The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

Dragons. Loads and loads of dragons. They swam through the skies, directing the clouds at their command, swimming through the gusts of wind and calling lightning as they pleased. They swam through the streams and rivers, causing whirlpools and climbing waterfalls. They coiled upon the earth, becoming with it as life flourished around them. Even the seemingly mundane creatures had draconic Qi in them, and were filled with vibrant life energy. Hares, deers, foxes, birds, almost everything was serene and in order in the middle of these roiling peaks, a little paradise cut off from the rest of the world.

So many kinds of dragons filled the valley and it was a breathtaking sight that made me pause just to take it all in.

When I finally snapped back to myself, I glanced around to try and see if I could spot the Azure Dragon anywhere. The Divine Beast was huge, larger than any other dragon and just its presence alone should be like a beacon of Qi drawing the attention of everything towards it. But if the Azure Dragon was intentionally trying to hide itself, as I suspected it likely was, then things were going to be a bit more difficult.

“Let’s head inwards and see if we can find a way to the tallest peak,” I said, and the group followed behind me as we began to make our way down the snowy peaks. The snow melted rather quickly under the sun as the temperature began to rise rather rapidly. I let Labby out who seemed glad to have not had to deal with the snow and cold, as she took in a deep breath, soaking in the Qi rich air.

“This place smells familiar… it smells like the dragon that taught Labby,” she said.

“You’ve been taught by a dragon?” Yan Yun asked, surprised.

“Labby has! She rode the big dragon all the way up to the skies and then beyond, to go to the lunar court!” Labby exclaimed proudly. “She even learned the dragon’s tempest that day.”

Yan Yun’s eyes widened. “That was you?” She said, recalling the time when the dragon had flown over the spirit herb tournament.

I recalled the time period as well. Back then, I’d been going through my own trial… when I’d first found out the truth about myself and my past, and found Chi. It felt like so long ago now. Had it truly only been a year?

Labby continued to look around at wonder at the valley as we walked. She was a bit too old for me to carry her on my shoulders but the temptation was definitely there. I knew spirits aged differently compared to humans. Their age and maturity was highly linked to the rank and realm they were at, and so the faster Labby grew the more she’d mature. But it was still really hard for me to picture her as anything but a small little girl for me to adore over. I almost wished she wouldn’t grow up, but that was selfish of me. She would mature as time went on, learning things, and I should not want to deny her that.

“This place reminds us of the ancestral home grandmother had told us about. The Shie ancestor had been born in a similar place to the west. Grandmother had been raised in a place similar to that and the Shie ancestral home was built to resemble it…” Liuxiang said, recalling what felt like an old memory. “It is not nearly as nice a place, though. A foggy forest with serpents and poisonous creatures lurking at every corner,” she said, brushing a plant growing near the path we walked.

I couldn’t help but remember the domain I had been in when I had met the Shie Matriarch. Her giant serpentine form, but also the misty forest we had been with crawling things all around me.

“It had its own kind of beauty,” I replied.

“Indeed,” Liuxiang replied with a smile. “This place reminded us of it. Grandmother has often told us that one of her greatest regrets was the loss of those ancestral lands. And that she’d like to visit it once more if she could.”

I struggled to imagine that Shie matriarch being homesick of all things. She’d always given off a cold inhuman aura, far more so than even Liuxiang. But perhaps that was just the thing, despite how someone may be or appear, there could be pieces of warmth left deep inside of them still.

I wondered what it said about Yang Shen. Or Li, who I’d killed. Had he still had something of himself left in him?

With a crackle, Leiyu appeared on Yan Yun’s shoulders, preening his feathers. The bird hated being soaked or being in cold weather, and was clearly enjoying the warmth of the valley.

I smiled at that. This felt peaceful, even if it was a brief moment, I didn’t want to deny myself these quiet moments of joy and peace between the whirlwind of chaos that was happening all around me.

It also appealed to a part of me that did not feel ready for what was to come. Perhaps if everything went wrong… we could escape to this place, live our lives in this valley, cut off from the rest of the world and in peace? Just me and all my friends. Labby would enjoy playing with the dragons, even Twilight would, and I’d have all the spirit herbs I wanted to experiment with.

It sounded peaceful.

I felt Xuanwu stir in my spirit. The divine beast rarely said much, but perhaps even he was feeling the growing conflict in my chest.

…Ah, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I was afraid. I was afraid of Yang Shen. I was afraid of having to fight him, of having to beat the demon capable of doing all this, capable of bringing down empires.

A part of me hoped that perhaps one of the weapons I’d made would be able to take him out. Or maybe the Divinities could. They were terrifyingly powerful, and Yang Shen had ambushed the emperor. This time he would not have that benefit.

I remembered the man who’d come to me in the guise of an Alchemy Hall elder. The nonchalant but jovial man, almost whimsical, but almost always with a smile on his face. I recalled his face as he’d sat with me on the night of the banquet, and remembered his words.

“If the empire changes, I would like to have you there to guide it.”

What had he meant by that? Had he even meant anything at all or had the demon simply been playing with him? Had that been Shen Yuan, the grandson the Old Man had so dearly loved returning… or had it been the trick of Yang Shen the demon?

I clenched my fist. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t know, not until I faced him. And I had a feeling I would, despite everything.

“Something is heading in this direction,” Zhang warned, grabbing onto his spear.

“It’s a dragon, what should we do?” Yan Yun asked, glancing around.

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My attention snapped back, as I focused on the presence heading in this direction. “We should hide, try to avoid an encounter with it,” I said.

“The dragon already knows, Labby can tell,” Labby said, stepping ahead to my surprise. “Labby will talk to the dragon, she has already talked to one before.”

“Are you sure, Labby?” I asked, hesitant to let Labby take charge.

Labby looked at me and gave me a reassured nod, and I reminded myself of what I’d decided on. I shouldn’t deny her the chance to grow, and one part of that meant trusting her and her abilities.

The creature arrived, a giant dragon with jade green scales with a shimmer of blue that gleamed under the sunlight. The dragon rose through the cliffs, looking down at us as gusts of wind roused around it. Its Qi was like a blazing sun, and even though it was roughly on par with Zhang and Yan Yun in realm, it definitely had more Qi than everyone besides me in our group combined.

“What is this? More pesky humans? Why have you lot begun coming into our domain? Have you forgotten this is the land of dragons? Or do you think yourself better than us now?” The dragon said, roaring as strong gusts of wind swirled around us. “We should smite you. Burn you to a crisp with our lightning for daring. That’d teach you to dare step into our home uninvited,” the dragon said, lightning gathering around its whiskers. I wanted to step in, but I held myself back, simply looking at Labby.

“Hmph! Labby has seen stronger lightning than that. She can do better herself!” Labby proclaimed and I watched in horror as the dragon’s attention shifted towards Labby, the dragon taken aback by her words.

“Who are you to dare to speak to us like that?” The dragon growled and I prepared myself to step in immediately if it looked like something would go wrong.

The dragon leaned close, eyes focusing on Labby. “No… what are you? A spirit, but not any we have seen before. What is this strange thing inside of you? It is neither Qi nor Gu,” the dragon asked.

“Labby is Labby! Her Great Master’s disciple and faithful assistant, and she thinks you’re just a bragging dragon! Labby challenges you to smite her, she is not impressed by your words. Puny dragon, Labby has seen true dragons and ridden them beyond the skies, she will not be scared by the likes of you!”

My jaw almost dropped in shock. Even the dragon looked taken aback by Labby’s words. I started preparing to grab her and make a quick escape when the dragon reared back.

“Step aside, humans. This rat has challenged us. The mighty Yulong. We will not take such words from weaklings such as you,” The dragon roared, lightning crackling around it in full force.

“Labby, what’re you doing?”I asked her, not sure what to make of the situation.

“Labby has a plan, Great Master. Just wait,” Labby said and I watched with an anxiety filled heart as the dragon’s lightning gathered.

The others in the group were ready to leap into the fray but they looked towards me for guidance and I signaled for them to step back.

Even Zhang looked taken aback by that, but complied. The dragon roared as Labby stood ready, wind swirling around her in a storm.

The sun began to disappear from the skies above us, a storm manifesting as torrents of Qi gathered around the dragon.

“Let it be written on your meager grave that you died to the great Yulong’s lightning. It shall be the crowning moment of your life,” the dragon roared, as the world flashed bright and a brilliant bolt of lightning shot towards lightning.

I was surprised by my own will power to resist stepping in and blocking it, but I held myself back, and watched as Labby changed her stance. The lightning shot into her fingers and through her body, the golden lightning twisted through her, as her eyes were closed in focus. Not a single scratch was on her body, and for a moment I thought that was it and took a sigh of relief, but Labby continued.

She opened her eyes, her pupils glowing gold from the Qi she had absorbed. The dragon roared once more, and shot three more bolts of lightning, and each one was redirected and then absorbed by Labby. By now, her Qi was blazing like a brilliant sun as we all watched in stunned silence.

“Now it is Labby’s turn,” Labby said, looking at the dragon.

The golden glow in her eyes shifted, first turning purple and then turning a deep, dark black. Black lightning crackled around Labby, roiling and rising all around her as power flowed through Labby. Gusts of wind swirled around Labby as she rose in the skies.

“You show arrogance. When you do not even command a true dragon’s lightning. Labby has seen it, seen the dragon’s lightning and the power. Now she will show you hers, show you the darkness that the Dark Moon contains, its cold grasp as it drains any and all it touches. She has felt that darkness, felt it and lived through it. Can you do the same?”

Labby asked, her voice echoing with power. Her pupils turned black as the symbol on her forehead became all black. The skies rumbled, clouds swirling around her as the world began to darken all around us, and then with a gap the clouds parted, revealing the image of a dark moon covering the sun.

An eclipse.

“Dark Moon’s Tempest,” Labby whispered as a dark bolt of lightning shot down from the skies blasting the world all around us. Dust flew all around as the clouds parted, the image of the eclipse fading from the skies as Labby returned to the ground.

Her lightning strike had struck the earth between her and the dragon, leaving a deep dark crater that still crackled with remnants of dark lightning all around as she returned.

We all watched in stunned silence.

The dragon bowed his head. “We had failed to recognize your strength, little one. Forgive us for our hubris,” the dragon said.

Labby nodded. “Labby forgives you!” She exclaimed, her mood switching around quickly back to her usual self.

I did not know what to say. Just when had Labby… when had she learned how to do all that? I’d felt the changes in her, but to see it like it. I’d truly been neglecting her, but it seemed she’d gone ahead and grown up all on her own while I hadn’t been looking.

I stepped forward, coming to stand next to her and I patted Labby’s head. “You did great,” I told her, as she gave me a smile.

“Labby has been training!” She exclaimed.

“Clearly,” I said, before looking towards the dragon flying in front of us. “We’re seeking the Azure Dragon. We think he has arrived in the Cradle… could you help us in finding him?”

“The Azure Dragon? No, we do not know,” the dragon said, and I felt a little disappointed. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy.

“But mother had mentioned it some time ago. Perhaps she will know,” Yulong said and I looked up with renewed hope.

“Could you take us to her?” I asked.

The dragon swirled, pride returning. “We do not let humans ride us like we are some mere mount.”

“The dragon who taught Labby, Shen Teng, let Labby ride him, even when she was just a rat. He said a true dragon is one who can see beyond pride and acknowledge when someone is worthy,” Labby said.

The dragon swirled, clearly conflicted. A moment later, it almost seemed to let out a defeated sigh. “Very well. But only because we are also curious to hear about this matter. Climb on, and hold tight, we will not wait or catch you if you fall.”

I nodded, glancing at the ground as we all climbed on the back of the dragon. It was a rather surreal experience as all of us held on, grabbing onto the back as Yulong raised itself into the skies, wings swirling at his command.

“Very well, hold on tight,” the dragon said, and we took off. Flying through the peaks, straight into the heart of the valley.

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