A Thousand Li

by Tao Wong

  Seeing his friend’s gaze and understanding his thoughts, Tou He stood. “Be quick. I’ll accompany you to the library, though I won’t enter. There’s much to see still.”

  Wu Ying nodded, clapping his friend’s shoulder in thanks before hurrying him out.

  Time to see what the library had to say.

  ***

  “Long Wu Ying, visiting cultivator for the Verdant Green Waters Sect.” The librarian looked over the sect talisman and the pass he held in stubby fingers. After a moment, he handed them back and took the sheet of paper from Wu Ying. “And this is?”

  “The list of cultivation manuals I would like to peruse.” Wu Ying watched as the attendant read over the list before looking around the room once more.

  The second-floor room they were in was the largest, though Wu Ying spotted additional rooms through open doorways, connecting the entire floor. Much of the library was similar to the one in the Verdant Green Waters Sect, with towering shelves containing scrolls, manuals, and other documents. A few signs hung around, indicating the purpose of each section, but for the most part, the shelves were left unlabeled. Without a guide, Wu Ying knew, he would spend many hours trying to find the correct documents.

  Amongst the stacks of books were numerous pillars, coated in simple red and gold paint, where spirit stone lamps burned. While candles and lanterns were generally used in other locations, libraries used the spirit stone lamps due to fear of fire. It also cast a much steadier light, allowing the library to be illuminated with fewer such lamps than candles.

  The most fascinating aspect for Wu Ying was the rather sparse number of cultivators moving through the library. Compared to the Verdant Green Waters, whose libraries were filled with cultivators even during the quiet times of the evening, the Double Soul, Double Body Sect library was empty, only a handful of cultivators in sight.

  “As a guest, we can allow you to peruse some of these,” the attendant said slowly. “However, many of these manuals are restricted items.”

  “I believe my Master made arrangements to pay for additional access?” Wu Ying said, wincing internally. Each moment, he dug himself deeper into debt with his Master. And yet, Elder Hsu expected him to change sects. How preposterous!

  “I will verify.” The attendant turned away, disappearing around the corner and leaving Wu Ying to wait.

  Wu Ying found a seat nearby and sat down. While waiting, he turned back to his soul cultivation, letting the flow of chi run through his body, his aura strengthening. Soon enough, the attendant returned, followed by an Elder. Wu Ying popped up to his feet and bowed, greeting the Elder.

  “Thank you for visiting our humble library. I am the Elder in charge, Zheng Mei Li.” Elder Zheng was a petite woman who had that ageless grace that afflicted Core cultivators in the middle stages of their cultivation life. It was only when a cultivator approached the end of her extended lifespan that age caught up. To Wu Ying’s amusement, unlike the long hair that most women kept, hers was pinned up with a quartet of long chopsticks, giving her a severe appearance.

  “Is there a problem with my request, Elder?” There obviously had to be, for her to be here.

  “Mmmm… not a problem as much a matter of regulation. While some of the manuals you have requested are available for the public, and others are available upon payment—which your Master has arranged—there are some that are not available without additional contribution to the sect.”

  Wu Ying frowned. “Contribution? Like assignments that you require?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “We are a small sect. To provide for the sect, we’ve found having our guests aid us most beneficial.”

  “Oh.” He took the small token she offered him, looking it over. Unlike the sect tokens he’d noticed the Double Body, Double Sect members held, this one was made of white jade. “This is…?”

  “A temporary guest token to record your contributions. So long as you are able to contribute to our sect sufficiently, I can allow you to view the additional manuals.”

  “Can I look over the ones that are available to me now though?” Wu Ying said. Even if he could not peruse the more illustrious manuals, he could at least read the ones they had available. Maybe he could find some information on how to cleanse his body.

  “Of course.” Elder Zheng turned and nodded to the attendant, who scurried off. Having dealt with the matter, she bade Wu Ying farewell before disappearing among the shelves. Her petite frame was so small that the moment she stepped behind a shelf, she disappeared.

  As he was beginning to fall into a standing meditation again to pass the time, Wu Ying heard voices approaching from the doorway—one of which he recognized. Frowning, he turned and spotted Wan Yan.

  She walked in with a guide, the same one who had met Wu Ying earlier and who he had yet to gain the name of. Yet unlike his cold attitude toward Wu Ying, the guide seemed almost obsequious in his regard for Wan Yan, speaking to her carefully, gesturing for her to go ahead of him, personally leading her into the stacks.

  Wu Ying raised a hand in greeting, only for the pair to walk right past him, never once turning their heads. He frowned but stayed silent as the pair ignored him, but they spoke to one of the attendants to request the Elder’s presence. Once they received their directions, the pair walked deeper into the library, intent on finding her.

  Wu Ying snorted, then seeing nothing better to do, he fell back into meditation. Hopefully, it would not take his attendant too long to find the manuals.

  ***

  Hours later, Wu Ying closed the latest manual summary with a heavy sigh. It was the third such manual summary he had read, each of which only contained the barest highlights, of course. But the manuals on body cultivation were dense—even when summarized—in a way that soul cultivation manuals were not. Wu Ying was uncertain if it was a matter of unfamiliarity or just the nature of body cultivation.

  The basic aspect of chi flows through specific meridians was simple enough. That you had to push it through specific meridian points was more complicated, but it was viable. The extra complications were when you had to diffuse the energy through your body, strengthening it with the chi you generated, and eventually replaced specific portions of your body with the strengthened parts.

  Making sure it was the right mixture of chi—formed by the flow of chi through specific meridians and meridian points in particular sequences—and the specific series of parts replaced made up the first of the differences in cultivation methods.

  However, on top of that, you also had the physical strengthening exercises that were important to the development of the cultivator’s body and the various herbal baths that were required. You had to layer all three kinds of cultivation techniques to get the most out of any body cultivation method.

  Still, most important to Wu Ying was that any potential method would cleanse his body of the impurities it had acquired. In these three documents, all focused on aiding a cultivator in gaining a wind elemental body, he found little enough references. Most discussed the steps needed to slowly build one’s body, to adjust it to become closer to a wind elemental body. The breakdown of parts that were replaced was a natural consequence of cultivation. It was not a step by itself.

  In other words, the information was useless for Wu Ying, who already had such a body.

  On the other hand, understanding the process to achieve what he had gained by accident had clarified his own understanding of it. Sitting back, he recalled a particular line that had struck him.

  “An elemental body is not a body made up of the element, but one that embodies the truth of these elements. A metal body is not made of steel, nor does a fire body burn. In the same way, a wind body does not blow or dance like the air itself. While the use of exercises and body baths help infuse a body with said elements, it is only to teach the body of the dao of the elements.”

  He raised his hand, staring at the all too fleshy appendage, and chuckled. It really would be strange if his hand was made of air. What would it be
like? Of course, at the higher levels, it could be said that a body could become one with the dao of the element, becoming the element itself. But that was not where he was yet.

  He had an elemental body, but all that signified was that he was aligned with the element. He could channel the aspected chi well. He even—to his surprise—generated it within his body naturally. And that, perhaps, was the first real clue of what the ongoing problem was. He generated chi now, naturally forming the chi types his body was aligned to.

  Unfortunately, being tainted…

  “I’m generating corruption, poison, lead, and even death chi as well,” Wu Ying said to himself softly. It would explain the ongoing damage, the way it kept progressing. Even when he cleansed himself, it kept coming back.

  What he needed to do was remove those elements from his body, purify his body cultivation such that it only generated the right kind of chi. He had a clue now. But to really understand it…

  Wu Ying looked sideways at the small stack of summarized manuals. He would need to read them all, perhaps even test a few. It would damage him, he was certain. As he flowed chi through his body, he would produce the corrupted chi. But in so doing, he might also gain further clues.

  At some point, he would need to make a decision and purchase the actual manuals to further his tests.

  “Which is going to cost me.”

  Because the other document that had been given to him by the librarian was a new list of manuals that might suit Wu Ying’s purpose. A list, and the cost for each. To Wu Ying’s surprise, at the bottom of the list was a single line.

  The Seven Winds Body Cultivation Manual with detailed annotations by the Patriarch Han Le Xin.

  The initial manual had not been on the list given to him by Elder Hsu. Nor was there a cost indicated for that manual. He was not certain what it meant that the manual of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect’s famed patriarch was available to him, as a guest, at all. But he was intrigued.

  Even though he doubted he could afford the manual, no matter what he did. The work by a Patriarch was expensive, even if one was part of a sect. In the Verdant Green Waters, he had not even seen the names of the cultivation manuals used by the Patriarchs of his Sect. Such things were reserved for the prodigies, the ones who were truly in favor.

  To hand such a document to an outsider?

  Preposterous.

  And yet, Wu Ying was curious. He could see the hand of the Elders in play, the way they were luring him to join. And the bait was certainly tasty.

  ***

  It was late evening when Wu Ying finally left the library, his head swimming with esoteric sentences and directions for body cultivation. He was certain he would dream of chi flows through his body. He had read so many different diagrams, mentally practiced so many different methods and tested what they meant, over and over until his head ached and he was not even certain it was the corruption’s fault.

  His earlier conclusions had firmed up, though he was still far from understanding which body cultivation method he should pick. Especially since he had yet to read even a portion of the “better” manuals. And on top of that, he had yet to look at soul cultivation manuals.

  Still, hunger had driven him out of the library. As Wu Ying walked along the lit streets, lamplight sending flickering shadows across the edges of his vision, he plotted out the remainder of his days. Drawn by the smell of a roadside vendor, Wu Ying stopped to order a couple bowls of the fragrant lamb soup, the mixture of strong stock and mint floating through the air.

  Wu Ying lowered himself slowly onto the low chair that bordered the road with a muffled groan. His back hurt, his sides ached, his stomach rumbled with an acidic queasiness. Even the backs of his eyes throbbed, such that he squeezed them shut and placed his palms on them, squeezing them back into his skull.

  Eyes closed, he listened to the restaurant owner prepare his meal and the muffled conversations around him. He heard the scrape of the metal spoon on the soup pot and the swishing of noodles as they were prepared. He listened and breathed, trying to pull some chi from the environment to continue his cultivation, to help cleanse himself a little.

  A failure that he had let it lapse at some point. He was better than that. Cursing himself internally for his weakness, he drew in another deep breath and forced himself to begin again. He was no genius, and he could not afford to just stop. Every second was important.

  Inhale, draw in chi. Exhale, send it flowing through his body.

  There was a hint of something rank and corrupt, earthy in that breath. Familiar in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He straightened a little, only to crouch back down, his breathing shutting down as an arc of pain erupted from his stomach at the sudden movement.

  His breathing halted, Wu Ying was forced to ride out the agony at the chi deviation. As his attention finally returned to reality, he heard the trample of feet, the creak and sway of a palanquin moving along the road. His eyes narrowed, he stared at the back of the dark-clothed palanquin, recognizing the scent that emanated from it.

  “Dark sect,” Wu Ying tried to whisper the words, only to fail as pain tugged at him again.

  “Sir?” The proprietor stood beside him, a bowl of lamb noodle soup in hand.

  “Nothing,” Wu Ying said, shaking his head. He pushed himself to his feet, then let out a strangled groan as his tired body rejected his movement.

  The proprietor grabbed hold of his arm, helping Wu Ying sit. Wu Ying shuddered, his cultivation going haywire, his brief moment of inattention costing him. Blood leaked from his nose, pain racked his chest. He coughed and twitched, muscles clenching and releasing.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, his body relaxed. The pain, the damage, receded into the background.

  By the time he was able to focus on his surroundings, the palanquin was gone. Yet a hint, a trace of the familiar corruption lingered in the air, staining it.

  “Honored cultivator. Are you well now or should I send for a physician?” The proprietor interrupted Wu Ying’s sniffing, his eyes grave with concern.

  “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Wu Ying waved his hand down the road. “The palanquin that came by. Did you know it? Was there a flag saying whose it was?”

  “The palanquin? It was just one of the ones that are rented.”

  “No way to know who was in it?”

  The owner shrugged, leaving Wu Ying to sigh. He waved the man away after thanking him once more, turning back to his now-cold meal. He turned down the proprietor’s offer of a new bowl, instead slurping down the meal as quickly as he could. Maybe it was a fool’s errand, but he would walk, scenting the air. Searching.

  Because the dark sect was here. And injured and ill or not, Wu Ying would not let them exist without at least trying to stop whatever they had planned.

  Chapter 12

  Breakfast the next morning had Tou He joining Wu Ying in his room. The pair had decided against regularly going down to the dining room. It was too large and impersonal for the pair, especially since Wan Yan had no desire to deal with his friends. Instead, they took their breakfast together with Wu Ying relating his experience last night.

  “And you’re sure of what you sensed?” Tou He asked once again.

  Wu Ying nodded, hiding a yawn behind his hand. He had only made it back to his room in the early hours of the morning, barely having time to wash and change his clothing before he was joined for breakfast. A full night without rest was not unusual for him, and if he was healthy, it would be a minor nuisance at best. Now, with his body breaking down from the accumulated toxic chi, he struggled with the pounding headache and ache behind his eyes.

  “You should rest.”

  “I will. Later,” Wu Ying said. “We need to deal with this first.”

  “Agreed. If the dark sect is here…” Tou He shook his head. “But what do you plan to do?”

  Wu Ying had no easy answer. The obvious solution—inform the sect elders—was wrong. Their own Masters or Elders were not
there. This was not their sect. Leveling an accusation that the Double Soul, Double Body Sect was filled with members of the dark sect would be dangerous. The most likely outcome was their warnings would be ignored. Even if they were not ignored, with so little information, their warning would be minimized. The damage to their reputation and their own sect’s reputation would be significant, especially if no sign of the enemy was found.

  “We can’t just not tell anyone. It would be dangerous.” Wu Ying muttered, thinking out loud. Dereliction of duty would be the least of the crimes they would be charged with in that case. Charges of allying with the dark sect might even be brought up. “But they won’t believe us if we just say it.”

  “I might know someone who could help.”

  “Would they be able to support us too?” It was not sufficient just to tell people. The person would have to have sufficient standing in the Double Soul, Double Body Sect to offset accusations of not doing enough.

  “Maybe. He is not a true Elder, but an Honorary Elder.” Tou He gestured out the door. “Better for you to meet him. And if we hurry, we should be able to do so today.”

  Wu Ying watched his friend stuff his mouth with the remainder of the porridge they had been served. A moment later, he was copying his friend. In short order, the pair were hurrying out of the inn, Tou He in the lead.

  “It’s a good thing the sect is so small or else we would never make it,” the ex-monk muttered. He was moving fast, going so far as to engage a movement technique so that the pair were nearly skipping along, barely dodging other pedestrians.

  The building they arrived at was not a residence as Wu Ying had expected but an open courtyard temple with red gates, pagodas in the corners rising to the sky and wide-open gates leading to the main building. Once the pair entered, the tolling of the drums indicating the start of the hour rose from the nearby towers. Tou He gestured Wu Ying to hurry, the pair taking off their shoes just before they entered the temple itself to take a seat, cross-legged with the other worshippers.