62 A Nasty Little Joke of Epic Proportions 6 (1/2)

Having chased away the exasperating Wei Chang Luo who kept pestering for his promised spiritual treasure of the Spirit Building Realm, Wei Xuan watched the two maidservants prepare the study to rest, before gazing at the floor of the study with an undying interest.

There, a young girl of no more than fourteen years of age dressed in a cotton nightgown sat cross legged on the acacia wood floor, a pile of twenty books of different sizes and thickness scattered all around her. The girl was picking a random book from the stack, the pair of dull scarlet irises scanning the contents before tossing it back onto the pile with an audible sigh.

”…finished?” Wei Xuan gently spoke from his chair, the book in his hands already folded and laying peacefully on the now replaced drawing table.

”It's late already, reading for much longer will only harm your eyesight. Go sleep, you can read more tomorrow.”

An Fei looked up towards the smiling minister, before meekly nodding her head and beginning to pick up the books with the assistance of Xiao Wen. Observing that the maidservants were helping the girl into the bed, Wei Xuan stood from his chair with a sigh, heading towards the door with a light stretch.

”…Father, can you teach me how to cultivate?”

The quiet voice brought the minister to a screeching halt, Wei Xuan looking skyward in thought. Slowly sliding the door of the study open and quickly excusing his presence, the minister's voice drifted into the girl's ears, bringing a satisfied smile to her beautiful countenance.

”…tomorrow! When the sun is up in the sky, Father will teach you how to cultivate.”

The lights within the study grew dark, accompanying the darkness of the winter night in a unified, conjoined enjoyment. Once again, tiny flakes of snow began to descend onto the recently cleared ground, though with the ferocity of a lover's caress and whispers that wormed into the soul.

A pair of maidservants, a young girl, and a well-experienced minister enjoyed a dreamless, comfortable sleep. Amongst all of the members residing inside the Wei manor, only a young man lay in bed, his eyes unblinking as they bored holes through the clay rooftop tiles.

Wei Chang Luo had even until now, been unable to catch a glimpse of his Fourth Sister's appearance.

That dammed veil and pair of servants were far too formidable, ah!

-

”Alright, we can start today,” Wei Xuan dutifully announced after An Fei had placed down her chopsticks.

While Xiao Ying and Xiao Wen dutifully cleared away the destitute remains of breakfast including several bowls of rice noodles and chicken congee, the minister led the young girl into the recess of the study, having her sit in the middle of the makeshift clearing created the day before.

”…do you have any questions on cultivation before we start?” Wei Xuan sat across from the young girl, his expression tranquil and patient.

An Fei sat in silence for several moments, her mind quickly parsing together the numerous scraps of information she had gleaned from overhearing the maidservants, Wei Xuan, and the scholars at the Pagoda of Sun and Moon. Ultimately, however, what escaped the young girl's mouth was still the same question as the first.

”…what is cultivation?”

Fortunately, Wei Xuan understood the underlying intent behind her question, and the minister paused for a moment before gathering a few large sheets of paper and an inkbrush. Wetting the brush, Wei Xuan carefully thought before setting the brush's tip onto the paper.

”Cultivation… usually begins with a thought of improving the body and soul of a person,” he spoke whilst drawing a circle on the sheet.

”The first step into the complex process known as cultivation is to temper the body, which we call the Body Tempering Realm.”

”Afterwards, a foundation must be constructed to house the nature's essence in the body, hence becoming the Realm of Foundation Establishment. This foundation is the enhancement of the body's meridians and blood vessels, allowing them to sustain greater pressure and tension.”

”Next is the enhancement of the soul, the Realm of Spirit Building.” Wei Xuan filled in the circle with oblique strokes, before drawing a circle adjacent to it.

”At this stage, cultivators would temper their soul in a similar fashion that they enhanced their body.”

A line quickly connected the two circles of ink; however, the unequal state was rather jarring to the eye. One circle was filled while the other was not, making the diagram appear to be unbalanced and not stable.

”The Realm of Core Formation is the process at which the enhanced soul is merged with the body's reserves of spiritual essence at the dantian. Merging the soul with spiritual essence allows for a great increase in longevity and strength, permitting the body to rapidly absorb the nature's essence in the atmosphere without much restriction.”

”And finally, the Realm of the Nascent Soul,” Wei Xuan stared into An Fei's eyes, his gaze unwavering and steady.