Poison City

“That’s quite an adventure.” Master Liaoran patted Marcus on the shoulder: “I am very glad and grateful that you made it out alive. I am proud that you have acted with honor, bravery and wit. And I want you to know this, that man’s unfortunate demise is not your fault.”

“Thank you, master.” Marcus took a deep breath: “But I really wanna know: is my father gonna be okay? And is what I saw - real?”

“I don’t know, for I wasn’t there.” Master Liaoran shook his head: “But, it sounds to me that you are somewhat convinced that what you saw was real. If your heart is set on it, then you should go ahead and try to figure it out for yourself.”

“But, master. Can you help me understand this - ” Marcus tried to frame his question correctly, not only because he was trying to find the right and complete answer, but also because he was aware of the limitation and restriction imposed upon Master Liaoran by forces unknown to him - he could only provide very limited guidance to others, and he could not speak of anything concerning his undoubtedly complicated and mysterious past. “Is there some kind of curse really cast upon the city? And does 15 years of time mean something special?”

Master Liaoran opened his eyes wider than before, a bright smile appeared on his face, then he slowly uttered his answer: “You know, Marcus, this is the kind of question that’s gonna get you in trouble. And no, I cannot give you a definite answer on this one, not because I am prevented from giving it, but because I have none. I once tried to investigate this, but then a lot of things happened. But here’s the answer I can give you: there are records of Blood Rainbows from the past, and your friend Kevin is right - it’s an omen of bad things to come. And another way to think about it - don’t think of it as just a rainbow.”

“Okay, thank you Master.” Marcus nodded and finished his tea: “Shall we begin?”

“Yes, and one more thing.” Master Liaoran smiled and stood up: “Actually, two more things. First, I gave Wuzui some talismans and told him to share it with the donors and visitors as he sees fit. Go and ask him for some if you’d like. Second, today I am going to teach you something new - I know, I told you that because I am bound by some of my arrangements with other parties, there’s only so much I can share with you. But what I am about to teach you is actually more of a theory about Qi, and some tricks I developed based on it so I believe this would be something I have total control over.”

“That’s - that’s wonderful.” Marcus stood up and laid his jacket down: “Let’s begin then.”

No matter how hard Marcus tried and practiced, he felt that there were still a lot of things he could try to learn from Master Liaoran, and it would probably take a while before he could even get close to where the master was.

For example, right now he was trying to break Master Liaoran’s defenses with a variety of attacks and tactics, punches, claw attacks and kicks, none of which actually struck true, even just the back of Master Liaoran’s hand or his forearms when he was guarding. This old monk was dodging all of his attacks and tapping him on his back, his waist and his shoulders, reminding him of his weak points and lackings in forming a solid stance. 

These taps were not strong, nor did they hurt. They just carried small traces of the master’s Qi with them. And with these hits, the Qi seeped into his body and meridians, influencing and guiding Marcus’ own Qi flows.

“This style of steps I am using is also something I developed.” Master Liaoran said as he backed off from the range of Marcus’ consecutive claw attacks: “Try to watch the way I move, Ferocious Tiger Style gives you a lot of explosive power, allowing you to move fast with impact. But it lacks grace and flexibility, and as you progress it will become even harder to control. So, try not to resort to brute force everytime you want to move. ” 

“O - okay, let me try.” Marcus panted as he stood straight and recovered his poise after missing his attacks for another time. His Qi was almost at its end, and his muscles were burning with exhaustion and sore. The sparing and exercise he just went through was already lighter than before, it was his still lingering injuries that limited his abilities. 

The stab wound left by the “cursed” dagger was not deep and no longer imposed the risk of fracturing or bleeding, but its “curse” or toxin still made him more vulnerable to fatigue and weariness than usual. Yet, the thought of learning something new gave him some additional energy he did not know he had: “Can you show me once again? Let me try to copy you - ”

“Focus your Qi on your knees, your ankles and your toes, push them gently instead of just stomping the ground. Different parts of your body should coordinate with each other and help you actually glide through the distance you want to traverse, instead of just jumping and hoping for the best.” Master Liaoran hopped toward his left side with a light tap against the ground, his body floating in the air slowly as if he was riding the wind. “Remember, just like I told you before about engaging in battle, your Qi should be flowing inside of you, circling every corner of your body.”

Following Master Liaoran’s words and example, Marcus took a deep breath in, then slowly breathed out. His right foot tapped the ground, and let the last drops of his Qi course through his meridians. His body was lifted upwards and slightly to his left, and a very brief moment of clarity and inspiration, but soon it was interrupted by his fall - the soreness in his muscles and numbness of his nerves from his tiredness kicked in and he failed the landing and stumbled.

Master Liaoran held Marcus’ shoulders before he hit the ground and swiftly lifted him up, then he gently helped Marcus get into a meditation pose: “Keep your mind clear, try to follow the light and let it speak to you.”

Marcus felt that his energy level right now was too low for him to do anything. But it looked like there was nothing he needed to actively do - he felt as if he had fallen asleep and was pulled into a dream. And in this very dream, there was a single source of faint light hanging in the dark night sky in front of him. There was no ground under his feet, he was floating in a vacuum without gravity. Soft and gentle breezes brushed through his skin and floated the loose parts of his clothes in the air. He tried to fixate on the light above him, and though it appeared close, it still felt quite distant and somewhat unintelligible.

His muscles felt soft and loosened and his entire body felt like it had undergone a thorough massage, because his soreness was suddenly all gone, and he had for a temporary moment fully regained his ability to move.

The single orb of light in the sky above him shattered, and released more than a dozen more orbs of light around it, sending them into different trajectories. Each of the orb left a shining trail behind as it traversed the tranquil night sky. And before long, he realized that the trails of light all made up for one big graph, one showing some of the major meridians inside a human body.

When the graph was completed, the orbs disappeared into their trails, all of which were connected with each other. Then, the trails of light started flowing like they were made of liquid, signifying the direction of the flow of Qi inside. It was the flow of Ferocious Tiger Style, one he already memorized by heart. But this graph also showed something dynamic - the flow of Qi had different paces along different meridians, and the concentration of light on different parts of the graph showcased where to focus his Qi on. The concentration and speed of Qi flow was different from what he was used to, yet they indeed presented him something new, and most important of all, functional and sound.

There seemed to be a vague shadow of a tiger slowly emerging behind the graph. Its eyes got closer and closer. And the closer they got, the brighter they became. Then, as if in a hunt, the shadow of the tiger arched its body, then launched to the side, bounced off something standing vertically, then landed on a spot further in front of it. 

Marcus woke up with a soft gasp, then he found that he was alone in the inner sanctum. With two folded paper talismans placed on the ground before him with a note.