Chapter 11 - Seven Years

Giddy with excitement, Tian Yan together with Instructor Mou enters the Duckweed Courtyard late one night. He had been excited when he was leaving the palace for the first time but that excitement had dissipated fast. Instructor Mou had not let him do anything unrelated to his test and even with Aiden’s memories, he was surprised to see how dirty everything was outside the palace.

Tian Yan had spent the last seven years similarly to his first seven years of life. Confined to the Duckweed courtyard with teachers and the few people living there.

After Du Jun’s death, Tian Yan had thrown himself into cultivating. He had focused on opening his meridians with the help of the Scorching Star Orchid and the incense his mother had provided. It had taken him less than two years to open his twelve primary meridians. But that was when he hit a wall. The effects were still there and he could sense his eight extraordinary meridians but he could not burn away the blockage as efficiently as before. Burn, being the operative word since he did not have enough control over his Qi to make it burn the blockage away.

After consuming the Scorching Star Orchid, Tian Yan’s fire affinity had risen to rival his wind affinity but there was a small problem. He did not have a fitting cultivation technique to make use of his fire affinity.

Walking over the bridge to the main house Tian Yan spots a big man with a ruff exterior waiting for them.

“Why are you standing there in the dark, you grumpy old bear?” Tian Yan says to the person waiting for them.

“You little pipsqueak, did you get hit in the head so many times you forgot to address me as the most honorable Master Sui?” The burly man in the dark, says with a gravelly voice.

“Oh, I remember. I just have not been hit in the head enough times to believe you are honorable in any way.” Tian Yan answers with a grin and promptly hugs the grumpy old bear of a man.

Two years after the death of Du Jun, Instructor Sui had arrived at the Duckweed Courtyard. He had only brought a burlap sack and the clothes he was wearing and promptly refurbished one of the smaller side buildings as a home and training ground.

Sui Shan or The Laughing Flame as he was known back in his mercenary days thinks of himself as Tian Yan’s combat instructor. Tian Yan would dispute the statement since the man spent most of his time beating him up. So what if he had gradually gotten better at fighting as a result?

While hugging Tian Yan back, Instructor Sui asks. “ So did you end up learning anything or did you just brute force it?”

“I used the subtle art of blackmail to guide individuals to my perspective.” Tian Yan answers.

“Bahh, if I manage to pound one thing into that thick head of yours it should be this. What can not be solved with violence, can be solved with more violence.” Instructor Sui says while knocking his big fist on Tian Yan’s head.

“If you two are done the young prince should get to bed, we have been traveling for weeks with little rest.” Instructor Mou cuts in.

“Yes yes, I take him inside. Have a few things to talk with the brat about.” Instructor Sui says.

Splitting up from Instructor Mou, Tian Yan and Instructor Sui enters the east wing of the house. His room looks like it did when he left it but it had obviously been well kept by someone. A vase on the table with a single lily in it is new.

Putting down his pack on the floor, Tian Yan sits down on a chair at the table.

“Can I offer some tea, most honorable master?” Tian Yan asks.

“Nah, it is ok. You need your sleep now. I am planning to give you the details tomorrow but I might have a lead on a fire affinity cultivation technique that can work together with your stupid wind one.”

“What? where? When can I leave?” Tian Yan blurts out.

“Now now, you should go to bed. It will be part of your final combat test and you will learn all about it tomorrow.”

Grumbling some but too tired to resist, Tian Yan walks over to his bed and falls down on it. He only has a slight tinge of guilt for sleeping on the clean sheets with his dirty travel clothes.

When a cultivator starts their cultivation they choose what cultivation technique they will use. This choice limits their other choices because of multiple reasons like the pattern the Qi moves inside the cultivator’s body or how the cultivation technique changes the Qi.

By choosing the Wind Dragons Breath as his first technique, Tian Yan had severely limited his future options. The Wind Dragons Breath did not limit affinity but its strong connection to the lung meridian made it almost impossible to cultivate another breathing technique parallel with it.

Not being able to pick a breathing technique has limited Tian Yan’s options. Even though the royal library has some body cultivation techniques and other esoteric techniques that might work they do not fit Tian Yan.

With the lack of a fire-type cultivation technique that would work well with his Wind Dragons Breath, Tian Yan could not properly use the medical effect from the Star Scouring Orchid to break open the more abstract meridians.

The twelve primary meridians are all connected to body parts like lungs and extremities. With the eight extraordinary meridians, they work more as conceptual storage vessels. He had all but decided to try to break through using his wind Qi instead, completely wasting the effect of the fire-type medicinal effects stored in his body.

That is when Instructor Sui had come up with a solution, He had put together a bunch of exercises for Tian Yan to learn to use fire intent without his Qi guiding the process.

Most cultivation techniques with an element allow you to learn to control that element more as a side effect rather than through exercises to achieve that specifically. They focus on the gathering of Qi and fine control is normally a higher realm concept.

Instructor Mou’s exercises focused on controlling the natural fire through affinity rather than turning his own Qi into fire. This might sound cool and efficient but it was not. Tian Yan was not in the Foundation establishing realm so all he could do was try to affect the fire affinity medicine inside his body.

But it worked. Slowly at first, Tian Yan had managed to open one of his extraordinary meridians and before he left six months ago he had just opened his seventh.

Now he only had one more meridian to open before he could enter Foundation Establishing with a perfect foundation.

Most youths in the royal court enter Foundation Establishing around the time they turn thirteen but this is often with only four to six extraordinary meridians cleared. This obviously was not par for the princes.

Having just turned fourteen, Tian Yan is slightly behind but as long as his foundation is perfect he can catch up in time.

These are the things going through Tian Yan’s mind as he falls asleep.

-

Waking up in the divinely comfortable bed for the first time in months is a wonderful experience. Tian Yan is even considering staying in bed until someone comes to force him to get up when he notices a clinking sound, probably why he woke up. Turning around he notices a girl his age standing there unloading breakfast on his table.

She has long flowing black hair and that flows down her slender figure.

“Good morning!” the girl says with a reserved smile that makes something warm-up in Tian Yan’s chest.

“Good morning Au Yu!” Tian Yan replies.

“You did not come down to breakfast with your mother so she sent me up with some. I thought I might sneak a moment of your company and you can tell me about your trip.” She continues while unloading the rice bowl.

Tian Yan rolls out of bed and goes over to the table. “It is a great story! I robbed a gardener but then saved him, performed a minor coup, and blackmailed a sect master, but it is ok, he was weak anyway.

“Sounds exciting… and a little uncouth for a prince.” Au Yu says giving Tian Yan a scolding look. “Do you want me to leave so you can clean up fast?”

Tian Yan feels his face flush a little, not sure why. “No, you stay and drink some tea. I can go to the other room and wash up.”

“Young master, that is not proper, this is your room and I am just…”

“My friend” Tian Yan cuts in. “ Just pour yourself some tea, I will be right back.”

Grabbing a robe fast and a wash bucket Tian Yan leaves before An Yu can interject.

It has been three years since he and Au Yu started to become friends. First Tian Yan was completely consumed with his cultivation. Later Instructor Mou and Instructor Sui had claimed all of his attention. But then at some point, he started to notice the only other person his own age in the household.

His mother had decided that he needed etiquette lessons and An Yu, being a pet project of his mother, was included in the lessons too for convenience.

At first, Tian Yan had hated it and the prim, perfect girl that the teacher kept praising and telling him to be more like was not helping.

It had gradually changed however and having someone around his age around, had been enough for him to start asking a few questions.

Coming back to the room after washing up Tian Yan sits down on the opposite side of An Yu. She pours him a cup of tea promptly and with a subservient air. It sometimes bothers him that they are so clearly master and servant.

“I got you something.” Tian Yan says as he grabs for his pack and picks up a plum.

“For me? You should not have.” An Yu says, grabbing the plum as she says it. “What is it?”

“It is a Water Elements Plum. It might be able to raise your water affinity.” Tian Yan responds.

Freezing momentarily, An Yu looks at the plum. “I can not take this, it is way too valuable.”

“I just happened to grab it on my trip and it is useless to me. Do not take it to heart, just accept it.” Tian Yan says and picks up the bowl of rice.

Hesitating just for a moment, An Yu responds. “Thank You.”

Focusing on his decorated rice bowl Tian Yan digs in. He knows An Yu has been trying to open as many meridians as possible before she moves forward in her cultivation. Last he heard she was stuck on opening the third extraordinary meridian and even if the plum has no actual effect on it, a higher affinity is always helpful.

They eat while conversing about Tian Yan’s trip and what has been going on at court. Just enjoying each other’s companionship.