35 Freedom (1/2)
Morning came and I found myself still exhausted from the previous night. I headed to the food hall for some early breakfast and saw Dong eating on his own. Walking over, I placed my tray opposite his.
”Good morning Dong, can I ask you some questions?”
”Ah Oscar, you're up early! Sure, fire ahead.”
”When do lessons start? Do I have some time just to cultivate?”
”Well, we want you to spend another two days getting used to the school. Afterwards, every day you'll go to martial training.”
”Some days you'll have class after lunch. The teachers will take care of that for you, so just head to Yard whenever you hear the bells ring.”
”Training every day? Do we get any rest days?”
”Rest days?” Dong seemed confused, ”why would you want a whole day to rest if you're not injured? You get plenty of time to rest or cultivate in the evenings.”
”Oh, I understand.”
It seemed that there was no concept of weekends here. School would be quite intense, especially if I wanted to cultivate in the evenings.
”One last question Dong, can I go outside?”
”What, you want to leave already?” Dong laughed.
”I don't mean like that - I want to go cultivate with Crow.”
”Hm. You know the Crow?”
”Yeah, he helped me in the past with my constitution, and…” I adopted a plaintive tone, ”master doesn't want to help me, and I don't know where to start…”
”Ah… well… okay. It's not strictly allowed, but… I think I can make an exception. Here.”
Dong pulled a scrap of paper from his robes and placed his finger on it. A glowing golden crest formed on its surface, and he handed it to me.
The crest was a fish with two dragon heads facing left and right. The right head was closed and peaceful, with waves in the background, whereas the left was in flames, snarling with teeth bared.
”Pass this to the guards on the way out and tell them I gave you permission. If you're not back by dinner, I can't let you go out again, you understand?”
”Thank you so much Dong! I promise, I'll come back by dinner.”
”Alright, good luck with your cultivation!”
”Thank you!”
With that, I ran out of the food hall, eager to go cultivate in the mountains. Also, if I could build a bond of trust with Dong, perhaps he would let me cultivate outside in the evenings.
Passing by the guards, I handed them the note, and they let me through without hesitation. Dong's crest seemed to carry some weight around here.
Standing just outside the gates, it hit me. This was the first time I was free. There was nobody to guide me, nobody to stop me, and I could go wherever I wanted.
An urge to flee tugged at my gut. To just run away and see the world for myself. Eight years of being molly-coddled and tied down had made me restless and eager to explore.
What could I do? What could I see? Was I prepared to face the world yet? Thinking through it, I probably wasn't. I barely had any strength, and my knowledge was severely limited.
Another urge came, and it was stronger. The magnetic pull of cultivation. The realisation that just a few kilometres from here was Crow, a man with knowledge that could help me.
Calming myself and setting my priorities straight, I began walking in the direction of Crow's cave. It dawned upon me that with this freedom, I could also practice my mobility.
Movement arts were crucial for cultivators; to not be shackled by the speed of a horse, and to have swift positioning in a fight. I hadn't touched on them yet, and I wanted to experiment.
Starting with what I knew, I sent some qi into my legs, strengthening my muscles. I practiced walking, then jogging, then sprinting as fast as I could.
It was difficult to know how fast I was running, but the wind whipping around my face encouraged me. I slowed down after 15 seconds or so to take a break and found myself exhausted.
My lungs were on fire, and I bent over double, heaving. Sure, I hadn't exercised much in this life, but this was a problem. My physical capabilities were the same as a normal person on earth.
It didn't matter how much I strengthened my muscles. My stamina was still low. If I wanted to move like a cultivator, I needed a different strategy.
After catching my breath for a minute, I thought of the previous night. If I could use qi explosions to travel, I could limit the strain on my muscles.
I stood still and gathered qi in the lower dantian. Learning from my past experiences, I took a tentative slow step forward. My balance slipped, my core tensed, and the qi scattered.
This was harder than punching, as keeping my balance without tensing my core was nearly impossible. Instead, I steadied myself with my hand on a nearby building and tried again.