Chapter 5:

Chapter 5

"Bao, you haven't been yourself since yesterday." Mother asked me as we were eating breakfast.

Mother would have noticed even if I hadn't been crying, but I suppose now it's the time to explain myself.

I looked at her and saw that her hair hadn't stopped getting any whiter and she refuses to dye it. And my heart hurt more and more. Father is already one foot in the grave at sixty, and mother at forty-eight might not be far behind but life without a husband or wife ages you even faster.

"Yesterday, the woman that tried to sell water to the people in the fields, teacher Hao Wen was spooked as she is by law a merchant. She was very scary when she saw me greet her with the blood rock in my hands." I replied.

A scoff came from father.

"Woman is no merchant, just the damned tax collectors call them such because they make money. Woman is a teacher, she's just slumming it until she can find some noble brats to educate and live properly. Your husband knew how to find a diamond in the dirt." Father interjected as he finished chewing on the rice bread.

Father proposed at one point to stone teacher Hao Wen before Tai Su brought her in and retold her story. Once people realized that she is a teacher here to prove herself to her parents by starting from the dirt, they started appreciating her more and people seeing her try to resell writing implements hurt more as she was selling her teaching materials to afford food.

People bought them from her yes, but made sure she ate for free as taught families together how to read their names and taught them numbers.

It was frightening to learn that such a virtuous was treated badly.

"Just as he knew our precious little thing had value where others just wanted your father's sheep." Mother continued and leaned into grandfather who grunted but leaned to make her more comfortable.

"The son of a dragon has an eye for treasure, as others looked for smooth rocks in the river he clawed his way to a gemstone, and don't look at me like that girl. You are the most precious thing this village has ever produced, all you need is a chance which your teacher will provide you with from her education." Father said.

I blushed, I wasn't very good with compliments.

"How do I make things better with teacher Hao Wen then? She's from the Fox clan and is not used to our ways and while Tai Su managed to explain her situation, I want to help her feel better too as it's my fault she's so scared from the execution of the merchant." I pleaded to my father.

He's old and knows how to talk to people and get them to stop squabbling.

Father looked pained, he like me did not think the execution was a bad thing because the last thing we need is someone else thinking they can take our access to water to sell some back to us, but teacher Hao Wen did not take it well and now we need to make amends.

"I'll talk with some of my friends and cousins, she wants to teach more to prove herself to her father right? Tai Su promised her that he'll take her to the other villages once he learns how to read properly and I see no reason not to help him by telling the other villages of her ahead of time. If she's received warmly there from the start she'll surely be better." Father offered.

"Mu dear, but that will take days if not a full week, we need something now, I'll go talk with Min and Shu. Min has more experience with the town people and if I can get Shu to be more reasonable I'm sure she'll stop looking with suspicion. Woman still doesn't trust her even if she's no longer as hostile to her." Mother interjected.

Shu Su is Tai Su's mother and she is the only one that is not as friendly to teacher Hao Wen. She's no longer ready to throw a rock at her but she's still cold.

I rose up and went to hug the two of them

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I shouted as I hugged them

I had the best parents ever!

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Night Shift is hell as you have to stay awake until dawn to make sure no animal or thief enters the village while everyone else sleeps. The issue is that you aren't told ahead of time that you will be taking it.

You are told at dawn when everyone pulls lots and so you have to stay awake from dawn until dawn at a minimum to fulfill your obligation and the rice does not care of your tiredness, and the sheep eagerly await it to munch on your hair.

You have to get back to work the next day and sleep the next night if you're in harvest or planting season. I was very glad we're in-between the two as my work was far less now.

"Long Su! Izz that yu?" A drunken voice rasped.

The man was in good clothes, but they were dirty and I could smell the alcohol from here despite the man being off the muddy road on a large rock at the edge of the village. He was also old which was appropriate I think for an old shaman.

Because this village has no gods, but a drunken man rambling of spirits.

"No Old man Yi, I am not father, I am Tai Su, his son." I answered with a sigh and proceeded to pick him up.

"Man iz hic not even married, you tell me you has a son? He must have sprung out of the sky! Nah you damned dragon you won't trick me, I recognize those eyes everywhere!" The drunken man rambled

He also stunk even more up close but I'll wash before meeting teacher Hao Wen.

"Come uncle, I'll take you home."Is all I said as I pulled him up and carried him in one hand.

He was a thin man and almost as light as Bai, but where Bai had some muscles on her, this man was paper thin.

"Only a dragon can carry a frown man with a claw, you are a dragon you fiend! Help help I am taken by a dragon in flight!" The old man bellowed.

Some came to look attracted by his cries, but they laughed and waved at me in-between their giggles and laughs and I returned their waves with my free hand.

"You're as thin as a stick old man, you need to eat some more if you want anyone but children to not be able to carry you with one hand." I replied as the man wailed.

"Being thin saves you! It makes the spirits laugh at you which is better than the silence!" The man shouted.

I sighed at that.

I don't know much of this world, I know cultivators exist from the stories and something people call demons and strange animal-people, but Spirits? This man is the only one speaking of them I've ever heard of.

It would not do to disrespect him if he can call upon them and they can do things and so I remained silent and bit back my retort.

We were now close to his home and a woman with brown hair and soft features came running to us. She was in her thirties and unlike the man in front of me had some meat on her.

"Father!"

"Who's dat?" He slurred.

"It's Na Mei, your daughter you bundle of bones." I explained tiredly.

I did not need this nonsense in my life.

"Na Mei, show me where to put Old Yi." I asked her as she reached us.

"I will, thank you for bringing him back Tai Su. Father you really need to look after yourself more, you're getting ever thinner!" The woman said all worried.

She did start guiding me to a sturdy looking bench to put the old man on.

"Li-little Na?" The man said through the haze.

It seems that hearing his daughter's voice had him realize the year he's in.

"Yes father, are you alright, are you injured? Did the spirits say anything?" His daughter launched into a stream of questions.

"The spirits said there will be horrible rains, I think either that or a harsh winter, I- can't remember which." The man said as he touched his head.

His face twisted in pain and mine in worry.

'The old man is never wrong, it's why everyone puts up with his nonsense.' I thought with a grimace.

The worst part is that it could mean both, because while I did not know if his spirits were real, I and everyone in multiple villages knew that the old man has only ever been wrong once and that was the year when I was born, when he said well have a warm summer which usually meant things will be well.

We had a drought that year and mother always took it as a sign that said year was significant in some way. Everyone still takes his word on this as truth as the summer was warm, he just didn't tell us rivers would dry up.

"I'll tell the Village Chief he'll know what to do father, let me clean you up." She rose her head and looked at me.

"Thank you Tai Su, I'll come by if Shu will have me to give you so preserved fruits for bringing father home safely." Na Mei offered.

I shook my head, she and mother were friends, what's all ' if she'll have me'. She was my midwife as if I needed a reason to help her.

"No need Aunt Na, you're always welcomed home and I helped Old Man Yi because it was the right thing to do, you don't need to bribe me like this, I'll always help if I can, now I have to go, take care of your father." I replied with a smile.

"If you don't give people gifts to show your gratitude nobody will help you young man!" She replied back then proceeded to attend to her father and I left.

A few people greeted me on the way back home and I greeted them back, but my thoughts were to the barrel of water for bathing and the rag to clean myself with which I made sure to clean my body thoroughly before getting into a new set of clothes.

Father left the village early in the morning to go into the town to ask his guard friends what they've been up to and get news while mother is at the Village Head's wife with some of her friends to sew together, so I had the home only to myself and teacher Hao Wen.

"Teacher Hao Wen?" I asked as I tapped at the door.

The answer was quick.

"Tai Su, come in. Bao Xiaoli is here already, we were talking." Teacher said and I did as she asked.

I slid the door open and headed inside. Both woman were at the table and it was filled with poetry on a quick look, but I never cared much for it in any life. Literature Class and its pretentiousness made sure to rip out any fondness I might have had for the art.

Bao liked it and even if I didn't like it I kept encouraging her to pursue it. Her liking it is more important than my opinion on that waste of time and parchment.

I went and sat near Bao and on the other side of teacher.

"Are you better teacher?" I asked her.

She no longer looked one moment away from breaking apart at least.

"Yes, Bao and I have been practicing some poetry and it helped relax me after… after yesterday." She answered.

I held out my right hand to Bao and held it steady in support as I prepared to answer.

"I am glad to hear it teacher Hao Wen."

She took a short breath and the casul air around her was gone, all that was left was a teacher instructing her students.

"Both of you are determined to be cultivators?" She asked.

"Yes." Both of us said as one.

"Tai Su knows that I do not find the power it offers worth it as said power can and will twist you if you are not careful. In front of that power everything else ceases to matter. Family, love, virtue, shamelessness, loss, all of that and more cease being a consideration unless a stronger cultivator can enforce them on you because the power is addictive. I want both of you to tell me you understood that, to tell me that you understand that this pursuit of power can make the bond between the two of you meaningless if you are not careful." She demanded of us

"I understand that teacher and I swear I won't let it come to that." I answered promptly

"I understand teacher and I won't let this big wall get that mad." Bao said shortly after.

Teacher looked resigned but nodded.

"I hope you will remember those words in one hundred years, because I won't be around to remind you of them. Very well I will give you a short lesson on it, but first I need to know what do both of you know."

We looked at each other and Bao asked me to speak up first and I nodded.

"I know that they live longer than most, that they are powerful and respected as well as feared. I know that not everyone can be a cultivator and that the sects wait until one is eighteen before allowing people to try and get in. Also cultivation is very dangerous for both the mind and body, this is all both of us know." I answered.

"Nothing of the tiers, the dantians or meridians or Qi?" She asked.

"I know they exist, but have no clue what they do or are." I replied.

I had guesses based on what I remembered of my past life but I couldn't rely on that knowledge, hell I tried meditating for a bit and all I got was a cold.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"So nothing actually useful, very well, I will explain the basics and I want at least one of you to write it down."

"I will do so teacher." Bao replied promptly and proceeded to do just that.

"The Soul and Body are connected and the soul resides in the Dantian where a cultivator gathers Qi and it it in the area between the stomach, the intestines and lungs, it is paired with the Meridians which capture Qi from the air, or food or water which filters it into it.

All cultivators exist in one of six tiers, from Lowest to Highest being: Qi Warrior, Body Tempering, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Warrior and the last and highest being Spirit Incarnation." She dictated.

Bao was busy writing it all down as I rose my hand to ask a question and she signaled me with a raised chin to ask it.

"What tier is the Empress?" I asked.

"Soul Warrior, but she is the highest that this world has ever created with only the Honorable Immortal Ming having done the same more than four thousand years ago and from what I know he stopped bothering with getting past it" She answered.

So there's a rank nobody has ever achieved it but we know it exists?

"How do we know the sixth tier exists?" I asked again.

"Travelers from another world came announcing some five hundred years ago that their Master, the Mighty Sun Qiang managed to break through a new realm and proclaimed it to be called Spirit Incarnation. The fact those individuals were Soul Warriors made even the Empress take them seriously. I only know because I have relatives that have heard the story." She answered.

"How does one cultivate then?"

"You will not do such a thing, not until you can test your Meridians to make sure what tier they are or if they are awakened." She promptly denied answering.

"Why teacher?" I asked.

"The Dantian and body of a human can only store Refined Qi which is formed from filtering Heavenly Qi which is produced by plants and deep underground. The Meridians turn this Heavenly Qi into Refined Qi and then the Dantian absorbs it. To be a Qi warrior is to put your Qi into the Dantian and it itself is separated into three realms Qi gathering, Qi condensation and Qi Comprehension but I know little beyond their names as such knowledge is only taught to other cultivators."

I continued to ask questions and clarifications as Bao diligently wrote down our conversation to have the knowledge close in case we forgot something.

This day has been long but it has been far from fruitless.