Another explosion rocks the tiny house. Windows opened and the cheap and simple array that made it so that the house was not destroyed with every explosion fizzled down. The coughing sound of that stupid healer follows soon after as he airs the smoke outside the house. The healer is as stupid as when I punch it when I woke up. All of his being screams mundanity, plain daoist robe, plain face, and all. Not even part of any sect, but certainly have a death wish. While I assessed him again, he noticed me sitting on this tree branch.

  “I see you still trying to do that stupid thing again.” I jump down from the tree

  “Greetings senior. I’m glad that you are healthy. And no, it is not stupid.” The fool cupped his hand and bowed before objecting

  “Certainly not better than healing cultivators from different sides in this war.” I criticize him again and he just chuckles awkwardly

  Not only this fool tries to make a spiritual pill that can even heal mortals, he even heals cultivators from opposing sides. If I am not present when those from Xia and Xian woke up, then he would have died already.

  “Well, this war will be over soon anyway, then consider that my debt to you is settled.” I enter his house without his invitation

  Sitting down on my usual seat, I set my sword beside my table. Flicking my sword with my Qi to shut it screams for murder and slaughter. Then I watch as the fool picks a different cauldron, then measuring spiritual herbs and recording it before each attempt. Beside his desk is a stack of books with similar vain efforts.

  “Why are you doing this anyway?” I ask incredulously

  “I am not as gifted as you senior, I am not fortunate enough to join even the less prestigious sect due to my origin. So the only way for me to advance is to follow the Arhat Path and I genuinely believe that if someone needs help then we should help them.” He answers without much thought. As if he have been asked this numerous times

  “Pfft. So you have faith, but you have no wisdom if you are doing things like this.” To my answer, he gaze at me wide eyes

  “What?”

  “I never thought senior would know about this branch of Buddhism.”

  “I am well read!”

  “Of course. Hahaha! I just never thought, considering your path of cultivation. Haha.”

  “Are you mocking me? Maybe I really should have cut your head off when I woke up.”

  “No no. I wouldn’t dare.” He said so but still laugh in the end

  Bloody idiot. But still, he did heal me after that damnable ambush. So I tolerate him. Besides, his little clinic has not seen any more wounded these past two weeks. The old man back in Xia must be raging that they are still beaten back even with my help. Well, all of this mess is also because of them so it's just karma at this point. The fool reactivated the array in his house again. Picking the new cauldron and bunch of spiritual herbs. Ready to waste more of his time again.

  “Hey.” I call him before he went inside the pill refining room

  “Back then when I woke up, you said there’s a chance for me to lose my memory right?”

  “Yes, but fortunately you did not lose any memory.”

  “In case I did, what stupid thing would you do?” He hums as he ponder my question

  “Well, since you are older, I will say that you are my brother or a very old friend. But if you are younger, I am prepared to bestow my surname and adopt you as my son.”

  “Must I really wear this?” Come the voice of Dànxīng, returning me back to the present

  “Of course! Of course! Obviously I lament the necessity of covering your mighty form but alas this is the rule here.” Qīngfēng said enthusiastically

  Already he returns with the black and white daoist robe tailored for Dànxīng’s size. Who of course, clearly uncomfortable from his senior brother's enthusiasm and reluctant to wear it too. Dànxīng then noticed my gaze with his three pairs of eyes.

  “Finished reminiscing old man?”

  —

  The old man did not answer my question. Bluish purple halo no longer surrounded his head. Must be remembering something quite important.

  “Why are you unwilling to wear it?” The old man asks

  Because its fucking ugly. But clearly I can’t say that.

  “Hmmm. How do I say this?”

  I pick the robe my supposed senior brother brings me. Noting the weird design. The left half is black and the right half is white. The Yin and Yang symbol on the back but that is the extent of what I know.

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  “Well?” The old man presses

  Quick, what’s the most british way I can say this

  “It looks like the tailor ran out of material for half the clothes so they made the second half in fully different material.”

  To this, Qīngfēng, my supposed senior brother, finally tenses in silence. Looking back at the old man and waiting for his reaction.

  “HAHAHAHA!” The old man let out a booming laugh, which made Qīngfēng jumps a step back in surprise

  “I thought the same thing too. When I first joined this sect, I always wondered who designed this kind of thing.” He adds then slaps his knee

  “Yin Yang not your thing?” I reluctantly wear the robe, mostly because my senior brother keep pestering in his attempt to help

  “So you know some parts of Daoism.”

  “Only this one mind you. Mostly because it is quite distinct.” I finished wearing the robe, which felt like multiple layer of bath robes

  Then I looked at my tail which is twice as long as I am tall. Feeling the limb, I try to will it to shrink. It immediately shrinks to the point I can fully tuck it underneath my robe. Qīngfēng paying uncomfortably intense attention to it. Bright green and yellow halo surrounds his head. Joy and excitement I guess. He is not bad per se, its just that he is what I would call a fucking furry! Which also adds another dissonance in my memories. To me, it feels like my body is always like this, furred with patterns of scales, deer antlers, tails and such. But if it is always like this, I’m sure the furries back home won’t stop pestering me when I accidentally stumble upon one of their conventions during one of my many part times.

  On the other hand, I am now confident to say that my power is an equivalent of a psyker or something equivalent to it. Reading emotions and some sort of biomancy. Kind of explains my body suddenly liquifying after taking that drug the old man gives me. As if it awakens some dormant power which immediately goes out of control.

  “Don’t let anyone other than us hear you say that about the robes. They will be… less accepting of your assessment.” Came the familiar female voice.

  She’s the one present when I took the drug, my senior sister. Zhāoxiá is her name. Or maybe her courtesy name. I still think it is similar to larp nicknaming when the old man explains to me the concept of courtesy name. I am an adult now, so call me this nickname which has a similar meaning to my given name. She wore a similar robe like us and carried a few books, the old man told her to fetch. She can be considered quite beautiful, I think. My perception of aesthetics might also have been altered, but I definitely did not get the same feeling of one is beautiful when I saw Qīngfēng. Who have a disheveled but otherwise plain appearance.

  “Yes, this is some sort of cult after all.” I take her advice but she frown

  “Don’t say that too, it sounds like an insult.” She adds before the old man pick the books she had

  “Well, now that we have all gathered here, Zhāoxiá, Qīngfēng, greet your junior brother.”

  “Wáng Qiūyè, courtesy name Zhāoxiá, Elder Luòchén’s first disciple, greets junior.”

  “Yáng Liǔzhī, courtesy name Qīngfēng, Elder Luòchén’s third disciple, greets junior.”

  He looks at me expectantly as the two clasp their other hand. To this I just wave then he sighs.

  “His name is Xuán Dànxīng. His homeworld has completely different customs than us, so educate him properly.” Oh, he must be expecting me to introduce myself and following their example

  “Xua—, He’s your son!?” Qīngfēng yell in surprise

  “Adopted.”

  “When!?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Why?”

  “Mind your manners.” The old man flicks Qīngfēng’s head which make a sound like gunfire and throws him off the ground

  “Then, should we call him young master instead?” Zhāoxiá asks

  To this, the old man looked at me again

  “Eh no. Felt weird.” I immediately answer this time

  “Very well.”

  The old man then hums as he inspect the three books in his hand. Looking at me with raised eyebrows before pondering the books again. Then he singled out one book.

  “Hand.” I give him my hand and again he feel my pulse

  “Hmmm, do you feel any anxiety, apathy, paranoia, or something alike?”

  “No.”

  “So only altered memories. It is considered mild, all things considered.”

  “All things considered?”

  “Yes, all your Qi is gathered in your upper dantian. Passing the usual progression on your lower dantian first.”

  “I have no idea whatever you just said.”

  He taps my belly

  “This is your lower dantian. This is where most if not all forms of cultivation method gather and purify Qi using breathing or other cultivation methods. Mostly because this is the most stable root where you can build your cultivation.”

  Then he tapped the middle of my chest.

  “This is your middle dantian. Where vital Qi is stored. Vital Qi is your lifespan, which can be used during extreme situations for an immediate boost or restoration of power at the cost of your lifespan. There are cultivation methods to utilize this dantian in conjunction with the lower dantian without sacrificing lifespan.”

  He then tapped my skull, between my six eyes. Floating to reach it as I am much taller than he is.

  “This is your upper dantian. This is where your spirit is stored. Usually, it is highly influenced by the state of the mind. A brief imbalance within the state of the mind can quickly plunge your mind into chaos. Anything between anxiety, paranoia, and insanity can happen which is why this dantian usually is utilized last. You however are in reverse.” He explains fully

  “I see. What is your solution?” I get the gist of it. Maybe.

  “This is a Quintessential Balance tome. It is a mediocre cultivation method balancing all the five elements. It is not exactly powerful, but it will provide a very stable foundation to help you control your upper dantian.” He gives me the book

  I accept the book and open it. Fortunately I can read. Somehow. Must be because of the memory alteration thingy. Which is good I guess. I don’t think I can last trying to learn how to read these… characters properly.

  “Now practice this.”

  “Now?”

  “Now, as none of us are busy at the moment and can help… educate you properly in this matter.”

  “Alright.”

  I sat down cross legged following the instruction. The old man is now observing quietly. So does Zhāoxiá and Qīngfēng who is back and still nursing his head. Oh well, let’s see what this cultivation thingy is. I close? Turn off my lidless eyes. Then I feel the ambient Qi which is easy enough. Then, gather the Qi and breathe it in.

  COUGH!

  I cough as soon as the Qi enters my nose. Harshly coughing whatever is still stuck in my nose. Then bile rises from my stomach and I puke to the side. It feels like a very viscous liquid is entering my nose. Like when I try smoking but much much worse, gagging my entire breathing organs. The old man is already kneeling beside me, checking my pulse and pouring the warm sensation into my veins again.

  “Now this is odd. I sense nothing wrong within your body. Follow me, there might be something I miss or this manual is not for your physique.”