Chapter 41 - Lessons From a Saintess

Moving carefully the Saintess transferred Ao Wen to the cot in the room before she began peeling off the scorched robes that had become sticky in places from the Yin poison expelled from Ao Wen's body. With a wave of her hand, crimson-orange flames flared, completely consuming the robes without so much as a spec of ash remaining.

"Dragon flames," she said as she turned to Ao Wen. "Dragon flames are extremely Yang in nature. It makes them the best tool for cleansing Yin poison in addition to being a consuming flame that's very useful in some Alchemy concoctions."

"Saintess has a dragon bloodline?" Ao Wen asked, suddenly interested and wondering if this was why she felt kinship from the moment the woman entered the room. Even though 'Yu' lacked a dragon bloodline, Ao Wen couldn't deny that a part of her would always consider dragons to be 'kin' no matter which life she lived.

"Not just a dragon bloodline," the Saintess said, continuing her examination as she spoke. "I'm a True Dragon, named Cong Houzi of the Fire Dragon clan."

Ao Wen's eyes trembled, countless questions colliding in her mind that slipped away before fully forming. A True Dragon! For the first time since waking in this life she felt like there was something to latch on to. Someone who could help her understand her bloodline, even if an Earth Dragon differed greatly from a Fire Dragon, they still had much in common! Her hands trembled and her eyes shook. She had to restrain herself from reaching out to cling to the woman who might be able to help her understand herself in a way that no one else had yet been able to.

"Oh? Do dragons interest you? I suppose that's normal," the Saintess said as she observed Ao Wen's reaction. "But that's for another time. Right now, there's something more important for you to learn."

"Please enlighten me, Saintess," Ao Wen said, hiding the disappointment in her voice behind genuine curiosity at anything the Saintess would teach her.

"You weren't wrong to want to save those children," she said firmly. "I may not be very old but in my two thousand years of life, I've tried countless times to reverse Yin Fiend Transformation in mortals. A thousand methods, ten thousand attempts at least. I've never once succeeded," she said heavily. "Cultivators like you, with a mild case like yours, even now I only succeed five times in ten. Half the treatment depends on the cultivator after all. If you give in to the impulses of the Dark Yin Dew, even if there were ten of me, nothing could save you."

"I see," Ao Wen said sadly. "Alchemy always comes down to math doesn't it?"

"Some think that way," the Saintess said as though pitying such people. "I think differently. Alchemy is the process by which the common is made extraordinary with the power to change destiny."

"Changing destiny?"

"Before today you were destined to die or to become a Yin Fiend. That was your destiny," the Saintess said bluntly. "Today, Alchemy changed your destiny, closing the two doors you stood before and opening countless new ones. Every medicine, every elixir, every pill, and even every poison carries the power to change someone's destiny. A mediocre talent given a breakthrough pill becomes a hero, a hero who wouldn't die to a thousand cuts dies on a poisoned blade. Destiny is changed in a thousand ways by a single alchemist. Most importantly, Alchemy transforms the destiny of the Alchemist in profound ways."

"But something that changes destiny is against the will of the Heavens. Isn't it more accurate to say that my destiny was to meet you today than to say that you changed my destiny?" Ao Wen asked.

"Of course the Heavens defy being resisted," the Saintess said. "Why do you think Alchemy is so difficult? If it was easy, everything would be chaos. Perhaps it was your destiny to be saved today, everything preordained by the mysterious Heavens. I chose to believe otherwise. Down that path, a person surrenders their agency, free will, and even their destiny to others. I choose to believe that the Heavens don't provide us with a destiny, they provide us with the choices to shape our own fate and to change the fate of people around us. So which are you, little alchemist? Do you passively accept a fate laid before you by others? Or do you fight back with whatever you have, even if you might fail?"

"I fight," Ao Wen said with conviction.

"Good girl," the Saintess said. "Your body is weak and needs to be nourished. I'll apply a paste to the places your flesh was seared away and then we'll get you settled in a proper room. You need to eat to replenish your body," she said in a tone that reminded Ao Wen of her mother. "Five meals a day with a midnight snack," the Saintess continued. "You'll drink elixirs every morning and night. Alchemist Huang will be in charge of your care but one of his junior sisters will change your bandages daily and apply the pastes that Yuze prescribes. I trust you don't object?"

"Initiate Yu is unworthy of such care," Ao Wen said, overwhelmed by what such treatment would cost. How could they be so lavish for an Initiate?

"Didn't you tell Disciple Cheng that your life belonged to the sect?" The Saintess prompted. "I intend to make use of you during these days. We've recovered vast amounts of common herbs from places across the city but their condition is poor and they're a jumbled mess. During your recovery, I'll provide you with a copy of Bo Tzu's Essential Herbs along with Shin Feng's Systems of Classification. I expect you to sort and label things precisely. If you're unsure, note it down with your observations and questions, that will save the Alchemy Novices considerable time. Yuze can review your work each day and answer questions. You'll keep at it until either you're healed and can do something else, we run out of herbs to sort, or the mission ends and we return to the sect. You understand how you're going to compensate the sect for your treatment while you're here?"

"Yes, Saintess," Ao Wen said feeling relieved. As long as she could work for her keep, debts could be repaid in time. She'd already gained some expertise in sorting herbs, she just had to get better at it.

Once the Saintess finished treating Ao Wen she summoned a worker to move her to a recovery room while the Saintess herself returned to her personal herb garden to find Huang Yuze waiting for her.

"Master," he greeted with cupped hands and a small bow. "How is the patient?"

"She'll live," the Saintess answered, gazing at a bright azure flower that would unfurl its petals in the coming days. "Too early to harvest," she commented as she examined the flower. "The girl Yu, however… she's a seed ready to be planted."

"So good?" Huang Yuze said in surprise. "I thought she had all but willed herself to death."

"Something she saw in the Dark Yin Dew seemed to ignite a spark. She also seemed quite interested to know that I'm a True Dragon. Not just a casual interest either," the Saintess observed. "It felt more personal. Like she'd found something she was searching for in an unexpected place. Most importantly, though, she passed my other tests. She'll fight for her own destiny."

"So what now?" Huang Yuze asked.

"Go to the first floor of herb storage. Take one packet each of two hundred herbs and dump them into a box randomly. She's to sort and label them all. When she finishes, provide her with another box. Check her work every day and show her the mistakes she's made," the Saintess ticked off items as she went down the list. "I expect her to be conversant in one thousand herbs by the time we finish in this city. Also, once her meridians have healed from purging the yin poison she'll need a proper Flame Control Art. Teach her the Eight Trigrams, she can practice on our way to the next city."

"A thousand herbs before we leave? And a Master Grade Flame Control art while on the march?" Huang Yuze questioned. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Take a look at this," the Saintess said, producing a cloudy vial of medicine. "What do you make of it?"

"Butterfly Dreams," the young alchemist said after giving the liquid an appraising sniff. "Impure grade. Which of the Alchemy Novices made this? Do you want me to test her with it?"

"She made it," the Saintess said. "I asked the disciples who collected her to bring anything she might have been working on while at the orphanage. It seems she went looking for a way to block pain and induce sleep. She must have noticed that Butterfly Dreams also provides pleasant dreams or she'd have settled for concocting Cotton Cocoon."

"An Initiate studying Alchemy for ten days made Impure grade Butterfly Dreams," he breathed followed by a soft whistle. "What a monster. And she describes her skills as 'insufficient' or 'lacking'."

"We have six months to make it back to the sect," the Saintess said. "I expect her to pass the Alchemy Novice exam by the time we return. Push her as hard as you must," she said firmly. "She can take it."

"Alchemy Novice?" Huang Yuze asked. "Not Initiate? She's only a first-stage cultivator."

"So do something about that. You can concoct an Enlightened Flame Surge pill can't you?" The Saintess' voice held a hint of challenge as she gave her disciple his tasks. "You have three months to ensure she will survive taking the pill. For the next six months, your first priority is her cultivation, knowledge, and concoction ability. This is a test for you as well. You're not far from becoming a Master and earning the right to teach your own disciples. You can't have her though," the Saintess teased. "Consider this as training your replacement."

"Disciple understands his mission, Master," he said with a smile and a bow. Most would call it impossible. Six months to pass an Alchemy Novice exam? But this little monster… he was truly looking forward to seeing her try!