Koji Fights The World - Chapter 41 Heal Thyself Koji

Koji stared at the figure of his mother-in-law in the sky until she disappeared behind rooftops within the palace. He was envious of her ability to fly by using her Qi. Suddenly, the young man remembered reading Chinese web novels where cultivators flew on swords. Koji clenched his fists and resolved to ask Senior Mao at the library for a skill book on sword flying.

The young man turned around to examine the tree. He discovered that its trunk was at least ten feet in diameter and approximately one hundred feet tall. The hanging leaves provided shade from the sun. While the tree wasn’t ancient, Koji estimated its age to be at least several decades with an outside possibility of living for a century. He reached out with his hand and touched the tree trunk. It felt warm and stable under his fingertips.

Koji scrutinized the tree with his Qi Perception, and his inner sight startled the examiner! The tree exuded tremendous power and energy–primarily wood but also water and earth. With his ability, Koji followed the tree’s roots deep below ground and soon discovered that they supported the entire palace! In other words, this tree was the foundation of Nephosian Palace!

Question inundated Koji’s mind upon this discovery. Who planted this tree and why? How did it possess so much life and energy? Was it due to the tree itself or some unique aspect of the location? Why build the Nephosian Palace on top of a tree?

Koji shook his head to calm down. He was wasting time with these unanswerable questions. He took a deep breath and sat down with his back leaning against the tree. As much as he wanted to take up the lotus position, Koji didn’t dare to risk reinjuring his heel. Thus, as a compromise, he clasped his fingers together into a fist and settled his hands above his Lower Dantian.

Koji closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and began to cultivate. He felt rich elemental energy enter through his skin into his body. Also, the wood element poured in at an accelerated rate via his back, which made physical contact with the tree. Koji became alarmed at the rapid speed in which his body received this energy and traveled through his meridian lines.

Koji concentrated on refining the energy and directing it to his Upper Dantian. At first, the substance acted like a disobedient child and refused to remain inside the chamber. Koji used his Indominable Spirit and forced the energy to obey his mental command. It felt like directing the flow of water. The task felt useless to him. But Koji persisted and poured every ounce of willpower within his mind to channel the flow of the wood energy inside his body.

After what felt like an eternal struggle, the wood element finally obeyed his command and began to collect within Koji’s Upper Dantian. To his relief, the cultivator was able to condense the free-flowing energy into the beginning of a Qi Stone. However Koji lacked the skill to refine at an accelerated rate, and the wood energy began to overflow out of his special chamber.

Koji sent the excess energy to his left heel, hoping that this would stimulate faster healing of his injury. He watched in astonishment as his bones absorbed the wood energy and the fracture began to heal. The cultivator stopped refining his Qi and directed all the substance into his heel. He watched as his body greedily absorbed the vibrant energy and utilized it to heal his broken bone. Eventually, his heel recovered to its original state before the injury.

When Koji finally opened his eyes, he saw three trays of food placed on the ground near him. And sitting to his left and right were Zelea and Daethix, respectively. As Koji quietly returned to his feet, something landed in front of him!

The startled person immediately released his murderous intent!

The strong killing aura alarmed the two sisters, who immediately opened their eyes and invoked their telekinetic powers!

“Whoa, it’s me–Heretrios!” the newcomer identified himself.

Koji’s eyes adjusted to the fading light, and he visually confirmed that the person who landed before him was indeed Prince Heretrios. “I apologize, brother-in-law,” Koji said. He cupped his hands and bowed low.

“Hahaha! I should be the one apologizing for jumping in front of you!” the prince chuckled to hide his embarrassment. He noticed Koji standing on his left foot without feeling any pain. “Is your heel completely healed?” Heretrios asked in surprise.

Koji lightly tapped his heel on the ground and then snapped a few kicks. “It seems like it,” he remarked casually.

“Koji, look at your menu report and tell me if you see anything new,” Princess Zelea ordered.

Her Bonder obeyed and examined his menu report. “I picked up a new skill called Regeneration. It’s currently at Tier 2 (1/10),” he noted.

Prince Heretrios stared at Koji as if his brother-in-law was a freak. “That’s incredible!” he admitted.

“I’m not surprised you picked up a new skill, Koji. Mother’s garden is rich with life and wood elemental energy. It’s a shame that you don’t have life affinity,” Princess Daethix remarked.

“My Koji is a prodigy. He might unlock life affinity someday!” Zelea declared. She hugged his arm.

Her husband became embarrassed by the open display of affection, and he tried to change the topic. “Um, did you guys sit here the entire day?” Koji inquired.

“No.” “Yes.” The three siblings talked over each other.

“I came back not too long ago. I saw the three of you sitting together, and I had the itch to climb the tree,” Heretrios explained.

“When you didn’t show up for dinner, we became worried and decided to sit next to you in the garden,” Daethix said.

“Mother rarely allow us to cultivate in her garden. But we convinced her to permit it since you’re here today,” Zelea added. She glanced at the three trays of uneaten food and then turned toward Heretrios. “Brother, can you warm the food in one of the trays?” she asked.

Heretrios walked over and pulled open the covers to see what food the servants had left for Koji. “Okay, we have rice porridge, steamed dumpling, or grilled fish. I suggest the dumpling because that’s the easiest for me to heat up with my power,” he recommended.

Koji’s eyebrows rose. “What power do you have?” he asked with great interest.

His brother-in-law chuckled. “Watch this!” Prince Heretrios held his right palm over the platter of dumplings. Suddenly, his hand became aflame! The fire burned the dumplings for a few seconds before the prince withdrew his flame. He then checked his handiwork. “Not too burned,” he remarked and picked up the tray. The prince carried it and set it down on the floor in front of Koji.

The young man saw that the food was half-burned; he winced at the sight and smell.

Daethix upturned her nose. “Heretrios, your control of the Fire Palm skill is still lousy,” she remarked with mild annoyance. “And Koji, don’t eat that food!” she ordered and slapped Koji’s hand as he tried to pick up his chopsticks.

Her fiance immediately withdrew his hand.

Prince Heretrios shrugged his shoulders. “Fire element is wild and very difficult to control,” he explained in self-defense.

“How long has it been since you unlocked your fire affinity?” Daethix asked pointedly.

Her older brother looked away. “Five years,” he answered meekly.

“Maybe we should ask Elder Li to retrain you,” she proposed with malicious glee.

“No, I’m too busy to train with her again,” Heretrios quickly declined. Li Quan possessed a wild temperament, and the fire affinity instructor was quick to anger. He wiped cold sweat from his forehead and turned toward Koji. “I’ll tell father the good news. He’s been in the dog house ever since mother found out he caused your injury,” he laughed.

The two sisters joined him.

Daethix stopped laughing and waved her hand in dismissal. “Yes, you should go now.”

The elder brother nodded and quickly left the garden.

“Koji, let’s go the kitchen and see if the cook has any leftovers he could heat up for you,” Zelea suggested.

“Yes, you spent a lot of energy to heal your injury. You must be starving right now! You poor thing!” Daethix remarked with concern in her eyes. Without warning, her eyes glowed as she used her Telekinetic power to grab Koji’s body. She turned toward Zelea and said, “Let’s go!”

The two sisters held hands as they slithered across the garden with a helpless Koji floating in the air behind them. Soon, the trio returned to the banquet hall. The side door in the room led to a small shed.

Princess Daethix released Koji and gently settled him on his feet.

The young man frowned at being treated like a ragdoll by the tyrannical princess. Again. However, Koji declined to verbalize the complaint in his heart. This incident was not worth fighting Daethix over. Furthermore, she expressed her concern for his well-being, and Koji was appreciative of that.

Koji looked around the interior of the shed and realized this was the royal kitchen. Against the wall were two big stoves and two small stoves. Along the wall above the oven were Chinese woks of various sizes; these items were arranged neatly by size. A shelf full of firewood stood a few feet away from the stoves. A water basin stood on the left side of the furnaces, and several buckets of water laid on the ground nearby. On the right side was a cabinet with three partitions; the top shelf was full of jars of herbs, spices, and sauces, while the other two contained plates and pottery.

Two servants stood in the kitchen–a middle-aged man and a young girl; Daethix approached the middle-aged Asian man with shortly-cropped hair. He wore a white uniform which failed to hide his fat belly.

The princess recognized him as the chef but couldn’t remember his name.

“Ah, it’s Princess Daethix, Princes Zelea, and her Prince Consort! Welcome!” the man bowed several times when he saw the trio.

The young girl carrying newly washed plates stared at Daethix, who was her idol. Suddenly, she slipped on the damp floor! CRASH! The plates broke, and some flying debris cut her face!

“What a useless cur you are, Lin Lin!” the man berated her with anger. “If the broken plates had cut Princess Daethix’ face, even a thousand canings would not suffice as your punishment!” he threatened and kicked her in the stomach.

“Stop!” the princess commanded.

A look of surprise crossed the cook’s face. He immediately released his anger and bowed to Daethix.

“I startled this little girl by entering the kitchen without advanced notice. The blame for the broken dishes lay with me,” she said.

“Oh no, Your Highness! You are never at fault! This lowly one misunderstood and accepts his punishment,” the man said. He dropped to his hands and knees and pressed his forehead on the ground before her.

Daethix stared at him silently.

As the seconds passed, sweat dripped from his face and collected on the ground.

“My betrothed skipped his meals today to cultivate. Make him whatever he wishes to eat,” Princess Daethix ordered.

“Yes, Princess!” the cook replied. He climbed to his feet and immediately started a fire in the stove.

Daethix turned to the little girl, who was still on the ground. “Koji, see if you can heal her with your wood energy,” she suggested.

Koji was surprised by this request but quickly acceded. “I will try my best, Princess!” he replied with a respectful bow. He turned to the servant. “Let’s go to a corner and clean your cut,” he said with a gentle smile. He offered his hand and pulled her up. The two walked to a corner in the kitchen.