Book 2: Chapter 45: Healing Nature |
Yin Hu’s decision was already made for him.
Affecting the girls’ mentals so negatively would be a catastrophe he would likely be incapable of fixing. It would be an issue of festering cruelty within them after seeing someone they considered a role model of sorts commit to an act. Bringing up a difficult situation he would need to answer for in the future if they end up in the same exact predicament he was in.
His authority would be questioned with a single line: But you did it. Why can’t we?
Especially to the more chaotic neutral and extremely impressionable Shui. Keeping her on the straight and narrow in a world as dark and ruthless as a cultivation setting was already difficult in its lonesome. Now adding something like this to her trauma and mental advancement at such an early age would make this a recipe for disaster.
Yin Hu walked past Wu Xui without saying a word. He kneeled down before Zhong Da while his mind was searching his spacial rice bag for anything that could help him.
He came to a realization that it would likely take too long to find anything weak enough to use in this situation before the man died.
Whatever choice he intended to make needed to happen as soon as possible.
It was with a heavy heart that he pulled out a high grade Spiritual Healing Potion called the Flower Petal’s Golden Dew. Yin Hu wasn’t really upset at the grading and level of the item, he had roughly seven thousand nine hundred of the same potion, but rather it would likely go to someone outside of the sect. A wasted resource overall he could have used in the future for one of the girls or a disciple among the thousands he would have.
Everyone in the clearing gasped and took steps back.
It had nice theatrics, if Yin Hu was asked, but it wasn’t really that special overall. If anything it was one of the lowliest items he found in his rice bag with the quick search he committed to. There were at least five dozen grades above it and were likely more if he actually had the time to look through one by one. Alas, he did not have that luxury .
Yin Hu held Zhong Da up on his knee, tilting his head slightly.
This close he could see the man’s glazed eyes, weak breath, and odd tremble that overtook him. It was a sad scene to see someone he knew so broken.
Would I actually leave him to die if the girls weren’t around? No. No I wouldn’t.
That was the truth he came to understand about himself, a second one in only a week's time revolving around his charges. While the couple hadn’t been around that long, it had been enough to build some familiarity and a connection, though distant and weak.
But it was enough.
Yin Hu parted his lips and poured half of the glass bottle into Zhong Da’s mouth. He had no clue how much was actually needed to do the job, but it was better to be safe than sorry. With the man so close to death, any mistake or delay could cost him his life. Something Yin Hu was determined to prevent now that he committed to doing the job of the ancient being pulling out items from his spacial bag and healing unhealable injuries.
His persona was at stake and that drove him to perfect what he was doing.
“Come here, Wu Xui,” Yin Hu sighed.
He made the shaking woman finish the rest of the bottle, only for her to drop unconscious a second later.
The system pinged him a moment later.
Flower Petal’s Golden Dew - Rank E- Spiritual Healing Potion Used -
User’s Qi is imbued into items within the Vagrant’s Rice Bag -
46% of contents used. Recipient has received…
Error…
Error…
56% of contents used. Recipient two has received…
Error…
Error…
Qi Overload detected - Grade RED!!! Recipients will explode in Qi flames in…
3…
2…
1…
Oh… Shit… No! Stop! Don’t!
…
System recalibration…
World Preventative Measures Detected…
Qi Overload Recalibration…
Extra energy will be used to fuel Cultivation Growth -
Dao Re-Establishment… Spiritual Roots Upgrade… Core Upgrade…
Yin Hu closed his eyes as a dozen notifications appeared in his mind. Each one was another upgrade to another facet of their beings, one by one, driving a dozen stakes through his heart. It made him want to cry at how much growth they gained so quickly when he had been working hard to level up his girls.
He wondered if Rong would get the same results, then again, testing something like that on his disciple didn’t sit right with him.
Slow and steady would end up being the only path forward if he didn’t want to risk Qi Overload and whatever consequences that meant over all.
Can I really just let them leave after this?
Yin Hu frowned at the thought of turning and developing them down his Hu Clan’s path of strength only to let them walk away so others could benefit from his work. Just imagining it made his skin crawl and stomach twist into itself.
No. No I won’t. Guess we’ll have an extended Outer Court…
By the time he opened his eyes, the couple had woken up and the system had finished. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there and thinking, but it had been some time considering Rong was resting to the side, Shui had begun to play with the dragonlings, and Jun had returned to staring at her blade while posing. Each one busied themselves as though hours had passed.
Zhong Da still had a missing arm, but his leg was perfectly fine now. No injuries remained, no cut, or even a bruise to indicate he may have been attacked. Nothing except the missing limb.
Wu Xui and him were whispering to each other until they noticed him move.
Yin Hu stood up, everyone’s attention snapped to him. “You’re healed,” he said in a stoic tone. “You owe me a blood debt greater than you understand–”
The couple nodded simultaneously.
“–Know that nothing you could offer me would be worthy of what I just provided you with–”
A knowing look passed through their faces, they could sense the changes to their cultivation, strength, Dao, weight of their Qi, and more.
“–worry not, for I am a merciful Patriarch. A merciful Ancestor,” Yin Hu said. He jabbed his thumb behind him toward where he sensed Da Ruis sitting. “Members of my outer court as he is. Now. Tell me what happened in great detail. Don’t miss a single iota of information.”
Do you wish to accept (Zhong Da of the Zhong Clan) and (Wu Xui of the Blood Fields) as your outer court members?
Yes -
No -
Yin Hu blinked as he saw Wu Xui’s title, but clicked ‘Yes’ anyway. It was too late for regret now. Hopefully she could make blood fields of his enemies and those that dared attack them instead of causing him more headaches than she was worth.
Maybe I should give them the Da Ruis treatment? Nah, they’d break mentally, especially her. She’s one of the weakest mentally in the camp. Worse than Jun and Shui combined.
Zhong Da and Wu Xui sat on their haunches and began to regale him with a long tale starting the day they left his camp.
The longer Yin Hu listened, the more confusing the story became. Yet, he didn’t doubt its truth.
About how the forest was filled with monsters, Spirit Beasts, predators, and creatures of myths and tales. All of whom were sitting just outside of his dome of influence.
My dome of influence? Or is it the Weapon Spirits keeping all of the fauna from attacking us.
That made sense. Why would anything attack them when a Kaiju sized monster could potentially turn them into paste with a swipe of its hands.
Or maybe they felt Shui’s burning need for more slaves… err… friends she could add to her collection.
Then they began to tell him about the night they were attacked and the relentless battle they fought against a white furred demon. Red eyes, milk pure color, and massive fangs as it zipped past them at speeds they struggled to match even with their cultivations and tools prepared. They were barely strong enough to drive it away at the very end, but the cost had been too great.
Zhong Da had almost died to the white furred demon knowing that had it insisted on mutual destruction, neither one would be alive now.
Yin Hu sat there and listened attentively. Thanking God that he didn’t need to deal with all of that now that he had established a foundation for his sect and had Rong to deal with anything that could beat both Zhong Da and Wu Xui at the same time. He couldn’t help but be grateful and happy at listening to his gut back then and going on a whim to accept the bumblebee, turned little kid, that’s actually a blob of slime spirit into the ranks of his disciples.
How he pulled that off with his persona alone…? Yin Hu had no idea.