Understanding the Dao

The next day, Illumca woke up with a feeling of loss. It felt as if a part of her had turned hollow. When she saw a figure sitting cross-legged beside her with eyes closed, that part of her was filled with warmth.

Unconsciously her finger had tugged on the hem of Connie's dress and woke her from her meditation.

"Woke up, have you?" she greeted her with a smile. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel…fine."

Her gaze turned harsh. "No, you're not. I don't need empty bravado. Only facts. If you don't tell me the truth, then I cannot help you."

She was surprised by the sudden fierceness and meekly answered. "I-I guess my left arm is feeling numb."

"I see. Your current condition is worse than I thought. The poison is adapting to your body and is returning with vengeance. The numbness is a prelude of the end."

Hearing the blunt diagnose of the girl, Illumca cannot help but feel a mixed feeling of resignation and anger. The fingers that had been holding to part of Connie's dress clenched until they were white.

Connie took her hand and held them tight.

"Tell me, Illumca. Do you really want to live?"

"I want…to live. But I don't want to simply live on like this. Fearing the impending death without being able to do anything about it."

"Even if it means you have to take the life of another and throw away all that you are at the present? And after that you will have to do it all over again."

"I will…pay the price! Anything. My body, my soul. Is yours. Just as I said when we first met!"

Connie narrowed her eyes and began to explain. "The plan I made for your treatment had to be scrapped. I have another plan, the only one that I can do right now. But this one is very dangerous and very risky. There is a more than a 90 percent chance of you dying if you are not strong enough. And even if you survive, you will have to throw away everything that you were. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

Connie received the fervent gaze and sighed. "…I understand. Then I must confess to you something," she looked at her straight in the eyes. "I have memories of a past life. The life of a man from another world with knowledge different from ours."

"…I see."

"You believe me?"

"You are the only one that has ever been truthful to me. How can I not believe you?"

She smiled and laid her hand on Illumca's cheek. "Good girl. Then you must believe everything that I will tell you. I will teach you about the philosophy and concept of Dao. For this is crucial to the treatment. You just lay there and listen."

Then the blonde girl began to tell a story so unbelievable and fantastical that Illumca almost thought that her savior was crazy. But she threw that thought away at the same moment. What she experienced and felt towards her was the only thing that kept her going.

"Dao is a path, a purpose, a way of life that one must realize for themselves. It is the natural order of the universe that one must understand to achieve enlightenment. It is no simple learning, for it is the accumulation of the experience of living."

Connie let a wisp of red poison cloud appear in her hand and moved it around in one hand. "It is to know life and death. To feel regret and pain. Joy and happiness. We are those who "Cultivates the Dao" to achieve the highest level of existence. Thus we are called "Cultivators.""

She blew on the wisp and it turned into a butterfly that flew about before dispersing into nothing. "The Dao is eternal, but life is ephemeral. Cultivating is not the goal, but only a means to cultivate the Dao."

"The Cultivating stages are divided into three main stages with three sub stages each."

"Shedding Mortality is the first stage. All beginners will enter this stage and substantiate their Dao in this stage."

"Treading Earth is the second stage. Most Masters will stop at the early stage if they are not gifted. Those who have reached the Late Stage are those who can be called Grandmasters. Beings who could fly over thousand li in a single second and destroy mountains as easily as flipping a hand."

"Ascending Heaven is the third stage. This stage is mostly unknown due to there being only handful number of cultivators able to reach this stage. Only three cultivators are known to have reached this stage."

"The first is Grand Abbot Cloud Watcher."

"The second is Grandmaster Wu Jiang the Lazy Vagabond."

"The third is Dark Empress Feng Niu."

"You must understand that by choosing this path, you will become a Cultivator like me. Someone whose life are rife with enemies."

She then continued to say. "Normally, the formation of the Dao should only be done after one is ready to pass Shedding Mortality Stage. However, this plan relies on the strength of your sense of self, your purpose, your way of life, and your innermost desire."

"In other words, it will rely on your Dao. Remember my words. "Understand the self, understand the Dao. I am the Universe and the Universe is me."."

Illumca repeated the words, every words said with purpose and force. "Understand the self…understand the Dao. I am the Universe and the Universe is me."

"Yes. Comprehend this meaning. Only then will you be able to surpass this tribulation."

Illumca closed her eyes and went into a trance.

Connie smiled at seeing this and left the attic to let her meditate on it.

-||-

Two days had passed since the eldest of Steelheart family stormed out of the mansion and normalcy had returned to the life of Lady Carell and her son. She had once again left the mansion for another of her escapades while Julian had his third chocolate pudding of the day.

Outside, a young footman was scraping mud off his boots with an old knife. He had a long, gaunt face with sloping shoulder and muscles that looked taut and strong.

"Derrick." A maid came by with a plate of sandwiches. "I brought lunch."

The maid wore her brown hair tied to a prim bun. She was tall with well-proportioned body. Hidden underneath the maid clothes was a toned, slender body with strong muscles unbecoming of a servant.

"Just in time, Kelly. I'm famished!"

He put away the shoes and sat with her under the shadows of a toolshed in the garden. It looked like secret rendezvous between to servants, however the topic of their conversation was altogether very different.

"There is a new order from the client," she said as she handed him a small piece of paper. He glanced through the scroll while biting into the sandwich.

"So the Du-," he stopped chewing when he saw her glaring at him. "The client is getting antsy?"

"It has been two months and we still cannot find Grunford. The client is getting desperate."

Derrick sighed. "If that is so, why did he try to kill her in the guild?"

"It wasn't the client's plan. It was his daughter's. She is just using his name. Really, a jealous woman in love is dangerous."

"Even though she had already gotten the prince's hand-in-marriage? Father and child are the same. Their hearts are as black as coal. No wonder the Noble Faction is filled with corrupt men."

Kelly shook her head reproachfully. "It's not in our place to judge the client's purpose. Our responsibility is only its completion," she said as her eyes skimmed the small scroll. She then put it on top of a lit candle and let it burn into ash.

"Just in time too. I'm tired of acting like an innocent village girl in this house."

"It does not suit you. The fake smile, you know."

"Hmm?!"

"Kidding! Okay, so the client wants us to directly interrogate the target?"

"Yes. And we will move tonight."

The young man nodded with a great smile. "I've been waiting for you to say that. Do you know where she is?"

"She's staying in an inn in town."

"Is the info accurate?"

The maid threw the silver knife in her hand. It went straight through a bee two meters away, slicing it in two halves. "As accurate as my throw."

"Nice."

The two the went their separate ways and met up later after midnight. The time when most people had gone home drunk or passed out on the spot.

Derrick and Kelly met up in an alleyway near a local inn called Getty's inn.

They had both activated their stealth skills and worn inconspicuous black outfits. Their equipments are similarly painted black so that they did not reflect light. It was clear that they were used to the job.

"Where is she?" Derrick asked.

"Second floor, third window to the right. I paid the waiter to put in some sleeping drugs into her food. Nothing could wake her up after a dose of this."

"The usual, huh? When did she take her meal?"

"Half an hour ago. It should have kicked in by now. I put in twice the dosage to make sure this goes right."

"Let's give it a five more minutes."

"Alright," she agreed.

The two waited silently after her acknowledgment until Derrick opened his mouth. "Do you remember our promise…?"

"Hm, this is our last job and then we'll go to your parents' home in Rogdorm," she responded.

Derrick sighed helplessly at the cold response from his paramour. "Do you know why I asked you to come home with me?"

"I know. You want me to live with you."

"Yes. Away from this bloody life, from this dangerous job where one small mistake will cost us our life." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I guess I was the only one who is excited for our future."

There was a silence in the alleyway which was then broken by the woman's voice. "Do you know why I took this job? Just because it pays well? This is a Rank A job where the client is so high up that one mistake would mean our death."

"What do you mean?"

"I took the job because I know we can do this. The money we can make will last us our lifetime and we can make our own family safely. After the news that she had managed to take out most of the mansion's guards, I had my misgivings. That's why I staked her out and gave her twice the usual dose. I -."

Before she finished her ramblings, the man's downtrodden face had suddenly bloomed into a happy one. "Kelly. You mean…!"

The icy visage that she was wearing suddenly melted. "I'm also…looking forward to our life together."

"Thank you! Oh, thank you!" he moved to give her a kiss but she put a hand against his chin.

"Not now, we have a job to do," she said sternly. "Leave that for later."

Derrick was used to the cold treatment from his beloved and did not mind her terseness. Yes. There would be another life waiting for the two of them in the future after this job.

"Alright. It's time we finish this," he said joyfully.

The two climbed up to the roof of an adjacent house and crept up to the window of the room where the target had bundled up and fell asleep under the influence of the drug.

Derrick and Kelly are a combination famous in the guild. While Kelly is an expert in close range combat, Derrick is an adept in support. To enhance his support, Derrick invested in the skill "Analyze". A skill that most people have only raised to Level 1. He has continually used the skill so many times that it has reached Level 4. Therefore while most people could only see Level and Name. He could also see the HP, MP, Title, and Condition.

This job must be done perfectly for the sake of their future, so he did not skimp on precautions. He signaled his pair to stop moving and used his skill on the sleeping girl.

"Analyze."

As soon as he whispered the skill's name. A row of words and symbols that only he could see appeared in front of him. When he saw what was in the result, he could not help but curse.

What in Goddess's name is this?