Gu Zhi and Gu Xiao were found at a common tea house in the city.
"Have you spoken with the city officials" Gu Zhi asked.
"Yes, there asking how many cultivation resources we need" Gu Xiao responded.
Gu Zhi took a sip of his tea and mimicked the action of looking out of the window. He could feel the sunlight on his skin.
'I wonder if I'll ever regain my sight again'.
He knew deep down that whatever took his sight away was at a high level. Common methods of getting rid of blindness probably won't work on him. At the very least he knows that to cure his alignment he needs a cure of equal or greater power than what took it away. To make matters worse he has no idea what took it away, an entity, a ritual, the blood, or perhaps all three. It would be better if he found treasures that enhanced his other senses to try and bridge the gap left by his sight.
"I need resources that can improve my other 4 senses to overcome the loss of my sight" he spoke after a while. "What about you"?
"*Sigh* I don't need much, certainly less than you do... but any plants we could plant in our estate later that could help in our cultivation would be of great use".
He sipped his tea once more, with the loss of sight he could already tell he had an improved version of taste. Perhaps it was due to sensory depravation instead of overcompensation but it was better none the less.
"Then we'll tell them that's all the things we need. They should be happy with it and give us back a number that I need to... get on with".
Gu Xiao eyes twitched before she moved onto another topic.
"I bought some divination resources to do a divination of when its the best time to leave the city" she replied.
Gu Zhi eyebrows raised at the statement.
"Well do tell, how long do we have to stay in this city for".
"Two years.... We will have to wait two years before we can try to go back to the sect".
Gu Zhi shrugged his shoulders, "It could be worse, two years isn't that bad".
He remembered the couple that was stuck in the city and the palace for 80 years, compared to that, two years didn't sound so bad.
"No its not, the problem is the clan. If they divine we are alive but still staying in the city they might think we have abandoned them. That we will run away with all the rewards and forget everything they have done for us".
"Well if we purposely go to them, and later explain our situation I doubt we will encounter much trouble".
"*Sigh* ignorant as always.... There are many separate factions in the clan, they could use this as an excuse to hurt our reputation, strip away some of our rewards and privilege's, and more" she said in a worried tone.
He still casually sipped at his tea. "So then what do you propose, how should we get rid of this problem. If we give up some benefits they lose all political justification to their harassments, if we give explanations they lose the ability to push the topic any farther, if we still have our allies they lose the numbers they have to pressure us. Giving in might not be your strong suit, but they will have no choice BUT to give in if we do so first".
"*Sigh* I suppose" she said as she stared at her tea cup. "What should we do now that you have lost your sight" she said as she took a deep sigh.
He smiled finding it no big deal. "What humans always do: adapt. I can't say much, but I believe what I saw in the library will help me greatly with my current problem. What I need now, is time to adapt. Any resources that could help in any way to increase or unlock new senses will help greatly".
"Unlock? you can't mean spiritual sense" she said.
"Given enough time and resources, it is certainly possible, but I have heard of other types of senses before. Most are upgrades or new ways to use the 5 senses, but I've heard rumors of others before. What is important is that we are on the lookout for any types of those treasures, tools, or techniques, anything helps. I won't let the loss of my sight be the sole reason I stop looking for a better future." he said seriously.
Gu Xiao took a sip of tea, the sunlight coming from the window showing off all the colors of her dress. "Then the plan is set, we will use this chance to get the resources we need and prepare for our future" she said.
"Yes, you should go and discuss the terms with the city council. With the actions they have shown till now I think we could get a really good deal".
"What about you, do you need help getting back to your room" Gu Xiao asked.
"No, I'll wait here, I have something to test".
Gu Xiao had a knowing look to her, "Ok, I'll come back here when the deals finished" she said as she got up.
Gu Zhi could hear her walking away as he focused on his hearing. He could feel his blood pumping, as he directed it towards his ear. He let the blood enrich his body as he used a technique he had just learned. He calmed himself, steady as he seemed to be tuning his hearing a notch up. He could hear more and more until he found the perfect pitch.
"Like I was saying I think there's something big going on in the city council I overheard-".
'Perfect' Gu Zhi thought to himself. As he used the blood transformation art to mold his body to his own needs.