REBUILDING MY QI

"It is clear that some of these clothes aren't dirty; she only wants me to suffer," Tao murmured as he stared at the pile of clothes.

The master's wife's clothes, rich and foreign, felt thick against his hands.

The comparison of the texture of the master's wife's garment and his own humble fabric that clothed him reminded him of the unforgiving world he found himself in.

Tao's hands moved mechanically; his fingers working through the thick fabrics was a wasted attempt at trying to get the stains off.

He had gone to the level of using his Qi in every area of his life, and he didn't have to physically wash clothes.

"How is this even done? How do I get the stains off just by scrubbing these thick fabrics?" Tao murmured.

Tao struggled with the whispers of discontent and anger that surged through him, but he remembered what was stated in Technique 1.

"Technique 1: Let your anger build silently; don't express it until it builds into power," he murmured, reminding himself, just like what Li Feng would say when he was there.

Tao's mind went through the unfairness of his situation. The chore was not merely about washing the clothes; it was clear that the master's wife only gave him those clothes to show him her position above him.

"How long will I have to suffer this?" Tao said, as he kept washing.

He looked up at the sky after completing the task, and he saw that it was already dark everywhere. It was night, and he had to return to the servants' quarters.

Hunger clawed at his stomach; after washing for so long, he needed to eat, no matter what it was.

The creaking door of the servants' quarters closed behind him, bringing him back to the harsh reality of where he would have to sleep.

Tao collapsed on one corner of the floor, weariness seeping into his bones.

Tao's consciousness slipped into the world of dreams, and the barrier of the Elder realm materialized before him. A sense of dread filled the atmosphere.

A strange mist swirled around him; Na'ru, the Air Demon, emerged from the shadows.

"Former Light Warrior," Na'ru's voice echoed. His voice made Tao tremble.

"Did you think you could escape the consequences of your defiance?" Na'ru laughed.

Tao felt the weight of Na'ru's words like an arrow to the heart. His eyes locked on the darkness in the form of Na'ru.

"You! You think you can resist the natural order of things," Na'ru sneered, "for that, you will pay the price."

Tao began to see flashes of his earthly struggles so far and more to come. Na'ru reveled in the suffering he had endured—the servitude, humiliations—all playing before his eyes. The demon's laughter filled Tao's ears.

"You wanted to defy fate; now, your existence will become even more agonizing," Na'ru proclaimed, his voice echoing with rage.

Na'ru mocked Tao's stubbornness and determination, reminding him of how he ignored the counsel of his friends.

"You should have listened to them! Now, it is your fault that they are where they are," Na'ru said.

"My friends, where did you send them to? Tell me, please... are they still alive, did you send them to this world too?" Tao called out to Na'ru; he was frustrated and felt really guilty for what his friends might be facing wherever they were because of his mistakes.

"Your friends, they are in a deeper suffering than you are. I'm telling you so you can see the outcome of your determination to go against my command!" Na'ru said, and guilt surged through Tao.

"What have I done?" Tao murmured, and it reached Na'ru's ears.

"What have you done?" Na'ru laughed.

"I will tell you what you did. You created a channel for my darkness to creep into the light of the air tower; now everyone you left behind has become slaves at my feet, the air tower had become my prison for them," Na'ru said and Tao's mind shattered.

"No, no! They didn't do anything, I was the one who tried to ascend the elder realm, not them!!" Tao shouted, but the response he got back was laughter.

Suddenly, Tao awoke, gasping for breath; his mind raced through the memories of the dream he just had, fear gripping him.

"I must find Master Li Feng," Tao whispered.

Confused and seeking understanding, Tao approached Li Feng's corner. He was older, and with the respect Tao had for him, he believed Li Feng could hold answers to the revelation he just had.

"Master, Master Li Feng!" Tao screamed, his voice showing urgency, "I had a dream, a vision... Na'ru spoke to me, face-to-face," Tao said, walking to take a squat before Li Feng.

"Shhh! I told you that you can't call me master! The commanders will have your head for that," Li Feng, who was resting, sat up and whispered to Tao.

"What was it about, Tao? Even after I was sent down by Na'ru, he didn't appear to me. He never did, why did he appear to you? Are you sure he was the one you saw?" Li Feng whispered.

"Yes, master Li Feng. I know the demon. I interacted with him before he sent me into this world. He spoke to me; I saw his darkness!" Tao said, and Li Feng's brows furrowed.

Li Feng didn't know exactly what happened before now. Tao had not told him how his own played out, what happened before he was sent down too.

"Did you just say you've seen him before?" Li Feng whispered, and Tao nodded.

"Yes, master, I have seen him before, and in my vision tonight, I still saw him," Tao said and something clicked in Li Feng's head.

"Even during my journey and struggles to ascend the elder realm, I never got to see the demon, Na'ru. This means that you went deeper than I went before he sent me here. It means you crossed the barrier," Li Feng said, putting pieces together.

"Yes, I did cross the barrier. It wasn't easy, but I did, and I didn't last up to a second in it before Na'ru surfaced," Tao explained.

"That is it! That is why your case is different. That is why Na'ru appeared to you again; you did what no one else did, and you drew extra attention to yourself, he still isn't satisfied with where he has put you; that is why he revealed himself to you again," Li Feng said, and fear gripped Tao.

One encounter with the demon turned his life upside down; he wondered what this encounter would unveil in his life after that night.

"Tell me everything you saw," Li Feng whispered.

As they spoke, they were vigilant. They let their eyes linger, so that they made sure no one else was listening.

"He told me that my friends, Yu and Liang, are in deeper suffering than I am. He also told me that his darkness has taken over the entire air tower..."

Li Feng's eyes shone brightly. He was speechless. He could not believe what he had just heard. The home he had longed for and hoped to gain access to once again had been swallowed by Na'ru's darkness.

"The channel... It was a trap. Na'ru used you; he knew that you would keep pushing, he used your attempt to break in to create a channel..." Li Feng muttered, staring into the dark.

The night stretched out over the desert, and when everyone had slept off, Li Feng woke Tao, and they both snuck out of the servants' quarters into the expanse of land by the backyard.

"Listen, Tao," Li Feng whispered with a calm assurance. "To reclaim your powers, you must attune yourself to the Qi that lingers within!"

"Close your eyes, and try to feel the currents of the air around you," Li Feng added, and Tao was confused.

"Master Li Feng, I do not believe my Qi can be rebuilt. Besides, this is a normal world belonging to humans; do you think I can cultivate in a world like this?" Tao said; it seemed impossible.

Tao's mind thought it was a waste of time. Magic didn't flow in this air, he thought.

"Just do what I asked of you!" Li Feng shouted, and Tao sighed.

Sitting cross-legged on the cool sand, Tao obeyed. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the desert's dust-filled air remembering him that he was in a world of mortals now.

"Good," Li Feng nodded approvingly.

"Now, let us focus on breath. Inhale slowly, let the air fill your lungs, and exhale with purpose. Align your breath with the heartbeat of the desert," Li Feng whispered.