There were two drips. One in my arm and another in my spinal cord. One of them was fed with a cocktail of drugs which put under. I wasn't sure if it was pain killers or I was just pain dead, but I couldn't feel a thing. They probably could've kept conscious through the whole procedure.
I don't know what other people experience, but in the past, I just went black and felt like I ca to a minute later. But this ti, this ti I had so freaky dreams.
I saw an old Chinese man and he was sitting on a cloud big enough to pass for a bean bag.
"Hey," I said.
He had a long thin pipe in one hand which lay across his lap. He looked up and peered at . The cloud turned and he began to fly away.
"Rude bastard," I said. It was my dream, so I decided to fly and follow him. I fell at first until I yelled, "It's my dream I'll fucking fly if I want to." And then the dream bent to my will.
The old man flew down towards the ground and into a beautiful valley. There was a sedate river winding its way through the valley and it was surrounded by beautiful green grass.
He stopped by the river and hopped onto a large boulder then he lit his pipe and began to smoke.
I flew down in front of him. "What are you doing?"
He peered at and took another puff. "What are you doing?" He spoke slowly and with a hint of sarcasm.
"Whatever the fuck I want. Now answer my damn question."
Another puff and he took his sweet ti. "I am sensing the flow and waiting."
I looked at the river. " too." It didn't seem all that hard. "Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?" he asked, and his copycat questions were beginning to piss off. But that was probably his aim.
"It's my dream, that's why I'm here."
"Is it?"
He had ; how could I prove it was my fucking dream. "Wait, I can fly. I could only do that if it was my dream."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh, you're the most annoying bastard in my dreams ever. And I can tell you that's an achievent."
He took another puff of his pipe. "Your subconscious isn't agile enough to dream up soone like ."
I had him. "But I just did."
"Did you?"
"If you wanted to fight why didn't you say so?" This guy was so annoying his goal must have been to fight .
He sighed and it sounded like he was disappointed. "Arrogance and quick to anger. You are so young Benzhi. Is this the first ti we t?"
I so wanted to smash his face in until I realised, he was asking idiotic questions just to rile up - so I breathed and cald myself. "Yes, I'm sure I'd rember your ugly mug anywhere."
"I was your student once. Or were you mine? I forget."
"Who the fuck are you."
"Lao Tzu," he said.
"Doesn't ring a bell," I replied.
"Why would it? If it's the first ti we t."
I shrugged and sat on the boulder next to his. I may as well pass the ti away while they operated on by enjoying the nice valley and talking to the crazy old man who loved to irritate .
He puffed. "If I train you when you're young and you trained when I'm young which ca first?"
"Is that a riddle? Are you bored? Just enjoy the river."
He chuckled. "Ah that is the patient man I rember."
"What are you smoking? Weed?" I asked and he handed the pipe.
I took a toke. "Holy shit, it is weed. Where did you get it?"
"You recognize it but don't know it's a plant that grows?"
"Of course, I know it's a plant," I scoffed.
"Then why ask?"
I sighed. "I don't think we're in the sa book, let alone on the sa page."
He chuckled. "You are adept at riddles at a young age master."
"That wasn't a riddle, just saying." I handed his pipe back.
"What ti of your life is it?" he asked.
I thought for a mont before answering. "I can't walk, and I just found out I probably can't use my arms. I play a ga for a living. The ga is nice, I quite enjoy it."
"Ah," he said. "Life is a ga. I rember this lesson."
"Pretty much," I said.
"What will you do in this ga?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I pretty much go with the flow," I replied.
He chuckled. "You live the Dao from a young age. You're a natural and I hard to shed years of ignorant thoughts. I am envious."
"Don't be. It kind of sucks being a quadriplegic, I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
His pipe blew a ring into the air. "They are just words. I am happy for you master."
I peered at him. "I'm not your master. Look at you, you're like a hundred years old."
He smiled. "Really? Thank you. But I think you're here for a reason. Accidents are the Dao's way of doing the best things."
"I'm here because of the drugs they pumped into while they're operating on ."
The old man chuckled. "Is that a side effect of these drugs?"
I pursed my lips. "Hallucinations, vivid dreams, could be."
"If it's an accident we're here together, then I cannot force an outco." The old man handed the pipe.
"Where is here?"
"It's a qi world. One you made a long ti ago."
I dropped the pipe and it floated away down the river.
"Oh dear, another accident."
"This is a qi world?"
The old man chuckled. "That's what you call them."
I nodded. "I didn't invent the term."
"No? hmm."
I checked my UI and stats. Nothing. There was no system here. "Do you live here?"
He shook his head. "No, I ca when I saw you."
"This is so trippy shit. I didn't create this place and I haven't t you before."
The old man chuckled. "That's the paradox. Not yet you haven't. I'm not sure if you're the chicken or the egg."
"I don't want to be either."
He laughed. "Of course you don't. Maybe we're both at the sa ti. Like a cycle."
"You're starting to talk in riddles again. Just enjoy the river and I'm sorry about your pipe."
"Don't be," he said and took a puff.
I laughed. "Sneaky bastard how did you do that."
"I've been studying the qi arts for a thousand years. I can summon a simple pipe and so herbs."
"Really? Show sothing cool."
He raised an eyebrow, I opened my sight and waited expectantly. "Benzhi you show sothing first. Sothing you're working on."
I looked down at my ripped leathers. There were holes from ferals and yetis just to na a couple. I pushed my qi and began to stitch one of the holes. The leather slowly grew like it was fungus and the hole slowly closed.
"Tsk," he said. "You are young. Do not force, let it flow."
"If I don't push it how can I get it to move."
"You ask it, encourage it, tease it like it's a kitten and you have a ball of yarn. Never force it."
I nodded. "I will try."
Then I disappeared.
He chuckled. "And there was the reason for the accident. Oh, master it was such a joy to et the young you."
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