Chapter 131
By the time Leo came upon the clearing where Azariel and he initially stumbled upon the chaos, the man was gone, in his stead the scattering few embers and the drifting ashes. Corpses were all still there, including the woman's, something Leo had hoped. There was something that the system had given him--ability to consume a dead person's memories--that he was yet to test. While he couldn't do it to that behemoth in the Well, he'd hoped he'd be strong enough at least to do it to the woman, merely to learn whether they actually did kill the rest of the Clans in the forest.
He crouched by her body and tried sitting her up, but the rigor mortis had already set in; she was heavier, and wholly inflexible. Either way, he poured a twinge of Qi into the tip of his index finger and pressed it against the woman's forehead. The head lit up like a main street during Christmas for a moment as Leo felt a deluge of memories suddenly appear inside his mind.
They appeared precisely as that--memories, as though he himself had experienced them. Thankfully, whether it was the system or something more innately his own, he very much knew the distinction between his and hers memories. Furthermore, hers were erroneously fragmented--there wasn't a single full, unbroken memory in there, even of things that happened a few hours ago. It was similar to how he, and, indeed, most other people he imagined, remembered high school almost twenty years out of it--scattered few fragments around which the context was built.
Of the years he spent in education system, he would have been lucky to string together a two-hour long movie of memories. Perhaps it was on him and his excessive drinking, but he believed it was not. That was simply how a mind worked--old memories got compressed further and further, until only contextual fragments remained, while the new ones took their place.
It was strange that all of woman's memories were that way, yes, but also not; it may simply be the issue of transference, or that he'd waited too long after her death to do it.
Nonetheless, he did learn a few things from her memory--they, indeed, had hunted down all three other Clans that were set to awaken in the Forest. They also swung by Azariel's place, but found abandoned homes and figured they must have ran off, or were killed by something or someone.
Besides a couple of shockingly... disturbing memories of her supposed 'brother' and her, there was little else; the old memories, the ones from before she woke up, were even more scattered and fragmented. Rather, there were only three snapshots: a moment before she and the others were entombed, with the memory depicting a rather lavish courtyard and some hundred people in the audience, with tall towers rising in the distance.
The second memory was of when she seemed to have been informed of the plan, as it also included her 'brother' and quite a few other people. They were presented the news in a rather cozy-looking hall, by a masked figure draped in shadows.
The last memory was of when she was a kid, as the world around seemed far taller and larger than in other memories. It was a singular snapshot of a battle between her brother and another person, of when the former seemed to have compelled the latter to commit suicide.
All other memories were worthless or the ilk that were just byproducts of living. As such, Leo opened his eyes with a frown, having expected more.
Since all other bodies have been obliterated with the lighting (which bore the question of how the woman's survived), there was nothing else to do here. Glancing over, he flinched--the body was... gone. For a moment he wondered whether he dreamed the whole thing up and if the body was never truly there, but chances were higher that his act of reading the memories was the culprit.
Regardless, he oriented himself back toward the camp and started heading back.
He was already formulating plans, though not well; of the many things that he was, both back on Earth as well here, planner... was not one of them. He wasn't much of a strategist, even less so considering the absolute blind spot he had toward this world's common knowledge. Though he wanted to start a Sect and grow it, he had just about no knowledge on any of the logistics behind it.
Thus, he had to sit down the kids and the old man and ask them. There was little he could divulge, though he suspected that at least Azariel and Lu Yang would have an inkling of why he was doing it which, for the time being, would be enough. He also wasn't exactly certain how to ascertain someone as a Direct Disciple--there was little doubt in him that Liang and Yue would be the first two, but perhaps he first had to establish the Sect and accept other Disciples before crowning them. Either way, the two needn't know anything for now--they were still young, doe-eyed in a way, and he just wanted them to slowly grow stronger.
By the time he returned to the camp, it was almost dawn and, without resting, he quickly whipped up a breakfast. Others started leaving the longhouse not too long after, and animals began to converge.
He was a bit shocked, altogether, as there were more of them than ever before--a quick summary told him there were just shy of two hundred animals lodging around the longhouse at the moment, and that discluded those who exclusively showed up at night. He had to quickly spin up a new round of fires and fill the pots back up, feeling momentarily like a haggard chef in a highly ranked restaurant.
It was about an hour later that the things finally calmed down and he could sit and eat himself, with the kids having scattered about beforehand. Though he wanted to sit them down and discuss the Sect business, he figured asking Lu Yang first might be for the better.
"I want to create a Sect," his words dragged the old man's attention away from some flowers he was inspecting. The bushy eyebrows were raised and the sagging eyes were opened.
"Then you should."
"Thank you for your endorsement, but that's not why I brought it up."
"Why did you bring it up, then?"
"Because I don't know how to create a Sect," Leo spoke rather honestly as the old man chuckled.
"Ah. And you are asking me?"
"Something like that, yes."
"I don't know how to create a Sect either, however. If you'd recall, I didn't reign over a Sect, but a Clan. And though, in some ways, the two can be similar, the reality is that they are as different as different gets."
"See? I didn't know even that. I just figured, hey, it's telling kids what to do. How different could it be?"
"Yes, that's all Sect is--old people telling kids what to do," Lu Yang said, though restrained himself from rolling his eyes at the very least. "But... I will help, at least."
"... I cannot leave the Forest," Leo said. "Not any time soon, anyway."
"You don't have to," he said. "Really, recruiting kids might be the easiest part."
"Hm?"
"The biggest hurdle any new Sect encounters aren't the Disciples--there are millions of kids being born every year, after all. And, yes, most of them aren't talented, and better-ranked Sects do get a priority on the talented ones, but that is precisely it: resources. And, well, if there's one thing you don't lack, it's resources. In the past week, I ate twenty-four G'umani Fruits," the old man said. "If I said that, out loud, to anyone outside these woods, they'd think me a charlatan."
"..."
"Smaller Sects struggle not just because no talented kids come to them," he added. "But because even when they do, they have no means of rearing them. Yue and Liang are proof enough for you--all you have to do was send them out, let them show off in one of the many tournaments, and kids will start flocking here. Yes, here. The Forest is scary, and it's monstrous of a concept, but there will always be those who will disregard everything if it means there's a chance."
"So, your big idea is... send the kids out to show off? Roll back for a moment," Leo said. "What will be the highest hurdle, then?"
"The word will get out," Lu Yang said. "And this place will be attacked. Repeatedly. From the light, from the shadows, and from within. So, unless it's imperative..."
"It's imperative," Leo said as the heavy silence hung between the two men. There was a glint of understanding within Lu Yang's eyes as he smiled.
"Then, a Sect we shall build," he said. "For starters, we should probably build a Sect."
"Right. Well, we can't do it here." Leo said, already having considered this.
"Hm?"
"There's a place about ten minutes from here that I... helped a while bank. Rather vast, open, and no trees or hovels anywhere. It should make a perfect place for a Sect."
"What about roles, then?"
"You'd be the Sect Master."
"No I wouldn't."
"If you want to keep eating G'umani Fruits, you will."
"... I always dreamed about being a Sect Master, actually." Leo laughed momentarily as Lu Yang took out two bottles of that awful alcohol, sharing one. "Why not you? Or do you simply prefer to work from the shadows?"
"Many reasons," Leo said, not mentioning that chief of which was the likelihood that he'd have to leave at some point. "Namely, you are vastly more likable than me. You have that sweet Grandpa look down pat. I look so homeless I am stone's throw away from wholly losing my mind."
"We still need Elders, teachers, and a litany of people to take up perfumatory functions," Lu Yang said. "Especially if, as I imagine, you plan on having more than ten Disciples."
"Aza can be one of the Elders."
"Great. Now we only need nine more."
"... haah, looks like I'll have to call in some favors," Leo said, taking a swig of the alcohol. "Okay. Tomorrow morning, take Liang and go to the Holy Blade Sect. Ask to meet with their Sect Master and just mention my name. Inform him or her--I don't know if he's recovered yet--that I'm looking to start a Sect and that I could use their help. Maybe they know some hermits and such that we can try recruiting."
"Aha, aha. You want me to do what?"
"You heard me perfectly fine. Not too long ago, I saved the life of Holy Blade's Sect Master."
"..." Lu Yang's expression was rather comical, prompting Leo to smile for a moment.
"And some time before that, I saved some of their Disciples and one of their Elders. It should have bought me some good will with them. If you're uncomfortable, I can just send Liang."
"... no, no, I will go," Lu Yang said, suddenly seeming a couple decades younger. "It was always a dream of mine to stand on equal ground with those lofty Sect Masters of bigshot Sects. And it doesn't get bigger than Holy Blade Sect. It will do wonders for my ego, I believe."
"I don't doubt that. A warning, though."
"Yes?"
"Be reasonable."
"What's... that supposed mean?"
"You will know." Leo replied rather mysteriously, imagining that Yu Minge and Xiaoling would likely offer Elders of their own Sect if he'd read them correctly. Leo, naturally, would not accept that--nor would he accept any of their Disciples. Ultimately, even if the reason he was building a Sect was for the sake of something grander than his own ambitions, it wasn't as though he could well enough say it.
As far as other Sects were concerned, his would be a competition, and he wouldn't abuse his good standing to extort beyond reason. All he wanted, really, was a bit of guidance... and perhaps some building materials. Which he was just about to mention before stopping himself--Holy Blade Sect recently underwent a massive attack, and were also in the process of rebuilding. He had no heart to ask for supplies.
There was still the stone quarry and some leftover stones they'd mined for the longhouse, and there were plenty of trees to go around. Perhaps, for the beginnings, it would be enough. As for the future? Well, he was never much of a planner--and that seemingly hasn't changed, even with death. He'd worry about it when it became time to worry about it. Until then? There were Sect names to peruse, after all.
Chapter 132
Lu Yang, Liang--and Yue (she insisted)--departed at the crack of dawn, not even staying for breakfast. Leo, as well as some of his furry friends, escorted them some ways away before he spun around and went back to the camp, just in time at that. Shui'er came out yawning and wiping her eyes, greeting him absentmindedly before she passed by him and went to the pond for her early morning bath.
Azariel came out, too, though he was already awake--he was awake, always. Unlike the others, he hadn't yet chanced himself upon the beauty of sleep, electing to cultivate and meditate instead. He nodded as Leo pointed around at the various campfires that needed some flames. The man did it without protest, speeding up what was usually a rather tedious part of Leo's morning.
"When will they be back?" he struck up a conversation in the midst of it.
"I don't know," Leo replied. "Depends. Why?"
"Just curious."
"It will give us more chance to not talk about what happened with that woman," Leo said as Azariel glanced over at him with a rather frustrated look in his eyes, clicking his tongue and swiftly looking away. "I'm not judging."
"You are."
"Inwardly, though. It's the best you could hope for."
"Still unwarranted," the man said.
"... should I not have killed them?"
"You should have," Azariel said. "They were pestilence, as before so now. They got away with everything because their Grandfather was one of the False Immortals, and because he fed them both the Poshi Flower. Not because they earned it, or even because he earned it--rather, he defied the laws and simply gave it to them." Leo listened without interjecting. "It it just that--" he paused, catching himself and sighing right after. "They were a stain, and would have done irreparable damage not just to the Forest but the rest of the world were they allowed to run amok. Which begs the further question," he added, looking over at Leo rather strangely. "How did you kill him? Xaia, I understand--her compulsion was rather weak, and anyone with marginal willpower could resist her long enough to kill her. Xu, on the other hand, was... different. His physique was inordinately compatible with Poshi Flower, and gave him equal measure of compulsory powers.
"Even False Immortals, if entirely unprepared, would fall under him for ever a moment. So, how was it that you killed him... and taken upon yourself no wounds?"
"..." Leo pondered for a moment whether to divulge the truth, but chose against it. Though he didn't think Azariel would betray him--anytime soon, anyway--he did not trust the man enough to speak about something that was especially the reason he was put in a time-chamber. If he'd told him he achieved what his ancestors deemed to be the only way to ascend past Earthly Immortal (whatever that was), he couldn't quite predict the man's reaction. "Do you want me to lie or say nothing?"
"... very well," he shrugged it off as the flames beneath the cauldrons began to roar. "All that matters is that they're gone. As I said, leaving them alive would have caused dire consequences. I imagine they have already wiped out all the other groups here?"
"To my knowledge," Leo nodded, taking out buckets of the water as Azariel and he started pouring it into cauldrons.
"You starting a Sect," he asked, his voice a notch quieter. "Is that... is that because of, you know?"
"That debased thing in our basement? A bit, yes," Leo nodded, smiling at the man rolling his eyes. "I've already pegged you for a position of an Elder."
"Aren't you afraid?" he paused, straightening up suddenly and facing him. Leo fell silent and followed, flames between them flickering.
"Terrified," Leo said.
"Then... how? You saw that thing," his voice was a whisper "That... ungodly abomination! Even if it were bereft of any Qi, its sheer mass would be enough to lord over the realms! And Gods know, that thing was not bereft of Qi!"
"What's the alternative?" Leo quizzed. "Run? Where? You yourself said that this entire place was a hidden realm. That there's nothing else besides it. Kick the fight down the line and let the kids figure out it while I spend my last days in a drunken squalor?"
"..."
"There are times in life when you don't get to make a choice, Aza," Leo said. "And, instead, the choice is made for you. Now, you can ignore it, you can run from it, you can defy it. All those are reasonable things to do, after all. But the choice's consequences arrive all the same. If an army of cultivators were invading the Ashlands instead, would you fight? What if it were an army of Phoenixes? Or perhaps Qilin? Where is the breakaway point for you when you say 'okay, this is something that's too big, how can we fight'?
"Besides," Leo chuckled. "What else am I going to do? Go fishing? I was never good at it. I look around, and see... everything that I've built here. And I choose to fight. Now, I'm not asking you to fight Aza--far from it. If you feel the quake in your knees on that day, run. I will give you the wind, even. All I ask is that you help stoke the flames a bit, for now."
"I'll fight," he squeezed between his teeth. "Of course, I will fight!" he looked almost offended that Leo presumed he'd run, surprising the latter a bit. "Guilt bleeds in my veins, and the only way to exorcise it is to fight the demons my ancestors caused. I just... I just want to know how are you so calm. That's all I want to be--calm. To not feel this... agonizing, almost, restlessness and terror. How can you all just close your eyes and fall asleep at night, like mortals, and not be haunted all-night-long?"
"Well, for starters," Leo said, sitting down by a boulder, taking out the chopping board and vegetables, and going to down on them. "You could just... try it. It's not magic, just another choice we make, Aza."
"Uncle Leo, Uncle Aza!" Shui'er broke out like thunder, sprinting over and throwing herself into Leo's lap. "Where is everyone else?"
"Ah, they left the Forest for a little bit," Leo said.
"Oh. Did... did they not want to take me?" she quizzed in a low voice.
"You wanted to go?" Leo asked.
"Hm."
"I'm sorry," he said with a smile, patting her gently. "I didn't know. They went to do some business for me, but the next time they go, I'll ask them to take you, too."
"Oh, okay!" her spirits lifted, she shuffled at the boiling water in the cauldrons, her stomach suddenly growling.
"Ha ha," Leo laughed as she growled back at him. "Okay, okay. Give me a second. Ah, here they come. Go greet them; by the time you're done, so will be the breakfast."
Azariel still wasn't completely used to seeing the swarm of animals break between the trees so early on in the day. He flinched and hunkered down, making himself as invisibly small as he could. Leo merely smiled at the sight, quickly chopping through all the ingredients and tossing them into the cauldrons.
With all the fanfare in the past couple of weeks, he'd never gotten around to hunting, so they were still eating the vegetable stew. Truthfully, he was getting a bit tired of it; though still delicious and invigorating, he began yearning for those 'cheat meals', as it were. He wanted poultry, he wanted fish, he wanted souffle--or, really, anything with eggs.
These weren't just immediate and temporary concerns, either--if the Sect establishment went well, he'd soon have dozens, perhaps hundreds of kids to feed, and however delicious the stew was, he imagined they'd get bored rather quickly of it. While the meat stew was a good curveball here and there, it was still just two meals.
But, try as he may, he could not find a body of water with fish in it, he could not find any animals laying eggs (well, save for the Long Janeson who was still hunkered down in her bunker), but even if he did, it wasn't as though he would take them. This meant that he'd have to establish some kind of a trade with people on the outside.
Furthermore, now knowing the kinds of effects that his food (largely because of the ingredients used) had on the body, he knew it would have to become a reward rather than a standard.
There were so many things to consider, and he seldom knew where to begin.
Shui'er greeted every animal with a hug--whether they were 'pretty', or fluffy, or 'ugly', she did not discriminate. By now, all animals knew her and loved her and they'd all let her ride them if they were remotely big enough. And she'd laugh and spew words of love every which way, and there'd never be silence.
By the time stew was being done, the first batch walked up; Leo quickly distributed several dozen platefuls worth of food, all of which were gobbled up in less than a minute, vanishing as though he never made them to begin with. Then another dozen plateful, then another, then another...
It would be full two hours before he himself could sit down and eat. Animals had either dispersed, retreated into the longhouse for a nap, or were sunbathing out in the open. There were some usual suspects hanging around Shui'er who, too, was planted on the ground, lying flat on her back, and even around Leo.
Hoot and Red, though they did play with Shui'er, still seemed to love him ever so slightly more. Whenever possible, they'd find him and plant themselves on either one of his shoulders. When there was nobody else to talk to--like now, since Azariel had gone to take a bath--he'd ramble randomly at the two of them, burying the silence.
"--you know, there's this strange principle, right?" he said, taking a sip of fruit juice. "Like, imagine someone locks you up in a hypothetical box, and in that box, there's also a vial of poison. Now, to the world outside the box, right, to the world outside you're both dead and alive--at once! Until they open the box and check, it's a toss-up, right?" Hoot hooted and Red called out, swinging over to the front. "Insane, I know. Anyway, the point is that nothing exists in one state. Reality's just a bunch of weird probabilities, all until we take a look--and then... well, then, there's an outcome." Red looked at him confusedly for a moment before swinging back around and lying against his back. "What? Did I bore you? This is good stuff, I promise! Okay, okay, listen to this--there's this thing called Riemann Hypothesis, right? So, we have prime numbers, okay? Prime numbers are very important numbers, and they can't be broken down--" whether Hoot and Red understood, or even bothered listening, Leo didn't really know. He rattled on and on, something he did often, in a bid to remember all those fascinating things from Earth that were in danger of just... disappearing from his mind.
He didn't think they'd have any practical application, far from it, but the sensation of forgetting was... beyond terrifying. Thus, he committed himself to his ramblings, however incoherent they may sound to the animals. They did stick around, at the very least, as they often did--sometimes they appeared engaged, sometimes it looked like they were listening in to the most boring lecture at the university, and sometimes Leo himself was stumbling through a concept that he barely understood back on Earth (if that), and had certainly forgotten most of it by now. That was his life--marveled and unburdened, and perfect in so many strange little ways.
Chapter 133
Leo woke up feeling some weight on his chest; opening his eyes, he saw Shui'er sprawled freely over him, still fast asleep. He yawned, staying still so to not wake her. It wasn't the first time--here and there, likely after waking up from a nightmare, she'd sneak into his room, jump on top of him, and fall asleep there. She'd 'always wake up before him', as it were, and sneak back out, pretending to have just woken up when Leo himself left the longhouse.
This morning, however, he was caught; her eyes opened and she looked at him with a pout, and he could only smile awkwardly as she shuffled herself off, all while staring at him.
"Did you sleep well?" Leo asked, yawning.
"... you are mean."
"Am I? Sorry. I didn't know. Come on," he stood up and extended his arm; she grabbed his hand, still pouting, as the two slowly walked out of the longhouse, dawn still about half an hour away. "Another nightmare?"
"Hm," she nodded, sitting down on a makeshift chair of Leo's own make--it took him about twelve hours to make and could just barely support Shui'er's weight--while he began stacking logs and branches to kindle the flames.
"Was it scary?"
"Hm."
"I have scary nightmares sometimes too, you know?"
"Liar."
"Nuh-uh, honest truth."
"What are they?"
"Let's see," Leo said, starting the first fire. "Well, when I was a very, very, very young boy, even younger than you, my friends and I we went to this local mall--uh, it's what we called the really thick forest by your village, yes, khm. Anyway, we used to go there and play this game where everyone but one kid would go and hide, while the one kid would try and find the rest. One time, I remember hiding really well--so well, in fact, that they never found me. Hours upon hours passed, and the day began turning to night. And I was scared. Really, really scared. Sometimes, I'll dream of that day. And I'll be hidden, invisible to the world, and I'll be scared. Wishing someone, anyone, would just... find me."
"..." she stayed silent and Leo didn't push, smiling gently and ruffling her hair for a moment before moving on and starting the remaining fires.
For someone as open and as 'cheery' as Shui'er, Leo was rather surprised with just how guarded she appeared to be of her past. She never let it slip (consciously, at least), keeping it closer abreast than anything else about her. And he never pushed, knowing well enough himself how deep certain demons could run.
"I don't mind it, you know?" he said, chopping some vegetables.
"I do," she mumbled lowly. "I'm a big girl..."
"Sure," he said. "But even grownups, from time to time, need someone to be with them."
"You're lying." she repeated one of her favorite phrases, though, by now, Leo had picked up on the fact she simply meant 'please elaborate' in her own childish way.
"Never," he said, smiling at her. "It's true. Aza, isn't it true?" he asked, knowing well enough that the man was listening from the longhouse.
"... it's true," the voice echoed back, though Leo could practically hear the gnashed teeth in the tone.
"See? It's alright."
"Hm."
She fell silent yet again, and Leo focused on making the food. His eyes drifted between the cauldrons, her, and the sky--still ever as ashen, perhaps even more so--as he pondered.
About an hour later, a stream of animals indicated the actual beginning of a new day, and some few hours later, they'd scattered back out. Shui'er was stolen by Milky and Blackie, and Leo could faintly hear her cackling laughter from somewhere deeper in the forest. Azariel, too, seemed uninterested in socializing, which meant that Leo had a lot of free time to cultivate.
So, he decided to go hunting.
Packing a few things and telling Azariel to keep an eye out on Shui'er while he was gone, Leo headed in the direction of the strange canyon where the non-spiritual animals resided. He wasn't alone, either, though there was only one companion--Howly.
Ever since Leo saved him, the furred thing made the longhouse his permanent residence, and would hang around Leo rather frequently. Leo didn't mind it; rather, he felt rather spectacular about having a rather beautiful wolf accompany him everywhere.
Howly had two distinct appearances--his most frequent one was that of an ordinary-seeming wolf. White hairs, perhaps a bit too-big seeming, elongated snout, a pair of yellow eyes, one tail... nothing too out of the ordinary. Though still beautiful in myriad of ways, it paled in comparison to his other form. It would appear rather infrequently: so infrequently, in fact, that Leo had only ever seen it twice.
His fur would begin to glow lightly, light scattering on its surface, while his one tail would split into two, who would then further split into more, until there was an array of glowing tendrils behind him.
The most gripping aspect of the appearance, however, were none of those things, somehow: it was the pair of symmetrical, extending arrays of light that sprouted out of his back, almost like wings, forging into a crown-like halo above him, individual tendrils weaving like roots of a tree into one whole.
His eyes, too, would change drastically, becoming almost entirely white, while just above and betwixt them, a strange sigil would burn aglow within the fur--a diamond above which two almost sickle-like shapes contorted outward. It looked like a bat, ever so slightly, in the middle of flapping its wings.
Leo didn't know precisely what would cause Howly to 'shapeshift' into the form, though he was always grateful to bear witness to it. Today, however, it was just the 'ordinary' wolf, his footsteps silent even as he stepped over the crunchy trees. He followed Leo's pace exactly, slowing and speeding up in concert, while the latter struggled to remember the directions.
The wolf seemed to have realized it at some point and bit into Leo's robes for a moment, dragging him in the opposite direction that he'd began walking down. Feeling quite a bit of shame, Leo hung his head low and followed the wolf, recalling that this was far from the first time he had to be escorted. In his defense, the forest was big, and though it wasn't continuously repetitive in its make, it was enough so to confuse someone without any formal training in navigating the wilds.
The journey lasted about three hours before Leo began to recognize the tapestry surrounding the canyon; he rushed past Howly, much to the latter's barely-contained chagrin, in want to quickly kill something and lug it back to the longhouse.
However, he abruptly stopped before reaching much further. Right at his feet was a boar, as though somebody primed it for his arrival... except they didn't do a good job. Most of its body was battered and bruised beyond repair, its inner organs spilling out rather unevenly. By his rough guesstimate, he'd be able to use, at best, about 20% of the boar's meat. This wasn't done by another animal, either, as there were no claw or bite marks anywhere on the beast.
Leo crouched by the body curiously and inspected it further, yielding little else. Perhaps the most discerning part was the large crater in the boar's side, with a faint imprint of knuckles. Or, well, it could be something in the vague shape of knuckles, a likelier scenario. Though the system (and the Forest) did throw a whole lot of haymakers at him for the duration of his stay, they'd began to cool off recently--no, wasn't that precisely the problem?
"Nah. No. Can't be," he firmly declared, storing the boar into the spatial ring and deciding to test it out nonetheless. "Ah, the boar won't be enough. I guess I should hunt something else... but I'm tired. Maybe after I take a nap? Yeah. I'll hunt something else after I take a nap. Maybe a four hour nap? Yeah, that sounds good. Four hours."
After saying so in a rather monotone tone, he found a nearby tree with rather thick branches, climbed on top of one and... fell asleep. Well, he wasn't asleep asleep--he was conscious, still, though only of his immediate surroundings. If his hypothesis was true, and whoever left the boar lying there was a person, they were beyond adept at staying hidden.
So, Leo waited, precisely for four hours as he said he would, opening his eyes no second later. Descending the tree, he didn't have to look for long to feel his stomach churn--right where the boar first was, there was now an elk. In a marginally better shape, too, though still very clearly hunted by someone who didn't really know what they were doing.
He crouched by the body, looking for more clues... but there were none. He glanced over at Howly and begged with his eyes, but the wolf looked away and resumed licking himself, seeming none-the-wiser.
"... right," Leo mumbled helplessly as his eyes darted around the surrounding bushes and trees. No matter how far he cast the net with his Divine Sense (which he learned to use by copying Yue and Liang), nothing awry appeared. Just more bushes and trees and an occasional critter. Now, unless that palm-sized white rabbit was the culprit behind it all, bidding to curry Leo's favor, it meant that whoever was behind it may as well be invisible.
Howly knew where the person was, certainly--and considering that the wolf seemed wholly unbothered, it was clear that he wasn't threatened. And neither was Leo. These weren't the actions of some Machiavellian planner out to get him and all he had, but someone... scared and ever so slightly desperate.
Now the question was how to smoke them out--or, well, it would have been had Leo not raised his eyes and saw someone standing just ten feet from him. Well, not someone--it was a boy.
Just shy of four feet, it felt, with slightly pudgy cheeks, copper skin, remarkably black eyes, and a head of no hair. The boy was wearing strange, velvet robes, as ebony as his eyes, which were rather stain-free considering the circumstances. He was clutching the sides of the robes with his fists, clearly nervous, all while staring directly at Leo. The boy's lips trembled as though in want to say something, but no words would come out. Not after five seconds. Not after ten.
And not after two minutes.
Leo sighed, stored the elk into the ring, slowly stood up, turned his back to the boy and said, "Follow me. Let's go home."
And thus, Howly and Leo began the trek back to the longhouse, a boar and an elk richer, with a strange kid in tow. Leo wasn't sure anymore, really, whether he was to build a Sect or an orphanage. Or perhaps a school. Or, better yet, all of those things rolled into one. He could only sigh and rationalize it by thinking that, in a few years' time, he'd have quite a few bee workers to do stuff for him that he found boring. Until then, though... a long journey it was, still.
Chapter 134
Leo met a familiar gaze as soon as he stepped through the shrubbery and onto the open clearing around the longhouse. Azariel stopped meditating as his eyes began darting between the boy and Leo.
"I--"
"Not a word," a similar thing played out once again, causing Leo to sigh inwardly.
"I just--"
"You just nothing."
"But you--"
"But I nothing," he added rather firmly, ending the conversation. "Take him into the house, find him an empty room, and give him a change of clothes. I'll prepare us a meal. Where is Shui'er?"
"She's taking a nap," Azariel said. "With Blackie and Milky. Seriously--"
"I will beat you up."
"... room, clothes. Understood."
"Go on. He's not gonna hurt you," Leo urged the boy who had hidden himself behind his legs, finally stepping out as though being allowed at last. He followed Azariel into the longhouse, all the while glancing back and prompting Leo to urge him further. The latter sank onto a boulder and exhaled as though he'd been holding in a breath for a decade.
There was a headache inbound, and to prevent it, he immediately purged his thoughts and started a fire, taking out the boar from the spatial ring. He didn't have his specialized cutters and butchers with him, so that would even even less meat would be useable--rather, Leo garnered that he'd be able to cut it up just finely enough to extort a singular meal... from what looked to be about a four-hundred-pounds boar.
Taking a small, sharp dagger from the ring, he slowly began the butchering process to the best of his knowledge (most of which came from observing the kids do it). In fairness, they did it so rapidly he could seldom remember a thing but, by the end at least, there were a few slices of meat that should be edible once chopped up and finely boiled.
He started the fire, poured the pond's water, chopped the meat and the vegetables, and poured it all in as the steam arose in the billow of smoke.
It wasn't long before the tantalizing scent of the boiling meat began to escape the cauldron, which was when he added the finely-chopped 'spices', or at least herbs he considered spices. They were nowhere as strong in their flavor, but at the very least they managed to add some taste to what would otherwise be rather flavorless and chewy cubes of meat.
He, however, grumbled soon after and started quite a few more fires; the scent must have drifted between the trees as there were quite a few animals approaching. In the end, he took out the elk corpse and tried his best, though quickly realized he'd have to be rather stingy with the meat-per-serving, and it would mostly just be used to seep some of it into the 'soup' itself.
Some five minutes later, Shui'er came out of the longhouse with Blackie and Milky stationed on either of her shoulders. The two panthers were licking themselves rather freely, and Shui'er herself seemed rather drowsy, her eyes half-closed.
"It smells... different," she said, walking over and leaning over one of the cauldrons, sniffing a few times.
"Uncle Leo went out and hunted," Leo said.
"... really?" she seemed to wake up rather rapidly, her head spinning toward him in such a comical manner that Leo nearly burst out into laughter.
"Really," he said, smiling.
"Really really?!" she raced over and stopped by his side, looking up with rather wide and beady eyes.
"Yes, really," he said. "I know I've been promising it for a while, so I figured it was time I lived up to that promise."
"Aah!! Thank you!!" she spun her arms around his leg and hugged tightly, letting go a moment later and breaking out into a dance. "Time to eat meat, time to eat meat, time to eat meat~" she reminded him somewhat of Liang. That man, too, seemed to have a strange desire for meat, for better or worse, though Shui'er's was expressed in far more of an adorable manner.
Leo merely smiled as he quickly went around the cauldrons, dividing what little meat he had equally (stealthily adding a bit more to the portion that would be served to Shui'er and the boy). Luckily, though animals had gathered, they did so in much lower numbers than usual. There were just about twenty-five to thirty of them, and he had just barely enough food to satisfy them all.
It was then, also, that Azariel emerged from the longhouse, the young boy trailing him; he'd swapped over into a rather simple-looking black robe, a pair of equally black boots on his feet. He looked marginally better at best, but Leo figured that the eventual bath would do wonders.
"Ah, Shui'er," he called out the girl that was still engaged in her little dance. "We have a new friend here. Why don't you go over and say hello?"
"Hm?" the girl stopped and spun 'till she faced the young boy. The latter looked away swiftly from her gaze, hiding behind Azariel with whom Leo exchanged quick looks.
Shui'er tapped over slowly, and the two played a rather strange game for a moment--she'd lean around Azariel legs trying to meet the boy's eyes while he did everything in his power to avoid her. Poor Azariel, on the other hand, became like a tree for a pair of playful squirrels, and all Leo could do was hold his laughter yet again.
"... does he hate me?" in the end, Shui'er asked rather teary-eyed. Leo caught glimpse of the boy nearly exclaiming something, a look of guilt flashing through his eyes, before turning to Shui'er.
"He doesn't hate you," Leo said. "He's just shy. Come, sit down, both of you. The meal's ready."
"Hm," she nodded, glancing at the boy who still wouldn't come out from behind Azariel.
While Leo distributed the remaining meals to the animals, the three sat in a circle around one of the flames and ate in silence--as with pretty much everyone else tasting Leo's food for the first time, he noticed, the boy started rather reservedly... for a brief second before he dug in like a century-starved beast. His serenity seemed to recover as he stared at the empty plate, his cheeks flushing red as he buried his head between his knees.
By the time Leo joined them, the three had finished eating; uncomfortable though he was, Azariel still acted as a wall between the two kids.
"Shui'er," Leo said. "Why don't you pour yourself and the boy some juice?"
"Ah! Can I?!" she jumped to her feet and, without waiting for confirmation, ran off to one of the two remaining mud huts.
Though Leo carried the vast majority of everything in the spatial right right now, he still kept a few courses of food and a couple of barrels of juice around the longhouse. Shui'er snuck a few gulps every morning, thinking she was being sneaky, but he hardly cared. He just never said anything because he found it funny.
She returned rather quickly, two cups in tow, and rather trying to hand one over directly to the boy, she simply set it down on the makeshift table--another Leo original--and went back to her place.
Over the last few weeks, Leo had gotten a bit into woodworking. The system was rather cheap with gifting furniture blueprints and such, and considering just how much wood there was, he figured he may as well give it a whirl. He did manage to make a few chairs and tables, and even improve their bed situation slightly, but that was about the limit of his skill. He didn't know the right way to process the wood, and was fairly certain that the bed frames would rot out soon enough and would have to be swapped.
"What's his name?" Shui'er turned toward Leo and asked, taking a sip of juice.
"... I don't know," Leo considered lying, but couldn't even come up with a believable lie so he simply told the truth.
"You brought him here without even asking him his name?" Azariel said.
"I brought you here too, didn't I?"
"At least you'd asked my name."
"And I've been regretting it ever since." Azariel scoffed, taking out a jug of fruit juice and drinking. Silently and stealthily, his cultivation seemed to have improved rather massively ever since coming here, and Leo was convinced that the man would sooner die than leave this place now.
"Maybe he doesn't have a name," Shui'er said. "There were kids in my village that didn't have a name." Leo paused, though she didn't seem aware that it was the first time she ever mentioned her village since the first night here, it felt.
"Maybe," Leo said, glancing over at the boy who seemed to be enjoying the juice. He'd already developed a theory about the kid--there was a good chance he was part of one of the awakened Clans, and was either hidden or ran away himself when the pair of siblings stormed through... and was the Clan's last survivor. Perhaps he was always shy, perhaps seeing everyone he ever knew be butchered in front of him made him shy, at this point it didn't particularly matter. Whether he had a name or not, Leo wouldn't abandon the kid, after all. "So, be patient with him, okay?"
"I will," the girl nodded. "Ah! You have to meet Gray! He is sooooo funny! Just wait here a second, I will go find him!" Leo smiled as the girl rushed off to who knows where, seeking what was likely the most adventurous dog in the world. Gray and Whiskers would wander off and disappear for days at a time, and every time they returned, they seemed half a point wiser.
"Come on," Leo stood up when he saw that the boy had finished the juice. "I'll show you where you can take a bath."
The boy nodded and stood up, leaving Azariel's shadow at last and following Leo's footsteps silently. It wasn't long before they reached ever-unchanging pond, though they had to wait for a moment as the ever-enigmatic black tiger was having a nice, relaxing swim.
"The water's really nice," Leo said, taking out a makeshift woolen towel from his ring and setting it down on the nearby boulder. "Do you know a way back? If not, just ask any of the animals, and they'll show you the way."
"... Hino." just as Leo was about to leave, he caught the faint buzzing behind him and turned around.
"Hm?"
"Hino," he wasn't wrong--the boy spoke. It was not even a whisper; in fact, had his ears not been improved through cultivation, it would have been impossible to hear. "My name."
"Oh," Leo said. "Alright, Hino. Do you want me to tell Shui'er not to bother you?"
"... no. She can."
"Have fun."
"..."
"Okay."
Leo headed back to the longhouse, ever as uncertain on how he came to be a caretaker to so many children (and likely many more after he would establish the Sect). It must have been his natural charms; yes, that was all. Not a carefully-woven tapestry by invisible threads of a system guiding him in a specific direction. It must have been his charms.
Chapter 135
Yue stared at the hanging gates of gold and shining jewels looming above her with awe and fear in her gaze. She'd been to Sects before (if once or twice), though only ever the ever-fading Tier I and Tier II Sects--and now she stood beneath the gates of a hegemon, a behemoth ruling the lands far and wide that radiated outward from it.
There was a constant stream of young people going in and out, all enrobed in similar clothes--white robes fluttering backward as they sped along, a sigil of a blade aglow in golden sown upon their chest. All radiated immense aura, though whether it was real or imagined entirely by her due to the circumstances... she was uncertain.
Liang and Lu Yang both stood to her left, and both were cloaked and masked. She felt a bit rueful that she wasn't even important enough to hide her face, though if they ever moved southeast and near her family's reign of influence, the story would change. Here, though? She was just a young woman, one among many others, and one with least import, it felt.
"So, what now?" she asked.
"I've sent a message ahead of us," Liang replied. "They, uh, they think we're merchants with building materials for sale. Once we're in a meeting, I'll reveal myself."
"Really? I thought you'd love the fanfare of everyone stopping whatever they were doing to rush at you and fawn over you."
"I would, very much," he said. "But another time, perhaps."
The three moved to the entrance where a pair of guards intersected them, asking for identifications which Liang promptly provided. After a few moments, a gray-robed young man appeared abruptly and escorted the three to the side, along the massive walls.
Yue saw it--the sprawling lands of the Tier IV Sect. They were like a continuous strata, building upward to a grand structure looming at the center. Around it, buildings arose in strange and ethereal patterns, and they all seemed to have been carefully sectioned off depending on their use. Between the constructs of stone and wood, streams, rivers, and gardens arose, the colors all far more brilliant than she thought possible. Then again, she knew well enough that they were likely enhanced--there was no way any flower would bloom more colorful outside of the Forest than in it, not without external tinkering.
They weren't led further in, but to a small alcove against a jagged cliff where an ordinary pavilion stood. Its roof was faintly chipped, signs of age showing, though seemed rather well maintained otherwise. The gray-robed Disciple showed them into one of the side chambers, though didn't step in with them, disappearing right after.
Yue sat down on a praying mat nudged against a low-fold table where a few treats could be located; sweets, a couple of ordinary fruits, and three cups of tea--jasmine, by the scent of it--still steaming.
The chamber's walls were lined with flowery wallpaper, with the only decoration being a singular painting--oil on canvas, denoting a figure arching toward the sky, surrounded by the fallen foes, bathed in red.
"Who's he?" Yue asked.
"Sect's Founder," Liang replied. "The story goes, during the War of the Ashlands, a General arose from within the ranks of the Lingshan Kingdom's army--brave, strong, and ambitious. He led charge in several important campaigns, one of those being the one depicted on the painting--Battle of Madmen, they dubbed it. Having won, and with the war at its peak, the Lingshan King granted him the charter to start a new Sect where he would train his own legion--thus, in the year 636, Holy Blade Sect was formed. Unlike most other Sects from these lands, Holy Blade Sect wouldn't separate itself from the Kingdom for a good while--until becoming a Tier III Sect in 713, in fact."
"Oh," Yue nodded silently. She knew some broad-strokes of the Ashlands' histories. Most tomes, as far as she remembered, only really began detailing history starting with around 250 years ago or so, with the Collapse of the Divine Empire of the Moon. Age of Light, the historians dubbed it, as from the Empire arose practically every power that existed in the world today.
As for the history of the Empire itself... Yue didn't know much, if anything, really. Her small Clan was not the sort that had access to such histories.
The doors to the chamber opened as a figure walked in--he was a middle-aged man draped in a... slovenly robe, his hygiene and appearance rather tardy. He didn't even bother greeting them before sitting down, taking out a pipe from his robes, and lighting it with the flicker of his finger.
"What do you have? Out with it," Yue wasn't surprised--and, she noticed, neither was Lu Yang. This seemed just about right when it came to the behavior of someone from a highly-ranked Sect, especially when dealing with who he thought were some random merchants. In fact, she wouldn't have thought anything of it if she hadn't noticed Liang's expression darken.
"... what is the meaning of this?" Liang asked, his voice cold.
"Meaning of what? Are you here to waste my time, huh? You have fine seconds--" it happened before Yue could react in any way--Liang shuffled over across the table and grabbed the man by his neck, lifting the latter up as though he were a bag of flour. She turned toward Lu Yang and asked him why he didn't intervene with her eyes--the old man merely shrugged, actually sipping tea instead of doing or saying anything.
"Elder Quian," Liang spoke. "I recall there being a rather specific order within the guidelines on interacting with external merchants--that of humbleness, etiquette, and hallowedness, all three of which you had forsaken in a single bout. Haah," he seemed to recover from his anger rather abruptly, letting go of the man and uncloaking himself. Before the old man had the chance to (likely) spit out a series of curses, he paused, his jaw agape and eyes widened like a blooming lotus. "You know where to go and what to do," Liang said before he turned toward Yue and Lu Yang. "Let's go."
The two stood and followed Liang, leaving behind the still-stunned man on the floor.
It wasn't long before Liang's exposed face resulted in the first bout of fanfare, and then the second, and then the third, and soon a complete gridlock. There were hundreds of Disciples, old and young, swarming him, asking a thousand questions that he had no means of answering, tugging and hugging and pulling, all while Yue and Lu Yang were left ignored.
"Hm? Yue, let's go," Lu Yang pulled her suddenly as they rounded the massive group of people, walking past them and seemingly towards the nearby, two-story pavilion.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Liang told me to go there," he said. "He apparently informed some Elder to meet us."
"Ah."
This pavilion was vastly more decorated than the first--the wood and stone were both polished, the wallpaper grand and graceful, with plenty of paintings and even statues decorating the walls and the halls. All rooms were private, walled off with formations and isolation arrays, and Yue followed Lu Yang as he led her upstairs and to the last room to the left. Nobody intercepted them or escorted them, which confounded her for a moment before Lu Yang chanted something and the doors slowly opened in front of him.
The two entered a rather spacious and brilliant room with a hundred different things lining the wall-tables--there were fruits, sweets, meals, drinks, pills, and an assortment of pipes, each with seemingly different herb. It really drew a direct distinction in treatment, and caused her to wonder just how important one had to be in order to be met in this room.
While Lu Yang sat down, Yue walked the edges and tried a few things. Though delicious, that was about the end of her praise; she was spoiled by her Master's cooking and his odd creations, and found most other things simply... bland.
It was then that a stirring of the wind startled her as she turned around and saw a newcomer--and someone she very much recognized: Elder Xiaoling.
The woman was still beautiful--no, perhaps even more beautiful than when Yue saw her last--her silver hair having grown a dash longer than before. Her eyes were still radiant, lips curled up in a faint smile, and though she likely held a rather important position, she only wore rather simple, silver robes that fit neatly over her body.
"E-Elder Xiaoling, g-greetings!" Yue quickly fixed her form and bowed, prompting the woman to laugh as she pulled Yue out of the bow and into a hug.
"Welcome, welcome," she greeted. "Hm? You've gotten much stronger since I last saw you."
"As have you."
"You can tell?"
"Not at all. I do presume, however."
"... your Master must be rubbing off on you," Xiaoling said with a wide smile as Lu Yang suddenly coughed. "Ah, my apologies, Mr...?"
"Lu Yang," the old man introduced himself with a proper bow. "Rather unimportant, Master Xiaoling. Merely Master Leo's messenger."
"How is he?" she asked as Yue finally wrestled herself free and sat down next to Lu Yang while Xiaoling sat down opposite of them, sporting a rather relaxed pose and quickly beginning to snack on some fruits.
"Ever the same," Lu Yang said. "If slightly more ambitious."
"Still saving people?"
"Very much so."
"Do you think he would mind a visit?" she said. "Considering my Master's recovery, as well as my own little journey, I am inclined to come bearing many gifts."
"I am sure Master Leo would be delighted," Lu Yang said. "About the visit; gifts? Perhaps less so."
"... hm, indeed," Xiaoling nodded, sighing.
"Though, the Master does require a bit of assistance, which is what brought us here." Lu Yang quickly added.
"Point at it," Xiaoling said. "And take it. No, rather, just take anything you want. You don't even have to tell me or anyone else." Yue saw Lu Yang's eyebrows visibly dance, and couldn't help but faintly chuckle--to herself, of course. She wouldn't dare interject in any capacity.
"Master did warn me not to be... greedy."
"You can always blame us," Xiaoling smiled. "Say we've imposed upon you."
"Tempting though it is, I fear the man while he smiles," Lu Yang said. "The nightmares that his ire would cause me... I would rather not tempt them."
"I can't imagine that man being angry."
"He has been," Lu Yang said. "We've had some... dealings, in the Forest."
"Hm?" the woman's expression frosted immediately, and Yue--ever for a fading moment--felt pressure that nearly suffocated her. "Apologies. Elaborate, please."
"We aren't certain of much yet, and we wish not to speculate," Lu Yang followed the instructions, Yue knew. He'd repeatedly warned all three of them not to mention Ancient Clans in any capacity, or any other theories they may have entertained. Merely to ask for help the vaguest way imaginable. "But it has inspired Master to seek... greater things, as it were."
"Such as?"
"He wishes to form a Sect," Lu Yang squeezed the words out rather awkwardly; Yue understood well enough. "I--I understand that the implications are rather severe, and that you have every right to reject us--"
"--my words still stand, Sir Yang," Xiaoling interrupted. "Take anything you want. It is yours."
"No," Lu Yang firmly said. "Master Leo has disclaimed that we should not seek any goods from you. He, however, has no working knowledge of how to properly build a Sect. He'd simply hoped you would help in some small ways, or, at the very least, guide us to someone else with the working knowledge."
"..." Xiaoling fell silent for a long while, and even Yue felt tension tighten. She knew they were asking a lot, especially of another Sect that they would be competing with eventually considering the distance between the two, yet still hoped that the woman would help them, if only by pointing them in the direction of someone who wouldn't have the same qualms. "I speculate that whatever agitated Leo is larger than petty differences between Sects and such, and probably has something to do with the storm that seems here to stay. I have a suggestion, though you will have to wait for at least a day or two to see if it could be realized."
"What suggestion?" Lu Yang asked.
"I will accompany you back and help."
"!!!"
"The reason why I ask that you wait," she said. "Is that we are set to have a visitor in the next few days, and depending on how the visit goes... it might provide us a decent story as to why I would not be found at the Sect in the future. Do understand: I would not join your Master's Sect. Until the day I draw my last breath, Holy Blade Sect will be the one place I belong to. Not even Master Leo can change that. But, in consideration of the fact of the changing times, and the eternal questions I have myself for him, helping you create a Sect might yet be the best course of action for all of us."
"A-ah, I, uh..."
"Hm?" she suddenly frowned and glanced back over her shoulder. "Looks like our visitor has arrived earlier than expected. You two--do not leave this room under any circumstances. Not until either I or my Master comes."
"Is everything alright? I may not be much," Lu Yang said. "But I still am a Soul Ascendance Realm cultivator."
"E-eh?" Xiaoling exclaimed in shock, though after seemingly examining Lu Yang a bit further, seemed to confirm as much. "You... really are. My apologies, Master Lu Yang. I have been blind."
"A-ah, not at all, not at all! You are far more impressive than I ever was or will be, Master Xiaoling. I merely offered because you seemed agitated."
"While I appreciate your offer," she said, standing up. "I'm afraid that even Soul Ascendance Realm cultivators aren't enough. Our visitor," she added just before leaving. "Is an investigator sent from the Central Regions of the Ashlands, someone at Nascent Soul Realm. I'm afraid, across these here our lands," she faded, her voice still lingering. "Only my Master has hope of wrangling us out of this with no damage."
Chapter 136
Xiaoling stood perched atop the tall wall, looking over the fading horizon; there was a set of Elders by her side, all perked with anxiousness and flecked with fear. She, too, wasn't entirely free of either. Though she had her Master's promises and direct orders, they were still welcoming someone at Nascent Realm into their home, wholly blind to the man's intentions.
She'd never seen anyone above Soul Ascendance Realm before, with the exclusion of the attack that her Master somehow deflected during the Sect's invasion, and neither did anyone else present. People at that realm were enigmatic existences to this tiny corner of the continent, as anyone with even the remotest of chances of ascending left for the Central Plains as soon as they could to increase those remotest of chances if ever so slightly.
And though she bore within herself the confidence of a thousand men, it still fell short of being enough to face something so grand bravely and apathetically. So, she dug fingers into her palm, and used Qi to force her heart to calm down.
They waited for about an hour, as the 'signal' that he was coming had been sent likely from the border of the Sect's lands. He first appeared as a flickering tick of light deep on the horizon, grandly imposed against the ashen skies, growing brighter and brighter as he approached until the light flickered out, and before them floated a man of countenance indescribable.
It was as though the world around him kneeled and moved out of his way, his figure gently floating amidst the drifting of ethereal spirits; colors bounced across his frame, all turning into bright variants of themselves, until he almost seemed holy. Though Xiaoling's expression remained the same, she frowned inwardly; all of this... was merely a show. However much Nascent Realm lorded over all those below it, the man was still a mortal, bound by the same laws.
It would be akin to Xiaoling visiting some remote Tier I Sect and putting on a show of colors to impress upon them an image of a God--which, to them, she may as well be, but the rest of the world, she would be merely a scared girl, fearful that her weaknesses would be known.
"Greetings, Senior," nonetheless, there were laws, unwritten though they were, to obey. She clasped her hands and bowed toward him, as did all others next to her, echoing the sentiment.
"Hoh?" the man's voice escaped him as he landed right in front of her, a few inches of space between them. She did manage to keep her expression even, but inwardly understood that there would likely not be a peaceful day after today.
The look in the man's eyes was... wild. It was one of obsession, the kind that she hadn't seen in a long while as nobody has dared looked at her that way for over fifteen years. It was as though he was looking at a doll rather than a person, and that he must posses it, no matter what else. He all but licked his lips, the perversion of it downright rancid. Yet, she endured.
"Welcome to the Holy Blade Sect," she said. "Allow me to accompany you to the Greeting Hall."
"Of course," he said. "You could accompany me anywhere."
Xiaoling merely smiled and departed, the man following a single pace behind as they arched across the sky, quickly entering the heart of the Sect and a rather adorned complex jutting out of the left side of the Central Palace.
The interior was decorated well ahead of the time, with over a dozen tables prepared with the finest meals and drinks they could make, nearly all suffused with rare herbs. Fifty mortal women, too, were hired to stand in and deliver whatever was asked, though Xiaoling already suspected they would remain standing in place, never looked at.
The other Elders retreated to the side tables, seemingly blending into the background as she'd asked them to do so beforehand. She led the man to the front, where even the Sect Leaders of other Tier IV Sects would not be allowed to sit, but looking at the man's rather apathetic demeanor about everything but her, she feared it would have no bearing on him.
"I understand that it cannot live up to Your Grace," she said. "But this is the best our tiny little Sect can do."
"Oh. It is fine," he said. "Vastly better than that pathetic Kingdom. Yes, vastly." he, once again, eyed her with a snake's gaze, and she felt every hair on her skin stand up for a moment. "I am thirsty."
"We have the best spiritual wine--"
"--yes, yes, that is quite alright," he said, lugging over to the central seat as though it was the most natural thing--a Seat always reserved for her Master--and tossing his legs over the table. "I don't care what you serve, for none of it will be good. However, perhaps being served by you will sweeten it up, if ever so slightly."
Xiaoling eyed him for a moment but held back in the end, walking over to the nearby table, grabbing a bottle of the spiritual wine as well as a singular glass, before carrying over to him and pouring him a glass. Though the Master had told her not to bow her head, she would still rather resolve this entire thing in peace, even if she had to sacrifice her pride.
"Hm, indeed," he said after taking a sip. "Still awful... though sweet, indeed. What is your name?"
"It's Xiaoling, Young Master."
"That's a pretty name, Xiao'er," he said, flashing her rows of pearly whites. "My name is Lei Feng."
"That is a mighty name, Young Master Feng," she said.
"Why, thank you, Xiao'er," he said, taking another sip of the wine. "I hope you can relax--I've heard the rumors about the Sect's connections to an Immortal, but if it should ease you, I seldom believe you have been colluding with one. Though, perhaps, I would believe if you--or whoever bastards this Sect--concocted those rumors to elicit someone to come. Perhaps in a bid to bewitch them with your heavenly beauty."
"... you overpraise me, Young Master," she endured. "There is nothing heavenly or beautiful about me."
"Ha ha ha," he laughed. "Ah, young miss, I'm afraid that humbleness does not suit you. Some Holy Maidens, indeed, have the looks and the countenance necessary to be humble even in their divine beauty; most, however, ought to simply embrace the gifts. It is not a sin to be beautiful, after all," he added, grinning yet again and taking another swig of the wine. "Or, is it that you've been so poor your whole life that you could never afford means of looking at your own reflection?" Xiaoling could feel the subtle changes behind her, in the hearts of those in the hall; and if she could, so could he... yet, he didn't seem to care.
Then again, why would he? To him, all people here--her included--were ants. Insignificant, pointless. The only reason he had bothered even coming here was her; for whatever reason, he'd fancied her. Though Xiaoling knew herself beautiful, most women pursuing immortality were beautiful, too. It only ever took a small whiff of Qi to still the aging, another whiff to erase the wrinkles, to change the hair color, the eye color, the contour of the face... a completely different image was a breath away for everyone. So, why was he so obsessed with her? The answer was simple, as it always was: none of the other women wanted him, and he could only swallow that with bitterness.
"Would you like something to eat alongside the wine, Young Master?" she tried to change the topic, though judging on his expression... it wasn't going to happen.
"I had no intention of coming here, truth be told," he said. "I loathe the thought of staying in these godforsaken, barren lands a day longer--ah, forgive me. Yes, they are your home, but trust me, Xiao'er, once a person experiences the lush lands beyond these borders... yes, these lands, thus, begin to live up to their name: Ashlands. Every day here, it feels like it's harder and harder to breathe; Qi is sparse, its purity nigh rancid, and now even the Qi Storm has arrived to destroy what little you people had to begin with."
"Qi Storm?" Xiaoling pondered.
"The ashen skies," he pointed upward with his index finger. "Though I have never witnessed one of such scale, I have read records of some prior Qi Storms that covered nearly all of Ashlands, and stayed for weeks, months, and, yes, on occasion even years." though Xiaoling wanted to probe further, judging by his expression... that was all she was going to get out of him in regards to the 'Qi Storm'. He was likely wrong, though she would never say it aloud as she herself didn't know what right or wrong was in this scenario. "Come, join me. Drink with me." she forced a smile and walked over with yet another glass, sitting down by his side. Whatever distance she left between the two was quickly bridged, however. "I have seen your portrait."
"You have?"
"And I thought to myself: Gods, is it possible that someone so beautiful could exist in these here lands?" he asked, his breath already heavy and hung. "I suspected it was false, truth be told. Whether your or someone's rather loose interpretation of one's appearance. But no... you do exist. And you are vastly more adorned than the canvas ever suggested."
"M-many thanks, Young Master."
"And you are talented, too," he said. "Soul Ascendance Realm at your age... I suspect, were you not chained to this place, you may even have hope yet of ascending beyond it. Becoming someone truly of note in this world. Do you ever dream of it, Xiao'er? The world in which you matter? In which masses cheer your name in absolute adulation?"
"Can't say I do, Young Master," she said. "I am simply unworthy."
"The world may have made you believe you were unworthy," he said, hanging his arm around her shoulder. "But I promise you, it was wrong to do so."
"Young Master, it is inappropriate..."
"... yes, indeed," he pulled back his arm, taking another sip. "Forgive me. I am humbly a man bewitched. I have heard that your Sect was unfairly attacked recently, Xiao'er."
"Yes, Young Master. We have indeed suffered an unjust attack."
"And I have noticed that you have yet to fully recover."
"... indeed. We are struggling." she feared where it was going, yet hardly had the means of steering the conversation anywhere else.
"A shame. I may be able to help, however."
"... you could?"
"While staying in the Kingdom, I was given many gifts," he said. "Some of which would be far more useful in the Sect's hands than mine."
"We would, of course, be utmost grateful for any help, Young Master."
"Hm, it is all in here," he spawned a ring on top of the table and let it spin, the metallic sound ringing out across the hall like a song beating directly into her soul "And it can all be given away." she gritted her teeth and held it in, feeling his arm creep against her back yet again. When was the last time she endured so much? Perhaps never, rather. "I can give you the world, Xiao'er," he whispered, his lips just inches from her ears. "And all else within it. Your Sect would prosper, its reputation like a rising phoenix as your name gets carved into the annals of true history."
"--it sounds to me like you are trying to thieve a precious Disciple of mine from me, Young Master Feng," Xiaoling felt all tension suddenly leave her body as a rather calm voice echoed out through the hall. She caught the man's expression darken and sour immediately as his focused shifted from her and toward the source.
"Who the hell are you to interrupt me?" he asked, his countenance starkly different from when he interacted with her.
"The Sect Master of this humble place," Xiaoling glanced over and saw her Master standing in the middle of the hall, arms behind his back, a faint smile hanging on his lips. "As well as Xiao'er's Master."
"Huh. Your words were rather rude and implied me a villain," Lei Feng said. "Seeing as you are Xiao'er's Master, I am willing to forgive--but only if you get lost within the next three seconds."
Three seconds passed, though nothing transpired. Yu Minge remained standing, still smiling as though none of it had anything to do with him.
"You are still here," Lei Feng said.
"I was told you'd come here to investigate an attack on my Sect," he said. "Not hound my precious Disciple."
"What I do is my prerogative," Lei Feng said. "And well outside the scope of your need to know. You are provoking me, old man. And my patience, however vast, has its limits."
"Very well, allow me to be succinct, then," Yu Minge said. "You are here to investigate an attack on my Sect, and within that scope, you may do and have any one thing you desire. You are not here to thieve away my Disciple, promising her lies, however."
"... this is your last warning," Xiaoling could feel the temperature in the room dropping as the Qi stirred around them like the sea before a storm. "Leave this instance, or I will not only kill you, but raze this Sect to the ground and erase it from existence." the fight was about to break out, Xiaoling knew, and could only sigh and regret that she ever allowed her portrait to be made to begin with.