Chapter 7 Guidance

Hou fell backwards, his body being cushioned by the moss beneath him. Laying on his back gazing at the sky he couldn't help but think about his death in his previous life. Would this be all he amounted to? Staring up at the beast that felled him Hou couldn't help but admire its beauty. A huge viper with deep jade scales loomed over him. It's yellow eyes examined the prey before it. Encircling Hou the snake raised up and displayed its snow white fangs in preparation for its meal. He could sense the beasts anticipation as well as the bloodlust it was exuding. As it went to strike Hou closed his eyes, clenched his fists and readied himself. But nothing happened. Slowly opening one eye he could now see he was cowering on the floor in an expanse of white nothingness.

"Pathetic."

Scrambling to his feet Hou whipped his head around. He'd definitely heard a voice but he couldn't sense a trace of any entity, let alone see them. 

"After all we went through this is all my descendants amount to?" 

This time when Hou looked around he found an old man standing in front him. His long white hair was pulled off his face in a ponytail allowing his sharp features to be on full display. Standing there in his simple green robe the old man exuded not only a sense of elegance and dignity but also pure unbridled power. 

"Who are you? Where am I?" Hou questioned the man.

"Doesn't even listen. *tsk* As I alluded to earlier I, child, am your ancestor. The poison immortal."

"What do you mean? I was just dying. Is this...is this heaven?"

A firm hand struck the back of Hou's head. He hadn't even seen the old man's movement.

"Does this look like heaven?" The mysterious old man hid a grin behind his hand and pointed at Hou "Look! A fool can't even tell where he is. We're in your upper dantian."

"My what?" Hou only grew more confused.

"Looks like I'll have to start from square one" the ancestor sighed.

"You, my descendant, released the seal on my tomb with your blood. Now I am here to guide you. When I ascended I left a portion of my soul behind to teach my descendants. I assumed if you attempted the contract you would at least know why you were doing what you were doing."

Hou thought back. Could the mound the herb was growing on be a burial mound? "Um elder. I think there's been some sort of mistake. I was just stabbed in a cave by a demonic beast?"

"WHAT!" The elder roared. "Let me borrow your eyes" in a flash the elder was flying towards and entering Hou's forehead. Hou was left grasping at his face until the elder returned moments later.

"Where are you?" The elder exclaimed clearly also now confused.

"What do you mean where am I? Isn't this where you sealed part of your soul? Shouldn't you know?" Hou couldn't believe he was arguing with this figure. He even thought that maybe this 'ancestor' was just an illusion of his dying mind. Another whack greeted the back of his head.

"I'm now a part of you so I can tell what you're thinking. Rude child."

As Hou rubbed the back of his head the elder continued. 

"I was buried on, not in a mountain and the energy surrounding my burial mound is unfamiliar to me. It couldn't be the same place I deposited my soul fragment. Although I suppose if we can get out of your little 'predicament' there'll be plenty of time to figure everything out. Lend me your body again for a bit." Hou tried to protest as he certainly hadn't enjoyed the sensation of his ancestor using his eyes but it was too late.

He was back in the real world...except he wasn't in his body. He was instead watching his body from a birds eye view. Somehow his body was not only healed and avoiding attacks from the demonic beast but was overpowering it. 

"Take this you bastard snake!" Hou's body shouted as his fist made contact with the monsters cheek. It's body slammed into the ground with such force it shook the surrounding landscape. The beast sat there momentarily dazed before it turned tail and began to slither away. 

"Don't think you're getting away that easy." The ancestor used Hou's body to gesture upwards and there appeared thousands of delicate needles made of qi. It took only a moment but as the hand was lowered the needles sank deep inside the serpent killing it almost instantly. Hou could only sit in stunned silence as he tried to imagine the amount of qi control it would take to recreate such a feat. 

"I guess that's about as much as this body can take" The ancestor said as his spirit slipped out of Hou's body and its rightful soul made its way back in.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" Hou couldn't believe the skills displayed by his body on top of being healed.

"I just burned some of your life force. No need to thank me" The elder now in a much smaller form perched on Hou's shoulder as they spoke. 

"You did what!?" Hou couldn't believe it. How much had this old fool shortened his life by?

"Without me you'd be dead anyway so what's the big deal? You'll be able to get some of it back if you eat the right elixirs anyway. You're so short sighted descendent- "

"Hou. My name is Hou Tang" he interjected.

"Ok Hou. I get that you want to stand here and argue but isn't there something more important you need to do?"

His ancestor was right. In all this commotion Hou had managed to forget his true objective, getting this herb to his father. Hou took off, retracing the steps he'd taken until finally free of the cave. 

If he was lucky he'd make it to his father in time.