A Mission
When Ling Mingyu opened the door, he was greeted by an exhausted looking Qi Juan. He gave him a swift once-over before impassively asking:
"What can I do for you?"
This miserable sight was truly incomparable to the other's usual confident and noble bearing. Just what had happened to this guy? It had been less than an hour since they separated! Mingyu also noticed that the man gave off a somewhat strange scent. However, he decided not to mention anything.
"I'm sorry to disturb you. After thinking it over, I have decided that it is best for us to get used to each other as soon as possible. When we go out in the future, I need to protect you at all times, no matter the situation. That's why I want you to get comfortable with being around me. I hope you understand."
Mingyu nodded in confirmation. This indeed made a lot of sense. After all, how could he rely and trust a person he didn't know? This person was truly thoughtful! He stepped aside to let the other in.
Qi Juan mentally gave himself a pat on the shoulder. Great! His target had swallowed the bait! He had successfully secured himself a smell free, and more importantly, quiet place to spend the night! Qi Juan had used the time it took for him to walk to Ling Mingyu's room to think of a way to get in. He couldn't allow the other to turn him down. Qi Juan didn't want to be sent back to that room! Naturally, it would still be better than the third option: having to show his face to his master! He could already hear her voice booming through her palace hall as she unsheathed her sword, her eyes glowing fiercely: 'You dare slack off?!' That thought was just too scary, okay?! Laozi is too young to die! Qi Juan would rather spend a few more hours listening to those bottles talk than face her! Well, his reasoning wasn't that far fetched either. He really wanted to get to know him! So Qi Juan wouldn't give him a chance to disagree.
Now onto the next task: getting rid of that god awful smell! It just kept sticking to him! Qi Juan had to resist ripping of his clothes to show off his birthday suit like a madman. He turned towards Mingyu and gave him a slight smile, asking:
"Could I use your courtyard to wash up? I haven't gotten around to doing it."
"Sure." Mingyu agreed before sitting down on his bed.
He looked at Qi Juan's departing back in a daze, wondering why he looked at him as if he had just personally saved his firstborn child from drowning. As the sliding door to his small courtyard closed, Mingyu chose to abandon that thought and focus on more important matters.
He hadn't gotten around to restore more of his memories at all. He turned his attention towards a small ring made of green jade that was lying on his nightstand. It was a common space ring. Many cultivators had them, like his brother Bolin for example. Ling Bolin had returned his jian to him at noon and also shown him how to navigate his space ring. It had been the first time Mingyu had ever mobilized his own spiritual energy. The sensations it caused were fascinating. As his brother instructed, he imagined taking in the spiritual energy surrounding him and letting it circle through his veins. Mingyu's cultivation was water based. Spiritual energy flowed through his body like a current of water, pleasant and cool. It had begun as a small, gentle stream. Then, as he started to become more confident in his ability, the stream had turned into a powerful tide, rushing through his limbs with vigor. Mingyu could feel himself becoming stronger and more refreshed as he absorbed the rich flow of energy from his surroundings. Ling Bolin, that silly bro-con, even called him a 'natural talent'. But even though he had grasped the basics, Mingyu knew that he was far from fully mastering the cultivation technique. So he decided to practice at night.
With his brother's patient guidance, he had at last succeeded in opening his space ring and put his customized weapon inside. This low level space ring could hold up to ten items. Mingyu's contained a cultivation manual, some herbs for concocting pills and antidotes, medicinal scrolls, a number of small vials filled with different colored liquids, and other knick knacks uselful for a disciple alchemist. He inspected them one by one. The cultivation manual especially drew his attention. It detailed the use of one's breath to control the spiritual power flowing through the body's meridians, helping to strengthen different parts of it at will.
Even though he did not know much about cultivation in this world, Mingyu recognized this as a very valuable skill to master. He took it out and started studying it attentively, following the instructions as closely as possible. The technique had eight forms with increasing difficulty. The first four of them could be used to send spiritual energy to his arms and legs. The fifth strenghtened his chest and core. The sixth enabled him to enhance his eyesight, whereas the seventh improved his sense of smell. Lastly, the eighth, which was the most difficult of them all, used a high amount of spiritual power to form a barrier around his body. It was like a second layer of skin, both shielding him from harm and revitalizing his body during a fight. At this point in time, Mingyu had successfully mastered the forms one through four. To his great surprise, he was able to grasp the seventh form completely as well! The old owner of his body must have practiced this form extensively prior to his arrival, so much so that it had almost become second nature to him. Even if Mingyu didn't actively use this technique, his awareness of the smells around him had considerably increased! He had noticed this when sitting in the field of flowers earlier that day. Mingyu narrowed his eyes in deliberation. What was the use of focusing on such a form? Was there a special reason for the old Ling Mingyu to study it so religiously? He decided to ask his brother more about this body's past the next time he saw him. It shouldn't be much of a problem. After all, Ling Bolin was the one who had offered to do this in the first place.
When Qi Juan returned from his long awaited bath, he saw Ling Mingyu sitting on his bed in lotus position, his eyes closed and his browns drawn together in concentration. The corners of Qi Juan's thin lips turned upwards as he gazed at him. Just what was this person thinking about to show such a focused but adorable expression? He had the urge to sneak up to him and scare him out of it. But no, doing that would be too mean. He shook his head to get rid of his mischievous thoughts. Instead, he sat down onto the carpeted floor, joining him in his meditation.
The night passed just like this. Over the course of the following two days, Ling Bolin led Mingyu around the sect's grounds with Qi Juan in tow, giving him an opportunity to familiarize himself with his new home. It was a serene place. One could not help but want to spend one's days wandering through the verdant scenery, basking in the warm, golden rays of the sun, and breathing in the crisp air overflowing with spiritual energy. Yet, despite tranquility of their surroundings, the diligent disciples of Jiang Feng Sect did not idle about. There were many placed designated to practice the disciple's skills, like the hall of alchemy on Lian Zi Jin Peak, or Meng Hu Peak's martial arts training ground. In fact, compared with the other martial disciples' tasks, Qi Juan's assignment was quite easy. That, however, drastically changed on the third day after Ling Mingyu's arrival in this world. The two of them were summoned by none other than Jian Lu Li, Qi Juan's tyrannical master.
In the large palace hall, a beautiful woman wearing crimson robes with tiger embroidery sat on an elevated seat made of white marble. She was looking down at them with seemingly bottomless, obsidian eyes. Her hair was of an inky black and her scarlet colored lips were bent into a playful smile. The woman's posture was lazy, her legs crossed as she peered at them like a predator eyeing its next kill. She let out a small laugh, seemingly delighted by their apprehensive gazes.
"Hmm... my dearest disciple. This elder has a job for you!"