Chapter 137
Atmosphere was sizzling with invisible flames, and Xiaoling felt the mountainous pressure slowly descend upon the hall as Lei Feng's words faintly echoed throughout the hall and began to fade... all whilst her Master remained rooted in place, a smile hanging on his lips.
A breath later, she felt something burst out, and caught from the corner of her eyes Lei Feng flicker a single finger toward Yu Minge--it appeared wholly apathetic, as though he was shooing away a dog, yet packed within the motion was the amount of Qi that Xiaoling would struggle mightily to block.
The array of invisible pressure burst forth and landed toward her Master within a moment. The latter, similarly, unwrapped his finger and flicked it, counteracting the force and dissipating it into the shutter of cooling wind that blew both ways, merely kicking up the cloth covering the tabletops.
"Oh?" Lei Feng exclaimed softly and, without a wasted breath, flicked two fingers at once, doing the exact same thing. Yu Minge replied in kind, as though mimicking the apathy on purpose to irritate and instigate the man still sitting down.
This repeated until five fingers were flicked at once, and the amount of energy dissipated was no longer merely kicking up the cloth, but even blowing open the doors and the windows. The other Elders had already retreated out of the room, likely per her Master's orders, and were possibly setting up an array around the building to try and desperately prevent the damage from spilling out and over the rest of the Sect.
Even when two people at Soul Ascendance Realm fought seriously, it often resulted in completely demolished landscape that would take decades, at least, to recover without external help. Scaling the damage up to the cultivators at Nascent Soul Realm fighting likely meant that, if it wasn't contained even a bit, it could potentially level the entire valley Sect was situated within.
"Interesting," Lei Feng said, his thin lips stretching out into a strange smile as he slowly stood up. "Interesting indeed. It looks like this barren shithole has been hiding something of grander value than even a pretty face. Very well--consider me duly impressed. And even though you affronted me, I am gracious enough to offer you a chance; cut off your arm as a form of repentance, and I shall take you to the Promised Land where you might yet break out of the cocoon and make something of yourself rather than rotting here."
"Just an arm?" Xiaoling sighed inwardly and inched away slowly.
"Just an arm."
"You, indeed, are gracious," her Master said with a rather strange smile. "And here I am, considering whether to leave your body wholly for wanting to thieve my Disciple. I certainly need to learn grace from you... eventually."
"... haah, frog at the bottom of a well," Lei Feng said. "Just because you blocked a few of my teasing probes, you fancy yourself strong enough to battle someone at Nascent Soul Realm. I am afraid your hubris will be your undoing--what separates me and, indeed, all others at my realm and above, and why there has never been a record of someone crossing the realm to fight at this stage, is that you merely command the Qi. I, on the other hand, command the world."
Xiaoling felt her blood suddenly stop circulating and her entire body give out as she planked to the side, losing control of herself. It, indeed, felt as though the world abruptly rejected her, telling her she did not belong. The feeling was absolutely horrifying--though, luckily, didn't last. It passed almost as quickly as it beset her, and she gratefully looked over at her Master whose smiling expression vanished, having turned hollow and cold.
"I have made my decision," he said, his voice ringing out like a decree from death. "You don't deserve to leave behind a strand of hair, let alone the body."
It all unraveled within a flash--two figures disappeared as the rooftop of the building blew wide open, shards of wood flying off like an upward rain. The descending winds absolutely obliterated the entire hall, tables and chairs and food and drinks flying as though caught up in a tornado, while the flashing light of overwhelming Qi temporarily streaked into the sky in the shape of a pillar.
Xiaoling grappled with the severe pressure that nearly had her kneeling, using every bit of Qi to resist it. The thoughts that she allowed herself to fester--namely that, perhaps, she could contend against some weaker Nascent Soul Realm cultivators--began to evaporate swiftly from her mind. She was struggling to navigate the mere castoffs, the byproducts of the clash, barely managing to free herself of the chains they produced. If she were to directly receive an attack? She would be lucky to last a moment.
Casting her eye up and past the sheen of light, she could just barely make out two flickering figures appearing and disappearing like the beams of light. The clashes were erosive, destabilizing the very fabric of reality around them--Xiaoling saw cracks webbing out each time they clashed, like bricks thrown into thick glass, though the reality seemed to recover just as quickly. Those cracks lasted not even a breath, and though they were terrifying each moment they appeared, even after nearly a minute, none ever materialized into anything more.
The sheer level of clash left her mind reeling; she couldn't keep track of much of anything, in truth. Only occasionally catching a glimpse of the two figures before they disappeared in the blinding storm of Qi the likes of which were teetering on the edge of soul-crushing.
Even juxtaposed against the ashen clouds above, the two somehow seemed equally terrifying, if at all possible. But Xiaoling knew, of the two, her Master was vastly more terrifying. Though the world was blind to it, she knew well enough that the man's entire cultivation had been wiped clean just recently--and that he'd regained it all in less than a month, apparently regaining enough of it to contend against a Nascent Soul Realm expert.
Even if he confidently spoke to her, and told her that she should not let herself be bullied and that if it came down to it, he'd be able to contend... parts of her always doubted him. In the long-term, she had the confidence of a child that her Master could easily be able to reach the Nascent Soul Realm--but she never had those doubts. She always knew, in her heart of hearts, that there was likely no other individual anywhere within ten thousand miles that could match her Master's innate talents.
Publicly, his Spirit Roots were qualified as Mid-Heaven--extremely impressive for these parts, but not entirely unmatched. She knew, however, that wasn't possible; after all, she herself had Peak Heaven Roots (however, recently, she felt... a certain buzz within them, like the stirring of a cocoon before the emergence of a butterfly), and knew it was impossible that her Master's roots were worse than hers.
And now, after baptism of sorts in the Forest, it was anyone's guess precisely where he stood. Perhaps he even leapfrogged Immortal Roots in their entirety, and reached the vaunted Cosmic Roots. Or, she dared wonder for a fleeting second, maybe even Origin Roots--the ilk only ever mentioned in the distant legends, and held only by the cultivators of Myth that have long since perished.
Once again, the two men came into view for a moment, but this time around... it lasted a bit longer. It was, in part, her getting more used to it, but in part because they seemed to have been slowing down--namely the visitor, Lei Feng. She noted that there were streaks of red on his face rather similar to the color of blood, and the momentary glimpse of his expression that she managed to make out resembled a man at his wits' ends more so than someone in full control.
Explosions rang out one after another, violent winds whipping out and streaking across the Sect's grounds; she peeked out and saw that quite the few rooftops were blown open though, luckily, none of the buildings were torn up. The Elders managed to cast arrays just barely strong enough to keep the buildings tethered to the ground, even if the roofs and some furniture were sacrificed in the process.
The fight lasted some twenty minutes before it became evident that it was drawing toward its end--the flashing lights ceased being flickers and turned into a fight that even people at Avatar Realm could reasonably follow. Her Master's robes were tattered, there were clear signs of wounds and it seemed that he was entirely incapable of using his left arm, but he still looked like a healthy man in his prime compared to Lei Feng.
The silhouette cast a sorry figure--he was hunched over, all color from his face drained. Unlike Yu Minge who simply couldn't use his left arm, Lei Feng's left arm was completely missing. There was a massive gash over his chest that was bleeding profusely, both of his eyes were stormed with the streaks of red, his lips were quivering, and he barely held on to a blade in his right hand.
The result was... shocking. No, beyond that.
Even Xiaoling herself didn't dare believe, and she could seldom venture a guess as to how the rest of the Sect felt. Their Master just openly defeated someone at the Nascent Soul Realm. What mattered more, however, was what would happen now; even among the Soul Ascendance Realm cultivators, deaths were rather rare. Even in duels such as this one, one side would merely request a payment--usually an artifact--and let the other go.
But within the few minutes that she spent with Lei Feng, she knew that would be a terrible choice; the man would undoubtedly return with vengeance, wanting to completely obliterate the entire Sect. Letting him live wasn't an option, but killing him... also wasn't an option. If their Sect killed what was technically an Envoy of the Central Ashlands, there was a good chance that they might send an Inquisitor next time rather than just an Envoy.
"YOU BASTARD, DON'T YOU DARE--" the words were cut off as the golden blade in her Master's hand flickered; it was a smooth cut, lacking an ounce of hesitation, and it temporarily beheaded Lei Feng before suddenly exploding into burst of energy that completely obliterated the body and the soul, leaving nothing behind.
Well, there was a wisp that she noticed drifting from the smoke, and just as she was about to call out to her Master to warn him, she saw Qi forming a jittering cage around it, locking it in place. Her Master had won--he'd bested someone at the Nascent Soul Realm in what, to her and everyone who bore witness, looked merely like a show of lights.
**
Lu Yang was sweating rather profusely.
Yes, in part it was because he'd just witnessed a battle between two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, something that he never even dreamed of before today. And though that alone would have been shocking enough, what truly was the shock that sent him reeling was that he witnessed the entire fight... clearly.
Every movement.
Every stroke of the blade.
Every time the metals clashed and rang out like two beasts.
The wounds, the cuts, the screams, the evasions.
The movements of the bodies, the fluttering of the robes.
Though it all unraveled rather quickly, he saw it. Every instance of it. And he knew it wasn't because the pair above in the sky were fighting at those speeds--Yue, who was right beside him, likely only witnessed one or two flickers of light when they truly slowed down. In fact, it was unlikely that there was anyone else in the entire Sect who caught more than that--perhaps that woman, Xiaoling, may have seen a bit more, but even she would not have seen it as clearly as Lu Yang.
What did that mean? He hardly knew. Even if he was intimately familiar with the fact that living in the Forest had granted him an entirely new future, it seemed that he was still underestimating the changes his body underwent in the meantime. Though he, naturally, could not fight either of the two men in any capacity, he could see--and that was always the first step to transcending the current limits.
Stumbling blindly, somehow, into the Nameless Forest... it seemed that it was the ilk of the karmic luck that could only be explained by him having an ancestor who saved the world once or twice, and now the world was paying it back. Was it a good explanation? As good as any other Lu Yang could think of.
Chapter 138
A candle's wax fell chaotically, forming strange structures beneath the flames that would melt as soon they would complete, restarting the process from scratch thereafter. Weapons, buildings, people, monsters, apparitions, and abominations--all would have their turn in a cycle that never seemed to end. Over and over, for innumerable years lost to the visage of time. There were no records, after all, of when the candle itself was made; as far back as the word went, it was always there, always melting, rebuilding, creating new things, a providence with no history.
Xiao Ling had been tasked with watching over the candle for two weeks now, and had realized why the position paying so heftily in the Sect remained open for days on end before he took it--there was nothing to do, and he wasn't even allowed to cultivate while overseeing the candle, much less anything else.
And though, for a day, he found the candle's magical nature rather interesting, he quickly recognized that most of the things that it 'created' were inconsequential, at best. A strange Demonic Beast here and there, a beautiful woman once or twice, but nothing else besides them.
However, when he accepted the role, he accepted it for a whole year and not a day less. He would have to halt his cultivation for an entire year and, in turn, be showered in besotting riches right after; at the time, it felt like a compelling thought, but each subsequent day dulled the compulsion further and further.
He felt today would be like any other day--the candlelight would flicker, the wax would mold into any number of random things, and he would draw an inch or two closer to jumping out of the nearby window. By now, he was barely half-paying-attention to the wax and whatever it formed, though his duty it was. He'd only glance over here and there to confirm it was still burning, and would look away toward the wall right after. However, in one of those 'mandatory' glances, he spotted something... familiar.
Jolting, he pushed himself off the ground and walked over, taking a closer look at the waxing face that sat slowly being made beneath the burning flame. He frowned rather deeply, having recognized the face; rather, he was shocked how long it took him to recognize the face of his Senior Brother, the man who tortured him and was one of the reasons Xiao Ling decided to take this position.
Ordinarily, he would have loathed even having to glimpse the face in paintings, yet such a feeling did not exist--for Lei Feng's face was contorted into an expression of horror, unwillingness, and desperation. It was the face of a man dying and vanishing, but... it made no sense. Even if Lei Feng was an annoying bully, at best, he was still someone at Nascent Soul Realm, and a rather shrewd one at that, having never picked a fight with someone he could not bully.
He sought people precisely like Xiao Ling--low cultivation, no family name, no strong backing--and avoided anyone who could fire back. Most confusing of all, however, was that he thought Lei Feng was sent southward to investigate a supposed appearance of a False Immortal outside of the Central Ashlands.
Whether there was one or not was quite irrelevant--nobody should have had the capacity to kill him, not even that False Immortal. And yet, of all the things that it was (boring, namely), candle was never wrong--the wax only formed shapes of truth, however disbelieving they made those bearing witness to its make.
He had two options: report it... or pretend he never saw it. If he reported it, there was a good chance that an Inquisitor would be sent southward, charged with eradicating whatever dared fight back. But knowing Lei Feng, Xiao Ling was beyond certain that he'd 'deserved it'. And whoever killed him did a favor to dozens of other people who suffered under the bully's thumb.
However, if he didn't report it, and the news still went around, he might be accused of keeping it hidden. Though he could simply say he 'missed it' or that he was distracted, and would only likely suffer a minor punishment (after all, he hardly suspected they expected people in here to pay attention to the candle every second of every day), it would still be a tar on his reputation, however feeble it was.
Even if he were to report it, however, he couldn't do so immediately--not until the grin he knew his lips were curled into was gone.
**
"Master?" One exclaimed in surprise as he noticed the shadow stir from the corner and shape into a familiar silhouette. "What are you doing here? What if you are caught?"
"Won't happen," the figure replied. "The Envoy was just killed."
"... what? Who?"
"Holy Blade."
"Even so," One frowned. "No, that's impossible. Though Yu Minge is unmatched within the Soul Ascendance Realm, even with the Blade's help he wouldn't stand a chance against someone at Nascent Soul Realm. You said so yourself."
"And it still holds true," the voice was coarse and deep and cracking. His Master had always been an enigmatic figure, so much so that he only ever met the man in person twice--when he was first recruited, and when Seven was murdered. "Holy Blade that I know would stand no chance, not in the slightest. And yet, he succeeded. I caught the tail end of the resonance, and did manage to confirm something at least: Yu Minge is, at least, at quasi-Nascent Soul Realm."
"..." One felt himself freeze for a moment as his mind reeled. Ever since he was a kid all those decades ago, he put the ever-ethereal figure of the Holy Blade as his goal, his eventuality to catch. And, over the years, he found himself growing closer and closer in strength to the man, but this... "Did... did he undergo Enlightenment in the secluded isolation?"
"Even if he did," his Master said. "I have never heard someone leap that far ahead, unless they were at Foundation Establishment or, at best, Core Formation."
"Then..."
"I suspect it has something to do with the Forest."
"Forest, again."
"We need to investigate it."
"I'll go--"
"--no. Impossible."
"But--"
"You are vastly too important for our cause to sacrifice," he said. "And your Aura is too reminiscent of mine. I have no doubts that the Spirits would recoil and recognize."
"Wouldn't they be on our side?" it was a question he asked his Master countless times, as it made sense to him. They were honoring the Spirits' original Masters, trying to reconcile the humanity's sin the best they could.
"... no," his Master always answered thusly, and never elaborated further. "Send Six."
"He's not ready."
"It's perhaps better that way," his Master said. "Might yield the least suspicion. If there is something stirring in the Forest capable of forging Immortals, the sheen of the entire Ashlands will change completely."
"It would commence a war."
"A war unlike any other," Master echoed the sentiment. "The powers-that-be would never allow any force capable of usurping their reign to fester."
"A hollow heap of traitors," One growled.
"Though they may be that, they are numerous and vastly stronger than any other force in the world. No, all other forces in the world combined. That's why, if there is something capable of forging Immortals that exists outside the Central Ashlands, we either need to kill it or, at least, beg it to stop."
"... yes, Master," One nodded. "I'll inform Six immediately."
"Hm. I have discovered the source of the skies."
"What is it?"
"Primordial Seas have opened up," the Master said. "It has just now began reaching the Central Ashlands. The few figures aware of what it represents are probably sitting with puckered assholes right about now. Stay safe, Tian'er," his Master added in a rare, affectionate tone. "We must endure until the end of our story."
"... yes, Master."
**
Leo frowned and glanced over eastward.
For some reason, he felt a strange kind of resonance stir far in the distance, his heart growing weary with worry for a moment--after all, that was the direction of the Holy Blade Sect as far as he knew, and he wondered whether the kids and Lu Yang were alright.
"Uncle Leo?" Shui'er quizzed suddenly as he stopped pouring her breakfast. "Is everything alright?"
"Hm? Ah, yes, sorry. Just thought I heard something," he quickly recovered, pouring the rest of the ladle and smiling. "Hm? Where is Hino?"
"In his room," Shui'er said.
"... what'd you do, Shui'er?"
"I didn't do anything!"
"Shui'er."
"..."
"..."
"I... I called him stupid," she buzzed the words out and kneaded her head between her shoulders, trying to make herself seem as small as possible.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Because he was being stupid!" she exclaimed. "I went out of my way to invite him to play, and he didn't want to do it!"
"Right."
"All he does is sit in his stupid room, or sit out here and look stupid, too! He's stupid, stupid!"
"Hm." Leo smiled faintly and gently petted the top of her head. "So, your feelings got hurt."
"I... I didn't say that," she said, sitting further down. Hino had been standing the whole while right behind her, looking every bit guilty.
"It's okay," Leo said. "I'm sure that, if you told him this, he would apologize."
"... I shouldn't have to tell him!" she was rather obstinate, but, then again, most kids that Leo ever knew (which, in fairness, was very few) were.
"Ah, I'm afraid it's never that easy," Leo said. "Sometimes, people will hurt us with purpose. But, most of the time... they don't mean to. I know for a fact that Hino was really happy that you welcomed him so warmly." the boy's cheeks stirred red as Leo chuckled silently. "So, how about you two sit down together, have a meal, and then go play?"
"... I, I'll go and ask him again," Shui'er said.
"That's okay. He's been here the whole time."
"...!!" the young girl leapt to her feet and, in horror, saw the boy standing just behind her. She quickly whipped her head over and faced Leo, her cheeks puffing like squirrel's, eyes watery with tears. "I HATE YOU!!" she screamed before bolting away, past the boy, and into the longhouse, whipping dirt and dust behind her.
Leo caught himself, recognizing that he probably was being a bit too mean. Looking over at Hino, the boy, too, seemed to be on the verge of calling him mean, and possibly something stronger than that.
"It's your turn now," Leo said; he didn't think she'd react this badly, but it was the plan along. "Go and nod along as she keeps on saying just how awful I am."
"... y-you, you did that for me?" he asked.
"For you? No. For the peace of the Forest, mostly," he said. "Shui'er can be... loud, let's say, if her mood is sour. Here," he handed a plate and two cups of juice to the boy who took them rather awkwardly, stumbling in place. "Why are you hiding from her, anyway?"
"I... I'm not hiding," he said. "She can just be... a bit too much."
"Ah. Yeah. But, you know, she usually just tires herself out. All she's really asking is that you're there, with her. And maybe to put on some muscles so you can carry her when she passes out from being too tired."
The boy winced and looked at him angrily for a moment before turning and running into the longhouse, too. Leo discovered a rather surprising talent that he was unaware of before--apparently, he was rather good at making kids angry. It wasn't a very useful talent, or a rare one, either, as it didn't take much to make eleven-year-olds angry, but he could think of a few uses. Any time he'd want to be left alone, for instance, it would come in handy, but he couldn't overdo it. There was a fine line between being slightly mean, and being neglectful. And though woefully unprepared, it was a role he was clearly being cast into.
More and more, he realized, Shui'er stopped treating him as a strange 'uncle'. She didn't want an uncle. She just wanted... a parent. And, for better or worse (mostly worse), he was all that she had.
Sighing, he took a swig of juice and glanced eastward again, silently praying that the kids were alright. This time around, he had no artifacts to give them for protection as system rewards had been rather stingy when it came to items that others could use. But he trusted that neither Xiaoling nor Yu Minge would let anything happen to them, and safely stored the worries deep into his mind, turning his attention elsewhere--the ashen clouds were changing, growing darker and thicker. It was subtle, but as someone who kept a rather detailed notes on them from the start, he'd started noticing the changes two days ago. Any change was a worrying sort at this point, as it eluded to the chance of unpredictable, his greatest foe yet.
Chapter 139
There was ash and dust floating in front of him, carried off by the ever-calming winds. The stir of Qi that just nearly shattered the spacetime around him was all but gone, and his heart--awoken as though it had been slumbering for centuries--was beginning to quiet, too. He'd done it, something he felt he could in his bones; yet, his mind found it so extreme and so impossible, that there was a rare battle raging on within him. But both battles had ended, and he was the victor.
As the world settled and dispersed, he saw the shocked expressions of everyone down below; there was always awe and terror in their gaze, to one degree or another, but today... today it was overwhelmingly terror. It was as though they were looking at something unknowable, at a creature beyond this realm, someone who'd taken the skin of their Master and donned it for itself, set to stir the world against them.
Smiling faintly, he vanished and reappeared up the cliff, in the small house, immediately keeling over and vomiting a mouthful of blood. Though he'd won, he was still severely injured and would need at least a month to recover... unless he went to the Forest.
He quickly caught the thought and twisted himself into a knot over it; if he went, he knew well enough that Master Leo wouldn't bat an eye, and would help him heal up immediately. But if he went, he would also create distinct associations in his mind, and would begin believing that he could go there any time he wanted. That in and of itself wasn't necessarily bad, but most mistakes were ever committed in the time of hubris--and there was no greater hubris than believing any wound he incurred could just be healed.
So, he elected to suffer a month--considering what he'd done, any ramification would take a bit longer than that.
"That was a brave face you put on."
"Instead of quips, maybe help your Master?" he chuckled as Xiaoling helped him to the praying mat, taking out a few dozen healing pills that he simply rejected. The kinds of wounds he incurred could not be healed by pills they were capable of creating. "It won't help. The Nascent Qi is like a string of razor blades cutting into every inch of my body; I can only meticulously go one by one and crush them."
"We could--"
"--no." He quickly interrupted, smiling inwardly over how similarly they thought. As Master so Disciple, indeed.
"You've actually done it."
"Hm."
"You killed a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator, Master," he said, sitting down.
"I did."
"When the word spreads... no, we have to initiate an immediate lock down, recall all our Disciples currently out on missions. I'll personally go and bring back the kids that went to the Dragon's Realm."
"No, no, that's the worst thing to do, now," he said. "I'll need at least a month to recover, and if we close the doors, it might lead some to believe that the damage inflicted upon us is beyond reproach. No, what will happen is that the countless sects will send Envoys, and right behind them the spies; I'll retreat into the underground chamber instead of here. I've already left behind a few talismans here that will activate if someone of note tries to peek. You should simply welcome everyone who comes, and let the word spread like wildfire."
"Will do," she said. "Ah, I almost forgot--Liang visited us, accompanied by Master Leo's other Disciple and an older gentleman. They've come seeking help."
"Help?"
"Master Leo... wants to create a Sect," Yu Minge frowned--not because of potential connotations of competition, far from it, but due to potential connotations of the cause. As well as he could get to know a man in a day, Yu Minge understood that Master Leo was a rather... free-spirited sort. Had he had any worldly ambitions, he would not have walled himself off inside one of the most inhospitable places in the world, far and away from mankind. If he was creating a Sect... "I offered myself, but it looks like I will have to send Elder Ag."
"Send Elder Ag," Yu Minge said. "And send young Zexian."
"Never suffer a loss, huh?"
"A bit," Yu Minge cracked a smile. "But we need an Envoy of our own, and Elder Ag is... uh... methodical. Not necessarily social. Send some supplies as well, as many as we can spare."
"... get well soon, Master."
"I always do, Xiao'er."
"Haah. Why do I even worry?"
**
Lu Yang couldn't help but swallow yet again; there was a knot in his throat, a mixture of awe and fear, that was difficult to dispel. The fight above in the sky was beyond impressive, but it was also terrifying; Central Ashlands would not stand by, and would either send an Inquisitor or an actual army to make an example out of the Holy Blade Sect.
There was just one question--would Master Leo allow it?
Though Holy Blade was impressively strong, he was still only one man who just barely managed to defeat and kill a man at the Nascent Soul Realm. Though nobody else likely saw it, he noted the severe injuries the Sect Master suffer, which he would need at least a month to recover from.
He mulled in silence for a moment before he took out a small bottle; inside was Master Leo's new medicinal concoction. The two had tested it on some animals and deducted that it was about as good as anything else, except it took far fewer herbs to make.
"Uncle Yang?" Yue called him out.
"It will be our gift," he said with a faint smile.
"Oh," she seemed to have understood and nodded, taking a sip of the tea. Just then, the space before them rippled and a figure stepped out.
"Sorry about that," Elder Xiaoling said, her lips stretched out into an apologetic smile. "Are you two alright?"
"Just fine, thank you," Lu Yang said. "Offer your Master my congratulations when you next see him--the feat he'd just accomplished is truly unprecedented."
"He will be delighted," he said as she sat down, her eyes quickly veering over to the small bottle in the middle of the table. "This...?"
"Master Leo's latest experiment," Lu Yang said, carefully concealing the intent; both would understand, but there were ways to do these transactions. "Per our brief experimentation, it is rather useful to curing common colds and such."
"Ah. Cultivators are known to suffer from common colds."
"Rather frustrating, indeed."
"... I can't take it."
"You are not very experienced with this, are you?" Lu Yang asked.
"Ha ha, what gave me away? My complete lack of decorum?" she laughed rather freely as her shoulders slumped. "No, I am not. All my life, all I ever did was fight. I would sit occasionally on the meetings and watch my Master navigate interactions just like this one, and they would give me headaches. Everyone in the room knew the truth behind the intentions, so I could never quite understand the point of the thereabout-talk. That's what I called it."
"Ah. Clever," Lu Yang said, smiling. "Mayhap it is merely the ways of us old men. Means of disguising intentions for the sake of shallow deniability. For example--if we were representatives of another Sect, offering a potential cure to your Sect Master's ailments would require a level of payment that approaches a robbery. However, if we merely offer a cure to common cold, perhaps a bag of tea or two would suffice."
"... oh. You... sound experienced," she said, the glint in her eyes sharp.
"I have had my share of experiences, indeed," Lu Yang replied vaguely, taking a sip of tea. "Without pretense--I truly do not know whether the vial will be helpful."
"... thank you, regardless," she said as the bottle disappeared. "I have mentioned your request to my Master. Unfortunately, I will have to rescind my offer in the light of what just transpired."
"Of course."
"In my place, I will instead said Elder Ag--he's our third most Senior Elder, and has been in charge of our bookkeeping for almost a century now. In some ways, he will be far more beneficial to you than I would have. We, uh, we also... would like to send one of our Disciples. Not, not as a recruit, but, uh..."
"That is quite alright," Lu Yang said.
"Thank you," she smiled awkwardly and apologetically. "Here," Lu Yang found himself in a possession of a rather radiant ring. "It's not much, but it's what we can afford to share."
"This--"
"--it's non-negotiable," she said. "As much as both my Master as well as I appreciate Master Leo, we would not sacrifice our home to please him. So, rest assured, this much we can afford."
"I thank you as well," Lu Yang politely bowed, stealthily stuffing the ring into the sleeve of his robes. He only caught a glimpse of what was inside and though, indeed, it wasn't vast wealth, it was more than enough to help them get off the ground.
"If you should want," she said. "You can also hold your recruitment here. You can use our existing channels to spread the word."
"A generous offer that I must refuse," Lu Yang said. "Master Leo has no intention of competing for the Disciples other Sects would want to recruit."
"Oh," she exclaimed softly. "The offer, though, will stand." Lu Yang smiled elusively as he took a sip of tea.
There was vast difference, after all, in the search criteria--all Sects, regardless of their Tier, sought Disciples with talent. Those who stood out, those who would best utilize the Sect's existing resources. For Master Leo, however, that was inconsequential; after all, he could make talent, something that no other Sect, here or elsewhere, could. Though Lu Yang hadn't seen it, he was certain that Master Leo could take someone without Spirit Roots and turn them into a generational prodigy everyone would be convinced had the rarest Roots.
"I must leave now," she said. "My mind is ringing with the Elders wanting to know what exactly is happening. If I delay any longer, they might just burst in here."
"Ha ha, of course. Do not worry about us."
"I will send someone to escort you to your lodging, and will notify Elder Ag to meet you there."
"I thank you immensely, Elder Xiaoling," Lu Yang bowed.
"... as I you," she said, smiling. "You will always have a place here, Senior Yang. You and all of Master Leo's acquaintances."
She disappeared, leaving behind only a rippling sensation. Yue had been fidgeting the whole while, likely desperate to pose a question, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"What is it, Yue?"
"What'd she give us?"
"Stuff."
"... you're becoming more and more like Master."
"Wise?"
"Annoying."
"Ouch."
"No, not... annoying," she corrected herself. "You just... keep things close abreast, I suppose. I--I understand why. I'm weak, and vastly unqualified to help in any meaningful manner. After all, I'm only here because I insisted--my presence is... inconsequential."
"Hm," Lu Yang mused for a moment, stroking his beard. "The matters of the world, Yue, are not to be hung around the necks of children. Master Leo himself told me that. We do not hide things from you because you are weak, or because you are inconsequential. You're neither of those things, after all. We hide them to give you time grow in the shade of the restless tree. As simple as that. Soon enough, once your wings have grown, you will be the blades and the shields fighting. And, if you'll indulge me a moment, you will rather miss these days of frustration."
"Did you?"
"Oh, immensely," Lu Yang chuckled. "Just like you, I was always frustrated when my father would kick me out of all the important meetings. Until, one day, I was not only allowed to participate, but was forced to participate. Enjoy these days," he added as the doors opened. "They are seldom had later."
Chapter 140
Leo pulled back from the vision, his heart heavy; the childish apparition's distorted expression mellowed and turn human ever for a moment before it began to fade, disappearing under the darkness of the night. The tumultuous and riveting forest turned silent rather abruptly, as though somebody hit a pause button; the silence was chilling, in some ways even more terrifying than the rhapsody of wails that he'd hear every night.
He felt spent and sat down, gasping for breath; they were growing... more vivid. But, more than that, more taxing. It felt like at least half of his Qi would be purged every time he helped an apparition, in addition to his mind being ravaged. A battle, he figured, would be less exhausting. And yet, he couldn't stop.
Taking out the gourd of water from his ring, he downed it in one go, feeling the cool sensation burn through his meridians as his Qi was replenished. He was alone once more, with Spirits and people elsewhere (mostly in and around the longhouse), busy with their own lives.
Standing up, he stretched lazily before suddenly freezing; some few feet in front of him, perched on a branch of the rather short, nearby tree, he saw a familiar figure. He blended perfectly with the darkness, and were it not for those shimmering eyes standing out like bejeweled, glistening gems, Leo would have missed him.
"Hey," he greeted, but a response did not come.
Chilly's being here was rather foreboding. It felt, whenever the bird was involved in something, it usually resulted in a life-altering event that left Leo confounded and somewhat haggard.
Though no words were spoken, Leo felt it; once again, he realized how different it was to communicate with Chilly over all the other Spirits. It wasn't words or images or intent conveying a meaning, no; rather, it seemed to shift and evolve and change with their every meaning. Right now, it was a haze of colors shaped ubiquitously, forming and deforming in contradictory manners. Beneath them was a future--rather than being told what to do or where to go, Leo saw himself doing and being. A glimpse, a fragment, a distant echo that never was, a projection of his current self.
It was draining, even more so than helping an apparition; he felt his soul being split in half, as though someone took a cleaver and crippled him from inside out. He could feel it, the tears bearing down from his eyes... except they were heavy and thick and red.
Just before he felt his head would split into fragments that would never rejoin into the familiar whole, the pain ceased, and he felt wholly healed. In small ways, even stronger than before. And yet, there was seldom joy in his heart; he stared coldly at the bird who stared in equal measure back at him. He didn't have to forward the information in this way, Leo knew; Chilly, for however different he was from the rest, was still a Spirit, one capable of communicating as Blackie and Milky and Hoot and all others did. However, he chose not to, and Leo couldn't figure out another reason besides the bird wanting to see him suffer.
Staying silent, he followed the memory trail, darting past the bushes as the flap of the wings silently guided him. He'd been missing the bouncing light of the moon for a while now, especially during nights where he helped the apparitions; he didn't like how the world looked completely submerged in darkness, as though it was a foreshadowing for things to come, a prophecy that would have to pass. Darkness hid deep and stirring shadows, he knew, whether it was the actual or the metaphorical kind.
He didn't know for how long he ran before he found himself bursting through waist-high shrubbery and onto a clearing. It was a valley-like, a dip contained within two smaller cliffs, and it was filled with scattered bits of rather... strange flames. White and undaunting, they appeared almost holy juxtaposed with the surrounding darkness. There were bodies strewn just about everywhere, their faces unfamiliar, unlike their forms.
Members of the Ancient Clan, or Clans, though it confounded him.
He approached one of the bodies and inspected it; it was riddled with wounds, hundreds of them, still freshly bleeding red into the dirt below. And yet, despite the carnage, there was eerily no scent of blood or boiling flesh. If anything, the aroma was... pleasant, almost like a vanilla-cinnamon scented candle.
He spun back, his eyes seeking Chilly, but before he could veer past the 'valley's' entrance, he froze, Qi in him arousing like a dormant volcano. It was as though a completely alien sensation crept into his fingers as he quickly withdrew his sword and suffused it with Qi, ready to strike.
"You cannot win," it was a woman's voice, he supposed, though backgrounded with a choir of thousands of others. The form was feminine, too, though tall and hallowed, its face featureless besides the angled, kind-seeming eyes. Like the surrounding flames, she burned in white, her edges ephemeral, fading and reconstructing every passing second, as though the world was barely supporting her existence. For all he knew, that was precisely what it was.
"... who are you?" he asked, though already suspecting an answer.
"Ordinarily," she replied. "We would have waited many-an-eon to reveal ourselves to the Pretender. But the Shadows stirred and accelerated the world's circumstances. The stitched seams that hold this reality from collapsing are coming undone, and the Protector... is dying. Weak, old, and feeble, his blade dulled by the ages of use. His descendants ensconced within the mausoleums of greed and self-servitude, his child... lacking. The world is dying, all those within blind to its suffering."
"You said so much, yet still didn't answer my question."
"I am Mercy," the 'woman' said as Leo felt his limbs growing limb; he dropped his blade, losing control of Qi within him. He'd never felt this before--not since he first arrived into this world, lost, fearful, and desperate. It was as though he was a child caught, and no matter how much he wanted to defy... it was impossible. "Be not afraid."
"..." Leo almost wanted to roll his eyes, wondering whether he was being mocked.
"You seek answers, but I cannot offer them. Not the ones you desire. But you must heed me, Pretender," she 'walked' over toward him, her form shifting as though effortlessly levitating above the ground, edges dashing backwards like fading flames. "Children look up to you, and they worship and love you. The only reason you live still are their voices. Their hearts, shattered like shards of glass in uncountable pieces, strewn about the cosmic infinities, found serenity within you. Thus, we shall put our faith in you, human. One last time."
"... what's that mean?" he squeezed between his teeth. By now, she was right in front of him, towering. He had to crane his head up to find her staring down at him, her eyes burning like the entire cosmos condensed within those two marbles.
"I care not for the world; I care not for the humans; I care not for the abominations residing beyond the membrane, greedily eyeing these here vestiges. I am Mercy, yet I would have gladly watched the entire realm burn."
"BURN!!" angry voice exploded suddenly, startling Leo; right beside the woman, another phantom appeared--a man, from the form and the voice, equally ablaze and ephemeral. Before he could so much voice a whimper, he felt three more energies appear all around him, and he found himself closely encircled; two men, two women, and a seeming child. All faceless for the pairs of eyes which all spoke of different emotions, yet equally mesmerizing.
"But children... they do. They beg. They plead. Every day. Every hour. Save him, they whimper. Help him, they beseech. Advise him, they urge. Guide him, they abjure. And yet you, stone of heart, are deaf to their songs. Ignorant of their munificence. Why, we asked? Because he is good, they say. Are you?"
Leo felt his mind burst into countless thoughts, as though he'd lived a thousand lives at once in order to be able to answer that simple question. And yet... he couldn't. He felt like he was being judged five different ways, and he had no answer to any of them. Just silence, weak and feeble. And yet... he couldn't remain silent. For however dull he was, he understood well enough that this was a test... of sorts.
"... they saved me," he said, speaking from the bottom of his heart for the first time since coming to this world. "Had it been not for them... I would have done the exact thing that brought me over here. I... I was broken," he continued, his voice a soft lullaby encaged within the roaring flames. "No... that's not the right word, either. I was just fragments that, put together, would not make a whole. But they... they didn't judge. They didn't ask. They didn't probe. All they did was take me in... give me a home, give me a life. Give me a reason. Am I good?" he chuckled. "No. Gods no. But, for them," he looked up at the burning phantom. "I, too, would watch the entire realm burn."
"Prove it," a different, third voice spoke up.
"With flesh and blood and bones," the fourth voice said.
"A war approaches," Mercy said, a hand forming from the white fires that grabbed his chin and pulled his head up. "Win it,", her 'face' was a mere inch away from his, yet he could still not feel an iota of heat. Her eyes, up close, were galaxies indecipherable. "Compel us as you have compelled the children. If you fail..."
"I won't," he said.
She stared a moment longer before letting go, the five phantoms morphing into the tranquilizing trail of white flames that converged and condensed into a squawking caw. About ten yards from him, perched on top of a sword embedded in the dirt, was a crow. Ordinary, black-feathered, its eyes luminous portals to divinity.
"We will be watching," a voice came from nowhere and everywhere, like an arbiter of everything, as the bird flapped its wings and flew off, leaving him to fall back flat and gasp for air and life, having just come from the precipice of death.
Chapter 141
Leo returned to the longhouse rather rattled and tired; the whole while he tried desperately to battle away any thoughts, in want of calm and silence more so than anything else in the world. Luckily, the longhouse provided precisely that; animals, as though they'd known, had dispersed and left elsewhere, while the kids, too, were missing. Azariel must have left to keep an eye out, leaving behind the reticent kind of world that he loved.
He climbed up to his room and went out to the terrace overlooking the surrounding canopy of trees, seating himself onto the familiar frame of a chair, enjoying its temporary creak and crack, and closing his eyes as he melded further back into the form.
What now?
It was a ponderous and loaded question, and one bereft of a singular answer. Now... now he had to win a war, he knew, a war he didn't even know was happening not an hour ago. What war, even? War from within the forest? War from outside of it? And win it--how? How precisely? He wasn't even allowed to leave the Forest, not yet anyway. Maybe he was being urged to cultivate a hundred times harder than he already was in hopes of reaching whatever arbitrary cutoff there was for leaving this place?
Maybe it wasn't up to him to win the war, but maybe just facilitate the outcome? Perhaps the world was external and had nothing to do with either him or the forest, but if it were to be considered as 'having won it', he'd have to become a passive sort of a participant? No, it was all just guesswork. He was blind in ways that he was entirely unaware of until he came here. The lack of knowledge, and the lack of means to gain that knowledge, was maddening. He'd taken it for granted, back on Earth, how quickly and easily he could inform himself of anything.
On a date with a girl who kept yammering about some or another conflict somewhere in the world? A quick bathroom break was enough to load up on the few bits and pieces of knowledge to fool her into believing he had a vested interest in much else besides himself. There was no such thing here; even if he dropped the facade completely and outright began asking the most inane questions, he felt he'd still remain blind.
Sighing, he took out a jug of the bad alcohol that Lu Yang brought and took a few sips; it was still bad, like raw vinegar sweetened by a spoonful of sugar that also, somehow, had some salt and sauerkraut. He winced and clicked his teeth, feeling the quickly-fading burn; it was better than nothing, however, and he desperately craved it.
Then again, he loathed the sensation.
He did not want to yearn alcohol of all things--but it was almost his 'default setting' any time he'd get stressed. As far back as his teenage years, he'd try to combat the stress by getting so drunk that his body would stop functioning.
The memories dulled the desire as he set aside the bottle and opened his eyes, staring out over the railing and at the auburn bark. The branches curled like hair strands, inwardly under the gravity's pull, leaves scattering in familiar patterns along the bodice. Here and there, marble-sized and shaped fruits hung loosely, occasionally swaying under the grasp of the local flutter.
He frowned for a moment before relaxing; his 'senses', as it were, picked up some newcomers in the approaching distance, though a quick overlook revealed familiar--and some unfamiliar--signatures. The kids have returned, some strangers in tow.
Putting away the bottle, he went over to the pond for a quick swim before putting on a fresh set of robes and returning to the longhouse. By the time he'd come back, others were just fifty yards away, and he went behind the house to meet them.
Yue and Liang led the charge, chattering about something, while there were two figures walking with rather uncertain footsteps just behind them: an older man and a younger woman. And, at the far back, there was Lu Yang, hands behind his back, head craned toward the sky, humming something.
"Master!!" Yue and Liang both exclaimed and quickly sprinted over as soon as they'd spotted him, bowing swiftly in unison. His heart swelled for a moment as he smiled.
"Hey, you two. Welcome back."
"Thank you, Master!"
"I see we have some guests," he said, glancing momentarily over the two newcomers but not paying them too much attention; he garnered that they were the 'helpers' Yu Minge and Xiaoling sent over, and he didn't want to stress them too much too quickly. "I'll start preparing a dinner quickly."
"Aah, Master's food," Yue said. "We ran out a few days back and had to eat something else. Pew. It wasn't even food."
"Hey!" Lu Yang called out from the rear, appearing somewhat angered.
"You looked even more disgusted eating it than we did," Liang, surprisingly, chimed in.
"I know, but still... I tried my best!"
"Well, we've learned that you shouldn't."
"Okay, before this becomes a thing--or, well, more of a thing," Leo interrupted. "Settle our guests in while I fix us a meal. And apologize to Grandpa Yang. He tried his best."
"... why do you loathe me?" Lu Yang asked as Leo grinned, leading the charge to the other side of the house.
As though the fate wanted it so, Shui'er and Hino both emerged from the shrubberies at that time, followed shortly after by Azariel. The trio paused, as did Leo, sighing inwardly and wondering whether the imagined faces would match the reality.
He glanced back and, indeed, they were a perfect match; both Yue and Liang had strange looks on their faces as their eyes darted between Hino and Leo, while Lu Yang at least momentarily bothered masking it all though, in some ways, the subtle, hidden dagger was a whole lot shaper than the kids'.
"We'll have a greeting ceremony later," Leo said. "Kids, go get cleaned up. I'll fix us a meal quickly."
Despite the awkwardness abound, everyone dispersed as Leo started the fires and hung the cauldrons and poured the water. The cackling of fires soon roared as the water began to boil, prompting him to start tossing in ingredients in what, to an untrained eye, looked like a haphazard manner; but there was method to the madness, as it were, even if seldom anyone else could see it.
Some fifteen minutes later, everyone converged and started populating the increasingly decreasing amount of space that existed in front of the longhouse. In fact, they were a seat short, prompting Azariel to sit down rather awkwardly next to Hino and Shui'er.
"So, introductions," Leo said as he finished giving everyone their bowl. "This here is Hino. Hino, this is everyone. Grandpa Yang, big brother Liang, and big sister Yue."
"H-hello," Hino bowed quickly and greeted rather awkwardly; the boy still seldom spoke, only ever following Shui'er around (who, admittedly, spoke enough for the both of them).
"Ah, these two are--"
"--hello, Senior!" the young newcomer perked up suddenly and rapidly walked over in front of Leo, bowing deeply with a beaming grin. She had a rather long hair tied up in a ponytail which hung over her shoulder, auburn-colored, and a pair of abyssally-black eyes which radiated curiosity. "My name is Zexian! I just turned 17 a few months back, and I was Outer Disciple of the Holy Blade Sect! My father is Lu and my mother is Bai, and they have been married for 14 years before they had me on the auspicious morning of early September! I rather enjoy tea, swimming in cold rapids, and reading historic romances.
"Ah, the latest one," she suddenly plopped herself down by Leo's side, continuing. "It's called Dastardly Tale of the Long Lost Love's Return to the Scored Halls of Her Childhood, and it's about a powerful cultivator returning to her childhood village to reclaim her childhood love that was barred from her when she was young. I really do recommend it--ah, but perhaps you are too old to enjoy it. Hmm, I'll compile a list! As it were, I wish to extend my deepest gratitude for accepting my little young self, and I promise to work these bones of mine to dust! Cute Sister Yue already mentioned that you don't like when people beat around the bush, so I won't! My goal is to become a legendary teacher, the likes of which history will marvel at! All of my Disciples will be renowned geniuses, conquerors, dragon slayers, and demon hunters!
"My latent talents, unfortunately, are rather abysmal; however, as the Grand Design always offers a path, I have been blessed with rather acute comprehension. I can discern and disseminate most Art and Methods better than most of my Seniors, and I shall happily pass on my teachings to the Disciples of your Sect! Ah, yes, I also very much wish to author a love novel of my own, but alas, I am--as I'm sure you can guess--quite shy; I have only ever held a boy's hand and not much else, so I am quite unconfident about..."
Leo was many things at the moment, and it seemed those who've returned with the girl were none of them; Liang and Yue were seemingly whistling, looking elsewhere, while Lu Yang was grinning in a rather showboat-y manner. The elderly man who accompanied the young girl seemed entirely disinterested and was busy devouring the bowl of food, while Hino and Shui'er already appeared wholly enthralled--even Azariel was seemingly bewitched by the rapid cadence and consistent onslaught of words.
"So, what is my first task?" She ended up her lengthy speech as Leo ate a spoonful of the cooling stew.
"How resilient are you to people being mean to you?" Leo asked.
"Not at all."
"Then your task is to simply relax and acclimate for the next few days," he added. "Don't worry about much until then."
"Yes, Senior!"
"And you are...?" Leo looked over at the elderly man and asked. The latter (rather gracefully) put down the bowl of food, took out a tissue from his robes and wiped his beard and lips, and even coughed before sitting down on his knees and bowing toward Leo before speaking.
"Esteemed one, my name is Tiao Agottah," he said. "Though all call me simply Elder Ag. You may address me as you see fit. I shall be in charge of addressing all your queries about Sect establishment; I have, myself, helped establish numerous branches of Holy Blade Sect over the eighty years that I've been acting as an Elder. Young Liang has already introduced me to most of your circumstances, so I have already written down a rough outline of a plan that I shall present tomorrow. Greetings."
"... hm, yes, greetings," Leo said as the man sat back up on the boulder and resumed eating. He glanced over at his two Disciples who still seemed rather interesting the world around the longhouse for no apparent reason, and then at Lu Yang who was still grinning, and sighed.
It was a hamlet of oddities and extremes, and he the piper they followed. Perhaps, in a way, it was always meant to be.
Chapter 142
Leo walked in the front, flanked by Blackie and Milky who finally deemed it to be too busy back home and decided to follow him, as well as Hoot and Red who were perched on his shoulders, while Lu Yang and Elder Ag followed at the rear, a few feet back.
He led them to the open plain where he cut down innumerable rotten trees in order to build the longhouse, hoping that it would be large enough to structure the entire Sect; there was no blueprint, after all, that the system offered, so he would have to build it from the grounds-up. Considering he initially failed building a mud hut on his own, and even taking into account that he'd improved in time, there was just about negative chance of him knowing how to build something as large as a Sect.
After all, it wasn't just one building--it was an entire compound of potentially dozens of buildings, each with their own functions while still maintaining the notion of the whole. Thus, he needed help. A lot of it, at that.
About half an hour or so of the trek later, they emerged upon the west-bound clearing; it was indeed massive, about the size of a football field, but Leo held a deep suspicion that it wasn't enough, and that they'd have to probably cull a decent chunk of the nearby trees. Perhaps, though, if he introduced the notion of verticality and pursued it aggressively, they might capitulate; but the question was, would the world's technology allow for building that far up to use up space optimally?
"Hm," Elder Ag hummed as he passed by Leo and started, rather humorously at that, slowly inspecting each individual blade of grass it felt, making his way across the entire field.
"Maybe big enough for a mid-sized Sect, at best," Lu Yang commented. "Holy Blade Sect... yes, it was about ten times the size of this? Maybe even more?" Leo winced at the number, but didn't get bogged down.
He didn't want to create a massive Sect--that was seldom the point. At least... not yet. After all, he hardly expected Holy Blade Sect was that large from the onset--they likely had decades, if not centuries of development, slowly increasing their size through it all.
"I'll give you so many chores you'll find yourself begging for more Elders," Leo said. "But I won't allow for it."
"... for a great man," Lu Yang said. "You are oft rather petty."
"Oh, the pettiest. How was the visit? You saw anything interesting?" Leo inquired.
"A few things," Lu Yang said. "Holy Blade... managed to kill a Nascent Realm Cultivator."
"Oh?" Leo exclaimed softly; it was his first time hearing of someone being at that realm. He'd heard it before--as a requirement for arts he wasn't ready to handle--but he finally had a context for it.
"It will become the news that shatters the world," the old man continued. "And likely throws the entire Lower Ashlands into the troves of war." Is this the war Chilly mentioned? Leo mused for a moment as Lu Yang continued. "Elder Xiaoling broke through to Soul Ascendance Realm as well, but that feels almost minor in comparison. They also handed me this," the old man tossed him a ring that Leo caught nimbly, taking a peek inside.
He whistled briefly at the sight; it wasn't a mountain, but it was fast-approaching. Mostly building materials, some few massive jugs of pills (which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be food-sort), and even quite a few pieces of furniture, decorations, and a marvel of a few other intangibles.
"Did you at least pretend to reject it?" Leo quizzed, putting the ring away into his robes.
"I always do, Master Leo."
"It pays to have old snakes like you by my side, I suppose." Lu Yang chuckled slightly while Leo smiled.
"Who is the boy?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"You have a rather uncanny ability to merely chance upon strays, Master Leo," Lu Yang said.
"You were a stray once, too."
"Indeed I was, meriting a deeper thought," he said. "I don't recall how I ended up here, truly. And more and more, it feels, strays keep showing up to your doorsteps, all with mysterious origins."
"... I don't think it's particularly mysterious," Leo said, glancing back. "Consider the circumstances."
"The circumstances?"
"Ancient Clans, you senile oak."
"... ah. Yes. That would... explain it. An accidental survivor, and a child at that. Can't imagine it is easy."
"People who end up here, it seems, never have it easy," Leo said. "Just treat him as you would Shui'er. Anything else?"
"No," Lu Yang shook his head. "Just that I will profusely refuse your request to do anything with that girl. I'd sooner you just kill me."
"... noted." just about then, the old Elder finally returned after having done a full circle. There were beads of sweat gently rolling down his face, a rather thick parchment in front of him completely filled up with... everything, really; words, letters, numbers, pictures, nary an inch of room left across the entire parchment.
"How about it, Elder Ag? Is it enough at least for the time being?"
"Hmm, ever so slightly lacking," the old man replied. "Approximating this point as the main entryway, I'd reserve at least half of the field for the welcoming garden with a few houses by the edges where you would receive unimportant guests. It would be to instigate fervor and awe into the visitors--"
"--pass," Leo interrupted; though he felt bad for being rude, he also needed to establish a few ground rules. "This would not be the kind of Sects that needs to inspire any such thing, Elder Ag. Forgo frivolity, decorations, and cut it all down to bare functionality. Central hall, training grounds, utility buildings, disciple dwellings, special cultivation rooms... I can welcome guests in the trees if need be, and few would dare protest."
"Indeed," Elder Ag nodded, smiling faintly. "Very well. Culling the adornments, the size of the field is still lacking, unfortunately; even if your goal is a small Sect, even the small ones still house a few thousand Disciples, not to mention the support staff of mortals and lesser employees charged with maintaining the Sect--cutting the weeds, cleaning the structures, fixing them, and so on. Ultimately, shorn of being a tiny Tier I Sect, you are still looking at a compound that can house at least seven to eight thousand people. Naturally, we don't have to build it out immediately--we are merely just beginning, and so long as we plan a proper outline, we can build the Sect in chunks."
"What do you recommend?"
"Start with the outer perimeter," Elder Ag said. "We will wall off this entire field with the understanding that the backwall would be temporary; for now, we shall forgo most of the utility and auxiliary buildings and focus entirely on the basic principalities: build diverse disciple dwellings, at least fourteen training grounds suitable for various cultivation realms, construct meditation halls, studies, and teaching quarters where Disciples would listen to lectures; we can reserve a small plot for a temporary library to store Arts and Methods, or even just books in general.
"We shall focus on functionality--simple dwellings, minimal furniture, minimal gardens, spaced for functionality. Hmm, yes, orienting this way--in that case we can put this here, hmm--and maybe a slight incline? Yes, we can do that..."
The Elder rattled on, mostly toward himself later on, as Leo looked past him and toward the clearing; an image began to form from simpler shapes into more complex, walls arising and blocking off parts of the whole.
As far back as understanding that he'd have to form a Sect of his own, Leo had... dreams; yet, as it went, plans and dreams were as temporary as conditions which allowed for them. And those conditions were gone. He hadn't even managed to construct the Sect and he was already tasked with participating in a war; rather than creating a haven for those unwilling to bathe themselves within the colors of conflict, he was structuring the place within the same framework as all the rest.
The excuses were innumerable--chief of which was his abject terror of Chilly... or whatever that thing was--but, ultimately, still just excuses. If he was strong enough, or smart enough, or knowledgeable enough, or at the very least trustworthy enough, he would not have needed to undergo or undertake any of this.
Alas, he wasn't.
He was lacking, and for his lacking those below him suffered. He loathed even the thought of sending Yue or Liang to war, let alone any of the Disciples that would come to join him, desperate and without any other hope. So, how was he to win the war? After all, he himself could not leave this place; he didn't want to send the kids out to fight in his name... did that leave Lu Yang? Was he comfortable sending an old man by his lonesome?
Of course not.
He could only sigh and wonder whether the System would take pity on him and offer him a magic item from a shop to solve all his problems. However, seeing as how the world stayed silent even after the fading thought, he knew that he was on his own.
"Here," Leo tossed the ring to Elder Ag. "Lu Yang, you will become envoy from now on; go out, find anyone desperate enough to come here to work. Promise them lodging and food and some pay; coordinate with Elder Ag and pass on me the material requirements as we go on further, and I'll see what can be done. For the time being, prioritize the walls, disciple dwellings, and at least one sturdy training grounds. All else can wait."
"Yes, Master Leo," both men responded at the same time as Leo spun around.
It had begun, his next venture into the world that he was ever so slightly less blind to.