Chapter 74

  Tiny Parts of the Whole (I)

  What's a man to do in distress but distract himself?

  Thus, here I am, atop my freshened bedding, stomach pressing against a mattress that may as well be a month-old loaf of bread with how hard it is, playing around with my toy.

  Ever since I learned the fancy ways of Endless Shadow Steps, I realized that I didn't necessarily have to wait for my body to be fully purified to use most of these things.

  For instance, while Heart-Stitching Art didn't really have nearly as much of an effect on me as it did on someone like Long Tao, it did do a magical little thing when I used it just a little while ago--it calmed my anxious gut! Something that was only possible with a bottle of te--never mind.

  The Shadow Steps also inspired me to want more, as they were the first time I truly felt magical in this world. Yes, it was quite wonderful, being able to use Qi as this fantastical energy otherwise unfound, but the scope within which I could do it was so minimal it didn't feel that special.

  It was a double-parter, too: on one hand, there was me, an Earthling with no experience using Qi and fearful of misusing it and costing myself the future; on the other hand, there was Lu Qi, who had less than no interest in becoming a master at wielding his namesake and never bothered learning much past the basics.

  Take those two together, mush 'em up, and you get the scaredy little cat called me.

  Shadow Steps, though, opened new doors for me, but I'm still unwilling to make an art specifically for me, as it'd be such a waste. Windfalls of Creation Points like the ones I got recently won't be a frequent thing, after all--

  [Monthly (Locked) Quest Completed -- Help your disciple, Dai Xiu, reach the 7th stage of the Qi Condensation Realm within 1 year]

  [Reward: 100 Creation Points]

  [Bonus Reward for quick completion: 100 Creation Points]

  --aaaand I just bit my tongue.

  Hm.

  As I was saying, windfalls of mythological-level wealth are impossible to just chance upon randomly in this world, after all...

  ...

  Nothing?

  Tsk. And here I thought I had the magic touch to conjure whatever damn well I wanted. Guess not.

  Okay, so, Dai Xiu reached the 7th stage, and Long Tao is--wait, when did that bastard reach the middle of the Foundation Establishment?!! Are you breaking through by just BREATHING, you bastard?! Do you know that most people spend literal decades breaking through to the mid stage?!

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  Ah, whatever. It's not worth the blood pressure.

  I close my status window and descend the stairs; unlike before, they don't creak. That old monster Hua has been hard at work fixing a whole bunch of things and apparently did the stairs too.

  No, seriously, just how many people in the world can say they have a freakin' Demigod repairing stairs for them? I may legit be, like, one of the four, right?

  Just as soon as I descended, a young girl came streaming in from the outside, a wide smile hanging on her face.

  "Master, I broke through!" Dai Xiu exclaimed, her hair whipping backward. Once more she seemed bound to hug me but stopped herself the last second and patiently waited for praise, I'm assuming. Which was free to offer, thankfully.

  "Ho ho, is that so? Congratulations! If you keep at it, you'll drive your old Master bankrupt with how many parties I have to throw each time you do it."

  "A-ah, I'm sorry--"

  "--just joking, just joking," haah, she really hasn't picked up on my sense of humor and seems keen on taking everything I say quite seriously. "Your Master is a very wealthy man!" I thought I was a very wealthy man... "So, just keep breaking through!"

  "Yes!" she beamed.

  "Here," I tossed her a satchel with about a hundred low-grade Stones or so. "You can go down the mountain and buy us all a nice dinner. Take Xi Zhao with you."

  "Yes, Master!"

  Speaking of Xi Zhao, I'd asked Elder Qin to look into the boy's woes, but it's been almost a week now and I haven't heard anything back. Hopefully it wasn't anything serious, but considering that Xi Zhao had overcome his hurdles and become a protag... I have my doubts.

  I left the house for some fresh air and was on my way to my little hamlet when I ran into Hua, who was... well, he was doing something. I think he was taking measurements for laying down a proper path, though I honestly didn't know.

  He greeted me with a bow, but before we parted ways, I stopped him.

  "Hey, wait for a moment," I deliberated for a long while on whether to do this, but with the war approaching and, far more importantly, its undercurrents seemingly encroaching on the sect's lands, and Hua's willing interference with the spies, I figured... I'd take another leap of faith. "Here, a reward," I tossed him the tome for Heart-Stitching Art, and he caught it quite nimbly. "I confided in Elder Qin, and with his help we figured out a number of spies in the sect, and it was all because of you. Even if you didn't intend it, we'd have never found them otherwise. That's a small art I picked up a long time ago--it won't increase your cultivation or change your fate overnight, but I found it rather good for keeping a steady mind. If you find it confusing," psh, as if. "Look for Long Tao; he's also been practicing it."

  I made my cool exit, sweat drenching my back, hoping there won't be a stiletto protruding through my throat.

  Thankfully, I wasn't stopped and was allowed to leave for my little hamlet. Didn't even turn to scrutinize his expression.

  Haah.

  Such bedeviled ways of living with monsters in isolation. Every move could be my last, every decision one of life or death... okay, I'm being a wee bit melodramatic here--truth be told, had it not been for the system, I wouldn't be thinking any of these things.

  None of the people here, not even Hua, had ever given me any indication they'd divorce my head from my neck. Not to say that they potentially didn't consider it, but as far as I'd be aware... well, I'd be blissfully ignorant.

  Which wouldn't be all bad.

  I finally reached my little sanctuary and sat by the edge, tossing my legs over and dangling them. At first, I found it terrifying—the fall was over a mile long, not to mention various jutting spikes that would likely leave massive holes in my body should I fall—but now... I don't know. I almost liked that there was no ground beneath my feet. Made me believe I could fly, childish though it was.

  Even if--

  [--a Servant has mastered Heart-Stitching Art]

  [...]

  [Reward: 200 Creation Points]

  [Bonus Reward: you can freely imbue the 'Calming' effect to a cultivation method]

  [...]

  [A Servant has used the mastery of Heart-Stitching Art to faintly undo his curse, allowing him to create temporary respite and use a greater part of his cultivation in short bursts]

  [Note: the Servant will fall severely ill for weeks or months, even, after the use. If overused, there is a threat of death]

  Huh.

  Yo, dude, didn't I give it to you literally five minutes ago?!! What the hell, man?!