Prologue: A Most Mediocre Birth
Governor Lee glanced out the window as his carriage plodded...
Governor Lee glanced out the window as his carriage plodded...
History's Most Mediocre Cultivator (Xianxia Quest)
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Prologue: A Most Mediocre Birth
- Location
- United States
Prologue: A Most Mediocre Birth
Governor Lee glanced out the window as his carriage plodded along the road towards his youngest great-grandson's manse. The wind whistled as it bent acre after acre of rice stalks, leaving rippling waves of green in its wake. Farmers hunched over the rice paddies with only their bamboo hats to shield them from the sun as they tended the crops. It was a view that had always filled him with pride, for these rice paddies were emblematic of the peace and prosperity of the Four Rivers province. In part that was due to the richness of the land and its relative safety in the interior of the Empire, but it was also due to the excellent stewardship of his clan. But for the last few decades that pride was marred by a small but constant sense of unease.
Lee had lived for 812 years, and ruled the province as a violet cultivator for over 500 of those years, but in that time he had not had a single descendant reach the same level of cultivation. Lee had perhaps a century or two left in him if the Empire remained at peace, and he had no illusions that he could reach white in that time. When he was gone, who would take his place? Many of his descendants had already passed away, either in war or simply due to time and a lack of sufficient cultivation. His eldest great-grandson was set to inherit, but Zihao was still only a blue cultivator, and unlikely to reach violet before he too passed. Meanwhile, many other clans had violet or even white cultivators among their ranks, and would see the small but rich Four Rivers province as easy pickings. At best, Lee's clan and their territory might end up subordinate to one of those powerful clans. At worst, one of his clan's rivals might petition the Emperor, claiming that his clan had grown weak and unfit to protect their lands. His descendants could be stripped of their titles, reduced to mere commoners. The Hou clan in particular might do so out of spite. Old Hou Jie had never gotten over losing out on the affections of Lee's wife.
Lee's musings were brought to a halt as the carriage finally stopped in front of his grandson's residence, a modest four-walled compound with a swallow-tailed roof and a simple red and blue color scheme, though surrounded by a garden with well-maintained shrubs and blooming cherry blossom trees. He could have arrived earlier if he'd come by flight, but he preferred taking in the countryside the slow way rather than zooming past it in an instant. After so many years, rushing to do anything felt rather pointless. Lee took his time getting up, stretching his arms back and yawning before composing himself, straightening his back. His manservant, Hu, held the door open for him with a bow as he stepped out of the carriage.
Jun, his great-grandson, was waiting for him at the entrance alongside two guardsmen, and bowed deeply upon seeing Lee. After the customary greetings ('How are you and your wife?' 'Have you eaten yet?'), Jun led him inside to the room where his wife, Xiuying, was resting on a cot, holding her newborn son. She gazed at the boy with an expression that showed relief, exhaustion, and pride in equal measure.
"Honored elder, thank you for coming to see my son." Xiuying said as he stepped inside the room. She turned as if to get up, but Lee held up a hand.
"Rest. Even the Emperor would not expect a mother to give him a formal greeting right after labor." Lee said, chuckling at the thought of it. He doubted the Emperor ever bothered to check up on his wives after they delivered. He was a cold man, that one, not that Lee would ever dare to say so out loud.
Xiuying nodded her assent and relaxed back into the bed. After a pause, she finally asked the question he was waiting for.
"Honored elder, will my son grow to be strong?" Xiuying asked, her tone neutral, but the slight crinkling of her brow betrayed her concern.
Lee turned his Ghost Eyes toward the baby, focusing on the small aura of qi that his body was already producing. The baby was swaddled tightly in a blanket and seemed to have woken up during the adults' conversation. By some miracle of the heavens, he had not yet started crying. He simply watched, his eyes flickering from one person to the next with surprising intelligence for his age. Sadly, his qi was not so promising. His aura was a very light pink, the color of peonies, and supposedly the color of compassion, though Lee never put much stock in the supposed meanings of aura birth colors. He found that people tended to interpret them to fit whatever preconceived notions they already had of the subject in question. More importantly, the baby's aura was not particularly strong even for a newborn. Lee thought of how to word this politely.
"He will be as strong as his father. He seems to be a very healthy child," Lee finally said after a long pause. Xiuying winced for a brief moment before smoothing her features over. Jun was, after all, still only a green-level cultivator, and at best would only reach blue near the very end of his lifetime.
"Thank you, great-grandfather." Jun cut in quickly, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder, perhaps to prevent her from reacting undiplomatically.
Lee nodded. "I am confident that he will be a reliable clan member in time. There is a place for everyone under the sun, from the ant to the lion."
Still, despite his words, Lee felt quite disappointed during his travels back to the ancestral clan manse. The clan didn't need yet another mediocre cultivator, and the boy's potential looked most mediocre indeed. Zihao would be having a child soon as well, but Lee had little hope that they would be talented enough to save their clan.
"Tell me, is this family cursed?" he mused aloud as he gazed at the stars in the heavens.
You have been born.
Base stats at birth:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 (inaccessible)
HP: 1/1
Diplomacy – 1/10 (you are not able to talk, but fairly cute and friendly for a newborn)
Knowledge – 0/10
Deception – 0/10
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 1
Martial – 0
Strength – 0
Defense – 0
Flexibility – 0
Balance – 0
Speed – 0
Stealth – 0
Stamina – 0
What is your name? Choose a male Chinese name, family name first and given name second.
[X][Name] Write-in
In your early childhood, you got along better with:
[X][Childhood Friend] Xiaoli, the clan heir's daughter, just three months younger than you.
[X][Childhood Friend] Suyin, the daughter of one of your father's friends.
In your early childhood, you showed an interest in:
[X][Interest] Talking people's ears off – Additional 2 diplomacy
[X][Interest] Asking the adults lots of questions – Additional 2 knowledge
[X][Interest] Taking sweets from the kitchen covertly – Additional 1 deception, 1 stealth
[X][Interest] Running around in the gardens – Additional 1 speed, 1 stamina
[X][Interest] Playing games with other boys – Additional 1 diplomacy, 1 strength
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Chapter 1.0 - A Fairly Average Childhood
- Location
- United States
Winning vote:
[X][Name] Li Shaohuo
[X][Childhood Friend] Xiaoli, the clan heir's daughter, just three months younger than you.
[X][Interest] Playing games with other boys – Additional 1 diplomacy, 1 strength
[X][Name] Li Shaohuo
[X][Childhood Friend] Xiaoli, the clan heir's daughter, just three months younger than you.
[X][Interest] Playing games with other boys – Additional 1 diplomacy, 1 strength
Chapter 1.0 - A Fairly Average Childhood
Shaohuo grew up quickly, as children tend to do. His parents told him that even as a toddler he preferred being outdoors whenever possible. At times he drove the servants to tears as they spent hours following him while he ran about, trying to keeping him from killing himself by falling into the river or dislodging heavy objects that the adults kept on shelves frustratingly high out of his reach.
Those days as an only child ended quickly, as Meiling was born a few months before Shaohuo turned five.
"You're going to be a big brother soon. Make sure you take care of your little brother or sister, okay?" Mother had told him a few months before Meiling was born.
"I want a little brother." Shaohuo said, his tone brooking no argument. Mother chuckled and reached an arm out to ruffle his hair, not bothering to leave the rocking chair. Her belly was quite big at that point, and Shaohuo was even able to feel the baby's kicks every now and then.
"We'll see about that, little one." Mother said.
Sadly, instead of a little brother Shaohuo ended up with Meiling. At first he tried playing with her, curious what all the fuss the adults made over her was about. But she was just an ugly little pink thing and didn't do anything other than cry when he tried to pick her up. And even when she didn't cry, the adults would stop him and take her away to fuss over again if he tried to go anywhere with her. Shaohuo didn't understand what the adults found so interesting about her, when she couldn't even talk or walk like he could. Still, he came to grow a bit fonder of Meiling by the time he turned seven, as she learned to walk and say a few words. He was able to play with her by then, though she had an annoying tendency to follow him around, and she still couldn't say his name right, just calling him "Shao." Despite this progress, he preferred playing games outdoors with the other boys.
He mainly played with Chin, Fang, and Daquan, whose fathers worked for his father. Their fathers were busy on most days with work, leaving the kids to their own devices. Shaohuo skinned his knees more than a few times during their games of tag, and his mother would scold him if he got mud on his clothes. Neither stopped him, though, and more than the competition of the games, he liked playing with the other boys and pushing his body to its limits. The daughter of one of his fathers' friends, Suyin, also joined them for hide and seek or catch, but often sat out of the rougher games. She was okay, but a real girly-girl, preferring to collect flowers or play with her dolls. She didn't talk much either, and was really shy, especially around strangers, and he suspected she intentionally kept her brown bangs like that to cover her eyes. She was good company though, and the only other kid who could really challenge him at chess. Father didn't count because he cheated (at least, that was the story Shaohuo was sticking with).
Though he wouldn't call her a friend, Shaohuo also played with Xiaoli pretty often. Father often told him that they first met at one of the main family's parties when they were three, and the first thing Xiaoli did was knock him over and make him cry, which Father always laughed at for some reason. Shaohuo didn't remember it, but he believed it. As far back as he could remember, she acted like a perfect little angel in front of the adults, with good manners and polite greetings and everything. But the moment their backs were turned, she became a demon.
One such day when he was eight, his father woke him up early in the morning to take him along on a visit to the main family's house near the province's capital. The carriage ride was long and boring, but Shaohuo was mostly pleased since he rarely got to leave home, even if it did mean he'd have to play with Xiaoli.
Finally they arrived and were ushered through the main gates of the clan's family compound by the servants. As he and his father stepped out of the carriage, he saw that Xiaoli was already there in front of the entrance next to her father. Her wavy, auburn hair, universal in their family, had grown past her shoulders since they last met and blew in the wind.
"Welcome, Jun. I am glad to see you made it here safely," Xiaoli's father said with a wide grin and an outstretched hand.
"I'm glad to see you as well, cousin. How have your wife and Xiaoli been?" Father said. Shaohuo stopped paying attention to the rest of the conversation, gulping as he noticed what Xiaoli was doing.
She was smiling at him in a way that the adults probably thought was charming and nice, but that Shaohuo knew meant she was up to no good. As soon as her father invited them in, Xiaoli rushed forward, grabbed his hand, and pulled him along behind her.
"I have this really good idea you're going to help me with," she said as she dragged him along toward her room. It was a girly room with lots of toys and dolls and even a small silver mirror on her desk. She was truly well-spoiled.
Xiaoli's grip finally loosened and Shaohuo took the opportunity to yank his hand free.
"I don't wanna," he said, pouting. Xiaoli grinned, her angelic features twisting with evil glee.
"I'll tell my dad you're being mean to me," Xiaoli singsonged, "'I just wanted to play, but Shaohuo said I was ugly and smelly. Why is he so mean, daddy?'" She slouched over the back of her desk chair as if so despondent she didn't have the energy to get up.
"Okay, okay." Shaohuo said, sighing. Even Father would believe Xiaoli over him.
"Good," Xiaoli said, nodding proudly as though the world's natural order had been restored. "Now, here's how we're going to get to the sweets…"
The plan was typical of Xiaoli, as she would distract the servants while Shaohuo was the one who would get his hands dirty.
Of course, when they inevitably got caught, he ended up taking the blame as the one doing the actual thieving, and Father scolded him for being a bad influence on Xiaoli. In the end, Shaohuo wasn't allowed to go outside for an entire five days. His only consolation was that the egg tarts were delicious.
The year he turned ten marked the beginning of his studies. His tutor was good at teaching, but a bit strict for Shaohuo's taste, requiring him to memorize everything he learned word for word. History was fairly interesting, but Shaohuo struggled to pay attention during classical literature, etiquette, and philosophy. He could only hear about filial piety so many times before it just became background noise, and he seriously hoped that when he grew up and became a cultivator it wouldn't be as boring as his tutor's droning about self-realization and ascending to the Heavens.
On the plus side, the tutor had taught him how to read, allowing Shaohuo to learn about more interesting things on his own when he had the opportunity. Father's library was small, but when they visited Xiaoli he was able to read from the clan's main library, with dozens of rows of books collected over thousands of years. Xiaoli read alongside him, though she tended to prefer romance novels and the classical epic sagas, and interrupted his reading often to talk or criticize his taste in books. Still, he appreciated the company, not that he would tell her since she would never let him hear the end of it.
Base stats at age 10:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 (inaccessible)
HP: 1/1 > 5/5 (+4 from growth)
Diplomacy – 1/10 > 4/10 (+2 from growth, +1 from personal action)
Knowledge – 0/10 > 3/10 (+2 from growth, + 1 from education)
Deception – 0/10 > 1/10 (+1 from growth)
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 1 > 4 (+3 from growth)
Martial – 0 > 1 (+1 from growth and play)
Strength – 0 > 3 (+2 from growth, +1 from personal action)
Defense – 0 > 2 (+2 from growth)
Flexibility – 0 > 2 (+2 from growth)
Balance – 0 > 2 (+2 from growth)
Speed – 0 > 2 (+2 from growth)
Stealth – 0 > 2 (+2 from growth)
Stamina – 0 > 3 (+3 from growth)
What does Shaohuo read about in his free time?
[X][Reading] More History – the origin of The Empire and the intrigue that occurs behind the scenes (+1 knowledge, +1 deception)
[X][Reading] Romance novels – while Shaohuo was skeptical of their trustworthiness, perhaps these novels would give him a better understanding of girls' mindsets and how people of other social classes live (+1 diplomacy, +1 knowledge)
[X][Reading] Natural philosophy – the leading theories on why the world works the way it does, as well as some of the quirks of nature such as the few spirit-beasts capable of cultivation (+2 knowledge)
[X][Reading] Just a little bit of everything – Shaohuo had a lot of questions, but he also wanted to spend more of his free time playing and exploring outdoors (+1 knowledge, +1 strength)
Father has promised to teach Shaohuo how to fight once he is a few years older, both with his fists and with a single weapon of his choice. Which weapon does Shaohuo learn to use?
[X][Weapon] Sword
[X][Weapon] Bow
[X][Weapon] Spear
[X][Weapon] Write-in
Shaohuo's life became quite a bit busier once his education started, but he still has some time to spend with his friends and relatives before he becomes a cultivator. Who does he spend time building trust with and getting to know better? Pick three.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Mother – obviously, you know Mother well, and you get along well too, seeing as she dotes on you almost as much as on Meiling. Still, you don't know much about her past. Perhaps you should change that? Though who she was might not be as important as who she is now.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Father – you do spend some time with Father with him taking you to meet his friends, clan members, and your future subordinates. You will also be spending time training with him from time to time. He has promised that one day when you have cultivated sufficiently he will also spend time teaching you to govern. But outside of duty, you could still get to know him better as a person.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Meiling – Shaohuo's sister is quite young still at the age of 3, verging on 4, and by the time Shaohuo leaves home to become a cultivator she will only be 11. This is an impressionable age for her, though.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Xiaoli – you play with Xiaoli often and get along fairly well despite her mischief. But you could learn more about what her life is like when you're not there, and what her future goals are, aside from becoming the future clan heir of course.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Honored Elder Li Lee – the clan patriarch is kind, but distant. There is a mutual affection bonding over New Year's gifts and he gives you sweets whenever he visits. He always seems busy though and you know little about him and have spent little time with him in the past. He doesn't seem to find you as promising a future cultivator as Xiaoli, but perhaps he could still clear his schedule to spend time with his great-great-grandson every now and again.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Suyin – the daughter of one of your father's closest friends and a minor noble in her own right, Suyin is good company and an intelligent conversationalist. She is likely to become a cultivator at around the same time as you and Father keeps teasing you about getting married to her in the future, something about uniting his family with his blood brother's.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Chin, Fang, and Daquan – they are commoners, but they are good friends, and those are rare to find. As the sons of bureaucrats they are fairly well-educated, and Father has suggested that in the future you might want to hire them as advisors you can trust.
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Chapter 1.1 - A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 1)
- Location
- United States
Winning Vote:
[X][Reading] Romance novels – while Shaohuo was skeptical of their trustworthiness, perhaps these novels would give him a better understanding of girls' mindsets and how people of other social classes live (+1 diplomacy, +1 knowledge)
[X][Weapon] Spear
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Chin, Fang, and Daquan – they are commoners, but they are good friends, and those are rare to find. As the sons of bureaucrats they are fairly well-educated, and Father has suggested that in the future you might want to hire them as advisors you can trust.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Xiaoli – you play with Xiaoli often and get along fairly well despite her mischief. But you could learn more about what her life is like when you're not there, and what her future goals are, aside from becoming the future clan heir of course.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Honored Elder Li Lee – the clan patriarch is kind, but distant. There is a mutual affection bonding over New Year's gifts and he gives you sweets whenever he visits. He always seems busy though and you know little about him and have spent little time with him in the past. He doesn't seem to find you as promising a future cultivator as Xiaoli, but perhaps he could still clear his schedule to spend time with his great-great-grandson every now and again.
[X][Reading] Romance novels – while Shaohuo was skeptical of their trustworthiness, perhaps these novels would give him a better understanding of girls' mindsets and how people of other social classes live (+1 diplomacy, +1 knowledge)
[X][Weapon] Spear
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Chin, Fang, and Daquan – they are commoners, but they are good friends, and those are rare to find. As the sons of bureaucrats they are fairly well-educated, and Father has suggested that in the future you might want to hire them as advisors you can trust.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Xiaoli – you play with Xiaoli often and get along fairly well despite her mischief. But you could learn more about what her life is like when you're not there, and what her future goals are, aside from becoming the future clan heir of course.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Honored Elder Li Lee – the clan patriarch is kind, but distant. There is a mutual affection bonding over New Year's gifts and he gives you sweets whenever he visits. He always seems busy though and you know little about him and have spent little time with him in the past. He doesn't seem to find you as promising a future cultivator as Xiaoli, but perhaps he could still clear his schedule to spend time with his great-great-grandson every now and again.
Chapter 1.1 – A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 1)
Life for Shaohuo continued as before, but his new educational responsibilities left him with less time to play outdoors, and as they grew older, he and his friends found their old games of tag and hide-and-seek less interesting than in the past. Still, he made sure to spend time with them when he could, though now they would simply hang out, chat, and play the occasional board game.
All these new changes crept up on him slowly. One day when he and his friends were playing a four-player match of army chess, there was a lull in the conversation. Each player was hunched in their chairs, observing the board set on the table as they considered their moves.
"What are you all planning to do when you get older? Will you become bureaucrats like your fathers?" Shaohuo said. Chin, Fang, and Daquan all looked up from the chess board with matching looks of befuddlement. Though to be fair, it was difficult to tell with Daquan, for whom the only difference on his stoic face was a slight quirk of his left eyebrow.
"What brought this on all of a sudden? You're too serious today." Chin said. Now that Shaohuo thought about it, Chin hadn't always been pudgy like he was now.
"Maybe he had a bad egg tart?" Daquan deadpanned. Chin snorted.
"I've just been thinking-" Shaohuo started to say.
"Uh-oh." Fang said, "He's doing the thing again."
"The thing?"
"You know, that thing where you overthink everything and suddenly you say something that makes someone cry?" Fang said, smirking. This time, Chin broke out into actual laughter, guffawing with such strength that he almost tipped out of his chair.
"That was just one time!" he protested. Making Suyin cry was not his proudest moment. But how was he supposed to know at the age of twelve that pointing out a girl's armpit hair was considered rude? He hadn't even grown armpit hair himself yet! He was much more diplomatic and knowledgeable in these things now at the age of thirteen. His etiquette lessons had helped, alongside other…educational activities.
"Anyway," he continued, trying to change the subject, "I guess I was just thinking about the future. Whether things will be really different, you know?"
"Well, I'm planning to become a bureaucrat." Daquan said. "My father teaches me a little accounting every now and then, and I will be apprenticing with him formally when I'm of age. I will probably be working for you eventually." At that, Daquan gave him a small smile.
"How about you, Fang?" Shaohuo said.
Fang shrugged. His usual grin was gone and his forehead was furrowed. "My father wants me to join the royal army like everyone else in my family. If I get promoted to captain and get some leadership experience then when I am done, I could end up taking his place here as captain of your father's guard while my father trains the militia."
"Is that what you want to do?" Chin asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Fang shrugged again. "I'm not sure. I'm good with a spear and my father's work seems alright. I just don't know about being away from home for so many years." Shaohuo nodded in sympathy. He would be away for several years himself, though for less time than Fang.
"Well, I can't wait to leave. It's so boring here." Chin said, then glanced at him. "No offense, Shaohuo."
"None taken. So are you planning to be a correspondent?" Shaohuo said.
"Yeah. My dad wants me to stay here and do bureaucrat work, but I want to go places. See new things. Meet women." Chin said, grinning lecherously.
"You assume that women would want to meet you." Daquan said, and this time everyone laughed, even Chin.
Later that night, Shaohuo lay awake in bed, thinking of what their future might be like. It was a relief to know that even though they'd be separated for a while, they would likely be working together again one day. Though perhaps these half-formed plans were premature. Who knew, he could end up becoming a great cultivator, too talented to be left to this small county in a small province. Shaohuo snorted and closed his eyes. As if.
Shaohuo's father started training him at the age of thirteen, but it was quite a while before he actually touched a spear. First his father led him through physical conditioning exercises to strengthen his body. Shaohuo was active enough that he wasn't exactly out of shape, but compared to his father, a green level cultivator, he was frankly pathetic. It was frustrating to watch his father constantly keep pace with him during their morning jogs and not even be sweating at the end while Shaohuo was struggling to catch his breath.
"What's the point of all this?" Shaohuo asked his father on a particularly hot and humid day, scowling. If his tutor were here he'd be getting a lecture on filial piety. "I can't cultivate yet, and once I can nothing I do now will matter. Even the fastest kid can't keep up with an adult, and even the fastest commoner can't keep up with a real cultivator."
He'd done his best not to complain up till now, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere. But he had been training for three months. He had jogged, he had lifted sacks of rice, and then sacks of bricks. He had even jogged while carrying sacks of rice strapped to his back. But he hadn't learned a single thing about fighting. He could understand if his father made him learn hand to hand combat before he could learn to use the spear, and a few weeks of physical conditioning were probably necessary to handle a spear correctly. But knowing how to fight would be much more useful to him as a cultivator than what little improvements in strength he could gain now.
His father smiled and reached a hand down to ruffle his hair, which Shaohuo tolerated with great patience.
"The answer is that cultivating discipline is just as important is learning how to fight." Father said, as if it was a proverb passed down from the great Sage Emperors of the distant past.
Shaohuo was left astonished and speechless. Astonished that he'd wasted three whole months of his life.
Father laughed. "I had the same reaction too when my father taught me. Still, it is true. One thing they don't tell you about cultivation is that while it gives you great power, the process can be tedious at times and requires discipline. There's a good reason even talented cultivators don't necessarily reach white. Spending hours each day cultivating for centuries isn't easy, not unless you have a real passion for it. And, of course, this training has one other benefit."
"Like what?" Shaohuo said, still feeling very skeptical.
"These," his father said and lifted an arm up, flexing it so that his biceps bulged. He was indeed quite muscular even compared to other cultivators Shaohuo had met. "Once you begin cultivating, you will have a hard time developing well-defined muscles. After all, the qi will be doing most of the work, and by the end your body will be more qi than flesh."
Shaohuo nodded, but was still confused. "I see what you mean. But what good does having muscles do?"
"Women like them, of course. It's how I ended up with your mother." Father said nonchalantly, and Shaohuo tried to forget he heard that. "And I have seen that Suyin seems to appreciate your new look."
"Father!" Shaohuo's face burned.
"It is never too early for grandchildren."
"Father!!!"
After that, Shaohuo gave his father the cold shoulder until he promised to teach him actual fighting.
Fighting took more brainpower than Shaohuo had expected. There was not only technique and building muscle memory, but also strategy to it. Father taught Shaohuo many things, from the correct way to punch (never with your thumb in front of your fist!) and kick (preferably not often, but hit below the knees if possible), to how to close in on enemies with a longer reach than you. The spear was relatively easy to learn the basics of, though there were also group tactics using spear formations that Father briefly reviewed. For those, Father had Fang and some of the guards practice with him. This was only the beginning, though; for real battles between cultivators, flight was essential, changing the entire battlefield from a flat plane to three dimensions. Still, Father's training provided a good foundation and would also be useful if he ever chose to join the military and needed to command regular troops.
After training one day, Shaohuo finally worked up the courage to ask about speaking to Elder Li Lee.
"Father, do you think I would be able to speak to the Honored Elder sometime?" Shaohuo asked.
His father frowned. "Why do you want to speak to him? He's a very busy man." It was left unsaid that they were only minor members of the clan, while the Honored Elder was one of the most important people in the country, as both a governor and a violet cultivator.
"He is still family, yet I know very little about him, and I rarely spend time with him," Shaohuo said, crafting his words carefully. "If he says no then I will not ask again, but I think it's only right to make the effort."
Father nodded, not saying anything for a moment. "Well, if you write a letter to him then I will make sure he receives it. But you shouldn't necessarily expect a reply."
Shaohuo sighed, relieved. "That's all I can ask for."
Base stats at age 14:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 (inaccessible)
HP: 5/5 > 8/8 (+3 from growth)
Diplomacy – 4/10 > 6/10 (+1 from growth, +1 from education)
Knowledge – 3/10 > 5/10 (+1 from growth, + 1 from education)
Deception – 1/10 > 2/10 (+1 from growth)
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 4 > 5 (+1 from growth)
Martial – 1/10 > 3/10 (+2 from training)
Strength – 3 > 7 (+2 from growth, +2 from training)
Defense – 2 > 4 (+2 from growth)
Flexibility – 2 > 3 (+1 from growth)
Balance – 2 > 3 (+1 from growth)
Speed – 2 > 6 (+2 from growth, + 2 from training)
Stealth – 2 > 3 (+1 from growth)
Stamina – 3 > 6 (+1 from growth, +2 from training)
What does Shaohuo write about in his letter to Elder Li Lee? (No need to actually write out the letter, a brief summary is sufficient)
[X] Write-in
What will Shaohuo speak to Elder Li Lee about should he be invited to speak with him?
[X] Write-in
This update was getting quite long due to the number of scenes involved, so I decided to cut it off here and continue it in the next update. Which is why the bonuses from reading romance novels haven't come through yet. Xiaoli's scene will also be in the next update, assuming I don't need to cut that off early because you need to vote on how to react to Elder Li Lee.
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Chapter 1.2 - A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 2)
- Location
- United States
Winning Votes:
[X] Make a brief and humble update on how our training is going. We are studying the classics, and dutifully going through the discipline training under father. Recite a bit of poetry about all in their place under heaven, and that we're aware and willing to fulfil our duty. We have made friends in our future subordinates, and we are proud to learn under a renowned tutor.
[X] Segue into asking Elder Li for a moment of his time to converse about the old sagas and other classic works of fiction he might have read, and talk about the world of cultivators. As the romance novel option seems to imply we want to learn more about how the common man lives, let's make this the main thrust of our impression towards the guy. "Why was the world created so that cultivators rule over the common unenlightened man?" "Are cultivators always wise rulers?" "What happens if a commoner is treated unjustly by his cultivator lord?" "How can cultivators fairly judge the issues of commoners when they are so far removed from them?"
Chapter 1.2 – A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 2)
It took Shaohuo a few days to decide what to say in his letter to the Honored Elder. He had several reasons for wanting to speak to the Honored Elder. For one, cultivating a healthy relationship with him would be greatly beneficial to Shaohuo's future. Having regular contact with the Honored Elder would help Shaohuo govern the county more effectively once he succeeded his father. And, of course, the Honored Elder's advice on cultivation methods could be invaluable.
However, looking at it from the Honored Elder's perspective, neither of those reasons would offer much benefit to his great-great-grandfather. As an important, busy man, what benefit would he see in spending his valuable time on someone with low potential who would one day govern a mere fraction of the province? The answer Shaohuo arrived at was that he needed to show he was worth investing time in. Though Shaohuo dreamed of surpassing his mediocre talent and one day becoming a great cultivator, in his heart of hearts he knew this was unlikely. Many others more talented than him had failed, and if Shaohuo couldn't convince himself of this then he would be unable to convince others. So he would have to rely on the areas where was talented: his wit and his knowledge, which even his tutor occasionally acknowledged were impressive for a boy his age.
With this in mind, Shaohuo tried to show in his letter that while he might not become a great cultivator, he had the potential to become a great leader. He drew on his education and personal reading on etiquette and the classics to write a letter describing his studies that hopefully conveyed a sense of both humility and wisdom for his age, as well as a genuine interest in the lives and well-being of his future subjects. He only hoped hadn't overdone it with the poetry and come across as pretentious instead. He ended the letter with a request that he might speak with the Honored Elder over tea if there was time. All that was left to do was wait.
In the end, it took a little over a month for Shaohuo to receive a reply. Until then, he was left with more free time than usual. It was harvest season, meaning that the entire province was busy and even his father had more business to deal with than usual, leaving him little time to train Shaohuo. He instead spent a few hours in the morning on physical conditioning and practicing the spear with the guards, if only to maintain his previous efforts. With all this extra time on his hands, Shaohuo decided to try reading some of the romance novels that Xiaoli had recommended. If nothing else, he was curious about what Xiaoli saw in them, and in how they depicted the lives of the common folk. Details like that were usually not considered important enough for the history books. Unfortunately, Meiling failed to see the importance of this task.
"Whatcha doing?" Meiling said, bouncing into his room without knocking. Shaohuo had given up on trying to teach her.
"Reading a book," Shaohuo said, tearing his eyes from the pages briefly. And he'd just gotten to the part where Han Jie was finally going to confess his love, too…
"I'm bored, play with me Shao-shao!" Meiling said, looking up at him with wide eyes framed by auburn pigtails, and he felt a twinge of guilt. He was spending nearly all his time doing things to prepare for the future, and he had a duty to do so. But he hadn't been spending much time with his little sister, and she was growing up so quickly.
"Alright, what do you want to play?" Shaohuo said, putting down the book. He'd request a servant to use an illumination art on his room later that night so he could continue reading.
He soon regretted his decision when it turned out that by 'play' Meiling had meant 'tea party'.
"You be the mommy and I'll be the daddy." Meiling said, holding out a stuffed cloth doll with pink string for hair. Shaohuo swallowed his pride and reluctantly accepted it, holding it up in front of the miniature tea table with its tiny, porcelain tea pot and cups that his parents had apparently bought for Meiling's room at some point. Meiling picked up one of the tea cups with the doll's hand, bringing it up so the doll could 'drink' from it.
"This tea is yucky. I didn't pay your dowry for this." Meiling said with as deep a voice as she could manage, which came across as more like a young boy's voice than a man's.
"Uh, sorry?" Shaohuo said, nonplussed. None of the tea parties Xiaoli had forced him to participate in had gone quite like this.
"This food is terrible too. What were you thinking!" Meiling said, shaking the doll's fist.
"I'll do it right next time, I promise!" Shaohuo said, wondering if this was how battered housewives felt.
"Maybe you'd be better at this if you hadn't spent so much time as that pretty boy's whore." Meiling said, to Shaohuo's mounting horror. To his relief, Meiling didn't seem to understand what that actually meant.
"Meiling, did you read my book?" Shaohuo said, trying to appear stern. His heart pounded – maybe he could control the damage before his parents found out.
"Maybe?" Meiling said, tilting her head innocently. "You're always reading it, so I took a look."
Shaohuo rubbed his forehead. He'd known his parents were starting Meiling's tutoring earlier than his since they already had a tutor available, but hadn't realized she'd learn to read so quickly.
"Whatever you do, don't tell Mother and Father what you just said to me, okay? You'll get in big trouble for reading my book without permission. They might even ban you from eating sweets…forever."
"No!" Meiling gasped. "I won't tell. Please don't tell them, Shao-Shao!"
Shaohuo patted her on the head. "Don't worry, Meiling. Your big brother's always here to take care of you." He'd have to do a better job of hiding his books in the future.
Xiaoli laughed so hard she began to cry, rolling on her bed in mirth when Shaohuo told her what happened. Shaohuo tried not to pay too much attention to how the hem of her skirt drew up in the process, showing her legs.
"It wasn't that funny," Shaohuo pouted, though the corner of his mouth twisted into a small smile at Xiaoli's antics.
"I have to teach her how to handle you one of these days. I see great potential in your sister, Shaohuo." Xiaoli said with mock seriousness.
Shaohuo shuddered. "Please don't. She doesn't need to be as scary as you."
"What was that?"
"Uh, nothing. Anyway, I finally finished Love Amongst the Cherry Blossoms. I still don't understand what you see in it, though. It was interesting seeing how the families of merchants and farmers live, but the actual romance was pretty bad."
"You think so?" Xiaoli said, tilting her head. Now that Shaohuo thought about it, some of her mannerisms were eerily similar to Meiling's. It did not bode well for his future.
"Well, Ma Dongmei wouldn't have had to get married to her husband in the first place if she'd just told Han Jie how she felt. Then there were all those misunderstandings that they could have dealt with if they'd just talked to each other," Shaohuo said. He could understand the need for narrative tension, but it just seemed a bit contrived.
"They had their own duties to their families though," Xiaoli said. She was sitting up on her bed now, with no trace of a smile to be found. "They couldn't just do what they wanted."
"But then, shouldn't they have not been together at all? They should have just made a decision and stuck with it," he said.
Xiaoli shook her head, frowning. "It's not that easy. Not when you are stuck between your duty and what you actually want to do." Finally Shaohuo connected the dots, and Xiaoli's unusual behavior made sense.
"What do you mean? Is it like that for you?" he asked. It sounded like this topic bothered Xiaoli a great deal, more than one could tell from a glance unless they were familiar with Xiaoli's usual carefree attitude.
.Xiaoli was silent at first, and Shaohuo just sat and watched her closely. She wasn't easy read to read, her expressions shifting with mixed emotions. Perhaps worry, uncertainty, or dissatisfaction?
"I am the future heir," Xiaoli said at last. She sighed. "It's a great honor, I know that. And I know a lot of people would kill to be in my position. But I have no freedom. It's like I'm trapped, with no way to escape."
"What do you mean, you have no freedom?" Shaohuo asked, increasingly concerned. He couldn't believe he'd known her for so long without noticing that she was harboring such dark thoughts.
"I mean that literally everything I do is decided by the clan." Xiaoli pulled her knees closer to her, wrapping her arms around them. "Your dad asked you what weapon you wanted to learn with, but I didn't get a choice. I wanted to use a sword, but Mother thought it was too manly, so I'm learning to use daggers instead. And I know you want the Honored Elder to pay attention to you, but trust me, it's not that great."
"It isn't?" Shaohuo said, suddenly a bit worried about the letter he'd sent. Too late for that now, though.
Xiaoli sighed again, and got up from her bed, pacing back and forth across her room, increasingly agitated.
"Because I'm talented, I have to do everything just the way the clan wants me to. I know I spend much more time on studies than you. I don't even have time to make friends. And when I'm not studying or training, the Honored Elder teaches me about politics and makes me go with him on formal events. Everyone there talks in exactly the same stuffy way, and it's just so…stifling. I have to be this pretty, proper girl and I have to say the exact right things at the exact right times no matter what. I just…don't want to be a governor."
"You don't?" Shaohuo said, his voice betraying his surprise. "Then what will you do?" He'd always taken it for granted that she was fine with her role in life. She'd never let on otherwise before. But in retrospect, Xiaoli was a free spirit, too free for a life of politics in many ways.
Xiaoli stopped pacing, and if anything the dejected way her head was hung worried Shaohuo more than her previous anger. "I can't do anything," Xiaoli said, her voice filled with despair. "I have to do it, there's no one else who can do it. I know that. The clan does need me. Still…I just wish I could be a normal cultivator."
It was a strange reversal. At times, Shaohuo had envied her high potential. Hearing her say that she wished she was normal was like having the world flipped on its head. But that was something he could worry about later.
He stepped forward and pulled Xiaoli into a hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and began to cry, rasping sobs muffled by his shirt, which quickly became damp with tears and snot. He didn't loosen his grip.
"I don't know how much help I can be. But I promise, I will do everything I can to help you. You won't have to deal with everything on your own." Shaohuo said, and he truly meant it, even if he didn't know how he would do it. He wouldn't let the world tear down his friend. He wanted Xiaoli to be able to stay her carefree self.
Xiaoli nodded against his shoulder, her sobs slowly fading in intensity. It was a sound he'd never wanted to hear.
The update got longer than expected, so I will be cutting it off here again. I hadn't planned for the initial Meiling scene but I thought it would suck to get through Shaohuo's entire childhood arc without a single proper scene with her. The next update will include the results of Shaohuo's letter.
[X] Make a brief and humble update on how our training is going. We are studying the classics, and dutifully going through the discipline training under father. Recite a bit of poetry about all in their place under heaven, and that we're aware and willing to fulfil our duty. We have made friends in our future subordinates, and we are proud to learn under a renowned tutor.
[X] Segue into asking Elder Li for a moment of his time to converse about the old sagas and other classic works of fiction he might have read, and talk about the world of cultivators. As the romance novel option seems to imply we want to learn more about how the common man lives, let's make this the main thrust of our impression towards the guy. "Why was the world created so that cultivators rule over the common unenlightened man?" "Are cultivators always wise rulers?" "What happens if a commoner is treated unjustly by his cultivator lord?" "How can cultivators fairly judge the issues of commoners when they are so far removed from them?"
Chapter 1.2 – A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 2)
It took Shaohuo a few days to decide what to say in his letter to the Honored Elder. He had several reasons for wanting to speak to the Honored Elder. For one, cultivating a healthy relationship with him would be greatly beneficial to Shaohuo's future. Having regular contact with the Honored Elder would help Shaohuo govern the county more effectively once he succeeded his father. And, of course, the Honored Elder's advice on cultivation methods could be invaluable.
However, looking at it from the Honored Elder's perspective, neither of those reasons would offer much benefit to his great-great-grandfather. As an important, busy man, what benefit would he see in spending his valuable time on someone with low potential who would one day govern a mere fraction of the province? The answer Shaohuo arrived at was that he needed to show he was worth investing time in. Though Shaohuo dreamed of surpassing his mediocre talent and one day becoming a great cultivator, in his heart of hearts he knew this was unlikely. Many others more talented than him had failed, and if Shaohuo couldn't convince himself of this then he would be unable to convince others. So he would have to rely on the areas where was talented: his wit and his knowledge, which even his tutor occasionally acknowledged were impressive for a boy his age.
With this in mind, Shaohuo tried to show in his letter that while he might not become a great cultivator, he had the potential to become a great leader. He drew on his education and personal reading on etiquette and the classics to write a letter describing his studies that hopefully conveyed a sense of both humility and wisdom for his age, as well as a genuine interest in the lives and well-being of his future subjects. He only hoped hadn't overdone it with the poetry and come across as pretentious instead. He ended the letter with a request that he might speak with the Honored Elder over tea if there was time. All that was left to do was wait.
In the end, it took a little over a month for Shaohuo to receive a reply. Until then, he was left with more free time than usual. It was harvest season, meaning that the entire province was busy and even his father had more business to deal with than usual, leaving him little time to train Shaohuo. He instead spent a few hours in the morning on physical conditioning and practicing the spear with the guards, if only to maintain his previous efforts. With all this extra time on his hands, Shaohuo decided to try reading some of the romance novels that Xiaoli had recommended. If nothing else, he was curious about what Xiaoli saw in them, and in how they depicted the lives of the common folk. Details like that were usually not considered important enough for the history books. Unfortunately, Meiling failed to see the importance of this task.
"Whatcha doing?" Meiling said, bouncing into his room without knocking. Shaohuo had given up on trying to teach her.
"Reading a book," Shaohuo said, tearing his eyes from the pages briefly. And he'd just gotten to the part where Han Jie was finally going to confess his love, too…
"I'm bored, play with me Shao-shao!" Meiling said, looking up at him with wide eyes framed by auburn pigtails, and he felt a twinge of guilt. He was spending nearly all his time doing things to prepare for the future, and he had a duty to do so. But he hadn't been spending much time with his little sister, and she was growing up so quickly.
"Alright, what do you want to play?" Shaohuo said, putting down the book. He'd request a servant to use an illumination art on his room later that night so he could continue reading.
He soon regretted his decision when it turned out that by 'play' Meiling had meant 'tea party'.
"You be the mommy and I'll be the daddy." Meiling said, holding out a stuffed cloth doll with pink string for hair. Shaohuo swallowed his pride and reluctantly accepted it, holding it up in front of the miniature tea table with its tiny, porcelain tea pot and cups that his parents had apparently bought for Meiling's room at some point. Meiling picked up one of the tea cups with the doll's hand, bringing it up so the doll could 'drink' from it.
"This tea is yucky. I didn't pay your dowry for this." Meiling said with as deep a voice as she could manage, which came across as more like a young boy's voice than a man's.
"Uh, sorry?" Shaohuo said, nonplussed. None of the tea parties Xiaoli had forced him to participate in had gone quite like this.
"This food is terrible too. What were you thinking!" Meiling said, shaking the doll's fist.
"I'll do it right next time, I promise!" Shaohuo said, wondering if this was how battered housewives felt.
"Maybe you'd be better at this if you hadn't spent so much time as that pretty boy's whore." Meiling said, to Shaohuo's mounting horror. To his relief, Meiling didn't seem to understand what that actually meant.
"Meiling, did you read my book?" Shaohuo said, trying to appear stern. His heart pounded – maybe he could control the damage before his parents found out.
"Maybe?" Meiling said, tilting her head innocently. "You're always reading it, so I took a look."
Shaohuo rubbed his forehead. He'd known his parents were starting Meiling's tutoring earlier than his since they already had a tutor available, but hadn't realized she'd learn to read so quickly.
"Whatever you do, don't tell Mother and Father what you just said to me, okay? You'll get in big trouble for reading my book without permission. They might even ban you from eating sweets…forever."
"No!" Meiling gasped. "I won't tell. Please don't tell them, Shao-Shao!"
Shaohuo patted her on the head. "Don't worry, Meiling. Your big brother's always here to take care of you." He'd have to do a better job of hiding his books in the future.
Xiaoli laughed so hard she began to cry, rolling on her bed in mirth when Shaohuo told her what happened. Shaohuo tried not to pay too much attention to how the hem of her skirt drew up in the process, showing her legs.
"It wasn't that funny," Shaohuo pouted, though the corner of his mouth twisted into a small smile at Xiaoli's antics.
"I have to teach her how to handle you one of these days. I see great potential in your sister, Shaohuo." Xiaoli said with mock seriousness.
Shaohuo shuddered. "Please don't. She doesn't need to be as scary as you."
"What was that?"
"Uh, nothing. Anyway, I finally finished Love Amongst the Cherry Blossoms. I still don't understand what you see in it, though. It was interesting seeing how the families of merchants and farmers live, but the actual romance was pretty bad."
"You think so?" Xiaoli said, tilting her head. Now that Shaohuo thought about it, some of her mannerisms were eerily similar to Meiling's. It did not bode well for his future.
"Well, Ma Dongmei wouldn't have had to get married to her husband in the first place if she'd just told Han Jie how she felt. Then there were all those misunderstandings that they could have dealt with if they'd just talked to each other," Shaohuo said. He could understand the need for narrative tension, but it just seemed a bit contrived.
"They had their own duties to their families though," Xiaoli said. She was sitting up on her bed now, with no trace of a smile to be found. "They couldn't just do what they wanted."
"But then, shouldn't they have not been together at all? They should have just made a decision and stuck with it," he said.
Xiaoli shook her head, frowning. "It's not that easy. Not when you are stuck between your duty and what you actually want to do." Finally Shaohuo connected the dots, and Xiaoli's unusual behavior made sense.
"What do you mean? Is it like that for you?" he asked. It sounded like this topic bothered Xiaoli a great deal, more than one could tell from a glance unless they were familiar with Xiaoli's usual carefree attitude.
.Xiaoli was silent at first, and Shaohuo just sat and watched her closely. She wasn't easy read to read, her expressions shifting with mixed emotions. Perhaps worry, uncertainty, or dissatisfaction?
"I am the future heir," Xiaoli said at last. She sighed. "It's a great honor, I know that. And I know a lot of people would kill to be in my position. But I have no freedom. It's like I'm trapped, with no way to escape."
"What do you mean, you have no freedom?" Shaohuo asked, increasingly concerned. He couldn't believe he'd known her for so long without noticing that she was harboring such dark thoughts.
"I mean that literally everything I do is decided by the clan." Xiaoli pulled her knees closer to her, wrapping her arms around them. "Your dad asked you what weapon you wanted to learn with, but I didn't get a choice. I wanted to use a sword, but Mother thought it was too manly, so I'm learning to use daggers instead. And I know you want the Honored Elder to pay attention to you, but trust me, it's not that great."
"It isn't?" Shaohuo said, suddenly a bit worried about the letter he'd sent. Too late for that now, though.
Xiaoli sighed again, and got up from her bed, pacing back and forth across her room, increasingly agitated.
"Because I'm talented, I have to do everything just the way the clan wants me to. I know I spend much more time on studies than you. I don't even have time to make friends. And when I'm not studying or training, the Honored Elder teaches me about politics and makes me go with him on formal events. Everyone there talks in exactly the same stuffy way, and it's just so…stifling. I have to be this pretty, proper girl and I have to say the exact right things at the exact right times no matter what. I just…don't want to be a governor."
"You don't?" Shaohuo said, his voice betraying his surprise. "Then what will you do?" He'd always taken it for granted that she was fine with her role in life. She'd never let on otherwise before. But in retrospect, Xiaoli was a free spirit, too free for a life of politics in many ways.
Xiaoli stopped pacing, and if anything the dejected way her head was hung worried Shaohuo more than her previous anger. "I can't do anything," Xiaoli said, her voice filled with despair. "I have to do it, there's no one else who can do it. I know that. The clan does need me. Still…I just wish I could be a normal cultivator."
It was a strange reversal. At times, Shaohuo had envied her high potential. Hearing her say that she wished she was normal was like having the world flipped on its head. But that was something he could worry about later.
He stepped forward and pulled Xiaoli into a hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and began to cry, rasping sobs muffled by his shirt, which quickly became damp with tears and snot. He didn't loosen his grip.
"I don't know how much help I can be. But I promise, I will do everything I can to help you. You won't have to deal with everything on your own." Shaohuo said, and he truly meant it, even if he didn't know how he would do it. He wouldn't let the world tear down his friend. He wanted Xiaoli to be able to stay her carefree self.
Xiaoli nodded against his shoulder, her sobs slowly fading in intensity. It was a sound he'd never wanted to hear.
The update got longer than expected, so I will be cutting it off here again. I hadn't planned for the initial Meiling scene but I thought it would suck to get through Shaohuo's entire childhood arc without a single proper scene with her. The next update will include the results of Shaohuo's letter.
Last edited:
Chapter 1.3 - A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 3)
- Location
- United States
Chapter 1.3 – A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 3)
The first frosts of the year had just begun when the courier arrived at Shaohuo's family estate, handing him the letter in person. It was with trembling hands that Shaohuo finally opened it at his desk.
Elder Lee's reluctance to make time to talk to Shaohuo in person: 20/100
Shaohuo Diplomacy at time of letter writing 6/10 –> 6d10 = 49 – Passed
Shaohuo Diplomacy at time of letter writing 6/10 –> 6d10 = 49 – Passed
Dear Shaohuo,
It pleases me to hear that you are dutifully preparing for your future. I would certainly be happy to drink tea with you. I will be visiting your father at the end of the month. We can speak that evening after I finish my business with him.
Best Regards,
Elder Li Lee
Shaohuo let out the breath he'd been holding, carefully folding the letter and returning it to the envelope on his desk. He was relieved that he hadn't somehow offended the Honored Elder. On the other hand, now he had to prepare for the meeting, which was just over a week away. Not that there was much to prepare, but he felt anxious about how it would go. He very much needed to make a good impression, which meant brushing up on his etiquette lessons and preparing some conversational topics so that he'd have something to talk about.
Etiquette was simple enough, but Shaohuo struggled to come up with conversation topics. He knew very little about the Honored Elder, and neither did his parents when he asked them. All his father could say was that the Honored Elder was more charitable than his appearance and presence might lead one to believe, and rarely took offense except at the most serious breaches of etiquette. Duty was the only thing he showed much interest in, at least as far as Shaohuo's father could tell from their occasional interactions. Shaohuo decided to focus the conversation on his interest in his duty to his future subjects. A dry topic to be sure, and one he had already mentioned in the letter, but it was at least a safe subject to begin with while he tried to get a better read on the Honored Elder's personality.
Shaohuo stood between his parents in front of the estate as they waited for the Honored Elder to arrive.
"Stand up straight!" his mother scolded, pressing a hand against his back.
Shaohuo straightened his back, and his mother fussed over the collar of his blue silk robes, worn for the occasion. It was difficult to stay presentable when they didn't know exactly when the Honored Elder would arrive.
They had been standing in silence for perhaps another fifteen minutes when they began to hear the clopping of hooves against the road around the corner. It was followed soon after by the Honored Elder's carriage, an elegant red coach with bronze dragon engravings pulled by a pair of white horses. It stopped several yards in front of them, and the driver stepped down to hold open the door as the Honored Elder exited. Shaohuo and his parents bowed deeply as he did, and then gave the customary greetings.
The Honored Elder looked the same as ever to Shaohuo, a man of average height with silver hair and a neatly-trimmed beard. Despite being over eight hundred years old, he could easily pass for an eighty year old commoner just a few decades too old to be called middle-aged. The only acknowledgement he gave to Shaohuo was a brief greeting and then a nod, and then he and Shaohuo's father returned to the carriage, setting off for the county's annual inspection.
Shaohuo retreated to his room and continued reading another romance novel that Xiaoli had recommended, Dark Heart of Temptation. It was a strange story in which for some reason the female protagonist fell in love with her barbarian kidnapper. Though perhaps the illustrations depicting a mysterious, handsome, and muscled man easily holding up a swooning woman in his arms explained the appeal. Shaohuo found it difficult to concentrate though, often reaching the end of the page before realizing he couldn't actually remember what he had read. It was difficult to keep his mind off of the meeting to come.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when one of the servants informed him that the Honored Elder had returned. Shaohuo stood in one of the side rooms where the servants had already left a pot of oolong tea, supposedly the Honored Elder's favorite. The Honored Elder arrived a few minutes after, and Shaohuo bowed once more.
"You may sit down now," the Honored Elder said, before the customary length of the bow was over. Shaohuo straightened, and seeing that the Honored Elder was already seated on a chair at the table, joined him at the other end. Shaohuo poured the tea into the two porcelain cups next to the pot and handed one to the Honored Elder, who sipped at it for a few seconds and then put it down. "How go your studies?"
"They go well, Honored Elder." Shaohuo said. "I have read most of the classics, and my training with the spear is progressing without issues."
"Good. You will be a fine successor for your father," the Honored Elder said. He lifted the tea cup to his mouth again, and drinking the rest, laid it down with a clink against the tableware. "Tell me, why did you wish to speak to me?" The Honored Elder's silver eyes watched Shaohuo closely.
Shaohuo blinked. He hadn't prepared for the Honored Elder to be so blunt and to the point, though he supposed it saved time for a man who surely had to attend many meetings, especially when dealing with those who wouldn't take offense.
"If I may, Honored Elder, I realized that I could learn from your wisdom as I prepare to govern this county." Shaohuo said, deciding that it would be best to get to the point. "If you would lend me your ear or your pen from time to time, I could better fulfill my duty to the clan. For today, I wished to ask your advice on what it means to be a proper ruler."
"An admirable endeavor," the Honored Elder nodded, his tone seeming mildly approving though not particularly enthusiastic or impressed. "I would not mind answering a few questions from time to time. Do you have anything to ask today?"
"Yes, Honored Elder. Firstly, I wished to know why the world was created so that cultivators rule over the common man." Shaohuo said, glad that the conversation was back on track. He'd prepared the question as a good lead-in to a philosophical discussion on the duties of leadership. There was a brief pause before the Honored Elder spoke.
"Of course, the Heavenly Spirits created cultivators as the natural leaders and protectors of the common man, and the Emperor as the protector and divine ruler of mankind, as dictated by the Heavenly Mandate," the Honored Elder said, stroking his beard. "Before we continue, Shaohuo, would you accompany this old man on a walk?" His eyes had a strange gleam to them, as he turned to the door and looked at Shaohuo from the side.
"Of course, Honored Elder," Shaohuo said, jumping to his feet. He wasn't sure what was going on, but far be it for him to contradict the Honored Elder. He hastily strode to hold the door open for him, and they headed outside, walking in silence for a few minutes through the grassy knolls east of his family's home.
"Tell me, Shaohuo, have you ever flown?" the Honored Elder said, to Shaohuo's surprise.
"No, Honored Elder. I have never had the opportunity," Shaohuo said. His own father, being only a green cultivator, could only manage flight for a few minutes at a time and had never offered to take Shaohuo with him.
"Take my arm," the Honored Elder said, holding out his arm with an unreadable expression. Shaohuo gripped it gingerly. He knew intellectually that the Honored Elder was very strong, but his arms were still thin like any old man's.
His train of thought was interrupted as wind swirled around them with a louder and louder whistling sound until suddenly they were drifting up above the ground even though the wind was quite light, as if they were weightless. The ground became smaller and smaller underneath them until his family's estate appeared to be the size of his finger. Suddenly they stopped floating upward and then began moving east once more until they were just above a group of clouds. They floated down until they were sitting on top of the clouds, which somehow felt as solid as a wood floor.
"What do you think?" the Honored Elder said, his lips stretching into a rare smile.
"The view is amazing," Shaohuo said, peering over the patchy white edge of the clouds at the view of endless hills and rice paddies below, before turning to face the Honored Elder again. "But, why are we here, Honored Elder?"
The Honored Elder's expression became serious once more. "You will find, Shaohuo, that there are certain subjects that are best spoken of away from prying ears. You may have grown up with servants and guards, but trust no one but family."
"I don't understand." Shaohuo said, setting aside concerns about the servants' trustworthiness for now. "What did I say that couldn't be spoken of in public?"
The corner of the Honored Elder's mouth twitched into a strange half-smile. "Nothing that couldn't be spoken in public during the reign of the previous emperor. But the current Emperor does not tolerate even the slightest defiance of his authority. He won't hear anything that questions whether his rule is backed by the Heavens."
"I see," Shaohuo said. It made sense, though it seemed overly harsh. "Then, what would your real answer to my question be?"
"The truth is that no one knows why the world was created the way it is. There are stories, but nothing more. And, of course, cultivators, nobles, and even emperors rule because they can, by their strength of arms alone. The idea of rights to rule are convenient fictions." The Honored Elder said, smiling wryly. "Though you won't find mention of it in the history books, the Emperor rose to power by betraying the previous emperor, breaking his oaths of loyalty in the process."
It was a strange idea to Shaohuo. He'd known the world was not perfect, but it seemed so…cynical.
"But then, why would people…" he began, then cut himself off. "Never mind. I think I see now."
The Honored Elder nodded. "Indeed. No one pays attention to whether the Emperor's rule is legitimate because he is too strong to oppose. He was the most skilled general in the previous emperor's army, and he is a white cultivator as well. And after all these centuries, no one cares to oppose him anyway. He is a tyrant, to be sure. But he is not a particularly cruel one, so there is little benefit in opposing him."
Shaohuo was silent, letting the information digest. He supposed that it didn't really change things, but it explained many things he'd wondered about in the past. Why only cultivators could be granted noble titles, and why the Emperor was said to live in luxury that bordered on the extremely wasteful. These things didn't make sense if you considered the bonds of loyalty to be a mutual relationship, but they made more sense if you considered that while both sides might benefit, the relationship had been formed with the benefit of the powerful as the priority.
The Honored Elder spoke again, smiling slightly. "You are still young and idealistic. I could tell from your letter. Many nobles don't care about the commoners one way or another. However," and here his expression became serious once more, "It would be best for you to maintain a more balanced view in the future. The wellbeing of your subjects is your duty, but the clan's wellbeing must be your highest priority. Though we might be living comfortably now, that could change in time. But that's enough talk for today."
The Honored Elder stood up, and Shaohuo quickly stood as well. They suddenly became heavier, slowly falling to the ground until they were back on the same patch of grass as before.
The next year and a half continued much as before, with Shaohuo continuing his training and education while occasionally spending time with his friends. The only new addition was that every few months he would exchange letters with the Honored Elder, who usually took a while to reply but never failed to respond eventually. Shaohuo found that he was quite knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects, as one might expect from his age.
Before he knew it, it was the month of Leaf, just two months before his sixteenth birthday. It wouldn't be long after that until his Ghost Eyes would awaken and he'd finally be able to cultivate.
Shaohuo's base stats at age 16:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 (inaccessible)
HP: 8/8 > 10/10 (+2 from growth)
Diplomacy – 6/10 > 8/10 (+1 from growth, +1 from reading)
Knowledge – 5/10 > 7/10 (+ 1 from education, +1 from reading)
Deception – 2/10 > 3/10 (+1 from growth)
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 5 > 6 (+1 from growth)
Martial – 3/10 > 4/10 (+1 from training)
Strength – 7 > 9 (+1 from growth, +1 from training)
Defense – 4 > 5 (+1 from growth)
Flexibility – 3 > 4 (+1 from training)
Balance – 3
Speed – 6 > 8 (+1 from growth, + 1 from training)
Stealth – 3 > 4 (+1 from growth)
Stamina – 6 > 8 (+1 from growth, +1 from training)
Shaohuo has a few more months until he turns 16. What last-minute preparations does he make?
[X] Extra physical conditioning (+1 strength)
[X] Spend more time on stretches (+1 flexibility)
[X] Spend some time with Suyin (???)
[X] Spend more time with Meiling (???)
[X] Spend more time with Xiaoli (???)
[X] Spend more time with Chin, Fang, and Daquan (???)
Does Shaohuo ask the Honored Elder anything in particular in his letters?
[X] No
[X] Write-in
Chapter 1.4 - A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 4)
- Location
- United States
Winning votes:
[X] Ask the Honored Elder about the land your clan governs, especially what it was like back in his early days.
[X] Spend more time with Meiling (???)
[X] Spend more time with Xiaoli (???)
Chapter 1.4 – A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 4)
With two months left until his sixteenth birthday, Shaohuo decided to spend more time with Meiling and Xiaoli. Once he began cultivating, he would likely be too busy to visit Xiaoli much until they left to join the Abyssal Spirit Sect. And after that, he wouldn't even see Meiling for two years aside from the occasional visit. It made his upcoming departure for the sect bittersweet.
Before all that, however, he needed to get his sister a present for her birthday, which was on the eleventh of Leaf. So it was that he asked Xiaoli to show him around the shops of Xichang. The province's capital was close to the clan's ancestral home but a bit far from his family's estate, so he rarely visited. Xiaoli seemed happy for a change to her usual routine, swinging her legs during the whole carriage ride to the city and chatting up a storm about the latest book she'd recommended him.
"So, what kind of arts are you going to learn?" Xiaoli said as the carriage drew closer to the city. The familiar smell of the sea-salt breeze had begun to waft in through the windows.
He shrugged. "I don't know yet. I need to learn what's possible first, I suppose."
Xiaoli shook her head with an air of great disappointment. "Shaohuo, are you really saying you haven't thought about it at all? You must at least have an idea of what elements you want to focus on."
"Hmm. I guess wind can be useful for quite a few things. Gravity sounds interesting but I'm not sure how versatile it is." Shaohuo said.
"Obviously, fire and shadow are the most useful." Xiaoli said, nodding as though the argument was already settled. "With shadow, you can make sure no one sees you until you strike. Then with fire you can burn everything in one hit."
He shuddered. Xiaoli with fire was a scary thought indeed.
"Wouldn't the fire defeat the purpose of using stealth though?" Shaohuo said.
"You have a lot of to learn, Shaohuo. No one would know where the fire came from since they wouldn't be able to see you. They'd just waste time looking for the attacker while everything burned to a crisp." Xiaoli laughed, seeming to find the thought of things burning amusing.
Shaohuo was saved from that disturbing conversation as the carriage pulled up to the marketplace, which consisted of open-air stalls laid out in the town square. They got out and were followed by the guards. The sight, along with their fine clothes and signature auburn hair, caused the crowds of commoners to split to make ample space for them to walk through, whispering among themselves all the while. It was an uncomfortable feeling since he spent most of his time either at home or visiting other nobles. At least they probably wouldn't be recognized so easily once they joined the sect.
Xiaoli, on the other hand, seemed used to it. Her demeanor had changed now that they were out in public, walking with a smooth gait and her arms at her side, not swinging them as she would often do. She had also stopped talking as they toured the marketplace, her face schooled into a dignified expression that looked strange on her.
"Let's take a look over there," Xiaoli said quietly as they neared a stall selling weapons. Shaohuo nodded, hoping she was just window-shopping and not actually thinking of getting Meiling something from there. She wouldn't do that…right? The shopkeeper, seeing them arriving, shot up to his feet and hastily greeted them, bowing profusely.
"Welcome to my humble store," he said, his forehead visibly shiny with sweat. Shaohuo felt a bit sorry for the man. "Please let me know how I may be of assistance."
The store consisted of a few tables with weapons laid out on them, a fairly wide variety from knives to spears to axes and swords. Most were commoner's weapons, but there were a handful suitable for cultivators, enhanced with formations of qi-conductive materials. When infused with the right types of qi, the qi would flow along the pattern of the formation and cast an art, even for someone who didn't know how to perform that art on their own. Xiaoli was gazing longingly at one such sword, a seemingly ordinary jian. When Shaohuo looked closely at it, the blade shone where the steel of the blade shifted to the silver web-like pattern interwoven in it.
"You have a good eye, miss," the shopkeeper said, seeming to have composed himself by then. "That's my best sword. It's enhanced with earth arts for durability and sharpness. It barely needs any maintenance at all."
"How much is it?" Xiaoli asked.
"One thousand coppers."
Xiaoli bit her lip, furrowing her brow as she thought. Shaohuo doubted the price was the problem for her. She was probably thinking that her parents wouldn't let her keep it. Even if she hid it, the guards might report that she bought it. Perhaps he could get it for her, and keep it with him until they joined the sect? Unfortunately he only had about fifteen hundred copper coins' worth of allowance saved up. He'd have to think over the finances of it before deciding.
"Hey, why don't we check that bookstore over there?" Shaohuo pointed at it.
"Alright. I don't see anything I need here, anyway." Xiaoli said flippantly, though he wasn't fooled. Hopefully he'd be able to get her mind off of it. By the end of the day, Shaohuo had picked up a children's book for Meiling to read, and Xiaoli had bought a doll. A successful trip, for the most part.
Once again, it took quite a while to receive a reply, but after about a month Shaohuo had received a letter from the Honored Elder.
Dear Shaohuo,
I am glad to hear you are doing well. To answer your question, as you know, our province is quite fertile thanks to the four rivers that give it its name. The Four Rivers province is small, but prosperous, and its location means that our province doesn't suffer from barbarian raids as many of the border provinces do. This province was one of the first to join the empire during the unification of the Sage Emperor. Our clan ruled this land even then, making our clan one of the old families. When I was young, this land was mostly the same as it is now. The current emperor ascended to the throne when my grandfather was the governor, but as they say, the emperor may change but the Empire continues on as ever. In my years, the Empire has been at war many times, but thanks to the Heavens it has never directly touched our province. Of course, many of our clan and our subjects have served loyally in the imperial military. As far as differences go, I will say that in my youth steel was much more expensive than it is today, and books weren't as common. You should be thankful that you live in a time of peace and prosperity, for such times do not last forever.
Best Regards,
Elder Li Lee
"What does it say, Shao-Shao?" Meiling said, peering over his shoulder at the letter, which he folded up. She'd been reading in his room, having taken a liking to the novel he'd bought her, but apparently found spying on him more interesting.
"Nothing important. Just some history." Shaohuo said.
Meiling made a gagging noise. "Ew, why are you reading history? Those stories are really boring."
"It's important to know, Meiling. You should try it sometime. Besides, these stories are true."
"But that's why they're boring." Meiling stubbornly insisted. She really was too cheeky for her own good.
Every now and then Meiling would watch Shaohuo during his usual training sessions. She rarely had the patience to stick around for the whole thing, but since Father wasn't there for the harvest season and the guards weren't very good company, Shaohuo would occasionally stop to answer her questions or ask her about how things were going. Now that he was making the effort to talk to her more often, he learned a bit more about her friends. Shu was Suyin's younger sister, making her a fellow noble. Shaohuo had met her a few times before, but hadn't realized she and Meiling were so close. Meiling's other friend, Ling, was the daughter of his father's secretary.
"Meiling, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Shaohuo asked her one day during a break in his training session. It had come to mind just then that Meiling seemed interested in becoming a cultivator, from how she watched him train sometimes, yet unlike him or Xiaoli she didn't have a position waiting for her when she finished. Of course, she was still a bit young to be thinking about these things, but their parents probably already plans for her, whether for a political marriage or some kind of bureaucratic position. Somehow he doubted that Father would let her join the military.
"I want to work in the capital!" Meiling said, answering surprisingly quickly.
"Really? What do you want to do?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm going to be the princess's bodyguard, and go on lots of adventures just like daddy told me!" she said, grinning.
Shaohuo chuckled. "Are you sure? You don't want to work in one of the ministries or be a cultivation instructor or anything? You could even work with me once I take over for Father."
Meiling stared at him with eyes wide in disbelief. "That sounds so boring, Shao-Shao. Why would anyone do that?"
He laughed. "Good question. But then, which princess will you work for?"
"Uh…there's more than one?" Meiling said, tilting her head. Shaohuo laughed again, snorting. Well, she'd have plenty of time to think about it.
The days passed quickly, and before he knew it, it was Shaohuo's sixteenth birthday. When he woke up, the first thing he'd checked was to see if his Ghost Eyes had awoken yet, but he didn't notice anything different when he looked at other people. Still, it should happen sometime in the next few weeks.
His disappointment was soon brushed away by his father's birthday present. It was kept in a small wooden case, and when he opened it, he was confused at first. It was consisted of many cylindrical, wooden blocks strung on a linked metal chain with a spearhead attached to the end, almost like some kind of whip weapon.
"Thank you, Father. But what is this?" He'd asked.
His father smiled. "Ah, I know it doesn't look like much. But let me show you." He handed the whip to his father, who held up the chain by one end so that all the wooden blocks fell towards the spearhead, lining up together. Most of the chain was covered now, leaving only a bit at the end which ended with a metal loop. "First you do this, and then you channel earth qi into the chain's formation and then into the wood's formation."
Suddenly the wood blocks turned and lined up perfectly with one another, appearing more as a solid mass rather than individual blocks. Rather than a whip, it was an easily portable spear. Shaohuo had heard of spears like this, but since they were apparently a relatively recent innovation he hadn't seen one before. The classic portable spear design simply consisted of separate spearheads and wood poles with their own formations that would then lock together. Still convenient to carry, and they had the advantage of being easy to replace if one part broke, but not as portable as a chain that could be wrapped into a loop.
His father grinned and handed it him. Shaohuo gripped it and cautiously swung it around a few times, marveling at how it appeared as a solid mass now.
"Thank you, Father," he said, bowing. With this, he would be ready for whatever challenges the sect had for him.
Shaohuo's base stats at age 16:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 (inaccessible)
HP: 10/10
Funds: 1,480 coppers (20 spent on the book)
Spear Mastery: 2/4 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 3/10 > 4/10 (+1 for managing to keep his surprise gift plans secret)
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
Does Shaohuo buy a sword for Xiaoli?
[X] Yes
[X] No
Does Shaohuo ask Elder Li Lee anything specific in his next letter?
[X] Write-in
[X] Nothing in particular, just keeping in touch.
A/N: A bit of a slow update, but I was able to get some world-building and character development in at least. Next update Shaohuo will get to start cultivating. Also, I added stats for funds and weapon masteries.
[X] Ask the Honored Elder about the land your clan governs, especially what it was like back in his early days.
[X] Spend more time with Meiling (???)
[X] Spend more time with Xiaoli (???)
Chapter 1.4 – A Mostly Ordinary Adolescence (Part 4)
Before all that, however, he needed to get his sister a present for her birthday, which was on the eleventh of Leaf. So it was that he asked Xiaoli to show him around the shops of Xichang. The province's capital was close to the clan's ancestral home but a bit far from his family's estate, so he rarely visited. Xiaoli seemed happy for a change to her usual routine, swinging her legs during the whole carriage ride to the city and chatting up a storm about the latest book she'd recommended him.
"So, what kind of arts are you going to learn?" Xiaoli said as the carriage drew closer to the city. The familiar smell of the sea-salt breeze had begun to waft in through the windows.
He shrugged. "I don't know yet. I need to learn what's possible first, I suppose."
Xiaoli shook her head with an air of great disappointment. "Shaohuo, are you really saying you haven't thought about it at all? You must at least have an idea of what elements you want to focus on."
"Hmm. I guess wind can be useful for quite a few things. Gravity sounds interesting but I'm not sure how versatile it is." Shaohuo said.
"Obviously, fire and shadow are the most useful." Xiaoli said, nodding as though the argument was already settled. "With shadow, you can make sure no one sees you until you strike. Then with fire you can burn everything in one hit."
He shuddered. Xiaoli with fire was a scary thought indeed.
"Wouldn't the fire defeat the purpose of using stealth though?" Shaohuo said.
"You have a lot of to learn, Shaohuo. No one would know where the fire came from since they wouldn't be able to see you. They'd just waste time looking for the attacker while everything burned to a crisp." Xiaoli laughed, seeming to find the thought of things burning amusing.
Shaohuo was saved from that disturbing conversation as the carriage pulled up to the marketplace, which consisted of open-air stalls laid out in the town square. They got out and were followed by the guards. The sight, along with their fine clothes and signature auburn hair, caused the crowds of commoners to split to make ample space for them to walk through, whispering among themselves all the while. It was an uncomfortable feeling since he spent most of his time either at home or visiting other nobles. At least they probably wouldn't be recognized so easily once they joined the sect.
Xiaoli, on the other hand, seemed used to it. Her demeanor had changed now that they were out in public, walking with a smooth gait and her arms at her side, not swinging them as she would often do. She had also stopped talking as they toured the marketplace, her face schooled into a dignified expression that looked strange on her.
"Let's take a look over there," Xiaoli said quietly as they neared a stall selling weapons. Shaohuo nodded, hoping she was just window-shopping and not actually thinking of getting Meiling something from there. She wouldn't do that…right? The shopkeeper, seeing them arriving, shot up to his feet and hastily greeted them, bowing profusely.
"Welcome to my humble store," he said, his forehead visibly shiny with sweat. Shaohuo felt a bit sorry for the man. "Please let me know how I may be of assistance."
The store consisted of a few tables with weapons laid out on them, a fairly wide variety from knives to spears to axes and swords. Most were commoner's weapons, but there were a handful suitable for cultivators, enhanced with formations of qi-conductive materials. When infused with the right types of qi, the qi would flow along the pattern of the formation and cast an art, even for someone who didn't know how to perform that art on their own. Xiaoli was gazing longingly at one such sword, a seemingly ordinary jian. When Shaohuo looked closely at it, the blade shone where the steel of the blade shifted to the silver web-like pattern interwoven in it.
"You have a good eye, miss," the shopkeeper said, seeming to have composed himself by then. "That's my best sword. It's enhanced with earth arts for durability and sharpness. It barely needs any maintenance at all."
"How much is it?" Xiaoli asked.
"One thousand coppers."
Xiaoli bit her lip, furrowing her brow as she thought. Shaohuo doubted the price was the problem for her. She was probably thinking that her parents wouldn't let her keep it. Even if she hid it, the guards might report that she bought it. Perhaps he could get it for her, and keep it with him until they joined the sect? Unfortunately he only had about fifteen hundred copper coins' worth of allowance saved up. He'd have to think over the finances of it before deciding.
"Hey, why don't we check that bookstore over there?" Shaohuo pointed at it.
"Alright. I don't see anything I need here, anyway." Xiaoli said flippantly, though he wasn't fooled. Hopefully he'd be able to get her mind off of it. By the end of the day, Shaohuo had picked up a children's book for Meiling to read, and Xiaoli had bought a doll. A successful trip, for the most part.
Once again, it took quite a while to receive a reply, but after about a month Shaohuo had received a letter from the Honored Elder.
Dear Shaohuo,
I am glad to hear you are doing well. To answer your question, as you know, our province is quite fertile thanks to the four rivers that give it its name. The Four Rivers province is small, but prosperous, and its location means that our province doesn't suffer from barbarian raids as many of the border provinces do. This province was one of the first to join the empire during the unification of the Sage Emperor. Our clan ruled this land even then, making our clan one of the old families. When I was young, this land was mostly the same as it is now. The current emperor ascended to the throne when my grandfather was the governor, but as they say, the emperor may change but the Empire continues on as ever. In my years, the Empire has been at war many times, but thanks to the Heavens it has never directly touched our province. Of course, many of our clan and our subjects have served loyally in the imperial military. As far as differences go, I will say that in my youth steel was much more expensive than it is today, and books weren't as common. You should be thankful that you live in a time of peace and prosperity, for such times do not last forever.
Best Regards,
Elder Li Lee
"What does it say, Shao-Shao?" Meiling said, peering over his shoulder at the letter, which he folded up. She'd been reading in his room, having taken a liking to the novel he'd bought her, but apparently found spying on him more interesting.
"Nothing important. Just some history." Shaohuo said.
Meiling made a gagging noise. "Ew, why are you reading history? Those stories are really boring."
"It's important to know, Meiling. You should try it sometime. Besides, these stories are true."
"But that's why they're boring." Meiling stubbornly insisted. She really was too cheeky for her own good.
Every now and then Meiling would watch Shaohuo during his usual training sessions. She rarely had the patience to stick around for the whole thing, but since Father wasn't there for the harvest season and the guards weren't very good company, Shaohuo would occasionally stop to answer her questions or ask her about how things were going. Now that he was making the effort to talk to her more often, he learned a bit more about her friends. Shu was Suyin's younger sister, making her a fellow noble. Shaohuo had met her a few times before, but hadn't realized she and Meiling were so close. Meiling's other friend, Ling, was the daughter of his father's secretary.
"Meiling, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Shaohuo asked her one day during a break in his training session. It had come to mind just then that Meiling seemed interested in becoming a cultivator, from how she watched him train sometimes, yet unlike him or Xiaoli she didn't have a position waiting for her when she finished. Of course, she was still a bit young to be thinking about these things, but their parents probably already plans for her, whether for a political marriage or some kind of bureaucratic position. Somehow he doubted that Father would let her join the military.
"I want to work in the capital!" Meiling said, answering surprisingly quickly.
"Really? What do you want to do?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm going to be the princess's bodyguard, and go on lots of adventures just like daddy told me!" she said, grinning.
Shaohuo chuckled. "Are you sure? You don't want to work in one of the ministries or be a cultivation instructor or anything? You could even work with me once I take over for Father."
Meiling stared at him with eyes wide in disbelief. "That sounds so boring, Shao-Shao. Why would anyone do that?"
He laughed. "Good question. But then, which princess will you work for?"
"Uh…there's more than one?" Meiling said, tilting her head. Shaohuo laughed again, snorting. Well, she'd have plenty of time to think about it.
The days passed quickly, and before he knew it, it was Shaohuo's sixteenth birthday. When he woke up, the first thing he'd checked was to see if his Ghost Eyes had awoken yet, but he didn't notice anything different when he looked at other people. Still, it should happen sometime in the next few weeks.
His disappointment was soon brushed away by his father's birthday present. It was kept in a small wooden case, and when he opened it, he was confused at first. It was consisted of many cylindrical, wooden blocks strung on a linked metal chain with a spearhead attached to the end, almost like some kind of whip weapon.
"Thank you, Father. But what is this?" He'd asked.
His father smiled. "Ah, I know it doesn't look like much. But let me show you." He handed the whip to his father, who held up the chain by one end so that all the wooden blocks fell towards the spearhead, lining up together. Most of the chain was covered now, leaving only a bit at the end which ended with a metal loop. "First you do this, and then you channel earth qi into the chain's formation and then into the wood's formation."
Suddenly the wood blocks turned and lined up perfectly with one another, appearing more as a solid mass rather than individual blocks. Rather than a whip, it was an easily portable spear. Shaohuo had heard of spears like this, but since they were apparently a relatively recent innovation he hadn't seen one before. The classic portable spear design simply consisted of separate spearheads and wood poles with their own formations that would then lock together. Still convenient to carry, and they had the advantage of being easy to replace if one part broke, but not as portable as a chain that could be wrapped into a loop.
His father grinned and handed it him. Shaohuo gripped it and cautiously swung it around a few times, marveling at how it appeared as a solid mass now.
"Thank you, Father," he said, bowing. With this, he would be ready for whatever challenges the sect had for him.
Shaohuo's base stats at age 16:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 (inaccessible)
HP: 10/10
Funds: 1,480 coppers (20 spent on the book)
Spear Mastery: 2/4 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 3/10 > 4/10 (+1 for managing to keep his surprise gift plans secret)
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
Does Shaohuo buy a sword for Xiaoli?
[X] Yes
[X] No
Does Shaohuo ask Elder Li Lee anything specific in his next letter?
[X] Write-in
[X] Nothing in particular, just keeping in touch.
A/N: A bit of a slow update, but I was able to get some world-building and character development in at least. Next update Shaohuo will get to start cultivating. Also, I added stats for funds and weapon masteries.
Last edited:
Chapter 2.0 - A Marginally Satisfactory Spiritual Awakening (Part 1)
- Location
- United States
Winning Votes:
[X] Yes
[X] Ask about our clan relations with other clans.
Chapter 2.0 – A Marginally Satisfactory Spiritual Awakening (Part 1)
The day started normally enough. It had been three days since his birthday. Shaohuo woke and dressed himself while still half-asleep, not noticing anything different. Then, with his shirt halfway on, he blinked and realized that he could see his own aura, a swirling cloud surrounding him. Like his father had told him, it was a light pink color, though now it was interspersed with streaks of red, showing that he'd awakened to the first stage of cultivation. He rushed through dressing up and then strode through the halls to the dining room, where his father and mother were seated at the table and had already begun eating red bean buns for breakfast.
"Father, I've awakened." Shaohuo said, his lips stretched into a grin.
The response from his parents was more subdued.
"That's nice, Shaohuo. But first, why don't you eat your breakfast?" his mother said, nodding towards the seat next to her, where his plate was already full with boiled eggs and two read bean buns.
"Congratulations," his father said nonchalantly, sipping his tea as usual, "I will take a few days off from work, though I won't be able to spare more than that until winter starts. We can start training after your usual morning exercises."
Still, nothing could dampen Shaohuo's mood that day. His father didn't join him until after he finished his morning jog and exercises, busy taking care of essential business and delegating other work to his subordinates. When he returned, Father told him to sit on the grass with his legs crossed and his back straight, and sat across from him in the same position.
"You probably already know this, but the Ghost Eyes are the foundation of all cultivation." Father began. "Tell me, what does my aura look like?"
Shaohuo took a close look at his father, who sat with perfect posture, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees. Whereas his own aura looked like an indistinct mass emanating from himself, he was able to see his father's entire aura at once. It was like a swirling outline of orange interspersed with green.
"Orange and green, it looks like."
His father nodded. "Yes, orange is the color of my natural aura, and as you know I am a green cultivator. But before you begin physical cultivation or even elemental cultivation, you should spend a little time learning to sense qi in greater detail. Now, I will use a few basic arts and you will observe. Don't try to replicate the arts, you are not ready for that yet. Just close your eyes and focus on observing the qi and try to see what I am doing in greater detail."
Shaohuo closed his eyes, but his Ghost Eyes were still open. There was no muscle to close them, as they did not exist as actual organs, but he could choose to not look through them. It was a strange thing, looking at the world solely through the Ghost Eyes. Where the sky and the sun would be, there was a pitch black void. But around him there was qi everywhere, stalks of qi below and around him from the grass, his own aura, and of course his father, who now looked less like a person than a human-shaped mass of orange and green qi, rays of light protruding from innumerable points in his body outwards in all directions.
His father lifted a hand up with his palm facing the sky, and from it sprang a flickering column of red qi. It was probably a flame produced by a fire art. Following his father's advice, he looked carefully at the flow of the qi feeding the flame. It was thickest at the bottom and tapered towards the top into a single point, though many sparks of qi escaped to the sides.
His father demonstrated several more arts, including a slight breeze of wind and then a water art were he produced a single drop of water suspended on his finger, though Shaohuo couldn't imagine the level of control it took to produce just that tiny trickle of water qi. After that, Father directed him to simply observe the grass around him and try to spot birds flying above them from their qi alone. He missed many of the higher-flying birds, but was able to spot a few when they came down to rest on the trees dotting their family estate.
For those first two days, Shaohuo did nothing but eat, sleep, and practice using his Ghost Eyes. His father had suspended his lessons with the tutor so he could spend more time cultivating before he had to leave for the sect. The process wasn't as tedious as Shaohuo had feared it might be, at least for now since the Ghost Eyes were so new and interesting to him, a whole new sense to view the world with. Even just by the end of the two days, his vision with the Ghost Eyes seemed just a tiny bit sharper.
On the third day, Father began to teach him how to conduct physical cultivation.
"The most important thing you need to keep in mind for physical cultivation is that you must complete all steps in the correct order and in the correct manner, without leaving out a single step." Father said before they began, a very serious look on his face. "Before we begin, promise that you will do that."
"Of course, Father." Shaohuo said, blinking in surprise. "But why is it so important? It didn't seem like the rules for cultivating Ghost Eyes were this strict."
"Consider this. What do you think would happen if your muscles were incredibly strong, but your bones were weak?" his father said.
Shaohuo thought for a long moment before speaking, idly twirling blades of grass with his hand. He hadn't spent that much time reading about natural philosophy, but he did come across mentions of Sage Chin, the physician who had dissected animals and even some executed criminals with the permission of the emperor at the time. Apparently he had written the first detailed book of anatomy, and had been the one to discover that muscles worked by pulling on the bone.
"I suppose your bones might break." Shaohuo said at last.
"Yes, indeed, but not only that," Father said. "You might also rip your skin from the sheer force or get a sprain or a strain from damaging your tendons. You also would get tired very quickly if your heart and lungs weren't strong enough. So, in fact, strength is the last thing you must cultivate. Also, when you do cultivate, you must cultivate all parts of your body equally to maintain balance. So you must follow these exercises in the exact order I show them to you without skipping steps. We will begin by cultivating flexibility."
His father then led Shaohuo through a long series of stretches. Some of them he knew from warm-up exercises he did before jogging, but others were entirely new such as stretching his neck and even moving his hands and legs in particular patterns. He did not know why moving his leg inward and outward with his knee bent vs. straight were considered separate stretches, and neither did his father, but apparently they were. His father watched him carefully and corrected any missteps he made. After he succeeded several times in a row, his father apparently felt he was ready to begin actual cultivation.
At that point, his father showed him how to channel his qi in a pattern that worked alongside the stretching of the ligaments, tendons, skin, and muscles. With sufficient cultivation, the qi would become part of these tissues, making them tougher yet also more flexible. At first, Shaohuo had difficulty figuring out how to actually channel his qi, having only practiced sensing it before. His father said it was difficult to explain, so he was forced to use trial and error. After some time, he figured out how to will qi emanating from his body to move as he directed it. It was like using a muscle that he'd neglected for a very long time, and he needed to take frequent breaks. Still, he could feel that he was making steady, if slow, progress and his father told him that with more practice he would be able to use more qi and wouldn't need to take breaks as often.
On the last day of the week, Father showed him how to produce different types of elemental qi rather than the pure, nonelemental qi he had been using before. This was a very basic art that required observing different types of elemental qi which his father showed him and then willing his qi to take that form. The amount of qi he was producing was fairly small and didn't produce much effect beyond a tiny burst of wind, a small flame, or a tiny pool of water cupped in his hand. But the point was to simply become used to the process of controlling the element of his qi, and Shaohuo thought he was making steady progress there as well, practicing with the basic elements of fire, wind, water, earth, lightning, shadow, light, and gravity. For the next few weeks he would have to cultivate on his own since his father would be busy, but he could at least work on the techniques his father had already shown him.
He couldn't wait to show Xiaoli what he could do, already imagining the look of jealousy on her face. Though perhaps he should avoid gloating too much if he didn't want her to take revenge on him once she started cultivating in a few months. He could wait until her birthday, when he would tell her about how he had bought the sword for her a few weeks after they visited it. Then she wouldn't even be able to stay mad at him, all according to plan.
Shaohuo's Base Stats:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 > 4/4
HP: base 10/10 * 10 (from physical cultivation) = 100/100
Funds: 1,480 coppers > 480 coppers (1,000 spent on the sword)
Spear Mastery: 2/4 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 4/10
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
For the next few weeks, Shaohuo will have time to practice three of the following. Choose one to not focus on.
[X] Ghost Eyes cultivation
[X] Elemental Qi Control cultivation
[X] Flexibility cultivation
[X] Spear Mastery
[X] Yes
[X] Ask about our clan relations with other clans.
Chapter 2.0 – A Marginally Satisfactory Spiritual Awakening (Part 1)
"Father, I've awakened." Shaohuo said, his lips stretched into a grin.
The response from his parents was more subdued.
"That's nice, Shaohuo. But first, why don't you eat your breakfast?" his mother said, nodding towards the seat next to her, where his plate was already full with boiled eggs and two read bean buns.
"Congratulations," his father said nonchalantly, sipping his tea as usual, "I will take a few days off from work, though I won't be able to spare more than that until winter starts. We can start training after your usual morning exercises."
Still, nothing could dampen Shaohuo's mood that day. His father didn't join him until after he finished his morning jog and exercises, busy taking care of essential business and delegating other work to his subordinates. When he returned, Father told him to sit on the grass with his legs crossed and his back straight, and sat across from him in the same position.
"You probably already know this, but the Ghost Eyes are the foundation of all cultivation." Father began. "Tell me, what does my aura look like?"
Shaohuo took a close look at his father, who sat with perfect posture, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees. Whereas his own aura looked like an indistinct mass emanating from himself, he was able to see his father's entire aura at once. It was like a swirling outline of orange interspersed with green.
"Orange and green, it looks like."
His father nodded. "Yes, orange is the color of my natural aura, and as you know I am a green cultivator. But before you begin physical cultivation or even elemental cultivation, you should spend a little time learning to sense qi in greater detail. Now, I will use a few basic arts and you will observe. Don't try to replicate the arts, you are not ready for that yet. Just close your eyes and focus on observing the qi and try to see what I am doing in greater detail."
Shaohuo closed his eyes, but his Ghost Eyes were still open. There was no muscle to close them, as they did not exist as actual organs, but he could choose to not look through them. It was a strange thing, looking at the world solely through the Ghost Eyes. Where the sky and the sun would be, there was a pitch black void. But around him there was qi everywhere, stalks of qi below and around him from the grass, his own aura, and of course his father, who now looked less like a person than a human-shaped mass of orange and green qi, rays of light protruding from innumerable points in his body outwards in all directions.
His father lifted a hand up with his palm facing the sky, and from it sprang a flickering column of red qi. It was probably a flame produced by a fire art. Following his father's advice, he looked carefully at the flow of the qi feeding the flame. It was thickest at the bottom and tapered towards the top into a single point, though many sparks of qi escaped to the sides.
His father demonstrated several more arts, including a slight breeze of wind and then a water art were he produced a single drop of water suspended on his finger, though Shaohuo couldn't imagine the level of control it took to produce just that tiny trickle of water qi. After that, Father directed him to simply observe the grass around him and try to spot birds flying above them from their qi alone. He missed many of the higher-flying birds, but was able to spot a few when they came down to rest on the trees dotting their family estate.
For those first two days, Shaohuo did nothing but eat, sleep, and practice using his Ghost Eyes. His father had suspended his lessons with the tutor so he could spend more time cultivating before he had to leave for the sect. The process wasn't as tedious as Shaohuo had feared it might be, at least for now since the Ghost Eyes were so new and interesting to him, a whole new sense to view the world with. Even just by the end of the two days, his vision with the Ghost Eyes seemed just a tiny bit sharper.
On the third day, Father began to teach him how to conduct physical cultivation.
"The most important thing you need to keep in mind for physical cultivation is that you must complete all steps in the correct order and in the correct manner, without leaving out a single step." Father said before they began, a very serious look on his face. "Before we begin, promise that you will do that."
"Of course, Father." Shaohuo said, blinking in surprise. "But why is it so important? It didn't seem like the rules for cultivating Ghost Eyes were this strict."
"Consider this. What do you think would happen if your muscles were incredibly strong, but your bones were weak?" his father said.
Shaohuo thought for a long moment before speaking, idly twirling blades of grass with his hand. He hadn't spent that much time reading about natural philosophy, but he did come across mentions of Sage Chin, the physician who had dissected animals and even some executed criminals with the permission of the emperor at the time. Apparently he had written the first detailed book of anatomy, and had been the one to discover that muscles worked by pulling on the bone.
"I suppose your bones might break." Shaohuo said at last.
"Yes, indeed, but not only that," Father said. "You might also rip your skin from the sheer force or get a sprain or a strain from damaging your tendons. You also would get tired very quickly if your heart and lungs weren't strong enough. So, in fact, strength is the last thing you must cultivate. Also, when you do cultivate, you must cultivate all parts of your body equally to maintain balance. So you must follow these exercises in the exact order I show them to you without skipping steps. We will begin by cultivating flexibility."
His father then led Shaohuo through a long series of stretches. Some of them he knew from warm-up exercises he did before jogging, but others were entirely new such as stretching his neck and even moving his hands and legs in particular patterns. He did not know why moving his leg inward and outward with his knee bent vs. straight were considered separate stretches, and neither did his father, but apparently they were. His father watched him carefully and corrected any missteps he made. After he succeeded several times in a row, his father apparently felt he was ready to begin actual cultivation.
At that point, his father showed him how to channel his qi in a pattern that worked alongside the stretching of the ligaments, tendons, skin, and muscles. With sufficient cultivation, the qi would become part of these tissues, making them tougher yet also more flexible. At first, Shaohuo had difficulty figuring out how to actually channel his qi, having only practiced sensing it before. His father said it was difficult to explain, so he was forced to use trial and error. After some time, he figured out how to will qi emanating from his body to move as he directed it. It was like using a muscle that he'd neglected for a very long time, and he needed to take frequent breaks. Still, he could feel that he was making steady, if slow, progress and his father told him that with more practice he would be able to use more qi and wouldn't need to take breaks as often.
On the last day of the week, Father showed him how to produce different types of elemental qi rather than the pure, nonelemental qi he had been using before. This was a very basic art that required observing different types of elemental qi which his father showed him and then willing his qi to take that form. The amount of qi he was producing was fairly small and didn't produce much effect beyond a tiny burst of wind, a small flame, or a tiny pool of water cupped in his hand. But the point was to simply become used to the process of controlling the element of his qi, and Shaohuo thought he was making steady progress there as well, practicing with the basic elements of fire, wind, water, earth, lightning, shadow, light, and gravity. For the next few weeks he would have to cultivate on his own since his father would be busy, but he could at least work on the techniques his father had already shown him.
He couldn't wait to show Xiaoli what he could do, already imagining the look of jealousy on her face. Though perhaps he should avoid gloating too much if he didn't want her to take revenge on him once she started cultivating in a few months. He could wait until her birthday, when he would tell her about how he had bought the sword for her a few weeks after they visited it. Then she wouldn't even be able to stay mad at him, all according to plan.
Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 * 5 + Father tutoring 10 = 35d10 = 8, 10, 9, 7, 10, 8, 1, 8, 1, 6, 4, 1, 4, 3, 7, 10, 3, 6, 8, 8, 2, 5, 5, 3, 6, 2, 1, 9, 10, 1, 10, 10, 9, 6, 7. Number of successes below Talent 4 = 10.
Progress 10/400 to next level.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: Number of successes = 3.
Progress 3/3 to next point.
Qi 1/1 > 2/2
Progress 10/400 to next level.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: Number of successes = 3.
Progress 3/3 to next point.
Qi 1/1 > 2/2
Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 * 5 + Father tutoring 10 = 35d10 = 9, 5, 10, 7, 1, 5, 9, 7, 9, 3, 9, 4, 3, 8, 5, 10, 4, 7, 8, 6, 3, 7, 9, 4, 1, 5, 2, 10, 8, 4, 6, 6, 7, 2. Number of successes = 8.
Progress 8/70 to next level.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: Number of successes = 2.
Progress 2/3.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: Number of successes = 2.
Progress 12/400.
Progress 8/70 to next level.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: Number of successes = 2.
Progress 2/3.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: Number of successes = 2.
Progress 12/400.
Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 * 5 + Father tutoring 10 = 35d10 = 2, 1, 5, 9, 2, 10, 5, 1, 2, 10, 2, 10, 3, 3, 6, 9, 9, 2, 9, 1, 6, 2, 1, 3, 7, 9, 1, 3, 8, 1, 7, 8, 1, 9, 9. Number of successes = 17.
Progress 17/50 to completion.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 5.
Progress 3/3.
Qi: 2/2 > 3/3
Progress 3/3
Qi: 3/3 > 4/4
Progress 1/3
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 5
Progress 17/400.
Progress 17/50 to completion.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 5.
Progress 3/3.
Qi: 2/2 > 3/3
Progress 3/3
Qi: 3/3 > 4/4
Progress 1/3
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 5
Progress 17/400.
Shaohuo's Base Stats:
Talent – 4
Qi: 1/1 > 4/4
HP: base 10/10 * 10 (from physical cultivation) = 100/100
Funds: 1,480 coppers > 480 coppers (1,000 spent on the sword)
Spear Mastery: 2/4 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 4/10
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
For the next few weeks, Shaohuo will have time to practice three of the following. Choose one to not focus on.
[X] Ghost Eyes cultivation
[X] Elemental Qi Control cultivation
[X] Flexibility cultivation
[X] Spear Mastery
Last edited:
Chapter 2.1 - A Marginally Satisfactory Spiritual Awakening (Part 2)
- Location
- United States
Winning Vote:
[X] Spear Mastery
"Do it again, Shao-shao!" Meiling said, watching him make sparks of fire and lightning. She was done with her lessons and came outside to see what he was up to.
"Alright, alright. Have some patience," Shaohuo said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he sat on the grass, trying to recover his qi. He now understood why his father had been so reluctant to entertain him with arts when he was younger and made these some sorts of demands of him. His father had more than enough qi, of course, but must have found those constant demands rather irritating, only showing him arts to distract him when he was crying because he stubbed his toe or something. To Shaohuo's relief, Meiling eventually became bored when he had nothing new or more impressive to show her and went back indoors to read and play with her dolls.
Unfortunately, while Shaohuo was getting better at controlling the element of his qi, he still wasn't able to do it reliably yet. It seemed a struggle at times, as if he was pushing against resistance as he tried to transform his nonelemental qi into the various elements. Sometimes it would even change into the wrong element. He had an especially difficult time differentiating shadow and gravity qi. They acted very differently and had a different feel to them when he looked at them through his Ghost Eyes, but both were black in color. Perhaps he was focusing too much on what the qi looked like and not enough on what it felt like. When he tried this new approach it worked occasionally but felt less intuitive than creating qi of the other elements. He still needed more practice.
Still, Shaohuo didn't want to focus solely on mastering creating different elements and neglect other types of cultivation. He continued his morning exercises if only to maintain his physique, though now he spent a great deal of time on flexibility cultivation both before and afterwards.
His progress here felt slow as well, but on the plus side he could tell that he was developing more qi and wouldn't need to take as many breaks to recover in the future. Hopefully that would free up some time to spend with his friends, who he hadn't seen much of for a few weeks. He didn't want to become one of those hermits who spent all their time cultivating and doing nothing else. It would be terrible if he put so much effort into overcoming his mediocre talent to become a merely good cultivator, only to find that he'd lost all his friends in the process.
In between his more qi-intensive cultivation efforts, Shaohuo made sure to focus on his fundamentals as well, trying to spot insects and birds with his eyes closed. It wasn't strictly a requirement that he spend time focusing on cultivating his Ghost Eyes since his qi sense would passively become sharper as he used it while cultivating other arts. However, he knew he wasn't very talented at cultivation, so rather than learning many arts he thought it might be better to learn less arts but spend dedicated time to cultivating his Ghost Eyes so he would be able to use higher-level arts in the future. Of course, Ghost Eyes developed very slowly even with dedicated cultivation, so he might find that immediate needs would require him to branch out once he joined the sect.
Fang came to visit him near the end of the month. He was still as tall and gangly as ever, having shot up in height a few years before. Shaohuo was tall as well, but even he only came up to Fang's nose. The two of them were drinking tea in one of the side rooms of his home, occasionally playing their next move in chess, though neither was really paying attention that much attention to the game.
"You're able to cultivate now, right?" Fang said. "How's that going?"
Shaohuo shrugged. "I'm making progress, but it's slow. How about you?" he asked. He'd visited Fang for his birthday several months before but hadn't asked about his cultivation.
Fang chuckled nervously. "Eh, it's okay. I'm not a noble or a prodigy so I'm never going to make much progress. I can't afford any fancy medications either. But I need to do at least some physical cultivation before I join the army, or I won't be able to become a captain."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be fine. You still have plenty of time, after all," Shaohuo said.
The army usually only accepted people after they reached eighteen after all, and even then they would only be doing basic training for a few months. Even commoners like Fang could reach orange physical cultivation if they focused solely on it and put in enough time. It put his problems into perspective though. If Fang had Shaohuo's mediocre level of talent, Fang's father would be very pleased with him.
"Yeah, you're right." Fang said, smiling. "I just have to keep working on it. And when I come back with my promotion, Chin will be jealous of how popular I'll be with the girls!"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Shaohuo said, and laughed.
The month of Frost began, and Shaohuo's father joined him on the training grounds once more. First, Shaohuo demonstrated the progress he'd made, practicing all three types of cultivation in front of him.
"Good work," his father said, smiling. "I know it might be frustrating that it's going slowly, but that's normal. The guards told me that you've been working diligently."
Shaohuo nodded, ducking his head in embarrassment at the praise. "Thank you, Father."
"Anyway, I will be able to spend more time training with you from now on, but I won't be able to just take a whole week off like I did before," his father explained. "Still, I can spend time with you in the morning on whatever you need help on, and when you're ready I can show you some new arts."
"Father, I've been thinking about buying medicines to help me cultivate. Do you think I could get some from Xichang?" Shaohuo said.
"Of course, Shaohuo." Father said, reaching out to ruffle his hair all of a sudden. He bore it with a small sigh. "Tell one of the servants what you want and they'll take care of it. I'll give you a larger allowance from now on, but keep in mind we can't afford to just get you whatever you need. The higher-level spiritual medications are expensive even for us."
"I understand." Shaohuo said, nodding.
Of course, if he was more talented, then the clan would take care of the costs. His parents' resources were more limited since their county was quite small even for this province. It was unfair, but he couldn't exactly blame the Honored Elder or Xiaoli's father for not wanting to invest in him. Hopefully he'd be able to make some money himself fulfilling job requests once he joined the sect.
Shaohuo's Base Stats:
Talent – 4
Qi: 4/4 > 8/8
HP: base 10/10 * 10 (from physical cultivation) = 100/100
Funds: 480 > 880 coppers (+400 from allowance)
Spear Mastery: 2/4 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 4/10
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
Due to the complexity of this vote, all votes must be by plan.
Over the course of the month, Shaohuo can spend up to 12 actions cultivating and training. Vote for the options you would like. You can spend more than one action on the same option such as by choosing Ghost Eyes x2 or Ghost Eyes x4 or Ghost Eyes x12, etc.
[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Cultivation] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Cultivation] Elemental Qi Control
[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
For the next month, what does Shaohuo's father help him learn? Choose four actions, but you can vote for the same option multiple times such that the total is four i.e. Ghost Eyes x2 and Spear Mastery x2 or Ghost Eyes x4, etc. If an option is chosen then it must also be chosen for what you spend your time on cultivating.
[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Tutoring] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Tutoring] Elemental Qi Control
[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
What medicines does Shaohuo purchase? Note that medicines do not aid in weapon mastery training.
[X] [Medicines] None
[X] [Medicines] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
[X] [Medicines] Elemental Spirit Herb Pill (+ 7 dice to all cultivation rolls of a particular element for one week. 500 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications, types of elements
[X] [Medicines] Heaven Flower Elixir (+ 10 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 800 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
What, if any medications does Shaohuo use, and for which types of cultivation? Due to drug interactions, only one medicine can be used safely per week.
[X] [MedUse] Write-in
A/N: The response for the letter to the Elder will come next update.
[X] Spear Mastery
Chapter 2.1 – A Marginally Satisfactory Spiritual Awakening (Part 2)
For the last two weeks of the month of Dusk, Shaohuo cultivated on his own. He began with elemental qi control, hoping to complete the art early so he could learn some elemental arts when his father was less busy with his work.
"Do it again, Shao-shao!" Meiling said, watching him make sparks of fire and lightning. She was done with her lessons and came outside to see what he was up to.
"Alright, alright. Have some patience," Shaohuo said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he sat on the grass, trying to recover his qi. He now understood why his father had been so reluctant to entertain him with arts when he was younger and made these some sorts of demands of him. His father had more than enough qi, of course, but must have found those constant demands rather irritating, only showing him arts to distract him when he was crying because he stubbed his toe or something. To Shaohuo's relief, Meiling eventually became bored when he had nothing new or more impressive to show her and went back indoors to read and play with her dolls.
(Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 * 5) * 2 weeks = 50d10 = 2, 7, 2, 10, 8, 9, 7, 8, 9, 9, 7, 8, 9, 2, 6, 6, 1, 3, 5, 5, 7, 6, 2, 7, 5, 10, 8, 4, 4, 6, 4, 8, 3, 6, 2, 8, 6, 3, 6, 6, 2, 7, 5, 4, 5, 8, 10, 8, 4, 8. Number of successes: 10.
Progress: 27/50.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3.
Qi 4/4 > 5/5
Progress 1/3.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 3 successes.
Progress 20/400.
Progress: 27/50.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3.
Qi 4/4 > 5/5
Progress 1/3.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 3 successes.
Progress 20/400.
Unfortunately, while Shaohuo was getting better at controlling the element of his qi, he still wasn't able to do it reliably yet. It seemed a struggle at times, as if he was pushing against resistance as he tried to transform his nonelemental qi into the various elements. Sometimes it would even change into the wrong element. He had an especially difficult time differentiating shadow and gravity qi. They acted very differently and had a different feel to them when he looked at them through his Ghost Eyes, but both were black in color. Perhaps he was focusing too much on what the qi looked like and not enough on what it felt like. When he tried this new approach it worked occasionally but felt less intuitive than creating qi of the other elements. He still needed more practice.
Still, Shaohuo didn't want to focus solely on mastering creating different elements and neglect other types of cultivation. He continued his morning exercises if only to maintain his physique, though now he spent a great deal of time on flexibility cultivation both before and afterwards.
(Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 * 5) * 2 weeks = 50d10 = 6, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 1, 5, 8, 4, 3, 9, 2, 2, 8, 2, 8, 6, 10, 8, 4, 6, 8, 3, 9, 9, 4, 5, 1, 4, 6, 6, 5, 8, 6, 6, 9, 8, 7, 8, 5, 7, 2, 8, 8, 5, 5, 10, 4, 2. Number of successes: 11.
Progress 19/70 to next level.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 5/5 > 6/6
Progress 1/3
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 3 successes.
Progress 23/400.
Progress 19/70 to next level.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 5/5 > 6/6
Progress 1/3
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 3 successes.
Progress 23/400.
His progress here felt slow as well, but on the plus side he could tell that he was developing more qi and wouldn't need to take as many breaks to recover in the future. Hopefully that would free up some time to spend with his friends, who he hadn't seen much of for a few weeks. He didn't want to become one of those hermits who spent all their time cultivating and doing nothing else. It would be terrible if he put so much effort into overcoming his mediocre talent to become a merely good cultivator, only to find that he'd lost all his friends in the process.
In between his more qi-intensive cultivation efforts, Shaohuo made sure to focus on his fundamentals as well, trying to spot insects and birds with his eyes closed. It wasn't strictly a requirement that he spend time focusing on cultivating his Ghost Eyes since his qi sense would passively become sharper as he used it while cultivating other arts. However, he knew he wasn't very talented at cultivation, so rather than learning many arts he thought it might be better to learn less arts but spend dedicated time to cultivating his Ghost Eyes so he would be able to use higher-level arts in the future. Of course, Ghost Eyes developed very slowly even with dedicated cultivation, so he might find that immediate needs would require him to branch out once he joined the sect.
(Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 * 5) * 2 weeks = 50d10 = 3, 1, 8, 5, 5, 2, 6, 10, 2, 1, 2, 6, 9, 8, 4, 9, 4, 6, 8, 6, 9, 8, 2, 5, 8, 2, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 6, 7, 9, 5, 9, 2, 1, 6, 6, 6, 5, 1, 4, 2, 8, 4, 9, 3, 4. Number of successes: 18.
Progress 41/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 6.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 6/6 > 7/7.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 7/7 > 8/8.
Progress 1/3.
Progress 41/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 6.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 6/6 > 7/7.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 7/7 > 8/8.
Progress 1/3.
Fang came to visit him near the end of the month. He was still as tall and gangly as ever, having shot up in height a few years before. Shaohuo was tall as well, but even he only came up to Fang's nose. The two of them were drinking tea in one of the side rooms of his home, occasionally playing their next move in chess, though neither was really paying attention that much attention to the game.
"You're able to cultivate now, right?" Fang said. "How's that going?"
Shaohuo shrugged. "I'm making progress, but it's slow. How about you?" he asked. He'd visited Fang for his birthday several months before but hadn't asked about his cultivation.
Fang chuckled nervously. "Eh, it's okay. I'm not a noble or a prodigy so I'm never going to make much progress. I can't afford any fancy medications either. But I need to do at least some physical cultivation before I join the army, or I won't be able to become a captain."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be fine. You still have plenty of time, after all," Shaohuo said.
The army usually only accepted people after they reached eighteen after all, and even then they would only be doing basic training for a few months. Even commoners like Fang could reach orange physical cultivation if they focused solely on it and put in enough time. It put his problems into perspective though. If Fang had Shaohuo's mediocre level of talent, Fang's father would be very pleased with him.
"Yeah, you're right." Fang said, smiling. "I just have to keep working on it. And when I come back with my promotion, Chin will be jealous of how popular I'll be with the girls!"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Shaohuo said, and laughed.
The month of Frost began, and Shaohuo's father joined him on the training grounds once more. First, Shaohuo demonstrated the progress he'd made, practicing all three types of cultivation in front of him.
"Good work," his father said, smiling. "I know it might be frustrating that it's going slowly, but that's normal. The guards told me that you've been working diligently."
Shaohuo nodded, ducking his head in embarrassment at the praise. "Thank you, Father."
"Anyway, I will be able to spend more time training with you from now on, but I won't be able to just take a whole week off like I did before," his father explained. "Still, I can spend time with you in the morning on whatever you need help on, and when you're ready I can show you some new arts."
"Father, I've been thinking about buying medicines to help me cultivate. Do you think I could get some from Xichang?" Shaohuo said.
"Of course, Shaohuo." Father said, reaching out to ruffle his hair all of a sudden. He bore it with a small sigh. "Tell one of the servants what you want and they'll take care of it. I'll give you a larger allowance from now on, but keep in mind we can't afford to just get you whatever you need. The higher-level spiritual medications are expensive even for us."
"I understand." Shaohuo said, nodding.
Of course, if he was more talented, then the clan would take care of the costs. His parents' resources were more limited since their county was quite small even for this province. It was unfair, but he couldn't exactly blame the Honored Elder or Xiaoli's father for not wanting to invest in him. Hopefully he'd be able to make some money himself fulfilling job requests once he joined the sect.
Shaohuo's Base Stats:
Talent – 4
Qi: 4/4 > 8/8
HP: base 10/10 * 10 (from physical cultivation) = 100/100
Funds: 480 > 880 coppers (+400 from allowance)
Spear Mastery: 2/4 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 4/10
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
Due to the complexity of this vote, all votes must be by plan.
Over the course of the month, Shaohuo can spend up to 12 actions cultivating and training. Vote for the options you would like. You can spend more than one action on the same option such as by choosing Ghost Eyes x2 or Ghost Eyes x4 or Ghost Eyes x12, etc.
[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Cultivation] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Cultivation] Elemental Qi Control
[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
For the next month, what does Shaohuo's father help him learn? Choose four actions, but you can vote for the same option multiple times such that the total is four i.e. Ghost Eyes x2 and Spear Mastery x2 or Ghost Eyes x4, etc. If an option is chosen then it must also be chosen for what you spend your time on cultivating.
[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Tutoring] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Tutoring] Elemental Qi Control
[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
What medicines does Shaohuo purchase? Note that medicines do not aid in weapon mastery training.
[X] [Medicines] None
[X] [Medicines] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
[X] [Medicines] Elemental Spirit Herb Pill (+ 7 dice to all cultivation rolls of a particular element for one week. 500 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications, types of elements
[X] [Medicines] Heaven Flower Elixir (+ 10 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 800 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
What, if any medications does Shaohuo use, and for which types of cultivation? Due to drug interactions, only one medicine can be used safely per week.
[X] [MedUse] Write-in
A/N: The response for the letter to the Elder will come next update.
Last edited:
Chapter 2.2 - A Second Century of Humiliation
- Location
- United States
[X] Plan Ghost Eyes Foundation
-[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes x6
-[X] [Cultivation] Elemental Qi Control x3
-[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
-[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
-[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
-[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
-[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
-[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
-[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
-[X] [Medicines] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
--[X] 2
-[X] [MedUse] Spirit Herb - Ghost Eyes x2
-[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes x6
-[X] [Cultivation] Elemental Qi Control x3
-[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
-[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
-[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
-[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
-[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
-[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening – a basic nonelemental stealth art to hide one's qi signature.
-[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion – a nonelemental art that allows one to transfer qi to or from another person. Requires physical contact, can be used to take qi, give qi, or enhance healing of another person.
-[X] [Medicines] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
--[X] 2
-[X] [MedUse] Spirit Herb - Ghost Eyes x2
Chapter 2.2 – A Second Century of Humiliation
Frost 2, 12052
With his father teaching him, Shaohuo was able to make faster progress on his cultivation. He decided to focus entirely on cultivating his Ghost Eyes for two weeks. His talent was mediocre, which made it all the more necessary to master the fundamentals, especially now when he had plenty of time before joining the sect. His father helped when possible, demonstrating various arts of increasing complexity so that Shaohuo could observe the patterns of their qi flow.
Shaohuo also made use of the Spirit Herb pills that the servants purchased on his behalf. They were a mere two nondescript white tablets in a small glass jar. Though they didn't look like much, when he swallowed the first one with a glass of water, he immediately felt a difference in his qi, as though it was flowing more smoothly somehow.
(Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 *5 + Spirit Herb Pill 5) * 6 actions + Tutoring 10 * 1 action = 190d10 = 8, 4, 9, 6, 2, 2, 3, 6, 4, 4, 1, 7, 4, 8, 2, 3, 9, 2, 5, 3, 3, 8, 2, 3, 8, 5, 8, 3, 8, 1, 10, 7, 7, 4, 8, 5, 3, 9, 1, 5, 8, 3, 8, 5, 9, 3, 5, 6, 7, 6, 3, 3, 9, 7, 6, 7, 1, 2, 9, 2, 9, 5, 3, 8, 5, 9, 10, 7, 6, 2, 5, 8, 2, 5, 8, 1, 8, 7, 7, 5, 10, 1, 6, 8, 9, 4, 3, 7, 9, 6, 2, 5, 7, 3, 6, 10, 2, 4, 3, 4, 1, 9, 5, 4, 2, 2, 9, 4, 7, 2, 8, 9, 8, 7, 2, 5, 9, 3, 9, 3, 7, 9, 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 4, 6, 9, 7, 10, 5, 5,7, 2, 10, 8, 8, 5, 9, 7, 2, 4, 1, 8, 8, 8, 4, 9, 3, 3, 7, 4, 2, 1, 10, 7, 3, 8, 2, 7, 6, 7, 9, 9, 6, 6, 9, 9, 4, 9, 7, 7, 4, 2, 4, 3, 5, 10, 6, 8, 6, 6, 5, 3, 6, 8, 2, 4. Number of successes: 53.
Progress: 94/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 17.
Progress 18/3
Qi 8/8 > 14/14
Progress 0/3.
Progress: 94/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 17.
Progress 18/3
Qi 8/8 > 14/14
Progress 0/3.
He could tell that his vision while using Ghost Eyes was steadily becoming sharper, better able to distinguish between individual blades of grass or spot birds flying in the sky, but he hadn't noticed any major changes. Feeling that he'd spent enough time on Ghost Eyes for now and was unlikely to make a breakthrough anytime soon, Shaohuo decided to move on.
"Can you show me some new arts?" he asked his father during training one day.
"Of course. But you won't be able to learn elemental arts until you get better at producing elemental qi. Hmm…" Father said, scratching his chin as he thought. "I might be able to teach you some nonelemental techniques. I don't know many, but there are a few basic techniques that any cultivator should know. The first is a basic stealth technique. I'm sure you've realized, but an undampened qi signature makes you clearly visible to anyone who bothers to look."
"I did wonder about that," Shaohuo admitted, "I've heard it's possible, but I have no idea how you would do it. You can't turn off your qi, and every living thing has it."
"Ah, but that doesn't mean they have to see it," his father smiled. "The Ghost Eyes are a gift, but they are not all-powerful. As all light cultivators know, what the eyes see is based on the light that reaches the eye. In the same way, all you need to do is prevent your qi from reaching someone else's Ghost Eyes, and they will not be able to see you."
Father guided him through the process of restricting his qi so that it did not leave his body at all. The process of drawing his qi in and holding it there was slightly uncomfortable. Normally a person's qi would surround them, forming their aura, and a tiny quantity of qi would be released from that aura over time. At first, keeping his qi inside made Shaohuo feel like he was taking a deep breath in and holding it. Still, by the end of the session he felt he was good enough at it that he'd be able to continue cultivating it on his own later.
Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 *5 + Tutoring 10 = 35d10 = 9, 7, 1, 2, 8, 8, 7, 4, 5, 7, 4, 3, 5, 7, 5, 3, 4, 10, 3, 2, 9, 4, 4, 1, 10, 2, 1, 6, 10, 4, 7, 2, 1, 6, 5. Number of successes: 11.
Progress: 11/60 to completion.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes Cultivation: 3.
Progress: 97/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 14/14 > 15/15
Progress 0/3.
Progress: 11/60 to completion.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes Cultivation: 3.
Progress: 97/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 14/14 > 15/15
Progress 0/3.
The other nonelemental technique Father showed him was how to transfuse qi from one person to another, whether to take it or to give it. The art was mainly used to help wounded people heal more quickly. Father allowed Shaohuo to practice on him, standing stoically as Shaohuo gripped his forearm and siphoned Father's qi into himself.
It was more difficult than it seemed at first, because his father's qi resisted his pull even though his father was allowing him to take it, and it was difficult to integrate it into his own qi flow. It took a great deal of concentration to will his father's green and orange qi to take his own qi's appearance and feel, not to mention forcing it to flow through his body alongside his own qi. The process of transferring his own qi to his father was easier, but still challenging. Shaohuo marveled at how the transfer of his qi barely seemed to make a difference in his father's much larger pool of qi.
"Can you do this in combat?" Shaohuo asked as they sat on the grass during a break.
Father shook his head. "It's possible, but not easy. You need direct contact, but it's also usually a slow process. It might be useful if you're running low on qi and need some more, but draining someone else's qi to leave them defenseless is difficult. Perhaps with high levels of cultivation, but I don't know of anyone who uses it."
Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 *5 + Tutoring 10 = 35d10 = 3, 2, 4, 6, 7, 1, 2, 9, 4, 10, 4, 10, 7, 4, 2, 2, 7, 6, 8, 8, 4, 1, 6, 9, 7, 9, 2, 4, 1, 9, 6, 8, 9, 3, 5. Number of successes: 10.
Progress 10/45 to next level.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes Cultivation: 3.
Progress: 100/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 15/15 > 16/16
Progress 0/3.
Progress 10/45 to next level.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes Cultivation: 3.
Progress: 100/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 3.
Progress 3/3
Qi: 15/15 > 16/16
Progress 0/3.
After getting a handle on the new techniques, Shaohuo decided to spend the mornings with his father on spear training. He had been neglecting it somewhat since he started cultivating and didn't want to get rusty. His father taught him several techniques for fighting other weapon users, picking up a sword or an axe himself at times. Father was clearly not as proficient with the sword or axe as he was with the spear, but it was still good practice. Sadly, Shaohuo wasn't able to make use of his new spear yet because he couldn't reliably produce earth qi, so he stuck to his usual training spear.
Training 7 + Father tutoring 13 = 20d10 = 3, 9, 9, 5, 10, 7, 1, 8, 4, 7, 2, 9, 8, 2, 6, 3, 2, 4, 9, 8. Number of successes 5 or lower: 9.
Progress 9/600 to next level.
One third of successes to Martial: 3
Progress 3/800 to next level.
Progress 9/600 to next level.
One third of successes to Martial: 3
Progress 3/800 to next level.
When his father wasn't available to practice with him, Shaohuo spent much of his time practicing producing elemental qi, hoping to get better at it quickly so he could begin learning elemental arts.
(Ghost Eyes Level 1 * 5 + Talent 4 *5) * 3 actions = 75d10 = 9, 2, 5, 1, 5, 4, 5, 4, 4, 6, 3, 3, 4, 9, 1, 5, 9, 10, 3, 7, 5, 9, 9, 5, 2, 7, 2, 4, 9, 7, 2, 7, 6, 5, 8, 4, 2, 3, 5, 9, 2, 6, 6, 9, 4, 9, 9, 3, 3, 6, 6, 9, 3, 10, 4, 10, 3, 5, 6, 2, 6, 3, 9, 8, 7, 5, 3, 4, 7, 1, 9, 1, 3, 9, 1. Number of successes: 23.
Progress 50/50. Completed.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 7.
Progress: 107/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 7
Progress 7/3
Qi: 16/16 > 18/18
Progress 1/3.
Progress 50/50. Completed.
One third of successes to Ghost Eyes: 7.
Progress: 107/400.
One third of successes to Qi Cultivation: 7
Progress 7/3
Qi: 16/16 > 18/18
Progress 1/3.
By the end of the month, Shaohuo finally had the knack of the process, able to produce any kind of qi at will. He tested it out with his spear, channeling earth qi into it as his father did. It required most of his qi, but he was able to get it form a single spear shaft. He swung it around the training grounds, pleased with its light weight. Most of its strength came from the earth qi, after all. He took to keeping it in its portable form on a small holster he clipped to his belt.
Though Shaohuo spent most of his time these days cultivating, he made sure not to neglect his friends either. Chin, Fang, and Daquan visited on occasion with their parents and had tea with him, though they didn't spend nearly as much time together as they did when they were children. He also went with his father to visit Xiaoli's family.
"Well, show me what you can do already!" Xiaoli said, leaning forward in her chair as they sat across from each other in the clan library. She'd sent him another romance novel for his birthday but had apparently been busy with lessons and clan business for the whole month, so this was the first time they'd met since he'd awakened his Ghost Eyes.
Shaohuo produced a small red flame in his hand, careful not to let it spread. It would be a shame to burn down the library, after all.
"Cool, huh?" he said, smirking. It was too hard not to gloat, in the end.
Xiaoli scowled, shaking her fist in faux outrage. "Just you wait. In another month I'll make that little flame look like a pebble next to the sun!"
"Please don't…"
She just threw her head back and laughed, clearly finding his terror amusing.
The Honored Elder's reply to his last letter arrived that month as well.
Dear Shaohuo,
It is good to hear from you again. Your father has told me that you've begun cultivating. Be sure to make the most of your time now. Once you finish attending the sect, you will be too busy to cultivate as much. Along with talent, that is one of the main obstacles that keep cultivators from advancing past blue; lack of time, dedication, or both, along with the dwindling years of one's life until they advance towards immortality.
Regarding our clan relations, we have close ties with many families. Perhaps the one with the longest history is our clan's relationship with the Zhao clan of the Heaven's Tears province on the western border. They have been all-weather friends for thousands of years.
I will also remind you that the current heir of the Hou family, Hou Lian, will be attending the Abyssal Spirit sect at the same time as you. I would advise keeping a close eye on her as well as Xiaoli while you are there. Contact me if you need assistance, though I will only intervene if it is truly necessary.
Best Regards,
Elder Li Lee
The beginning of the letter was ordinary enough, Shaohuo thought as folded up the letter and stored it away in of the drawers of his desk, but the last few lines were rather cryptic. He might need to ask Xiaoli about the Hou family the next time they met.
Suyin and her father, Lord Ma Wei, visited on the first day of Snow, the first time Shaohuo had seen her in almost half a year. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, a new style for her, but she hadn't grown at all, still tiny at just a little taller than five feet. Her height was especially noticeable next to her enormous father, who gripped arms with Father with a hearty laugh that Father returned.
"Shaohuo, why don't you show the lady around? I know you've missed her." Father said, winking at him slyly. Shaohuo suppressed a sigh. He had said no such thing.
"A most excellent idea, comrade. Take all the time you need, my son." Lord Wei said, running a hand through his moustache as he grinned down at Shaohuo, giving him a matching wink.
"Of course." Shoahuo said dryly, and nodded at Suyin to follow him.
"Please forgive my father." Suyin said, her cheeks bright red as he led her to one of the sitting rooms.
"No, I know what it's like. My father is the same," Shaohuo said, wincing as he was reminded of many episodes of humiliation.
They sat across from each other at the table, but she rarely made eye contact with him, either looking around the room, which was mostly empty aside from the table and chairs, or hiding behind her bangs. For a moment he was a bit uncertain of what to talk about himself, having been out of touch for quite a while.
"How is your family?" he asked, thinking it was at least a safe topic.
"They're doing well." Suyin said, but didn't elaborate.
"That's good," Shaohuo said, scrambling for something to say. He liked to think he was a fairly sociable person, but at times getting words from Suyin was like plucking hen's teeth. "How is your cultivation going?" Her birthday was several months ago, after all.
"Oh, it's going pretty well," Suyin said, smiling now with a hint of pride. "I think I might reach orange by the time we join the sect."
"Oh?" Shaohuo said, raising a brow. Suyin wasn't the type to brag, so if anything she was underselling her progress. Of course, she already had a few months to cultivate, and was probably more talented than him as well. To his Ghost Eyes, her qi was light blue interlaced with a reddish-orange color. She must have been close to her breakthrough. "Would you mind sparring with me, then?"
"Huh?" Suyin said, then nodded frantically as if she was afraid she'd offended him. "Oh, no, I don't mind, I suppose…"
"Great! Follow me," he said. It would be very interesting to see what she was capable of firsthand.
Shaohuo unhooked his spear from his belt and uncoiled it with a flick of his wrist. He channeled earth qi into it as he did, causing it to solidify and sharpen. Across from him on the training grounds, Suyin took out her axe, a short thing about the length of her arm which she assembled from three separate parts that were apparently hidden somewhere in her dress, something Shaohuo tried not to think too hard about. Still, the blade was quite large and looked heavy, with a curve that could be used to hook his spear. Some people considered axes an inelegant weapon. Her parents obviously weren't as strict as Xiaoli's.
"Don't hold back just because it's me." Shaohuo said, holding his spear at the ready. Mediocre or not, he didn't want to be pitied.
"Well, if you're sure…" Suyin said, doubt clear on her face.
Shaohuo activates his spear with 15 qi. 18/18 > 3/18 qi.
Suyin activates her axe with 15 qi.
Suyin boosts strength by 4 at a cost of 20 qi and balance by 3 at a cost of 10 qi. 65/65 > 20/65 qi.
Suyin physical attack: base strength 6 * muscle cult 1 + 4 boost = 10d10 = 51 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 1.25 (axe mastery) * 1.1 (axe vs. spear) = 98.175
Shaohuo dodge roll: (base flex 4 * flex cult 1 + balance 3 * avg phys cult 1 + speed 8 * muscle cult 1) /3 = 5d10 = 25 * 1.4 (martial 4) = 35.
Shaohuo defense roll: (base 5) * (defense cult 1) = 5d10 = 31 * 1.4 (martial 4) = 43.4
Damage taken: 89.25 – 35 – 43.4 = 19.775 = 19
Shaohuo HP: 100/100 > 81/100.
Shaohuo physical attack: base strength 9 * muscle cult 1= 9d10 = 47 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 1.25 (spear mastery) * 0.9 (spear vs. axe) * 81/100 (wounded) = 59.96025
Suyin dodge roll: (base flex 6 * flex cult 2 + balance 4 * avg phys cult 1.75 + 3 boost + speed 9 * muscle cult 1) /3 = 10d10 = 63.
Suyin avoids all damage.
Suyin physical attack: base strength 6 * muscle cult 1 + 4 boost = 10d10 = 45 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 1.25 (axe mastery) * 1.1 (axe vs. spear) = 86.625
Shaohuo dodge roll: (base flex 4 * flex cult 1 + balance 3 * avg phys cult 1 + speed 8 * muscle cult 1) /3 = 5d10 = 23 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 81/100 (wounded) = 26.08
Shaohuo defense roll: (base 5) * (defense cult 1) = 5d10 = 29 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 81/100 (wounded) = 32.886
Damage: 86.625 – 26.08 – 32.886 = 27.659.
Shaohuo HP: 81/100 > 54/100.
Suyin activates her axe with 15 qi.
Suyin boosts strength by 4 at a cost of 20 qi and balance by 3 at a cost of 10 qi. 65/65 > 20/65 qi.
Suyin physical attack: base strength 6 * muscle cult 1 + 4 boost = 10d10 = 51 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 1.25 (axe mastery) * 1.1 (axe vs. spear) = 98.175
Shaohuo dodge roll: (base flex 4 * flex cult 1 + balance 3 * avg phys cult 1 + speed 8 * muscle cult 1) /3 = 5d10 = 25 * 1.4 (martial 4) = 35.
Shaohuo defense roll: (base 5) * (defense cult 1) = 5d10 = 31 * 1.4 (martial 4) = 43.4
Damage taken: 89.25 – 35 – 43.4 = 19.775 = 19
Shaohuo HP: 100/100 > 81/100.
Shaohuo physical attack: base strength 9 * muscle cult 1= 9d10 = 47 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 1.25 (spear mastery) * 0.9 (spear vs. axe) * 81/100 (wounded) = 59.96025
Suyin dodge roll: (base flex 6 * flex cult 2 + balance 4 * avg phys cult 1.75 + 3 boost + speed 9 * muscle cult 1) /3 = 10d10 = 63.
Suyin avoids all damage.
Suyin physical attack: base strength 6 * muscle cult 1 + 4 boost = 10d10 = 45 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 1.25 (axe mastery) * 1.1 (axe vs. spear) = 86.625
Shaohuo dodge roll: (base flex 4 * flex cult 1 + balance 3 * avg phys cult 1 + speed 8 * muscle cult 1) /3 = 5d10 = 23 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 81/100 (wounded) = 26.08
Shaohuo defense roll: (base 5) * (defense cult 1) = 5d10 = 29 * 1.4 (martial 4) * 81/100 (wounded) = 32.886
Damage: 86.625 – 26.08 – 32.886 = 27.659.
Shaohuo HP: 81/100 > 54/100.
5 for a humiliating defeat.
Progress: 8/800
Progress: 8/800
Suyin stood still, and through his Ghost Eyes, Shaohuo saw that she was weaving earth qi, and then water qi, into her body. He rushed in to close the distance between them, keeping her close enough for him to thrust at but too far for Suyin's shorter axe to reach. But before he could strike, Suyin finished her art and strode forward, attacking first, swinging her axe toward his head.
He attempted to shuffle backwards and to the side, keeping her at spear length and sidestepping her attacks. He avoided her first attack and blocked the second with the haft of his spear but within moments Suyin had ducked in under his spear, and his spear's length suddenly became a disadvantage at close range. She swung again, and the head of her axe swept past his guard and dug into his right arm near his shoulder. Shaohuo cried out as the meat of his arm was eviscerated. Suyin pulled the axe out with a surge of strength that left him shuddering in pain and caused blood to drip down and stain the grass below him red.
Suyin seemed to hesitate, but Shaohuo stepped back and thrust at her with his spear, ignoring the burning in his arm as he did. She dodged his strike and then another with effortless grace, bending from side to side to avoid each blow as if he was moving in slow motion. With each dodge she stopped forward until she was in range, and then struck again. This time, already exhausted from the match and his wounded arm, he was barely able to put up a fight, barely stepping aside from the first blow, but she just followed up a fraction of a second later with another swing in the opposite direction. This time her axe struck his chest right above his heart, bouncing off the bone rather sticking in.
"I yield! I yield!" he said, dropping his spear.
"Oh! Of course," Suyin said, shaking her head as if snapping out of a trance. She stared at his wounds, eyes wide with concern. "Um, do you want me to get your father to deal with that?"
"Yes, please." Shaohuo said. He collapsed with his hands on the ground as he panted and caught his breath.
"Sorry!" Suyin said. She bowed deeply before turning away and running off.
Within minutes, his father was gripping his arm and transfusing qi into him.
Suyin stood nearby with her father, her forehead wrinkled with worry. He hoped she didn't feel too guilty, it was just a spar after all. She'd controlled her strength as well so that her axe didn't strike very deep, and the damage was nothing that wouldn't heal within a few days now that his qi was topped up. It wouldn't even leave a scar. It was hard to permanently injure a cultivator by accident, even one who hadn't spent much time on physical cultivation. His qi had started healing the wounds passively even before his father's transfusion, after all.
His father looked worried as well, his brow furrowed.
"Father? What is it?" he asked. Was he disappointed? It was not a great performance on his part, but he didn't think he'd done that poorly considering the disadvantage he was at. It did sting a little that he couldn't even get one hit in, but he hoped that would change as he cultivated further.
"Shaohuo, you really need to get better at flirting." His father said, shaking his head.
"Father!!"
The day's humiliation had just begun.
Shaohuo's Base Stats:
Talent – 4
Qi: 8/8 > 18/18
HP: base 10/10 * 10 (from physical cultivation) = 100/100
Funds: 880 > 1080 coppers (-600 from purchases, +800 from allowance)
Spear Mastery: 2/5 (Trained)
Diplomacy – 8/10
Knowledge – 7/10
Deception – 4/10
Intelligence – 9/10
Perception – 6
Martial – 4/10
Strength – 9
Defense – 5
Flexibility – 4
Balance – 3
Speed – 8
Stealth – 4
Stamina – 8
Due to the complexity of this vote, all votes must be by plan.
Over the course of the next month, Shaohuo can spend up to 12 actions cultivating and training. Vote for the options you would like. You can spend more than one action on the same option such as by choosing Ghost Eyes x2 or Ghost Eyes x4 or Ghost Eyes x12, etc.
[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Cultivation] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Cultivation] Sparring – practice using a mix of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and arts to fight.
[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion
[X] [Cultivation] Air Step – a red-level wind element art that increases speed.
[X] [Cultivation] Four Winds – a red-level wind element offensive art
[X] [Cultivation] Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense
[X] [Cultivation] Flare – a red-level light element art that can reduce enemies' attack rolls for a brief period of time.
[X] [Cultivation] Second Sun – a red-level light element art that illuminates a wide area for a few minutes, aiding perception rolls vs. foes using stealth, at the cost of reducing one's own stealth.
[X] [Cultivation] Soundless Step – a red-level shadow art that eliminates the sound of one's footsteps, aiding stealth rolls.
[X] [Cultivation] Heavy Punch – a red-level gravity art that aids physical attack rolls.
[X] [Cultivation] Air Blade – a red-level wind art that enhances a weapon's sharpness, aiding physical attack rolls.
[X] [Cultivation] Fire Bolt – a red-level offensive fire art.
[X] [Cultivation] Spark – a red-level offensive lightning art
[X] [Cultivation] Frost Spike – a red-level offensive water art
For the next month, what does Shaohuo's father help him learn? Choose four actions, but you can vote for the same option multiple times such that the total is four i.e. Ghost Eyes x2 and Spear Mastery x2 or Ghost Eyes x4, etc. If an option is chosen then it must have also been chosen for the cultivation action.
[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Tutoring] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Tutoring] Sparring – practice using a mix of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and arts to fight, with a focus on improving martial prowess.
[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion
[X] [Tutoring] Air Step – a red-level wind element art that increases speed.
[X] [Tutoring] Four Winds – a red-level wind element offensive art
[X] [Tutoring] Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense
[X] [Tutoring] Flare – a red-level light element art that can reduce enemies' attack rolls for a brief period of time.
[X] [Tutoring] Second Sun – a red-level light element art that illuminates a wide area for a few minutes, aiding perception rolls vs. foes using stealth, at the cost of reducing one's own stealth.
[X] [Tutoring] Soundless Step – a red-level shadow art that eliminates the sound of one's footsteps, aiding stealth rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Heavy Punch – a red-level gravity art that aids physical attack rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Air Blade – a red-level wind art that enhances a weapon's sharpness, aiding physical attack rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Fire Bolt – a red-level offensive fire art.
[X] [Tutoring] Spark – a red-level offensive lightning art
[X] [Tutoring] Frost Spike – a red-level offensive water art
What medicines does Shaohuo purchase? Note that medicines do not aid in weapon mastery training or sparring.
[X] [MedBuy] None
[X] [MedBuy] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
[X] [MedBuy] Elemental Spirit Herb Pill (+ 7 dice to all cultivation rolls of a particular element for one week. 500 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications, types of elements
[X] [MedBuy] Heaven Flower Elixir (+ 10 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 800 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
What, if any medications does Shaohuo use, and for which types of cultivation? Due to drug interactions, only one medicine can be used safely per week.
[X] [MedUse] Write-in
Does Shaohuo ask Elder Lee anything in particular in his next letter?
[X] [Letter] No, just keeping in touch.
[X] [Letter] Write-in
A/N: I added a poll on how readers would like for updates to be handled until joining the sect.
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Planning Phase for the Next Five Months
- Location
- United States
Following the poll results, we're going to have to do a new vote for how to handle cultivation over the next five months until joining the sect. I will keep the vote result on the letter to the Elder, though. Over the next few updates, Shaohuo will follow the vote plan for cultivation and training, but there will be further votes for character interactions and such. There will be about 22 weeks in the five months, meaning 66 actions for cultivation, and his father can help tutor him for 22 of those. I am providing some more information on how many successes it takes to master each new art. Keep in mind that Shaohuo's allowance is 800 coppers per month and that he currently has 1080 coppers. Medicines can be used to assist cultivation, including physical cultivation, but not spear training or sparring.
You also have the option of making a plan along the lines of "Do X for four months and then decide what to do next".
Due to the complexity of this vote, all votes must be by plan (except for the vote on who to spend time with).
Over the course of the next five months, Shaohuo can spend up to 66 actions cultivating and training. Vote for the options you would like. You can spend more than one action on the same option such as by choosing Ghost Eyes x2 or Ghost Eyes x4 or Ghost Eyes x12, etc.
[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Cultivation] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Cultivation] Sparring – practice using a mix of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and arts to fight. (raises martial with one third of successes to spear mastery).
[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion
[X] [Cultivation] Air Step – a red-level wind element art that increases speed. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Four Winds – a red-level wind element offensive art (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Flare – a red-level light element art that can reduce enemies' attack rolls for a brief period of time. (0/50 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Second Sun – a red-level light element art that illuminates a wide area for a few minutes, aiding perception rolls vs. foes using stealth, at the cost of reducing one's own stealth. (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Soundless Step – a red-level shadow art that eliminates the sound of one's footsteps, aiding stealth rolls. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Heavy Punch – a red-level gravity art that aids physical attack rolls. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Air Blade – a red-level wind art that enhances a weapon's sharpness, aiding physical attack rolls. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Fire Bolt – a red-level offensive fire art. (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Spark – a red-level offensive lightning art (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Frost Spike – a red-level offensive water art (0/45 successes)
For the next month, what does Shaohuo's father help him learn? Choose 22 actions, but you can vote for the same option multiple times i.e. Ghost Eyes x2 and Spear Mastery x2 or Ghost Eyes x4, etc. If an option is chosen then it must have also been chosen for the cultivation action.
[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Tutoring] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Tutoring] Sparring – practice using a mix of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and arts to fight, with a focus on improving martial prowess.
[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion
[X] [Tutoring] Air Step – a red-level wind element art that increases speed.
[X] [Tutoring] Four Winds – a red-level wind element offensive art
[X] [Tutoring] Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense
[X] [Tutoring] Flare – a red-level light element art that can reduce enemies' attack rolls for a brief period of time.
[X] [Tutoring] Second Sun – a red-level light element art that illuminates a wide area for a few minutes, aiding perception rolls vs. foes using stealth, at the cost of reducing one's own stealth.
[X] [Tutoring] Soundless Step – a red-level shadow art that eliminates the sound of one's footsteps, aiding stealth rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Heavy Punch – a red-level gravity art that aids physical attack rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Air Blade – a red-level wind art that enhances a weapon's sharpness, aiding physical attack rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Fire Bolt – a red-level offensive fire art.
[X] [Tutoring] Spark – a red-level offensive lightning art
[X] [Tutoring] Frost Spike – a red-level offensive water art
What medicines does Shaohuo purchase? Note that medicines do not aid in weapon mastery training or sparring.
[X] [MedBuy] None
[X] [MedBuy] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
[X] [MedBuy] Elemental Spirit Herb Pill (+ 7 dice to all cultivation rolls of a particular element for one week. 500 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications, types of elements
[X] [MedBuy] Heaven Flower Elixir (+ 10 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 800 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
What, if any medications does Shaohuo use, and for which types of cultivation? Due to drug interactions, only one medicine can be used safely per week.
[X] [MedUse] Write-in
Who does Shaohuo spend time with over the next month? Choose one. (This vote doesn't need to be part of a plan, I will just count the total votes).
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Mother – obviously, you know Mother well, and you get along well too, seeing as she dotes on you almost as much as on Meiling. Still, you've been busy with training, lessons, and cultivation lately and haven't spent much time with her. Perhaps you should change that?
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Father – You do spend quite a bit of time with Father during training and some social events visiting subordinates. But outside of duty, you could still get to know him better as a person.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Meiling – Soon you will be gone and will rarely see your sister for two years. It might be good to spend some time with her now.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Xiaoli – She has become your closest friend, and it is good to maintain that bond.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Suyin – the daughter of one of your father's closest friends and a minor noble in her own right, Suyin is good company and an intelligent conversationalist when you can get her to speak. She beat you quite badly in your spar recently. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two from her and her father? Though that would mean putting up with Father's teasing.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Chin, Fang, and Daquan – they are good friends, and you'll be leaving soon. It couldn't hurt to spend time with them.
You also have the option of making a plan along the lines of "Do X for four months and then decide what to do next".
Due to the complexity of this vote, all votes must be by plan (except for the vote on who to spend time with).
Over the course of the next five months, Shaohuo can spend up to 66 actions cultivating and training. Vote for the options you would like. You can spend more than one action on the same option such as by choosing Ghost Eyes x2 or Ghost Eyes x4 or Ghost Eyes x12, etc.
[X] [Cultivation] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Cultivation] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Cultivation] Sparring – practice using a mix of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and arts to fight. (raises martial with one third of successes to spear mastery).
[X] [Cultivation] Spear Mastery
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Dampening
[X] [Cultivation] Qi Transfusion
[X] [Cultivation] Air Step – a red-level wind element art that increases speed. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Four Winds – a red-level wind element offensive art (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Flare – a red-level light element art that can reduce enemies' attack rolls for a brief period of time. (0/50 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Second Sun – a red-level light element art that illuminates a wide area for a few minutes, aiding perception rolls vs. foes using stealth, at the cost of reducing one's own stealth. (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Soundless Step – a red-level shadow art that eliminates the sound of one's footsteps, aiding stealth rolls. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Heavy Punch – a red-level gravity art that aids physical attack rolls. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Air Blade – a red-level wind art that enhances a weapon's sharpness, aiding physical attack rolls. (0/60 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Fire Bolt – a red-level offensive fire art. (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Spark – a red-level offensive lightning art (0/45 successes)
[X] [Cultivation] Frost Spike – a red-level offensive water art (0/45 successes)
For the next month, what does Shaohuo's father help him learn? Choose 22 actions, but you can vote for the same option multiple times i.e. Ghost Eyes x2 and Spear Mastery x2 or Ghost Eyes x4, etc. If an option is chosen then it must have also been chosen for the cultivation action.
[X] [Tutoring] Ghost Eyes
[X] [Tutoring] Physical Cultivation
[X] [Tutoring] Sparring – practice using a mix of hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and arts to fight, with a focus on improving martial prowess.
[X] [Tutoring] Spear Mastery
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Dampening
[X] [Tutoring] Qi Transfusion
[X] [Tutoring] Air Step – a red-level wind element art that increases speed.
[X] [Tutoring] Four Winds – a red-level wind element offensive art
[X] [Tutoring] Stone Skin – a red-level earth element art that increases defense
[X] [Tutoring] Flare – a red-level light element art that can reduce enemies' attack rolls for a brief period of time.
[X] [Tutoring] Second Sun – a red-level light element art that illuminates a wide area for a few minutes, aiding perception rolls vs. foes using stealth, at the cost of reducing one's own stealth.
[X] [Tutoring] Soundless Step – a red-level shadow art that eliminates the sound of one's footsteps, aiding stealth rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Heavy Punch – a red-level gravity art that aids physical attack rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Air Blade – a red-level wind art that enhances a weapon's sharpness, aiding physical attack rolls.
[X] [Tutoring] Fire Bolt – a red-level offensive fire art.
[X] [Tutoring] Spark – a red-level offensive lightning art
[X] [Tutoring] Frost Spike – a red-level offensive water art
What medicines does Shaohuo purchase? Note that medicines do not aid in weapon mastery training or sparring.
[X] [MedBuy] None
[X] [MedBuy] Spirit Herb Pill (+ 5 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 300 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
[X] [MedBuy] Elemental Spirit Herb Pill (+ 7 dice to all cultivation rolls of a particular element for one week. 500 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications, types of elements
[X] [MedBuy] Heaven Flower Elixir (+ 10 dice to all cultivation rolls for one week. 800 coppers each).
-[X] Number of medications
What, if any medications does Shaohuo use, and for which types of cultivation? Due to drug interactions, only one medicine can be used safely per week.
[X] [MedUse] Write-in
Who does Shaohuo spend time with over the next month? Choose one. (This vote doesn't need to be part of a plan, I will just count the total votes).
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Mother – obviously, you know Mother well, and you get along well too, seeing as she dotes on you almost as much as on Meiling. Still, you've been busy with training, lessons, and cultivation lately and haven't spent much time with her. Perhaps you should change that?
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Father – You do spend quite a bit of time with Father during training and some social events visiting subordinates. But outside of duty, you could still get to know him better as a person.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Meiling – Soon you will be gone and will rarely see your sister for two years. It might be good to spend some time with her now.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Xiaoli – She has become your closest friend, and it is good to maintain that bond.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Suyin – the daughter of one of your father's closest friends and a minor noble in her own right, Suyin is good company and an intelligent conversationalist when you can get her to speak. She beat you quite badly in your spar recently. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two from her and her father? Though that would mean putting up with Father's teasing.
[X][Cultivating Relationships] Chin, Fang, and Daquan – they are good friends, and you'll be leaving soon. It couldn't hurt to spend time with them.
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