.
Walking back, I sat down as I waited for the liquid to cool. With not much else to do, I closed my eyes and let Chi flow from the world around me, into my spirit.
I took in a breath. The tree rustled, soaking in the Chi. I let the breath out. Vitality spread through my body, as one cycle completed itself. I took another breath, and the cycle began anew again. A calmness spread through my soul and before I'd realised it, an hour had passed.
Opening my eyes, I walked up from my place on the floor, and went to the tray. What lay there were little crystals filled with Qi. I felt my heart racing with excitement, as I shattered the crystal, breaking them into small chunks. Taking a bundle out, I paired them against my regular Qi gathering pills and began to run tests.
Taking two equally weighted samples, I mixed them in an equal amount of water, and began to test them for purity.
As the flames boiled the liquid away, I weighed the samples again, before working on the maths. My eyes widened in surprise, a massive grin splitting my face across in two, as I read the results for myself.
"Entry 51: New Qi Gathering Pills Test
Process: Distil a mixture of spirit herbs and water, condensing the Qi vapours into a different bowl before freezing them into solid crystals.
Benefit: Should be possible without a cultivator actively controlling the elements, given the right tool.
Results:
Qi Gathering pill (Vr 1):
Qi value: 125-150 cycles.
Qi purity: 20-30%* (Approx)
Qi Gathering Pills (Vr 3) Test:
Qi value: 180-200 cycles.
Qi purity: 60-80%* (Approx)"
I seemed to have created an extremely pure version of regular Qi gathering pills.
I looked at my tray of shining green tinted crystals, and struggled to call them pills anymore. But by all means and purposes they served the exact same purpose. The fact that these pills could be made was a big breakthrough, but even bigger was the fact that this pill could be made by a mortal.
The thought made me want to cackle madly. Reigning in my excitement, I set aside the sample and began to assess the amount of liquid used and take notes on the process.
With the burner, Qi crystal, and the distillation setup, I'd managed to simplify Alchemy into a simple distillation process. Into Chemistry.
Ideas flooded my mind, rapidly coming and going on all kinds of things I could do. But for that, I would need scholars, alchemists, and engineers. People who would be willing to work with me and help me bring these ideas to reality.
And even before any of that, I needed to get people, likely someone from Taizhou and make them into a cultivator, who could work on these alchemy projects. No, not even that. The first thing to do that remained, was a meeting with the Lord, to show him the results of my experiments, and ask him for the resources needed to begin our plan.
With a thousand ideas and plans in my mind, I gathered my Qi gathering crystals, and set back to work again.
There was a lot to be done if I wanted to start a Drug Empire.