Chapter 42: Life Without

In a small village, simple and coarse, a little girl was kicking her tiny legs back and forth from a resting bench. This village was the home of several hundred people, and sat by a river, their lifeblood. There were rarely any events happening here, as their land wasn't worth much and their people were poor. Out of the typical path from cities and towns, this village went unnoticed. "Hey mister!" The little girl called out, chewing on some homemade soft candy. "You're not from 'round here, right?" Her big blue eyes and pigtails made her exceptionally cute as they exuded boundless curiosity. Beside the little girl, laying on the ground as if asleep, was a man. He had unkempt black hair, dirty, black robes with various rips and tears, and no shoes. His robe didn't seem to fit him, being a few sizes too large, and his face was a mixture of dirt and mud. The dirty man picked his nose, but continued to feign his sleeping appearance. "I know you're not asleep!" The little girl pouted and kicked her legs out more fiercely. "Yes I am," the man mumbled. He scratched his crotch a little and then smelled his fingers, his head winced back, and he coughed in disgust. But still, he closed his eyes and continued to feign being asleep. "No you're not!" The girl argued. "Yes I am." "No you're not!" "I am!" "You're not!" "Gahhhh!" The slovenly man shouted, scratching his head in frustration. "Don't you have a man to please or a candy to suck somewhere else?" The little girl jumped at his shouts, but hearing his disgusting words, she blushed and grew enraged. "I'm too young for that!" The girl cried. She was only ten years old, and the ways of a man and a woman wasn't something she was allowed to have or know too well. Even though she knew the doings of her parents in their private time, she knew what she should and should not do. Therefore, she was vehemently against being told off in such a way. "Pfft! You're too young to suck candy? Haha, must be a baby with no teeth." The dirty man commented, a grin on his face as he rose up with mocking eyes, not even concerned that his insult made little sense as sucking required no teeth. "No, not that!" She argued once more, her gift of gab wasn't too strong, nor was her experience. "Then what? Huh? What are you too young for?" The dirty man's eyes lit up as his interest grew. "I...I..you know." The girl shyly responded, unable to repeat what he said. "I know? I know nothing. If you can't say it because you're embarrassed, then it must be true. You should run along and do that." Mocking her with laughter, the dirty man pretended to once more sleep, even going as far as to snore loudly. "You!!" The little girl wanted to stomp her feet, but they dangled and she couldn't reach the ground. Instead, she slammed her dainty fist on the bench, but the impact caused her expression to change. Her eyes welled with tears as a wave of pain emanated from her fist. She had struck knuckle down, inducing such pain. She got up and gave one venomous glare at the man before leaving. She hatefully said, "that's why you're homeless now, you stupid-mean-head! Just you wait!!" With a true stomp, she left with tears. "Homeless…" the dirty man softly muttered. He felt a tinge of pain in his heart when he heard that word. Rubbing his head, he felt a tickle of pain within. Opening his eyes, he revealed a set of silver orbs that was brilliant and bright. However, deep within was confusion. "Where am I?" Suddenly, those bright eyes became infused with intelligence. The slovenly man stood up, his eyes scanning his surroundings, and then a moment of comprehension dawned. "Your name's Wei Wuyin. How did you get here? Your memory...your brain…" Wei Wuyin touched his head and noticed that his skull had healed, no longer a dent within, and so had his flesh. However… "My Hearts of Qi, they've gone dormant?" He could barely sense his Hearts of Qi, but they were still within his Dantian. However, it was bereft of Qi and no energy actively circulated throughout his body. If it wasn't for his strengthened body, he could be considered as a non-cultivator. Even his meridians and internal cells no longer seemed the same. They contained a unique elemental, saber, and world force within. If he was inspected by someone now and before the incident, no one would believe they were the same person. "My memory is suffering an acute state of deterioration, and I'm forgetting myself. Moments like these are rare, and they happen, but I don't know how long my last one was." For the last while, his memory had been like a light switch or a broken record. He had become aware of it on his exceptionally clear days, like today, where he recalled all of his forgotten memories at once. He couldn't believe some of the things he'd done, influenced by his lack of memory and therefore his sense of self. "There's something wrong with my brain and Mind's Eye, and I can't heal it...because my Hearts of Qi is lacking. I need something to change it, so I made several plans. I'm here...waiting. Waiting for the crane!" Wei Wuyin now remembered. He had seventy-three clear days, each spanning from an hour to less than a few minutes. With each one, the time for his sense of clarity seemed to be getting shorter, but the time between was extending. "It's been at least two years! At least, from what I gathered three clarities ago! If my assumption is correct, then it's been at least four months since my last moment of clarity! The crane should have been back by now! Damn it! If this continues, I'll lose my sense of self completely and die a pathetic, lackluster life." The level of frustration in his heart was palpable, but what could he do? He didn't have enough time to travel to the Scarlet Solaris Sect or even determine his current location in any meaningful way. Even the crane wasn't sure how to return, and if he forgets, he could just pass the sect completely or worse. This terrified him, and he needed to ensure his recovery and safety above all, even against his sect. Who knew if someone would meet him en route and kill him in hopes of obtaining his so-called 'cultivation treasure'. This made him even more unsure of how to proceed, so he devised three failsafes. One relied on karmic luck, one relied on the crane, and one relied on a sequence of events occurring perfectly. The crane was the most reliable, and when he checked his karmic luck value and saw that it remained the same, his heart knew his first plan had failed. If none of these plans worked, then he could only pray someone healed him or his Hearts of Qi somehow recovered so elemental energy could circulate throughout his body. Suddenly, he felt a tingling pain within his head. It was like a falling gate that was keeping out his memories, and no matter how hard he tried to resist, they were being sealed behind it. Slowly, the light within his eyes dimmed, replaced by a sleepy expression. He looked around with shock and curiosity. "Why am I in this village?" Getting up, Wei Wuyin poorly dusted himself off and started to walk aimlessly away. When the little girl came with her big brother, who seemed ready to kick some ass, Wei Wuyin had long since vanished as his feet and unclear mind brought him elsewhere. ----- Several days later, a white crane large enough to hold half-a-dozen people on its back landed in the village. Its long neck shifted left and right, its beak sweeping the area where Wei Wuyin once sat. "Aria, is he here or not?! We've been searching for him for the last month, y'know!" An adult woman said exasperatedly. She was wearing a green and gold robe, a violet cauldron with a green tree growing out of it was etched into her back. She was tall, had a somewhat flat chest, incredibly perky ass, however, and a thin body. Her brown eyes and hair accentuated her girl-next-door vibe. The crane cried, trying to indicate that Wei Wuyin was indeed here before, just not now. "Aria! You better uphold your promise! As long as I find your previous master and send him to the sect, you're my mount!" The woman said with frustration. Despite saying that, her heart was anxious and excited. This crane had the strength of a Qi Condensation expert at the first phase, if she could have a mount like this, wouldn't her status be extraordinary within the sect? Kree! The crane voiced its agreement with a nod and a bird cry. "Then, let's hurry up and find him!" The young woman shouted. The crane flapped its wings causing all the shocked villagers to stare in amazement. With an aerial rise, it took to the skies and tried to locate its master, Wei Wuyin.