Chapter 4
There was one thing these guys were mistaken on. They called me a coward because I didn't immediately threaten them for ruining our breakfast.
But I wasn't a coward. I didn't avoid fights because I was scared I would lose, I avoided them because I knew what it took to win…
Apart from their leader none of them could match me in strength. However, even a four-star cultivator could kill me with a knife against my throat.
This was a tricky situation and I needed to step carefully. If it was just my own life at risk, I would've turned to violence in a heartbeat. Thugs who threatened little girls deserved none of my compassion.
However, the lead bandit had Xiao Cui's life in his hands right now. Luckily, his despicable lust worked in my favour—he wouldn't harm her just yet.
I inhaled, letting the air fill my lungs. As soon as they were full, I exhaled sharply and in the same moment grabbed at the bandit's wrist.
He was caught off guard, not expecting such a decisive strike. With a jerk of my arm I snapped his wrist and the dagger fell from his hand.
Catching it with my free hand, I whirled on the spot and stabbed towards where I thought his neck would be. Unfortunately, he had dropped to his knees while clutching his broken wrist.
My strike went over his head. His eyes snapped open when he realised the danger he was in and he kicked out, catching me in the shin.
I felt a little burst of pain, but my body was far tougher than his. Now that he was disarmed, the threat he posed was minimal.
Grabbing his head with one hand I smacked my knee into his face. Blood splattered across the room as his nose exploded and I stabbed the dagger into his heart. He dropped to the ground, dead.
I stared at the blood rapidly leaking from his body. His eyes had glazed over. My stomach churned. I forced down the bile that leaked into my throat.
He deserved to die, but that didn't make killing him easier.
The pain wasn't harsh enough to completely stop my momentum. The other thugs stared at their dead comrade with shock in their eyes. Their leader froze and let go of Xiao Cui momentarily.
However, I didn't have time to wallow in my feelings. The bandits were shocked now, but they were already recovering, reaching for weapons.
In that instant, I struck. I felt the stone tiles break beneath me as I kicked off the ground and shot past the table.
Grabbing Xiao Cui under the shoulders, I lifted her from the chair and then rushed towards the bar. Then, I dumped her behind the counter as softly as I could manage.
"Stay here and cover your ears. This won't take long," I said, turning back to face my opponents. There were now three remaining, but only the six-star leader was a real threat.
The shock had twisted into fury on their ugly faces and the two weaklings charged towards me. One held a dagger like his dead friend while the other wielded a chipped Jian.
I had no weapons of my own but against this trash my body was more than enough. My face was a mask of cold indifference as I surged forwards.
My body felt a little stiff. Zhao Dan hadn't been very motivated to cultivate or exercise in the year leading up to his suicide, so the constant exertion was taking a toll. Even so, I felt amazing.
The dagger wielder was first to reach me. He was barely a three-star body temperer and his movements were clumsy, like a child using a blade for the first time.
I sidestepped his thrust with ease and then grabbed hold of his wrist. With my other hand I smashed against his elbow. There was a satisfying crunch as his arm bent backwards and broke.
Following that, I ripped the dagger from his hands and grabbed him by the neck. His friend arrived at that moment.
The bandit roared at me and raised his jian high above his head before swinging it at me. For a four-star his movements were surprisingly fast and I didn't have time to dodge.
Tossing away the dagger I raised the limp bandit in my hands to block. The other man had no time to halt his attack and instead of striking me, he sliced off his friend's head.
The bandit screamed in anguish. His eyes were burning with rage and hatred towards me, but I didn't care. These men would get no sympathy from me.
Blood dripped from his blade onto the tiles. I spotted a blur of movement in the corner of my eye and ducked just as a meaty fist whirled through the air. The boss had joined the fight.
This was where things got difficult. Zhao Dan only had a few basic martial techniques in his memory. A lowly outer disciple who'd been reduced to little more than a servant wasn't given the privilege of seeing the more powerful techniques of the Cloudy Falls Sect.
However, that wouldn't be a problem. I'd always been a doctor, but being in warzones for most of my life had forced me to practise more than one martial art. Combining my own knowledge with the body of a cultivator might bring both forms to a new level.
The boss wasn't one to waste time. Instead of waiting around yelling like his incompetent subordinates, he was already throwing another punch at my face.
And he was wearing vicious spiked gauntlets made of leather and iron. There were dark red spots on the metal spikes—dry blood from old foes.
I stepped backward and shifted my head to the side to escape his punch, but he quickly fired off another. I raised my left knee and smacked his forearm to parry the blow, but the moment he saw me on one leg he grinned.
He opened a fist and slapped it down onto my left shoulder. With my foot raised I stumbled hard and almost fell to the floor.
Luckily I was able to catch my balance but that gave him a chance to strike. A spiked fist smashed into my temple and my vision went black.
I felt something hard slam into my spine and realised I'd been flung through a table. Staggering to my feet I saw stars dancing in my eyes.
Before I had a moment to recover the underling was in front of me, swinging his jian. Even with my balance thrown off his clumsy slash wasn't difficult to avoid.
Ducking low, I went under his blade and then exploded upwards, punching him right in the chin. The combined force of jumping and punching flung his body into the ceiling.
His head crunched into a wooden beam and his neck snapped sideways at an awkward angle. When his body smashed into the tiles it stayed there. I felt a stinging pain from my shoulder and realised he'd sliced into my flesh as I'd struck.
As I was rolling my shoulder, checking the damage, the boss stood up. He'd recovered fast and threw himself at me. His arms blurred as he threw out dozens of forceful punches.
I did my best to block, parry, and dodge them but I was slowly losing ground. I'd only recently broken through to the sixth star while this man's cultivation was higher. He had a stable foundation and it showed in the ease of his movements.
Not only that, but the sharp spikes on his gloves punctured my skin with every blow I didn't block. My clothes were dripping with blood and I knew if this continued I would surely lose. For Xiao Cui's sake I couldn't let that happen.
But how was I supposed to take down a man whose life revolved around violence, one armed with a brutal weapon who held the upper hand against me? I racked my brain for answers as I continued to block his strikes.
With every punch more holes appeared in my arms. It wasn't completely one-sided. I was also damaging the bandit with each counter punch I threw, but it wasn't enough.
Suddenly I stumbled and lost my footing. It wasn't my fault but I'd lost so much blood that my muscles were beginning to fail.
The bandit leader grinned and spat out a bloody tooth. Then he rocked his arm back and sent a devastating punch right at my face. As the metal spikes raced towards my eyes I hurried to think of a solution.
I'm such an idiot… How on earth didn't I think of this sooner? This was a basic mantra that was true on Earth and in this new world.
Too much medicine is poison. My physical strength didn't match up to this guy, but I had a much more potent weapon in my hands.
My hand shot out and I grabbed hold of his wrist, stopping his punch right before it hit my face. He frowned, but then let out a nasty chuckle.
"There's no use resisting. I can see that you've lost your strength. Look, your arm is shaking," he jeered, pushing against me.
Even as he began to break through my hold my hand worked to slip underneath his sleeve. It was difficult as he was wearing many layers of leather armour, but eventually I felt something soft on the tip of my finger.
Finally! A defiant grin crossed my face and the bandit paused briefly when he saw my expression. At that moment I pulled on the blood essence in my body.
The red sparks raced up my arm and blasted into the bandit's wrist. His cheeks flushed red and I saw the cuts and bruises on his body healing. His face crumpled and I saw him struggle to figure out what was happening.
Using that moment I shot to my feet and blasted as much blood essence into his body as possible before jumping backwards. He suddenly yelled and pulled back his sleeve.
Looking at his wrist I saw that it was starting to swell, with misshapen lumps forming under his skin. The growth stopped after a few seconds but from his clenched jaw I knew it was painful.
"What the hell did you do to me, you bastard?" he roared, before charging at me again. It seemed that the only language this man knew was violence.
That was fine. I wasn't fluent, but I could hold a conversation. The situation was grim before, but with this new discovery I had a powerful weapon to use against him.
There was still plenty of blood essence gathered in my body. I'd barely had time to inject it into the bandit before he broke the connection.
He threw a wild punch at my gut. Instead of blocking or dodging I allowed him to land the blow. I tensed my abs and stepped back slightly to weaken the impact and the moment it landed I grabbed hold of his arm with both hands.
The blood essence had been gathering in my chest and it was going wild without an outlet. As soon as I willed it to enter the bandit's body it exploded outwards and shot through my arm.
My arm burned as so much of my energy passed through it, but I could handle a little pain if it meant securing my victory. As the essence raced into the bandit, I watched the mesmerising red sparks.
When I'd healed Xiao Cui, her own blood essence had already begun the process and the addition of mine only served to accelerate it. This time, I was adding my essence to a perfectly healthy body.
There was one affliction more deadly than any other back on Earth, a severe disease that had claimed millions of lives and was almost impossible to cure without severe backlash—cancer.
Put simply, cancer was the result of healthy cells mutating and multiplying to form tumours that could damage people's organs and eventually kill them. I guessed the effect of my healing technique on a healthy person would be similar from the result of using it on his wrist.
My blood essence clumped together in his arm. Instead of a whirling spiral like in Xiao Cui's leg, it formed a kind of spiral helix up his arm. Some sparks even shot into his chest and neck.
The spiral started to spin, slowly at first but quickly gaining momentum. Once it was whizzing I saw clumps of energy being fired outwards. At first I could only see because of my ability to sense the blood essence, but then I saw his arm swelling.
His robes and leather armour burst as his face twisted in pain and he started to scream. "What the hell? You're a monster, what did you do to me– aargh!"
I wasn't sure if my technique would be enough to kill him, even as I saw his whole arm and shoulder become a disgusting, misshapen lump. I rushed forwards and grabbed his neck in a chokehold.
He struggled, clawing at my hands but wasn't able to move his disfigured arms much. About ten seconds later his head slumped. I felt a hot surge as my blood essence returned to me, the quantity greater than before.
Even using it like this caused it to multiply? In the hands of an evil man, this kind of ability would be terrifying. The world was lucky that someone like me had been gifted it.
Then again, it hadn't been easy to obtain. I doubted any other cultivator would be willing to pay the same price.
Letting the bandit's body drop to the ground, I took a few seconds to stabilise my energy and slightly increased cultivation. Then I walked back to the bar to check on little Cui.
She was crouched down with her hands pressed firmly against her ears. She didn't notice me at first, but when my shadow passed over her she yelled and fell on her backside.
I chuckled while lifting her to her feet. "It's done," I said with a smile. "They can't hurt you anymore, or anyone else for that matter."
Xiao Cui was a little young to be immersed in death, but this world was different to Earth. I needed to get used to that. Her expression remained neutral, but I saw her kick the bandit leader's corpse a few times.
Well, as long as she was okay I didn't mind. I searched through their pockets, looking for any valuables or coins. I felt a little gross robbing the dead, but I was broke and they deserved it…
However, it seemed these bandits had also fallen on hard times as all I got was a few silver and copper coins. I just gave them to the owner so he could pay for the repairs as it didn't make a change to my finances.
I'd discovered another use for my new technique. A terrifying one.
It wasn't something I would use often—at least I hoped not—but it was comforting to know I had something deadly to use as a trump card in these kinds of situations.
Already the ramifications of being able to cause cancer made me consider other possible ways to use my technique, but that was a scary line of thought. My purpose was healing, not harm.
As we left I threw a final glance at the four bandits. They were the first people I'd killed in this world. That damn soldier lied to me when he said it would get easier every time…
Instead of wallowing in self loathing I decided to just enjoy the crisp morning air and the beautiful sunshine.
****
I stared down the dirt path at the village. Xiao Cui had told me a little about her home on the way but it was even more run-down than I expected.
Houses made from rotting wood, cracked stone bricks, and with dishevelled straw roofs were all over the place. Only a few seemed to have been repaired recently. They were the larger houses, so I guessed that the wealthiest farmers and the village head occupied them.
As we walked through the village, the reactions were mixed. Many people who were going about their daily business stopped to smile and wave at Xiao Cui, with a couple of nosy aunties even starting to gossip about the latest goings on in the village.
I learned that Feng Mai, a farmer's wife, had slept with the village blacksmith the other day and Feng Bao had caught them in his bed. The two had fought ferociously until the village head broke it up and now everyone was gossiping about the affair.
Xiao Cui smiled and nodded along but after we left the nosy aunties behind she frowned. "This place is exactly the same as I left it," she sighed.
I could see she was having trouble being back. Looking at the events surrounding our meeting, I guessed she had probably run away from home. Many rebellious kids did the same, although most ran home once they realised how cruel and unforgiving the world was.
In this harsh world of cultivation, danger lurked around every corner. Spirit beasts, bandits, and even young masters were a few of the major threats.
You could make an innocent mistake and end up paying with your life if you offended the wrong person… In Xiao Cui's case, she'd adventured into the forest and almost died to a spirit beast.
We soon arrived at a house with a well-kept roof but faded stone bricks and splintered wood beams. Her parents clearly put a lot of effort into maintaining it but lacked the wealth of those other families with beautiful houses.
She knocked on the door and we waited with bated breath. A few seconds later it swung open and a plump woman wearing an apron smiled at us. That warm smile grew even larger and she rushed forwards when she saw Xiao Cui.
Her mother lifted her into a tight hug and the young girl protested at first but soon returned her mother's embrace. I smiled at the scene.
"Thank the heavens you came back in one piece," cried her mother, patting her body all over and kissing her forehead. "Your father and I were worried sick, Cui er. Don't you dare run away like that again," she added, pulling the girl inside and moving to close the door.
Suddenly she realised they weren't alone, spotting me standing to the side awkwardly. Her face turned into a frown and she narrowed her eyes at me.
"Who are you? Why are you loitering outside our house?" she asked, jabbing at me with the wooden spoon in her hand.
Xiao Cui tugged at her mother's arm. "Mother, don't embarrass me! He saved my life from a spirit beast," she moaned.
"What!?" the woman exclaimed, eyes widening as she turned to her daughter. "What the hell were you doing to get caught up in such a situation?" Turning to me she bowed and said, "Sir, thank you for saving my daughter and bringing her home. I apologise for accusing you earlier."
I waved my hand and lifted her up. "There's no need for formalities. Saving your daughter was the right thing to do. I'm sure anyone in my situation would've done the same," I replied with a smile.
The woman seemed conflicted at my response, but quickly smiled again. "Come inside. I won't let my daughter's saviour go without a hot meal," she said, pulling Xiao Cui into the house and waving for me to follow.
With nothing else to do at the moment, I decided to enter. At the very least I wanted to make sure little Cui was settled before I left.
****
The sun was setting in the distance and a purple hue settled over the village. I was wandering through the dirty streets and inspecting the situation.
What I saw was far from ideal. Zhao Dan's room in the sect had been pretty cramped. Even that was like a palace compared to some of the houses here. The situation for mortals in the Celestial Jade Empire was awful.
Searching through my memories I realised that it was the same everywhere. All the villages and towns Zhao Dan had visited were similar.
Cultivators would protect mortals from major threats like spirit beast surges or natural disasters, but beyond that they were basically treated like livestock. I was pretty sure the only reason the cultivators even bothered to do that little was so they could gather more talented disciples when they appeared.
After all, cultivators seemed to give birth to way less children so mortals were the best source of new talent. It was twisted, but this system had been in place for thousands of years and it wouldn't change just because I didn't like it.
The village was quite peaceful otherwise. I saw children playing in the streets with happy smiles. They were a little skinny but not sickly. Men and women talked and laughed with each other, only starting to head inside now that the day was ending.
I heard a cough and turned to see the door of a nearby house hanging open. Curious, I wandered inside the house.
"Excuse me, is everything okay?" I asked as I entered. Walking into someone's home unannounced was bad manners.
When I received no response I frowned. Another round of coughing came from a bed in the back. Walking towards the bed I saw a withered old woman lying under layers of blankets.
She was so wrinkled and thin I could've mistaken her for a corpse. Her eyes were milky and I don't think she even realised there was another person in the room.
"Excuse me, granny," I said, "Are you sick? Where is your family? Is no one taking care of you?" I asked, bending down and placing a hand on her forehead.
Hot. She was suffering from a fever. "Who's there?" she cried. "I'm just a penniless old woman with nothing valuable to steal."
Sighing, I realised her life must be really crap for this to be her first reaction. "Granny, I'm a doctor," I said. "If you like I can take a look at your body and try to heal you."
"Shoo," she said. "I don't need no charlatans bothering me now. I'm already as good as dead. Even if you healed this fever some other damn problem would kill me. I'm too old," she complained, weakly waving a hand to send me away.
"I'm no charlatan," I replied. "I'm a friend of little Cui—Xiao Cui. Do you know her? I helped her too. You can trust me," I reassured the granny, reaching out to grab her wrist.
Her pulse was weak. She pulled her hand back and started coughing again. There was a jug of water and a cup on the bedside table, so I poured her a glass and tipped some into her mouth.
"Thank you, young man," she spluttered. "So you helped Xiao Cui. Good. I can tell you have a kind heart, but it's useless. I'm already at death's door. Don't waste your efforts on my old bones. Scram."
With a deep sigh I stood up and walked out of the house, sparing one last glance at the sick old granny. She was sort of right. Even if I cured her fever she might die soon after due to other issues. Old age was harsh.
However, it still didn't sit right with me just leaving her like that. Ultimately though, I had to respect her wishes. If I went around forcibly curing people I would be no better than a bandit.
Well, maybe a little better, but it was still poor conduct. Having the consent of your patient was a key step in any treatment process.
Lost in thought as I continued my journey through the village, my silent contemplation was broken by hurried steps and Xiao Cui's shouts.
"Cultivator Zhao! Please, you have to help me," she cried, tears flowing from her eyes.
Chapter 5
I grabbed hold of her shoulders until she stopped gibbering and shaking. Once Xiao Cui had calmed down she managed to explain the problem.
"It's my mother. She… I don't know what happened but one moment we were eating dinner and the next she was coughing and coughing. You have to help her!" she shouted, pulling me as she walked back the way she came.
"Alright, calm down little Cui. Of course I will help your mother—if I can. First I need to have a look at her condition," I replied.
What had happened in the short time between me dropping Xiao Cui home and going for a walk around the village to make her mother fall ill so suddenly?
I thought back to the sick granny. Was it the same illness or just a coincidence? To figure that out I would first need to have a look at Xiao Cui's mother.
****
Once more I found myself inside little Cui's home. This time her father was there, having returned from work out in the rice paddies. The majority of the village worked as farmers since it was the most plentiful work available.
He was sitting beside the bed where her mother lay. Her cheeks were bright red. Unlike the warmth they'd had upon greeting me earlier that day, this was the burning heat of fever.
The moment we entered she tried to sit up and greet me, but was hit by a coughing fit that made her spray mucus across the sheets. Xiao Cui's father immediately lay her down and grabbed a cup of water, giving her a drink.
I was seriously confused. How had a woman gone from perfect health to immobile and wracked with fever in a single afternoon?
Were even the germs in this crazy world more powerful? I was broken from my thoughts by Xiao Cui tugging on my sleeve.
"Big brother Zhao, can you help her like you helped me?" she asked with wide, hopeful eyes.
I didn't want to give her false hope. "I can check her condition, but I can't make any guarantees of healing her," I said while shaking my head.
She let go of my sleeve, moving to the corner to sit in a ball. There wasn't much I could do in this situation except what I knew best. Moving to the bedside, I greeted her father and reached out to grab her mother's wrist.
Her pulse was weak, barely enough to keep her alive. Looking at her face I saw that her lips were dry and cracked and her eyes were milky.
The symptoms were almost identical to the old granny I'd met earlier. However, I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet.
Once is chance, twice is a coincidence. Only when something happens three times can it be said to be a pattern.
I also wasn't sure about carelessly using my healing technique on her. Thus far I'd only tested it on physical injuries like cuts and bruises.
When I used it on someone who was healthy, it caused tumours and cancerous growths that disfigured his body. There was a chance my blood essence would have no effect on the germs and just hurt Xiao Cui's mother.
That was a chance I couldn't take. Removing my hand, I sighed and shook my head. "It seems to be an intense fever. I can't cure her with my technique, little Cui. I'm sorry," I apologised. "However, don't be disheartened. Usually this type of fever passes on its own. Just give her plenty of water and keep a cool cloth on her forehead."
Xiao Cui jumped up and pouted before rushing out of the house. I frowned and started to follow her, but her father stopped me.
"Brother Zhao—can I call you that?" he started to say. I nodded and he continued. "Brother Zhao, just leave her be for now. Thank you for trying to help my wife. Cui er will be fine, she's just very close with her mother and can't bear to see her like this. I will make sure to follow your advice and let you know if her condition changes," he said with a stoic visage.
I nodded and gently slapped his arm before walking out of the house. Right before I left through the door he shouted after me. "And thank you for bringing her home!"
****
For the first few nights after that I slept in a stable. Xiao Cui's family had offered me their home but I felt awkward being there while the mother was suffering with a fever I couldn't cure.
However, I now knew that this was more than just a few cases of fever as the world headed into winter. Almost half the village had fallen ill in just a few days.
All displayed the same symptoms, going from perfectly healthy and energetic to bed-ridden and overheating in a matter of hours. I was seriously confused as I'd never seen any illness like this before.
This morning I visited the old granny once again, but her condition had worsened and she didn't even realise I was there. She didn't react when I took her pulse, wiped the sweat from her forehead, or gave her some water to drink.
I estimated she would die within the next few days if nothing was done. While she seemed to have made peace with that, I couldn't accept it. I had to figure out if my healing technique would work on this disease before it was too late.
A soft meow sounded in my ear and I startled, turning towards the roof of a nearby house. A black cat was stretching. It lay down on the roof and turned to me, its tail swaying from side to side.
This was the first domesticated animal I'd seen since waking up as Zhao Dan. "Here kitty kitty. Pspsps," I called out, uncaring if anyone saw me.
The cat looked at me with disdain while preening its claws. Unfazed, I decided to use my hidden ace.
Bending my legs, I leapt the entire height of the house and landed gently on the roof right in front of the cat. It jumped to all fours and hissed at me.
Reaching down, I tried to grab the cat but it nimbly evaded my clumsy attempt, dashing through my legs instead. Grunting in annoyance I turned to chase after it.
We raced along rooftops, darted between houses, and even ran through a neat garden at one point. However, I was steadily gaining ground.
The cat grew slower with every moment and then suddenly it fell on its side. Within a few steps I caught up and bent down to inspect it. When I realised what had happened I was shocked.
This cat had caught the same illness as the rest of the village… Already its breathing was ragged and placing a hand against its head I felt the heat spreading to my palm.
The first thing I did was to take off my outer robe and wrap it around the cat, while lifting it into my arms. I didn't want the chilly autumn air to make its condition worse.
Rather than burden Xiao Cui's parents with another unfortunate soul I decided to bring the cat and go to the old granny's place. I'd taken to visiting her every day and there was always a fire going.
It was the perfect place to leave this poor creature. I entered, noticing an eerie quiet in the air.
I hurriedly placed the cat beside the fire. Not too close and not too far—I wanted it to keep warm but not overheat. That was a common way of dying when people had a fever.
Then I rushed over to the old woman, fearing the worst. Her chest was still and her eyes shut. Grabbing her wrist, I felt no pulse. Damn it!
You can't die on me, granny. I was about to risk it all and try my healing technique when she suddenly coughed and her eyes shot open.
Turning to me, she saw I had her wrist in my hands and frowned. "Stupid boy, I told you not to go messing with my wrinkled bones," she scolded me, pulling her hand back.
I could only laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Standing up, I smiled and replied, "You're much too old to be my type, granny. I was just making sure you hadn't died without writing me into your will."
She cackled but started coughing halfway through. I helped her to drink some water before turning back to the cat.
"What are you doing over there, damn thief?" she called out.
"I'm choosing which of your possessions to take after you croak," I quipped. We'd taken to this light hearted bantering in place of heavier topics during my visits.
Lifting the cat into my lap, I made up my mind. If I stood by and did nothing, then most of the villagers who had fallen sick would die.
I wasn't the type of man who could stand by and watch that happen, knowing I had the power to potentially cure them. The life of a cat was still valuable and I would do my best not to hurt it, but I needed to figure out if my healing technique worked against the virus.
It purred weakly as I lifted its head, but had no strength to slip from my embrace. I reached into my body and pulled on the blood essence gathered there.
A cat's body was tiny compared with a human's, so I made sure to restrain the unruly energy as much as possible while separating a tiny portion. My secondary goal was also to improve my control over my blood essence so I wouldn't accidentally hurt my patients.
Sweat rolled down my forehead as I focused, but I was succeeding. A few red sparks travelled towards my finger and I brought it closer to the cat's chest.
I guessed that the lungs would be the best place to target since that was where fevers usually hit hardest. However, this was a totally new illness and I was making shots in the dark here.
The moment my fingers touched the black fur, I lost control of my blood essence. The few sparks already at my fingertips raced into the cat's body and I could feel the rest of it rushing down my arm.
I hurriedly pulled my arm away, hoping that the little essence I'd managed to inject into the cat would work its magic. At first the sparks seemed aimless, just travelling further into the cat without purpose.
Seeing the stark difference between this and the almost immediate effect when I treated Xiao Cui, I couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps this experiment was doomed to fail.
It was upsetting since I'd had fun chasing this cat through the village. I almost felt bad for it—perhaps our game had caused the fever to accelerate.
There were a total of four little sparks inside the cat's body. It wasn't difficult to keep track of all of them. For now they just floated about and I continued to watch just in case something unexpected happened.
Even without the technique I still had my medicinal knowledge and could relieve the animal's suffering that way. One of the sparks suddenly fizzled out and disappeared when it entered the cat's leg.
For a few seconds I kept a keen focus on the spot where it had vanished, but nothing happened. Letting out a disappointed sigh, I realised that my technique may not be effective on something like a virus.
However, I hadn't lost all hope yet. There were still three energetic sparks of my blood essence floating around inside the cat.
One was lingering around its chest, darting between two fixed points and slowly accelerating. Another was winding around its stomach, with no fixed pattern.
The third entered its head, but then moments later fizzled out in similar fashion to the first. Worse, no essence had surged back into me when those two sparks vanished, making me worry that this was a permanent loss.
While I wouldn't regret trying to save the cat even if that was the case, I had to pay attention to my body. If I ended up regressing my cultivation it would cause major instability in my body—perhaps even permanent damage in severe cases.
Then, the red spark in its stomach started to fizz and shake. After a moment of madness it disappeared like the first two.
My frown deepened as I stared at the cat, which was no longer shivering thanks to the heat of the fire. Was this poor creature doomed to an early death, claimed by this mysterious illness?
I wanted to find a cure, not just for the cat and the old granny, but for Xiao Cui's mother and everyone else in the village who was bound to fall sick. I'd made a vow after all, so what use was I as a doctor if I couldn't cure one measly fever?
All my hopes were pinned on the final spark, lingering in the animal's lungs and passing between them. Suddenly it started to fizzle and I felt my heart catch in my throat, fearing the worst.
I almost choked on the thick tension lingering in the air. The spark burnt faster, disappointment and guilt building in my chest.
Suddenly, the spark flashed brightly and I leaned in, hoping against the odds that my efforts might bear fruit. Unfortunately, the spark burst like the others, dissipating into…
My eyes widened and I leaned so close to the cat's chest I was almost kissing the silky fur. How had I missed this?
Even straining my sight to the limit, I struggled to make them out—tiny motes of blood essence diffused throughout the cat's body. Specifically, its lungs, brain, and stomach. Those were three of the places the larger parts of my blood essence had vanished—or so I believed.
There were two foundations to my healing technique. They were my strange blood essence and my mysterious ability to see the flow of qi and blood in other people.
After seeing Wang Ren perform the qi healing art, I'd just copied what I saw without thinking much about what I was really doing, inflating my ego after a few successes.
I'd not taken the time to stop and observe the process, to figure out what was going on at the molecular level. Perhaps it was the influence of this new world—this new body and old memories.
I'd already forgotten the scientific process. At the core, most doctors were scientists. We observe illness and plague, the human condition, and then we do our best to treat our fellow humans.
However, I wasn't wholly to blame. Even straining my sight as I was now, the miniscule particles of blood essence were ridiculously difficult to see. My eyes started to burn and a tear rolled down my cheek, forcing me to blink and sit up once more.
Though once I'd managed to wipe some of the pain away, I smiled at what I saw. Tiny clumps of the cat's own blood essence were beginning to form through its body, swirling in a familiar pattern.
My technique had kickstarted the process of fighting off the strange fever, but now the cat's body was joining the battle. Soon, I hoped it would be healthy enough to run across the rooftops once more.
However, just when I thought the situation had been resolved, the cat screeched and started convulsing. Had I made a mistake? Pushed too far with the technique and inadvertently worsened the creature's condition?
A similar thing had happened with Xiao Cui, when I was still getting used to my new technique. My control hadn't improved much, but I believed I hadn't overdone it here.
Perhaps I was wrong.
Panicking, I reached out towards the cat, thinking I might be able to pull some of the chaotic sparks out and ease the pain. But, when I drew near and had another look inside, I realised I had once again let my emotions get the better of me.
There is something that all doctors know well and would constantly fight with their patients about back on Earth. Many illnesses—especially fevers such as this—would seem to get worse during treatment.
Patients would run to us and complain that the medicine isn't working, we had lied to them, and other protests. However, the body is not invincible. Fighting off sickness takes a lot of energy and it often leaves us weak.
However, this is not a sign that the illness is getting worse but instead proof that the treatment is effective. There is always a storm before a rainbow.
Despite the cat's convulsions and the pain I knew it felt, I saw my blood essence raging, fueling the growing swirls within the cat's body. A minute later, they started to fire off bolts of blood, consuming the microscopic sparks with every strike.
From my point of view, the technique was like a raging storm that vanquished all sickness. I placed the back of my hand against the cat's forehead, feeling the searing heat that still consumed the poor beast.
However, it soon began to fade. The whirlpools of blood essence were raging torrents now, having burned almost all of the essence I'd provided. The technique was reaching its climax. Then, all four exploded in a shower of vital sparks, sending a river of life raging through the cat.
****
The old granny's breathing was shallow. Without focusing, one could mistake the shrivelled woman for a corpse. I sat beside her, lifting a jug of water to her cracked lips and wiping away the splashes that leaked from her mouth.
She was a cantankerous old bat, who would greet me with an insult more often than a smile. However, I liked her upfront style. I'd take an honest bastard over a silver-tongued schemer any day.
The cat was curled up under the blankets, purring softly in the warm bed she'd built for herself. The mischievous feline was still weak, but my technique had purged whatever pathogen was causing the sudden fever.
Once again, my cultivation had grown after my success. I wasn't able to distinguish the exact progress, but I felt that I was around two-thirds of the way towards seven-star Body Tempering. Zhao Dan would've been jealous at the rate I was progressing.
Then again, I was using his identity, so this could be considered a continuation of his legacy. I hoped that would bring his soul some measure of satisfaction, wherever it had ended up.
I no longer felt like a complete stranger in my own skin. Every time my blood essence flowed through me I became more accustomed to this strange power.
My success with the cat had motivated me. I wasn't sure my control had progressed by much, but at the very least I knew the haphazard technique I'd created was effective against the strange illness.
Knowing I wasn't just firing shots in the dark built my confidence. I watched over the granny as she spent her final hours alone, withering away in a village that seemed indifferent to her suffering.
She'd made me promise not to treat her, but how could I stand by and watch someone die, knowing I had the ability to save their life. I was sure her defiance was a product of her loneliness, seemingly left to her own devices by the rest of the village.
In my last life I had died alone, powerless to change my own fate or make even the tiniest difference on a global scale. Here, I had real power, crackling at my fingertips and begging to be used.
For now I was weak, only a six-star Body Tempering disciple—former disciple—not even considered a true cultivator in the eyes of those lofty masters who could wield qi like an extension of their own body.
No, I would not let myself tread the same path. I had been given a second chance and I would be damned if I let anyone else tell me how to use it.
Placing the jug back on the table, I leaned forwards until my hands were hovering over the old granny's stomach. "Someone has to look after this mischievous little girl when I'm gone," he joked, stroking the cat gently. "Even if you hate me for the rest of your life, I'll happily bear that grudge."
She mumbled something, then snorted through her nose. I almost leapt out of the chair in surprise, but she soon returned to her near-comatose state.
"Ha! Even at death's door you're still not going to make things easy?"
With the cat, I'd done my utmost to hold back my essence, fearing that even a drop too much would hurt it. The sickness had progressed too far in the old woman's case. She'd been the first case—that I knew of—and I guessed the fever had claimed most of her body.
Aggressive illnesses required aggressive treatment. I wasn't going to go wild and flood her with raging sparks, the way I'd done with the bandit—I didn't want to kill her, after all. However, I would not be gentle.
So, placing two palms against her skin, I turned my focus inwards and drew on the raging essence. It was still energetic, bursting out of every cell after my recent growth, so the moment I gave it an outlet, the sparks raced to escape.
One, two, four, ten… the number of sparks that flooded into her body rapidly grew. In the end, I drained almost half of my reserves before putting an end to the flow.
Now usually this would be the point where I removed my hands, leaving the treatment to the instinctive expertise of my essence. However, my goal was to improve my control and take a more scientific approach to my treatment.
So, keeping contact with her skin I narrowed my focus and attempted to direct the erratic sparks to the worst affected parts of her body, the areas where fevers festered—mostly the lungs and stomach.
At first nothing happened. I wasn't dissuaded, expecting such a result on my first try. After a few seconds I was able to make a single spark change its path, though it still missed the mark.
Unrelenting, I continued to clamp down, forcing my will on the sparks. This was my blood essence and I would not be ignored.
The moment I did that, all hell broke loose.
Chapter 6
The very act of trying to impose order on the inherently chaotic blood essence seemed to cause a devastating domino effect. Not only had my own essence—my self-created technique—refused to follow my commands, but it had also begun to do the opposite in an infuriating act of defiance.
I knew blood essence was not sentient—thousands of years of rich cultivation history proved that—but right now I couldn't help but think the frustrating little sparks were doing this to spite me. When I'd tried to direct them towards the worst affected areas, they instead exploded away from my very touch.
While I was annoyed, I refused to let a single failure stop me. I'd decided to treat the old granny and improve my control, so I would do it no matter how long it took.
Even though the sparks weren't obeying my commands, they were still doing their job. A few had already exploded into a mist of tiny red droplets. Since the slight improvement in my cultivation I could see the microscopic motes without straining too much.
To be honest, I wasn't worried that my treatment would fail. It worked perfectly on the cat. It was only my lack of understanding that had caused me to worry when the sparks behaved differently to before.
In fact, the only thing that could possibly go wrong was the old woman's body being unable to keep up with the fierce treatment and giving out before it could heal. However, with me on hand that wasn't going to happen.
Along with my new magic cultivation powers, I was armed with decades worth of mortal medical knowledge. I knew almost everything that could go wrong during this kind of treatment and how to counter it.
The technique worked much faster this time. There were many reasons why that could be: the fever had more time to multiply giving the essence more targets; I'd used more essence this time around; pure chance.
I didn't discount the last one, knowing how strong a grip the workings of fate and destiny had in a world like this. I'd only felt the touch of the heavens once, when they chained me with this oath, but that brief moment was enough to know they were alive.
Perhaps not in a way I understood, but I knew the world itself functioned like a living entity with a purpose beyond my understanding. It was governed by rigid laws, but ones I had yet to discover.
That thought excited me more than any other, because if there was one love I had lost in my years of working side by side with death and destruction, it was the sheer thrill of research and discovery.
All these thoughts raced through my mind as I continued to observe the chaotic clouds of essence raging in the old woman's body. If the other treatments I'd performed were like focused blasts, this one was like a tsunami.
The essence had clumped up, the smaller sparks joining together into larger ones and then forming a wider cloud with the others, creating a lattice of chaos through the granny's entire body.
Only a few had burst into a shower of mist, emulating the process that had occurred inside the cat. I wanted to know why, so I strained myself to keep watch.
There were just a few sparks left unconnected to the grand tapestry, but they were soon dragged in. The instant the final spark joined the web, dozens of them exploded.
That began a chain reaction that caused all of the accumulated blood essence to burst in a torrential rain of vitality. And then I felt her heart stop.
****
I chugged the remainder of the water from the jug, not bothering to wipe away the sweat that rolled down my temple—my whole body was soaked anyway. I wasn't worried about the fever contaminating the jug, since my cultivation would prevent most mortal illnesses taking hold.
When the old bat's heart had given out I was consumed by guilt, thinking I'd inadvertently hastened her death through my unwanted treatment. But, a cloud of essence had rushed to fill the withered heart and after what looked like a medicinal cluster bombing, it began to beat anew with even more vigour.
After that, the treatment had proceeded in a similar fashion to how the cat had recovered. I could see the pain it caused the old woman, having her body be the site of a fierce battle between the insidious fever and violent medicine, but it was a necessary sacrifice.
When the final whirling torrent of essence—formed from my own and the scraps that remained in the granny's withered body—faded, her breathing was steadier and her face which had twisted and grimaced during the treatment was the picture of serenity.
After watching over the cat and the granny for another hour to make sure there were no complications, I left the run-down hut. I didn't want to stick around to see how furious she was to still be alive when she woke up.
My cultivation had skyrocketed once again. In fact, the overwhelming torrent of blood essence that had flown into me after the fever had been vanquished almost knocked me out.
It hadn't been quite enough to push me over the edge of the seventh star, but I felt like the tiniest push would do the trick. While that would be cause for celebration for most cultivators, it worried me.
There wasn't a single recollection of a cultivator advancing this fast in Zhao Dan's memories. And the disciple who came closest—a girl called Guo Chun—was discovered to be using a forbidden demonic technique that caused her flesh to rot and eventually drove her insane.
That story had ended with an Elder of the Cloudy Falls Sect putting her down like a rabid dog. Of course, fast progression didn't spell certain doom, but I was acutely aware of the importance of laying a sturdy foundation.
Cultivation was a marathon, not a sprint. The necessity of taking one's time to acclimate each time they advanced to a new star was emphasised many times in the sect's beginner cultivation method which I'd memorised.
Even without spirit roots I was still able to progress my cultivation, so keeping those lessons in mind was important.
Ultimately, there wasn't much use in worrying about it. I wasn't going to stop healing those who needed my help, even if it caused a few imperfections in my cultivation.
At its core, cultivation was a rebellion against the will of the heavens. If I had been afraid of taking risks to expand my horizons, I never would have left the safety of my country to become a doctor on the front lines.
My walk through the village had brought me back to Xiao Cui's house. Her mother lay sick within and now that I knew my method was effective it was time to treat the next patient.
As I entered I saw Xiao Cui at the stove, tossing herbs into a boiling pot. I recognised a few, but there were some that eluded my knowledge. "Brewing medicine?" I asked with a smile, making her drop the knife and rush over.
"Saviour Zhao! You're back," she cried, hugging my legs and beginning to sob. "I just want to make the pain go away. Mother keeps coughing and growing weaker by the hour. She used to make this tea for me when I was sick, so I wanted to do the same…"
Tousling her hair, I pried the girl from my legs and strode towards the bedroom. "Don't worry, little Cui. Now that I'm here everything will be okay," I assured her with a thumbs up.
"Really? Are you going to cure her?" she said, sniffling and wiping away a mix of tears and snot.
Despite how gross I found it, I couldn't fault her. I would've felt the same if I had to watch one of my parents slowly dying. "Of course. Did you ever doubt me?" I quipped, making her huff. However, when I entered the bedroom and greeted her father she rushed after me.
Sitting beside the stoic man, I saw the pain hidden behind his stern expression. I looked at him expectantly with a hand held in the air over his wife and he nodded. It was time to get to work.
****
Over the course of the week I went around the village, treating everyone who had caught the mysterious fever. I slowly gained a reputation as a miracle healer, with every villager who met me in the streets rushing to strike up a conversation and shower me in thanks.
The gratitude warmed my heart, but I felt awkward. I'd never been a social fellow and having to constantly engage in gossip about which man's wife was having an affair or which baker cut their loaves with sawdust was exhausting.
You'd think a village suffering from an epidemic wouldn't have time for such idle nonsense, but if anything the rivalries grew more heated during that time. And that wasn't the only thing that intensified.
My cultivation had finally shattered the bottleneck, carrying me to seven-star Body Tempering. It had happened between treatments and the village head had almost bitten my head off with anger when I suddenly left his sick daughter lying on the bed to find a secluded spot to break through.
He'd forgiven me and apologised profusely when I returned and nursed her to health, an act that shored up my newly advanced cultivation. With the fever seemingly defeated, I was left with little to do but explore the surroundings, chatting with Xiao Cui whenever she ambushed me and occasionally playing with the cat now that it had returned to its mischievous, agile self.
I had yet to visit the old granny since treating her, though the fact the cat wasn't starving led me to believe she had recovered. I wasn't scared of her, but I was a little guilty about ignoring her request.
If anything, I wasn't so worried about the short term impact of my cultivation advancing so quickly. I just feared that this momentum wouldn't last—that there was a heavy price I would end up paying down the line.
I wouldn't find the answer by overthinking. I barely knew the questions to ask. Instead, I ran through Zhao Dan's memories, trying to find any clues about my strange blood essence and mysterious ability to see qi and blood.
Discovering why my abilities worked the way they did would surely give me more insight into using them to the fullest. Of my twin goals—improving my control and learning more about my healing technique—I'd made more progress with the latter.
My control was still poor, though I had refined it a little as I treated the countless villagers who fell sick. Now, I was able to somewhat direct the erratic sparks even after they'd left my body.
However, I noticed that when I tried to control the process, it often ended up being less effective than when my blood essence was left to its own devices. I would change that, but only through relentless practice.
When it came to learning about my technique I'd made great strides. Discovering that it not only worked on physical injuries but also infections was vital knowledge. It was my hope that it might also work on more insidious afflictions like poison and perhaps even more ephemeral ones like mental trauma.
That last one was just a fleeting idea, but it would be groundbreaking if I could figure it out. Though I was rather hesitant to start messing with people's minds. That was the realm of mad scientists and far more talented surgeons.
I'd never had the skill to even consider the path of a brain surgeon, but perhaps now I might have the opportunity. With how often cultivators seemed to come to blows, I was sure plenty of them suffered concussions and perhaps even permanent brain damage.
It wouldn't surprise me, given how ridiculously short their fuses were and how often they ended up in large scale wars over the most minor disagreements. That last thought brought a smile to my face.
I had been exploring a nearby forest, observing the behaviour of the local wildlife as winter took hold. The first layer of snow had already fallen and many had begun to hibernate. I worried for the villagers.
They were already weakened after the strange illness and now they would need to survive the harsh cold. However, I knew they'd done it for hundreds of years before I arrived and would continue to do so long after my death. Humans were tough bastards.
As I walked through the outskirts, I noticed there was almost no one outside. Usually the farmers would be watching over the paddies, but I couldn't see a single soul.
I rushed to Xiao Cui's house, but found it empty. However, I soon realised everyone was gathered in the village centre, listening to a rather well-dressed man reading from a bamboo slip.
Curious, I slipped into the crowd and made my way towards the front to listen to what he was saying. I wasn't sure who he was but the way everyone watched with strained faces made me nervous.
"And so, according to the decree of the Three River City Lord Teng Shi, the tax rate this year will be increased by five percent. The ferocity of the beasts grows every year and maintaining the defences of the surrounding lands is an expensive endeavour. Any village who fails to meet this increase will be left to fend for themselves," he declared, closing the slip with a thunderous clap.
****
After the arrival of the City Lord's messenger, the village was in an uproar. However, none of them dared make a move on a man with such backing.
To defy Teng Shi was to defy the heavens, at least for the mortals who lived under the protection of Three River City. While they couldn't complain, I was under no such obligation.
Even as an expelled disciple, I was still a cultivator. The City Lord was far above me, but at the very least my status would warrant me a better explanation than the one given to the villagers.
I'd pulled him aside once the crowd dispersed, grumbling and moaning about how they would survive the winter. At first he'd been offended by my familiar manner, but once I told him who I was he warmed up a little.
However, even after I was able to loosen his lips the man couldn't tell me much more than he'd told the villagers. He explained the real reason for the increased tax was that the City Lord needed to pay a tithe to the Cloudy Falls Sect—a fact he was surprised I didn't already know.
I did know, once I found a vague memory of Zhao Dan overhearing two Elders gossiping, but it hadn't been something I'd cared to discover while trawling through the countless memories I'd inherited from my predecessor. It seemed this world was much the same as Earth.
There was always a bigger dog. The villages paid the City Lord to protect them from the wild beasts and bandits that roamed the wilderness and the City Lord paid the sect to guard him from greater threats—or perhaps just for the mere act of existing in their shadow.
Cultivators were an arrogant lot and thought of mortals like ants beneath their feet. I wouldn't be surprised if they only demanded the tax so they didn't forget who their masters were.
In any case, there was nothing I could do. I thanked the man for his help and resumed my idle pacing around the village. One thing was clear—I was outgrowing this place.
The sudden onset of the illness had given me a goal and a way to progress my technique. Now that I had defeated my elusive foe there were few reasons to stay in a backwater village like this.
Xiao Cui was one of those reasons, but despite my fondness for the girl I'd saved, I wasn't going to stay just to gossip with her every few days. I still had a burning desire to explore this majestic world and discover the limits of my technique; to stretch the boundaries of medicine in a world that seemed to shun it.
I decided to remain in Nine Paddy Village until the end of the winter and then make my way onwards. My original destination had been Three River City but I was content to just start walking and see where my journey took me.
****
Fierce winds whipped shards of ice at me and even with my cultivator's constitution I could feel the bite of winter. According to the villagers, this year's winter was the harshest in a decade.
Food stores were dwindling and some of the elderly and weak had perished to the cold. Thanks to my presence, illness wasn't as much of a threat this year, but there was only so much I could do. I didn't want them to grow reliant on me when I was planning to leave the village behind.
I did accompany the village chief and a few of the stronger men on a hunt. With my help and their local knowledge we were able to secure quite a few fresh beasts to feed the hungry villagers. It would be enough to last the rest of winter with proper rationing.
My days were spent mostly with the old granny. She still hadn't forgiven me for healing her, but treated me like a lost son all the same. I preferred to avoid the main streets of the village.
The way the villagers treated me now was reverent, almost like a deity. It made me uncomfortable and almost pushed me to cut my stay even shorter than planned.
However, I wanted to make sure Xiao Cui was settled and not liable to make another stupid decision like running away from home before I left. While I couldn't change her personality, I could see the tension between her and her parents was mostly gone.
While walking near the forest, a sprawling mass of empty trunks with the occasional hardy evergreen dotted about, I found a solitary rose. The blood red petals that stood in defiance of the harsh cold touched my heart—I was inspired by its strength.
I bent down to admire it, considering plucking it and bringing it back for the granny. At least I could leave her with a gift she didn't hate, I mused with a smile.
The shadows flickered, three sharp spikes breaking through the icy winter sun. Without hesitation I threw my body to the side right as a paw bearing razor-sharp claws tore through the air.
Turning, I came face to face with the silent assassin. A hulking bear with shaggy brown fur, bloody and matted in places with a green hue, towered over me. One look was all I needed to tell this monstrosity far outclassed me, an eight-star spirit beast at the very least.