Heavenly Shae

Chapter 23: "Corrective Language Lessons."

Shae woke late the next morning to find a tattooed monk in her room, waiting for her to wake. "Hmm? G'morning, were you here all night?"

"Good morning. No, I only recently returned, we have matters to discuss, Heavenly Shae."

"Ughmm." Shae rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head. "Where did you hear that?"

"Your name? You did introduce yourself- ah you meant the title. It is customary recognition for those who cultivate or share divine qi. Did you not know that?"

She peeked out from under the pillow. "I did not. Could you just call me Shae, or Miss Shae if I need a title."

The woman smiled warmly. "Least I can do is Wise Shae."

"Mhm. I think I can live with that." She looked out the brightly lit window. "Did I miss breakfast?"

"Maybe. Should I ask the kitchen to send something up?"

"Depends how long you want to stay for." Shae smiled, and emerged from under her blankets and pillow, sitting up properly.

"It could be a fast conversation, that depends how open you want to be about your past."

"Hmmm, my past... I don't mind being open, but I'd like to know more about you first."

"Ah yes, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. Wise Shae, it is an honor to have cultivated alongside you, I am Wise Kaiun Yungfan. While I am at the core stage, we do not use Elder. Our group hails from the Golden Orchard Monkery."

"Monkery?" Shae said the word awkwardly and raised an eyebrow. "Not Monastery?"

She shook her head. "Not for a long time, we outgrew that name over a hundred years ago. We do have one, it is one of the many buildings on our grounds. More of a library now. We are still working on the name."

"How long have you been working on it?"

"Nearly a hundred years."

The two giggled. Then sat in silence for a few breaths after.

Shae spotted the woman's tattoos again and lifted her own left hand to look at hers. "It's very nice to meet you, Yungfan, and thank you for the tattoo."

"You like it?" She sounded excited.

"Yes, it's gorgeous! What kind of flower is this?" The girl ran her other hand over the pattern of flowers and vines that traced out from her palm to wrap around and up her wrist.

"Hmmm, that one looks like a desert orchid, possibly extinct, they are seen so rarely."

"Can it move, like yours?"

She shook her head. "It won't. Mine is called a living tattoo, but it is a combination of special ink and my metal qi specialty. Without that it won't move. It could change over time, for various reasons, like if something powerful happened with metal qi."

"Hmm, oh because tattoo ink is usually metal based? Is it also special metal?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you knew that, most people don't. And yes, it is a special metal from living qi tools, like your acupuncture needles."

"My what?"

"Your needles? You had two in your hair and a third on your finger."

"My hairpins? Yea they are a bit special, not sure they are tools, or whatever 'living' means."

She stared at Shae with her mouth slightly open. "What do you think they are?"

With a shrug she plucked the ring shaped pin off the nightstand. "Just leftovers from a little... well from a big qi accident. They were iron blood creeper wires. I thought the old man just cleaned them up after, and they do hold lightning qi really well. But I guess he didn't tell me what they were, didn't have the chance, or maybe didn't know." She sighed and frowned.

Yungfan moved to grab one too. "Hmm, yes they do kind of look like iron blood wire. That would explain the pitting, but they are actually steel now, so can't rust further. And lightning? How did you figure that out if your old man didn't tell you?"

"My old man? Oh, no. He's not my father, more of an elderly mentor. As for the lightning, I can sometimes generate a bit of it with my qi." Shae shrugged.

"Oh!? Impressive ability, may I see?"

"Hmm, maybe later, I'm still kind of exhausted. What do you think these pins will do?"

"As acupuncture needles, they could let someone channel qi directly into vital points, or out of them, often for healing. Sometimes they are used in cleansing, especially for meridians. 'Living' means they likely have some other ability relating to movement, like how my tattoos can move." She shrugged with both palms facing up.

"Hmm, well, something new to learn I guess. I did use them while cleansing, I put them in the ground nearby to catch the lightning that was a byproduct."

"Hmm, that's very interesting, so that strange qi you had is partly lightning qi?"

Shae nodded. "I was trying to mimic... another qi type, but wasn't successful."

"This is getting close to what I wanted us to discuss."

"Oh? Umm, that so?" Shae tensed up.

"It is so." The monk said, leaning forward. "When you were talking to the troops, you mentioned questions for us. Wise Kwan believes it is about your qi, which he believes is divine in origin. Kwan was the one on your right during the cultivation circle."

"Oh, that!" She relaxed.

"That?" The monk looked curious. "And I suspect it is how you cleansed your arm and leg so thoroughly."

"Yes it was, and it was entirely out of my control!" She looked down at herself, and saw she was wearing less clothes than she would usually like to meet someone in. Yet, her embarrassment was mostly because of the bizarre patterns across her skin where the cleansing had gone on a rampage.

Investigating herself closely, she checked the locations she had cleansed manually, and tried to compare them to the divine flesh. Only the small bit in her leg was as white as the divine flesh; matching the spot where the angry qi had gone out of her control. Other areas were paler, but she still had some tan to them.

The monk had cleared her throat twice. "Wise Shae, would you like time to get dressed."

"Hm, no actually. Could you do me a favor, your senses are probably better than mine."

"Are you not... concerned by your state of dress?"

"Are you? I figured you would be more comfortable than me. And someone undressed me for bed, I assume that was you?"

"It was, and in fact..." the monk did look a bit bashful now. "I washed you as well, the session produced a not insignificant quantity of impurities."

"Ah! Wow, I didn't even notice that last night. Um. Thanks for cleaning me up then! That must have been unpleasant."

The monk shrugged. "Not the worst I've seen, or had to clean up, from myself or others. And you did us all a great service. Some might think we are still in your debt."

"Do you think that? And why? You invited me to join, which benefited me as well. This isn't just because of the enlightenment, right?"

"It is not solely because of that, no. We would be thankful certainly, but you did a lot more than was expected of you. Especially in sharing your divine qi."

"Sharing? I didn't think it worked like that. Everyone was sharing their qi into the outer orbit."

"Outer orbit. Interesting terminology. You are correct, to a degree. We all release qi, let it mingle with others, and share the excess from the enlightenment. The arrangement is meant to mostly benefit the enlightened one by reducing lost qi." She paused with a thought on her tongue. "This will be a simplification, of course, but your divine qi combined with the enlightenment qi and produced more heavenly qi than would normally be there. That qi spread to all the other qi around it. Benefiting us all greatly."

Shae thought about that, comparing it to what she remembered. She hadn't noticed that happening, but her senses might not have been sharp enough for that. "Hm, I guess I don't have a comparison to work with like you probably do." The monk nodded as the girl paused. "So... us finishing after the enlightened one, that wasn't how it was supposed to go?"

"Correct. It varies, but usually there is much less qi in the 'outer orbit'."

"So, that whole setup. Can it be repeated or does it need an enlightenment?"

The monk flashed a slight frown. "It needs it. There are group cultivation techniques, but they are not nearly so productive. Most people do not have access to divine qi."

"Hmm." Shae thought, and her gaze drifted down to herself again. "Oh, right! Come here please." She waved the other woman over.

She sighed and complied.

"I'm supposedly in the cleansing stage. But I don't have a manual or proper instruction to go off of, so I was experimenting a bit to see if I could cleanse as well as the tribulation lightning-"

"Tribulation? This was cleansed by a tribulation? How?" The woman gawked, examining Shae's arm more closely.

"Ah, well I passed out after the third strike, so not sure exactly. The old monster might have done something to it. But in short: the divine lightning qi that made it inside me was rampaging, but was trapped in my arm and leg, so it could only cleanse those areas."

"I have so many questions. Firstly, 'the old monster'?"

"Oh, the old man I mentioned before, Elder Ghon of the Honorable Dragon's Entreaty sect. We were on Pilgrim's Rest mountain, you probably heard the news about the tribulation."

"Ah, yes, that was you two? How did it happen? Why were you close enough to get caught in a strike?"

"Caught in a...? Oh, right. You're assuming it was Ghon's, it was not."

"It was yours! How?" Her eyes were wide in pure disbelief. "How did you survive three strikes? The Elder?"

"Slow down a little! I can't say how it happened. It was for me specifically, the elder refused to intervene, the first strike was a warning for him. Then I survived three hits. I used a variety of items to redirect the lightning around myself, but the old man said they shouldn't have worked at all. Something about divine lightning not following the rules of electricity."

The monk just slowly nodded once in agreement.

"Oh, and I think what Elder Ghon did after that had something to do with the formation and the mountain's qi. I was almost finished directed tempering so could handle the extra pressure just fine."

"Oh my!" She took a few slow breaths. "I am glad we set up a privacy barrier around your room. And I think we have much more to talk about, so I will send for some food." She quickly escaped to do that.

Shae took a deep breath while she was gone, and asked herself, Why did I say so much? I barely know this woman.

When Yungfan returned there was an awkward silence before Shea recalled then excitedly said, "Oh, right right! The cleansing I've been doing myself, I want to compare it to my arm and leg, to see how close I got. I can't really tell how different it is."

The monk agreed to help and they discussed the different areas. The three primary areas were: the divinely cleansed arm and leg, the areas Shae had cleansed with demigod qi, and the one spot on her leg where the angry demigod qi went out of control.

"This half-divine cleansing is quite effective, most would be satisfied with cleansing this good. You just need to control it a bit better, and overlap it properly for better coverage."

"Yea, I am just going by instinct right now. I'm not even sure how to distinguish between skin and muscle, no idea what to do when I have to do organs or my head." Shae complained about her lack of knowledge. "Would reading other cultivation guides to get a framework help?"

"Getting one you can use would help more. Flesh and organ cleansing is usually similar though. Meridian cleansing will be the one you need to be very careful about."

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask. The question I had before yesterday for you all. Have you heard of anyone cultivating divine qi?"

"Cultivating it?" Yungfan frowned and hummed in thought. "Not at these early stages. Some call for using enlightenments during core stage to be used in specific ways. The main issue I see is that no one could collect enough to cultivate it. Divine qi, in whatever form, is meant to be used. We teach that it is a pure form of power that is always diluted when used by cultivators."

Shae frowned and looked down. "Ghon did say that I could have used the tribulation to nearly finish cleansing. So, if you just bring it into your Dantian, what is supposed to happen?"

"If it was lightning, I imagine it would be very painful," Shae grimaced in response, and the monk continued. "Most would think it could kill you, but there are varying theories about tribulation qi. Enlightenment qi, would simply dilute into your existing qi, purifying out foreign qi that you may have. And generally helping to quickly convert other qi into your personal qi. This brings us to one of our questions for you: why does your Dantian look empty."

"Huh, personal qi? So, if my Dantian was empty already when I absorbed the divine qi...?"

"I'm not sure how it could be empty, or how it still appears empty now. Though I suppose even if there was a small amount, a lot of divine qi would overwhelm it and effectively drown it out." She hummed and fidgeted by rubbing her tattoos, they squirmed more than usual when she did.

"It would still be marked though? Like the wisps of heavenly qi during the ceremony yesterday, some were different after I tried to move them back to the center."

"Ah, you did notice that? Good. I was worried your senses were weak, from what you said earlier."

"Ugh, yea, I assume I'm off the mark on a lot of my control, the old monster warned me about that. And once again, I have no idea where I stand, how to improve, etcetera."

"Warned you about it... ah, you said you were on the mountain. Is that where you first started cultivating?'

"Yep. He denied me for months because it would 'be bad for me' or whatever, then I had to learn it there anyway."

"Well, he was correct. Though, you probably could have made up for it if you were there for months."

"Ugh, asshole!" Shae shouted and flopped back into the bed. The monk flinched. "Sorry. Just can't believe how awful that guy is. Even knowing he usually only has visitors for a couple weeks doesn't take the sting away."

"Well, I think we found something the Monkery can offer you."

"Oh?" She sat up halfway.

"Corrective language lessons."

Shae gawked at her.

"Hahaha, joking, mostly." She kept laughing. "Ah- haha, covering the basics I mean. We teach to all skill levels so we are quite accustomed to catching people up."

"Aah. That would be nice, I think."

They sat in silence for a few breaths while Yungfan recovered from her own joke.

"Does that mean I have to go with you all? Or can we do some of that here and now? Maybe a book I can borrow?"

The monk inhaled deeply. "We can do some here. Though it would be easiest at the Monkery, the books are all in the monastery. We don't tend to let them out, even if we are more open than the sects or military."

"Hnmgh." Shae groaned quietly. "Guess it would be too easy if I could just solve all my problems now." She paused, then rerouted the conversation. "Ah, what did you think of this spot on my leg?"

"That 'angry' qi spot? It is closest to the divine cleansing, though it is very uneven and the center is actually damaged slightly. Taking just the best parts... I think it would be comparable, you might not even notice the difference in muscle strength."

"Ugh, I'll have to try it again with less qi, and beside the divine flesh. Would multiple passes of one or the other, maybe mixing it up be easier? The angry stuff was more painful."

"My general advice is going to sound fairly obvious once I've said it. Balance speed and efficiency. Set goals with what divine qi you have access to. No sense planning for the best if you can only finish a third with what you have. Assume you won't get more. And, you need to improve your senses so that you can tell the difference in quality, you won't get even coverage if you are shooting arrows in the dark."

"Huuuaah!" Shae exhaled her exasperation, "And I just remembered the qi from the enlightenment is denser and different again, so I'll have to do another test." She rubbed her eyes then looked up at the ceiling. "What makes personal qi different?"

"Jumping subjects?"

"Not really. I'm trying to make a decision, but I don't have all the information I need."

"Hmm, different how? Could you be more specific?"

"Uh, well I assume it is different. I can pull in all kinds of qi and circulate them through my channels. Doesn't seem to do anything most of the time. Some are easier, some move on their own, like my half divine qi. Yours and the other monk's qi from the ritual, they stung when I accidentally drew them in, so I think that means they're different, and not meant to be used by others."

"Sounds like you have most of it. I suppose it comes down to what occurs within our Dantians, which varies from one manual to another anyhow. If we are sticking with cleansing related things, the Dantian changes the qi only slightly: makes it yours, obviously. Sorry for being so repetitive. Think of it like having a teabag in your cup, you can pour more water in, and get more tea. Water from different wells might taste different. Yet, once in your cup with the teabag and other tea, it will then taste like that tea, and grow stronger once steeped."

"Hmmm, okay. So is the tea better than the water? Is it like soapy water that is easier to clean with? and is this metaphor really necessary?"

"Ah, there is a more specific question. Have you heard about not washing out cast iron with water or soap? Just add more oil in and cook it down to season it."

"Ugh, seriously? More metaphors? Is there something wrong with using normal words for normal explanations?"

"Heh, well, this is a normal explanation for us. We always teach and learn with metaphor, moreso for the more complex things. It forces us to clarify our thoughts and comprehend the information more than rote repetition."

"Blehhh, that doesn't make sense. That's like saying- Gah!, now I'm doing it!" Shae put both her hands on her face.

Yungfan stayed silent while the girl calmed down and thought through the metaphors.

Shae started mumbling. "So what's in there, if anything? I've heard Dao and nascent soul, but those are both later, not first... regular soul?" She spoke up to the monk. "Where's the soul? Like something is the teabag, right? Dao is in there, but people don't start with Dao, so how could it have an impact on our qi. But the soul is somewhere?" She looked expectantly.

The monk sighed. "These questions might be beyond both of us. Beyond my ability to answer properly and definitely beyond what you should be considering." She spoke without reprimand, and held an inscrutable expression.

Shae stared at the monk intently, then frowned. "Fine. Another taboo subject." She looked away and thought through a slow breath in and out. "I think I need to meditate. Let's talk later, maybe outside. I can show you my cleansing process if you still want to see it." She sat up and moved into a lotus pose.

"I would like that, and the others might have more advice for you. Thank you for your wisdom Heavenly Shae."

She took a sharp inhale at the title. "Thank you for yours, Wise Kaiun Yungfan."

The monk left the room as Shae entered her meditative trance.

Aside 2: "Hallway Party."

(Chapter 23.1)

The older monk that had been on Shae's right waited patiently in the hallway outside the girl's room. He watched silently as Yungfan exited the room and took care to quietly close the door. She turned to him expectantly, and he reached out to the door and tapped the frame with a bit of qi, reactivating the privacy formation. They both felt it stretch over them, encompassing the hallway as well.

"Wise Kwan." She inclined her head slightly in respect.

"Wise Kaiun." He returned the slight nod. "How is she?"

"Doing quite well, very talkative and curious."

"Any signs?"

She shook her head. "Nothing specific. She thought the Monkery should be called a monastery. Her questions and roadblocks with cultivation are... naive."

"Naive? She struck me as much wiser than that."

"Certainly, she is much more mature than she looks. Her questions far advanced for her realm and age. Yet, some are so simple, so direct."

"Oh? Such as?"

"She doesn't know how to cleanse properly. Yet, just now we were discussing the influence of the Dantian on qi. The classic teabag metaphor. She even asked about Dao and the soul."

"That's quite the leap."

She shrugged. "She made it seem natural enough. Some have excellent intuition for that kind of thing. In any other student her age I would expect that discussion to have triggered an enlightenment." She looked disappointed.

"Hmm, yes, it would have been much easier if it had." He shifted to lean and look intently at the door. "That could suggest an incongruous depth of experience..."

"Some of her words are from experience, I could tell. She knows that the Dao exists within the Dantian. Yet is truly unaware of so much more, so much that is basic, even for those her age."

He frowned. "She did speak of the bandit having a shard of Dao. Plainly, as though it was obvious. Could she have touched her own? That would, in theory, cause a tribulation."

"That would also tear her apart. She cannot hold Dao within her mortal frame, not without a huge reservoir of qi."

"Hmm. That is the accepted theory." The old monk considered for a moment then shook his head. "How was..?" He motioned to her right side.

"It worked. Had to weaken the link at one point, it was too strong. I think she almost noticed the influence. It definitely made her more talkative. Though, she wasn't trying to hold back too much." She frowned.

He sighed and looked conflicted. "I regret abusing her trust like this."

"You're not the one that will have to deal with the backlash if she catches on." She sighed heavily. "I think she will understand if we explain our whole case. And she does believe that it was unintentional."

"Was it?"

She was taken aback. "Of course! You know how they are. I would never!"

"Not without reason."

"I had no suspicions at the time." She said firmly, eyeing him sternly.

He inhaled deeply, then bowed. "I apologize for my accusation, Wise Kaiun."

She shifted uncomfortably, "You're forgiven, Wise Kwan." She took a breath. "It is not unreasonable to assume I had suspicions earlier. Given her talk with the Staff Sergeant."

He sighed in relief. "Ah, that does make me feel better. Her behavior was odd, even when talking to the sect."

"You suspected her that early?"

He shook his head. "No, but it got me curious about her. Hard not to pay attention after that."

She nodded and they stood quietly for another breath. "So?" She asked.

"Not enough to make a decision. Either she is a master of deception or just another lost soul and reasonably innocent."

"Heh, reasonably." She shook her head. "Whatever is going on with her Dantian, though?"

"Suspicious, yes. Likely why the Staff Sergeant asked us to dig further."

"Weren't we going to anyway."

"Of course we were. None would let that suspicion pass."

"Would Elder Ghon?"

The older monk scratched his chin. "That old monster? He is quite focused on himself, now more than ever, I suspect."

"Ah... You don't think it's him?"

"I wasn't before. We can't rule it out, yet."

"So we'll need to talk to him, did you know him?"

"We've met a few times. That young Elder Bai thinks a meeting is impossible. Says we may meet with Elder Ngoc at the mountain and send letters."

"Hmm... injured then?"

"Probably. They won't be able to keep it quiet for long, but we shouldn't be the source of the reveal. It would strain relations. Did she say anything?" He motioned to the room.

"Ugh, politics." She grimaced. "Not really, it didn't come up, just that the tribulation wasn't his, and sounds like he was fine after it."

"Doesn't mean he wasn't injured by it, he would put on a strong face."

They paused in contemplation for a dozen breaths.

"A mental manipulation ritual? To erase memories of cultivation?" Yungfan asked.

The older monk titled his head, then shook it. "Unlikely, that would require outside help. They would never be so trusting as to risk another making them a puppet."

"Ah, yes, right out then." She looked down.

He peered at the door again. "That was quick, she's getting dressed. We should move outside." He plucked a grape from the plate of food waiting beside the door.

Yungfan nodded, and they walked away.