When I heard what my father said, I could hardly believe it. Coming from my world it felt like something out of legend stories or like watching anime of cultivation on television, but now… now I'm actually living in a world like this.
(Is it a sin that I watched so much anime and read so many manga back then?) I thought.
To improve my cultivation my father kept me hidden in a quiet cave high above the Tianjian sect. It was forbidden for anyone else to enter except my father, the sect leader who held the authority to enter.
Before he left, he told me again and again,
"While you train in qi, you have to focus on your inner energy, don't allow yourself to be distracted by anything, the mind must be empty, only then you can begin to unlock the power of qi."
I understood what Qi was, I had seen about it from watching anime. However, I didn't really understand how Qi is formed or how I would know when it has been formed. Still, I tried to follow what my father told me.
But no matter how hard I tried, nothing happened, nothing changed.
It was easy to say,
"Empty your mind." But doing it is another thing, I know for a few seconds I could quiet everything,but then out of nowhere a thought would arise, am I doing this right? And just liked that another thought would follow… no matter how hard I tried, they just kept coming.
And then, just like before, that man appeared from my body. The only I could see, no one else could see him, hear him… only me!
He looked at me and said calmly ,
"You're doing it wrong."
I looked at him, frustrated,
"Then why don't you teach me, do you even know what I'm doing?"
He smiled slightly "I know everything you're doing, did you forget? I live inside you."
"So teach me then, show me the right way?" I asked.
He laughed, "I can… but this isn't some simple give and take, you must accept me as your master and yourself as my student, but why do you think I should teach you something I've kept precious for centuries" he said.
I whispered softly "for centuries, who really is he? And said, "you probably know by now that I'm just a host in this body, this is not real me, I came from another world, I miss my mom, dad and my friends, all I want is to go back but I can't do it alone, so I need your help."
He looked at me with eyes that seemed to understand me,
"Okay" he said gently, "but you'll have to do the hard work and I will guide you down the right path."
I hesitated, " if I followed your path…will it make me stronger."
"Hahaha…" he laughed deeply
"Stronger?" You know nothing about me, I can make you stronger than anyone else ever could.
(If he can make me stronger, what else do I need) I thought.
I knelt down and vowed to him three times, accepting him as my master.
He sat at top of the stone holding his both arms and said,
"First focus on your breathing, the more deeply you focus on it, the more you start to lose… yourself, after a while you'll notice that you're just seeing things without holding on to them, without forming memories. That's how you quiet the mind and how you begin to build qi with you."
I decided to try it. I have no idea how many hours or even days I spent like that, but now, finally…I can feel my qi.
I finally feel it like a soft wind gently stirring inside me, flowing through every part of my body.
"It worked," I said.
The more I practice in breathing the more I can feel the energy building inside me.
I could see everything moving in slow motion, even my body felt lighter and stronger.
(I finally did it, what level am I at now?) I thought.
Master voice whispered,
"You've reached the second stage of qi." [qi condensation]
"Wow!" I said " it was hard to contain but I really did it, I felt so happy."
"Thank you master." I said
Master replied,
" This is just the beginning, there's still a long road ahead."
Still…I couldn't hide how happy I was, I nodded with a big smile.
"Master, can I ask you something if you don't mind?"
But master said,
"I'm already tired, I need a rest. You just practice this more."
Then like before he disappeared, fading back into my body.
(I had laid my foundation, my path of cultivation had truly began) I thought
I stepped out of the cave, the sunlight hit my face…and I was overwhelmed.
From where I stood I could see the Taijian sect.
"What…"
"What is that?"
"Is that smoke?"
I felt something terribly wrong, I ran down the mountain but this time I was faster than the deer. Even deer were left behind.
When I reached down, the place that once had been beautiful carved with exquisite details, was ruined. It was all destroyed, bodies lay everywhere, I could hardly believe my eyes, who could have done this?
"Father…where is my father?" I called, hoping and panic as my voice broke down.
"Father!" "Father!" I shouted again and again.
A voice answered from behind me,
"Young sect leader…" I turned, it was the man in golden armor who had helped me before, tears in his face.
"I'm sorry." He said,"we weren't strong enough." Coughing in blood while saying.
" Don't talk, I'll help you." I said but he grabbed my hand and said,
"Don't worry about me, I'm a soldier who swore to protect this sect, but I failed. We couldn't defeat those two men."
"Two men." I was stunned. How can these two men defeat this entire sect? Where is my father?"
He pointed towards the shattered walls, "I saw him fighting them there." Go young sect leader save your father.
I ran to a smashed wall, tree branches lay broken nearby, they had disappeared into the forest, following the trail I found blood on the ground, "Blood" I said, I prayed it wasn't my father's.
The deeper I went, the deeper I saw all the trees were shattered, fear rising in my chest, the hopes and dread collided, when I saw him.
He was lying on the ground, covered with blood.
"Father." I sobbed
He wasn't my birth father but still he had love as a father should. I fell to my knees holding his hand, " father you're going to be alright"
"Xie zhong…" he said my name for the first time, until then I also didn't know my real name, from where I came from I was called "Yan" and here everyone had called me " young sect leader." but as soon as he called that name, I knew he was calling me, and the feeling came up.
"Yes…father," I answered
He smiled weakly, " it's too late, there is nothing you can do, so don't cry. This is my fate but not yours, promise me you'll become strong, stronger than anyone , don't let someone decide your fate, live your own life and be strong my child, promise me?"
"I…promised," I cried over and over, the pain was like bursting through my chest with a cold… I hadn't known how deep my love for him ran until that moment.
Father didn't respond after that, I understand he was gone, I was holding him, unable to let go. I carried him along the path, wounded soldiers watched me pass, tears in their eyes but they were holding back their sobs.
I carried him to the top of the mountain and buried him there
so he could rest in peace, at his grave side I vowed and I swore to myself that, "I would make whoever did this pay hundreds of fold."