Chương 8: "We agreed to keep it a secret"

Ch 8: "We agreed to keep it a secret" The turtle leaned over Zhen and looked down with ancient eyes. Zhen couldn't move. The beak lowered, and, just a few inches above Zhen's chest the beak snapped shut on empty air.

"And, with that, you're dead." The turtle's voice was a deep rumble that vibrated through the water beneath Zhen's body. It turned its massive head toward the shore.

"I believe that has done it, Little Brother. I didn't even have to use any techniques." Zhen blinked through the pain, his vision clearing enough to see Shuo casually walking across the surface of the lake, his feet barely dimpling the water. The old man approached and peered down at Zhen with clinical detachment. Shuo nodded.

"Brother Xuanfeng, I believe you are right." The casual exchange struck Zhen as bizarrely inappropriate given his current state. He tried to push himself up but his limbs refused to cooperate.

"You've done a perfect job, Brother," Shuo said.

"Not that I expected anything less."

"Pah! Think nothing of it. It's been a long while since I had the opportunity to play like that."

"I know you said you'd do it for fun, but allow me to offer you a little token of my appreciation. Maybe a little snack after all your efforts?" The old cultivator reached into his robe and pulled out a pouch that glowed with inner light. He tossed it to the massive turtle, who hooked it with surprising dexterity on one enormous claw. The turtle's eyes lit up and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Are those spirit stones? Shushu, you shouldn't have."

"What's going on?" Zhen croaked, looking between the giant turtle and his supposed teacher.

"And, 'Shushu?'" Shuo glanced down at him, nose wrinkling.

"Don't even think of calling me that. Why don't you go and clean off under the waterfall first? Then we can talk." As the adrenaline from the fight wore off, Zhen became acutely aware of an incredible stench emanating from his own body. It burned his nose and his newly enhanced senses made the odor nearly unbearable. It was like rotting meat mixed with sour milk and something acrid. Around him, a rancid, oily scum spread outward across the water.

Pushing himself to his knees, Zhen saw a yellowish, sticky substance seeping from his pores and clinging to his skin. It wasn't painful but he had no idea where it had come from. The sight revolted him. While the situation remained confusing, he no longer appeared to be in immediate danger. In light of that, getting clean suddenly seemed like the most pressing concern. He staggered toward the waterfall, leaving an oily stain on the surface of the lake as he went.

Stepping beneath the thundering cascade, Zhen scooped handfuls of sand from the bottom and began to scour his skin vigorously. The sticky residue clung stubbornly, requiring aggressive scrubbing to remove. Halfway through he paused. The water hammering down on him wasn't crushing him. In fact, he barely felt it. On top of that, despite being slapped around by the Xuanfeng, he wasn't in any pain. Pausing in his cleansing, Zhen tested his body with cautious movements.

He prodded his ribs where he was sure he had felt something crack during the fight. Nothing. Curious now, he examined his arms and torso. Where there should have been bruises and cuts, his skin was pristine beneath the remaining film of yellow residue. Moving around, his muscles didn't feel fatigued or strained despite the beating he had just endured. Zhen stood straighter under the torrent, letting the water pound against his shoulders. What should have been painful was merely refreshing.

His body felt more robust and solid. Somehow the fight had forged him into something stronger. He continued scrubbing away the foul substance with renewed vigor. Whatever had happened, he wasn't the same person who had entered the lake to face Xuanfeng. Zhen gave himself one last rinse under the waterfall, watching with satisfaction as the last traces of yellow filth finally swirled away into the clear water.

The sensation of the pounding water against his newly reinforced body was still like a firm massage rather than a bone-crushing torrent. As he stepped from the cascade, the rich aroma of cooking food hit him. Across the clearing, Shuo had established a small camp on the shore while he had been under the waterfall. A fire crackled with fish skewers sizzling above its flames, while a small pot of rice steamed nearby. Hunger hit hard. His mouth flooded with saliva as he watched Shuo turn the skewers.

He felt as if he hadn't eaten for days, even though he'd had a full meal just hours ago. More surprising was the sight of Xuanfeng lounging beside the fire, his massive shell glistening in the firelight. Not waiting for the skewers to cook, the turtle methodically plucked stones from the pouch Shuo had given him, then crushed them between his powerful jaws. Each stone radiated a soft, pulsing light before disappearing into the guardian's maw.

Zhen pulled on his clothes, which felt strangely tight across his shoulders and chest, and made his way to the fire. Without looking up, Shuo handed him a large bowl heaped with steaming rice and three substantial skewers laden with fish and vegetables. No words were exchanged as Zhen fell upon the food, devouring it with an intensity that would have embarrassed him under normal circumstances. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The food disappeared almost instantly, and Shuo wordlessly handed him a second bowl and three more skewers. Halfway through this second helping, his mind finally cleared enough for questions to form.

"What," Zhen managed between mouthfuls, gesturing vaguely at himself, the turtle, and the clearing, "was that all about?" The turtle turned his ancient gaze toward him, then back to Shuo, as if curious to hear how the old cultivator would respond.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Shuo admonished, not looking up from the skewer he was turning over the flames.

"Guardian Xuanfeng is an old and dear friend who was doing me a favor. You should be grateful." Zhen swallowed his mouthful of food.

"Favor?"

"Indeed." Shuo gestured toward the waterfall with his cooking stick.

"While you could have tempered your body under that waterfall, it would have taken weeks of effort to get you through the first stage of body enhancement. You now have an Earth Tempered Body. The training Guardian Xuanfeng kindly provided meant you achieved it in the span of an hour." He fixed Zhen with a pointed look.

"Why haven't you thanked him?" Zhen stared at Shuo incredulously.

"Him? That tortoise tried to kill me! Why would I thank him?" The massive creature lifted his ancient head from the glowing spirit stones, fixing Zhen with an affronted stare.

"I am a turtle, not a tortoise." His deep voice rumbled across the clearing.

"Children today have no respect."

"They really don't." Shuo looked over at Zhen with a pointed look. Zhen felt heat rising to his face. With a sigh, he set his bowl aside and stood, turning to face Xuanfeng. He offered a low, formal bow, bending at the waist.

"Guardian Xuanfeng, I apologize for calling you a tortoise. And... thank you for the pointers." The turtle inclined his massive head slightly, the gesture elegant for a creature of his size.

"Accepted, little hatchling." When Zhen settled back down beside the fire, he picked at the remaining food on his skewer.

"Did reaching that have something to do with the filth coming out of my body?"

"Impurities," Shuo said, poking at the fire.

"As a cultivator moves through the body tempering stages, their physical form purges the accumulated waste of a lifetime. What you experienced was the first stage. Your muscles and skin have been remade with qi so you are stronger and are tougher than any mortal." Xuanfeng crushed another glowing stone between his powerful jaws.

"When I was striking you, I injected qi deep into you with my gentle taps." His deep voice sounded almost professorial.

"For a body to temper the first time, the flesh must be entirely saturated with qi. Once I was happy that you were sufficiently infused with qi, the final blow from my shell provided the impetus needed to push your flesh to become an Earth Tempered Body." Zhen considered this, unconsciously rubbing his chest where the turtle had struck him.

"So you weren't trying to kill me?"

"Kill you?" Xuanfeng made a deep, rhythmic rumbling noise that vibrated the ground beneath them. It took Zhen a moment to realize the ancient turtle was laughing.

"If I had wanted to kill you, little hatchling, your remains would be scattered across three provinces before you even knew you were under attack." Shuo snorted.

"Xuanfeng is a master of controlled force. I would say there was only a one in three chance he would have killed you in that fight. No risk at all really." Zhen wasn't entirely sure that was reassuring. But there was no denying the results. He had been recast in a new form that felt heavier, yet made movement more powerful and effortless.

"I won't deny that you surprised me. You did well in our little exchange," the turtle said, his massive head tilting slightly.

"I didn't expect one barely out of the egg to cause me actual pain. My shell had been damaged in one spot after a little run-in with a dragon a while back." The turtle's eyes gleamed with ancient memory.

"You got a lucky blow in." Zhen's pride flared. The Eye had marked that spot and he had struck it. There was no luck involved. He opened his mouth to object, then caught sight of Shuo making a sharp, almost imperceptible shake of his head. The old cultivator glared at him to remain silent. Against his inclinations, Zhen swallowed his words.

"I was lucky, wasn't I?" he said, forcing a humble tone. As Shuo relaxed, Zhen quickly changed the subject.

"So, I understand about the filth that came out of me, but were those lightning strikes normal. You said I broke through to the first stage of Qi Condensation? I've never heard stories about that." A heavy silence fell over their small camp. Shuo's wrinkled face grew serious, the firelight casting deep shadows across his features.

"The lightning was a warning," Shuo said finally, his voice low.

"You broke through too fast. The Heavens noticed, and they stirred. They sent you a sign that you're stepping onto a path that challenges their authority. Continue as you are, and the heavens will eventually send a tribulation to punish your hubris." Xuanfeng set down his stones and swiveled his massive head toward Shuo. All trace of amusement had left his face.

"And that warning itself will bring trouble," he rumbled.

"Every cultivator for miles around knows what lightning like that means. They'll either come running or flee as fast as they can." Zhen tightened his grip on his skewer. The heavens were displeased with him and the lightning had painted a target on his back. This had been fun, but the price of continuing down the path of the cultivator was too high. Shuo nodded grimly.

"Agreed Brother. We're in the middle of nowhere, but you can never account for hidden masters who might have chosen to meditate out here. That's why I'm getting Zhen out of here as soon as he's finished eating." He poked at the fire with a stick, sending sparks spiraling into the night air.

"We need to be gone before dawn."

"Good," Xuanfeng said, drawing himself up.

"I can look after myself, but I have no reason to protect the hatchling." Zhen bristled at being dismissed so casually. He had managed to damage the turtle's shell, after all. That had to count for something. He opened his mouth to respond when a crashing sound came from the forest edge. Without seeming to move Shuo was on his feet facing the noise, although Xuanfeng simply picked another stone from his bag and crunched down on it. The underbrush parted as two figures burst through the branches. Zhen froze.

Impossibly, his parents stood at the edge of the clearing. They were breathing hard and scanned the surroundings frantically until they found him. His father's fists were clenched, his knuckles white with tension, but it was his mother who caught Zhen's attention. His mother's hair had come loose from its usual tidy arrangement, and she looked nothing like the woman who had raised him. She didn't even glance at Xuanfeng, and the balanced, predatory way she stood belonged to a stranger. Zhen stared in confusion.

He had no idea how they had found this place and gotten here so fast. In fact, he had no clue why they were here at all. The expression on his mother's face was initially one of relief, then her eyes shifted from him to Shuo. Her look changed to one of anger as she yelled across the clearing.

"We agreed to keep it a secret. You lit a beacon for every vulture in the province. Have you turned senile, old man?"