Chương 22: Chapter 20 (R)

I open my eyes to recover my normal vision following my father's command and see that the tug on my chair has pulled me out of the formation. And not only that, I can see I'm coated in the blackish substance, which on top of everything is foul-smelling and has soaked both my clothes and the wheelchair. Looking around I see my father and Lianhua staring at me with astonishment on their faces. After a moment my father asks me, a degree of anxiety in his voice "How on earth did you do that?"

I grow nervous at his tone and reply "Do what?" My father sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them with a hostile look, as though he'd made some kind of decision. Meanwhile Lianhua edges slightly away from me, which makes me even more nervous.

"Sun Wen", my father begins.

"If what Wang Lianhua has told us is true and you had not cultivated before, then in a little under three periods you have completed the Skin Tempering, something that takes the most gifted months and the least gifted even years. Now tell me how you did it, or if you are an old power who has reincarnated as my daughter or has possessed her, you had better confess now." Damn. My old fears about them thinking I'm a demon or something similar have finally come back to bite me, and from the flank I least expected.

But I start telling the truth in hopes it will get me out of this mess.

"I just started pushing the specks that were closest to my skin", I begin explaining.

"And since I can move five at once, I started a chain where I was absorbing several Qi specks at all times. That's all I did." The nervousness, my father's furious expression, and the smell of the strange liquid coating me start taking their toll, and the anxiety over my situation causes tears to well up in my eyes, though I manage to hold back from actually crying. My father, though still appearing furious, shows a look of surprise and tells me "Do it now."

I blink in surprise, wiping the tears from my eyes "Do what?"

"Grab five Qi specks and hold on as long as you can", my father replies without taking his eyes off me. I quickly do as he says, close my eyes, and without paying further attention grab the first specks I see. After a moment I notice something strange in the area of the room where my father is standing, a presence I'd never felt before while meditating. After a moment I feel a tug on the specks I'm holding, but I follow my father's instructions and resist as long as I can.

The force pulling on them is too great, however, and they're wrenched away from me as something breaks in my mind, making me scream from the piercing headache that hits me just before I black out. When I open my eyes I see Lianhua wiping my face with a cloth. She notices I've woken up and says "Your Majesty, Zhāohuán Wen has awakened." Lianhua steps aside and I blink, a headache still lingering but bearable.

I see my father approach and say "Forgive me for what I just did, but I had to make sure you were not an old power who had reincarnated or possessed you." I blink before asking "What do you mean, Father?"

"You needn't worry about that", he replies before continuing with his questions.

"But how did you manage to handle five Qi specks?" Although my father no longer seems to suspect me, I think it's better to tell the truth in case he still harbors any doubts. So I recount all the exercises and efforts I've made since receiving the book on cultivation. My father listens attentively to my explanation, and I can't help noticing the surprise on his face as I describe my progress, despite his efforts to remain stoic.

When I finish I fall silent, looking at him and waiting for the verdict that will probably decide my future. But he remains quiet, staring into space as though reflecting on what he has just heard. Finally he seems to reach a decision, looks at me, and begins to speak "Before we continue talking, it's better that your mother be here."

"In the room next door there is a bath where you can clean my daughter", he tells Lianhua, looking at her.

"Dress her in some of the clothes inside, even if they're too big for her."

"As for the chair", he seems to hesitate for a moment but finally makes up his mind.

"Leave it inside. I'll have it burned later along with the clothes. I don't think there's any saving them." Lianhua bows to my father "As you command, Your Majesty." She then grabs the chair and pushes me toward a door on one side of the room, and as we pass through I hear my father say to someone outside the exit door "Bring us Guifei Xiang."

On the other side of the door and to my surprise, instead of the luxurious bath I expected, there are two simple wooden tubs filled with water and a shelf with what appears to be several articles of clothing. I see with surprise that Lianhua undresses, something she has never done when she bathes me at our Pavilion. Seeing my surprise she apologizes "Forgive my lack of decorum, Zhāohuán Wen. The impurities cannot be removed from clothes once they're stained, so it's better to avoid it."

Seeing Lianhua undressed I can't help admiring her body. Comparing her to an athlete from my old world would be an insult, since she's beyond that. It's clear that cultivation improves the body in many ways, even if less visibly than the Skin Tempering. While I admire Lianhua's toned body, she lifts me from the chair and removes my clothes, soaked in the liquid she called impurities. Determined to settle the matter I ask "But what exactly are these impurities, as you called them?"

Lianhua puts me in one of the tubs and I can't suppress a small yelp at how cold the water is. She gets in with me, since in undressing me she's gotten smeared all over with the revolting liquid, and while we wash she answers my question.

"When we refine the body using Qi, we are purifying and strengthening it. In the process, all the toxins and waste accumulated in the body from food and time are pushed outward. That manifests as this blackish, foul-smelling liquid", she explains as she begins cleaning my skin.

"And why are we supposed to expel these impurities?" I ask, trying to ignore the bathwater turning black.

"Because these impurities obstruct the flow of Qi and weaken the body. By eliminating them, you not only temper your body but also allow the Qi to flow more freely, which lets it reach deeper into your body and enables you to continue with the subsequent steps of Body Tempering", Lianhua replies, carrying on with her task patiently. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I nod slowly, processing the information, then ask "So this is something every cultivator has to go through?" Lianhua nods as she continues her explanation "Exactly. You'll also have to go through this at every step of Body Tempering. I know it's unpleasant, but you'll have to endure it if you want to follow this path, Zhāohuán Wen."

"I understand. Thank you, Lianhua. I appreciate you explaining all this to me", I tell her, feeling somewhat calmer.

"I will always be here to help you, Zhāohuán Wen", she says as she continues scrubbing away the impurities.

"Now relax and let me finish cleaning you. You'll feel much better soon." After a while she finishes and gets out of the tub with me, but just when I think we're done we get into the other tub and she cleans me again. Despite looking clean, the water in this tub starts clouding slightly, demonstrating how tenacious this filth is. We don't stay in this tub long and quickly get out. She begins drying us while I shiver from the cold.

I notice that Lianhua, despite everything, seems indifferent to the cold, which I assume is another advantage of cultivation even though I didn't read anything about it in the book. When she's done she puts her clothes back on and dresses me as best she can with what's on the shelf, though I end up looking like a child who has dressed from her parents' wardrobe.

After dressing me we look at the wheelchair, and seeing it completely covered in the black liquid, I shake my head at Lianhua, who picks me up in her arms and we leave the bath. Damn it. I only got to use my new chair for a few days before having to throw it away. Upon leaving I see my mother is already in the room talking to my father, and judging by the serious expressions on both their faces, I don't think they're going to give me good news.

As I enter, I hear my mother telling my father "If they find out about this, the sect's elders will take her away directly. And we both know what her chances of survival are given her condition. You know this is the best solution, even if neither of us likes it." Hearing that, I'm frightened. What the hell is this about taking me away and my chances of survival?

But I have little time to reflect because they notice me entering and my mother quickly approaches, taking me from Lianhua's arms while saying in a soothing tone "My little one, this time you've truly outdone yourself." I try to look embarrassed while I hug her tightly, in a blend of acting to further lower my father's recent suspicions and of seeking some comfort in light of what I've just overheard.

My mother pats my back to console me while I hear my father speak to Lianhua "Wang Lianhua, this is an imperial order. Everything that has happened in this room and everything that will happen subsequently regarding this matter must remain secret. You are forbidden from reporting to the Yushitai or telling anyone. From this moment your mission is to accompany Guifei Xiang and follow her orders regarding this matter and everything related to Zhāohuán Wen's cultivation as though they were mine. Is that understood?"

I see Lianhua drop to her knees and press her forehead to the floor as she answers "Your orders are law to me, Son of Heaven." My father nods, apparently satisfied with Lianhua's response, and approaches where my mother and I are.

"Wen, your mother will explain everything you need to know later", my father begins.

"Right now, I only need you not to be frightened by what is going to happen over the next few days." Those words alone are enough to start frightening me, but I quickly calm myself knowing it's unlikely my father would do anything that would truly harm me. My father, after these words, approaches the door and opens it, where I see several Nei Wei waiting.

"Take them away", my father says, returning to his regal tone.

"They are confined to Guifei Xiang's chambers until we decide what to do with them." My mother leaves the room with me in her arms, followed by Lianhua. The guards form up around us. They quickly escort us through the palace, accompanied by the stares and surprised whispers of the people we pass, who are taken aback at seeing us surrounded by so many guards.

Upon reaching the Pavilion, most of the guards remain outside, but several of them escort us to my mother's chambers, where they usher us in and then close the door. My mother settles me on the bed and I take the opportunity to ask "Mother, what is going on?"

"I'll explain now, but before I begin", she starts but turns to Lianhua, who is locked in with us "Nothing discussed in this room is to leave it."

"The Emperor has ordered me to follow your orders as though they were his", Lianhua says in a serious tone.

"As long as it is related to Zhāohuán Wen, I will follow all your orders." My mother seems satisfied with Lianhua's answer and sits on the bed beside me.

"Wen, what you've done this time is going to bring a heap of problems", my mother tells me.

"But I only did what Father told me to!" I protest.

"I know", my mother replies to calm me.

"And it happened because you are a little genius, the kind people normally only hear about in rumors and never see in person. Normally that would be a blessing for anyone, but in your particular case it's a very big problem." There's only one thing that sets me apart from those other people, so I ask "It's because I can't move my legs, isn't it?"

"Yes, Wen. It's because of your condition", my mother confirms.

"It's better I tell you why this is bad for you, since you're intelligent enough to understand it despite your age."

"The Sect of the Celestial Sun, patron of the Empire and the imperial family, is always on the lookout for gifted cultivators to recruit", my mother begins.

"Someone with your ability would be recruited immediately. It could even cause disputes among the sect's principal elders over having you as a personal disciple. But that would be under normal circumstances."

"When a sect recruits someone, it does so on the basis that the person must be useful to it", my mother continues.

"Disciples always have to earn their place, and their rank within the sect depends on both their level of cultivation and the importance of the tasks they've carried out." I think I'm beginning to understand. The sects are like an enormous corporation where employees are constantly asked for results and their standing depends on what they deliver. So I quickly see the problem and reply "And I wouldn't be able to perform anything beyond the most basic tasks, would I?"

"Exactly. And given your condition you'd even have trouble moving around the sect itself, since it's on a mountain and, as you can imagine, it's full of stairs", my mother continues.

"And that makes you someone problematic, because on one hand you're too valuable to let go, but on the other you simply cannot carry out any significant task for the sect, so you'd only be a useless drain on resources."

"And unfortunately for you, in the sects, when they encounter someone who is problematic and has no easy solution, what they usually do is eliminate them to prevent future trouble", my mother finishes. Wait a moment, this is no longer a corporation. This is how a damned mafia or drug cartel operates. Drug cartels run by people who live for hundreds of years and have superpowers. Which makes me wonder what I did wrong in my previous life to be reborn in a world like this.

While my mental tangent about how mafias worked in my former world starts spiraling out of control, my mother continues "That's why we've decided to hide it. And since it's impossible to hide that you've completed the Skin Tempering, we're going to say you started cultivating a year ago." Hearing that interrupts my tangent about mobsters and horse heads. Remembering the trial over my brother's case, I can't help asking "But doesn't doing that go against the Emperor's rules for the imperial family?"

"Yes, Wen. It goes against your father's rules and we will be judged for it", my mother says. I try to speak but she interrupts me and continues.

"But at the trial we'll have mitigating factors. The first and most important is that nothing happened to you. You need to know that in matters of cultivation, success, as long as what you did isn't too outrageous, is always considered a merit."

"The second mitigating factor will be the contributions you've made to the Empire with your inventions. Being someone who has contributed will always make things more favorable for you", my mother continues.

"And the third will be the attack you suffered. We'll argue that you were frightened and started cultivating after that night." I reflect on my mother's words and reply "All right, I suppose that means you already know what the sentence will be." My mother smiles as she answers "Yes. I've agreed with your father that we will be exiled from the palace for a couple of years and sent to some estate in a distant city. A length of time that is neither too short nor too long."

"But two years away from the palace can be a long time", my mother continues.

"Long enough for some people to start forgetting about the little disabled princess who fell into disgrace." The truth is, the plan isn't bad at all. There are surely better alternatives, but for someone whose reputation means nothing to them, as is the case with me, it's nearly perfect. With the added advantage that I'll get to see what things are like outside the Imperial Palace, and I can treat it as an extended vacation. And finally, no more classes, I suppose.

After these thoughts, I look at my mother, who has been waiting quietly for me to finish reflecting on her words, and tell her "Sounds good to me. So what do we do now?" My mother sighs and replies "We wait for them to summon us for the trial."