The next morning, Kai woke to the sound of knuckles rapping lightly against the wooden door.
His eyes cracked open, still heavy with sleep, and he groggily dragged himself up.
When he pulled the door open his bleary vision settled on an old man standing outside.
The man had a gentle face framed by a neatly kept beard, his smile kind and reassuring.
Kai blinked, frowning slightly.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep.
The old man gave a polite bow. "Lord Renhai has sent me. I am Physician Han. I came to see to your condition."
"Oh." Kai straightened, rubbing his face before stepping aside. "Then please, come in."
The old man walked in with measured steps, his hands clasped behind his back.
They sat opposite one another at the small wooden table.
Without wasting time Physician Han leaned forward and pressing two fingers gently against Kai's wrist.
His expression was calm and his eyes closed in concentration as he felt Kai's pulse.
Kai sat rigidly. His thoughts churned. "Please don't find anything strange. Please don't realize I don't belong in this world."
Minutes passed in silence. The only sounds were the faint ticking of the old clock on the wall and Kai's own heartbeat pounding louder in his ears.
Finally, the physician withdrew his hand and gave a small nod.
"You are indeed not wounded," Han said with a trace of admiration in his tone. "In fact, your body is in excellent condition. Robust, balanced, almost unnaturally that good. However…"
Kai's stomach tightened.
"…I cannot sense any flow of Qi in you."
Kai froze, masking his alarm with a stiff expression.
The physician stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps it is sealed right now as a result of whatever incident led to your memory loss. If so, in time the block may loosen and your Qi will flow freely again."
Kai forced a smile, nodding. "I see… thank you, Physician Han."
But inwardly, his mind raced.
"So it is Qi. This world uses Qi as its power source. But my Status Window didn't show anything about Qi at all. I don't know what happened. Or maybe I need to do something to unlock it myself?"
Physician Han reached into his sleeve and placed a small pouch on the table. The faint herbal fragrance of medicine drifted out.
"These are recovery pills. They will restore stamina and hasten Qi recovery as well. Take them if you feel drained."
Kai accepted the pouch with both hands. "I appreciate it."
The physician rose, gave him a final kind smile, and bowed lightly.
"Rest well, young man. You may find your answers sooner than you think."
With that, he departed, leaving Kai alone once more in the quiet room.
Kai held the pouch in his palm, staring at it with a distant look.
"Qi, cultivation realms, packages…" He let out a slow breath. "This world keeps getting stranger. But first I need to find a way to release my Qi."
He clenched his hand into a fist around the pouch.
Another knock sounded, softer this time.
Kai rose and opened the door, expecting Physician Han again, but instead found a young woman.
She carried a wooden tray with bowls of steaming food and a neatly folded set of fresh clothes laid across the top.
She gave him a respectful nod.
"Lord Renhai instructed me to deliver this to you, sir. He said you should eat and recover your strength, then enjoy the town for now."
Kai blinked, surprised, then carefully took the tray from her hands. "Thank you."
The woman bowed lightly and left without further words.
Closing the door, Kai set the tray on the table.
His eyes lingered on the folded clothes. It looks simple but clean, the fabric soft and far better than his blood-stained rags.
He quickly changed, savoring the comfort of a body wrapped in something fresh for the first time in this world.
Then his attention fell to the food.
The aroma alone made his stomach growl.
He saw bowls of hot rice, roasted meat glazed with herbs, and a clear broth shimmered in the lamplight.
For a moment, Kai hesitated. Renhai could have slipped something into this. But his hunger gnawed at him like a beast, and he clenched his jaw.
"Even if there is something in here I'll be okay. I have the system."
So he ate. Kai, who had lived in hunger most of the time back on earth and arrived in this world on an hungry stomach as well, devoured the delicious meal without the slightest restraint.
His chopsticks moved quickly. The food erased the hunger he had endured before stumbling into this world.
The warmth filled his belly and spread through his body until his stiff shoulders loosened and his mood lightened.
By the time the bowls were empty, Kai leaned back with a satisfied sigh.
For the first time in a long while, he felt full.
But then, his hand paused on the table. A different thought pierced the comfort.
His mind conjured the image of his grandfather and grandmother.
"Grandpa… Grandma…"
He clenched his fists.
"I get to eat this kind of delicious food here, but what about them? Did they eat well today?"
The warmth in his chest soured into a dull ache. His good mood slipped away, replaced with a heavy silence.
He then stood up with a determined expression.
Kai stacked the empty bowls neatly back onto the tray then carried it to the hallway and placed it just outside his door.
His mind had already shifted elsewhere. He needed answers.
Descending the wooden stairs, the creak of each step echoed softly in the morning quiet.
The common room of the inn was mostly empty with only a few townsfolk lingering over their breakfast.
Behind the counter stood the same woman who had brought his food, her hands busy polishing a cup.
Kai approached, his expression polite.
"Excuse me," he said, resting a hand on the counter. "Would you happen to know if this town has a library?"
The woman lifted her gaze, a faint smile touching her lips. "A library? Yes, we do. It's not large but it serves our town well. Head out of the inn, turn left, and you'll find it near the central square, beside the old bell tower."
Kai inclined his head gratefully. "Thank you."
He then head outside.
—