Ace let out a low groan as he watched Bao Feng set up camp. The man moved with practiced ease and not an ounce of fear showed in his relaxed posture. While literally punching a stake into the ground, his teacher motioned for him to get to it.
So, with a tad of vexation in his heart and weariness in his legs, Ace kneeled next to the midsection of the carcass Bao Feng had said would harbor a lot of Qi.
I’m taking a wild guess and saying it’s in the center.
Steeling himself for the vile task, he inserted his sword into the pelt, which turned out to be more challenging than he had anticipated without a build-up of force. The wolf’s fur was matted with blood and was exceptionally thick, making his longsword lose much of its piercing capabilities, but it was enough in the end as he carefully began slicing out a line in the pelt.
Ace internally consulted himself about the fight as he worked:
I didn’t do too poorly in my first big fight, did I? My biggest mistake was for sure not using Identify. That was a fucking oversight. Speaking of identifying things:
“Identify,” Ace muttered out loud.
Dead Ying-Yang Wolf - Level 1 - Uncommon Species
The Yin-Yang Wolf is a rarer, but still relatively common, variant of the typical Yin or Yang wolves that inhabit the forests next to the Desolate Mountains. All Yin-Yang Wolves can only make use of Earth Qi unless they have mutated or level-upped and received the ability to use other Qi types. Those who fight such beasts should be wary of their speed, aggressiveness, and limited use of Earth magic.
Ace curled up his top lip. “Oh, yeah… that would have been pretty useful,” He brushed off the disappointment with himself, though. “Hey, I still smashed those oversized dogs, so whatever. I just have to remember to use Identify next time.”
With a sudden stroke of brilliance, he thought, wouldn’t Level 1 be the meridian opening stage, not Qi Gathering like Bao said? Maybe the tiers are different for other species. I’ve got to ask him about that.
Making one final slice down the abdomen of the beast, Ace removed the skin flap he had created. He scrunched his nose as the smell hit him, it was a deeply unpleasant metallic tang combined with a foul odor that almost drove him away from his mission.
Ugh.
Standing to the side of the incision, Ace scooped all the organs out of the way with his sword, sending them tumbling into the snow with a smell that made him gag.
Bao Feng snickered from where he had paused to poke fun at him.
“Shut up. It’s not funny,” Ace exasperatedly proclaimed.
Bao raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, carry on, it happens to the best of us.” He returned
Slowly and methodically, Ace kept toiling to find anything at all that resembled a core, parting heaps of fatty tissue, organs, and bones out of his way with his weapon, until, at last, he saw the faint, dim shine of an object hidden beneath blood and flesh.
Fucking hell, that took too long.
Since Ace already had gauntlets made of hardened leather to go along with his armor set, he scooped up the core into his palm without apprehension. Which, by the way, beckoned more attention to why the Qi didn’t get stuck behind the leather every time he used his technique. It was something to consider later, for sure.
The core was bigger than he had expected, about the size of a baseball.
That’s what she said. Alright, back to it.
It pulsated with a vibrant, golden-brown hue that lit up the crevices of his face. It was encased in a smooth, outer membrane that didn’t cave to his strength even with a light squeeze. Ace could feel the dormant energy waiting to be utilized inside of it, but he denied his urge to try to extract any of the Qi inside.
Ace held it up and saw the faint sloshing of a liquid substance within the transparent shell. A dancing symphony of Qi was sparkling within the core and, boy, was it beautiful.
Bao Feng whistled. “You pulled a lucky card with that one, Ace,” He slides up next to him. “It is pure liquid Earth Qi. That wolf was in the midst of casting a spell when you killed it. People will pay good money for that.”
Ace curiously asked. “Why? Is it any different from normal Qi when you are cultivating?”
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Shaking his head, Bao Feng replied. “No, not when cultivating. It is expensive because of the uses in alchemy that liquid Qi has,” He smiled at Ace’s shocked expression. “Usually, there’s no way to get liquid Qi; for Qi to exit a meridian, it must transition into its elemental form. But, if taken directly from the dantian, via cutting a small hole in it, tangible liquid Qi can be implemented in alchemical practices like potion-craft.”
“So, basically, I just hit the jackpot?”
“In a way of sorts,” Bao yawned. “It’s time for bed, save your questions and I’ll do the same for my critiques of your fighting skills. We’ll finish harvesting the materials in the morning.”
Ace nodded affirmatively, casting a final glance at the carcass of the wolf he’d cut his core from. He tossed it to Bao Feng who caught it with deft hands with raised brows. “Here, you should hold on to it and I don’t want to carry it all day tomorrow either. Also, I gotta change into some cleaner clothes right now, so if you don’t mind passing me some…”
“That sounds good,” He pulled out a clean night outfit he’d purchased back in the town. “Take these and give me your armor. You will be plenty clean underneath all that protection, maybe a little sweaty, but roll in the snow if you get hot tonight.”
Laughing, Ace said. “I’ll be sure to do that. Thanks for the suggestion.”
Less than an hour later, both men were tucked into bed, waiting for the day ahead.
----------------------------------------
In the morning, Ace awoke with muscle aches and pains rigorously coursing throughout his body. The feeling of frost biting at his hands was never a nice one. It seemed he had, not for the first time, left his uninsulated hands on the thin surface of the tent. Breathing out and forming a puff of smoke in the aftermath, Ace got up and put on the travel clothing his mentor had left for him yesterday.
I’ll give the guy some credit, Ace thought, remembering the battle, he can beat the fuck out of some wolves.
Before the encounter, he had never truly understood the gap between his and Bao Feng’s power, but he did now. The old buck moved with effortless confidence and composure in every stroke of the sword, punch, or kick. It was the complete antonym to the unsure dodges and strikes he had made, particularly his beginning attack, which almost concluded with his head being torn off, not a fun outcome.
He winced at the stiffness in his limbs and parted the tent flap that guarded the outside views. Ace was greeted by a cacophony of chirping birds high up in the rafters of the trees and a pile of monster cores in front of the entrance.
Of course, Bao Feng was already up and crouched next to the corpse of a Yin-Yang Wolf, examining the remains with a scrutinous eye. He looked on as his mentor cut away small sections of the pelt to reach the valuable core in the quickest, least dirty manner with a razor-sharp, little hunting knife. Despite the early hour, the man seemed utterly alert and energized. Ace marveled at the finesse he was displaying with a disbelieving snort.
Besides the monsters, the dead, wholly intact bodies of vultures and other scavengers accompanied the wolves.
I guess he wasn’t lying when he was talking about fucking around and finding out
Ace began making a cup of tea, something he had never partaken in back on Earth, with a full kettle still steaming in the center of camp. He dropped a little bit of mostly frozen and slipped a wee bit of honey in there.
“Thanks for the tea,” He said to Bao Feng’s back.
“Yeah, no problem,” The man ripped out the core he had been digging for, frowning at the dull glow. “Not a bad haul.”
Bao Feng stood up with a grunt, before taking out a pouch jingling with items in it from thin air and throwing it at him.
Catching it with his left hand, Ace was careful not to spill a drop of tea. “What’s in it?”
“Claws and teeth my ignorant apprentice,” Bao Feng clarified.
Ace carefully placed down his steaming cup on a rock, his curiosity piqued by the package Bao Feng had tossed him. He unclipped the puch and peered inside, noting the glistening white teeth and yellowed claws that rested inside.
“Claws and teeth, huh?” He muttered, fingering one of the larger canines and tracing a finger along its grooves. “What are we supposed to do with these?”
Bao Feng chuckled at his unawareness, “A lot, actually. This wolf type’s body parts are pretty sought after. The claws can be fashioned into daggers and people like to wear necklaces made with them. The teeth have a market with alchemists for their innate, lingering Earth Qi. Its bones, refined properly, can be used in weapons and armor.”
Ace bobbed his head. “So, everything on them is good to have.”
“Exactly, the pelt has resistive qualities towards Ice Qi that are, as you can probably see, wanted out here. Even the fur can be used in hats, coats, gloves, etcetera.” Bao Feng wiped his knife with a cloth before sheathing it on his belt smoothly.
Ace reclipped the pouch with a considering twist of his head. “Do you think I could make a knife out of these?”
“You?” Bao Feng chuckled, bemused. “Sure, if you suddenly become an expert craftsperson, you can. But don’t concern yourself with that for now, just stay focused on learning how to harness Qi and not getting yourself bitten in half by a wolf.”
Giving the pouch back, Ace took another sip of tea. “How far is the city again, I’ve got questions to ask and need time to do it.”
Bao Feng shrugged. “We have plenty of time to do so and you know I have some things to say about your fighting. We can both eat along the way if you can bear with that?”
“I'll manage. And about the whole… affinity thing you wanted to talk about?”
“In due time,” Bao Feng pushed back the matter. “It was a spur-of-the-moment reaction from me, but suffice it to say, I have never heard of a meridian opening cultivator doing what you did two times.”
Ace nodded. “Okay, let’s talk about it on the road too,” He opened his arms wide, encompassing the camp. “How ‘bout we pack up and go?”
“Perfect.”