Quantum Cultivation by Jace Kang (simple e reader TXT) 📕

Siena’s channeling?” Ken turned to the Elestrae, who was leaning against Master Ryu. Again, that sensation knotted in his stomach.

“Pills?” she asked. “Do you mean the ones that were from your robes?”

“Yes.” Ken nodded.

“My pills?” Master Ryu’s eyes fluttered open. “Where?”

“We were invited by the Peacekeepers to look at them,” she said. “They didn’t let us remove them from their headquarters, but we did study their chemical makeup.”

“And?” Aya asked, edging closer.

“Simply amazing. Dense bioenergy, with several chemical compounds we’d never seen before. And my people have seen a lot in this galaxy. How are they made?”

Climbing to his feet, Master Ryu helped Siena up. “They’re composed of several herbs harvested at specific phases of the moon or certain days of the year. They also contain minerals mined from special locations. All are only found in the World of Rivers and Lakes.  Then, the ingredients are refined and processed by high-ranking Qi-smiths.”

“Can you go back to get another?” Ken asked.

The master shuffled his feet. “No.”

Just no? All three looked at him, waiting for an explanation, but none was forthcoming.

Instead, he turned to Aya. “Can you download the Peacekeeper’s research?”

“Not while their headquarters are in lockdown, unless you can get me inside.”

“I have access.” Siena fingered one of her beads.

Master Ryu beamed at her. “From what you saw, do you think you could replicate its energy?”

“On Earth?” She leaned into him. “Probably not. There’s not enough istrium, aquaryl, or titanide left on this planet.  Maybe if you could obtain the core of a starship that can fold space.”

Ken looked at the crescent moon, which was pale in the early morning sky. Space-folding starfighters and cruisers were docked in lunar orbit. Master Ryu would have a better chance of penetrating Peacekeeper Headquarters than making his way to the moon without permission; and the news reported that the bulk of the fleet had deployed on a classified mission a week ago, anyway. Shipyards in low orbit around Earth would be another possibility, but istrium supply was so low, they might not find any cores.

“From your expressions, I’m guessing that isn’t possible.” Master Ryu scratched his chin.

Aya and Ken both shook their heads.

“I have another idea. May I feel your pulse?” the master asked the Elestrae.  When she nodded, he placed three fingers on each of her wrists and closed his eyes. After a moment, he nodded to Ken and Aya. “You feel her pulse now.”

They exchanged glances, then followed his command. Ken took Siena’s right wrist with his left hand, while Aya felt her left pulse with her right hand.  At the same time, the master took their free arms and placed pressure on their wrists.

“The right side reflects the organs of Qi and Yang,” Master Ryu said. “Under your index finger, you feel the Lung; your middle finger, the Spleen, your ring finger, Kidney Yang.”

His words could’ve been high-level math, for all that Ken could understand them. He just nodded.

“The left represents the organs of Blood and Yin. Heart under the index finger, Liver under the middle finger, Kidney Yin under the ring finger. Siena has strong, even pulses.”

The force thrummed beneath Ken’s fingers, though without anyone to compare it to, it was impossible to tell if it was strong or weak…

“Now,” Master Ryu said. “Feel Aya’s Lung and Spleen pulse.”

Ken pondered. Right side, under the index and middle fingers.  “May I?” he asked Aya.

Frowning, she offered her wrist.

The sensations beneath his fingers didn’t feel any different from Siena’s.  Just what was he trying to feel?

“Aya’s Lung pulse is weak, her Spleen pulse slippery.  The first should be obvious—”

It wasn’t.

“—compared to Siena, it feels frail.”

Perhaps so? It tapped against his fingers.

“Now, her Spleen pulse feels as if a smooth pebble is rolling beneath your finger.”

Maybe? It—

Aya swatted his hand away, and used her left fingers to feel her pulse.

“Come from underneath,” Master Ryu said, adjusting her position.

Her eyes widened. “I feel what you mean.”

“That’s a sign that your Spleen is creating phlegm.”

Aya shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. Phlegm comes from—”

“Yes, yes, it’s an inflammatory response.” The master covered his chest. “We are speaking in metaphors.  Four thousand years ago, our ancestors couldn’t see a cell or hormone or enzyme, so they came up with a logical system for understanding the body.”

“Our ancestors could.” Siena winked at Ken, who had reclaimed his spot on Aya’s wrist.

And there it was, the rolling sensation in her pulse.

“In the Path of Five Elements, we say the Spleen takes food and divides it into good and bad parts.” Master Ryu swept his hands apart, like a demigod parting the sea. “The good goes towards creating energy, which merges with the energy from the lungs to create Qi. The bad gets expelled.  However, if your Spleen is weak, some of the bad gets stuck in with the good.  That’s phlegm and dampness. Aya’s Spleen Qi is too weak to filter food well, and her Lung Qi is too weak to disperse the phlegm.”

“What about me?” Ken asked.

“Your Heart pulse jitters, and your Liver pulse is wiry. That’s why you’re so excitable.”

Ken felt his wrist. The sensation—

“See how the Liver pulse feels like a guitar string vibrating under your finger?”

“What’s a guitar?”

The master rolled his eyes. “A stringed instrument. Don’t you have those?”

Aya and Ken exchanged glances.  In fact, they didn’t. He’d seen strings in the old movies, and like in The Hero with Jet Li, they snapped when wet.  Modern sensors and synthesizers could replicate sound fidelity perfectly.

With a chuckle, Siena uttered those words again. When the air shimmered, she reached in and pulled out a wooden box with strings made of what looked to be twisted hair.  She ran her finger across one, and