Shi Lang exited the Moon Night Diner and went to the nearest pill shop. In this world, meridian-washing pills were not hard to find. However, not many people bought them because of the low possibility of the pill working.
It was said that the cultivation potential of a person would improve if they could clean their meridians, but not one said that the chances of that, even with pills and opportunities, were low. The chances were close to zero unless you had a heavenly natural treasure, like the spirit liquid from the Inheritance palace.
The terran finished buying the pills, shopped for clothes suitable for a girl and bought a pair of wooden swords on his way back. He did not intend to decide what weapon Yu Xiedi should learn to use, but the sword was what he was proficient in, and he would like for her to understand the skills so that until she decides what she wants to do, she could defend herself.
Shi Lang came back to the inn and entered his room. He found Yu Xiedi lying on the floor. He was shocked and approached her quickly. He checked her and sighed. The girl seemed to be exhausted and had fallen asleep while resting. He approached her to pick her up, but her senses were sharp. She sat up with a reflex action and clawed at Shi Lang.
The terran was fast and held her wrists and gently said, “Xiao Yu, it is me.”
Yu Xiedi had reacted out of vigilance just now. Shi Lang understood this and realized that the girl must have sensed someone approaching her and attacked to defend herself. He was enraged at what this child must have been subjected to in that bandit village over the years that turned her into what she is now.
He infused spirit energy in his throat, so the voice had a calming effect when he spoke. Yu Xiedi looked at him and stopped struggling. She said, “I apologize, Master.”
Shi Lang shook his head and said, “It is alright. Come, would you like to eat first or bathe?”
Yu Xiedi said, “I would like to bathe first. My mother used to clean me with spirit energy when I was little. But she stopped doing so after that man looked at me with ill intentions.”
Shi Lang closed his eyes to calm his anger. He then carefully sent the girl inside the washroom and gave her the clothes. He told her to wear anything that she fancied. He was now an old person, excluding his age. Shopping for a child was similar to buying things for his great-granddaughter.
When she came out, Yu Xiedi finished bathing after half an hour. Shi Lang was stunned and said, “To think my disciple is a doll. I must have done some good deeds.”
The girl did not comment but only lowered her gaze. She wore a white hanfu and looked like a porcelain doll. Earlier, her beauty was hidden under dirt and filth, but now she looked like a princess.
Shi Lang beckoned her to his side and served a few dishes he ordered from the inn. The two of them ate slowly, but from the sparkling eyes of the young girl, Shi Lang could tell that she was enjoying every morsel of the food. It was not hard to imagine that food was a luxury in a place where she did not even have anything to sleep properly on.
After the meal, the terran asked, “Xiao Yu, I would impart your cultivation. Do you want to do it today?”
The girl nodded without any hesitation. Shi Lang smiled and said, “You have never cultivated before this, so your physique is weak. Many families in the immortal world use elixirs to support a pregnant woman. Even low-income families can provide some spirit beast meat to the expecting mother. These elixirs make the child born with a stronger physique.”
Yu Xiedi nodded, and Shi Lang continued, “Since your mother could not have any elixirs when carrying you, we must find a way to make up for that. You have a good enough spirit root, but the body can improve.”
Yu Xiedi asked, “Master, isn’t cultivation about spiritual energy refining? Why do I need to strengthen my body?”
Shi Lang smiled and patiently answered her doubt, “You see, a cultivator’s body is akin to a vessel, and the spirit energy is water. If the quality of the vessel is poor, the amount of water it can hold might be the same as a good one, but it will not last long.
The water inside will exert pressure, and what if the vessel breaks from that pressure?”
Yu Xiedi replied, “The water will leak out.”
Shi Lang nodded in approval and said, “Correct, the vessel will break, and the person will be left crippled. Do you understand the importance of a good body?”
Yu Xiedi nodded, and Shi Lang began to teach her various things like stances to strengthen her core and the knowledge of the human body acupoints. He did not expect her to remember and was patient with the process.
There was only so much a child could do. At night, he asked her to sit before him and touched her back. He said, “Xiao Yu, I will be channeling spirit energy through your body to condition it. Try to calm down and remember this feeling.”
The girl nodded, and Shi Lang gently channeled his spiritual energy into her body. Yu Xiedi shivered slightly, but she calmed down soon. Shi Lang was not only going to temper her body with the spirit energy but also force out some blockage from her meridians because, after this session, he would take her out with himself and complete the hunting task of hunting wolves.
He was not worried about putting the child in danger because he was not going out with the conventional tools of a cultivator. He had something special in his mind. 𝔬𝒱𝓁xt.𝚌𝚘𝓂