After the rolling hills of myriad red’s slowly flattened, my consciousness began to recognise reality once again. I could feel my qi was a little more than half way imprinted with my cultivation technique, meaning I was mid-level qi imprinting stage.

I opened my eyes only to see I had a layer of dust over my crossed legs. I swiped at my hair and sure enough, more dust. I had to take into account the prior state of the cellar but even then; for a layer of dust to have formed meant I had been cultivating for a while longer than intended.

As my consciousness lost the fuzzy haze that came about from long mediation sessions, I inhaled through my nose and was treated to a vile smell. I looked desperately around the room to see if something had died inside but eventually realised it was me.

I looked to the ceiling, there was no way I could face Safi looking and smelling like I did. I opened the door to the cellar slowly, I had no family, friends, and no house of my own. I smelled terribly, had a bad reputation, looked like I’d been dragged between cities, and there was a manic sect expert after me. I closed the cellar door again. Maybe it was time to think of a plan.

According to my memories, as unreliable as they were, two sects made Fel Maer their home. I had no idea which one was after me which ruled joining either of them out completely. As far as I could work out, there were other sects nearby. One that focused on spear mastery, another on subterfuge, and finally an alchemy sect; all unfortunately unfitting.

I slowly rubbed my temples, there were no doors opened for me. In which case, I’d have to open a few myself.

Step one involved escaping this good for nothing city, there was precious little for me here except Safi and the icy claws of death. I finally opened the cellar door, piled up snow pushed aside in the process. The cold instantly got to me, my light robes were nothing in its chilly embrace. It was dark, the cellar door creaked as I slowly closed it behind me. I could hear some ramblings a few streets down but it was otherwise quiet.

I could not help but recall my awakening to this turbulent life. I trudged onwards, hoping that Safi would not mind being visited at whatever time it was. I made my way to her street, staying silent and evading the few people that were still out.

I reached out to knock on her door when I sensed a blade coming towards me at an alarming speed. I summoned my qi and a large circle glowing with illustrious yellow light appeared behind me. I manipulated it forward, encapsulating the flying blade and bending its course around the circle, sending it right back to where it came from.

The circle of qi returned behind me and I readied for the next attack, I heard the blade thunk into something meaning whoever had expelled the blade had moved. With the element of surprise lost, the attacker shot forward, looking for a melee exchange. I assumed a stance and manipulated the circle forward again. The attacker wielded their qi as well, forming numerous blades no doubt intending to overwhelm me.

They approached launching their first assault. I parried as best I could, I could feel from their aura that they were at least two stages ahead of me. They commanded their qi correctly, using their superior amount to push me back, they landed exactly three attacks out of many that pierced my circle and my defensive movement techniques.

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My advantage came from their lack of understanding, although they should have figured it out. The attacks that my circle absorbed shot out, this time properly aimed at my aggressor. Most of the deflected blades landed and cut deep, despite this they were still standing. I commanded the circle behind me and rushed forward, grasping their face with my hand. I used a high level illusion technique, one that required contact, the compensation was the low qi cost. The attacker went still before dropping to their knees. I let go of their face, seeing their eyes glazed over I dragged them to a more inconspicuous spot.

The technique should keep them incapacitated for a few hours, easily long enough for a hasty escape. I used what little qi I had left to focus on recovery. Blood soaked my robes now, not that it made much of a difference at this point, if anything maybe it could mask the horrible smell. I sniffed at them and wretched, it hadn’t.

I knocked on the door, hoping Safi could hear. I could hear scuffling and footsteps pounding the floor. The door opened quickly and she stared at me blankly.

“You idiot!” she said quietly but with an aggressive tone.

“I know!” I agreed wholeheartedly.

“Are you alright?” she asked upon seeing the blood soaked clothing.

“Never better,” I smiled with all the confidence I could muster.

“They got to you again?” she asked, standing aside and letting me in.

“Twice,” I said. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

“Nevermind that,” she said quickly. “Do they know you’re here?”

“One does, but I knocked them out, they shouldn’t recover for a while.”

“How long is a while?” she asked with little patience.

“About three hours,” I said.

“Alright,” she nodded her head firmly. “I got you some things.”

“You did?” I asked dumbly.

“Well, of course. I visited your house, you’ve got nothing,” she said matter of factly as she headed into one of the rooms, I followed her. “You smell atrocious,” she said. “Hop in.” she said as she gestured to a tub full of water.

It was then I finally noticed her soaked hair and wet clothes clinging to her body. She saw me and shrugged. “I was finished anyway.”

I silently stripped off, after she left. I did not have much time but there was nothing I could accomplish smelling and looking like I did. So, I hopped into the bath and began to wash. After a minute, I was scrubbing in between my toes, I heard the door creak open. I looked at Safi who was holding a flannel.

“I’ll wash your back,” she said hesitantly as she approached.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“No,” she said as she took a seat behind me. She reached out with shaky hands, with only thin cloth between us. She sharply gasped as she came into contact with my back and wrenched her arm back. I continued working on my feet, giving her as little reason to be nervous as possible.

I was not entirely sure why she was pushing herself so early on, but if it was what she wanted I was not going to stop her. She reached out again and more confidently touched my back with the flannel. I could hear her ragged breaths behind me but continued to wash myself.

“Much better!” she proclaimed after a minute or so and got up to leave.

“Thank you,” I said. She only nodded and left the room. This was clearly a big step for her and I did not want to downplay that with anything less than genuine thanks.

I finished washing and got dressed into the martial clothes she had prepared for me. The top was dull violet and the trousers were black. I frizzed my hair with my hand, thankful that it was short and would dry quickly.

I exited the room feeling like a new man. After stretching my arms, Safi exited another room. She had a bag on her back and another in her left hand.

“What’s the plan?” she asked.