Time in the Golden Phoenix Pavilion began to move at two different speeds.
For Li Wei, time was measured in the mundane rhythm of commerce: the morning bells, the
arrival of supply wagons, the closing of the ledger at dusk. It was the slow, sticky time of the
mortal world.
For Su Mei, time was measured in breaths.
Three days had passed since she began cultivating the Sutra of the Frozen Heavens. In those
three days, she had barely slept. She had barely eaten. She sat cross-legged on the bed, the
Ice Heart Jade Pendant glowing softly against her chest, surrounded by a visible mist of cold air.
Li Wei sat at the small table in their bedroom, peeling an orange. The citrus scent fought a
losing battle against the sterile, crisp smell of ozone and frost filling the room.
He watched her. He remembered his own first attempts at cultivation. He remembered sitting in
a muddy cave for six months, trying to sense a single wisp of Qi, only to get cramps in his legs
and a sense of crushing failure.
Su Mei inhaled. The air in the room whistled, rushing toward her nostrils. A faint cracking sound
echoed—the sound of impurities being forced out of her pores, instantly frozen and flaking off
like dust.
Boom.
A muffled sound, like a heavy book dropping on a carpet, emanated from her body.
She opened her eyes. The pupils were momentarily vertical, like a reptile's, before returning to
round. But they were a shade lighter. The warm, dark brown was now the color of old tea,
flecked with frost.
"Qi Condensation... Level 1," Li Wei whispered, checking the System interface hovering invisibly
in the air. "In three days."
It had taken the genius of the Azure Cloud Sect—a boy with a Single Element Root—three
months to reach Level 1.
Su Mei looked at her hands. She clenched her fist, and the air popped. She looked up at Li Wei,
her expression one of child-like wonder mixed with intoxication.
"Husband," she said, her voice clearer, resonant. "I can hear... everything."
"Everything?" Li Wei handed her a slice of orange.
She took it, but didn't eat it. She stared at the pulp. "I can hear the sap moving in the wood of
the bed frame. I can hear the heartbeat of the cat three houses down. I can hear the blood
rushing in your veins."
She looked at him, tilting her head. "Your heart is beating very fast."
"I'm worried," Li Wei admitted. "You haven't eaten a proper meal in days."
"I'm not hungry," she said, finally putting the orange slice in her mouth. She chewed slowly.
"Food feels... heavy. Dirty. The Qi is so pure. It fills me up."
Li Wei felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. Inedia—the state of not needing
food—usually happened at the Foundation Establishment stage. She was rejecting mortal
sustenance already?
"You still need to eat, Mei'er," Li Wei said firmly. "You are still flesh and blood."
Su Mei smiled, a little indulgent, as if an adult were listening to a child explain the world. "Of "It feels right," Su Mei said, her eyes drifting back to the middle distance. "Before, I felt like I was
walking through mud. The world was heavy. Now... I feel light. I feel like if I just push a little
harder, I could float."
She reached out and grabbed Li Wei's hand. Her skin was cold, smooth like marble. "And I feel
safe. Remember when the tax collector shouted at you last month? I was so scared. I felt small.
Now... I think about him, and I don't feel fear."
"What do you feel?"
Su Mei paused. She looked for the word.
"I feel... pity," she said softly. "He is so loud. But he is so fragile. Like a dry leaf. If I squeezed, he
would crumble."
Li Wei pulled his hand back, ostensibly to reach for a towel to wipe the table. His heart
thundered. Pity. Not anger. Not justice. Pity for the fragility of others. It was the first step toward
the arrogance of the Dao.
"He is still a representative of the King," Li Wei warned. "We cannot squeeze him."
"I know," Su Mei laughed, the sound light and bell-like. "I'm just saying. It's nice. To not be the
leaf."
[System Alert: Beneficiary Emotional Shift Detected.] [Analysis: Confidence increasing.
Attachment to Mortal Realm decreasing.] [Reward: 50 Support Points.]
Li Wei dismissed the notification. He stood up. "Rest, Mei'er. Tomorrow, I have to go to the
auction house. I need to buy some medicinal herbs to stabilize your meridians. You are
advancing too fast; your body might tear apart."
Su Mei's eyes widened. "You are doing so much for me. How can I repay you?"
Li Wei looked at her. He wanted to say, 'Just stay human. Just stay my wife.'
"Just promise me," Li Wei said. "No matter how high you fly, remember the ground. Remember
this room."
Su Mei stood up and hugged him. She was stiff, her body buzzing with contained energy. "I will
never forget. You are my Dao protector. We are one."
Li Wei held her. But he couldn't help but notice that while he was hugging his wife, she was
already subconsciously cycling her Qi, drawing energy from the air even while in his arms.
She was with him, but she was also somewhere else entirely.