Our tempo on this trip has been changing dramatically. From the great speed in the start to the almost glacial speed we experience now. A weeks trip have already taken two and will probably take another week. Even if the young master Tiong would like to reach Nassan the region capital faster, I don’t think his servants would agree. For me, it makes little difference and I am learning so much. After the first day's hostilities between us, the young lord has melted and shown his agreeable side to us. He is even showering us with small comforts at every opportunity and serves a fine table every evening. The reason is my work with him, his retainers and servants.

“Ah, Ah, Ahhhhh” my current patient shudders under my fingers and my kind of have to agree with him. This is the first time I have tried combining my massages with their active cultivation. Effects from this combination are even greater than I could have foreseen. Both in that, it brings pleasure to the client on both a physical and metaphysical level I have yet to experience. It is to such a degree sexual that doing it on my sister is out of the question. “Thank you, Ah heaven thank you.” my current vic…. client says when is have finished with him. It is the old man, Tuan, and there is no more of his condescending attitude anymore. “Your welcome, and thank you for the good food this morning,” I say to him and give his ass a slap. As I said, sexual. “I don’t swing that way.” The old man jibes me and I deploy my new secret weapon. I find that everyone has some nerve cluster where a poke or touch will make them orgasm. He shudders again and look at me “but for you of course.” This attitude is shared by most of the men in our company and is a grave departure from how I would like it to be. On the other hand, it is just too much fun playing with them and teasing.

I take an offered cloth from my sister who is studying my every session. She has far more power than me, but not the same control and purity, it hampers her ability with what the young master terms my Dao.

“So, what is cultivation?” I ask the young master one evening after he has had his turn for a treatment. “I do not think I understand your question.” He tells me while I clean off and he turns over to bask in the aftershocks of my treatment. “Huh, might be why I missed information then,” I say and think on how to ask. “The arts that you thought I learned from a master or sect, what do you call them.” He looks at me a bit like I am stupid. “Ah, training the Dao.” He says and I kind of understand something now. When stories tell of how the hero train, they mean training their Dao, not just training. “Well, that makes some things clear,” I tell him and laugh at myself for such a stupidity. “Well, what is a Dao then?” I ask him and he explains how a Dao is a way the world looks and how energy is moved through the body while training to achieve that specific Dao. A Dao is both a manual for how heavenly energy work and how the world needs to be seen both in life and while working to train the body in the Dao. In my mind, it is all one big convoluted mess that pays little regard to any form of scientific understanding.

“So what is your Dao?” The young lord asks me after explaining all of this to me. I am certain I did not catch all the different words and meanings in his explanation, but more than enough to confuse me. “Have yet to verbalize it, it’s there, but I lack the words to explain it,” I tell him and his nod. “I would tell you to try and put it in words, but then you clearly are a prodigy in the art and have your own ways.” He tells me and smile. “Which Dao do you follow?” I ask him since I have become curious. “My sects and families Dao is named “Temperance through fire and poison.”” He tells me and then explains some very basic parts of it. I get the feeling there is a lot of the art I have missed in my own search for understanding of the heavenly energy. “Good name, strong.” I tell him and he laughs “Yes it is a good name, have to have a good name to look splendid.” Tiong tells me and sits up. “But enough heavy talk, time for dinner.” I agree since the smells from the grill are scrumptious.

“Having a good time?” The old priest asks me while borrowing my hammock. “Yes, but I kind of wish we could get a move on. Am not looking forward to being married and spending the winter together with my wife and my family.” I tell him and he laughs at my predicament. “Don’t worry at that count, but I agree we need to get to the capitol since it will take time for your petition.” I can do nothing other than agree again and do so with a grunt. “Brother get a move on.” My sister tells me from her own hammock. At least Xi does not pressure me to get the young lord to move faster. “Yeah, yeah I will tell him our need for speed,” I tell them. “Your need, I am loving this holiday.” The priest says and sinks back down in my hammock.

The next morning I decide to talk with the young master about our need in the capitol. “Good morning Tiong.” I begin when I sit down among his men at the breakfast table. This night we have spent at an inn closer to the capitol. “Travelling with you have been an eye-opening delight and I would love to have it take forever, but due to personal need I hope we could move somewhat speedier,” I tell it all to him in one part because I just don’t know of a good way to say it. “Yes, I can see that we have used some more time than usual getting to the capitol.” He says, which I find to be a huge understatement since we spent three days at the same taverna one village back. “I will instruct Huan of your need and have him plan accordingly.” The young master says and that seems to be that.

The plan was before to move only one village closer that day, but after my request, there was a change of plans. We arrived in the town of Flat that afternoon. I helped those in need with any blisters and calluses from the march. Most were among my own companions, but also some TLC among Tiong servants. The young master got a full round of treatment. In which I decided to pump him for information on sects and schools.

“Sects and schools exist officially to spread information and teaching of different masters to the masses. These claims are just the skin of the matter and are no truer than tales of water running uphill.” He begins while I am warming up. “The truth of the matter is that masters of a Dao are fearful champions on the battlefield and lords bind them with oaths and rights in their schools and temples.” He pauses while I stretch his arms and move on too his legs after. “There is also the fact that all lordly families have some secret techniques that make them more secure than others.” Again he stops while moving over and spreading his legs so I can get to the inner thigh. “It is a game of cat and mouse between lords and masters of whom is dominant. Sects and schools are just the recruiting ground and public face of these powers.” He explains all of this because I asked him to, I like such favours since he has also explained how I should act to achieve my goal of land. Much of it is to just pay the sum asked. The sum will not be more than twenty years of taxes on the land.

I think I also begin to understand the exorbitant prices I am able to earn through my work. In the countryside it is lacking in people, wood is scarce and the food is plentiful. It is the basic function of supply and demand, food is just not worth all that much so the land is not worth all that much same with the work.

I still want more information and asks why all the sects and schools seem to be spread all over the country. After a long-winded explanation with back and forth over the properties of heavenly energy I find to be ludicrous some nugget of wisdom is delivered. “There seems to be a positive relationship between wild areas and heavenly energy, wherever man is not there is a lot of energy and so schools and sects monopolize such areas. They and the monsters also living there tries to push everyone else out.”

As part of young master Tiongs entourage, there is no problem passing through the gates of Nassan. The city is far larger than little Mao and I could probably have earned more here, but I would not have had an as easy time of it. Several places along the road I can see healers plying their trade. “Why are there so many healers here and not in Mao?” I ask the old man Huang. The answer is depressing for me. “There is few here, like all cities except the capital where the emperor resides. Little honour in these places.” He tells me, back to the formal tongue we started with. All members of their party seemed to have raised walls when we entered the vicinity of Nassan. Probably with good reason so I warned my companions as well, causing me to be told off.

“I hope to see you again,” Tiong tells us when we split from their party. Old priest Tun has an acquaintance that he stays at. We will join him there and informs Tiong of where we are staying. Tun's friend turns out to be another priest and his family. His house is full with us all, but he is a gracious host and good company. Turns out we only spend one night there before a haggard-looking Tiong turns up at our host's door again, scaring the daylight out of his wife. Tiong is of course invited inside and offered tea.

“You look run down Tiong, what happened?” I ask him when the tea is served and everyone has been introduced. “My grandfather had sent off a message and told my aunt of our arrival. She grew anxious when we took more than a month to arrive. So I told off you and now she wishes to see you.” He told me going on about how he did not wish to disturb us, but could we please come. To my surprise, only Xi and Ha wished to follow and we left Tun’s friends house on amicable turns.