The Meandering River Water Reflects a Thousand Moons

Wuxian had never heard of 'gu' before. 

"What's a gu?" He asked apprehensively.

Big North responded with a dark expression, as if reliving unpleasant memories. He only spoke after mulling things over for a few seconds.

"A product of dark arts. Amongst the barbarian tribes, some practice the art of gu. They nurture venomous insects, providing them with power and abilities through methods like mass sacrifices and murder. Like mystic arts, gu themselves have many applications. The one that had previously possessed the white robed Qi Condenser had attempted to parasitize you, but there exist many other types of gu, such as ones designed for front-line combat, assassination and so on."

"However, the most dangerous thing about a gu is its master. The master can know everything the gu knows and see everything it sees. Whoever was controlling that gu knows about you and I, while we know nothing about the gu master."

Wuxian was horrified at the fact that he had almost been parasitized, but retained his previous stance.

"You said that the gu was killed by a mysterious stranger who meant us no harm, even saving me in the process. Does this not show that the gu master has powerful enemies within this city? So long as the talisman-wearing man remains, the gu master will not be able to make any big moves without exposing himself."

Big North shook his head.

"Perhaps even just a small move from the gu master might be enough to kill you."

Big North wanted to continue, but was alerted by a rustling sound from across the room. With a cautionary glance at Wuxian, his form melded back into the Northern Dark Edge.

Wuxian craned his head to be met with the sight of Wan Qiushou doing the same.

"You're awake." He stated hoarsely.

Qiushou nodded, wincing as he did so.

"Did we win?" Qiushou asked flatly.

"Yes. We did."

Qiushou sighed and slumped back into the bed.

"That's good."

Sensing that his acquaintance was not in the mood to talk any further, Wuxian shut his eyes too, wishing that he could recover as quickly as possible.

Being as vulnerable as he currently was did not suit his personality.

However, since he had just woken up, he was not tired enough to fall asleep again. He also did not enjoy the feeling of being idle, so he decided to continue cultivating.

Previously, he had only cultivated 2 collateral meridians before he had been interrupted by the white robed man. Considering how injured Wuxian was, it wouldn't be a surprise if he managed to finish refining the pericardium meridian before he even fully recovered.

Similarly to the Triple Burner the pericardium was a 'neutral' major meridian with no associated element nor polarity. For Wuxian, who had had no chance to go into closed cultivation since arriving in the city, starting with the neutral meridians was the best move.

Why?

Of the twelve meridians, two were neutral. Then, there were two meridians for each element of the five cycles, split evenly into the yin and yang polarities. With such an arrangement, the internal cycles that governed the cultivator's body would be balanced.

If Wuxian were to have cultivated one of the ten elemental meridians instead of the Triple Burner, he would have been left with an imbalance instead. While it would not necessarily affect his combat strength or health in the short term, he would suffer over the course of weeks and months.

As each major meridian controlled different aspects and organs of the body, an imbalance would affect that specific area. It would then spread from the meridian to the organ and then to the rest of the body.

So in effect, upon beginning Foundation Building, a cultivator was presented with a time limit.

An example of this would be with the heart meridian. If a cultivator had refined only this meridian, there would be an imbalance of ambient fire qi within their body. This meridian normally helped to expel the fire qi from the body, alongside the small intestine meridian.

When one major meridian of a pair overrode the other, not only would the corresponding qi not be ejected from the body, but it would instead be accumulated within the related organ instead.

And after enough time passed, the only result would be qi deviation.

'For my current circumstances, the best decision would be to remain calm and steady. I do not know when exactly I will have to fight- especially now as a Nightwatcher.

My greatest fears are these, in order of magnitude; fighting an immortal or someone of significantly greater strength, remaining as weak as I currently am- by extension, not having time to learn new mystic arts and finally, suffering from meridian imbalance and dying of qi deviation.'

'Cultivating the Triple Burner as I have and the pericardium as I currently am is fine, since neither pose latent threats, but the problem lies after them.

Some of the mystic arts within the manuals require the refinement of specific major meridians to function. I must decide which of the elemental meridians are of the greatest priority by how useful the corresponding art is.

At the same time, I must be mindful of the order in which I refine subsequent meridians. First; I must follow the cycle of the five elements. Second; I must not allow a polarity imbalance to build up, so I must refine meridians of opposite polarities each time.

Third; according to the Nine Revolutions Earthfire art, a balanced refiner cannot allow the duration between each major meridian's refinement to last beyond a week and a half at the maximum. 

I must also make sure to refine all the collateral meridians, since they help extend the duration between necessary refinements, stabilising their related major meridian and helping expel ambient qi.'

"The most useful mystic art to me right now is the Spirit Blood technique. This requires the Triple Burner and the liver meridians to have been refined and excels in repairing internal damage. It also has multiple stages of progression, eventually becoming a hybrid mystic art.

By picking the liver as my first elemental meridian, I will be forced to refine the small intestine meridian next, since it is of the yang polarity- opposite to the liver's yin polarity, and follows the five elements cycle.

Coincidentally, the fire breathing technique called 'Zhurong's Breath' requires the Triple Burner, the pericardium and the small intestine meridians to be refined. This is perfect for me as I currently lack an effective ranged method of attack.

Following on from that I would need to refine the stomach meridian next since it follows the cycle and is of the opposite polarity. The mystic art associated with it is the 'Turning Stone' spell, an effective defensive option. This requires the stomach, pericardium and Triple Burner meridians.

From then, I will have to refine a metal yang meridian, then a water yin meridian. As I have no related techniques in regards to these two elements, I can learn the two generic mystic arts instead.'

Wuxian nodded in silent satisfaction. Then, he began refining the pericardium and its collaterals.

The daylight waned quickly, but Wuxian made rapid progress. His first attempt at refining meridians, the Triple Burner, had taken him just under a week. Going by his current progress, it would likely take about three to four days in total to finish the pericardium and its collaterals.

"Wakey wakey boys, dinner's here~"

Wuxian's concentration was broken by the sound of an unfamiliar but pleasant voice.

Two strangers entered the room, one male and one female. 

The man was 1.8 metres tall, wearing a dark blue linen vest and a bamboo hat. Though he could not be considered extraordinarily handsome in terms of modern beauty trends, his toned skin emanated a different kind of attraction, with a long scar running down his right cheek giving him the aura of a storied warrior. He had medium length black hair and brown eyes, a tint of setting-sun orange sitting within his pupils.

The woman was surprisingly taller than the man, standing at 1.85 metres of height. She had black hair, though the ends were greying. Her face was thin and pale and she had a small mole that sat to the left of her pink lips. If the man was described as rough and rugged, she was definitely fairer and more graceful. 

She wore patternless flowing black robes. They undulated as she moved, hiding her figure well.

The two strangers carried woven bamboo baskets, fragrant steam wafting out from within.

Wuxian had not eaten real food in a long time, relying mainly on fasting pills to carry him through the day. Though fasting pills did not taste bad whatsoever, they lacked the aroma and satisfaction that could only be obtained through a hot meal, so his stomach immediately began to audibly grumble.

The man strolled over to Wan Qiushou with a grin on his face.

"Yo." He greeted.

Wan Qiushou slowly opened one eye, glancing at the man momentarily before shutting it again.

"Leave it on the table. I'm not hungry." He said coldly.

The man shook his head with a smile, holding a large steamed bun in his hands.

"There's no need to act tough, little Wan. Come, let big brother feed you-"

Wan Qiushou, ignoring his wounds and pain, sat up with a jolt. He snatched the steamed bun out from the man's hands, turning away to eat. Seeing this, the man grinned happily, retrieving another steamed bun from the basket and biting into it too.

"It's good, isn't it? Sister Shui and I, your big brother, made these together during our break today. They're freshly handmade with love and care!"

Ignoring the man's words, Qiushou quickly devoured the rest of his steamed bun. Then, he reached into the bamboo basket and took a hold of two steamed buns at once, making quick work of them.

The man chuckled, reaching out to pat Wan Qiushou on the head.

"Eat slowly, you wouldn't want to get indigestion whilst bedridden, now."

Qiushou shrugged his hand off, eating even faster. Then, finishing the buns in his hands, he snatched the one the man was currently eating and finished it off too.

The man wore a happy expression regardless, seemingly content to watch Wan Qiushou eat. As Qiushou swallowed the last morsels of the steamed bun, the man spoke.

"You're truly lucky- the pork we used for those buns was the last the butcher had in stock! If you'd have been mortally wounded a day later, you'd have had to eat plain tofu instead."

Qiushou froze in place. His head slowly turned to look the man in the eyes.

"Brother Jiang… what day is it today?" He asked, surprisingly politely.

Jiang Manyou counted the fingers on his hands, stopping at his left pinky.

"It's Friday today! You have the whole weekend to rest, lucky you!" He congratulated in a doting voice.

Wan Qiushou wore an ashen expression, his lips curling into a frown. Jiang Manyou frowned too, concerned.

"Little Wan, what's wrong? Did big brother say something that upset you?"

Wan Qiushou looked down at his hands blankly.

"I lost the bet." He mumbled quietly.

"Hm? What did you say?"

"I lost the bet against sister Shui, now I owe her a hundred taels of silver…"

Jiang Manyou's expression suddenly changed from soft to tough, his demeanour becoming more thuggish by the second. He placed Wan Qiushou in a headlock, rubbing Qiushou's head fiercely.

"See, you motherf*cker? If you had been just a tiny bit more careful, you wouldn't have ended up seriously injured and in bed! How many times have I told you to inform us before you engage an enemy, huh? Your badge has remote voice functions for a motherf*cking reason, you ungrateful bast*rd! Now look at you! You lost a thousand taels of silver and almost even lost your life!"

Wuxian watched on from the sidelines with a poorly concealed grin, though he was surprised by Jiang Manyou's sudden change in attitudes. From doting big brother to fearsome disciplinary, he couldn't imagine how uncomfortable Wan Qiushou must have been to be manhandled in such a way.

"Hey, careful you idiot! Little Wan's still injured." The woman yelled.

Wuxian was slightly startled. Despite her gentle appearance, she roared as fiercely as Jiang Manyou, if not fiercer.

He then laid back and sighed, silently admonishing himself internally.

'Heavens, by now you would expect to know that everybody in this world is weird. Nobody you've met these last two weeks has been normal.'

Returning her attention to Wuxian, the woman stuck out the tip of her tongue cutely.

"Sorry about that," she apologised, a cheeky grin on her face.

Wuxian shrugged stiffly, indicating that it was fine. At the same time, he tried not to aggravate his wounds.

"If Wan Qiushou's injuries get worse because of Jiang Manyou's teasing, well… somebody would get in trouble with the chief." Wuxian responded.

The woman tilted her head slightly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, stifling a giggle.

"I'm Shui Qianyue, nice to meet you."

Wuxian cupped his hands awkwardly due to his current lying position.

"Sihai Wuxian, the pleasure is mine."

Shui Qianyue paused for a moment, thinking about the meaning of his name.

"Very heroic." She said, jokingly.

Wuxian blushed faintly in embarrassment.

"Not at all." He paused momentarily. "Yours is elegant and poetic."

The corner of Shui Qianyue's mouth tugged upwards slightly, but she turned away to take a hold of the bamboo basket.

"You don't have any allergies, do you?" She asked.

Wuxian shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"That's good then. Open wide." 

Wuxian's mind blanked and he stared at Shui Qianyue in a daze. However, as a man acquainted with the battlefield, he regained his senses quickly. Coughing to clear his throat, he quickly took a hold of the steamed bun.

"No need. I'm not as badly injured as Wan Qiushou."

Seeing his shyness, Shui Qianyue tittered, gently placing the basket on Wuxian's chest. Wuxian sat on the bed, clutching a steamed bun in one hand and a basket of them in the other. Shui Qianyue watched him eat quietly.

The other side of the room was a different matter altogether. Though Wan Qiushou was heavily injured, he was also highly competitive. The moment Jiang Manyou had initiated the play fight, Wan Qiushou became determined to win.

After finishing the food, Wuxian replaced the bamboo basket's lid, handing it back to Shui Qianyue.

"Thank you for the food."

"You're very welcome."

Glancing over at the tousling duo to the side, Wuxian couldn't help but chuckle.

"They're not going to be done any time soon." He remarked.

Shui Qianyue sighed. "Indeed. Those two are always like that."

Wuxian held a strand of his long hair, inspecting its fraying ends closely.

"Was it you and Jiang Manyou who brought us back from the guesthouse after the fight?"

Shui Qianyue nodded with a smile. "Brother Jiang, little Wan and myself are the only golden badge Nightwatchers remaining in this district. The rest are gone." 

"Oh. I'm sorry if I touched a sore spot." Wuxian hurriedly apologised.

Shui Qianyue shook her head quickly. "It's not what you think. The others have gone off to gain experience in the war, though I wouldn't be surprised if some come home missing an arm or a leg. It's not like they'll all get wiped out though."

"I see."

The conversation quickly became dry, with the two watching Jiang Manyou and Wan Qiushou silently.

After a while, Wuxian spoke up again.

"You'll come again tomorrow?"

Shui Qianyue gave him a sideways glance.

"Am I that pretty?" She teased.

Wuxian almost choked on his next words, turning a little bit red in the process. He held a strand of his long hair in each hand, staring at them intently.

"Yes." He admitted quietly.

Shui Qianyue made a pleased nasal sound in response.

"Then I will. Make sure to get some rest, Sihai Wuxian."