Chương 89: Chapter 87

I swallow hard upon hearing Master Mu's words. A blessing for a few and a disaster for the rest of the world is not exactly the kind of phrase that sets you at ease when you're staring at a red cloud that seems to be devouring the sky like a reddish version of that infamous Galactus from the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer movie. I'm about to open my mouth to ask her exactly what she means when a familiar voice reaches me from behind.

"Thank the heavens you're here, Master Mu!" I hear, recognizing my mother's voice, and when I turn my head slightly I see her approaching at a quick pace accompanied by Lingxi, who is walking half a step behind her with her usual composure, though her expression betrays a tension she usually doesn't allow to show.

My mother heads straight for Master Mu, her eyes drifting for an instant toward the red cloud dominating the sky, and when she speaks her voice has that controlled tone she adopts when she wants to appear calm but is nervous on the inside.

"Master Mu", she says as she reaches where we are, stopping beside me and placing a hand on my shoulder in a gesture meant to be reassuring.

"Is it what I fear it is?" Master Mu does not take her eyes off the sky as she answers. The red cloud, which was already enormous when we came out into the courtyard, now not only stretches as far as the eye can see, but at its center something has begun to form that looks like a column, a mass of that intense red descending slowly toward the ground as if the cloud were extending a finger over the earth.

"I'm afraid so", Master Mu says, and her voice retains that gravity I had never heard from her until today.

"It is a wave of elemental Qi. And if I'm not mistaken, it's of the Fire Element." I feel my mother's hand tighten slightly on my shoulder at hearing the confirmation, and glancing up at her I see her jaw tense almost imperceptibly before she asks her next question.

"What can we expect from this wave of Fire Qi?" my mother asks in a tone that tries to be pragmatic. This time, Master Mu pulls her gaze away from the cloud and turns to look at my mother and me. Her expression is still serious, but there is something in her eyes that seems to be calculating, weighing her words before releasing them.

"The most likely outcome is that temperatures will rise across the entire world as the wave spreads", she says in a measured tone.

"Its exact intensity will depend on the amount of Qi it carries, but even so, here at the edge of the world the effects will probably be much lesser than on the central continent or the edges closer to it. You will only be reached by the final remnants, which will happen in a year and a half, or two years at the latest." My mother lets out a sigh that sounds unmistakably like relief, and I can feel the pressure of her hand on my shoulder ease slightly.

But I, who have been trying for a while now to understand what Master Mu said earlier, decide this is the moment to intervene.

"One moment", I say, cutting in before the conversation moves on without me.

"Can someone explain to me what exactly a wave of Qi is and why it's supposed to be a blessing for a few and a disaster for everyone else?" Master Mu lowers her gaze to me, and although her expression remains serious, I notice that part of the initial tension has softened, as though the act of explaining something returns her to territory she finds more comfortable.

"A wave of Qi is a situation that occurs sometimes when a great quantity of pure Qi of a specific element enters through the Celestial Rift", she tells me in a tone I recognize as the one she uses during her lessons, though stripped of any lightness. She pauses briefly before continuing.

"The reason it's a disaster is because the influx of such a massive amount of Qi of a single element disrupts the normal functioning of the world", she goes on, and here her voice acquires a weight that makes the words settle in the air like stones.

"To give you an idea, the last wave of Qi was about a hundred years ago and it was a wave of Air Qi. As the Qi spread, in places it reached, tornadoes and hurricanes began to appear out of nowhere. And the most drastic effects were even worse, zones where all the air suddenly vanished and others where its density increased so much that it crushed everything inside." I remain silent as I process that image, which is considerably more terrifying than I had anticipated.

Master Mu sighs before continuing her explanation.

"With Fire Qi it may not be anything so violent or explosive", she says, though her tone doesn't sound particularly optimistic.

"But from what I've read, the temperature of the areas the wave reaches will rise severely, which will affect everything. The growth of plants, animals, and obviously the amount of water available, since as the temperature evaporates more and more of it, that will end up leading to a genuine drought." I swallow nervously as my mind processes the implications of what I've just heard, but there is one last thing I still don't fully understand.

"And the part about it being a blessing for a few", I say, looking at her intently.

"Why did you say that?" The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Master Mu returns my gaze and sketches a sad smile that contrasts almost cruelly with the gravity of what she has just told us.

"Think about what we were discussing earlier", she tells me softly.

"And about how suddenly having the world flooded with a vast quantity of Fire Qi affects those who have a Fire root or a Fire core." The understanding hits me like a bucket of cold water. A world saturated with Fire Qi would be a paradise for any cultivator with an affinity for fire. They could absorb enormous amounts of their element's Qi without any effort, accelerating their cultivation in a way that would be unthinkable under normal conditions.

And as that idea finishes settling in my head, two small thoughts come to mind almost simultaneously. The first is that it's a pity Lianhua doesn't have a Fire root. The second, a little more guilty given that the situation is hardly one for jokes but which I can't help thinking, is that it seems we've entered a kind of world-spanning story arc that could be called The Rise of the Fire Cultivators.

Oblivious to my thoughts, Master Mu raises her gaze again toward the Celestial Rift, where the column of red Qi is now clearly descending like a crimson pillar connecting the sky to the earth, and its presence has something equally hypnotic and terrifying about it. After contemplating it for a second, Master Mu turns to me and her expression shifts to something resembling regret.

"I'm very sorry", she tells me, and her voice has a sincerity I don't often hear from her.

"But what is happening has upended all my plans. I'm going to have to return home to start dealing with the consequences of what is about to happen." I look at her and nod, because although a part of me regrets the interruption, it would be absurd to pretend that private lessons take priority over something of this magnitude.

"I understand, Master Mu", I tell her.

"Something like this takes precedence over lessons that have already nearly finished anyway." Before Master Mu can respond, my mother intervenes.

"Master Mu", she says in a tone that has reclaimed its usual pragmatism.

"How certain are you that the consequences of the wave will be a rise in temperature?" Master Mu looks at her before answering.

"I can't be entirely certain", she admits.

"I've never lived through a wave of Fire Qi, but what I've read about them indicates that those are its consequences." My mother nods slowly, and I can see her already processing that information behind her eyes and converting it into a list of things to do. She removes her hand from my shoulder, where she had kept it since she arrived, and offers Master Mu a slight bow.

"I appreciate the information, Master Mu", she says courteously.

"But if you'll excuse me, I have, among other things, to put my household staff in order." Master Mu merely smiles at her words, a small smile that seems to say she understands the urgency perfectly. My mother turns and begins walking toward the main building of the Pavilion while giving instructions to Lingxi in a tone that admits no delay.

"Instruct the stewards to order the handmaidens back to their duties", my mother tells her, and Lingxi nods without a word while following her with a quick step. As my mother walks away, Master Mu looks at me again, and this time there is something different in her expression, something resembling the warmth she occasionally lets slip when she thinks I'm not paying attention.

"Even so, there are nearly two months of lessons you've already paid for", she tells me, and as I hear her I notice a smile beginning to form at the corner of her lips.

"So before I leave, I'm going to give you a few things to compensate for the price." Her smile widens slightly as she adds in a tone that recovers some of her usual lightness "It's not among my policies to return a payment, so this is the only thing I can do." I can't help returning her smile, because even in the middle of what could be a world-scale disaster, Master Mu is still Master Mu.

"Whatever you decide is fine", I tell her. Hearing me, she nods with satisfaction.

"Then for now, let's go back to the study", she tells me.

"I'll give you the compensation there." Master Mu begins walking toward the Pavilion's building, moving among the handmaidens who, following the orders that are already trickling down the chain of command, are returning to work with expressions that still oscillate between fear and nerves.

"Lianhua, take me", I say, and an instant later I feel her hands grasp the handles of my chair and we begin moving. But before we reach the building, my gaze drifts to one side and I see Xia. She is pressed against a wall, clutching the skirt of her handmaiden's outfit with both hands in a gesture of nervousness I know well, and her face is the very image of worry as she looks at me with eyes that seem to be searching for some sign that everything will be all right.

Seeing her, I adopt the most carefree tone I can muster, which isn't much considering what I've just heard, but it's enough for what I need.

"Xia, come here", I tell her, gesturing with my hand. Xia approaches with quick steps, and when she reaches my side she asks in a voice that can't quite hide her worry "Is everything all right, Wen? What is that enormous red cloud?"

"Everything's fine", I tell her with a calm I don't entirely feel but hope is convincing enough.

"I'll explain later, but right now I need you to do me a favor. Master Mu is going to leave in a little while, so I'd like you to prepare something for lunch for after she's gone. Can you do that?" Xia looks at me for a moment, and I see her expression shift from worry to that determination she adopts whenever I ask her to do something she can handle, as though having a concrete task gives her an anchor to hold on to.

"Yes", she tells me, nodding firmly.

"I'll take care of it." And turning around, she enters the Pavilion with a step that no longer looks as uncertain as it did a moment ago. After that brief exchange, I look at Lianhua.

"Continue to the study", I tell her, and Lianhua resumes pushing my chair toward the Pavilion's entrance, where I see Master Mu appears to be waiting for us, watching us with a strange expression I can't quite identify. Upon reaching her, Master Mu says nothing and enters the Pavilion while we follow her through the corridors, which, after the chaos of a few minutes ago, are beginning to recover their usual rhythm.

When we reach the study where we hold our lessons, Lianhua places me in my usual spot and Master Mu stops at my side. Once settled, she looks at me with an expression that blends the gravity of the moment with something resembling the satisfaction of a teacher who, despite the circumstances, has no intention of leaving a job half-done.

"Now", she tells me.

"It's time for me to give you what I have in mind as your compensation." And reaching into her sleeve with a fluid motion, she pulls it out holding several objects, which she sets on the table with care. Looking at them, I see there are three things: a book, a jade token, and, oddly enough, a small box that, being open, reveals a pair of earrings.