Of Foxfire and Cultivation Ch.4 (Patreon)

Two weeks later (Onari age:11)

Yasaka ended up coming through with the reward she promised Onari. It wasn’t that he thought she wasn’t capable of fulfilling his request, but finding a supply of alchemical reagents on such short notice wasn’t easy. The cauldron and supply of supernatural metals had been given to Onari almost the next day after he made his request.

Onari spent a couple of weeks fiddling with the cauldron and metals before Yasaka came and told him she had found what he was looking for. She had had to spend a surprising amount of effort to find someone who dealt with the specific reagents that Onari requested. The only issue was that the supplier insisted on doing all of his business in person.

The source of the ingredients was an old man who had taken to secluding himself and his daughter from the wider world. The pair were currently living in an isolated part of South-Eastern China. The only way Yasaka found the man at all was by calling in a favor with the Chinese Buddhist faction.

Needless to say, Onari dropped what he was doing and immediately went to visit the hidden supplier. He realized that his mother had put a lot of effort into getting him a meeting with the reclusive old man, and he wasn’t about to waste this opportunity.

He took the teleport beacon that Yasaka had acquired, and appeared deep within an area in China known as the Floating Mountains. Tall pillars of rock, stone, and greenery surrounded Onari for as far as his eyes could see. A dense layer of mist clung to the floor between the mountain-pillars. In the distance, more traditional mountains rose up in a circle just beyond the pillars, boxing in this little slice of fantasy.

It was a scene straight out of his previous world. Onari had never traveled much in his previous life. His constitution was always too weak for the harsh natural conditions of that world. But his brother would always regale him with tales of his own travels, and Onari would vividly imagine visions of the pictures his brother’s words would paint.

The teleportation beacon had spat Onari out on one of the smaller mountain-pillars. Right in front of him, the tallest pillar in the area stretched until it almost scratched the clouds. Through the greenery at the very top of the pillar, Onari could make out a large, yet modest, compound.

“I guess that’s where I’m supposed to go,” Onari mumbled to himself. His words were almost instantly stolen by the wind that swept between the pillars. “Climbing the mountain must be some kind of test.”

Nodding to himself, Onari bent his knees slightly. With a whoosh, he jumped, soaring through the air toward the pillar. Onari’s fingers dug into rock when he collided with the side of the mountain-pillar. He stuck to the sheer cliff face like a lizard.

With a small chuckle, Onari began to climb. His feet seemed to naturally find footholds, and his hands created handholds on their own. The raging wind calmed as he climbed further, becoming a gentle breeze.

The journey to the top was almost meditative. For a cultivator like Onari, the climb was as simple as walking across flat ground. This left him with only his thoughts and the view to entertain him.

The view was spectacular, but he soon found himself ignoring it to focus on his thoughts. The scenery and ‘trial’ were oddly familiar to him. They were like something out of his previous brother’s stories. Specifically his story about meeting a hidden master.

Soon enough though, Onari reached the top of the mountain. With a small “hup”, he pulled himself over the ledge. The compound sprawled out before his eyes. It took up almost the entirety of the mountain’s peak, and was surrounded by short walls on three sides.

In the middle of the compound was a single story house. The house was laid out asymmetrically. It had a wing on the left side that was smaller than the wing on the right because the right wing ended in a large greenhouse section. Gardens and fields of different sizes dotted the compound’s grounds.

There was a small plaza in front of the house with a path that led up to the door. In the center of the plaza, a young girl trained, going through sword forms.

She looked to be about Onari’s age, or maybe a year or so older. She was a beauty to surpass all beauties in Onari’s eyes. Her silky black hair was tied up in an intricate bun with a couple of strands at the back that escaped confinement. Her flawless pale skin seemed to sparkle like crystal. Her facial features were delicate and feminine, and her lips were painted a vibrant red color.

A black leather collar drew Onari’s eyes to her slender neck. She was short, but her short black robes accentuated her surprising curves. The robe’s red and gold accents matched the girl’s painted lips. It stopped at her mid thigh, exposing her fishnet stockings and knee-high boots.

Onari found his breath stolen from him as he watched her move. Every motion was fluid, flowing into the next. He could tell her sword intent was sharp as glass even from where he stood. Her sword whistled through the air, and the girl spun along with her swing.

The girl’s movements slowed until she came to a halt. Her sword was held in front of her, pointing straight up into the air. She breathed what looked like a silent prayer of gratitude to her sword. Sheathing her sword, tension began to leave her body. She turned, accidentally caught sight of Onari and jumped when she saw the stranger intruding in her home.

Onari blinked, and there was a ‘whoosh’. In an instant, the girl was standing in front of him, clasping his hands between her own. She was practically vibrating in place with excitement. A bright smile spread across her face.

“A visitor! We’ve never had a visitor before! Oh, how exciting! This benevolent young mistress graciously welcomes you to her humble abode!” the girl exclaimed in an eager and musical voice. “Ah! Where are my manners? This young mistress is Yu Wu! Be thankful, for this young mistress will do you the honor of asking for your name!”

Shocked, Onari realized something. This girl was a cultivator. Thinking things through some more, the pieces started to fall into place. Of course the supplier of esoteric and exotic ingredients and reagents useful for cultivation would be a cultivator. And, if say… that cultivator were to have children, of course he would share his way of life with them.

And that wasn’t even all. Onari could feel his internal Qi reacting to the girl who eagerly shoved herself in his face in her desperate pursuit of human companionship. Something about her was calling out to him, and his Qi couldn’t help but try and answer that call.

Yu Wu’s smile faltered slightly when Onari took so long to respond to her spontaneous greeting. Her mind immediately started to worry that she had blown it. Isolated as she was with only her father for company, she hadn’t had many opportunities for in-person socialization. Thankfully, Onari quickly put her worries to rest.

“Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you, Young Mistress Yu Wu. My name is Onari. I have come to do business with your father,” Onari finally said, causing Yu Wu’s smile to regain its shine.

“Excellent! I shall take you to him. And maybe we can get to know each other better along the way!”

Onari’s smile unconsciously matched Yu Wu’s, “I think I’d like that.”

The pair started walking, and Yu Wu initiated conversation, “So… Where are you from?”

“Japan,” Onari answered. “I’m a Kitsune and the son of one of the local faction leaders.”

“Ooooh? A fellow young master? We have much in common!”

Onari chuckled, “I guess we do. What about you? Where were you born?”

Yu Wu didn’t grimace, but the light of her smile dimmed somewhat, “I was born here in China. My mother died in childbirth, and I’ve been raised by my father ever since. He’s kept me isolated from the outside world… But I’ve managed to gain some form of interaction through the glorious invention known as the internet!”

“A fellow person of culture, I see,” Onari smirked. “It’s nice to see that old people everywhere underestimate the value of technology.”

“Hoooo? You surf the great seas of the world wide web as well? Spectacular! We must exchange information!”

“I would be okay with that. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect for the sole supplier of what I need to have a daughter as beautiful as you.”

Yu Wu blushed, but tried to laugh it off, “Hohoho! Of course! None in the world match this young mistress’ peerless beauty!”

The pair entered the house, and walked to a specific room within it. From the outside, the room didn’t seem all that special. The door was made of decorative wooden panels that had been painted red for luck. The inner two panels made up the actual doors.

Yu Wu knocked on the door briefly before swinging them open almost immediately afterward. The office revealed when the doors swung open was spacious, with cream-colored walls and dark-wood furniture. A wizened yet dignified old man sat at the desk.

The man still had a full head of steely-gray hair. He kept it long, and tied up in a topknot-ponytail. A long beard reached down to the center of his chest, and looked immaculately well kept. His eyes were perpetually closed, but that didn’t appear to impede his sense of vision at all.

“Father!” Yu Wu called as she entered. “Rejoice! I have brought you a potential customer!”

The old man just raised a placid eyebrow at his daughter’s overly dramatic entrance. Onari took the chance to examine the old cultivator. His cultivation was decently strong, roughly equivalent to someone who was a half step away from the Fourth Stage, but Onari knew his own cultivation method was somewhat unique to this world.

He had no way of knowing the old man’s cultivation method, so he could only speculate based on the density of the man’s Qi. And even still, Onari knew there were other ways of expressing strength. This old man was supposed to be an alchemy master after all.

Pulling his Qi senses back, Onari had to suppress a shudder that ran through him. The old man’s Qi felt… off. Like it was twisted by something the man kept hidden from the rest of the world.

Still, all Onari could do was try his best to shrug off the bad vibes. It wasn’t like he was swimming in options for suppliers. And maybe the old man had just made a mistake in his youth or something. Onari couldn’t afford to jump to conclusions at the moment.

Focusing his senses on Yu Wu’s Qi helped. Her Qi felt refreshingly pure and attractive to Onari. Like it was familiar on some instinctive level he couldn’t easily describe. Like she was a magnet of opposite polarity to him and the heavens were trying to pull them together.

“I see…” the old man said softly. “That will be all then, Yu’er.”

Yu Wu sputtered at the dismissal before regaining some of her energy, “B-But… This young mistress wishes to stay!”

The old man’s voice hardened, “Leave, girl. We have business to discuss.”

Yu Wu’s shoulders stiffened at her father’s tone. Onari couldn’t help but think that this seemed like a regular occurrence. That thought made him unconsciously frown.

“... Y-Yes, father,” Yu Wu said, bowing to both of them and leaving the room.

Onari watched her leave in silence with the small frown still on his face, giving the old man the time to examine the young man for himself. A sinister smile briefly showed itself on the old man’s face. Onari turned back to the old cultivator, missing the smile by half a second.

“Hello, young one. My name is Da Shuizhi. What can I do for you?” the old man introduced himself, waving for Onari to sit down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“Greetings, Da Shuizhi,” Onari said, bowing to hide his slight grimace. He hated showing respect to people who hadn’t personally earned it from him, but in this case he didn’t really have a choice. “I am starting my journey in the art of alchemy, and find myself in need of a source for quality reagents.”

Da Shuizhi leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard in thought, “I see… And surely you must be well connected if you were able to find me…”

“It is as you say. I am confident I will be able to properly compensate you for any herbs and ingredients you are willing to part with.”

“Hmm… No begging for instruction or apprenticeship either… Very well. As long as you continue to respect my boundaries, time, and privacy, this sounds like it will be an agreeable trade. Come, let us see if you find anything in the greenhouse that catches your eye.”

Onari’s next bow was a little bit more genuine after Da Shuizhi’s quick agreement, “My thanks, Elder Da Shuizhi.”

The old man just hummed in response, “Hmm…”

The two made their way out of the office, and into the greenhouse Onari had seen from outside the house. Inside the greenhouse, the air and Qi was thick with a plethora of different smells, elements, and differing Qi levels. The sun shone through the crystalline glass of the greenhouse, casting godrays upon the diverse selection of herbs and other reagents.

Onari marveled at the otherworldly beauty of the place for a couple seconds before Da Shuizhi’s voice broke the silence, “Open yourself to the world, young Onari. Find what things call out to you.”

With tacit permission to roam the greenhouse, Onari closed his eyes and took a breath. A barrage of sensory information flowed into his mind, but three scents stuck out to Onari. Each one of the three scents was unique and seemed to resonate with his cultivation.

Onari opened his eyes. Following his nose, he began to walk around the greenhouse. Da Shuizhi waited patiently for Onari to collect his reagents. Onari eventually returned to the old man with two herbs and a fruit in his hands.

“Hmm…” Da Shuizhi hummed as he inspected Onari’s haul. “A bud of Golden Smoke-Fire Flower: a fiery catalyst. A sprig of Morning Dew’s Lavender: a quality tempering agent. And, ah… A fruit from the Yang Pillar Tree: a solid foundational reagent for anything you may want to create.”

The bud of Golden Smoke-Fire Flower was a small, amber-colored bulb that was continuously letting off a sweet-smelling smoke. The sprig of Morning Dew’s Lavender looked like a sprig of mundane lavender, but it sparkled and glistened with potent drops of Qi that looked like morning dew. The Yang Pillar Tree’s fruit was about the size of a plum, with a red gradient coloration and a hardy outer rind.

Onari wasted no time paying for the reagents and getting the hell out. As thankful as he was to Da Shuizhi, the old man still creeped him out. Especially the last words he said to Onari before he left.

“You may see yourself out. And for your own good, stay out of the left wing of the house…”

He met Yu Wu again on his way out. After being dismissed earlier, she had gone back to training in the plaza in front of the house. Her face brightened in a smile when she saw Onari before almost instantly dimming as she realized he was leaving.

“You’re… leaving?” she asked with none of the pomp and boisterous energy she previously had.

Onari nodded, “Yeah… Before I go, we should exchange information like you suggested. It’s not the same as interacting in person, but we can still get to know each other.”

Yu Wu’s beautiful smile returned in full force, “Hohoho! Of course! We shall become the best of friends through the glory of instant communication!”

And so, even with how creepy the hidden alchemy master turned out to be, Onari still left in good spirits. He teleported away from the hidden compound, making sure to wave and smile at Yu Wu as he went. Once he was home, he checked in with his family and told them there was something he needed to do alone.

Once he was sure his mother and sister knew where he would be and that he wouldn’t be in danger, Onari made his way to the forest behind the castle. His final destination was a clearing with a bubbling brook that ran into a small pond in the center. He took the cauldron he requested, now a homemade pill furnace, with him.

He made himself at home in the peaceful clearing, and set everything up. The mortar and pestle was set to one side along with the reagents he had gotten from Da Shuizhi. His new pill furnace was placed on a raised rock in a spot that overlooked the clearing’s pond.

Onari turned his attention to his ingredients. His fingers grazed each of them before settling on the lavender. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing. He was just following his instincts and listening to his Qi.

The lavender was placed into the pestle, and Onari began to grind it down to dust. A feeling of Zen overtook him as the beautiful flower turned to pretty purple powder. Half of the purple powder was sprinkled into the pill furnace, and the other half was set aside for later.

Next, Onari reached for the Yang Pillar Tree fruit. Careful not to imbue the reagent with any of his own Qi, he sliced the fruit in half with a steel blade. He picked out each individual seed and set them aside for future cultivation, before peeling both halves of the fruit and placing the flesh into the cauldron.

Onari moved the two halves around until they were both coated in lavender dust. The hardy rind of the fruit was cut up into small strips and lined around the rim of the furnace. Onari stared at what he had done so far, feeling like he was missing something. With a snap of his fingers, he realized what that something was.

A single seed was placed in the center of the furnace. He then ground the smoking amber bud into fine powder in the same way he had done for the lavender.

With a single clap and a flex of will, a small flame of foxfire was lit beneath the pill furnace. Onari dusted the foxfire with a small amount of the golden catalytic powder, causing the flame to flare and take on a golden hue. Focusing all his attention on the cauldron as it heated up, he slowly started to feed a strand of his Qi into the process.

Onari sprinkled the rest of the golden dust into the pill furnace and sealed it. The small portion of his Qi that he had put into the process felt like it was rumbling and purring along with the cauldron. The foxfire began to rage until it engulfed the entire pill furnace, yet it wasn’t hot for Onari in the slightest.

Over the course of the next couple of minutes, the alchemical reaction intensified, steadied, and wound down. Onari knew the pill creation process was done when the whole furnace seemed to almost ‘ding’ like an oven. The inaudible ‘ding’ that resonated through his core puzzled Onari, but he decided to ignore it and trust his instincts.

He smothered his foxfire, and slowly opened the lid to the furnace. Inside, he saw that there were no traces of the ingredients used other than a perfectly round pill. The interior of the cauldron still looked brand new.

Onari reached into the furnace and plucked the pill from the bottom. He held it between two fingers, just admiring his first alchemical creation. It was about half his finger in diameter, and its surface was as smooth as glass. The pill’s color was a pure red that was almost see through, showing the seed of the Yang Pillar Tree fruit at the pill’s center.

Onari didn’t even bother to name the pill. He just took a deep breath, and swallowed the pill whole. For a second, it seemed like nothing had happened.

In the very next second, Onari felt a torrent of Qi flood his core and body. The Qi gathered in the center of his being, then suddenly raced upwards along his spine. It surged through his diantians, obviously targeting the last diantian of the Second Stage -- the Eighth Dragon Diantian.

The Eighth Diantian offered no resistance in the face of the rushing Qi. It burst open under the sudden assault, skyrocketing Onari into the Third Stage.

The effects of Onari’s spontaneous breakthrough even spilled over into the physical world. A wave of Qi spread outward from Onari’s body, briefly lifting all of the water in the pond into the air. The pond water splashed back down soon after.

Even with how relatively small his breakthrough was in the grand scheme of things, Onari could feel the heavens take notice. Like when he had broken through to the First Stage, his step into the Third Stage had caused ripples to spread through the nature of the world.

One lively old monkey even took notice of the sudden ripples in the fabric of the world. The ever-energetic monkey king turned his attention to Onari just as the heavens struck out at him with tribulation.

Four thick bolts of lightning, one from each of the four cardinal directions, struck Onari’s form in an attempt to smite the young cultivator. The heavenly lightning nourished Onari’s physical body as much as it hurt. He grit his teeth against the sharp assault. His cultivation churned and swirled as he tried his best to digest the heavenly, lightning-element Qi.

After an instant that felt like an eternity to Onari, the heavenly tribulation came to an end. Onari was left panting. His vision was surprisingly low to the ground. He tried to move his limbs, and found that he was on all fours for some reason.

He looked down, seeing the orange, red, and white fur that covered two small paws. He “tsked” in annoyance. It seemed that the heavens in this world had a sense of humor. Sometime during his tribulation, the heavens had decided to turn the young Kitsune into a fox.

The change of shape wasn’t really an issue for Onari. He was a natural shapeshifter after all. But it was bothersome and slightly humiliating. Even though he quickly transformed himself back into his natural state, he couldn’t help but feel like the heavens had trampled on his pride a bit.

He packed up his alchemy equipment, and left the clearing, still annoyed at the heavens of this world and unaware that his tribulation had been watched. Somewhere in the distant heavens, a monkey god king laughed himself to tears at the new, young Kitsune cultivator he had found…