As Huo Jing's eye beamed from above, Tao Shu embraced the fallen weapon’s hilt, pressing it tightly against his frail chest. “I'm sorry, I wish I were stronger!" he wailed through salty tears. "I wish I could’ve helped you fight! If I started my training sooner, I could've fought by your side! We could've beaten the four lords together! I'm sorry for being afraid! I'm sorry for being weak! I'm sorry for being a disappointment!”
The weapon sat in silence, the soul inside allowing his son to mourn until finally replying. “Shu… You’re a child. There’s nothing you could have done, even if you'd been training for two years. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine for not being prepared… Had I studied– mastered more techniques, perhaps I could have stood a chance against Lord Aikawa and I would still have my real body…”
“What happened? Why are you inside of the sword? Was it Aikawa?” the child asked through his sniffles and tears.
“No, I did this to myself. I knew I couldn’t defeat Lord Aikawa, so I infused this blade with my soul. My knowledge must be passed down to you, my son. I wish I could be there to train you in person, but this will have to do.”
“Train me? But I can’t see… Aikawa destroyed my eyes…” the child mumbled; wincing as his fingers poked the wound on his face. A nasty scar filled the gap between the bottom of his eye sockets and his brow, accompanying a concoction of blood, puss, and bits of mended skin.
“Then I will be your eyes,” Tao Zhong said. “Can you stand?”
“I can try…” Tao Shu stabbed his blade into the dirt, pressing against his weight. His arms straightened and the child planted his left foot, followed by his right. Of course, having fallen nine thousand meters into the water, he was in excruciating pain, but even he knew a mortal teen shouldn’t have survived the fall, let alone rise to his feet.
Desperately inhaling air into his lungs, the boy questioned, “How am I able to stand… How am I even alive?”
“Huo Jing witnessed your sacrifice; therefore, the ritual was complete. To put it simply, you are now the Huxia of Huoshan. Your body heals much faster now, even the wounds on your eyes have healed as if a week has passed.” Tao Zhong explained.
There was always this weight affixed to the young lord’s shoulders; that overwhelming poundage of knowing that soon enough, he would be the Lord of Huoshan. That weight felt tenfold at that very moment; he realized then that his worst fear had come to fruition. He was the Huxia, the Fox of Huoshan.
“I can’t be Huxia… I can’t,” the child mumbled, his slender fingers clasping the blade’s hilt as his bloodied eyes leaked crimson tears.
“I’m sorry, Shu. There’s no denying that you are the rightful Huxia; however, your uncle, Tao Li, will have the position of Lord until your return. He will likely send Huoma to take us back to the estate. Until then, you need to survive.”
“I can’t survive out here! Didn’t you say there are beasts!? I can’t even defend myself with my eyesight; without it, I am completely helpless.”
“My son, do you trust me?”
“You’re the only one I trust. And Ling Xia too,” the child said.
“Then walk forward, I will guide you.”
Tao Shu was hesitant, remaining as still as water for a moment. However, he took his first sightless step forward, the mud squelching beneath his foot.
“Well done,” his father praised. “Now, continue onward; you are heading north. Ten steps and you will find yourself in front of a tree.” The child took ten cautious steps, his hand extended until he felt the rough trunk of the tree mentioned by his father.
“Good, Shu. Now, sit,” Tao Zhong said; compelling his son to plop down beneath the tree’s swaying branches.
“Do you know what the Mofang Eye is?” Tao Zhong asked.
“It’s when your eyes become fire and it's what lets you master so many martial and mystical arts,” Tao Shu answered.
“Not quite. It allows all of your five senses to become one; thus allowing you to master any martial and mystical art you encounter. Of course, you have to level up your Mofang Eye to copy a technique.”
“So if I master the Mofang Eye…”
“Then you can see again. Or at least, you can simulate sight using your other senses.”
Tao Shu's tears continued to flow; nonetheless, the corners of his mouth curved upward. Ever so slightly, there was a glimmer of hope somewhere inside the child. “Father?” Tao Shu called out.
“Yes, Shu?”
"My biggest regret in life is not being strong enough to fight alongside you. I told myself that if my vision was restored, I would avenge you at any cost! This guilt and the disappointment of knowing I could never see again were enough for me to consider ending my life. It's why I threw myself off of Huo Jing Mountain. I wasn't trying to complete the ritual, I was trying to die. I thought my life had lost all meaning and no longer had a purpose. Without eyes, I could never follow in your footsteps and become Huxia. Without that, what purpose do I serve? That's what I asked myself moments ago, then I immediately formed an answer. I have a goal in mind, but I need to know if it's possible before I commit."
"What is it?" Tao Zhong asked.
"If I master the Mofang Eye, can I kill lord Aikawa?"
“Shu…" Tao Zhong's voice was hushed You can’t beat him, not without the Aeruta Manuals. I had them, yet I still fell. It’s impossible. Besides, Aikawa is likely studying the Mofang Eye. It’s our Bloodline Art, so he cannot master the technique, but there have been cases in which a weaker version of the Mofang Eye has been replicated. Even if Aikawa creates a version of the Mofang Eye that could replicate just a small fraction of the true Mofang Eye's power, he would be nearly unstoppable. He might even be more powerful than Tao Mei herself.”
“General Tao Mei didn’t create the Aeruta Manuals until after the continental split, right? She fought against the entire world without them,” Tao Shu interjected.
“Yes, but General Tao Mei didn’t fight Lord Aikawa.”
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“And Aikawa didn’t fight Tao Shu," the child said boldly. "If I can see again, I'll train every day for the rest of my life until I am stronger than even Tao Mei."
His son's resolve silenced Tao Zhong. Had he a body, we would've embraced his son proudly for such words. It was a shame that this newfound resolve came at the cost of Tao Zhong's life.
“I can’t live with myself knowing that my father’s killer is out there somewhere with our stolen culture. Besides, who’s to say he won’t come back one day? Who’s to say he won’t attack Tao Li next?”
Tao Zhong let out a reflective sigh from within the blade. "Alright, Shu. If you can prove you have the perseverance to do so, I will train you to kill Lord Aikawa. Before any of that, we're going to start with the basics. Put me down and close your eyes."
Tao Shu did as he was told, placing the sword on his lap and closing his eyes. "Clear your mind," Tao Zhong told him. "Breath in through your nostrils and out through your mouth."
The child followed his instructions, taking in a large gust of oxygen through his nose before gently pushing out the air from his lungs. "Picture the air being sucked into your body, swirling around inside of your lungs, and dancing out from between your lips."
“Picture your physical body,” said the boy’s father. “Your every strand of hair, each pore, the infinitesimal follicles in your ears, every eyelash, your individual taste buds… imagine every minuscule detail of your outer self.”
Concentrating, Tau Shu constructed a manifestation of himself within the confines of his mind, floating in an infinite sea of nothingness. From his long, silver hair, down to his skeletal toes, he saw the perfect reflection of himself.
“I think I can see it?” The boy sounded unsure, his brows furrowing above his healing scar. The mental manifestation of his physical form wasn't a perfect recreation of himself; it wasn't like a painting or photograph. It appeared as if his physical form was covered in a thick layer of smoke; he thought, perhaps, this smoke was his physical form.
“You think?” his father asked. “Tell me when you know you can see it. When you can feel it.”
Hmm... the child hummed inside of his head, watching the mental construct with keen eyes. It started to take form, rather than his physical form being loose smoke, it was a solid stone, as if he'd turned into a statue. However, despite appearing as if made of marble, he noticed that his hair still flowed in the wind; when it hit his face, it perfectly synced with the mental image of his statue-esque self.
“I feel it,” said the child, nodding once. Soon enough, he could see his flesh, his scar, his clothes, and a small bubble of his surroundings. This bubble was only big enough to capture part of the tree truck behind him, and a meter in diameter of grass surrounding him. “Every last detail, I can see it. It’s as if my soul and body have separated; I can even see my mouth movements as I speak.”
“Good. Now count every last bone in your body, and account for every last drop of blood flowing through your veins and every cell. Look deeply within those cells and tell me what do you see?”
Tao Shu’s body grew tense. “Relax,” he heard his father say. The boy inhaled through his nose, smelling the sweet, smell of the fruit dangling nearby before exhaling between his pinkish lips. His mind began journeying through his body, entering his heart before shrinking to a cellular level.
“I’m not sure,” Tau Shu muttered, still focusing on the blood cells coasting by.
“Look deeper, it's ever-spreading, it's warm. Calm, yet violent.”
Tao Shu followed his father’s voice; it was as if the voice called from within those crimson cells. His mind went deeper, going beyond the cellular level until he found what lay at the core of each cell.
“It’s flames. I see flames,” he said, smiling as the heat radiating from those azure flames warmed his spiritual face.
“Good. That is Qi you are sensing. For us Huoshanese, our perception of Qi is akin to a flame. Hold on to that image, hold on to that feeling. Pull your consciousness away from your cells, your body, and focus on the world around you.”
Tao Shu’s spiritual form pulled itself from within the boy’s cells before exiting his body. Once more, the child bore witness to his physical body from the outside; though his surroundings outside of his bubble were still nothing more than an infinitely spanning, black void. However, within the void, he found similar flames to the ones inside of his cells
“I see them,” he said breathlessly, his spiritual form twirling as it witnessed flames igniting all around him. “The flames are everywhere.”
“Good,” Tau Zhong spoke; a smile could be heard in his voice. “Qi is not only found within our cells but the world around us. What do you notice about the Qi that surrounds you?”
“In some places, the flames burn brighter,” the child said, noticing that the inside of Huo Jing Mountain was engulfed in a wildfire of flames.
“That’s because those things are alive,” Tao Zhong lectured. “The trees, the grass, the animals. Can you find any animals nearby?”
The boy’s spiritual eyes searched his surroundings until they spotted a gentle flame, pulsating with the beat of a heart.
“Yes, I think so. There's a bird; it's sitting in the tree just above me. It's watching me, but it feels curious. It doesn't see me as a threat, nor is it a threat to me.”
"You’re doing well, my son. This is step one to unlocking the Mofang Eye. Soon enough, you will see the world around you in far more detail. I'm surprised you were able to tell me what kind of animal it is that you sensed. This means you have a natural talent for Qi reading. However, the next step will be a lot more difficult. You need to be able to manipulate Qi to level up and cultivate more strength. After every ten levels, you will enter a new stage; there are nine of them: Flame Pupil, Flame Master, Flame Lord, Flame Elder, Flame Ruler, Flame King, Flame Emperor, Flame God, Immortal Flame God, Eternal Flame God. At the moment, you are a level one Flame Pupil.”
“What were you?” the child asked.
“Your old man was a level nine Flame King,” Tao Zhong declared proudly; though his son would quickly rain on that parade.
“That it?”
“That’s it!?” Tao Zhong parroted his son’s mockery. “Says the Flame Pupil! It can take decades to complete a single stage, especially without fighting. And I’ll have you know that I completed several stages of different types outside of Flame Conjuring! You mock me, then you can figure out how to conjure a flame yourself!”
“No! I’m sorry,” Tao Shu exclaimed, bowing to his sword. “How do I do it?”
“Simply channel Qi into the tips of your fingers and snap them. This art is called the Flame Snap. It’ll take a few tries, but eventually, you’ll get it.”
“How many did it take you?”
“Six hundred and fifty-two thousand, three hundred and seventeen times,” Tao Zhong said plainly.
“What!? That’s absurd!” the child clamored.
“And that was with my father’s demonstration to guide me. Unfortunately for you, I can’t really show you since… Well, I’m a sword now.”
There’s no way Father snapped his fingers that many times. Him!? The Lazy Lord of Huoshan!? It’s just another one of his pranks. How hard could it be to simply channel my Qi and ignite a flame?
The child closed his eyes, imagining the Qi flowing through his veins. There was a flame inside of his heart, fluttering to each beat. At the same rhythm as his heart, the blue flames of Qi spread throughout his chest and to the tips of his fingers and toes. The child grimaced, he began focusing his Qi, sending all of it to the tips of his fingers before finally snapping them!
Nothing happened.
His father chortled, “Your face! You really thought you would do it on your first attempt? I wish I were there to see it up close!” the soul within the sword continued to laugh, embarrassment filling the child.
“It’s going to take weeks, even months. Your fingers will become raw by the time you’re done. That is why I said you must prove to me that you are willing to put in the work. If you can’t do this, then you’ll have no chance of beating Aikawa.”
“I’ll do it way faster than you ever did, just you watch!” Tao Shu yelled at his sword, stabbing it into the ground in a childish fit. With his eyes closed, focusing on channeling his Qi, Tao Shu snapped his fingers once more; then again, and again. He kept snapping, and he intended to do so until a flame burst from his fingertips.