Chapter 38: Walk and Talk

Chapter 38: Walk and Talk

Much to Sen’s simultaneous relief and annoyance, the trip back to Uncle Kho’s home was a much less exciting time. While the beasts of the mountain didn’t fear Sen or didn’t fear him as much as he might have liked, they apparently lived in naked terror of Master Feng. Sen didn’t so much as sense a spirit beast aside from Falling Leaf on the return trip. Not having to fend off daily attacks did a lot to improve their speed. When Sen asked if there wasn’t a faster way, Master Feng gave him a knowing look.

“You know that there must be. How else could I have beaten you to that cave?”

Sen offered up a shrug. “I didn’t want to put you on the spot if it was some kind of secret.”

Master Feng mulled that over for a little while before he finally answered. “No, it’s not a secret. Well, it’s not exactly a secret. The fastest way to make a trip in this kind of environment is with qinggong techniques. They basically let you fly.”

Sen’s imagination lit itself on fire with speculation. “You mean those parts of the stories are true? How can I learn to fly?”

Master Feng held up a hand. “Easy, Sen. I personally know dozens of qinggong techniques. I suspect there are hundreds. You’ll have to wait to learn them, though.”

Sen’s hopes of soaring down to town for a quick visit to see Grandmother Lu crumbled. “Oh. Why?”

“There are a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is that you need a lot of qi available to use any of the techniques. It’s a lot more than you have at your disposal, even with your recent improvements.”

“Why is that, master?”

“Well, gravity is part of the natural order. If you want to fly, you have to violate that natural order. The world makes it very expensive for you to carry out those kinds of transgressions. It’s part of the reason why the climb to immortality is so difficult. The closer you get, the more qi you need to accumulate. After all, it’s the nature of living things to die. If you think about it, immortality is the ultimate transgression against nature. Honestly, I’m a little surprised that the universe allows for it at all. Then again, maybe not. So few people pull it off, maybe it’s less of a problem than I imagine.”

Sen let those ideas roll around in his head for the better part of a mile before he asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time. “Are you immortal?”

Master Feng gave him a rueful smile. “I suppose to someone so young that it must sound that way to hear me and Jaw-Long talk. You hear us old monsters talking about things that happened hundreds or even thousands of years ago. It probably seems like an impossibly long time. No, I’m not an immortal. At least, I’m not one yet.

Sen frowned. “Okay. I think I understand that. But what are the actual tribulations? I mean, what happens?”

“Lighting,” said Master Feng with an air of casual indifference. “It’s usually lightning.”

Sen’s eyes went wide. “That sounds bad.”

Master Feng snorted. “By the time Jaw-Long is done training you with a spear, I expect that you’ll have a very solid grip on lightning.”

It took another two days of walking, but Sen finally saw Uncle Kho’s enormous house through the trees. Sen broke out into a grin until he saw that Master Feng had stopped walking. Sen shot him a questioning look.

“Go on,” said Master Feng. “I’m sure they’re expecting you.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be around, so don’t slack off on your practice. At this point, though, it’s time to expand your knowledge base. There’s more to being a cultivator than fighting. Jaw-Long and his wife have their own specialties. So, it’s best to let them teach you about those things.”

Sen hesitated, suddenly unsure if he wanted to go back. He liked Uncle Kho, but he wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of learning from Ma Caihong. He didn’t feel that simmering anger toward her anymore. He’d managed to vent those feelings on the tide of spirit beasts that he’d killed.

“I-,” Sen started to say, but let the word just hang there.

Feng answered as if he could read Sen’s mind. “You don’t have to like someone to learn from them. Besides, you shouldn’t let my grievances become yours without a good reason. I appreciate your loyalty. I truly do. But, you should make up your own mind about Ma Caihong.”

Sen let those words sink in before he offered Master Feng a bow. “As you say, master.”