A Thousand Li

by Tao Wong

  Wu Ying nodded. None of that was particularly new. The heart of the difference in most cultivation methods—at least in the Body and Energy Storage stages—was the cleansing of meridians and the order in which they were cleansed. In cleansing them, one opened up the meridian points within a body. Opening them in specific orders allowed a body to lean toward one element or another, creating the elemental aspects that cultivators gained.

  The Yellow Emperor balanced the opening of each meridian such that the body never gained too much of any specific element. Since each meridian was aligned to a specific element, balancing the flow of each element created the neutral aspect of the Yellow Emperor method. Of course, that was not the entirety of the method, since the body would be imbalanced with specific meridians fully open and others not.

  To ensure the full balancing, one focused upon the flow of chi through the meridian points—areas along the meridians which were particularly sensitive and often clogged with stagnant chi—that you could clear to help balance the body. The exact formula for clearing those acupuncture points—of which there were over two thousand through the body—was what defined the differences between cultivation manuals.

  Add the complexity that not all points were as clogged as others from individual to individual and the need to balance such flows and not face a chi deviation and one saw the need for teachers and guidance through the cultivation process. A good teacher not only drew upon their own experience but the experience of others.

  If one added strange acupuncture points and a mildly different body due to a bloodline, it was clear why individuals could find themselves stymied. At the lower levels, Wu Ying knew, cultivation was quite forgiving in the flow and breaking open of meridian points, of the correct channels to use. However, when one was in the Core stage, all channels were open and the need to flow chi correctly to develop and refine one’s chi to layer a Core was much more arduous. Mistakes at that level could create cultivation Cores that were less than optimal and weaker than they should be. In so doing, it could cause a collapse of the cultivation core or for them to be too porous, damaging the growing immortal soul within.

  In the end, the manual process of cultivation was nearly as important as enlightenment at the higher stages. Actual enlightenment, the flow of heavenly chi, at the Core stage could patch numerous mistakes, which was why meditation and seclusion were often recommended for those in the Core stage. Even if one was certain of their cultivation method, it did not hurt to gain the aid of the heavens.

  “A wind dragon?” Wu Ying asked as he stared at the document, jumping to the obvious conclusion.

  “Maybe. Though as you know, dragons are not that simple,” Elder Hsu replied.

  Wu Ying frowned.

  “Really? Do they not teach you children anything anymore?” Elder Hsu threw his hands in the air, flopping backward. “Go study on your own time. I am not your teacher.”

  “Yes, Elder.”

  “Dragons are—”

  Wu Ying and Elder Hsu Yin had both spoken at the same time, interrupting one another. Wu Ying bowed, gesturing for her to go on, while the old man harumphed, returning to writing on the document he had begun for Wu Ying.

  “As I was saying, before I was interrupted”—she stared at Wu Ying, who ducked his head—“dragons are creatures of the heavens. They are beings of cloud, wind and water, heavenly beings drawn down to the earth and given charge of our lakes and rivers and oceans. Because of that, wind and water chi are the most common kinds for their children, but because they are heavenly creatures, they often pass on other aspects to their children.” She gestured at Wu Ying’s exposed chart of chi flow. “Fire, earth, wood—all common. Metal—much more uncommon. Those are more likely from other heavenly creatures. But occasionally, it happens.”

  “You’re saying it doesn’t matter what kind of dragon—because what it imparted can differ anyway,” Wu Ying said. “Especially because of how faint the bloodline was?” He said the last as a question, searching for confirmation and receiving it. Once more he reiterated his question. “How do I cleanse it?”

  The pair of Elders looked at one another then shrugged.

  Elder Hsu Yin offered Wu Ying a half-smile. “Browse the library, find cultivation techniques that work together and that fit the nature of your altered body. You’ll need to cleanse it of the toxins first before you worry about making your bloodline work. There is no clear path anymore, not for you. You have left the worn pathways of your predecessors and can only use their works as guideposts.”

  Wu Ying blanched at the brutal words.

  Elder Hsu, finished with his writing, put down his brush and glared at Wu Ying. “Bah! You are no different than the majority of our sect members. That is the point of our sect! To find those with different paths and see them on their journey.” Leaning forward, his grin widened, growing almost predatory. “You wouldn’t want to join us, would you?”

  “Join you?” Wu Ying’s eyes widened.

  “Yes. You’ll gain access to the deepest parts of the library as a true sect member. And even the Verdant Green Waters will give one as broken as you up with little issue.”

  “I’m not broken.”

  “And all our testees throw up and bleed over our floors.”

  “Okay, I’m maybe a little broken.”

  “Exactly! We like the broken here. Fixing them is what we do,” Elder Hsu said.

  “I can’t just leave my Master. He’s sacrificed so much for me,” Wu Ying said.

  “After you saved his life. I would think Master Cheng would be happy to clear his karmic debt this way.”

  Wu Ying had no argument for that. Master Cheng just might. He was a little surprised that they knew his Master by reputation to this level, but then, his Master was rather eccentric. And the jianghu existed on blood and gossip.

  Still… “My martial sister, I can’t…”

  “Oooh, he’s in love with her,” Elder Hsu Yin said, laughing a little as she peered at Wu Ying’s face.

  He glared right back, lifting his chin a little. “I am not!”

  She continued peering at him, then sat back, obviously surprised. “You really aren’t. That must be new, for the Fairy.”

  “She doesn’t like that title,” Wu Ying said.

  “Interesting,” Elder Hsu Yin said.

  “Bah! I’ve seen prettier. Now, will you change sects?” the old man said, pointing at Wu Ying. “You won’t find a better sect for one like you.”

  “I… I can’t. It would be a betrayal to my Master and Elder Sister.” Wu Ying bowed. “But thank you for the offer.”

  “I was not offering. You would still have to pass our tests.” He sniffed. “You should consider it anyway. At the rate of deterioration, you won’t survive a year.”

  Wu Ying blinked. That was not what he had been told.

  “Don’t believe me? That’s fine. But it’s accelerating.”

  Wu Ying nodded. He knew that bit, had sensed it. How things were growing harder for him. Cultivating and just existing hurting more. But he hadn’t thought he had so little time.

  “Enough.” Elder Hsu rolled up the scroll he had been writing on, then the cultivation chart, pushing both papers at Wu Ying. “Everything you need to know is in there. If you won’t join us, then there’s nothing more to say. Go.”

  Wu Ying stood, collecting the documents, and bowed to the Elders one last time. He muttered his thanks but was hurried out by the attendant before being taken the rest of the way out of the tower. A part of him wanted to enter the library immediately, to look for the works in the manual. But he was exhausted from the formation and his reaction to it.

  Better to go back, rest, and read the document. Time enough to visit the library later. Time enough to learn about what his next step would be.

  Later.

  Chapter 11

  Once Wu Ying was shown back to his room, he promised himself he would only rest for a few minutes before reading the documents provided to him in more detai
l. But the moment he lay on the bed, he fell asleep and slept through the night. It was only in the early hours of the morning that he awoke, his body ravenous and his muscles aching.

  The first problem was easily handled by ordering food from the proprietor of the inn. Though Wu Ying’s request had led to some grumbling, the constant hubbub of the sect ensured there were always places to find food. The second problem was more difficult. Even after stretching and doing some light cultivating, the aches and pains in his body refused to go away entirely, though they did recede.

  Knowing there was little else to do, Wu Ying sat down to read over the document provided to him while he waited for his meal to arrive. Perhaps today, in the library, he could find some solution to his predicament.

  The first portion of the scroll was the detailed overview of the results of the formation activation. Unlike what was written on the chart, Elder Hsu had gone into clearer detail in the document, explaining the results. Fascinatingly enough, the results were actually broken down into four sections—current soul and body alignment, and ideal soul and body alignment.

  His current soul alignment was, unsurprisingly, minimal, with his elements generally perfectly aligned. There was more wood and wind chi in his current alignment than his cultivation method called for, but it was not so far out of line that it was an issue.

  Current body alignment was much more mixed. Wind alignment, of course, with a mixture of wood and blood within. But also metal and earth in large amounts, with a scattering of other types including fire, death, corruption, poison, and lead. Some were normal, but others were dangerous, like the poison or death chi. Neither should be present in the amounts that his body had and would need to be removed.

  To Wu Ying’s surprise, the more he read, the more detailed the work grew. This section by itself was multiple lines long, listing the kinds of blockages in various acupuncture points. If he brought this document to Elder Xiong, he was certain she would be able to provide him better medicine, even fix some of his symptoms.

  But she could not heal him. The damage, the problem, was much deeper. He would need a cultivation manual, one that worked in conjunction with any medicine he took, to truly find a solution.

  “Sir?” came a tentative voice at the door.

  Wu Ying turned, spotting the waiter holding the tray. Obviously, Wu Ying must have missed the earlier knocks. He gestured the man in, letting him set up his breakfast as he turned back to his reading. A quick tip of a few coins, then Wu Ying sat at the table, scroll on one side table, food in his left hand. A simple meal, just a platterful of buns with steamed meat. Hearty and tasty, for late night workers coming home or early morning workers getting ready to start their day.

  “Now, next…” Wu Ying mumbled around his food. He knew where he was, and it was more dire than he had believed. Where did he have to go?

  The ideal soul cultivation. Details within the scroll were sparser and less detailed, offering indicators of what might work for his body and his soul, with a significant amount of prevarication. Obviously Elder Hsu did not feel like sticking his neck out too much as the formation could only see what was, not what should be. That was a guess based off experience and learning. And the soul, the soul was so much harder to understand.

  The majority recommendation was that Wu Ying acquire a wind cultivation method for his soul so that it matched with his body. There were further recommendations, indications that any cultivation method he chose should have threads of wood and earth. There was also a discussion that he might have some inclination toward water, but a surprising amount of fire in his soul, but banked.

  “Banked?” Wu Ying muttered after swallowing his latest mouthful.

  Banked fire. Ambition, but constrained. Passion, but controlled. The fire grew the wind, controlled it, but too much and he would burn up. Too much and the wind would rage uncontrolled. Whatever cultivation method he would have, it needed to be rooted in the world, controlled by the other elements. Not much metal at all. He could change and alter, like water, but he could not contain or cut through like metal. That… made sense.

  Wu Ying read on, lips pursed, seeing the wide array and the specific meridian points that would have to be cleared, the ones that coincided for both soul and body cultivation. Difficult, especially being so specific, to find a pair of cultivation methods that suited this recommendation.

  Thankfully, Elder Hsu had helped by providing a list of potential soul cultivation methods that specialized in the wind element. Still, there was some indication Wu Ying might do fine with a wood cultivation method for his soul, rather than pure wind. Maybe even fire or earth.

  “And the ideal body…”

  Was shorter. Less detailed by far than the other sections. There were a number of question marks, much more than the ideal soul cultivation method. The details were broken, incomplete due to his failure by breaking down too soon. The added issue of his bloodline complicated matters, such that Elder Hsu was unable to provide a clear indicator there either.

  The obvious conclusion was that he needed a wind-oriented body cultivation method. Opposing body and soul cultivation methods were extremely rare and prone to failure, so Wu Ying certainly could not have a metal cultivation method. Generating interactions—for example, a water body that fed into a wood soul—was less uncommon. But dangerous, since the body and soul had to balance in such cases.

  If he had a wind body…

  Wu Ying frowned. “What kind of soul cultivation method fits a wind body?”

  Another wind cultivation method made sense. Wind to wood—or wind to life. Maybe wind to water? Was water allowed? He frowned, flipping back to the soul cultivation section. It was marked as a potential, but not recommended.

  “Wind to earth?” He snorted. That made sense. Being the center element, the stabilizer, the earth element was both suitable and yet, not a perfect fit.

  Potentially.

  So much of soul cultivation was not just about what suited the body, but what kind of epiphanies one gained and the individual’s karmic balance. Their state of mind.

  He reached sideways again, only to find that there was no more food left, all of it consumed. He blinked in surprise, his stomach still rumbling a little. As he turned his head, he realized that light had appeared, filtering in through the closed wooden shutters. He stood, leaving the document, walked over to his windows, and threw open the shutters. Morning fog rolled into his room as he stared at the clouded landscape below, spotting cultivators running around.

  As he watched, Wu Ying turned over what he knew now. He had gained a wind elemental body, one mixed with blood and fire, drawn from the bloodlines of a dragon ancestor so long ago, it would never have awakened but for a mistake.

  Now, he had to make use of it, cleanse his body, and improve it further. A wind elemental body—a container for his immortal soul—had to fit with the soul cultivation method he chose. But his body, his soul tended toward wind now, though who knew if that was because the body now influenced the soul or it was his natural inclination.

  If he had a natural inclination.

  “Wu Ying?” A knock on the door, and he turned, seeing Tou He standing at the threshold. His friend smiled. “Did it go well?”

  Wu Ying chuckled, waving his friend in. Perhaps talking it over might help.

  It couldn’t hurt.

  ***

  “One year!?!” Tou He shouted, waving his hands. Between the pair was more food, newly delivered by the harried attendant.

  Yu Kun had popped in, but seeing the pair talking animatedly, he had slipped away again. Wu Ying was grateful for that. While he liked Yu Kun, this level of discussion about his cultivation was not something he felt comfortable sharing. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. With Tou He though, having known him for so long, it felt normal, natural even, to discuss such things.

  “That’s what you’re concerned about, after all that?” Wu Ying said, exasperated.

  “You’re going to die. How is that not the most impo
rtant thing?”

  “Because if I find a solution, I won’t.”

  At that statement, the ex-monk sat back, crossing his arms. Eventually, he let out a little laugh. “I thought I was the one with the composed mind, but here you are, focused.”

  “I’ve had a day to calm myself.” And months to realize he was dying. No need to mention that. Wu Ying might not be reconciled to it yet, but it was something that would happen, whatever he chose. “Anyway, why aren’t you at the tower?”

  “Wan Yan insisted on going first.” Tou He shrugged. “A day’s difference will not matter for me. It might for her.”

  “You’re always such a pushover,” Wu Ying said, shaking his head. Of course, he was teasing his friend. When it came to important matters, his friend was like his staff style. Immovable, no matter the onslaught.

  “And you’re always charging in without thought,” Tou He said. “And flightless too. No wonder you’re wind-aspected.”

  “Oh, and what does your fire aspect say of you?” Wu Ying sniffed. “Ambitious? Passionate?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Have you not been telling me something?”

  Tou He shook his head. “I do not partake of that. I might not be a monk anymore, but I still follow the middle path. As best as I can.”

  “So serious.” Wu Ying grinned. “But never mind. Any thoughts about my predicament?”

  Tou He looked at the document again, then sighed. “What do I know? I’m barely more advanced than you. And body cultivation is not something I have studied at all. I would say, focus on fixing yourself first. At the least, you won’t die then.”

  “Fair.” Wu Ying rolled up the scroll, putting it and the document inside his ring before glancing at the clothing he wore. He had yet to change since yesterday, and if he was to visit the library, he should probably do so in better clothing.