Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Well, Master? With these crushed stones in Dandan’s hands, do you think the physical strength I've shown is enough to pass the test?" said Gu Dandan enthusiastically, showing her master the remains of the stone, now reduced to fine grains and small pebbles in her hands.
“Hmm... Y-yeah, your strength has improved, but it’s still not enough for me to let you pass.”
“Huh? Why, Master? Wasn’t that a great display of strength?”
"No, that wasn’t impressive. Besides, crushing stones with your grip isn’t going to impress me. If you want to impress me, try showing all your strength by punching something. If you manage to leave a huge mark, then I might just let you pass."
"Oh, I see! In that case, Dandan will definitely show all strength!"
"Good, do it now. I want to see just how strong your strike really is."
"Yes, Master!"
Responding with enthusiasm, Gu Dandan quickly looked around for something she could destroy. However, as she scanned her surroundings, she hesitated. Everything around her seemed too valuable to break. Unsure of what would both impress her master and be okay to smash, she found himself deep in thought, trying to pick the right target.
‘Uh… What should Dandan destroy to impress Master? Maybe the tree at the edge of the misty forest near the backyard? B-but, there might be animals living in that tree, and if I destroy it, they could get hurt or lose their home. Then, what should I smash? Maybe I should just destroy my own house? B-but if I do that, my house would be gone, and I'd have nowhere to live. So what should Dandan choose? Hmm… maybe a rock cou—’
“Little Dandan, why are you just standing there? Where’s the attack?”
“O-oh, sorry, Master. Dandan was just pausing, trying to think of something safe to destroy. Dandan was worried that if I break something here, it might affect the animals around it. So, Master—”
‘Wait a minute! Why does Dandan have to destroy something around here? Isn’t Master right here, and wouldn’t she be perfect as a target for Dandan’s strength test? Besides, Master is a cultivator—I’m sure she’s really strong and could easily withstand Dandan’s power if I attack her. So, that means I’ll attack Master! But… will Master be upset if I do that? Probably not, right? Hmm… she shouldn’t be. In fact, this might make it easier for her to judge my strength, since I’ll be aiming directly at her. Alright, it’s time for Dandan to go for it!’
Stepping closer to her master, who looked puzzled as she approached, Gu Dandan—without a second thought—threw her strongest punch, an amateurish blow like a child’s, straight into her master’s body.
Puk!
‘That was the strongest punch Dandan has ever thrown, so Master should definitely—eh? Master didn’t feel any pain? Was my punch that weak? No, it must be because Master is very strong! Maybe she’ll feel it if I punch her multiple times, so I’ll just keep going with my attacks!’
“Little Dandan, what are you—”
Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!
Gu Dandan punched her master about twenty times, but her master still just looked confused. Seeing no reaction, Gu Dandan decided to step it up by squeezing her master’s body, just as she’d crushed the stone earlier, hoping to get some response. But instead of the reaction she wanted, her master began laughing, clearly amused by the attempt. Hearing her master’s laughter, which felt like it was mocking her, Gu Dandan pouted and decided to add a headbutt to the mix, hoping her master would finally feel some pain from all her attacks.
---
“Hahaha, p-please stop, little Dandan. That tickles so much, Master can’t take it. Hahaha…”
“Huff... Huff... Hah... Hah... This is exhausting!” Gu Dandan panted, finally stopping her assault on her master.
“Hahaha... Uh... Huff... Hah... Ahem, little Dandan. What exactly were you doing just now? Why were you messing around by punching, tickling, and headbutting me? Were you doing all that because you’re unsatisfied with the test results I gave you?”
“Huff... Huff... That’s not it, Master. Dandan was actually attacking you with all strength! But why didn’t you feel anything? I hit you so many times!”
“Huh? Y-you were trying to hurt me, your master—uhum, you naughty little girl!”
Snap!
“OW! OW! Ow! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! That hurts! Dandan’s head feels like it’s splitting open! Why did you flick Dandan’s head, Master?!” Gu Dandan cried, eyes watering as she clutched her aching head.
“That’s what you get for daring to attack your master. Luckily, I’m not too strict about respecting elders, so I only gave you a light flick. If I were strict, you’d definitely be facing a much harsher punishment.”
“Ugh... S-sorry, Master. Dandan only attacked you because there wasn’t anything else here that Dandan could use as a target. Since Master is a cultivator, you’re obviously really strong, so Dandan figured you’d make a target that couldn’t be destroyed.”
“Haaah… What kind of excuse is that... Never mind. Let’s continue the test. So you don’t start attacking strange things again, I’ll just have you break a large rock here in the garden.”
“C-could we pick something else, Master? Dandan is worried there might be—”
“No complaints. Just hit the rock. Or would you rather do triple the training I assigned you?”
“Uh… Yes, Master.”
‘Master is so cruel for forcing Dandan to smash this rock, even though I was going to say that there could be animals around it who might get hurt or even die if they’re hit by my attack. Ugh, I don’t have a choice. Sorry to any animals here—I hope you won’t get caught up when this rock breaks. Dandan will try to make sure the rock crumbles without harming any of you.’
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Approaching the rock, which was a bit larger than herself and the one her master had pointed to, Gu Dandan squeezed one of its edges to test its hardness and make sure she could break it. When she felt the stone crumble easily in her hand, her confidence grew. She climbed up onto the rock, raised her fist, and struck down with all her strength, hoping that none of the fragments would hit any nearby creatures.
BAM!
‘Uh... Dandan miscalculated—the rock shattered and flew everywhere! H-hopefully none of the flying pieces hit any animals. But why did it explode like that? I thought breaking it from the top would keep it from scattering all over the place.’
As Gu Dandan knelt amidst the shattered pieces of the rock, feeling regretful while reflecting on how the rock fragments had scattered everywhere, her master, Vheena, watched her with a suspicious expression. She seemed to be deep in thought, but then she shook her head, dismissing whatever she had been pondering. She approached Gu Dandan to ask her something.
“Little Dandan, this time I’m impressed by the strength you have. I didn’t expect the herbal plant you used to have such a powerful effect, giving you that much strength. Also... could you provide me with some of the plants, or perhaps a bit of the concoction you made from them?”
“Master wants the brew from the Luna Might Anomaly plant? I’m sorry, Master, I’ve already drunk all the brew. But, if you want the plants, I still have a bit of the young ones left, they should still be over there... Ah! M-master, all the plants are destroyed, they got hit by the fragments of the rock I broke!” Gu Dandan said anxiously, rushing toward the Luna Might Anomaly plants, now damaged by the flying rock fragments, which were scattered near the spot where she had shattered the stone.
“O-oh, I see… Little Dandan, are there any other plants in your backyard that have the same effect in enhancing physical strength like the Luna Might Anomaly plant?”
“I don’t know, Master, Dandan isn’t sure. I haven’t had the chance to observe all the effects of the plants here with my eyes. But, from what I remember from the Grandpa Healer, the Luna Might Anomaly plant should be the only one with that effect.”
“Hmmm… what a pity… well, never mind. Little Dandan, since you have passed the test, it’s time for me to teach you how to cultivate. So, let’s start the training right here. Come closer, sit down, and close your eyes… wait, you’ve already closed your eyes. In that case, cover your eyes with this black cloth I brought, and focus on feeling the qi that I will send to your back.”
“Alright, Master.”
'Fiuh... thankfully, Dandan passed the test so I don’t need to do physical training anymore. Besides, the cultivation training that Master is going to teach should just be about feeling qi, like Master said, right? I-I hope Master won’t trick me again by pretending to be kind while teaching cultivation, only to give me techniques that end up involving physical training.' Gu Dandan thought, with a slightly fearful and suspicious expression as she sat down, following her master's command.
Gu Dandan, sitting with her eyes covered by the black cloth, suddenly felt two hands from her master touching her back. Remembering what her master had said earlier, Gu Dandan immediately focused on trying to feel the qi her master was sending to her back.
Not knowing how many hours passed, Gu Dandan focused on trying to sense the qi, but she couldn’t feel anything. Suddenly, she felt a vibration in her back, which she was sure was her master’s hands, probably tired. Just as Gu Dandan was about to ask her master to rest and relieve her fatigue, she hesitated upon hearing someone’s voice calling from the front yard, deciding to help them first.
"Little healer! We ask for your help to treat our sick child."
"…Master, c-could we pause the cultivation training for a moment? Dandan wants to help them first, may I?"
"Hmm? Of course, go ahead and help them. It’s fine if you take a while to assist them."
"Thank you, Master! I’ll go, then."
Heading to the front yard to assist those who needed her help, Gu Dandan left the backyard, unaware that her master, still seated on the ground, immediately stood up straight with a grateful expression, a few tears escaping as she could finally relieve the soreness in her body.
It didn’t take long for Gu Dandan to finish treating the illness of the person who sought her help, and she soon returned to her master to continue her training. But not long after she began meditating to feel the qi her master was sending, she was called again by someone seeking her help, prompting her to ask her master’s permission to go assist the person in need."
"Little healer! Please, could you give me a salve for my hand? I hurt it with an axe."
"Master…"
"Yes, go ahead and help them."
"Thank you, Master."
Gu Dandan went back to the front yard to help the injured person. After a while, she returned to her master to continue her training. But before long, Gu Dandan was called again by someone else seeking her help.
"Little healer! P-please help me treat my face; it’s swollen from a bee sting!"
"M-master…"
"O-of course, go ahead," her master replied, eyebrows twitching in irritation, though Gu Dandan failed to notice.
"Thank you, Master."
About six times, Gu Dandan was called away during her cultivation training, forcing her to interrupt her practice each time. After helping the sixth person who needed her, she returned to training once more. But soon after, she was called yet again by someone needing her assistance, and she asked her master if she could pause the training.
"Little healer! Please help me get my child’s hand out of this pottery!"
"M-master, Dandan wants to go help them again…"
"Y-yes, go ahead."
"T-thank you, Master."
‘T-this is awkward. I-I hope Master isn’t angry because I keep leaving to help those who need me. M-Master shouldn’t be angry, since I’m helping people, but to avoid annoying her by getting interrupted so often, I need to help them quickly.’
Leaving her master and running swiftly to help the person in need, Gu Dandan had no idea that her master was genuinely frustrated by the constant interruptions to their training.
"Darn it! This is the umpteenth time they’ve interrupted the training! What’s with a kid getting his hand stuck in pottery, and why does it have to be Little Dandan to help them? And why are so many people suddenly asking for Little Dandan’s help today? Even though I’m glad my hands and legs don’t feel sore, it’s still incredibly frustrating to be interrupted like this, making the training take even longer! How long is this going to go on? Can’t Gu Dandan feel the qi just once today? This is driving me mad if we have to keep training into the night!"
After Gu Dandan finished helping the person who had asked for her assistance, she returned to her master with a happy expression. Upon arriving, she saw her master waiting for her, smiling (but with a hint of annoyance) as she looked at her. As she approached her, she immediately heard her, without any preamble, instruct her to sit down and resume her qi-sensing practice.
As Gu Dandan sat and attempted to sense qi, strangely, it didn't take long before she felt a gentle flow within her body, moving towards her dantian. Curious about the sensation, she asked her master about it, and she explained that the gentle flow was qi. After she could sense the qi in her body, her master asked her to try to control it and remember the sensation of qi flowing through her so she would become accustomed to it.
__________
“Little Dandan…”
“…”
“Little Dandan,” her master called out to Gu Dandan, her voice a bit louder.
“…Y-yes, Master? Did you call for Dandan?”
"Finally, you responded. Yes, I was calling you. You were so focused on training that you didn’t realize I’ve been calling for a while."
"Sorry, Master."
"It's all right. Besides, the day has turned to night; it’s time for us to eat and rest. It’s not good for you to continue training. You can pick it up again tomorrow, so take off your blindfold and let’s head back inside."
"Yes, Master. In that case, let Dandan do the cooking."
"Very well."
Watching her disciple enter the house first to prepare the meal, Vheena, Gu Dandan’s master, remained in the backyard with a smile as she watched her disciple go. But as soon as Dandan was out of sight, her expression disappeared, replaced by a look of deep thought as she pondered the oddities she had noticed while training her disciple. Since her suspicions were still unclear, Vheena decided to set them aside for the moment and entered the house to fill her stomach, which had been growling all day from skipping both lunch and dinner.