Heavenly Shae

Chapter 16: "Beginner Questions."

Once the course was cleared from the table the two sat in an awkward silence. Yun had brought out another round of interesting drinks, and Long busied himself with separating the spiritual water into separate containers.

Shae broke the silence as soon as he was finished. Proving that only she had found the silence awkward.

"Master long. Would it be appropriate to ask you some cultivation related questions?"

"So long as you find it appropriate when I dodge them and refuse to answer."

She gave half a frown. "Hrrm. Well, now that is my first question. Why do you do that? Other cultivators I've met have also been rather stingy about answering questions directly. You're far worse for it, but perhaps that's my own bias, or the questions I'm asking."

"Hmmm. The way you ask questions." He shook his head. "How is it you are so naively curious, yet ask in such an aggravating way?" He huffed. "I suppose I will sate your curiosity. It is related to the sect's culture. After your lecture the other day, to the guards at the geyser, did you notice them treating you differently?"

"Huh, I didn't talk to them much before that. I guess they were nice, accommodating even."

"As they should be, because you taught them something. You acted as a teacher would."

"Uhhh, so anyone that teaches is a teacher? And then what? They should be revered?"

"Not exactly. They might have discounted your advice, but I arrived at the end to agree. As the elder, I accepted the true responsibility of the teacher. Something I am quite accustomed to doing for those guards."

"Responsibility of the teacher?" She scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Yes. In sect culture, and this has spread to other cultivators, though, not so much to the smaller towns and villages. For us as cultivators, a teacher who instructs a student in anything is responsible for that student's actions. Or seen from the other side: what a student does with that information reflects on their teacher directly."

Shae's face continued to wrinkle with confusion and concentration. It took a few breaths before she said, "I think I understand."

Long waited a bit longer before interrupting her thoughts, "You seem to be taking this more seriously than I expected."

She inhaled deeply and sighed, then looked up at him. "I feel somewhat ashamed for not considering this sooner. At least, not considering it with the added weight that cultivation power adds."

"You are young, why would you take time to comprehend it?"

She shook her head. "But I am a lost soul. I feel it should have occurred to me in my past. Even in this life, I taught the other children in the village to read."

"You were a teacher in... Your past?"

"Not officially, but I worked alongside teachers, and with their students directly."

"Hmm. Even in your village, this responsibility holds little weight. You are all expected to learn the same things. Save maybe a hunter or two that might instruct with more care."

"Hmm... I suppose he did, and the other tradespeople to some degree. Thank you, that comparison actually makes me feel a little better."

"It's not solely why I mentioned it. For as cultivators, there are other ways a teacher must take care."

"Oh?" She perked up a little.

"You said you knew how the geyser worked. Did you wonder why I never explained it to the group?"

"Hmm, yes, I thought maybe I missed it. You seemed to avoid a lot of topics, and direct answers. Not something I've seen many teachers do."

"Hah! Well, you should get used to seeing it more. A cultivation teacher's responsibility goes beyond simply providing the information a student needs. They must help them find that information on their own, especially when it comes to enlightenment."

"Alright yes, that's teaching thinking. Reason, logic, ability to research, all very important skills. Sooo, is enlightenment a skill like these?"

"Not so directly. What we do know is that-" He stopped himself, "well, you are not the usual student, so I will continue. We know that enlightenment cannot come simply from information. If I tell you my exact thought process at the time of my enlightenment, you will not gain enlightenment from it, even if you have the same information and agree perfectly with my conclusions."

"Because it is about discovery. Yes, I already knew that one."

A muscle in his face twitched.

"Heh, kidding, I was fairly sure though. Sudden comprehension seems to be the trigger, not simple understanding or learning."

He shook his head and sighed at her. "Yes. Though the precise way it works is unknown. We suspect if you did know, you would stop gaining enlightenment entirely."

"Or be able to force it, and maybe call down a tribulation on yourself if you mentioned it to someone?"

He pointed a finger at her and nodded. "A frightening possibility."

"So, if I was being cynical: avoiding questions is abdicating responsibility for that person's future actions. Or, with a more generous view: half answering questions is intended to lead them to comprehension?"

Long frowned and cleared his throat, then had a sip of his drink. "Describing the true responsibility of a teacher like that is a very good way to start a fight."

"Heh, sorry to be so blunt." She shrugged. "I'm used to oversimplifying things."

"It is an interesting test of will. Now that I know you are not being intentionally aggravating."

"Hmm, though that does imply that you are afraid- no!" she raised a hand before Long could object. "No, not afraid. Rather, concerned about what I will do with the power I gain."

"That is one way to look at it. If you need a confidence boost."

"Hardly. Though you taught a dozen new recruits, why should you be more concerned about me?"

"Who said I was? We are careful of every new teenage recruit. How are we to know their true temperament?"

"I'm not a simple teenager."

"And isn't that more concerning? The other village recruits are predictable by comparison. Answer yourself why I should be concerned, you seem convinced that I am."

"Hmm... maybe Elder Bai warned you that I was a brat? Though it seemed like he hadn't reported anything from Minlin the first time we met."

"True, he hadn't had a chance yet."

"Yet? So he did later?"

"Why wouldn't he report?"

"Because... well if he thought it wasn't relevant to you. If you were staying at the geyser, you wouldn't really need to know."

Long just spread his arms slightly, and took another sip.

"But you didn't stay. So he'd need to report everything to you. Hand off all the details or ensure other Bai got you any... reports? Do you do written reports? OH!"

"Oh?" Long smirked.

"Elder Ngoc's letter. Uhm, are you a higher rank than Elder? Could you read the code?"

He stared at her for a beat. "Why does that question sound like a lie?" He tilted his head in thought. "You said you read the sect rulebook, you should know that already."

"Err, yes, but it was an old copy, and I want to hear you say it."

"Yes, in sect politics, Master is a half step above Elder, and I know the messaging code. Elder Ghon speaks highly of you, but Ngoc less so."

"Pfft, I only said like three things to her and she was ticked off, and after she fell out of the sky and didn't even introduce herself. Don't get me started on what happened after."

He snorted a laugh then continued to chuckle. "Ever the brat. I also had to confirm that you, really are you. The letter could have changed hands on the road."

Shae gave a grimace. "Speaking of, the other letter Ghon gave me did change hands, my introduction letter to the sect."

"Hmm, I think Bai did mention some bandits? Was it sealed?"

"Yes, it looked rather official, but didn't proclaim exactly what it was."

"Good. Then it should arrive in its own time, I'll be interested in what Ghon said before his accident."

"Hah, accident, more of an intentional. He wasn't even- Oh! That reminds me, he wrote another letter."

"Did he? And you still have this one?"

"Uhm, yes, it's in my bag, though... I'm not sure what he wrote in it. And it was more of a get out of jail free card."

"A what?"

"Err, him saying it wasn't my fault for what happened to him."

"And if that contradicts what he wrote in Elder Ngoc's letter?"

"Huh? Why would it... hmmm, well he wrote this one before anything bad happened. Under the assumption that something bad could happen. You know, now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want to share it at all."

"Ha ha hah! Took you long enough to figure that out." He continued to chuckle. Then he leaned forwards with a sharpened glare. "But what makes you think you have that option now?"

"Uh- um... You see... His instructions were to only deliver it if something really bad happened to him."

"And you don't consider a shattered core to be something bad?"

"Uh, well it is, but I think he meant if his death occurred. Last I saw he seemed to be doing well."

"The state of an experienced cultivator can be deceiving. A shattered core or Dao means he has lost most of his qi and will slowly die. Many cannot recover even the pieces to begin to continue their path."

"Oh! Um. He collected most of his shattered Dao. I'm not sure about his core, he was leaking a lot of qi at first but it seemed to slow down as we collected the pieces."

"How could you know that? And what's this we?"

"Ah, well..." She turned her head. "Have you ever seen a Dao shatter, Master Long."

He frowned. "I have seen them after. Watched powerful cultivators wither to nothing from lack of qi."

"Was it fast?" She tried to correct herself when his frown intensified, "I mean, I was with Elder Ghon for several days after. His outward condition didn't deteriorate. While we didn't talk, he was eating what food I brought him."

He lessened his intensity. "Hmm. The worst cases do die quickly, but some hold on for weeks. Even seeming to improve before their deaths."

The girl's eyes widened. "The human spirit is powerful."

"Let us pretend your words are accurate. He recovered enough of his core and is stable. Why wouldn't you want to deliver the letter to me? Don't you trust what he wrote?"

She shrugged. "It seems unnecessary. The letter contains speculation at best. And will surely bring up as many questions as this conversation has. Questions I'm not entirely comfortable answering."

"This place is safe for most discussions. Feel free to talk as you like."

She frowned at him.

"Have I done something to dissuade you?"

"I would like to think this letter carries some measure of responsibility, as would my answers to follow up questions."

His forehead creased together slightly. "And?"

She smirked, took a sip of her drink, then tapped her fingers on the table. "I expected you would be unwilling to bear it. Since you refuse to bear the comparably light responsibility of a few beginner cultivation questions."

His scowl deepened, but the girl felt no animosity. "I think your questions will be anything but beginner, or simple."

She waited, taking another drink.

"Ask your beginner questions then, girl."

"Great! Firstly, regarding the conversion of personalized qi, how long should that take, say for a recently filled Dantian at my stage?"

"What type of qi?"

"That matters? Uh, neutral is most common, yes?"

"Heh, everything matters, but in different amounts. Hmm for a cultivator new to cleansing, using only neutral qi, I'd suspect a few days to convert their full Dantian."

"A few days?" The girl frowned with concentration.

"Surprised by something?" He chuckled. "Some would say I estimate too low. But cycling and manuals generally have a positive effect, as does cleansing and other advancement. At the same time, those will grow your Dantian, changing the answer more."

"So... it's hard to gauge if one qi type is slower or faster than another?"

"Precisely. Once you reach core or above, you may be able to partition qi within your Dantian. Allowing you to test the speed directly."

Shae's eyes went wide, haven't I already done that?

Long clearly mistook her expression. "Hah, yes, more powerful cultivators are capable of impressive things, especially within a higher stage internal domain- ah but I shouldn't speak of that."

"Uh, okay. Could they convert several types at once? Or do they have to alternate somehow? Uh, for testing types?"

"Ha! I knew you wouldn't stick to beginner questions."

The girl flinched.

He waved a hand. "It's hardly worth answering, it will be easy enough for you to figure out."

She hesitantly replied, "it will?"

"Well yes, you just have to spend a few decades getting a good core first! Hahaha!" He leaned back in laughter at his own joke.

Shae rolled her eyes at him and stuck to her own thoughts, pondering her line of questioning.

He had calmed down when she asked her next question. "Are there major factors to conversion speed? My half divine qi is converting very slowly."

"There are." He nodded.

She stared across the table for a breath. "Like?"

"Again, I would say that is not a beginner's question. But it is valuable information for selecting a cultivation manual." He scratched his bare chin like he was itching at stubble. "How about a cooking metaphor?" He withdrew the glass vial that held her dissolved qi, then swirled it to show the flecks of gold and red swirling through it. "Any two recipes can have very similar preparation times, yet taste vastly different. A drink that tastes divine," he sipped his beverage, "may be quick to make, while a bland gruel may take much longer." He opened his mouth to continue, but clearly changed his mind. "You're a smart girl. Put the rest together yourself."

She frowned at him. "When's the next course?"

"Feeling your hunger again? Soon, I think."

She wasn't distracted by her hunger, but an assortment of concerns she now had about her Dantian. Enough that it interrupted her focus on the metaphor Long used.

Long raised an eyebrow. "Do you prefer challenges with dire consequences or simple tests without rewards?"

"Challenge seems to be the obvious answer, but I'm not a fan of dire consequences." She gave half a frown.

"Then a compromise. If you sort out that metaphor before the next course arrives, I won't take Ghon's message from you by force."

"And if I refuse to play?" She looked at her drink and fidgeted with the glass.

"Oh, this isn't a bet. It's not optional. Go on, talk it out."

Her first few breaths were panic, then she closed her eyes. I'm panicking about nothing. I don't care if he sees it. She forced a slower breath, but didn't completely discard the problem.

The man's words tumbled through her head again. It's about qi, but how? What part is what, what's important?

She opened her eyes. "The food is qi, that seems easy. Between taste and recipe... recipe is the focus of the metaphor, taste isn't." She continued to think.

Long raised an eyebrow then took a sip of his drink.

"You started with both, but the last sentence focused on the recipe. How can you even compare a fancy drink to gruel? Not the result or the ingredients, just the preparation. Maybe learning the recipe, but both are similar."

He didn't react.

"If it's qi... The result is the personal qi... Which can have varying effects, like varying flavors. There's a lot to be attributed to skill or knowledge. If the metaphor goes that deep. Cultivation manual, skill, and user talent can match training as a chef, tools, and similar personal skill."

She inhaled deeply. I'm getting side tracked... Conversion factors. "Let's say neutral is the fastest. There's very little there, thus it's easy to make that recipe. Elemental qi must be the next simplest, just from the name. Fire, water, air, earth, metal are still simple concepts, easy recipes compared to more complex ideas like nature or space."

Long flinched, "Put a pin in that, I've a correction, but carry on."

"Secondary elements, steam for example, can be made from fire and water, but I can't imagine it takes twice as long to convert. Steam and ice are just phases of the same thing, different preparations of the same ingredient... But maybe that's not using the metaphor correctly." She shrugged.

She heard someone walking across the room. It was Yun with a tray that held glasses. She swapped their drinks for a new beverage. "Chef Van is currently plating the next course, I think you'll both enjoy it." She smiled and walked away.

The girl took another deep breath. "Am I just overcomplicating this?"

Long was stone faced. Only a slight curve up to the edge of his lip signaled anything, but that could have been there since the start.

"What takes longer from one recipe to the next? Prep-work for each ingredient. Cooking time. How well the chef knows the recipe. How many steps there are. A simple dish might only be -ah!- it's simple. A complex dish is complex. Is it just that? Some qi types are just more complex?"

She looked up and found Yun setting their plates down.

Long smiled. "I'm comfortable calling that close enough. Hold those thoughts while we eat."

Shae mentally tripped over the response, stalling her reaction. Yun removed the cover from her plate and the smell summoned the girl's hunger.