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Chapter 126 – Uninvolved
🕑 Added 2024-10-28 00:27:59 +0000 UTCKang Lin’s next couple of days were busy. Master had given her four pills. One reset her cultivation back to the beginning of Foundation Establishment, wiping out both the work she’d done on the profound grade scripture her grandfather had given her and the similarly graded technique.
When she’d questioned why resetting her cultivation also made her lose all the progress she’d made with her technique, he’d responded, “Because I want you to start the realm fresh.”
Apparently, he had control over such matters.
Sure. Why not be able to pick and choose? With all the other abilities he’d demonstrated, what was one more impossibility?
The next set of pills was at least something within the realm of reason. In fact, Grandfather had recently told her that the Poison Claw Sect was working on that exact problem—a way to expand a cultivator’s qi pool by upwards of ten percent at the start of Foundation Establishment. Still, the various treatments Master was having her undergo, especially in addition to all the other treasures he’d gifted her, seemed exorbitant for someone who was, at best, a mid-tier talent who wasn’t even a part of his sect.
He'd just shrugged and said, “It’s only four points. You gained me eleven when you signed up.”
She had no idea what he was talking about, so she’d cupped her hands and said, “Gratitude, Master.”
With her cultivation and technique on the right track, she penned a message to her grandfather.
Dearest Grandfather,
I don’t know how you will react to this news, which is the reason I held off sending it for a couple of days.
I fear I can no longer serve as your source of intelligence on Esteemed Master Cultivator Chao Su. This lowly one hopes you have additional sources, such as Junior Brother Pan Jiang.
The reason I cannot fulfill that role is that I have accepted a position as Esteemed Master Cultivator Chao Su’s disciple. There was no condition placed upon my loyalty, and I remain a member of the Poison Claw Sect. The only stipulation is that I keep Master’s secrets, and how I wish I could fill you in on even a tenth of those.
I will say that he is even more unfathomable than you could have imagined.
Please understand that this lowly one knows and appreciates the sacrifices Honorable Grandfather made in procuring that cultivation method and the techniques, but this lowly one was not talented enough to make good use of them. This lowly one struggled greatly, having only completed on the order of a dozen cycles in the first month and often taking as long as a half a minute to channel qi into my spear.
Meanwhile, Master’s other disciple, Yang Xiu (you’ll recall the girl with the remarkable archery talent), advanced at an astounding pace, cultivating as easily as she breathed and making strides with her techniques by the hour. This lowly one couldn’t resist when the offer was presented.
I don’t think it’s a secret that Master is extraordinarily generous with his disciples. The last few days have been a whirlwind. I’ve had my cultivation and techniques reset to the start of Foundation Establishment, expanded my qi pool by eleven percent, started cultivating a new top heaven grade method which is as easy for me as Yang Xiu’s is for her, learned a new top heaven grade attack technique which I’m getting close to Small Success, been gifted a top heaven grade shield technique, and been also given a spear that is much nicer than any I’ve seen my fellow sect members aside from clan scions use.
Master’s philosophy seems to be that only the best is good enough for his disciples. Sometimes, though, even the best isn’t good enough. On those occasions, he simply … provides the impossible.
Honorable Grandfather taught this lowly one to seize opportunities with both hands, but I can’t help but feel I’m somehow betraying you, the family, and the sect.
Love,
Your Granddaughter Who Is Feeling a Lot Less Filial Than She Should Be,
- Kang Lin
She waited on pins and needles until the reply came the next day.
Dearest Granddaughter,
This old man has nothing but the highest admiration for his filial granddaughter. Sometimes, achieving the best result for the family and the sect requires making the greatest personal strides.
Judging from what I know about Friend Chao, I think you made the right choice. Such boons had to be considered, and no cultivator I know would have passed up such a tremendous opportunity.
Don’t worry about indulging this old man’s curiosity. The master/disciple relationship is an important and sacred thing. You concentrate on being the best disciple possible, and most of all, keep safe.
As your new master would write, for some reason, TTYL :).
Still Your Doting Grandfather,
- Kang Ya-Ting
Kang Lin smiled. She’d been worried for nothing. Her grandfather not only hadn’t disowned her, but he approved of her choice. She did, though, really need to ask Master what all those weird symbols meant.
###
Yang Xiu stalked her prey, a giant black spider that came up to the height of her waist. Master had told her to beware its webbing, so she was being extra careful.
Ahead, she heard movement high in the trees. Her target.
She glanced back and signaled to Kang Lin and Yang Ru, pointing forward and up. They both nodded.
Slowly, the trio crept forward and soon encountered a white strand of material about as thick as Yang Xiu’s arm. Knowing the web to be sticky from the information Master gave them, they gave it a wide berth.
The farther they went, however, the more prevalent the webs became. Eventually, it became inevitable that one of them would touch one, and Kang Lin was the unfortunate victim.
The shoulder of her robe contacted a strand as she ducked under a different one. There was no help for it but to cut her out. Yang Xiu backed away, nocking an arrow in preparation, while Yang Ru prepared to use his spear tip to slice the one holding Kang Lin fast.
Once all three of them were ready for the spider to make an appearance, he swiped. Yang Xiu worried that the web would entangle the weapon, but the qi infused metal slid right off the clingy fibers.
The strand snapped, recoiling up to the treetops, and the entire web trembled, surely alerting the spider to their presence. There was no use being stealthy any longer.
Yang Xiu used her spiritual sense to track the beast’s movement. Sure enough, it moved toward them. “We’ve got a few seconds.”
Her brother and Kang Lin sliced all the strands in their area, creating space to move.
They finished just in time as the spider reached the location where its web had been cut. Yang Xiu loosed an arrow immediately, hitting one of its eight eyes.
It made a sharp hissing noise and dropped toward the ground.
“I don’t think I’ll be able blind this one,” Yang Xiu said.
Her ice qi only lasted temporarily. Even if she could hit all eight of the creature’s eyes, the qi would dissipate on the first ones she hit long before she managed to obstruct all of them. That fact didn’t mean she wouldn’t try, however, and she hit with another arrow, temporarily blinding another eye.
Kang Lin charged, avoiding the sticky strands littering the ground.
The creature fired a web at her, and she had to retreat briefly to keep from being trapped by it.
Meanwhile, Yang Ru watched.
Another arrow slammed into the beast, and Kang Lin approached it again.
Yang Xiu was ready. The spider shot a web.
“I got it!” She yelled as she loosed an arrow, tying up the web and deflecting it.
Kang Lin didn’t even flinch. She charged through where the web would have been, her spear ready.
Yet another arrow hit a fourth eye, creating a weak spot in the beast’s qi shield, and Kang Lin slammed her lightning charged spear tip into it.
Just like that, the fight was over. The spider fell to the ground, flipping over with its legs curling up.
Yang Xiu glanced at her brother, who was still just kind of standing around. Besides cutting the web strands, he hadn’t contributed to the fight. Even with it over, he didn’t really respond, just staring at the two girls dispassionately.
First, he was slamming himself into trees, and now he seemed uninvolved and just not present during an encounter with a dangerous spirit beast. She was beginning to get worried about him.
Master appeared. “I sensed the beast die. Great job, you three.”
Yang Xiu and Kang Lin shared a look that asked, “Three?”
He stowed the corpse in his ring and transported Yang Ru back to the Wood.
When he returned, Yang Xiu said, “Master, we’re worried about Yang Ru.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, Master. We’ve been on three hunts in the last two days, and he barely contributed. He hasn’t hit any of the beasts even once.”
“I see.”
“Should we do something, Master?”
“Like what?”
“Maybe you could talk to him, Master, and find out what the problem is? He doesn’t seem to want to talk to us.”
“I appreciate your concern, but…” Master shrugged. “How about this? I’ll keep an eye on him tomorrow, and if he doesn’t improve, he and I will have a chat.”
Comments
Kyle Pemberton
I don't understand his silence.
