Kindling, page 29
part #6 of Painting the Mists Series
As expected, Cha Ming thought. He proceeded to supply one answer after another. Some were straightforward cure-alls, while others were roundabout methods that somehow used principles of growth to treat the affliction. Finally, he finished the hundredth solution.
“One hundred points achieved,” the voice said. “Continue with another question or provide another answer?”
There’re more? Cha Ming thought. He sifted through the knowledge he’d accumulated before returning empty-handed. “Proceed to the next question.”
Like this, Cha Ming answered all ten questions, giving him a total of 1,000 points and placing fifty-first. If this was a test of speed, he hadn’t done badly, but he hadn’t done well either.
But there’s no way this test would be about memorization.
He ignored the automated voice’s prompt and thought carefully for a moment about the current question: “Provide an herbal remedy using flow to relieve a cultivation block in the lungs caused by Miretoad Stagnation Root.”
Although I’ve used all strict principles of flow, perhaps I can use something else to create flow? He ran through several scenarios before settling on a sharpness-based herbology treatment. Sharpness had to do with shape, so he selected several dozen herbs and applied them as pastes, powders, and juices to the model. Various shape changes took place in blood vessels, organs, and qi pathways. These localized changes didn’t affect the health of the model much, but each one caused a small change in qi flow. Slowly but surely, these flow changes removed the stagnation effect near the lungs until finally, the obstruction was cleared.
“Using shape to induce flow successful,” the voice said. “Three points awarded. Continue with another answer?”
The time limit for answering was ten breaths. Since he had had no immediate inspirations, Cha Ming exited the room, where the various contestants were in an uproar. Cha Ming’s name had climbed to first place at 1,003 points.
Several people commented on the impossibility given their knowledge, while others frowned and sat in meditation. A few moments after he exited the room, another name shot up to second place. Li Fei, a beautiful girl in a red Daoist robe, exited one of the testing chambers. She frowned when she saw that someone had achieved this result before her but wasn’t so surprised.
Cha Ming didn’t waste time basking in his glory. His experience had completely upended the knowledge he’d gained over the past six months, and any improvements would be difficult to come by. He wandered the library, deep in thought, casually browsing through random books, looking for inspiration. At one point, he encountered a bookshelf on alchemy.
After some time, he found a book entitled Cultivation Damage and How to Fix It. Excited, Cha Ming read through the contents, but his expression turned ugly when he realized two things. Firstly, his comprehension of alchemy was extremely poor, so he could barely understand what was written. The second realization was that, according to what he’d read, the amount of damage to his core was irreparable.
Cha Ming adjusted his mindset before replacing the book. Although his curiosity gnawed at him from the inside, he turned away from the shelf and continued his search for enlightenment on herbology. After all, his time was limited. If he didn’t finish in the top five for this challenge, he wouldn’t stand a chance at obtaining the Burning Samsara Lotus.
I can focus on these other matters once I find a cure for Sun Wukong, he decided. He found a secluded location and began sifting and reorganizing his knowledge. A month passed by before he realized it.
“I still don’t understand why you favor him so much,” a human-sized creature made of green vines said. If one looked closely, one would realize that this was the same elemental that had deflected the devil sovereign’s attack.
“It should be enough for you that I favor him,” Yu Wen said. “Have you considered my request?”
“I cannot allow you to browse through the Sacred Jade Library,” the elemental said. “These are the rules the master has set. You can browse all the alchemy books you like in the Jade Moon Library, but those in the Sacred Jade Library are fragile and rare.”
“I’ll just look. I won’t take anything.” Yu Wen pouted. “What about my other request?”
“I need to see if he’s worthy of the resources,” the elemental said. “I’ll give them to him if he reaches the top five. Any boy who shows interest in my niece must meet a minimum standard.”
“Thank you, Uncle,” Yu Wen said. “You’re the best.”
The elemental sighed. “It may not matter. We could all perish here. This avatar of mine can’t even communicate with my main body.”
“It’s part of the balance,” Yu Wen said. “Heaven’s luck couldn’t last forever, and my luck has always been terrible.”
“I know you’re prophetic, but you mustn’t speak such hopeless words,” the elemental said. “It’s not like you. I’ve known you since you were a little girl, and your faith has always been unshakeable.”
“Sometimes life forces us to make choices,” Yu Wen whispered. “I know the choice but not my decision.” She looked to Cha Ming’s figure in the scrying mirror. He’d just woken after reaching an epiphany. “It gets harder to make it with each passing day.”
The elemental sighed. “Maybe top five is a little unreasonable,” he said. “I’ll let you help him once again.”
“Really?” Yu Wen’s eyes brightened. “I want to give him Shennong’s Simulacrum.”
“But that’s a priceless artifact!” the elemental said. “Shennong would spit up blood if he knew a core-formation mortal was using it.”
“What do you know?” Yu Wen said. “Uncle Shennong is all about helping people. Besides, the simulacrum has little practical value to immortals. It’s just an old relic that’s collecting dust in the library.”
“But it’s an antique from the dawn of mankind!” the elemental said. “Teacher Shennong is a revered elder of humanity. Anything he’s touched becomes a priceless treasure.”
“Who’s more important, me or Uncle Shennong?” Yu Wen asked.
“You know it’s you, but don’t tell him I said that,” the elemental said awkwardly.
“Then how important could his old toy possibly be?” she pressed. “I want to put it to good use, and Cha Ming will be an influential figure for humanity in the future. What better use could there be for Shennong’s old toys?”
The elemental, not knowing how to respond to her onslaught, reluctantly gave in. “Fine. He can have it. But I’m not giving him any herbs. He can find them himself.”
“Not a problem!” Yu Wen said cheerfully. Then she vanished from the room.
Why did she agree to that condition so easily? the elemental thought. Does she know something I don’t? Then he shook his head. It doesn’t matter. If he has a way to use it, then so be it. Teacher Shennong will probably never ask about it.
“Cha Ming,” a voice said. “Cha Ming.”
His eyes opened, revealing Yu Wen’s beautiful face. He ran his fingers through her curly hair and kissed her lips.
“And where have you been?” Cha Ming asked as he got up and stretched his limbs.
“I’ve been here for a week, but you were too busy thinking to notice,” Yu Wen said, pouting. “I finally couldn’t bear it.”
“It’s my fault,” Cha Ming said. “What’s new and exciting today?”
“I found a new toy,” Yu Wen said, grinning. “I thought it would be useful for you, so I brought it with me.”
She waved her arm, and a large clear statue of a human appeared. It was a naked beauty, causing Cha Ming to avert his eyes in embarrassment. “Look again, silly,” Yu Wen said, giggling.
Cha Ming cautiously looked up and saw that it was now the statue of a horse. The horse became a wolf, which then became a child, and finally, a giant.
“It’s called Shennong’s Simulacrum,” Yu Wen said. “It’s probably only a replica, but they say that Shennong couldn’t bear using people or animals for medical experiments. Therefore, he created this simulacrum. It’s able to perfectly replicate a living being’s reaction to medicinal herbs, pills, and other medical treatments.”
Cha Ming’s eyes brightened. “Then this is a priceless treasure. If I had herbs to experiment with, I’d try right away.”
Yu Wen rolled her eyes. “If only you had access to a spatial artifact. If only you had full control over said spatial artifact’s world and could create mundane ingredients from scratch. How wonderful that would be?”
“How much do you know about me?” Cha Ming said, embarrassed. “It’s like you’re cheating at life.”
“Life isn’t always fair, Cha Ming,” Yu Wen said. “It takes away as easily as it gives.” Her voice contained unimaginable sadness and vicissitudes.
Cha Ming walked up to her and stroked her cheek with his hand. “What has life taken away from you?” he asked, concerned.
“It’s taken away my destiny, my stability, and my good fortune,” Yu Wen said. “But that’s okay. Because it made up for it by giving me freedom, meaning, and power. It’s given me the ability to see, and it’s given me faith.” She squeezed his large hand tightly with hers. “It’s also given me you.”
Complex emotions surged through Cha Ming. She seemed to know so much about him, but he knew so little about her and her troubles. And while he could sense that she considered meeting him a blessing, he felt that her last statement contained sadness. “You know my story,” Cha Ming whispered. “So when will you tell me yours?”
She smiled and headed back up the stairs without saying anything. Sighing, Cha Ming pulled Shennong’s Simulacrum into the Clear Sky World.
In the cold void, an aged, grandfatherly figure opened his eyes. He flipped open a device and sent a stream of consciousness inside it. After checking over the messages that had accumulated for the past million years, he settled on one that tugged at his heart strings.
“Fuxi University wants to borrow my simulacrum again as part of a special exhibit?” he said out loud. “That’s great. And here I was worried that the old piece of junk was fated to collect dust for all time. It’s time to go pay that old tree a visit.”
Space shifted, and he appeared before a vast world. It was composed of seven platelike continents that were tethered together with jade bridges. Countless gods and immortals wandered through these worlds. Some were stoic while others were cheerful, but they all had one thing in common—angelic endowment, or at the very least, a substantial amount of merit.
Shennong shifted through space once more and appeared before a magnificent jade palace. The gates opened as soon as he arrived.
A butler greeted him at the entrance. “Will you be needing any refreshments, Master Shennong?” the butler asked.
“Your best wine,” Shennong said. “But nothing I made myself. While you’re at it, please tell Brother Yu I need his help fetching something.”
“He’ll be coming shortly,” the butler said. “Please make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”
Chapter 28: Consolidation
“It’s been a while,” Cha Ming said softly as he entered a white room and walked up to a bed of mists. On the bed lay a transparent figure—it was Sun Wukong’s soul. Although it seemed unchanged on the surface, Cha Ming’s soul was much stronger under the Jade Moon Blessing. He could now tell that Sun Wukong’s soul was slowly deteriorating, thus his urgency in finding the Burning Samsara Lotus.
“I’m sorry I don’t come to visit often,” Cha Ming said. “It’s just strange to visit an unconscious friend. I’m never sure if you can hear what I say, so who knows how much ammunition I could be giving you for when you wake up?” He sighed. “I’ll be using the Clear Sky World to train again after all this time. Sorry in advance for causing a ruckus.”
The world shifted around him with but a thought. The white bed disappeared and was replaced with a room containing Shennong’s Simulacrum. It transformed as it saw fit, alternating between man and beast. After taking a deep breath, he approached the statue and sank his resplendent force into it. Operating instructions poured into his mind. With a few simple commands, he easily manipulated the simulacrum to maintain a constant human form.
“Let’s see if this works,” Cha Ming muttered. He imagined a plant sharing the same characteristics described in the book, the same theoretical properties. Then, as quickly as he’d wished for it, it appeared. He felt a small amount of high-grade spirit stone vanish from the Clear Sky World. “Well, the energy has to come from somewhere.” Fortunately, he’d brought a literal small mountain of high-grade spirit stones with him.
After summoning the Seven-Vices Fever Root, he extracted its juices and sent it into the simulacrum’s mouth. The entire statue rapidly turned feverish. Then Cha Ming caused it to freeze in time. Not only could he examine the simulacrum’s body for modelled symptoms, he could also try different cures. To check this, he materialized five dousing flowers and collected their dew. The simulacrum ingested it. He observed as it snaked its way through the human body, entering the circulatory system before eventually diffusing through the meridians.
“It’s a little different than in the books, but it’s still effective,” Cha Ming said. He repeated the process for all 100 successful methods, then did the same for the other nine questions. After carefully measuring the effects, he tested out ninety other techniques he’d postulated before. Surprisingly, only twenty of them were successful while the others failed.
Cha Ming wasn’t dissuaded by these results. In fact, he was encouraged. Twenty out of ninety was an extremely favorable result as far as initial experiments were concerned.
Now I just need to find out why the others failed, he thought. He repeated them each a few more times, carefully investigating their mechanisms.
It’s not that the theory is wrong, Cha Ming thought. It’s that other components interfere with the theory. While I’m using thinning nettle grass to enhance blood flow and increase cell growth, there is also a metallic component to the thinning nettle grass. It destroys the cells faster than they can grow. But what if I use it in conjunction with Silver Numbing Nettle? Wouldn’t I eliminate this unwanted effect?
He implemented this change and observed the results. There was a slight improvement. But what about the ravenous lichen? It’s targeting the lungs, but it’s simultaneously harming the pancreas. What if I use a phoenixroot bark to activate the pancreas?
One change after another was implemented, and soon, a four-element solution was successfully created.
“It looks like even four-element solutions are possible,” Cha Ming muttered. “This will definitely shed some insights on interactions between herbs, and their relationship to different families of mechanisms.”
He soon lost himself in his research. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Before he knew it, an entire year had passed since he’d entered the library. The cracking in his joints startled Cha Ming as he rose. After looking around for a moment, he walked back to the examination area, where Yu Wen was casually reading a book.
“Oh, I thought you’d forgotten about me,” she said, not looking up as he approached.
“How could I ever forget about you?” Cha Ming said. “You know how I am—I have a one-track mind. Once I start thinking about something, it’s hard to stop.”
“It’s not good to cultivate all the time,” Yu Wen said bitterly.
“But I’d hate myself if I failed to save my friend because I wanted to relax,” Cha Ming said, shaking his head.
Yu Wen’s frown softened after hearing these words. “Over half your time is up,” she said. “And the competition has long since surpassed you. They come here to validate their findings every few weeks or every month. Some of their points have already increased into the tens of thousands.”
“That’s reasonable,” Cha Ming said. “My guess is that more complex solutions, more efficient solutions, and solutions with fewer side effects award more points. It’s just very difficult to fine-tune solutions to get these results. However, enough trial and error will do the trick.”
“How confident are you in surpassing their scores?” Yu Wen asked.
“This time?” Cha Ming said. “I’m not confident at all. The top ten all have scores over fifty thousand. Meanwhile, I’ve only come up with quantity by sacrificing quality. Everything this time will depend on how favorably the system evaluates my solutions.”
“If you’re already so far behind, how will you reach the top five?” Yu Wen asked.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Cha Ming said. “This is just the first step—everything will be clearer after this validation.”
“If you say so,” Yu Wen said, returning to her book.
Cha Ming passed her and entered an empty examination chamber.
“To which questions would you like to submit an answer?” a voice said. “An appropriate human model will be provided.”
“Question one,” Cha Ming said. He listed off seven different herbs to be applied in a variety of ways. The transparent human figure changed and reversed its limb atrophy.
“Five points for a successful mid-grade solution,” the voice said.
“Good, now try this one,” Cha Ming said. He listed off almost the same list of ingredients, though he doubled the content of one. The transparent figure was cured much quicker than before.
“Repetition in solution, no points awarded,” the voice said. Cha Ming, expecting such an answer, listed off twenty variations. Then, after some quick calculations, he adjusted the dosage again.
Finally, after hundreds of iterations, a soft ping sounded. “High-grade solution discovered. Adjusting solution value to fifty points,” the voice said.
Encouraged, Cha Ming moved onto the next solution. It began by giving him one point, and soon upgraded to five points. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to improve this one past a mid-grade solution. Unperturbed, he moved onto the next one.
This continued for thousands of attempts until finally, a louder ping sounded. “Top-grade solution, adjusting solution value to 500 points,” the voice intoned.
