Body Metamorphosis
Daiyu took out the small vial and the two boxes she had hidden in her sleeve. She sat cross legged on the floor and waited for Haoran to give further instruction.
"The White Frozen Tear is a deadly concoction of the vilest poison out there. Of course, an average person would die if they consume even a drop of it but if you manage to circulate it well and make it your own, you will gain immunity to a thousand poison. That is you will drink the white frozen tear and eat the Jade Blossoming Pill at the same time. It would help you counter the poison. Of course, it will be very painful and you will cough up blood but you will be halfway done with your body reformation if you do it." Haoran walked over to Daiyu and sat behind her as he spoke. His words managed to instill a fear in Daiyu's heart.
"That…" It sounded horrible. She really did not wish to die yet.
"Don't worry, I won't let you kick the bucket."
'That is not reassuring.; Daiyu spoke internally but she picked up the small vial either way. She carefully unsealed the bottle and a deep flowery aroma penetrated her nose. It smelled way too good for something so deadly.
"Ugh." Daiyu let out a groan before she emptied the contents of the vile. She immediately opened the small box and popped the Jade Blossoming Pill in her mouth. The pill melted immediately and for a moment, nothing happened. However, she could feel a burning sensation at the pit of her stomach.
"Ack!" Daiyu doubled over as the intense pain kicked in. It felt as if her insides were being torn apart. Haoran put his hands on her back and began guiding her Qi.
"Sit up straight and don't even think about opening your mouth to scream or talk. Just feel what I'm doing and start circulating the Qi yourself." Daiyu struggled to breathe and straightened her back on Haoran's orders. She could feel beads of sweat form on her forehead and the excruciating pain got worse with each passing second.
Daiyu focused on the Qi and tried to control the huge unrestrained Qi that was flowing through her body. She could feel the poison coursing through her veins, causing her unimaginable pain. Daiyu could feel Haoran's familiar qi subtly guiding the poisonous Qi and purifying it. The Jade Blossoming Pill was also working as an antidote against the white frozen tears.
The cycle went on for what felt like an eternity. Daiyu purified the poison bit by bit and finally, the purified qi settled within her Dantian as if it always belonged there. The pain had completely subsided and Daiyu could feel a fresh surge of Qi flowing through her body.
"I'm… never doing this again." Daiyu gasped when she finally opened her eyes.
"It wasn't that bad, come on." Haoran spoke with his usual smug voice and Daiyu felt more annoyed than ever. It was worse than the time she had eaten the Heavenly Seed.
"Come on, I'll teach you something good for enduring this." Haoran stood up and Daiyu followed behind him. She took up a wooden sword and waited for Haoran to begin. Even though she was still angry, the prospect of learning something new dampened her anger.
"Since you have learned the Crimson Butterfly Footwork Technique, I will teach you Thirty Two Movement Butterfly Sword Technique. It is a technique that is especially made for women that helps them take advantage of their small physique. The First Movement is called the Butterfly under the Moonlight."
Haoran demonstrated the first movement that utilized the Crimson Butterfly Sword Technique to make an array of graceful and agile movements.
"The second movement is called the Butterfly Storm." If the first mvovement was calm, the second movement was filled with rapid unpredictable movements.
"This is an illusionary sword technique which allows you to create butterflies once you are able to manifest sword qi. It is similar to Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Sword Technique." Haoran demonstrated the rest of the movements and Daiyu was awestruck by the simple yet volatile movements.
"Now then, shall we start?" He spoke once he was done with the demonstration.
"Yes!" Daiyu spoke with a renewed enthusiasm and her eyes twinkled with anticipation. That was the beginning of Daiyu's six months long seclusion training.
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The next four months went by smoothly for Daiyu, who spent her day polishing the techniques Zihan had taught her, learning the new sword technique from Haoran, meditating to cultivate Qi and sleeping when she passed out from exhaustion.
After a month, Daiyu was able to manifest sword qi and after three months, her sword formed the first butterfly. The butterfly looked crooked and ungraceful but it excited Daiyu nonetheless. She had successfully grasped the first sixteen movements of the Thirty Two Movement Butterfly Technique, but she knew that it would take her at least a year to fully master it.
"Now then, let us move to the last stage for your body metamorphosis." Haoran flashed a mischievous grin that made Daiyu's blood run cold. Nothing good happened when he made that face.
"Sit down. Sit, sit." Haoran waved his hand and gestured for Daiyu to sit on the floor. She reluctantly followed his orders but the anxiety did not leave her heart.
"Now then, let's eat the last expensive elixir. Bring it out!" Haoran sat next to Daiyu and watched the red box with unrestrained excitement.
Daiyu opened the box carefully to reveal the beautiful golden pill sitting in the center.
"Now, eat it. Guide your qi yourself and again, don't scream or speak till you're done. I will not be responsible if you fall into Qi Deviation and die." Daiyu gave him a disgusted look before picking up the golden pill. She placed it on her tongue and she could feel it melt almost immediately.
Unlike the painful sensation she experienced the last time, a pleasant and warm energy was flooding her senses. Daiyu tried to guide the energy but the huge waves of qi were flowing uncontrollably.
The energy opened up all her meridians and cleansed her vessels of all the grime and unclean energy. Then, it began forcing its way to the middle Dantian. Daiyu could feel herself beginning to panic and tried to keep the energy restrained. However, the large ocean-like energy was untameable and it flooded through her middle dantian, trying to go to her upper dantian.
"Kuek." A voice escaped Daiyu's mouth through her gritted teeth as she tried to tame the violent energy. She could easily fall into a qi deviation state if she didn't restrain the energy. Suddenly, she heard Haoran's voice whisper in her ears.
"If you cannot handle it, then go with the flow. You cannot restrain the vast ocean."
When she heard that, she realized that it was impossible to change the energy's path. However, she could go along with it and prepare herself to take it in without losing control.
Daiyu let the energy flow up to her upper dantian and a strange sensation flooded through her as the final dantian opened up. The energy circulated through her entire body, cleansing her vessels. She could feel her bones getting remolded and her muscles being reformed.
A long time had passed when Daiyu finally opened her eyes and a new sensation flooded her brain. She could see everything clearly and her body felt stronger than ever before.
"Congratulations on your body metamorphosis. I would have recommended this after a few years but you don't have time for that. Well, you can always go through a second metamorphosis later on." Haoran dawdled lazily and lay back down on the cave floor.
"What are you looking at? Start practicing, you lazy brat." Daiyu felt annoyance surge up inside her but she restrained herself from kicking him. Not that she could land a kick on him anyway.
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"Father told me that a peasant girl will be going out with the Crimson Dragon Guardian to travel around the Central Plains." Jiahao spoke as he poured himself some liquor.
"Our wait has finally paid off." Ah Duo hid her smile behind the fan she was holding. She had been waiting for an opportunity to strike that impudent girl for a long time now.
"We just need to make a distraction for the Crimson Dragon Guardian and kill that brat while he is busy." Jiahao drank the liquor in one shot and he felt his throat burn from drinking so suddenly. However, even the bitter liquor seemed to leave a sweet aftertaste in his mouth today.
"How do you plan to do that?" Ah Duo asked with narrowed eyes. Taking on the Crimson Dragon Guardian was a herculean task in itself.
"The Dual Sword Martial." Jiahao smirked when he spoke the much feared name. Everyone knew that the Dual Sword Martial held a grudge against the Crimson Dragon Guardian for humiliating him ten years ago. It would be easy to let the information slip and have him come for Zihan.
Their long awaited plan was finally coming to fruition.