I woke up lying on the same floor, all bandaged. When I tried to move anything, immense pain shot through my body. Realizing it was better not to do that, I calmed down and continued to lie there, focusing on my sensations. I had awakened internal energy; now I should feel its rotation within me. And indeed, as soon as I focused on my sensations, I felt something warm flowing through my body.
However, this something was so small and insignificant, and it moved so slowly that it was almost imperceptible. I tried to fix this and strengthen the flow. And... I must say, I didn't do very well. No, I did achieve a result, but it was so insignificant that it was almost unnoticeable. But I didn't give up and continued to do it. It seemed that even the pain from this began to subside. I lay there for about half an hour, concentrating on strengthening my internal energy, after which the old man came.
"You're awake already?" he asked as soon as he entered. "You were badly beaten; where did you manage to get into such trouble?"
"I... told you... they were hunting me... the Keepers..." I replied through the pain; even speaking hurt!
"I see, rest for now. You're lucky you managed to get to me, otherwise you would have died. Although you're also lucky that you awakened internal energy, which strengthened your body and didn't let you die despite your wounds," the old man said, taking a jar with a grayish liquid.
"How much... time has passed..." I managed to ask. This was the question that interested me most, because if a lot of time had passed, I would have to come up with something and explain my disappearance to Xu Chao Tina to calm him down.
"About two days," the old man replied dryly, bringing a mug of gray liquid to my mouth. "Drink, this should get you on your feet today." Saying this, he poured it into my mouth. It burned my mouth and was incredibly bitter, so I instinctively wanted to spit it out, but I restrained myself.
Gradually, this liquid spread through my insides, also burning them. After a few more seconds, when the old man stopped pouring it into me, I felt my internal energy stir, strengthen, and begin to circulate vigorously through my body, gradually strengthening it and healing my wounds. I tried to move my fingers and... I succeeded; there was no more pain. Gradually, I began to feel my body better and tried to stand up.
"Wait," the old man stopped me. "You need to lie down a bit longer. I'll ask, what do you plan to do?"
"I'll continue my training with you, teacher," I replied honestly, as I didn't plan anything else for now.
"Now you don't have to come to me; you can start your own training. I will give you all the necessary knowledge. But for the next month, I would recommend you refrain from strenuous training and recover gradually," the old man said, sitting down next to me. "I also don't recommend you use magic in the usual mode; your magical powers also need to recover."
"I understand, teacher," I replied, thinking for a moment. "And if a healing mage helps me recover, will that help?"
"Quite possibly, but their services are expensive," the old man replied, shrugging.
"I have acquaintances," I said, then added, "I will engage in self-study according to your recommendations, teacher. I need to prepare for university admission. And I should also hide somewhere until then, so that I or my loved ones are not attacked by the Keepers. I need to become much stronger, or I risk dying again."
"Yes, you're right. If you almost died now, then the next time they send an even stronger person to capture you, you will definitely die," the old man nodded. "However, tell me, who did you fight that you got so badly beaten?"
"Five mid-level mages, all third stage, some also had a second element at the mid-level. One was a summoner mage; he had two beasts of mid and high servant level," I replied truthfully with a sigh, recalling that difficult battle.
"I see, quite formidable opponents for you," the old man said, getting up and heading for the exit. "Only you, a first-stage mid-level mage of two elements, survived. This is quite a reason to be proud. I will prepare a healing bath for you, so you can rest a bit and then go. After that, visit your friend; he's definitely worried about you."
"Thank you, teacher," I replied, returning to strengthening my internal energy. After that gray liquid, it became significantly easier; I could literally feel my muscles, skin, and bones regenerating, and the pain that tormented them receding. The same was true for my soul, which still felt the echoes of several consecutive curse magic spells; I should buy some artifact for protection against this.
After about ten minutes, I was able to stand up and headed for the bath. There, removing the bandages, I saw many bruises and contusions all over my body. It was a rather repulsive sight. However, I didn't care about it; I simply got into the scalding hot water and relaxed. In the water, my internal energy worked even more effectively, and the bruises began to gradually dissipate before my eyes. Of course, slowly, barely noticeably, but still.
Meanwhile, I remembered the fight with the Keepers again; it was very difficult, and I only managed to win by some miracle, thanks to the awakening of internal energy. But that doesn't negate the fact that I defeated five peak mid-level mages with quite decent skills!
This is an indicator of strength, what kind of opponents you can defeat. So, what did I plan to do next? First, I need to get treated by Jiaxing Xia, as I can't fight much in this condition, and the old man said I should refrain from battles for a month. Second, after this month, it would be good to go to the forests around the city of Bo and test my strength against the monsters inhabiting there. And the fangs of the three-eyed wolves will come in handy; with space magic, I can now handle more than two daggers. Only I absolutely don't want to take Xu Chao Tina with me. If before he was quite helpful, now there is practically no help from him, but rather he will only be a hindrance.
But what to do with him then? A good question. We could try to convince him to train with Mo Fan, it would benefit both of them. Yes, that's probably a good option. Ah, what will I say if they ask where I'm going? Hmm… Maybe tell him I'll be hiding from the guardians, and it's easier alone? Or that I don't want to put him in danger like before? Or maybe all of it together? Well, I already have a couple of options, which is good.
Returning from my thoughts, I decided to enter my inner world, which I managed to do with some difficulty, as it was slightly shaken after the battle. Inside, I saw a rather unusual sight. Golden energy, circulating throughout my inner world in thin streams, gathered in nebulae of wind and lightning, as well as in the stardust of space. At first, this stunned me, but after a little thought and analysis of this energy, I realized that it was my inner energy! It affects my cultivation! Although it's not clear how yet, I don't see any special changes, but they will definitely come with time.
Trying to cultivate, I didn't notice any special changes, except that even in the healing bath, it was slower than usual! This puzzled and worried me greatly, but I concluded that it was a consequence of the fight. My inner world is shaken, my body is battered, and my inner energy has just awakened and is doing something with my elements. I can only hope that this is not permanent, otherwise I will fall far behind Mo Fan and his company, even despite the initial advantage.
After finishing my bath, I re-bandaged my wounds, after smearing them with some ointment with the old man's help. I took my belongings, placing them in a spatial ring, and the old man also gave me many thick ancient treatises that should help me in the future. We also exchanged phone numbers just in case. Two facts surprised me greatly. First, that the old man had a phone at all. Second, that he only gave me his number now. The old man definitely has unusual cockroaches in his head.
After all this, I set off for home to Xu Zhao Ting with a clear conscience, preparing for a long explanation. Half an hour later, I stood on the doorstep of the apartment. The door was open, and nothing foreshadowed danger or surprise. Entering, I again noticed nothing strange, which slightly pleased me.
"Ah, who's here?" Xu Zhao Ting's voice was heard from the next room. "Ah, it's you, Jiaxing Yun! Where have you been these two days?" he said, coming out into the corridor, his voice mixing joy and reproach. A rather funny combination.
"You'd better tell me what happened two days ago. When I returned from the old man's, there was a note on the door that you were kidnapped?" I replied with a question.
"Huh?" He was surprised, then thought for a couple of minutes and began. "I don't know. I fell asleep as usual, not waiting for you, since you warned me. Then I woke up in the forest surrounded by mages, tied up, they knocked me out without saying anything. After that, I woke up on the outskirts of the city without ropes. Returning home, I waited for you for half a day, but you never came. I went to look for you, but again, I didn't find you. I was looking for you all this time. I only just got back to rest. So where have you been all this time?" he asked me, finishing his story.
"I know who kidnapped you," I said, taking off my shoes and walking into the room. Xu Zhao Ting followed me.
"And who?" he asked, slightly surprised. "So where have you been?"
"It was the guardians," I said, sitting on the bed. "Remember, I told you, they are the ones who pursue me, and before that, they killed my parents. They found us here, despite us hiding well," I said sadly, lowering my head.
"And what happened after I was kidnapped?" Xu Zhao Ting asked, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.
"I tried to save you with the help of my teacher, but I received serious wounds and spent the last two days recovering at my teacher's," I replied simply, not lying much, but talking about how I managed it alone was not in my plans at all.
"I see, you got hurt badly?" he asked worriedly. "What are we going to do now?"
"We'll finish the survival mission at Lake Dongtinghu, return to Shanghai, and rest a bit, Jiaxing Xia will heal me. I wasn't hurt too badly, but enough," I said calmly. "After that, I will travel alone, it's easier to hide from the guardians that way."
"But won't it be harder if no one helps you? You've only just mastered lightning magic, you'll have nothing to defend yourself with," Xu Zhao Ting said worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. However, I'm not going to risk you," I said decisively. "We'll meet before entering Mingzhu. As soon as I get into the university, they won't dare to attack so openly."