Book 2: Chapter 35: Ash

Book 2: Chapter 35: Ash

The journey back home was swift, the grass fields whirring past us as our carriage rushed through at high speeds. Within a few minutes, we were in Taizhou, and I watched the villagers pausing in their day to day work as they watched the carriage roll in.

Opening the gates, I stepped out, and found a strong earthy smell filling the air. The ground was wet from the storm caused by the tribulation, and I could see signs of water overflowing in parts from the nearby river.

The village head rushed out of his home, before grabbing Yin. “Heaven’s mercy, I had been terrified when I’d seen that tribulation at the Lord’s manor. Such a terrible storm too. Are you alright Yin’er?”

“Y-yes,” Yin replied, shuffling as her father hugged her in a rare display of open emotion.

“Welcome back,” Granny Lang said, her cane hitting the ground in a rhythmic thud, as she walked out with a smoking pipe in her mouth. “You sure went and caused a ruckus didn’t you boy?”

I bowed my head, pressing my fist into my palm. “As I do, Granny,” I replied, giving her a cheeky smile.

“My, what happened to you, Zhang?” the Granny said, walking closer. She looked into Zhang’s eyes, finding the starry backdrop set within them from his new cultivation. “You’re... different now. Like some sort of celestial fairy.”

“Brother Jie gave me an insight, allowing me a breakthrough,” Zhang replied. “I still haven’t quite grasped just what I’m capable of now, it is a vast power.”

I watched Zhang looking down at his fist, purple wisps swirling around him. We will need to test this new art, see just what it was capable of. Gravity Chi... I felt excitement stir in my chest at the thought. Just how far could the concept be taken? If taught about atoms, and nuclear fission, could someone gain Nuclear Chi or Atomic Chi? How vast would the understanding need to be?

“I know you’ve just arrived Lu Jie, Zhang, but could you two go look for Su Lin? He’s been out for the night. With a storm, there’s a chance the boy decided to just sleep out somewhere, but it’d still allow me to rest in peace if you went to check,” Granny Lang said.

I looked at Zhang, before giving a nod. “Sure, where is he?”

“He went to the Qi mines, should be around there” Granny replied.

I frowned. Had the spores returned?

“Alright,” I said, before Zhang and I headed out.

Making my way through the village, I noted logs of wood and small impromptu bridges set across the river. The water was still muddy from the flood, flowing in a rapid current. With a hop, I jumped across the river with ease, Zhang following me with no effort as well.

Walking a little further, I frowned as something began to prickle my senses. “Do you feel that?” I asked Zhang.

“Faintly, but yes, brother Jie,” Zhang replied, his brows furrowing as well. “There’s miasma nearby.”

Feeling my concerns growing, I rushed ahead. Chi flooded my steps as the world warped around me, and soon I stood at the entrance of the Qi mine, and what I saw made my heart drop.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

Dark soot covered the mines, Gu lingering on every inch of the cavern. Fire marks covered the ground, ash floating in the air from whatever had transpired here. Stepping inside, I walked through the haze of miasma feeling the Death energy seeping into my skin and crawling under it. I absorbed the Gu into my core, turning it all to Chi, as I opened my senses.

Two eyes looked at me from within the darkness, as a rumbling growl echoed throughout the cavern. Dark flames danced across the beast, as its visage began to come within sight from the darkness of the cavern.

I stared at the giant wolf, fire burning around its mouth as it glared at me, and I found my heart pounding in trepidation.

“Hey, stop that,” I said, pushing the beast away, as flames danced around my body.

“I have no idea, ask it maybe? It can talk,” Su Lin said.

I turned to face the Gu beast. “Can you understand me?” I asked.

The Gu Beast looked at me, before giving a nod.

“Good, great. So, how did you get here?”

“Lost. Then heard call. Home,” The beast said.

“It keeps saying that, home or something. Maybe it wants to go back where it came from?” Su Lin asked.

The wolf shook its head, before raising its paw and pointing it at me. “Home.” It said again.

My eyes widened in surprise as I realized something.

“You want to be part of my home?” I asked.

The wolf nodded.

“Are you sure Brother Jie? Can we trust a demonic beast like it? What if it’s lying to try to hurt you?” Zhang asked.

“I doubt it, but it’s a possibility. Regardless, there’s no way the villagers will allow him to stay, and if the Lord finds out, we’ll all be killed for keeping a demonic beast with us anyway,” Su Lin said.

I frowned, looking at the Wolf.

“I don’t think it’s lying,” I said, looking at the wolf. “Gu is... malicious. But when I reached out to this beast, it was settled, calm, like something had put chains onto it. If so, it’s got a powerful will to keep the dark Gu in check, a beast like that will not lie,” I said, glancing back up at Su Lin. “But, keeping it is also risky. So, we’ll keep him in this mine. Hidden away from the village, ‘til I can think of a more permanent solution.”

Su Lin hummed, before giving a nod.

Zhang did not say anything further either.

Turning to the wolf, I brushed its fur. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my spirit once more. The roots within my soul stirred at my call, reaching out to the wolf. A moment later, I sensed a new bond snap into place, as the spirit root formed within the wolf, tying him to my spirit.

I stared at the wolf’s dantian, finding two dark rings floating in the abyss. The flaming rings of Gu burned with miasma, as the Gu swirled within a core inside the beast’s spirit.

I watched the darkness, and felt something click in place, a new sensation filling my mind. Like a missing piece that had been lost returning to where it was supposed to be.

The tree in my soul grew, sprouting a new leaf.

My mind joined with the beast’s, as memories overtook me, pulling me into their world.