Chapter 10: A Quiet Meeting (2)

"So, I... did do something..." Tao Cai couldn't help but stutter out his response. Several things ran through his mind as he contemplated what he might have done.

"It wasn't anything... serious, young lord." Ao Jīn responded immediately, pausing for a moment. "Please allow me to assure you of that." He bowed his head. "I imagine Wei Jie is speaking with Lord Li about this matter as we speak, young lord."

Tao Cai quietly stared down at his hands while thinking quietly to himself for a moment. "So, what did I do?" Tao Cai finally spoke after several moments.

"Young Lord..." Ao Jīn was preparing to tell Tao Cai why it would be best that he didn't know but was almost immediately stopped.

"No." Tao Cai interrupted Ao Jīn with a determined look on his face. "Please, just tell me what I did earlier." Tao Cai continued with a resolute and commanding tone. Despite his tone, however, it was clear that he was more desperate than anything.

"I... understand, young lord." Ao Jīn sighed. "As I said, it wasn't nothing serious; you had a loud outburst, and while you seemed aware of yourself, you also performed... unnaturally well at attacking the targets toward the end of our training session." Ao Jīn explained slowly and gently.

"What do you mean by outburst?" Tao Cai questioned, both curious and scared of what he may have done; his concerns were only furthered by the fact he couldn't remember.

"You... had an outburst." Ao Jīn spoke gently, speaking carefully so as to not cause the boy anymore grief. "It was nothing serious, please allow me to assure you of that." Ao Jīn bowed his head.

"What did I do?" Tao Cai immediately questioned Ao Jīn with haste.

"You screamed, nothing more." Ao Jīn responded quickly, attempted to assure Tao Cai. "While it's odd that you don't remember, you've done..." Ao Jīn was suddenly cut off.

"Don't lie to me!" Tao Cai jumped up to his feet as he suddenly shouted, Qi leaking from his body corrupted with a dark aura that caused Ao Jīn to jump to his feet as well. His eyes narrowed as he stared down at the younger boy in front of him. He never felt before what he was feeling now; just looking at the boy was causing his whole boy to hesitate.

"I... I apologize." Ao Jīn kneeled, bowing his head. As he kneeled there, Ao Jīn felt a sudden change in the energy around them. Slowly raising his head to look up at Tao Cai, he found the boy with a confused expression on his face. "Are... you alright, young lord?" Ao Jīn questioned with a shaky, concerned voice.

"Huh, oh... no, I'm fine." Tao Cai responded with a smile. "I was just wondering why you were kneeling." Tao Cai continued with a confused inflection to his voice.

'This... is not good.' Ao Jīn thought to himself in silence, his facial expression only just barely concealing the concern in his head. After a few moments, staring up quietly at Tao Cai, he spoke again. "Is there a reason you've come to the secluded gardens?" Ao Jīn questioned with curiosity, probing to see if Tao Cai remembered why he was there in the first place.

"Oh, yes." Tao Cai's demeanor changed suddenly as he lowered his head. Before the boy could speak, however, Ao Jīn spoke up.

"May I ask, would you like to meditate with me?" Ao Jīn asked with a gentle voice. "It is one of the best ways for cultivators to clear their minds and gain clarity. It is also rather beneficial to one's cultivation." Ao Jīn invited Tao Cai to sit in front of him. Tao Cai stared down at the kneeling Ao Jīn for a moment before smiling and nodding.

He quickly sat down, followed only a moment later by Ao Jīn as he shifted from his kneeling position to a sitting one.

"Meditation is a method of Qi circulation meant to purify the Qi in one's own body before circulating it through one's body." Ao Jīn explained. "Due to utilizing one's own meridians in the purification process, it can be a rather taxing exercise, especially for a young cultivator that has yet to open all of them. However, that is why I will be assisting you throughout this exercise."

"I thought I what I did when I unblocked my meridian before was meditating?" Tao Cai questioned with a bit of confusion.

"While we had you take a basic meditative pose, it wasn't actual meditation." Ao Jīn quickly explained. "What I'll be teaching you now is true meditation; an extremely efficient method for enhancing one's cultivation."

"I see." Tao Cai pondered quietly to himself. There were still many things he didn't understand about cultivation. "Whenever you're ready then." Tao Cai continued with a smile and nod.

"Very good, let us begin..."