Chapter 48 - Towards the Gods

                                    

                                          


                          
        
                          
Uncle Tang continued to explain "Just think about it, we were born with qi in our bodies, yet could not absorb qi naturally. If God made us in his image, why do we need to form our meridians, our core, and give birth to our soul? it is almost as if god made us in his image, and then took out parts of our body. God then introduced cultivation to the world, so that we would be given the chance to cultivate and return back to his side."
                          
At this point, everyone was already deep in thought. Personally, I've met god and he did not look much different from another human being. Both God and the system did point out that there are other Gods and that everyone will continuously reincarnate unless he achieves immortality, but there was no such thing as cultivation on Earth.
                          
After a few minutes, uncle Cui starts to talk again. "The Grand Tutor's theory of cultivation is interesting, but Shang Shi and I were talking about the qi of the heavens and earth being impure. The Grand Tutor's theory of cultivation explains cultivation well but it does not explain why the qi of the heavens and earths is impure. In fact I agree with the teachings of the ancients that the heavens were contaminated by us, and the qi of the heavens and earth became impure due to us. Cultivation is basically enlightenment of the world and its laws."
                          
"When we understand the laws of the wind, we can move faster. When we understand the laws of fire, we can utilize it better and make hotter flames. When we understand qi, we can cleanse it and make it pure. Through meditation, we can cleanse the qi in our body and make it purer. Every time we advance into a new realm of cultivation, our body becomes stronger after being baptized by qi and our body creates new ways to store more qi. Even eating and sleeping also becomes unnecessary once we form our souls."
                          
"We have many techniques that allow us to achieve unfathomable feats at its peak such as teleportation, phasing through the walls and moving faster than the speed of light. We also have alchemy pills that can allow a person to increase his life span and regrow entire limbs. It is difficult to imagine that cultivation is the path to become a god, especially when I know that enlightenment of the heavenly ways allows me to ascend and escape mortality, achieving immorality.
                          
Everyone makes sense right now and I cannot help but feel like I want to join the conversation and contribute the little that I know. "I actually met God once in a dream and God told me that everyone is able to reach immorality and become a god. It could be that becoming immortal does not mean becoming a god and that becoming an immortal is only the first step to becoming a god." I say with a confident smile.
                          
Everyone gives me a weird face and a wry smile and then they just continue eating silently...
                          
Ahhhh! They must think I'm crazy because I said I met God...but I really met God...
                          
...
                          
After everyone finished their breakfast, Ding Sha suddenly says "We have to tell the governor about what we experienced. I have had this nagging feeling my heart that I cannot get rid of ever since we escaped."
                          
"Yes, I tried telling my own fortune several times to calm my heart but I never got a good fortune since and the feeling that something bad is going to happen just won't stop. We must tell the governor about what happened" Sima Di says while nodding his head.
                          
Right now, it feels like everyone is looking at me. I guess that if someone needs to return back to the capital to tell the governor about what happened, I am the most ideal candidate since the governor is my father. 
                          
"Liu Kang, do you want to return to the capital?" Zhao Keng asks Liu Kang who is sitting next to me. They were not looking at me but Liu Kang! I guess I am not as big as a burden I thought I was?
                          
"I..." Liu Kang mutters softly but before he could finish talking, Uncle Cui interrupted him and said, "We've all noticed that you haven't been able to focus since the events at the mountains."
                          
"Honestly, Shang Shi is the ideal person to return and inform the governor but if our numbers are reduced by two, it might get dangerous in the later part of our riding circuit, therefore you are the best person to make the trip right now."
                          
Liu Kang looks sad right now and his frown is trembling, almost as if he is going to cry. He is probably disappointed with himself since joining the riding circuit was his big break and yet he has to return when we're not even at the halfway point.
                          
"You're just going back to tell father about what happened. My father will probably let you rejoin us so you can still complete the riding circuit with us!" I tell Liu Kang some comforting words.
                          
I take out my money pouch and empty it on the table and pass it to Liu Kang. The pouch is delicately made and the words "Shang Shi" are sewed on it.
                          
"This pouch is something my mother made for me, pass it to my father and he will trust you. Ah, I have to go shopping for another money pouch later!" I made a lousy joke to lighten the atmosphere. Everyone somehow understands my joke and laughs with me.
                          
"Thank you, Judge Shi..." Liu Kang thanks me and gives me a big hug.
                          
...
                          
We have decided that Liu Kang will leave tomorrow and that we will borrow a fast horse from the magistrate so that he can return as soon as possible. We also thought up a new route for him to use so that he will not go near the areas where the army is patrolling. His journey back will be extended but it is much safer.
                          
After we have all eaten, we return to our room and get dressed in our official robes. One of the ways in which the judges announce their arrival to the townsfolk is to stroll around the town in their official uniform.
                          
While the magistrate office will be putting up posters to inform the townsfolk that we have arrived, there are still a lot of people who are illiterate so the travelling judges and their retinue will stroll around the city to make our presence known. 
                          
I read in a book that the first minister of justice said justice should be open to all people, regardless of their status or wealth. This statement was made shortly after hearing the first emperor's words that all the people under the sky are his subjects and that while the country protects the people, there would be no country if there were no people. 
                          
While walking around in our official uniform which was gaudy and attention grabbing, two men came up to us and with a slight bow, started shouting "My lords! Please address our case and give our brother justice!"