[i]"Again." — that damnable, demonic voice declares — "Stand up, boy." [i]The unquenchable anger in your heart doesn't let you give up: you spit out the blood from your mouth and put your trembling hand on the ground, getting back on your feet despite your severe injuries. [i]Panting, with exhaustion threatening to overcome your senses, you force yourself to look straight. Your 'master' stands there, his eyes full of ridicule and scorn. He's an old, hunch-back man that appears to be one foot in the grave already, but you know — behind this disguise lies a monster in human flesh, the one they call Ancient Blood King. [i]"What? Are you tired already?" — Blood King cackles, the high-pitched shrieking sound making you want to vomit — "What a pathetic disciple I have. And you dare have designs on my daughter? Hehe, little bastard, you're truly daring." [i]At the mention of his daughter, you involuntary turn to the side: where the ice-cold beauty sits cross-legged, watching you with an impassive look in her blue as the clear sky eyes. Only you know, how much worry is truly hidden in their depths, how much she truly hides behind her uncaring mask: her concern for you, her anxiety for herself, and her crippling fear of the man that calls himself her father. [i]"Then disown me." — you fire back, staring back at the Blood King, not afraid. You cannot allow yourself to be afraid, you do not have that luxury — "I don't need anything from you. I don't want to see your ugly wrinkled face ever again." [i]Your insults cause the Blood King to smile. That same, bone-chilling toothless smile you've experienced many times before. The smile of the abyss, one that always leads to hellish levels of pain. [i]"Are you tormented by your sister's fate?" — the old man asks — "Do you wonder, how she is? Is she alive and if so, does she suffer?" [i]Your fists clench. Dig into the skin of your palm. [i]"Do you know?" — you question him, knowing very well that he won't answer. [i]"Of course I do." — Blood King laughs — "There's nothing in this world that I don't know." [i]He then points to his chin. [i]"Come, if you manage to hit me, I'll tell you." [i]You realize that it's a bait. You understand that it's a blatant provocation. But, for even the smallest chance of success, you [b]must[/b] try. [i]You take a deep breath, focusing on the scarce remnants of qi in your dantian. At first, you plan to do as you have done before: infuse the qi into your flesh and attack. That's what the old man wants, but why must you follow his rules? [i]With an idea in mind, you spring into action. You let out three punches at the beginning and the Blood King dodges them without even moving a step. Despite your hate for the man, every time you spar, you can't help but be amazed. Even at the same level of physical strength, his skills are thousands of li ahead of yours. He cannot be touched, his movements immaculate to the extreme: you spin and kick, you try to grapple, all is useless against him. [i]In the end, he just puts a hand on your chest, a gentle shove, and you are thrown dozens of feet back, as if pushed by the wind itself. Letting the fury inside you take control, you roar and leap at the Blood King, your hand glowing with red light. [i]"[b]Tyrannical Fist Art - Qi Eruption![/b]" [i]However, the expected surprise does not appear in Blood King's expression. No, there's only disappointment as he shakes his head. His soulless eyes flicker, flashing a golden glint, and your skill — one that you bought and trained in secret, one that you hoped would be your trump car — simply dissipates. The only evidence of its existence is you, on your knees, coughing out blood as the qi inside your body goes out of control. [i]"Foolish child." — Blood King scolds, and, for the first time, you hear wrath in his voice — "You know nothing, yet remain so arrogant." [i]"It's been four years and you still have not figured out the truth of my teachings. Using Qi Arts? How pathetic. Arts and skills are mere fragments, incomplete pieces of the bigger whole." — the old man continues — "They are parodies of the Dao, external means made for those too stupid to comprehend their own path." [i]Ancient Blood King then gestures with his finger, causing the pool of blood beside to change shapes: first, it becomes a fist, then a palm, then a finger, then a sword. [i]"True Masters of this world do not Arts to help them, they only need to pursuit their own truth." — the old man states, before changing the blood into a palm again and smacking you across the face — "Reflect on my words. If you ever need more motivation, then remember our deal. You cannot leave, cannot save your sister until your reach the Core Formation Stage and form your own Dao Seed. Every second you waste, your dear sibling suffers. And, believe me, she suffers a lot." [i]Having said that, Blood King waves his hand: a mist of blood suddenly surrounds him and his daughter, causing them both to disappear from your sight. [i]Helpless, you grit your teeth and, fighting through the pain, cross your legs underneath your waist. You close your eyes and start to [b]think[/b]… [i]Arts are fragments? Parodies of Dao? [i]What is Dao? What are Arts? [i]Comprehend your own path? How? What is a path? [i]There are too many questions — and you lack the answers to them all. So, you remain your position, pondering and learning for hours. [i]For days. [i]For weeks. [i]For months. [i]You do not sleep, you do not eat, you do not drink. Your mind is shut-off from the outside world, the needs and urges of your body ignored for the sake of enlightenment. [i]Three months. Four months. Five months… *page_break Half A Year Your eyes shoot open, the look in them inhuman: your face lacks emotions, instead stoic and incomprehensible. Without your own thought, you get up, walk to a wall and [i]punch[/i]. Only this is far from an ordinary strike. You feel as if your fist is full of power that you can't explain. Of power that seems cosmic in its nature and reminds you of the Heavens themselves. Even before your punch connect with the wall, the sheer wind of the force behind it is enough to blow open a huge hole. You stare it, then at your fist, transfixed. [i]What in the world?[/i] Your trance is broken by something warm and salty entering your mouth. You raise your hand to wipe it off, only to realize you're bleeding: blood trickles from your nose, your vision suddenly turns blurry and your knees buckle under your own weight… *page_break Unconsciousness... *if (lushu_alive) When you wake up, something wet and cold presses onto your forehead. Your open your eyes and see Lushu above you, holding what appears to be a folded rag. *choice #"What... happened?" "What…" — you start to speak, only to realize your throat is too dry to complete a sentence. You cough and gulp a few times, before continuing — "What happened?" Hearing your voice, Lushu's mouth opens in surprise and ${lushu_his} hands drop the rag, letting it fall right onto your face. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!" — Lushu exclaims, hurrying to remove the cloth — "Senior, you startled me." *label good_empyrean Wait. Why does ${lushu_his} empyrean sounds so good now? The last time you talked, Lushu could barely form coherent sentences and speaks with perfect grammar and pronunciation. Seeing your shock, Lushu smiles proudly. "Senior Xiwen has been teaching me, while you sleeping. He told me I had a talent for languages." Hearing that makes you feel… *choice #Indifferent. Seems like Xiwen is bored out of his mind. Indifferent. Seems like Xiwen is bored out of his mind, if he's teaching tribesmen how to speak your language. *label how_long_coma "I see. How long was I unconscious?" — you ask, sitting up. Your body feels exhausted and weak, but your mind is the exact opposite: it became clearer that it has ever been before, with all unnecessary thoughts gone from your head. "A little bit over a month." — Lushu replies, flabbergasting you. You've been in a coma for a month?! — "Senior Xiwen placed you in his lodgings to keep an eye on you and prevent any accidents from *if (expo_disciples) happening. Oh, and Senior Hyi was visiting almost daily, assisting me in taking care of you." *else happening." *label lushu_convo *choice *hide_reuse #"Did anything else of importance happen?" "Did anything else of importance happen?" "I apologize, Apostle," — Lushu bows — "But I'm not well-aware of any complicated matters. I only heard Senior Xiwen talking something about a 'crushing defeat of the Celestial Heir' recently. But I'm not sure what that means?" Tang Ruo lost? To whom? Was it Long Chen? You slept for far too long, damn it! *goto lushu_convo #"Thank you for helping me all this time. I will return this favor one day." "Thank you for helping me all this time." — you express your gratitude with a smile — "I will return this favor one day." Hearing you, Lushu hesitates. $!{lushu_he} looks down, fidgeting with ${lushu_his} hands. "Could you… could you promise me something then?" "What is it?" *label if_opportunity "If an opportunity presents itself, can you get me out of this world? Can you bring me back with you to the Empire?" *label lushu_promise *choice #"Are you sure you want that? Mortals like you are treated harshly over there." Lushu replies with a solemn nod. "I want to see the bigger world." — ${lushu_he} says — "No matter how brutal it may be, I want to experience it for myself." *goto lushu_promise #"I can." "I can." — you agree, deciding to bring the tribes${lushu} out of this Zone if you get the chance. *set expo_lushu_promise true "Really?!" — Lushu cries out, jumping in place from joy — "Thank you, thank you so much!" Then, ${lushu_he} suddenly leaps forward and hugs you, an action that would've been considered inappropriate back home. *choice #"You should study up on our customs, if I'm going to be bringing you back." Your arms hanging limp at your sides, you smile. "You should study up on our customs, if I'm going to be bringing you back." — you chastise — "Such close contact is frowned upon." "Oh." — Lushu says, stepping back — "I apologize for my insolence." "It's fine." — you respond, patting your robes — "Just don't do it again." *label of_course_senior "Of course, Senior." "Good. Leave alone for now, I need to figure some things out." *goto figure_out #"Push Lushu away. You shove Lushu back, causing ${lushu_him} to stumble and fall flat on ${lushu_his} behind. "Such close contact is frowned upon in our homeland. Don't do it again." *goto of_course_senior #Accept the embrace. Well, you aren't in the Empire now, are you? And even if you were, you are not obligated to follow this outdated social norms. So, you lift your arms and accept the embrace. A few seconds after, you separate and you then wave Lushu off. "Leave now. I need to figure some things out." *goto figure_out #"Sorry, I can't promise that." "Sorry." — you say — "I can't promise that. I don't know what risks such an action will entail." "Oh." — Lushu frowns, ${lushu_his} dejection evident — "I understand. Thank you for considering my request." "Leave now, if there's nothing else. I need to figure some things out." *goto figure_out #"Got it. Leave now, I have something to do." "Got it." — you apathetically state — "Leave now, I have something to do." Lushu looks down and fidgets with ${lushu_his} hands, obviously wanting to ask something but hesitant to speak ${lushu_his} mind. *choice #"What is it?" "What is it?" — you prompt Lushu. "Could I… could I ask for a favor?" "What kind of favor?" *goto if_opportunity #Do nothing. You couldn't care less about this tribes${lushu}'s thoughts. And, without your prompting, Lushu eventually bows and leaves you alone. *goto figure_out #Curious. Why would Xiwen waste his time on such a task? Curious. Why would Xiwen waste him time on such a task? *goto how_long_coma #Jealous. You should be the only to teach ${lushu_him}. For some reason, you feel a prick of jealousy after hearing that Xiwen was teaching Lushu: you should be the only one to do so! *goto how_long_coma #Grab ${lushu_his} arm. Your arm launches upwards, grabbing Lushu's wrist. $!{lushu_he} yelps in surprise and releases the wet cloth from ${lushu_his} hand, causing it to fall on your face. Your shake your head to get rid of it and stare into Lushu's eyes, demanding an explanation. "Apologies, Senior." — Lushu bows, trying to hard the discomfort your tight squeeze brings ${lushu_him} — "You startled me. I'm glad you're finally awake." *goto good_empyrean #Disregard everything else and jump out of the bed. The previous events still fresh in your mind, your disregard your current circumstances and jump out of the bed. However, you fail to account for just how weak your body has become: you stumble and fall, falling face-first onto the wooden floor. "Senior!" — a cry rings out from your side — "Senior, are you alright?" Lushu runs up at you and grabs your arm, helping you return to the bed. "Senior, I'm glad you're finally awake, but you should be careful. Senior Xiwen told me that your body has suffered an extremely serious internal injury." *goto good_empyrean *else When you wake up, you find Goshan sitting nearby, dozing off with drool at the corner of his mouth. "Goshan." — you call, your voice weak and hoarse. Still, the sound of it is enough to startle the man. "Apostle! You're finally awake!" — he exclaims — "It's been more than a month, we were all worried sick! Senior Xiwen even arranged for you to be placed in his house, to avoid any accidents from taking place." More than a month?! You've been in a coma for a month?! You take a deep breath to calm yourself down. "I see." — you reply and wave your hand — "I'm alright now. Leave me, I have something to do." "Are you sure, Apostle? What is it? Perhaps I can be of help…" "Leave." — you order, letting him understand that this is not a command that can be questioned. "Al-Alright…" — Goshan mutters, as he bows and exits the room. *goto figure_out *label figure_out *page_break Now that you're alone, you need to figure out what exactly happened to you. To do that, you get out of the bed and sit down on the floor, cross-legged. Your remember having that strange dream again, one that felt like a memory, only the contents were different this time. The person in the dream tried to comprehend something, and, judging by the sequence of events, he succeeded. But could his [i]enlightenment[/i] have transfered onto you? Is that even possible? You've never heard of such phenomena occurring, but Jianghu is, after all, a world of wonders. You stand up, eager to repeat to repeat the same punch you did before falling unconscious. You assume a proper stance and… are brought down on your knees, a crippling headache splitting your skull into two. You fight through the pain, ignoring the blood pouring down from your nose, and it proves to be worth it: because once it's over, a miracle occurs. A golden seed forms inside your mind. One that shines brightly in the total darkness of your subconsciousness, one that you can see with your eyes closed. And, by instinct, you know the purpose of this seed. One more time, you take up a stance and the seed sends out pulses of serene, calming light. You realize: your shoulders are raised too high, your feet are half an inch too far apart. You make the corrections and your posture feels much more firm, yet fluid at the same time as the result. You breathe in, breathe out, and let out a palm strike, all your movements dictated by the golden seed. Once your attack is over, you can't help but look at your hand with an astonished gaze. The force behind that punch was more, much more than usage of any of your Arts could've produced. It's not just the superior technique: when you punched, you had a vague sensation of the world itself obeying you, bending to your will. An invisible, yet potent and real power boosted your punch to a level you can't quite comprehend. Afterwards, however, you have to shake your head to recover from the sudden exhaustion. It's not your body that is tired, in fact the previous weakness have completely gone away, it's your mind instead. Your thoughts have become slower, your perception blurrier. But you are not quite done yet. Curious, you decide to use one of your Martial Arts — only for the Golden Seed to react in a furious way, trembling and shaking inside your head. When you halt your utilization of Inner Energy, the Seed calms down: and sends another understanding into your mind. Your eyes wide in disbelief, you focus on your hand: you [i]imagine[/i] it to be a sword instead, a deadly blade instead of human flesh. Then, you swing your arm at the nearby bed and cut it in half with the same ease a knife would cut through butter. Isn't this the same as using one of your ancestral Arts, Extreme Demon Blade, only much more powerful and without the associated cost of Inner Energy? Can you replicate your other Arts this way? Could you create new ones with your imagination alone? What in the damned Heavens is that Golden Seed?! Sadly, your experiments will have to wait: after using those two moves, you are too groggy to continue. You need sleep, and, looking back, perhaps chopping up the bed wasn't the best idea: you'll have to manage with the wooden floor as your place of rest. *page_break *goto_scene expedition_free