Heavenly Shae

Chapter 14: "A Master and A Chef."

Shae woke on a comfortable couch in an unfamiliar location. "Hmm-ugh?"

"Wise Shae, you're awake! Take it slow." Yun appeared at her side to guide her into a sitting position.

"What happened?"

"How much do you remember?"

"Hmm. We were outside at night, and there was a light?"

"What were we talking about?"

"Uh, Long was there. He called me out for being... Well, on not towing the line. Then I apologized and got him to ask about... My situation. Then it gets blurry."

"Hmm, that's most of it. What's towing the line?"

"An expression. Er, sorry, that's obvious. It's following the rules, even if you don't agree with them. In this case, it would be unquestioned deference to Master Long, and treating everything he says as law." She grabbed the older woman's hand and squeezed it for comfort. "You're probably very used to that in your line of work."

"Hmm, I couldn't say. It would be inappropriate to discuss that with a customer."

"Heh, how very politic of you. Sit with me?" She patted the couch beside her. "Please?"

Yun hesitated but chose to sit.

Shae leaned into the woman. Putting her head against her shoulder, and holding her arm tighter. The woman stiffened slightly then relaxed when the girl settled.

"Sorry, I'm just tired. Hmm, and even with a whole other life behind me, my mother here was very much about touch and physical contact. Now that I'm alone I miss it way more than I expected."

"A whole other life. So you really are a lost soul."

"Hmm, lost. Funny that that's the name. Yes, I've reincarnated here from somewhere else. I've lived most of my life here in fear that needed to be a secret. I can always tell when someone gets suspicious because I've slipped up. You cultivators don't seem to mind, but no one just asks about it."

"It would be rude to point it out. Also, there are other things to worry about, so I hear." Yun took a breath. "And now, you should stop provoking people to ask about it or this same thing will happen."

"Ah, right. Did Long explain it?"

"He did. In short, you were questioned under heaven before, and the verdict has been written into your being. So, if you are asked again, you respond automatically with the authority of the heavens."

"That's concerning."

"It is a strange thing. Master Long said it is to prevent repeated heavenly interrogations of the same person. You remember the one you had before?"

"Hmm, yes. It was... Am I allowed to talk about it?"

"I believe so, but you don't need to tell me the details. That process uses a lot of power from the heavens, like an enlightenment or a tribulation. So it is structured to prevent abuse via repetition. If you are questioned again, especially under threat, a small bit of heavenly qi, and your own qi, are used to produce a unique effect that cannot be faked."

"Hmm, the light? I remember the light."

"It's more than just that, but yes. And yours was a bit brighter than most, according to Master Long. He thinks your qi has something to do with it."

"Oh. Yes, that makes sense."

"Does it? How so?"

"My qi is built from heavenly qi, to mimic the divine qi from a tribulation."

Yun tensed up at the last word. "Tribulation. How is that possible?"

"Hmm..." Shae slumped into the woman even more as she drew out some cloudy divine qi. It relaxed her body and soothed her channels in places she didn't know were sore. "A bit of divine qi from my tribulation, mixed with lots of neutral qi, then a dash of lightning for power, and enlightenment qi for density."

"Should you be telling me all this? Surely your Master wouldn't approve?"

She put the calming qi away and cycled her dense personal demigod qi. "I made this myself. So I can tell whoever I want. And you sat with me, so we're friends now." She squeezed the woman's arm tighter.

"You developed all this by yourself?" She glanced at the girl's right arm and held her hand so she could feel the cleansed skin. "Is that how you did this?"

"No, that was just tribulation lightning. It could have got my whole body, but I worry what would have happened to me if we had let it." She sighed.

"It is very nicely cleansed. Many Fairies would like such clear skin. But who is this we?"

"Elder Ghon Fixiu, of Long's sect. He helped me recover and safely contain the remaining divine lightning."

"Hah, you are such an absurd girl." She tousled the girl's hair.

"Thank you." She smiled.

They sat in silent comfort for a short while.

The front of house employee that Shae had delivered the letter to leaned into the room. "Wise Shae, the next course is almost ready. Master Long has requested your presence in the kitchen."

"In the kitchen?" She straightened up.

Yun stood and pulled on the girl's hands. "Yep. Come on then?"

She followed the woman through the building.

"Wise Shae, Fairy Yun. Thank you for coming quickly." Master Long called across the large kitchen.

Shae's eyes went wide at seeing the familiar kitchen. It looked like it fell out of a portal from Earth. Though, as she scanned it closer she started noticing differences. Qi stones and gems embedded in surfaces where electronics or knobs would be. Formation patterns around the stove and freezer box.

"Hah, that's always a great expression to catch. You've never seen a proper cultivator's kitchen have you?"

"I have not. Yet, my surprise has more to do with its familiarity than anything else. It looks just like a professional kitchen from another world."

"I'm so glad you recognize it." A new voice spoke from the side.

She glanced over and saw a middle aged man with streaks of gray at his temples. She bowed then spoke to the man, "Hello, Chef. Permission to enter your kitchen?" His white apron and stereotypical hat marked his profession clearly.

"Hah, and good manners. You have my blessing, but Master Long is cooking tonight, so you should ask him."

She turned and bowed to Long as well. "Permission to enter, Master Chef Long?"

"Hah, I am no Master chef, but yes, please come in, I did call for you. Hmm, and it seems I should have brought you in here first if this is what it takes for your respect."

She grimaced. "I've not had the time to properly regret it, but it seems my actions have been quite petulant."

"Hmm, yes petulant is an accurate assessment." She felt him scan her with his qi. "Are you feeling better? Unless you need it to stand, please stop cycling qi."

"Ah yes, I am well." She focused and returned it to her Dantian.

"That qi is very interesting. If it were from a manual, I would be afraid of its potential."

"Uhm, thanks? Did you overhear our conversation?"

"I did, I wanted to make sure Fairy Yun explained your situation clearly."

Yun coughed, then cleared her throat, "Ahem. Master Long, did I?"

"As expected, Miss Shae took over the conversation and prevented you from giving the final advice."

The girl snickered at Yun's shock.

"Ah! I apologize." She bowed quickly and turned. "Wise Shae, if you do find yourself in that situation again, draw out your own qi and circulate it before trying to speak. The heavenly edict effect will draw it out and not wrench it from you as it did this time. So, you shouldn't pass out."

"Good." Long nodded. "When you are stronger, you may also be able to resist the edict, preventing it entirely. Though, if it comes up at later stages, you may need it."

The girl hummed in thought. "You said it was if I felt threatened or pressured into answering? Wouldn't not feeling that way prevent it?"

"Yes, it should, but for now assume it will always trigger when a higher stage cultivator asks. Now, for why I asked you in here." He gestured to a dish on the stove, it steamed and sizzled lightly, a warm glow came from beneath the pan.

"Ah, immortal cooking? Did Elder Ghon put you up to this?" She asked with a frown.

"Him? No, I've not talked to him in decades. Are you not interested?"

"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have thought- right, it doesn't make sense, he couldn't have." She sighed heavily. "I am curious, and like to learn new things, so yes, I am interested, but first." She took a deep breath and bowed low. "I sincerely apologize for ruining this evening. You clearly put a lot of your own effort into this, and I have taken it for granted since I arrived. I should have tried to enjoy the event and saved my critiques for another day." She turned to face Yun and the Chef. "I'd also like to apologize to Fairy Yun and Senior Chef. Provoking a higher stage cultivator in your restaurant was foolish and dangerous. I apologize for causing additional stress and possible property damage. It is unlikely I could repay damages, but if there is something you would like from me, please ask."

The room fell into silence, save for a light sizzle from the hot stove.

A few slow breaths later, a light cough came from the corner. "-Hem. It seems we weren't properly introduced. This one is Master Van Geto. But I do appreciate the title Chef in the kitchen."

"Pleased to meet you Chef Van. This one is Miss Zhi Shae. I am still new to my titles, please use Miss, Wise, or Heavenly as your own preference dictates."

"I've heard a few of those already, I take it you prefer Wise Shae?"

"That is correct. If you would like a more casual discussion, Miss it a good start, but please be warned I may push propriety." She smirked.

Long recovered next. "Hah, may! She most definitely will, regardless of how you address her." He smiled. "Thank you for the apology, Wise Shae. I accept it without reservation, and hold no ill will toward your actions. I've thought about what you said, and even if you challenge my ideas, as an Elder, I should be able to handle that challenge without flinching. Just as I could handle a martial challenge. If you can repeat that barrage against others, we may need to pit you against other sect elders." He raised a finger. "However! Like a duel, you should only do so in a controlled setting. My lashing out was controlled anger, others may not do the same and direct theirs at you."

She bowed. "Thank you for the warning, Master Long."

"Now, this night was supposed to be my apology to you. Starting with a demonstration of immortal cooking. How are your qi senses?"

She hunched her shoulders briefly. "Poor for my stage, but better when meditating."

"Hmm, then meditate near the stove. I am about to do something similar to what I did to those steamed buns."

"Ah? You mean... reforming the, uh, spite?"

Chef Van coughed from the corner.

Long frowned, "Try not to speak of it more directly than that, but yes."

She nodded and looked for where she could sit. She moved to the cleared counter two paces from the stove. "Is here fine?"

He nodded, then she jumped to sit on the counter. Yun coughed this time, and she heard a single beat of laughter from Chef Van. She didn't see Long's reaction as she was already falling into meditation.

Once under, she pulsed the Silent Slumbering Serpent practice to enhance her senses. She stopped after the second pulse and focused on the stove beside her.

The sizzling noise and smells almost brought her out of meditation. She could only pick out a few spices, like the sharp smells of garlic and pepper, but there were more under those. She pushed past them to focus on her qi senses.

Long was a void of black, and the pan was gray. She returned the small bit of qi she used on her sense practice to her Dantian and the gray receded. The once gray blob steamed with qi, and fire qi below it marked the stove's workings. Slowly it resolved into a complex mixture of unfamiliar qi.

The pan was identifiable by the metal qi thinly spread through it. Long's water qi flowed through it and released steam around the pan. She was unsure of the intention, he might just be controlling the temperature. Hmm, I suppose he has to interact somehow, maybe it does more?

She got hints of other qi around the room, and sensed the two voids representing Fairy Yun and Chef Van. She used her meditation to let those feelings pass her by and focused only on the pan and Master Long. He had tossed the contents of the pan, an assortment of veggies by what she had seen earlier. Is the qi plant based? Nature qi maybe? She tried to recall her lessons with the old monster, Elder Ghon. Hmm, he called it something specific, didn't he... bah, I'm calling it nature qi.

I can't sense this very well at all. Even with the special practice, her sense of qi was quite diminished when the qi was not in her own body. She reached out her will to grab some of the qi, but halted. That might be too rough, I need a light touch to not disturb Long.

She decided to use her calling method that she had developed for elemental qi, instead of the more brutish grasping she used for neutral qi. She started with the simple thought of condensation forming to call the steam qi.

Aha! Dew on grass! That change caused more wisps of steam to draw towards a point between her and the pan. She limited the call to just that much, then focused on the grass half of the thought. The nature qi was slower to respond but a few trickles came eventually.

Long was already moving to the next step, he added something to the pan and the sizzling became a roar. She flinched at it, the sense practice was still increasing her sensitivity. An overpowering smell of cooking meat quickly filled her mind, and she felt her mouth fill with saliva.

She lost focus on her image of grass, but the qi had already been pulled away. She recovered quickly by relying on her meditation mantras to move past the distracting senses and thoughts.

She was quick to recover the wisps of steam and nature qi with the image of her plucking a dew covered flower. The nature qi even responded faster this time, another wisp leaving the pan. She visualized pulling it towards herself and to her right hand. It should hurt less through the cleansed flesh, right?

The qi stung as she pulled it in, but the pain was just a pinch compared to what she had experienced in Minlin City. The steam floated through her but didn't spread out, it clung together like it still had water's surface tension.

The nature qi flowed slowly and filled her mental impressions with a pungent scent of flowers and something sweeter. Both of these are so strange, but seeing these qi types in cooking is not surprising.

They both moved slowly through her channels and towards her Dantian. She considered using divine qi to capture them immediately, but didn't want to disturb Long more than necessary.

She refocused on the pan as he moved it around. He was cycling more of his qi through the pan, and Shea noticed he was moving more of it through the parts of the pan with the vegetables in it. He doesn't want to overcook them, maybe? She wondered. The fire qi might be stronger, now? So a higher cooking temperature.

A new smell came to her as the meat browned and the distinct smell of the Maillard reaction reached her. If she thought she had trouble resisting hunger before, it was now overwhelming, she felt her stomach gurgled in anticipation. The sounds of laughter from the others in the room bled past her meditation, and she allowed herself to smile before moving past the humor.

She searched the pan and area for new types of qi, but found none. She did see Long move his qi in a new way. Instead of moving it through the pan to cool it, he moved it into the ingredients. In short bursts of buildup then movement, it gathered amongst the vegetables then stabbed into the meat. The nature qi flowed with it and quickly all of the nature qi had been forced into the meat.

A few more movements of qi that she couldn't follow, and then the dish was removed from the pan. Someone tapped her shoulder and she almost pulled out of meditation. Wait, the other qi... She looked at her channels and found that the steam and nature qi had reached her Dantian.

She removed a wisp of divine qi and noticed the room's reaction right away. Gray blobs appeared where the pan was, then in other areas and finally surrounding her, blocking out her sense of the room. Another tap on her shoulder came, but when she didn't respond someone picked her up and moved her. She barely noticed as she was too distracted by her own intentions and actions.

She directed her divine qi to capture the new qi in the least destructive way, especially preserving the Dao that could be there. She quickly found that the steam qi held a Dao similar to pressure, and she guessed Long's water qi hadn't changed much when transitioning to steam.

The nature qi was much more complex. Multiple traces of emotion and intent suffused it. She was confused enough by it that she sent the steam into her Dantian's formation to focus on the nature qi.

Want? Desire? What is this? She couldn't figure out what the Dao was focused on. Hmm, I need more of it. Looking outside herself she saw she had been moved to a different room, and the ready access to the qi was gone. She pulled in a little bit of neutral qi instead.

I don't have much time, and I'm not getting anywhere, so it's worth a try. She pushed more divine qi into the nature qi with a few thoughts: grow, spread, then added the neutral qi. It slowly swelled, absorbing and converting the neutral qi. She mentally sighed, too slow. Oh, but I have this too. She pulled out a wisp of the enlightenment qi that she had collected just that day. She mentally whispered to it to strengthen the Dao then fed it into the pile.

The reaction was immediate, the bundle of diverse qi swirled and twisted like an angry tornado. It compressed down into a dense glob of liquid. Syrup? Or honey? She asked no one. The sweet and fragrant smell she had first noticed from the pan was still embedded in the qi. Ah! A flower's nectar, which becomes honey, might have been both in the pan.

She tried to get a sense of the Dao, but it was still a mess. Huaa, I guess amplified static is still static.

Now, what the hell do I do with this?

She rolled it around the outside of her Dantian, trying to find a spot for the nature qi to fit into. Looking at where the steam fit in, between water and fire, she thought, what's nature a mix of? ... Earth and water? Even that guess didn't help her find where it fit. Maybe it's too different, or I need much more of it to start.

With another internal sigh, she decided to stop. But I can't just leave it here. She moved it to her right arm, a simple act now that the qi was hers. Not wanting to risk it rioting when left alone, she added some of her personal qi to keep it moving. It moved slowly, like a slime monster being battered by harsh winds, it wobbled and moved slowly as her qi raced around her arm.

She felt safe enough to leave it be, and woke herself from meditation.