Chapter 4 A Fateful Encounter

Hou had long grown accustomed to the land that surrounded his families fortress as he often escaped into the forest to avoid the various chaperones his father had assigned to him. It was the only place he felt truly relaxed in the suffocating environment of a prestigious family. 

As he wandered the mountain he collected both poisonous and medicinal herbs as he went. It was becoming easier these days as about a month ago he began to see a faint green hue around herbs that contained useful compounds as well as a brief description and its uses. When he asked his father about this he could only guess that Hou had been blessed by some deity who was favouring his existence. 

If it was the Qilin watching over him he couldn't be more thankful as his eyes betrayed a greed not typical for one of his age. In a flash he ran between each herb carefully extracting each of them and putting them into a satchel he had brought with him. As Hou went he kept a mental tally of the gold he could sell everything for.

1, 3, 5, 7 , 12...As he reached for the next herb he heard the faintest rustle from the bushes behind him. Instinctively Hou drew his dagger.

"Reveal yourself!" He felt a bit silly shouting into the air. What if it was just the wind and he was only making a fool of himself? He couldn't shake these thoughts until he saw her step out. 

She was a small girl, about his physical age if he had to guess, and although she had just stepped out of a bush on a mountain side she had an air of confidence about her. 

"If you're all the way out here you must be a servant. Show me to the Tang household boy." The condescension dripped off every word. Hou couldn't help but laugh at this little fledgling in front of him trying to act tough while in what must be a desperate situation. With no personal guards around and her attitude he assumed she was a young lady of some household that had run away or gotten lost on her way to his families home. This was confirmed as looking at her waist there was clearly a jade nameplate, although it held the emblem of a group he didn't know.

"Why are you laughing servant! Take me immediately!"

Hou had, had enough of her attitude now. Taking a step forward he released some of his qi aiming to supress the young girl, but to his surprise she was managing to resist quite well. He could see a stubborn fire in her eyes as she refused to give in to the growing pressure on her, a bead of sweat dripping down her delicate brow. He'd vented his annoyance enough now. Releasing his qi the young girl took a deep breath in and unclenched her jaw.

"If he head straight towards the East you'll eventually find the road you're meant to be travelling on. Good luck."

Using basic qinggong Hou darted out of site to continue his herb picking. He wasn't going to let his free time be ruined just because he met some girl in the mountain. 

It was late afternoon before he returned and as he predicted the family was busier then usual due to the arrival of guests. Hou weaved his way in and out of the many attendants running around the courtyard. While he WAS curious about the entourage that had arrived he decided it would likely be best to head back to his room to hide his gains before they were confiscated. 

Walking into the private courtyard he found his father in a drunken stupor. Very out of character. 

"How *hiccup* how could they do this to me" Hou's father mumbled alongside some incomprehensible nonsense. He had never seen him like this. Strong in both will and martial prowess it could not have been a small incident if his father had become like this. As his mother was already at the table comforting his father Hou decided to carefully sneak his way past and head straight to his room. 

Lifting the secret trapdoor under his bed he had installed Hou placed the freshly retrieved herbs into the cavity and closed it up. He had created this space to hide important items from prying eyes. From Hou's perspective this world at its core was not that much different from his previous. Those with more power would always try to monopolise the resources of those beneath them and he wasn't about to lose these herbs to the greedy elders again. 

Hou thoughts back to when he was five and he first snuck out of the compound. On his return an elder opposed to his father had caught him and used his roaming as an excuse to confiscate all of his herbs, despite their value far exceeding his misdeed. From then on Hou learnt to become sneakier to prevent another loss. After all he was collecting these herbs to synthesise into drugs from earth in preparation for what might occur in the future. Hou had not seen much of the wide Jianghu but he knew it was a world of violence and any advantage he could create would certainly be of benefit. 

Luckily alongside the gift of what he was calling identification he also received a second gift. The gift of a soul furnace. Utilising the Tang families library Hou had learned that in this martial world alchemists and chemists use a furnace they infuse with their qi to create concoctions. The grade that these concoctions can reach is inherently related to the level of the furnace and many a war had been fought to obtain an immortal grade furnace as the benefits were just that great. At the peak of all furnaces are those created as a spiritual tool. These furnaces possess an ego and imprint onto its owners soul allowing it to appear and disappear as the owner wills it. 

Hou pictured his furnace and it materialised in front of him. It vibrated with happiness, akin to a puppy seeing its owner. The spirit inside the furnace was young and Hou appreciated its raw enthusiasm during his work. 

Sitting in a lotus position Hou began to channel is qi into the furnace. He had finally collected all the ingredients to begin synthesising one of earths most safe, basic and useful medications, PARACETEMOL. In front of him Hou had laid out all the materials he would need. A flame stretched out from the furnace and collected the ingredients into its chamber one by one. Focusing on the chemical structure in his mind Hou began carefully processing the ingredients. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he furrowed his brow in concentration. This reaction was taking far more qi then he had anticipated and he was quickly running out. He couldn't stop now though. Squeezing out every drop of qi he had he finally finished the synthesis. Reaching forward to take the pill in front of him his vision started to blur before he felt all the strength leave his body as he collapsed onto the floor.