Heavenly Shae

Chapter 15: "Devouring Desire."

"Welcome back, Miss Shae." Long said from across the table they were both now sitting at.

"Apologies for the wait, Master Long. That nature qi is quite the puzzle." She looked around to see it was the same table they used earlier, and the dining room was still empty of other guests.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to try to take it in, and never would have guessed you would refine it into something stronger. I didn't think you even took enough."

She looked down at her right hand, where she could still feel the qi. "Oh? Is that what I did? I was just trying to learn its Dao."

Someone coughed from across the room behind her.

"Fairy Yun?" Shae called and turned to look for the noise. "Was it you who moved me? Thank you for not trying to wake me."

"Of course, Wise Shae. Master Long asked me to be careful with you. I would never force someone from meditation. It is rarely ever safer than leaving them be."

"Ah, right, because of qi rioting? I know my own qi is a bit of an exception, but how do most people learn to move qi outside of meditation when it wants to riot like that?" She glanced between the two cultivators.

Long raised a hand to Yun. "I'll take this one." He gave an assessing look at her right hand. "Your qi is rather... unique. I suspect your question comes from inexperience more than anything. Since you said you created that qi yourself, you wouldn't have found the difference naturally. Personal qi, that is, qi stored and attuned to the user within the Dantian, it responds much faster and is much slower to riot."

"Oh!" She nodded. "Hmm yea, I didn't notice that." She shut her eyes and focused on her Dantian. Quickly pulling strands of her demigod and personal qi out to test their responsiveness. Her personal qi was the same demigod qi that had been in her Dantian long enough to attune to her.

It took a few attempts of making it move faster and faster to really notice the difference. Then she stored it away. "Ah yes, I feel it now. I guess I wasn't trying to get either to move as fast as they can."

Long smirked and shook his head. "Young cultivators rarely push their true limits, and lightning variants can move much faster than most can even think at your stage."

Shae tilted her head, then nodded. "Hmm, yea, that makes sense."

Long just raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose light qi would be even faster. There is light qi, yes?"

Long took a moment to respond. "Yes, its behavior is mostly theorized as it is very hard to collect. Anyone that has managed keeps the secrets to themselves."

"Hmm, it's probably embarrassing, like staring directly into the sun, or naked sunbathing."

Yun squeaked out a laugh from the corner of the room.

Long just gave a smile and a single huff of laughter. "You seem surprisingly confident in your guesses?"

She shrugged. "Well it's light, there's only a few ways to get enough of it for qi to form. Maybe as a byproduct of fire or lightning with this refining you mentioned. Does that let you do things like that? Change one qi into another? I'm not really sure what to do with this blob of... honey? now?"

He nodded, "It is usually a more advanced cultivation step. For when you cannot acquire the qi type you need. Very time consuming, however."

"How does it differ from, say, mixing fire and water for steam?"

He opened his mouth to answer then paused. "How is it that you refined that from wood qi, but don't know what the refining process is?"

She shrugged. "Easy, I was just playing around and got lucky."

Yun made a choking noise then coughed loudly twice.

Long cleared his throat, "Well, I would advise against playing around with qi, it will get you into dangerous situations."

"Um, like not knowing what to do with refined qi?" She smiled and lifted her right hand to wave it at him.

"Yes, like that." He sighed. "Hmm, it's not going to be as compatible as how it was used in the meal. If your stomach meridian was cleansed, you could stuff it into there and let it deal with it."

She shook her head, "And I don't know how to just reject it from my body. I guess I'd need open meridians for that, too?"

He nodded. "Or a specific technique.

"Oh, I think one meridian was partly cleansed... My gall bladder meridian."

Yun couldn't contain her laughter this time and quickly left the room.

Long stared at the girl for a breath. "It explains so much."

"Hey! Don't say that!" She huffed and crossed her arms.

He couldn't hold back his smirk. "Try to take it as a compliment, you are the most bold and galling young woman I've ever met. So, it is only fitting."

She still frowned at him.

"Well, for the problem at hand." He paused to rub his chin. "If the wood qi's Dao is intact, I don't know what that will do to you. Sequestering qi in that meridian can be safe, but Dao adds a layer of complexity."

She focused on her index fighter tip, trying to just force the qi out. She thought she saw it glisten with wetness. "Can't you just pull it out?" She reached across the table.

He looked at it with wide eyes. "That's not usually done." He coughed to the side. "It's seen as... inappropriate."

"Surprise surprise. Well, I'm used to it. You don't need to keep it, just get it out into the air. I got one of the monks to do the same."

He still looked at it like it was a weapon. "I'd rather not, and I find that hard to believe."

"Do you have another solution?"

"Hmm. I might actually." He shooed her hand away from him then produced a short glass, then a dark bottle from which he poured a clear liquid, filling only half the glass. "It's all in your finger? Put it in here, it should start to dissolve out, you may need to push it with other qi to get it all out. If it starts to sting, remove your finger immediately."

She started to move, then hesitated at the last sentence. "What is it?"

"Spiritual water."

Yun coughed from the corner of the room again.

Shae glanced over her shoulder in reaction. "Isn't that kind of expensive?"

"Yes, though this has been diluted."

"Oh." She shrugged and put her finger in, a light peach color leaked from her. Almost like her finger was seeping ink except it settled near the bottom of the glass instead of mixing. "It's fast. How diluted is it?"

"Oh, about half and half."

Another squawk came from Yun and she rushed over. She stared at the bottle that was still on the table with her mouth open, then at the glass. "Master Long, this-"

"This is fine. I know a cultivator or two who refine it. So my supply is not lacking."

Yun continued to gape at him. Then she looked back at Shae's hand. "But- but her hand!"

"Is not made from mortal flesh, she will be safe. Probably."

"Probably?" The girl asked.

He shrugged. "Safe enough. Like I said, if it hurts, remove it. If it doesn't hurt already, it isn't likely to."

"Hmm, am I going to owe you for this?" She frowned at the glass.

He wobbled his head. "It depends how much is consumed. I think it will be a fair trade. I know another cultivator who might want to test this as a refined spirits ingredient."

"Huh?" Shae asked.

"He means it could be used to make alcohol. Cultivator alcohol can be more expensive than pure spirit water."

"Yes, but this probably won't be. Not enough of it, and not pure enough, you will leak impurities into the spirit water."

Yun leaned in, getting a closer look at the glass. "Hmm, shouldn't we see the impurities?"

"Yes, of course. They should be thin black threads."

All three of them leaned in closer.

"I don't see any black." Yun said.

"Nor do I." Long echoed.

"Huh. Well, it is divinely cleansed flesh."

Both cultivators looked at the girl and said, "What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"How?" Yun said.

"Surely you misunderstand cleansing?" Long suggested.

She looked between them. "Didn't I say it earlier? Tribulation lightning? Got trapped in my arm and leg and cleansed them?"

The two looked at each other.

"Her arm and leg are cleansed differently." Yun confirmed. "And she did say as much earlier."

"But how did it-" He stopped and turned to the girl. "But how did it start cleansing and not just destroying and killing you?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. That's just what happened. I was unconscious at that point." She sighed and tried to explain more. "Elder Ghon used the qi pressure of Pilgrim's Rest Mountain to prevent it from spreading freely. So, maybe it could only cleanse? He said he expected the gold part of the lightning to have positive effects on my body."

"Hmm, yes, that could have... well the little bit of gold in tribulation lightning is thought to be intended as a reward for surviving it."

"And to make up for any damage the blue and red does." Yun added, causing Long to nod.

"What do you mean little bit?" Shae asked.

"Well, at your stage, it should have only been a small tribulation. Just one bolt that even a mortal could possibly survive, yes?"

Shae stared at him flatly.

"What did you do to get one so early, anyway?" Yun asked.

She looked between the two, then her finger started to tingle. "Ah!" She pulled it out quickly and checked it for damage. Looks fine, and the tingle is gone. She squinted and felt for the nature qi. There seemed to be a little bit left, so she did as Long suggested and pushed at it with her personal qi. "Do you really want my personal qi in this too? Or would neutral qi be better?"

Long accepted the distraction. "Hmm, your strange half-divine lightning? Yes that will be fine, it should separate from the wood qi's, don't fill up the whole glass, though."

She put it back in the glass and didn't feel the tingling. "Oh, right, so it's wood qi? What was its Dao? I couldn't figure it out, it just felt needy or like it was desiring something?"

Yun turned and coughed into her sleeve. "Hasn't anyone told you: talk of Dao isn't appropriate?"

"Yeah, lots of people. It's really annoying how reserved you all are. This isn't even mine or his, it's a plant's."

"Most cultivators are still quite put-off by the topic." Long supplied. "Let's save it for later, we really should get to the actual meal portion of the night."

"Ah!" Yun jumped and ran off.

Long seemed comfortable waiting in silence, so Shae used the break to focus on extracting the last bit of foreign qi from her system.

She watched the glass closely as the threads of rich yellow and orange from the nectar faded to nothing. Her own qi was a pale brown. As it mixed into the spiritual water it started separating. Breaking into a thin milky blue spotted with dots of yellow-gold and vibrant red.

"It seems to be breaking down," Shae whined.

"Hmm, yes I wondered if that would happen." Long agreed. "I think that's enough for now."

"Ah!" She pulled away quickly, she had grown distracted watching the colors separate. "Hmm, sorry, that's more than I intended."

He waved it away. "It's not a problem. If you can refine and filter qi so easily then I may have work for you."

"Hmm." She frowned. "As long as I am doing more than just acting as a walking sieve. Though I'm not sure I can repeat the refining without additional instruction. Small portions perhaps, but I don't believe I did it correctly."

He looked at the glass. "Correctly? This nectar is more refined than your own qi. It wouldn't hold together so well if you did it wrong."

"Hmm, still. I'd like proper instruction on refining. This used up a limited resource. I've not done the same to my own qi because I don't want to waste it. I'm still not sure if my qi is what I want to cultivate."

He looked at the glass with more consideration. "If you are implying... I'm not sure I can accept taking this-"

"It's fine. You did not ask me to refine it like that. It was my own choice. Which I did to examine Its Dao. You just helped me extract the product, which I've no need for now."

He held back his concern and just nodded. "I'll get you some reading material when we get to the sect. Regardless of your status."

"Thank you. Speaking of the nectar, the best read I could get was just a general want or desire. Was it more specific than that?"

He cleared his throat and glanced to the side. "It is quite disarming to speak of such things so plainly. To answer in a more roundabout way. The spicy buns you had before. Do you think a plant could create such a strong and specific emotion?"

She sat back in her seat and considered. Hmm, well I know the chef refined the Dao a bit. It would be strange if a plant formed such a clear human emotion, so maybe he refined it a lot. "Ah, so you are really working with that little? Just a suggestion?"

"Every chef works with very little. They combine simple ingredients into complex dishes."

She nodded along. "Careful preparation, mixing at specific times, letting the flavors combine. Can I ask more specific details within this metaphor?"

"We are talking about cooking, there is very little metaphor here. So ask what you will. Though, I may not answer."

"Right, so. Like trimming a vegetable down to the best parts, would you do the same to the nectar? Or is it... it's not like bending, so more like blending flavors of spices in a curry, maybe to accentuate one specific flavor?"

"Hmm, like a curry, that is a good example. Bending might really be the most accurate, though. It is very difficult to cut a flavor." He raised a hand. "And that is the most we will speak on it. Our next course has arrived."

Yun reappeared with several plates, then set three in front of Shae and two in front of Long. "Wise Shae, since you missed the first two courses, we have a sample of each on this first plate. Then the pan seared devouring eel filets Master Long prepared. Those should spark your appetite for the real third course, a large fresh salad." She bowed to both of them. "Please enjoy your meal." She left quickly.

Shae didn't notice her also set down large glasses of ice water as she was distracted by her meal. She scanned the two samples with her eyes. They looked like simple enough appetizers.

"The cracker is more of a pallet cleanser, so that should be second." Long supplied.

The other appetizer was a fruit skewer. Thin slices of several fruits stacked into two sets. The whole skewer was probably a full mouthful, but Shae was smaller than an adult so the separation was appreciated. Each bite was an adventure of sweet and sour, and even one caramelized fruit in the mix.

"Ah! That was magnificent."

Long nodded. "Thank Chef Van, he made these. They're a signature of the restaurant."

She smacked her lips a few times, the flavors staying with her. "I can see why the palate cleanser is needed. Those're very strong flavors." She took a sip of the ice water and found it only renewed the flavors in her mouth. "Amazing, they are sticking around like strong spice would."

Long waited patiently without touching his own food.

"How long between the first and second course? I can't tell if waiting like this would be enjoyable, or torture."

"Hah. I believe you got a slightly concentrated version of it, to make up for what you missed. The real first course is more like an exploration of each flavor and its combinations, several smaller bites that build up over time."

The girl inhaled deeply and nodded through the explanation. "That makes more sense. Though, this is also quite the experience." She dug into the cracker next. It looked like a simple cheese and pâté, and it too was two bites. The first was almost tasteless and simply fought off the sweetness of the fruit. The second let her really enjoy the smooth buttery cheese and savory taste of the pâté.

"Excellent work Chef Van, I've never enjoyed a palette cleanse so much." She looked over her shoulder towards the door. "He can hear me, yes?"

"Heh, probably. You can thank him in person later, he also made the salad."

She nodded and had another sip of water. "Would you like to introduce the eel, since you made it?"

He smirked. "The devouring eel is the name of the dish, not the animal itself. While it is from a spirit beast, making it very nutritious and hearty. The meat contains very little qi and is widely considered unpleasant to eat for its incredibly tough and chewy texture." He stopped and gestured to her plate, then plucked one of the two slices from his own plate.

With a raised eyebrow, she matched him and they each ate a piece. She found the texture to be as he described, though not as tough as advertised. It was chewy, but soft, and a rich juice rushed out of it as she chewed, her own saliva flooded her mouth and she found herself swallowing just juice as she worked through the thin piece of fish. Almost like a juicy chewing gum, she thought.

She was rather surprised by the taste: a very light fish taste that paired well with a sweet and flowery freshness in the juice. Small bursts of garlic, pepper, and other spices hit her tongue slowly. The final surprise was around the third swallow of sweet juice, her stomach rumbled with hunger and her eyes snapped wide. The piece of eel melted away just as suddenly as her hunger struck.

Master Long looked up from his salad with a smile on his eyes at her reaction. Then he quickly turned back to digging into it like he was starving.

Shae was reminded of the all consuming hunger her directed tempering caused. That gave her a hint of resistance to the effects of this hunger. She more calmly tore into her own salad, trying to vanquish her hunger as a respectable lady instead of a ravenous animal.

Her supernatural hunger abated as she neared half the salad. She finally got a good look at what it was made of. Instead of a variety of vegetables, nuts, or fruits. The salad contained only leaves and flowers. She was quite surprised by this as she could have sworn that the bright and colorful things she had been eating were fruits.

"Hah ha, you held together quite well, Lady Shae." Long teased her with a mostly stoic expression, just a hint of a smile showing.

She stuck her nose up in defiance. "A lady never lets hunger get the better of her. We would all be wide as oxen otherwise."

"Hah! So. Do you understand the nectar's wood qi better now?"

"Oh! I hadn't had time to think of that." She paused and turned her head. "Such a strong desire, it wasn't originally hunger... Unless they were carnivorous plants?"

"Excellent guess. At least one was, but those rarely taste of flowers and sweetness."

"Hmm, so if they are just flowers, it is the desire to..." She felt herself blush. "Master Long. How inappropriate!"

"Heh heh heh! It's nothing so lewd. Though, I'm sure some plants could be found for that. Rather, consider what nectar is."

She tried to dispel her blush, focusing on the new suggestion. "Nectar attracts bees, which make it into honey. The bees travel to many flowers, providing pollen." She tried to recall the feeling of the nectar's Dao. "What would the flower want?" She asked herself out loud. "Not just to have the bee gorge itself as we have." She paused to let long interject, but he remained silent.

She took another mouthful of salad, then looked closer at it to find many different flowers present. "Variety? It's the desire for variety!"

"Well done, you are truly deserving of your title, Wise Shae."

She snorted a laugh. "It's nice to know it wasn't just a fluke."

They moved on to the next slice of eel to repeat the same experience. The eel acted faster this time, and knowing what to expect she kept a little more control. She even managed to enjoy the variety of flavors in the salad. As mild as they were, she suspected that none were so great as to be good outside this situation. The Dao of hunger likely amplifies the experience several-fold, she smirked to herself.