CHAPTER 5: ENERGY OF THE WORLD
The sun hung low in the sky as Yuan Jian made his way back to the ruins. His heart was pounding, a strange mixture of excitement and anxiety filling his chest. Ever since he had found the ancient carvings among the stones, something had been pulling him toward them—something deeper than simple curiosity. The engravings had hinted at a location not far from the forest, and though the directions had been vague, Yuan Jian couldn’t resist the urge to follow them.
He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but the pendant resting against his chest seemed to buzz with anticipation, as if it, too, was eager to uncover the secrets hidden in the land.
The forest grew denser as he moved further in, the trees taller and older, their roots twisting through the earth like veins. Yuan Jian’s steps slowed as he came to a small clearing near the base of a low hill. The air here was different—lighter, almost fragrant, as if the very breeze carried a kind of energy that made his skin tingle. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something... pleasant about this place.
His hand instinctively went to the pendant, holding it tight as he scanned the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary—just trees, rocks, and the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. But there was something beneath the surface, something he couldn’t quite grasp.
“This is the place,” Yuan Jian murmured to himself, feeling a strange certainty settle in his chest. He didn’t know how he knew, but it was as if the land itself was calling to him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the peaceful sensation of the area wash over him. As he stood there, the pendant grew warm against his skin, vibrating faintly. His mind flickered with fragmented memories—images of his father and Yuan Lan, their voices hushed as they spoke late into the night.
“Breathe in through your nose... slowly... and then breathe out of the mouth...”
Yuan Jian’s eyes snapped open. He could see it clearly now—himself, as a child, lying in bed and pretending to sleep while his father and Yuan Lan discussed something quietly in the next room. They had been talking about breathing, about drawing something into the body. Qi—his father had called it qi.
The memory was hazy, but the words came back to him like an echo from a forgotten dream.
“Breathe in... and out... let the energy flow...”
Before he knew it, Yuan Jian’s body moved on its own, lowering to the ground in a meditative position. His legs crossed beneath him, and his back straightened as he instinctively followed the instructions from the memory. He closed his eyes again, focusing on the sensation of the air around him, letting it fill his lungs slowly and deeply.
In... and out...
The sensation of the air seemed to change. It was as if he could feel something within it—something more than just oxygen. There was a weight to it, an energy that seemed to flow around him, soft and invisible but undeniably present. The feeling grew stronger with each breath, drawing closer to him, wrapping around his body like a soft embrace.
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In... and out...
Suddenly, his chest tightened. The energy that had been flowing gently began to shift, as if it was trying to enter his body. Yuan Jian gasped as a sharp pain lanced through his limbs. His muscles clenched, and his body spasmed uncontrollably, jerking violently as if something inside him was trying to force its way out.
His eyes snapped open, and he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air as pain shot through his body. His heart pounded in his chest, and his vision blurred as the energy swirled wildly around him, no longer gentle but chaotic and destructive.
“What... what is this?” Yuan Jian cried, his voice trembling.
The pain intensified, tearing through his muscles and bones, as if his very body was rejecting the energy. He tried to push it away, but it was too strong, too overwhelming.
Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind, lifting him up.
“Jian!” Yuan Feng’s voice was frantic as he pulled Yuan Jian away from the clearing, his movements swift and urgent. “Stop! You’re not ready for this!”
Yuan Jian groaned as his body spasmed again, the pain still coursing through him. He felt his brother’s arms tighten around him, holding him steady as they moved away from the hill.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to fade, and the energy around him slowly dissipated. Yuan Jian’s breath came in ragged gasps as Yuan Feng set him down on the ground, his face pale and eyes wide with fear.
“What were you thinking?” Yuan Feng demanded, his voice shaking. “You can’t just... you can’t just start doing this without knowing what you’re getting into!”
Yuan Jian looked up at him, confusion and exhaustion weighing heavily on his mind. “What... what was that?”
Yuan Feng stared at him for a long moment, his eyes searching Yuan Jian’s face as if he was debating how much to tell him.
Finally, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “That... that was qi. You were trying to breathe it in, but your body isn’t ready. It’s... complicated.”
“Qi?” Yuan Jian repeated, frowning. “I remember Dad and Yuan Lan talking about it, but... what is it?”
Yuan Feng sat back, his expression softening with concern. “It’s the energy of the world. But it’s not something you can just take in like air. You have to train your body first, reinforce it to handle the flow. That’s why Dad took our older sister and me out to the forest—to prepare us.”
“But why didn’t he take me? Or Mei?” Yuan Jian asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
Yuan Feng hesitated. “I... I don’t know everything, but I think... I think they were trying to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
“I’m not sure,” Yuan Feng admitted. “But I know Dad was afraid of something. Something about the way qi was disappearing from the world... and the dangers that came with it.”
Yuan Jian leaned back, trying to make sense of it all. His body still ached from the failed attempt to take in qi, but his mind was racing with questions. His father had been preparing Yuan Feng and Yuan Lan for something—something that had stopped before he and Yuan Mei ever had a chance to be part of it.
And now, for the first time, Yuan Jian was starting to understand what that something was (or so he thought).