The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

I sat in the carriage, hearing the howling of the winds outside. The weather had rapidly become worse and worse, and now we moved through the middle of a snowstorm. We would likely need to stop soon, given the weather conditions outside. I shivered as a particularly cold gust blew inside.

“The snow grows,” Ash said, looking outside the window. He sat with short sleeved clothes like it was the middle of summer, and just watching him made me feel a little cold.

“It does. Strange how quickly the weather changed, I’d heard that this part of the empire was gradually going to get warmer and warmer,” I said, continuing to work on the clay doll in my hand.

Labby was snuggled up next to me, to try and stay warmer. “Labby doesn’t like it. Too cold,” she said, hugging herself. I let out some of my Chi to her, warming her up, which only made her snuggle up against me even more. I smiled, before bringing my attention back to the project I was working on.

There was a small doll made of clay in my hands, which I had shaped to look like a smaller version of myself. I’d been slowly shaping the clay I had created by putting Chi into it and slowly seeping pieces of my spirit into it. There hadn’t been any changes yet, and the old man had told me I would need to make a lot more clay to complete the process as well, but I could still feel something of a budding connection starting to form.

As I worked on my clay doll of sorts, I couldn’t help but think back to Mo Lin and Mei, my mind drawing parallels. Perhaps completing this technique would allow me to understand and better utilize the girl’s powers as well.

Feeling satisfied with the progress I had made, I looked at the doll, which looked back at me with a smile on its face, before I put it in the pouch at my waist. I would continue on with it later. As time passed, the snow continued to increase in intensity, and soon enough, the carriage shuddered to a stop. I slightly raised the window to look outside, forming a layer of Chi to keep myself warm, but even then, the chilling gusts flew in, sapping all my heat as I saw an endless expanse of white covering everything.

A man walked closer, trudging through the snow as he bowed his head.

“Elder Jie. Our fire cultivators can no longer keep up with the snow. It is coming back faster than they can melt it. The Lord has asked us to make a stop till the weather improves.”

I looked out to the skies, and the clouds covering it in an endless expanse of white, before nodding my head. “That sounds wise. Do we have a place to stop?” I asked.

“There is an abandoned village nearby, just 10 minutes away, and not too far from our path. We could spend the time there and wait out the weather.”

“Let us head towards the village then,” I said, as the man bowed his head again, before rushing back to drive the carriage. I looked around to the other carriages, having similar conversations before we quickly began to reroute. My eyes remained on the skies and the howling snow, as I felt a strange emotion inside me. Something about the weather gave me an ominous feeling, though I couldn’t say what.

The carriage moved through the snow, bumping around for a few more minutes before we arrived at the aforementioned village.

“Labby, stay inside. You too Su Lin, it’s too cold, you’ll freeze. Ash, come with me, we’ll keep the others warm,” I said, and the wolf nodded, following behind me as I stepped out. For once, Labby did not protest, simply content to remain inside the carriage and stay warm. I walked outside and found chilling gusts cutting past me like blades of ice. Immediately I channeled flames, increasing the temperature around me. Ash did the same, silver flames flowing around the wolf’s body. I melted the snow around me, but found it persistent, refusing to budge even under my flames. I looked ahead, and saw the other cultivators, struggling similarly.

Trudging through the snow, I walked ahead, letting my flames cover the men. They looked at me and bowed. I nodded my head. “Let’s scout this place quickly before setting things up to stay for the night,” I said, and the men got to work. I followed along as well, checking out the village and its insides to see what was there.

The village itself was rather normal and small, the houses similar to Taizhou. I found a lot of furniture and items inside, alongside pots and other things that showed people had been living here not long before. The ominous feeling in my chest increased as I continued to make my way around, checking for threats, but ultimately finding none.

After finding the area was clear, I walked out and began to help everybody move into their houses and start some fires. Everyone worked quickly, even the Lord was helping out, despite the protest from some of his soldiers as his arts melted through the snow. Ash moved around lighting fires and keeping others warm with a flame aura, but the wolf was straining under the power of the snow storm as well.

Making sure everyone had moved in comfortably, I walked to one of the houses I had taken for myself, sitting inside with a sigh of exhaustion. Ash walked in moments later, the man looking tired as well. “This storm isn’t natural,” he said, with a serious expression on his face.

“I was starting to think that as well. But I’m curious why you think so,” I asked the wolf.

“A feeling. It doesn’t feel right,” Ash said.

“A feeling… huh?” I said, thinking to myself. I had a similar feeling, and yet, I couldn’t quite tell why, or what was causing it. I glanced back at Labby, who was sleeping comfortably on her bed, a fire burning nearby keeping the inside warm. Or at least, warm enough not to freeze you to death.

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Su Lin similarly sat on a chair as well, sleeping without a care.

I smiled. “I’m going to talk to the Lord. Stay here and keep everyone safe,” I said.

Ash nodded his head, as I walked out. The snow continued to pour down from the skies, the winds only growing harsher. I drew upon the land and the tree in my spirit for strength now, to keep myself warm, but the winds ate away at that too. It was as if it was drinking on my very lifeforce.

I moved faster, walking through the village before I found the house with guards standing outside. They nodded at me, but I held them up. They were freezing as well, though I knew they wouldn’t complain. I simply sent a pulse of Chi towards the two of them to warm them up before I walked inside the Lord’s place.

The Lord, and Zhou Fang, both were inside. Alongside the Old Man, who had a cup of tea in his hand as he often did.

“Oh, what brings you here, Lu Jie?” the Lord asked me.

I bowed to the man, before raising my head. “My spirit tells me this storm isn’t natural. I don’t have any proof or reasons, but I agree with him. Something about it feels off,” I said.

The Lord looked sideways at the old man, who gave him a nod.

“You would be correct,” the Lord replied.

“You knew about it?” I asked, feeling a little surprised.

“Knew about it… is not quite true. We could sense that this wasn’t natural. But we do not know where exactly it is coming from, or what is creating it,” the Lord said.

“To change the weather, you would need a cultivator at least as powerful as father. Perhaps… even more,” Zhou Fang said, looking a little nervous.

“No, this is not a cultivator young master,” the old man said, taking a sip. “This is the work of a spirit. And most certainly a powerful one.”

“A spirit?” I asked, curious.

“Yes. A winter spirit. They exist to the north, beyond the seven celestial peaks, across the greater cold peaks outside the empire. Some occasionally drift closer. Though none have been seen this far in. They do not prefer these lands. So something must’ve compelled it to come here,” the old man said, sipping his tea once more.

“Is there something we can do?” the Lord asked.

“No. Best to let the spirit pass, and to treat it like nature itself. If it is simply going through here then we are merely in its way and the storm will end soon,” the old man said.

“But… what if it’s not just passing through?” Zhou Fang asked.

The old man set down his tea cup, before looking at Zhou Fang. “Then, we must ask it what it desires and hope to settle things peacefully,” the old man said.

Zhou Fang nodded, and the lord held his chin in thought.

“You should rest. The cold will only grow and sap your strength. Preserve your warmth and wait for it to pass,” the old man said, getting up from his seat, before he walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “You too, Lu Jie,” he added.

I nodded my head, bowing to the Lord, before I headed back outside. Looking up at the snow, I turned around and headed out back to the house I had taken for myself.

Quickly moving inside, I shut the door close behind me, before moving closer to the fire. Ash sat on the ground, with his legs crossed and meditating but I could feel the wolf’s attention on me.

“What does the human lord say?” the wolf asked.

“We wait for the storm to pass. It’s a winter spirit from the north,” I added, keeping my hands in front of the flames to warm them up, as my mind went through a bunch of things.

Ash nodded, returning to his meditation and I took out my doll, and began to continue working on it.

Time passed by in a blur, my focus entirely on the doll in my hand. It was only when a cold gust of wind blew out the flames burning in the room that I noticed that I had gotten lost in a trance. The sun was gone now, darkness covering the chamber.

“Oh, the fire ran out. Ash, do we have any firewood left…” I said, glancing back when I trailed off with my words. I looked behind me and saw Ash leaning against the wall, still seated with his legs crossed, but deep in sleep.

“Ash?” I said, walking closer and touching the wolf. He did not react. I frowned. Walking up, I shook Labby’s shoulder. “Labby, Labby, wake up,” I said.

Labby moved around, mumbling something. But even after I held her arms and pulled her upright, she did not wake up. I looked at Su Lin and found him much the same.

My heart began to race, as I turned around and headed outside. The cold winds struck me harshly, but I moved through trying to find someone.

As I walked nearby, every house I came across was the same. With people slumped over deep in sleep, many seated as if they had simply fallen over midway through talking or eating something. I continued to walk around, running through the area as I shouted.

“Zhou Fang! Yan Yun! Lord Zhou!” I shouted, walking through the snow.

“Old Man! Anyone?!” My words rang empty as I moved through the village, now half buried in snow. My heart slowly began to sink.

Then, from somewhere in the distance, I heard a quiet tune play. I turned behind me, struggling to see through the snow but in the distance I saw a figure… walking closer.

A woman with a straw hat and a veil covering her face moved closer, a flute pressed against her lips as her melody began to grow louder and louder as she walked closer.

“Who’re you?” I asked, my fists raised as I channeled my Chi through them.

The woman stopped at my words, her melody stopping abruptly as she looked at me.

“What’re you doing here? Are you the winter spirit?” I shouted through the howling winds once more.

“You are awake,” she said, in a quiet whisper. “They were right to tell me to be wary. But it will not matter,” she said, and before I could ask anything she vanished.

It was only because of my instincts that screamed at me to move that I ducked as she appeared right in front of me, a blade thrusting from under her sleeve.

Snow and winter erupted all around the woman as I dodged her blow, and for the briefest of moments looked underneath her veil.

Her skin was white, paler than anything I had ever seen, and her eyes were cold and blue as they peered into my soul.

Yet, the thing I noticed the most was the metal lantern at her waist, with a snow storm carried inside it.

With a rapid spin the woman twisted, her blades slicing, as she kicked me in the gut, sending me flying.

I tumbled through the snow, coughing from the impact of the strike as blood pooled in my mouth from that one hit.

The woman spun her blade, a cold smile on her face. Then, without a word, she rushed in close, and I raised my shivering fists, desperately fighting for my life.

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