Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

How powerful should I make them?

My thoughts drift to their dantian and meridians.

 There are several changes I could make and help guide them to do before they start the cultivation method.

 The problem is, each of them will cause intense pain and will lengthen how long it takes them to cultivate.

 The upside is, with the sheer amount of cultivation speed that they have, such a hit would be comparatively minor to the benefit they would get.

  There are other issues, though.

 The first is, would they be able to actually have the control and knowledge necessary to do the process right?

My automatic thought is no. 

Not only that, but they don’t have a healing constitution, which would continuously update their body to optimize such things. That ability which allowed me to move forward with these methods with little downsides.

 Each of these changes has their own different side effects. As an example, having a corkscrew shaped meridian would allow Qi to flow faster through their body. The downside is that they wouldn’t be able to keep as much Qi in their bodies or, in the worst case, be drained to empty… which could have physiological issues. Their level of control would also go significantly down, like gas escaping through their fingers.

This would only get worse as they move through each level, let alone realms.

  Because of my constitution, many of these are bypassed or even turn to be a benefit for me. For these people, without having constant intense healing for the next month or so, they could not achieve the same effects.

So, this brings the last, resulting question. 

Could I adjust them later, when we know each other better and have more dedicated time?

 I run my scan to think of all the different ways that I could make this work. With my new knowledge and technique, it adds a few options that weren’t there before.

 Which brings me to the answer.

… I believe so.

 Unlike my situation, I can afford to work with them to update things over long periods of time and with my new abilities.

 Trying to accomplish everything I want to, while also making my body into its current form, would have been far too much for me.

 But with the progress I’ll make with my cultivation in the additional power, control, and techniques that it allows me to use, I will do for them that I couldn’t do for myself.

 Granted, this might take half of a year to do for each of them, but it would be better than the default.

 And, if they cooperate, we could do it in stages. It would also be much safer than what I was thinking before, with significantly less pain.

 These thoughts happened within 30 seconds.

 When dealing with cultivators, that time seems much quicker, as they expect a response much faster.  

It’s also why they always get so impatient and seem to expect an immediate response. Their time perception is just much higher than normal people.

 Even with this amount of time, it could be awkward. Luckily, he’s just finishing up his explanations on what I told him.

 The mother and father talk about what they remember about the family history. I interject from time to time with some knowledge that may prompt their thoughts and help them discover more family members from those generations.

 The daughter, who I find out is Xing Xun, is recording all the information.

 Even as she continues to write, I can see her eyes flicker to me every once in a while. Strangely enough, the more I look at her, the more she reminds me of Shi, the badass redhead bodyguard for the yellow sashes gang.

She has that same look in her eyes.

Sharp, intense, and intimidating.

The main difference is that while Shi is strong-hearted in her duties, she’s also easily flustered in others.

I sense no such thing from Xing Xun.

Each action is weighted and steadfast.

But this train of thought to my allies takes me back to just a few weeks ago. Which seems like ages, at this point.

And all the people I’ve met before I reached the outer city.

And the people I hope to soon meet with again.

Lin, Ai, and Gong.

And now Mei Lin, as well.

… I’ll definitely be heading back to the outer city, after I’m done getting everything settled here.

From resolving the requests from the ghostly old men, to finding and saving a brutalized woman and her daughter. Even after I get set up, there’s much to do.

That doesn’t even consider the parasites under the outer city.

And I’m sure there are things I’ll have to handle first with my new groups within the sect, before I can leave them fully alone.

Sigh.

Looks like I have a laundry list.

It is like this that I continue, with my mind going over what I’ll need to do to prepare for the future, while also offering information to the family before me.

All until we find that last person in their family line.

It’s honestly anticlimactic, with that person not being of particular note, which is why it was also the most difficult for me to help with.

I knew, but couldn’t help. They found it from an old diary in their family belongings, the only place they were mentioned in writing.

This whole process took most of the night, and I sit there, just petting the shrunken spirit beasts on my body from time to time. It’s quite nice.

Occasionally, I get offered the last of their tea. I respectfully accept each time, to not shame them.

Once they finally hash it out and say all the members, the orb of unfathomable depths glows with an ethereal light, as if containing an ocean within, holding countless creatures.

A small scan lets me know not to investigate it at this time, for my own safety.

As this happens, they subconsciously orient toward the final item.

The mother, Xing Lan, takes out and pours local wine onto the powdered roots. All eyes focus in on it.

After just a moment, a sprout grows out of it. Within minutes, a lush tiny plant is within the jar.

Most prominent, is the glowing roots underneath it, though.

It is at this time, that I advise them on how best to trim the roots and drink it with wine to help their roots.

The daughter speaks up for the first time since I healed her, just as I finish. Her voice is simultaneously low, yet light and airy.

“Mom. Dad. You take the roots first. Based on what our Young Master said, only two of us can take the roots.”

She pauses before continuing.

Strangely, her parents seem to listen intently, truly considering her words. A strange dynamic, especially in this world. Making me wonder what her role in the family actually is.

“With you two having increased spirit roots, that will give you significant leverage in negotiations, if you get to higher realms.”

I interject at this moment.

“My apologies for the interruptions, but it is a matter of when rather than if. One of my special skills is determining the general range of a person’s spirit root, especially after healing them in the way I have.

“For example, your fathers are currently within the Low Orchid Heaven. Your mother is likely around the same area.”

That look from before comes back as she looks at me.

The one I can’t exactly place.

Her voice comes out softly, but with a small weight to it.

“And what would mine be, Young Master...?”

“James. You can call me James. And yours… is stronger than anyone I’ve seen for a while now. It’s on the high end of Orchid Heaven. The very high end.”

Her parents are in disbelief. Despite what I did for them earlier, such heights are almost unbelievable. Especially considering their earlier situation.

When I used my healing, I unlocked their latent potential. The roots will increase that even further.

Her eyes observe me carefully, before she speaks. They show no disbelief, but watch for anything and everything. And then she bows toward me.

“Thank you for your wisdom, Young Master James. This will help us move forward.”

She turns back to her parents.

“With that said, we will need to focus on surviving until you both reach at least mid-Qi condensation.”

Okay, I wasn’t sure about the feeling I was getting before was a weird one… but now I am.

Why is she trusting me so easily?

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