by Tao Wong
Wu Ying turned to face the track upward, watching as Li Yao scrambled up the mountain path. During one of the quiet nights on the deck of the boat, they’d finally had time for the conversation that had been burgeoning between them. They’d tried, when the stress and the pressure had come off, to return to what they’d had, to find the tranquility and comfort that had been between them. It had worked sometimes, but mostly, it had been strained. Going back seemed impossible.
The talk had been surprisingly painless, as much as such things were. Somehow, in the midst of all of the hectic scrambling and fighting, their relationship had frayed and ended. In truth, looking back at it, Wu Ying was not even sure why they had gotten together in the first place. Physical attraction. Some innate desire for company. But beyond that, they were friends who knew each other, knew the path that they were walking. But not lovers. Not lifelong, soul companions. Not people who made each other stronger or better, but individuals who had walked along the same path for a time.
Wu Ying was not even sure if they’d stay friends. Of course, they had both assured each other that they wanted to. But the wounds were a little fresh, and even if it had been relatively painless, relatively known, there was still that tinge of doubt, of loss. Even if they had both come to the same conclusion, for the same reasons, it wasn’t easy. Better to stay away from the training grounds for a bit, maybe meet with her later. Who knew? At some point, they’d probably be friends again. He still owed her for Yin Xue, for coming.
But for now, their path together was over.
“Get moving. You’re blocking my sun.” Elder Lu’s querulous voice resounded, waking Wu Ying from his musings.
The cultivator offered the elderly gatekeeper another deep bow before he hurried up the familiar pathway. There was still a lot to do, his Master, Fairy Yang, and others to speak with. There was the Assignment Hall to report in, Elder Lee to placate. And of course, it was time to catch up on his cultivation.
Chapter 25
Once again, Wu Ying was seated in the courtyard of his residence. Seated at the table, playing a game of chess[73], were Fairy Yang and Tou He. The scene was similar to the one from months before, when Wu Ying had attempted to break through the Body Cultivation stage. Except this time, the courtyard was lush, filled with grass and vegetable boxes, the herb garden in the corner sprouting and being tended to by Auntie Yee. Of course, Wu Ying did most of the work in caring for the garden, but the watering and occasional trimming was something that even the old servant could do. Most of the contents of those boxes were from herbs and other vegetables that Wu Ying had found on their journey back, now carefully tended and grown. They had been chosen mostly because someone like Auntie Yee could take care of them when Wu Ying was not around. After all, he knew that most of his contribution points would still be gained in the field. That fact Elder Li had been quite clear on when he met her.
It amused Wu Ying, to some extent, the almost negligible effects his departure had had on the sect. Upon Wu Ying’s return, his Master had only glanced at him once, stared into his eyes before he offered a simple nod and dismissed him. Fairy Yang had invited Wu Ying and his companions for dinner, where they’d regaled her with their story. But in the end, she too had no comments to offer. In fact, the only person who’d expressed deep interest in his quest had been Elder Li, and that had been entirely because she had sent him with a stack of spirit herb requests.
Of course, she’d been more than disappointed when Wu Ying pointed out that he had no intention on questing immediately because he wanted to break through soon. Still, refilling his dantian and gaining enough chi to commit himself to the breakthrough took weeks. Weeks that had him worked to the bone, often joining the Martial Specialists in search of spirit herbs and digging into ruins. With his increased expertise, the Sect was eager to make use of his skills to exploit known but untouched herbs.
Even if the work had delayed his breakthrough, he could not help but be grateful for the influx of contribution points. He had a debt that had to be paid – to Bao Cong, to the Sect for the villagers needs - and only hard work would see it reduced.
Wu Ying took another deep breath, discarding all of those erroneous thoughts. He was ready to complete his cultivation, to achieve the next level. And he would not fail. Not this time. For he believed he knew why he had failed the last time. It hadn’t been a lack of chi. It hadn’t been because he wasn’t physically ready. It had been because, in a part of his mind, he had not viewed himself as a real cultivator.
It irked Wu Ying that by watching Yin Xue as he progressed through the expedition, he had realized his own mistake. He had been so fixed on the fact that he was a peasant cultivator that he had forgotten that there was no such thing. There were no peasant cultivators. Just cultivators. He had been so fixed on his past, he’d held himself back. Because what peasant could be a real cultivator?
His past, the world he had been born into as a farmer, as a peasant, as a commoner. Those were the bedrocks of his soul, the truth of what he was. It would influence who he was and what he would do. But it was not all that he was now. And it certainly did not dictate the extent of his ambition.
He would become a cultivator. A real one. He would climb the path of immortality, and he would see how far he would get. But his parentage, his background, would not hold him back anymore. He was no peasant. No farmer. He was a cultivator.
Drawing a deep breath, Wu Ying drove the chi in his dantian, sending it at the first Energy Storage meridian as per his cultivation manual. He readied himself for a fight, for the pain that would occur as his chi gushed out, driven by will and intent.
But this time, breaking through was as simple as turning over his hand. It required no effort, just the desire. And though there was no influx of worldly chi, no heavenly sign of approval as he broke through, Wu Ying could not help but admit he felt lighter within.
A smile crept up on Wu Ying’s lips as he churned his chi through his body, cleansing the meridian and feeling it fill. He continued drawing in the world’s chi, making it his own. And in the meantime, he sat, contented and hopeful.
For he was looking forward to what came next.
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The End
Wu Ying will continue his journey to immortality in book 4 of A Thousand Li: The Second Expedition
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading the first arc of Wu Ying’s journey to immortality. As you might have realised, much of the book is an exploration of the Dao by me, of what it means for immortality and for an individual attempting to reach it while living in a society that has significant constraints on action.
The next arc sees Wu Ying in the Energy Storage stage but also facing some of the dangers hinted at in the first arc in a more direct way. In facing those dangers, he’ll be forced to confront his own mortality and his burgeoning understanding of the Dao and how he will incorporate that into his own cultivation practise.
I hope you follow the series along, and once again, thank you for reading!
Continue to follow Wu Ying’s adventures in:
- A Thousand Li: The Second Expedition
In addition, please check out my other series, Adventures on Brad (a more traditional LitRPG fantasy), Hidden Wishes (an urban fantasy GameLit), and the System Apocalypse (a post-apocalyptic LitPRG).
To support me directly, please go to my Patreon account:
- https://www.patreon.com/taowong
For more great information about LitRPG series, check out the Facebook groups:
- GameLit Society
- LitRPG Books
And join my Cultivation Novel Group for more recommendations and to talk about the Thousand Li series.
About the Author
Tao Wong is an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader who grew up in Malaysia before immigrating to Canada after getting his degrees in the UK. He was the owner of the Vancouver based game store Starlit Citadel and now spends his time working and writing in the cold north of Canada. He’s sp
ent way too many years doing various martial arts and, having broken himself too often, now spends his time writing about fantasy worlds.
For updates on the series and on the author’s other books (and special one-shot stories), please visit my website: http://www.mylifemytao.com
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About the Publisher
Starlit Publishing is wholly owned and operated by Tao Wong. It is a science fiction and fantasy publisher focused on the LitRPG & cultivation genres. Their focus is on promoting new, upcoming authors in the genre whose writing challenges the existing stereotypes while giving a rip-roaring good read.
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Books in A Thousand Li series
The First Step
The First Stop
The First War
The Second Expedition
The Second Sect
The Second Storm
Glossary
Aura Reinforcement Exercise—Cultivation exercise that allows Wu Ying to contain his aura, trapping his chi within himself and making his cultivation more efficient and making him, to most senses, feel like someone of a lower cultivation level.
Blade Energy/Chi—A specific type of energy that is harnessed by cultivators who have gained understanding of their weapon. Can be projected for more damage.
Body Cleansing – First cultivation stage where the cultivator must cleanse their body of the impurities that have accumulated. Has twelve stages.
Cao – Fuck
Catty - Weight measurement. One cattie is roughly equivalent to one and a half pounds or 604 grams. A tael is 1/16th of a catty
Chi (or Qi) – I use the Cantonese pinyin here rather than the more common Mandarin. Chi is life force / energy and it permeates all things in the universe, flowing through living creatures in particular.
Chi points (a.k.a. acupuncture points) – Locations in the body that, when struck, compressed, or otherwise affected, can affect the flow of chi. Traditional acupuncture uses these points in a beneficial manner.
Core formation – Third stage of cultivation. Having gathered sufficient chi, the cultivator must form a “core” of compressed chi. The stages in Core formation purify and harden the core.
Cultivation Exercise—A supplementary exercise that improves an individual’s handling of chi within their body. Cultivation exercises are ancillary to cultivation styles.
Cultivation Style—A method to manipulate chi within an individual’s body. There are thousands of cultivation exercises, suited for various constitutions, meridians, and bloodlines.
Dark Sects—These are considered ‘evil’ Sects. Their cultivation methods and daos tap into darker emotions and often include blood and flesh sacrifice and the stealing of chi from others.
Dào—Literally translated, the Way (also spelled Tao). The Dao when capitalized speaks of the universal Dao, the one natural Way or Path. When not capitilized, it denotes a lesser way, a lesser truth.
Dāo—Chinese sabre. Closer to a western cavalry sabre, it is thicker, often single-edged, with a curve at the end where additional thickness allows the weapon to be extra efficient at cutting.
Dantian – there are actually three dantians in the human body. The most commonly referred to one is the lower dantian, located right above the bladder and an inch within the body. The other two are located in the chest and forehead, though they are often less frequently used. The dantian is said to be the center of chi.
Dragon’s Breath—Chi projection attack from the Long family style.
Demonic Sects—Demonic Sects draw power not from the chi in the natural world but from the demonic plane. While not necessarily evil or harmful like Dark Sects, many Demonic Sects are hunted by Orthodox Sects due to the damage their presence can cause to the natural order of the world.
Elements—The Chinese traditionally have five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Within these elements, additional sub-elements may occur (example—air from Chao Kun, ice from Li Yao).
Energy Storage – Second stage of cultivation, where the energy storage circulation meridians are opened. This stage allows cultivators to project their chi, the amount of chi stored and projected depending on level. There are eight levels.
Heretical Sects—Sects practising unorthodox daos or cultivation methods. These heretical sects might not even focus on cultivation in the same manner as ‘orthodox’ sects.
Huài dàn – Rotten egg
Hún dàn - Bastard
Iron Reinforced Bones—Defensive, physical cultivation technique that Wu Ying trains in that will increase the strength and defense of his body.
Jian – A straight, double-edged sword. Known in modern times as a “taichi sword.” Mostly a thrusting instrument, though it can be used to cut as well.
Li – Roughly half a kilometer per li. Traditional Chinese measurement of distance.
Lord Wen—Father of Yin Xue. The Wen family is a branch family of nobles born in the neighboring state of Wei and that defected.
Long family jian style – A family sword form passed on to Wu Ying. Consists of a lot of cuts, fighting at full measure, and quick changes in direction.
Meridians – In traditional Chinese martial arts and medicine, meridians are how chi flows through the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, there are twelve major meridian flows and eight secondary energy flows. I’ve used these meridians for the stages in cultivation for the first two stages.
Mountain Breaking Fist—Fist form that Wu Ying gained in the inner sect library. Focused, single, powerful attacks.
Nascent Soul—The fourth and last known stage of cultivation. Cultivators form a new, untouched soul steeped in the dao they had formed. This new soul must ascend to the heavens, facing heavenly tribulation at each step.
Northern Shen Kicking Style – Kicking form that Wu Ying learned at the sect library. Both a grappling and kicking style, meant for close combat.
Orthodox Sects—The most common type of Sect. Differentiated from other types by the cultivation type conducted.
Qinggong – Literally “light skill.” Comes from baguazhang and is basically wire-fu – running on water, climbing trees, gliding along bamboo, etc.
Sect – A grouping of like-minded martial artists or cultivators. Generally, Sects are hierarchical. There are often core, inner, and outer disciples in any sect, with Sect Elders above them and the Sect patriarch above all.
Seven Diamond Fist – Verdant Green Water’s Sect most basic fist form taught to outer sect members.
Six Jades Sect—Rival sect of the Verdant Green Waters, located in the State of Wei.
State of Shen – Location in which the first book is set. Ruled by a king and further ruled locally by lords. The State of Shen is made up of numerous counties ruled over by local lords and administered by magistrates. It is a temperate kingdom with significant rainfall and a large number of rivers connected by canals.
State of Wei – The antagonistic kingdom that borders the State of Shen. The two states are at war.
Tael – System of money. A thousand copper coins equals one tael.
Tai Kor – Elder brother
Verdant Green Waters Sect – Most powerful sect in the State of Wen. Wu Ying’s current sect.
* * *
[1] Half a kilometer or roughly a third of a mile
[2] A measurement of weight. Roughly 37.5 grams
[3] Weight measurement. One cattie is roughly equivalent to one and a half pounds or 604 grams. A tael is 1/16th of a catty
[4] Length measurement. Three chi is equivalent to one meter. Slightly over a foot
[5] Fairy is an unoffi
cial title given to women of exceptional beauty. Mostly as a form of respect to indicate the level of beauty and grace – akin to a fairy / goddess.
[6] Big Brother. Often used as a term of respect and also to denote a subordinate relationship.
[7] Traditional Chinese medicine pericardium meridian is different from the Western anatomical pericardium
[8] 20 jin = 10 kg = 22 lbs
[9] The full saying is “The carp has leaped over the dragon gate” and is an old Chinese saying. The image of a carp jumping over the Dragon’s Gate (atop a mythical waterfall to become a dragon) symbolizes courage, perseverance, and accomplishment. In this case, it’s the cultural equivalent of “sprout wings and fly to the heavens.”
[10] Also known as the dagger halberd. It’s a weapon with a spear tip and a spike-axe-like protrusion traditionally. The Song dynasty version actually added a more axe-like head to the weapon
[11] Dao—Chinese sabre. Single-edged sword, often with a slight curve.
