Chapter Twenty: Resolute in the Path of Healing

When Tang Wei returned home, her mother immediately noticed something was wrong. She asked if anything had happened, but couldn’t get a clear answer. Worried, she called Tang Jing, but even her elder daughter didn’t know what was amiss—Tang Wei had seemed perfectly fine when she left earlier. Seeing her mother so anxious, Tang Wei felt embarrassed. She briefly recounted the day’s events, admitting she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to sleep early, asking her mother not to worry and to look after the child for another day. She assured her mother that a good night’s sleep would set things right, though she had no energy to play with her child.

Tang Wei’s mother, convinced her daughter had been frightened, asked someone to perform a calming ritual and urged Tang Wei to rest, then took the child into her own room.

Tang Wei, in no mood for meditation or cultivation, lay down and closed her eyes, only to see again the image of An’an and her grandmother lying in a pool of blood. The thought that such a sweet little girl could be gone so suddenly pained her deeply. Unable to sleep, she simply rested against the headboard.

Her mind replayed An’an’s smiling face, the faded, well-washed clothes of the grandmother and child, the expressions of the onlookers at the accident, the words spoken at the scene, and the doctor’s announcement. Tang Wei’s heart was in turmoil. If her cultivation had been higher, perhaps she could have helped An’an survive. She realized she had always enjoyed the benefits of her treasures without ever thinking of helping others, congratulating herself and taking it all for granted—she now saw how selfish she’d been.

The more she thought, the further her mind wandered. Unbeknownst to her, as her thoughts grew wilder, the spiritual energy within her began to move on its own, spinning faster and faster, until the pressure in her meridians became painful. Only then did Tang Wei snap back to herself, realizing something was wrong, and she immediately tried to regulate her energy and restore balance.

Yet no matter how she channeled her energy, the spiritual power inside refused to calm, only growing more restless the harder she tried to suppress it. It was only when Xiao Ling called out in her mind, urging her to enter the space, that Tang Wei remembered its existence. In an instant, she slipped inside.

Seeing Tang Wei’s state, Xiao Ling said nothing but urged her to meditate at once, to empty her mind and not to forcefully suppress anything—simply let things take their course. After a while, Tang Wei’s spiritual power gradually settled, finally returning to her dantian. Only then did she rise.

Xiao Ling, seeing she was well again, hurried over. “Sister, what happened to you? Do you realize you were on the verge of a qi deviation? You must tell me everything—if you let this leave a shadow in your heart, it will harm your future cultivation.”

Shaken by what had just occurred, Tang Wei recounted everything to Xiao Ling, even her own thoughts of self-reproach. After hearing her out, Xiao Ling said earnestly, “Sister, you’re overthinking. Everyone has their own destiny; the cycle of cause and effect, the laws of heaven—these are not so easily changed. Even if you forcibly alter someone’s fate, it depends on whether they can bear the consequences. Changing one’s fate isn’t impossible: willpower, environment, even a fleeting thought can shift the course of a life. But to forcibly alter another’s destiny, you must possess strength great enough to withstand the backlash—otherwise, the one who bears it is the person themselves. Just as you were once fated to die, it was the former master who changed your life’s path. As a cultivator, the higher your realm, the less you are confined by fate. When your cultivation is strong enough, changing the fate of the entire world would be simple. As for what you called selfishness—that’s a mistake. Cultivators should act according to their hearts, doing what they believe is right. As long as your conscience is clear, there’s nothing to regret.”

After listening, Tang Wei’s heart suddenly cleared. “Yes, with An’an, I did all I could—I have no guilt toward anyone.” At this thought, her mind emptied, her spiritual energy flowed freely and harmoniously, her meridians expanded, and she felt utterly at ease.

Tang Wei sat motionless, her face serene and blissful, as if she were a child in the womb—her entire being suffused with warmth, her soul floating weightlessly, more relaxed than ever before.

Seeing her so still, Xiao Ling was not worried, but delighted. Such a rare moment of enlightenment was cause for joy—most cultivators yearn for it in vain. Once in this state, one’s cultivation could soar as if on a rocket. Who knew how long Tang Wei would remain like this?

Outside the space, meanwhile, the Tang family was thrown into panic. How could someone simply vanish without a trace? They debated whether to call the police, waiting anxiously for news.

Xiao Ling, however, cared nothing for such matters. Opportunities like this came but once in a century—she would never wake Tang Wei prematurely.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed within the space, while only three days went by outside before Tang Wei slowly awoke. As soon as she opened her eyes, she said to Xiao Ling, “I still want to study medicine. Now that I have the means, I want to do something meaningful. There are so many ordinary people out there—if I can help, I’ll feel more at peace. I can imagine how joyful I’d be to save someone on the brink of death.”

Xiao Ling thought for a moment before replying, “Then you should become a medical cultivator. There are very few of those—most people don’t want to give up martial strength for a path with so little self-preservation. But you’re different. Once you’ve formed your Chaos Physique, taking up another discipline will be effortless. You just have to wait until you reach Nascent Soul, when you’ll truly have a Chaos Spirit Body. Then you can make the Chaos Technique your main cultivation method and use it to advance—Chaos Technique is compatible with all other arts. You’ll be able to cultivate seven or eight disciplines at once if you have time. But right now, you can’t start learning another method—your spiritual roots are only at the five-element level. With your current roots, even basic cultivation is hard enough, let alone medical cultivation, which would make Foundation Establishment nearly impossible.”

Tang Wei hesitated and asked, “Is there any basic medical knowledge in the space? Most people on Earth are ordinary, so there’s no need for true medical cultivation. If I just know the basics of medical arts and herbal lore, it will be enough to save ordinary lives.”

“That makes sense,” Xiao Ling replied. “In ancient times, medical cultivators were typically fire and wood dual-attribute. They refined wood energy into life force to stimulate the body’s meridians and acupoints for healing, and used fire energy to raise the temperature needed for alchemy, supplementing treatments with pills. Eventually, people realized that pills alone could heal, so they stopped practicing those ‘useless’ arts. Nowadays, there are only alchemists, no medical cultivators. But what no one realized is that without life force as an aid, some medicines never achieve their original effect. That’s why, to this day, there are plenty of injuries even cultivators can’t heal. You can start by learning about herbs and the theory of the body’s organs and channels, and use external tools to stimulate acupoints—what you call acupuncture.”

Xiao Ling recounted the history of medical cultivation, evidently agreeing with Tang Wei’s choice.

Feeling as though she had found a kindred spirit, Tang Wei was overjoyed. She immediately pulled Xiao Ling toward the study to search for materials.

But seeing Xiao Ling’s expression, as if she had something more to say, Tang Wei asked, “Is there something on your mind? Why do you look like you’re holding back?”

Xiao Ling looked at her in disbelief. “Sister, have you checked your cultivation level lately? Otherwise, how could you be so calm?”

Tang Wei immediately sat in meditation and, after a moment, was both shocked and delighted. “Xiao Ling, how… how can this be…?”

“Happy?” Xiao Ling beamed with pride. “You’re ready to establish your Foundation. If Foundation Establishment weren’t a barrier between mortals and cultivators, you’d have leapt over it already. You’re at the peak of the twelfth level of Qi Refinement—you can establish your Foundation any time you wish.”

“Really?” Tang Wei could hardly believe it.

“Of course,” Xiao Ling replied, lifting her chin. “I never make mistakes! Foundation Establishment is different from Qi Refinement. Not only will you be able to use minor spells, but you can also observe your body with inner sight. If something like what happened to An’an happens again, you’ll be able to channel spiritual energy into others to diagnose their ailments.”

Overjoyed, Tang Wei jumped up, preparing to establish her Foundation at once. “This is wonderful—I want to do it right now!”

Xiao Ling quickly stopped her. “Sister, you need to prepare carefully, and besides, you’ve just come out of three months of enlightenment. Consolidate your gains first!”

“What did you say? I’ve been sitting here for three months? That means I’ve been missing for three days in the outside world! No, I have to go!”

Before she even finished speaking, Tang Wei had vanished.