Chapter 8:

Close to the gate and past the stable we would find the farming district run by peasants and non-cultivators enjoying the protection of the sect and a section of the district was reserved for animals mostly pigs and milky horned copper cows, a great name once again, but sometime people would bring capture beast to be fought in the arena to prepare for festivals or such. That's why there is a bunch of big cages made out of reinforced iron to keep rare and most likely dangerous beast, captive. However, the two small monkeys almost naked because of all the shaving Xian did just look ridiculous in a cage at least 20 times their size. Anyway, now wasn't the time to bully some lowly monkey but to find a cure to his mom's disease.

- "So, which one is ill?" ask Xian

The servant that guided him until point to the monkey on the far right.

- "I imagined it's the one I made the most amounts of operation since he was already wounded, I opened one of his organs by accident and didn't even care one bit about hygiene. I'm not surprised he's ill." Continued Xian as he walked toward the monkey.

Except that once he arrived in front, to his surprise the monkey that was ill was none other than his second subject. Not only that but the first one was sleeping soundly as if he never was operated on. Of course, Xian had to go see closer. Once he got next to it he could clearly see that it wasn't just an ordinary fever, the area where he operated on the foot was all inflated and when he tried to circulate Qi through the meridian Xian found that the monkey Qi was pushing it away as if it was rejecting it. Hence, the theory about having different types of meridians was more or less confirmed but that didn't help one bit because there could be millions of those types. Plus, was it possible in the first place to make the exchange between a human and a samurai mountain monkey? Visibly annoyed and anxious by this revelation Xian was repeatedly hitting his forehead with the joint of his thumb to force him to think if he had miss something that could help.

- "I'm sorry young man but you concerned for the coughing one its he's yours?"

The voice came from behind Xian it was a relatively tall man in his 40s, he had a nice smile and a pitch fork on his shoulder. Immediately Xian's servant said:

- "Impolite! This is Xian the little master of our sect, how dare you!"

- "Stop, let him talk."

A little bit taken aback by this vivid reaction the man kinda stuttered in his word because he didn't realize he was speaking to someone so high placed in the hierarchy. Because in this world of cultivation the strong could take the live of the weak on a whim he started to bow to Xian hoping for forgiveness. Xian stop him in his track:

- "No need to bow you were not in fault just tell me if you have an idea of what to do here."

- "I, I don't know if it really will help but I am often in charge of the beasts kept here and when they get ill we usually just give them more food and water and make sure they eat it and they healed u'know whatta say: a gud meal, a gud body!" The man said recovering his patois toward the end.

Xian pause a moment tinkering the idea. Meanwhile, his personal servant was gunning with his eyes the peasant who was visibly more and more uncomfortable. Then Xian exclaim:

- "That's it!"

He took about 50 low level spirit stones and gave it to the man who had never seem such a big fortune in his entire life, he had his mouth and eyes so wide open a fly got in. A little bit amused our protagonist told him it was a thank you gift and bid him farewell. As they walk back his servant was relentless on how inappropriate giving so much money to a peasant was and he add:

- "And I can assure you master Xian that the guards and myself did our utmost best to take care of the monkeys I saw them eat the food given to them there's no way he was feverish because of this."

- "Calm down man, Jesus you're a worrywart. I know you took good care of the monkey I trust you my revelation was something else."

Definitely surprised by the phrasing of his master and not sure who this Jesus is but that wasn't of much importance because the little master had just said that he trusted him! A big smile drew on his face and flowers seem to bloom behind him, the servant named Muso was a loyal man, pretty easy to please. At this point he had stop listening to Xian but this one hadn't stop talking.

- "My point is now the monkey has a new meridian in his body but that very body his rejecting it or it's unable to use the meridian so, that mean that if we give him an heavenly water fruit we might be able to force his meridians to adapt."

- "Hahaha, yes sir… wait… An heavenly water fruit! For a monkey ..?"

- "Yup, that's why we're here."

In front of them stood the Great Hall where every treasures of the sect was stored and also where his father the chief of the sect spend most of his time to take care of everything. Without a doubt, this is the most important building with gold imprint claiming treasury, pretentiously challenging any thieves. Also, those fancy stairs supporting the foundation of a four-story building protected by 6 guards all at the realm of earth and heaven truly representative of the greatest of his sect thought Xian. Each guard are from one of the six clan that compose the sect: the Yuusha family, the Mu family, the LI family, the Chu family and the Robert family. All represented by a pillar holding the facade of this treasury.

- "OK, lets stop idling around I need my father to give me permission to take two."

- "But sir, the heavenly water fruit is rare only one grow every 100 years and many men have died trying to get one. Our sect despite its greatness can't afford to waste it on a monkey."

Xian shrugging Muso worries off penetrated in his dad office and close the door stopping the servant from following him.

- "Hello son? Make it quick there is a lot of preparations that needs to be made for both the tournament and the incursion that will follow. Plus, there have been report of an awful miasma that made some of the towns-folks sick we're investigating to see if this isn't the act of an evil cultivator or a bad omen."

A little bit embarrass by that last part Xian pondered for two seconds if he should tell him or not. However, him being too prideful stop him from doing so, and conclude that anyway the sect being careful was a good thing.

- "Sect leader, I need the authorization to take two heavenly water fruits."

- "No." – interrupted his father.

- "But you don't even know why I need it…"

- "It doesn't matter you need to focus on your cultivation. You need to win this stupid tournament and take revenge for your mother."

- "STOP talking as if she's already dead! I can still save her!"

- "YOU IDIOT you are a cultivator, a warrior that can transcend fate! Your mother spend fourteen years suffering just to wait and see you again so she could be proud of your growth. Not only do you come back looking like this, but you seem to have no upbringing in your martial art and all you do for a week is play around with monkeys while the honor of your mother and her heritage to you is in on the line. STOP wasting time and… become strong Xian."

The last words were spoken in a very soft tone almost crying as he continued:

- "I couldn't be there for her… I am weak. Don't make the same mistake I did become strong son, strong enough to protect everything you love. Look at me, I can't protect the woman I love, and I can't even protect your heirloom to the sect."

- "What… Do you mean?"

- "This whole tournament thing it's only there to show leadership and fighting strength. The other families were not thinking you would come back and pressure me into giving the heirloom to one of their sons. The only thing I could do to delay their schemes was to create the tournament giving me an excuse. Do you hear me… I make excuses now; the patriarch of the proud Strength of God sect is the type of man that need to make excuses because he's too weak to even defend his own family."

Xian who was gritting his teeth couldn't bear listening to the whining of his father anymore and scream.

- "SHUT UP! I don't need to hear this. My father is a proud man who despite is weak cultivation always achieved is goals! You married the woman of your dream, lead our sect for 50 years with a firm hand and made it flourish! You're not weak, maybe you can't blow up a mountain with one punch but you're a man that succeed in life, you got anything you wanted. Who care if you had to make excuse, who care if you feel ridiculed, who care if you weren't there when she got hit, what matters is now! Dad, I can save her. I need to try."

The sect leader was silent its as if he had been holding all this guilt and sadness trap in him for all those 14 years and he just release it out in one shot; he felt empty but relieve because his son stood proud in front of him and maybe just maybe…

- "Dad, as long as there's life there is hope!"

- "Ok, just take the fruits. But you need to win that tournament, you need to make your mother proud because… Anyway, I'm proud of you son, no matter what."

- "Good, you won't regret it and why are you so afraid that I will lose? It's not like someone in this sect could beat me."

- "There is now three cultivators at the rebirth realm and Robert from the Robert family stand at the peak of it."

- "Welp… that's… a sad name. Anyway, I have a monkey to test on and a powerful mom to save."

Xian picked up the heavenly water fruits that were keep in the safe in the room adjacent to the sect leader office and left.