《Nine Worlds Saga - Burning of the Dew》 Dance of the Evening Chi Life is a dance of light. We can see plants drink water and turn to drink the light. While all humanity needs the light to eat, to work, and to fight back the night. The kingdom of heaven gifted all life with ki, the dan tiens to transform ki to chi, and the forms needed to pull chi through and out of the body. Tension, Release, and the Balance between is the call of every soul to the Kingdom of Heaven. ~From writings of an unnamed student of the Philosopher of Good. PoV - Xinyi Xinyi stood from her meditation, Chi filling her Lower Dan Tian. The complete amount of Ki she could draw from a single meal left her both exhilarated and bloated. (How will I complete the form while this full? I might vomit.) She pictured boys watching her with dreamy looks¡­ until she sprayed them with Ki-rich rice and carrots, and chi-beast pork chunks. She shuddered. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. We are practicing this full for a reason.¡± She looked around the siheyuan making sure no one was waiting to walk through to the Family Shrines Juniper bush. She took a deep breath full of the Blooming Hibiscus and Jasmine, she clapped her cheeks. Then began the form. A tingling burn rippled through her body as Chi surged into her clenched muscles. The warmth of it pulsed, weaving through her limbs before stilling in her hands, bringing restoration. She flowed and halted in the Chen Style, each stance a deliberate contrast of motion and stillness. The courtyard was quiet, save for some neighborhood Cicada and the humming of her Radient Chi. Late afternoon light painted golden streaks across the stone roof tiles. As she kept the tension in her hands and feet. She spun into a strike and held the pose, then released and flowed through several more sets of the form. With a sharp inhale, she swept her arms toward the target, a bundle of dried leaves bound with twine, and clenched her fist, two fingers extended. Whamp! The leaves scattered, transformed into smoking ashes, their tattered twine curling in the faint heat. A flicker of satisfaction swelled in her chest as she bowed, exhaling slowly. (Should I use fans? Or maybe ribbons? No¡­ ribbons will reveal flaws in the healing rests.) She scanned the siheyuan for more leaves to bundle with the remaining twine. The scent of burnt foliage lingered, mingling with the faint jasmine and hibiscus that drifted throughout the garden of the courtyard. (Is it good enough? I wish I had Light Weaving Chi already¡­ or maybe I should have gone for the Warding Chi of Gyam. Then I could do the image reflection forms and have greater defense. But that is such a longer journey to reach. It would have been too much to ask of Baba and Mama.) She scoffed while tying another twine-wrapped bundle to the hook in front of the sand and water buckets next to her father''s worn smooth wooden dummy. (Like you could master one let alone two new forms without a tutor¡­ how would you blend them with Chen Style? Argh, I wish I could know everything!) This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Her mind drifted to the caricature drawings her father had brought home, portraits of people from beyond the world gates. The Light Weaving Chi users of Hozho bore some resemblance to the people of Kas¡¯Hao, yet their eyes, foreheads, and cheeks held unfamiliar shapes and depths. The people of Gyam, as drawn, were far more different, not copper and bronze like those of Kas¡¯Hao or Hozho, but more like rice with the barest hint of cinnamon and chili oil or like a cherry blossom pink that is half aging to white. (Mother said I must be flawless if I want the judges to notice me. And if I succeed we visit Gyam or Hozho and get other land Chi from a Juniper shrine.) Sour nervousness washed over her. She shouted a h¨¥ xi¨¤o. Nodded facing north and her target. ¡°I will be perfect at this before the festival¡­ before I humiliate myself in front of the judges and the community.¡± Her stomach gurgled from the lingering fullness. (One more time. Stronger this time.) She raised her hands, Chi moving through her to her tense to cramping hand. She raised to strike¡ª ¡°Xinyi! Did you hear? The Kingdom of Miezaru Hi closed the world gate! All the trade routes are blocked! Maybe we won¡¯t get to go on the ship Baba and Mama said we would!¡± Her brother¡¯s excited voice burst into the courtyard. Startled, ¡°HAO!¡± Xinyi whipped her head toward him. The Chi in her hand released from her control wildly. WHAMP! She gasped at the damage. Her cast energy had been visible as it flew from her inefficiency. The blast slammed into the stonewall, sending out spidering cracks, shattering roof tiles, and leaving blackened scorch marks along the carved beams under the eaves. But worst of all, the blast struck the upper half of their father¡¯s wooden training dummy¡­ A slow sizzle then a crack and the smoking dummy started to burn. She bites her lip a wash of fear and anger. Hao tilted his head in that stupid bird-like way, then looked back at Xinyi. He rubbed his thumbs over his fingertips in his nervous tick. ¡°Baba, won¡¯t like that.¡± Xinyi¡¯s stomach turned to lead. ¡°Hao! Why did you¡­¡± She cut herself off, pressing her palms to her temples. (It wasn¡¯t his fault.) A striking post fell from the dummy rolling towards Hao. Hao picked up the broken wooden limb, running his fingers along the ash-charred edge. ¡°This wood was already stressed. See? The grain is uneven here.¡± He traced the cracks with near-reverence, eyes gleaming with curiosity rather than concern. Xinyi groaned, running to the buckets, taking a water one, and slowly pouring it over the dummy. ¡°Hao, you can¡¯t just yell like that when I¡¯m practicing forms and chi channeling! I¡­¡± She gestured at the scorched wall, the dummy¡¯s post. ¡°Look what happened!¡± Hao paused, considering this. He tapped his fingers against the wood. One finger, two finger, and three finger. Then looked up. ¡°But it¡¯s important.¡± Xinyi sighed, frustration battling guilt. ¡°What?¡± He adjusted his grip on the broken wood, his voice more serious now. ¡°If Miezaru Hi keeps the gate closed, all the trade routes that go through there will stop. That means no more beaver pelts or that new giant grain won¡¯t be coming. And we can¡¯t get new Chi.¡± Xinyi blinked, her frustration faltering. (That¡­ actually is important. Argh, Baba¡¯s going to kill me.) She rubbed her forehead, her mind scrambling for a solution. Hao tilted his head. ¡°If you had Warding Chi, do you think the dummy would¡¯ve been protected if we embedded a chi beast crystal?¡± Xinyi exhaled, ¡°Possibly¡­ we need to clean this up.¡± He nodded, setting the broken post down with gentle care. ¡°I think I like Warding Chi. I will be a warding master.¡± Xinyi stared at him. Then, despite herself, she laughed. (Of course, he wants that.) Okay, well need a mason Judgment is found in that which you decided yesterday shall apply to today. Discernment is found in forgetting yesterday to reach the tomorrow you want. Wisdom is found in balancing them both. Tension, Release, and the Balance Between. ~Quote from A Gyamian trader. PoV - Xinyi Xinyi fretted at the hem of her shirt. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can fix this before Baba gets home¡­ Even if I had the Material shaping Chi of¡­¡± She paused, clapping her hands, ¡°B¨´ Bi¨¤n De Xi¨¤nsh¨ª. No wait¡­ they have another name. Mama told me it once what was it?¡± Hao balanced precariously on the overturned water bucket, tracing his fingers along the cracks in the wall. ¡°She said it yesterday. ¡®Bradorramese, or Land of Unchanging Reality. But it makes no sense their Chi changes the shape of things.¡¯ That¡¯s as much of what she said that I can remember.¡± Xinyi rushed over, ¡°Get down from there! I''m already in enough trouble without you getting hurt falling.¡± She grabbed his arms, pulling him off the bucket. He landed lightly, his large, unblinking eyes stared up at her. ¡°Should we clean up more? Or set up a barrier before W¨¤ig¨­ng comes over? What if more roofing tiles fall?¡± Xinyi darted a glance upward. Then pulled Hao away from the fall radius. ¡°We should¡­¡± ¡°Explain.¡± Baba¡¯s voice cut through the courtyard, cold and firm. His eyes swept over the wreckage, from the shattered roof tiles to the cracked wall, and finally to his splintered and scorched dummy. Xinyi froze. The silence stretched like a cat leaving a sunbeam. Baba¡¯s jaw tightened, his expression unreadable. He took a slow deliberate breath. ¡°Explain why there is structural damage to our house when you promised to be gentle with your Chi during solo practice?¡± Xinyi opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. ¡°It was both of our faults.¡± Hao declared, dashing over to grab the broken post. ¡°Still mostly Xinyi¡¯s. She used too much Chi, but I startled her.¡± His words spilled out in a rush. ¡°But-but-but she actually did you a favor-look.¡± He jabbed the broken post up at Baba¡¯s face. ¡°See? The wood was already weak! It could have broken and cut you!¡± Baba exhaled through his nose, slow and measured. Hand-blocking Hao¡¯s jabs. Xinyi held her breath (Oh no, He¡¯s really mad. Hao you¡¯re making it worse.) She bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Baba. I have no excuse. I shouldn¡¯t have let my hopes for the festival distract me, or allowed Hao¡¯s interruption to startle me so much.¡± Hao shoved the broken post into Baba¡¯s hands, tapping the sharp, ash-charred edges. ¡°Well, it was way too much Chi. I could see the casting.¡± Baba¡¯s back stiffened, his grimace deepening into a frown. ¡°You lost control that much? You could have had a Chi deviation. You could have demonized.¡± Xinyi swallowed hard bowing deeper. Baba turned away, passing Hao back the post, moving to inspect the damage. Hao, incapable of handling this much silence trailed after him. ¡°But it was in her hands, so the deviation couldn¡¯t have affected her mind. Still, we should watch out for falling tiles.¡± Baba swiped a finger along the sooty, cracked wall, stepping back to assess the roof damage. Xinyi pressed her lips together. (Hao, Please stop talking.) But Hao, as always, prattled on. ¡°Maybe we need Warding Chi. If the house and Dummy had been reinforced, this wouldn¡¯t have- ¡°Enough Hao.¡± Baba¡¯s eye twitched. Exhaling then more softly, said. ¡°This is my fault too. Your mother told me we should only let you use Healing Chi when we weren¡¯t present.¡± Xinyi ducked her head, staring at the ground. ¡°I am sorry, Baba.¡± Bright, musical laughter rang behind them. Like an eager puppy, Hao bounded over to Mama, thrusting the broken post up towards her face. ¡°Look at what Xinyi did! Strong but no control, just like me.¡± Mama¡¯s lips curled into a mischievous grin as she glanced at Baba, ¡°See? And you worried the kids wouldn¡¯t take after us. Powerful and adventurous like me, and rash and impulsive like you.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Baba sighed, rubbing his forehead, though a small, pursed-lipped smile betrayed him. ¡°Yes, well¡­ First, we need to determine punishments.¡± Then added softly, ¡°And seek the masons and a carpenter.¡± Mama ruffled Hao¡¯s hair, ¡°That has pointy bits. Don¡¯t wave it in people''s faces, okay?¡± Hao¡¯s eyes widened nodding seriously. ¡°Okay. Oh! At school today, the teacher said Miezaru Hi closed their world gate, does that mean the trip is canceled?¡± Mama nodded for them to move inside. ¡°Let''s talk while we make dinner before W¨¤ig¨­ng and N¨£inai get here. We may need to reconsider several things we planned for the Autumn break.¡± Baba gestured for Xinyi to follow. She hesitated, then grimaced, keeping her gaze low. ¡°I, Am sorry.¡± Baba exhaled, nodding. ¡°You have Tension from Radiant Chi and Balance from the Healing Chi. To improve your control, we need to get you a Release Chi. Hao might be right, Warding Chi could help, but fitting the trip into Autumn break would be rather difficult.¡± Xinyi shallowed, slipping off her shoes before stepping inside. ¡°So¡­ Hozho might not be possible?¡± Baba shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know any more than anyone else about what Miezaru Hi is doing. They wouldn¡¯t close the gate without a reason, it¡¯s politically dangerous, a threat to stability. I can¡¯t imagine what could have caused it.¡± From the kitchen, Hao¡¯s voice range out. ¡°I want bean buns, bean buns, BEANS BUNS!¡± Mama''s amused voice followed, ¡°Then come help cut the onions, peppers, and sprouts?¡± A moment later, Hao bolted past Xinyi and Baba, wailing, ¡°No, no, no! My eyes will burn!¡± Mama sighed, waved them into the kitchen to help. As they entered, Baba continued. ¡°The plan for Hozho was to get you Tranquility Chi, not Light Weaving Chi. Though¡­ you likely would have achieved both if Juniper willed it.¡± Xinyi frowned as she took her place at the cutting station, where Mama pointed. She washed her hands at the spigot and basin, ¡°Why tranquility Chi?¡± Baba began splitting kindling. For a moment, Xinyi nearly suggested using the splintered wood in the courtyard, but for the sharp look Baba gave her. It was like Baba had read her mind, he said, ¡°Tranquility Chi allows for a peaceful end to hostility. A very suitable Release Chi for Radiant Chi users.¡± Mama humming a folk song as she worked Xinyi picked up a knife. ¡°So¡­ suitable, but not optimal?¡± Mama nodded carrying the song tone. ¡°Exactly. The best Chi for Chi control oddly enough is a Tension Chi from Aenoria, but that world gate is months away. If these are unavailable balancing the Chi triggers is the best practice. Baba gained release Chi from Gyam and I from Hozho. I had hoped to meet with the same people I visited for the World Exchange student program before you were born. We traded stories and their Juniper Shrine is very safe. Hozho, the World Mind, is very active there.¡± Xinyi began slicing the vegetables. Glancing at Baba. ¡°Why is Kas¡¯Hao silent then? The Heavenly Queen and our World Mind Kas¡¯Hao give us Chi, but don¡¯t speak to us anymore.¡± Mama nodded. ¡°A good question. I don¡¯t know an answer either.¡± Baba paused while washing the rice, ¡°An interesting question, that will not distract me from setting your punishment. You will need to Complete the Chen Forms while fasting one hundred times without mistakes before you can do the forms with Chi again unsupervised.¡± She looked up, ¡°But the fes-¡± Baba turned away, not quite hiding a smirk. ¡°Exactly. You hate this, which makes it an effective punishment.¡± She leaned on the table, arms crossed. ¡°Fine, Baba. I can track that.¡± Baba¡¯s tone was far too pleased. ¡°And it will only be counted by your mother or I?¡± Her jaw dropped. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Baba sighed, unbothered. ¡°Like my loss of a training tool, we will both adapt. Now, enough complaining,¡± He rinsed his hands, voice shifting to something more thoughtful. ¡°I know the world Mind Kas¡¯Hao exists. We have Chi-Stone recordings. One conversation I¡¯ve heard was with a being that calls itself Kas¡¯Hao, granting Chi blessings and so much more. The Museum in Hu¨¡ L¨´ City plays them to visitors.¡± Xinyi moved on to the green peppers, ¡°L¨£o Y¨¦ye told me a story about speaking with the Queen of Heaven herself.¡± Baba snorted. ¡°When I was a child, he used to say it was a child of the Heavenly Queen. Other times, it was one of her sisters in disguise.¡± Baba set the rinsed rice aside to soak. ¡°Guangzhou is only a few hours'' journey by boat from Hu¨¡ L¨´ City. Maybe we can go there for the Autumn break. And the issue with the world gate is resolved by summer, we could plan a journey across worlds.¡± Xinyi bit back a response, wary this might be another trick to fish for punishment ideas. Instead, she asked, ¡°If they don¡¯t speak anymore, how do they still give blessings?¡± Baba shrugged. ¡°No clue. People say many things. Some say they are in mourning for the Maker''s death. Others it¡¯s for the loss of Terra. And there are those that claim the Queen of Heaven and the World Mind never existed at all. That every record and piece of evidence is fake and should be destroyed.¡± She frowned as she portioned out the chili oil, pickled beans, and pickled mustard greens. ¡°Why destroy recordings? We can''t even make those anymore. And Terra was lost so long ago that we barely have any history of it. And the Makers died? I thought they left to build a new Realm. ¡± Baba stoked the fire, tending to the rice. ¡°Well, to some people, left and died mean the same thing. We know Life died. There¡¯s a Chi stone recording of Change and Creation speaking to a distraught Juniper. Kas¡¯Hao, Gyam, Hozho, Terra, and Aenoria discussed sharing Chi to manage Juniper¡¯s absence while grieving with her Sisters and Brothers. They called Chi some foreign word.¡± She nearly cut her fingers. ¡°Wait¡­ That would make the recording older than the loss of Terra?¡± Baba nodded, his expression serious. ¡°The Museum idea growing on you?¡± She grumbled, slicing through the pickled greens. ¡°Like a mushroom. But, I still think getting more Chi types sooner is better.¡± Baba laughed. ¡°I said the same thing at your age.¡± Hao came running into the kitchen screaming. ¡°N¨£inai and W¨¤ig¨­ng are here!¡± Mama set the rice dough to rest covered near the fire. Wiped her hands. Baba nodded scoping more rice into his rinsing bowl. ¡°Tell N¨£inai we will be right there.¡± Hao darted off on his mission. Xinyi wiped her hands on a cloth and sighed. ¡°Same volume as when I was doing my forms.¡± Baba chuckled, following her and Mama out of the kitchen.