Cultivation is Creation

The trip back to the Han compound was... interesting, to say the least. I'd experienced many awkward situations since finding myself in Han Renyi's body, but walking through the streets of Blue Horizon City at night, trying to come up with a plausible explanation for our twelve-hour disappearance? That was definitely in the top five.

"Maybe we could say we were meditating?" Han Renyi suggested after I had given a carefully crafted summary of my meeting with the Immortal Boy.

"For twelve hours?" I replied. "In the storage room? Without telling anyone?"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

We turned a corner and nearly collided with a patrol of city guards. They took one look at Han Renyi's merchant robes and moved to intercept us.

"Young Master Han?" The lead guard called out. "Your father has half the district looking for you!"

Ah. So that's what a realm-wide search party looks like in its early stages.

"I'm fine," Han Renyi assured them. "There was just a... misunderstanding about my whereabouts."

The guard nodded, though his expression suggested he wasn't entirely convinced. "We'll send word to the other patrols that you've been found. Your father will be relieved."

"Maybe leave out the crystalline heart part," I suggested dryly. "And the immortal messenger. And definitely the body-sharing."

"So... lie to him?"

"Think of it as... selective truth-telling. You were with your master, weren't you?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"And you learned important things about cultivation, didn’t you?"

"I suppose, but—"

"Then just focus on those parts.”

We reached the Han compound just as a group of servants was heading out with lanterns, presumably to join the search. Their excited shouts of "Young Master!" brought the rest of the household running.

Han Zhongwei burst out of the main hall like a man possessed, his usual composure forgotten as he rushed to embrace his son. "Renyi! Where have you been? We thought..." He pulled back, holding Han Renyi at arm's length to examine him. "When you vanished, with everything that's happened with the Three-Leaf Clover Sect, we feared..."

"I'm fine, Father," Han Renyi assured him quickly. "I'm sorry for worrying you. My master..." He paused, and I could feel him mentally reaching for the right words. "My master required my presence for some important training. I should have left word, but it was... urgent."

Han Zhongwei's expression cycled through several emotions – relief, confusion, a touch of hurt at being left out of the loop, and finally settling on cautious acceptance. "Your master? The one who helped you with Zhou Shentong?"

"Yes, Father. He's been teaching me... many things."

That was certainly one way to put it.

"I wish you let us know, son. Qingyi has been worried sick as well, she'll be relieved to see you're safe."

As if summoned by her name, Han Qingyi appeared in the courtyard. She took one look at her brother and burst into tears.

"You idiot!" she sobbed, running forward to punch him in the arm. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? First that whole thing with Elder Zhou, and then you just vanish without a word?"

"I'm sorry," Han Renyi said softly, and I could feel the genuine remorse in his thoughts. "I didn't mean to worry anyone."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Well, you did!" She punched him again, though this one had considerably less force behind it. "Father was convinced the Three-Leaf Clover Sect had... had..." She couldn't finish the sentence, instead wrapping her arms around her brother in a fierce hug.

I tactfully retreated to a quiet corner of Han Renyi's consciousness, giving the family some privacy for their reunion. It was strange, watching these moments through someone else's eyes. Like being a ghost at your own funeral, except less morbid and more... bittersweet?

As we followed him toward the main hall, I could hear the whispers starting up behind us. The servants were already spreading the word – Young Master Han hadn't been kidnapped or killed by angry sect members after all. He'd just been off training with his mysterious master.

The next few hours passed in a blur of explanations (carefully edited), tears (mostly from Qingyi), and enough food to feed a small army (courtesy of the kitchen staff, who apparently expressed their relief through aggressive hospitality).

Han Renyi handled it all remarkably well, I thought. He stuck to the basic story – his mysterious master had needed to consult with him about important matters related to his cultivation, the timing had been urgent, and yes, he was very sorry for not leaving a message. He even managed to make it sound somewhat plausible, though I noticed his father's eyes catching every small hesitation, every carefully chosen word.

It wasn't until late that evening, when we were finally alone in his room, that Han Renyi let out a long breath and collapsed onto his bed.

"That," he sighed looking up at the ceiling, "was exhausting."

"You handled it well," I replied. "Though I think your father suspects there's more to the story."

"Father suspects everything," Han Renyi said with a hint of pride. "It's why he was such a successful merchant before..." He trailed off, but I could feel the weight of unspoken words. Before they lost everything. Before they fell from grace. Before their future came to rest entirely on his young shoulders.

"I…I’ve never lied to my father so much before,” he sighed.

"You protected him from information that would only worry him unnecessarily. There's a difference."

He sat up, frowning slightly. "Is there? Sometimes I wonder if all these secrets, all these things we can't tell people... is this what it means to be a cultivator? To always be hiding things from the people you care about?"

That was... actually a pretty good question. One that deserved a proper answer.

"It's not about hiding things," I said carefully. "It's about understanding that some truths are too heavy for people to carry. What would he do with the truth? Would it help him run his business better? Would it make him sleep easier at night? Or would it just add another worry to a man who already has enough on his plate?"

Han Renyi was quiet for a long moment, considering this. Finally, he sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's just... complicated."

"Welcome to the cultivation world," I said dryly. "Where 'complicated' is usually the simplest thing you'll deal with on any given day."

That got a small laugh out of him, which was something at least. But I could feel there was more on his mind, questions building up behind his thoughts like water behind a dam.

"Master," he said finally, "about what happened today... with Astralis, and the heart-space, and everything we learned..."

And there it was. I'd been wondering when we'd get to this conversation.

"You have questions."

"About a thousand of them," he admitted. "But first... I need to know something."

I could feel the sudden seriousness in his tone, the way his thoughts focused like a blade being drawn. "What is it?"

"Astralis mentioned you’re leaving, is that true?"

The question hung in the air between us. I could feel the Genesis Seed's pull growing stronger with each passing moment, like an impatient child tugging at my sleeve.

"Yes," I said simply. There was no point in trying to soften this particular blow. "Soon."

There a long pause.

"How soon?" Han Renyi finally asked.

"Within the hour, I think. The pull is getting stronger."

He nodded slowly, as if he'd been expecting this answer but still wasn't quite ready for it. "Will you... will you come back?"

"When I can," I promised, keeping the plan to one day annex this realm into my own inner world to myself. "Though time moves differently between worlds, so I can't say exactly when that will be."

"Different how?"

"It's complicated," I said, then caught myself using the exact cop-out I'd just been discussing. "What I mean is, time flow between realms isn't consistent. Sometimes a day here might be a week in my world, sometimes it might be the other way around. It depends on a lot of factors that even I don't fully understand."

He absorbed this information with a thoughtful frown. "So, when you say you'll come back 'when you can'..."

"It could be tomorrow for you, or it could be years," I admitted. "That's why I don't want you to wait for me. Focus on your cultivation, on protecting your family. Make your own path."

"But..." He paused, and I could feel him struggling with his next question. "Couldn't I come with you?"

It was that same question again, but now I had a better idea on how to answer. "Not yet. The barrier between realms... it's not something you could survive crossing at your current level."

"What level would I need to be?"

"The Celestial Sovereign clearly chose Tier 7 for a reason, with Astralis’s help, that should be enough to crossover."

His shoulders slumped slightly. "That's... that's beyond anything I thought possible."

"Is it?" I asked. "You've already surprised yourself with what you can achieve. Why stop now?"

That got his attention. He straightened up, a familiar determination entering his eyes.

"Master, you promised to tell me about your world. So... what is it like?"