However, several days after my training started, I began to think I might have been wrong. Just as I was beginning to think Sabe was human, he then forced me down a path I never thought I could follow.
It all began the day after. I followed him to the creek, a bit further downstream, to a deeper part of the runnel just after a boulder.
"This stream has both the essence of the mountain and water. It is good for stabilizing your qi" he explained flatly before kicking me into the water.
It was a deep pool, submerging me almost up to my neck.
"What are you doing?!" I yelled at him loudly, feeling like I had nearly drowned just now. But Sabe barely talked much and his bearing was mostly cold so I could tell my rantings fell on deaf ears. There was no use.
As I stabilized myself in the water, I exhaled deeply. The water was calming and warm, rapidly easing my nerves.
"Why didn't I find this place earlier?" I asked myself. Sabe then sat down by the stream, crossing his legs in a quiet posture.
Since it felt more comfortable, I removed all my clothing except my underwear.
"This is a nice spot, honestly" I said, enjoying the sport. At intervals, I would see fishes drift by lazily. They seemed so complacent that I could catch them easily.
"What's up with these?" I asked. "Am I supposed to be able to catch them so easily?"
"I'll explain it later" Sabe said. "For now, you should focus on stabilizing your qi. It's too obvious that it's getting annoying"
Mr Ash had told me that a few times before but I never really understood what he meant.
"So you mean my qi is...too obvious? Mr Ash said something about my 'presence'. Is that what you mean?"
Sabe sighed.
"I can't believe you awakened without knowing anything about all this" he said. "Normally, you awaken when there is a great shift in your internal balance. Your qi then overflows or something"
I could tell he found it quite difficult to explain.
"It's just like, beheading someone. When you do that, blood spills everywhere" he continued. "But when you put the head back, it stops spilling"
I looked at Sabe. Why the gory illustration? Was he that bad in teaching?
"Just take it that way. I'll do better showing you what I mean"
"You really could have used a better illustration at least"
"Shut up"
"So, you mean I'm like a headless person right now with blood spilling everywhere" I asked.
"Yes. In this world, most people will see you like that"
Then, I wondered if 'most people' were just as cold as Sabe and the rude lady.
"The essence of this stream is both yin and yang. It will help you steady your qi for better control"
"Wow. Cool" I said. Then I thought back to when he told me to jump into the water if I wanted to fish. I'd never thought one could catch a fish by merely jumping into the water but if the fishes were all like this, it could work. Although, if I had no other options, I would have jumped in regardless as long as there was something to eat there. But I had really doubted I would be able to catch anything. And since I thought quitting was an option for me back then, I simply went for it.
We stayed at the stream for some time while I enjoyed the gentle currents. Soon enough, I had my fill of the fun.
"Woooo!" I said, finding my way back to the bank. "It's not so bad here after all"
But just as I came out to the waterside, Sabe kicked me back into the pool.
I wasn't a good swimmer, so I had to quickly find my footing. After that, I coughed a few times, wiping my eyes and face.
"Oi! What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to drown me?!" I yelled angrily.
"Why were you leaving the water?"
"Why shouldn't I leave the water? Do I look like a fish to you?"
"You haven't even started steadying your qi, so why would you leave the water now?"
"What? I've been here for hours now and you're telling me I haven't even started? Bullshit!"
"I can sense your qi from here and it hasn't changed. You will remain there till it's completely steady"
I exhaled deeply to calm myself down and deal with Sabe in a more approachable manner.
"Look, we've been here for over two hours now. I just need to take a break at least" I explained, coming back out of the water. Sabe remained seated so I thought he had listened to reason this time. I felt relieved a bit. Then I went for my clothes. After putting on my shirt, I...
"I said you're not done yet"
That was what I heard next as he pulled me from the back collar of my shirt and threw me back into the water with unbelievable strength.
After that, I stubbornly tried to get out a few more times but Sabe always returned me back into the pool. I even tried escaping to the other side of the bank but he would effortlessly leap across the stream, which was about five meters wide, and still throw me back into the pool.
Eventually, it became clear to me that leaving wouldn't be possible. Exhausted from leaving the stream repeatedly, I just stayed put.
But then, I was really getting sick of the water. It had become so uncomfortable.
"If you want to leave, calm and focus your mind on the energy you feel within you. I'm sure you can feel it" he said. "Focus your mind on that energy within you, and the energy outside you. Feel them at once. From there, you can stabilise your qi"
"Shouldn't you have told me all this when you put me here at first?" I asked, tired of lashing out.
"If you weren't so distracted by the fishes, and by thinking you were just here for a swim, you would have figured it out yourself" Sabe said.
"Tch"
It was annoying but I really hadn't achieved anything yet that day. Perhaps, doing this well would be worth it. So I let the water soothe my body once more. This energy - I had a rough idea. He probably referred to those surges that often welled up in me. Was that qi? I had never actually thought about it.
I stayed there trying to focus on it. Not like I knew how to focus on it though but I tried. And in a few minutes, I could sense a dense stillness, one that was quiet, gentle and fluid as the water's current. This time, it wasn't a surge as I always felt it as so far.
And the water, I could already feel it as well. What was I supposed to do then? Sabe did tell me to feel them at once but was that all?
I also breathed in a certain manner as it helped me feel the denseness inside. Each time I inhaled and exhaled, I could feel that denseness circulated all around my body. Now, I knew I was getting somewhere. I would stay this way for a while with the expectation that something would definitely change by the time I opened my eyes again. Focusing wasn't a problem as the environment really helped. I could do this quite easily.
A while passed soon enough, I heard Sabe say something.
"You've done enough, Alex" he said.
I exhaled deeply once more, concluding the exercise before opening my eyes.
However, as I opened them, I had no visuals. Everywhere had gone dark and Sabe sat before me, with a lamp.
"Interesting" he said. "Just like I thought, you do have great aptness for this"