บท 3: A Mother's Worry
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(Mother's POV)
To say that my daughter is a bit off is an understatement. Even when she was a toddler, her behavior was strange... as if she was always thinking about something. Even when we talked to her, or others, her attention seemed to always be on our words, as if she actually understood us. It was honestly so strange that I used my witchcraft to visualize her soul. I was worried if she was inflicted by some unknown witchcraft.
It... was Pure, for the lack of a better word. She was definitely my daughter, that was certain. But her soul had an otherworldly quality to it, as if it could be shaped anyway it was needed to. She was damn well suited to our Spiritual Gu Art that's for sure. Our tribe will have the next generation Sorcerer's Child ready. Not many had my talent of using our witchcraft without the use of Gu. But... my daughter seemed intent on well surpassing me on that regard.
Anyways, this event not only had me sure that there was nothing strange going on with my daughter, but also ascertained me of her potential.
That fact was as relieving as concerning. After all, we don't have a way to help her grow to her full potential. It seems... We will need to call upon that favor. Even before that My daughter shall try out the trials in Sorcerer's Pagoda. If she can grow strong enough to protect herself before leaving the tribe, that would be my greatest joy. Hiding some things too much isn't worth it if your loved ones end up suffering.
Of the 65 Sorcerer's Pagoda present in the Southern Wilderness, our tribe holds the key to one of them. Legend has it those who passed these trials went on to create their own legends. Which parent wouldn't want their child to be the best!
After my daughter grew to be one year old, she started becoming way more active. She always tried responding to our words, correctly or incorrectly. Her first words were "Gultivayon... shouns inteshin..." for whatever reason. Sure her lisping was cute but which toddlers first word is Cultivation??? And did she just say cultivation sounds interesting??
I... was probably thinking too much...
That had me confused and depressed for about a month as my daughter kept learning more and more words. Why doesn't she call me mom!!!! Once when I was about to cry of jealousy hearing her call Dad, my daughter laughed as she said, "Mama don't cwy," while patting me.
Did I just get teased by a toddler?
I did, didn't I? She intentionally didn't call me mom?
It was then I realized that my child was a true prodigy. With all the weird things that happening on this world, she was still special. She learned everything fast. While she had trouble with the language, she was fast to pick up on social intricacies. By 2 she already knew to joke around with us. By the time she was 8, she was a fully-fledged lady! Well at least by the Southern Wilderness standards. Her manners were impeccable, while a bit too conservative in her thought's?
I never understood her dissatisfaction with my choice of clothes... They were quite pretty right?
Her sense of decency seemed similar to the Sky Fortune Kingdom people. She never went outside the tribe though, was she innately shy?
She was quite a mature child at times. She knew how to please the adults. She was nice and her words were sweet. Her tongue was filled with honey when talking to the elderly. Yet she was the wittiest and most mischievous around the kids her age. She did speak quite weirdly with us in what she called, "Netspeak". But she was extremely polite with others.
Too polite in fact. We are the citizens of the southern wilderness, excessive tact is unnecessary and could be a liability in forming bonds with other.
Well, as they say, "Change is the only constant in life."
She will learn eventually. It's way too early to worry about that anyways. Only time will tell.
For some reason, despite her politeness, she was the incarnation of the devil with the kids. She could not stand children. She herself was a child but you could always hear her complaining about how annoying those kids were. Once I found her beating up 5 boys on the playground. Turns out those kids were bullying other kids so it ended up fine...
Quite hilariously, she ended up as the big boss of all the kids... She had "lackeys'" as old as 12 who hadn't yet begun cultivation. The kids were being plenty productive following her so we (All the adults) didn't interfere. They started their own businesses of selling board games she made, calling them chess, monopoly and whatnot.
All the adults were quite shocked about her intelligence. Even though "Go" was still the most popular game, games such as Monopoly, Uno, Scramble gained popularity as well. The adults rarely wanted to change their taste in games so they stuck with Go.
Song'er made quite a lot of money by herself through these. She was always restless though, as if she was extremely bored. We knew what she wanted.
It was all because of her obsession with cultivation.
These all stopped when she begun training. When she learnt that she could began cultivating, her aura changed in an instant. I can never forget the intense gleam on her eyes, her smile of pure joy!
From then on, she never wasted a single moment. Her life was a bundle of training, eating, and resting. Her so called lackeys still followed her around. She became more like an elder sister who takes care of her younger brother's then a gang leader.
When some of the kids started their own training, she proceeded to use them as "sparring" partners. Well... they were already used to being beaten up by her anyways.
As her parent's, we were certainly worried about her social life. But... being in the Southern Wilderness doesn't allow one to be weak. Can we truly discourage our child from seeking strength? Normal friendship and romance can wait, let her reach a certain level of strength first.
This world is ruled by whoever has the biggest fist. The child of the Tribal Chief cannot be weak. It is a responsibility she bore since birth. So imagine our delight when we could see her talent.
She trained till her fists bled. An invisible force seemed to push her to keep trying harder and harder.
I felt proud as a teacher, yet worried as a mother. Despite our internal conflict we did nothing to stop her. Now at a mere eleven years of age, she reached the Second Stage!
This was never the result of talent only, her hard work had a lot to do with it. She'll only grow faster as she grows older. After all, she still hadn't reached the best age for training.
I should stop thinking so much now, it's time for class!
"Song'er, show me your Spiritual Visage please, I want to see your progress."
I spoke as I looked at my eleven years old daughter sitting on my bed.
"Sir, yes sir!
She grinned at my words and saluted? me. It was a gesture of respect according to her? Whatever she says I guess...
Her face became calm again as she closed her eyes and focused. A pure white light seeped out of her body as it condensed into a shape. A glowing white, yet hideous looking worm was floating in front of her. It was a poisonous Gu commonly seen in the wilderness and cultivated by some Tribes.
A wide smile made way to my face. My daughter was a genius! A never seen before prodigy!! Unable to stop myself, I rushed forward and pulled her in for a hug.
"Song'er! You're the best! As expected from my daughter! You completed your Gu Soul already!"
"Of Course! Who do you think you're talking about! This is nowhere near enough though..." She grinned childishly but quickly became serious. That's the thing about her. She never seemed to be satisfied. Always rushing, always trying harder.
I couldn't help smiling, "My daughter, everything must go one step at a time. Even if you wish to reach the peak of martial arts, you should first try to be the best among your peers. Don't slack off, but don't rush too much either. With each step you take forward, the closer you will get to your goals. It's fine to celebrate every little improvements you have. In my life at least, I have never seen anyone nearly as talented as you."
Qin Song looked straight to my eyes for a few seconds then sighed. She relaxed her expression a bit and said, "That much, even I understand. But let alone the worlds above, even people from the holy lands, the large sects, the Imperial Families, grow as fast, if not faster then me. I'm not the only talented person out there, not even the most determined. if I don't work harder how can I grow?"
She shook her head in defeat and continued, "For now, the Sorcerers Pagoda is my best bet. The Southern Wilderness should have a few intact Pagoda's left right? I should be able to find some high rank cultivation technique there."
Well that was surprising... She, truly is thinking it through. But did darling forget to tell her or something?
"Umm, Song'er... Our tribes Holy Relic... you know... is a key to a Sorcerers Pagoda.... Your dad probably forgot to tell you but I don't think you need to think too hard about it..."
Her eyes went as wide as saucers. With stiff mechanical movements, she pointed right at me and practically shouted, "WHAT!!! And None Of You Thought That Was Something Important Enough To Talk About?!!"
"It IS after all our tribes greatest secret~ Where do you think we got our Spiritual Gu Art from? If the other stronger tribes find out about it, we'll be truly and royally screwed."
"Wait Wait Wait... Let me process all that first.. Please don't tell me we have some hidden background left or something?"
She was rubbing her forehead as she looked towards me cautiously. Silly girl, what is she even thinking?
"No such thing, now shut it and let's start our lesson."
"Yes Maam!"
I shook my head, a slight smile gracing my face. I guided her on how to refine her control over her soul. As talented as she is, some things can only be learned through experience. The soul remains an extremely mysterious aspect of cultivation. At the very least, our tribe in the Southern Wilderness is the sole custodian of such a technique relating to souls.
The Spiritual Gu Art is far less about the Gu and more about the soul. When practiced to its pinnacle, the soul's visage takes on a form befitting the user, depending on their compatibility.
This art allows you to peer into souls and infect others with your own soul parasite, which is the spiritual Gu. In battle, we can temporarily absorb the energy of surrounding corpses through this Gu, granting us power far beyond the ordinary. Weaker opponents can even be controlled from afar, although it is an extremely challenging feat.
The path of the Spiritual Gu Art is, quite literally, a path of leeching. The user siphons energy from weaker souls in their vicinity to gradually strengthen their own soul.
My daughter excels in the visualization aspect, but her control over her soul force leaves much to be desired. Well, she is just a child, and considering her abundant reservoirs of Soul Force, it's only natural that her control is lacking. My daughter is a genius! So such small problems will be soon solved! Hopefully....
Song'er sat calmly, extending her soul force to create numerous small Gu constructs made of her soul to absorb energy from living insects and animals. Observing her furrow her brows as she attempted to control all her miniature Gu clones according to my instructions filled me with pride.
Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, I created a Spiritual Gu of my own and sent it toward her soul. My Gu lightly bit her main spiritual body, ensuring she wouldn't notice. Using the Gu as a conduit for my soul force, I refined the quality of her soul force, sacrificing small portions of my own soul essence.
There was a reason behind her extraordinary soul force, beyond her natural talent. This act would only reduce my lifespan by a decade or less, even if I continued for years. But it would significantly enhance her prospects in the Sorcerers' Pagoda when she came of age.
The Sorcerer's Pagoda is our lifeline. If Song'er can gain great benefits there, our tribe can rise up as an Overlord in the Southern Wilderness. And above all, she will definitely have a better shot at her goal of becoming the strongest there ever was!
She remained oblivious to my actions, and I hoped she would never uncover them. My dear daughter, I hoped she could achieve her dreams and lead a perfect life. Her father and I were prepared to do whatever was necessary to support her endeavors. Plus, I can live much longer then a century even with a slightly damaged essence! I shouldn't be underestimated you know? In our tribe, in a true battlefield, I am even stronger then my husband.
Having completed my "hidden" task swiftly, I withdrew while still keeping a watchful eye on her. She's eleven now, isn't she? I guess we should give her that key already, she's old enough for it after all.
Speaking of, I don't know if that talisman can count as a hidden background as Song'er said? Probably not....
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