Death Awoken

by Kajack

  “Good! I hope it's true. I know you never agreed to my grandfather’s petition, so I will make another deal with you. Help me reach the Shi family remains to bury my grandfather. You can have everything you can loot there, you can claim my life if that is your wish. Do you agree?”

  “All right, I agree. However, I will not claim your life. I don't like killing little kids and especially a girl as beautiful as you.”

  Shi Yin was walking towards her grandfather, she touched his cold body. She smiled at him and the body disappeared.

  “So what's with that body of yours... and our relationship?” I asked on this matter because it was quite important to me.

  “I'm not sure about it. What I can tell you is that when I was three years old something inside my body seemed to have awakened. After that, it was as if I wasn’t complete, I felt weak. At some point, my consciousness shutdown. It took around a year to regain my consciousness. I could feel something being transferred from my grandfather to me at that time. I don’t know what it was though. The only thing I know regarding this is that what my grandfather gave me was totally insufficient, but this changed when you appeared in the city. The connection shifted to you. No matter where you are, I can feel you.”

  Great... now I have a stalker.

  “All right, let's go. I need to think about this, and we need to plan the trip for your grandfather’s Shi family remains.”

  Chapter 26

  Journey (1)

  We arrived at the execution grounds, I impressed Ye Qing at how fast I had picked up a girl, though he kept saying that since both of us have almost the same looks, picking my older sister, was incest and I was a pervert. I ignored him, sometimes he's more of a kid than me. Shi Yin settled in with me.

  “This will be your home for a brief time,” I said looking at this girl, who didn't seem to care about anything.

  I laid down in my bed thinking about Shi Yin. The old man was wrong, in the end, even if I disappeared I bet she would have connected to another human being and absorbed his energy, life or whatever she's absorbing. If she were to absorb life as I think she does, it will work something similar to my poison, after all my poison destroys the life inside the being which is infected. The old man didn't rot or anything like that. Pondering for a while, I thought about what her body does. Tomorrow I need to confirm something with her.

  ◆◆◆

  I went to Shi Yin’s room, pausing in front of the door, my hand lightly knocked on the door.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Go ahead.”

  I could see her sitting in the chair, she was wearing white robes, they fit her body perfectly. Her long black hair was covering half of her petite body. She didn't look like a little girl at all: she was more like a small goddess. Sigh... when she grows up into a woman... she’ll turn all of the men's hearts upside down.

  “I think I know what happens to your body regarding your life absorption, but I need to check your grandfather’s body.”

  I surprised Shi Yin revealing this fact, she moved her hand and her grandfather’s dead body appeared on the floor.

  This time I could see a ring in her hand, I guess that is a space ring. I used Death End on the old man.

  Cause of death: The lifespan on the body was forcefully extracted and weakened. Reached the end of the remaining lifespan naturally.

  “Shi Yin, your mother's body was all right when you were born? Was there some kind of ageing or something else was not right?”

  “No, grandfather said the moment I was born my mother was as beautiful as always, giving me her best smile at me before passing away.” Shi Yin’s eyes were a little moist, it seems to talk about her mother was still painful for her.

  “If what you said is true, everything is a little clearer now.” I could feel Shi Yin's gaze, I could see the disappointment, longing, and hope in her eyes. Yet, I was only approaching some minor truth. My very own existence is already a mystery, and here I am with another kid with another mystery.

  “You have at the moment some death-related powers to what extent I'm not sure. Your body extracts the lifespan from people causing them to die. I think your power must be related to time because people get their lifespan extracted but they don't age at all. As for why, I say it's death related, because the energy is too focused on the death of the target. Since you don't seem to affect anything else with time, only their lifespan.” I paused a little so she could have time to understand.

  There are too many issues regarding this unknown power and body constitution, it's now clear that what it absorbs directly is the lifespan. It seems it is mostly so she can keep herself alive. This is really troublesome, the only proper explanation is that she is connected to me... because I have an unlimited lifespan maybe? Yet if she did it unconsciously... her body was able to detect me when my soul was healed inside almost three years ago. There should be more uses for her power... I used Death End on her.

  Lifespan: 3 years.

  My guess was right, the lifespan she is absorbing from me is enough to support her to keep alive. What if she could use the lifespan for something else...

  I was pondering on many theories regarding Shi Yin when finally she interrupted me.

  “What are you thinking? Do you know something else?”

  “Actually you know, I can tell when someone will die, to be more precise I know when someone’s lifespan will end. Yours has been stuck at three years since yesterday, it didn't decrease. The lifespan you are absorbing from me seems to be enough to sustain your living; also the rate you absorb lifespan from me should be higher than when you absorb from others. You consumed your mother’s lifespan when she died during your birth, and it was stored inside of you to stay alive, and when you were three years old, that lifespan was gone or almost gone. Later you started to absorb lifespan from your grandfather, yet I doubt your grandfather was only left with three years to live. I can only guess that you absorb the time from others but if you absorb one year from them, it only equals to a few months of life to you or something similar.” I said to Shi Yin what I thought, it was only a guess and we couldn't prove anything at the moment.

  What I can't say for sure is if the moment that I healed my soul it caused something that made her spend her mother’s lifespan faster or not. It must be related to her constitution somehow.

  “It seems this body constitution, power, or I don't know what it is, is a bit complicated.” Shi Yin said looking concerned. “Are you okay? Won't you die if I keep extracting your lifespan?”

  “I won't. I can't explain to you why,” I wanted to avoid her asking that question, but I guess it couldn't be hidden from her forever.

  “Good!” Shi Yin stored her grandfather’s body in her space ring. On her hand there was a map, she threw me the map.

  I grabbed the map, I was about to thank her...

  Ding!

  Congratulations, got Shi family remains map.

  Do you wish to absorb it?

  Oh, I can also absorb a map, that's good, this way I will memorize the map in my head... wait... don't tell me! I got irritated at the thought...

  Unlocked function: Map.

  I walked and memorized the city for nothing you fucking System!!! I yelled as loud as I could inside my mind! I had made the same stupid mistake as I did with the books!

  Chapter 27

  Journey (2)

  After absorbing the map, I have a clear understanding regarding the zone where the Shi family remains are, I will need to find more maps to absorb, so I can properly locate the remains in South Country.

  “Shi Yin, I will need to study the map and other maps to properly locate the remains. If you need anything, you can ask the maid.”

  I left the room when she nodded at me. I went to see if Ye Qing was around, after a few seconds I stopped, and while expanding my soul, I located Ye Qing in the courtyard.

  “Uncle Ye, do you have a moment?” I said to Ye Qing, this man is still a mystery to me, he's not normal at all.r />
  “Sure.”

  “I recently found a map, so, before heading to Imperial City, I want to go on a treasure hunt.” I said simply.

  “That's easy to do just go to the shop, and buy the South Country map.”

  “There is a map of the entire South Country?”

  “Yes, it doesn't have many details, but enough to know most of the paths, cities, and information handy for treasure hunting. What are you going to do with Shi Yin? Unless you protect her during your trip, she will most likely die. She’s weak and has no cultivation at all yet.” Ye Qing said, twisting his smile while looking at me.

  “You think I can't protect a girl, do you? I'm stronger than you!” I said a bit angry.

  “Prove it!” said Ye Qing mocking me.

  I released my full strength to punch Ye Qing, I could only see Ye Qing smiling at me without doing anything at all.

  “You are too naïve!” Ye Qing suddenly punched back.

  Boom!

  He sent me flying, crashing into a tree. This really hurts... How is he so strong? Did he breakthrough to the Qi Refining stage?

  “You, did you do a breakthrough?” I said while trying to stand up.

  “Wrong!” Ye Qing said, looking at me like a fool.

  I don't understand, if he didn't breakthrough, how did he become so strong?

  Ye Qing, Human Race, Trash Devil Bloodline, Peak Mortal Realm.

  Still at the Mortal Realm. How then?

  “You always thought, I was a Peak Mortal Realm right? That’s why I said you are naïve also, I will now add “dumb” to that list. Experts can control their strength and hide or seal their realms!”

  But I have the System. With the System scan, I couldn’t see that? What's wrong then?

  Replying to the host. The System cannot detect if someone has hidden their realm’s true strength. Your knowledge is too low regarding this world’s cultivation path. To expand the knowledge regarding realms, read books, or kill people in that realm to improve Inspect. No one at the Mortal Realm can hide the strength from the System; unless, they are one tier above and disguise as Mortal Realm.

  I see, now I understood. I was too naïve if I don't even know how the System works... yet here I was thinking I was an awesome expert...

  “You always were a Qi Refining stage then?”

  “No! You are still too dumb. Do you even remember the talk we had some time ago?”

  Ye Qing kept laughing, it seems he found the situation rather funny. Now I am even more confused. I started to remember all my fights with Ye Qing... strange, every time my strength was over Mortal Realm peak, he stopped using his foundation skill. “The reason he didn’t use the amplifier... is because he didn't need to! I understand!” I said to myself.

  “You are a body cultivator!” I exclaimed.

  “That is why I said you are dumb. It took you a few years to realize that! I purposely avoided talking about the body cultivators’ realms. It seems you grew conceited about yourself and your strength. Listen to me, you are just an ant in this world—you’ve just started. This will be my last lesson to you. So, listen well, Ye Bai.”

  I lowered my head with shame, really, I'm still too dumb. Why didn't I notice this sooner? Otherwise, anyone who was a body cultivator could have killed me and I wouldn’t even know how to defend myself. I need more knowledge. I need to find books and I also need to get much stronger.

  “To enter the Qi Refining stage, you’ll need to feel the energy of heaven and earth. You need to be able to absorb it into your body and then use it to refine your meridians. You´ll need a breathing method for that though, and those are inside cultivation manuals. A cultivation manual will explain to you how to cultivate with breathing. The path to use this energy, how to refine the meridians, and all of that which aligns your strength. When the talent is tested, it also to helps to get to know which kind of cultivation manual each person will need, so you know their strengths and weaknesses. Your talent lies in darkness, this means the cultivation manual suited for you is one that’s related to dark attributes. The energy from heaven and earth contain more than just one attribute. When cultivating, you will keep the attribute in your body that is most suited for your development.” Ye Qing paused. He took a breath and continued.

  “Body cultivation is the same, it's divided into several stages. The first stage is Muscle Tempering, which is further divided into nine ranks, going from the 1st to the 9th rank. It consists to temper, as the name implies, tempering all the muscles in your body. After this, there is the Bone Tempering stage which is also divided into nine ranks. As you can already guess, you'll need to refine all the bones inside your body during this stage. The distinction between a cultivator that cultivates using Qi and one that cultivates the body is rather simple. The strength from a Qi Cultivator comes from his absorbed Qi inside the body, but the body will remain as weak as that of a peak Mortal Realm cultivator. The moment they run out of Qi they die. It's harder to achieve higher stages in body cultivation when compared to Qi cultivation, it needs more resources and also it focuses more on close combat to use the strength of one’s body. Yet the fearsomeness about body cultivation, is that you can use the Qi with arts to boost the strength of the body to get even more strength. You will understand more, in the future, when you reach the Imperial City. It's enough for now.”

  “Thanks! Uncle Ye!” I shouted, expressing my gratitude. This helped me a lot to understand the path of cultivation and the differences between the cultivation of Body and Qi. If I am not wrong, with Death Tempering, I could go on improving on the path of Body cultivation. I also need to figure out how to start with Qi cultivation. I need to find a cultivation manual.

  Chapter 28

  Journey (3)

  I went to the shop after Ye Qing had cleared my mind. I bought a few maps there to increase my knowledge of the System. I bought some supplies, rations and stuff that could come in handy, having an unlimited amount of space in my inventory is really helpful!

  “System, can you locate the remains of the Shi family and how long it'd take to get there?”

  Replying to the host, it will take about 3 months to reach the destination.

  It's further away than I thought... No, it can’t be, I will make it in time to Imperial City.

  “System, how long will it take to reach Imperial City from the Shi family remains?”

  It will take approximately 1 year and 7 months.

  I only have one month margin of error if something were to happen. I can proceed the journey running if need be, I'll reach it faster that way for sure. I need to leave as soon as possible, can't waste anymore time in Skyfall City.

  ◆◆◆

  Back at the execution grounds, Shi Yin was looking through the window into the courtyard while Ye Qing was exercising his body. Shi Yin's mood was fluctuating, all of a sudden her eyes turned completely white. She held her own hand, sighing, she said, “The human body is weak... It will not last much longer. Sorry...” Shi Yin's eyes returned to their normal colour, it seemed that she didn't notice what had happened to her.

  ◆◆◆

  The Yan Clan head was looking at his own grandson, hope and worry filled his eyes. He patted the young boy's shoulder.

  “Yan Xiang, you are already eleven years old. After the previous incident with the Su Clan, all of our members being assassinated, they practically finished the Yan Clan.”

  “Grandfather, I...” Small drops of blood were dripping from Yan Xiang's hands.

  “It's fine. Our strength is vastly inferior, so, the Su Clan will exterminate our Yan Clan in a few weeks. However, I’ve taken all of the goods and treasures from our Yan Clan’s inventory. Even if the Yan Clan falls, it will not be too late to take revenge. You are a genius. You've reached the 8th rank of the Mortal Realm at just eleven years of age.” The Yan Clan Head gave Yan Xiang a bag. “This is a treasure bag, you still cannot use it, not until you are at the Qi Refining stage. All treasures and wealth I’ve gotten and stolen ove
r all of this time are in there. You need to keep the bag safe, do not show it around. Yan Xiang, you need to go, immediately.”

  “Grandfather! Come with me!”

  “I can't, you need to go alone. Otherwise, people will get suspicious. You need to leave before the Su Clan targets you! Remember this well, go to Imperial City and pass the trials of the sect! Go now!”

  “I swear that I will get revenge, grandfather!”

  ◆◆◆

  Shi Yin was reading a book near the window, I could perceive her being as calm as water moving her eyes slowly through the book while smiling. It seems she likes reading a lot, I see her smiling every time she's reading a book. So boring.

  “Shi Yin, tomorrow morning we will leave. Do you have everything you need?”

  “Yes, don't worry. I can set out anytime you want,” Shi Yin said as always smiling at me.

  Seriously, I don't understand this girl... Why does she smile so much? Her whole life is a tragedy... weird girl. I went to my room and decided to properly check the System and everything in preparation for Imperial City before I don’t have time later. I tried to see if I’d have some kind of reaction with the low tier spirit stones, but I found nothing. The System also did not have any kind of reaction. I hope they’ll be useful once I reach the Qi Refining stage.

  Right! How could I have forgotten about this! My assassin badge has 1,000 contribution points, perhaps I can exchange those for something. I used my soul to glance through all of the stuff I could find for 1,000 contributions or below. There are many things, but most weren’t really worth it unless it was for a special occasion. I need something strong, but basic enough to be used extensively. The good thing is that there are quite extensive descriptions of the items, but the bad thing is that almost everything around 1,000 contribution points is for Qi Refining practitioners. All right, when I'm at the Qi Refining stage I will take a look, perchance I will find a suitable Qi Art or a cultivation manual.