The Fourth Stage - Chapter 25 preview

“I can’t decide if it’s more sadistic that he doesn’t tell us what our next lesson is, or more,” Ma Jie complained, as she chivvied her friends to the small building that made up the department’s headquarters. It was set quite the distance away from all the other buildings, between the inner and outer sect and had once, Ma Jie was certain; been a servant’s building.

Now, it’d been cleaned up, the small patch of land around it cleared – by them – and turned into the training center for the new Department of Wandering Gatherers. There were perfunctonary formations emplaced around the grounds, but none of them meant to do more than warn the cultivators of movement. Not actual security.

Of course, that was probably because there was – as yet – nothing worth stealing.

Eventually, the various herbs they grew would be of value, though even then, not too much. It was not as though they were taking the time to properly emplace formations, to adjust the soil and moisture and drainage to ensure that the herbs they were working with came out at the highest quality.

Not that any of them were sloppy in their work – though more than once, Ma Jie, her friends and the other more experienced Gatherers had to correct the newer cultivators – but the entire process was not the point.

What the point was, beyond making them suffer under the Elder aura was unclear. At a guess, he was verifying their skills at cultivating herbs and vegetation, though why he hadn’t just spoken with Elder Kim, Ma Jie could not explain.

Then again, the Elder almost always took action that seemed – at first glance – less than optimal. He trained them individually on aura control when there were other teachers who could do much the same. He would occasionally declare afternoons to be filled with physical training, forcing them to run, jump, fight and otherwise exhaust their dantians and physical forms against one another and him. Yet, the martial cultivators were already scheduled to do much the same three times a week with the apprentices.

Even their studies about plants were not mass taught but individually designated. He asked – and remembered! – what each of them chose to study and made recommendations based off their current area of study.

Zhe Lan was a prime example of that. She had received a slew of manuals and scrolls detailing herbs and other vegetation that commonly grew along waterways, wetlands, lakes and rivers and even the sea and been directed to study as much – or as little – as she wished. Of course, Zhe Lan was not that foolish to ignore the rather blatant hint, and had dove into the work.

Now, he was leaving hints that she needed to work on holding her breath. Or finding a cultivation technique that allowed her to breathe under the water.

Of course, she was not the only one. Rou Gang had been taught a sensory method and coached on managing his aura control, such that he no longer collapsed his aura entirely into his own body, leaving him vulnerable. He still struggled with the technique, of course, but was slowly progressing even as – more often than not – he was excused from working the fields.

Xia Hui on the other hand was being pushed to not expand his knowledge of herbs – though he too had his own slew of studies to be undertaken – but his martial prowess. During the occasional afternoons where the Elder trained them, it was Xia Hui who was singled out for a beating.

And beating was entirely the correct term.

Two months, the Elder had trained them, and if there was anything to be surprised, it was that only a few more had dropped out. One of Elder Kim’s prized students, after their leg was broken from an improperly timed kick and block, had just never returned after her initial convalescence. It was Gui Ting who had brought word of her refusal to be subjected to barbaric training methods.

Her words, as Gui Ting had explained to them. Of course, he’d been much more polite when relaying such information to the Elder.

Not that the man had seemed to care.

“How about it doesn’t matter?” Ya Zhu said, grimacing. “Do you know, he had me sitting in the corner during the fights the last time, my eyes closed so that I could only use my spiritual sense to tell when one of you oafs were about to crash into me?”

“We know.” Both her friends chorused together.

“It’s stupid.”

“It’s unique.” Zhe Lan said. “The things he knows about water plants…”

“Yes, yes. Much more extensive than anything that Elder Kim knows. Or even, from what we heard, Elder Li,” Ya Zhu said. “It’s still weird.”

“Maybe the weird is the point,” Ma Jie said, thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?” Zhe Lan said, curiously.

Suddenly shy, Ma Jie shook her head, coming to a stop near the fields. She bent down and plucked a weed, rather than meet the gaze of her friends.

“Go on. I need to hear this,” Ya Zhu added.

Ma Jie just shook her head.

“I am curious about this too.” A deeper, more vibrant voice cut through. Ma Jie froze as she recognized Gui Ting’s voice.

“I don’t have to answer to you…” Ma Jie replied, but it was hesitant. The current standing for each of them within the department was unknown. Elder Long was many things, but organized was not one of them. Like the wind, he seemed happy to allow things to drift.

“But would you answer me?” Xia Hui’s voice was less insistent than Ya Tin’s, though no less deep.

Looking up, Ma Jie found her gaze drifting between the group that were now hunkered around her, staring at her curiously.

“We’ve all, well, we’ve all learnt under the Sect, right?” Nods from all around. “But some of us haven’t progressed in years. So maybe different is good, weird is good. It forces us to consider our paths, our cultivation techniques in different ways.”

“Or maybe he just never learnt properly,” Gui Ting said, arms crossed. “Perhaps he is making it all up as he goes along.”

“A little bit of both, I dare say.”

“See, I’m glad you agree… Elder.” Gui Ting gulped, eyes wide with fear as the group realised that the man they were speaking about was there. Right beside them. And not a single one of them had sensed his presence. Hasty bows were conducted, even as the Elder fixed his gaze on Ya Zhu, the diminutive scholar.

“You nearly sensed me but pulled back at the last moment. Trust in your instincts and your abilities and not shrink back from its use,” he stated firmly. “You’ve already progressed and combined your wood element with your spiritual sense, do not shrink from sharpening it.

“Especially if you continue to skip your martial lessons.”

Ya Zhu lowered her head in shame at being called out. Before anyone else could reply to the Elder, he strolled to the building, hands clasped behind his back. However, a slight shift in his lips showed that he was not done speaking, though to who, Ma Jie could not understand.

“I told you, you can’t keep skipping those classes,” Ma Jie hissed at her friend. “Do you want to get thrown out?”

“I don’t see why… I can hide rather than fight.” Ya Zhu said.

“Do you want to tell him that?” Zhe Lan gestured. “He’s already said, there are times when you can’t afford to hide. Sometimes, the opponents aren’t just beasts.”

Ya Zhu grimaced, but none of them were ignorant of the stories of the attacks and betrayals the Verdant Gatherer had faced. If anything, his obstinance at not giving up his goods had likely increased problems for them, if they intended to leave the kingdom.

“I just… don’t like fighting,” Ya Zhu replied at last.

“None of us do,” Xia Hui said, softly. “But it is part of the requirements of being a wandering gatherer under his tutelage. You’ll have to choose, at some point, if your dislike is sufficient to thwart your path.” Then turning on his heel, he moved towards the building. “Now, if you hadn’t realised it, our Teacher is waiting for us.”

That startled the group and as one, the students pushed towards the door. Even Ma Jie, though she waited long enough for her friends to begin moving before she did. After all, she wasn’t going to leave them behind.

***

“Remember, there is no class for the next day. Continue your training with your other teachers!”

Wu Ying watched the group tramp off to their various studies, leaving him behind with various goodbyes. He wondered how much longer before more dropped out of this course. His demands were onerous, his requirements high.

In fact, the three young women were on the verge of being kicked out, individually. Each had their own flaws – from a lack of martial ability in some cases to a lack of drive. Of them all, only Gui Ting and Xia Hui were anywhere close to what he would consider adequate, and even then, he expected to spend at least a few more months training them on the basics of wild gathering before letting them loose.

Pushing thoughts of his burgeoning students aside, Wu Ying looked around the small room. He shook his head as he wandered around the desks and tables over to the single bookcase that sported the various treatises and manuals about herbology that he left here for use.

Ya Zhu was the greatest boon in this case, for her scholarly tendencies meant that she was busy making a copy of the work for herself. While Wu Ying had requested the aid of the scholars in the sect, they were – not surprisingly – quite busy and had only been willing to rush produce a single copy of the notes he deemed necessary for his students to read.

As it was, the cost of producing that single copy had been astounding. Of course, it probably had as much to do with Wu Ying’s insistence of an exact copy of the work as possible, but still… It had been rather eye opening to see how other cultivators managed to earn the resources needed to progress.

As it was, he was down to the dregs of his gathered stock outside of the usual items in his World Spirit Ring. Most of those were either needed for his own on-going Body Cultivation baths or were still in the midst of growing and strengthening, requiring years to decades more before they were suitable for consumption.

“I need to go on an expedition soon,” Wu Ying muttered. Of course, he knew that was not an option. He was stuck here – by Sect Head command even – till he had trained an adequate replacement and that was months away at the very least.

In the meantime, he would need to work out how to gain the goodwill of other Elders to have them expand their resources for him and guide their departments to aid him. Elders like Tou Hei might be able to last for long periods doing little enough, what with only having their own needs being catered to; but he had an entire department to run.

Musing about the skillset that he had and the possibilities inherent in utilizing it within the Sect, Wu Ying drifted through the sect to his next appointment. He focused his attention when he was brought into the presence of the pair of Elders, bowing to them both formally.

“Elder Gu, Elder Lin.” Wu Ying came out of the bow to glance at the stone bath that had been centered in the middle of the room. No wooden contraption, this stone bath had to be moved from storage to Liu Tsong’s room for just this purpose. After all, no wooden bath could contain the boiling, frothing liquid within. “I see that the medicinal bath is ready. You are content with the findings then?”

“Mostly,” Physician Gu said, stroking his long beard and peering at the mixture. He shook his head after a moment, focusing his gaze upon Wu Ying as he spoke. “Your insights into the nature of your Body Cultivation manual and Body Cultivation itself was useful and enlightening. But the risk of this method is still significant.”

“It’s a lesser risk than the other options,” Wu Ying pointed out.

“Nonetheless.” Physician Gu pursed his lips as he continued. “Those items you brought from the North…”

“The bark of the dwarf elm, the magenta-red peony and the roots of the deodeok,” Wu Ying said, pointing to each of the three items set to the side of the bath.

“Yes, those. If this works, we’ll need more of them.” The Physician frowned at Wu Ying. “The cold of their nature will alleviate some of the burning acidity of the others we have added, helping to soothe and calm the tempest of the baths. But what we have, it is from you. Can you provide more?”

“Yes.” Wu Ying said. “I have thrice again as much as what we have here. And I am growing additional stores for next season.”

“Good. I would not recommend this path without securing additional supplies,” Physician Gu crossed his arms, still looking unhappy. “Once you begin, if it works, we will have to continue the treatment. I do not forsee a stopping point that will be better off than you are now.”

“I understand, Elder.”

“What the Physician is trying to say, for his own sake of mind though he would prefer you continue anyway to satisfy his curiosity,” Elder Gu smiled a little, “is that this is going to be dangerous. And painful. Worst than any of the other baths you’ve suffered, Wu Ying.”

The wind cultivator looked at Liu Tsong as she spoke, her gaze intense. He began to nod to show he understood, but she continued.

“Once you step in, we can’t pull you out till it’s done. You’ll also have to channel the energies all through it, so you can’t faint either.” A hand reached into her sleeves and she extracted a pill bottle from within. “This Mind and Soul Moon Clearing pill will aid you in keeping consciousness. I’ve already verified that it should not interact with the herbs within the bath.” She pulled a jade box half the size of her fist from her sleeves next, the lid closed. “This is a pill derived from that Lung and Kidney pill you passed to me…” A narrowing of eyes was enough to keep Wu Ying from correcting her terminology, “and it will taste just as vile. However, this one is dedicated to your wind body and should not just reinforce it but also your soul cultivation. Take it immediately after you exit the bath.”

“Thank you. Both of you.” Wu Ying bowed to the pair after he took both items from her. He watched as they left him to disrobe and climb into the bath, knowing they would return as soon as they felt him enter to continue their study of the effects on him.

In truth, that was half the price he was paying to Physician Gu. As the foremost Body Cultivator in the Sect - even bypassing Elder Po whose metal body was only ancillary to his soul cultivation – Wu Ying was of great interest to the physician. In his continued push towards immortality and his notes on Body Cultivation, the physician hoped to gain further enlightenment in the dao of healing.

Undressed entirely, the boxes and his belongings set on a nearby table within easy reach, Wu Ying readied himself. He popped open the pill given to him, swallowing the two glistening, yellow streaked with purple pills. Within moments, he could feel the pills acting upon him, as though he had drunk a dozen cups of tea and awakened from a deep sleep by a frightening noise.

Finally prepared, he climbed into the boiling water without hesitation. Wu Ying hissed a little as his bare skin touched the water, for though he was immune to the temperature change itself; the bath itself was made of powerful acids and caustic minerals along with a powerful dao of dissolution.

Immediately, the outer layer of skin as Wu Ying forced himself to sink into the medicinal bath attacked him. He kept his head and hair out of the water, not needing to submerge completely for the bath to act upon him. After all, the dao itself and the energies flooding through his aura were doing the majority of the work.

As waves of pain enveloped Wu Ying, tearing at not just his aura and body but his very soul, the wind cultivator forced himself to cultivate. He drew the corrosive energy through his meridians, feeling as it came across the portions that were broken or blocked or destroyed and felt the energies take effect, tearing new entrances and clearing blockages.

Meanwhile, deeper within the water, buried wood and earth energy was utilized by Wu Ying to help reinforce his body, healing the damage done by the bath. He pulled upon the core energy within his dantian, reinforcing his body as the caustic energy pulsed through his body, healing even as he harmed himself. The pain robbed him of the majority of his thought and reasoning, only decades of practice and a small portion of his mind – enmeshed in a powerful dao of comfort and chained by bands of metal and water chi – free of the agony that wracked him allowed him to cultivate.

Only vaguely was Wu Ying aware of the wind that had kicked up around him, tearing through the room and picking his belongings, scattering them around. Liu Tsong, looking entirely unhappy, had caught the jade box with one hand as she strode in, then pinned his sword with the other moments later. She glowered at him, as she watched his suffering, mentally taking notes as she waited.

On the other side, Physician Gu had a sheaf of papers hovering in the air before him, an enchanted brush taking notes as he spoke out loud his observations. Around the physician, a bubble of calm was enforced by his extended aura, even the wind unable to gainsay the old man as he enforced his own dao understanding upon the world.

Hours passed, as the occasional herb or medicinal pill was added to the water, additional caustic lye or fluid poured within or bloody and dirty water released from a stoppage. Liu Tsong undertook much of this scut work, as the Physician only offered verbal commands and encouragement.

In the midst of this, Wu Ying continued to suffer. His world had narrowed down to the rise and fall of his breath, the flow of power within his veins from one moment to the next. He was entirely vulnerable, his energy drained away by inches as the medicinal bath reforged his body over and over again as he attempted to rectify the damage done by his misuse of the dao. Cun by cun, he fixed his body, driving out the corruption.

Eventually, his reserves and mind fraying apart, the signal was given and the final cold-natured plants were added to the bath. Immediately, the composition of the bath altered and Wu Ying’s agony receded as a cooling balm swept through him.

Yet, he knew, this too was a test.

Rather than let himself be lulled into stupor entirely, Wu Ying held firm; aided by the waning dregs of power of the Mind and Soul Moon Clearing pill. He used the new chi to help calm his body, speeding up the process of healing that had gone on throughout the evening.

Eventually, the energy within the bath exhausted itself, leaving him wrung out.

“Now, take the pill.” Physician Gu commanded, impatiently.

Wu Ying groaned, flopping around to try to climb out of the bath. He failed, the muscles in his arm and body trembling uncontrollably. The best he managed was to loll his mouth open.

“I see I have to do anything. Elder Lin, feed him!” Physician Gu complained, waving Liu Tsong forward. Not that he needed to do so, for the apothecarist was already stepping forward, the jade box open. The horse sized pill was in her hand and she tilted his head back, stuffing the foul smelling item into his throat and forcing him to swallow.

“I really do need to charge more…” Liu Tsong complained, extracting a rag to wipe her hand clean moments before snapping the box shut. Even in the brief moments it had been present in the air, the pill had added to the redolent stench that hung around them, intensifying the smell a thousand times.

Thankfully, both physician and apothecarist had techniques to ignore smells and taste, a requirement for their respective professions. As for Wu Ying – he had an even more intense experience close at hand to battle.

“Well, I’m done…” Liu Tsong said, when she was certain that Wu Ying – cultivating the pill now as he flopped bonelessly against the edge of the bath – was not going to throw up or otherwise react adversely. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

Receiving no protestations by either party, she left the pair alone, the Physician continuing to take notes as he peered at the flow of energy coming out of Wu Ying and even took samples of the water and skin that had sloughed out of the bath.

Hours later, Wu Ying finally managed to summon sufficient energy to send the Physician away and stumble into a nearby room to lay down, the core of energy within his body rotating still to draw in wind chi. In the meantime, he lay there unmoving and senseless, his body abused and aching from the recent medicinal bath, uncertain if his suffering had any effect at all.