Morning arrived with pale sunlight streaming through the window and the sound of Roran knocking gently on the door before entering with a breakfast tray that looked slightly more substantial than last night's dinner.
Aethros woke instantly with the alertness of someone whose survival had depended for millennia on being able to respond to threats without the confusion of gradual awakening, but he forced himself to pretend grogginess and disorientation to match what Hadrian would have displayed.
The act of deception came naturally after ten thousand years of political maneuvering and diplomatic negotiations where showing your true capabilities too early could mean death or defeat, and Aethros understood that maintaining his cover as a somewhat recovered but still fundamentally weak young master would be essential for as long as possible.
"Good morning, young master," Roran said with cheerfulness that seemed slightly forced as if he was trying to maintain optimism despite knowing how quickly Hadrian's brief moments of improvement usually collapsed back into despair and illness. "I brought extra portions today because you will need your strength if we are going to begin exercising as you mentioned last night, and I also included some of the medicinal tea that the family physician recommended for building up your constitution."
The tea in question smelled terrible and probably tasted worse based on the apologetic expression Roran wore while setting the cup down, but Aethros had consumed far more disgusting concoctions during his cultivation journey and knew that effectiveness mattered more than palatability when dealing with health issues.
Aethros sat up slowly to avoid triggering the dizziness that apparently plagued this body whenever he moved too quickly, and he accepted the tea with a nod of thanks before forcing himself to drink the entire cup in several long swallows that burned going down.
The medicinal properties were weak compared to the spirit medicines he was accustomed to, barely qualified to be called cultivation aids at all, but he could feel the herbs beginning their work of strengthening his blood and clearing toxins from his system.
The breakfast itself consisted of rice porridge with small amounts of meat and vegetables mixed in, significantly better quality than dinner had been, and Aethros wondered if Roran had paid for the upgraded meal from his own meager salary or if the kitchen staff had been instructed to provide better food now that the young master showed signs of wanting to recover.
"Roran, I need you to tell me something honestly," Aethros said after finishing half the porridge and pausing to let his stomach adjust to the increased food intake. "Do you believe it is possible for someone with crippled meridians to ever cultivate again, or is this body permanently broken beyond any hope of repair?"
Aethros was actually probing to understand what knowledge existed in this era regarding meridian damage and whether anyone had developed techniques for healing that he was unaware of.
Roran's face fell into an expression of profound sadness as he clearly struggled with how to answer without destroying whatever fragile hope Hadrian might be clinging to.
"The physicians said that meridian damage as severe as yours is permanent under normal circumstances," Roran said carefully while choosing his words with obvious care. "They explained that the spiritual pathways were burned too deeply for natural healing to occur, and that attempting to force qi through damaged meridians would only cause more harm and potentially kill you through qi deviation."
The explanation matched what Hadrian's memories contained, confirming that conventional wisdom in this era considered his condition hopeless, which meant that any recovery Aethros achieved would be viewed as either miraculous or impossible and would draw exactly the kind of attention he wanted to avoid.
"But you said under normal circumstances," Aethros pressed while picking up on the qualifier that Roran had included in his answer. "Does that mean there are abnormal circumstances or special techniques that might offer a chance at recovery, even if that chance is small?"
The question pushed Roran to reveal information that he might otherwise have withheld out of a desire to protect Hadrian from false hope, but Aethros needed to know what options existed or were rumored to exist so he could plan his approach accordingly.
Roran hesitated for a long moment before apparently deciding that Hadrian deserved to know everything regardless of how unlikely success might be.
"There are legends of ancient healing techniques that could repair even the most severe meridian damage," Roran said with obvious reluctance as if he feared that sharing this information would lead Hadrian down a path of futile searching and eventual greater disappointment. "The stories say that the Celestial Phoenix Sect possessed methods for rebuilding meridians from scratch using phoenix fire to burn away the damage and then guide the regrowth, but that sect fell three thousand years ago and their techniques were lost when their headquarters was destroyed."
The bitter irony of the situation made Aethros want to laugh, because the very techniques that could save Hadrian existed inside his own mind as perfect memories from his original life, but revealing that knowledge would raise questions about how a supposedly ignorant young master had accessed secrets that had been lost for millennia.
"Then I suppose I will simply have to find another way to contribute to the family without relying on cultivation," Aethros said with false resignation while internally already planning the secret training regimen that would allow him to begin meridian reconstruction without anyone noticing until the process was far enough along to reveal. "Perhaps I could study formation arrays or pill refining, skills that rely more on knowledge and precision than raw cultivation power."
Roran's expression brightened considerably at this suggestion, clearly relieved that Hadrian was thinking practically rather than chasing impossible dreams of restored martial prowess.
"That is an excellent idea, young master," Roran said with genuine enthusiasm coloring his voice. "The family library contains basic texts on both formation arrays and alchemy, and Lord Cassian might be more willing to invest in your education if he believes you could become useful in supporting roles even without personal combat ability."
After finishing breakfast, Aethros allowed Roran to help him stand and begin the slow process of walking around the room to build up strength in legs that had atrophied from months of lying in bed.
The simple act of moving was exhausting in ways that Aethros had not experienced since his earliest childhood, and he had to pause frequently to catch his breath and let burning muscles recover enough to continue.
But he pushed through the discomfort with grim determination, understanding that physical conditioning was the essential foundation upon which everything else would be built, and that complaining or giving up would only prolong his weakness and delay his eventual return to power.
Roran watched with a mixture of concern and approval as Hadrian managed to complete several circuits of the room without collapsing, clearly surprised by the determination being displayed by someone who had shown nothing but apathy and despair for years.
"You are doing well, young master," Roran said with genuine pride warming his words. "If you continue at this pace, you should be able to walk outside within a week or two, and then we can begin more serious exercise routines that will build real strength rather than just preventing further deterioration."
The timeline was optimistic but not impossible if Aethros maintained his current rate of improvement, and he made a mental note to push himself right up to the edge of what this body could handle without causing injury that would set back his recovery.
A sharp knock on the door interrupted their training session, and both Aethros and Roran turned to see who would be visiting at this hour when most of the family was occupied with their own affairs.
The door opened without waiting for permission to enter, and a young woman stepped inside with an expression of barely concealed contempt twisting features that would have been beautiful if not for the ugliness of the emotions she displayed openly.
Hadrian's memories identified her immediately as Helena Vex, his step-sister and the current favorite child of Lord Cassian, a talented cultivator at Foundation Establishment realm who never missed an opportunity to remind everyone of her superiority and Hadrian's worthlessness.