Cultivating Chai

It took another five days before Xiao Feng was discharged.

During those five days, there was little else for him to do other than rest and recuperate. Unfortunately for him, there were no smartphones to be found in the realm of Sephari, continent of Tian.

Of course, Xiao Feng could ask one of the healers to bring him a book, but that was a trap he was wisely avoiding. He had only inherited a portion of Xiao Feng’s memories, as most of his soul was destroyed by the Nascent Soul cultivator’s attack. He had a decent idea of the core memories that Xiao Feng had held close to his heart and soul, like the names and personalities of important individuals like Elder Haoyun and his cultivation techniques and martial forms.

However, as for Xiao Feng’s reading tastes or faux pas in cultivator society when it came to asking for reading material, he had no idea whatsoever.

The Martial Division was where Xiao Feng had spent the most of his time, known the most people and of course, gained the most strength.

That was why he could not linger within these halls for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Thankfully, Xiao Feng had no spouse that would be looking for him, otherwise he would not be anywhere near as relaxed as he was. There were two women that had hinted their interest in Xiao Feng, but the cultivator with the sole desire to refine himself into the sharpest blade had neither the interest nor the patience for such matters.

He had to stay away from those two and eventually planned to distance himself from almost everyone Xiao Feng spoke to from the Martial District, besides the Elder.

The consequences of having his identity exposed as an unintended body hijacker would mean being condemned to tortures better left unnamed. Still, that wasn’t the reason why he didn’t want to associate himself with Xiao Feng’s colleagues. He just thought that it would be scummy, to call upon the relationships of a dead man and rekindle them for his own gain.

The sound of approaching footsteps roused him from his reverie, as Xiao Feng’s gaze shifted to the new arrival.

Cultivator Fen Xu of the Healing Hall strode into his field of view with a slight smile on her face, one that seemed to grow larger as she turned her gaze to face him.

“Xiao Feng,” She addressed him with a gentle tone, her gaze looking into his own.

“Yes?”

“May I proceed with the check-up?” She asked as she had many times before, her mood seeming up-beat as she did so.

“Naturally,” Xiao Feng replied without missing a beat.

Fen Xu nodded and strode forward, until she was standing behind Xiao Feng’s seated figure. She placed a palm on his back and he felt a tingling sensation run across his body, stopping only after it reached a little below his navel.

She retracted her palm gingerly, walking over to face him before speaking, “Though it really is hard to believe after you got struck down by a Nascent Soul, the damage to your dantian has healed and your Foundation Soul has recovered completely. I see no reason to keep you in the Healing Hall any longer,” Fen Xu declared, a pleased smile on her face as she looked him up and down one final time.

“Does that mean I can leave?” Xiao Feng asked, having expected the outcome but still finding himself surprised when the moment arrived.

“Are you in a hurry to?” Fen Xu asked, her tone more curious than anything else. “I know it’s not really my place to say so, but I have been hearing too many whispers to ignore. Your fellow Inner Sect disciples seem quite lost at your decision to leave the Martial Division, especially since many of them seem to look up to you after what you accomplished on the battlefield.”

A few uncomfortable moments passed by them as Xiao Feng did not respond.

“I’m sorry, it was not my place to say—,” Fen Xu began to apologise, even though her status as a healer would normally place her above the ranks of a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Xiao Feng, only to be cut off by him.

“Cultivator Fen Xu,” Xiao Feng began, his tone ponderous. “Forgive me if I am overstepping, but if you are comfortable, can I know if you have ever lost family to the demons?” He asked, not alluding to the foul creatures from Earth’s mythology but rather cultivators who had strayed from the righteous path, delving into forbidden methods to increase their strength like blood sacrifice and soul tampering.

Fen Xu gulped as she finally remembered who she had been so casually addressing, a war hero capable of slaying cultivators many layers above him in the midst of a chaotic battlefield. She nodded twice, hoping she had not offended Xiao Feng too much.

“I have too,” Xiao Feng replied, his tone soft and understanding. “They call me a war hero, Cultivator Fen Xu, but I am no hero,” He explained softly as he began to throw his sect hanfu over his bandaged arms and back.

“I did what I did for revenge,” Xiao Feng continued, as he rolled outwards the bandages that had been covering his face before discarding them. He got back up on his feet, reaching for a cloth belt that had been placed on a small side-table next to his bed and looped it around his waist before tying a knot near the centre.

As he passed by Cultivator Fen Xu, he offered her a few more words out of the gratitude he felt for her treatment, “But that did not bring them back, did it?”

No, it had not. All it had accomplished was the death of the real Xiao Feng, who could have grown into a tremendous asset for the Frontier Sect if what he knew about him was even vaguely correct.

He strode out of the healing hall with a wide stride, exchanging no more words with Cultivator Fen Xu, heading towards freedom.