I had a sense of deja vu. Hadn’t this exact scene happened just a short while ago? Another wave of cold burst forth. Unlike the first, this was soothing.
Oh! The healing pill. I’d completely forgotten I’d taken it after Captain Kang commented on my baldness.
I guess with nothing to heal, it would have little effect. However, I wasn’t sure the pill was supposed to be painful while it was taking effect. I didn’t know enough.
I certainly wouldn’t let Xiao Cui have one of these until I was sure. Though I hadn’t actually requested them for her in the first place, it was good for her to have a way of healing when I wasn’t by her side.
Just then, I felt a shiver in my chest and my lungs absorbed all of the medicinal energy and cold pain from my stomach. It didn’t have much effect, but I could see noticeable gains towards refining them.
Soon I might complete the first stage of the first layer of my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. And that wasn’t all.
After my lungs had absorbed the energy, I felt a small burst of knowledge entering my mind. The composition of the mortal-grade healing pill.
I knew what ingredients had been used to refine the pill, their age, and their quality. And there was something else.
“Scheming snake-like bastards!” I suddenly exclaimed, scaring Xiao Cui.
Alongside the information about the pill, there was information about one other substance.
Mortal-grade iceflower poison.
Honestly, I’d not expected my white lie to the captain to actually contain a grain of truth. Someone had truly attempted to poison Xiao Cui via the healing pills.
Was it Captain Kang acting on his own, outside of the city lord’s command? Was the city lord not quite as amicable as he was pretending?
Or perhaps it was neither of the two men and someone else had managed to intercept the pills before they found their way to the captain. There were too many possibilities and I had little to no information to work with.
It was a good thing it was me who had consumed the poisoned pills. Other than that brief spike of pain, all the toxin did was allow me to further refine my lungs through my physique.
I had also discovered that both medicinal and poisonous ingredients could be used. Obtaining the recipes for both the healing pill and the iceflower poison pill were a boon.
I’d even learnt what the iceflower poison did—it blocked one’s meridians and interfered with the flow of blood essence. To a cultivator, that meant being crippled until they could purge the poison. To a mortal, it could mean death, depending on the dosage.
They also made me wonder if there was even more to my physique than I’d first believed. Deconstructing recipes would be unnecessary if the ingredients were simply fuel for refining the five layers. I would need to delve into alchemy sooner than I’d thought, if only to find the answers I sought.
For now, I would have to make sure to tread carefully until I figured out exactly who was after mine and Xiao Cui’s lives. Other than the obvious suspects, of course…
The city lord wanted us dead, but was willing to offer freedom in exchange for his son’s health. I doubted he would stoop this low. If he wanted to kill me he would simply wait for the given execution date.
He could betray me, but doing so before I healed his son’s sickness would be pure foolishness on his part. I didn’t believe this was Teng Shi’s doing.
Which left Captain Kang, that suspicious second-in-command of his, and the oddly antagonistic Councillor Gao as my prime suspects. Or some hidden fourth party I was yet to become aware of.
The latter was the worst possible answer, but there was no way of knowing right now so I discarded it as an option. Captain Kang was too loyal to the city lord to go against his wishes—despite the man’s hatred for me, I didn’t think he’d poisoned the pills either.
Honestly my money would be on Councillor Gao doing this. I wasn’t sure why as I’d never met the man before my arrest, but he seemed to have it out for me.
I’d need to learn more about him. And why he looked so damn familiar. I felt like I was missing something obvious.
“Xiao Cui, make sure to take care of yourself while I’m treating the city lord’s son. Don’t eat or drink anything if you can help it,” I warned her with a stern expression. “I shouldn’t be gone too long.”
“I’m a little thirsty now though,” she moaned.
There was a jug on the table beside her bed. I poured some of the water into my mouth and swallowed, waiting a while.
There was no reaction from my body, so I assumed it was safe to drink. “Here,” I said, passing the jug to her.
She drank deeply, taking gulps as some spilled down her neck.
“Relax, you aren’t going to die of dehydration in a couple of hours,” I chuckled.
“Easy for you to say, Mr. Cultivator,” she shot back with a cheeky grin. “Us mortals lead difficult lives.”
“Pah, you literally just saw my body tearing itself apart and then rebuilding itself and you think my life is easy?” I exclaimed, gently shoving her.
“Well, how much stronger are you now than before that? How much longer are you going to live because of that one moment of agony? I would give anything to have enough spirit roots to cultivate,” she said, a sadness appearing on her face as the tone grew heavy.
“Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I…” I stopped, unsure if I should share one of my biggest secrets with her.
We’d been together for a while now, but I didn’t know how unusual my situation was and what kind of reaction it would get. Then again, the heavens seemed to work in mysterious ways. They’d brought us together and it seemed like I was stuck with little Cui for the time being.
I trusted her, so why shouldn’t I share my secrets? I didn’t have to tell her everything, but maybe there was hope for her after all. If I could cultivate without spirit roots, why couldn’t someone with only a few do the same thing?
Perhaps after some more experimenting with my physique and my cultivation I could find a way to allow her to follow in my footsteps.
“My spirit roots are shattered,” I eventually said. She didn’t register what I’d told her at first, a single teardrop glistening in her eye. “And I am still a cultivator. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do. Not even the damn heavens,” I said with more intensity.
She froze for a breath’s time, then wiped away the teardrop. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better,” she said.
“I’m not. I’m telling the truth, little Cui. I’ve always been talentless and recently even my few spirit roots shattered. And yet not only am I still a cultivator, but I’m almost in the Qi Gathering realm,” I said, with more vigour now that I had her attention.
Her eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps she hadn’t realised my exact strength until now.
“In all of Three River City, how many can claim the same? Only the city lord and Captain Kang that we know of. Perhaps a few others hidden in the shadows. You can accomplish anything with enough effort. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” I was raring with passion now.
Perhaps I was jaded from my own experiences, but too many times in my life I’d been told to give up; that I wasn’t talented or skilled enough to achieve my goals. I wouldn’t let her believe the same, even if her goals seemed impossible.
Borrowing a saying from Zhao Dan’s memory, I finished my speech. “You and I, we’re frogs in a well, little Cui. We’ve only seen a tiny corner of this vast world. Who knows what wonders exist out there? Perhaps there is a way that you, too, can cultivate. Even with just a few spirit roots.”
At some point, Xiao Cui had started to cry once more. However, there was only happiness in her eyes. She leaned forward and hugged me tightly, her tears staining my clean robe.
I didn’t mind.
“Big Brother Zhao—no, Saviour Zhao—I have a selfish request,” she announced, pulling away from my embrace. Her eyes were blazing with confidence and passion.
I nodded.
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“Take me as your disciple! I wish to follow you to the ends of the Celestial Jade Empire. You aren’t like other cultivators. I’ve seen them. Teach me how to be like you,” she said, kneeling before me and clasping her hands together, eyes full of expectation and… reverence.
Sighing, I lifted her to her feet. I didn’t need to be worshipped. That wasn’t why I ever pursued this path. “I’m not sure there’s much I can teach you. My path of cultivation is… unique. I doubt anyone else can tread the same path to reach the peak. I’m not very talented, little Cui.”
“If you’re not talented, then what does that make me? Or anyone else for that matter!” she cried. “I may not know much, but I know that the number of breakthroughs you’ve had since I met you is a ridiculous amount. If you won’t take me as your disciple, then I’ll…” she paused, looking around the room. She raced past me and grabbed the knife I’d dropped. “I’ll take my own-”
I grabbed her wrist before she could do something stupid. “Don’t tempt fate,” I scolded her with cold eyes. “And don’t try to threaten me.”
The knife clattered to the ground. She looked defeated and upset. “Are you refusing to take me as a disciple because I’m not talented enough?” she sobbed.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied, exasperated. “Were you listening to me earlier? I would be happy to take you as a disciple, but,” I held up a hand to stop her before she could explode with excitement. “I won’t do it for the wrong reasons.”
“Understand that until now, everything we’ve been through is barely a drop of water in the ocean compared to how harsh the world can be. There are people beyond people and heavens beyond the heavens. This world is cruel and vicious, filled with many evildoers. Even those who believe themselves righteous often leave mountains of corpses in their wake as they climb to the peak of cultivation; the summit of this world,” I declared, not holding anything back from the girl.
She was still young enough to turn away from her misguided ambitions. I wouldn’t tell her she couldn’t accomplish her dreams and become a cultivator, but neither would I sugarcoat the truth.
“I…” she mumbled, then paused. Her expression was conflicted. “I don’t care! I want to follow you wherever it takes me, Master Zhao,” she replied, gaze firm.
There was nothing more to say. I knew there was a procedure to follow. In this world, one had to respect the deep bond between a master and disciple.
It felt a little rigid to me, archaic and ancient. However, it also felt important. In the same way my oath had resonated deep within my soul.
“Kowtow three times and accept me as your master. You shall be my first disciple, Xiao Cui,” I said, standing tall in front of her.
She hopped from one foot to the other, her face rapidly switching between serious and giddy. She went down to her knees once more, settling on the serious expression.
Once, twice.
She kowtowed three times, then lifted her head to face me.
“Good,” I said, holding out my hand. She took it and I lifted her to her feet. “Now, my first act as your master is to order you to do ten thousand pushups as punishment for being a foolish brat.”
“Wha-”
“No complaints. Next time, don’t dare to do something so stupid in front of me as try to take your own life. Dumb disciple,” I scolded her. “And make sure to keep an ear out for information like I told you!”
Right on cue, there was a knock at the door. Captain Kang had returned.
****
“Councillor Gao seems to believe I am a fool for trusting you to treat my son,” Teng Shi said, watching my reaction from his throne atop the dais.
The man in question stared at me with hatred. It finally clicked. The administrator from the village! They were both called Gao… brothers?
No wonder he hated me so much. He thought it was my fault his brother was dead. I doubted either of them would let me off the hook if I explained the spirit bear had acted on its own…
That realisation was actually refreshing. I was now certain that Councillor Gao was the one who’d attempted to poison Xiao Cui.
It made perfect sense. We would obtain freedom if I was able to cure the city lord’s son and he wouldn’t be able to have his vengeance.
No wonder he was furious. I imagined he was trying to dissuade the city lord just so my execution would go on.
“And what do you believe, Lord Teng?” I asked, ignoring the raging councillor.
“I think you are not lying about your abilities. After consulting over a hundred physicians, alchemists, and so-called healers, none were able to diagnose my son’s ailment. All wasted days of my time and the money in my coffers. You took a few minutes to figure it out.”
He stood up, staring directly into my eyes as he took steady steps down from the dais. He stopped just a few paces from me, standing a little taller. “Unless of course, you were lying,” he added, observing my face.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Of course not. You aren’t a fool. Impudent perhaps, but not foolish. No. I trust you to treat Sheng’er. If you succeed, I will keep my word and the pair of you shall be free to go. Come,” he declared, clapping his hands twice and striding out of the throne room.
The councillor did not follow after us.
****
I sat in the same wooden room as the last time. Teng Sheng sat opposite me. His father was pacing nervously behind us.
“Lord Teng, I appreciate your concern for your son, but this would be far easier if we could have some privacy. I will not harm any patient under my care, rest assured,” I said, a little nervous about his reaction.
He clenched his fist and stared at me for a long while. Eventually he exhaled and his shoulders dropped. “As you say, Prisoner Zhao. I will be outside, along with Captain Kang,” he said, opening the door and leaving with a flick of his sleeve.
Finally, I was alone with the young master. I chuckled to myself. Teng Sheng was the first real ‘young master’ I’d encountered in this world.
He didn’t really live up to the stereotypes. Though he was a cripple, in the eyes of cultivators at least. Perhaps if he’d been able to cultivate he might be as arrogant as his father or one of the spoiled young master types.
I thought it was better this way. He might be able to cultivate after I healed him, but I hoped his years as a mortal might temper his arrogance. Who knows.
He wouldn’t be my problem after this.
But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t do my utmost to cure him. Once I’d accepted a patient they didn’t leave my side unless they died or were healed. Preferably the latter.
“How are you feeling?” I asked him, sitting down opposite the boy.
He fidgeted with the hem of his robe. “I’m not sure. I’ve been through this same scene too many times to hold much hope,” he sighed, then his eyes widened as he looked at my raised eyebrow. “Not that I doubt your skills of course,” he hastily added, holding his hands up.
I chuckled. “Relax. I don’t blame you. I am pretty confident though, so it’s okay to be a little hopeful. I can tell how much it would mean to you and your father if you were healthy once more.”
What I left unsaid was the expectation that he might be able to cultivate. That would be dangling too much in front of the sick boy. And I wasn’t sure if it would be possible.
He nodded. “Do you need me to lie down or…”
“No,” I replied. I didn’t really think there were any limitations to my technique. Perhaps I needed to test how it worked in different positions? Not now though. “Just come and sit in front of me, facing towards the door.”
He did so, then began to take off his robe.
“What are you doing?” I exclaimed, a little panic creeping into my voice. The last thing I needed was the city lord to walk in on a scene like this.
“Do you not need to make contact with my skin, or insert acupuncture needles? That’s what most of the other physicians did,” he said, cocking his head to one side.
I sighed, relaxing immediately. That’s what it was. Well, technically I did need skin contact, but I could just place a finger on his neck for that. There was no need for the boy to get undressed.
“My technique is a little… different. I need skin contact, but I can just use the back of your neck. Keep your clothes on,” I told him.
He almost frowned, but did as I asked. I was sure he’d seen his fair share of strange healing methods and one that let him keep his modesty was probably better for the both of us.
Once he’d relaxed, sitting cross-legged while facing the door, I raised an arm. I wasn’t sure how much of my blood essence to use.
I’d start with a trickle and inject more as needed, I eventually decided. Gathering a few sparks in my arm, I placed my finger against his neck. He shivered at my touch, but only once. A normal reaction. Instinctive.
My essence was excited, bouncing around in my hand and racing to enter his body the moment my finger made contact.
Teng Sheng shivered once more as the first spark of my essence drove into his spine. It raced downwards towards his chest, followed by a few more.
I stopped the flow after ten or so sparks. I wished I had a better way of measuring the quantity, other than the visible motes of blood essence I could see.
Since my breakthrough, each individual clump of my blood essence seemed denser and more potent, but that was just a gut feeling, rather than anything I could prove. The sparks didn’t race outwards haphazardly, instead all ten settled around his centre, between his lungs and stomach.
If I wasn’t mistaken, that was where his spirit roots were. I’d been onto something with my hastily invented diagnosis earlier. I should trust my gut more often.
Nothing unusual happened at first. The sparks behaved erratically, but that was how they’d always behaved once let loose inside a patient.
I soon saw a few motes of the boy’s own blood essence joining mine, forming swirls of red that began blasting away. A few strands of that same purple energy I’d seen before flashed briefly into view, but faded just as fast.
My blood essence went rabid every time that happened, firing clumps at the strands until they were destroyed. It was as I’d feared.
Teng Sheng had been poisoned.
He winced occasionally, mostly when the strands of purple energy appeared. I felt bad for him, but there was little I could do.
The treatment may be uncomfortable but it was undoubtedly worth enduring, to become healthy and have a shot at cultivating. I realised the purple energy looked familiar. It was similar to the time I’d seen Wang Ren’s qi as he healed that girl’s arm.
I wondered how he was doing, back at the sect, then shook my head and refocused. Now was not the time for idle thoughts.
As the process continued, my blood essence started to spread outwards, expanding into more of the boy’s body. That was a good sign. Clearly it was working its way through the toxin.
One of the swirls suddenly fizzled out, followed by another. I didn’t panic, simply injecting more of my blood essence to replace it.
However, I didn’t yet receive any multiplied essence. I would need to complete the treatment for that to happen.
That didn’t always seem to be the case, making me wonder what the difference was to the times I’d received a small return part-way through the healing process. The type of injury, perhaps?
Everything was proceeding smoothly and I finally relaxed. Until now I hadn’t been entirely sure the treatment would go well, it being the first time I’d attempted to cure another human of poison.
My blood essence continued to spread through Teng Sheng’s body, but I noticed the purple energy appearing more frequently. Then, my essence roared in defiance, sending out dozens of blasts and quelling the toxin.
I believed I’d pushed through the worst of it, as my blood essence reached the tips of his extremities.
Suddenly, the young master cried out in pain and coughed blood.