Villages and Illnesses

A Thousand Li Short Story

By

Tao Wong

License Notes

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Villages and Illnesses: A Thousand Li short story

Copyright © 2021 Tao Wong. All rights reserved.

A Starlit Publishing Book

Published by Starlit Publishing

PO Box 30035

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Toronto, ON

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Canada

www.starlitpublishing.com

ISBN: 9781990491122

Villages and Illnesses

Rice stalks swayed in their flooded paddies, the peasants working deep within the water, tending to their harvest, tickled by the occasional carp that brushed against their feet. Their clothing was rough spun, their backs bent from long days of working the fields. Every few minutes, they would take a break, leaning backwards in unison and opening their arms, relieving the pressure of their hunched position.

Li Yao on the raised roadway that led between the fields watched the peasants with bemused amusement and interest. She had never truly considered their lives, not till – not till that man – but now, she could not help but ponder their lives. So different from the sheltered and constrained life of a noblewoman, her existence constrained at first by the walls of the family compound. Only when she had shown aptitude and ability as a cultivator had her world expanded.

And expanded again, when she arrived at the Verdant Green Waters Sect. So much so that she had rebelled against everything that her parents, her family, had wanted for her. Become a cultivator, gain a good standing in the sect, then come home to be married off. Become a force for the clan by bearing the children of another noble.

Like the ones riding beside her. Lips pressed together, Li Yao glanced at the pair of noblemen who had invited themselves along on her assignment.

“There really is no reason for you all to come with me,” she groused once again. “I never liked swords being thrust in my direction for no reason.”

“We’re not…” Xiang An started, then drew a deep breath as he forced himself to settle on his horse again. Xiang An was a little on the taller side for a cultivator, his body having yet to catch up to his full size and leaving him looking like a rake in silk clothing. It was perhaps that difference – along with his lower social standing as the son of a smaller noble house – that created his deference to her. “My apologies, Lady Li. This was not my intention.”

“It was mine,” Shen Wei said, offering her a rakish grin that made Li Yao want to slap it off his face. He thought he was so handsome, so charming, so elegant. It did not help that he was all of that, and the women in the sect all too happy to throw themselves at him. Pity he was a lousy warrior. “A ride with a beauty and an easy assignment? What else could a man want from his life?”

“A challenge. Competition. Excitement!” Li Yao said, waving one long sleeved arm around. Her mare barely shifted, so used to its rider’s jarring movements. “Why, Wu Ying and his friends are visiting another sect right now.”

“Wu Ying this, Wu Ying that,” Shen Wei said, sighing. “Are you sure you’re done with him?”

“What is it to you?” Li Yao snapped. “And he’s a friend, whatever the case. An exciting one. You, you could not excite a woman even if you tried.”

Xiang An coughed, eyes half-closed as he struggled to contain his laughter, a hand covering his mouth. Li Yao turned to glare at him and he spoke through his sleeves. “Bug…”

“Mmm… be careful of what you put in your mouth,” Li Yao said, shaking her head. “You never know where it’s been.”

“I’ll… I’ll try Lady Li.” A little flushed, Xiang An turned away from the group, nodding imperiously at the farmers who watched the group with curiosity. They all ducked their heads low when they passed in acknowledgement of the higher standing the group had, but they could not hide their curiosity. Curiosity and what looked like hope to Xiang An. “This assignment. It is a bit of a mystery, is it not?”

“Yes,” Li Yao said, making a frustrated face. “I don’t know why they assigned it to me. I’d rather be hunting some Fire Tail Monkeys or more Jiangshi. This kind of assignment is more for lotus eaters like…”

“Like me?” Shen Wei said, filling in the words that Li Yao had chosen not to say. “True. But it’s always good to have someone with better martial skills. The roads have grown dangerous.”

Li Yao had to admit that was true enough. The on-going war had caused there to be more bandits – deserters or refugees – in the countryside. No danger individually to a cultivator, but they were only Energy Storage cultivators. A surprise attack by an arrow could still put them down.

Never mind the increased number of Demon Beasts, since the guards and cultivators that were meant to keep them in check were now fighting in the armies. Wars created trouble in the countries on both sides. The longer a war was fought, the harder it was for the common man to survive.

Even the land they had traveled through had shown the lack of care, the overgrown and mildly rutted pathway, the signs of Demon Beasts moving through the undergrowth. Shen Wei had already commented on the increase in ambient Chi, the greater abundance increasing the number of Demon Beasts. If the war took too long and took away too many cultivators, it would lead to further disaster as these Demon Beasts ascended.

“Well, either way, we’re nearly there.” Shen Wei nodded towards the upcoming cluster of packed earthen walled buildings that clustered at the center of the village. This was a subsidiary clan of the kingdom of Shen, a group of Hoklo who had come from a northern province. As such, their buildings were subtly different, featuring a more defensive courtyard and towers layout, and its people mostly speaking a harsher dialect. Of course, imperial fiat ensured they all learnt a proper tongue, but they still kept to their traditions. They were also taller and heavier than the local Han, their men more likely to wear beards.

“It looks like they intend to greet us properly,” Li Yao said. Unconsciously, she kicked her mare forward, ensuring she was well in the lead so that when they finally rode into the clustered round houses and the central square of the village, there was no doubt who was in charge. Once they were all in the square, she dismounted and faced the bowing quartet that stood waiting. As she straightened, a white flash in the distance low to the ground drew her attention, only for the blur to stop and stare at her, tiny whiskers and tail flicking in the wind as the kitten returned her stare with its own jade eyes.

“Greetings, Elder. I am Lee Li Yao of the Verdant Jade Waters Sect and these are my colleagues.” Li Yao smoothly introduced the others, offering the Elders waiting for them a quick martial greeting herself.

The Elder in charge was an old man, with a long, wispy white beard and bushy eyebrows, who had the look of a once strong man whose muscles had slowly wasted away as age took them. Beside to his left a pair of older women stood, one stocky and short and the other still slender with her hair tied up in a severe bun. The last member of the greeting party was a middle-aged man who stood behind the group, most likely there as a runner for any messages that might need passing. It was, in essence, a typical group.

Once the formal greetings were over, the group were led over to the Elder’s house while their horses were taken by the fourth member of the greeting party. They were ushered into seats where tea and snacks were presented and the necessary formalities were observed as the disparate group discussed the cultivators trip, the recent weather and the village’s harvest potential. Only when the tea was ready and the first cup had been sipped did they turn to the reason for the cultivators’ presence.

In truth, Li Yao burned with impatience though she did her best to hide it from the Elders. It was so much simpler with Wu Ying. Being a peasant himself, the Elders at the other villages seemed to sense it and cut short the formalities, abbreviating it to allow them to begin their assignment faster. Yet, with all three of them nobles, the entire play had to be completed. Yet, in the end, the formalities did grind to an end and the Village Elder spoke of the assignment.

“A half dozen villagers, all laid up in bed, without Chi. Our local medicine woman, Auntie Eu,” Elder Low inclined his head to the older, stockier woman by his side, “has not been able to ascertain the cause.”

“Their Chi is low. Dissipated. Their meridians are strained, as though they have been pushing energy through it more than they should,” Auntie Eu said, thin lips pursed.

“Over-cultivating,” Shen Wei said, dismissively.

“My apologies, Honored Cultivator. But one of the victims is six and has yet to begin learning,” Elder Low said. “Another – the worst off – is seventy four. He does not cultivate much, just in the mornings when we all do as the King decrees.”

The group questioned the Elders for a little while more, filling in the blanks on timing and details. The entire incident had started over two months ago, and at first they had thought it was but a sickness. Yet, as the victims spread, recovered and relapsed and no solution was found, the village had called for help. Six victims, all living in different houses, now forced to stay together in a communal location to be treated. And still, they grew worse.

“Thank you, Honored Elders,” Li Yao said, bowing to the group. She glanced at the other members of the team, her eyes questioning. Receiving their unspoken answer, she turned back. “Let’s begin at the first victim’s house.”

“Of course.” Elder Low paused, then glanced at Auntie Eu. “If Auntie…”

“I’ll show them.” The old woman sniffed, and clambered to her feet. “You’re too slow anyway. Go. I’ll show them where they will stay and make sure they have supper later.”

***

The first building they entered was three stories tall, with packed earth–outer walls and a series of whitewashed internal walls covered by simple silk paintings and embroidery. A plain welcoming room greeted them after the entrance, a copper washbasin filled with yellow petals and cotton washcloths on a wooden table awaiting visitors before a pair of doors lead further in.

The main living room right after the welcome room was large, with a second wall partitioning off additional private rooms and a simple hallway to the back of the building. As Li Yao moved along the edges of the living room, she noted through open doorways the sight of the central courtyard, while additional doorways leading from the sides of the living room led to additional private rooms.

The entire complex was short and compact, the internal courtyard bordered off by a single external wall. At the edges of each courtyard, there were simple ladder-accessible towers that Li Yao spotted as she exited the building, offering a vantage position against bandits or spirit beasts. A peach tree stood in one corner of the courtyard, offering shelter to a lone bench where a pair of children lay, snacking on peach slices. A little kitten lay on top of the young boy, its black and white–spotted body curled up lazily.

“And the first victim,” Li Yao said and paused.

“Auntie Low,” Auntie Eu supplied. “Forty-three, three Body Cleansing meridians, mother to those lazy two and three others.”

“Right. She came from here?” Li Yao said, walking around. At the nod of confirmation, she stretched out her Chi senses, letting it envelop the building. She searched for something different, something wrong while within, the other pair did the same.

Shen Wei had an octagonal I-Ching trigram compass in hand as he moved around the room, taking readings. Every few steps, he would stop and turn as he watched the compass. On the other hand, Xiang An looked a little lost, walking within and then finally out into the courtyard. He eventually made his way to a seat, and just began to meditate.

Exasperated, Li Yao finished her own survey of the surroundings before she stalked over to Xiang An and glared at him till he broke out of his meditation to stare at him.

“May I help you, Honored Sister?” Xiang An said.

“What are you doing?” She said.

“Cultivating.”

“Obviously! But you should be helping us,” Li Yao snapped.

“I would, I will… But, what would have me do?”

“I…” Li Yao trailed off. “You have some skills, do you not?”

“Honored Sister, I’m an alchemist.” Xiang An ducked his head. “Just a junior one. Investigating this is… This is… not my area. Once we see the victims, I’ll be more useful, I promise.”

“Very well, Honored Brother,” Li Yao said. “I’ll look forward to your help in the future.”

Li Yao pursed her lips and then finally nodded. She turned away, walking the room once more, searching for signs of the unusual. When Xiang An was done, he waved to her and the group moved on to the next house.

And the next.

The buildings were the same for the greater part. Some had more side buildings, additional rooms and larger courtyards. Others, smaller. Some contained the elderly, spinning and weaving, cooking meals or preparing leather or skin. Some had pregnant women, extended family members of the sick, worried faces peering at the cultivators as they walked. Puppies and kittens, chickens and even the occasional pig could be spotted throughout the village and trampling into the houses where they were taken care of, snacking on the occasional treat passed to them.

Eventually, the group made their way into the building that had been turned into a communal hospice. It was a large, singular building with no waiting room that was often used as a dining hall but now held nine beds, six of which were filled by wan-looking individuals.

True to his word, Xiang An began to move with purpose, gesturing over Auntie Eu to speak with them. He asked questions constantly, while checking the pulse and temperature of the ill. Shen Wei continued to consult his compass while Li Yao walked the room, letting her gaze roam over the figures, her senses fully extended so that she could read their Chi flows.

Over an hour later, Xiang An was finally done, his readings taken, Auntie Eu consulted. At Li Yao’s request, the group were shown to their temporary residence and left alone to consult one another and discuss their findings.

***

“Their life force has been drawn out. The Chi in their bodies, removed. Their Dantians are only a fraction of what they should be.” Xiang An was the first to speak, relating what he had learnt.

“A parasite? A gu?” Li Yao said, brows drawn.

“It was the first thing I checked. No signs of anything biting them or burrowing within, none of the normal indications. I left herbs for a cleanse to be provided to the strongest,” Xiang An said, lips pursed. “He had worms anyway. If he improves, then it should be solved.”

“Worms…” Shen Wei made a face. “You don’t mean…”

“Yes, the kind that exit the other way,” Xiang An said, holding his arm up and making a fist while placing his other hand just below his bicep. “We once extracted one this big from my…”

The shrill, ladylike ewww made him stop, hands still held up as an example. Li Yao had hands on her ears, shaking her head from side to side. “No, no, no. We’re going to eat and I’m a lady.”

“It’s just a worm…” Another small bundle of fur entered their room, jumping down from an open window to stroll around. Li Yao turned her attention to the brown and grey jade-eyed kitten.

“Do you talk about your worm to women all the time, Xiang An?” Shen Wei said, leaning forward. His eyes twinkled with humor a little as Xiang An flushed at the implication.

“I, this, that…” Xiang An’s burst of confidence in talking about what he knew suddenly disappeared.

“No more worms,” Li Yao said, lowering her arms. When Xiang An chose not to answer, his face still red, she nodded. “Is there anything else we should know?” The apothecarist shook his head and she turned, in turn, to Shen Wei.

“Yes, Sister Li?” Shen Wei said.

“Did you learn anything useful?” Li Yao said. “Or were you looking for some good sense with that compass?”

Shen Wei smirked in reply. “Nothing of the sort. I was testing the environmental Chi flows as you well know.”

“And…?” Li Yao said, exasperated.

Xiang An smiled a little, his face less red as the kitten, having poked around their house, made its way to sit beside the cultivator. He idly reached over, stroking the fur as the cat purred.

“Nothing unusual,” Shen Wei said. “Chi flow could be improved, and I would want to hang some talismans to ward off some potential evil spirits.”

Li Yao heard the but, even if the man did not speak it aloud. “You don’t think it’s spirits.”

“No. They leave a trace when they arrive. I found nothing. If anything, the houses had a higher amount of yang Chi than normal, as did the dining hall,” Shen Wei said.

“That’s strange,” Xiang An said.

“What’s strange?” Li Yao turned to the man.

“Well, the patients were lacking in Chi, but the environment is filled with it. It’s just unusual. I wonder… Owww!” Xiang An exclaimed, pulling his hand back. He eyed the edges of his thumb where, to his surprise, a ruby red drop of blood flowed from where the kitten had bitten him. “Bad cat.”

“It seems that your advances are undesirable by all animals,” Shen Wei taunted.

Li Yao just frowned, staring at the kitten that had taken to licking its paws. Xiang An sucked on his thumb in distress, looking dissatisfied, only to be interrupted when Auntie Eu arrived to take them to dinner. Li Yao followed along, frowning in thought.

***

Dinner was held outdoors since the weather still allowed it. Since the cultivators were gracing the village with their presence, a feast had been thrown with families from around the village providing what dishes they could prepared on short notice. For the most part, the meal consisted of a lot of rice and vegetables, some of it stewed and boiled, while others freshly fried. The centerpiece was a slaughtered pig whose body had been disassembled to make a variety of dishes, from bubbled and crackled pig skin and meat to a large, clay pot meal of pig feet, soya sauce and mushrooms that had been slow-boiled to bring out the full flavor.

The group of nobles ate politely, only Li Yao enjoying the meal truly. For the other pair of nobles, they ate sparingly and politely, but indulged in the strong wine more, preferring the drink to the low-Chi meal. Unlike their meals in the Sect which were filled with monster meat, these were but normal animals that had been butchered.

As the village was afflicted with a mysterious illness, the event itself was relatively subdued. Still, dire events rarely bothered children, who ran around at the edges of the village square, screaming and laughing and generating havoc. Dogs ran alongside the group, happily barking away while the village chickens pecked at spilled food and the occasional worm. Over this all, Li Yao spotted the half-dozen cats and kittens who perched on rooftops, walked along table tops and cuddled into laps.

It was late in the evening before the trio managed to extricate themselves from the party. Shen Wei walked the boundaries of the village at that time, placing small talismans. They were not protective talismans but minor talismans of warning, sufficient to alert him of creatures of ill-intent or to register the passage of creatures with unusual Chi dispositions.

Xiang An stopped by the temporary hospice, checking on the patients and verifying that his minor concoction had not produced any additional, unusual deposits. When he returned to their shared accommodation, Li Yao sent him right back out promptly to rewash his hands after he confirmed that, no, there were no other deposits beyond the usual plethora of worms.

As for Li Yao, she just prepared herself for bed. After all, her specialty was in the martial arts, not something as useful as apothecary or formation development and talisman-making. Moreover, since all three of them were sharing a single house, this was the most appropriate time for her to get changed. Thankfully, the mores among cultivators were different than for a noble – or else she would never have been able to find a decent place to sleep. Or, more likely, the men would have had to sleep outside. Or remove another peasant from their home.

Closing her eyes, Li Yao touched the spear that sat by her side. As her eyes drifted close, she spotted a pair of slitted jade eyes peering at her from the window, the kitten silhouetted by the rising moon. Smiling a little, the female cultivator fell asleep, sensing no animosity around her. Her companions soon joined her, each laying down behind their own privacy curtains as they drifted to sleep on wooden beds.

Li Yao’s eyes opened hours later, a hand touching upon her spear shaft beside her automatically. She sat up from her bed gracefully, fully awake as she searched the darkened room for the cause of her abrupt awakening. A slight inhalation brought with it the scent of ground herbs and medicinal juices from the left where Xiang An slept, barely noticed beneath the scent of the jasmine bathing beads he preferred. To the right, the steady breathing of Shen Wei echoed through the room, the surroundings of his bed pulsing with Chi as the talismans he had hung up around his bed provided further protection. The creak of a wooden shutter left open being pulled by the wind and the rustle of leaves outside were the only other noises.

Li Yao frowned, swinging her feet off the bed and picking up her spear. She stalked around the room, noting the open window and the simple inscription to keep out bugs that Shen Wei had added to it. It seemed that the nobleman had some conscience, leaving such a valuable piece of enchanting in the house. He could have as easily used one of his talismans with less work.

Shaking her head, lips curled up a little at what she’d learnt, she continued her traversal of the room until she had seen it all. Not a single item was out of place or unusual, and yet, her instincts warned her that something was off. Even her spiritual sense, extended to the maximum, had failed to find anything beyond the thrum of the enchantments.

Enchantments…

Cocking her head to the side, Li Yao approached Shen Wei’s bed. Cloth coverings draped from the top of the bed, offering privacy and protection from the mosquitos and flying pests that made up village living. On the inside of the posts, Li Yao could spot the edging of the yellow talismans he’d placed covering his body, the color showing up starkly in the moonlit, shadowed room. His body continued to steadily breathe, but closer now, Li Yao felt a slight shift in the Chi.

Yang Chi, heavy and hot, emanated from his bed. She crept closer, her spear moving forwards to push aside the curtains. Immediately, she felt the resistance from his talisman, the curtain of power that covered his bed.

Energy pushed gently in her own spearhead, she teased at the shielding, finding a gap and slowly widening it with her spearhead. The Chi manipulation shield breaking skill – Parting the Waterfall – was something that the Sect had recently begun teaching the martial students in preparation for the war and their utilization in the upcoming battles. Her own understanding of the skill was still in the beginning stages, but it was sufficient at least. Carefully, ever so carefully, Li Yao extended her Chi to push the defensive talisman apart, revealing an opening that allowed her to peer within.

The moment the shielding was breached, more Yang Chi burst forth, filling the room. It was hot and sticky, cloying at her senses and almost making Li Yao lose focus on her Chi. A movement, a tiny blur, caught her attention, a movement that passed through the shield without an issue.

“What?” Li Yao cried, surprised. No longer concerned about stealth, Li Yao darted around the bed, but the tiny blur was lost in the shadows.

“Li Yao?” In the background, Xiang An called out, concern filling his voice. A second later, light bloomed as he poured energy into his fire Chi and formed small floating wisps of light throughout the room.

“There’s something in here…,” Li Yao said, stalking around the room. However, no matter how she looked, she could find nothing, only coming to a reluctant stop minutes later as Xiang An joined her.

“What was it?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t catch a good look of it before it fled. Something small.” She indicated the palm-sized figure she saw with her hands, using her spear to indicate the direction. “It was on Shen Wei.”

“Really?” Xiang An said, disbelievingly. Then, the pair realized the issue at the same time and hurried over to the still-protected bed whose occupant slumbered on, oblivious to the noises and commotion.

***

Frowning, Xiang An stood over the seated Shen Wei, who was looking puzzled. Eventually, the apothecarist removed his fingers from Shen Wei’s wrist, having read his pulse. “You're healthy. If anything happened, it is minor enough that I am not sensing any changes.”

“Do you feel different?” Li Yao said, impatiently.

“No.” Shen Wei paused, considering and then added, “Maybe a little weaker. Which would track with the release of Chi that was mentioned, but it is quite low. If I wasn’t looking, I would never notice the difference.”

“Still…” Xiang An stopped.

“Speak, Brother Xiang!” Li Yao said.

“Brother Shen is a cultivator. Mid-Energy Storage, so the amount of Chi he has is significant,” Xing An said. “Compared to the villagers, especially the elderly and the child…”

“It would be more. And I interrupted them and Brother Shen,” Li Yao said. “If they spent the entire night drawing out the Chi…”

“Over a few nights, it could cause the issues we saw,” Xiang An confirmed.

Shen Wei touched his chest, running his fingers along his robes. He paused as he finished, pulling gently at the robes and staring at the discarded fur that was left on his fingers. He moved to discard it, only for Li Yao to catch his hand. Surprisingly, the cultivator turned a little red, freezing in surprise at being touched. Li Yao ignored his actions, plucking the strands of fur from his hand and staring at it.

“The cats?” Xiang An said, surprised.

“They’re everywhere,” Li Yao said, having released Shen Wei’s hand. She offered the fur to Xiang An, who brought it close to his eyes to study.

“Maybe some kind of forest spirit?” Shen Wei said, shaking himself free of his surprise. “I never sensed any animosity from them. Did you?” Li Yao shook her head. “Perhaps it is not conscious?”

“What do you mean?” Li Yao asked. “They’re hurting the villagers unconsciously?”

“Yes. Just like some plants and minerals can create zones of deadly chi, spirits can do the same,” Shen Wei said. “Of course, I only have heard of them. Most of my studies focus on geography and the plants that grow, not animals.”

“Really?” Li Yao said, surprised. She was trained in Demon and Spirit Beasts of course, but the training had thus far been focused on creatures that were active threats. Not, what it sounded like, environmental disasters. “The many things under heaven are vast and surprising as ever.”

“I’m… going to study these,” Xiang An said to the pair, walking away from the group to enter another room.

“That’s good, Brother Xiang,” Li Yao called after Xiang An. “Just go. Don’t worry about us, we’ll do something.”

The pair could hear the sounds of apothecarist tools being unloaded onto the table and they shared a quick, knowing look.

“Right, I guess we’ll… uh…,” Li Yao said, looking lost.

“I’ll look at my talismans. Maybe I can learn more. And if I see a cat…”

“Right, right.” Li Yao nodded. “I’ll check on the patients. Maybe I can capture some of the animals too.”

Plan decided, the pair headed out, Li Yao returning after a second to step into the kitchen to acquire a bag. After all, she’d need to contain them somewhere.

***

As a farming village, the residents woke early with the coming of the dawn. Even so, they were surprised to find the cultivators prowling around the village, jumping from rooftop to rooftop or stalking along alleyways, their qinggong skills ensuring they made nary a sound. Cultivators were peculiar.

Even more so when the pair would occasionally pounce on an unsuspecting animal, scooping them up and putting the struggling and surprised cat or kitten in a squirming bag. More surprising was when they failed to capture their targets, when the cats showcasing the sixth sense so endemic to their kind jumped, sprinted and otherwise escaped the grasping hands. At times, they would lash out just before escaping, leaving the pair with bloodied hands.

It was no surprise then that the Elders were called upon, the trio shoved forward by the concerned citizens to question the peculiar-acting cultivators.

Looking less than happy with his role, Elder Low stood in the forefront, confronting Li Yao. “Honored Cultivator, I hesitate to ask, knowing of course that you have your reasons, but…” His gaze turned to the squirming bags of cats that Li Yao had strapped to her robes.

“Why I’m carrying the bags?” Li Yao said, nodding sagely. “It’s because the damn creatures released their friends when we put them aside the last time. I’d prefer not to carry them, but it’s better than letting the cats out of the bag, eh?”

“Of course.” Elder Low nodded along.

“Now, I think we’ve got most of them. There are a few that are particularly tricky – this black one with a notch on his ear, he’s fast,” Li Yao said, grumbling. “But I think I’ve begun to get his timing down.”

“Is this… for training?” Elder Low said, hesitantly.

“What? No. Of course not. Who would chase cats around for training?” Li Yao said, scandalized. Then she paused, considering. “It was rather good training actually. They’re very fast…”

“Honored Cultivator?” Elder Low said. Behind him, the pair of other Elders shifted uncomfortably and Auntie Eu looked particularly impatient.

“Sorry. I might suggest it to my Elder Brother later, but…” She shook her head. “Another time. You’re wondering why we’re catching the cats, right?”

“Yes, Honored Cultivator.”

“It’s for the assignment, of course,” Li Yao said.

“But why?” Auntie Eu broke in, impatiently.

“Hmmm? I told you.” Li Yao paused, her focus coming back to the group entirely as she belatedly realized she had not. “Oh, we think they might be the reason.”

“Impossible!” Auntie Eu said. “We’ve had cats since my great-grandparents first broke ground. They’ve always been part of the village. And they’re ordinary cats, how could they hurt us.”

“Actually, I don’t think they are,” Xiang An said, walking up to the group from behind. The quartet turned in surprise to see the man holding up a cream. “I think, if we rub this on them, we’ll be able to see part of their true form.”

Li Yao eyed the cream he held in his hands, then looked down at the still-squirming bag by her side. Already, the bag’s material was fraying as angry animals tore at it, attempting to escape. She looked at her hands, bloodied and clawed and recalled the damage done to Xiang An. That should have been their first clue. Cultivator skin was tough, much tougher than what a normal animal should be able to damage. In most cases.

Still…

“Good luck!” She untied the bags and tossed them to Xiang An before she fled, even borrowing a part of her combat skills and Chi to do so more quickly. Sometimes, winning a war was knowing what fights not to be part of.

And if Xiang An was crying out his betrayal behind her, well, he was the one who chose to court her. There were prices to be paid for all actions.

***

Sputtering water, Li Yao climbed out of the pond, holding the squirming, besodden cat by the nape of its neck. It thrashed constantly, sending droplets of water everywhere as it attempted to claw the cultivator. Feet squelching in the mud, Li Yao pulled on the Chi in her Dantian, focusing on the water aspect of her own ice cultivation.

A quick shake and push around sent the water streaming off her body and her clothing to splash onto the muddy shore before running away. The cat paused in its struggle, jade eyes meeting Li Yao’s own brown eyes to stare at her meaningfully.

“Stop struggling and I'll dry you too,” Li Yao said, uncertain if it would understand. She could swear the creature nodded, so she proceeded to send her Chi along the creature’s fur, pulling at the water and drying it out. There was nothing she could do about the dried earth though that now clotted both her dress and the cat’s fur. Her control of earth Chi was significantly less precise.

Walking with the now quiescent cat in her arms, Li Yao made her way back to the village square, where work in the village had come to a standstill. After all, the kind of entertainment being provided was hard to come by for the villagers.

In a variety of cages, some of them hastily constructed by the villagers, yowling and angry cats stalked, batting at the cage bars. Their grumpiness was quite clearly the result of the cream that Xiang An had spread across their fur. The apothecarist was the center of attention for everyone though, for each time he stuck his hand in a bag, he extracted a new feline opponent. One who was intent on escaping or at least dealing as much damage as it could to the cultivator who was smearing its fur with the noxious substance.

Screaming, hissing, twisting and tearing, the loud meows and snarls of the next kitten kept resounding through the square as Xiang An twisted, shifted and fought with the cats. For it was a fight at times, the creatures showing unnerving grace that was remarkable even for cats.

Li Yao stopped, staring at the scene before her. Xiang An had multiple wounds, his cultivator robes shredded, blood dripping along his arms and hands and his eyes strained. Latest opponent smeared, the apothecarist took the next most dangerous step – stuffing the creature back into a cage. With insufficient cages, he had to carefully open a cage, stuff the cat in and prevent the cats within from escaping. All the while, other felines in bags along his waist bounced themselves against his body attempting to get away.

“You’re doing well I see,” Li Yao said, smiling a little. “Where’s Brother Shen?”

Xiang An stayed focused till he closed the cage door. He pointed at the cats, snarling a little as he spoke. “These demon creatures escaped. Broke themselves out of the cage twenty minutes ago. Shen Wei is collecting them for me.”

Li Yao nodded. “Is it working at least?”

“Yes.” He eyed the docile cat she was holding who had begun to tense, its tail growing stiff as she neared him. “How did you get it so quiet?”

“Dunked it in water and then took it off,” Li Yao said, smiling a little. “Now we’ve come to an agreement, haven’t we?” The cat turned and hissed at her, making Li Yao smile a little. “I assume the salve is working then?”

Xiang An nodded, gesturing to the cages. Li Yao paid a little more attention to them, only to find that as she neared, the difference was quite remarkable. The non-awoken cats were agitated at being caged but were otherwise normal. The Spirit Beast felines, on the other hand, had lost much of the normal coloring, their fur now showing a remarkable array of vivid colors. All of them sported the same jade green eyes and reflected an unnatural level of intelligence, and lastly, emanated a heat as the salve forced a dispersal of yang Chi from them. Those cats were the most agitated by far, showcasing a high degree of discomfort and pain.

“It’s hurting them,” Li Yao said, horrified.

“A little,” Xiang An acknowledged. “The salve reacts to their spiritual nature, and to combat it, they are using their yang Chi.”

“So what are they?” Li Yao said, crouching down. The black cat in her hand had turned, facing the caged creatures, looking at the Spirit Beasts and seeming to communicate with one another wordlessly.

“I don’t know,” Xiang An said with a shrug. “A Spirit Beast of some form. A whole clan of them.”

“You’re sure they’re Spirit Beasts and not Demon Beasts?” Li Yao said. The difference between the two was one of intelligence and degree of enmity at times, so it paid to make sure.

“As much as I can be. As I said, I’m not really…”

“A beast tamer,” Shen Wei, coming back and holding a bag, said. “Though I do think they’d be interested in these.”

“Do you know what they are?” Li Yao said.

“No. Intelligent though, these are.” He rubbed his chin with his free hand as he put down the squirming bag. “But I can tell you why they’re making the villagers sick.”

“Oh?” Li Yao said, raising an eyebrow.

“They’re hungry.”

“They’re eating people’s Chi out?” Li Yao said, surprised.

Xiang An nodded in understanding. “I don’t think it’s intentional. It would explain why your talismans didn’t react, why we haven’t sensed any hostility—” he paused, looking at his injuries and added, “Mostly. It’s also why I didn’t find any external signs of invasion.”

Auntie Eu, having listened to the cultivators talk, butted in, grey hair waggling in the wind as she looked at the group. “Are you saying our cats are hurting us?”

“Yes,” Shen Wei said. “They evolved. It happens sometimes, when you live so close to the spiritual wilderness.”

“All of them?” Auntie Eu said.

“No, no. Just some,” Shen Wei said. He eyed the cat that Li Yao was holding, having unconsciously taken the cat into her arms to cuddle with as it had grown quiet. It was letting out little contented purrs even as it stared at the group with intense regard. “It might just be all those from a single line. If they hunted the right kind of monsters, had an opportunity…”

“But how are they hurting us?” Auntie Eu said, confused.

“By joining with your Chi cycling,” Xiang An said. “Look at Li Yao.” He pointed and the woman blinked, looking down at the cat. She realized what she was doing and froze, even as she probed her own Chi flows. “See how the pair have integrated their auras now? She let the cat into her boundaries, and now the pair are cycling together. Just a little.”

“It’s leaching yang Chi from me,” Li Yao confirmed, her eyes a little absent as she focused within. “How interesting.”

“And the yang Chi in the environment is a by-product,” Shen Wei said. “Bad cultivation techniques on the animals’ part.”

“Well, I don’t think anyone taught them any,” Li Yao said, defensively. The cat in her arms purred, glaring at the haughty formation master who smirked.

“So what now? We finish catching them all and…?” Shen Wei said, looking at Elder Low who had joined the group. “I don’t think they’ll want us to kill their problem.”

“Obviously not!” Auntie Eu exclaimed.

“It would not be our choice, Honored Cultivator. The cats, they are like family,” Elder Low said, glancing at the children who clustered at the sides, looking in concern at the caged animals.

“Troublesome,” Xiang An said, disappointed. “If we took care of these cats now, it’ll be much faster. Their fur is uncommonly soft too, I’m sure we could get a decent number of coins for it. Never mind those sharp claws of theirs, their gall bladders and maybe their spirit stones…”

As if the cats understood what Xiang An was saying, they grew still. Rather than thrashing around, they crouched low, their ears swiveled backwards. Even the black cat in Li Yao’s arms had tensed before she scratched between its ears.

“Brother Xiang!” Li Yao said, scandalized. “Not all assignments have to end in death. I’m sure we can find a solution.”

“It’s a waste to let them loose in the countryside. And dangerous too,” Xiang An said, reasonably. “These are domestic animals. They might grow feral again, but many will die if we released them into the wilds just due to their size. Better to end it for them here and save them suffering.”

“Who said we’re taking them away?” Li Yao said, frowning.

“I mean… did you intend to leave them here to cause trouble?” Xiang An replied.

Auntie Eu and Elder Low balked at their words, shaking their heads in negation making Xiang An smirk a little. Li Yao frowned, unhappy with the change in his demeanor from hesitant to greedy and bold. It seemed money drove this apothecarist more than anything. An unhappy revelation.

“Brother Xiang is right,” Shen Wei said, cutting in. “It would be irresponsible to just leave the animals here. I’m also loathe to leave contribution points behind.” Li Yao’s eyes narrowed, and Shen Wei held a hand up to stop her from bursting out as he finished. “I think we should bring the animals back to the Sect.”

“Why?” Xiang An said.

“The beast trainers will be interested in them,” Shen Wei explained. “If they manage to teach or otherwise reduce the side-effects of the animals’ cultivating, they would make superb pets as well.”

“Pets?” Li Yao frowned, looking at the black cat in her arms. It let out a satisfied purr as she stroked it. It was dangerous to leave these creatures with low-level cultivators. Even for her, she could feel it slowly extracting her Chi, dispersing what she had gathered. It was not a burden though, since she could regain the amount in a few minutes of meditation. In fact, even without changing or teaching the animals, Li Yao could imagine the cats could be used as a form of training for a cultivator. “Well, their fur is very soft. And they are very smart…” Eyeing Xiang An’s arms, she added, “With training, they might even be deadly against Body Cultivators.”

“Exactly,” Shen Wei said. “If we’re in agreement, we’ll finish checking them all and arrange for something a little more secure to bring them back with us with.”

To their surprise, the cat in Li Yao’s arms let out a loud yowl at that. When they looked at it, it stood up in Li Yao’s arms, pushing against her arm and letting out another call. To the watchers’ surprise, the cats subsided as if commanded, growing silent and attentive. Then, the cat turned back to the cultivators, letting out what seemed to be an entirely self-satisfied cry before lying down in Li Yao’s arms again.

“Well…,” Xiang An said, blinking.

“Yes, who’s my good little kitty?” Li Yao crooned to her cat, stroking its head. Then, she looked up and answered. “Isn’t my kitty good?”

The group could only mutely nod and chose to ignore the strangeness they were dealing with.

***

Hours later, the group made their way out of the village, a wagon rolling along behind them. Rather than drive the wagon filled with caged cats, the group had elected to hire a villager and the wagon. The delay had mostly been in acquiring and sorting the cats, though that had gone much better than they had expected with the aid of their new feline helper. After that, Xiang An had spent some time looking over the victims and providing recommendations on tonics to improve their health before the group were able to leave.

On the ride back, Li Yao sat with the black cat curled up on the saddle before her, one hand idly stroking the creature. Cradling the cat, she occasionally turned to stare at the pair of riders behind her before shaking her head.

In the end, it seemed that neither Xiang An or Shen Wei were what they had seemed. Nor had they, it seemed, chosen to progress their already lackluster courting of her. Li Yao had to admit, if only to herself, that she was perhaps a little disappointed by that in Shen Wei’s case.

Catching her gaze, the formation master raised a single, elegant eyebrow. She smiled back before turning away, shaking her head. Perhaps she was asking for too much or expecting too much. They were all, after all, trying to find their way in the world of courtship as cultivators and nobles.

The old rules no longer held them close, but at the same time it was their only anchor point to how they should interact. No matchmakers spoke for them, no parents dictated their choices. Yet, the individuals they were growing to become were not fully formed, incomplete in their understandings of the world and themselves. Leaking, feelings and insecurities.

Fingers tracing through soft fur, Li Yao smiled down at the cat that purred under her fingers. Incomplete, but as feline jade eyes met her own, she could not wait to see what the final result would be.

###

The End of Villages and Illnesses

A Thousand Li Short Story

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading this! I hope you had fun reading this story. Check back on the store (https://www.mylifemytao.com/shop/) to see if we released any additional short stories!

Please check out my other series, the Adventures on Brad (a slice-of-life fantasy LitRPG), the System Apocalypse (a post-apocalyptic LitRPG) and A Thousand Li (a cultivation xanxia series), and Hidden Wishes (an urban fantasy Gamelit). Book one of each series is named:

A Thousand Li: The First Step (Book 1 of the A Thousand Li series)

A Gamer’s Wish (Book 1 of the Hidden Wishes series)

A Healer’s Gift (Book 1 of the Adventures on Brad)

Life in the North (Book 1 of the System Apocalypse)

In addition, please take a look at other series/books I have co-written:

Leveled up Love! by Tao Wong & A. G. Marshall

A Fist Full of Credits by Tao Wong & Craig Hamilton (Book 1 of System Apocalypse: Relentless)

Town Under by Tao Wong & K.T. Hanna (Book 1 of System Apocalypse: Australia)

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About the Author

Tao Wong is an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader who spends his time working and writing in the North of Canada. He’s spent way too many years doing martial arts of many forms, and having broken himself too often, he now spends his time writing about fantasy worlds.

For updates on the series and his other books (and special one-shot stories), please visit the author’s website: http://www.mylifemytao.com

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Short Stories in the A Thousand Li series

The Favored Son

The Storming White Clouds Sect

On Gods and Demons

Clifftop Crisis and Transformation

Imperial March

Villages and Illnesses

Descent from the Mountain

The Divine Peak

Fish Ball Quest