Chương 21: Chapter 19 (R)

I contemplate the Qi specks surrounding me as I begin to grasp them. The first four are relatively easy, but as always the fifth I can only grasp after much effort and a certain headache. And no matter how hard I try, I'm unable to even attempt grasping a sixth, so I ultimately conclude that five is my limit, at least for now.

For a moment I waver on whether the time has finally come to start absorbing Qi now that I've turned eight, but in the end I tell myself that if I've been able to wait until now, waiting one or two more days won't kill me, but doing it too early very well could. I sense someone entering the room and release the Qi specks as I leave my meditation to see Lianhua and Zhi Meilan carrying clothes that I assume are the ones I'm to wear for my birthday party.

"Zhāohuán Wen, it's time to get ready for your birthday party", Lianhua tells me.

"Are the preparations I requested taken care of?" I ask Lianhua, referring to several activities I specifically requested for my birthday party. Lianhua answers while finishing preparing the clothes to dress me "Yes, Zhāohuán Wen. Everything is ready according to your instructions. Don't worry."

I smile with satisfaction and let Lianhua and Zhi Meilan help me get ready and dressed, after which they seat me in the brand-new wheelchair that was delivered this morning, which apparently is a gift from Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang in gratitude for having given him permission to manufacture them. And looking at this new wheelchair I have to admit it was a good idea to give him that permission.

He has gone back to my original design with the small wheels in front, and the cushions are now better fitted to the seat, making it more comfortable. It's clear he has made good use of the months he's had to practice, since in general terms it is a vast improvement over that first attempt I'd been using until now. Lianhua pushes me through the Pavilion to the courtyard, where she takes me down the ramp I managed to have installed over the entrance steps to where my mother and Fei Yi Lingxi are waiting for me.

We exchange a few brief words and leave the Pavilion heading for the park where we held our last birthday party, followed by a dozen Nei Wei. I can't help noticing that the Pavilion is practically surrounded by guards, in a clear effort to prevent a repeat of last year. The journey is short and we arrive at the park, where several guests are already waiting for us.

And with satisfaction I see that alongside the entertainment already present last year, there are tables adapted for both adults and children, on which we have placed boards and pieces for playing both Tiàoyuè, which is the uninspired name my father gave to Checkers, and Fǎnzhuǎn, which is the equally uninspired name I gave to Othello. Lianhua takes me to the place of honor where a table I requested sits with a board and pieces for both games.

The guests begin arriving and my mother informs them that this year I am willing to play against anyone who wishes, and those who manage to defeat me will receive as a prize a copy of the game along with the pieces for both games. I see the announcement gets a lukewarm reception, but some people head for the tables with the boards, where handmaidens and servants explain how to play both games. The afternoon passes and I have to admit this is the most entertaining birthday I've had.

After learning to play at the tables, several people, both adults and children, have come to challenge me. I've even lost a couple of games to some fellows who congratulated me on my ideas while noting that the games are a bit too simple.

Around mid-afternoon, after a game against a girl I let win simply because of how nice she was to me, unlike other children who just grunted and scowled, I'm surprised to see an elderly man seated in a wheelchair of a model similar to my old one, accompanied by several servants, approaching the party area. One of the servants goes up to my mother while several of the guests stare at the old man.

"Lianhua, who is that old man?" I ask Lianhua discreetly.

"He is Sun Qiang, the former Jiguang and the Emperor's uncle, Zhāohuán Wen", Lianhua replies.

"He had to retire after being gravely wounded in the legs during a beast tide about thirty years ago." So he's my great-uncle or something of the sort. I wonder how old he must be to look so elderly given the lifespan extension from cultivation. I also try to recall what a beast tide is, since I remember reading something about them somewhere, when my mother, who had gone to speak with the old man, steps aside to let him in and I see him heading toward me.

"So you're the little one who's been causing such a stir lately", he says the moment he arrives, looking at me and my chair with curiosity. I bow to him and reply "I offer my greetings, esteemed Elder."

"No need to be so formal, niece", he tells me, waving his arm dismissively.

"I only came to thank you for this invention of yours. I hardly ever left my residence because of the indignity of being carried around the palace. But thanks to you, now I can go wherever I please while keeping what little face I have left." I remain silent, not knowing what to say to the old man's blunt response. He notices the situation and shifts to asking me "That model of chair is different from the one I have. How is that?"

Relieved to change the subject, I quickly reply "It's a gift from Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang that was delivered this morning. I assume it's the latest model he's made."

"It looks much better and more comfortable than the one I have. I'll have to ask him to make me a new one later", he replies, then points at the board.

"Do you mind teaching this old man how to play while we talk?" I see Lianhua make a small gesture telling me to accept, so I set up the Othello pieces, figuring a former general would enjoy a slightly more strategic game than Checkers. As we play I realize that cultivators or not, all old people are the same.

Throughout our games he asks about my life and my situation to compare it with his own, all accompanied by several anecdotes about his youth and various battles that, if he isn't exaggerating, and I suppose he isn't after watching Lianhua fight, would be worthy of appearing in a Marvel movie.

After a final game that clearly shows me the difference between a casual player like me and someone who has dedicated his life to crafting strategies, he crushes me with absurd ease, after which he tells me while stroking his long beard "Don't feel bad about losing. I'm one of the best wéiqí players at court, and the game is similar enough that I could adapt strategies from it once I fully understood the rules." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

I sigh at the injustice of having to compete against a pro, but I ask Lianhua for one of the prize sets for those who beat me and hand it to the old man, who thanks me before taking his leave and heading toward the usual circles of nobles, presumably to enjoy his newfound freedom and show off the chair. After the old man's departure, several people who had been waiting for him to leave approach to challenge me, and after a brief moment of chaos, Lianhua and the Nei Wei manage to form something resembling a queue.

I spend the rest of the party playing against the guests. And the event is such a success that everyone even forgets I was supposed to play the Guqin at the end of the party. I wonder how much of the success is due to the old man having played against me and how much is from genuine interest, but I suppose I'll never know. But time waits for no one, and with the arrival of nightfall people begin to withdraw and my mother announces the end of the party.

After the announcement I let Lianhua take me back to the Pavilion, where I hope there isn't an assassin hiding, since I'm so exhausted I probably wouldn't even notice when he stabbed me. The sunlight creeps through the windows of my study, casting soft shadows over the books I have stacked haphazardly.

I'm absorbed in reading a text my Medicine tutor assigned on various medicinal herbs and their supposed effects, mainly trying to work out whether in this world those effects are real or simply panaceas as was the case with many of them in my former world. I'm halfway through the book when a soft knock at the door breaks my concentration.

"Come in", I say, raising my voice enough to be heard. The door opens slowly and Lianhua enters with a serious expression and clothes draped over her arms "Zhāohuán Wen, the Emperor has summoned you. He has even given specific instructions that these are the clothes you must wear." I grow a little nervous at this sudden summons, hoping it isn't over anything serious "I understand, Lianhua. Help me get ready, then." Lianhua nods and, with Zhi Meilan's help, begins dressing me in the outfit they've prepared.

It is a simple white linen robe, without any kind of adornment or embellishment. In the eight years I've been in this world I've never been dressed in anything so plain, which makes me wonder what my father could be planning. Once I'm ready, Lianhua carefully lifts me and places me in the wheelchair I've been using since Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang gifted it to me for my birthday. With my usual escort of guards, Lianhua wheels me out of the Pavilion where a man I assume is the messenger is waiting for us.

Upon seeing us, he tells Lianhua to follow him and begins guiding us through the palace. We go around the main staircase and he leads us to another flight of stairs that leads to a secondary entrance. At the foot of the stairs we hesitate for a moment, but in the end the Nei Wei grab my chair and carefully carry me up to the top, setting me down gently on the floor, after which we enter the palace.

It's a part of the palace I've never been to, and I have to admit it is impressive, with its great columns of painted wood and ceilings adorned with frescoes that I imagine tell ancient stories of the Empire. Finally, we arrive at a hall guarded by two guards. Upon reaching them, the guards tell us that only I and Wang Lianhua may enter. Hearing those words I can't help glancing sideways at Lianhua, feeling guilty for having taken eight years to learn her full name and not even having bothered to ask.

Lianhua identifies herself and after that the guards open the door and let us in. My father is standing, dressed in equally elegant clothes but without the excessive ornamentation that characterizes him at public events. His gaze is serene but penetrating, watching me attentively as I approach. But what catches my attention most is the circle of strange symbols drawn on the hall's floor.

"Father", I say, bowing from my chair.

"I have come as you requested." The Emperor nods slowly while making a gesture with his arm, and I watch in astonishment as the door we entered through closes on its own. Telekinesis, that is a damned display of telekinesis, and he clearly did it casually just to show off, since the guards who had opened it could have closed it behind us. I emerge from my amazement when I hear my father begin speaking "You have turned eight. It is time for you to begin your path in cultivation.

For the first session, it is always we who instruct our children." I feel a shiver run down my spine, a mix of anticipation and nerves "I understand, Father." My father looks at me and I notice him crack a slight smile "Before we begin, from what we have been told, you are already able to sense Qi and move it. Is that true?"

"Yes, Father. I can do it without any trouble", I reply.

"Do you still remember the steps of Body Tempering from the book you came across at your birthday?" he asks again.

"Yes, Father. I remember them perfectly", I reply. My father seems pleased with my answer "That makes things easier. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"I don't think so", I tell my father.

"But I'd appreciate any advice you'd like to give me." My father smiles at my words, but his expression quickly turns more serious and he leans toward me "What do you think is the best way to absorb Qi?" I answer with what I learned from the book "It's as simple as bringing the Qi close to the skin and then pressing it against it. The body absorbs it automatically." My father smiles, clearly satisfied with my answer "Correct. And now you will have to make your first decision on the path of cultivation.

What you need to decide is whether you want to temper the skin by zones or try to temper it evenly. Although many people start by tempering the skin of their face", he adds with an ironic tone. I reflect on his words, considering the importance of this decision, and ask him "Will what I decide now apply the same way to the other temperings, or will I have to decide each time?"

"Each time. You can alternate however you like", my father replies. I think for a moment, considering what I believe will be the pros and cons, and finally tell my father my decision "Then I think I'll try to temper it evenly." My father nods again "A wise choice. Now you will begin your first cultivation session."

"But first", he continues, looking at Lianhua.

"Wang Lianhua, place our daughter in the center of the formation." Lianhua looks at the formation and bows before replying "Forgive my insolence, Your Majesty, but Zhāohuán Wen has great difficulty sitting without any support, and it would be hard for her to remain so for the time required for a cultivation session." My father strokes his beard "We hadn't considered that."

He alternates his gaze between the strange circle he called a formation and me, and finally seems to reach a decision "The chair she uses is small enough to fit inside the formation without touching the runes. We'll place it with her inside and assume it will be sufficient." Before I can say anything, my father raises his arm and I feel my chair begin to float. I manage not to scream, but I grab the armrests as it floats to the center of the formation and is set down on the floor.

When I look at my father, I see beads of sweat on his forehead. It seems what he just did is not as easy as he tried to make it look.

"The circle you are in is called a formation", he begins, recovering from the effort.

"What this formation does is attract Qi to increase its density inside it, making it easier to cultivate. This particular one is for our personal use, but for their first time we allow our children to use it." He approaches the circle and touches one of the crystals, which causes them to light up, then steps back "It's activated. You may begin cultivating." Closing my eyes, I begin to concentrate, and what I see surprises me.

In my vision the Qi specks are no longer scattered as they usually are but are crowding around me like raindrops during a downpour. And as I observe them, I see from the edges of my perception how even more specks are starting to move toward me instead of following the current as they usually do. I snap out of my amazement and remember what I'm here for: to finally begin cultivating.

As a test, I grab a speck that is practically touching my skin and with a gentle push press it against my skin, watching it get absorbed like a drop of water into a sponge. Encouraged by this result, I start grasping more specks from among those closest to my skin to speed up the absorption, and I use my ability to hold five specks to create a chain in which I press them against my skin one after another, losing all sense of time as I become fascinated by the process.

After an unknown amount of time I feel a strange sensation and see a kind of blackish substance bubbling out of my skin when I try to continue absorbing Qi. I feel a tug on my chair as I hear my father exclaim:"Sun Wen, stop right now!"