Chapter 8: The Primordial All-Root Body
"My name is Lingxu Mingye." Mingye told dragon.
"Rise, Mingye." The dragon told him.
Mingye rose slowly, knees trembling as he stood before the dragon who watched him with an expression that was neither cold nor warm—merely evaluating, as if weighing his worth down to the bone.
The dragon gave a faint nod.
"My name," he said "is Aorun."
Mingye swallowed. The name sounded familiar but he just couldn't place it. Again he wished he had spent more time paying attention when his oldest brother was trying to educate him about their world but then his other brother always sneaked him out telling Mingye not to bother about learning things like that because Mingye will always be protected, no one would hurt Mingye as long as he was around.
But he was gone now. People had hurt Mingye and even his brother.
Aorun flicked his gaze to the others and gestured lazily.
"That hunched old tortoise over there is Gu Shan."
Gu Shan scowled so hard his beard wobbled. "I'm old but that doesn't mean I can't take you on. Say my name with respect."
Aorun ignored him.
"The fat frog with the cheeks that flap more than his mouth is Pingli."
Pingli's cheeks shook as he puffed indignantly. "I will have you know these cheeks are a symbol of vitality!"
"And the bird who talks more than she listens," Aorun continued dryly, "is Huosang."
The Vermillion Bird crossed her arms, flaming hair swaying like a burning veil. "You forgot to mention that I am the most graceful and most powerful among us."
"No," Aorun corrected without emotion. "I did not forget. And that's because you are not."
Before she could throw a fireball at him, Aorun pointed his thumb behind him.
"And that," he said, sounding absolutely unbothered, "is Monkey."
"Monkey? Like his name is monkey?" Mingye asked him.
"You can give him a better name but we all call him monkey."
"Stand still," Around commanded suddenly.
Mingye obeyed without hesitation.
Aorun lifted one hand, extended a finger, and pressed it to the center of Mingye's forehead.
A ripple of cold energy swept through him. His vision blurred and it felt like someone had dipped his consciousness into a lake and pulled it back up again.
Before Mingye could even inhale, Aorun retracted his hand.
His expression shifted—very slightly but unmistakably.
Aorun turned sharply to Monkey.
"You noticed it too?"
Mobkey gave him a nod. "Yes."
"Pingli, get yourself over here." Around said.
All four protectors immediately stepped forward—not just Pingli.
"Step back," Aorun told them, annoyed. "I said Pingli."
"Too late," Huosang said, already standing beside him.
"I want to see," Gu Shan added.
Pingli waddled forward and placed one thick finger on Mingye's forehead, eyes half-closing in concentration. A strange pulse thrummed through Mingye's skull, gentle yet deliberate—as if someone were knocking on a locked door inside him.
Pingli jerked his hand back.
Aorun raised a brow. "Well?"
Pingli's cheeks trembled with excitement. "Oh… this is interesting."
Gu Shan thumped his cane. "What is interesting?"
Huosang leaned forward, flame-bright eyes narrowing. "What did you see?"
Even Aorun looked slightly impatient.
Pingli turned to Mingye, studying him from head to toe as if he'd just found a rare treasure buried in mud.
"Well, boy…" Pingli said slowly, "your body is… special."
Mingye blinked. "Special? How?"
Pingli clasped his hands behind his back, belly jiggling as he rocked forward on his toes.
"Extremely special. The kind of special we have not seen since the last Jade Emperor."
"Really?" Gu Shan asked him.
Pingli nodded. "His physique is very special and it's one that you can only find after thousands of years."
"There's only one physique I know that's as unique as that." Around said with narrowed eyes.
"And I'm sure that's why you called me. And also why monkey brought him here right?" Pingli asked monkey who nodded.
"I'm confused." Mingye spoke up.
"No need to be boy, I'll explain. In cultivation, everything begins with roots. A person's Spiritual Roots define what they can and cannot cultivate—Dao roots, Zen roots, Martial roots, Elemental roots, and so on." Pingli told him.
Gu Shan added, "Most people are born with only one. A lucky few have two."
"And the truly gifted," Huosang said, flicking her fiery hair, "might have three. It's even rare even among geniuses."
Pingli smiled broadly. "But you, boy…"
He tapped Mingye's chest lightly.
"You can use them all. Without conflict. Your body aligns with all roots—and none. A vessel that accepts everything. A Primordial All-Root Body."
Mingye's breath caught.
Huosang smirked. "If you live long enough, you'll make the world tremble."
Gu Shan stroked his beard. "Or cause headaches."
Mingye's heart beat so hard it hurt.
"So… I can cultivate?"
Pingli nodded. "More than that. You can surpass geniuses before they even take their first step."
Hope swelled in Mingye's chest at the thought of that but then it collapsed just as fast as it rose.
"But my dantian...it's broken. I...I can't cultivate. I've tried...I've tried for years before." Mingye told them.
Pingli shook his head, earlobes swinging like pendulums.
"No, boy. It isn't broken."
Mingye stiffened. "But—"
"It is locked."
Silence fell at his words.
Huosang frowned. "Locked?"
Gu Shan tapped his cane. "Peiole still lock dantians? I thought that technique was lost a long time ago?"
Aorun nodded. "Exactly."
Pingli inhaled deeply.
"I'm as surprised as you guys are. and the thing is, whoever did this disguised it to seem like it's broken. To any normal inspection, it appears shattered. But it's a seal—ancient, intricate, and cruel."
Mingye's fingers curled. "Why would… anyone do that to me? How?"
Pingli spoke gently now. "It was done through your mother. This was done a long time ago before you were even born."
"You mean… while I was still in the womb?" Mingye asked him.
Pingli nodded.
"There exists a poison—forgotten by time, We call it the silent-Marrowsap. It's a colorless, scentless poison that leaves no trace, harms no adult… but seeps into an unborn child's roots."
Even Huosang's flames dimmed.
"Wasnt that poison banned?"
"Why would anyone know how to use it?" Gu Shan muttered.
Aorun's jaw tightened. "Only a handful of people ever wielded it."
Mingye could barely breathe. "So my mother…"
Pingli shook his head firmly.
"She didn't poison herself. And she didn't know. Silent-Marrowsap hides perfectly inside food, water, clothing—anything it touches. It spreads quietly, slowly… and harmlessly to adults. Your family would never realize she'd been poisoned."
He continued:
"The toxin passes gently through the mother's body without harming her. But once it touches the fetus… it locks the child's dantian before birth. And it's also meant to kill the child. It's supposed to kill you and when it kills you, it'll spread to your mother and kill her too but..."
"I survived." Mingye completed.