Heavenly Rings

The following morning, Hai Yang raise with the sun before exiting the small house on climb the little mound. Facing the raising sun, he sat cross-legged as his right hand was supported by his left one, slightly arced and forming the half right part of a circle and close with his left thumb. The inside of this circle was right around his navel.

Closing his eyes, Yang tries to sense the mana in the surrounding air. As he slow down his breath and pace his mind, his breath became longer and more stable as his heat beat follow.

Following the technique passed down by old Dong, Yang clear his mind, trying to sense his own body.

Until this day, because of the poison, Yang have been unable to even feel the shape of his body on his mind, less seeing the path of his meridian. But after yesterday cleansing the thick shell around his body have finally dissipate, leaving the shape of a cross-legged dark silhouette.

'My body need a further wash, I only have scratch the surface of the problem, the poison is still active.'

Since he sense that he wouldn't gain anything even if he continue for day round, he jump off the mound and start to exercice his body.

A hour after starting, his body was already drenched in sweat before a shivering. Without any warning a burning bolt broke out in his veins, seeming to set ablaze his entire body, making his blood boil and his bone rattling.

After ten second as long as days, he heavily crash on the ground like a dislocate puppet, gapping for air. Here was the nature of the poison he was set up by. Every time he would start to exercice and renforce is body, the syptoms will araise without warning, sometime it will kick right after starting, sometime it will catch him during a movement and sometime it will only appear hours after.

Because of the poison, he will never be able to be naturally as strong as other and not only will he be weak but the further he age the heaviest will the poison work, treatening his own life if he couldn't clear it.

Since Yang couldn't continue, he might as well study further. When he enter the house, a meal consiting of a slice of bread and ham with some milk in a wooden mug already wait for him on the tabe.

"Our provision will be soon exausted, I need to go buy some in the town. Don't go inside the forest on your own, your body won't stand it."

"Iknow."

"I will be back before the sun set, I have alredy left the needed material on the desk in the chamber, you just need to do the same thing that I have done. Since I will be in the town, I will also buy the other medicine for the last berry. If everything work correctly after tommorow you will be finally free and we will then able to return to our land." Say old Dong with a bright light in his gaze.

Seeing that Hai Yang didn't even twitch as his word, he collect himself before going, just before passing the door he trow a last word.

"Don't forget the fruit pulp, I havent trow it yesteaday as I lost myself a little but we need to deal with them, one alone is not dangerous put two togheter will realease a dangerous inodor and tasteless gas."

"hun."

The door close on him and the sound of step slowly fade as he walk away.

Their house was actually the only one that near the forest and one need to walk at least three hour to attain the closest town. When Hai Yang have ask why they have set this far of any other leaving people, he was say that they are to different that common people and easily identifiable, thus they need to be further and don't raise suspicion in the case of someone where at their reaserch.

SInce the house have only two five sq meter chanber and a room for all purpose with nine sq, it was easy for him to understand that the necesary thing where in the old man room and not him.

Entering in the room, the same single bed was agains the wall on the other side of the room, on his left, a small bookcase with no more than ten book where put on a small desk. On it where six jade bottles, a wooden cup with mashed green pulp, a white white one with three blue berries, a mortar and a large wooden cup to gather the pulp of the blue berries along with a book open on a page where where indicated the order of the medecine and other aspect requiered for the medecine to work.

Contrary to the one before, he need to pour the medicinal liquid in cold water for it to be fully absorbate by the body. It dosen't need to be too cold, just fresh water will do as it need to be lower that of one body.

Thankfully for him, the house was constructed near a little river exiting the forest, thus he dosen't need to go to far to water. however, since he couldn't done heavy work, he need a full four hour to fill the barrel after it had been emptied not too long ago by old Dong has some impurities where still present in the water.

After having been drench in sweat for the second time in the morning. Once he have gather sufficient strength, he carefully smash the three berries before recuperate the juice and ad the different medicinal liquid in the right order.

Like the previous one, the color of the complete liquid take a deeper shade as a strong medicinal odor ooze out.

Taking the bowl with two hand after being take of is sweaty linen clothes he enter the cold water with a slight shivering and pour the liquid in.

In few second the color of the water greatly change to take the color of the deep water in the sea. Yang was immediately frozen by the cold water that have lost several degree after being infused with the medicine.

He feel his skin crack as the water change a second time with a dark red hue. Forcing himself to endure and stay, he take a profond inspiration before completely immersing in it.

Tears melt in the barrel of water as the skin on his face, ears, nose, eyelids and his scaple split open, pourring more and more blood out. Each new would will bring him wave of imberable pain as the iceness water came in direct contact with his flesh.

The pain make him completely numb, leaving him no other choice than greeting his teeth and endure.

Soon after the pain make him completly numb, the lack of oxygen make his lung burning.

A normal person would have already faint since long, not speaking a frail young boy of ten year old, but Hai Yang know that the moment he pass out he will be doomed, leaving him no other chose that endure.

After an uncalculable time for him, the numbness start to fade away as the water seem to have regain some degree. Being able to move once again, he immdiatly raise his body, making his head exit the water to breath fresh air.

Due the sudden movement, a ripping sound resound in the barrel as he feel like losting something. The moment he break the surface of the water, he gap air like a fish that would have been out of the water for too long.

The feeling of fresh air penetring in the deepest part of his lung bring him an incomparable bliss as if rewarding him to have suffer the previous pain.

Once is breath recover, he couldn't help but take a look at the inside of the barrel, witch frightenning him.

In fact, the water was now completly dark red with a fishy grey thing flotting on the surface. The moment he take a better look at it, he saw a arge patch with platinum hair fix on it.

Passing instinctively a hand on his head, he only sense a smooth blad head. Completly stunned, it was only after few second that he saw a smooth white moistened hand clutching the patch of his scaple.

Looking at each part of his body; he saw the same skin everywere.

'Could it be.... ?'

That right, the earlier ripping sound came of his previous skin being torn of due the numerous tear on it before being remplaced by a fresh new layer of skin.

Exiting rapidly the water, he directly jump i the river to wash of the remainding part of the old skin still attached on him.

A bright laught soon broke out along side the sound of splashing water, for the first time in five year, a little boy could be seen playing joyfully in the water, a pure smile and a pure expression of joy on his face.