Stepping down through the void, I felt my feet touch the water, and my eyes widened in surprise. What I’d expected to be a manifestation of water was instead Qi. Yet, not in any shape or form. It was as if the ethereal Qi had been slowly given a denser form, distilled into droplets like pure water that shimmered and glowed in the dark. The Qi-water stirred and rustled and crashed at the shore, reacting to my presence near it. Splashes flew up into the air and turned to mist, flowing around the lotus that sat in the middle.Moving closer, I let myself submerge partially into the water. Moving through, I set my palm against the trunk of the tree, upon which the lotus flower blossomed.I sensed the Qi that flowed inside of it, connected to the miniature tree growing inside my soul. The tree within my spirit was tied to this one, and the cycle of Qi it circulated in this dark expanse.“Sii!” Silverlight exclaimed, jumping down into the water, as she splashed around, drinking in the Qi-wat

I waited patiently as Zhang went through three rounds of washing, clearing out the filth that covered his body so thoroughly. After having changed into his new clothes and rid himself of the filth, the boy walked into the chamber, standing tall and strong, as he took a seat in front of me.Silverlight rode on his shoulders, looking oddly fitting at the position and I silently observed the boy.“Do you remember anything from when you were in your spirit?” I asked Zhang.“I… do. I saw a vast tree, within which a glowing silver ring was present. And then, Silverlight and I formed a bond and she… told me to see. And I saw, a plant, but it was… vast, so unending. Life, death, everything was a part of the tree’s cycle. And it was connected to me somehow.”I nodded. I turned to look at Zhang. “There is a lot that needs to be explained. But if I am right, then your cultivation has crumbled apart,” I replied, trying to still soak in everything that had happened.Zhang sat silently, looking bac

“Aren’t I?” Yan Yun asked, her smile turning crooked. “I do not know how to cook, I do not know how to draw the water from the river, I do not know how to clean. I… was raised in a large sect with servants for every whim and fancy I had. My life… all of it, was dedicated to learning how to be the lady of my sect, and towards my cultivation. Now, I have lost both. What good am I to anyone?”Yin looked back down her, clutching her robes tightly once more. “I… you are not,” she replied, her voice strained. “Because… I aspire to be like you.”Yan Yun’s looked at Yin in confusion, as the girl looked up, her cheeks flushed with a red tinge. “You are the prettiest woman I’ve ever met. Even the adults cannot look you in the eye… and you know so much. Polite, and well versed in etiquettes. You are not useless. Far from it. If anyone’s useless, it’d be me. I do not have any Path to lose. I do not know of the ways of sects, or things about cultivation. That’s why… I don’t think you’re useless at

A bunch of people and villagers, were gathered, standing around quietly. A table had been setup with food, and I shuffled the thing around, setting up the cake in front.Glancing out through the window, I gave my mental nod of approval to Ren who was guarding the gates, and in a quick few moments, Zhang walked inside, led by Su Lin through the door.“Congratulations on your recovery!” I shouted, my friends, the village head, a couple of the villagers who’d joined in and my spirits all chiming in. Just for the spirit of it, I threw up the cut outs made of coloured paper in the air.Zhang stood, staring at everyone in surprise and confusion. “What’s… this?”“it’s a feast!” I replied cheerfully, before explaining further when that didn’t seem to clear up the confusion. “We celebrate birthdays every year back at my home. I know it’s not a big thing here, but given that this was in some ways, a new beginning for your Path and cultivation, we wanted to celebrate it.”Zhang looked around, co

Mei Lin coughed, steadying her spinning vision. She gathered herself as quickly as she could, afraid of the Elder’s wrath the longer she put up such a display of weakness.“You do not lie,” the Elder said, as if surprised. “A shadow, growing to care for anyone but their master,” the man said, his eyes staring at Mei Lin’s kneeling form as if watching a fascinating specimen.“We had chosen you for your loyalty. And because you were the only shadow close to our granddaughter's age. She needed a loyal companion. But perhaps, we had mistaken how far your loyalty to her would go,” the Elder said.Mei Lin kept her head bowed. She knew she’d overstepped. She’d known it long ago. The day the twins had stolen the book, she’d let them go, hoping when the Elder found out, she would come back around. See some sense. But to think… Mei Lin pushed away the emotions, and steeled her resolve.“Mei Lin,” the Elder said.The words made years of discipline break within the girl, as her head snapped upwar