Savage Divinity

“If you can’t explain something simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.”

This earnest and direct declaration spoke volumes to Min Gyu, a profound statement that resonated with his years of experience as a teacher. Even now, as he neared the Peak of Martial strength in the twilight of his life, he learned more about the Dao with each passing day, but still he had no words to describe it. The Dao was a complex and ineffable affair, or at least that was how he saw it until recently, because he had never met someone who could explain it to young Rain’s satisfaction. Were this even a single year ago, Min Gyu would have shook his head at the boy’s ambitious statement and said he demanded too much, for the Dao was not something so easily taught. Instead, he saw the Dao as a personal journey, something to be navigated without instruction and experienced firsthand with as few preconceived notions as possible, for only then could one truly sense the Dao in its natural form. To put it plainly, a Teacher or Mentor could help prepare someone to tread the Martial Path, but the student or Disciple must tread their Path alone. For decades, his teaching methods focused on enabling a student to do just that, by putting them through trials and training exercises that forced them to rely on Chi skills to progress. Young Rain’s obstacle courses were a perfect example of Min Gyu’s line of thinking, as most Martial Warriors were unable to complete the course without relying on Chi to Lighten, Reinforce, Stabilize, and more. With enough practice and repetition, knowledge and understanding would eventually follow, or so Min Gyu believed, but now he knew better.

Practice makes perfect was the popular adage, but this was undoubtedly untrue. Perfect practice makes perfect, but how was one to practice something perfectly before achieving perfection? During his wedding with Yan, Young Rain was able to complete an obstacle course with a shattered Core, but how many of the young Martial Warriors who tried it afterwards could do the same? Not many, for even with the advantage of Chi and a Martial Warrior’s physiques, most of those average Warriors couldn’t even complete the course every time they ran it, and many of his peers were unable to flawlessly complete the course like Rain had, yet even Min Gyu himself failed to grasp the significance of this accomplishment until now. Why was Rain able to complete the course flawlessly every time? Because he valued knowledge and understanding first, so even though it was his first time running through it, he stopped to study the course, measure the timings, and put together a plan before running through it, and thus was better prepared than someone wholly reliant upon instinct and reflex to navigate through the various obstacles in their path.

A lesson every Martial Warrior would eventually need to learn, to think ten moves in advance when fighting a foe of similar speed and strength, a lesson which applied to more than just chess, battle, and obstacle courses. Because young Rain valued knowledge and understanding so highly, he was able to progress by leaps and bounds as he went beyond the known limits of his Chi skills, and there was no better example than his development of Panacea. This was a secret guarded so carefully even Min Gyu had been unaware of its existence until now, but after recovering from his strenuous battle against Huanhuzi’s pirate fleet and rejoining the waking world once more, young Rain revealed the origins of this newfangled Healing method to Min Gyu and personally taught Kyung and his students how to utilize it. The cat was out of the bag, as young Rain so confusingly put it, and while he prioritized teaching his own people first, he shared his teaching methods and sent Healers far and wide to spread knowledge of Panacea to as many soldiers of the Empire as he could.

Seeing young Rain at work put Min Gyu’s pride as a teacher to shame, for though his process was similar to Min Gyu’s own methods, the results were staggering to behold. Starting with instinct before pursuing understanding by removing a healthy tooth and observing the Healing process was so simple and brilliant, but going through with it was daunting even to Min Gyu. Many of the once-eager students were less than enthused after seeing fiery young Mila forcibly wrench a tooth out of poor Kyung’s mouth with a devilish grin, as even Min Gyu’s stoic grandson couldn’t help but cry out from the pain. His students fared far worse, but even pulling a hundred teeth would be worth the reward, though most were well-motivated enough to master the skill after less than ten tries. This startling rate of success was not because his students were talented, but because young Rain’s understanding of the skill was in-depth and comprehensive enough for him to explain Panacea in simple terms. From bone marrow to blood production to Panacea creation, he outlined and explained every step of the process beforehand and demanded his students be able to do the same, holding them to a higher standard of understanding than Min Gyu ever cared for, and the results spoke for themselves.

Having been present for the lessons, Min Gyu’s pride was spared the shame of being publicly taught by the younger generation, and Kyung later helped him remove a tooth to observe the process himself. One tooth was all it took for him to learn the skill and apply it with ease, and he marvelled at the wonders of this newfangled Chi skill. Small wonder young Rain was able to earn himself the title of ‘Undying Savage’, though much like the business with the obstacle course, his mastery was beyond what most could compare to. Simply stimulating the production of Panacea was enough to Heal most injuries if given enough time, but to replicate young Rain’s feats of reattaching limbs or rapidly recovering from life-threatening injuries required a finer touch and comprehensive understanding of the human body. From the way young Rain described it, he had a method of categorizing his own injuries and Healed them in the most efficient and effective manner possible in order to keep himself in fighting form. Flesh wounds and bruises would go untreated as he prioritized life-threatening injuries such as severed arteries or broken bones, taking his adage of ‘give flesh, break bone’ to the extreme.

Triage for the human body, categorized by a colour system to indicate the severity of injuries, a system young Rain developed at the tender age of seventeen. A feat only possible because he valued knowledge so highly, and Min Gyu was quickly coming around to the boy’s line of thinking. How else to explain why the Medical Saint could Cloud-Step so much faster than Min Gyu? Or why Bai Qi was able to push the limits of Reinforcement and Amplification further than even the Earth-Blessed Eccentric Gam could match? Or why young Rain’s imitation of the Mountain Collapsing Stomp fell vastly short when compared to Mitsue Juichi’s signature skill? Because the Medical Saint, Bai Qi, and Mitsue Juichi all possessed a deeper understanding of those respective Chi skills. In contrast, Min Gyu’s understanding was sorely lacking in these fundamental skills, while his mastery of Lightening had been achieved through dire need and desperation. That was what he’d been lacking all this time, that inner motivation to push ever onwards towards the Peak of Martial Strength. Hard work, innate talent, and the blessings of Insight brought him this far along his Path, but after being crippled by the Butcher of Kunlun all those years ago, Min Gyu never recovered the compulsive impulse to improve he possessed in his youth, the thirst for challenge which drove him to become the Sanguine Tempest in the first place.

Except now he discovered that incentive once again, at a hundred and twelve years young, all thanks to his daily discussions with young Rain and the knowledgeable monks of the Brotherhood.

Sheltered from the glaring sun overhead by a silken parasol, the youthful Legate lounged in Yan’s embrace as if they were in a private room rather than sitting in plain sight by the Medical Saint’s herb garden with company around. The married couple had grown bold of late, as young Rain cared not for matters of face and propriety when it came to friends and family, and Yan was so smitten with her husband that she followed suit without question. Then again, the girl was no stranger to scandal herself, given the tight, hip-hugging leggings she favoured which inspired many a Warrior woman to follow suit, and even dutiful Mila was wont to lay beside her husband when together here in the garden. Still, brazen and immoral though their antics might be, it was heartwarming to see just how in love this shameless husband, wife, and wife trio could be as Rain and Yan quietly contested for the ‘burden’ of holding the parasol in a saccharine display of silly affection. With Banjo acting as a back rest for Yan and Aurie lying in young Rain’s arms similar to how he lay in Yan’s, they made for a charming family portrait as they snuggled in broad daylight, with the quin pups, rabbits, and Guardian Turtle ambling about them in demand for attention. Li Song sat nearby with Princess, Baloo, and the other two wildcats between them, while the Spiritual Panda Tai Shan sat and ate on the other side, cradling Guai-Guai while keeping a watchful eye on lazy Rakshasa across the garden. This had become their daily routine now, idling their afternoons away in this bamboo grove to hide the fact that they were all taking medicinal baths to temper their bodies and reinforce their physiques, with Rain accompanying them to reward Mei Lin for all her hard work.

Great effort for marginal gains, that was how Rain described the efficacy of the Medical Saint’s Body Tempering baths, giving no face to his teacher or to Taiyi Zhushen’s life’s work. That being said, the boy wasn’t exactly wrong, not because it wasn’t worth tempering one’s body, but because the sheer cost of ingredients was unthinkable to anyone besides the Medical Saint, who’d devised a method to cultivate an entire garden full of priceless Spiritual Plants. Thirty days of tempering was required to complete the process, meaning thirty sets of identical ingredients, the cost of which could beggar even the most prosperous of Clans and Factions before the Medical Saint’s breakthrough discovery. Many would kill and die to learn the Medical Saint’s process, but according to the esteemed Divinity, whose lofty status was still a tightly guarded secret, even if others knew his methods, they would not be able to replicate his success, a claim Min Gyu was reluctant to believe given how quickly and effortlessly the Medical Saint’s garden grew. Though only having been privy to this secret for a short time, Min Gyu had witnessed the garden flourishing before his eyes as he visited each day for his Body Tempering bath, their growth so quick it belied belief. Six weeks from seed to fully matured Spiritual Plant, that was the time frame it took to grow the precious ingredients necessary to refine a Martial Warrior’s physique, with enough each harvest for five full treatments.

For Yan and Mila to benefit from these Body Tempering baths was only right, because not only were they young Rain’s wives, but they were also both supremely talented young Warriors. Akanai, Husolt, Sarnai, Alsantset, and Charok had already completed their tempering during Rain’s convalescence following the withdrawal from the second line, with Baatar ceding his place so his family could benefit, but rather than partake in the second round of baths, it was Kyung, Min Gyu, and Li Song taking up the remaining three spots after Yan and Mila. The half-wolf claimed he was too busy to slip away for several hours each day, and though there might be some truth to the statement, Min Gyu was still grateful to receive this blessed opportunity, and doubly grateful it had been provided to his grandson as well. The Bekhai were a coarse and unrefined bunch, but they truly treated Kyung and Min Gyu like family, which was more than Min Gyu’s blood relatives had ever cared to do. More importantly, the Behkai did not discriminate against Kyung which meant he might have a happy future in store for him, even though he stubbornly refused the offer to remove his slave Oaths once and for all.

The silly boy was currently in the midst of his bath, with his health being monitored by the Medical Saint while sweet Mei Lin did the same for Mila. Even though they’d learned that shattering a Martial Warrior’s Core would remove their Oaths and that Body Tempering could help restore it, Kyung adamantly refused to go through with the process because he didn’t want to be weakened in this time of war. A noble sentiment, if foolish, considering his Martial skills would not decline after going through Core Creation a second time, though he would lose the benefits of his Aura, Natal Palace, and Domain until he was able to replicate his previous attainments, but seeing how Li Song was able to reclaim her place as an Expert of the Empire within a matter of days with help from the Body Tempering baths, Kyung might well have been back to full strength by now, save for the loss of his sabre. The Bekhai even generously offered to replace his weapon without being asked to, but still the stubborn boy refused, and though Min Gyu could have commanded him to go through with it, that would be a betrayal of his grandson’s trust. Kyung so rarely exerted his free will, it seemed wrong to go against his decision even if it was for his own good.

No matter. Min Gyu’s debt to the Bekhai was so great, adding another set of Body Tempering ingredients would make little difference at this point, so Kyung would always have the means to regain his freedom in the future. Warmed and relaxed after his hot, Body Tempering bath, he sank into his wicker chair with a cup of river-cooled barley tea in hand, a light, refreshing beverage after a soothing, relaxing experience. Some years ago, the Medical Saint treated Min Gyu’s crippled leg and resolved the source of constant pain he’d endured for so many decades, but age had left him with a bevy of minor aches and pains that were so negligible he barely even noticed them, but now they were so conspicuous in their absence. For the first time in recent memory, his body was entirely without pain or discomfort, a novel sensation that left him feeling fifty years younger. Better perhaps, as a lifetime of battle and warfare left him with scars and injuries aplenty, but those too had been healed in the process of Tempering his body. His ankles no longer swelled after a few hours of standing, his joints no longer ached when the air grew humid, and his fingers were slender and uniform again, instead of gnarled and arthritic from age and countless sprains and breakages. He was stronger too, though not to the extent of accidentally breaking things by exerting too much strength like young Mila once experienced, but enough to notice a difference when opening heavy doors or moving training equipment.

All minor benefits in the grand scheme of things, and even when the process was complete, he wouldn’t be able to hurl fully-laden wagons or block blades with raw strength and bare flesh alone, as was Taiyi Zhushen’s dream, but the Medical Saint and young Rain both believed it was not the process which was lacking, but rather the human body itself. In order to Temper one’s physique to such extreme measures, one could not simply rely on Heavenly Energy to work without guidance, as it could only improve upon the baseline of what was already there. Any specific, unnatural or supernatural changes needed to be guided by Intent, meaning in order to truly Temper one’s physique to ward off blades and arrows both, one would have to take control of the Energy of the Heavens and bend it to their will.

Or, put more simply, in order to truly Temper one’s physique, one would have to at least touch upon the barrier to True Divinity. Ancestral Beasts were one such example, which explained their innate physical strength and durability, and powerful Spiritual Beasts another. This explained why so many half-beast Martial Warriors possessed superior innate strength, because they inherited a powerful physique from their Ancestral Beast parent which the Energy of the Heavens could improve upon. That being said, even young Rain wasn’t sure how to properly Temper his physique to the standards set by Taiyi Zhushen, and he’d successfully Refined his body into a Spiritual Heart, a contradiction which tormented the poor boy to no end.

Regardless of the ‘lacklustre’ benefits of Body Tempering, Min Gyu was grateful for the opportunity, as it left him feeling younger and spryer than he could remember. When was the last time he stood up without his knees cracking? Or he straightened his back without a twinge of pain? His shoulders were loose and light, his steps sure and steady, and his mind and memory now razor sharp instead of muddled and jumbled like usual. The Body Tempering baths had rejuvenated his body and mind, but it also revitalized him in a way he never would have thought possible, filling him with the energy of a man half his age and a lust for life like never before. The Fox Divinity had stirred up long forgotten feelings of lust in him of late, but now, the fires of desire burned hot once more, galvanizing him to do more than just admire her from afar. Thankfully, the wisdom of age prevailed over the libido of youth and Min Gyu managed to rein in his desires and refrain from making a fool out of himself, though others had caught onto his roving eye more often than he would like.

Especially Eun, who teased him mercilessly about it in private, a fine woman he would have made a proper wife of were he thirty years younger. Even though he felt like he could live for another fifty years without fail, who knew if these Body Tempering baths or even the daily use of Panacea could extend his life like young Rain theorized. The boy was a treasure trove of half-baked ideas, ones that sounded so close to logical it made it difficult to refute his ‘theories’. Mostly because no one knew enough to dispute him, not even himself, with his talk of aging organs deteriorating due to declining replication, which made no sense given how organs didn’t replicate. The boy tried to explain it by likening it to blood and panacea and claiming that even a wholly healthy body was in a constant state of repair and renewal, which caused degradation over time due to minor mistakes in the restoration process. A novel idea, but one difficult to prove or disprove, so Min Gyu could only take it on faith that taking an hour each day to create Panacea without reason would bear fruit in the long run.

Perfunctory as most of young Rain’s ideas might be, Min Gyu made full use of these afternoon outings to pick the boy’s mind in private, away from the watchful eyes of Bekhai Khishigs, Death Corps Guards, Royal Guardians, and the ilk, which was where the aforementioned quote of simple explanations had come from, during a discussion of Elemental Blessings.

“I believe the key,” young Rain began, smirking in the face of Yan’s playful glower as he wiggled the parasol in a victorious flourish, “Is to treat an Elemental Blessing like any other natural force.” This was in answer to Min Gyu’s question of how to better understand the Blessing of Air, for it was clear young Rain’s had reached an unparalleled level of mastery in the Blessing of Water. Brother Baatar described it as breath-taking to behold, his plain and simple re-telling of events so riveting his audience had no time to even breathe. The boy rose out of the sea atop a swirling pillar of water to stare down at his Demonic foes with contempt and disdain. The Energy of the Heavens seethed, the currents churned, and the boy waved his hand as the ship came apart under Baatar’s feet, and when he surfaced amidst his water-logged comrades, the Demons were no more and the surviving pirates fast fleeing for the depths of the Azure sea.

A tale which made young Rain’s lacklustre answer all that more frustrating, as it said little and meant much, while amounting to nothing of note in the end. Seeing Min Gyu’s displeasure, the boy’s Aura and expression flashed with amusement before he reined it back in, even sitting up with a wince to show he was taking this discussion more seriously. A touch of remorse coursed through Min Gyu as he remembered the boy was still in recovery, suffering not only from recovering injuries and overwhelming exhaustion, but also a massive overuse of Chi which left him with a throbbing, pounding headache that still persisted even though he’d been awake for an entire ten days now. Leaning over to help the boy up, Min Gyu pulled Aurie’s foot and slid the wildcat down so he was resting on the boy’s belly rather than chest. Slack and trusting as ever, the beast allowed Min Gyu to move him about without protest, even wiggling his hindquarters against the grass in a blatant enticement for a belly rub. Unable to resist, Min Gyu got out of his chair and knelt down to sink his fingers into Aurie’s flabby belly, a move which he would have considered twice before his Body Tempering baths.

Small blessings indeed. Oh how he smiled as the beast rumbled in delight, his feline eyes turning moon shaped in a display of relaxed contentment, a sight which warmed the heart and reminded Min Gyu just how much he had to be grateful for.

Massaging the spoiled wildcat’s cheeks, young Rain flashed an impertinent grin that Min Gyu mirrored on reflex, neither one able to contain their delight in the face of Aurie’s adorable antics. Clearing his throat, the boy got back onto the topic at hand and explained his thought process on Elemental Blessings as Min Gyu returned to his seat. “Back when I was still recovering from my shattered Core,” Rain began, once again intending to explain himself with a long and convoluted personal anecdote, “But well enough to spar and fight, I was, for all intents and purposes, a commoner without access to Chi. As such, I focused heavily on improving my physical fitness and perfecting the Forms, since there wasn’t much else I could train in. One night, I asked Dad to spar, and he was happy to oblige, even though I must have been moving slower than a snail to his perspective.”

Min Gyu remembered the night well, a private, family feast to celebrate young Mila’s admittance to the Empire’s Roll of Experts after forming her Natal Palace that same afternoon. The boy had moved slowly yes, but with a focused efficiency that few could match, an advantage which paid off in spades now that he was wholly recovered. The boy himself didn’t see the improvements, but it was clear to anyone who watched him spar with the greatest talents of his generation. Gerel, Kyung, Da’in, Zian, and Ishin Ken-Shibu were still able to defeat him in a match of pure swordsmanship, but young Rain still had his Mountain Collapsing Stomp, Spiritual Rifle, Blessing of Water, and several other superlative skills held in reserve, all of which placed him firmly at the forefront of anyone under forty, if not older. There was no point saying as much though, as the boy was never one to bask in his successes. A mixed blessing considering it left him teetering on the edge of imbalance, yet kept him from getting overconfident from his admittedly peerless talent. Of course, Min Gyu still meant to try and boost the boy’s spirits, saying, “I remember the night in question, as I watched the spar from my bedroom window. You fought well and demonstrated an advanced understanding of the Forms, and while you were physically weak enough to struggle against even the lowliest Martial Warrior, I believe that at the time, there was not a single common human alive that was capable of defeating you in single combat.”

“Thanks,” Rain replied, smiling as he squirmed away from Yan’s unseen pinch, one meant to punish him for emanating an Aura so self-deprecating about a point of pride, “But it’s hardly impressive considering commoners only recently started training in the ways of war. Being stronger than every farmer, tradesman, and labourer in the world is like taking pride in being the fattest sheep in the herd, since you’re still destined for the cooking pot when the shepherd gets hungry.” The boy wasn’t wrong, but there was no need to put himself down so much anymore, especially in light of his record of achievements, but Falling Rain held himself to impossibly strict standards for reasons known only to himself. Not even little Mei Lin could wheedle that secret out of him, to say nothing of Mila or Yan, but Rain’s thirst for power clearly stemmed from more than just fear and trauma, that much was certain. “Anyway,” he continued, still massaging the supine wildcat’s cheeks, “The important part is what Dad told me afterwards. He said I demonstrated ‘a passable grasp of opposing forces’, which is something that really stuck with me since then. A push-pull interaction, he said, the sort that exists in almost every action we take, or as someone wiser than me once said, ‘for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’.”

Succinctly put, and Min Gyu saw the effect it had on both Yan and Li Song as they considered the truth behind Rain’s statement, his simple words once again concealing a profound truth. Yan herself had been struggling for some time with a concept of her own devising, of making wind heavy, but light, or fast and slow at the same time, so she paid close attention to this topic of discussion. Though Min Gyu knew she was on the right track, he lacked the ability to guide her to the truth as she perceived it without unduly affecting her perspective. Thus, he could only sit back and watch as she fumbled along the Path in search of comprehension towards a concept she touched upon briefly with her creation of the Forest Clearing Gale, a fact she herself had yet to realize. Time and time again, he tried to remind her that her Blessing was of Air, not Wind, but the words had yet to wholly sink in. She understood what he meant, but was a hair’s breadth short of true comprehension. A minor difference on the surface, but the Heavens were fickle and not so easily tamed.

“During the battle with Huanhuzi’s pirates,” Rain continued, his eyes taking on a distant gaze as he immersed himself in the memory, still searching for answers to questions he wasn’t entirely sure how to ask, “I had something of an epiphany when I realized the concept of opposing forces fits perfectly in line with Elemental Blessings.”

“...How so?”

Yan’s question came a beat later, once it became clear young Rain was waiting to continue, but Min Gyu was already lost in thought. “Of course, of course,” he muttered, stroking his beard before remembering it had still yet to dry. “Little Mila said that the Primal Blessings represent a myriad of unique forces broken down into four, broad categories relating to the Elements themselves, and thus the secret to utilizing those Blessings is to understand the interaction between those forces themselves.” Absently frowning as he came across a problem, he vocalized it before he thought better of it. “But a Primal Blessing only offers us control of one of those fundamental forces, so how are we to utilize its opposing force?”

“Easily,” Rain replied, without pride or pretension, giving no face with his words yet also meaning no offence. “You are thinking of opposing forces as two separate entities, like push and pull, but if you need to oppose a force pushing left and cannot pull, you can always just push right instead.”

A jolt of comprehension sent Min Gyu reeling in excitement, the sheer simplicity of the statement unravelling the Dao before his very eyes. None of this knowledge was exactly new to him, as he’d known and used the same concepts before. Understanding how to utilize opposing forces was a fundamental skill in Martial combat, enabling one to strike harder, move faster, jump higher, and more, but he’d never thought to apply this to the Blessing of Air, not consciously of course. His battle-fan made full use of this very concept though, a fact he’d overlooked until now, as the rotating blades created a pressure differential which drew in air and set it to moving in a certain direction. That was the fundamental force of the Blessing of Air, pressure, for it was this differing pressure which created the movement of Wind. Again, something he’d known all along, yet never really consciously acknowledged and took advantage of.

Though he himself stood upon the cusp of Insight, Min Gyu held back to observe his granddaughter and possibly help her along as well, because now that he knew which direction to take, he could easily find his way back there again. As for Yan, she was still lost in the discussion, understanding every word being said but lacking the vital comprehension to put together what it all meant. Once she put it all together, she would progress by leaps and bounds, but only if she could find the right direction to take her next step. He couldn’t come right out and tell her that pressure was the defining force, because that might lead her to an erroneous conclusion, for there were many different types of pressure, and the Blessing of Air utilized a very specific variety. It wasn’t pressure in the sense of pushing down on an object, or even pressure from pushing in on all sides, but rather the pressure of filling a void and righting an imbalance in the world around them. Air was everywhere, invisible and largely intangible as well, but that could change under the right conditions. It could be something as simple as waving a hand or changing in elevation, but it could also become vastly more complex. In the same vein, wind was merely the movement of air, but one could not push or pull air to move it, yet still it moved all the same.

All things Yan knew, but how could he explain all of this and more to her in a way she would understand?

While Min Gyu mentally grappled with this difficult dilemma, young Rain ran headlong into the fray. “Think about your Insights Yan,” he said, gesturing at the bamboo grove around them. “The ones you had meditating out there. Tell me about them again, just so you can hear them out loud in your own words.”

Not the worst suggestion he could have made, so Min Gyu sat and watched as Yan gathered her thoughts and gave voice to her Insights. “I remember hearing whispers,” she began, leaning into her husband’s embrace while wistfully glancing at the grove around her, which had since denied her any further Insights to help her along her Path. “There were no words, but there was a message there, one hidden within the twists and turns of the bamboo grove.” Were Min Gyu to close his eyes and focus intently, he could hear the same message, one he’d heard since Awakening to the Blessing of Air and had yet to wholly decipher. A whistle here, a hum there, and a howl every now and then that whispered secrets of the Dao to anyone who would listen, but alas, he lacked the ability to comprehend its message.

“What did it say?”

“...I’m not sure,” Yan replied, but there was an unmistakable hesitance to her answer.

“Tell us anyways.” Squeezing her hand in a show of support, Rain added, “Don’t worry about being right or wrong, just repeat what you heard and perceived. Maybe the answer will become clear then, or maybe not, but there’s no harm in trying.”

Not entirely true, but Rain was either ignorant of or cared not for the risks. The same could be said of Yan, it seemed, wholly trusting her husband even as Min Gyu struggled with the decision of whether or not to allow this discussion to continue, but the girl’s next words took his breath away. “One cannot tame the wind,” she whispered, a statement which once again resonated deeply with Min Gyu’s personal experience, another truth he’d known, but never put into words. “One can only shape the setting so the wind chooses to follow your will. The wind is capricious and untamed, wild and unrestrained, yet even the wind has rules it must abide by, the rules of Heaven put down by the Mother Above. There is a logic to the wind, a pattern one can unravel with enough time, knowledge, and study, but I still can’t make heads or tails of it, not really.” Lifting a particularly adorable and affectionate quin pup that was hopping about for attention, Yan kissed the sweet beast and held it close as she drew her battle fan and set it to twirling about. After a few spins, she fanned it left and right instead, catching the wind in different ways before cutting clean through it with the blade. “Light as a feather,” she said, before putting her weapon away with a sigh, “And yet also heavy as a mountain at the same time. That’s the answer I arrived at, but one I cannot make heads or tails of just yet.”

Nor could Min Gyu, as he had no idea what the girl was going on about, her perspective too wildly different from his own.

Rain however, attacked the problem without even considering the implications, saying, “Let’s focus on the logic part, about the rules the wind must follow. You say you cannot make heads or tails of it, so why don’t we start small. You mentioned the wind moving through the twists and turns of the bamboo grove. Why?”

“...What do you mean why?” Yan asked, echoing Min Gyu’s unspoken thoughts.

“Why does the wind loop in and around the bamboo stalks through varying different paths?” Smiling as if he already knew the answer, Rain continued, “Why does it not simply take the single path of least resistance, like water would? Or billow out to affect everything within reach like fire? Or settle down and come to a halt like earth? What makes wind behave the way it does?”

With a frown that mirrored Min Gyu’s, Yan pursed her lips and scowled at her too-smug husband. “How should I know?”

“Guess.” Gesturing broadly at the air around them, Rain said, “I believe you already know the answer, or at least part of it, you just haven’t figured out that you know it. Let’s simplify the question: wind is simply the movment of air, so why does air move?”

Too direct and on the nose, literally placing the answer before Yan’s eyes and forcing her to accept his truth, but Min Gyu could only suppress his sigh as she answered, “A difference in pressure.”

“Exactly.”

“Stop.” Stepping in before Rain could say anything else, Min Gyu shook his head and said, “This discussion cannot continue. You are too bold and too direct, unaware of the pitfalls that lay before you. One wrong word could send Yan down a dead-end path, one that could set her progress back by decades when she finally realizes the error of her ways. You must tread lightly when guiding others along the Dao, because even if you believe your view is correct, it may or may not align with her perspective of the Dao, which is of the utmost importance when it comes to the Martial Path. The laws set down by the Mother Above are absolute, but Martial Warriors are her Chosen children and thus granted the authority to skirt them when necessary, with suitable training, Insight, and hard work of course.”

“Huh.” Tilting his head in thought, Rain repeated Min Gyu’s words regarding the laws of the world before furrowing his brow in disagreement. “No, we can’t skirt the laws of the world. Martial Warriors are beholden to them the same as any other, it’s just that we are more capable than commoners. It’s like saying a tree cannot be uprooted because it is too heavy, but then along comes someone who puts together a lever and pulley system, then topples the tree in an afternoon’s work. It wasn’t that it was impossible to uproot the tree, but rather the original group lacked the proper knowledge to do so.”

Opening his mouth to argue the statement, Min Gyu’s jaw immediately clicked shut as he realized the boy was right. In his eyes, Chi was not magic, but rather a tool to be used, one unavailable to commoners without a Core. It was this mindset with which he approached the Dao, because as he stated earlier in a roundabout manner, his goal was to understand the Dao well enough to explain it so anyone could understand. A lofty pursuit indeed, one he shared with the Brotherhood, and given his staggering progress, one could hardly argue against his success. “But what if you lead her wrong?” Min Gyu asked, and even he felt his concern sounded hollow and defeated.

“I’m of the opinion that we cannot be afraid to make mistakes.” A controversial statement coming from a man who behaved so mercilessly towards himself for even the slightest of errors, but the irony of Rain’s statement escaped him. “We learn more from mistakes and failures than from success and victory, because at least then we can figure out what we did wrong. You can win and succeed while still being wrong, but if you never realize the error of your ways, then you will be wrong for the rest of your life. Better to make mistakes early and correct them before they become ingrained into habit, so now is the time to take risks, while we still have a chance to recover. Much like the Brotherhood’s views on the Right View, if we can prove our view wrong, then we simply need to adjust what we define as the Right View accordingly, and the same goes for the Dao. Trial and error is how we learn, so mistakes are inevitable, but such is the price of success.” Glancing at Yan with love and remorse in his eyes, Rain added, “Of course, the decision is yours, as this affects you most of all. If you agree with Grandpa Du, then I’ll stop talking and move on to another topic, no hard feelings.”

And the strangest thing was, he meant it. The boy thought he was right, believed it with all his heart, but if Yan disagreed, then he would accept it and continue to help her in whatever way he could. A simple thing to say, but difficult to do, and it showed the depths of his love for her, for he weighed her opinion in matters as equal or perhaps even higher than his own.

“I think,” Yan began, after pondering the matter for long seconds, “That Rain’s questions were leading me towards the right answers, but I’m not sure if they’re right, or if I just wanted it to be right.” Shrugging, she looked to Min Gyu and said, “I know you’re worried about me and only want me to succeed, but I think Rain makes some good points about the Dao and the Empire’s approach to the Martial Path. It’s not that the Dao is impossible to explain simply, only that no one has succeeded to date. If anyone can do it, I think it would be Rain, and I would like to continue with this discussion. However, as your terminal Disciple, I also respect your wisdom and teachings, so if you believe otherwise, then I will abide by your decision.” Smiling, she added, “It’s fine either way. I already have plenty to think on as is, so its up to you, Grandpa.”

What she left unspoken was that even if Rain led her wrong, she would not blame him, the same if Min Gyu himself were to make a mistake and choose wrongly here. How strange for her to treat her Dao in so lackadaisical a manner, utterly unconcerned with whether she would reach the Peak in good time. No, not unconcerned, but confident she would arrive there no matter the Path she took, because she did not intend to stop until she succeeded. That was the drive of youth Min Gyu had long since lost, the zeal and ambition that would carry her far, and he could not help but swell with pride at his dutiful and dauntless grand-daughter. “If you feel you are on the correct Path, then you should see this through to the end.” Smiling as he shook his head, he added, “And even if you are both wrong, with your talents and hard work, it should only take a little more effort to correct your errors. Go ahead then.”

“Okay then. Where were we? Oh right, pressure.” Lighting up in excitement, Rain turned to Yan and cupped his hands. “Water is a liquid that conforms to the shape of its container,” he said, cupping his hands summoning Water Chi into them for her to see. “It settles to the lowest possible point into all the nooks and crannies, where it will remain without interference from outside forces. Not so with Air.” Spreading his hands apart and letting the Water Chi dissipate into nothingness, he gestured all around and said, “Air, on the other hand, will disperse to fill every space in a container. Take an empty water skin that’s flattened, and you can say it’s full of air, but the same can be said if you blow into it until it’s bursting at the seams. In the latter scenario, there’s more air, but there is still air in the flattened water skin, just less. Yet when you stop blowing into the water skin, it deflates back to its original state unless you physically block the air from escaping. Why?”

“Because pressure.” While it all seemed obvious and apparent, Min Gyu could see where Rain was going with this, as could Yan, who continued, “The pressure inside the filled water skin is higher than the pressure outside, so the air flows out of the container. Those are the two opposing forces, the difference in pressure.”

“Exactly. Air will always move from a high pressure system to a low pressure system. This is a statement of fact.” Pointing at the bamboo stalks, he continued, “But it will not do so in a uniform manner. It will go in whatever direction it can, so long as it is always moving from high to low. That’s why the wind will twist and turn about the bamboo grove, because as the air moves along one side of a bamboo stalk, it creates a pressure differential on the other side, which then pulls some of that air away in a different direction.” Pointing at her battle-fan, Rain asked, “Sound familiar?”

“The Forest Clearing Gale.” Eyes widening in comprehension, Yan stood up and deposited a displeased quin pup into Rain’s arms, disturbing the sweet creature from its afternoon nap. Already lost in the throes of Insight, the girl strode out of the garden and took a seat along the grove’s path to ruminate upon this new information. What Rain described was a rudimentary explanation of how Yan’s Forest Clearing Gale worked, with a dominant gale splitting off into countless weaker, but still deadly Wind Blades. Now that she could put it into words, her familiarity with the skill should improve, though it was difficult to say if she was still on the correct Path. Only time would tell, for no one could say whether one’s Path was correct except the Martial Warrior in question, which was why open discussion could prove so dangerous.

That being said, Rain’s ability to arrive at the heart of the matter was impressive to say the least, quite similar to Jeong Hyo-Lynn’s insightful thoughts helped Ryo Dae Jung reach such staggering heights, so perhaps Yan would benefit in the same way. As for the boy himself, he was still smiling as he eyed Min Gyu in curious question. “I had another thought I wanted to bring up, but I’m not sure if you want to hear it.”

Cheeky brat, implying Min Gyu was afraid to continue listening, but curiosity won over in the end. “Speak, boy,” he said, rolling his eyes in exaggerated chagrin. “I’ve said it before, but I am old and set in my ways, so you need not worry about shaking my conviction.”

“Great.” Sitting upright in excitement, Rain rubbed his hands with glee. “See, I always thought it strange that you focused so much on cutting with wind, because well... it seems inefficient.” Before Min Gyu could interrupt, Rain brought out a handkerchief and tied the four corners together before blowing into it and puffing it up like a ball. “You form a Wind Blade by creating an area of pressure so high the air itself moves quickly enough to do damage, but wouldn’t it be easier to take that pressure and just... condense it into a confined space instead? When the time is right, you unleash all that pressure in a single glorious explosion of power, one far more damaging than a single blade of equivalent effort. Like blowing into a water skin until the air itself makes it explode, though I’m not sure that’s physically possible. You can probably give it a try, but...”

The boy’s words faded off into nothingness as Min Gyu’s mind focused elsewhere, envisioning what the boy had just described. The power of a howling gale contained in the palm of his hand, that would indeed be far more destructive than a single Wind Blade, but the power would not be so easily condensed, nor would the resulting power be as focused. How to fix that? Or perhaps, there was no need to fix it, and instead find a way to better direct the inevitable explosion...

Retreating into his Natal Palace, Min Gyu lay atop the peak of Wutai Mountain and stared up at the starry sky, ruminating on the mysteries of the Blessing of Air while deep in the throes of Insight, all thanks to a simple statement from Falling Rain.

A child blessed by Heaven indeed, and Min Gyu was grateful to have met him.

Chapter Meme