"Damn it... damn it."
Cursing under his breath, Lian Xing felt the familiar ache in his stomach. He had skipped yet another meal, but it was all for nothing. He had spent five months cultivating with the prized thousand-year Ginseng root, but he still couldn't feel the flow of energy, not even the slightest ripple.
"That old man must have lied to me," he muttered. "He said if I used this Ginseng root, I could even break through to the third layer... what a scammer."
The weight of his family's disdain pressed down on him with every bucket of water he carried, every courtyard stone he scrubbed. Born into the prestigious Xīng clan, he should have been a rising star. But at age fifteen, his inability to break through to the second stage of cultivation had branded him a useless failure, a servant in his own home. Children as young as nine would have already broken through to the third layer by now.
He ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the blue jade hidden in his clothes. It was the last gift from his mother, a woman cast out by the elders because she was a concubine and her son was a failure. Her voice, gentle but filled with sorrow, echoed in his mind.
"This is my family's heirloom, my son. If it ever gets too difficult, if you feel you have no other choice... go into the city. Sell it. It will fetch a high price, enough for you to live a decent life."
I have no choice, Lian thought to himself. I'll sell it. I'll find a reputable auction house, and maybe then I'll get my chance to break through.
With a new resolve, he stood up and went back to sweeping the courtyard.
"Lian, you missed a spot here," came the voice of Yue Xing, Lian's cousin. Yue walked by with his goons, scattering pig dung all over the clean courtyard.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Lian rushed toward him, his broom raised high, ready to attack. Yue simply stepped to the side, evading the clumsy attack before striking him behind the neck. Lian fell face-first into the foul-smelling dung.
"How does the dung taste, Lian?" Yue laughed with his goons as they walked away, leaving Lian there, humiliated and covered in filth. "I bet he eats it everyday"
Lian gritted his teeth as he walked to the river to wash.
"Just you wait, Yue Xing. When I break through, I'm going to teach you a lesson," Lian muttered to himself as he scrubbed the dirt from his body.
He began washing the jade, but it was slick with filth. They might not take it if I try to sell it this dirty, he thought. As he scrubbed, the jade slipped from his grasp and disappeared into the murky water.
"No!" he yelled, immediately diving in to retrieve it.
His eyes burned as he searched, but he couldn't find it. He went deeper and deeper, his lungs screaming for air. He felt the oxygen escaping him, but then he saw it—glowing in the bed of the river. He swam fast and grabbed it.
But as he began to swim upward, he felt something dragging him down. His eyes shifted, and he glanced downward. There it was—a dark figure shifting through the water.
"Is that a dragon...?" he thought, his mind racing. He thrashed, trying to swim faster, but something hit his stomach, violently forcing all the air from his lungs. He began sinking, his vision blurring as his consciousness began to fade.
"No! I can't die like this! I will not die a useless failure... never!" Lian bit his lip, trying to stay conscious. The blood flowed, touching the jade, which began to glow a bright, heavenly blue.
Lian felt a warmth rush over his body. A poem, ancient and profound, began to echo in his mind.
The path of the Lotus is for both Heavens and the Earth.Its foundation, both strong and weak, the lotus will grow in the mud but soon meets the heavens.The vessel, though stained, shall hold the purest essence. Let the chaotic current be your guide.For in the heart of stagnation, the true current flows and the Heavenly lotus will bloom.
These words echoed in his head as he finally lost consciousness.