Chapter 3: Reawakening & Rebirth
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Tao Cai's woke up, his eyes slowly opening, his vision clouded and blurry. His mind, too, felt fogged and in disarray. He gently rubbed his eyes as he threw the blanket off of his body, attempting to climb to his feet. As he stood, he realized his body felt strange. He felt stronger and lighter and faster than he ever had. He stood there for a moment, inspecting his body up and down before he lazily scanned his eyes about the room with his fuzzy vision.

"Father!" Tao Cai called out as he took his first steps forward, pushing open the doors that led into the sitting area. Stepping into the room, he comes face to face with Wu Yin, Wei Jie, and Ao Jīn. They stand around a table covered in game tiles, dozens of copper coins and several silver ones placed in the middle of the table. As he steps into the room, each of them immediately kneels down, putting their hands into hold fist salutes.

"Welcome, young lord." the three of them spoke in unison as they bowed their heads before looking back up at the young boy. "We heard you call out for the lord and were preparing the check on you when you opened the doors." Wu Yin spoke up amongst them, explaining why they were already standing when he entered.

"Where is my father?" Tao Cai asked while looking around the room, pacing about the room for a moment before stopping next to the doors that open out into corridors and large area outside the room.

Wu Yin immediately responded, speaking up while Tao Cai paced around the room, "The Lord has gone to meet with Earl Shi and the Imperial agent of his majesty."

"Am I permitted to attend the meeting?" Tao Cai asked, continuing. "I am the young lord of the Li Family." he spoke with a more assertive voice. Wu Yin, however, shook his head.

"They're in the middle of... particularly important talks." Wu Yin seemed to be thinking as he spoke, attempting to string together the right words to properly convey his response. "However, I was told that Lord Li and agent Piao would be coming to find you once they're finished."

"I see..." Tao Cai seemed slightly disappointed as he walked away from the doors, sitting down on one of the chairs.

"There is no need to be disappointed, young lord, as we have our own schedule to attend to in the meantime." Wu Yin explained with a smile. "We have many things to teach you."

"What do you mean?" Toa Cai seemed confused as he looked up at them, tilting his head with a perplexed look on his face.

"We congratulate you, young lord, for awakening your Origin Root." Ao Jīn suddenly spoke up while bowing his head. Tao Cai's eyes immediately went wide as he slowly stood up from his chair.

"What..." Tao Cai seemed to be at a loss for words he stuttered over his words a number of times. "Is... is such a thing even possible?"

"The lord and agent Piao will explain things to you in greater detail when the time comes, young lord." Wu Yin spoke up once more. "However, please know that it is indeed possible, and has been confirmed by agent Piao. You're a cultivator now."

Tao Cai seemed to be shaken as he sat back down once more. Numerous thoughts flowed through his mind, but he realized that his awakening may have been the reason for his strange feelings of lightness and strength when he woke up. "I can't believe..." Tao Cai quietly mumbled to himself as he sat there, staring down at the ground in silence. As he sat there, however, the sound of approaching boots made him look up.

Suddenly kneeling in front of Tao Cai, Wu Yin bowed his head before looking up at the bow. "This is an auspicious day, young lord." Wu Yin spoke confidently, looking into Tao Cai's eyes with a sharp and assuring gaze. "You are the future of the Li Family, and your status as a cultivator will elevate the clan once you're recognized as an immortal."

"But... but I don't know anything about cultivation." Tao Cai seemed teary eyed as he spoke, his voice trembling and unsteady. "I... I'll just end up killed!" Tao Cai shouted with fear as he buried his head in his hands.

"No such thing will happen, young lord." Wu Yin spoke firmly and with confidence. "You are of noble blood, and we," Wu Yin gestured to himself, and back at Wei Jie and Ao Jīn, "will not let you leave here without knowing at least the basics." Wu Yin continued, though Tao Cai remained quiet, his head still held in his hands. Blowing air from his nostrils, Wu Yin spoke once again. "Come, we'll be heading out the training fields at the back of the manor. We have already received permission form Earl Shi himself, so it would be best to not insult the Earl's generosity."

"Will... will I be okay." Tao Cai suddenly spoke, his voice muffled by his hands. "I was just a normal mortal until yesterday. Trying to control Qi will hurt me."

"Even an average cultivator could manipulate Qi while asleep." Wu Yin smiled, speaking with confidence as he attempted to reassure Tao Cai. "However, you also have us, and we will do all that we can to guide you and train you during this time."

Though Tao Cai still seemed concerned, he slowly lifted his head, nodding to Wu Yin with a timid expression as he climbed to his feet. As the others rose to their feet as well, they guided Tao Cai out of the room. Entering into the large area outside of the room, they walked with him through the halls of the mansion while making their way to the back doors of the building. Making their way outside, they stepped out onto a large balcony that looked down onto a dozen separate fields, most of them occupied by groups of soldiers in training. Some of them were clearly cultivators, clad in more noble armor and robes. Other soldiers stand quietly about the fields, quietly guarding the back of the manor.

Making their way down from the balcony by a set of stairs, they step onto the grass of the mansions back grounds while slowly navigating between the occupied fields until arriving at one of several unoccupied ones. While Ao Jīn and Wei Jie stepped off to the side, outside of the stone tiles of the field, Wu Yin stepped into the center alongside Tao Cai.

Wu Yin kneeled in front of Tao Cai as they stopped at the center. "Let us begin with something simple; sit down and transition your body into a meditation stance." Wu Yin prepared to begin his explanation as Tao Cai did so. "First begin to breath in and out, feel the Qi enter your body with each breath."

Tao Cai began to take his first breaths, inhaling and exhaling at regular intervals. As he continued, he began to feel like his body was being rapidly filled with Qi with each breath, before releasing the excess with each exhale. "I... I feel the Qi is entering my body." Tao Cai timidly explained, slowly opening his eyes as he looked up at Wu Yin. Despite the timidness of his voice, it was clear in his eyes that he was excited.

"Good. This time I want to you to turn around." Wu Yin spoke as he gestured for Tao Cai to turn around. Doing so, Wu Yin kneeled, placing one of his hands onto Tao Cai's small, slender back. "I'm going to assist you in guiding your Qi, but I want you to see if you can cloak your body in it. With my assistance, and with this stance, you should be able to do it far more easily." Tao Cai immediately responded with a nod as he closed his eyes once again.

Tao Cai began to breath in an out as Wu Yin helped him more easily gather the Qi into his body. As the two continued for several minutes, Tao Cai began to feel a strange connection with the Qi. It was as if the Qi became part of him when it entered his body with each inhale, right up until the moment he released it with each exhale. He felt like he was beginning to better understand how the Qi ebbed and flowed, and thought he was beginning to understand how to manipulate it. After several more incense sticks worth of time, he finally began to move the Qi across his body, cloaking himself in it. The whole time Wu Yin remained quiet, merely helping him understand through the flow of the Qi.

"You seem to comprehend this perfectly." Wu Yin spoke up as Tao Cai slowly opened his eyes. "I was able to sense the Qi tremble and shift with each breath, manipulating the Qi step by step as you achieved greater understanding of how it moved, and how to manipulate it." Wu Yin complimented Tao Cai on his understanding, gently praising the young boy. "With this, and with my help, we'll move onto one of the most important aspects of cultivation, Qi circulation."

"Qi circulation? Didn't I just do that?" Tao Cai seemed rather confused as he gently shifted, craning his neck around to look up at Wu Yin.

"That was basic Qi manipulation, cloaking your body in order strengthen yourself." Wu Yin explain as he moved back a bit, ushering Tao Cai to turn around. As he did so, Wu Yin continued his explanation. "Qi circulation is something different. It involves moving the Qi through your body, circulating it through your meridians and Origin Root in order to strengthen and elevate them. Being able to do so is important to advancing to higher realms of cultivation."

"Cultivation really is... complicated." Tao Cai spoke in a quieter voice as he looked up at Wu Yin with conflicted eyes.

"Perhaps I should explain it like this; when you draw in the Qi from the world around you and circulate it within yourself, a small amount of it will be pure, allowing you to strengthen your meridians and Origin Root when it passes through them." Wu Yin attempted to explain things differently, speaking slower and in more familiar terms. "When enough pure Qi enters your meridians, you can attempt to breakthrough a minor realm, also known as a layer. When your meridians have become strengthened enough, and your Origin Root is filled to the brim with pure Qi, you may attempt to break through a major realm."

"I think I understand a bit better." Tao Cai seemed unsure as he spoke.

"Perhaps we should try it more directly then." Wu Yin smiled as he gestured for Tao Cai to turn about once again. "I'm going to guide you through the necessary steps in order to circulate Qi through your body. However, know that the circulation will be incomplete for now due to your blocked meridians."

"I understand." Tao Cai nodded as he spoke.

"Then let us begin." Wu Yin respond as Tao Cai closed his eyes; a large hand placed on his back once more. Tao Cai began his breathing techniques as he started to draw Qi into his body. Each time it entered; Wu Yin would guide it through his body.

"Do you feel it?" Wu Yin suddenly spoke. Though most wouldn't know how to answer such an unprovoked question, Tao Cai had already begun to understand

"Yes." Tao Cai answered simply. "It feels strange, as if I could feel the blood of my body flowing through it."

"Good, what you're feeling is the Qi flowing through your Qi veins. These vessels are what allow you to circulate Qi through your body." Wu Yin explained as he continued to silently help guide Tao Cai's Qi through his body. "You must be careful to not damage them, as they take years to heal naturally, and the pills to speed up the process are costly." he quickly explained.

"How... exactly do you damage them?" Tao Cai was curious and worried at the same time.

"There are many ways, but the most common are when a person fails to break through, or when being attacked while attempting to break through. Both can cause severe damage." Wu Yin responded immediately. "Damaging another person's Qi veins is also the most common method of crippling another person's cultivation."

"Crippling cultivation?" Tao Cai questioned with a low voice.

"It's not something you need to worry yourself with for the moment." Wu Yin immediately changed the subject. "Now then, do you understand how I'm making your Qi flow? Do you think you could do it yourself?" Wu Yin questioned.

"Yes, I think I can do it myself." Tao Cai responded confidently. With each motion Wu Yin guided the Qi through, Tao Cai felt it; he internalized it within himself. As Wu Yin pulled back his influence, Tao Cai picked it up, guiding the Qi through his body with less and less help from Wu Yin until he was doing it himself.

"Very good, young lord." Wu Yin spoke as he slowly climbed to his feet, walking around the front of Tao Cai. Kneeling in front of him, he continued. "Now, open your eyes while maintaining this circulation."

With several deep breaths, he nodded. After a few moments, his eyes began to flutter open and shut as he slowly gained the courage to open his eyes. As his eyes slowly opened, Wu Yin could immediately tell that the speed of his circulation slowed, and the concentration of the Qi had decreased. However, Wu Yin still couldn't help but smile with pride. He didn't expect Tao Cai to be able to comprehend the basics so quickly. After several incense sticks of time, it became clear that Tao Cai was slowly beginning to increase the circulation even while his eyes were open.  With a final deep exhale, Tao Cai stopped circulating his Qi.

"Congratulations, young lord." Wu Yin kneeled while clasping his hands into a salute. "You've done well to understand the basics so quickly."

"It's only thanks to your guidance!" Tao Cai quickly asserted his opinion as he turned around to face Wu Yin. He took a step back from the young boy, seemingly surprised by his sudden assertion.

"Yes, young lord." Wu Yin chose to indulge the young boy's assertions, bowing his head. "Perhaps you would like to move onto something a bit more advanced?"

"Like what?" Tao Cai seemed more genuinely curious and ready to learn.

"I will teach you how to nurture your meridians with Qi to unblock them." Wu Yin spoke frankly as he explained. "This can be dangerous to the uninitiated, so I'll be guiding you the whole time." Wu Yin continued with a stricter tone of voice, letting Tao Cai know that he would accept no objections to his help.

"Yes!" Tao Cai immediately accepted as he turned his back to Wu Yin, preparing to continue. Wu Yin nodded once as he quietly sat down behind Tao Cai, placing a hand on his back.

"Begin." Wu Yin spoke in a quiet, soft tone. At once, Tao Cai begin to breath in and out, circulating Qi through his body with Wu Yin's help. As they continued, Tao Cai began to feel a shift in his body. His Qi felt like it was being dragged into a blackhole, as if nurturing a bottomless pit that would never be satiated no matter how long he tried. However, something worse came a moment after. A strange force suddenly struck at the blackhole he was feeling.

In an instant, Tao Cai lurched forward in pain as his body went into a strange shock. He began to cough up a large wad of a strange black substance, bits of clotted blood mixed in with it. However, his further coughs excreted nothing.

Wu Yin immediately jump to his feet as Wei Jie and Ao Jīn ran onto the field from the side. They quickly surrounded him as they inspected his body. Ao Jīn immediately check his vitals, while Wei Jie inspected the circulation of his Qi.

"His breathing and pulse appear to be normal." Ao Jīn seemed immensely relieved while withdrawing back away.

"And neither his Qi veins or meridians appear to be damaged. His organs also appear to be undamaged as well." Wei Jie interceded, giving an update on his internal health as he pulled away his hand.

Wu Yin sighed with relief as he inspected the strange black sludge mixed with blood that he coughed up. "Impurities?" Wu Yin questioned as he sensed a very feint level of Tao Cai's Qi within it. He turned toward Tao Cai with his hand open, gently placing it on the boy's chest. As soon as he did so, he could immediately feel an unordinary amount of Qi swirling about one of his sealed meridians. "I see..." Wu Yin slowed pulled his hand away.

"Is... is something wrong?" Tao Cai questioned with a frightened voice and facial expression.

"Not necessarily." Wu Yin spoke slowly, attempting to sort out the correct words to use. "It may be due to your unknown physique absorbing Qi before you even knew you were a cultivator, but you have a great deal of excess Qi. When you started nurturing the meridian, all of it suddenly rushed forward, causing this accident." Wu Yin explained the situation. "If we were mindful of this excess Qi, this situation shouldn't occur again."

"Then... then let's go again!" Tao Cai immediately retorted with a strong conviction to continue.

"Young lord..." though Wu Yin wished to object he quietly kneeled and saluted. Wei Jie and Ao Jīn immediately followed suit before stepping away, leaving the training field once again. Wu Yin and Tao Cai moved back into position once again.

"Begin." Wu Yin placed his hand back on Tao Cai's back as he spoke. Once more they went through the motions as Qi was circulated through his body. This time, however, Wu Yin was also mindful of controlling the excess Qi which swirled about the meridian. Both of them could immediately tell a difference, the motion of the Qi and the feeling of the meridian itself being much calmer.

As they continued, however, Wu Yin began to notice more and more movement from within his Origin Root and throughout the certain parts of his body. Though he was unsure what was causing it, he felt concerned. 'Could this be because of his physique. Damn, why couldn't his majesty's agent just tell us what it was!' Wu Yin thought quietly to himself, quiet discontent about the whole situation.

Suddenly, however, a burst of energy shot through Tao Cai's body. Wu Yin couldn't react as it did so. Not because he was too slow, but because something was preventing him from doing so. Unable to do anything, Wu Yin felt as the energy shot into the meridian, they were attempting to nurture. As it did so, Wu Yin felt like a great dam was breaking. In an instant, the meridian burst with Qi as it awakened.

Wu Yin found himself being blasted back several feet before he braced against it, utilizing his own Qi as a shield. Wei Jie and Ao Jīn, too, braced against the force of Qi as they conjured up a barrier around the training field as to prevent any damage to the surrounding mortals. As they did so, a mass of impurities was forced from Tao Cai, dirtying the field around him, as well as the clothes he was wearing. However, just as quickly as they exited his body, they seemed to be ground down into energy which was almost instantly absorbed back into his body.

"What...?" Wu Yin seemed in shock as it happened. He had never seen a cultivator use impurity as energy before. Such a thing should have been impossible. "I'll need to question that damn Imperial agent about this." Wu Yin's eyes burned with a fiery determination.

After several moments, the force of Qi bursting from Tao Cai's body finally stopped flowing. Tao Cai himself quietly shifted in place, looking down at his hands. He felt... good. Unexplainably so.

"Congratulations, young lord!" Wei Jie and Ao Jīn spoke in unison as they kneeled and saluted him "You've strengthened your cultivation and awakened on of your meridians." they loudly continued, bowing their heads.

Though they were congratulating him, Tao Cai felt differently. He felt that his awakening, his breakthrough, weren't really his doing. When he suddenly broke through, he knew he felt a dark energy assist him, like an endless tide of corpses smashing into a stone wall until it finally broke under the pressure. 'Would I have been able to break through without it?" Tao Cai quietly looked down at his hands while pondering, clenching them into fists. 'If I don't suppress it, will eventually suppress me?' Tao Cai shuddered in fear.

"Are you alright, young lord." Wu Yin quickly approached after rising to his feet, running over to Tao Cai.

"Ah, yes!" Tao Cai felt like he was just pulled from a spiraling trance as he looked up at Wu Yin with tired eyes.

"You look tired, young lord." Wu Yin spoke in a soft voice as he knelt down, offering a salute. "But I must congratulate as well for your breakthrough today." he smiled as he bowed his head. "You are more talented than any cultivator I've ever seen."

"Thank you, Wu Yin." Tao Cai smiled slightly as he spoke.

"Welcome, Lord Li!" Wei Jie and Ao Jīn suddenly spoke up in unison. Wu Yin and Tao Cai turned about at the same time. While Wu Yin kneeled, Tao Cai quickly ran up to his father,

"Father!" loudly called out as he jumped into his father, hugging him tightly. His father smiles kneeled down as he embraces him back.

"Is everything alright?" Lord Li spoke softly as he gently pulled his away from him while looking over his body. "You weren't hurt?" he immediately inquired after.

"No, nothing happened!" Tao Cai loudly responded. "Though I did unblock another meridian... whatever that means." he sounded a bit confused as he scratched the back of his head.

"Right, we'll need to get someone to teach you all of these things, at least the basics, before you leave for the academy." Lord Li stroked his chin in contemplation as he spoke. "Though it seems like you've got quite the reliable master already." he nodded in the direction of Wu Yin. "Would you like that, if he taught you about cultivation."

"Yes, I would like that very much, father." Tao Cai responded almost immediately. Though he was concerned about what dwelled within him, he couldn't help but feel excited to learn more about cultivation. And if he could possibly learn what might be happening it him, all the better.

"Then it shall be arranged once we return home." Lord Li assured Tao Cai while gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "For now, however, we must talk. Agent Piao, his majesty's agent, would like to meet with you."

"I think I would like to meet with him as well."

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