The smell of seasoned meat filled his nose as he slowly drifted awake. In fact, he wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming until he felt a pool forming under his arm. The uncomfortably warm wetness brought him entirely back to the waking world, a golden-brown rabbit leg thicker than his own arm filled his vision. And standing behind the meat was his teacher with a taunting look on her face.

In his village, meat was rare and processed in a way that prioritized preservation over taste. It was practically unheard of for one person to have such a treasure laid out before them. He quickly accepted the leg with both hands and bit into it. The grease and juices overflowing and spilling down the sides of his face.

Mareus’ eyes welled up with tears as he ate.

“Oh good, here I thought you had fallen into some sort of deep sleep and I was worried that all of the cooking I did would go to waste.” He quietly devoured the meat as she spoke. “Though it already has an irresistible aroma. This piece would have been even better if allowed to rest a little longer.” She smiled before continuing, “Follow me, I rather enjoy meals under the stars.”

Once they made it to the cave entrance, Mareus noticed a new aroma. The different smells coloring the air, some of which he had no name for or any idea what dish they could come from. Before him on a makeshift table, cut from a single large boulder, laid a feast of hundreds of different colors.

“After you fell asleep I spent some time gathering more medicinal herbs and plants to help your recovery. They should all be gentle on your body so you won’t have to worry about your withered stomach rejecting any of it. They also have high nutritional and digestive capabilities so you should see some positive effects as soon as you eat them.” She sat down at a place clear of everything except for her tea and a few bizarre looking flowers. “Though, I’d still recommend taking your time to savor the dishes. These flavors should be rather novel to you.”

Mareus immediately sat down and before even touching the food he made sure to thank his master and offer a short prayer to his ancestors. He started off with a delicious smelling congee, carefully placing the wooden spoon to his lips. The taste erupting in his mouth, a tear falling down his face as the meal fell into his near empty stomach. All sense of exhaustion washing away. He sat there with his bowl in his hands trying to process everything he just felt.

“Wh-what is this?”

“Hmm?” Fu Kong looked up from her tea. “Oh that’s just a simple rice porridge with a few medical grasses. It was rather easy to make but has some truly remarkable effects for a mortal body.”

As she went back to her tea, Mareus finally noticed the lack of food around her. He hesitated to ask, “Um, Mistress, are you not hungry. Surely I can’t eat all of this food myself and it would be presumptuous of me not to share it with the one who made it.”

Her half smile returned, “It is alright my child. I have a special constitution that makes it so that I do not require that much to sustain me. Mostly I don’t need more than my tea and a few edible flowers.”

“Do you perhaps not eat meat?” He quickly looked around at the sheer number of dishes that included rabbit meat.

“That’s not quite it. While I know the value of the nutrition that meat provides, because of my constitution it doesn’t quite agree with me. It helps that I am at a level where locating and obtaining natural treasures is as simple as breathing. The ingredients I used here were all from my own carefully cultivated garden and don’t provide much benefit for me but will do wonders for your foundation. That includes the peach that I’ll be gifting you when you have enough strength to not immediately explode. Though don’t expect me to spoil you.”

Mareus choked on a large root and immediately tried to wash it down with a sweet juice. “Explode!?” That can’t be an actual thing, right?

“Yes, explode. Because their bodies aren’t inherently strong enough to withstand the heavenly power of the soul, Mortals have to be careful what kind of natural treasures they consume. Of course, it’s entirely possible to dilute their effects but in my opinion that’s more of a waste than waiting until you can properly absorb it.” She waved her tea as she spoke. “I’ve heard many stories of young practitioners who were lucky enough to come across powerful treasures, but too impatient or ignorant to understand the risk associated with them.”

“Surely those are just stories right?” He wiped the leftover juice from his face.

“Hmm, I wonder.” Fu Kong looked off into the valley at nothing in particular. “Stories are almost always rooted in some degree of fact. Usually something insignificant or common enough to be wary of. But still, a warning passed down through culture and tradition.”

Something clicked for Mareus, “Pardon, but you said that you grew everything in your own personal garden?”

“I told you already, did I not? While I am sympathetic with what happened to your home, that is not why those involved earned my ire. It is because they chose to act so arrogantly within my current territory. Your village may have only been on its edge, but your elders' ancestors were forethinking enough to honor me with tributes and ask for my permission before settling in my territory. Which of course includes the valley we’re staying in.”

“Just how old are you?” He thought aloud, before correcting himself. “I apologize, I meant no ill will by that, I do find it odd that I’ve never heard any stories of us being part of an immortal’s territory and that I’ve never seen signs of a castle. Granted that I’ve never been far from the village.”

“Weren’t you taught that it’s not polite to ask a maiden’s age?” Fu Kong mockingly hid behind her sleeve. “And I was never concerned over your ancestor’s or their intentions. They told me that they were escaping the path of a disaster and looking for a new home. After accepting their tribute I allowed them to settle and didn’t bother with them further since they were wise enough to take the initiative.” She picked up a small leafy vegetable and took a bite for the first time, revealing impossibly white teeth. “Now that I think about it, perhaps someone had unknowingly passed down a cursed object that lead to your people suffering from not only one but two-”

Mareus was left staring at his half eaten rabbit leg when she had caught herself. The grief he felt, still fresh in his mind.

“Never mind that, we should discuss your training.”

He wasn’t really in the mood to start training yet, though thanks to the food he felt stronger and more energetic than he ever remembered being before.

It’s the only way I can achieve their justice. Mareus thought.

After a deep breath he said, “That’s probably for the best.”

“You should continue eating, for now I will lecture you on the principles and when you’re finished we will do some basic exercise until you grow accustomed to your new strength. Only after that can I begin teaching you the actual method.”

Mareus only responded by peeling a bright red fruit and tossing the pale sphere into his mouth.

Fu Kong’s half smile grew to reveal her perfect teeth again, “Good. Now, earlier we tested your affinity. If you will, I'd like you to manifest your internal energy and do your best to maintain it as you eat. This will not only get you more accustomed to using it, but you’ll also notice some changes compared to before.”

As she spoke Mareus paused to summon the plum sized sphere, passively maintaining it was an entirely different challenge than before. Every time he stopped focusing in order to eat, he could tell that his energy wasn’t pouring into it even though it could hold its form by itself for some time. He guessed that it took him about half an hour before he was able to keep feeding the sphere energy while he ate.

During that time Fu Kong chose to focus on her tea and simply observe. Mareus’ ears turned a slight pink as he thought about her being forced to wait on him. Though, she didn’t seem bothered, casually refilling her drink as if she had expected this result. It wasn’t like he would have been able to pay attention to her words while he was so focused on mastering the skill anyway.

He gave her a small bow. “Thank you for being patient.”

“You were actually faster than I had anticipated. I wasn’t even able to finish my pot.” He still had trouble figuring out when she was making a joke, but he was pretty sure that was one of them.

“I told you before how your technique will be a perfected version of mine, in truth it is a hybrid of different theories I’ve been able to confirm through various methods of experimentation. There are those who look down on this process and solely rely on techniques that have been deemed complete and never question the theories behind the method.” As she spoke she crushed one of her flowers and placed it in her kettle.

He swallowed a mouthful of mush before saying, “Isn’t it better to rely on knowledge that has been proven than to create a new path?”

“Normally it would be, however, in my life I found that most of the cultivators who comprehend paths that have been left behind tend to believe they’ve understood everything under the stars. Even though they never spent significant time comprehending anything else more complicated than a basic technique for children.” She placed down her cup, an ominous aura emanating from her.

Mareus froze in place, every fiber of his being screaming at him that he was in danger and couldn’t escape. Not even his sweat daring to fall from his brow.

Fu Kong glanced up from her cup, “My apologies, I got carried away.” Instantly the air returned to normal. “I’ve spent many years not only contemplating the profoundness of my own path, but the insights of other paths as well. Both in the practical and conceptual applications. Through this I discovered that even those who stand at the top of this world only scratch the surface of the true understanding of the Dao.”

“What does that mean?”

“Are you familiar with the story of the frog in a well?” She asked.

“Yes, it’s a parable warning that those who remain trapped in their own ignorance will never know the vastness of the world.” He eagerly answered.

“That is correct, but I found that there is a bit more complexity to that story. For those who are capable of escaping the well of ignorance, they tend to travel the world learning and experiencing until they either feel they understand the majority of the world or find another well to jump into and focus only on what lies within.”

“I don’t understand, there can only be so much knowledge in the world and who would willingly leave ignorance only to return to it?”

“The world is a wide space, far more than anyone can comprehend. And when an individual is but a drop in the ocean, a well feels like a much better place where their one drop can have more influence.”

“So…” He digested her words with his meal. “An illusion of mastery then?”

“Precisely, and I found that those who accept what they do not know and that there is enlightenment in the mundane are those that can be truly labeled as geniuses.” The whistle of her kettle cut through the air. “This is the understanding that helped to perfect the path that I will bestow upon you, at least with current understandings of the Dao.”

A small clay cup drifted over into his free hand. He took a sip and couldn’t stop himself from saying, “It’s such a delicate flavor.”

Fu Kong smiled with approval before continuing. “The technique you will inherit from me is unique because it will grow with you.”

“How does a technique grow?”

“It’s rather simple actually. Most paths have you follow specific physical practices and sutras. For the entire path.” She mumbled as she moved some things out of sight. “But different stages of your path should reflect the difference in growth and necessity of specific techniques. The influence for this actually came from one of the ancient immortal races, some lizard-kin if I remember correctly.”

“I’ll be learning an immortal technique?” No, that’s not the surprising part. He thought. “I’ll be learning a technique that monsters use!?”

“Yes! The Shou are monsters!” Mareus slammed his cup down, the energy in his hand evaporating. “I’ve seen what an infant can do and I’ve seen entire groups devastated by hunting an adolescent. I may not know what these lizard immortals are like but if they use similar techniques… I can only imagine.” He slowly slumped back into his seat.

Fu Kong waited some time for him to calm down before responding. “Do you think me a monster?”

“Wha-?”

“It’s a simple question, you will learn my technique. Do you think I am a monster for using something like this?”

Mareus fell to the floor in the lowest bow the uneven ground would allow. “The student apologizes to his master! I meant no disrespect and realize my error.”

“You misunderstand, it is not your fault. You are young and… inexperienced.”

Mareus hesitated to look back up at her.

As he waited, time silently kept passing by, first a breath then twenty. Finally after waiting long enough for the tea to get cold he looked up. His teacher was standing at the edge of the cliff with her arms hidden in the small of her back. Her quiet aura feeling more oppressive than the gentleness he felt before.

“You should see me as a monster.”

Mareus wasn’t sure what to say, or even if he should say anything.

“Not for my outward appearance of course, there are many in this world that would be seen as monsters only for their appearance. But you should see me as a monster because of the power I possess. Power that I am offering you.”

“I don’t-”

The air around her grew dark as a pressure gradually radiated out. One by one stars winked out of sight, until finally even the Heaven's Scar and the Sun vanished. But, it didn’t stop there. The darkness continued to grow and Mareus was struggling to breath.

He screamed out as he lost track of his own body.

Silence.

Nothing.

The world, empty.

Existence, gone.

Where am I? I’m tired. I. Just. Sleep.

Before he had lost consciousness the world returned. Gasping for air Mareus cried out to his master who hadn’t moved a step. “Wha- What was that! I thought that I was, that I was… I don’t know. I don’t think I was dead, I just didn’t exist.”

“How did it make you feel?”

He looked down in defeat, “Terrified.”

“Do you think me a monster?”

“Yes.” he resigned.

“That is what you will become, what you must become to have any foothold in this world.”

Mareus bowed once again. I understand. He only spoke in his heart, but he knew that she would feel his intent.

“What I just showed you was not only raw power. It was something that I was able to gain through experience and understanding certain truths of the universe. Concepts that your training can help you learn to understand.” She patted him on the shoulder. “For now, they are beyond your reach and you shouldn’t do more than to strengthen your connection to your soul and meditate on the nature of things.”

Fu Kong waved a hand and her shadow swallowed everything on the stone slab except for a glistening white peach.

“It is late, take this back to bed with you and meditate after you finish it. The effects should be gentle enough that you can handle them as you are now. But I want you to focus on the energy that will flow through you, don’t guide it. Don’t try to fight it. Simply use your inner eye and observe.”