Chapter 102
A few days in the dream dimension turned out to be only a few hours in real time . However, Truen felt as if he made a year's worth of progress with Freya's patient guidance and Merlin's absence . He was able to focus on gathering his Parallel Minds in the dream dimension to speed up the analysing process . This was a little trick taught by Freya and Truen took full advantage of Isis' time warp abilities to cultivate more Parallel Minds .
With ten Minds working on increasing his number of Parallel Minds, Truen knew he would be able to bridge that gap between Merlin and him sooner rather than later . He didn't know what Merlin thought about him cheating but his reputation was the least of his concern . Being able to keep up with Merlin's lessons was worth the blow to his pride .
"What are you thinking about? You're distracted . "
Startled, Truen jumped a little in his seat . He didn't realise that they were still in the middle of lessons and apologised to Freya . The goddess smiled and checked the time on her communicator .
"Alright, take a break . While it is still possible to continue, the mind would need rest to stay sharp . You have four hours before that maniac comes back so I highly suggest you make full use of it . "
Truen glanced at the time and noted that it was already two in the morning in dream time .
"Four hours in real time . Your body needs it too," Freya frowned and the wood elf winced . Sedna and Gaia in mother mode were considered normal . However, when Freya did it, the wood elf felt a pang of guilt . The fiery goddess only went into that mode when Truen overdid something or when Zero was put in serious harm's way . After all, it was easy to rile Freya but not worry her .
"I understand . Thank you . "
Satisfied with his answer, Freya left promptly to get some well-deserved rest herself .
Truen looked at the communicator in the dream realm and set it to four dream hours before resting his Parallel Minds . The wood elf stretched in the library and looked around for a comfortable looking spot and set the alarm to wake him up after four real hours physically . Now that preparations are done, it was time for a good break .
***
"Are we there yet?"
Hua Tuo groaned . That was the most dreaded question and the doctor found it difficult to constantly give his apprentice a reply . The boy definitely needed more patience training and the Medicine God yearned for silence more than anything else at the moment .
"Zero, it takes two weeks to get there on foot . No, we are not there yet . In fact, if you turn around, we can still see the fields from here . "
The master and apprentice set off on their journey about two hours ago and the sky had been dark then . The sun had only begun to peek past the mountain range but Zero had already asked that same question twenty times . Hua Tuo was considered tricking Zero into staying silent for the next hour but decided against it . Even if Zero looked like a child and often behaved like one, he wasn't young . Once Zero knew what he was trying to do, Hua Tuo will lose his apprentice's trust . That was something Hua Tuo wanted to avoid .
Then, an idea hit the old doctor and he praised himself silently .
"Zero, would you like to learn something new while we walk?"
The brunet blinked . Was it possible? Then again, he trusted Hua Tuo and anything new to Zero was something worth trying at least once .
"Of course!" he beamed and Hua Tuo gave himself a pat on the back .
"We are going to learn how to enter a meditative state . It's called the Zen mode . "
Zero didn't suspect a thing and listened to Hua Tuo's lecture . It was a very short lecture about ten minutes long and Zero blinked . Was counting his breath and emptying his mind all he had to do?
It didn't take Zero very long to realise how wrong he was . Counting his breaths was easy . The hard part came when he had to empty his thoughts and maintain that state of mind for an extended period of time . The curious child often found himself wandering off to look at the more interesting plants or hop by some rocks in their path . Hua Tuo remained silent the whole time, observing Zero struggle to maintain that meditative state .
The physician thought that Zero would give up after a few hours but even when dinner time rolled by, the brunet was still trying . Hua Tuo felt bad for tricking his student into being quiet but he couldn't apologise and come clean with it . After all, Zero was trying very hard . He figured that he would remain on the watch and guide Zero if he reaches a breakthrough . It might be slightly hasty of him but a part of Hua Tuo knew that meditation was something he would have to teach Zero during their time together . Without being able to enter a state of nothingness, one cannot feel the life energy flowing through the body .
Qigong was more than just morning exercise . If practised correctly, it is one of the most powerful forms of combat skill a man can achieve in life . Ancient Chinese martial arts were unrivalled . Many masters of martial arts founded sects back then, taking in thousands of disciples and passing on their art . Not even the Emperor could interfere with the pugilist masters . However, with power comes corruption . When these masters passed, their successors began to go astray . Many unorthodox arts were developed that harmed the body in return for faster cultivation speed . Hua Tuo watched the rise and fall of these practitioners and didn't want the same to happen to Zero .
Without training the mind to be resilient, how can the body become strong? Hua Tuo understood the effects of emotion on the body . He'd written medical journals about his research and the same theory applied to martial arts .
The world co-existed on a fragile balance . There can be no light without darkness, no sound without silence, no joy without sadness . At this moment, Hua Tuo found Zero to be very off balance . While wise as an existence, Zero didn't know very normal things . He had a curious mind and Hua Tuo didn't fault that . However, Zero's tendency to do first and ask later was something Hua Tuo did not take kindly to . In some cases, the doctor would agree that asking for forgiveness was better than asking for permission . However, Zero was trying to fly without even learning how to walk so Hua Tuo had to pull the brakes on that .
Meditation will help calm the boy down and train him to focus on one task at a time . The current Zero tended to be slightly absent-minded and easily sidetracked . Hua Tuo worried for Zero when he went on his travels . Being a doctor's assistant, any distraction could prove disastrous . As a surgeon, any loss of focus could cost a patient's life . Zero wanted to be a travelling doctor so Hua Tuo had many reservations about allowing it if Zero didn't show signs of improvement .
Another thing that he worried about was Zero's instant reaction to panic when things go south . Truen was extremely cool-headed and knew how to react appropriately . Zero simply flew off the handle and wore his heart on his sleeves . When dealing with beings of higher intelligence like humans, such behaviour will only attract trouble . Unlike Zero, there are many people who have ill intentions and will not hesitate to take advantage of the weak .
No, Zero wasn't weak . Hua Tuo had to admit that . However, it didn't help that the brunet looked too defenceless . Without Truen around, Hua Tuo would bet his entire journal collection that Zero would walk into trouble on their first day in any town . The young boy just had an appearance that screamed easy target . If Zero didn't work on his demeanour in public, he would be in for a hard time .
Nevertheless, as Zero worked on building a fire efficiently, Hua Tuo continued to observe his charge secretly . While Zero's mental state of mind hasn't improved, he could now sense both chakra and meridian branches beginning to manifest as a proof that the special training works . The morning exercise served two purposes . Firstly, it was to strengthen Zero's artificial body and get the soul inside accustomed to it . The second was to allow it to develop natural mana and qi branches in hopes that one day, Zero could absorb them naturally without the special device . It wasn't a real body but with a little bit of innovation, magic and time, Zero could live as normally as anyone else on Earth . Hua Tuo and the Great Gods would pull no punches when it came to aiding Zero . However, they still worried about the precious child . If Zero could hold his ground, it would give them a peace of mind when he left them .
They cooked in perfect harmony without many words . Already, Hua Tuo could sense that Zero's actions were less fidgety . That was a huge improvement . Usually, Zero would hum, move around or play with the utensils while waiting for something to cook . Today, Zero didn't hum . He didn't walk around or danced randomly . There wasn't even any twirling of chopsticks or spinning them on his nose . Hua Tuo noticed how Zero eyes were trained on the flickering fire during the whole time while waiting for the soup to cook . It was slightly unnerving when Zero didn't even blink after the two-minute mark passed . Hua Tuo briefly wondered if he was looking at a doppelganger but dismissed it soon after he announced that the food was ready .
Table manners . Hua Tuo noticed how messily Zero ate even in silence . The boy had food all over his mouth . Soup dribbled from his chin and there were bits of vegetables at the side of his cheek . Hua Tuo wondered how Zero managed to get a piece of carrot on his nose . Zero's table manners included licking his fingers clean and wiping his dirtied face on the sleeve of his shirt . The doctor sighed . He'd spent too much time taking care of Zero to realise the harm he'd done .
Whatever . That was Merlin's problem now . Hua Tuo told Zero to wash up quickly and sleep . He would take the first half of the night watch and Zero will take the second . The boy didn't argue and went to sleep after texting Truen . Hua Tuo was impressed when he heard some light snoring ten minutes into his watch .
Pulling out a secret flask, he took a swig from it and sighed . He didn't think he'd need the alcohol so soon . It was only the first day of their journey but already, he was exhausted . The road ahead of them seemed very long . Very long indeed .