Chapter 114: Agitation (Patreon)

~~~

Pan Qiu wakes up with a groan. His eyes are open, but his vision is still a little hazy. It takes him a moment to remember what happened before he lost consciousness and another to notice the ceiling above his head.

He’s no longer outside the Inner Disciple’s mansion.

“Good. You are awake. I was beginning to wonder if I should leave you here.”

That voice!

Pan Qiu is on his feet in a flash, his Qi rising around him. Standing in front of him is the root of all his troubles.

Qing Jin.

He looks at him with a bored look in his eyes that is completely at odds with the fierce red of his hair and eyes. However, that is just a mask. Pan Qiu knows that to be true. He has seen what lies beneath it. He has felt his menacing intent. His will to fight had been broken without Qing Jin even needing to lift a finger. That is how dangerous this man is.

No, Qing Jin is not a man.

He’s a beast. A monster.

“What did you do to me?” He asks, doing his best to keep the fear out of his voice.

To think he had been shouting at him!

Just how unbalanced from the poison had he been to do such a thing?!

“Well,” Qing Jin says, “you fainted right in front of me. That was surprising. I considered leaving you outside, but that’d just make you a bother to others, so I brought you in.”

“Only that?” Pan Qiu frowns. No, it cannot be that. It is already late at night. They are the only two disciples out in the lobby. That means Qing Jin has been waiting for him to get up for hours. Just the knowledge that he has been completely helpless in the presence of this snake for so long is enough to make Pan Qiu’s skin crawl! “What else happened?’

“You seemed to be suffering from the after-effects of whatever poison you ate, so I decided to do something about that.” Qing Jin shrugs. “That is all.”

“Something about that?” Pan Qiu’s heart leaps inside his chest. His face goes white with terror. “What did you do to me?”

His body has already assumed a combat stance, yet he knows it will be useless against the monster in front of him.

“I just said it. You were suffering from the effects of poison, so I did something about that.” He raises an eyebrow. “Are you not satisfied with the results?”

Pan Qiu frowns. Satisfied with the results? What does he mean-

Suddenly, it hits him.

He feels fine.

The ache in his muscles that had been his constant companion for the past several weeks is nowhere to be found. His mouth no longer feels dry. His eyes no longer feel heavy, and the haze that had been hovering around him all this time is gone.

Pan Qiu feels fine. Well, and truly fine.

“You… healed me?”

No. Surely not? The person in front of him is a vicious, cruel monster. Pan Qiu had felt it. He had seen the cold look in those terrifying red eyes. That was the look of someone who did not see people as people!

“Would you rather I hadn't?”

“No!” Right now, Pan Qiu feels better than he has in weeks. There is absolutely no way he wants to go back to how he was before! “That’s not what I meant! It’s just… why?”

Again, Qing Jin looks at him with the same damnable expression. His red eyes almost seem to glow in the darkness.

“You were poisoned. Do I need another reason? I understand you are being punished, but clearly, you left the Medical Pavillion before your treatment was finished. I could hardly be expected to do nothing.”

Left before…?

No, that is not it. Pan Qiu had been told it was fine if he left for the day. However, he refrains from pointing that out. He has no desire to talk with Qing Jin for longer than necessary.

Besides...

“You could hardly be expected to do nothing?” He echoes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Qing Jin’s red eyes narrow. Pan Qiu takes a step back.

“It means what it means. Now, it seems to me you have recovered from your little episode. Do be sure to follow your doctors’ instructions in the future. Good night.”

Qing Jin turns his back to him and makes his way up the stairs. There is a part of Pan Qiu that wants to stop him, to call out to him.

He doesn’t.

He stays rooted in place. Alone with his thoughts.

~~~

Feng Hao is fast.

The young child comes at him with a flurry of quick punches and kicks. He aims low, trying to use his short stature to his advantage. However, Liu Jin is ready for it. He has enough ground to give, so he uses it to make sure Feng Hao is always at least one arm’s length away from him. The few times Feng Hao manages to get close, Liu Jin easily bats aside his hits.

Throughout it all, Liu Jin never once counters. He never once goes on the offensive. He just keeps dodging and deflecting, leading Feng Hao around in circles until the child tires himself out.

“H-Ho…” Feng Hao coughs. He’s laid out on the floor, panting. Liu Jin’s eagle is currently on top of his chest. “How?”

The two are in a room beneath the Sparring Pavillion. Liu Jin had mentioned that they may end up attracting too much attention if they kept meeting so often in public. He had meant it as a way to decrease the frequency of his meetings with Feng Hao, but this had completely escaped the young boy.

Thinking the only problem was that they were meeting out in the open, Feng Hao had instantly suggested this place.

“Young Master, my limbs are much longer than yours,” Liu Jin points out. He lifts his forearm and taps it for emphasis. “In a purely physical confrontation, it is obvious the reach difference will manifest itself.”

Feng Hao had wanted to use long-ranged techniques as well, but Liu Jin had managed to warn him against doing so.

“Additionally, you must also consider our cultivation levels.”

Feng Hao is in the Seventh Level of the Nascent Realm. For his age, that is a staggering achievement that marks him as a prodigy among prodigies. However, that’s just the thing. It is a staggering achievement for someone who is only eight-years-old.

Liu Jin is fourteen years old.

He is in the First Level of the Spirit Realm.

Feng Hao may be a prodigy with greater natural talent than even Xiao Nan, but he is not yet Liu Jin’s match in either power or skill.

“I am… aware… but…”

The dejected look on Feng Hao’s face says it all. He never once expected to do so poorly against him.

Most likely, Feng Hao has defeated people who are both older and have higher levels of cultivation than him. Just by sparring with him, Liu Jin can tell Feng Hao’s foundation as a cultivator has been well-established. No doubt, his father has invested many resources into helping him realize his potential: cultivation aids, knowledgeable tutors, and more.

Even among people who are stronger than their level of cultivation would suggest, Feng Hao can be said to be a special case. He is easily stronger than quite a few of the Inner Disciples.

However, the same goes for Liu Jin.

“In the first place, it was overly ambitious for Young Master to try to fight me while disguising his Qi just because he has gotten a little better at doing so.”

Feng Hao had cited the skill would be of no use if he could not use it during stressful situations. Liu Jin had been able to see the folly of such thinking right away but had allowed Feng Hao to act on it, knowing that would help the lesson sink in faster.

“Think about it a little, Young Master. To hide your Qi is a skill used to avoid combat or to launch a surprise attack. From the beginning, using it while fighting misses the point.”

That is not entirely true. [Art of the Roaming Thief] is supposed to allow for that. However, trying to explain that right now would just confuse Feng Hao.

“I thought… I thought I could do it…” Feng Hao mutters. His face is red and not just from the spar.

“Clearly, you could not. You can fight me, or you can hide your Qi. Trying to do both at the same time put you where you are right now. In the future, do avoid overreaching. Young Master is talented, but it is because Young Master is talented that he must be aware of his limits.”

He pokes the fallen Feng Hao with his foot. His eagle chirps as if agreeing with his words.

“Understood?”

“I am sorry,” Feng Hao says. His voice sounds so pitifully sad that Liu Jin instantly feels like apologizing. “I thought I could… impress Elder Brother Jin. I didn’t mean to waste Elder Brother Jin’s time.”

Liu Jin’s reply is quick and decisive.

“You do not need to impress me, and you did not waste my time.”

“But I-”

“Young Master seems to be under the mistaken impression that what he is learning from me is easy or simple. Rest assured, it is neither. Young Master’s progress so far leaves nothing to be desired.”

Feng Hao blinks. “But I-”

“You are used to progressing at a much faster pace,” Liu Jin interrupts him once more. “I understand. However, as I said, this is neither simple nor easy. Do not overthink it, Young Master. You are not failing. You are just not progressing as fast as you’re used to. That, in and of itself, is a lesson for you.”

“A lesson? In what?”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow. “Patience, Young Master. It pleases me that I’m in a position to teach Young Master something so important.”

“I am not used to being talked like this.” Then, perhaps realizing how it may sound, Feng Hao quickly adds, “I am not complaining! I am not complaining at all! The way Elder Brother Jin teaches me… it is nice.”

“I am quite sure I cannot compete with Young Master’s tutors, but the thought is appreciated.”

“I mean it!” Feng Hao says, rising, so he’s sitting down. His breathing is still a little heavy. “When my tutors teach me, it’s always the same exercises. Then they praise me for doing them well even though it’s what they always see me do! It is… frustrating. I know I can do more, so it always feels like they are... coddling me.”

“Your tutors are moving you through the basic exercises because that is what you need right now, Young Master,” Liu Jin points. It will not do if Feng Hao walks away with a negative impression on his tutors because of him. “You are still young. There will be plenty of time for you to learn more advanced techniques later.”

“Elder Brother is teaching me something advanced.”

“I am teaching you something advanced because I know other people are making sure Young Master will grow into a splendid cultivator. Don’t misunderstand things.”

Chirp. Chirp.

“He apparently agrees,” Liu Jin adds as his eagle chooses that moment to speak out. Feng Hao laughs.

“Thank you, Elder Brother. By the way, can we still…?” Feng Hao makes a vague gesture with his hands. Liu Jin sighs.

“I don’t recall saying I’d ever stop teaching you.”

Feng Hao tweedles his fingers. “And the sparring?”

“On the condition that you don’t try to disguise your Qi while we do it.”

Feng Hao’s eyes shine.

“I won’t let you down!”

~~~

“I heard some disciples talking the other day,” Lu Mei says after an unusual amount of silence. She and Liu Jin are making ointment in the Medical Pavilion once more. The same charmed disciple sits in the corner, taking care of placing temporal seals on the jars.

“Is that so?” Liu Jin asks while grinding some ingredients.

Lu Mei hums her affirmative while masterfully cutting the herbs in same-sized pieces.

“It seems you are doing something dangerous.”

“I am not sure what you mean.”

“I am not sure I appreciate being lied to so poorly.” Lu Mei’s tone is light, yet Liu Jin senses some irritation there. “To force a lady to be so blunt, you can be quite unkind.”

Lu Mei’s knife stops.

“You are meeting Feng Zhi’s brother. You are meeting one of the most polarizing figures in the Eternal Flame Clan right now.” Her eyes narrow. “Do you not realize how dangerous it is to associate with that child?!”

Liu Jin keeps grinding. “I do.”

“I don’t think you do. If you did, you’d want nothing to do with him. I could understand if your paths happened to cross once by chance, but you seem to have met him several times already. You have not been subtle, Jin. If I know, so do others. At this rate, your name will appear in conversations between people you are better off not involving yourself with.”

Liu Jin nods. “I am aware of that.”

Lu Mei takes a deep breath.

At that moment, all air is sucked out of the room. The charmed disciple starts hacking and coughing. Liu Jin’s first instinct is to look at his eagle, yet he finds the eagle is perfectly fine.

“Most of the time, I find your quiet nature charming,” Lu Me says coldly. “Today, it tries my patience. I do not appreciate having my concerns dismissed.”

Irritation rises within him. Liu Jin opens his mouth and…

Stops.

He forces himself to stop and realize Lu Mei is not privy to the dozens of times he has had this argument with himself. Lu Mei is not his enemy right now. She’s just...

“You are worried about me…”

“I have hardly hidden that. Of course, I am worried about you!” She snaps at him. “You are not an idiot, so why are you doing something so obviously foolish. Have you… Have you been ordered to by Elder Xue?”

“No,” Liu Jin answers. She had mentioned Feng Hao, but she had never told Liu Jin to approach him. He doubted she’d foreseen he would end up meeting him by coincidence. “I did not mean to brush aside your concerns. I apologize for that. You are right, of course.”

Lu Mei raises an eyebrow. “You say the right words, yet from your tone, I get the impression I won’t like what you’ll say next.”

“Feng Hao…” Liu Jin sighs. “He is lonely. That is the impression I get from him. To abandon him when he obviously seeks company… it feels wrong.”

Lu Mei stares at him.

“You so frustrate me sometimes. Do you know that?”

“If it makes you feel better, I frustrate myself.”

“No. No, it does not. You will regret this. You realize that, don’t you?”

Liu Jin sighs.

“I do.”

~~~