Chapter 8 - 8: Human radar
The boy went through the gates of the fence around his camp, making sure to secure them tightly using a very sturdy log before heading towards the forest. Some time later, he arrived at the spot where he had previously been afraid to go further. He stayed there for a while, examining the area, but since he no longer felt the terrible foreboding he usually had, he calmed down and continued walking with a bit more confidence.
"Now that I think about it, even though I've always had this sort of sixth sense for danger, it seems enhanced now. It's not only much clearer but also does more. When I need something, I somehow have an idea of where to find it, especially when I need to hunt. Could it be because of the 'chi'?"
The boy mused to himself while carefully looking around, but the idea seemed to take root in his mind, refusing to leave. So, he decided to test something since it was better to have a clear mind before doing something as risky as venturing deeper into the forest.
After thoroughly checking a somewhat clear area to ensure there were no potential dangers nearby, the boy climbed a tree and sat on a large, sturdy branch. There, he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his sixth sense.
Even after trying for a while, he didn't feel anything special related to his 'sixth sense'. So, he decided to change his strategy. Following the logic that his 'chi' served to 'strengthen' everything, he sent a large amount to his head since, if it was a feeling, it had to be related to the brain, right? But to his absolute incredulity, he discovered another 'dantian' there.
In his Tai Chi classes in his previous life, and curiously, he had also heard something similar in this life, he had been told that the dantian was a special point in the body where chi gathered and that it was located below the navel. Although he had dismissed it as cheap quackery at the time, now things were very different. After all, not only could he feel the 'chi', but it also indeed gathered below the navel.
The problem was that he had never heard there was one in the head too. Although, to be fair, he had attended the classes for a little over a month and never took an interest in the subject again. Additionally, there was an issue with that 'dantian' in the head because, although the sensation it gave was very similar to the one below the navel, it was empty, there wasn't even a pinch of 'chi' in it, which made him feel a bit strange.
Filled with curiosity, the boy sent his 'chi' to the dantian in his head, and to his surprise, it started to absorb it like a sponge, while at the same time, a strange sensation began, as if he could somehow know or understand the things around him.
Over time, that strange sensation became clearer to the point where several figures began to take shape in his mind, allowing him to realize that they were some rabbits, birds, and other small animals. This made him open his eyes in surprise, and then quickly check if his feeling was correct.