2 Chapter 2: You are now Trash

When I woke up in hospital a few days later, I was surprised to see that my body was still in one piece.

"How…?"

"Oh, you're up." The doctor's face hovered above me. I blinked, my eyesight still blurry because I couldn't find my glasses. Fortunately, they were on the bedside table. Upon putting them on, the image before me sharpened and I could finally make out the concerned features of the dark-haired doctor's face, as well as the devices hanging from the pockets of his white lab coat. He smiled in relief. "We thought you wouldn't wake up."

"I thought I was dead." I stared down at my arms and legs, moving them to check if the bones were broken. They weren't. "How long as I out for?"

"About five days."

"Eh? Then how are my injuries already…?"

"Don't underestimate the power of cultivators' healing techniques." The doctor shook his finger and grinned. "We were also feeding you elixirs intravenously."

At that, I saw that I was attached to several drips, with vessels of spiritual elixirs slowly being fed into my veins.

The power of cultivation techniques combined with modern technology. Amazing. Humanity had come a long way since the couple of centuries when both spirit beasts and spiritual qi appeared in our world.

"Well, relax. Let me run a few checkups first." The doctor leaned over and began examining me, asking me to move to test if my limbs were back to full working condition, and then making notes from the ECG and other mysterious medical devices I was hooked up to. Once he was satisfied, he pulled back and nodded happily. "Congratulations. It seems that you've made a full recovery. You might feel a bit of weakness after lying in bed for five days and having just healed, but you should be fine once you get up and move around. In fact, I think you can be discharged as soon as tomorrow."

"That's great." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not all good news, though," the doctor said, suddenly turning somber. "While you have physically recovered, your…meridians are broken beyond repair. You are no longer a cultivator."

"What?" The news was a blow. I had always wanted to become one of the top cultivators – it was my dream to stand at the highest ranks of heroes, to save the world from the spirit beasts and demonic beasts that rampaged throughout it. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." The doctor nodded grimly and gestured. "If you don't believe me, you can try summoning your qi."

I complied, holding my hand and trying to gather my qi together. To my horror, I couldn't accumulate any qi. I could still feel the mystical energies flowing through my body, but with my ruptured meridians, I couldn't control the flow or gather them in my broken dantian.

"No way…"

"I'm sorry." The doctor shook his head sympathetically. "I understand that this comes as a shock, but this is the reality."

"Can't you…repair my meridians? Like with healing techniques or…with elixirs?" I gestured toward the intravenous elixirs I was hooked up to. If they could miraculously restore my physical body from a mess of broken bones and squashed internal organs, then surely there existed an elixir that could repair my meridians and dantian, right?

"Well, yeah. It's not that there aren't such elixirs." The doctor affirmed without hesitation. He then grinned slyly. "But it's not as if your family can afford them, can they?"

My heart sank at that. He was right. My parents weren't that rich. My dad was an ordinary cultivator and my mom was a marine biologist who worked in an offshore laboratory. There was no way they could afford the exorbitant prices of such miraculous elixirs.

"Even if they could…to be honest, such elixirs are exceedingly rare. I don't think this hospital has them, even if your parents could pay for them."

I could feel the despair growing, almost like a shadow that was enveloping me. The doctor said something else, but I was no longer paying attention. I was probably in a catatonic state by then, tuning out the world.

Wanting to escape from reality.

I was yanked back to the present when my parents arrived.

"Jun Wen! Are you all right?"

Mom had taken a flight back to Xia Hai City, using her laboratory's helicopter to return as soon as she could when she heard the news. She was on the verge of tears, removing her glasses to wipe her eyes before embracing me.

"Yeah. I'm still alive."

"We heard what you did, son." Dad smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You were very brave."

I laughed hollowly. "I always did want to become a hero."

"You are a hero. You have always been one." Dad squeezed my shoulders, but I could see the concern in his eyes. When he saw my despondent look, he sighed. "The doctor already informed you of your situation?"

"Yeah. My meridians are destroyed, aren't they?"

There was a silence as my parents exchanged glances. Then dad took a deep breath.

"Don't worry, Jun Wen. No matter what, we'll support you. I'll look into ways on how to repair your meridians. We'll definitely make you a cultivator again, by any means necessary."

"Don't worry about it. I know how expensive the necessary elixirs are…"

"We'll take out a loan if we have to," dad interrupted fiercely. He messed up my hair and grinned. "Let the adults take care of adult affairs. You're still young, you should continue enjoying your youth."

"Thanks."

"I have some contacts in the lab. I'll ask around. Maybe my old professor knows something." Mom was thoughtful.

"Big bro will be fine." Jun Hai said as he entered the room. We turned to look at him, and he stared at me with an encouraging smile. Like me, he was a student in the Divine Path Academy, dressed in the familiar white, red and black uniform. "I know you will. This is just a minor setback. He'll definitely make a comeback!"

"Thanks." I wasn't sure where he was getting the confidence from, but I guess he was trying to cheer me up in his own way. "I'll do my best not to let you down."

"You're a hero, big bro! I heard my classmates talking about you. They all appreciate what you did for Senior Li Wang."

"Oh, yeah…is Li Wang all right?"

"He is. His family paid for the hospitalization fees and medical bills." Dad gestured to the room. "That's why you're in a private room. The Li family took care of everything. They were very grateful to you. I believe the Li Patriarch wishes to express his thanks in person when you're better."

"Uh, no need for that." I shuddered, not wanting to meet a celebrity. I had seen the elderly Li patriarch on the Internet, and he struck an intimidating posture.

"He may have said that, but I doubt he'll actually do it," mom muttered. "You know how these rich and powerful people are. They just say things for publicity, but they don't really mean it. Our existences are beneath their notice, I bet he forgot about it."

"Maybe," dad said with a shrug. "The sentiment is appreciated, though. And they already paid for the hospital bills, so that's good enough for me. Actions are better than words."

"That's true. That's the most important thing." Mom nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, you should get some rest." Dad patted my head. "You did well, son. We're all proud of you. We'll pick you up when you're discharged tomorrow."

"Thank you." I waved as they rose to leave. I was so blessed to have a warm, loving family.

*

Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for my "friends."

After I was discharged, I returned to the Divine Path Academy, but instead of a hero's welcome, I received a…colder reception.

Everyone was whispering as they watched me from afar, and I had a feeling they weren't praising me. Their gazes felt cold and…condescending. Almost reminding me of the Lava Drake's leer when it crushed me a week ago.

When I stepped into the classroom, I was stunned by the first question thrown at me by Kuang Zhe. The burly spearman jabbed a finger at me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Um…attending class?"

"Are you deliberately being dense?"

"Song Jun Wen, you're no longer a cultivator," Kai Xuan said with mock patience. "So why are you attending classes in a cultivator academy?"

"I mean, I'm a student here."

"Shameless," Lian Hua muttered under her breath. I turned to her, trying to restrain myself from blurting out, "excuse me?"

"Your meridians are broken. We heard the news." Zi Yan regarded me coolly. "You're no longer a cultivator. You should be expelled from the school. Haven't you received the notice?"

"No, I didn't receive any such notice."

"Then you should quit yourself," Lian Hua snapped. "Are you waiting for the school to kick you out? They're only giving you face, but the school rules mandate that non-cultivators are not allowed to attend the Divine Path Academy."

"T…that…" I protested, but the words couldn't leave my word. Looking around desperately for support, I saw that no one was coming to my aid. They were all sneering at me, looking down on me condescendingly. I was no longer welcome here. I glanced at Li Wang, the person I saved by sacrificing myself, but he avoided his gaze.

"I…" He swallowed, but kept his eyes down. At least he wasn't as hostile as the others, and I could hear guilt in his voice. "I think it's best if you leave Divine Path Academy, Jun Wen. It's for your own good."

"I saved your life," I said in disbelief.

"Yes…and I'm grateful for that." His eyes darted away. "Really, I am. But…the reality is that you are no longer a cultivator. It will be dangerous for you…it's not like you can participate in battles against spirit beasts. Until you get your abilities back, you should…live your life as a regular person and stay safe. Otherwise, you'll die if you try to fight spirit beasts as you are now."

My mouth turned dry. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I mean, Li Wang had a point. I couldn't refute his logic. Even so, I was hoping for more…support.

"Listen here," Long Fan Xue spoke up fiercely, flipping her long black hair behind her. She glared at me. "Li Wang is too polite to say it, especially because he feels indebted to you for saving his life. But he already repaid you by paying for all of your medical fees. Those elixirs used to heal you from a corpse and back to a living person? How much do you think they cost? Your family would never be able to afford such things. I say that he has done more than enough to repay you for saving his life."

"That's not what I'm…"

"To be blunt, you are now trash." Long Fan Xue's sapphire eyes were as glacial as an iceberg. I actually shuddered when I met her gaze, feeling a chill run down my spine. "Li Wang has already done more than he needed to repay you. Don't take advantage of his kindness and guilt any further. What, do you expect him to take care of you for the rest of your wasteful life?"

"No, that's not…"

"Have more self-awareness," Lian Hua said harshly. "Trash like you will only be a burden. Not only that, you'll drag down the reputation of this school."

I clenched my fists, unable to suppress my anger. I wasn't expecting sympathy, and I understood their rationale. Even so, I felt that I deserved a lot more respect than the derision they were giving me right now. I saved Li Wang's life when no one else did. Even if they didn't want me to stay in the academy, even if they wanted me to quit because I was no longer a cultivator, there was no need for such attitudes.

They made me sick to my stomach.

"Fine," I said, not wanting to rise to the bait and get into a childish argument with them. "I'll leave."

Even as I exited the classroom, I could hear the jeers and insults.

"Sacrificing himself is the only thing that trash is good for."

"I always knew he was useless. I'm glad he's gone."

"You should have just let him die, Li Wang."

"He saved my life," Li Wang protested, the only person who wasn't outright bashing me. "Please stop this. At the very least, have the decency not to insult my benefactor in front of me."

"So we can do it if it's not in front of you?"

"That's not what I meant! Just don't do it in the first place!"

"Li Wang, do you actually want that trash back?"

"Well, I stand by what I said. It'll be too dangerous for him to fight alongside us and enroll in the academy as he is right now. But that doesn't change the fact that he was courageous enough to risk his life to save mine. No matter what, he's my benefactor, so stop insulting him. Please."

"You're too nice, Li Wang."

"Yeah, you should learn to be more ruthless. Trash should know their place and behave accordingly. Otherwise, he'll take advantage of your kindness."

"This world is strong eat the weak, after all."

"Bullshit." Li Wang snorted. "If this world is truly strong eat the weak, then I would have died to the Lava Drake without question. It's because of the valiant acts of individuals that humanity survived. Courage and honor are what allow humanity to stave off extinction, not selfishness and ruthlessness."

It was a pity that he was the only decent guy in my class. Not that I wanted to stick around in such a toxic classroom, but…I didn't know where to go from there.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I was redirected. As I made my way down the corridor, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Song Jun Wen?"

"Teacher Wang?"

Wang Fei, our homeroom teacher, strolled toward me, her expression stony. She smirked when she caught sight of me, fishing out for a document and handing it to me.

"This…?"

"I'm pleased to inform you that you've been expelled from Divine Path Academy."