CHAPTER FIVE

My vision’s dizzy. Difficult to focus. Am I even awake? My eyes flutter open as I’m on the verge of waking up or not. I don’t want to wake up. I want to keep myself in that dream for an eternity. To think of that couple for the rest of my life. But, that’s just not how reality works, right? Stings of pain screech throughout my body as soon as my knee moves once more. My eyes are forced open by the pain, the first thing they observe is the morning dew on the grass. They move up to a handsome brown-haired figure, currently sitting down cross-legged in front of me, his eyes observing me carefully. There isn’t any hostility within them, only warmth. Only happiness and joy, as if finding me was his greatest achievement in the past few years. Probably is.

“Anmos, you know it’s dangerous to sleep out in the open. Your father had to keep searching around for you, who would’ve thought you’d be in the usual spot. Funny, I’m pretty sure I checked here first thing in the search, but no matter. The important thing is you're here. I got grub.” Denom eases me up into a sitting position - despite the soreness I manage to sit upright. He hands over some rice with a little broccoli on a stone plate with a solid spoon. I silently eat, unfortunately, the food’s cold. Denom was still talking nonsense, but that isn’t important.

What’s important is my new parents. What is the Ancient Symbol they gave me? And this Heaven’s Revolution? They must expect me to lead the second Heaven’s Revolution. But how can I do that when I have Denom always watching my back. After all, a mortal can’t overthrow Heaven's Emperor.

“Anmos, did anything strange happen while you were gone?” Denom continues to look at me, waiting for an answer. My mind races, Denom will probably see through any excuse. Have to make something up.

“I was running, then I tripped on a tree’s roots. I remember some kind of animal killing another animal in the distance. I was terrified, so I ran over in the direction I remember to be the gathering spot. Luckily I wasn’t too far, but I collapsed from the pain of my wounds reopening.” The best lies are mixed with truths, I read a piece of poetry on that. Denom seemed to buy it.

“Hmm. Alright, we’ll have to treat it when we get home. You have some homework to do.” Denom helps lift me up, turning to start walking toward our house. I follow behind quietly - lost in thought. I’m silently wishing that the royal couple granted me a cultivation cheat, at least a manual so I can start cultivating in secret.

Denom opened the door and laid me out on the bed. He handed me an adventure book and then grabbed his stuff for the marketplace. Before, however, he made sure to thoroughly wrap my knee with a bandage.

I sit there in silence for minutes and minutes after he left, half reading and half listening to make sure he doesn’t walk back in. After asserting that everything's safe, I set my book to the side. I begin searching through my memories about cultivation, hoping that my Regal Father left me something to start my cultivation. I was not disappointed.

Mist began to cloud my peripheral vision as the image of a mythical painting surfaced in front of me. It felt like it wasn’t complete, and the more I focused on the whole picture the more blurry and misty my vision got. But what it contained was both simple and magical: the Yellow Sun was on the left side of the sky, it’s radiance spreading throughout the painting. Clouds surrounding the sun formed seven separate layers, each more resplendent than the last. The left side was absolutely beautiful, it seemed that the painting was alive - I could feel the radiance myself. To be more accurate, it felt like rather than a painting it was a separate world.

I turn to the right side of the painting, showing the Silver Moon in its eerie radiance. Complete darkness surrounded it, almost as if the darkness could swallow your soul alone. But the moon wasn’t alone in its light, surrounding it were seven layers of stars. Each star twinkled with their own little light - fiercely fighting against the darkness which enveloped them. It was equally magical, a perfect representation of light fighting the dark.

Rather than looking at one directly, I focus on the left side. Something attracts me to the Yellow Sun, something deep within me - I can’t explain it. I try and focus on one of the cloud layers. I focus on the first layer, the layers higher block my vision. I pick a single gentle cloud out of what seems to be hundreds. After focusing on the white puffball, I become entranced.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that, but I suddenly woke up. I felt an energy, Qi, flow within me. Albeit, it disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. Yet it filled me with bubbling excitement: the visual painting is a Qi Condensation manual! I couldn’t help but break out into a wide smile, my vengeance will eventually be paid.

That was until I looked up - and saw Denom’s face.