After Zhi Ruo left, the village chief looked up at the ceiling at the spot where the loose tile was placed. He had long known a small figure had been listening in on his lectures. But he did not say anything. The only reason the mother and daughter were still able to live in this village was because he was keeping the rest at bay.

He had no hate for a child who did nothing wrong. He did not care that the child’s mother had bedded a divine beast since, most of the time, they would hide their true appearance. In fact, many famous clans were half human and half divine beast. But to the villagers of this village in the middle of nowhere, she was different, and what they did not understand scared them. So, while he could not do much for the two, he could at least turn a blind eye to her trying to learn how to cultivate.

Even if she were to take revenge on those who bullied her, it would only be their fault for choosing to do evil against a small girl. He had always been an advocate for the rule of an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. He just hoped she would be fine on her own.

- - -

I quickly returned to my small hut and found a quiet spot to sit. My mother would not be home for a few more hours, so there was plenty of time to get some practice in. I crossed my legs under me, rested my hands on my knees with my palms up, pressed my index finger and thumb together like I saw the village chief do, and closed my eyes. From what he said, spiritual qi were white balls of light that floated around us in the air. 

These balls of light just floated their aimlessly, nurturing the world around us. This was how plants were able to become spirit plants and how certain demonic beasts were born. It was a boon and also a threat, but it was these very balls of light that allowed one to become an immortal.

Immortality was something of a dream for me. By becoming an immortal, no one would ever be able to look down on me and my mother again. But I also know that the path of cultivation is a long one. One must take each step one step at a time. Building a foundation is a must, so even with my weak body, I have been working hard to build what little strength I can.

“Now then….” I took a deep breath and tried my best to clear my mind. With the room quite dark and the area around very quiet, I really had no distractions at all. I stayed in this position until I heard my mother coming back. Sadly, I still could not feel the presence of any spiritual qi.

“Ruo’er, Mother’s back.” My mother would always announce that she was home before entering the yard. This was so that I knew it was her and would not need to go into hiding. My mother had made a hiding spot for me under the floorboards. It was the only place I could really escape to if someone came to cause trouble. Since we had nothing of value, they would not steal from us, but if I were home, I might end up getting beaten again. It happened once when I was three. Some of the older kids hit me many times when they found me home alone. Since then, I will hide if I hear someone coming, and my mother does not announce herself.

In this world, even the young are not let off. My mother hunted high and low to find medical herbs to heal my wounds. I couldn’t move from the bed for a month. Luckily they did not cripple me, or I would never get the chance to cultivate. Whether they did not think of that or figured I would never get the chance to learn anyway is beyond me. But I do know that once I have the strength to defend myself, I will teach those who bullied me a lesson.

When my mother opened the door, I quickly went forward to take the old straw basket from her and helped her to the bed before getting her some water. “Mother, you should rest more before doing anything else….” 

“How can I do that when this is only enough for us to eat lunch? You are still growing, so you need some meat. I need to go back and check my traps.” Nothing I say will get through to her. I have tried to make her rest more many times but she will not listen. I do not wish to argue, so when she says the same thing to me each time, I can only let my head hang. Her health worries me, but since I am young, I am unable to get her to listen. If only I was better with my words or if I could go in her stead.

For lunch, we had mushroom soup with a few herbs. It was quite tasty. But once again, my mother would only eat a few bites while giving me the rest. I really did wish she would eat more and sleep more, but no matter what I said or did she would always tell me to not worry about it and go off back into the forest. Even now, after washing the dishes, she grabbed her basket and headed back to the forest to check the traps.

“If this continues, she will collapse….” The last thing I wanted was for my mother to come to any harm. I took a deep breath and went back to the spot I was in earlier and closed my eyes. I was more determined than ever to feel spiritual qi. I only needed to catch a glimpse of it to get the hang of it. I just have this strong feeling inside me that this is all I need to do.

Why I felt this way I do not know. I have no idea where my confidence comes from, but if I am able to do this, then I can officially start my cultivation path. Only by cultivating will I be able to give my mother a better life. 

As time ticked by, I started to feel a warm sensation in my surroundings. It was subtle at first, but that feeling grew stronger and stronger until finally….. I began to see balls of light in my surroundings, even with my eyes closed. Visualization of spiritual qi… I slowly opened my eyes. For some reason my head seemed to be very clear on what I needed to do next. “To enter the first stage of body fortification, I will need some herbs…. Why I know this, I do not know, but to build a perfect foundation, I will need to use herbs as a catalyst. Only by bathing in these herbs and slowly taking in the medicinal properties will I be able to purge my meridians of all toxins.” 

How I knew all of this was beyond me. Everything was just kind of pouring into my mind. It’s as if I knew all of it this entire time but it was only now surfacing. It was strange, but I did not wish to doubt my own thoughts.