"cock-a-doodle-doo"
The sun rose and the with the crow of the rooster Jiu Xian also woke up from his bed yawning.
He washed his face and went to his yard.
Recalling the information about the golden sun technique, he did some simple stretching and started moving his body according to the technique.
Standing with his feet together, palms in front of his chest, he inhaled and lifted his arms up and back.
Exhaling, he bent forward to touch his foot with his hands. Stepping his right leg back, bending the left knee, bringing his left foot next to the right, and raised his hips.
Retaining his breath, he lowered his knees, chest, and chin to the floor.
He then followed the same steps but in reverse till he reached the starting position.
Each breath feeling heavier than the last to inhale.
He repeated this process for one hour but failed to capture the golden qi from the sun. The jade slip mentioned luck being a major factor in the initiation of the golden sun technique.
'Hmm... did that immortal woman purposefully give me this technique? To delay me so I can't reach golden core?' Jiu Xian wondered, his clothed drenched and his body exhausted from all the exercise.
He left like he had wasted the previous hour in doing something unnecessary.
'How long will this take? What if I never get through the initiation stage of this dammed technique?'
Dragging his tired body back to his bed, he laid down and fell asleep without even changing his clothes.
Some unknown amout of time later, Jiu Xian woke up again.
"Damn. It's afternoon already. Why didn't Mie'ren wake me up?? Oh she isn't..."
He stopped himself from letting his mind wonder about how she used to wake him up if he overslept or she nagged at him about being lazy. Jiu Xian started preparing for his journey. He went around the village purchasing all the necessary items including jerky, a wine gourd, arrows, ropes, medical supplies.
~~~~
Time flows like water and soon fifteen days went by. Jiu Xian finished preparing for his long journey, he performed golden sun technique daily and while he did not succeed in it's initiation he could feel his skin growing stronger and more durable.
Using his father's sword and bow, he hunted in the forest nearby to resharpen his skills. Doing a final mental check of the items and putting them in his backpack, he set out for his journey, but just as he reached the outside his house he was interrupted by old Lao.
"Xian'er! Looook! Mie'ren sent a letter for you" Bao Lao waved a envelope in front of him.
"What!??" Jiu Xian reached out his hand and snatched the envelope from old Lao's hands.
"Haha! Xian'er calm down. The letter is not going to run away from you." BAO lao teased.
"How can I be calm?! My Mie'ren wrote me a letter. Hahahaha" Jiu Xian's face lit up with joy as he tore open the envelope and started reading the letter.
How are you Xian? I didn't know how to write you this letter after... well everythingthat happened. I love you Xian. Master says that when I reach foundation establishment, I can come back to the village to visit you all. This place is so pretty and magnificent. During the journey to the sect I saw many wonderful things, things like we heard in the stories from bards and the books.
Reading the letter Jiu Xian could imagine her smiling and jumping all excitedly throughout the journey she mentioned, her shocked face when she got on board the 'flying ship?' and the 'teleport array?'.
A smile dawned on his face as he finished the letter.
We may be worlds apart, but my heart stays with you with every beat it thumps; no distance can touch the bond we share.
Your love
Mie'ren.
"So what did our village beauty write about?
"See didn't I tell you that Mie'ren is the one for you and you should not give up on her."
"Yes... old Lao...yes u did." said Jiu Xian with an incredulous look on his face, bewildered by how easily and shamelessly old Lao had changed his statement from yesterday.
This was but a small bout of happiness in his now sad life. He bid old Lao goodbye and exited the village after informing him of his departure.
His first stop on this long journey would be the Bao village. The village is 4 hours distance from his crouching fish village. Old Lao said that the village was founded by his someone in his family tree after they and some of thier friends got in dispute with some official of the kingdom and set up this village far from the influence of the kingdom.
He walked through the dirt paths for six hours, resting in between before he reached the small wooden gate of the Bao village surrounded by tall wooden fences.
The Bao village looked bigger and wealthier than his crouching fish village. Houses made of stones and wood rather than wooden and straw houses. People dressed in better stitched clothes, proper roads made of stone laid out in hardened mud.
Asking around he found the location of the village chief - Bao Cao's house and made his way there.
~knock knock~
"Chief Cao are you there? I am Bao Lao's friend."
Soon an old man who looked wider than taller opened the door and greated Jiu Xian, his fat belly jiggling comically.
"Oh! Bao Lan? How is that old man doing? Still tinkering with his herbs and cauldron? How is little shiqi doing? How...Oh! Look where our my manners, so what can I help you with?" An old man in decorated grey robe opened the door and fired questions on Jiu Xian.
"My name is Jiu Xian and I am from the crouching fish village as you might have guessed and yes, old Lao is the only and the most famous apothecary of our village so he is doing well.
"Old Lao told me that you might know something about spiritual herbs and animals. I was hopingyou can share that knowledge with me"
Bao Cao invited Jiu Xian inside his house and offered him a cup of tea. The two chatted for a while and Jiu Xian gained some information based on the old rumors and folklore of the village.
'Like how an old man cured some strange illnesses with the help of a red four leaved clover. Or how their village used to worship a stone golem.'
"Take care old Cao, I hope to see you again sometime soon."
"You too, young Xian. Take care and be cautious in your journey. "
"By the way, whats your relationship with old Lao? Are you guys brothers?"
"Hahaha! I see... let me tell you. My mother's sister's brother-in-law's daughter's father's father's mother's husband's father was the brother of Bao Lao's father's brother's sister-in-law's son's mother's father's sister. "
"Umm..." Jiu Xian looked at the old man as if the old man had a scew or two lose as his mind worked over drive.
" hahahah! Don't work your brain so hard young Xian, let me make it simple for you. We are distant cousins, blood related. The kind where we share more ancestors than memories." The old man laughed, his belly and face jiggling.
Jiu Xian gave old Cao one last annoyed look before leaving the village and venturing out for the next village on his list. The clear water village and the spring of immortality.