Savage Divinity

Bereft of my beloved wife’s embrace to rest in, I shift over and sink into Tai Shan’s soft fur and flabby shoulder with a happy little sigh.

The Spiritual Panda is a big ol’ softie, both in texture and personality, unlike Guai-Guai who grumbles and grunts as I steal him away from Tai Shan to cuddle and nuzzle now that Aurie has fallen asleep in my lap. Across from us, Song’s eyes narrow in adorable jealousy as she brushes Jimjam that much harder to make up for her troubling lack of pandas, but I refuse to share just yet. Besides, Tai Shan is big enough for us to both cuddle with without even having to see one another, so it’s not like I’m monopolizing both of them. The big floof accepts my affection with indifferent aplomb, neither pleased nor displeased by my presence or Aura, an unflappable, zen-like existence whose only priorities in life are eating and sleeping. That being said, he does play favourites as he was rather concerned about the Abbot, and has now taken cute Guai Guai into his care, keeping a wary eye on his tiny cousin out of concern for his grumblings. Seeing how the red panda is in no danger from my embrace, Tai Shan continues snacking away with hypnotic ease, stripping away the bamboo bark to reveal the soft pulp underneath in one, smooth, easy motion before chomping down on his treat, his adorably chubby expression of relaxed contentment an enviable sight to someone as conflicted as I.

If every human in existence could learn to be as calm and composed as Tai Tai, then we’d probably have a 100% success rate at Core Creation. Granted, there’s more to Balance than just staying cool, calm, and collected, plus I haven’t really seen how he handles the stress of say... having all his bamboo stolen away. I kinda want to try it, partly out of curiosity but mostly because I wanna see a panda tantrum, because I see no way how that can’t be hilarious. Sensing my mischievous thoughts through my leaking Aura, sweet Tai Tai watches me with a wary eye while stretching his arm out to protect his pile of uneaten bamboo, as if I wasn’t the one who gave it all to him in the first place. Why is he so guarded against me? He doesn’t mind letting the bears and rabbits have a nibble here and there, and he straight up shares food with Guai-Guai, so why am I treated like a sneak thief? How mean.

“You shouldn’t bully Tai Tai.” Fiercely protective of all the floofs, Song’s pique is adorable to behold, her stony facade cracking as her lips purse in a disapproving pout, one ruined by Sarankho’s darling wide-eyed expression as she aggressively and affectionately nuzzles the half-cat. Somehow able to keep from smiling when faced with the prettiest kitty’s antics, Song rubs the sweet girl’s cheeks and Sends, “He might take his meals elsewhere.”

“True, but he’s just so fun to tease, I can’t help myself sometimes.” Responding in kind so as to keep our noise to a minimum, I snuggle in a little closer to Tai Tai and consider taking a nap, but something in Song’s gaze makes me think twice. Judging by the way she’s holding eye contact, it’s obvious she has something to say, but after a few seconds of awkward silence, I realize she’s stuck in her head and unable to give voice to her thoughts. “Something on your mind?”

“Your discussion with Teacher Du and Yan,” she Sends, still holding intense eye contact that is almost too much to bear. “Was that Impartation of Heavenly Energy?”

“I don’t think so.” Shrugging as I glance at Grandpa Du, seated in his wicker chair with eyes closed in quiet meditation and teacup still in hand, I Send, “I’m pretty sure they just found their way to normal, everyday Insight, but we won’t really know until they snap out of it.” I doubt there were any hi-jinks happening, even though I would love to make progress with figuring out this whole Impartation thing. When it happened with Mila, I didn’t actually discuss the whole shield and light-show business with her, I just idly envisioned it all in my mind, and she somehow “felt” my thoughts, not seeing them exactly, but getting the general gist of it all which resulted in her firin’ her lazors. With Yan and Grandpa Du just now, I only talked about it, without really envisioning anything, because there wasn’t really much to envision besides a cool air pressure bomb. I was just idly discussing opposing forces and the properties of pressure, mostly sharing theoretical musings I’ve come up with in all my spare time spent lying in bed and unable to sleep.

Insomnia is a real bitch to contend with, especially when exhausted and suffering from migraines, because all you want to do is sleep it off, except you can’t. All the sleep-aids in the world haven’t helped, but at least Mama Bun and the turtles are getting plenty of rest before popping over to visit me and Buddy in my Natal Palace. Which honestly is probably doing more harm than good when it comes to matters of insomnia, but seeing them play together is just too adorable to pass up on. Poor Buddy is cooped up most of the time, so I can’t bring myself to deny him the few hours of play he gets every night, even if it does cut into my actual sleep.

“I see.” Given how we’re conversing through Sending, there’s really no need for Song to go the extra mile and Send such an insignificant statement, which tells me she’s purposely trying to keep the conversation alive. Rare coming from her, as she’s someone who is happy to sit in silence with me for hours on end without making a peep, an aspect which I appreciate even more than her kind nature and lovely appearance. Say what you will about my wives and wifey, but they are nowhere near as comfortable with silence as I am. Even Lin-Lin sometimes feels the need to fill the silence with humming, so it’s always nice to spend hours sitting with Song without uttering a peep.

That being said, it’s not like I resent having to speak with her, so I give her a bit of encouragement to prod her along, hoping this minuscule bit of Chi usage doesn’t aggravate my migraine. “Copper for your thoughts?”

“...This business with opposing forces,” she Sends, still wrestling with the words to use. “Is there a way to utilize this with conventional Chi, or is it only limited to those with Elemental Blessings?”

“Huh. Good question.” Taking a moment to ponder the issue, I Send, “I’m not sure. Theoretically, I don’t see any reason as to why it would be limited to only Elemental Chi, though I’m not entirely sure how to go about harnessing opposing forces using regular Chi. Maybe with Deflection? Problem is, Deflection is one of the Chi skills I’m not all that proficient with, not consciously at least, so I can’t really test it out.”

“Strange thing to claim given how well you wield Deflection in spars.”

A statement which is only a hair short of calling me a liar. A refreshingly bold stance from Song and a sure sign she’s growing more comfortable with her lack of Oaths. Those restrictions would have once denied her the ability to even think such a ‘disrespectful’ thought about her ‘master’, but now she does so without blinking, and I’m glad to see her adjusting so well to her newfangled freedom. Cheeks straining from a hidden smile buried in Tai-Tai’s soft fur, I transmit these good vibes down into the earth in hopes of reaching the groundhog colony and enticing them to come up for a gander, but after days of hard effort, there is still neither hide nor hair to be seen. Inwardly grumbling in discontent, I get back on topic and Send, “It’s the same problem I have with Guiding and Reverberation. I’m unable to use these skills on command, but in the moment, they all just sort of happen. I want to Deflect an attack, and bam, it’s usually Deflected, but most of the time, I’m Deflecting without really even meaning to Deflect.” Seeing her lack of understanding, I make a half-hearted attempt to put things into perspective. “You’ve seen me using Zian’s whirling ring of defence right?” A terrible name, but it’s descriptive enough, I suppose. “Well, when using it, I’m not exactly aiming to do anything specific besides keep my weapons moving and in front of me, but when an attack comes, I’m generally well positioned to intercept without needing to think about it. I don’t need to decide if I want to block, parry, or Deflect a particular attack, I just use whichever one I feel is best suited in any particular instance. It’s like... running to catch a ball flying overhead. I don’t know how I know where the ball will approximately land, but I can track it all the same without coming short or overshooting my target. That’s my level of understanding with Deflection, Guiding, and Reverberation, knowing without knowing.”

One of the most frustrating hurdles along the Martial Path, because it’s just so difficult to quantify my dilemma and for others to explain their answers. It’s a little like learning to ride a bike and then putting that experience into words, which is essentially ‘keep pedalling until you stop falling’. A statement which isn’t wrong, but not exactly useful either. Everyone says familiarity will eventually lead to understanding, but it’s been six years since I first learned to Guide, and I feel like I’m still stuck on the same first step. Though I’ve come a long ways since in terms of applicable skill, I still have no real idea how I’m doing it, which is a real bummer because it prevents me from coming up with a Keystone for ease of use. Take Guiding for example. I throw the sword and Peace just comes alive when I want it to, not in the sense of a bird given wings, but like it’s attached to strings I can pull at to alter the arc of its path. I can’t send the sword darting left and right through the air, but I can nudge it in the right direction, and once the sword has fully stopped, I can use a combination of Chi skills to send it darting in another direction, but that’s really about it.

It’s not telekinesis, no matter how much I would like it to be, but stays true to its name. I guide the sword, but I cannot wholly control its flight path, not without utilizing external forces.

Then again, maybe I’m asking for too much. I likened my familiarity with Chi skills to my ability to catch a ball flying overhead and track its end position without the need for complex mathematics, but even the best baseball players in the world can’t really explain how they do it, so why should I expect to be able to explain Guiding, Deflection, or Reverberation? So long as it works, I should be content to use it as is, but my inner scientist hates that. I want to be able to quantify how these Chi skills work in a simple and easily understood manner, but I fear I lack the mental capabilities to do so.

...But why should I have to be the one to do it all? I delegate with inventions, so why can’t I delegate other people to define Chi skills?

“You should try it out for yourself,” I Send, eliciting a confused look from Song, because this latest statement has nothing to do with where our conversation left off. “The whole opposing forces with regular Chi. Give it a shot and experiment on your own to see where it goes. I’ll try too of course, and talk to a few others about it as well, but like I said, Deflection isn’t exactly my strongest skill, so our results might vary.”

Song’s furrowed brow makes me wonder if the saying didn’t translate properly, but then she replies with, “It is still strange that you think Deflection one of your weaker skills, not only because of what you can do with it, but also your Blessing.”

“I uh... fail to see the correlation.”

Tilting her head in further confusion, the sunlight catches her emerald eyes and sets them to sparkling like the gemstones they resemble, forcing me to remind myself that I am twice married and soon to be thrice, so I should stop lusting after other women, even ones as phenomenal as Song. “I heard it said that those Blessed by Water are endowed with an innate understanding of Deflection, much like Warriors Blessed by Earth have an intuitive grasp of Reinforcement.”

“Really?” After thinking about it, I can kinda see what she’s getting at, since Gam and Eccentric Gam are both aces at Reinforcement, while Ping Ping and Pong Pong have both been known to use Deflection with ease. “What about the other Blessings? Are Air and Fire biased towards any particular Chi skill?”

“Supposedly Lightening and Amplification,” Song Sends with a shrug, only to break out into a smile as the quin pups rush over to find someone new to play with now that Rakshasa has his face pressed up against the bamboo stalks. Sarankho is quick to take up the offer, play pouncing at the adorable little squeakers and batting at them with her paw while the darling pups run and roll about to avoid her ‘attacks’. “Though I have also heard that Water Blessed Warriors are also inherently adept at Reverberation, so make of it what you will.”

With that being said, Song breaks off the conversation to play with the quin pups while I watch and do my best to ignore the herd of stampeding rhinos racing around inside the back of my skull. The pain gets so bad I actually blank out for a few minutes, though to be fair, I might’ve just fallen asleep with eyes wide open, because the next thing I know, Lin-Lin’s dainty little arms are hugging me from behind as my sweet wifey settles in against me with a heavy sigh. “Hiya hubby,” she whispers, beaming as if we’ve been separated for years rather than maybe an hour at most, because that’s generally how long one of these Body Tempering baths takes. “What happened to Yan Yan?”

“Hello wifey.” Leaning into her embrace, I touch my temple to her forehead and bask in her cheery presence, a font of good vibes and positive energy which I hope will never run out. I feel bad for her current predicament however, since the only reason she’s overseeing the ladies’ baths is because Taduk is running himself ragged with everything he’s been doing and I can’t be trusted to keep my mind on task when it comes to working around my naked wives. Which would be bad, because these Body Tempering baths need to be kept at a precise temperature with the correct concentration of Spiritual Plants else bad things could happen. “Yan is off meditating on some new Insights, courtesy of you and your wonderful work with the baths. You’ve been hard at it all afternoon, so how about a quick break?”

“Okay,” she declares, still keeping her voice low so as not to interrupt Grandpa Du, though Taduk doesn’t seem to care at all as he putters about his garden and loudly accuses the rabbits of nibbling on his precious plants while petting them with great affection. “But only until the tub is cleaned and water is heated again.” Melting into my shoulder with a tired little huff, my wifey buries her face against my neck and says, “Do you have anything to eat?”

“Some dried fruit.” Which is technically for the animals, but still tastes good to me, unlike the unsalted dried meat which serves as treats for the carnivores. “I’ve also got some mixed nuts in the carriage I can get.”

“Fruit please.” The satchel of treats is already in my hands and I hold a piece of delicious dried mango to her lips, which disappears almost as quickly as if Mama Bun were here. Of course, the rabbits soon sniff out that there’s fruit to be had and begin hopping about, and Guai-Guai joins them in demanding for their fair share of treats.

Placating my furry overlords with a generous ransom of edible delights, I feed Lin-Lin a second piece and whisper, “You’re doing great, wifey. No need to rush though, we can take as long as it takes.”

“But the faster I finish, the sooner I’m done working and can go play, ya?” Blowing out between her lips, she asks, “Do you know when your glider will be done? What’s taking so long anyways? Can’t we just use a kite? We have those already.”

“A kite is fine for getting you up into the air.” Kissing my impatient, height-loving, thrill-seeking wifey on the cheek, I add, “The problem is landing without breaking all your bones. When was the last time you reeled in a kite without losing control and crashing it into the ground?”

Uttering a grumbled rebuttal that lacks any actual words, Lin-Lin stews in discontent over my ‘excessively’ cautious nature. Sorry for wanting to iron out all the details before sending anyone up in a manned flying contraption, but it feels like landing should be a valid concern to anyone who wants to take to the skies. Not my fearless Lin-Lin however, who thinks she can just jump free from the kite and land safely without a care in the world, as if I’d send her into the air without strapping her in first. Honestly, I might need to keep an eye on her for the next few weeks, just to make sure she doesn’t try something on her own, or worse, with the twins who’ve been pestering me about the same thing. I shouldn’t have voiced my thoughts on gliders out loud during dinner, because I raised too many expectations too soon. At this point, I’m not even sure if my latest letter has even reached Diyako in the north, though as Legate, I do have a number of perks which I often take advantage of, and priority mail is one of my favourites.

Honestly, I think it’s high time I taught Roc’s flock how to deliver messages. They’re big enough to carry a proper sized scroll, and smart enough to learn words and phrases, so it shouldn’t be too hard to teach them to fly to a familiar location. Problem is, they’re not too enthused about flying long distances, seeing how they only leave the Citadel when I bring them out, not to mention how they like to stick together at all costs. Makes them great pets, but not all that useful in the grand scheme of things, so they’re lucky they’re cute and clingy. Especially the younger laughing birds, as they’ve made great friends with the quin pups, a kind and gentle bunch who’ve taken to protecting their feathered friends from the rambunctious bunbuns who don’t know their own strength. Watching them all play is good for the soul, and Lin-Lin joins me in my vigil while idly asking, “Any progress with the groundhogs?”

“Sadly no. They’re not responding to Aura at all, not even after so many days of trying.” Probably because of Rakshasa, though I doubt the bears, wildcats, and quins really help matters much. “It’s okay though, I’ll keep trying and whatever happens, happens.”

“Mm. A groundhog family would be a lot of help with gardening though. No more digging around in the dirt to plant seeds, ya?”

“Good point. We should also get a herd of elephants too, to help water the garden, and monkeys to do the weeding.”

“How about...”

Lost in our own little world, we exchange silly ideas about training fanciful pets to do all our household chores for us, including birds to help hang the laundry and mice to do our tailoring, not that any of it would ever work. This continues until Mila and Kyung emerge from their respective bathing areas and Hua Lie’s Veiled subordinates finish cleaning and refilling a single tub, at which point Lin-Lin bids us farewell as she heads off to help Song with her Body Tempering bath. Kyung makes no effort to chat and instead sets up vigil around Grandpa Du, leaving me and Mila to our own devices as my fiery wife leans against my shoulder and mock scowls at the snoring Aurie laid out across my lap. “Lazy wildcat,” she says, no longer needing to whisper now that Kyung has put up a Sound Barrier around himself and the meditating Grandpa Du. “Forget training Aurie to pull a sled. It’d be a miracle if you could teach your pets how to feed themselves in the wild.”

“Don’t be mad just because he stole your spot,” I tease, rewarded with a fetching flush of Mila’s fair cheeks as she scowls in shame. “You can’t be monopolizing my lap all the time now.”

“Hmph.” Responding to reason with violence as she is wont to do, Mila chomps down on my cheek in an almost seductive manner, having grown far more bold in recent weeks. No longer does she slap my hands and move away when I wrap my arm around her waist, though anything more would be pushing the boundaries of decorum even for me. Any sort of public display of affection is seen as crude and unbecoming, even something as mild as stroking your wife’s cheek (face, not butt, though I suppose the latter would be worse), or walking arm in arm down the street. Lin-Lin’s never cared about such things, nor has Yan, but Mila was always a good and proper girl until I sank my lecherous claws into her, or so my Grandmother turned Mother-in-Law would have everyone believe. There’s some truth to the accusation though, so I can’t really protest too much, but in my defence, we’ve been making up for lost time now that I’m no longer liable to break every time Mila flexes her thighs. We’ve also been trying to recreate the circumstances in which I was able to Impart my Insights upon her, since I’m still working on the theory of love equals power. So far, we’ve come up with bupkis, even with Yan’s enthusiastic assistance in this regard, oftentimes with all three of us working together in joint effort to express our love. It’s not easy work, I’ll say that much, but this is a sacrifice I am wholly willing to make.

Not gonna lie. Life is good.

After enticing Princess to waddle over and rest in her embrace, Mila tickles the weasel-bear’s feet and asks about Yan. Responding with more interest in the details than capricious Lin-Lin, Mila’s questions eventually leads us back to the topic of Blessings and their affiliated Chi skills, and as always, my fiery beloved proves to be a treasure trove of knowledge. “Blessings are rare,” she begins, hedging her bets as always, “So what I am about to tell you is widely accepted, but might not be entirely correct. It’s rare to have two or three Martial Warriors with the same Blessing in a single generation, so we have understandably minimal information regarding the matter.” Having covered her bases, Mila closes her eyes to help her memory, though I notice she also leans in to sniff me a little as well, taking in my scent with a soft sigh. “Let’s see,” she murmurs, looking so cute and defenceless as she sighs in contentment, and it takes all of my self-control not to gobble her up right here. “Where to begin? The Four Primal Blessings are generally associated with two Chi skills each. Water Blessed Warriors are supposedly gifted in matters of Deflection and Resonance, while Air have advantages in Lightening and Guiding. Fire is Honing and Amplification, while Earth is Reinforcement and Stability.” Opening her eyes, she seems surprised to find me staring right at her, and we lose ourselves in each other’s eyes for a moment before she shakes it off and continues. “It’s nothing too substantial, just that it’s been noted that Warriors with those specific Blessings are generally more adept at those Chi skills, nothing more, nothing less.”

Which of course brings me to my favourite question in the whole wide world. “Why?”

A flash of concern shows in my beloved’s eyes, one which speaks of a grave concern that she might have married an idiot. “Well, remember when we talked about how the Primal Elements aren’t really representative of the elements themselves right?”

“Yea, of course. They represent the myriad of unique forces in the universe broken down into four broad but distinct categories.” And like that, the shoe drops and I kind of understand what Mila is getting at. “Oh, so you’re saying those Chi skills personify the specific fundamental forces each Element represents?”

“Or the Blessings themselves make use of those specific Chi skills to drive those forces more than any other.” Shrugging, she adds, “Difficult to say really. Historically, few Martial Warriors ever cared to share the secrets of their strengths in plain Common, so most of this is just guesswork based on records of second or third-hand observations. There appears to be a pattern, but hard work and innate talent can never be ignored as there are plenty of exceptions, such as Air Blessed Warriors who were dominant in Reinforcement or Fire Blessed Warriors who excelled in Resonance. It’s not like you even need a Blessing to excel in any particular Chi skill either. Just look at Bai Qi. He has no Blessing, but is easily the number one contender for foremost Expert of Reinforcement and Amplification in all the outer provinces.”

The man does hit hard, I’ll give him that, managing to overpower the Wood-Blessed Shuai Jiao in a single blow. Going by the above logic, as a Wood Blessed Warrior, a Blessing which is a combination of Earth and Water, the Commander General should be adept in Reinforcement, Stability, Deflection, and Resonance, all of which would have been paramount in defending against Bai Qi’s attack, and yet it’s clear from the results that his skills weren’t up to snuff. “Maybe it’s not an intuitive grasp of the skills like Song believes,” I muse, trying to make sense of the information before me. “It would make more sense if it’s just a matter of practice, with the Blessings making more use of those specific Chi Skills like you said. When I dart through the water, I’m mostly using Deflection to do it, shaping the currents and smoothing their progress around me to minimize resistance. Not sure how Resonance and Water Chi go together though, but maybe my hidden Insights are how I uncovered the secret behind the Mountain Collapsing Stomp.” Though it doesn’t seem like much, this does give me a new thread to unravel in hopes of untangling the mysteries of the Dao, because now I suspect that my ability to manipulate Water Chi is contingent on a Chi Skill that is a blend of Deflection and Resonance.

...Does this mean that when Mila unleashes her Blessing of the Sun, which is an Esoteric Blessing that is comprised of a mix of all four Primal Elements, she is in fact utilizing a combination of all eight fundamental Chi Skills? Damn. There’s talented, and then there’s Mila, and I can only hope to not fall too far behind once she finds her stride.

“Truth be told,” Mila begins, grumbling as she sinks into my one armed embrace to watch Guai Guai and Princess politely ignore one another entirely while snuggling side by side, “I don’t understand how you haven’t already figured most of this out. The tales of what you did out on the Azure Sea are frankly beyond belief, and Father-in-Law says that they hardly do your accomplishments justice. He’s not one to exaggerate either, not even when his precious son is involved, and if anything, I’d say he’s likely understating the facts quite a bit.” Despite her skeptical remarks, Mila’s tone is filled with love and pride as she basks in my accomplishments, so head over heels for me in a way I can scarcely even believe. “You raised the waves to shatter an entire ship and separate two battling armies with little more than a wave of your hand, and here you are asking me for advice regarding your Blessing. Absurd is what it is.”

Idly summoning Water Chi into the palm of my hand again, I reminisce on that day’s events while staring at my palm, as if able to see the past in this shallow pool of water. “A lot of things were made clear that day,” I begin, grasping at the memories that seem to escape me even now. “The properties of water and what drives it mostly, as well as how I utilize my Blessing in more ways than I previously thought. I told you about how my Devouring is contingent on my Blessing, a Talent I probably developed because I came so close to surrendering and transforming into a Demon, back when I was drifting through the rapids of Western Treasure’s lake. The Spectres and our foe wanted me to surrender so they could consume my soul, but in a fit of pique, I decided I would consume them instead, reversing a process that might well have already begun.” I have ‘Baledagh’ to thank for that, my alter-ego unwilling to become prey, because he was a Warrior born, or at least we pretended to be one. Fake it till you make it, as I always say, and Baledagh was well on his way to success.

Repressing a surge of melancholy for the little brother I never had and lost, I stifle a sigh and pretend not to see Mila’s look of growing concern etched across her lovely, freckled face. “Anyways, it was all very enlightening and such, but while it revealed many truths to me which I should have already known, most of what I did that day wasn’t really my work. I supplied the Chi and the Intent, but Blobby did all the heavy lifting, directing the currents to protect the Imperials and separate the enemies to be killed or Cleansed. To make matters worse, while I remember doing it, and knowing what I was doing in the moment, here and now, I cannot recall any specifics as to what exactly I did or how I did it.”

To illustrate my point, I wave my palm about and try to make the water within do something impressive, but as expected, nothing unnatural happens. The Water Chi just sits there in my palm, like real water, wet and cool as expected. Dismissing the Water Chi with a thought, I lean into my warm, soft wife for moral support and add, “Not to say I didn’t gain anything from the experience. Way back when I was still muddling my way along the Martial Path and barely knew up from down, I managed to produce Water Chi by envisioning the cool metal surface of my sword drawing moisture from the warm air around it, but even then I had my doubts about whether that was what was happening. I specifically remember thinking that spitting water was fine for turtles, but as a human being, there was no way I could go around on the battlefield spewing water from my gullet to use against my foes. Drawing moisture from the air was just my way of coping with the nonsensical manner in which Chi becomes Water Chi, but I never actually drew water from the air in the first place.”

“And now you know that Water Chi seeped out of your sword, a concept which was somehow too abstract for you to accept less than two years ago.”

The amusement in Mila’s voice does wonders for my spirits, because even if she’s laughing at me, I’m happy just to see her happy. “Now however, I understand that Water Chi is not actual water, and more than understand it, I accept it. The Water Chi exists inside me, tucked away in my Core and brought out in the same manner as Chi or Aura, so now that I’ve come to terms with this simple fact, I’m able to summon Water Chi as I please.” Grimacing at the lacklustre ability I’ve now mastered, I re-summon the pool of Water Chi and wish for it to do something, anything at all, but again, no dice. “Can’t do anything with it though, which is kinda useless, but here’s hoping.” I still need to figure out Water Bullets, Water Shields, Water Tentacles, or really, anything of real use to me outside of the Azure Sea, which means I still have a long ways to go, but at least now I have a general direction to head towards.

“You know,” Mila says, her tone wry and mocking, “You keep talking as if access to your strongest abilities being limited to the Azure Sea is some great handicap, but you seem to forget that the sea is awfully large.”

“I spent a grand total of about three seconds using my powers in the Azure Sea, and it cost me just about all my Chi and most of the Heavenly Energy I Cleansed from close to a hundred Demons. It also put me in a coma for about a week, and I’m still suffering from the effects now almost two weeks later, so I’d hardly call that an efficient use of my resources.” Turns out I’m a real one-pump chump as it were, a fact I would rather not become widespread. Stealing a kiss to keep Mila from arguing her next point, I add, “Shipping barrels of sea water over didn’t work, as that turned out to just be sea water. I probably have to be the one to go collect it, else Blobby won’t come out of the sea, and while I could stay in SuiHua to practice until I understand how to use Water Chi without Blobby’s assistance, my family is all here and I can’t bear to be apart from them.” Not to mention the minor fact that I am still the head of state and technically the highest ranking civil and military official in the outer provinces, which means I can’t just run off to do my own thing whenever I damn well please.

That being said, it’s not like I’m spending all my time idling about and indulging in lust with my wives. I’ve got fingers in many different projects, not just the coveted hang-gliders Lin-Lin is so eagerly awaiting. Lishan Suzhen’s colleague from the south finally came through and my rubber factory is currently in business making all sorts of useful things, though I insisted my order of rubber balls in various sizes came first. I had a giant rubber ball made for Ping Ping way back when she was huge, but it’s gone unused ever since her ascension since it’s too heavy for her and all the other animals to play with. I cannot wait to see how all my floofs react to their new bouncy, floating toys, especially the bears and wildcats. There’s nothing cuter than watching a big old floof roll around with a ball, and there is nothing anyone can do to convince me otherwise. I’ve also been working with Taokang Geyan to spread awareness of Panacea, borrowing the renowned Healer’s name to publish a primer on the basics of this ‘newfangled’ Healing method for all to read. Though the stocky Westerner was none too pleased about being asked to take credit for work he did not do, he came around to the idea once he realized my life would be in danger if my name were attached to the project.

At which point Geyan couldn’t agree any faster. As a man without a province to call home anymore, his actions in sharing Panacea could be seen as an altruistic act tainted by thoughts of vengeance. More resilient Warriors meant a better chance of retaking the West, so whether he compiled his information after the existence of Panacea became known to the world, or if he’d been hiding this secret all along, it wouldn’t matter because Geyan has nothing to lose. I hate putting someone else in danger to keep myself safe, but as the foremost Healer of the Western Province, I’m hoping the powers that be leave him alone on the basis that if he had any other useful knowledge to share, he would have long since done so without prompting.

To keep him safe, I’ve added Geyan to Gao Changgong’s retinue and tasked the former Major General to keep the Healer alive, while simultaneously having MuYang keep an eye on them both. Trust, but verify, that’s my motto now.

There’s also the matter of raising morale, reinforcing the Districts, and rebuilding the Central Citadel, as well as improving the defences not just at the other two Citadels, but all along the wall itself. The man-made river running all along the Western Border is slated to be widened at all fronts, an idea I came up with after the barrels of sea water turned out to be water, rather than bound Chi Tea. I figured that since the water was flowing in from the Azure Sea, I could then use the river water the same way I use the sea water, but alas, Blobby refused to respond to my summons no matter where I stood in the river or how long I called for him. It raises an interesting question about water, in that if all of the world’s water is connected, what difference is there in stream water from river water, or river water from sea water, assuming it’s all fresh and drinkable? More to the point, when does the water from the Azure Sea turn into water from the man-made river? At the mouth of the river by SuiHua harbour? Or somewhere before or after that? Is there any difference? What about rain falling into the Azure Sea? Does that water become a part of Blobby, only to split away once it evaporates and rises up into the clouds again? Also, why did Blobby merge with the sea, but refuse to merge with my bathwater? And why was Ping Ping so intent on drinking my bathwater? Neither turtle seems to care for my dirty wash water anymore, no matter how much I meditate and channel into it, nor do any of the animals show any reaction to it either, not that they ever did. It would appear that somehow, I’m no longer able to turn physical Water into Chi-Tea, which is odd to say the least, and ruins my plans of mass producing a countermeasure to Demon Ichor and Anathema.

I have so many more questions and concerns worth delving into, but I have top people working on most of those things, so I have nothing to do besides work on my own issues. Falling silent to focus on the Water Chi in my hand, I Visualize the clear liquid swirling in a clockwise motion and exert my Chi to Deflect it in that same direction, but the Water Chi remains still as ever. Undeterred, I keep up my efforts until the water wobbles ever so slightly, but my throbbing headache breaks my concentration and leaves me reeling with regret, as I am not yet recovered from the battle against Huanhuzi’s pirate fleet. I overused my metaphysical circulatory system, that still unnamed and unseen mechanism through which I channel Chi, and now it feels like no matter how full my Core is, I can only squeeze a trickle of Chi out to use as I please. Not an unheard of ailment according to Taduk, but all I can do is wait until I recover, which could be a matter of days or weeks. Thankfully, we’ve thus far kept things under wraps and I’ve been sparring with other Experts and Peak Experts as normal, so no one should be the wiser as to my weakened condition, but here’s hoping Zhen Shi sits still until I’ve worked out all the kinks and am ready to retake the West.

But even if he appears on the battlefield today, I would still take up Peace, Tranquility, and Unity to stand against him, because as Legate of the Outer Provinces, these are my lands and my people, so I will defend them to the last.

Also, fuck Zhen Shi and everything about him. I hate that guy, and spite is totally a valid a motivation.

Chapter Meme