The world was a swirl of colours as awareness returned to Lu Jie. Sensations assaulted him all at once, sight smell, sound. It was all so minor, yet he relished each moment, relished experiencing it all for himself.

And with it came greed. He wanted to remain like this.

The Gu boiled within his core, crawling across his pathways. It agreed with Lu Jie’s thoughts. He was the one who this body belonged to. It should be his.

A voice interrupted Lu Jie’s thoughts.

“Great Master?” Labby squeaked. Rising above the spirit grass she stood on her back legs, her pink nose twitching adorably as she looked at him.

Lu Jie stared silently, as new emotions filled his chest. Concern, care, comfort. It wasn’t he who felt as such, but his other half that slept within his spirit. The one who he owed his life to.

Lu Jie felt his mind clear, as he drew upon the Qi in his other core. It cleared the miasma, removing its clutches, and returned clarity to his thoughts. He had limited time, and a purpose to fulfil. He wouldn’t be betraying himself by losing to the whispers of the poisonous energy that coursed in his body.

“I will be heading out, Labby, stay here and don’t cause trouble in my absence,” Lu Jie said, as Labby squealed once more.

“Is something wrong Master? Labby doesn’t like the feeling she’s sensing from master right now. It doesn’t smell like spirit herbs anymore.”

Lu Jie paused, looking at the sharp senses of the spirit rat. He’d forgotten how sensitive the little rat was to her Master’s Qi.

Leaning into the love he sensed from his other half, Lu Jie smiled, and spoke in the impolite and casual manner the other boy did.

“It’s nothing, I’m just going to do some work. And if you stay put, I’ll let you have just one more spirit pill today.”

The little rat rejoiced, squeaking happily. “Labby will stay put!” she exclaimed and Lu Jie nodded. The turtle eyed him as he walked, and for a brief moment Lu Jie realised what his fate would’ve been had he given in to the whispers of the Miasma. He bowed slightly to show his gratitude, and walked out of the chamber.

Qi swirled through Lu Jie’s pathways, masking the Gu that swirled within his core. Yet even so, he could already feel the effect of the miasma slowly starting to corrode his pathways. Even if he had wished to remain, his spirit wouldn’t have held on for long. He needed to hurry.

The familiar corridors evoked a strange emotion from Lu Jie. He held no special love for the sect, but it had served as his home for far too long for him not to grow attached to this place. The path through the outer sect soon led to the chamber from which he smelled the familiar scent of spirit herbs drifting out.

Lu Jie stopped outside the chambers, as a sudden fear took hold of him. He hadn’t met the Old Man in a long time now. And back when he’d still been around, he’d never taken the time to ever talk to the Old Man. To thank him for all he’d done. He’d been far too busy fighting his destiny to ever appreciate the people around him.

It was only his own foolishness that had led to his fate, and Lu Jie regretted all of it.

“Why are you standing around like that, Lu Jie? Come in,” the Old Man’s voice came from within.

With a deep breath, Lu Jie walked within the chamber. The sight of the cauldron and the many herbs, the books and the comfortable side chamber were both familiar and unfamiliar to him. Not much had changed, even in the while he’d not been around, and yet, enough had that Lu Jie couldn’t help but see the difference.

There were books, notes, herbs, and pills that his other half had left in this chamber. Results of long talks with the Old Man about the workings of certain spirit herbs and pills and how to make them. Things he’d never taken the time to do.

“What is it Lu Jie? You look distraught, is something wrong?” the Old Man said, his white brows furrowing in concern. “Here, have some tea, I’ve just made some from the remaining spirit herbs. Although don’t tell anyone, they’d label this Old Man a fool for wasting herbs.”

Lu Jie stared at the Old Man silently, before putting his hands together and bowing his head. “This disciple greets his Master.”

The Old Man looked on at Lu Jie in surprise, as he walked closer. “Raise your head. And speak, my disciple. What bothers you so much? Even your Qi feels shallow, and unsettled today.”

Lu Jie raised his head, shaking it. “I just realised that I’d been ungrateful to Master. You’d saved me after my spar, healed so many of my injuries. Even when this foolish disciple had lost his temper and despaired at his fate, you’d been there, yet I’d never once returned a word of thanks until the very end,” Lu Jie said looking up at the old man.

The Old Man looked at Lu Jie with a silent gaze. Gently he extended the tea cup in his hand towards Lu Jie and took a seat nearby.

Lu Jie held the cup, before following behind and taking a seat. A few moments passed where neither spoke, the chamber filled only by the sound of the Old Man sipping his tea.

“Have I told you about my grandson?” the Old Man asked.

Lu Jie shook his head silently. He’d heard the Old Man mention his grandson, but never once had he ever talked freely about him.

“Sheng Yuan, my grandson. He’d been my very first disciple, the brightest one I’d ever had. In my youth, I’d gone on many adventures thinking myself righteous and blessed by the Heavens. It’d been until I’d first held my grandson that I’d come to realise what a fool I’d been. If there was ever a boy who’d been blessed by talent, it was he,” the old man spoke, his voice quiet as he silently sipped on his tea.

Lu Jie waited patiently for the old man to continue.

“The boy had progressed quickly, gaining a foundation at the age of five. He’d been at the peak of the third realm before he’d been twelve. Many sects had eyed him, and at last, the First Peak among the Seven Celestial Peaks had invited him to their sect, to serve the Emperor himself.”

Lu Jie started with his eyes wide. The First Peak… the highest celestial peak was a sect even nobles had difficulty sending their children to. Old Man’s grandson had been invited to such a place?

“I had rejoiced. All of us had. Talent like this was seen once every hundred years or more. The boy was a blessing to our clan, one that would carry us to lofty heights. And as such, Yuan had held the weight of his entire clan on his shoulders, and he’d outdone our largest expectations. Yuan had remained in the sect till he’d been twenty seven. In his twenties, the boy had reached the peak of the sixth realm, and had begun preparing to break through to the third circle. It would’ve made him the youngest Elder of all clans among the empire.”

Lu Jie found his mind blanking, it was difficult to even imagine what something like that may look like. “If this disciple may ask… what happened to him?”

The Old Man sipped his tea, staring away as if to a far off distance. A few moments later, he spoke.

“Have you heard of Yang Shen, the fire demon of the west?” the Old Man asked.

“The fire demon killed your grandson?” Lu Jie blurted out, almost standing up in surprise. The tales of Yangshen had been told for many years now. Of the terror of the west who led the demons behind him. The greatest threat to the Azure-Jade empire.

The Old Man looked into Lu Jie’s eyes.

“Yang Shen was my grandson.”

Lu Jie felt the world spin around him as he stared at the Old Man. Something touched upon the edge of his senses. A sensation that arose from the Old Man, something he could only grasp through having partly broken through into the Second Realm.

He couldn’t sense which realm Old Man was in.

Lu Jie felt his knees buckle, as he fell down, and kowtowed. “I’ve failed to recognise your strength Master,” he said.

“I am but an Old Man now Lu Jie. I’ve just seen more than most. My life, my grandson. I’d left it all behind when I retreated to the Seventh Peak, and to the Cloudy Peaks sect. Now I’m but a humble alchemist.”

Lu Jie raised his head, looking at the Old Man. Even now, he didn’t feel even the barest hint of strength or presence from the Old Man. If someone had asked, Lu Jie would've said the Old Man was weaker than him. How blind he was.

“But… why are you telling me this today, Master? This disciple doesn’t understand how he had reminded Master of such a talented individual,” Lu Jie asked, confused. The Old Man had never told any of this to anyone. Not even to his other half. Why him?

“Like you, Yuan had burned with a desire to learn. He’d also taken each defeat heavy on his heart, and had worked twice as much to grow. Unlike you, it had borne fruit for him, with his blessings with the Heavens. Yet in your struggle, I’d sometimes seen the shadow of my much younger grandson,” the Old Man said and sighed.

“You wish to hide things when you fail to see what’s in front of you Lu Jie. I sense your twin cores. Your spirit isn’t unified is it?” the Old Man asked, setting his teacup to the side, and Lu Jie felt his heart thundering. Was he going to be killed today? Labelled as a demon?

“This old man senses your concerns Lu Jie. But one does not swear the oath of Master and Disciple so easily. If I wished to slay you, I would’ve the moment you stepped within this chamber. But the Path of the Heavens has cruel twists of fate, and perhaps it was your fate to seek me as your master.”

“Gratitude,” Lu Jie said, kowtowing his head once more and the Old Man nodded.

“I had been content to let you do as you’d pleased Lu Jie. Your Qi had been meagre, your spirit tied like a knot within itself, incapable of taking form. But now that you’ve taken form, found your other half and freed it... perhaps I should begin teaching you some real Alchemy as well,” the old man said, as a wave of Qi passed over Lu Jie. “Are you willing to take this Path?”

Lu Jie stared at the floor, clenching his fist silently. Desire burned in his heart, yet the Gu continued to erode at him. He didn’t have much time.

“It is not this disciple’s choice to make,” Lu Jie spoke, looking up.

The Old Man nodded contently. “I accept your apology Lu Jie,” the old man said. “It is this old man’s foolishness that despite everything I still think of you as my grandson.”

Lu Jie felt his eyes watering as he bowed his head. A tug pulled at his spirit as Qi spread within his body, coming forth. His time to return had come.

“Thank you, Grandfather,” Lu Jie whispered as his world turned dark.

***

I blinked my eyes, staring blankly at the Old Man who continued to smile at me. “Had a nice sleep, my young disciple?”

“Huh,” I muttered looking around me in confusion as a jumble of memories came to me, but I could barely parse through them.

“Up until now, I’d only taught you the basics. You hadn’t been ready to do more, with your lacking Qi. But that has changed now hasn’t it?” the Old Man said and I stared, before nodding lightly. Just what had Lu Jie told him?

“Very well,” The Old Man said, as mist bellowed out of his sleeves. His voice rippled through the air, carried upon Qi as it demanded my attention. “It is time I taught you what true Alchemy looked like. Are you prepared to walk this Path my disciple?”

I stared blankly for a moment, before a shit eating grin formed on my face. I didn’t know what kind of talk Lu Jie had had with the Old Man, something I’d need to ask for him, but for now, I felt my heart thunder with excitement.

I’d been mostly fumbling around on my own as the Old Man had been taking the slow and steady approach so far, but like hell I was going to refuse.

“I’m ready,” I replied, smiling and I found the Old Man nod, returning a quiet smile of his own and I felt my Qi bubbling forth, eager to be used.

It was time to level up my drug making skills baby!