“With respect to using wind qi, I have a special technique you will need to practice in the outside world. Here, take this!” The bearded man passed him a white and translucent ball.
Cha Ming pressed it to his head without hesitation, and his mind was flooded with new information. The technique was called the Creation Qi Manipulation technique. It was not a cultivation technique, but a technique for manipulating existing creation qi.
Cha Ming was very familiar with the circulation of qi pathways. Due to his use of the five elements, he had needed circulate to qi along five separate existing pathways to keep the elements separate. The Creation Qi Manipulation technique, however, was extremely shocking! To cultivate it, one would have to create a new qi circulation pathway from the dantian out to each part of the body. The pathway would be created little by little and would require large amounts of mental strength, tolerance to pain, and of course, creation qi.
For his five elements, he had not been required to create separate pathways. The pathways he had used were inherently present in the human body. They just required cleaning and strengthening the pathways, which was done as part of regular cultivation. Not only did cultivation absorb qi into the dantian, it also circulated it throughout the body to facilitate the execution of martial techniques.
“Teacher, I don’t understand. How can I cultivate this without creation qi? I only have five-element qi inside my dantian…” Cha Ming was hesitant to ask because he knew he would be scolded.
“You dolt! You have as much creation qi as your other qi! You see that circular white river connecting your qi lakes? That’s creation qi! Your cultivation technique is very good, and it gives birth to both creation qi and destruction qi in your dantian to maintain the equilibrium between the five elements.
“However, you didn’t even know about this and have been wasting the technique’s potential! Therefore, what you’ll need to do for the next long while is forcibly carve out and create a qi pathway that will enable you to use your creation qi. Once this step is complete, you can practice transforming the qi into wind-element qi. Creation qi is the most flexible qi in the world, and it can be used to replace any qi except for space, time, and destruction.” The bearded man had a very satisfied look on his face. He liked nothing more than belittling juniors while teaching them.
“Can I do the same thing with the black qi in my dantian?” Cha Ming asked.
“Sure, sure, if you think your weak body and meridians can handle the purest form of destructive energy in the universe, we can give it a shot!” The bearded man’s sarcasm was an unequivocal no.
“All right, I can definitely cultivate this technique once I exit the Clear Sky Brush. What is the next step in the training?” the young man asked nervously.
“Next? Next, you dance!”
Huxian had returned to the courtyard after a busy day of chasing birds and chickens. Chasing, mind you; he didn’t hurt any. Hurting them would make him a bad fox, and bad foxes didn’t get pets. After arriving inside the courtyard, he noticed that Cha Ming was still sitting cross-legged in meditation. Boring.
Huxian had a quick snack, which he withdrew from his collar. It was a whole side of roasted spirit deer. After finishing the side of deer, he let out a large burp and curled himself up into a ball on Cha Ming’s lap, where he fell asleep. A few hours later, he woke up to the sensation of a hand gently rubbing behind his ears. He quickly adjusted his head in order to maximize the effectiveness of the petting and scratching.
“Were you a good Huxian today?” Cha Ming asked gently.
Yes, yes! Huxian replied. I chased birds and chickens all day, but I didn’t eat any of them. I promise! Huxian was quite proud of his self control.
Cha Ming paused for a moment, as though deciding whether to continue petting or not. The petting turned into a belly rub.
A half hour later, Huxian was sleeping soundly and comfortably on the bed they shared. Cha Ming didn’t mind. He thought it was nice to have a furry companion to hug as he fell asleep. After putting Huxian to sleep, he sat cross-legged once more, this time in the courtyard garden. The mental exhaustion that had accumulated during his training session inside the brush slowly but surely faded away. Surprisingly, he noticed that his muscles were sore. It seemed that his body was also stimulated while he trained inside the brush.
Thinking of his training, he shuddered at the inhumanity of it. The first step of his training had been a game of hide and seek, where he had to run quickly through the woods without making noise. Meanwhile, he was chased through the woods by strange creatures. Once they found him, Cha Ming had to escape their detection within ten seconds, otherwise he was subjected to a fear beating. There was no limitation on which movement arts he could use, but White Willow Shade was the most appropriate. He could use defensive staff arts to deflect and entrap his opponents as well as to defend against incoming attacks.
The second drill had been extremely scary for Cha Ming. He was forced to jump between many stone platforms floating in the skies. The stone platforms would randomly shift, sink, crumble, and reassemble. They were so small and far apart that he had no choice but to use his Three-Layered Burst Step Technique to instantaneously accelerate prior to jumping. Every time he fell off the platforms, he was beaten once again.
The last drill seemed impractical at first, but Cha Ming eventually saw the value in it after a few rounds of practice. During this drill, he had to keep a thin layer of water qi below his feet, which he shaped like a blade. Effectively, the last drill was just like ice skating. While “skating” on a stone arena, various fans would send a strong or soft burst of wind his way, which would push him in one direction after another. He quickly realized that he needed to first skate in the direction of the wind, after which he could use his skates to curve and change directions before being blown off the ring. Lo and behold, Cha Ming was somehow a natural-born figure skater. He didn’t get any beatings, and the only judge at the performance gave him an eight out of ten.
After meditating for a quarter hour, he was finally able to forget the day’s training, focusing instead on the Creation Qi Manipulation Technique. The technique, which had been imprinted directly into his mind, was said to be very painful and exhausting. The first step was to establish a connection between his dantian and his yin and yang organs, which would then be used to direct flow toward his four limbs. Each limb had three major connection points along the qi pathways. For an arm, it was the shoulder, the elbow, and the palm. For a leg, it was the hip, the knee, and the sole of the foot. All twelve points connected to the center of the body, where the organs and the dantian were located.
Cha Ming braced himself as he proceeded to practice the technique. The first connection Cha Ming chose to establish was the lungs. The lungs and the heart needed to be connected before anything else, and the heart would be the most painful. Therefore, he chose the lungs without any hesitation.
As his consciousness descended into his dantian, he became aware of the gentle white creation qi and the fierce destruction qi. He avoided the black qi and instead proceeded toward the white qi. Just as he would with his other five qi pools, he used a thread of consciousness to will the qi to flow out of the river. It flowed out in a single lazy thread, reluctant to go anywhere, as no qi circulation pathway had been established.
With Cha Ming’s gentle coaxing, the white thread moved toward the edge of his dantian, the edge closest to his lungs. There were nine connection points for each organ, for a total of one hundred and eight connection points.
Gritting his teeth, Cha Ming willed the creation qi to pierce the dantian and form an initial connection point. The process was unbearably painful. After what seemed like an eternity, a small seal formed on the surface of the dantian. The seal allowed creation qi to enter and exit. No other qi was allowed through.
Once the seal was established, Cha Ming proceeded to the next step. He urged the creation qi to painfully bore a path through his flesh toward the first lung connector
. This was done with great care. He was especially careful to avoid the natural meridians in his body that accommodated the other five types of qi. Under normal circumstances, the maximum number of elements that could be cultivated in a human body was five. This was also only possible for the five basic elements that Cha Ming cultivated, due to the peculiar construction of the human body and its affinity for these elements.
Boring out each qi pathway was extremely painful, despite the constant replenishing properties of the creation qi. The process continued for a very long time, constantly exhausting the creation qi connecting the five qi pools. While the creation qi was constantly being replenished, it couldn’t keep up with the massive consumption. Just when Cha Ming thought he would have to continue the process after resting, he was finally successful in establishing a seal on the first connection point in his lungs. Success!
Following his success, he continued to cultivate for two hours until his creation qi was fully replenished. As he ended his meditation and opened his eyes, he realized that it was finally dawn. The whole process of connecting a single point on an organ had taken him four hours! Practicing this technique would take him about a month. Meanwhile, he had to continue training his techniques, crafting talismans, and cultivating.
After considering many solutions, he finally came to a grave conclusion: from now on, he was allowed to sleep once per week.
Chapter 7: War on the Horizon
An eerie quiet presided over a valley near the town of Crystal Meadows. The trees here were different than those near Green Leaf City. While both cities were situated in the Song Kingdom, they were separated by several hundred li. Here, the trees were conifers. Their thin green needles were frosted despite the absence of snow on the ground. The morning frost would last for another two months, until the end of winter.
Crystal Meadows had two main industries. The first main industry was livestock. Specifically, they raised sheep for wool and meat, since eighty percent of the surrounding land was only suitable for grazing. The remaining twenty percent near the river was used to grow vegetables and potatoes. Any grain required by the residents was imported.
The second industry was the crystal glass industry. While the town was not very large, it had a deep artistic tradition that produced many famous crystal glass artisans. They produced a variety of decorative objects such as cups, vases, and stained-glass windows. These goods were sold across the continent for considerable prices.
Within the valley, a squad of lightly armored men was traveling by horse along the main road. The road was made of clay. It weaved through the grazing pastures, which the local farmers would use as feed for the sheep. It was also more or less dry, since there wasn’t much rain in the winter.
Every so often, a crackling sound broke out, indicating that one of the men had guided his horse to break one of the few shallow puddles that froze over every morning. Every time this happened, the guilty soldier was chastised by a fierce gaze from the squad leader. He was a short, well-built man, the graying hair at his temples a testament to his experience in battle. Being a forty-year-old army veteran, Captain Chou Tai was strict and did not allow for carelessness.
After traveling on this road for a few hours, the captain held up a closed fist. The well-disciplined squad instantly came to a halt. Once everyone had stopped, he lowered his hand closer to the ground, indicating that everyone should quiet their horses. The older man frowned; something didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Sergeant,” he said to the young beside him, “what do you make of the situation?”
The young man was his second in command, and while he rode beside the captain, he always made sure to stay a foot or two behind to indicate their difference in rank.
Unsurprisingly, the young man was also concerned. “Captain, it doesn’t feel right. No birds are flying or chirping, and I’ve seen no squirrels, mice, or foxes. There’s only an eerie quiet. Also, isn’t Crystal Meadows known to have many sheep? Where are the sheep?”
The older man nodded. “Yes, Sergeant Feng, you are correct. The lack of sheep is concerning. While they could easily be pastured elsewhere, how could the grass get so tall?”
The grass by the road had grown to a foot in height, which was abnormal for any pasture. The farmers should have relocated the flock to take advantage of the surplus grass, which was always in short supply on these infertile plains.
Feng Ming nodded. “Captain, perhaps we should inquire with the villagers? They might be able to clarify this strange situation. In addition, they may have also have first-hand news regarding the rebels.”
“Yes,” the captain replied. “However, we must be quick about it. We are a scouting squad, and this intelligence is of utmost importance to the kingdom. It is always best for a scouting squad to return safely, even without new information, so that the commander can have confirmation either way. Even a single missing squad can jeopardize the fate of the entire army.”
“Yes, sir!” Feng Ming saluted. He deeply admired the captain’s strict disposition and his dedication to his duty.
“Move out!” the captain instructed. The six dozen men followed behind him as he led the way. Eventually, they arrived at a small town. The village was surrounded by short stone walls. It didn’t even have a main gate at the entrance, nor did it have guards monitoring entry into the village. Surprisingly, they discovered a small flock of sheep just outside the city gate. They were locked in a pen, their fearful bleating mixing in with the sounds of the frigid wind.
Strange, the captain thought. Are they locked up in this pen for slaughter? How wasteful. Normally this would not happen until after shearing season.
The squad proceeded into the small village through a gap in the stone wall. The clay road continued through the village. Clearly the traffic did not warrant stone or gravel roads. As they continued, they observed that the streets were not very busy. This was expected; it was winter, after all. A plume of smoke could be observed coming from each chimney. Some select buildings, supposedly the crystal glass shops, had much larger plumes. This was due to the intensity of fire required to produce the crystal glass. This normal occurrence reassured the captain.
“Sirs, are you perhaps from the army?” A pleasant voice sounded out from behind them, revealing a beautiful lady and one of the town’s guards. It was not a festival day, but nonetheless, the lady was well dressed and dolled up.
“Yes, madam. Who might you be?” The captain’s voice had softened considerably. He was harsh to his men but was impeccably polite to the fairer sex. The woman smiled at his polite response.
“My name is Li Piao1. I am the owner of the Clearglass Inn, and I double up as the mayor in town. Our town is so small that a normal lord wouldn’t be bothered with it. Nevertheless, the revenue here is plentiful thanks to the crystal glass industry. Therefore I manage the town while reporting directly to the Fairweather County lord,” she explained dutifully.
This was surprising, as the captain had expected to be escorted to the local mayor or lord’s house. Female leaders were extremely rare.
“Then you’re just the person we’re looking for. Do you have an office where we can discuss some official business in private?” While the captain didn’t think the conversation would lead anywhere, due diligence saved lives.
“Yes, of course. I’ll lead you back to the inn where we can discuss things in my office. I assume you’ll want to stay the night?”
“Let’s go back to the inn and discuss first. We’ll make a decision on staying the night once we’re done there.” Although the captain hadn’t stayed in a decent inn in days, he didn’t want to waste time staying in this small town. However, it would have been rude to decline directly, even though Li Piao did not seem to care either way.
The squad followed the beautiful lady and her guard back to the inn. They saw many cheerful faces along the way, all of whom waved at the squad and Li Piao. It seemed she was quite popular in town. These were not the face
s of rebels, and these people certainly didn’t look mistreated. If anyone in the squad had turned around and looked back, however, they would have come to a different conclusion. As soon as each villager passed the guard squad, their cheerful expressions instantly disappeared. They had been replaced with expressions of suspicion, caution, and fear.
Chou Tai and Feng Ming were seated at a small wooden tea table just outside Li Piao’s office. Li Piao was at the host’s seat, pouring herself and Chou Tai a cup of tea. Feng Ming had refused a cup. Ever since he was young, he had despised hot drinks, only drinking them when formalities required it. Of course, he still had an inkling that something wasn’t quite right about this town, further cementing his refusal.
After taking a few sips, Li Piao started off the conversation. “Captain Chou, you mentioned that you wanted to discuss official business. Is anything the matter?”
“There may or there may not be, Madame Li,” he said. “Have there been any major problems around here lately? Any unusual circumstances?”
“This… well, there was one unusual thing that happened recently.” Chou Tai and Feng Ming edged forward to listen. “You see, two weeks ago, there were a few reports of missing sheep. Originally, we didn’t make a big deal of the matter, thinking that it was just hungry wolves in the middle of winter.” Madame Li took a sip of her tea and refilled the captain’s cup and her own.
“Unfortunately, we were wrong. We soon discovered that they had been stolen by a new bandit group, ten strong in total. They are based a half day’s ride toward the west, where they have established a small camp. Unfortunately, the county lord has been unresponsive to our request to drive away these bandits. We have been forced to bow our heads down in fear, lest they attack our small town. We only have five guards here, and we are very reliant on the county lord’s guards for our security.” She appeared demoralized, and her fatigue was evident despite her best efforts to cover the bags under her eyes.
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