The next morning, I wake up extra early so I can get off to a good start on my first day running the manor.
But there is a surprise right outside my door. Zhen is standing there bright eyed and bushy tailed and no evidence of a hangover.
He whisks out a book with a smirk and hands it over saying, “My Lady.”
I accept it with a reluctant, “Thank you?”
He stands next to me as I read the title, “An Introduction to the Basics of Cultivation.”
Lin was very certain that she wasn’t able to cultivate. A man came through the village she grew up in once a year and checked the children to see if any had the spark. Lin weaseled her way into being checked twice and it was a hard no after that.
“But I can’t cultivate.”
He says, “Now I know you’re a bit older compared to when most people start, but in the grand scheme of things, cultivators live a long time. So don’t worry about that. We can definitely teach you enough for basic self-defense.”
And my other body was never exposed to magic. So, it’s not like I brought it with me.
“No, they checked when I was a child, like they check everybody. I can’t cultivate.”
Now it’s Zhen’s turn to be confused. “That guy was wrong. Luan is positive that your dantain has the spark.
“He’s been measuring it carefully. That’s how he confirmed not only did you not use any personal qi to heal yourself, but that your meridians were so small you probably never cultivated a day in your life.”
“If you say so, I’m willing to try. Just don’t get your hopes up.”
With a nod, he leads me out into the courtyard where Ming is already practicing this morning.
We sit down together under the awning on the ground facing each other.
“Last night, Jun found the best intro manual in the library, but it was still kind of terrible, all things considered. It’s much worse than even the freebies at the sect, so he stayed up all night annotating it for you.
“The first few chapters are all about how to meditate properly and very basic simple stretching exercises. They should dovetail nicely with your recovery. If Luan disagrees, send him our way and we will set him straight.
He opens the book to the first chapter and Luan comes running out yelling, “What are you doing Zhen?”Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Zhen laughs and says, “You found out quickly.”
I’m like 90% sure Luan has the staff spy on me. It’s possibly it’s just Tai and then he feeds the info to Luan.
But given the speed at which he found this out, it’s probably a good confirmation that he’s having me watched. Regardless, he found out since I read the title aloud in front of my room.
Luan peers over my shoulder and speed reads the page.
Zhen says, “See nothing to worry about. It’s the basics of the basics. Nothing more dangerous than sitting still.”
Luan glares as Zhen as he sits next to us. He says, “But we don’t know how she healed in the first place. Messing with her qi could reverse everything for all we know.”
I say, “But according to you, we know practically nothing besides I’m still alive.”
Now it’s my turn to get glared at. Zhen talks him down at bit and Luan gives permission so long as he can scan me as I try to circulate my qi for the very first time.
Zhen says, “I’m going to walk you through this first one. I’ll demonstrate it and then you try it.”
He closes his eyes and says, “First you inhale and as you inhale you bring in energy. You want to inhale so deeply that energy makes it down to your dantian, right below your belly button.
“Then you hold the breath for a four count while trying to get your qi to move. Ideally you’ll circulate it, but you have to work up to that. Now just try to get movement.
“Finally, exhale. As you work on building your foundation, focus on exhaling the impurities in your body.”
I watch him breath for a bit, but I think I’m missing something. Afterall, breathing is the kind of thing I do without thinking. If cultivating was as easy as breathing, I think I would have noticed already.
However, when in crazy cultivator land it’s worth trying the crazy cultivator advice. So, I inhale long and slow, just like he showed me.
I visualize the energy coming in with my breath and that it’s super cultivator oxygen to give me super powers. On the exhale, I think about the carbon dioxide leaving and taking away dirt with it.
After a few breaths, my belly feels warm. Like I just took a heating pad off. However, every time a leaf so much as rustles, I end up opening my eyes and taking a peak.
I’m sick of sitting still from all my recovering and this is testing what’s left of my patience.
After a few minutes, Luan says, “I don’t think she’s a risk for anything related to her recovery, but Lady Ellen I’ve met four year old with more focus than you.”
I shrug. “It’s not like I expected to be good at this. I was told twice growing up I couldn’t cultivate at all, so I’m surprised that you guys are telling me that it’s even possible.”
That takes him for surprise. “What do you mean you were told you couldn’t cultivate?”
“You know those recruiters that travel around looking for the very rare cultivator born to mortal parents?” He nods.
The recruiters are well known. They are low level cultivators that travel to a village or two a day, looking for that one in a hundred thousand kid that can cultivate, so they can get the finder’s fee from a sect.
“Since my village was located just off of the Imperial Highway, one stopped by in our town at least once a year. Anyway, I asked two of them to test me and they both said it was impossible, that I was a true mortal.”
Luan blinks for a second while he processes that information. “But it’s impossible for those who are truly mortal to grow the right meridians, let alone spark their dantian.”
“Either they were both wrong, which I suppose is possible, or I make even less sense than you expected.”
He freezes. “You’ve never made sense. I need to check something.” Then he races off into the manor.
Zhen and I watch him go, before he turns back to me and gives me pointers until breakfast.