It was a short walk from the bathhouse back to Ouka's home. I arrived at the sweet smell of food and felt my mouth water before I opened the door and stepped into the house.
What greeted my sight was Ouka and his family sitting on the floor around the dinner table. They were talking in low voices that stopped when I walked in and greeted them.
"Good evening. Have you made it to the bath yet, Ouka? It is heaven after what happened," I said as I took off my shoes before stepping over to the dinner table and kneeling on a pillow.
My portion was already set aside, which gave me a warm feeling in my chest and caused a small smile to slip onto my face.
I missed having someone waiting for me when I got home. It was nice.
The family of three didn't respond for a moment as they watched me get situated. I gave a quick prayer that I had recently learned and started to dig in.
Or, I would have started to dig in, but just as the rice got in my mouth, Ouka's granddad said, "Leon, can I see your arm for a moment? I heard you got injured and needed medical attention."
"Oh, no worries. I'm fine. See?" I reassured him before presenting my arm, a faint scab was the only indicator that I had been hurt in the first place. The Qi bath sped up the healing process a lot more than I thought it would.
"Fascinating. It healed so much in such a short time. Are you sure you saw it correctly, Ouka?" Ouka's granddad asked as he inspected my arm. I shot a questioning glance at Ouka, who sheepishly looked away.
"My dad asked what happened, and I had to tell them everything. I know you said that it would heal quickly, but I didn't realize you meant by dinner. It was a pretty deep cut, so the fact that it's healed so much is crazy," Ouka explained.
"Don't blame Ouka, I can be very persuasive when I want to be," Ouka's dad cut in, though he still stared directly at me. I'm pretty sure he hasn't blinked since I walked in. I wonder if his eyes hurt yet?
"Ah, no worries. I'm pretty tough." I smiled at the concern and gently took my arm back from Ouka's granddad, who simply coughed and nodded.
"Yes, yes, I can see that. I have a little question to ask you if you don't mind. How do you have your powers? How is it that you were able to go against Direwolves and a Hobgoblin bare-handed without a Falna?" Ouka's granddad turned serious as he asked that question, which caused me to pause.
What should I tell them? I'm not a good liar, so lying's out. That means I either tell them or just say no. I thought about my choices as I looked back on the past week or so.
They have been nothing but kind to me. They helped me after the Hobgoblin fight, they fed and sheltered me these past few days, and they have told me about the wider world.
I went through the memories and realized that not once had any of the xianxia cliches that I was worried about reared their head.
On the other hand, this could be the catalyst for something bad to happen. The more people know of the manual, the more likely that someone will come and try to take it.
I tried to think about what would happen if some powerful member of the ruling familia heard about me and didn't like it at all.
"I'm…sorry, but I can't tell you about my powers. It would… I'm worried about the trouble it would bring you if you knew," I said after a few moments of thought.
I wanted to tell them, but I didn't plan to stick around here all that long, and letting them know would just paint a target on their backs.
If what they've told me about the familias is true, then the fact that I have power without being blessed is going to raise some eyebrows.
Sure, it's not too big of a deal now since I'm not doing anything superhuman, but once I get into that realm then questions are going to be asked.
And when that does happen, I don't want Ouka and his family to be at risk. I would love to teach them, but the risk isn't worth it.
"Hm… It's a shame, but nothing for it. Everyone is entitled to their privacy; It was rude to ask that, considering you saved Ouka. My apologies," Ouka's granddad relented and dropped the subject.
"Thank you," I sighed in relief.
"It's nothing. Just a passing curiosity of mine, that's all. Please, eat. Don't worry about it," Ouka's granddad smiled.
I cast a glance at Ouka, who looked a little disappointed but nodded in acceptance. Ouka's dad seemed to relax a bit, though I have no idea.
With that, Ouka and I went into more detail about how our trip went. Ouka's dad was less than impressed, while Ouka's granddad just laughed it off, saying Ouka was a chip off the old block.
Throughout dinner, we laughed and joked, stories were told, and mundane questions such as how was your day were answered with annoyed smiles.
I was smiling as the scene made me homesick, and the desire to stay grew stronger the more I looked at the scene.
'It wouldn't be so bad,' a small part of me whispered, 'Imagine staying here, enjoying their food, their company, their happiness. It's like you found a family, why give it up?'
I briefly let my mind wander, imagining myself staying here for months teaching Ouka and whoever else how to cultivate. How nice it would be to settle down in the village and just enjoy life.
Only for the fantasy to shatter as I imagined some cultivator from a familia coming and asking questions.
Ouka and his family are lying broken, just like that woman I met when I first came here. All the while, the dragon came and burned down everything.
All because I was feeling lonely and didn't leave when I could.
I couldn't stay here. They would be in danger when whoever got word of the Manual came for it, and I couldn't live with myself if I ruined their lives.
After dinner, everyone went to their rooms to get ready for bed, leaving me some free time to explore the best way to absorb the beast cores.
I looked at the tiny sparkly pebble in my hand, rolling it around in the moonlight. I inspected it from every angle, triple-checking that it was indeed a beast core before taking a deep breath and stealing my resolve.
I need to use it to help temper my organs and muscles, both of which are inside my body. So, based on that logic, I need to get it in me; the easiest way to do that is to swallow it.
I nodded and took some water from my storage ring, holding it in my right hand while the beast core rested on my left palm.
Then, before I could change my mind, I slammed the core into my mouth and quickly washed it down with water, swallowing it whole.
I gulped down the water before stopping when I needed air, leaving me gasping as I tried to ignore the feeling of the core working its way down my esophagus.
I waited and held completely still, letting the water that spilled from my mouth drip down my chin and soak my shirt.
"...Ah, looks like it's okay. I was worried I'd explode or something. Still, what do I do no-," I let out a sigh of relief which was short-lived as I felt the core hit my stomach and the heat began.
I quickly got into the lotus position and started my breathing exercises, feeling the world fade away and letting myself focus on my body.
I felt hot.
So damn hot it was unreal.
I'm not going to be dramatic and say it was like I swallowed lava or anything, but it was far from comfortable.
It started in my stomach but was quickly working its way throughout my body, eventually reaching the tips of my toes and head before bouncing back and going back to my stomach.
I focused on the feeling and saw what was happening. The bouncing feeling was the Qi from the core trying to escape, but it couldn't because the Qi in my skin was blocking it.
The heat must be the Qi tempering my organs and muscles.
At least I hope so. It could just be damaging my organs.
'Still, even if I'm making progress, this still doesn't feel good. How do I stop it?' I thought as I grimaced at the heat currently racking my body. It wanted out but I didn't have good enough control over my Qi to let it out.
So there I sat, sweating as the heat remained and tried to boil my insides. I don't know how long it was before eventually I felt the heat begin to lessen and the bounces became less frequent until eventually, it stopped.
I stopped my meditation, my focus breaking when I no longer had the heat to constantly keep my attention and found I was soaked in sweat.
My clothes clung to my skin as sweat dripped off me and onto the bed I was sitting on.
I then felt the headache, causing me to nearly collapse. I held on long enough to grab the container of water I got out before and proceeded to drink the entire thing clean.
After nearly drowning myself, I lay down on the bed and slowly caught my breath as I waited for the pounding in my head to subside.
I wanted to change my clothes and perhaps the bed sheets, but I was too tired to get up. I could do nothing more but lie there and stare up at the ceiling before sleep claimed me, and I closed my eyes, sweaty, but satisfied with my progress.
================================
I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and sunlight barely starting to stream into my room. I was also groggy and tired, which was rare for me in the morning.
My head hurt, my mouth was dry and I had a deep soreness throughout my whole body. My clothes and bed were still damp from the sweat last night which explained the chilliness I was feeling despite the warm morning.
'Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all,' I thought to myself as I suppressed a groan of pain from trying to move.
I rested there for a few moments, trying to bring the rest of my mind to consciousness and wipe the gunk from my eyes. Eventually, I summoned up enough willpower to sit up and get into my cross-legged position.
I fell into a familiar rhythm as I turned my attention inward to look at my progress.
'Oh shit. Maybe it was worth it,' I thought in surprise as the rest of the sleepiness clouding my mind vanished as soon as I realized how far I had gotten with just one beast core.
I had jumped halfway through the organ refinement stage. All of my organs now had some Qi in them, not a lot, but enough that they were all somewhat tempered.
I had progressed weeks in a simple night, which made last night all the more bearable. Still, I couldn't do it again for a bit as I found a problem.
I had pushed my body to its limit with what I did last night. My organs seemed bruised for lack of a better word. If I touched my stomach, I felt a deep soreness like there was a massive bruise underneath my skin.
I would have to stick to soups and liquids for a bit while I recovered. Anything more than that and I would probably vomit.
In hindsight, swallowing what is essentially an entire monster's worth of raw, unrefined Qi and shoving it into my non-tempered organs was not a good idea.
The manual described Qi as a force of nature. It was what gave everything life and allowed us to heal, live, and grow. Hence, my view of it had been completely good and rose-tinted.
I had forgotten that Qi was also responsible for natural disasters and the evolution of animals into monsters. It was good in controlled doses but would wreak havoc if it was too concentrated or chaotic.
The manual recommended gentle herbs diluted with water to temper the inside of the body. Hence the herb bath recommendation for if you want to flay yourself.
Or, you could make soup of the herbs and swallow it directly to gently expose your organs to Qi at first then move on to more extreme methods.
Or, I could have broken the stones into smaller pieces and swallowed them.
Or, I could have broken the stones down into dust and stuck them onto my skin, letting the Qi gently push its way through until it reached my organs.
Any of these methods would have allowed my organs to get tempered a little which would have let me safely swallow a whole core without injuring myself.
Instead, I decided to shove an entire monster's worth of unrefined Qi directly into them with no way for it to dissipate.
'So, note to self, don't subject unrefined bodies to raw unfiltered Qi. Dilute it or refine it first,' I thought with a grimace as pain shot up through me when I went to change my clothes.
"I'm such an idiot. If I had waited a few days or saved some herbs to break through and then swallowed the core, I probably wouldn't be in this situation, but no. I just had to try it out right now. Ah, this is going to take me a while to get over," I sighed in frustration as I got dressed for the day, all the while berating myself for being impatient.
I went out looking for some breakfast and found that I had overslept. Both Ouka and his dad had gone out already, leaving me alone.
I went downstairs and found Ouka's grandpa tending to some patients, so I quickly got out of the way and sat down behind the counter.
I thought about asking for a potion but I hesitated. The herbs I missed could have been made into potions, and I know that Ouka used his share of herbs to make potions.
So in a way, if I asked for one then I would essentially be taking the entire haul for myself.
"Ah, Leon, my boy! Could you grab the green bottle from behind the counter for me?" Ouka's grandpa asked after noticing me to which I obliged and pushed my thoughts out of my mind.
I carried it over to where he was sitting while attending to a man in his sixties or so. The man was covered in sweat and had a nasty cough.
"Here you go, Gramps. What's the medicine you're giving him?" I handed over the bottle before asking, as I saw the man shudder again from a cough.
"Ah, just some cold medicine," Gramps explained as he measured out a spoonful of the green liquid before shoving it in the man's mouth.
"Now swallow this, you fool. It will help with the cough and fever. Good, now let's get you sat up, it'll help you breathe better," Gramps explained which the man obliged. I was left wondering something, though.
"Hey, Gramps? Why don't you give him a potion?" I asked to which he responded by looking at me like an idiot before explaining.
"I just did you, knucklehead". Oh, I should have worded that better.
"No, I mean for his back, too. It's messed up. Are you just going to let him recover in bed?" I further explained, pointing to the man's hip area which drew a raised eyebrow from Gramps.
'Maybe Gramps just forgot to mention that it would also cure the man's back, too? He said it would just help with the cough and fever, though, so maybe he wants to give him a second one,' I thought as I didn't really understand the potions all that much. Maybe they are all in one?
"I don't think there's anything–Ken, what the hell's wrong with your back?" Gramps started to say something before stopping as he flipped Ken over and pulled up his shirt.
On his lower back was a nasty bruise, about four inches across. It was a dark purplish black and looked like it hurt. This was confirmed when Gramps lightly pressed it, and Ken let out a scream.
"OW! Okay, so I fell the other day, and that happened. By the time the sickness is gone, it'd probably fade, so it's not that big of a deal," Ken grumbled before shouting again as Gramps touched it again.
"Looks like you bruised your hip, you old fool. How on earth were you walking?" Gramps asked, to which Ken just snorted.
"By using my legs, how else–AHH! Okay, I may have had my wife help me get here," Ken admitted, which caused Gramps to shake his head.
"Leon, go get me the light red bottle from the second shelf on the right below the counter if you please. I swear you are going to be the death of me Ken," Gramps went back to scolding Ken while I went over to the counter to find the potion.
I brought it back and handed it over to Gramps, who unpopped the cap and sprinkled some of the potions on Ken's back before shoving it down his throat.
I watched as the bruise shrank down to almost nothing while Ken let out a groan of relief. Looks like it hurt more than he was letting on. Why wasn't he letting us know, though?
"Thank you, but I'm telling you you didn't have to do that. A few days of bed rest would have me back in tip-top shape. No need to waste a full healing potion on something like that," Ken mumbled his thanks which just caused Gramps to laugh.
"Haha, you don't need to worry about wasting anything. I have more than enough herbs to go around, just focus on getting better," Gramps then got up and walked over to the next patient while Ken gave an embarrassed smile as he lay back to rest.
"So, Leon is your name?" Ken asked after a moment, to which I nodded.
"Yep, nice to meet you, Ken. Why did you think the healing potion was a waste?" I asked. It seemed like it healed him up rather quickly. Why would he think it was unneeded?
"Ah- well, you see… It's a little difficult to admit," Ken said before lowering his voice and leaning in.
"The truth is, this village ain't as spry as it used to be. Sure, we have a few youngins in the guard, but the vast majority of the population is us old-timers. And I don't think I need to tell you this, but when you get to be my age, your body doesn't hold up as well as it used to. This results in a lot of injuries or sickness happening, more than there should be in a village this size," Ken explained to me, which made sense.
Even back home, which had a much greater standard of living, there were a ton of people whose bodies ended up frail and required constant medical attention.
"The problem is that there aren't that many people who can go out and get the herbs needed to make the medicine for everyone. There is Ouka and a few laddies for the guard but other than that, no one has the know-how and ability to go and get them. Considering that Ouka was almost just killed by goblins, I didn't want to dip into our supply more than necessary," Ken concluded with a sheepish smile.
I was silent for a bit, taking in all the information that he just told me before nodding.
"Hm, it makes sense," I agreed, which got an appreciative smile from Ken before I continued, "Still, you shouldn't hide stuff from the doctor, old man. How can you take care of everyone if you don't let them do the same?"
Ken gave a blank stare for a moment before laughing, "I guess you're right about that laddie. Glad you're here to help out now."
I gave him a handshake and a smile before I got called over again by Gramps.
"Leon, come over here real quick," Gramps called me over to the next patient. A woman who had her leg propped up on some pillows as she lay back and read a book.
"What's up, Gramps?" I asked as I glanced at the woman. Hmm, her foot looks off, and her knee too. Wonder what happened.
"Tell me, what do you think is wrong with her? Is she hiding anything from me?" Gramps asked, to which the woman rolled her eyes.
"I'm not like Ken, I enjoy getting better and not being in pain," She responded, ignoring the protest of Ken as she put aside her book.
"Other than her foot and knee, I don't see anything–wait, her right wrist too," I started to say, only to change my answer as I saw her clasp her hands in her lap. Her wrist was resting at an angle that just seemed off to me.
"Ooh, her wrist, huh? Tell me, Sakura, what happened to your wrist?" Gramps asked even as he took it in his hands to examine it closely.
"Oh, that old thing? Nothing to worry about. When I was a little girl, I fell out of a tree and broke it. Since then I can't move it as well as my other one. It's been like that for decades now, though, so no reason to worry about it," She explained even as Gramps' face formed into a frown as he examined it.
"It wasn't set right and healed wrong. Nothing to do about it now besides breaking it again, but it's not worth it if you're saying it doesn't bother you," Gramps stated, which earned a nod from Sakura.
"Yeah, I get around just fine and can handle everything. I just need to avoid certain movements, and I hardly notice it," she said with a light nod to which Gramps hummed and turned back to me again.
"Leon, go get me the bandage wrap in the cabinet, please." He pointed at the desired cabinet, which I hopped over to and gave it back to him.
"No potion this time?" I asked, to which he shook his head no as he began wrapping up Sakura's foot.
"It will heal in about a week of bed rest alone. No need to give her anything as strong as what I gave Ken."
"So you're not giving her anything since she isn't that injured?" I questioned to which he gave a snort and scoffed at me.
"No kid, I said I didn't need to give her something as strong as I gave Ken, not that I wouldn't give her anything. The bandage has been soaked with a few herbs and will get her back on her feet by tomorrow or so," He explained as he finished bandaging her foot and smiling at her.
"Now rest up, don't put any weight on the foot for the rest of the day, and you'll be good as new by tomorrow," Gramps said, to which the lady nodded and stood up with the help of a crutch and went along her way.
Gramps then beckoned me along as we went to see other patients, and each time he would ask me what I thought was wrong with them. It stumped me a few times, as not all were as easy as Ken and Sakura, but Gramps didn't seem to mind it.
We continued like that for the rest of the day till it was dinner time. I finally mustered up the courage to ask for a potion to help heal my internal injuries.
Gramps gave me a weird look when I explained that I hurt myself last night while training but didn't pry and gave me one.
In my heart, I vowed to go out and collect enough herbs to replace what they needed to make the potion I was drinking. It was my stupidity and impatience that led to this situation after all.
After I finished drinking it, Gramps said, "How did you like helping out in the clinic today?"
I pause, taking inventory of the potions and thinking about my day for a moment.
"I…I liked it. I wasn't much help, but it was nice seeing people feel better, even if I could only do so much," I answered with a smile on my face as I thought back to my day.
Not everyone was cheerful, but they were as polite as they could reasonably be given their circumstance.
It was nice being able to help, even if it was a minor amount.
'Maybe I could have saved her if I had a potion…' I thought back to the woman I met when I first came to this world.
The smell of burnt flesh pierced my nose, and the feeling of her intestines in my hands as I desperately tried to put her back together–
"How would you like to work here part-time then?" Gramps's voice brought me back to the present as I shook my head to get that memory out of my head.
"I would love to, but… I plan to leave pretty soon," I responded, to which Gramps nodded.
"Don't worry about that. A little experience can go a long way. Besides, it would be good to keep your time occupied, right?" He asked, which made me think about it before nodding.
"If you don't mind me leaving soon, then I have no reason to refuse," I said, to which he grinned before slapping my back.
"Come on, let's go get everyone and have some dinner," Gramps said to which I happily followed along, stomach growling in anticipation.
I couldn't stay, but I could at least enjoy it while it lasted, right?