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A Sage's Journey (Original Xianxia)

Reader mode
[X] Head to the Bathes

Mei-ling is cute. And thinks that Lotus has lost her fucking mind. :D
 
Kinematics said:
Ah, Meiling is taking the role of the hapless sidekick — the one who can't get away from the adventure no matter how hard they try. Some people seize destiny; some people run from it; and some are dragged towards it kicking and screaming by their blissfully ignorant friends.

Thus there is only one proper path to take.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
On the other hand, there is one thing funnier than the destined sidekick being dragged onto the path of adventure by her friends. That is when adventure finds the sidekick when no one is looking for it. Destiny being destiny, and this being a xianxia quest, this would seem somewhat likely.

[X] Head to the Bathes

Although I am once again mildly disappointed that Resplendent Lotus still cannot spell the word "baths."
 
Oh, hm. Yeah, okay. Voting is closed!

I am writing the update now. Hopefully, it will be out in a couple of hours.


Vote Tally : A Sage's Journey (Original Xianxia) | Page 7 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 204-214]
##### NetTally 1.9.9

[7] Head to the Bathes
[3] Report your Attack to the Prefect's Office

Total No. of Voters: 10
 
1.1 - The Bath Episode
Once more, this did not go anywhere near where I thought it would go. Still, it went someplace interesting, so it stays


Although cleanliness is not quite 'next to' Sageliness it is at least within its near vicinity. A clean body helps promote a clean mind and uncovering a new principle of the universe during a relaxing soak is actually very common. This is doubly important for any Sages of the female persuasion, or those with transformation abilities as delightful as mine. While male Sages can get away with being unkempt and stinky, especially if their beards are near their ankles in length, ladies tend to be unfairly looked down upon when you can smell them before you see them. But, as with all of my advice regarding appearances, you ought to consider when such an effect might be exactly what you want to achieve.
- Sun Wukong
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


After washing the dust and dirt off yourselves, you and Mei-ling, wrap towels around your bodies and head to the nice, steaming baths. There, you each ease yourselves in up to just below your chin and relax, letting the heated water sooth your muscles. Nothing better after a strenuous fifteen minutes of punching face.

"So, obviously, you're learning to fight," Mei-ling suddenly brings up as she relaxes and rests her head back on the lip of the heated pool, eyes closed. "I forgot to mention it before, but when did this happen? Why did you decide to do such a...such a boy thing?"

"'Cause thugs fucked with my family, so I had to learn the fine, fine art of punching face and ignoring names," you say as you relax back like your friend. "It was, like, The Tao wanted me to do go this path. I mean, there was a woman and then I think a monkey who I think was a man and a lovely fan that turned into a book and then face punching for goodness."

"Resplendent Lotus, you have lost what little jade taels you have left," your bestest best friend in the whole world says with a firm conviction. "Really? Face punching for goodness? A monkey woman man thing? Sounds more like a farcical tale of the sages, and we both know you are not a Sage."

"Yet," you stress with a happy hiss of breath. "I am not a Sage, yet. I believe I will be one, in time. And if not, then at least I am doing good, and hey, learning to pummel thugs is fun. You should try it. It might make you unclench about boy and girl things?"

"You? A Sage? I'm...okay, I am not trying to be mean, but I just can't see it, sorry," Mei-ling says, and she does actually sound sorry. "I mean, you are the most unfocused person I know, and Sage's are all about focus, at least, that's what Master Iron says."

"Bah, Master Iron wouldn't know a Sage if'n she walked on water in front of him," you retort with a laugh, smacking your palm lightly against the steaming water you and Mei-ling are relaxing in, causing a bit of a splash. "Besides, he fills your head with nonsense. Boy shouldn't pick flowers, girls shouldn't beat the ever living shit out of rowdy boys. What would he know? He has no wife!"

"Hmph, certainly more than you; he's a teacher, after all," Mei-ling argues back, splashing you with water. "And I do not need to 'unclench'. I am unclenched enough thank you very much. If I unclenched more, I would have to marry you, and we both know that is not going to happen."

"It would be an epic marriage though," you say sadly, slumping a bit in the water. "Love, passion. Heated words, shouted cries...and then one of us would stab the other in the eye with a chopstick. The end. I am not ready to be a widow."

"Hah, neither am I, and who says you would be the widow? I could pull off the grieving widow just fine thank you very much," Mei-ling says, scowling at you and crossing her arms under the water, which causes her towel to...drift. Of course, she's underwater, so nothing is seen, but such is life. "Not...not that I want to be a widow. I am much too young to be a widow. Or a wife. Or even a husband."

"Ha! You would never be the husband. You're too girly for that!"

"I am," Mei-ling acquiesces, ducking her head in mock shame, even as she re-ties her bath towel. "So, you a Sage? Are you sure about that? Not that I think you can't do it or anything, it's just that I don't think you can do it, you know?"

"Ha ha," you say, pouting a bit at your friend's mockery of your totally reasonable goal in life, at the moment at least. "I have already learned how to sense my Qi. Soon, I will be able to do things with it...why you shaking your head?"

"Resplendent Lotus...Lotus my friend," Mei-ling says softly, lowly as she looks at you through her eyelashes. "I have been able to do that since I was five."

"I...what. No, well then. I, um, THAT'S NOT FAIR!"


So, what next for our intrepid Sage to Be?
[X] Demonstrate your Sageness somehow
(I will think up a totally random way that Lotus will try to demonstrate her sageness. You may also make comments on this (not votes, or subvotes), but I do not promise anything working)

[X] Pout

[X] Distract Mei-ling with talk of her boyfriends
(Yes, that 's' is meant to be there.)

[X] Demand Answers
(You will demand how that is possible because Mei-ling is not a fighter, not a sage, and most definitely, even though she is cool, not as cool and awesome as you)


Like always, a thank you to TotalAbsolutism for the any and all koans used within.
 
Last edited:
[X] Demonstrate your Sageness somehow
See: "Bah, Master Iron wouldn't know a Sage if'n she walked on water in front of him"
I was going to confirm that we could in fact walk on water before boasting about it, but on second thought I say try it and find out!
 
[X] Distract Mei-ling with talk of her boyfriends
 
Demonstrating sage-ness in the baths sounds like it could go very, very wrong. But is also so tempting because of that.

Still, Lotus is only a week into her training. She's definitely doing ok on the face-punching, but hasn't really done much particularly sage-y.

And I can just as easily see her demanding answers.

Is it better to work to prove yourself, or listen to the wisdom of others?

Ultimately, though, I can't think of a good way to demonstrate sageness, so the best way to demonstrate sageness is to recognize when to shut up and listen. Metaphorically speaking.

[X] Demand Answers
 
[X] Demand Answers

sounds like the lore option
 
Okay, so. I'm hoping I can get to the update today sometime, but since I got a new shiny, I am really distracted. Still, I will try to get an update out sometime today. In the meantime, i am planning on leaving voting open. As such, have a currentt vote tally, so you know how and where you want to vote (there is no if, you will vote dammit, you will vote and you will like it):


Vote Tally : A Sage's Journey (Original Xianxia) | Page 8 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 218-227]
##### NetTally 1.9.9

[5] Demand Answers
[3] Demonstrate your Sageness somehow
[1] Distract Mei-ling with talk of her boyfriends

Total No. of Voters: 9
 
1.2 - Bath Episode Continues
Not what I was expecting, but when I get Lotus and Mei-ling together, things go weird, I guess? It's a bit short, and a bit padded, but it is what it is.


"Okay, no, stop. That is unbelievable. I had to, like, find my center and shit before I could do that whole sensing my Qi thing, and you tell me that you did it at age five?" you exclaim, crossing your arms over your chest and sinking into the water so only your eyes and nose were above water, just glaring at your best friend in the world turned rival of epic proportions.

"Knitting," Mei-ling says simply, nodding her head, before cocking it to the side. "Well, okay. Sewing too,m I guess. And cooking...hm, there's a lot of ways to find your center, silly head. Most of them are ways that you, the meditator, are most comfortable with, the most familiar. It's the act of going mind-no mind...or at least that's what mom said when she told me all this thirteen years ago."

"I can't believe you never told me this. Like, I can not believe it. It's a betrayal, is what that is," you growl, bubbles bubbling around your mouth as you surge out of the water. "No one told me it would lead to awesomeness. No one told me that I would be able to touch my Qi like that. Just...it's not fair."

"Your father told you all about this, I know. I was there," Bei-ling says, ignoring your outburst as she languidly stretches out under the water. "Mind, you were paying more attention to the cookies, I guess?"

"They were good cookies!" you shout, not that you really remember this event or anything, kind of, but it was not important enough and father never really explained why it was important. "YOu mean I have been busting my ass to punch face better for nothing?"

"Well, you're really good at punching face..er, fighting, I guess?" Mei-ling offers with a wrinkled nose. "Not that that is really good wife material or anything. I guess, if you plan on living like a monk...er, Sage, then it is all well and fine that you are, ah, learning the gentle art of ass kicking."

"Hm, well. A husband isn't everything," you retort primly, sniffing just a bit.,.which turns into a cough as you accidentally snort some of the hot water up your nose. "I mean *cough* ...The sex, would probably be mediocre, and then there's *cough* settling down to raise *hack* a family. Meh, *wheeze* I say. Meh to it *cough* all. I am much happier right now, than I was a month ago."

"Well, for what it's worth, while I think you are going about your life wrong, I support you anyway," your bestest best friend ever says, looking fondly at you as you blubber and snot and wheeze. "You should get something to blow your nose with, too."

You grumble as you climb out of the heated pool, tightening your towel around you as you do, to keep you modest. You mutter and wave to your friend, as she waves back. Looks like she's decided to stick around the bath house, and you, well, you're not sure what you plan on doing. Except for blowing your nose.


So finding something to blow your nose on, that you didn't mind trashing, took you about five minutes. In that time, you have been thinking. And pondering. Did father really tell you the secrets to meditation and being able to feel your Qi, or is Mei-ling having you on. Both are equally possible. She did shift the topic from how she had learned, to how you didn't learn, and named a few of her favourite hobbies.

YOu glance at The Book as you toss away the piece of cloth you used to blow your nose and frown. Perhaps it has some wisdom to share...or at least a hilarious anecdote.

Some people are going to try to tell you that in order to be a good Sage you have to be the most upright and karma-krazy, spelling intentional, individual in the world. Someone who always cares about the little people and protects the weak and helpless. Others will try to tell you that you can only reach the peak by stepping over a mountain of corpses; taking what you need, what you want, and even what you don't need or want. And the important thing to remember is that both sides are right.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Hm, well. It's profound, but it isn't what you are looking for. Perhaps if you flip a few pages...that way, and then you will see:

Some of the things I write down are traps meant to weed out idiots. Upon reading this, you're definitely thinking of a few things you've read thus far and going, 'Aha! Now I understand." Sadly, I guarantee that you do not. It's never the obvious ones. Except when it is."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Hm, nope. That didn't do it. Well, you have a couple of options, you suppose. You can go back in and talk to Mei-ling some more, maybe. You could go and help your parents at the bakery, like a good, dutiful daughter. You could do that meditation thing, or maybe that practice thing.

Or you could go find some more thugs to face punch.


What do?
[X] Face Punch Thugs
[X] Help at Bakery
[X] Meditate
[X] Practice Punching Face
[X] Spend more time with Mei-ling
 
[X] Face Punch Thugs
This way we can do both, walk over a mountain of corpses and protect the weak.
 
[X] Spend more time with Mei-ling

Wait, wait, how do you can sense qi by knitting
 
[X] Spend more time with Mei-ling

So, Guess Lotus is just an idiot, or an air head, or maybe those cookies were that good. (or maybe Mei-ling is evil and we should investigate h........wait this is the SFW section isn't it? damn)
 
Hm, going to let this go on even longer, because I happen to look at the tally before writing and go sigh a bit. Also, because I just do not have the time today. Stuff to do and all that. Le sighe.

Voting will continue until can manage my time better, and I can do the writing thing. In the meantime, have a vote tally:

Vote Tally : A Sage's Journey (Original Xianxia) | Page 8 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 230-236]
##### NetTally 1.9.9

[2] Spend more time with Mei-ling
[2] Help at Bakery
[1] Face Punch Thugs
[1] Practice Punching Face

Total No. of Voters: 6



RyubosJ said:
[X] Spend more time with Mei-ling

So, Guess Lotus is just an idiot, or an air head, or maybe those cookies were that good. (or maybe Mei-ling is evil and we should investigate h........wait this is the SFW section isn't it? damn)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well, she's a bit of a ditz, and the cookies were really good. Also, she was five.

And just because we're in the SFW section doesn't mean anything. It just means I will keep the gore to a dull roar and there will be no sexytimes. QQ has a more...elastic-y definition of what SFW is, as opposed to, say, SB or SV.
 
After much pondering, I figure that even if dad did show Lotus such things while she was distracted by cookies, it doesn't matter now because she has found her qi on her own. So there's no point in going back to the bakery to find out how to find her qi.

On the other hand, Mei-ling has earned herself a ticket to adventure! Her friend Lotus will stay with her, and then take Mei-ling with her to see the Prefect — to show that Lotus would never leave her best friend out of the loop when possibly being sent out to fight an evil criminal organization. And then... And then! When the Prefect recognizes the amazing talent and beauty of Resplendent Lotus, and begs her to take care of that evil band of criminals that the government officers have been unable to defeat, she will graciously accept, and drag Mei-ling along to partake in this wondrous adventure, and recognize that Resplendent Lotus is indeed a Sage!

For even if Lotus was indeed distracted by cookies when she was small, she was now an amazing practitioner of the art of face-punching! And kicking! And those villains don't stand a chance!

Clearly.

Although she is kinda getting the munchies now. Maybe grab some cookies on the way to the Prefect's office.

[X] Spend more time with Mei-ling
 
[X] Spend more time with Mei-ling
I had no real preference, but Kinematics has convinced me that Lotus needs a hapless sidekick.
...what do you mean Lotus is the hapless sidekick? Lotus doesn't kick sides she punches faces!
 
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