Chapter 2
I recognised the creature from Zhao Dan's memories—a midnight direwolf. This was a low level spirit beast that was commonly found in the nearby forests.
Zhao Dan was poor, so he had no weapons. But he at least had his meagre cultivation of fifth star Body Tempering. I moved without thinking, rushing at the beast as it jumped on the girl.
All the muscles in my right arm tensed in one instant. I crossed the distance of a few metres with two striding steps, arriving between the girl and the wolf.
Smashing down my fist, I caught the beast on its jaw. Caught in the momentum of its charge it couldn't dodge my punch.
Despite the beast being almost as big as me, it went flying. A crack rang through the clearing as it slammed into a tree and crumpled.
Spirit beasts were stronger than cultivators at the same star, but midnight direwolves most commonly were in the second to third star of Body Tempering. It had no chance.
Freezing, I stared at my bloody fist. I wasn't a stranger to violence, but being the perpetrator was a new feeling. My body had moved on instinct.
A low growl came from the direction of the beast. Turning to it, I saw that the wolf was still clinging to life by a thread. This was fate.
Something deep within me urged me onwards, clamouring for blood. I believed I had rid myself of Zhao Dan's lingering will, but it seems I was mistaken.
Perhaps it would help me acclimate to this world if I experienced the act of killing. Better a spirit beast than another person. Striding towards the helpless wolf I raised my fist to deliver the finishing blow.
But as I moved to end its life, I stopped myself at the last moment before my fist struck its head. I wasn't a killer.
Zhao Dan's old instincts, the desire of a cultivator to crush everything in their path to advance, had taken the wheel mid-fight. I'd almost done something I would regret.
This wolf was only following its own instincts, hunting to survive. I wasn't sorry for defending the girl and wounding it, but whether it survived now was up to fate.
I stood up and unclenched my fist, walking over to the girl. Bending down, I reached out a hand to place on the girl's head and comfort her. She whimpered, still clutching her leg.
"Can I have a look?" I asked, moving towards her leg. While I wasn't versed in any healing techniques—I wasn't sure they even existed, browsing Zhao Dan's memories—I knew how to treat mortal wounds.
The girl nodded, but her hands were still clinging onto her bleeding calf. The fear of the wolf lingered in her mind and she was trembling even after I'd beaten it down.
"Hey, don't worry. It can barely move, it won't hurt you anymore," I comforted her as I gently lifted her hand from the wound. "What's your name?"
I winced internally, but my face remained calm and still as I inspected the savage cut. It seemed the wolf had torn out chunks of her flesh as it chased her to this clearing.
"Xiao…" she mumbled, covering her mouth. "Xiao Cui."
"It's nice to meet you, little Cui. I'm going to treat your leg, okay? Take some deep breaths and relax. You'll be fine," I reassured her.
First I needed to stem the bleeding. Well, really I should clean the wound, but that was difficult in the middle of a forest.
Tearing off a strip of my robe, I used it to dab away the dirt. Uncaring for my clothes, I ripped off another piece and wrapped it around the cut.
She winced as I pulled it tight, but I needed to make sure she would make it to the nearest town so I could treat her properly. Luckily, the wolf had missed her veins and arteries and while she would need time to recover, there was nothing permanently damaged. Or was there?
As I tied off the bandage, I observed to make sure it didn't leak. Thankfully I was wearing a black robe Zhao Dan owned, rather than the white robes of the sect—it would've been a shame to ruin them.
Even through the dark material, I saw red specks appear. Wait, how could there be red stains on black cloth?
Confused, I peered closer and my eyes widened in surprise. Flickering sparks of red energy popped up every few seconds inside Xiao Cui's leg, pooling into a swirl of red. As I watched, I felt something inside me resonate with the sparks and my chest started to tingle.
I recognised this phenomenon… It was the same when Wang Ren had healed that girl's arm back in the Cloudy Falls Sect. Except his qi had been blue and this energy was red.
Additionally, Xiao Cui was a mortal who hadn't cultivated a day in her life. Even I didn't possess a speck of qi, so how could she? This had to be something else…
Oh! The Elder had taken my copy of the sect's Three Peaks Six Falls Art—the basic cultivation method given to all disciples—but I remembered enough to figure out what this was. In the Body Tempering Realm, cultivators used their blood essence to refine their bodies and prepare them to accept spiritual energy.
Blood essence was something that all mortals possessed, even if they had no talent for cultivation. Before, I believed that perhaps transmigrating had given me the ability to sense qi early.
Now, I was starting to suspect that was only the surface. If I could also see blood essence, perhaps I would be able to sense other types of energy, too?
I had read in a few novels that transmigrators were often able to sense things like qi and blood better than natives of their new world, because their senses were experiencing these energies for the first time. Was that what was going on here?
While that thought was exciting, it wasn't helpful at the moment. However, being able to see Xiao Cui's blood essence healing her leg was extremely useful to me.
The tingling in my chest had intensified, becoming a hot itch. Turning my gaze inwards I saw an erratic cloud of red sparks whizzing about my body.
Unlike Xiao Cui's well behaved blood essence, mine seemed like an angry mob. With a grunt, I tried to suppress the raging sparks.
They resisted, refusing to obey my will. Was this the effect of taking over Zhao Dan's body or simply a lack of talent?
Eventually I managed to quell the fiery itch, but my blood essence refused to settle. Curious, I moved my hand towards Xiao Cui's wounded leg…
As soon as I did that a searing flame shot down my arm, a torrid stream of energy clamouring for escape. I yanked my hand back and coughed as the unruly essence raged inside me.
Wang Ren had told me that qi was vitality itself—a force of healing when applied to wounds. Would blood essence work in a similar manner?
I didn't think that cultivators in this world could sense blood essence the way they sensed qi. None of the memories I had suggested otherwise. I smirked a little, happy that I had at least one unique talent.
While I was grateful to Zhao Dan for his body, it was far from an optimal specimen. Just enough spirit roots to cultivate, low talent, and not a whiff of a unique physique.
Nevertheless, I had always been determined and hard-working. I wanted to figure this out, but I didn't want to risk hurting Xiao Cui if my theory was wrong.
Luckily, I had a perfect test subject lying half-dead on the edge of the clearing. "I've stopped the bleeding for now, just give me a moment," I assured her as I walked over to the wolf.
She seemed nervous as I left her side, but there wasn't much more I could say or do to comfort her in the moment. The ragged breaths of the wolf greeted me as I approached.
Blood pooled on the mossy ground, leaking from its mouth. I didn't think I'd punched it that hard, but I guess a two-star difference in cultivation was hard to overcome.
I crouched down, staying on the balls of my feet in case it decided to lash out. It had a hateful glare in its eyes and feebly swiped at me with its claws.
Swatting the pathetic attempt away, I clamped one hand over its jaw, sealing it shut, while placing the other against its chest.
As soon as my hand touched the black fur, I felt my blood essence vibrating faster than ever. The itch was unbearable, so instead of holding it back I simply let go.
However, nothing happened. My blood essence simply continued rampaging around my fist, despite my finger making contact with the injured wolf. I guess it was silly to expect to be able to copy Wang Ren's feat of qi healing after a single observation.
And I didn't even possess a drop of qi yet…
But that didn't dissuade me. What if there was a way to adapt the technique for my use? All of these cultivators were battle maniacs, leaving fields of corpses in their wake as they advanced.
I hated the idea of following in their footsteps, betraying allies and slaughtering the innocent just to take a single step forwards. What if there was another way?
Thinking back to that morning, I remembered my conversation with Wang Ren, where I learned about qi oaths. He said that there were rumours that certain powerful cultivators had traded some of their freedom for power…
What if I could make a trade with the heavens? A trade that gave up some of my martial talents in exchange for healing techniques. Arts, a physique, knowledge—I would be satisfied with anything that might let me heal the wolf. And then Xiao Cui.
I knew that my shoddy attempt at fixing her leg might let us return to her village, but it wouldn't last long. If nothing was done it might get infected, or simply heal badly and leave her with a permanent injury.
Clenching my fists I knew what had to be done. I wasn't even sure it would work; if the heavens would listen to my plea. But I had to try.
Standing up from the dying spirit wolf, I took a step back and raised my gaze to the sky. I was sure the heavens would hear my words whether I stared upwards or not, but it felt like the right thing to do.
I still had a hard time accepting the 'heavens' as an actual entity, something with quasi-sentience. On Earth they were just a pretty backdrop to life, science'd down from something mystical to a few thin layers of gas and the universe beyond.
Even so, I closed my eyes and tried to find the right words to make my request. I wasn't sure what exactly I was giving up or what I might receive in return—only vague ideas.
For a while I stood there in silence, considering my future in this world and what I hoped to achieve. I knew that despite my aversion to casual cruelty and wanton violence, I wouldn't be able to avoid it entirely.
Sometimes it was necessary to raise one's fists in order to defend the innocent. 'Healing' the wounds of the world required an iron will and a sturdy heart.
I felt the hippocratic oath was lacking, but I took some inspiration from it, knowing that the words I spoke weren't perfect, but good enough.
"Heavens, I'm not sure if there's a proper way to make an oath and I don't care to put on airs. I'm just here to make a request. I don't need to cut down thousands of foes or clamber over the battered bodies of my fellow humans to advance my own power.
"All I need is the strength to heal those who need it; the power to defend the innocent from cruelty and evil; and the means to become the greatest doctor this world has ever seen!" I declared, every word pouring from my mouth filled with my determination.
Silence fell over the clearing.
I felt like an idiot and my cheeks flushed red. Standing there shouting at the sky I was sure that Xiao Cui thought me crazy.
My oath had failed, the wolf would die from its wounds, and little Cui would live life as a cripple. Perhaps I would become a doctor in the future, but by then it would be too late.
I'd already lived one life full of mistakes. I didn't want to do the same thing again now that I'd been granted a second chance.
All of a sudden I heard a deep rumbling, like the banging of a thousand war drums. The world flashed white, then I heard a deafening clap of thunder.
A millions spears of ice dug into my skin and tore through my body. That was the last thing I felt before I passed out.
****
"Hello, are you alive? Wake up, damn it… Oh, your eye moved! What in the heaven's name was that?" cried Xiao Cui, shaking my body and sending waves of burning agony through every muscle.
It felt as though I'd been kneaded by a veteran baker and then baked for a year. Opening my eyes, a spike of pain dug into my head as the light blinded me.
When I'd finally recovered enough to sit up, I looked down at my body and gasped.
It was in perfect condition… No, more than that—it was better than perfect. My skin was smooth and even my tattered robes had been mended.
They were now white like jade, with emerald green details running along the trim. For a moment I had forgotten who, what, and where I was. Then everything came rushing back as I looked into Xiao Cui's eyes.
The oath!
There was only one explanation for what had happened to me. But other than fresh robes and smooth skin, nothing felt different to before…
Oh fuck.
The moment I turned my gaze inwards, focusing on my body, I realised what had happened. My spirit roots, as few as they were, had shattered.
Damn heavens, this wasn't what I asked for! I didn't want to be a bloodthirsty battle maniac, but making me a cripple? Too far!
However, that wasn't quite right either. Despite my broken spirit roots, I realised that my cultivation remained unchanged. I was still at the fifth star of the Body Tempering Realm.
Flexing and unflexing my bicep, then clenching and unclenching my fist, I tried to find any difference in my body from before making the oath.
I couldn't find one.
But that didn't mean nothing had changed. There was one thing I had to try. The heavens had taken something valuable from me, so surely they had given me something in return.
"Don't worry about me, little Cui. I'm absolutely fine," I told her, waving away her hands as she fussed over me. "Give me a moment."
Turning to the wolf, I saw it was on death's door. It had a minute at most before it took its final breath. There was still time.
Bending down over its body, it whined weakly and tried to raise a paw, but it didn't have the strength. I felt my blood essence stir as I drew closer.
It wasn't as aggressive as before, but I could still feel its excitement. My fist surged with power and I extended two fingers, touching them to the wolf's chest.
Blood essence flooded into the wolf's body like a raging river. At first I was happy, relieved of the painful itch. Then I-
I was on the ground and lights danced in my eyes. For a moment the world was fuzzy and I could hear a ringing in my ears.
The burning pain returned, two sharp points in my forearm. I jumped to my feet, ripping my arm out of the wolf's mouth.
What on earth!? Seconds earlier it had been knocking on death's door, but now it had the strength to bounce around and snarl at me like a murderous chihuahua.
Two thin streams of blood trickled from the holes in my arm where it had bitten me. "Ungrateful mutt, that's no way to thank me for saving your life," I cursed.
No good deed goes unpunished as they say. But despite the throbbing bite, I couldn't stop myself from smiling.
The oath had worked!
I had paid a heavy price, but it seemed like I'd been granted something equally valuable. I wasn't yet in the Qi Gathering Realm, but I'd still managed to replicate the healing technique.
And that wasn't all. I felt it stirring within me. My blood essence had multiplied and my cultivation had somehow advanced, even though my spirit roots were shattered.
According to everything Zhao Dan knew about cultivation that should've been impossible. And yet I couldn't deny the reality of my situation.
I had a dozen variations I wanted to test. I needed to experiment, figure out what else I could do after taking this qi oath.
But my questions could wait. Right now I needed to beat some sense into this damn dog… For the second time.
Glaring at the spirit beast, I took a step forward. My leg moved like lightning, striking at the wolf's torso.
I felt a crunch as my foot snapped a rib. What a waste of my blood essence. Well, not quite—I knew the technique worked now, so I could try it on Xiao Cui.
Why was the beast so insistent on throwing its life away? Couldn't it tell I was far stronger…
Then again, finding a meal was difficult in the wild. Perhaps Xiao Cui and I were the first prey it had found in days.
Even though it was an annoying bastard, I still had little desire to end its life. "Look, I don't know if you can understand me, but if you keep this up I will be forced to do something I really don't want to," I warned him.
I blinked. The wolf pounced at me. My fist moved instinctually, a killing blow aimed at its neck.
And missed.
I felt a sting as the wolf's claws sliced through my bicep. Xiao Cui screamed and I saw the wolf turn and ignore me in favour of the easy prey.
For a brief moment I was frozen in shock, barely registering the pain. Nothing had gone wrong, so why did my attack miss the mark?
Focusing on my body, the problem was immediately clear. My laughter rang through the clearing as I wiped tears from my eyes.
For two years, Zhao Dan had been stuck at the bottom of five-star Body Tempering. This body was so used to moving with that level of strength that any minor change meant a loss of balance.
Healing the wolf had skyrocketed my cultivation, close to the peak of the fifth star. With the extra speed and strength I'd gained, I couldn't move in quite the same way.
I also suspected that my light-headedness played a part. In my eagerness to test my newfound ability I had let loose and used up all of my blood essence.
My speed was even greater than before and I kicked off the ground, standing between Xiao Cui and the wolf. I glared menacingly towards it, daring it to take another step.
This time it seemed to get the hint and backed up while growling and baring its fangs at me. Once it reached the edge of the clearing it vanished, sprinting into the forest.
Strangely, I was grateful to that wolf. Even though it'd torn up my new robes and bloodied my fists I'd learnt something important and had the chance to test a new technique. One that I could now use to heal Xiao Cui.
I turned to the shaking girl and bent down. "Hey, didn't I tell you it would be fine. Why'd you go and scare the little puppy away with your screaming?" I teased her.
Xiao Cui giggled, then winced when she shifted onto her injured leg. Grabbing her shoulders, I lifted her and placed her against one of the trees.
The gnarled bark wasn't much comfort, but it was far better than lying on the ground. When she saw me untying the bandage her eyes widened and she grabbed my hands to stop me.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, voice quivering.
"Relax, little Cui. I figured out a technique back there, so I want to try and heal your wound properly. That way I won't need to carry you back home," I answered with a smile.
That seemed to ease the tension. I wasn't used to this world of immortals, spirit beasts, and violence. But I knew how to keep my patients smiling, even as I cut them open or snapped their bones.
This time I only needed to pump some of my essence inside her. How hard could it be to stop myself from letting it all explode out in one burst?
As it turns out, it was really hard.
The moment my arm came close to her leg, I felt the hot rush of my blood essence surging towards her. The wolf healed enough to attack me, but there was no guarantee I hadn't left internal wounds behind in my hasty attempt.
When it came to my first human patient, I wanted to take extra care and get my technique right. Additionally, I needed to observe my own cultivation at the same time to see what exactly was making it surge upwards.
Eventually I tamed the raging essence so that only a few sparks at the tip of my finger. I pressed it against the wound and they raced towards Xiao Cui's swirling blood essence.
A spike of pain dug into my head. It felt like I was splitting my brain in two by restraining my essence while focusing on the wound.
The sparks joined the swirling mass inside her leg. Her blood essence had been gathering in the wound for a while. Every now and then a few sparks would break off from the swirl and float towards her skin.
When that happened, I noticed that the bleeding slowed and the wound shrank by a tiny margin. This was the natural healing process of a human in this world.
Fascinated, I almost missed what happened when my own blood essence joined Xiao Cui's. I saw a flash of red as the first spark touched the swirling mass.
When her own essence joined the swirl it simply grew a little larger, but mine had a completely different effect. The swirl condensed, shrinking in size but starting to spin faster.
The effect was greater the more of my blood essence entered the wound. She cried out in pain, breaking my concentration.
Realising I had been pushing too much of my blood essence into her, I forced the agitated sparks to remain inside my arm. Just as too much medicine was poison, it seemed there was a limit to the beneficial impact of using my blood essence like this.
"Sorry, I got a little excited," I apologised. "The healing should be over soon, little Cui."
She nodded with a grimace, clenching her jaw. Unlike cultivators who could shrug off such a minor wound, mortals were quite fragile.
The swirl reached a limit. It was tiny now, about the size of my fingertip. However, it was spinning so fast that following it made me dizzy. And that wasn't the only change.
Before, the swirl released the healing sparks every ten seconds or so. Now they were being blasted at the wound multiple times each second like some kind of healing machine gun.
The three claw wounds on her leg were now closing at a visible rate. This was fascinating to me, who had never witnessed such miraculous healing techniques.
Soon the blood was gone and her leg was smooth and shiny like nothing had ever happened. But it wasn't finished yet.
Spinning faster and faster, the condensed swirl reached a breaking point and exploded into countless red sparks. Xiao Cui didn't react, so I had to assume she didn't feel this.
After that, the seemingly endless sparks of blood essence rushed towards the point where my finger was touching her leg. I gasped as the torrent of energy surged into me.
It rushed up my arm and into my chest, before diffusing across my entire body. If I wasn't mistaken, the quantity of blood essence that entered my body was around fifty percent greater than the quantity I injected into her wound!
Satisfied with my discovery and the success of the healing technique, I prepared to lift Xiao Cui to her feet. At that moment, a wave of heat burst outwards from my core and I cried in pain as my muscles, tendons, and skin were torn apart.
Chapter 3
Nothing could have prepared me for the agonising pain that I felt. What the hell was going on?
Was this the backlash for spending too much blood essence or a side effect of brute forcing a technique meant for those at the Qi Gathering realm? Actually, the pain of my body ripping itself apart was just the beginning.
When patients are healing from severe wounds, they often report extreme agony from the affected area even after they've been treated. The healing process itself can be more painful than the original injury!
What followed my body being torn to pieces was a full reconstruction. From my toes to my scalp, iron-like bones reforged from dust, tendons like bow strings snapped into place, and densely packed muscles twisted together.
As this happened I was barely able to maintain consciousness. My mind went blank and I couldn't form a single thought.
Slowly I felt the pain receding. Focusing inwards, I saw that as the transformation ended, the red sparks of my blood essence exploded out from my core and raced around my body. Wherever they went was rejuvenated and I felt a sensation of extreme relief.
My ordeal was over. Now that I was more coherent, I was able to figure out what had happened. I had broken through to six-star Body Tempering.
Letting out a chuckle, I turned my gaze towards the heavens. This world was truly unfair. Zhao Dan had struggled for 2 years without making a single iota of progress in his cultivation, yet I managed to break through in a single day after my transmigration!
However, something was strange about this breakthrough. Looking through my memories, none of his previous breakthroughs had been so severe.
They had been similar, as the Body Tempering Realm involved the destruction and reformation of one's body, but nowhere near as intense. There were two possible answers.
The first was that my strange blood essence had played a part in the agonising breakthrough. Zhao Dan had never been able to sense his own blood essence with such precision and it had never behaved in the way mine did.
It wasn't a bad thing that my breakthrough was more intense than before. The greater level of agony had paved the way for a sturdier foundation. I knew that I would be tougher than cultivators at the same star as me.
But there was also the possibility that none of that was true. This led to the second possibility—my use of my blood essence to heal Xiao Cui and the wolf.
After each use of the technique, the quantity of my blood essence had skyrocketed. There were no free meals in this world; any powerful technique should have an equally potent drawback.
Perhaps my rapid advancement came with a price—every breakthrough made using this method would be many times more brutal than the last. The only way to discover which answer was right was to test each theory.
Whatever the oath had granted me, I knew that I was only scratching the surface. Giving up my spirit roots was a phenomenal sacrifice. Even as stingy as the heavens seemed to be, given how few cultivators there were compared to mortals, it couldn't have given me a single measly technique in exchange.
Coincidentally, I had already decided to become a doctor once more. At first I had been wondering how I would acquire healing arts or techniques in this battle-obsessed world.
The idea of creating my own from the ground up based on my knowledge and experience crossed my mind a couple times. However, that would be a monumental task.
From what I had managed to find out, creating a new technique from scratch was typically something that only Core Formation ancestors could accomplish. Reaching such a level was more of a dream than a real ambition for the previous Zhao Dan.
I doubted I would reach such heights. My temperament didn't suit this brutal world. However, now that I'd discovered my own unique method of advancing, there was a sliver of a chance that I might make it there one day.
For now, I would need to take some time to stabilise my new cultivation as well as plan my next steps. The journey back to Xiao Cui's home was a perfect opportunity to do so.
Even though I wasn't sure exactly what my future held, I knew I would face it with my head held high. I'd made my oath and I would do my best to stick to it while figuring out the powers it had granted me.
Turning towards the young girl, I saw that her face was pale and she stared at me with horror. At first I was confused and looked around the clearing, thinking she'd seen another spirit beast.
However, we were alone in this part of the forest. Then it hit me. She'd just been witness to my body tearing apart from the inside and then rebuilding itself.
For cultivators, such a sight was still gory, but a part of their daily lives. To a mortal, such a scene must've left a sickening impact.
"Don't worry, little Cui. While that may have looked vicious, it was a good thing for me. I've reached a new level in my cultivation," I assured her. Unfortunately my words had little effect.
Knowing there was no instant fix for the minor trauma, I simply lifted her onto my back and started to run through the forest. "Where do you live?" I asked.
She yelped as I swept her off her feet and struggled for a moment, but then her eyes seemed to glaze over and she went still. I wasn't happy that a girl I'd saved viewed me with such fear, but perhaps I would need to get used to it.
Mortals and cultivators existed in different worlds. What seemed as natural as breathing to us was a world-shaking experience to them. Eventually she seemed to register my question.
"Oh, um… I live with my parents in Nine Paddy Village. It's near Three River City," she mumbled. "I can show you the way when we get close to the city," she quickly added.
I nodded and increased my speed, kicking at the ground until the passing trees became a blur. I'd wanted to explore the forest a little more on my way to Three River City, but getting Xiao Cui home safe was my priority.
****
While we walked through the forest, I noticed Xiao Cui glancing in my direction every now and then, but she didn't muster up the courage to speak her thoughts. That suited me just fine.
I had a lot to think about. I knew I wanted to continue being a doctor—or whatever equivalent this world had—but this was the first time I'd healed someone without relying on years of study and modern technology.
The sheer thrill of fixing an injury with nothing but the power contained within my body was unmatched. Even completing a twelve-hour surgery had never felt so… vivid.
Perhaps that was because the achievement was accompanied by the surge in my cultivation; that addicting growth that all cultivators in this world chased endlessly. Suddenly the trees seemed to vanish as glittering evening sunbeams danced through the empty air. I gazed out across the endless lush plains and rolling hills that lay around the Cloudy Falls Sect. The breathtaking view cleared away all worries and let me walk in unbothered peace for a little while.
****
Frowning, I looked at the beautiful sunset. The map given to me by the Elder at the gates severely understated the distance between the Cloudy Falls Sect and Three River City.
Even with my increased speed after the breakthrough, we'd only covered half the distance to the city since leaving the forest behind. Travelling at night was too dangerous—spirit beasts grew more restless in the dark.
I would've preferred to set up camp and wait until morning to continue our journey, but Zhao Dan hadn't owned a tent. Xiao Cui was lying on the side of the road, half asleep.
Shaking her awake gently, I asked, "Do you know if there are any inns along the road to your village? We can't travel in the dark."
It took her a second to fully wake up. Her eyes went wide when she saw me and she jumped back a little. I sighed. This mental trauma of hers was going to be a problem.
"You know, I really won't hurt you. Do you think I would've bothered healing your leg if I had bad intentions?" I asked, shaking my head.
Xiao Cui looked into my eyes for a few seconds, then seemed to come to a realisation. Getting onto her knees, she bowed until her head touched the dirt path.
"Thank you for saving my life, honoured cultivator," she declared. "I… your body… it was so scary," she started to stutter.
This was good progress. There was no need for such an over the top thanks, but I knew the customs of this world were ingrained in her mind.
"It was no problem," I replied with a wave of my hand. "And truly, I am fine. This process is normal for us cultivators."
She didn't need to know my little lie. While some pain was necessary for a breakthrough in the Body Tempering Realm, what I had experienced was far from normal.
"So, about the inn…" I said, looking at her with expectation.
"Yes! There is one, but I'm not sure we will make it there before nightfall," she sighed, looking back at the forest with fear.
"We don't have another option," I replied, holding out my hand for her. Taking it, I lifted her to her feet and then onto my back once more.
****
Xiao Cui told me the inn was only a little further, but she'd fallen asleep since then. Even with my cultivation I was beginning to grow tired. Running at full speed for a whole day had taken its toll.
At that moment I reached the top of the small hill we were climbing. Looking across the valley I smiled. The inn was a little further along from the base of the hill.
Darkness had taken hold of the world, but there was a half moon tonight and the sky was clear. Pale light illuminated the valley. For a moment I stood still, admiring the natural beauty of this place.
However, I didn't dawdle for too long. There was still the danger of running into more dangerous spirit beasts now that night had fallen. We soon reached the inn.
I'd half expected to be ambushed by spirit beasts along the way, but an eerie silence was all that followed us on our journey. With a final glance I turned from the path. The inn was two floors tall and made of sturdy wood.
Two lanterns hung from the front wall, lighting up the surrounding area in an orange glow. I could see a stable nearby with a few horses sleeping soundly.
Everything seemed in order, so I was happy to spend the night. Even if it was a little dodgy we wouldn't have another choice.
I didn't bother to wake Xiao Cui, simply stepping into the reception and greeting the owner with a nod. "Evening, owner. How much for a night's stay and a hot meal?"
The wrinkled old man held up three fingers without looking up from his book. "Three coppers each for the night, including dinner. My granddaughter will bring it to your rooms," he said without hesitation. "Four each if you want breakfast," he added, turning the page.
Some guests might have taken offence at his casual manner, but I liked people who got straight to business. Reaching into my coin purse, I realised I had a problem.
Stepping up to the counter, I placed a gold coin on the desk and coughed once to get the old man's attention. "Would you have change for a gold coin, by any chance?" I asked.
For the first time since I entered the inn, the man lifted his head from his book. He slammed it shut and jumped to his feet.
When he saw the glint of gold his eyes widened in shock and he reached out a hand to grab the coin, before pulling it back. He offered me a shallow bow. "Surely you jest, honoured customer," he said with a cough.
"This is the first time I've seen a gold coin in my life! How could I possibly have that much money on me?" he said with hesitation.
This was the problem with cultivators. They were so wrapped up in their bubble of chasing the heavens that they forgot little things like this. Couldn't Zhao Dan have at least had a few silver coins lying around…
Silver coins were worth 10 coppers, while gold coins were worth 100 silvers. If I had one, this old man would've had change for me. I wasn't that attached to money, but I wasn't sure how far my small fortune would take me now that I no longer had the support of a sect.
At that moment there was a cry from behind. I felt something slam into the back of my head, but it was far from hard enough to hurt me.
Xiao Cui slipped from my back and I turned to catch her arm just in time. There was a red mark on her forehead that was swelling rapidly. I stifled a laugh, realising she'd headbutted me as she awoke.
"Careful, at this rate you'll need healing once a day," I chuckled.
Her face went bright red and she mumbled an apology. Turning back to the owner, I tried to figure out a solution.
Taking back my gold coin, I saw a flash of greed in his eyes but he quickly suppressed it. Anyone who openly carried gold was either a cultivator or mortal lord. An elderly man had no hope of stealing their money without losing his life.
To my surprise, Xiao Cui stepped up to the desk and took out a silver coin, handing it to the old owner without blinking. When he took out two coppers to hand back to her, she waved a hand and said, "Keep it. Just make sure my bed is extra comfy and my dinner is extra tasty."
I wasn't sure of the value of mortal money in this world. Sure, I could make a guess based on the prices of the inn, but that didn't give me an idea about the average income. Nor did it tell me whether it was normal for a village girl to casually toss silver coins around.
Frankly, I didn't care. Looking at it this way, I had saved Xiao Cui's life and was escorting her back to her village. In the first place, a little girl wandering this far from home was asking for trouble.
If this was her way of repaying that life debt, then I wouldn't do something insensitive like try to pay her back. That could be seen as an insult to her kindness.
A young girl around Xiao Cui's age came from the back when the old man rang a bell. She was plain but pretty with brown hair and brown eyes. With a smile she showed us to our rooms on the top floor.
The old man must've said something to his granddaughter because the beds were far bigger than even Zhao Dan's back in the sect. After showing us the rooms she told us she would be back soon with our dinner.
Xiao Cui leapt onto her bed and giggled as she sunk into the soft bedding. After rolling a few times and hugging the pillow a few times she gave me an embarrassed look. I continued to stand in the doorway.
After an awkward few seconds of silence, she coughed. "Ahem, saviour," she muttered. Then, her eyes went wide and she yelled, "Ah! I never asked for your name."
Covering her face in her hands she buried herself under the blankets. I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. I remembered being that young. Every little misstep felt like the end of the world.
Embarrassment was worse than death for a teenager. "My name is Zhao Dan," I replied to her unasked question.
"Zhao Dan," she repeated, chewing on the syllables. "Thank you again for saving my life, Cultivator Zhao. I don't mean to be rude, but if you could give me some privacy…" she said, glancing towards the bathtub.
I swallowed as I realised I'd just been standing there, staring at her for a few minutes. With a cough I shut the door and retreated to my own room.
Looking in the mirror, I sighed. Gone was the muscular, tanned, and scarred body that used to greet me. It wasn't all bad. Zhao Dan, for all his flaws, had been handsome even by the standards of cultivators.
A little paler than I liked, but there was a certain charm to it. Had being in this youthful body influenced me? Because my mind hadn't changed much, I didn't really process that I was now two decades younger.
Then again, something like age was less of a pressure in this world. Every time one's cultivation increased, so would their lifespan.
The Supreme Ancestor of the Cloudy Falls Sect was rumoured to have lived over a thousand years. Even as a six-star body tempering cultivator I would live almost 150 years. And that wasn't all.
Cultivators aged slower, so I could expect to retain my youth and strength for the better part of my lifespan. I wanted to become a doctor again, but much of my knowledge—how to treat diseases, gunshot wounds, and heavy burns—was useless here.
Then again, there was no reason I only had to heal cultivators. Mortals were everywhere. If I was going to walk a path that few others had tread before me, starting from the bottom seemed like a good plan.
A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. Opening it, I was greeted by the smiling girl from earlier carrying a steaming bowl of meat, rice, and vegetables.
Thanking her, I sat down to eat. She seemed flustered as she delivered the food, blushing as she passed it over and running away in a hurry.
Perhaps being a handsome youth wouldn't be so bad after all. Taking a bite of the meat, I moaned in appreciation. This was the first meal I'd had since my transmigration and I sorely needed it.
Tender and juicy, the spiced meat melted in my mouth. Crunchy stir-fried vegetables and rice complemented it perfectly.
The food vanished in less than a minute as I devoured it. Placing the dirty bowl and chopsticks on the table, I considered asking for seconds but decided against it.
After bathing in the simple wooden tub, I changed out of my dirty clothes. Using the leftover water I scrubbed them clean and hung them out to dry.
Lying down on the bed, I realised why Xiao Cui had been so excited. It was luxuriously soft. The moment my head touched the pillow I grew drowsy and soon I fell fast asleep.
****
Sipping tea, I watched Xiao Cui enthusiastically sample the various fruits and pastries prepared for breakfast. I wasn't hungry, so I just had a single apple before letting her go wild.
A loud crash broke the tranquillity of my tea drinking. Frowning, I turned to the source of the disturbance. A group of four muscular brutes sat across the room.
They were shouting and jeering as they ate, throwing food everywhere and spilling their drinks—which were alcoholic… at breakfast. Given the swords and spears they carried, I guessed they were mercenaries. Or bandits.
Ignoring the fuss, I returned to sipping my tea and considering my future. I wasn't sure I was ready to go straight to Three River City. Perhaps after dropping Xiao Cui home I would just wander the nearby wilderness and see what I found.
Testing my new technique on spirit beasts seemed like an effective way to quickly figure out its limits. And there was the added benefit of improving my cultivation, though I would need to work out if the rapid progress resulted in instability before rushing into things.
A wooden cup flew across the room and hit my teacup, shattering it. Hot tea spilled across my lap and the shards of porcelain ruined little Cui's breakfast. I stared at the broken handle between my fingers with a deep frown.
With a sigh I stood up from my chair and brushed the shards from my robe. The tea hadn't burned me—my skin was too tough—but I couldn't forgive them for ruining Xiao Cui's breakfast.
She'd paid for it with her silver coin, after all. I walked over to the table of brutes after picking up the cup they'd thrown.
I placed it down on the table. Not slamming it, but hard enough that they suddenly stopped their jeering and stared at me. "I believe this belongs to you, fellow customers," I coldly announced.
"Now, I understand that accidents can happen to anyone. The polite thing to do when you make a mistake is apologise and in this case, I think you should buy my companion a fresh breakfast," I said, keeping my expression neutral.
The owner's granddaughter hurried over and bowed. "Honoured guest, don't worry. I will bring her more pastries, free of charge," she said, rushing to grab a brush and clean up the mess.
I wasn't happy about letting them off, but getting into a fight right now would be a mistake. For one, we'd end up trashing the inn. I'd feel bad for the old grandpa and his kind granddaughter.
Secondly, I sensed that the leader of the group was a six-star Body Tempering cultivator like me. With his underlings backing him up, I might not emerge victorious if we went all-out.
I sat back down at my table and picked up the fresh cup of tea. Taking a sip, I almost shattered the cup myself when the man let out a booming laugh and yelled, "Hmph! Making demands is the right of the strong. How can you be so arrogant while so weak?"
I really wanted to punch him. However, I believed I had a decent level of self control. Words were just that—words. The man could say what he liked—it didn't bother me.
Annoying bastards like this were everywhere. All bark and no bite. Xiao Cui grinned as a fresh platter of pastries and fruit was placed in front of her and dug in with gusto.
I heard a few more shouts from the other table, but chose to ignore them. Then I saw the four men get up to leave.
Thankfully we would get to enjoy the rest of our meal in peace. However, as they walked past our table, I felt a hand clasping my shoulder as the leader walked behind Xiao Cui.
He grabbed her chin and lifted it to face him. "Such a pretty girl doesn't belong with such a coward. From today onwards, you'll be my companion. Let me show you how a real man does things," he declared with a booming laugh.
While he did that I clenched my fist. This had gone far enough. I'd been content to let them leave even when they'd insulted me, but the moment they threatened little Cui they'd sealed their fate.
I was about to stand up when I felt a cold blade pressed against my throat.