163 Progress

"Well, that went well," Wang Jun said cheerfully. They'd returned to the Jade Bamboo Auction House, where Li Yin locked himself up to continue his research. "What are your plans now that you're back? I'm afraid there's not much demand for your energy-gathering formations now that the geomancer has entered the equation."

"I'm not sure," Cha Ming said, massaging his brow. "I'll likely pursue body refinement. There's a fight brewing, and I need to be able to participate."

Wang Jun frowned. "I'm working on it, give me time," he yelled out suddenly. His eyes glazed over for a moment before returning to normal.

"Are you all right?" Cha Ming asked.

"Never been better," Wang Jun said. "Why?"

"You suddenly yelled 'I'm working on it, give me time,'" Cha Ming said.

Wang Jun looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"It must have been my imagination," Cha Ming muttered.

Wang Jun shrugged and returned to work.

Hours passed as Cha Ming lounged around, thinking about his next course of action. During that time, he overheard many conversations from the auction house's customers.

"I heard the Shen family was won over by the crown prince's camp this morning," a young man said to his two friends. "Six of their storefronts and their family estate were fortified to the point that even an initial-core-formation expert couldn't damage them in the slightest. In addition, various traps and functions have been added to each building. If chaos breaks out inside the city, they'll be able to remain relatively unscathed."

"Some other families might have gotten a few formations by joining Prince Lei's camp, but what use are they if their home gets reduced to rubble?" the second man said. "That's the third family in two days. It looks like the struggle for the throne is settled."

"That's nothing to complain about," the third one said. "If both sides are too even, the resulting civil war would devastate us. We'd all be drafted one way or another. Even the commoners would suffer."

"Right, it's better to have a clear winner," the first man said.

Cha Ming pulled away his resplendent force once the conversation was over. Was he really doing all he could? He was deeply worried about the people of the Song Kingdom, and despite their desire for peace, he suspected life under the crown prince would be far from ideal. As he thought, he withdrew a jade bottle from the Clear Sky Space and opened it. A faint medicinal aroma caused his qi pillars to shiver with excitement.

"They say that haste makes waste," the kindly Elder Bai said as he walked past. "You should make sure to consolidate your foundation before continuing. The young master said it hasn't been long since you broke through."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Cha Ming asked as he stowed away the pill and stood up.

"In most cases, it delays one's cultivation progress," Elder Bai explained. "In other cases, it causes irreparable damage to one's foundation, making cultivation extremely inefficient in the future. Why the rush? Only needing a year to reach the peak of foundation establishment is extremely quick. I'm envious."

"Don't worry, Elder Bai, I'm aware of my limits," Cha Ming said. "I feel that my recent experiences have sufficiently stabilized my qi seas. I'll be attempting my breakthrough tonight, though I'll be back in time for His Majesty's treatment. Would you kindly inform Brother Jun when you see him? I want him to procure some late-grade scrolls and flags in the meantime. While a geomancer's peak-grade buildings are a desired commodity, formations are far more useful for clans and sects. While it won't win over everyone, it should stop the mass exodus of undecided families to the crown prince's faction."

Elder Bai looked at him long and hard before nodding. "Very well. You know your condition best. I'll inform the young master when it's convenient."

Cha Ming proceeded downstairs to his cultivation chamber where he activated a built-in formation to prevent intrusion. Then he directed his attention to his qi seas. Although they were mostly clear, a few dozen specks of unconverted qi remained.

"What difference will two weeks make?" he muttered. He popped a few pills in his mouth and willed his qi pillars to grow using the excess energy. They grew with little trouble, despite the turbidity that was slowly seeping into the pillars.

Once they reached their maximum height, he popped three pills into his mouth. A vast energy traveled through his stomach and into his Dantian, causing his qi pillars to creak and groan as they destabilized.

The Pillar Eruption Pills worked their magic and shattered the bindings that restrained Cha Ming's foundation. He directed the potent qi to his foundation and willed it to grow. The pillars grew until a quarter of their surface was visible above his qi seas.

"Consolidate," Cha Ming whispered. A whirlpool formed around each pillar as they rapidly sucked in each of the five viscous qi seas. He squirmed with discomfort as each drop of turbid qi entered his pillars.

He gritted his teeth as he forced his foundation to absorb every drop. His qi pathways strained under the effort, while the rumbling in his foundation threatened to tear apart the black-and-white matrix that held it together. Finally, as quickly as the rumbling started, it stopped. Every drop of qi had disappeared and was replaced with an even thicker liquid. The degree of turbidity was much greater than last time. The damage to his cultivation seemed hardly irreparable. It would likely only take him a few months reverse the effects of his rash behavior.

"It's a small price to pay to prevent the Song Kingdom from being overrun by devils like in Fairweather," Cha Ming mumbled. Although it seemed like just a half hour had passed, two days had already come and gone.

It was time for the king's next treatment.

***

With his new and improved cultivation base, Cha Ming continued studying formations with renewed vigor. Every three days, he stopped his studying to administer the king's treatment. The man's yellow complexion had improved drastically, and he now looked like a man in his nineties instead of someone at death's door.

In order to compete with the geomancer, Cha Ming was studying something far different than he'd experienced thus far. Seventy-two flags fluttered as they drew on the energy of heaven and earth. They were spread to each corner of the room, which was filled with hundreds of lines that moved as he willed them. Within the confines of the formation, he held absolute awareness and could attack enemies as he pleased. It would be difficult for anyone below core formation to survive the onslaught.

Before long, the formation dimmed as the ambient world energy was exhausted. Cha Ming pulled out a high-grade spirit stone, which the formation plundered mercilessly before activating once more. This time, it lasted for an incense time before dimming again.

"Can I eat it?" Huxian said as he walked into the room.

"Eat what?" Cha Ming asked.

"The formation," Huxian said nonchalantly. "For science." Seeing Cha Ming's unconvinced expression, Huxian continued with his explanation. "I need data to answer the oldest unresolved question in my inherited memories. My ancestor's lifelong companion was a great talisman artist and formation master. He could rend the heavens and sunder the earth with his arts. By accompanying him, my great ancestor devoured billions of formations. However, not all of them pleased his palate. He wasn't sure if it was the essence of formations themselves that weren't appetizing or if it was their construction that made the difference. For example, excellent ingredients can taste like garbage when prepared by a subpar chef, but a great chef can make a great dish from the most mundane ingredients."

Cha Ming looked at the small fox in disbelief. "That's very sensical, but I still don't understand why you would ever want to do such a thing."

"Because that's what being a food enthusiast is all about," Huxian huffed. "Eating isn't just a hobby; it's a way of life. It is both my pleasure and honor to uphold the bagua family tradition of eating everything under the sun. And above it. And heck, the sun itself if I get strong enough."

Cha Ming's curiosity was piqued. "Can you eat it without eating the flags?"

"Of course," Huxian said. "My ancestors have determined that sigil focuses and flags are fundamentally untasty. However, the verdict is still out on the formation energies themselves."

"By all means." Cha Ming gestured. Huxian's shadow distorted, and with a yip of excitement, it leaped onto the Gold Slaughtering Formation. Hundreds of mouths shot out and nibbled away at the many lines forming it. Eventually, it shattered.

Cha Ming collected the flags while Huxian's shadow collected the remaining fragments. "I gather that this one was tasty?"

"Extremely," Huxian said. "They're all much tastier than many of the others I've sampled in the city."

"Wait, which formations have you been eating in the city?" Cha Ming said in a panic. He'd hate it if all his hard work had been undermined by his furry friend.

"Oh, I just started recently," Huxian said. "I've been taking bites out of the fortified buildings that have cropped up over the past two days. They were delicious, but nothing special. Don't worry, I made sure not to destroy them. They'll work normally—for the most part. Of course, they're faring much better than those Lei Jiang has gotten to." Noticeable amounts of drool were pooling on the floor below his mouth.

Cha Ming massaged his brow. "What damage?"

"He's been eating those new buildings like an addict," Huxian complained. "At first it was just holes in the walls. For the sake of verminkind, he said. However, I think he might have started eating into the foundations. Apparently the fancy materials they're built with are very beneficial for strengthening his body. I've been doing my best, but he's very difficult to rein in."

"And no one's caught you both thus far?" Cha Ming asked incredulously. This was his greatest concern. After all, he was liable for all damages they caused within the city.

"Those slowpokes?" Huxian snorted with contempt. "The city guard is basically useless, and those so-called experts inside those big families can't even hear us, much less see us."

Cha Ming pondered for a moment. "Let's talk to Wang Jun and think of a plan."

"A plan for what?" Huxian asked.

"I want you and Lei Jiang to eat your heart's content," Cha Ming said.

Huxian eyes brightened instantly.

***

Wang Jun burst out laughing when he heard the news. He rang for Elder Bai, who was brought to tears at the thought of the two little miscreants eating through the crown prince's hard-earned coin.

"And here I was wondering which guardian angel was doing my dirty work for me," Wang Jun said. "There's no need to stop them. Anything is fine if they don't get caught."

"I was thinking more in terms of which buildings you wanted to prioritize, and which ones you wanted relatively undamaged," Cha Ming said. "For example, I'd hate to have them eat away the foundations of a building you're planning on buying."

"Fair enough," Wang Jun said, quickly scribbling down three lists. "The buildings on the first list should be damaged in any way possible. I want the damage to be so severe so that fixing it will cost the crown prince a fortune.

"The second list contains buildings that should be damaged superficially but should be fully functioning," Wang Jun said. "I want the damages easy to fix. They are there for the sole purpose of undermining the geomancer's reputation and reducing the value of the properties in case their owners want to sell them at a discount.

"Finally, those on the third list should be damaged discreetly. I want their foundations destroyed and their walls weakened. It would be best if we could topple them over with a flick of our wrist. They should sustain some superficial damage to avoid suspicion but nothing serious enough to cause the geomancer to inspect them. These buildings are most likely to be used in city warfare, should the situation devolve to that level."

"Noted," Cha Ming said as he stowed away the list. "I'll instruct them as soon as possible."

"Run, sister, run!" Wang Jun suddenly shouted.

Both Cha Ming and Elder Bai looked toward him.

"There's seriously something wrong with you," Cha Ming said. "That's the second time I've seen you blurt out strange things. This time you said, 'run, sister, run.'"

"Nonsense," Wang Jun said. "Elder Bai, did I say anything?"

"I'm afraid you did," Elder Bai said. "And it's not the first time. I think you should get some sleep."

Wang Jun frowned. "I'm afraid I can't. There's too much going on. Speaking of which, how is your progress on the Gold Slaughtering Formation?" Wang Jun asked.

"I've finished the prototype," Cha Ming said slowly. "As long as I have sufficient materials, I should be able set it up without much difficulty. The formation is eighty-five-percent efficient. I project being able to expand each grand formation to cover a square mile without any loss in efficiency. However, the materials required will scale with the surface area being covered."

Wang Jun nodded. "I'll give you supplies and a list tomorrow. Soon I'll be owing you money instead of the other way around."

"I'm not doing this for money," Cha Ming said. "I'm doing it so there isn't another Fairweather."

A few brief pulses suddenly interrupted their conversation. Wang Jun pulled out a core-formation jade, which he activated. Prince Lei's projection appeared on the corner of Wang Jun's desk.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Wang Jun said.

"There are complications to the original plan," Prince Lei said. "I'm afraid we'll have to come clean."

"What for?" Wang Jun asked. "Did the doctors detect something?"

"It was my sister," Prince Lei said. "I overheard her yelling at the doctors and asking for an explanation on father's sudden improvement in condition. When the doctor said he hadn't done anything differently, she brought up the wound you inflicted to circulate the blood. When he said he knew nothing about it, she swore she wouldn't leave father's side until she got an explanation from them."

"So we can't continue our treatments until we clarify the situation," Wang Jun said.

"Exactly," Prince Lei said. "But we're in a much better position than before. The doctors might scoff at Dr. Li's lack of credentials, but my sister will only care about the results. Therefore, I confessed the situation, and the royal uncles corroborated our story. She wasn't happy about our taking actions behind her back, and she was quite annoyed at the royal uncles for not telling her, but she said she'd like to meet the doctor who's succeeded where others have failed."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Wang Jun said. He turned to Cha Ming. "Can you speak with Dr. Li on this matter?"

"I'll explain it on the way," Cha Ming replied. "He's very good with stressful situations, but he'll lose his mind if anyone interrupts him during his research."

***

Cha Ming, Wang Jun, Li Yin, and Prince Lei walked into the king's chambers. This time, they walked through the front door. Princess Guo stood beside her father's bed with an annoyed expression. The chief physician was there as well, and judging by the embarrassed look on his face, the princess had brow-beaten him the entire time they waited.

"Dearest sister," Prince Lei said, "thank you for taking the time to meet with us. I realize you've been terribly busy of late, and—"

"Cut the crap," Princess Guo said coldly.

The prince shrank back, leaving Cha Ming, Wang Jun, and Li Yin at her mercy. She turned to them. "I understand that you've been treating my father in secret. Normally this would be a grave offense worthy of execution. However, my father's condition has noticeably improved. Therefore I wish to thank whoever has been treating him and ask him to continue his work under my supervision. I take it that you are Dr. Li?" Princess Guo said with a smile.

"Doctor is too noble a title for this lowly one," Li Yin replied. "I am just a medical researcher who happens to know quite a bit about treating people without qi. I am unable to cultivate, but I haven't been able to leave people dying by the wayside. Which is much more than can be said for the people bearing the title of doctor."

"That's a little unfair," the chief physician interjected. "We often treat people free of charge, but it's simply too difficult to balance the needs of the masses with the needs of the rich and affluent."

"You may speak when you're spoken to," Princess Guo said to the doctor. "As far as I'm concerned, you're useless, while this medical researcher isn't. I hope I won't have to repeat myself."

The chief physician gulped. "Understood." He stood at attention next to the king's bed and awaited his judgment.

"Please continue with your efforts," Princess Guo said. "All I ask is that I be allowed to stand by while you do your work. I am greatly worried about my father's health."

"Very well," Li Yin said. "We've just been cleaning his blood while the Quicksilver Alchemists Association tries to find a cure to the qi-binding poison that is restraining his cultivation."

"A qi-restraining poison?" the chief physician exclaimed. "No wonder none of my healing or analysis techniques worked!"

"It's also why Zhou Bei from the Quicksilver Alchemists Association couldn't identify the poison," Cha Ming said.

"Wait, how is the Zhou family suddenly involved?" Princess Guo interjected.

"Zhou Bei is not on friendly terms with the Zhou family, and he is the foremost expert on poisons on the continent," Cha Ming said. "When the chief physician suspected poison, he had initially sent a vial of blood to Zhou Bei. Is that correct?"

"Exactly so," the chief physician said. "That's why I concluded it wasn't poison. If it was a poison, that man would surely have found and identified it."

"I don't want to interrupt," Li Yin said. "But we're already late for the treatment. Would you be so kind?"

The princess and the physician quickly backed off while Cha Ming and Li Yin performed their treatment.