Light in the Darkness

by Patrick Laplante

  A glazed look appeared on the little mouse’s eyes. It only a few seconds for them to clear, and finally, the mouse looked at him excitedly and bowed down. “Master, it is this lowly general’s pleasure to serve,” it squeaked and danced around.

  Huxian grunted and then looked at the yellow flower. It was a yellow lightning chrysanthemum, and while it would be beneficial to him, feeding it to the small fellow would garner him a demon-beast servant.

  “Hide in my fur. We’re returning to my cave,” Huxian said. “Consume this flower once we return and break through to the Purification Realm.”

  The mouse shook with excitement and immediately complied. He dived into the same tail where the mark had appeared and slipped into the mark without a trace. Then, Huxian grabbed the yellow flower and scampered off toward his cave. It was a very productive night, and he was very pleased with himself.

  One general down, seven to go.

  A few days later, Huxian was lying down in his cave, watching the evolution of his newest minion. The Calamity-Swallowing Mouse, Lei Jiang, had devoured the yellow lightning chrysanthemum only two days prior. Due to the compatibility between the flower and the mouse, Lei Jiang had advanced by leaps and bounds.

  Huxian watched the little speed demon, who was breaking through to the Purification Realm. The process left the small mouse contorting in pain as purple lightning enveloped it periodically, remolding its physique to prepare it for the purification process. The little fox wasn’t too concerned about success or failure, as a beast of this level would undoubtedly break through without a hitch.

  Just then, he heard a rustle outside his cave. Sighing, he grew back to his larger size and peered outside to see two wolves prostrating themselves outside.

  “Speak,” Huxian growled.

  “Mighty lord,” one of the wolves stuttered. “The summit is about to begin. The appointed time was a half hour ago. Are you not attending?” He then cowered with his paws over his head.

  “This lord’s attendance is not any of your concern. Dismissed,” Huxian said coldly. The wolves scampered off like their lives depended on it.

  Drat, I forgot about the summit, Huxian thought self-deprecatingly. Oh well, it’s best for kings to show up a little late, but I don’t want to overdo it in this situation. I’d better take off now.

  He let out a soft roar as he transformed once more, expanding his size to twelve feet in length. This was approximately the proportion of a two-tailed demon fox that didn’t possess a special lineage. He then trotted out of his cave, proudly walking toward the peak of the mountain. The location was obvious, for where else would beasts hold a summit save for the peak of a mountain?

  During his journey, he passed through many other demon-beast territories. However, none of the lords remained. Their helpless minions could only make way for the ferocious demon beast. As he passed through one territory in specific, he noticed an abundance of weasels.

  This must be where the demon ferret migrated to after his expulsion. He thinks he can escape my wrath by traveling toward the peak of the mountain? In his dreams.

  Soon, he was greeted by the sight of over a hundred beasts. Some were small, a tiny lightning cat being a prime example. Its tiny white frame resembled that of a normal infant housecat, but its demonic heritage was betrayed by its purple eyes. The largest animal he saw on the peak was a geomantic boa, whose large body was three feet thick and several hundred feet long. He took note of this cunning adversary, who was innately gifted with earth-manipulation abilities. These beasts loved nothing more than setting up traps and labyrinths in their territory.

  Huxian was not the least bit uncomfortable as he made his way to the middle of the crowd, where the early-purification beasts were waiting attentively.

  “You sure took your sweet time,” a panther growled derisively as he approached. “You’re lucky the full-moon demon bear always arrives an hour late, or he’d be chewing you up for breakfast. Not that you would make a very big breakfast.” The panther was three times Huxian’s size.

  Huxian snorted. “Order of arrival is based on status. A lowly beast like you is already at the peak of its growth, while I am a king among spirit beasts. Therefore, I showed up later. You would do well to respect your betters, lest they fail to give you face in the future.”

  The panther’s face contorted in anger, but he did not reply. Hierarchy among beasts was extremely strict, dependent on both absolute strength and bloodline. The larger feline had clearly lost out on both counts. Another beast in their grouping chuckled. It was a wolf, whose fur was a mix between blue and silver. His golden eyes shone like full moons on a dark night.

  “You would do well to listen to your betters, you stupid cat,” the wolf said. “If this younger friend here grows to the next step and becomes a king of the forest, I volunteer to be one of his first subordinates.”

  Huxian gave him a toothy grin. “In the future, it will be my honor to welcome a moonlight frost wolf as a vassal. You will not be treated poorly.”

  The bickering continued for some time, until a large pressure emanated from the peak of the mountain. None of the beasts, including Huxian, dared to utter a single sound. As they waited, a large shadow appeared in the mists as loud steps made nearby puddles of water ripple. The figure revealed itself gradually until its hundred-foot-long body was completely uncovered.

  It was a large black bear, its fur covered in various silver runes that oozed an aura of strength and suppression. It roared with an intensity that made all the beasts cower in submission. Huxian, who wasn’t scared, was forced to feign surrender. He kept the day’s memory in his heart, vowing to force the bear to prostrate itself in apology for the humiliation.

  “Today’s beast summit has officially commenced,” the bear growled. “The first item to address is the distribution of territory. Three new lords of the forest have appeared, each with varying levels of power. This means that three older lords have been displaced. Lord Earth Ferret has already offered himself as a vassal to Lord Sky Stoat, so only the three-eyed demon bullfrog and the yin-yang python are without a territory. According to the rules, each lord of the forest must have a territory.

  “Do any of the kings of the forest volunteer to take either one as vassals and reallocate their territory?”

  The question sparked an outbreak of murmurs and discussions.

  “I will take the yin-yang python under my command and reallocate accordingly,” a voice slithered. The geomantic boa had volunteered, which came as no surprise to Huxian. Like species tended to flock together, gathering up strength to assimilate territory from other species. He watched on as the yin-yang python slithered over to his new faction. Huxian could tell there were many dissatisfied faces in the group, but as the weakest ones, they didn’t dare protest.

  “No one will take this three-eyed bullfrog?” the bear asked. Silence ensued. “Very well, then we will go according to the old rules. Old One-Eyed, do you have any objections?” He looked toward an ancient-looking badger. This badger’s black fur had faded to gray, and a large scar ran down one side of its face. Huxian estimated that this beast was 500 years old.

  “No problems, Your Grace,” the badger said. “Your rules have protected this old one for so long. I will give the three-eyed frog a third of my territory. Anything higher than that, he will have to earn.”

  The bear nodded. “Now that this is settled, is there anyone who wishes to officially challenge another to increase their territory? If so, state who you are challenging and your request for territory.”

  Many beasts spoke up and issued challenges. A demon hedgehog challenged a small adder for a third of his territory. He was victorious but suffered serious injuries in the process. Fortunately for him, an official challenge had benefits. Each beast was allowed one challenge, and issuing a challenge granted them six months’ immunity from other challengers to heal their wounds.

  “Anyone else?” the bear asked.

  “I will challenge the midnight panthe
r,” Huxian shouted. “I want two thirds of his territory.”

  This was the highest possible stake in these official challenges. Likewise, if he lost the challenge, two thirds of his territory would go to his opponent.

  The bear looked at him and casually glanced at the midnight panther. “Do you wish to fight, or do you concede?”

  There was a hidden message in this statement—that according to the bear’s judgement, the panther was not the fox’s match.

  “I…” the panther stuttered. “I concede. As this is a peaceful surrender, please grant my pack two hours after this summit to relocate.”

  Huxian nodded nonchalantly and granted him his request.

  “All right,” the bear said, cutting the tension. “Territory has been allocated. Does anyone wish to challenge a king for dominion?”

  The ten beasts near the front all shook their heads.

  “Good,” the bear continued. “Let’s discuss the upcoming human tide. These vicious creatures come every year, killing our kin for our beast cores and stealing various lesser herbs in the forest. Sometimes they even manage to pilfer some natural treasures.

  “As most of you know, there is a barrier surrounding this mountain. We are at their mercy, as we cannot relocate. Fortunately, the power of our forces is not insignificant. As per our treaty with the cultivators, they will not send out cultivators with cultivation bases greater than early foundation establishment, while we will not send any combatants above lord level to do battle.

  “Similarly, lords may only fight foundation-establishment cultivators, while their foundation-establishment cultivators may not fight against our spirit beasts. Anything else is allowed. Be sure to plan accordingly, as the human tide will arrive in six months.”

  Many of the beasts grumbled in annoyance, while Huxian was perplexed. He had spent much time on the mountain but had not bothered to look at the outskirts. The news that he was trapped here came as a big surprise. He had also never heard of such a “human tide” before. Shouldn’t the opposite situation be happening?

  Typically, humans settled while spirit beasts procreated rapidly. At some point, there would be too many spirit beasts, so the lords of the forest would send a significant portion of them out to their deaths to fight against the humans who constantly aggravated them. A victory would lead to an increase in beast territory.

  Still, he didn’t mull over the details. As per their agreement, he accompanied the panther to his territory, who quickly relocated all the felines to the shrunken territory. Of course, Huxian only got the least-productive portion of the territory. After reviewing the territory, he gathered the existing beasts and issued orders benefiting canines and repressing other subservient and opposing species. The felines had mostly disappeared, so there was no need to single them out.

  After completing the allocation of resources and laying out his laws, Huxian visited a nearby lord. Unfortunately, the panther’s territory was separated from his by a neighboring territory. Therefore, he gritted his teeth and approached the territory lord, Old One-Eyed. The shrewd old fellow knew of the fox’s dilemma, so he offered him a strip of land in exchange for one twice as big. Huxian haggled with all his might but only managed to whittle it down to fifty percent more.

  Within an hour of the allocation, the badger’s minions had migrated, and Huxian’s territory was fully joined. He called out a team of his best markers, who subsequently traveled around the territory and urinated with great gusto. Huxian left them to their business and continued to babysit the Calamity-Swallowing Mouse.

  The little critter would make substantial contributions to his future plans.

  Chapter 10: Path to Life

  Five months passed by in a flash.

  Cha Ming concentrated as he swiftly covered a blank page with over a thousand brush strokes, filling it with condensed medical knowledge that he’d gleaned over the past six months. Once the page was completely filled, he set it aside to dry and quickly scanned the next portion he needed to copy.

  This book was on contagion and the spread of disease. He couldn’t help but nod his head in amazement as he reviewed the contents. The doctor had speculated that disease was not a mystical phenomenon but a physical one, and that many steps could be taken to prevent its spread. The same applied to infection. Various procedures for disinfection of tools had been identified, such as washing with distilled alcohol, burning, and immersing in boiling water. The latest one was only a new addition; the doctor had somehow taken the time to evaluate the effects of disinfecting metal via boiling by collecting infection statistics after minor surgeries.

  Cha Ming’s condition improved with each passing day. Every week, he destroyed and rebuilt a qi pathway. Soon enough, qi flow had been fully restored to the organs that had been most severely damaged. He felt gratified that he hadn’t given up hope.

  His brush paused momentarily as Li Yin walked up behind him to inspect his work. Then, he dipped the brush in ink and continued to write. His writing hand was a blur as intricate strokes covered three quarters of the page. He breathed out with relief, then put away the brush and set the page out to dry.

  “Not bad,” the kind doctor said. “It only took you six months to take in, comprehend, and write out my life’s work. I confess myself impressed.”

  Cha Ming chuckled. “My body was ravaged and my meridians ruined. Fortunately, my soul force remained intact. My comprehension and memorization abilities are far greater than the average person. In addition, my dexterity allows me to write three times faster than a normal person. You say you are impressed with my work, but I’m impressed that you were able to accumulate so much knowledge over the past three decades. The breadth and depth of this work is simply staggering.”

  “If only they hadn’t burned my book,” the doctor said mournfully. “It took me a long time to dredge up most of this content from memory. I even had to repeat several key experiments to confirm certain claims. Still, I am proud of what I’ve achieved over my lifetime.” He walked over to the desk and picked up the last two pages, placing them on the stack that would soon be bound together as a single book.

  “How is your condition coming along?” Li Yin asked.

  “I’m much healthier than before,” he replied. “I’ve restored qi flow to my most damaged organs, so my life is no longer at risk. In addition, I can now exert four tenths of my original strength. I believe things will improve, in time. However, it will still take around a half year to completely connect the remaining organs. Healing the qi pathways in my limbs will come next.”

  At Li Yin’s insistence, Cha Ming followed him into the kitchen. Fortunately, the doctor prioritized Cha Ming’s transcription and had taken over cooking for the past half year. They began eating their supper quietly. Li Yin nibbled away at a piece of fish while Cha Ming ate tofu and vegetables.

  “So, it seems that you have nothing to keep yourself occupied with for the next half year,” the doctor said, smiling. “I have another job for you, if you’re interested.”

  Cha Ming smiled. “I’m eternally in your debt. How can I refuse?”

  “This isn’t something I can force on you,” the man said with a chuckle. “If you don’t want to, feel free to do your own thing. I’m looking for an assistant in my clinic. I want to spend time conducting personal health sessions with the town’s residents, but I find myself short-handed. I can hardly find a better candidate, given that you’ve already internalized my life’s work.”

  Cha Ming hesitated. “You know I’ll leave after another year and a half or so,” he said softly.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Li Yin said, smiling. “You can practice medicine anywhere in the world, not just here. Everything you learn here will be useful to you after your recovery. All you need to do is remember to help those in need whenever you see them. Besides, none of those in the village are keen enough to learn from me yet. There are a few youngsters I have my eyes on, but it will still be five years before I can recruit them.”

&nbs
p; All I need to remember is to help those in need whenever I see them. Cha Ming had been thrown into the cultivation world so swiftly that he’d forgotten that cultivators could do more than just fight. They could help people.

  “Thank you reminding me,” he said quietly. “I accept. I’ll be your assistant from now on. Though bear in mind that I’ll need to commit three days every week to my recovery.”

  “Good, good,” Li Yin said. “You start tomorrow.”

  “What’s your name, little one?” Cha Ming asked a girl who couldn’t be more than eight years old. She was much taller than boys her age and had broken her arm while falling down the stairs. As usual, horseplay was involved.

  “My name is Luo Xin,” she replied. “Are you a doctor?” Her eyes were laced with suspicion. This didn’t surprise Cha Ming, as he was considerably younger than Dr. Li.

  Cha Ming chuckled. “No, I’m not a doctor. I’m Dr. Li’s assistant, which is why he’s keeping an eye on me as I treat you. He’s always busy, so he’s asked me to help him for a while.”

  The little girl nodded.

  “Fortunately, your bone isn’t broken very badly,” Cha Ming said as he ran his fingers around the blue spot on her arm. “There are no pieces of bone floating around, and your arm hasn’t broken in many places. Your circulation is fine as well. All we need to do is put your arm in a splint for two months, and it will be good as new.”

  To make such an accurate judgement, he relied on his spiritual force. He used a technique that Dr. Li had taught him for scanning injuries, and while his technique was not as sophisticated as the old doctor’s, his stronger spiritual force more than made up for it.

  “Two months?” she said with wide eyes. “That’s way too long. I don’t want to.” Fortunately, her mother was there with her. A sharp, rebuking stare from the woman quieted her down instantly.

  “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt at all. It will just itch occasionally,” he explained. He turned to the mother. “I’ll have to trouble Miss Luo to wash her wrappings every few days.