Tomo was just sitting down to a cup of coffee after putting a few items in the cosmo trunk for Lin Liqiu. Ku Wei was in his room studying the Coptic language as the pocket dimension's anchor point was making it's way along the leylines towards Egypt. Tomo found that in a surprisingly short time he had grown accustomed to the children's presence and the Library felt oddly empty without them. Even the silence that he once enjoyed was now oppressively lacking.
As if to alleviate his growing melancholy, Tomo sensed Lin Liqin messaging him through his Encyclopedia page. He was intrigued by Lin Liqin's description of his struggles with the Druid's sensing technique and the young man that had been radiating energy waves. He quickly replied, “Be mindful around him. If my guess is correct, he recently ascended to the Graduate realm. What you were seeing is most likely what more advanced cultivators refer to as the tribulation. Most cultivators never make it past the Disciple realm and never truly experience it. Advancements in our control are marked by breakthroughs of small realms, but with each large realm we breakthrough our power doubles. When advancing from the Novice realm to Initiate most barely notice it and those advancing to the Disciple realm may struggle to control their new power for a day or two. However, newly ascended Graduates struggle to control themselves for weeks after breaking through. The energy you were sensing was his Chi roiling and raging within his dantian. When he loosens his grip on it, it will be akin to a flood breaching a levee. He will be a walking natural disaster any time he attempts to circulate his Chi.”
Sipping at his coffee, Tomo took a moment to ponder Lin Liqin's other issue. Eventually he replied back, though with no definitive answer, “My experience learning the Druid's sensing technique was quite smooth due to its compatibility with my space element. Jia Ying also had great compatibility with the technique, so I had assumed it was easy to learn. However, you and Wei have faced difficulties. I believe the issue is related to triangulation, something my space element excels at because it inherently translates to three dimensional representation. In short, Jia Ying uses both feet when directing pulses through the earth similar to how our ears determine the direction of a sound. But you are using your dantian to detect vibrations. As such, you only have one point of reference and thus no way to triangulate position. Attempt receiving the vibrations with another part of your body, your hands perhaps, and then send the energy along to your dantian. It may be tempting to use your ears, but be warned, they are very sensitive to vibrations and easily damaged beyond repair. Only use your ears if absolutely necessary and in that event they should be reinforced with Ki. While you test that theory I will pursue another potential solution.”
Tomo leisurely enjoyed the last of his coffee before refilling his cup. He leaned back in his chair, letting his fresh mug cool. As he thought about the person he was about to contact several emotions fought for control of his expression. Apprehension and nervousness were present, as were fear and anger, but mostly there was a deep and uncompromising love.
With a deep sigh that caused the fragrant steam wafting about to ebb and swirl, Tomo began reaching out to a long dormant Encyclopedia page. A light smile tugged at his lips as his intent etched words upon the page, “Hello lovely. I was hoping to discuss some things with you and, if I'm being honest, our last meeting is never far from my thoughts. I'm almost done dropping the children off for a little field trip. Would you care to join me for a cup of coffee and perhaps we can pick things up where we left off?”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He received a swift answer in the form of a single word, written in a defiant hand, “Swindler!” Tomo's smile froze as he repeatedly read the word before it dissolved to make room for the incoming paragraph, “You already knew Shan Yang was missing before you made our little wager and you didn't bother to tell me! What do you want now? I already gave you the advantage of time because I thought I had the advantage of personnel. You must be feeling pretty smug, right? Using your big words and handsome face to deceive your own wife. Shameful! So, what other benefits were you hoping your charms could take from me?”
Tomo could practically hear Charlatte yelling at him through the Encyclopedia and was, for once, speechless.
*** *** *** ***
As he opened the door to their room Lin Liqin could see that the two ladies he'd left sleeping soundly early this morning still hadn't moved. He couldn't shake the thought of Ku Wang Xiaobo's raw power and had left first thing to get some fresh air. He kept imagining that weak veneer the man wore cracking as a storm of Chi burst forth and swept them all away.
The room contained two beds with a small night stand in between. Ming Jia Ying got one bed to herself while Lin Liqin and Tsubame shared the other. Lin Liqin placed a small bag of food on the night stand that he'd purchased on his walk. It contained some sweet pastries and breakfast meats from a nearby market. As he crawled back into bed he could hear Ming Jia Ying stirring. Assuming the smell of the food had roused her he whispered over his shoulder, “help yourself,” which earned him an affirmative grunt from the sleepy girl that seemed to have already begun stuffing her face.
He carefully slid into bed next to Tsubame. With out waking, the woman nuzzled deeper into his warm embrace. He'd spent his walk contemplating Tomo's advice and as he laid there closing his eyes he attempted to put it into practice.
Focusing on his hands, he tried to sense the world's natural vibrations as he'd done with his dantian yesterday. However, it quickly became apparent that this was not the solution. Tomo had used listening with his ears as an example, but Lin Liqin's ears were in fixed positions compared to one another. Images would start to form from the vibrations only to be lost the moment he moved his hand. It wasn't all bad news though, as it seemed that Tomo had been correct that the issue was triangulation. During these brief glimpses Lin Liqin had been able to ascertain their position.
Obviously, in real world situations Lin Liqin wouldn't be able to restrict the movement of his hands, but Tomo had warned against the use of his ears in this endeavor. After some consideration Lin Liqin felt he'd arrived at a rather ingenious compromise, he'd use his shoulders.
His preliminary tests using his shoulders were promising, but there was a clear issue. He had direction now, but the quality of the image had fallen dramatically. Before Lin Liqin could explore the issue further a knock came at the door. Ming Jia Ying made to go answer it, but he raised a hand to stop her.
Lin Liqin trusted Ming Jia Ying to handle her own in a fight, but that didn't mean he'd let her take undo risks. This wasn't a social visit and he'd promised Tomo he'd look out for her during the mission. While he didn't expect any trouble that didn't change the fact that anyone here could become their enemy at anytime.
After carefully extricating himself from the web of limbs Tsubame had woven around him Lin Liqin made his way to the door. When he opened it he was greeted by an employee of the inn. A brief conversation later he returned to the two ladies and found Tsubame sitting up, nibbling on a piece of sausage. Sitting on the bed next to her, he reached for a pastry as he relayed the message, “That was a time limit warning. An official will be leading the teams to the tournament grounds in three hours. Any teams not in the main hall at that time will be disqualified.”