4 Shaman

It continues like this. A cycle of long intervals of ocean dreams and brief periods of waking. Each time the periods of waking and sleeping were slowly changing, with Xia Yan able to stay awake for a few hours now after five days or so of sleep. During these periods he slowly reacquainted himself with his family and the peak heads who all came to wish him good health through gifts.

Everyone was very surprised at Xia Yan's attitude. Before he was a very rambunctious and loud-spoken child. Though he was still at the age where being spoilt and troublesome was cute, there were of course some who worried about his future if he continued like this. However now after the accident Xia Yan had become soft-spoken, timid and very polite. He was already a very beautiful boy, like a doll, so having such a quiet temperament as he sits on such a big bed made many hearts itchy. Neither the older or younger generation of cultivators were spared and soon what had been obligatory visits became voluntary enthusiasm.

Originally in the story, Xia Yan hadn't woken by himself and was instead forced awake by a renowned shaman the family had called over. However because they had only called for famous doctors, healers and poison experts this reclusive and lesser known shaman had only be called nine months after the incident and could only arrive a month after. While he was successful in awakening Xia Yan, his qi and spiritual foundations were permanently crippled and stunted.

However thanks to unexpected circumstances, Xia Yan in his early periods of consciousness suggested subtly to his father to summon the shaman earlier. His father, Xia Jun did so immediately, after all the guilt and parental love in his heart wouldn't let him go against his youngest and now most injured son's wishes. This feeling was also the exact reason the original Xia Yan had been spoilt so greatly.

Not that Xia Yan could blame him. If his five year old kid had been stuffed in a bag filled with poisonous spiders, fallen into a coma and then miraculously woke up but as a cripple, there wouldn't be much he wouldn't have done for the child too. Honestly, if any parent was still strict on him after that he probably would've called them a dick.

Thanks to this though, the shaman Sa Man has come four months earlier than predicted. When he arrived he had been astounded at Xia Yan's unprecedented situation. Not only did this boy wake up from what should be an eternal slumber, his meridians and spirit foundations were more or less intact! Even though his qi was shattered and his foundations were cracked and stunted this was still considered miraculous news.

In this world which was created by an author who clearly had limited cultivation knowledge, qi and spiritual cultivation were considered two similar but ultimately different aspects of cultivation. Both masteries of these can produce strength and immortality but in the simplest sense, essentially qi masters were the warrior-types and spiritual masters were the 'wizards' like pill refiners or talisman users.

Of course because it seemed the author couldn't really make up their mind which would be more preferred, there is a lot of flexibility and grey areas so while a cultivator can be more suited for one type of cultivation, they should still have some capabilities for the other. The best example is the second Xia daughter Xia Ling who has huge amounts of spiritual energy yet enjoys using wielding violent strength that could only be increased to such an extent through qi body strengthening cultivation techniques.

What makes the Xia family's Heavenly Cloud sect so great is the encouragement of everyone learning all sorts of techniques from different cultivation styles. Their motto is 'Everyone has potential for everything.'

To be honest Xia Yan was still a little confused where the qi part of it all goes if the spiritual veins and meridians were for spiritual cultivation. From what he understands it's a bit like blood vessels and arteries but leading to two different hearts instead of one shared one. Yet they are also connected. Somehow. Look, the amount of words talking about the specific cultivation matters in the story compared to the amount the author wrote about appearances was like the size of an ant's antenna and a small whale.

The shaman had patiently explained to him that luckily, since his qi foundation wasn't damaged beyond repair, just really, really badly crippled which would also constrain his spiritual cultivation somewhat. After all, the qi is the main source to supply energy and strength to the body, and an unhealthy body may not be able to contain a lot of spiritual power without breaking.

Thanks to the shaman, the constant barrage of gifts in the form of pills and rare items from the well-wishes, and the support of most of his loving family on top of his strange dreams, Xia Yan felt himself slowly become stronger after another year. Or at least, strong enough to get out of bed and walk around a bit.

Because he was naturally quite docile and nice to everyone, in the hearts of many they felt very sweetened towards him. Taking advantage of his young age and pitiful situation, Xia Yan doesn't hesitate to show his preferences over soft things like pillows and plush toys to cuddle with. It was always a secret pleasure of his that he never got to fully indulge in due to his shame of it being unmanly as well as his own lack of money. Now that he has a chance at a new life he was unwilling to not pursue his own simple desires.

Besides, he lives on his bed all day, how could he not want more things to furnish it? Sleeping was his favorite thing, therefore his bed must be the item he must love the most after his own body.

Because he expressed this sudden interest in cute things, every time he awoke he would find new pillows and other such items surrounding him. Originally he felt a little bit uneasy about being so doted on like this but he grew used to it slowly over time. Ignoring the Xia family who had decided to all grow brain holes in their heads for their youngest, most of the peak heads found this sort of obsession for soft things a little strange but eventually they had to admit it was at the very least easier to provide for than the expensive pills and scrolls and wine that many other cultivators prefer collecting.

And admittedly, it was rather cute to watch the small child cuddle the plush toys they brought him. It was much more satisfying to visit and see their gifts be so well loved by the boy.

Xia Yan's dreams during this time had become more interesting too. After a talk with Sa Man, Xia Yan learns what he'd been doing is most likely cultivating, however it's not in a way most people do it. Usually cultivation requires a completely blank mind where one would focus on nothing but the energy flow in their bodies. Sometimes people can see the circulation flow like veins of light but usually it's a feeling which varies from person to person.

"But you said you were in a real dream?" Sa Man repeats for the fourth time.

Xia Yan patiently nods. He hugs his piglet plush as he glances yearningly at his bed, wondering if he could just fake a sleep episode to get out of talking more. He likes Sa Man, he was very helpful in teaching him things in a calm and enthusiastic manner but the amount of times he repeats himself makes Xia Yan want to stuff dirt in his ears.

"Yes I was at the bottom of the ocean and there was golden sand, Shizun." He sighs, hugging his current favorite plush harder and playing absentmindedly with one of the soft trotters, already bored to death. As much as he enjoys such a fantastical world Xia Yan sometimes wishes he had transmigrated to somewhere more technologically advanced. The story books here really couldn't compare to modern day novels.

"Fascinating, fascinating," Sa Man nods lost in thought.

"Not really," Xia Yan mutters, playing childishly with the piglet's trotters some more. It was sewn very well, a plump little piggy stuffed with cotton from the Blue Soothing Cotton Buds and dyed fabric that came from the threads of Honey Badger Silkworms which gave it a naturally sweet scent and some defensive properties. Ah, as expected of a well-doted heir of a large cultivation sect, even the simplest of toys were mid to top grade spiritual items. Even if he has no books, he is very satisfied by the amount of softness this world can offer.

"Did you try manipulating other things in this dream of yours again?" Sa Man pours a cup of tea and pushes it toward the small child playing with a pink stuffed pig. Personally Sa Man thought it wasn't very good for a boy to like such things but he had to grudgingly agree that it suited the boy's image. Just looking at the doll like Xia Yan sweetly stroke the piggy with the utmost concentration and satisfaction made him regret not having children.

"En," Xia Yan nods, finally a little interested, "This time I made a little fish without disrupting my cultivation. But when I tried to concentrate on it or add details the fish would disappear and I would lose my ability to control my circulation."

"Good, good, that's progress!" Sa Man praises enthusiastically. While he wasn't very fond on how this whole thing happened, he was excited at the opportunity to see what he suspects is the birth of a new cultivation technique. Nowadays new novel cultivation methods were a lot like making a movie with an original concept in Ng Yan's modern world.

"Now let me check your pulse,"

Obediently Xia Yan releases one of the piggy's trotters and places a small jade like hand into Sa Man's larger wrinkled and calloused one. "It looks like the pearl in the oyster," he couldn't help but cheekily say as he compared the two different hands, making his own clench into a fist to look even more like a very large pearl sitting on a craggy oyster shell.

Sa Man whaps him upside the head with fond irritation, "This smelly brat!" He huffs but it's clear from his faint smile he isn't offended.

"Hehe, this Laozi is so cute how can you bear to hit me?" Xia Yan complains before breaking into cute bubbly giggles. Even though Sa Man was a bit grating he was his favorite person currently and the one he most often saw so his guard against the old shaman had lowered considerably.

It had been a long time since he had felt so lighthearted and playful. Maybe to the other cultivators whether young or old they felt if they were in his place they would want to kill themselves Xia Yan really could not help but thank every single day he's been here.

Even though the stuffiness and depression in his heart was still present, it had receded by a large amount, pushed back by his wonder and excitement and these people who seemed to truly love and care for him. He had a family, wealth and a soft bed. On the off chance he might have really been crippled, Xia Yan truly felt he would still be very content with his lot despite such a setback.

Well, there may be one thing he would like to change.

"Third brother, it's me," Xia Zhijun smiles as he knocks on the door that he had already opened. "May I come in?"

Xia Yan's smile immediately stiffens. Luckily because he was facing away from the door, Xia Zhijun couldn't see it but the same could not be said for Sa Man. However Sa Man did not reveal anything on his face unlike Xia Yan, merely glancing at the tense looking child squeezing his fat piggy tightly before smiling amiably at the older Xia sibling. "I'm sorry Xia Zhijun, but Xiao Yan has already spent so long with this old man and was just about to sleep again. Maybe it would be best to see your brother tomorrow."

Xia Zhijun purses his lips slightly in annoyance but quickly schools his face and nods, "Third brother Yan's body must of course take priority, very well. Xiao Yan I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"En," Xia Yan meekly says but to Xia Zhijun it sounded soft, and slurred, convincing him that his brother was indeed about to fall asleep. Xia Yan can only stay up for so long after all, some days were worse than others so it was indeed understandable. However since Xia Yan can sleep for days if not weeks who knows when he could be lucky enough to get the timing right and be able to talk to him again. How irritatingly inconvenient.

With a soft doting voice, filled with warmth, that reveal none of his true thoughts, Xia Zhijun gently says before leaving, "Sweet dreams third brother and I hope you recover soon."

Xia Yan doesn't answer, dropping his head downwards to emphasize how sleepy he was getting. Silently he has to admire his poisonous second brother's acting skills. If this was the modern day Xia Zhijun could conquer the entertainment world ah!

As the door shuts the pair wait for a few seconds before Xia Yan tentatively lifts his head to meet the piercing gaze of his shizun.

"You don't seem to like your second brother," Sa Man notes casually but there's a hint of curiosity and concern in his voice that warms him.

Xia Yan bites his lip and decides that the truth will set him free. Sa Man has no affiliation to anyone in Heavenly Cloud Sect save himself and their connection is not weak anymore. Not to mention Sa Man is a very powerful cultivator, even though the peaceful shamans were less respected than some other jobs like pill refiners, they still couldn't be looked down upon. Xia Yan isn't sure how powerful Sa Man was but he knew that even his father spoke politely toward the old man so he must be very strong. He's the best person to trust.

"I... I think second brother is at fault for my situation," He whispers anxiously, hugging his plush pig tightly. "I don't have proof, and, and it happened so fast and it was dark but I caught a glimpse and I smelt a faint scent of the prized spirit orchids that second brother likes to grow in his courtyard..." Xia Yan looks at Sa Man with big watery eyes, "D-don't tell anyone okay? It's a secret."

Sa Man was frowning, his face serious as he contemplated this scandalous piece of information he had stumbled upon. It isn't good to meddle as an outsider but he had been with Xia Yan for enough time to grow very fond of the boy. This child is so sweet and delicate, it isn't good for him to dwell on these dirty subjects and in-fighting, especially when he's currently weak and vulnerable.

And that Xia Zhijun! Thinking about that sweet doting attitude and the fact it may all be fake made his blood go cold. Youngsters were too audacious these days! If what Xia Yan said was true... To target such his own younger brother! Even circling around him like a vulture afterwards ready to pick off the remaining flesh and bones, no better than a beast!

No, this really mustn't do. Sa Man was a reclusive shaman and therefore didn't have any pressing obligations or family, so other than a few housekeeping things he had to do he could stay at the Heavenly Cloud Sect indefinitely as a caretaker and mentor for Xia Yan. It wasn't a huge burden to him anyway. Seclusion can get inevitably lonely, and it wasn't like Sa Man couldn't get numerous benefits from being a teacher for the youngest son of the Heavenly Cloud sect master alone.

"Don't worry Xiao Yan, this old man is very good at keeping secrets." Sa Man grins. "I swear on that fat pig that I won't say a word and I'll investigate your second brother to put your mind at ease ah."

Xia Yan smiles back, but then he frowns and pets his piggy's head, enjoying the soft smoothness of the fabric under his touch, "Why must you swear on Xiao Huotui (Little Pork)? Aren't you supposed to swear on your life?" He complains in a milky voice.

Sa Man's mouth twitches. You rather I stake my life over your toy pig?

This stinky brat!