A bath. They were headed to communal baths.
Myrkas exhaled in relief. He had been scared for an instant. His Martial Master did have a terrible reputation. A confusing one. Rumours of his depravity and lack of scruples abounded. The boy had half-overheard perplexing stories in the nonats leading to his reunion with Master Ranil. He had paid extra attention to any news on the wind concerning his would-be master.
At one point Myrkas had had to stop listening. The circulating pieces of information were too contradicting. One side claimed Suna Ranil hunted demons and devils with a heart full of vengeance, while the other was convinced the scarred man was a hidden demonic cultivator masquerading as a city guard. The friend of the brother of the nephew of someone's cousin had supposedly witnessed many times the senior officer in question exiting known seedy brothels with his face speckled in blood. Another had heard screams coming from his house many a night. Bone-chilling screams quickly cut off.
Master Ranil's proponents explained those troublesome sightings as Ranil punishing the wicked. They claimed those rumours had been started by Kalor Hakhmir to hinder the younger man's upcoming promotion. To keep his competition in check. Those citizens believed Master Ranil only had their best interest at heart, as proven by his generous tipping practices and willingness to strike "very reasonable" deals instead of reporting everything to the city's authority.
In short, young Myrkas did not know what to think of his Master. The only thing the boy knew, was convinced of, was that his Martial Master was strong. Hence his slight worry at what kind of activities required nakedness as part of his training. Myrkas believed a healthy amount of distrust and carefulness was quite warranted in his situation. While his uncle had vouched for Ranil, the older man had also shown he could get quite oblivious towards other people and things not related to alchemy and his research.
And so Myrkas again let out a relieved sigh when the trio finally entered the bathing area. He had not expected the training grounds to hide a bathhouse within its midst.
"The hell is wrong with you disciple? Are you scared of water? You look as if I was bringing you to your execution," exclaimed Ranil with a somewhat concerned frown. "Finish fixing your face right this instant. The exclusive Piercing Jade Valley City Guard Baths are no place to spread your anxious miasma. Bad vibes out. No hindering your comrades' peaceful moments between trainings.
"This place is the main reason most people join the city guard. That and hoping to avoid a military draft. These baths and the other cultivation aids we provide are the best body cultivation resources poor commoners are ever going to see, let alone use. The Qi isn't plentiful, but it's there. It's also pretty neutral, almost placid, ready to be absorbed and assimilated. It's not very powerful, but the energy is compatible with pretty much all paths, and it's easily assimilated. Not much need for talent here. Even just soaking in the middle of training gives benefits. Perfect for clueless bastards who still crave power.
"Moderate power with minimal risk. If these whores' sons and poor lads really wanted to be strong they would enter the army. Much better support there. But the risk of death is much higher too. Most avoid it unless they are noble scions or conscripted. Honour and glory don't feed one's family. It may get you one though. I recall that's how your grandfather got a last name and his first wife. Can't be any kind of officer without a last name. The entire organization would lose face.
" 'Nough talking. Get a move on. You don't wanna be late for the afternoon. I don't have a ready punishment for lateness but I'm sure I can come up with something if I need to."
A hard slap on his naked back propulsed Myrkas into the bathing area. His tired limbs only just managed to prevent a fall on the wet and slippery floor. After this supreme display of preserved equilibrium, the youth gathered his courage and repressed his embarrassment. He dared not voice any complaint about their completely unnecessary—in his opinion—naked state to Master Ranil, lest he sparked his ire. Myrkas dearly wished bathing suits in public settings were more prevalent in this world. It simply felt wrong to see and be seen by strangers like this. A small piece of cloth could not impede cultivation that much, could it?
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Back straight and arms relaxed by his side, Myrkas headed to the "shower" area. Everyone needed a good scrub and rinse before entering the shared pools. The floor and walls were covered in small ceramics, in various shades of blue and brown. Metal grates were positioned at intervals to drain the wayward splashes. Pumps, disposable sponges, and buckets along the entrance walls further emphasized good hygiene practices prior to bathing. For those who desperately lacked common sense, a giant painted sign, in both writing and pictogram, forbade anyone to enter the healing waters before removing the grub from training. Dire consequences were promised for any dirty misbehaving ones.
The obvious lack of soap bothered Myrkas tremendously. He didn't feel completely clean unless he could luxuriate in a fragrant, bubbly lather of cleaning agent. He was not convinced that removing a layer of skin with a rough sponge or cloth and rinsing it off was equivalent. It for certain did not smell as good. This flagrant—and 'fragrant'—lack of hygiene standards did, however, provide the ambitious boy with an unmissable opportunity. For who was better placed than him to become the first and only provider of Qi-enhanced soap to his city's guards? The perfect novel cultivation aid! And a much nicer smell everywhere they went. An absolute win on all sides! Myrkas only needed a completed product to sell. A small detail. Nothing a good dose of motivation could not fix. He was going to be so rich! He could already feel the coins, no, the taels, between his greedy fingers.
Lost in his dreams of golden bubbles, Myrkas did not see the bucket of cold water coming his way. His sudden shower brought him out of his thoughts, and one look from his impatient Master was all the boy needed to quickly, but thoroughly, scrub himself and his tired rabbit. His once pet now senior sister preferred to let herself be pampered instead of spending the small amount of energy she had recovered with a few sips of Clear Refreshing Water on grooming. The white ball of fluff had barely moved a muscle since the end of their morning training, content to be carried around and catered for. Myrkas even gave her a quick brush with his fingers. He dared not let her fur get tangled. That was a sure way to receive unfair admonishments from both Lilac and Nirrina. Fur care was apparently supremely important, at least according to those two.
Finally rinsed, they were ready to bathe. A welcomed break in a so far harrowing first day. It almost made the morning worth it. A series of pools was spread out in front of the trio. Steam filled the air, carrying a mild herbal scent. Tall columns held the domed part of the ceiling. The few skylights ensconced in the dome let diffuse daylight inside. The scattered beam gave a mystic sense to the visible swirls of steam rising from the varied pools. Very apropos for a space dedicated to meditation and growth. And to soothe muscle aches,
Master Ranil led them to the largest pool, near the center of the room. They submerged themselves without further ado, making use of the benches carved in the waterbed. About half a dozen guards were already there, meditating—or dozing off, to be more accurate. Once in the water, Myrkas braced himself, focusing on his inner Qi. His recent misadventure with a more potent medicinal bath had left him wary. He definitely preferred to avoid excreting any amount of blood and/or mysterious black sludge on his first day of training with the city guard. While he had not been teased so far, being younger than the next youngest by at least three years in addition to being a "nepotic non-recruit" ensured a good ribbing was coming the boy's way. Myrkas expected that the "throwing not-peanuts at Master Ranil's disciple" game would not be enough to assuage the group's thirst for teasing, whether in good humour or mean-spirited. He did not want to add "unexplained dirt coming out of his pores on his first day" to their ammunition.
Hence, to prevent such a shameful display, Myrkas poured his will into circulating his Qi and absorbing the energy surrounding him. He spent his first minutes in the bath oblivious to his comrades, too absorbed was he in observing his inner energies and making sure he was not fated for a repeat in grossness.
A useless fear as it turned out. The Qi contained in this bath was much more gentle than the Piercing Jade Grass one. The difference did not warrant any comparison. The Piercing Jade energy, as its name implied, had attacked Myrkas' very cells, scouring his being of any "impurities", whatever that meant. On the contrary, the Qi in this pool was incredibly placid, content to float there, waiting for anyone to assert their will at it. It was almost too easy to grab. But much harder to direct. It felt like molasse, sticky and hard to manoeuvre. If someone had sworn the energy came from an old, lazy ox, Myrkas would have believed it. The Qi had immense inertia, resisting motion and absorption: enduring Myrkas' will.