Chapter 29 - Chi Magic

I didn’t wake up until the next day, and I was ravenously hungry, which was why I began to nibble on Ling’s uncovered shoulder. I smiled when she laughed and instead turned to kiss me.

“Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?”

I raised an eyebrow and returned the kiss. “You know very well I did”.

She had the sensibility to blush.

After cuddling for a few more minutes, I said “As much as I’d love to stay here, we should get on with the day.” I bit her lips “And as delicious as you are, this body still requires other sources of nourishment.”

“Um.”

We got up and got dressed between many caresses and kisses.

I couldn’t help being loving to her after being intimate, but deep down I knew there would be hell to pay if my family found out in the wrong order. First of all, I would have to speak with Master Fa. If he didn’t kill me, he would surely find a way to break the news to my family.

Outside, I found Min and Captain Feng talking amiably.

Last night I came to a realization: I had completely forgotten that I could see auras, and thus confirm or refute my suspicions.

I closed my eyes to get myself on the trance-like awareness where I needed to be. When I opened them, I turned to Ling, just to confirm.

Like always, she had a beautiful pink glow. Almost as beautiful as her smile.

When I looked at the others, I found that Fa Min’s aura was mostly orange with a small tinge of green, and as for the captain… red.

Hmm, so he was ambitious, honest, and blunt. There were no black marks, but people with red auras only cared about themselves, so it wasn’t really an assurance. Just to be sure, I watched the rest of the crew and found that most of them were brown… wanderers.

I canceled the trance and went on with my day.

The ship navigated the river expertly and we were making good time to the next stop.

I used the day to walk Min through the basics of Chi medicine, with the captain staring intently at us.

“Have you ever seen Chi magic, captain?” His face said it all, he was extremely interested in what we were doing. I had asked without looking away from Fa Min, who was currently feeling the energy of air flowing through his body.

The captain’s eyes widened, and he bowed “forgive me for intruding, your highness.” I made a gesture for him to stop bowing and answer the question. “To answer the Prince, no I have never seen it. Only heard about it from my master when I was younger.”

I nodded.

Usually, commoners would only get taught in the basic forms of kung-fu. Everything about cultivation and Chi magic was left for the nobles and those with ties to the throne.

“Would you like to see it?” His eyes widened comically.

“It would be an honor, your majesty!”

I nodded and waited for Min to finish his exercises. I had felt him growing increasingly tense during our chat.

“Concentrate Fa Min. Your control is slipping”

My friend sighed and shook his head. “You expect me to be able to concentrate after talking about magic? I want to see it too!”

I laughed at his eagerness. “All right, all right. But I expect you to go back to this exercise afterward.”

“Yes, grandfather.” We shared a laugh.

Min stopped and watched me expectantly.

“Watch and learn, then.”

I let my chi flow free like water, my body moved with it, and water began floating out from the river and concentrating around me. I used slow, tai-chi movements to gather it within my hands, and charged it with even more Chi.

When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t help but smile at my creation.

Silently slithering through the air, was a Chinese dragon made from water. It floated on air, moving gently around me as I sat against the railing and turned to address the two people I had done this demonstration for… and instead found the whole population of the ship staring at me… well at the dragon, really.

“In the beginning, Chi magic is about the elements, but as you continue further in the path to cultivation, you learn that it is more about the will of nature. Magic will go a long way for you if you attune yourself to that will. Water wishes to flow and travel the earth far and wide. But…” I pointed toward the captain, and my dragon coiled around him, hissing. “It can also be used as a weapon.

“Water knows me. It is my shield and sword. If the captain showed any ill intent toward my person, the dragon would kill him.” I saw the man swallow as he watched the face of the dragon hissing at him.

I recalled it with a gesture, and the watery beast came gliding to me so that I could pet it. “Water is also great for protecting against poisons and other magic… or it can be used like so:”

I twirled the tail of the dragon around my wrist and I made a swift movement toward a downed tree that was half-submerged in the river.

The water blade cut it cleanly in two.

“Now… evolving water is less about freedom and more about will.” I concentrated and my liquid dragon grew and gained more defined features as the water turned to ice.

Everyone but me felt the chill coming from it, there was even some snow falling from the now darkened sky.

“This form will still protect me, but by attacking my enemies instead of absorbing their attacks as water would.” I smiled and caressed the belly of the beast. “Snow or ice dragons are fiercely protective and will stop at nothing for the sake of the one that commands them.”

The elemental beast stood proudly and purred under my hand. I took a step back and bowed to it. The dragon returned a bow of its own, before dissipating in a puff of snowflakes.

“Elemental beasts” I continued, conjuring fire out of thin air. It too took the form of a fire-red serpent as big as my hand “can be conjured from every element, but its form will largely depend on the wielder’s mind. They take on the strongest form the conjurer can think of…” with my other hand I created a beast made of air, and it turned out to be an eagle. When I combined both animals, the resulting elemental beast had everyone cowering on the other side of the barge.

A phoenix as big as the boat rose from my hands and flew gracefully around us for a few moments before it disappeared in a puff of smoke after I bowed to it.

“Wood…” a water tentacle rose from the river and handed me a piece of driftwood. I plucked it from the tentacle which disappeared immediately after. I placed the piece of wood on my palm, and in seconds there were small roots and flowers blooming from the inert wood. “Wood is life. With a small piece like this and a burst of Chi magic, a master can create antidotes for the body and soul, or he can fashion weapons if the need arises… and the same can be done with metal.” A big white lotus had grown from the wood in my hands, so I plucked it and walked toward Ling, who was also transfixed by all that I had done.

“A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.” With a wink, I handed her the flower.

Then I inclined my head to the rest of the people “I shall finish today’s show with that.”

‘Draco Malfoy would be so proud of me, I’m such an attention-seeking whore!’