Yu family residence, Yu Jiao’s quarters.

 

In that small courtyard designated for the young miss of the Yu family, there was a small girl with short black hair and bright green jade eyes, walking back and forth, in what people considered boy's clothes, in the little yard available to her.

 

Back and forth she went, once twice, then she sped up a tiny bit with her small legs. Not even seconds after she did that, her lungs started to desperately inflate, her heart increased its beat and her whole body started to sweat as if no tomorrow existed. 

 

All of that was what other people could notice. What they could not, however, is the girl's state of mind. 

 

Her vision was hazy, her mouth dry, and internally she felt as if the ground beneath her swam from the exercise she had been enforcing upon her body. 

 

Despite the haze upon her mind, there was clarity in her eyes and it was only when she was almost overwhelmed to the point of no return, that she slowed down a little. 

 

Like that the haze lifted somewhat and when it was almost cleared away from the brain finally receiving its due in oxygen, she sped up again. Only for it to repeat the cycle, again and again, until her tiny body could no longer endure and finally got its much-deserved rest in the form of forced unconsciousness of its user.

 

Once she fell to the ground, an old man who had been sitting in a chair nearby, with a small table on which some tea kettle and cups could be seen, stood up and went to the girl on the ground. 

 

Placing a hand on her back, he used his Qi and checked her body on the inside. Once he saw no major problems, he used the same Qi to wake the girl up. 

 

Seconds later, Yu Jiao, as she is called in that mansion, woke up. Immediately she felt the cold ground on her left cheek and tried to prop her body up. It took a few tries but eventually, she was successful. 

 

Up and standing, she wobbled a bit but soon found her balance and made her way to the table with the other chair and sat there. Closing her eyes she inspected her body with Life Essence. 

 

Noticing the swelling centered on the lungs and heart, alongside the veins which transported her blood to the brain, she deployed some of her Life Essence around those parts and gave her Power the much-needed instructions with the intent on what to do.

 

Time passed as she intended to be as precise as possible with the instructions. Done with it she opened her eyes and gazed upwards into the sky. There she saw an almost cloud-free sky as it was summer, but the clouds she did see were enormous.

 

It was only when the old man that woke her spoke that she turned her gaze away. “ How many beats was it this time? ”

 

“ Five more. ” Replied Yu Jiao in her new identity as the young miss of the Yu family. “ I think this will be going much slower than I anticipated. If my interpretation is correct then all I did was gain better control of this body, instead of it working on its own. ”

 

“ Give it some time, it's been barely 4 days since you started. ” Was the advice of the sagely old man who looked close to 80 and stroked his long white beard. “ For changes to appear you will need far more time than mere four days. Now tell me, what is bothering you? ”

 

“ Oh, four days of observing me and you already know me that much, old bones? ” Replied the girl cheekily but the old man just shrugged his shoulders a bit. “ Sigh, if I had to describe it, I would say that being in a body so weak that a bit of exercise knocks it unconscious is a great amount of stress and frustration. Normally I would say those old people like you should understand this, but you Cultivators probably work on different standards. ”

 

Saying that she took a sip of tea to wet her tongue and throat when her tea friend spoke. “ Indeed, as old as I am, these bones are enough to run for a few hours if needed. ” Replied the old man. “ Although, I doubt that is all that is occupying your mind. No matter how old in your memories you are and how it is affecting your current body, it's still the body of a 13-year-old girl. Tell me? It's better to talk about things than brood about them in one's mind. ”

 

Hearing that Jiao gazed back at the sky and the enormous white cloud formation in the distance. “ It's ok, once I have confirmed it, I won't mind sharing it. Let me change the topic. You said that probably today, my physical arts instructor should be arriving, right? ”

 

“ Depends on the horse's speed, the time at which said person started the journey, and the need of the rider to reach one’s destination. Should be either today or tomorrow, I was told by your… father. ” Confirmed the old man.

 

“ Right. Say I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but could you tell me more about the Yu family? ” Surprised at that unexpected topic change, the old man only raised one eyebrow.

 

“ Why ask me this. Why not ask your teacher? I am sure he would be happy to explain it, after all, he worked for the Yu’s his whole life. Or could that be the reason? ” He asked the little girl, in return.

 

“ Oh, I… should confess a bit. ” She said bit reluctant. “ Aside from the very basics, I asked very little about the Yu family. I… knew that all questions would be relayed back to… father. So I just focused on speech first, instead of asking if they are a wealthy family or not. ”

 

“ I see. And you being an outsider want the opinion of another outsider? ”  He asked again.

 

“ Something like that. So how about it? ”

 

“ I don't mind, but first tell me what you already know. “ Agreed the old man, while taking a sip of his tea.

 

“ Sure. ” The little girl in body only nodded. “ Umm, right now I am in the Yu residence, which belongs to the Yu Clan and is the head of the Heavenly Jade Association of Merchants. The residence is located in the capital city of Zhonyang Feng(Central Wind) of the Qing Feng Empire(Azure Wind). “

 

With a one-second break to find her word she continued. “ At the top, we have the Royal family bearing the surname Feng (Wind). Below them we have the four Great Clans, which bear the names of the seasons; The Xia clan (Summer) which rules the southern region of the empire, the Dong clan (Winter) which rules the north region, The Chun clan (Spring) which rules the east region and at last the Qiu clan (Autumn) which rules the west region. Below them are the 8 noble families. Two noble clans for each of the great clans to divide the land further. In there somewhere comes the Yu family, a merchant-oriented family. ”

 

Done with displaying her current knowledge she looked for answers in the old man. “ My… father was attempting to have the previous Jiao wed into the Xia family as the previous Jiao had taken a liking to their young master. It all went sideways but as it was the primary cause of my appearance here I am interested to know more. I only left it for later as I had... other things to chew on. ”

 

“ Hmm, go on. Do you know anything about the clans in question? ” Asked the old man.

 

Jaio nodded. “ All of them administer their regions and while all of them are mostly the same, they do have something special that differentiates them from the others. The Dong in the North are the hardiest people, as it's far colder there. From them, stem many great warriors, I was told. The Chun on the East have access to the sea, I think, and therefore are related to most seafaring things. The Qiu in the West is defined by the plains and their many rivers. They also have the best horses, I think. In the South, we have the Xia who live in a temperate climate and their specialty is related to agriculture making them the main suppliers of food in the Empire. In the middle, we have the Feng Royal family and the administrative center of it all, where the four regions mix and merge. ”

 

Nodding at the girl's explanation, the old man waved for her to continue but when no more came out of their mouth, he sighed. “ Alright, I will take it from here. ”

“Let us see, The Azure Wind Empire is relatively new, only founded about 3 thousand years ago. I don't remember the exact number, but compared to the other Empires around, it's relatively weak and small. ” He explained. “ Before that time, there was a major upheaval in the World and many legacies were lost to it. It is said that the ancestors of the 5 clans were friends. After exploring the ruins of a sect in what is currently the Empire, they found 5 legacies related to the seasons. The strongest of them at that time became the central figure and after time and many, many battles they established the Azure Wind Empire. The Five Great Clans have exchanged marriages to a great degree so it could be said that they all are related somewhat, but like everything else, with time comes inner conflict. I don't think I need to say anything about that, will I? ”

 

Seeing the shaking head in denial, he went on. “ Now about the Yu Clan, well, their history in the Azure Wind Empire starts about 700-800 years ago. It was at that time that Yu Tian, the founder appeared. The story goes that he one day appeared in the Zhongyang Feng capital city and with his charisma created a small merchant company. With his skills, his company grew and grew until finally, it caught the attention of the other big players around. At first, they went at it hoping to rope such a talent for themselves but when that failed, they went with the shadier ways of eliminating competitions. At first many of the plays failed hilariously with him winning in the end. Once they had enough of that, assassins were sent after him. That was when his cultivation was revealed and it surprised everybody. Not only had he reached Core Creation at a very young age showing his talent, but his mantra also took the limelight. The Heavenly Jade Mantra was of the highest quality, and it could rival the Mantras of the Five Clans. “

 

The old man stopped at that point and took a sip of tea before continuing. “ After many years and many events, his rise was unstoppable and he slowly began to swallow the markets in the city. It was only after the Five Clans interfered that it stopped, but by then Yu Tian had already swallowed the majority of the markets. At that point, he created the Heavenly Jade Association of Merchants and roped many others into it to protect themselves from the Five Great Clans and the Yu’s became the sixth player in the Empire. It's not known why but it is said that after a final battle between them and Yu Tian, an agreement was made. Since that day, no Yu blood has ever entered the government, not even in the minor roles. ”

 

“ Wow, but that didn't stop them from throwing their money around and getting good deals in return, did it? ” Inquired the young girl.

 

“ Not at all. ” He replied. “ That was how their story went from that point on, till the day the previous Jiao took a liking to the young master of the Xia family. So great was the Lord’s love that just to make her happy he broke that stalemate and wanted to have her wed to the young boy. Maybe it would have worked if the young lady didn't have broken meridians, much less the Heavenly version of them. I am sure to the Xia clan it felt more like an insult than a gesture of a daughter's loving father. But all that is in the past as the old Jiao is gone and to be honest, I have no idea how the future would write itself now. ”

 

“ I guess that leaves me in a bad spot. My… father will definitely retaliate, and then I will be blamed for everything and soon enough I can expect an assassin whenever I leave this residence. Am I correct, old man? ” The new Jiao asked him.

 

“ I can't say. Depends on the retaliation of the Lord, but it's not hard to imagine it, I guess. ” He replied vaguely.

 

“Alright, let's not leave the mansion at least until I can protect myself, somewhat. ” Declared, Yu Jiao. “ By the way, old bones, you mentioned something about Core Creation and that the Mantra of the Yu’s is strong. Can you tell me more? ”

 

“Hmm. ” Though the old man for a second. “ The Heavenly Jade Mantra is a first-grade Mantra that is heavily associated with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air and the rare variant of Metal roots. Aside from being a double core Mantra, it's unique because of its requirement to practice, I mean its lack of. As long as you possess one of those roots you can practice it, your roots would shift into the jade variant, which is why it's called The Heavenly Jade Mantra. ”

 

“ Nice, but one thing stuck in my mind as you said all that. ” Mentioned Ju Jaio. “ Is my assumption that the fewer elements one’s roots have, the better it is? ”

 

Raising an eyebrow, the old man answered. “ Generally, yes. All Heavenly variants are single elements. They require much fewer resources, the speed of cultivating with them is through the roof. With them, one does not need to branch into the different elements and learn their application. ”

 

“ Speed and specialization over generalization. “ Nodded the girl. “ And I am right to assume that most people are born with roots of many elements? ”

 

“ Yes. Let me continue my explanation. ” Nodded the girl and the old man spoke. “ Mantras can be separated into 4 categories. At the lowest level, the fourth, we have the useless ones. The main reason anyone would practice with them is when there is nothing else. With them, you will only ever reach the peak of a Mortal, which is Qi gathering. “

 

“ The third-grade Mantras are those that enable one to establish one's Sea of Qi, no matter where and leave behind one's Mortality and finally gain longevity of about 200 years. Even if they can't increase their cultivation at least they will live with a healthy body for that amount of time, at least if they are not killed, which is the number one cause of death. “

 

“ The second-grade Mantras are those that enable you to achieve Core Creation. It is at that point that one's talent no longer matters but what matters is the Enlightenment of the cultivator. ”

 

“ Here is where the true divide starts. With a second grade, you can continue to cultivate till the end, meaning one can seek Immortality, but if you had a first-grade Mantra, your chances of achieving Core Creation increase and that is not the end. All first-grade Mantras are dual Core variants. ”

 

“ Why does having a second Core matter? ” Asked the girl in intrigue.

 

“ Oh, I should have mentioned that part first. My bad. ” Excused the old man. “ All Cultivation is divided into three parts. The Spiritual Cultivation, those that create their Core in the stomach, The Physical Cultivation, those that create their Core at the Heart and finally at the end the Mind Cultivators, those who create their Cores in the head. ”

 

“ Soo, each of them has a specialization and if you have 2 cores you can cultivate two at once. ” Added the little girl. “ That means that there exists one with three cores? ”

 

“ Yes, Supreme Grade Mantras can create three cores.  So far, I have not heard of anyone having practiced those in this Empire, only the first-grade ones of the Five Clans and the Yu Clan. ” Remarked the old man. “ Maybe they exist in some of the oldest clans or Empires in our World but everybody agrees that the more Cores one has, the harder it is to cultivate as it not only requires more resources but also more talent. Otherwise one will get stuck on one side and if there is an imbalance of the cores it only gets harder. ”

 

“ I see. ” Was all that came out of Yu Jiao. Taking a sip of cold tea, she gazed at the sky again in contemplation. 

 

Observing the far-away look in her eyes for a few seconds, the old man asked. “ Has some of my knowledge swayed your decision on cultivating Qi, or are you going to stick with your original gift? Ah, I hope you don't mind, explaining to me a bit about Life Essence and how it works. ” 

 

“ I am kinda stuck midway on both sides, to be honest ” Yu Jiao stated, not taking away her gaze from the sky. “ While Qi does sound interesting, without roots I would probably need a different approach. If I can't figure it out, ripping out somebody's roots and placing them into my own body, is an option. ” Hearing that, chills overcame the old man for a second. “ But for that, I would probably need to experiment first, and I don't think I am ready to bloody my hands right now. ”

 

“ On the other hand, the Mantra as you guys call it, my original left me sounds much more exciting, but I am missing a vital key component to activate the Mantra. ” Not being done, she continued. “ But then even if I had it, I would probably need to improve my physical condition or I would die during the activation. ”

 

“ And what is that ingredient? Maybe I know where to find it. ” Inquired the old man.

 

“ Sorry to inform you old man, but if your example is similar to the others, then I doubt it. ” She replied with a steady gaze at the old man. “ As for the ingredients, well… don't panic when I say it, please. Could you do that?. “ Seeing her serious, his eyes lit with intrigue and he nodded. Seeing the nod, Yu Jiao spoke with some hesitation. “ If I had been taught the language properly then the thing that I am missing is a... Soul. ”

 

Chills appeared again and traveled through his spine all over his body. Then shock as he considered the words he heard. ‘ Did I mishear, perhaps? ‘

 

Not taking his gaze away from her he thought and considered his memory as he heard the word in question. ‘ No, it was properly said. Was there a translation error, then? ‘

 

Still gazing at the little girl who just declared she had no Soul, he considered it. ‘ Maybe, but probably not, if I consider how I had been talking with her so far. Then maybe I am missing something. ‘

 

“ You turned quiet, have you considered your thoughts? ” She asked with a dead serious gaze at him.

 

“ I did, and I must say that shocked me quite a bit. The last time that happened was when that Flame of yours appeared at first. ” Shaking his head at the memory. “ I guess, I better take this as a sign that it won't be the last time I am shocked because of you, either. ”

 

“ Ok, explain your reasoning. Why do you not believe you have a Soul? ” He asked the little girl.

 

Denying the question, she asked him in return. “ Old man, I said if I take you as an example. Did the shock make you forget that part? ”

 

OH, was all that appeared in his thoughts for a few seconds. “ Explain.” Exclaimed the old man in a hurry.

 

Yu Jiao nodded and replied. “ Remember a few days ago when I sensed your roots? It was at that time that I noticed it. You had no Soul, and if my theory is right then your roots are a replacement for it, or in another scenario, your roots are the teaching and guiding tool to acquiring one. ”

 

Still somewhat shaken, he considered her words and just nodded. “ According to my original, unless you are born in a World where Souls are generated for you at birth, then the only other way to gain them is to be recognized by the World in which you live. ”

 

Again the old man just nodded. “ My original said that a Soul is a marker by which the World tracks an individual in question as that is its main purpose. After all, unless you directly manipulate Reality, you might as well be invisible to its mighty Will, after all, you don't go staring at ants from the high heavens. It's usually through that marker that an individual is pulled into an afterlife, or some other purpose, who knows. On the other hand, a Soul can also be seen as something of a strength marker, if acquired by yourself. Whereupon your gaining of one, you are recognized by the World in question that your knowledge and enlightenment are enough to continue on your path of ascension. Sooooo, tell me, old man, is there something like that here? ”

 

Stupefied by what he was hearing, he replied without thought. “ There is. ”

 

“ Really? ” Happiness surged in those bright green jade eyes. “ How and at what stage? Please tell me it's in the earlier stages or otherwise it will take me forever to acquire one. ”

 

“ It's… after the Core stage, I think? ” He replied hesitantly.

 

“ Right, hmm… if we go by numbers then, would a normal person be considered the first rank on the stage of cultivation or would it be those that start to cultivate? ” Asked Jiao, in wonder.

 

“ Umm, if you're going in an ascending way, then yes. Qi gatherers would be the first stage of cultivation. ” Agreed the old man. “ Followed my Foundation Establishment as the second stage. Core Creation is the third stage and Soul Creation is the 4th step. ”

 

“ Ugh, so I wasn't mistaken. Let me guess, that the fourth step is quite high in regards to the Azure Wind Empire? ” Unfortunately for Yu Jiao, the old man nodded. “ I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Haaa. ” Sighed the young girl like an old man who had no other choice but to accept his death.

 

“ One more thing, If the stage is called Soul Creation why did you sound so surprised? ” Asked the little girl. She was quite surprised at his surprised face.

 

“ Ah, because. Every Cultivator is told that as we ascend in stages, we cultivate a second Soul that will represent us on our path to Immortality. ” Replied the old man. “ To insinuate that we had none, to begin with, is a whole different story. ”

 

“ I see. ” Was all that Jiao answered with and forgetting the old man for a second, she gazed back at the sky. 

 

The old man only stared at the little girl as if he wanted to shake the answers out of her head. Inside him, an itchy feeling appeared, and not being done with his quest for knowledge he spoke. 

 

“ Tell me more about the Soul and why is it important to your Mantra? Also, tell me this, if I don't have a Soul then how am I, well who I am? ”

 

Gazing back, Yu Jiao considered the best way to explain it. “ Say, old man, is there a saying that goes like this? If you gaze at something, then that something gazes back at you? ” Seeing the nod, she continued. “ Then imagine something like this. If you can observe Reality, no matter the sensory organ, no matter the method at how you observed Reality, then Reality is reflected in you. That reflection of Reality passes through your limited sensory organs into your brain. The brain then interprets those signals so the core of your being can construct the limited Reality your sensors have perceived.  ”

 

RUMBLE rumbled from the old man. It reverberated from him and out into his surroundings.

 

Stupefied by what she sensed despite not using Life Essence and Will to sense anything. It was as if that sound penetrated her very being. 

 

Gazing at the old man in more detail she saw him with a cloudy expression and at that moment she realized what was happening to him and continued to speak only in a louder voice.

 

“ That limited construct of Reality is YOU. Every action you did in life, every emotion you had in life, every sensory perception you had in life, every kind of energy you used in life, every kind of cultivation you used in your life is a tool to improve your sensory organs and brain processing capacity to make sense of the limited information that is reflected. ”

 

RUMBLE RUMBLE, more thunder echoed out from the old man. The wind started to pick up around him. 

 

“ The core of your Being cares not for the how or why. It cares not for others, only for itself. To it, everything else but itself is a tool to construct the identity that is YOU. It is that innate selfishness that describes LIFE at its core. It is that innate selfishness to prolong its own existence that defines LIFE, but old men do not let that selfishness blind you. It may be the core of your LIFE but it is your decisions on how that selfishness affected you and how you chose to extend your selfishness and help others and not just yourself. ” Shouted Jiao, hoping that her words were the correct fuel for the old man.

 

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE

 

More wind picked up. The table by their side tipped over. Yu Jiao stood up and retreated a few steps back.

 

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE 

 

More Sounds reverberated, but this time they were not from the old man. They came from above. Way, way above, dark storm clouds gathered out of nowhere. Black after black clouds gathered and thunder sounded from it. 

 

Gazing upwards she didn't notice how people started to gather around her courtyard after the first thunder in the sky was heard. 

 

She didn't notice how some distance away the Lord of the mansion gazed at her and the old man in question in wonder.

 

As he gazed at her, the first thunder showed itself in the sky. It was at the moment that the first thunder appeared that the old man finally moved. No longer was his expression cloudy. No longer would he doubt his path as a healer and he showed it interestingly too. As he gazed at the thunder in the sky his body stood straighter than rim rod straight, as if the dust of old age no longer shackled him. 

 

He even appeared to be at least 20 years younger. Now he looked much closer to an old man of sixty and not eighty. 

 

As he gazed into the sky, above his head appeared a tiny ball of light. The moment it appeared, a lightning bolt slammed down from the heavens onto that ball of light. 

 

No muscle twitched as the lighting hit the ball above him but he did close his eyes as did everybody else when the lightning fell, at least for that little bit of time.

 

When they opened their eyes, they saw the light ball above the old man change. No longer was it a light ball but now it resembled a tiny baby. It had features of a younger version of the old man. There it stayed for a bit and vanished back into the old man. 

 

“ Strange, why only one? There should have been 9 of them? ” Mumbled the Lord of the Yu residence. Filing that abnormality for later as he looked back at the old man and the new Jiao. 

 

“ Congratulations old man. ” The little girl stated the obvious to him with a smile. “ Can I take this event as you being in my debt? I am in serious need of one of those you just produced. Even a half-broken one will do I think? ”

 

Any gratitude vanished from his eyes for a second before he realized that she was joking with him. Still, he replied seriously to her.  “ I will find some other way to pay my debt. ”

 

“ Are there assassins for hire or something on that level, if so you could pay me with money? I really need a Soul like that. ” Again the old man denied her desire.

 

“ Sigh, fine I will be going back inside my bedroom to brood on everything. “ She declared to him. “ 

 

She murmured to herself as she left the old man behind. “ Of course, I could not cheat my way up. ”