CHAPTER 6: SECRETS TOLD

Yuan Feng paced the small living room, his face drawn tight with worry. Yuan Jian sat on the couch, still pale from the experience in the forest but filled with a renewed sense of determination. His muscles ached, and the pain from his earlier attempt at qi absorption still lingered, but his mind was focused on what his brother had said.

Qi. It wasn’t just some concept from story books or novels—it was real. And his parents had known about it all along.

Yuan Feng stopped pacing and turned to face him, his expression conflicted. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you this. Mom and Dad didn’t want us to tell anyone. But... after what happened today, I don’t think I can keep hiding it from you anymore.”

Yuan Jian nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. “Tell me everything.”

Yuan Feng sighed and sat down in the chair across from him, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “When we were younger, Dad would take Yuan Lan and me out to the forest. He didn’t teach us how to cultivate qi exactly, but he was preparing us for it. He taught us breathing exercises, meditation, how to reinforce our bodies to handle qi when the time came. But he never let us take in qi—not fully.”

“Why not?” Yuan Jian asked, his brow furrowed.

“Because we weren’t ready,” Yuan Feng explained. “Our bodies had to be trained first. Qi isn’t something you can just take in without preparation. It can overwhelm you, damage you if you’re not strong enough to handle it.”

Yuan Jian glanced down at his hands, remembering the searing pain that had torn through his body in the forest. “That’s what happened to me, isn’t it?”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Yuan Feng nodded. “Yeah. You tried to take in qi, but your body isn’t strong enough yet. That’s why Dad was so careful with Yuan Lan and me. He didn’t want us to rush into it and get hurt.”

“But why didn’t he train me or Yuan Mei?” Yuan Jian asked, his voice rising with frustration. “Why did they stop?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Yuan Feng admitted. “But I think it has something to do with the way qi has been disappearing from the world. Dad mentioned it a few times in his sleep—about how the balance of qi had shifted and how hard it was to cultivate much less create new practitioners. I think... I think he was trying to keep you and Yuan Mei safe.”

“Safe from what?”

Yuan Feng shook his head, his expression grim. “I don’t know. But whatever it was, it was big enough to make them stop. And now... now I think it’s up to us to figure it out.”

Yuan Jian leaned back against the couch, his mind spinning with everything he had just learned. The idea of qi—the energy of the world—had always been something distant and abstract, but now it was real, and it was right in front of him. His father had been training Yuan Feng and Yuan Lan for something—something he had never been a part of.

And now, with his parents gone, it was up to him to uncover the truth.

“I want to learn,” Yuan Jian said quietly, meeting his brother’s gaze. “I want to train. I want to know everything Dad was trying to teach you.”

Yuan Feng nodded slowly, though there was a shadow of worry in his eyes. “I’ll help you,” he said. “But we have to be careful. Whatever Dad was protecting us from... it’s still out there.”

Yuan Jian clenched his fists, determination burning in his chest. “I’m not afraid. I have to know the truth.”

Yuan Feng stood up and crossed the room, placing a hand on Yuan Jian’s shoulder. “Then we’ll start tomorrow. We’ll go slow—breathing exercises, meditation, body reinforcement. The same way Dad taught me.”

Yuan Jian nodded, feeling a spark of excitement and fear mix in his chest.

This was the beginning of something bigger than he had ever imagined.