"Legends are full of people able to cut a rock in half with a simple stick by channeling their internal energy, and I heard there was a demonstration of such techniques before Shiba a few years ago, but I didn't know they had achieved that level of mastery. Is that dominion over fire a recent devel...

"Actually, I came to scribe. I have hastily written notes from the storytellers last night and I am writing out the tales more fully and legibly," he explains.

"True, but I imagine that you are knowledgeable about where the most dangerous places to be cut are. And how to cut away flesh that has been irreparably damaged by rot. A cut is not always meant to do more harm than good. There happens to be overlap in knowledge of where cuts happen to be most dange...

"We do not seek them, you seek them. When one strikes another's points for transfer of energy, they do so at the pressure points. The internal points are not mapped precisely between individuals because we are all different. You will locate them, you will forget them, you will rediscover them. It wi...

"Well, seeking to understand it I think is fine. Knowledge and power are not inherently bad, only their application. If one were to try to learn how to counteract poisons and diseases, one would likely come to understand how to use such things offensively as well. You likely know many medicinal herb...

He walked around behind her while he observed. "The body has many points where the chi pools following paths where it flows. Most of these are in line with pressure points, but there are many more. All of the energies co-mingle most of the time, but one can learn to draw them out into ascendance. Th...

"Sorry to bother you Monk-sama, but I couldn't help but notice the technique you are using. How are you able to attune to the element of fire with so much ice around?" "It is internal energy. All beings have the elements flowing through them, I am altering mine to favor fire," he explains. "It's a ...

"I'll be glad to attend, though my understanding is all in practical application rather than theoretical discussion," he says with a nod. "As for Nozomi-sama, I cannot speak to her attendance. If you have invited her already there is nothing I can really do beyond that." "Yes. So, you're going to wa...

Since the fish wasn't biting today, Ayumu returned the fishing rod, and rubbing his hands and joints to chase the cold, went to the campfire to finish restoring a proper blood flow through his body. Except it wasn't a campfire. And while it wasn't the most bizarre thing Ayumu had ever witnessed, it...

"Yes. When you hone your focus and apply it to certain internal senses, you become able to route chi through your body in different ways. You can mix it, change the prominence of certain elements and apply those elements into your body. You also become capable of releasing that energy from yourself ...

"I imagine not," he says with a smirk. "At best, there is a kiho that allows a practitioner to strengthen themselves against the effects of poison and disease. As for a martial art that that could inflict aging and disease? Not that I am aware of, and not that I'd care to learn, but also potentially...

"And I appreciate it. I am always glad to share a stimulating conversation with anyone interested," he says with a nod.

"Yes, if you are focused on cuts. But there is also poisoning, drowning, choking, disease, and age. It's true that many injuries are healed in similar ways, but a healer needs a far wider knowledge to do their job because of the ways a person can be harmed. That is one thing that my technique can't ...

"Well, I'm no tomcat, but I don't shy away from experiencing life either. And people are what make life interesting," he says with a shrug. "And I'm always glad when someone finds my conversation a pleasure. Particularly when I feel the same about them."

"I wouldn't dream of trying to violate the modesty of any woman," he replies. "I much prefer a pleasant and trusting interaction. And I've found age plays less into attraction for me. A healthy body and spirit, as well as a bit of curiosity, are things I have found myself drawn to in the past. Surpr...

"It is more about resisting worldly things to avoid overindulgence. Material goods, I have lived without for my entire life and have no desire for anything that isn't actually a need. But I have been trained in social interaction more than my brothers and sisters. So if I have a weakness then it is ...

"My entire life, but I am not a good measuring stick for that, since I have been training with followers of Shinsei since before there was an Order. For someone that doesn't know anything, that chose to become a monk it might take a year or two to prepare the body and spirit, then it's just a questi...

"It is. It can have a number of pretty fantastic effects," he says with a nod. He lifts one of his sleeves, and firmly presses a finger against his forearm. "If you press here like so you will be able to feel as the skin hardens and begins pressing back when I activate this one." He allows her to pl...

"One of the things that I was taught was that it doesn't matter where you've been or even where you are. The important thing is having good intent and acting on it for the benefit of the future, both yours and others. It is easier to help and serve other's needs when you have seen to your own first....

"Well, I am more concerned with such things than most of my Order. I'm one of the few that has actually been taught how to interact at court, rather than just respectfully defer and offer theological advice. I often am asked to interact on behalf of the order. In this particular situation, it's more...