~~~
Fan Bingbing helps them find a room devoid of traps, if not completely devoid of Spirit Beasts. Thankfully, none prove too strong for their combined efforts. It takes them only minutes to clear up the room and surrounding hallways. After that, Liu Jin has the other disciples stand guard outside the doors. Some use the opportunity to harvest the Spirit Beasts’ corpses in the hallways.
Liu Jin sits in the now empty room and meditates.
Heaven and Earth.
Spirit and Matter.
Soul and Body.
He is Liu Jin. He has a soul and a body, and he is a soul and a body. Both things are simultaneously true. Yet, it is also more complex than that. As he grows closer to Eternity, his body becomes more than matter, and his soul becomes more than spirit. Despite that, his body is never more than matter, and his soul is never more than spirit.
Breathe.
When a child is born, he must familiarize himself with his body. One does not need to wonder how long their arm is before reaching for something. Familiarity has already embedded that knowledge into their mind.
The soul, Liu Jin has learned, works similarly.
When he entered the Nascent Realm, he became aware of the shape of his soul. He could feel it just beneath his skin, existing as a part of him yet resisting all his attempts to impose his will over it. It took months of training to gain the thinnest sliver of control. Only entering the Spirit Realm changed that, allowing Liu Jin to fully interact with his soul.
That does not mean Liu Jin understands it.
Liu Jin knows his soul occupies the same space as his body, existing in a plane that is spiritual but at the same time not. Trying to explain it beyond that, however, is the sort of thing that gives him a headache. Even Old Jiang’s notes and teachings instructed him not to think too deeply about it. At his current stage of development, it matters not whether he can explain his soul.
Understanding will come later. It must come later for action will be the instrument of its birth.
Breathe.
His soul has a shape, and it has a balance. It can be moved, and it can remain still. It can even be manipulated by others to let them hide swords and books inside it.
Breathe.
The soul is not like the body. The loss of a finger is far easier to bear than the loss of a leg, but the soul is one. All of it. Whether the soul is shaped like a finger or a head matters little. It is all his soul.
Breathe.
One finger. That is all that is necessary. One to become two. No more. No less. Liu Jin wills the part of his soul occupying his finger further and further away, and—Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts! Ithurts!Ithurts!Ithurts! Hurts!Hurts!Hurts!Hurts!Hurts!Hurts!
Shed!
One becomes two. Liu Jin looks at himself only to see himself looking back. He is small and big. He burns and shivers. It is dizzying and maddening. The He that was Him is frail. Ephemeral.
Mortal.
The soul fragment snaps back into place.
Two become one, and the worst of the pain fades away, leaving Liu Jin laid out on the floor, gasping and with tears in his eyes. It is a small mercy the locked doors kept the other disciples from seeing him in this state.
It is hardly the sort of thing that inspires confidence.
“...This type of technique is something you will only be capable of once you reach the Earth Realm…”
“I am sorry for ignoring your advice, Elder Brother,” Liu Jin says in a weak voice. “I do not have the luxury to wait, so I must get ahead of myself.”
He has cleared the first condition for the... Well, it couldn't properly be called a plan until now. Until now, it was all merely an idea. Liu Jin saw options. He saw possibilities. However, despite the confidence with which he talked to the others, he lacked a way to bring them into a coherent whole.
That is no longer the case.
Liu Jin rubs his hand as he rises from the floor. Splitting his soul was always something he was going to learn. His first attempt was… unideal, but that is fine. He never expected to get it right on the first try. He understands the process better now. That is what truly matters. All he needs to do is refine it.
Shed.
~~~
Fan Bingbing hums as Qing Jin’s screams stop. A part of her is happy he is no longer in pain. Another wishes he could have kept screaming for a few more minutes. The sound was greatly aiding her in mapping out their surroundings. It is doubtful they will use this area of the temple later on since they have already found a far better one, but it never hurts to have options.
“He is mad, isn’t he? He has to be!”
A weak and doubtful voice seeks desperate approval. Fan Bingbing does not even turn around to face Wong before answering.
“You are in the Spirit Realm now,” she says. Her fingers lightly tap at the walls. Each note lightly echoes down the hallway, refining the picture in her mind.
“I… yes?”
Surprise and confusion.
As expected, he does not get it. A delicate frown appears on Fan Bingbing’s face. It is a sad truth, but most people are far too stupid to have a proper conversation with.
“You were in the Nascent Realm when we entered the Dead Plains,” she clarifies for him and for the others who are pretending not to hear anything. Certainly, Wong may have been in the Ninth Level of the Nascent Realm, but that is still the Nascent Realm. “You are in the First Level of the Spirit Realm now, and you will be in the Second soon enough. Even I near the Sixth. All of us are on the verge of advancement.”
It is not just because the Eye is a Qi-rich environment. Eating the flesh of powerful Spirit Beasts like the All-Devouring Worm. Facing challenges. Overcoming adversity.
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“The Dead Plains have fed us well,” she continues. “Those who are weak have grown much. Those who are strong have grown little.”
She waits for a moment until comprehension spreads to the others. Still, she feels she must spell it out for them, regardless.
“Our situation is not hopeless.”
Of course, even though she says that, their opponent is still someone in the Earth Realm. The difference between them is more than one realm.
Behind the locked doors, Brother Qing’s screams begin anew.
~~~
A snake slithers out of the temple.
Qu Rou does not detect this right away. Despite what many of his brethren believe, it is not unparalleled eyesight that helps his arrows hit their mark. Certainly, his eyes have been enhanced by all manner of techniques and elixirs. He can see every detail of a fly’s body from a hundred yards away. More if he pushes himself.
However, Qi is always more important.
Qi is what tells Qu Rou a creature is leaving the temple. Qi is what tells him this creature is not a Spirit Beast, and Qi is what defines the creature’s shape for him.
Qu Rou watches with sunken eyes as the snake slithers further away from the temple, all while he does not move a single muscle. Only the feathers in his hair rustle in the wind. Qu Rou’s bow is already on his hand; it has been for days. However, he refrains from firing. It is not mercy but curiosity that stays his hand.
The snake moves slowly but tirelessly, never once faltering. Qu Rou’s sunken eyes narrow with quiet intensity. One of his thin, dark eyebrows rises ever so slightly. The more he senses it, the surer Qu Rou becomes of something.
The snake is a soul fragment.
The disciples cowering in the temple are all Inner Disciples. The strongest ones are merely in the mid-stages of the Spirit Realm. For one to know how to split pieces of his soul is a tremendous feat, even though it begs the question of why they did not do so before.
Qu Rou never cared for the technique as he prefers his soul to stay in one piece, but he is not blind to how useful it is for scouting. He has seen Senior Brother Yong use it several times to great effect.
The idea that someone forced himself to learn the technique while trapped inside the temple is not one Qu Rou ever considers.
No one could be so reckless.
The snake, one white in color, keeps moving towards Qu Rou’s general direction. It could be just a coincidence, but as the hours pass and the snake’s route keeps bringing it closer to him, Qu Rou becomes convinced it is not. The one behind the snake has some idea of where he is. He is either extremely good at sensing Qi, or he managed to map out his position earlier based on the trajectory of his arrows.
Qu Rou considers shooting the snake before it gets too close but decides against it. An attempt on his life by an Inner Disciple is not something he needs to worry about. Instead, he should allow this disciple to try as that may be the key towards drawing him and the others out of the temple.
After a few more hours, the snake speaks by transmitting its words through Qi.
“Senior Brother! This disciple requests an audience.”
It has been doing so for a while, but it is only now that the snake is close enough for his Qi to reach Qu Rou. It is yet another sign the disciple has known this technique for quite some time. Most soul fragments, even ones in such a base form, would not be able to repeatedly use Qi like that if the user lacked experience.
“Senior Brother! This disciple requests an audience.”
The disciple repeats his words once more, then two more times after that. Qu Rou, however, refuses to answer. Instead, he lets the snake keep advancing. It would not do to give this disciple a too accurate idea of his position. Better to let him think the range of his bow is far greater than it actually is.
“Senior Brother! This disciple requests an audience.”
As soon as the disciple starts another attempt, Qu Rou’s body blurs. He crosses three miles in an instant and appears merely fifty yards away from the snake. Qu Rou plants his bow, a weapon as long as Qu Rou is tall, on the ground and speaks.
“You request an audience with someone who has made his intentions clear. You are brave, junior.”
His sudden appearance would have been enough for a lesser soul fragment to vanish back to its original body. This one only goes still for the span of a single breath.
“It is because Senior Brother has made his intentions clear that this one has no choice but to do this. If we were to fight, this junior would surely lose.”
“Such things tend to happen when an Inner Disciple challenges a Core Disciple.”
“Death, however, does not, Senior Brother,” the white snake says. Its red eyes stare accusingly at him. “It is true we are on opposing sides, but what need does a Core Disciple have to kill a group of Inner Disciples?”
“You are instruments of Lord Feng Gui, just as I am an instrument of Lord Feng Shang,” Qu Rou replies tonelessly. “Removing you deprives Lord Feng Gui of instruments which he may later use to challenge Lord Feng Shang’s rule after he assumes control of the Eternal Flame Clan.”
The snake hisses at him.
“Senior Brother, you cannot believe those words to be true. This one may be an instrument of Lord Feng Gui, but this one is merely an instrument chosen by chance. We are but disciples who happened to be in the Sparring Hall at the wrong time. Senior Brother, however, is an instrument chosen personally by Lord Feng Shang. We cannot be compared to each other. Killing us accomplishes none of what Senior Brother just said.”
“You are too bold to speak such words to me, junior.”
“Boldness has nothing to do with it. Senior Brother has already tried to kill us. Is it so wrong of us to seek to understand why?”
“Understand?” Qu Rou laughs darkly. “My brother died without understanding why supplies never arrived on time. He couldn’t believe that Lord Feng Gui’s men would be so vile as to deny us medical supplies in the middle of a tournament. Be grateful. I am granting you the kindness my brother never received.”
The snake goes still for a long moment.
“I see. Senior Brother has my thanks. However, this one must point out that it was not us who killed your brother. To lose a family member is a wretched thing. However, Senior Brother shall not regain it by striking us down.”
“You seem to be under the mistaken impression this is a negotiation, junior.” Qu Rou says. He picks up his bow. “My mind is made up. My arrows are hungry.”
Killing these disciples would not sate them.
But it would be a start.
“Senior Brother, my fellow disciples do not even belong to the Medical Pavilion,” the snake says. “Please, allow them to escape your anger.”
“Very well,” Qu Rou says right away. “Tell them to exit the temple, and provided they take no stones, I shall allow them to go on their way.”
The snake stares at Qu Rou.
Qu Rou stares back, revealing nothing.
“... I do not believe you, Senior Brother.”
“Good,” Qu Rou says. “That means I am not dealing with an idiot. Since you are not an idiot, you should know it is only a matter of time until you die. Either the temple will kill you, or my arrows will. Choose wisely, junior.”
“In light of Senior Brother’s mercy, this junior has a confession to make. Earlier before, this junior lied to Senior Brother.”
Qu Rou raises an eyebrow but does not interrupt. He motions the snake to go on.
“I told Senior Brother it was not us who killed your brother. That was not, strictly speaking, true.”
Qu Rou’s brow furrows. What is this junior saying…?
“This one’s name is Qing Jin.”
Qu Rou’s blood freezes. The grip he has on his bow tightens so much a tiny crack appears on the weapon.
“I am the disciple of the Apothecary who uncovered Elder Cheung’s experiments. Through me, Elder Xue gained control of the Medical Pavilion.”
Red hair.
One of the disciples had red hair.
“It is through my actions that your brother was denied the care that would have saved him.”
If Qu Rou had aimed for him from the start, he’d already be dead!
“If Senior Brother wishes to-”
Qu Rou is not listening anymore. He plucks a feather from his hair and draws his bow. Before he even finishes the movement, the feather has grown into a mighty arrow.
He lets it loose.
The snake’s words are cut off as the arrow pierces through its head. The arrow keeps going until it reaches the temple’s door and explodes.
Another follows. This one charged with more Qi.
Another.
And another.
Qu Rou pours more and more Qi into his arrows until he has cleared the rubble blocking the entrance.
“Qing Jin, the temple shall not kill you! You shall die by my arrows!”
~~~