Shang Cang arrived early at the local coffee house. He wondered why he had agreed to meet with Li Yun. Was it because he was curious about other so-called practitioners? The only ones he had seen were either fictional characters or con artists preying on people’s beliefs. A few minutes before the appointment time, he saw a young man and woman walking inside the shop. Instead of heading to the counter, they both approached him.

“You’re Shang Cang?” Li Yun asked in English.

“Mr. Li?” Shang Cang nodded in affirmation. He wondered how they spotted him so quickly as the shop had other customers around.

“Yes,” Li Yun replied as they shook hands. “This is my girlfriend Rouxi, she’s also a practitioner of some sort.”

Rouxi almost chuckled at the strange introduction as labelled as a practitioner, but he wasn’t wrong. After training for a few weeks, Rouxi dantian was steadily growing. It wasn’t as quick as Li Yun, but the pace was faster than he thought considering she didn’t have the luxury of seeing what was happening to herself. She could only feel her aura becoming stronger.

The three took their seats, and Shang Cang started the first round of questioning. “How did you hear about my grandfather?”

“Through Master Yue, a diviner,” Li Yun explained. “I have originally wanted to ask him about feng shui, but he recommended your grandfather. They had a chance encounter many years ago before the revolution.”

“What do you mean by being a practitioner?” Shang Cang humored.

“Someone who has developed their dantian beyond the norm,” said Li Yun. “There aren’t a lot of people in this world, from what I have seen. I am also not too familiar with the practice itself, so I am seeking guidance from others.”

Shang Cang raised his eyebrow with a bit skepticism. “What do you need from me?”

“I simply want to know if your grandfather mentioned to you anything about the practice of feng shui.”

“That’s it?” Shang Cang thought they would ask for money, but maybe they were waiting until after Shang Cang told them his story. “Well, my grandfather used to tell us stories about the existence of other realms, such as the spirit realm and universal realm.”

“Can you tell me more about it?” asked Li Yun.

“My grandfather used to tell me stories about the other realms, specifically the world called Renyu in the 6th realm,” Shang Cang explained.

“Why the 6th realm?” asked Li Yun.

“I am not sure, but I guess it’s because there is an existing portal there that connects to our world, located in the 8th realm. He had never been able to bypass the gate into Renyu, but he had heard stories that his great father had been able to traverse into Renyu. From his retelling, it sounded mythical and strange. Thus, he got the nickname Mad Shang from the rest of the family.”

Li Yun nodded but wondered how much of it was exaggerated. People back in the past tended to use fantastical narratives as a way to better memorize certain events.

“Much of the descriptions of the dream world came from his account. He wrote about a vast grass field roaming with giant elk-like creatures and a great tree in the distance. As it was his first arrival, he felt lost and decided to avoid the strange creature. However, before he could continue, he woke up from the dream— or what he thought it was a dream. But the following night, he appeared at the starting point of the plains. Every night, he reappeared in the same location with the great tree in the distance. On the tenth day, he decided that it was only just a dream, and headed toward the great tree. The beasts ignored him and he arrived at the tree that had a red flower near the top of its branch. He climbed up the tree to grab the red flower. From above, he saw a stone tower in the distance. He also noticed there was no sun. The source of light itself seemed to be the sky filled with wispy clouds. He was still convinced it was a dream and wandered aimlessly around.

He decided to head toward the tower next. Before he reached his destination, he woke up. On the 11th night, he appeared by the great tree, and not in the middle of the plain like before. It surprised him that he was able to make progress and not loop back to the beginning. He experimented more with his travels in the plains, arriving at a rock formation made of three boulders.

From then on, he realized that as long as he could remember a landmark, he could reappear in the location. As he navigated the plains, Mad Shang was convinced that the dream world was real. There were strange creatures that behaved much like animals, but some inhibited with abilities he had never seen before.

There was a giant black turtle guarding the tower. Mad Shang died several times attempting to break through and eventually gave up, heading toward a mountain in the distance. Mad Shang spent his entire life figuring out a way to climb the mountain. There seemed to be a blizzard blocking the path to the top. I do not know how he got up, but he made it to the top of an ice pavilion.

Inside, the Queen Mother appeared to him. She told him that he had been selected to be reborn in the Spirit Realm and become a powerful warrior. However, it was likely that his memories would be wiped out and he would never return to his family. She gave him a choice to continue living until it was time.

At that point, Mad Shang had written down his experience up to that point. I heard from my grandfather that Old Shang died in his sleep at the age of sixty-two, his last diary entry from the day before was this: “I’ve made peace with this world, and I am ready to take my responsibility in the next.”

“Did he really die in his sleep?” Li Yun asked after Shang Cang’s narration. For someone who didn’t care much, he remembered a lot of details.

“I am not sure, everyone said he was in good health,” Shang Cang wanted to say he thought suicide was likely possible, but the family had likely kept it a secret because it was taboo.

“Have you also traveled into the dream world?” asked Li Yun.

Shang Cang nodded. “I have, I’m at the base of the snowy mountain, but I'm unable to proceed further.”

“You’re not certain if the dreams are real, or if it’s a manifestation of your illness?” Li Yun asked.

Shang Cang nodded. “The dreams feel vivid and real. Every time I enter it, I can tell there is progress in where I’m heading, but that doesn’t confirm whether it’s real or not. I am used to lucid dreams ever since I was a child, but the start of these dreams was around the same time I had developed a brain tumor.”

Li Yun understood the struggle to figure out whether something was real or a figment of the imagination. During college, he thought the system was a mental manifestation of the reward system.

“If I tell you they are real, would you believe me?” Li Yun asked.

“Do you have proof?” asked Shang Cang.

“Dreams are dreams, what proof do you need? Real and fake are meaningless in dreams.” Li Yun brushed aside the topic and gave Shang his note. “You have glioblastoma and a year left to live?”

Shang Cang nodded. It didn’t matter how Li Yun got the information, he didn’t have much time left to live, so why bother.

“Are you considering surgery?” Li Yun asked.

Shang Cang shook his head. “The doctor said the tumors are in inoperable areas. They don’t have the means to remove it. I might have to travel far for treatment.” Even with insurance, he had to pay out of pocket the remaining amount that would completely empty out what he had saved for his little brother. Why have surgery that would barely increase his survival rate?

“I’ll pay for your surgery,” Li Yun offered.

Shang Cang’s hand paused for a moment when he reached for his coffee. After thinking for a brief moment, he pulled his coffee up for a sip and examined Li Yun’s face, wondering what was the catch.

“You will have to work three years for me,” Li Yun gave Shang Cang a standard employment form written in English. “What are your skills?”

“You’re serious?” Shang Cang asked as he scanned through the employment contract for a Chinese company called Shennong.

“Well, fill this out and I’ll see what position is available.”

“Do you have a cleaning position?”

“Uh, sure,” Li Yun scratched his head, he never thought Shang Cang would be interested in cleaning. He had cleaners in different portions of the factory, but since it was the least desirable position, the turnover rate was high and workers typically transferred up to other positions. There were people who enjoyed simple menial work, but there were too few. “You can work after you recover.”

“Why are you confident I will recover?”

“I’m not, but that is why there is another condition, you will have to let me handle the surgery process.”

Shang Cang looked hesitant, it sounded like some sort of experimental surgery.

“It’s not going to be a secret surgery, you will also need to sign a disclaimer for the surgery to be performed on a medical streaming site.” Publicity was becoming an important part of Li Yun’s work and projects, and he needed more support from the medical and science community if he wished to find a way to prove the existence of meridians.

“You can really remove the tumor?”

“I have performed similar operations before, including one for the Minister of Health,” said Li Yun. “I also have experience with cerebral embolizations.”

Li Yun thought Shang Cang would also benefit from laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT,) but he needed more research before he recommended it to Shang Cang.

“The only problem is, I won’t be able to perform here. The paperwork will be a hassle to process.”

“Are you suggesting I travel to China for surgery?” Shang Cang was a bit skeptical. He could barely speak Cantonese, much less go to the mainland where Mandarin was more prominent.

“It’s only a recommendation, you can take your time to think it through. Call me when you are ready.”