Chapter 17 – Planning for Vashistpathi
My legs didn't hurt.
My back didn't ache.
But dear heavens, my mind was fried.
Traveling all that distance without anything remotely exciting to do was torture for my ADHD-infested brain. Even the wild animals along the way didn't bother to show up. Just trees, rocks, more trees, and Ishita threatening to throw me off the raft if I said "are we there yet" one more time.
Finally--finally--we reached the outskirts of Kaalguda.
"I could cry," I said dramatically, dragging my feet.
Ishita stretched her arms, sunlight catching in her hair. "We're alive. Barely. But alive."
The town was the same. Dusty, cozy, sleepy. Just how we left it. First thing on the agenda?
Food.
We headed to the same little tavern we always went to. That old lady still served the best spiced flatbreads in town. I devoured mine like a man possessed. Ishita kept giving me that you're such an animal look, but I ignored it.
After a decent meal and a decent burp, I asked around about an ironworks wholesaler.
Turned out, Kaalguda didn't have one.
Small town, after all. The blacksmiths here mostly got their stock from Vashistpathi, the provincial capital.
Of course. That made sense. If I needed industrial supplies or tech-grade alloys for my future projects, I'd have to source from there.
"Add it to the errand list," I muttered, already dreading another trip.
With that, we finally made our way back to the sect.
The familiar courtyard, those winding paths, the subtle hum of spiritual energy in the air--it all felt like coming home after a crazy camping trip.
I made a beeline to check on Yashaswini.
She was standing in the garden, her posture steadier than before. No crutches. Just a slight limp.
"Hey, how's your healing going?" I asked, a grin tugging at my lips. "You're walking again. That's huge."
She turned, her face lighting up.
"Heyyyy! Aman! Ishita! Welcome back! I missed you guys!"
Before I could respond, she hugged me--quick, light, awkward.
"I'm recovering well. The elders say I'll be training lightly again in a week or two. I… I can't thank you enough for bringing me to the sect. For letting me stay. It saved me."
"You're part of the team now," I said. "We don't leave our own behind."
Ishita nodded, smiling softly.
Yashaswini's eyes shimmered slightly before she blinked it away.
Home was home. But now it had new people in it.
And new plans.
—
"Mannn it's been ages since I cultivated…"
I sat cross-legged in the sect's quiet meditation hall, sunlight dripping through the latticed windows like syrup. The floor was cool beneath me, my mind unusually calm. The pets were back at the hut (hopefully not causing a riot), Ishita was off training somewhere, and for once--I had time.
"Alright," I muttered. "108 meridians opened. What's next?"
I flipped open one of the old cultivation manuals I'd grabbed from the sect library. Dust flew everywhere.
Chakras?
The page had a diagram of a stick figure covered in glowy orbs. Seven, to be exact.
> Chakras – The Seven Power Points of the Human Body
1. Neuro Organ – Controls consciousness. Okay, makes sense.
2. Respiratory Organ – For manipulating qi. Alright, breathing and energy, classic.
3. Gastric Organ – Converts material into energy. Basically my stomach.
4. Cardiac Organ – Regulates hormones and emotions. Feels poetic.
5. Excretory Organ – For removing impurities. Gross but fair.
6. Reproductive Organ – Yeah okay. Reproduction is power too I guess…
7. Spirit – ???
I squinted.
There was nothing written under spirit.
Just a faint "???" next to it.
My brow twitched.
"The hell is this?!" I slammed the book shut. "You list six full chakras with explanations and then just blue-screen me at the seventh?"
I opened it again just to be sure.
Same thing. ???.
My mind spiraled.
"Okay… maybe chakra means wheel? Does it… rotate? Maybe like a turbine? Spirit turbine? No, that sounds like a damn Gundam upgrade…"
I groaned, lying flat on the cold floor.
"This is messed up."
No wonder cultivators end up half-insane. Half of this stuff is cryptic nonsense wrapped in mystic poetry.
But still… that seventh chakra--the spirit one--was important. It had to be.
If it's spirit-related, maybe it's not found... maybe it's awakened?
A flicker of curiosity lit up in me.
Alright. I didn't know what it was, but I'd figure it out. If no one else knew what the seventh chakra was, then I'd be the first to define it.
"Watch me, you dusty ancient nerds. Aman's coming for your spirit chakra."
—
After an hour of boring cultivation…
I sat there in my room, the manual spread out before me like a cursed textbook, my brain melting with every passing line.
"Damnn this piece of shit!"
I hurled it across the room. It hit the wall with a dull thud, pages fluttering like a dying bird.
"It's so damn hard to cultivate in this environment!" I groaned, running both hands through my hair. "The qi density here is thinner than my patience. My island farm's air was practically liquid qi. This? This is just spiritual dust…"
I lay flat on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
"There's no way I'm breaking through anything at this rate. Forget spirit chakra--my will to live chakra is already flickering…"
After a long sigh, I sat up.
"Alright. Enough of this nonsense. Let's kick in some side projects."
I cracked my knuckles and stood, pulling out the notebook labeled 'Aman Side Hustles' from under the mattress. I flipped it open to the material procurement section.
> Step 1: Get Raw Materials
"Damn… guess I'll have to go to Vashistpathi. That's the only place I can get wholesale quantities."
But then I paused.
"How the hell do I get to Vashistpathi? It's the provincial capital--there's no way it's a simple road away."
Then it hit me.
"Yashaswini… she's well-traveled. Maybe she knows."
---
I found her in the garden behind the sect's herbarium, feeding petals to a goat. She looked much healthier now--standing, walking, a gentle smile on her face. She looked up as I approached.
"Oh, hey Aman! Need something?"
"Yeah, actually. You know the way to Vashistpathi?"
She blinked. "You're heading there?"
"Planning to. Need raw materials, wholesale. This town's got nothing."
She nodded, brushing dirt off her hands. "Alright, listen carefully."
She pulled a stick from the ground and began drawing a rough map in the dirt.
"There are three routes. The fastest is the Spirit beasts, but it's expensive and only runs twice a week. You'd have to reach the relay town of Bhogtara, about a day's walk east from here. From Bhogtara, the Spirit beasts can get you to Vashistpathi in three hours."
She paused. "Second option is the caravan route--walk with traders through the southern forest path. It's safer but takes three to four days on foot. Plus, you get company."
"And the third?"
She smirked. "Don't take it. Mountain pass. Dangerous beasts, old ruins, bandits. Unless you've got a death wish."
"Got it," I said, nodding. "caravan it is."
"Thanks, Yasha. You're the best."
"Stay safe," she said. "And try not to make enemies in the capital. It's not like this sleepy town."
---
And with that, I packed up my gear, tightened the straps on my bag, and walked off toward the horizon.
I reached Bhogtara with little effort--it was practically a neighbor to the sect, just over a few hills and one unnecessarily long trail. A modest town, buzzing with earthy smells, creaky wagons, and loud merchants who seemed to argue more than they sold.
I didn't waste time.
I soon found a caravan prepping for departure. The traders were seasoned folks dealing in spiritual herbs, pills, and occasional black market alchemy kits. Their plan was to drop off a few crates of medicine in Bhogtara and then head straight to Vashistpathi.
Perfect.
I hopped in without much ceremony--just gave them a nod, showed some spiritual credentials (mostly my face that screamed I'm either dangerous or insane), and they let me onboard.
The caravan rolled out not long after.
And let me tell you… the ride? It was awful.
"Goddamn this suspension-less ox-drawn box on wheels," I muttered, gritting my teeth as another bump launched my spine half a meter into the air. I swear I could feel each pebble on the path personally poking my soul.
Just as I was questioning if death by spinal misalignment was worth it-- the caravan screeched to a halt.
Voices. Shouting. Commotion.
I poked my head out.
Figures in full black, faces wrapped in cloth, were circling the wagons.
"…Classic. Bandit robbery. Straight outta a cultivation cliché handbook."
I sighed. "Time to do the classic protagonist save-the-day act, huh?"
I stepped out, stretched like I was just waking up from a nap, and looked at the bandits. They were tense, serious--until I opened my mouth.
"I took a page out of your favorite book~"
They froze.
"You sold me lies just by the way you look~"
The merchants stared at me like I'd gone mad. The bandits? Confused. One of them cocked their head like a puppy hearing jazz for the first time.
"Taught me a language that I've never speak~"
I slowly drew my sword. Clean, single-edged, light as air. I flicked it once.
"Baby that ain't for me~"
The air shifted.
"That, that ain't for me--" I whispered, then sprinted forward.
Clang!
A bandit flew back as my sword cut through his guard like butter. Another tried to stab me from the side, but I twisted mid-air, landed light on one foot, spun around and--
"I dug my grave watchin' the way you move~"
--cut through his blade and knocked him out cold.
"You took me higher than I ever flew--"
One more came, panicked. I didn't even look. Just hummed, sidestepped, tapped him on the head with the blunt side, and watched him drop.
By the time the chorus hit again, the fight was over.
I stood there, annoyed. "Tch. How dare they die so quickly. I didn't even get to finish the bridge."
The merchants were gaping.
One of them, a grizzled old man with a pipe stuck to his lips even mid-battle, chuckled. "Where you headed, young immortal?"
"Vashistpathi," I replied, cleaning the blood off my sword with a flick.
"What brings you there?"
"Raw materials. Cultivation tools. Maybe trouble."
He laughed harder. "You'll find all three, lad. Mark my words."
With that, I got back into the caravan. We left behind the blood-soaked forest trail like nothing happened. After all, this was the wilderness. The jungle had its own cleanup crew.
And me?
I lay back in the bump-filled wagon, humming again.
"...I'm just a man… I'm… just a man…"
---
End of chapter 17