When Huifen awoke, she noticed the angle of the sun coming through the windows was already at the height of midmorning. She’d slept so long…

Examining her body, she felt stiff, but her collar bone had started to solidify and smooth out as if nothing had ever happened. Her vitality was also many times what it was from the day before. She suspected her blood supply had returned to a more acceptable level because of it. Even her wound had tightened as it slowly knit itself back together. She’d still need a few days, but at least she should be able to get up and walk a little.

Turning over to her side, she saw that breakfast was already laid out for her on the same tray she’d used the day before at dinner and sat atop the wooden chair she’d been using as a table. There was toast, bacon, and a lukewarm mug of tea. It looked like it had been sitting there for at least half an hour.

She didn’t hurry but was soon sitting up and helping herself. Yesterday, Chao had said he’d given her a cultivator’s portion, but it wasn’t food that cultivators got most of their energy from. Her junior sisters wouldn’t have been able to finish half the plate he’d given her for dinner, but she’d always had a larger appetite than most of the other fairies. She wasn’t entirely sure if it was because of her physique or just because her family back home had loved to eat and their time around the table was some of her fondest memories growing up. It had never affected her figure, and it probably wouldn’t have even if she had a normal physique. A cultivator’s life wasn’t one of inaction, but constant action.

From outside the house, she heard the familiar sounds of martial training. She decided it was time she tested her body, so she finished her plate and gradually came to her feet. The dizzy spells from the day before were gone. It was a stiffness and dull ache in her back that plagued her now, but it was easy enough to deal with even without Heart of Ice. She didn’t commonly numb her physical injuries anyway. They gave her essential feedback, especially in combat, and would help her further hone an iron will.

Stepping out the front door, she immediately noticed Chao’s mother’s garden to her right where it sat less than a hundred meters from the house. She stood on a packed gravel path that headed into the forest a short distance away and found the owner of the sounds she’d heard from inside.

Chao was shirtless with a wet sheen of sweat covering his upper body. The sash of his cloth belt whipped to the side as he sent a lunging one-handed spear thrust piercing through the air. In his opposing hand, a short sword was held in reverse grip in a high position to block any counter to the side of his head. His pants billowed as they snapped in the air with his change of stance.

She didn’t move from that position for many minutes as she watched him shift from offense to defense while practicing the strange form. So, he didn’t practice sword and spear separately, but as one? She’d heard of mortal soldiers, or those at the blood realm and below, using such martial arts, but generally, shields and defensive weapons weren’t used by high-end cultivators because their defensive energy auras were more powerful and didn’t suffer from a defensive tool’s fatal flaw like a defensive tool did. Energy attacks didn’t just strike one small area but would often envelope an opponent’s entire body. Slipping around and over shields wasn’t even something one had to train often to be proficient at. There were exceptions, and every element acted differently, but the principle still stood.

His movements weren’t exactly impressive, but she had to admit that he didn’t show any signs of the clumsiness he had when acting as her caretaker. His coordination was impeccable, which was rare for more studious cultivators that focused on pill refining, array formation, and cultivation theory. She would’ve lumped him into that category, but it seemed he wasn’t so simple. Normally, such martial artists would have their forms and techniques down as long as they were diligent, but they just didn’t have the right flow of movement a martial expert would. All of those imperfections were missing from Chao’s actions.

She began to wonder, had his father been putting him through some sort of special body cultivation? His movements, but also his musculature, had her scratching her head. He didn’t have the same overbearing masculinity of his father, but despite not training yang specifically, he was as thick as most of the Fire Phoenix Sect young men that she’d seen except for those larger inner sect disciples. He didn’t have the extra fat that some of the boulder size one’s had either. She had expected him to be…scrawny.

She felt the wind push against her before she felt his energy fluctuations. Long Zan landed beside her. “Good morning, Fairy Huifen. It looks like you’re feeling better. You’re injuries are coming along nicely, and you’ve recovered a good deal of blood. Two days from now, your meridians should start to recover at full speed.”

It should have shocked her that he could tell so much from a short glance, but she still didn’t even know what cultivation realm he was at. His wife had been at the sky realm, and his flying proved he matched her at the least. She suspected he was actually an old overlord that had gotten tired of the cares of the world and had retreated here to live a quiet life. If she was right, there was no telling what he was capable of.

“Fairy Huifen greets Senior Long Zan,” she replied, bowing her head. She still didn’t dare to bow completely for fear of reopening her wounds. “I’m feeling much better this morning. Thank you.”

“What’s your assessment of Chao’s form?” he asked curiously.

She didn’t hold back. “He’s much more graceful than I expected him to be.”

A full belly laugh erupted from Senior Zan. “I’m sure you’re used to most young men losing their poise around you by now. Go on.”

“What Senior says is correct.” She wasn’t embarrassed by his words. It was, in fact, almost a daily occurrence. There weren’t many men in the Ice Phoenix Sect, but their brother sect, the Fire Phoenix Sect, shared a campus with them, so there was no shortage of admirers and would-be courters. “I do wonder why you have him training with sword and spear… This form also seems more suitable for mortals than cultivators.”

“You have a good eye. It is, in fact, a form taught to children to help them develop their bodies before they move on to advanced forms. Because he stayed up so late with you last night, he didn’t cultivate energy at all. So, this morning, after he finished some chores, I’ve had him doing martial training for the last couple hours.”

Her facial expression didn’t change, but she swallowed down the sudden guilt. “Is he being punished because of me?”

“Oh no. Disciplined, yes, but not punished. And he’s had this coming, not just because of forgoing energy gathering last night, but because he faced off with a sky realm dire beast on his own. He knows how dangerous that was, even if he seems unaffected. In a sense, this is also his reward, as is having to take care of you while you’re here. Martial training with an energy deficit is grueling, but if there is no consequence for the chance he took, it wouldn’t sit well with him even if he’d never admit as much. Taking care of you will also help sooth his conscience.”

“I don’t understand what he’d have to feel guilty for. He’s done nothing wrong…”

“That is correct. But I think you understand his guilt much more than you realize. When you defeat someone a large realm higher than you, other than the pride of winning, how does it make you feel?”

“Like I’m taking advantage of the person. I think I understand.”

“That is exactly right. There is one difference, though, between the two of you. Chao’s laws make him capable of things beyond his realm, but he’s still a genuine low-level nascent realm cultivator. He doesn’t have a physique that makes him capable of taking a hit from a peak sky realm dire beast while at the earth realm for instance. A simple energy blast would’ve turned him into an oozing bag of blood if he would’ve messed up.”

At the mention of the snow fox’s actual realm, a jolt went through her system as she spun to face him, “Senior, you?” She’d suspected the snow fox was in the sky realm, but not at the peak. Such a monster could wipe out a forest of low-level dire beasts of the same realm without breaking a sweat.

The peak sky realm snow fox’s core was already flying through the air. She threw out her hand and snagged it. Her eyes were as wide as twin moons as she stared at what she was holding.

“This is what you came all the way out here for, yes?” he said with a sly grin, but he was watching his son.

“Fairy Huifen answers Senior Long,” she replied with the volume that came with unexpected zeal. “It is, and I greatly thank you. I was actually chasing a blood realm snow fox, so this is far more than I ever expected to find. I owe you another debt.”

He chuckled. “You have a strange way of attributing deeds to me that others have accomplished. When I found this dire beast, it had no more than a few days of life left in it. I simply ended its misery. You were the one that did the hardest job. I saw the Phoenix Talons scarring you left on its back. To do that to a peak sky realm dire beast at your cultivation is remarkable.”

She was shaking her head as much to herself as him. “But it can’t be my attack that killed it. When it was chasing me, it seemed hardly affected. Was it?” she said with a nod, motioning to Chao.

“You only did the harder job. How much do you remember of what happened before you passed out?”

After a quick assessment, she was pretty sure her memories were mostly intact. “It was the sound blast that did it?”

“Mmm,” he said with a nod. “You were standing a dozen meters away, and yet it tore open the wound on your back. The way he compresses sound and is able to unleash it all at once, what do you think would happen if you were standing right next to it? Normally, it would’ve, at the most, stunned a dire beast of that level, but with the wounds you left, the explosive vibrations grabbed ahold of those lacerations and tore at them, leaving it a tattered mess internally with no hopes of ever recovering. If it wouldn’t have run away, there’s a chance you’d both be dead right now, but either way, it would’ve died on its own a few days later. So, in the end, you killed it together.”

“Then Chao deserves this as much as I do.” she replied, holding the core up for Senior Zan to take.

“Perhaps, but he would insist that you take it anyway. Also, where do you think the meat that you’ve been eating came from? He’s getting his share whether he knows it or not. I’ll also ask you not to tell him about his part in killing it. The knowledge would only make it harder on him.”

“I will do as you ask,” she said, placing the core in her storage ring before he changed his mind. “Senior, I do have a question, though. How is it possible that Chao is able to eat dire beast meat of the peak sky realm level?”

“Well, it mostly has to do with the snow fox’s nature. Its heavy yin is dense and powerful, but not nearly as violent as yang of the same potency would be. It’s also because of proper cooking methods. If it were a young dragon of the same level, Chao would’ve exploded into meat paste. Now changing the subject, tell me what you think about the current form Chao’s using.”

She’d hardly noticed him since their conversation had changed focus, but now that Senior Zan had redirected her attention back to him, she saw the young man charging forward while constantly thrusting both high and low with his spear. His footwork was superb, even for a peak level nascent realm cultivator, but it was still a mortal form he was practicing at best. There was no energy use at all. That made sense because of Senior Zan’s explanation of making him train while low on energy, but why did he know so many low-level forms?

In a flash, Chao’s spear disappeared and almost instantly his sword had taken its place. His attacks sped while his footwork narrowed as if he was fighting a closer opponent. Then, with a slash to head level, he spun, and the spear was in his hand again. It came down at a sickening angle as it swept across the ground. It was clearly an attack designed to cripple someone’s knee and used the distance well. Whether his opponent would have stayed close or retreated, it was likely to connect either way.

The next few seconds took Huifen’s breath away. The sword appeared again, then disappeared as the spear took its place, only to be switched out again. He manipulated the space between him and his imaginary opponent, not giving them a chance to figure out whether he’d be close or distant. He darted back and forth while his weapon change to whatever was most appropriate. Though it could still be considered a mortal martial art, it relied completely on a storage ring, which most mortals couldn’t afford. It was then that she started to understand the madness behind the use of two weapons. It would make him a demon among mortals, but a lot of higher realm cultivators wouldn’t even come withing ten meters of each other because the enormity of their energy attacks.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she admitted.

“But?” he urged.

“But I don’t know how often such skills will be of use at higher realms.”

“Everything in its own time. Monolith’s larger sects commonly skip the more mundane arts because they rarely accept anyone under the upper nascent realm. But mortal martial artists often rely more on sleight of hand, distraction, and their wits to beat their opponents because they are often more evenly matched. In some ways, their mental dexterity is superior to that of higher realm cultivators because of it. For someone like Chao, developing this is especially important so that he can learn to make full use of the vast toolset he possesses. But at the same time, I’ve never been a big fan of forms as a way of training. They’re good to help children develop coordination and driving the foolishness out of absentminded sons. But the best training comes through sparring and the beatings one receives.”

He gave her a smug look. “Once you’ve recovered, feel free to work out your frustrations on him for every annoyance he’s caused you before you go. For now, I’ll do it for you.”

A hardwood rod appeared in Senior Zan’s hand before his image blurred and he appeared before his son. Transitioning from his form to attacking toward his father’s thigh, Chao didn’t miss a beat and received a firm smack on the shoulder from the rod, which shook his balance.

She watched them go at it for a half an hour before going back inside. Even with Chao using a real weapon, though of questionable quality, Senior Zan would allow certain attacks to go through his defense when he approved of his son’s actions, but they never pierced the man’s defensive aura. Without energy, Chao’s attacks wouldn’t even be able to break the aura of a nascent cultivator of his same rank. She understood what Senior Zan was trying to do, but she just thought it would be more fruitful for Chao to regain his energy before they sparred. Such sparring for expert cultivators was like two adults playing a children’s boardgame. It might be amusing for a time, but its benefits were limited.

It wasn’t long before the door opened and they joined her inside. As soon as they did, a thoroughly exhausted Chao ran over to her where she sat on the bed. He’d put on a loose fitting shirt and applied some herbs so that he didn’t stink, which was thoughtful. Wishing her a good morning, he swept up her tray and took it to the kitchen. When he came back to her, he had caught his breath but looked flush. That hadn’t harmed his mood, for he had an enthused glimmer in his eye.

“Senior Sister, I have a surprise for you.” Bowing his head, he motioned with his arm. “Follow me please.”

“Junior Brother Chao, that really isn’t necessary,” she said, trying not to show her annoyance. After he serenaded her last night, she was seriously considering taking his father up on his offer to take her frustrations out on Chao through sparring before she left.

“Are you not feeling well after your walk?”

So he had noticed her. “No, no. I’m feeling much better.”

“Then please.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer. “This is something that should make you much more comfortable.”

With an internal sigh, she replied, “Alright.”

She followed him outside, and he led her around the house. There really wasn’t much there, but she saw a building that looked like a homemade forge, and a second building that must have been where Senior Zan had prepared the snow fox’s meat. It was nondescript but had the distant smell of cooking oil. And finally, there was a large barn with its doors open wide. That was their heading.

A shirt with a half slit open back and strings on the collar so that it could be drawn closed was dangling from a low hanging rafter. There was a rope handle right next to it that had been tied above as a release cord. She could already tell that his intention was to allow her to change out of her torn and bloody outfit. It was actually a very kind gesture, and she did long to be out of the gross clothing.

“You can pull on this for the shirt to drop.” He pointed to the rope. “And if you stand like this,” he said with his arms at his sides but bent at the elbow, “then it will fall just right. I tested it multiple times. I also widened the sleeve gaps a moderate amount so it will be easier for you to get your arms in while still covering…uh, everything. But this is actually the last step.” He waved her further into the barn.

As she rounded the corner, she couldn’t help but to blink in astonishment. He wasn’t playing around. The next thing he pointed out was in the corner. It was the part of the barn that had the best cover from the sight of prying eyes. Up overhead was what looked like a man-sized bucket that had been attached to the building itself.

“This is a shower that I’ve also tested and should help you wash,” he said, pulling another rope to show her how it worked. “Its flow is gentle, so don’t be too worried about it opening up your wound. Let it run over it and even wash the bandage away if you’d like. Father said it might be a good idea to let your injury air out before I apply another poultice. You won’t have any problems drying off, right?”

She shook her head while still trying to decide if she really wanted to go through with this. He’d obviously gotten up early this morning to put this all together for her. He still hadn’t even cultivated to replenish his energy yet.

“I’ve rigged some pants and undergarments that were my mother’s here on the side of the barn.” They were tied at the waistband and hung there at knee height. “They are clean, and you should be able to just step into them without bending over and pick them up off the floor. And here’s a handle for balance.”

There really was a wooden bar that extended out a few centimeters that she could hold on to.

“You can use this sash to tie them secure. And then,” he said, hurrying over back to where they’d started at the dangling shirt. “Then, you can finish up here. I put the slit down the back so we can open it to dress your injury, but it’s not so low to be too revealing and its collar ties together. There is also a light sweater you can put over it to cover your back.”

Still a little overwhelmed, she made the offhand comment, “I can’t tie the shirt.”

“I’ve thought of that too and put wooden toggles at the end of the strings so I can use Borrow to tie it without touching you.” He stood with his hands behind his back, rather pleased with himself.

“Will you have to look at me to be able to tie them?”

He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped and began to deflate. That was something he’d thought of but didn’t think she’d mind since he had to dress her wound anyway. But it was true that much more of her would now be visible in the shirt. Just redressing her wounds would leave her upper and middle back mostly exposed. There really wasn’t any way around it.

“It was just a thought,” he said. His eyes drifted to the ground. “Another day or two of waiting won’t hurt. Are you hungry?” He immediately changed the subject and motioned her back to the house with a strained smile.

Why did you have to open your mouth?

It was as if he hadn’t listened to a thing she’d said about her being a cultivator and having to deal with hardship, but she owed him, and how couldn’t she appreciate such an elaborate act of kindness? Even when she had access to Heart of Ice, she wouldn’t have been heartless enough to be able to ignore all this.

“How should I call you when I’m finished here?” she said, unmoving from where she stood.

He’d been leaning to take a step and stumbled at her words. “Oh, well. Just call. It doesn’t have to even be loud. I’ll hear you. Sound laws.” He grinned.

“Then I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“You can take your time in the shower. The water is only warm, but there should be enough for you to take go at a slow pace. I’ll be changing your bed and moving it further from the fire. Father will be gone until this afternoon, and I’ll close the barn. I won’t leave the house until you call for me. I’ll also put meat on the stove for an early lunch as well if you approve.”

“Okay. I’d like that…” she replied, unsure what she was feeling. The barn doors were shut, and he was gone before she moved.

She didn’t even strip but stepped up on the smooth stone Chao had found somewhere that acted as a platform beneath her feet. Pulling the shower’s rope, she watched the trickle of water start to fall until it poured like a gentle rain. She let its mild warmth run over her head first.

Her dark hair came down to a shoulder’s length while up in a tight braid to keep it under control and out of the way. With her uninjured hand, she reached up and undid her hair tie, letting her hair straighten and fell. Much of her flexibility had returned to her back. Her clothes slipped off her body a minute later. The old bandage came soon after.

It wasn’t her original intention to spend all the water he’d gathered, but once she felt the blood and guck being washed away, she found she couldn’t move. Normally, something like cleanliness was her preference, but that was because the practicality of it. But now, without Heart of Ice, after a few days in her sorry state, she felt reborn. She felt feminine again. She wasn’t sure why that should matter. It wasn’t something she generally took noticed of.

Chao had been wrong about one thing. The water lasted far longer than he implied, and yet he still didn’t break his word and come calling on her.

Stepping out of her fallen dress, she used a quick burst of energy to freeze the moisture remaining on her skin and hair, then a moment’s aura pushed it off of her, and a drizzle of frozen drops scattered at her feet. It wasn’t a large use of her energy, so she dared using it, but looking at her dress, she thought for a moment before doing the same to it. The running water had washed much of the blood from it, but it was still a tattered mess. It wasn’t a typical material, so she placed it in her storage ring before moving on to the undergarment and pants Chao had hanging up for her. Holding one side of the waist while the other was attached to the strap on the wall, she quickly stepped into them. Tying the sash, she almost felt human again.

She was beginning to feel self-conscious as she neared the hanging shirt since the barn doors were right behind her, but they never opened, and the shirt fell just as Chao said it would. She got both arms through the sleaves easy enough, then covered her shoulders as best she could. Her wound hadn’t opened up at all from what she could tell.

It was time to call Chao, but she hesitated. She was certainly anxious to get it over with, but there was something else. The thought of a man seeing her was stirring up a part of her that she didn’t want stirred. It wasn’t really Chao’s fault. Though, he was handsome enough. It was the thought of it that was teasing her senses. He just happened to be the one going to see her. No, that wasn’t right. He would see her, but he’d go out of his way not to look at her in “that way,” wouldn’t he?

She’d been far too hard on him. He’d really been keen to her every sensitivity, so why would he stop now?

“Chao,” she called out.

A moment later, she heard the front door to the house open. Soon, the barn doors were being pulled.

She spun to face him, deciding she didn’t want him to see her naked back first. When he appeared, he was facing down and not daring to look at her at all.

“It’s okay, Junior Brother Chao,” she said. “I’m dressed now. I just need a little help.”

Looking up, he first found her face and gave her an encouraging grin, then was going to look away before doing a double take.

“What’s wrong?” she said defensively before she could stop herself.

“N-nothing. I just didn’t realize your hair was so long since it hadn’t gotten in the way when changing your bandages.” His grin turned uncomfortable before fading.

“Okay, then, if you could please help me.” She turned sideways to give him a side profile without showing too much.

He glanced at her but lowered his eyes before moving closer. He stopped a couple meters away, and only then did he look up and look her in the face.

She nodded to him before turning to face away.

He barely moved from where he stood, but she felt the tug on the strings. Her open back was soon enclothed beneath fabric, and she heard him say that it was finished.

He’d already turned when she looked back. She joined him, and they started to walk toward the house.

“It looks good,” he said while staying a pace in front of her.

She came to a sudden stop. “What?”

He’d spun with his hands out in his normal pleading stance. “Your injury. Your injury looks good. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it opening up again.”

“Good,” she said, walking past him and leaving him scrambling to catch up.

“Food should be ready very soon,” he called from behind.

Glancing back, she offered him a little chiding. “Okay, but when are you going to cultivate to regain your energy? I haven’t even seen your real martial techniques.”

“There’s time. I can do that right after lunch.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”