The dark tunnel became a place of bright light and oddly enough, a warm embrace. Despite dying, Yu Di felt comfortable, as if none of his organs were shutting down or bleeding out. He could already feel one of his kidneys failing him, but the Goddess Qi made him feel alright. Besides, he had another one.

  The mob stopped, unable to move. The doctor stood with his mouth agape, eyes wide not in anger, but fear. There was something going on in his mind that made him worry.

  Small measured steps came from the exit. A woman bathed in the steel gray light trod upon the rocky ground with her hands touching the wall of the tunnel. The Goddess Qi cycled from them into her. Her face was covered with a mask made of the same light. Her green eyes glowed, looking over each person.

  This time fear gripped Yu Di’s heart, making it skip a beat. It was the Goddess of Miryana, wreathed with her full power. Well, not her full power, as even in his weakened state he could tell that it was nothing more than a mirage. The tunnel was feeding its power into her, but Vimala was still a broken vessel for said power.

  “The Goddess is back!” Tursun got down on his knees with his right arm crossed against his chest. He bowed until his forehead touched the ground.

  “Arzu Sangmo, former priestess of the Goddess, kneel,” Vimala said.

  Arzu squinted against the bright light. “No, I won’t. You abandoned us. I did what I could to save these people. You will not punish me.”

  “Kneel.”

  A wave of Qi washed over everyone, forcing them all to kneel. Yu Di would have knelt if he weren’t already on death’s door and as close to the ground as possible.

  Arzu forced her head up, glaring at Vimala.

  Yu Di knew Vimala wouldn’t kill, but did that include those that went against the Goddess of Miryana? Arzu hadn’t simply subverted the mob’s worship, but defied the very Goddess she served. How did any of this work?

  When Yu Di came all those years ago, he never claimed to be a God nor did he subvert any of the people in the city. As far as the Goddess of Miryana was concerned, Yu Di was a visitor that respected her domain. Was he going to finally see Vimala kill?

  “Arzu, I know you tried very hard when I failed the city,” Vimala said. She placed a hand on Arzu’s shoulder. “What you have done is blasphemy in the eyes of the Goddess and she has spoken through me. Do you repent?”

  Tears fell from Arzu’s face. “I do. I repent. Please forgive me, Goddess. I never wanted to undermine your teachings. But it has been so long and so hard. This was the only way to protect my people.”

  Vimala lifted Arzu off the ground. “You have done so well with so little. Which is why the Goddess has seen fit to reward you for your toils.”

  A bright light engulfed Arzu, entering her meridians and cleansing the former blue Qi within her body.

  The steel gray Qi faded from Vimala, revealing her face, and her mundane, light-colored clothes. She looked at her arms as if she were trying to find something that had gone missing. It was the same look Yu Di had after realizing he’d been gone with no real Qi or power for so many years.

  Arzu’s eyes glowed with the steel gray Qi. “Goddess, thank you for your forbearance. I swear to follow your word until the end of my days.” She crossed her right arm over her chest and knelt on the ground like the others.

  “Remember, you are all the Goddess’ children,” Vimala said. “It’s difficult now, but we should never resort to killing others. We should forgive as the Goddess does.”

  “We will, Goddess,” Arzu said. She walked over to Yu Di. “Today’s your lucky day, Menace.”

  Yu Di didn’t feel lucky. He was fading. Maybe that was the luck? To finally…

  Arzu put a palm on Yu Di’s stomach. Steel gray Qi pushed into his core and then from there, spread out to all his organs. She used a technique that repaired all his organs at the cost of all the Qi remaining in his body.

  At the base of his dantian, Yu Di felt a small smoldering flame that continued to repair his organs and the rest of his body. He could picture the steel gray color and the warmth as it traveled around his body.

  “I’m sure as a Demigod, you don’t need me to tell you to keep that flame alive until your body is fixed,” Arzu said.

  Yu Di nodded and focused on absorbing Qi from the surrounding area. He absorbed as much of the Goddess Qi as possible as that fed the flames the best. He was going in and out of consciousness, but he held on to prevent the flame from going out. It was a strong healing technique, but it devoured Qi like a beggar at an Emperor’s banquet.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Goddess, I am going to lead my people back deeper into the tunnels to prepare for your return,” Arzu said.

  Vimala held Arzu’s hand. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever fix what’s broken.”

  Arzu patted Vimala’s hand. “Have faith in the Goddess. Remember, I was the keeper of the keys. You and I both know where these tunnels lead. With that, you can reclaim your power.”

  Vimala bowed her head. “I’m not sure I am worthy of that power anymore.”

  “You are and always will be.”

  That was the last Yu Di heard before he couldn’t hold on any longer.

  Yu Di woke with a hammering heart. He had vivid dreams of claiming the Goddess’ power for himself. The power coursed through his veins and the curse fading away. He was a God now and that silly mortal curse was nothing to him.

  More importantly, he used that power for good. He saved Miryana from their invaders and helped Vimala reclaim her place as the Goddess. He flew back home to the ‘Forgotten Spirit Sect’ to find his daughter.

  Yu Lin saw him, but she wasn’t happy.

  “No Baba! Don’t steal from others. That’s not right.”

  Those last words, spoken to him from his daughter in a dream, stuck with him. Even though little Lin wasn’t there, Yu Di felt the truth in those words. His daughter would tell him those exact words, filled with her tiny righteousness that he did not know where she got it.

  Yu Di sat up against the wall of the tunnel. He took a few deep, long breaths. He understood his daughter’s intentions, but if he could save the city he would. Even if it would make him hated. He would do that for his daughter.

  Yu Di focused on his dantian. The flame was still there, although dimming fast. The rest of his body was nowhere near healed. He quickly focused on absorbing as much Qi from the area as possible. He had to build that flame to heal his organs at least. His body, he could repair himself.

  With much effort, he absorbed enough Qi from the area to stabilize his organs again. The flame from the Goddess technique fizzled. Yu Di took out his jade tablet.

  Current Power: Realm 1, Stage 3, Level 2 (Core Formation)

  Remaining Lifespan: 29 days.

  Current Status: Cursed (15.4% lifted)

  Overall Power: Fourth Realm, End Stage, Peak level (Demigod)

  Twenty-nine days? Something else was wrong with him.

  Yu Di did a quick inventory of the rest of his body. Much of him was banged up, but mostly fine. He repaired all his organs. He fixed his broken bones. What could be killing him?

  Yu Di took a deep breath and held the Qi in his breath. With a mental push, he sent a sliver of his Qi flooding into his body. A small spot on his back stopped the Qi.

  What could it be?

  Yu Di peered over at Vimala. She laid on the rocky floor. One of these days he really needed to provide the woman with his bedroll.

  “Vimala?” Yu Di nudged the sleeping woman.

  “Hmm?” Vimala slowly got up, rubbing her eyes.

  “I need your help.”

  Vimala yawned. “What is it?”

  “There’s something on my back. I can’t reach it and it’s killing me.” Yu Di turned his back to Vimala.

  “Where? I see nothing.” Vimala’s soft hands probed over his back.

  Yu Di bent his arms around as much as he could to point. “It’s a little higher than my finger here.”

  Vimala felt carefully. She passed over the point.

  “There,” Yu Di said. “Can you tell me what it is?”

  Vimala leaned in, her breath tickling Yu Di’s back. “There’s nothing there.”

  “Let me take off my tunic.” Yu Di took it off and took out another lantern from his storage ring. “Can you see it?”

  “No, I don’t really see anything,” Vimala said.

  “You’re touching it.”

  “Nothing.”

  Yu Di closed his eyes and focused on that one point. He sensed it in his mind. It was a piece of very thin metal. He pushed his Qi until it reached that point before trying to push it out of his body.

  A deluge of pain flooded Yu Di’s body, causing him to scream.

  “Are you okay?” Vimala asked.

  Yu Di could only shake his head. The pain was crippling. After taking five lengthy breaths did it subside.

  “Do you see anything?” he gasped.

  “I think so. There’s a small needle there.” Vimala touched the top of the needle.

  Yu Di screamed through gritted teeth. “The damned doctor did this to me. Pull it out.”

  “I can’t. It’s barely sticking out. Not even my nails can hold on to it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Yu Di cursed. “New plan. I’m going to push out as much as I can. Let me know when you can pull it out.”

  Yu Di took out a pill from his storage ring. It took away all pain, but it would also suspend his ability to use Qi for a week. The thought of spending another week within these tunnels worried him, but with Vimala here Arzu and her mob shouldn’t attack them again.

  Yu Di swallowed the pill and forced it down with his Qi. He hated being so powerless, but the pain from the needle was too intense. He had to work quickly before the pill stopped his Qi.

  Yu Di gritted his teeth and pushed at the needle with his Qi. He knew the needle was thin, but it felt as if he was pushing a large metal rod through his muscles and skin. The little needle fought him with every push.

  Yu Di felt nothing, but knew that when this was over he was going to collapse from exhaustion. He had pushed nothing so hard in his life. Although there was that one time after he ate a platter of turned beef, but that was different.

  “I see it.” Vimala yanked the needle out of his back. She showed him the tiny needle.

  “How can something so small hurt so much?” Yu Di collapsed onto the ground, breathing harder than if he had run ten thousand li. “Listen Vimala. The pill I took restricts my Qi for at least a week. We’re going to have to camp here for that long. Do you think you can somehow convince Arzu to give us some supplies until I am recovered?”

  Vimala stared at the needle before turning back to Yu Di. “I’m sure that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Yu Di sat up against the wall of the tunnel. He drank some water from his waterskin and put his head against the wall.

  That’s when he heard it.

  A loud rumbling coming from outside the tunnel. He could feel it only because of his enhanced Demigod body. It could be only one thing.

  “Vimala, we have to run now,” Yu Di said.

  “Why?”

  “Remember those sandworms Arzu told us about? Well, they’re not as small as she said. I can feel them tunneling this way and they are massive.”

  “I don’t feel anything.” Vimala put her ear to the ground. Her eyes opened wide.