Ascension through the Abyss

Chapter 3: Hints about his Origin

Word spread through the Bi Family faster than Ren expected. By the time he made it back to his room, almost everyone seemed to know what had happened. His clothes were covered in dirt, his ribs hurt with every step he took, and his arms felt heavy after the beating. All he wanted was to sit down and rest.

He closed the door behind him and sat on the mat without changing his clothes. His whole body ached, but beneath all that pain was something he had never felt before. The Third Meridian. It was really there.

Ren closed his eyes. He wanted to feel it again. He knew he should rest. Most of his qi had been used up during the spar, and his body was close to its limit. Even so, he couldn't stop himself. He slowly guided the little qi he had left through his body. It flowed through the First Meridian without any problem, then the Second. When it reached the Third Meridian, it moved smoothly. The flow wasn't strong yet, but it was steady. It felt warm and alive.

A small smile appeared on Ren's face. After all these years... it had finally opened. Out of habit, he tried reaching for the Fourth Meridian. Nothing happened. The path was still closed. He wasn't disappointed this time. A few hours ago, he would have thought it was impossible. Now it just felt like another step waiting for him in the future.

He opened his eyes and let out a slow breath.

Maybe... one day.

Before he could think any further, he heard hurried footsteps outside. More than one person. The footsteps stopped in front of his door.

The next moment, the door slid open.

"Ren!"

His mother rushed inside before anyone else. Lan Xiu quickly walked over and knelt beside him. Her eyes moved across his face, his arms, and the bruises on his body.

"Are you hurt badly?" she asked. "They said your Third Meridian opened. Is it true?"

Ren nodded. He was too tired to talk.

She stared at him for a few seconds. It was clear she wanted to believe him, but she still found it hard to. A moment later, another figure entered the room. It was his father, Bi Wen Hao. Bi Wen Hao closed the door behind him and stood quietly for a while. He didn't ask any questions. He simply looked at Ren. For years, Ren had seen disappointment in his father's eyes whenever they met.

Today... that disappointment wasn't there.

"Show me," Bi Wen Hao finally said.

Ren hesitated. "I'm almost out of qi."

"I don't need much," his father replied. "Just enough for me to see." Ren gave a small nod.

He closed his eyes once again and gathered the little qi he had left. Slowly, he guided it through his meridians. The First Meridian answered. The Second followed. Then the Third Meridian lit up with a gentle warmth. The qi flowed through it naturally, as if it had always been there.

After a few moments, Ren stopped and opened his eyes. The room was silent. His mother had one hand over her mouth. Her eyes were slightly red. His father looked at him for a long moment before letting out a slow breath. "It really opened..."

Ren smiled before responding. "Yes."

For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Then Bi Wen Hao gave a small nod.

"Good."

It was only one word. Simple and short, but to Ren, it meant more than a long speech. He couldn't remember the last time his father had praised him. Something warm settled in his chest. It wasn't qi this time. It was relief.

Lan Xiu looked at her son quietly. She was happy. She truly was. For years she had watched him struggle while everyone around him moved forward. She had seen him return from training bruised and exhausted. She had watched him hide his disappointment behind forced smiles. Seeing him finally open his Third Meridian made her happier than she could put into words.

Yet deep inside, another feeling refused to go away. Sixteen years ago, she had found Ren at the edge of the Blackwood Forest. He wasn't born into the Bi Family and he hadn't been left at their gate either.

He had simply appeared. She still remembered that cold winter morning as if it had happened yesterday. The strange cloth wrapped around the baby. The unusual pattern woven into it, and the small pendant hanging around his neck. She had hidden those things away long ago inside an old wooden chest.

No one else had ever seen them. Over the years, she had asked merchants, travellers, and even a few old scholars about the cloth. None of them had ever seen anything like it. In the end, she convinced herself it didn't matter. Ren was her son. That was enough.

But today... She wasn't so sure anymore. She looked back at him. For sixteen years, his Third Meridian had refused to open. No matter how hard he trained, nothing changed. Then today... after being pushed to his limit during that spar... It suddenly opened.

Her husband was still looking at Ren with quiet pride. He probably believed his son had finally broken through after years of hard work. She gently placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.

"You should rest," she said softly. "You've done enough for today."

Ren nodded. He was tired. His whole body still hurt, and his eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. As his parents turned to leave, Lan Xiu looked back at him one last time. A strange feeling settled in her heart. Maybe Ren's Third Meridian hadn't opened because he finally caught up to everyone else.

Maybe... something inside him had finally begun to wake up.