Chương 11: Words Carved Deep

"Hey, there, there." Ren patted her head by instinct.

"I am good now, sorry for scaring you. I am truly alright," he said, coaxing her with the softest tone he could muster.

"I-I thought… I…" Baozhai started, but her voice cracked. She swallowed hard, her jaw tense. Ren blinked. Wait. Is she gonna… Fortunately, she didn't cry. She just stood there— too stiff, too still. Her hand tightened on his sleeve. Just the same grip she had back then, before he dived in the Trial. He had to admit he was hardly the person to comfort someone. Especially someone he should be close with. Fucking hell, hey, pain. Can you come back? You were easier to handle… he thought, smiling wryly.

"Don't worry," he added, gently lowering his hand.

"It's passed. There's no problem." She didn't answer. Just turned her head, fast enough for her hair to hide her face. But not fast enough to hide the slight tremble in her shoulders. Ren let out a sigh.

"Will I get an answer this time?" she said, her tone flat.

"Or are we playing the same game?"

"Um, will you believe if I said I don't know either?" Ren replied absently, checking his inner side at last. His tree core— as he named it— hadn't changed, but he realized that he could see another layer behind it as if turning a book's pages. A weird feeling, considering how he still couldn't get used to being able to see his 'inner' self. An absolute void stood there, still and dead. He couldn't help but think of soundproof recording rooms.

There were words carved into the very fabric of this void: [Please protect and cherish Ren.] A will? From my soul brother?

"Oh, please. Spare me the bullshit." Baozhai clicked her tongue and mused, "A backlash for starting back cultivation? But why did it trigger now, of all times? Heightened emotions? Or did you do something?"

"Um, I don't think it was the reason," Ren started, a bit absent-minded.

"But you don't have to worry, I am good now, and I will handle it myself." It wouldn't be that strange if the original soul had an obsession with something that can affect the body, then me… but this doesn't seem the same. And the timing… Interesting, interesting. He tried to organize the puzzle in his mind, but found it impossible because of many missing pieces.

"You will handle it yourself, huh?" A chill ran down his spine.

"You always do this," she murmured.

"Make me worry. Then act like I'm the fool for it." Ren stared at her, his mouth opened and closed.

"Look, it's… not something I can explain yet," he finally found the right words.

"Hell, I barely understand it myself." Baozhai exhaled. A deep, weary one.

"Then figure it out faster. Because if something happens to you—again," she paused and glared at him.

"and I don't know why, I won't just accept it."

"You already don't," Ren muttered, though he instantly regretted saying it out loud. Silence. Then a soft, dry scoff. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer. Then, without another word, she straightened her robe and shifted the conversation like nothing had happened.

"Are you choosing or do you want me to choose your disciples?" Ren blinked.

"We're doing this again?"

"We never stopped." Her tone remained calm, as if nothing happened.

"You don't have anything important to do anyway. Might as well make yourself useful."

"I'm not some… guiding light, Baozhai. I barely know which direction I'm walking."

"Then walk with them," she said, arms crossed over her chest. She eyed him strangely.

"I'm guessing you're walking on a different path this time, surely a thorny one."

"More or less." Ren went through his ever-growing list of problems. It wouldn't be a good idea to add anything more. But… [Please… Ren] The words. The desire in them hit him like a truck. Can I truly refuse?

"Then at least let others help you," she chuckled silently.

"So if you fall again, they can pull you up." Ren threw a look at the disciples, most of them frowning in deep focus. What am I going to do with these brats? His head throbbed with a budding headache as he considered what a chaos it would be teaching them. And more than anything, the bond between master and disciple was sacred in this world. It wasn't something you could ignore or treat lightly. Even if he didn't take any direct disciples, teaching them was a lifelong bond.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He sighed out a long breath. The kind I should avoid like the plague. Though he didn't want to admit it, he felt like he didn't have any choice. Not when the words carved into his mind pleaded with him louder than any voice ever could.

"Let me just think this through," he muttered, more to himself than to her. He needed time to cool off. Preferably now.

"Fine, but don't forget that I'll be there to help," Baozhai said, turning around.

"This is not a burden only for you." Ren gave her a heavy nod. … The return trip passed uneventfully, for heaven's sake. Ren even felt a slight gratitude for the maker of stairs as the burning in his legs made the heaviness in his head unimportant. Because pain in the body soothes pain in the mind, I never thought I would resonate with this sentence, he thought, chuckling when he entered his manor. However, he didn't know what to do after changing clothes.

Yes, he could continue his training, as that would be the most sensible decision. But he also knew working with a troubled mind wouldn't offer any help.

"Enough of this." Ren pushed the thoughts aside, his gaze landing on a thick layer of dust. Clearing clutter from his mind? Not so easy. But clearing clutter from his manor? That, he could manage. He found a few rags, mops, and things alike in one of the empty servant rooms after a fiery debate about 'this is not your work' with Madam Zhang. Still, he didn't back down this time.

"Can't lie, I expected some spiritual energy-powered cleaning utilities after having such a luxurious bath," He muttered. A vacuum cleaner or anything might work perfectly.

"Why waste precious time on mundane chores while there are plenty of mortals lining up to serve cultivators?" Madam Zhang smirked, staring at him in amusement.

"And I even thought we had an agreement not to steal this old lady's job."

"I need to clear my mind, so sorry," Ren muttered, rolling up his sleeves, and began the good old way. Remove the dust from surfaces and sweep the floor. She joined in as well, and Ren couldn't help but feel grateful after an hour of laborious work, tossing the broom.

"It would be better if we weren't dealing with a manor fit for nobility. But, oh god, this is exhausting."

"Why do you think we have a dozen people for cleaning?" Madam Zhang shook her head, then trudged back toward the outside.

"I'll have them send the food, anything you want, Young Master?" A smoke break would have been amazing, but he wasn't even sure cigarettes existed in this world.

"Something simple. Egg salad, maybe?" She nodded while Ren rummaged through the shelves to find some tea. And just as expected, he found a jar of… blue tea leaves.

"Bluerbly Leaves? The fuck does it mean?" A little bit of curiosity wouldn't harm anybody, at least he thought like that as the hot water hit the leaves. The tea began to bubble, small blue glimmers popping up and spreading through the liquid. Tiny bubbles danced and shimmered, giving off a soft glow, almost like the tea was alive and happily burbling away.

"I… think I get it." Ren watched it, feeling the heaviness in his mind ease slightly.

"Walk with them, huh?" he muttered, unwillingly wondering again. He then shook his head. Let me enjoy my tea first. Pouring the tea on a random cup he found, Ren took a slightly scared sip. His eyes suddenly widened as a surprising mix of flavors bloomed on his tongue— a burst of crisp, fresh mint with a delicate hint of sweet… berries? He wasn't so sure, but it had a fruit flavor. It also left a comforting warmth behind, relaxing his stiff shoulders in a way he hadn't even noticed he needed.

It was strange, yet oddly captivating, with each sip leaving a faint, tingling sensation, as if the tea was still bubbling within him. He finished in a few moments, not even caring how hot it was.

"Damn! This must be a heavenly treasure. I've sinned, yearning for a can of Coke when this world has such luxuries," Exhaling deeply, he couldn't help but chuckle. Maybe if I drowned myself in enough tea, I'd finally clear my own mind. Ren reached for the jade pot, shaking his head, but his hand froze in mid-air as he felt something warm rising within him. [Growth: 12/10000] His baby sapling seemed to be covered in… soapy bubbles?

"So I can wash my tree with a freaking tea?" Wide-eyed, Ren couldn't take his eyes from all the… soapiness. He could feel the warmth disappearing quickly, his little sapling devouring it like there was no tomorrow.

"The fuck? It could do that?" he muttered, watching intently. Not even three minutes passed before the little sapling had absorbed it all and glimmered brightly. [Growth: 20/10000]"So, one cup equals one watering?" Pouring another cup, Ren took a sip, feeling the refreshing liquid traveling all the way to his stomach, and from there, it dissolved into light-bearing particles by tiny roots to be fed to his sapling.

Perfectly normal for a tree, after all, every tree would use its roots to collect resources and feed itself that way, right?

"But when did you learn? Heck, how could you even manage to do this? Ren felt like he had a lot to complain about, but also few. His core's change was… unusual, considering what he knew from his soul brother's memories. Furthermore, it felt like another dimension with the size of a tiny island, only housing the sapling— maybe a subspace. That was why he had thrown away his original idea to push it to grow quickly using the sect's resources.

I admit it, sometimes I can't even see such simple things, he let out a sigh. With such a shitty system, he could only blame no one but himself. At least give me an operating manual, you fucker! Zero points in user friendliness! After finishing his second cup, Ren burped contentedly. His muscles relaxed, his bones felt like mush as if spiritual energy massaged and further tempered them.

"Life is… such a great thing." A long, dreamless sleep would fit right after such a break, one you couldn't even move and wake up just in the same position, even though 12 hours passed. However, as soon as such thoughts filled his mind, Ren slapped himself with both hands.

"Let alone the cultivation part, no rest till you finish all these cleaning— no excuses," he said, his focus returned to the tree. [Growth: 30/10000] Ren felt fat and happy, as if he had eaten a whole horse. But this feeling wasn't coming from him— strange, he could feel his child' s hunger level. Even the idea of reaching for another cup invoked a bad taste in his mouth.

Though he was more concerned about another strange thing— The message informing him that his Daily Watering ended was nowhere to be found, despite him reaching the same amount of Growth points. That special sense of happiness wasn't there as well, and Ren knew what it meant: he couldn't rely on other sources to escape his daily torments. All those ideas, all those dreams he'd conjured as soon as he thought he found a loophole burst into nothing.

"Yeah, yeah, punish me for bloody reincarnation, you damned system!" Ren groaned. Still, learning he could reach such a step threshold faster wasn't half bad. Thinking along those lines, his mind automatically focused on the most important thing for any plant:"Fertile soil," his lips curled up.

"A good amount of high-quality fertilizer, lots of sun— in this case, moon— exposure, and soapy nutritional baths, and boom, you can create an unparalleled cultivation tree! The Alchemy Peak must have all the resources I need, just need to ask very politely, hehehe." Rubbing his hands together, Ren decided to wrap up his cleaning, take care of watering, and find some old friends. Wait a minute… However, as soon as he jumped to his feet, he realized he felt… lighter?

Frowning, he clenched his fist, the air cracking around it slightly more than before. Not a big difference, but his sharp senses immediately realized it. He had finally entered the first step of Body Tempering— carrying no hint of spiritual energy.