Master Chiro, it turned out, was far angrier than Asha had been. Quan was risking his sister’s honour and reputation as a teacher, and that was beyond unacceptable to him. Only some firm words from Asha had settled him. However, he was clearly on punishment assignment at the forge.

Chiro declared that Quan needed to perfect his strokes and, with his Core solidified, build up muscle and perfect Ki infusion. Quan was banished to the hottest part of the forge with the heaviest hammer Quan had ever swung and told to pound out thin metal scales that were used to make armour.

At the end of the first day, Master Chiro inspected his work, threw out all but two scales, and told Quan this was his life now until every piece passed inspection. After that Chiro's sons did the daily inspection. They were even harsher to avoid their father's ire turning on them.

For her part, Asha decided that if arrogance was his problem, a display of humility, or two, was in order. She pushed his training harder and longer than ever before. Each night, Quan dragged himself to bed in a state of near exhaustion.

When the time came for his rematch against Qin. Quan walked up to meet him and, with a bow, said. "I regret my master has declared me unfit to bear her honour in a challenge. I must forfeit the match."

As he turned to leave, Qin said, "I look forward to next month's match." A reply so quick, Quan suspected it was pre-planned. They each played their part in what became a monthly ritual.

Secondly, when the time came to raise his rank in the sect via the yearly competition, he was forbidden from raising his rank. As a result he had to give up any improved resources from the clan and had to dig deep into credits from the missions and his cave windfall. He was bearing the cost of his body baths entirely, but thankfully, Asha was not charging for any of her valuable time, or he would have been broke.

Too many of the items Quan got from Jorel couldn't be sold in the sect. However, Asha did filter many in as part of her wanderings. Among the items she presented was a spiritual item perfect for Master Wung, the pill maker. After Asha gifted him with the item to push him through his cultivation bottleneck, he took an ask-no-questions attitude about the various valuable finds she brought in.

Over the next several months, Quan filled out both upwards and in muscle. He took on the look of a young warrior as his height inched past 6 feet. He gained a physique that was muscled for speed as well as power.

During one of his rare free moments, he returned to the library. Quan looked around and, instead of the pretty girl who helped him before, he looked for someone that looked like they'd been there forever. Trying to match them to the harridan of a librarian from his high school. He spotted his target and approached.

"I need to learn the history of the kingdom and empire. And well, anything else you think an educated person should know." Quan explained. She snorted in disbelief, and without even giving him her name, handed him the very book she'd been reading "Read this. Come back and tell me what you learnt from it."

It was an incredibly boring book on taxation for the last hundred years in the kingdom. Feeling it was a test he read it twice before he found what was hidden in it.

"The previous king allowed corruption to run rampant in his collectors. The current king has clamped down on it. But, it kind of looks like it's mostly so he gets a bigger cut than from any sense of justice as the reforms haven't helped those actually paying the tax."

From there, his education began under Mistress Trang, who set him to reading the important books as she called them. He then had to explain their value to her. Only when she was satisfied would she give him a new assignment.

~

"Talk to me about healing," Quan said as Asha knocked him to the ground.

"Are you hurt?" Asha asked.

"Nope," Quan leapt to his feet and resumed his fighting stance. "Just thinking."

Asha pushed at him and threw him tonfloor again. "Perhaps you should be thinking about how to avoid landing on the ground."

Quan laughed. "That's just it. No matter how good you are, in a world of warriors, someone is better somewhere, or hell, just lucky. so what happens then?"

" Warrior, blacksmith, scholar, and now you want to look at healing," Asha shook her head as she looked down at him.

"Not others. Just me." Quan set himself. "In my world, we have a legend of a warrior named the Wolverine. Everyone else has flashy powers that can do just about anything, much like your arts. He doesn't really have anything except excellent fighting skills. I suppose he has a sort of body cultivating now that I think about it.

"Anyway, what really sets him apart and makes him dangerous is his ability to self heal. Cut him he keeps coming. Burn him. He heals. Lightning, no big deal. Lose an arm, and It can reattach or regrow. Actually, not sure there, but you get my point," Quan said. "What happens to the guy that loses an arm here? Is there an option like that here?"

"I'd advise against losing an arm." Asha sarcastically replied. "You must have noticed an improved recovery rate since cultivating or compared to your old life.". Quan quickly nodded. "If you can still cultivate, you will recover from most injuries in time. Other than death; the biggest fear is a blow that disables your core or ability to cultivate."

Asha frowned, "As for a lost limb. Some healers are able to reattach it. Some cannot. I have never heard of anyone regrowing a limb completely."

"So don't die. Collect your pieces. Find the best healer around." Quan numbed off each point with his hand as he talked. "Good to know."

"I suppose if I wanted to understand the mechanics of healing, I'd have to bug the healer." Quan mused.

"Honestly, Quan, how many ways can you split your attention?" Asha asked.

"I'll make it a long-term goal. Isn't that the beauty of long lives?"

~

Quan and Asha stood in the shadow of a giant tree. It towered over the other trees in the forested area and under its branches, nothing but the grass grew. A simple altar was built at its base, and Asha urged him towards it.

Quan pulled out a bit of incense from his pack and set it burning on the altar. He pulled out several baked pastries he'd bought at Asha's instruction and placed them around the burning incense. Finally he pulled out a flask of alcohol and poured it into a little cup that sat on the altar. After a moment of looking at the size of the tree, he decided to leave the whole flask." This better not be a prank.

Quan kneeled respectfully before the altar and opened his senses toward the tree. Quan felt a powerful spirit inside the tree, more powerful than anything he'd felt so far. But it was also peaceful, tranquil in a way only nature can be. He had a soothing vision of nature and the forest's symbiotic relationships.

Then the vision shifted to a large stag. It grazed with a small herd. Three does roughly north of where Quan sat. It's eyes turned red, and it struck the ground in anger tearing up the ground under it as if it could sense Quan's intrusion. Something vile hung in the air around it like a mist as the vision faded.

"Did a tree just give me a quest to go kill an evil dear?" Quan wondered. "Really? I mean, really?"

Asha laughed. "is this world's wisdom hurting your brain?"

"Only every day," Quan said as he stood up. "So, animal and plant spirits are real? Every blade of grass has a spirit?"

"No, that might be a bit much.". Asha answered. "As I've said before, all animals have or are a spirit. They gather Ki naturally but most never gain enough to matter. The few that do develop a beast core somewhere in their body, usually near the brain. They gain intelligence and power. The older, the stronger. Plants like this tree are usually when some other kind of spirit merged with it. Though some plants do develop their own core. The result is largely the same."

"Part of the sect's duties is to maintain a zone of human friendly spirits around human settlements." Asha explained. "This tree is the supreme spirit for miles around, it's important to keep it happy and dormant."

"So we go deal with the evil deer." Quan said, looking around as if the deer should just appear.

"It's probably not evil, but something has angered or corrupted it. So we, meaning you, will go find it and approach it with caution, it's better for everyone if we can return it's balance." Asha explained.

Quan let out a deep breath and gave Asha a dirty look. " I have to find one particular deer hiding in this forest."

"Yes," Asha said with a grin.

" and then try to ask it to be nice again. Do I give it a big hug?"

"If you think that will help. I'd try the ritual you just did with the tree. Then talk to it calmly. It won't have the power to do a vision like our friend here, so you may have to work to understand it."

"I didn't bring any more pastries or alcohol."

"that's what the tree likes. The deer will have its own desires.".

Quan shook his head, "This is ridiculous."

"Oh yes, but after listening to all your Earth tales, this is about as foreign an assignment as I could think of making you do." Asha grinned with delight at Quan's consternation.

"And if that fails and it attacks?". Quan asked.

"Punch it." Asha featured a blow as she spoke.

"Punch a deer?" Quan said disbelievingly. Asha made the same gesture.

"Until it agrees to behave."She added. "Or, if it won't. Venison."

"And what will you be doing during all this?"

Asha yawned and pointed at the base of the tree. "Doesn't that look like a great place for a nap?"

"There are moments I almost hate you." Quan muttered.

"That's how I know I'm doing my job. Now off you go!" Asha turned her back on him and walked over to the tree. She settled into and closed her eyes while Quan stared at her. She waved him to go away without opening her eyes.

"Crazy woman. What happened to the reserved Master I met a year ago?".

Quan headed north as the vision indicated. As part of his training he'd learnt how his aura and senses were intertwined and were essentially one in the same. This allowed him to push his aura out like a blanket around him to sense everything around him as he explored the forest lightly.

Combined with his extensive training in the art of running, he began to cover ground quickly.

The forest was huge, but thankfully north led up the mountain slope, assuming the deer was on this mountain and not the other side or beyond he should be able to find it this way. Hopefully, he'd sense it soon enough to slow down and approach without spooking the animal. He ran a grid pattern he kept in his mind to try and find the deer. The forest teemed with life and he had to stop constantly to see if this deer was 'his' deer.

Three hours of running rewarded Quan with a herd that matched his vision. He was approaching slowly towards them as they grazed the forest floor. The stag was a large male with a magnificent rack, he couldn't count the points from where he observed it. Three doe were grazing in the area around him.

"Nice deer." Quan restrained his aura in order to stay undetected as he got to within 30 yards. He edged around a tree, careful not to spook them. Then he started setting out the ritual in smooth non-threatening motions.

When the incense was burning and Quan kneeled in respect, he opened his aura to receive anything he could from the creature. Hopefully, it helped convey his peaceful intention as well.

"Oh, great deer of the forest. I come here to soothe your anger and make a peaceful offering to you." Quan Spoke loudly, but calmly, feeling rather stupid as he did it. "Please don't attack." He added.

The deer pawed the ground in front of him and lowered his antlers in Quan's direction. "The great tree spirit just wants you to chill out, okay. No need to attack the messenger!"

"Oh shit," he swore as it charged towards him. He dove out of the way to avoid the pointed antlers. The deer charged through, trampling the humble offering.

"Now that's just rude." Quan muttered. "Ok, punch the deer." The deer turned back towards Quan. The red, now glowing in his eyes.

"Last chance, Mr. Deer. If you attack again, I'm going to fight back." Those antlers look sharp, and I bet he's way stronger than a deer should be or I wouldn't have been given the job.

Quan dodged to the left, but in order to avoid the width of the antlers, he was much too far out to strike at the body of the swift deer. Then stag charged Quan twice more to the same result.

As the deer set up for another charge, an idea occurred to Quan. This is crazy stupid, but I know I can do it. This is what I have been training for.

This time when it charged, Quan held his ground. He leapt into the air while doing a flip over the antlers. His hands touched the upper most tines as he spun over it. Quan landed on its back as if it were a horse he was going to ride.

"Listen to me, beast. It only gets worse for you from here on out!". Quan yelled.

The deer seemed to share that opinion as it instantly started bucking and throwing its head back in an attempt to reach Quan on its back.

Quan raised an arm to block the antlers from reaching him. With his other hand, he tried to inflict some damage, punching down on the stag's back and spine. As the deer spun, Quan felt himself falling off it's back and he reached up, taking an antler in each hand as he fell and was able to bring the animal's head down with him.

They rolled on the ground as the deer kicked out and tried to regain its freedom while Quan held on for life and tried to get his own kicks in.

Eventually, the deer collapsed in exhaustion. As it fell, Quan twisted, so his body held the beast down. After a minute of no movement besides the heavy breathing of them both, the red miasmatic light in the deer's eyes seemed to break up and fade as pieces drifted up into the air above them. The deer's body shuddered and then visibly relaxed.

Quan held on for another 60 seconds, then let go when he felt no further aggression and rolled over onto his back. "My life has gotten very weird.". Quan declared to whatever might be listening.