C3 Morning Meditation

Lee Fei had just finished his first meal from ancient times. It was a simple fare: a bowl of porridge with a steamed bun, yet it tasted incredibly delicious to him.

Shortly thereafter, Wu Qing departed the house to chop firewood, intending to sell it in the city later on.

Left to his own devices, Lee Fei decided to delve into practicing Dark Magic. The initial step involved meditation, a technique through which enchanters could garner magical energy. However, this energy wasn't simply up for grabs. More accurately, meditation bolstered psychic force, which in turn could be used to detect and absorb surrounding magic elements.

Lee Fei retreated to his cabin and settled onto his bed. He began by regulating his breathing and relaxing his body while simultaneously concentrating his psychic force.

On his first attempt, Lee Fei swiftly entered a meditative state. His consciousness plunged into his sea of consciousness, where a black orb of light—the Dark Magic Origin—resided. Typically, acquiring the Dark Magic Origin could take months, and some individuals might never manage to manifest it in their lifetime, indicating a lack of innate magical aptitude.

Lee Fei, admittedly no prodigy, owed his accelerated progress to the black book.

Before long, Lee Fei noticed several light spots appearing around him: black, red, and blue.

These were the magic elements. The black spots signified the dark element, the red the fire element, and the blue the water element. The multicolored spots began to cluster, with the black ones being the most plentiful. Lee Fei attempted to absorb them, and as he focused, his consciousness seemed to reach out and snatch the black spots with an ethereal hand.

His effort was a success. A black spot was captured by Lee Fei and, without any further action on his part, it merged seamlessly into the Dark Magic Origin upon approach.

Subsequently, Lee Fei became like a voracious miner, ceaselessly gathering the black spots. Time became irrelevant as they seemed to grow more proactive, gravitating towards the Dark Magic Origin of their own accord.

At the same time, a few red and blue light spots also made their way over. They were scarce, lacking a corresponding magic origin. They lingered in Lee Fei's sea of consciousness briefly before attempting to escape.

Then, something odd occurred. As soon as they exited the sea of consciousness, they were yanked downward by an unseen force.

"What's happening here?"

Lee Fei, with his current understanding of magic, recognized the presence of fire and water element light spots due to his high affinity for them. However, without having condensed the appropriate magic origin, he was unable to absorb them.

Lee Fei quickly formed a daring hypothesis: the light spots were plummeting toward the round rod, which might be capturing them.

The first time he encountered the round rod, its crystal shone brightly; now it was dim, likely having expended its energy during transmigration. It seemed to be seizing the light spots to replenish itself.

Magic elements were a form of energy, more specifically, a wild energy that the round rod now consumed as nourishment.

Perhaps, once the round rod had restored enough energy, he could embark on another transmigration.

As more light spots gathered, Lee Fei's psychic force grew steadily, and he found himself becoming deeply engrossed.

"Lee Fei, Lee Fei..."

Opening his eyes, Lee Fei saw Wu Qing at the door. He promptly sat up on the bed and greeted him, "Wu Qing, you're back from chopping wood."

Wu Qing nodded, "Yes, you mentioned wanting to join me on a trip to the city. Let's set off soon. If we sell the firewood quickly, we might make it back before nightfall."

Stepping out of the cabin, Lee Fei headed straight for his clothes. Wu Qing, observing this, commented, "Brother Lee, your attire is quite unusual. If we go into the city, we might get stopped for an inspection, so..."

"You've got it wrong, Wu Qing. I'm not planning to wear these clothes; I just need to grab something," Lee Fei clarified, gesturing dismissively.

Wu Qing chuckled, "My mistake, haha."

Truth be told, there wasn't anything extraordinary in his clothes. His phone was water-damaged and unusable, and his wallet's whereabouts were unknown. The only useful item he had was a wind-proof lighter.

The wind-proof lighter was certainly a rarity in this era. Lee Fei intended to sell it for cash and then give the proceeds to Wu Qing. He didn't want to be in Wu Qing's debt indefinitely, especially since he didn't belong here and doubted he'd ever see him again.

Wu Qing gave Lee Fei a once-over and sensed something was amiss. With a slap to his forehead, he retrieved a bandana from inside the house and placed it on Lee Fei's head, making his short hair less noticeable.

Once outside, Lee Fei learned that his location was known as Taurshire, predominantly inhabited by the Wu family. The village had been decimated by ongoing disasters, leaving few residents. Wu Qing's parents had sought refuge with relatives, which, in truth, meant working as servants for a wealthy family.

There was an abundance of firewood, and Lee Fei volunteered to help carry some. He wasn't as robust as Wu Qing, but he regularly exercised and felt confident he could manage the load.

However, he had grossly overestimated his strength. Just beyond the village's edge, his back began to give out.

Seeing his struggle, Wu Qing offered, "Lee, let me take over. You're still not fully recovered."

But Lee Fei's stubborn streak kicked in. "No need, I've got this," he insisted to Wu Qing.

Lee Fei had never truly experienced the toll of physical labor until now. He recognized the value of perseverance; retreating at the first sign of difficulty wasn't the mark of a strong man.

Wu Qing shook his head, "If you're exhausted, Lee, just let me know."

Lee Fei nodded firmly and silently followed Wu Qing.

In ancient times, time was measured in 'hours.' The journey from Taurshire to Wreah took about two hours. After the trek, they finally reached Wreah County. Lee Fei had stubbornly carried the firewood the entire way, his clothes soaked with sweat, his feet and back initially aching, then gradually numbing.

Wu Qing expressed his concern, "Lee, perhaps we should find a spot to rest for a bit?"

Lee Fei shook his head, managing a weak smile, "No need, Wu Qing. It's best if you sell the firewood quickly before it gets dark and the path becomes treacherous."

Without further ado, Wu Qing led Lee Fei to a nearby tavern and paused. He estimated that his load of firewood might fetch around 30 wen.

With the firewood off his shoulders, Lee Fei felt a weight lift, akin to a boulder rolling off. He exhaled deeply and seized the moment to survey the ancient streets around him.

The streets bustled with activity, lined with various shops including teahouses, jewelers, clothiers, and street vendors calling out their wares.

"Steamed cakes... get your steamed cakes here..."

The cries caught Lee Fei's ear, and as he turned, he spotted a diminutive man with a carrying pole, zealously peddling his steamed cakes to the pedestrians. This man struck Lee Fei as oddly familiar.

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