Boon Within Bane

"Gah!" Re'Kha screamed, clutching her head as she entered a state of delirium. All that flashed in her mind was the image of the Kalha she had perceived, its figure increasing in size as it seemed about to overwhelm her consciousness and reasoning.

Due to the pain, her body instinctively bent over, entering the range of the Water Qi-covered area. As she inhaled the air, the Water Qi mixed in it was sucked into her lungs, mixing with the blood as the heart pumped it throughout her body. Flowing through the blood vessels, it seeped into her head, counterattacking the Fear Qi generated within her.

The two negated each other in equal quantities, the rich supply of Water Qi soon overwhelmed the Fear Qi, annihilating it completely. As her cultivation technique conformed to the water element, and thanks to her affinity to it, the Water Qi didn't damage her, soon getting absorbed into the meridians.

Moreover, something also seemed to have externally helped her, quickly negating the Fear Qi before it could take effect. Re'Kha panted, slowly returning to her senses as she gained clarity of mind, activating her Water Qi perception.

She noticed the cloth banner wrapped around her head like a turban, absorbing the Fear Qi in her while repelling the Water Qi from affecting it. Since the Water Qi generated by the Water Qi Essence didn't possess a will of its own, it didn't attack other elements actively. The cloth banner made use of this point to slowly repel and distance itself from the Water Qi, avoiding damage while benefiting from the exchange.

Re'Kha grabbed hold of the cloth banner, immersed in thought for some time before changing the wrapping, fully covering her head now. She left a tiny part on her chin, the only portion of her head the cloth banner didn't cover.

She stood up, the top of her head peeking out of the Water Qi-filled area. Since she had consumed a part of it just now, its height had reduced, allowing her chin to peak out when she tilted her head to the back.

Re'Kha activated her Wind Qi perception, focusing on the serpent at the entrance of her house once again, trailing over from its tail towards its head, this time at a slightly faster pace. Her heart thumped in fear the moment she spotted the optic nerves, pausing for a moment as she regulated her breath.

She then gritted her teeth, moving her perception forward as a Kalha came into view. The Kalha gazed at her directly, as if knowing her position from the previous exchange. Re'Kha almost lost consciousness, losing her balance as she fell on the floor.

Her state of delirium lasted for a short duration before she regained clarity of mind, sensing the cloth banner devour the induced Fear Qi happily. She could sense a form of excitement from the cloth banner, the reason as to why she didn't know.

Re'Kha grabbed hold of the cloth banner, "I see, I can depend on you to survive an encounter from a Kalha. Though, if I come across a cluster, even you wouldn't be able to siphon the Fear Qi at a fast enough pace to save me. Still, this gives me an opportunity."

Re'Kha heaved a sigh of relief, feeling her gamble had paid off. She had noticed the cloth banner's actions all along, linking the clues to devise a plan of action. The first time was when it arrived and rested on the side of her bed when she was resting within the house. It meant the cloth banner could travel when needed.

The second was the clue she obtained when she woke up, noticing that the cloth banner constantly absorbed the fear she experienced thanks to her nightmares, converting it into Fear Qi to store within itself. Linking the two, she had an inkling, a faint hope that the cloth banner could also absorb the Fear Qi from her when she was affected by a Kalha.

It was a calculated outcome; still, she was glad it worked as she had expected. Re'Kha closed her eyes, sensing the flow of her Water Qi, noticing that it had subtly changed. Its flow had an almost negligible but greater volume. Re'Kha instinctively had an inkling of that to be the case.

She activated the Water Qi Essence with a thought, watching the Water Qi in the region become denser. Through her Water Qi perception, she watched the Water Qi flow into her as she inhaled the air, the Water Qi in the air she exhaled becoming a notch lower.

Re'Kha spent more than 10 breaths before noticing a subtle increase in her Water Qi reserves. "This should work!"

It was a surprise, Re'Kha gazed at the Water Qi Essence, shocked that it had such a feature. Despite her status, she hadn't had many opportunities to interact with one. Even during the times she was allowed to do so, it was in the Clan's meditation room, with more than 100 people huddled around a single Water Qi Essence.

Moreover, the rule passed in their Clan or whatever Clan was that one's Qi reserves should be at maximum capacity before entering their respective Clan's meditation room. That was why she hadn't noticed this feature.

'I see,' Re'Kha nodded in thought, immediately comprehending the reason for that rule, 'If my Water Qi isn't at full capacity, I would be absorbing the Water Qi generated by the Water Qi Essence, expending it at a faster speed while also decreasing its concentration, reducing the efficiency of the comprehension session.'

"But now, I can swiftly increase my reserves thanks to this." Re'Kha smiled, peaking out of the Water Qi-filled region as she activated her Wind Qi perception, noticing that the rain had completely stopped. The Kalhas would have begun to move around now, making the outside tremendously dangerous.

"I have time until the rain starts to fall again," Re'Kha clenched her hand into a fist, linking her plans as she exchanged the Water Qi Essence with another from the ring, one that was close to becoming empty. She planned to use it for her subsequent plans, all for her survival.