NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: TWO
It landed like an anvil, causing his aperture to grow heavy and was close to be popped but didn't. As it was leaving, the presence left something. Knowledge. It was of the anvil like pressure he felt in his aperture, the Heaven`s Vision gu from his mother`s inheritance and the heavy presence that he had seemed to offend.
Tian Ho watched as his son was slowly released from the presence and fall down. It had been hours before he had been released from the sight of the presence and he had gone forward to work on the water lilies. As he was finishing the first he saw as his son fell face down on the ground and felt the weight on his shoulder that was constantly on him leave. He rushed towards his son. Placing him on his bed, and making sure he was comfortable. Hours passed and when the sun rose, Tian Zheng woke up. His eyes were bloodshot and with every movement he made he felt his body ache. Looking at his side, he found a ready-made meal and a note.
I have gone to the clan grounds to pick up your primeval essence allocations and to report my advancement to rank 3. Make sure you eat; your body wasn't in the best condition after last night.
The note was written in the same sloppy handwriting that had been taught to him. He sat on his bed and slowly started to eat the food and after he was done went outside. He had remembered that they were about to start draining the water lilies. Outside he saw a large animal, one that looked like a mixture of a fish and a bear. It was standing menacingly, and like a statue in front of the basins that the water from the lilies was draining into. A small smile formed on his lips when he saw a group of water lilies that weren't touched but had been moved to form a small hill. This was his portion of work. His father had always told him that balance was the key to life and true to himself the work was always separated equally. When he was a child, he was to cook and clean while he harvested but now that he had grown the work was equally distributed. Some days his father cooked and cleaned while other times he did and when harvesting season came, the water lilies were separated into two.
It was noon when the figure of Tian Ho appeared in the horizon. He looked towards the field and the stack of water lilies that he had left for Tian Zheng, if the boy wasn't awake he would have to do it himself. This thought caused him to look with anticipation. When he saw the empty plot of land and looked further back, close to his home seeing the dozens of new plants being drained he let out a small smile. He looked towards the large petals that had been spread under the hot sun to dry; something he hadn't done and was planning to do at some point today. Near the dripping stalks was the aquatic bear he had left and at in the area where the petals were drying there was a boy, black hair and caramel skin meditating. His muscular body twitched with every movement of the wind and is brows had a small amount of sweat.
Tain Ho, holding the bag of primeval stones the elder at the water pavilion had given him walked towards his son. He had told the elder that he was injured yesterday when a water lily fell on him. They didn't ask for any more details since it was common knowledge for some people who had the plants fall on them to be injured at best and die if they were particularly unlucky. They gave him condolences and his monthly allotment of primeval stones for the year before the academy starts. They were supposed to be given twenty primeval stones so in his sack lied 240 primeval stones. He watched as his son slowly opened his eyes. Tian Ho saw the cover of the book they were given when they awakened. It rested on his chest, hidden underneath the light robe.
The young man looked at his father and his eyes wandered towards the sack his father held. "Are those the primeval stones?" he asked to which his father threw them onto the ground and they both watched as two hundred glowing stones poured from the sack. "Those are for the whole year. You shall practice and I shall train you in combat." His face turned to the sky. He remembered the heavy presence they had invited to them and his spine shuddered. "In a year, a friend of mine is coming to the island. He has a ship and that's what we will use to leave here." He looked at the surprised face of his son but didn't clarify anything. He only walked towards the same spot he loved to sleep in and pulled the hat closer to his face. "Practice child, for whatever is before us; you will not survive if you are weak." His father spoke in a deep and serious voice.
When the plants and flowers were dry, they took them to the clan and were rewarded. A pouch holding fifty primeval stones. The duo walked to the market and they bought the necessities they would need. At their home, they sat opposite from each other. A crucible was on the table with none reaching for it. Tian Zheng didn't reach for it since he didn't know what was inside. His father had come home, without talking went towards the farm and returned with the crucible. It was old and after cleaning the dirt and plant roots that covered it, it was a deep red. Like burnt clay. He turned towards his father and saw that there was reluctance in his eyes. He didn't seem to want whatever was inside the crucible but there was something hidden in his eyes. A cruelness foreign to the man. It was cold and his eyes had seemed to transform into ones that only a monster could possess.
After a few minutes of silence, Tian Ho turned to his son. "What did you get from the presence that fell on us?" His voice was sharp and cold at the same time. It rung inside his son`s mind for a moment and pulled him from his thoughts. His thoughts organized in record time and he answered his father. "I got information from two paths and a new gu in my aperture." His voice cut through the air and a small smile formed on Tian Ho`s lips. "However, the gu isn't something great. From what was shoved into my head it`s called Man made Heaven gu. Its use is to cause the Heavens to use me –or more specifically my aperture as a conduit for its will." His father stayed silent for a moment before he spoke. "I don't understand; how can it use your aperture as a conduit? If the will of heaven is real and it is what we felt last night, then why would it need to use you as a conduit if it is that powerful." His question hangs in the air without any answer.
It was a mystery that they both wished could be solved. "What about the two paths, what are they?" his father tore Tian Zheng from his thoughts. Tian Ho watched as his son slowly looked at him, his hand falling from his head. "The two are Heaven path and Human Path." His answer caused disappointment in Tian Ho. He had traveled throughout the world and had come upon a partial immortal inheritance that spoke of the levels of attainment in the paths of Heaven and Earth. "There are levels to attainment in paths. I will tell you their names and you will tell me what level you are in. Now, while I haven't heard of these paths, and hoped you would have gotten attainment in paths I can help you in, it can`t be that bad if you have knowledge in other paths. The levels of attainment are ordinary, Quansi-Master, Master, Quansi-Grandmaster and Grandmaster."
Tian Zheng tried to feel his level of attainment. The name came to him and stuck, he wouldn't be able to forget it and would always be aware of his level. "Quansi-Master. I can feel it. In the two paths I am a Quansi-Master." His father let out a small sigh and spoke once ore. "Listen to me carefully. We don't know what that thing was and even if it was Heaven`s Will we don't know why it transformed you into a conduit. My advice would be to abandon the two paths that it has given you to prevent you from being controlled by that presence." He saw as his son nodded his mind. Tian Ho continued his hand reaching for the crucible. "While I won`t tell you to nor do I have the ability to separate the Heaven`s Vision gu as your vital gu, I would like to warn you to try as much as you can to never use it. If you could avoid it entirely then that would be perfect but that is a fool`s dream."