Chapter 73: This Young Master Learns About Water
"Brother Chen," Xie Jin said, his voice filled with controlled panic. "Please tell me you know what you're doing."
Chen Haoran lowered his hand and watched the water tendril stop moving. "I won't tell you then."
"Wonderful."
Chen Haoran silently apologized to Xie Jin in his heart. He really had no idea what was going on. He had to thank his lucky stars that the tendril only waved and didn't try to drag him into the river.
As if to mock his thoughts, the tendril suddenly lunged, knocking away Xie Jin and the Gu in a fluid motion and wrapping around his body. Chen Haoran barely had time to curse before he was lifted into the air. There were screams from the deck below. He cycled his qi and brought his fist down hard on the tendril. He intended to disturb the water and escape from its grip. Instead, his fist bounced off the water…
And the water flinched?
It let go of him, and he fell back onto the boat. He immediately flipped to his feet to face it but the water tendril swayed and didn't try to grab him again. They stared at each other. The tendril inched forward only to rear back when he flexed his qi in response. Chen Haoran's mind raced. The technique, the river, the dragon roaring. It couldn't be.
He pointed at the tendril and tried to picture the yellow dragon. "Bad."
For all that, it was a faceless mass of water the tendril seemed shocked before it suddenly dissipated. When he rushed to look over the side, all he could see was the clear yellow water of the Machu river.
"What the hell."
"Brother Chen!" Xie Jin rushed over, the Gu still buzzing over his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." For a given definition at least. "Please tell me you know what that was."
"The river." The captain pushed his way through the gawking crowd of passengers and sailors and came up to them though he made sure to stand a distance away. He clasped his hands. "Honored lord, will you please sit and meditate on the prow from now on? I'll return your ticket fee- no, I'll even pay you!"
"Explain what's going on here," Xie Jin demanded.
"What did you mean by the river?" Chen Haoran asked.
"It's what it sounds like. The river was greeting you. I've only ever seen the Ministry of Rites communicate with it like that."
"When you say the river," he waved his arm, "you mean this whole thing?"
The captain nodded.
He looked across the endless horizon of water. If all of it was one being…
Had he just screwed himself?
The captain invited them to his quarters, where he poured them cups of his best wine. Chen Haoran drank like it was his last while he frantically envisioned various scenarios, each one worse than the other. Escaping was impossible. The boat was too far from shore for him to make it without swimming, and getting into the water was an even bigger death sentence than sailing atop it.
He slammed the cup down and looked at the captain. "Is the Machu river alive? Does it think?"
The captain shrugged. "The river does as it wills. It doesn't normally show itself like it did today. I haven't seen something like that happen in years."
"To think the Empire had a crazier river," Xie Jin mumbled, deep in his own cup.
"Will we be fine?" Chen Haoran asked.
"Your cultivation method has something to do with the river correct?" the captain asked instead.
"It does."
"You don't need to fear then. While the Machu river has caused just as much destruction for all the benefits it offers it still favors its children. You won't come to harm atop it."
"Did the river make the cultivation method?"
Xie Jin snorted while the captain chuckled.
"If the river could make one then it would be a truly unrivaled technique," the captain said. "People along the Machu's banks were inspired to develop a cultivation method from it and were lucky enough to have the river consider them one of its own for it."
What did that make him then? A fellow body of water? A beloved pet? Whatever he was he hoped the river wouldn't keep him here. Almost getting dragged into the water wasn't a pleasant experience even if it didn't mean him harm. Still, despite that, he felt some of his tension leave him. The old sailor's experience was comforting to rely on even if he wouldn't be completely relaxed till he was back on dry land.
"Does the name Machu mean something?" he asked.
"River of the Peacock," replied the captain.
"Peacock?" Did peacocks here have gold feathers? Nothing he had seen so far of the river reminded him of the birds he knew back on Earth.
"It was named by old Imperials," the captain said. "Not that the river acknowledges the name. Any riverfolk can tell you that this water is no bird."
"The Empire just wants to put its name everywhere," Xie Jin interjected.
The captain side-eyed Xie Jin, his eyes flicked to the sleeve the Gu disappeared into.
"By the way, I never got your name," Chen Haoran said, taking his attention.
The captain smiled and a single gold tooth flashed. "Jiang, young lord. Although the wisecrackers call me Old Jiang."
Chen Haoran clasped his hands. "Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It's much appreciated."
"Could I trouble the young lord about my previous offer then? It might not mean much to one such as yourself but for us sailors it's a good omen to have a River Child on board. The river might even bless our trip and send us to our destination faster if we're lucky."
Chen Haoran and Xie Jin shared a look.
"I can force him to bring the ship to shore and we can get off here," Xie Jin said.
Old Jiang's relaxed air immediately turned into unease. Chen Haoran appreciated how Xie Jin seemed to understand his worries. Although whether that was because he was clever or because he too was worried after getting slapped around by a literal river he wasn't sure.
"Let's stay on the boat for now," Chen Haoran said.
Old Jiang looked relieved and poured out more wine and after drinking a few rounds saw them off to their cabin with an exuberant smile. When they entered the room Phelps floated over with a particularly annoyed squeal and threw himself into Chen Haoran's arms.
"Sorry bud," he said. He carried the sloth back to bed and pulled out a piece of glowing moss to feed him. "I'll take you out tomorrow."
Xie Jin slunk over to his bed and sank heavily into the sheets with a groan.
"How do you feel?" Chen Haoran asked. "I have some healing pills if you're hurt."
"I'm fine," Xie Jin said. "If it wanted to hurt me I doubt I'd have been able to walk it off."
"Nevertheless I appreciate you for defending me."
"I haven't even shown you my home yet. There's no way I'm going to let some crazy Central region river take you." He flipped over onto his back and massaged his chest. Chen Haoran reached into his storage bag and summoned one of his weaker healing medicines from his Reward space and handed it to him. Xie Jin accepted it with an appreciative hum and sighed in relief as the medicine did its work. "I'll tell you this the rivers in Zumulu are nowhere near as weird as this one."
"Doesn't that mean they're still a little weird though?" Chen Haoran asked, laughing.
"No, most of them are just normal rivers."
He stopped laughing and looked at Xie Jin who didn't change his expression at all.
"I… was joking," Chen Haoran stiffly said.
"At least our rivers won't try to drag you under, it's mostly the things inside them that do that."
"Xie Jin."
"Actually one of our major rivers is poisonous."
"Xie Jin."
"Did I mention we have a river that is completely filled with snakes?"
"Xie Jin!"
Chen Haoran glared while Xie Jin laughed his head off.
"Are you done?" he asked with an arched brow.
"Yes," Xie Jin said, his voice still filled with mirth.
"I'm beginning to question if I want to go south now."
"Are you scared?" Xie Jin looked at him with a taunting smirk.
"Of course not," Chen Haoran scoffed. "I just wonder how much more of your annoying ass I can deal with."
"Well, that already puts you above 90 percent of the people living in the Central Region. You can be proud of that, young cultivator."
Chen Haoran rolled his eyes and put out the lamp so he wouldn't have to look at Xie Jin's annoying mug anymore. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Brother Chen."
He arranged himself on the bed, tossing and turning to settle himself in the most comfortable spot and wrapping an arm around Phelps so he wouldn't float around while he tried to sleep. He couldn't help asking Xie Jin one last important question, however.
"You don't have any giant spiders down south do you?"
"No," Xie Jin said. He could hear the drowsiness in his voice.
"Good."
"We killed them all centuries ago."
"What the fuck?"
Chapter 74: This Young Master Makes A Friend
Xie Jin hadn't been lying when he'd said the ambient qi would rise the further into the Central region they got. What he had neglected to mention was just how drastically it would rise. When Chen Haoran emerged on the deck the next day he was practically blasted in the face by the difference. From near nothing to higher than anything Clearsprings City could offer. It was almost like he had fallen asleep and woken up in another world which, admittedly, was a concept he was quite familiar with. It still wasn't near the Spa Cavern's level but just the fact he was comparing them was example enough.
And they were still only on the fringes of the region.
The scale was humbling in its own way. He hadn't noticed it before when he first arrived in this new world but it wasn't exactly his fault. Cities and mountains were always big to him. The Spa Caverns and their endless depth were stupefying but could be explained due to the clearly unnatural nature of the extradimensional space. The size of the Machu river was not something he could explain, supernatural or not. It was less of a river and more of an inland sea that flowed in one direction, complete with its own weather system. A few times he looked into its crystal yellow waters and saw fish the size of rowboats and what he could swear was the diving tail of a whale though he never saw one breach.
Just thinking about it was enough to leave him so dizzy he could barely think let alone meditate at his newfound position at the front of the ship. Old Jiang had posted sailors to make sure no one came near him but somehow the passengers were even more distant than before. Chen Haoran wasn't sure if it was some fear of him or fear they'd be dragged into the river if they got to close to him. Or it might have been Xie Jin. His friend certainly seemed menacing today with how he paced around like some wary predator and impudently glared at the river below them.
He stifled a laughed and assumed a meditative pose. He could sense Xie Jin's qi tense in preparation. He wasn't wrong for being nervous but at the same time, Chen Haoran doubted he could fight an entire body of water. Still, his presence was comforting enough for him to center his thoughts and focus on his qi. It spun into motion at his prompting and the yellow dragon emerged from the depths of his core to feast on the fresh qi his meridians absorbed. The dragon roared. Xie Jin's qi spiked. Chen Haoran opened his eyes.
Another tendril of yellow water rose out of the river's surface in front of him. He looked down at the still-moving boat and then back at the tendril that was perfectly maintaining a constant distance from it. He stood perfectly still. It seemed the river remembered their last interaction as it didn't try to grab him this time. Chen Haoran was grateful for that but it didn't really change the fact that he had no idea how to interact with a sentient river. No amount of scripting in his head could prepare him for the real deal.
"When in Rome," he muttered, and reached into his storage bag to pull out two fistfuls of glowing moss and a salamander core. He flexed his qi and dropped them into the river then clapped his hands together. Not a bow but more as a prayer. "Friends?"
The tendril sank into the water.
He could hear the people behind him letting go of the breaths they'd been holding. Xie Jin stalked over and watched the spot the river disappeared. Most likely sensing for any sign of the will of the river. Chen Haoran knew this because he was doing the same thing but from the moment the tendril appeared to when it disappeared he couldn't feel any great power or difference in qi. In a way, he was thankful, had there been something to sense it would have been a worse headache than any Liquid Meridian gave him.
Chen Haoran weakly smiled at Xie Jin. "Here's to hoping it gives us a boost."
A splash suddenly sounded from the water. Xie Jin cursed and ducked as a blue shadow flew over his head and landed in Chen Haoran's arms. Luckily he'd still been cycling his qi and wasn't barreled over by the weight of what he now realized was a football-sized mussel shell.
"Imperial piss stream," Xie Jin spat.
"No name-calling gift-givers," Chen Haoran chided.
"In my land, we don't throw gifts at people's heads."
"Well it wasn't for you now was it?"
Chen Haoran weighed the mussel shell in his hands. At least the negotiation took a successful if unexpected turn. They'd be eating well tonight at least. "Thank you," he called to the river. There was no response. He flexed his qi to unleash another dragon roar when the mussel shell opened up and released a bright light. Half-blinded he couldn't see the reason for Xie Jin's hiss of shock until the light faded and his eyes settled on a green-black pearl within the shell.
"A Luminous Pearl," Xie Jin said with barely concealed awe.
Perhaps the negotiations were too successful.
The days passed along gently. Unlike what the captain had said their boat hadn't been suddenly blessed with speed but the river did not hinder the boat either as it made its various stops at towns and ports along its banks. For all of those days, Chen Haoran sat at the forefront of the ship and cultivated. Sometimes he had progress.
Received Hundred-Fold: Ninth-Layer Painted Turtle Core
Received Hundred-Fold: Hundred-Year-Old Pure Water Grass
Sometimes he received rewards.
Phelps squealed at the tendril of water that came bearing gifts, notably without a blindfold covering his eyes. Chen Haoran had judged Phelps ready to take it off and besides some initial discomfort, the sloth had no issues with the sunlight as far as he could tell. The tendril placed a fat yellow fruit in his hand as Phelps watched with drool dripping out his mouth.
"Eat up," Chen Haoran said, relishing his own treat as soon as Phelps bit into the fruit.
Received Hundred-Fold: 5 Hundred-Year-Old Bodhi Pear.
"Not again damnit," Xie Jin cursed as he reeled in an empty fishing hook. He watched Phelps eat the fruit with envious eyes. "Can't you ask the river to send some fish my way?"
"The river does as the river wills," Old Jiang said. Ever since asking Chen Haoran to sit at the front of the ship he always made time to come and chat. "Whether to flood its banks or keep its levels low is all up to its whims. I wouldn't count on it showing you favor with young lord Chen here."
"You make the river sound capricious," Chen Haoran said.
"What else can you call shifting its course hundreds of miles away or completely reversing its flow?" Old Jiang helplessly looked at the river with a mixture of reverence and wariness. "It's hard to say what feeds the river more, the tributaries or the people's tears."
"Would so many people really live so close then if it were so dangerous?" Chen Haoran asked.
"It doesn't happen often." Old Jiang said. "Our grandchildren's grandchildren probably won't live to see such a disaster, and even with that danger there is gain. The soil deposited into the river is refined into essence by the water which becomes extraordinarily useful for fertilizing farmland. Just the food it helps grow is enough for the Empire to try to tame the Machu, not to mention the treasures hidden within its depths."
"And that's what the Ministry of Rites does?" Chen Haoran asked.
Old Jiang laughed. "That's what the Ministry of Rites wishes they could do." He gave Chen Haoran a considering look. "I can't say they're friends but I know some guys who work there. If you're interested in a job I can introduce you. Most cultivators with a river method go to them to find work."
"I'm still young, I'd like to travel a bit more before settling down," Chen Haoran said.
"Ah, the ambition of youth." Old Jiang wistfully sighed. "I remember being a fiery lad when I was younger."
"I heard the Empire used the Machu as a weapon," Xie Jin said, he speared a scrap of meat on his fishing hook and cast the line out. "I don't see how that's possible if the river is as willful as you say."
Old Jiang shrugged. "Those stories are far before my time, I only know what I know. If the Machu worked with the Empire like that then I expect they paid a hefty price for it."
Chen Haoran shuddered at the image that conjured. How scary would it be if back on Earth the Amazon river became sentient and decided to rush over land to fight the United States? What if it were multiplied a hundred times over?
He was suddenly very glad he was on the river's good side. At least he knew he would survive what he was about to do next.
"I'll be sad to see you two go," Old Jiang said. "This has been the second most memorable voyage of my life."
"Second!?" Xie Jin whirled around with his fishing rod, the line flying up onto the deck and revealing another empty hook. "I knew you were holding out on us you old codger."
"Don't they teach you to respect your elders in the south?"
Xie Jin gave Old Jiang a toothy grin. "Only if they can out-drink us. I still have a whole day to get that story out of you."
Old Jiang snorted. "A frog in a well."
"Will you join us, Brother Chen?" Xie Jin asked.
"No," Chen Haoran said.
"I'm going to jump into the river."
Chapter 75: This Young Master Catches A Glimpse
"You're joking," Xie Jin said.
"I'm very serious," Chen Haoran replied.
"What would you even be hoping to achieve by doing that?"
"I don't know, but I'd like to do it at least once before we reach Whiteridge."
Xie Jin looked at Old Jiang and pointed to Chen Haoran. "Tell him its a bad idea."
Old Jiang shrugged and stepped back. "It's just swimming."
"In a living river?" Xie Jin asked in disbelief.
"Were sailing on it," Old Jiang pointed out. "And he wouldn't be the first or the only thing to swim in the Machu. Of all the things that could anger the river, being treated as regular water isn't one of them."
"It could be good for my cultivation," Chen Haoran said. "It will be a while before I come this way again."
Xie Jin's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "How can I get in the way of a cultivator's advancement?"
"Don't worry." Chen Haoran patted Phelps's head. The sloth licked his hand with a sticky tongue. "I've got the best swimmer with me."
"Lucky him," Xie Jin said dryly. "When are you going to go then?"
"Will we see more ships the closer we get to Whiteridge?" Chen Haoran asked Old Jiang.
"Aye. It's the busiest river port in the Empire."
"I'll go now then. No reason to let an anchor fall on my head."
Phelps floated out of his lap, and Chen Haoran stood up and cast off his robe to a disgruntled Xie Jin who, without hesitation, slapped it onto the deck.
"Really?" Chen Haoran asked.
"Come back if you have a problem," Xie Jin said.
Chen Haoran laughed and flipped off a confused Xie Jin, which, to his credit, did not stop him from guessing the hand sign was an insult and responding in kind.
"Keep my cup ready. I'll be back."
With that Chen Haoran leaped off the boat with a flex of qi, followed by a squealing Phelps in his signature cannonball.
Man and sloth splashed into crystal yellow water.
The first thing that struck him was not the clarity of the water. Although it was indeed clear. Even the qi-filled waters of the Spa Caverns pools, continually refined in an isolated water cycle, were foggy compared to the Machu. Nor was it the brightness. However, the way the sunlight streamed from the river's surface in dappled rays and lit up the yellow waters gold was so beautiful it almost made him think his fall down had been a jump up to heaven. It also wasn't the way the speed of his qi's flow had changed from a racing torrent in his meridians to a slower, almost meandering flow that ebbed and rose with the Machu.
What really arrested his attention was the warmth.
It wasn't a matter of temperature. The water was cold, and he could feel the chill race along his nerves like spidery fingers. Despite that, he was enveloped in a warm sensation that wrapped him like a blanket all the way down to his qi.
On the ship, he could not sense anything supernatural about the water even when it was twisting itself into all sorts of unnatural forms before his very eyes. He could feel it now, though. Within the river, what he sensed was not just qi, but the presence of a mind that was as endless to his sense as the waters of the Machu were to his eyes.
A claw brushed against his calf and he was broken out of his shock. Phelps swam into view far more gracefully than how he moved on land. Chen Haoran cycled his qi and followed him. On Earth, he would have never gone near water so deep, let alone dive in it. He had preferred beaches and shallows. Water you couldn't see the bottom of was far too suspicious.
In this world those concerns were removed by qi. Not just his cultivation letting him swim farther, dive deeper, and hold his breath longer but his affinity. A Water Spirit Root had certain advantages in water. It wasn't any sort of power boost or drawing power from the qi of the sea but rather a greater ease of mobility. Truthfully not the biggest of increases, Chen Haoran wouldn't be racing any fish, but compared to other cultivators it was like he was kitted out in full swim gear. On his own, he wouldn't fear swimming in any depth.
He was not alone.
Phelps and Chen Haoran dove deeper, down to where the golden light became inky darkness that even light could not reach through the crystal water. Streams of bubbles whirled around them like snakes as he felt the river move its currents to push them back. He took one last look at the abyss. If the river's depth was at all comparable to its width…
He let the current take him away and spurred the yellow dragon within him to let loose a roar filled with as much meaning as he could pack into it.
'Explore.'
He paused. The yellow dragon whimpered.
'Not too far please?'
The river obliged.
Chen Haoran immediately felt the presence cocoon him and Phelps and the golden world became a tunnel of swirling light as the river suddenly accelerated them far and away. He couldn't feel how fast they were going, protected as he was, but in the back of his mind, he knew that they were going very, very fast.
Old Jiang had perhaps undersold him on just how fast the river could have sped up their journey.
The light tunnel broke into calm gold and the river let go of them right in the middle of a school of fish. The boat-sized fish did not appreciate that, immediately scattering in every direction. Chen Haoran caught a glimpse of silver-blue scales with a darker blue trident pattern pressed on them before the fish fled out of sight and the river whisked them away again.
What followed was a guided tour unlike any he had ever experienced. They scared more schools of trident-patterned fish by appearing in their midst. In between breaks to the surface for air, they raced fish with dog heads that jumped out of the water to bark and beg for a fisherman's catch. The river sat them atop a green turtle bigger than an elephant, letting them ride it through a literal forest. Trees complete with leaves and flowers in full bloom grew underwater as if it was dry land. Small yellow fish claimed the branches in lieu of birds to build nests of twigs and grass and fluttered with silky pennant flag fins.
When the turtle grew irritated, the river flew them away from the forest and to a much more believable bed of seaweed that it pushed aside to reveal crab clans and shrimp sects locked in battle. They were dragged off before the mortal foes could unite to fight the invasive man and sloth.
Not all of the river's choices were so fantastical, its definition of exploring seemed a bit different from Chen Haoran's. This meant they were brought around to witness rocks of all different shapes and sizes, a patch of empty sand, a piece of driftwood, someone's lost underwear, and a boat with a single snail on the bottom of its hull.
Then there was a sight that was far more sobering. The river brought them to some distant shore where they broke for air and when they dove an entire sunken village was revealed. It was remarkably preserved for a ruin, the stone walls and foundations still standing after who knows how long. Shingles were exchanged for roofs of algae and crawling plants, wooden doors rotted away to better allow fish to enter and exit. Chen Haoran remembered Old Jiang's words. The Machu did as it pleased. If he didn't have the Yellow River Dragon Refinement he had no doubt the river would view him the same as it did the residents of these homes.
As if sensing his sorry mood the river quickly took them away from the village and released them into open water above its unseeable depths. Chen Haoran spun around for anything of note when the currents surged and the overgrown wreckage of a sunken ship rose out from the deep. Chen Haoran almost choked. It was built of wood, that much was clear, but the ship was the size of an aircraft carrier. A large palace in the sloped roof style of Clearsprings City sat on one end of the massive boat, notable not just for its scale but also for how the top half was sliced clean off. The river wrapped them in a gentle tunnel of water and carried them around the forbidding vessel, across the expanse of its deck, over the sliced palace where they peered into the exposed rooms, and around the gaping hole in the side of the ship which presumably sunk it.
'Here,' he decided. 'He would do it here.'
He hadn't just decided to come into the river because wanted to take a dip. In the Spa Caverns cultivating in the spiritual pools helped accelerate his progress far ahead of his speed in Clearsprings City because of their compatibility with his Water Spirit Root.
What would happen if he cultivated in the place that inspired his cultivation technique?
He focused his qi and sent his intention to the river through the yellow dragon's roar before beginning to cultivate. For a brief second, he could have sworn he felt… curiosity?
Yellow qi flooded into him.
It was a shade deeper than his own and far purer but it was unmistakably the same type of qi as his own. The yellow dragon roared in pure joy as the Machu river's qi merged with his own. The yellow qi seemed to echo that roar and his meridians rang like bells. Chen Haoran's sense stretched to its limit taking it all in and he couldn't tell where the water ended and his body began. The yellow dragon revolved and rushed toward his head as his qi swelled.
Chen Haoran touched the limit.
Chapter 76: This Young Master Fondly Disembarks
It was night time when the river brought Chen Haoran and Phelps back to the boat and gently placed them on its deck. A sharp look from Chen Haoran had the few sailors on night duty scatter away to hidden places, leaving them alone for the time being. A quick application of qi wicked away the water on him and Phelps, and he marveled at the new feeling of fullness throughout his meridians.
Each Layer of the Qi realm required qi to be accumulated to a certain extent before one could break through the ceiling to the next Layer. Each successive advancement made the one before it feel small and always provided a cultivator with the feeling that they could keep improving. This feeling was perhaps the foundational motivation behind this world's obsession with advancement, next to the powers and authority a high cultivation provided.
When Chen Haoran broke through to the Ninth-Layer he felt for himself just how much more room he had within himself to fill with qi before he could challenge the Liquid Meridian Realm. Now he felt full to bursting. He had guessed cultivating in the Machu would provide him a benefit to his cultivation, just not so drastic. It was clear the river had deliberately assisted him. The yellow qi had just come on too suddenly for it to have been drawn by his efforts.
"Thank you," he said, letting his gratefulness be carried to the tendril of water through a dragon's roar. He had saved potentially months of time with its help.
Phelps squealed at the tendril and floated to tap it with his claws when it drew closer. The sloth had enjoyed every minute of their wild ride.
He summoned a bushel of Pure Water Monk Flowers to his hand and after thinking about it reached into his storage bag for a vine of the plant he'd taken from the Spa Cavern. Tying the flowers into an ugly bouquet he presented it to the river. The tendril swayed forward and tenderly wrapped around the delicate stalks of the luminescent flowers. It waved the bouquet around in the air as the flowers absorbed the yellow water and began to glow gold.
Chen Haoran smiled. For a destructive force of nature, it was surprisingly cute.
He spurred the yellow dragon to roar. 'Leaving.'
The tendril froze. A visible shudder of water rose from its base all the way to the tip like the fur of a startled cat.
He tensed when it dropped the bouquet and wrapped itself around him. He tapped his sword even as he spurred the yellow dragon to roar again. 'Going away.'
The tendril gently squeezed him and he could practically hear the river's question through the water. 'Why?'
It was a good question. Cultivating in the river was an incredible opportunity, not just for reaching Liquid Meridian but for Harmonizing with the Yellow River Dragon Refinement as well. There wasn't that much danger to fear from the river either, at the very least it could be reasoned with and even though it was infinitely stronger than him it didn't immediately try to force him to stay. The Machu river bringing him treasures, summoning its waters to wash away anyone who tried to hurt him. It was an intoxicating thought… but was it enough?
'Enemies,' he said.
Shen Jianyu simply appearing in Clearsprings City frightened Song Yuelin enough to vacate the province entirely and he was only the Thirteenth Prince. That meant there were at least 12 others and the Emperor above them. What were they like? The masters of the Empire that Lan Fen and Song Yuelin feared. That even the mysterious Chen family had to be wary of. Here he was in the center of their power. Was it really wise to risk attracting their attention? Especially once word got around about his connection to the Machu. From what Old Jiang said the Empire's entire department of people dedicated to communing with the Machu river didn't get as much positive communication as he did. If he stayed near here word would spread. Could the river protect him from the Imperial family? It wasn't like he could always live in the river without leaving.
The tendril shuddered… was the river sighing? It unwound itself like some massive snake and swayed in the air.
"I'll come again," Chen Haoran promised. "I'll bring better gifts."
The river shined with golden light, banishing away the night. The glow swept up the tendril in waves and concentrated at its tip. A flick saw a golden droplet detach itself from the tendril and accurately strike Chen Haoran's forehead before he could react. The tendril immediately collapsed back into the river.
Chen Haoran felt the droplet touch his head and be absorbed by his body. He cycled his qi to isolate it but as soon as the golden droplet entered his meridians it merged with his qi and disappeared. He fruitlessly scanned every inch of his body for any sign of it, standing so still that Phelps came over to nudge his leg with a whimper. He finally gave up after seeing no change but he was left with a sinking feeling in his gut. The river should look fondly on him and wouldn't deliberately hurt him, but that didn't mean he could go and have complete faith in everything it did.
He looked down at the now calm river, unresponsive to every dragon roar he released.
It was a good thing he told Xie Jin to keep his cup ready.
The river didn't show itself again no matter how many times he tried to communicate with it after that and Chen Haoran finally gave it up as a bad deal once they arrived at the bustling port of White Ridge. Old Jiang informed in that the river never showed itself near populated areas. Indeed, any such appearances were considered to be ill-omens and the Ministry of Rites always made sure to conduct their major ceremonies to the river far away from any human settlement.
The city of White Ridge made for a spectacular sight, easily five times the size of Clearsprings City. The city was carved into the side of a glittering mesa of white stone and divided into several rings of walls that started at the riverfront and rose to end at a single fortress that sat atop the mesa looking down upon the Machu. It would inspire awe in any if it weren't for the shadows cast over it. Set in front of the city and towering above even the mesa were five rounded columns of stone that curled inward as if they were massive fingers about to close over the entire city.
"Wait…" Chen Haoran cycled qi to his eyes to better observe the columns. "Are those actually fingers?"
"Yes," Xie Jin grimly answered. He spat over the side of the ship. "The hand of the Mountain General. A Star Core realm."
Phelps squealed loudly but whether it was from excitement or fear he couldn't tell.
Chen Haoran shuddered as their ferry joined the long line of ships that waited to dock at the harbors that stretched like webbing between the colossal fingers. After an hour of waiting and customs inspection, they finally pulled into a wharf directly next to the middle finger.
"Welcome to White Ridge young lords," Old Jiang said with a gold-toothed smile. "Second biggest city in the Empire and its biggest shipping center. Only the Imperial Capital dwarfs it in size."
"Because they wouldn't accept anything else," Xie Jin muttered.
Chen Haoran clasped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for your company Old Jiang, I've learned a lot from you."
"Please don't bow to this old water dog young lord Chen." Old Jiang pulled Chen Haoran back up and placed a sack that chimed with the sound of taels into his hand. "This is your payment."
Chen Haoran didn't make a fuss and accepted it. There was no need to be stubborn about certain things.
Old Jiang looked over at the passengers readying to disembark and leaned in to whisper. "If you're trying to avoid attention I recommend leaving soon. This group will start running their mouths about this trip as soon as there are ears to listen."
"We weren't planning on staying here long anyway," Xie Jin cut in. He looked at Chen Haoran. "If it's alright with you I want to leave as soon as possible."
"Let me just make sure Phelps drinks something and then we'll go." Chen Haoran left Xie Jin with Old Jiang and brought Phelps with him to the side of the ship where he grabbed a bucket and rope and lowered them into the river. He'd requisitioned them from the crew after his dip into the river and had been making sure to let Phelps have as much as he wanted. He wouldn't be returning to the Machu any time soon and wouldn't get another chance like this. He hoisted up the bucket of crystal yellow water and placed it in front of Phelps who greedily lapped it up.
Received Hundred-Fold: Pure Yellow Dragon Water
He had been a bit wary at first of letting Phelps drink sentient water but if it was apparently normal to do he wouldn't, and didn't, avoid taking advantage of it.
After Phelps had been suitably satiated he pulled the sloth up onto his back and bid Old Jiang farewell with an impatient Xie Jin.
"Until we meet again young lord Chen, a friend of the river can always ride my boat for free," Old Jiang said, bowing to him.
"Take care then," Chen Haoran said, before turning and taking his first step on dry land in over two weeks.
He cast one last look at the river and had his yellow dragon let out one final roar.
'Goodbye.'
The water did not move. Disappointed Chen Haoran turned to leave when he heard a splash. He whirled around to find a small tendril of water rising out of the river and wave at him.
"Brother Chen," Xie Jin called. "Are you coming?"
"I am," he replied.
When he turned around again the tendril disappeared. Shaking his head with a smile Chen Haoran followed Xie Jin into White Ridge City.
Chapter 77: This Young Master Witnesses A Difference In Opinion
Xie Jin made good on his word of not staying long in the city. They detoured only for a moment to purchase supplies, a terse affair with price-gouging vultures where they leaned more on their superior cultivation to get a good deal than any real haggling skill. Chen Haoran noted how quickly the price rose when it was Xie Jin doing the purchasing versus when he did. Xie Jin handled it with aplomb but it was an exhausting effort all the same and they hadn't even hit the road yet.
It did allow him to get a better look at the city and its people however. They kept their business to the lowest tier where most of the public markets were pressed up against the docks. It was the city's largest area by far in terms of size and population, hosting the majority of the working-class citizens. It was also the only area of the city to not be directly carved into the mesa and it's buildings reflected that with their patchwork materials. Wood and grey stone constructions lined bluestone slab streets that rose in quality and switched over to white brick the closer they were to the walls of the second tier.
Higher up in the city were the people of means and valued professions. Each ascending height having stricter requirements on cultivation and wealth than the last before one could be allowed to live there. Those were where the cultivators of White Ridge lived and was where the choicest resources percolated up. Had they the time Chen Haoran would have liked to go see for himself the resources of the second-best city in the Empire had to offer.
Unfortunately wisdom, and Xie Jin's impatience, prevailed and they sped out White Ridge's singular land-facing gate and onto another of the Empire's meticulously maintained flagstone roads.
Xie Jin looked visibly relieved once they were out from the shadows of the giant stone fingers that loomed over White Ridge, and Chen Haoran finally had the heart to ask him his most burning question.
"Who is the Mountain General?"
Xie Jin looked like he just chewed a lemon. Fortunately he still answered. "The Grand Marshal of the Empire. Well… former marshal. He was the highest military commander and the second strongest after the Sunset Emperor himself."
That answered the first. Now for his second most burning question.
"Are those his actual fingers?"
Xie Jin stumbled on the smooth stones of the road and looked at Chen Haoran with a mixture of stunned disbelief and exasperation. "No…," he slowly said. "They're not his actual fingers. Why would you even think that?"
Chen Haoran threw up his arms. "You're the one who said it was his hand. How was I supposed to know you weren't serious? It's not like I've ever seen a Star Core realm before."
"Just because they're a higher realm doesn't mean they're not human."
Chen Haoran would beg to differ on that by virtue of the giant hand they just walked through. Not to mention his own experience seeing the White Tyrant split clouds for miles with a single sword. For a brief second, he felt his sword tremble, but when he touched the scabbard, there was no change in it.
"Is there a problem?" Xie Jin asked, sweeping his eyes across the open fields surrounding them.
"Just thinking." Chen Haoran put the phantom sensations out of his mind. "Could you tell me why you were so bothered in White Ridge? Was it because of the Mountain General?"
"Who could be calm when standing under the shadow of the conqueror of your people?"
That made sense. Chen Haoran couldn't imagine the feeling, his homeland was the one that tended to do the conquering, but with such an overwhelming reminder, it was no wonder Xie Jin was uncomfortable.
"How long ago did this happen? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Four hundred years ago."
It was Chen Haoran's turn to trip over nothing.
"Are you alright?" Xie Jin asked.
"Yes, I am; I just- That was unexpected."
Xie Jin looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He settled for amused disbelief instead. "Two-Shadow wasn't joking when she said you were ignorant."
"What gave it away?" Chen Haoran sarcastically asked. His thoughts were still on the timescale, however. "Four hundred years is quite a long time to hold a grudge."
"Don't be so surprised." There was something dark in Xie Jin's tone. "There's no way we would ever forget."
—————
Chen Haoran didn't ask about the Mountain General in the days after that. Some questions had a time and a place and he felt he'd get more answers once they were in Zumulu proper. Xie Jin noticeably brightened once the Fingers were far out of sight and spent the time regaling Chen Haoran with various myths of his people or stories from his childhood.
Phelps, as usual, took in the new sights and smells with endless excitement. Chen Haoran was more than happy to feed both the sloth's curiosity and his stomach. Various flowers and leaves found their way into the empty void that Phelps stored food in. While Chen Haoran happily accepted the improved rewards that followed, nothing particularly moved him. It wasn't quite multiplying zero but it wasn't much better, the random things he plucked by the side of the road could have been improved a thousand times and still be too low level for him to care about.
It reminded him of the White Tyrant's dismissive assessment of his power. While the ancient cultivator was undoubtedly full of himself and missing context, he wasn't completely wrong. Phelps would always eat so he didn't have to worry about him rejecting gifts due to pride or any complicated feelings a person might have. If Chen Haoran wanted to make the best use of the Gifting power however, especially as he advanced in cultivation, he would have to get his hands on better resources.
Just another problem to consider once he got settled.
He absentmindedly scratched Phelps's head as he pondered various get-resources-quick schemes in front of the fire. They had camped in a well-worn clearing along the side of the road. The air was crisp but not as cold as the Clearsprings Mountains. Xie Jin had hunted down a rabbit and a fat pheasant and had shown Chen Haoran how to properly skin and de-feather them respectively, and prepare them for roasting over the fire. They lacked any other seasoning but salt but anything would beat travel rations, so Chen Haoran couldn't complain.
They both looked up at the same time when a group driving a small herd of cattle came from further up the road and set up camp in the clearing. Chen Haoran sharpened his eyes with qi and saw an assortment of bone ornaments on the twenty or so men and women of the caravan. He cast his sense over and narrowed his eyes.
Cultivators. Every single one of them.
The majority were First or Second-Layer, the strongest was only Seventh-Layer, nothing threatening about them. It was just a strange sight to see so many cultivators seemingly employed to move cows. Although he did have to admit they were giant beasts, each one the size of a car.
The Seventh-Layer, presumably the leader of the group, walked over to them and clasped his hands in a bow. "Apologies for the disturbance. I hope you don't mind."
"There's more than enough room," Xie Jin said.
The leader pulled out a bottle from his sack and held it forward. "May I join you?"
Xie Jin looked at Chen Haoran. He shrugged.
"Sit."
"Thank you," the leader said. He sat down and uncorked the bottle, taking a single long swill and passing it to Xie Jin, who did the same before passing it to Chen Haoran.
He debated whether he should drink directly from it, but from the way the Seventh-Layer was prepared to offer the bottle, it may have been some type of custom. He didn't want to accidentally be rude by not drinking. In the end, he compromised by pouring the wine straight into his mouth. When he finished and passed the bottle back, the Seventh-Layer quirked his eyebrows but said nothing.
"Any news from White Ridge?" the leader asked.
Xie Jin shook his head. "The generals grip is still the same. We didn't stay long enough to learn anything." He took one of the legs of pheasant and offered it to the leader. "How goes things in Reservoir Town?"
"The Pacification Commissioner released new bounties for bandits but business hasn't been affected much." The leader took the drumstick with a smile. "How did you know we were from Reservoir Town? You're from the Basin aren't you?"
Xie Jin snorted. "I can smell the peach blossoms."
Chen Haoran looked on in confusion. He didn't smell any peach blossoms, the Seventh-Layer seemed to understand what Xie Jin meant however. He turned to Chen Haoran.
"Are you two traveling together, young master?"
"My brother here has praised Zumulu so much that I had to come see it myself," Chen Haoran said.
The Seventh-Layer did a double take before laughing loudly. "Then by all means please accept another drink from me as a welcome to our home!"
Xie Jin laughed with him and under their pressure, Chen Haoran found himself finishing half the leader's bottle. It wasn't anything that could get him drunk, but the sudden cheer caught him off guard.
"Zumulu is beautiful," the leader said. "Our women, even more so, when you get to Reservoir Tow-"
"Reservoir Town is no place to introduce my brother to Zumulu," Xie Jin forcefully interrupted, his good cheer gone.
There was an awkward silence.
The Seventh-Layer was taken aback and looked at Xie Jin unkindly. "My apologies." He stood up and clasped his hands. "I'll take my leave now. Safe journeys." Then he turned and walked back to his group, leaving the wine bottle behind.
"Xie Jin, what was that?" Chen Haoran demanded.
"A difference of opinion."
"Are you serious?"
Xie Jin sighed. "I want to show you my homeland properly. You won't be able to see it going along the Empire's damned road."
"Doesn't this road lead directly south?"
"That's the Empire's way, not my people's way." Xie Jin reached over and picked up the bottle the man left behind, downing the rest of it in one go.
"I'll die before I let Brother Chen enter any way but the Snake's Mouth."
Chapter 78: This Young Master Enters the Snake's Mouth
The cattle drivers gathered up their beastly bulls and left in the morning. Xie Jin didn't pay the man he insulted any mind as he led Chen Haoran down the road under a grey sky overcast with clouds.
Chen Haoran was once again filled with questions he wanted to ask Xie Jin. What did he mean by smelling peach blossoms? What was this Reservoir Town he disliked, and why? What was that 'difference of opinion' he had with the Seventh-Layer? Once again he held his tongue. They weren't so urgent that he'd force Xie Jin to discuss things he disliked, at least not now.
"That guy said you were from the Basin. Can you tell me about it?" Chen Haoran asked.
Xie Jin brightened. He always did when he got the chance to extoll his home. "It's a place where the rivers drain. It's much lower than other areas in Zumulu so that's why people call it the Basin." He pointed to his black bone armbands. "We're more famous for these though. The rainforest is full of bones but you'll only find black bones in the Basin."
"It's all beast bones right?"
"Yes, but they're so old we don't know anything about them. Even the legends we tell are younger than the skeletons they speak of."
That… certainly sounded old. Chen Haoran tried to compare it to his own world and found his examples coming up short. An elephant graveyard of epic proportions? It was the timescale that really threw him for a loop. How old was this world? How large was it?
A drop of water fell on his head and dispelled his thoughts. He looked up to see more fat drops of rain fall down from the heavy clouds above them.
"Should we take shelter?" he asked.
Xie Jin judged the sky then looked somewhere in the distance off the road. He turned to Chen Haoran and grinned. "If you don't mind getting dirty we can be there today." His qi flared. "If you can keep up?"
Well there was only one answer to that.
Phelps squealed and instinctively tightened his grip when Chen Haoran flared his own qi.
"Lead the way."
Xie Jin whooped and shot off the road into the woods. Chen Haoran cycled qi to his legs and sprinted after him. Phelps squealed in joy on his back. The rain turned from a few droplets into a downpour as they raced. As a Ninth-Layer to his Eighth, and practicing a superior cultivation method on top of that, Chen Haoran was faster than Xie Jin even carrying Phelps. He simply had more qi to use that performed better in every way.
Despite this, he could not catch up.
Xie Jin flitted through the trees and foliage with a bird's grace. He was only touching down on the ground for the briefest moments before leaping back into the trees and propelling himself forward. It was an elegant parkour compared to Chen Haoran's straightforward running. Even if he was strong enough to barrel through most of the shrubbery and vines it still took precious seconds from him that Xie Jin used to pull ahead.
"Hold tight Phelps!" Chen Haoran bent his knees and leapt high into the air; clearing the tree tops in a long arc before crashing back down like a stone. He did it again, and once more, each jump followed by the sound of snapping branches and crushed leaves. Xie Jin pulled ahead even more with Chen Haoran's fruitless efforts.
When he cycled his qi for one last jump Phelps squealed and he felt the sloth emit a strange energy. His next jump saw him flying into the air but rather than fall he floated. Phelps squealed again and the energy was cut off. Chen Haoran fell.
He was laughing as he did. "Do that again Phelps!"
Phelps obliged. With each successive jump he flew higher and higher into the sky as Phelps better adapted to carrying him with his power. Xie Jin was so far ahead now that he deliberately slowed down before he ran out of sight but the race didn't matter anymore. Chen Haoran cycled qi to his eyes to see Xie Jin looking in astonishment at him and Phelps. He whooped out a jeering curse before looking across the trees at the large white mountain Xie Jin was leading them toward.
He touched down onto the ground next to Xie Jin.
"Since when could he do that?" Xie Jin demanded, pure jealousy writ large across his face.
"My little genius can do anything he puts his mind to," Chen Haoran crowed.
"Lucky bastard."
They shot off again down an open stretch of woods. The rain poured down in sheets making the dirt into mud. Thanks to qi, they weren't at all slowed down but every enhanced step covered Chen Haoran's expensive silks with a muddy coat. He didn't pay it any mind and took note of their surroundings.
"Is this a path?" He asked. Although the rain made a mess of things there was still far too much exposed dirt and the path they followed was suspiciously clear of vegetation beyond the odd root.
"It's a road," Xie Jin said.
"Not very well maintained, is it." It was by far the worst road he'd traveled on this entire journey.
Xie Jin scoffed. "The Empire only cares about the roads that lead to the capital."
"Is this the real way to get into Zumulu then?"
Xie Jin smiled. "You'll see."
His smile only grew wider as they approached the white mountain and his excitement was so palpable Chen Haoran could practically feel it through his qi. He was lucky he was paying attention when Xie Jin suddenly halted or else he would have sent himself flying over the steep drop of elevation in the road.
"What the hell," Chen Haoran whispered.
"Behold," Xie Jin proudly said. "The Snake's Mouth."
Below them stretched an ocean of green jungle trees that grew so thickly that Chen Haoran felt he was looking at a green wall. The white mountain he had spied from a distance was there, except it wasn't because what he had seen then was only the top portion of it and what he looked at now was no mountain.
A titanic snake skeleton rose above that endless jungle as if it had been dropped on top of it. What he had thought was a mountain was instead the very top of a massive skull that now stared at them with it's empty, cavernous eyes. Its maw was wide open, the lower jaw buried beneath the earth while the top half stretched higher than even the giant stone fingers that towered over White Ridge. Two fangs, javelins of immense proportion, hung menacingly.
Phelps screamed in horror and his grip on Chen Haoran became chokingly tight. He raised a hand to soothe the terrified sloth but he had no true comfort to give him when he himself was dazed by the sight. Xie Jin grabbed his arm and led him toward the skull with nary a care.
"For centuries, the Snake's Mouth was the only reliable entrance into Zumulu." Xie Jin excitedly said. "Any who were foolish enough to invade the jungle would have to cross under its fangs. Many of those invaders never returned." He smirked. "It was said that those who passed into the Snake's Mouth would be swallowed whole."
Chen Haoran could commiserate. He felt he was about to be eaten as well as they walked through the skull's mouth. Rivulets of rainwater slid down the massive fangs and he could imagine them being venom instead. When Xie Jin led them under the fangs Chen Haoran's body and qi shivered as one. He was suddenly reminded of an old tale from Earth, of the Sword of Damocles that hung over the head that wore the crown. In that instance, he grew a great sympathy for that poor fellow who had to sit under that terrifying sword. Phelps's claws tore through the silk of his robes and pressed into his skin.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Xie Jin wistfully sighed.
Now inside the skull they dried themselves off with a quick application of qi. A simple dirt road, pressed flat by countless steps, ran through the snake's skull and down the rest of it's skeleton. It was shielded from the rain by the snake's spine, wide enough to fit an eight-lane highway atop it, held up by ribs that speared into the ground like pillars. The seemingly endless jungle found no home within the skeleton, the trees pressed against the ribs and grew thick in the spaces between them but the path laid out under the skeleton was completely clear.
"How big is this thing?" Chen Haoran asked, his mouth dry.
"Big enough that we'll be walking for days before we reach the end of the tail".
"Days!?"
Xie Jin laughed. "Do you see why I wanted to bring you here now?" He opened his arms wide
"Welcome to Zumulu, Brother Chen."
Chapter 79: This Young Master Does Not Like Snake's End
What if someone were to rip out your spine, but it took them days to pull the last vertebrae from your body?
Chen Haoran didn't bother counting how many days they spent walking within the snake skeleton. Any number would be ridiculous and he couldn't find it within himself to care about measuring it after crossing through the Snake's Mouth. The Machu River, while similarly absurd in size for what it was, at least wasn't larger than the oceans back on Earth. The Snake's Mouth had no such comparison. What could? The giant skeleton could swallow the largest blue whale of Earth in a single bite and have room for more.
He instead took the time to acclimate himself to Zumulu. Stepping into the Snake's Mouth had been like entering a new world of heat and humid air that he almost assumed Zumulu was a secret realm like the Spa Cavern. The jungles around them were a veritable chorus of noise from birds, insects, apes, and some sounds so strange that he couldn't imagine what creature could make them.
Chen Haoran was thankful he was wearing silk even as he sweated through them. While qi could help regulate temperature it didn't let him completely ignore it. Even supernatural powers couldn't overcome the ridiculous heat multiplier that was humidity it seemed. Thankfully under the immense shade of the skeleton they didn't have the sun beating down on them. A fact he was most thankful while he marveled at its size.
"I know that beasts tend to get bigger the higher cultivation they have," Chen Haoran said. "But what kind of realm reaches this size?"
"Who knows," Xie Jin said. "It was a mystery even before the Age of Chaos. What realm it reached. What killed it. Why here. The debate is as old as civilization in the south."
"I'm surprised they're still here honestly. Even if they're just bones, they still belonged to a higher realm." There's no way they didn't have value. Lan Fen had introduced the concept to him and the White Tyrant had provided the clearest example of it back in the Spa Caverns when he killed Patriarch Lan. Even if the owner of the skeleton didn't reach as high as the White Tyrant its bones would have remembered its power. He didn't think cultivators were the type to let cultural value get in the way of their pursuit of power.
"The Empire thought the same." Xie Jin shrugged. "Even though if that was true, my people would have picked the skeletons clean long ago. Maybe they once held echoes of their power, but time has robbed them of even that now. They're durable enough to weather the passing of the ages, but if you try to introduce qi to them or use them in any refining, they crumble. Beyond the decorative, they're useless. Not that the Empire believed our bone carvers when they said that."
Chen Haoran hesitated, but considering they were finally in Zumulu he felt it right to ask. "I don't mean to pry if it's personal, but I'm curious. You don't seem to like the Empire very much, but you were trying to join the Palace School. I just don't understand."
"I am a cultivator. My dislike of the Empire doesn't change the fact that they're the best way for someone like me to advance. At least I tried to become an official with my own skills than use my Gu."
"People do that?"
"The Empire recruits shamans to serve in various departments. They can't raise Gu the way we can, so they try to employ us instead. It's just another thing the Empire failed to exploit in Zumulu."
"They invaded for the Gu and bones?"
"They attacked for plenty of things." Xie Jin puffed out his chest with pride. "Zumulu doesn't offer its treasures easily to those it didn't raise. That's why they don't like us. They can't exploit the south the same way they do everywhere else."
Chen Haoran raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to get those treasures then? You gonna make me an honorary Zumulian or something?"
"I'll ignore that absolute butchering of our name." Xie Jin pressed his thumb to his chest. "As for the treasures, don't fear; your Brother Jin is here." He pointed forward where the snake skeleton finally narrowed into a tail—houses and buildings of dark red jungle wood formed around the tail and bustled with people.
"We'll start in Snake's End."
Snake's Mouth and Snake's End. Two very inspired names. Chen Haoran couldn't fault them too much, however. Clearsprings City and White Ridge weren't that much better in that regard. It was just easier to name places after their environment, although this world definitely had more fantastical locations willing to lend their names. It made him wonder if the Imperial Capital of Last Light was also named for some bizarre geographical feature.
In any case, Snake's End was far less inspiring than the Snake's Mouth. Formed long ago as a place where merchants rested before continuing their journey to the larger urban centers, it was much like the town where he and Xie Jin chartered Old Jiang's ferry. Snake's End had seen far better days, however. Its buildings were aged, and it wasn't hard to find abandoned homes and ruins. According to Xie Jin it had been the first place the Empire burned down after they marched their army through the skeleton and after conquering the region and constructing a new road there was no hope for the town to return to its former glory. What they saw now was a place to take care of the needs of the small amount of trade that passed into the western half of Zumulu.
Needless to say, Chen Haoran wasn't impressed. He made sure Xie Jin knew it too as they checked into a particularly run-down inn.
At least he'd finally been able to take a bath.
"We'll start here, huh?" He asked, casting Xie Jin an unamused look while they ate. Their table was laden with cheap alcohol and local delicacies, particularly a dish of glass noodles and ground pork tastefully named 'Ants Climbing A Tree.' Chen Haoran steeled himself and took a bite. It seemed southern cuisine favored spiciness. It was too bad that even changing to a new body didn't help him handle spicy food any better.
The boastful bonehead at least looked abashed. "Well… maybe not here."
"I'll remind you I'm in need of a city. Particularly one larger than Clearsprings."
"No worries, Brother Chen, I'll bring you to the biggest and best. We'll rest here for a day and be on our way to Stonebridge."
Phelps once again had his own chair to their side and ate with surprising manners for an animal which Chen Haoran measured by how he didn't spill anything off his plate. He made sure to include plenty of Waterlight Spirit Moss to make up for the terror poor Phelps had to endure while they traveled through the Snake's Mouth. Phelps hadn't let go of him until they exited the skeleton.
"Believe me Brother Chen, you'll love the south."
He could hear the earnestness in Xie Jin's voice. Could see the confidence on his face that Chen Haoran would love his home just as much as he did.
"I don't like spicy food."
The confidence died. The voice full of earnestness wavered. Xie Jin looked at him with a mixture of horror and worry. "Maybe this was a mistake."
Chen Haoran was about to answer when a man entered the inn and drew his attention. He and Xie Jin had been the strongest cultivators in the inn so when another Eighth-Layer entered, he couldn't help but look over. Bone ornaments marked him as a native, and he was dressed in a simple cotton robe dyed a colorful green with a rough jaguar pelt wrapped around his shoulders. An interesting visual sight to Chen Haoran but typical in the south and he quickly ignored the man as he sat down to eat…
At least until a Ninth-Layer cultivator followed in after him. This one caught both his and Xie Jin's attention. Spotless white silk robe, shiny, well-groomed hair, confident posture, a single vermillion scabbard at his waist. The man that entered was much younger than the Eighth-Layer. Around his and Xie Jin's age, if he had to guess.
The young man scanned the inn, his eyes briefly looking over them before settling on the pelt-wearing Eighth-Layer. Watching the man beeline to his table, Chen Haoran sighed and turned back to eating. Xie Jin refilled his cup and shook his head. There was a spike of qi and the sound of a shattering table as the two cultivators began to fight. For what he didn't know, nor did he care. There was no reason for him to get involved or drag Xie Jin with him.
"We gotta stop eating in inns-" Chen Haoran's words died in his mouth when the body of the Eighth-Layer crashed through their table like a bullet, slamming into Phelps and shooting through the wall.
"Phelps!"
Chapter 80: This Young Master Gets Into A Fight
"Phelps!" Chen Haoran's qi spun to life, and he sprinted to the newly made hole in the wall.
"You dare!" Xie Jin roared behind him.
Chen Haoran grabbed the splintered wood of the wall and crushed it with a white knuckle grip as he looked at the fallen form of the Eighth-Layer. "Phelps!"
A squeal came from the man's body. He slowly floated up and Phelps slipped out from underneath and floated in the air looking dazed but none worse for wear. Chen Haoran heaved a sigh of relief. Phelps must have instinctively used his power to lessen both their weights when he got hit. He was always quick on the ball.
Xie Jin's grunt of pain came from behind and Chen Haoran turned around to find him skidding across the floor holding his gut. The Ninth-Layer wielded his sword, still in its scabbard, and stood unruffled.
Right. He had this asshole to deal with.
"Phelps come here," he called before turning and facing the cause of this mess. His qi spiked with every step and he could feel it coursing through his meridians like blood. The Ninth-Layer walked toward him as well-no. Rather he was walking to the hole in the wall behind him. "Hey asshole. This is the part where you're supposed to apologize."
"Don't interfere," came the cool reply.
The Ninth-Layer made no move to stop and was about to walk past him when Chen Haoran swung out his hand like a whip. The bastard quickly tilted his chin back and swung his scabbard into his chest only for Chen Haoran to block it with his arm.
"I'm not normally a violent guy," Chen Haoran said in a clipped, even tone. "But even back in my hometown I would never let this slide." He raised his hand. A dragon's furious roar echoed in his chest. He was really quite angry. "Let me slap out of few of your teeth and call it even."
The Ninth-Layer coldly snorted. "Get out of the way." He rushed in with light steps and swung his scabbard again. Chen Haoran stepped into the blow and raised his arm to block it.
The first indication something was wrong was when his arm was flung back. As he registered what happened he felt something heavy hit his head and send him sprawling. He was still thinking when the wooden floor splintered under his cheek. The Ninth-Layer's white shoes were about to step over him when he grabbed his ankle and pulled him off balance. Chen Haoran rose up and struck at his groin, eliciting a hiss of pain from the white-clothed youth. It was a weak hit from an awkward angle however and so rather than be debilitated the Ninth-Layer brought his other knee up and slammed Chen Haoran's head. This time he was ready, his qi cycling like a river, he caught the knee on his forehead and absorbed the force. At the same time he harshly yanked his hand to the left and threw the white-robed youth to the floor. He tried to leap on him then and grapple but was forced to roll away from a scabbard stab to his throat.
They separated. Chen Haoran tried to stand when his legs suddenly buckled. He cycled his qi to steady himself and held a hand to his head. The Ninth-Layer rose on unsteady feet of his own, his hand instinctively reaching for his groin before he stopped himself.
"Brother Chen," Xie Jin called, having caught his breath. "He's-"
"I know." Chen Haoran said. "Stay back." A person couldn't sense the quality of another's cultivation. Such a thing had to be felt, and in the moment his arm was blasted away he realized his opponent also practiced an Earth-rank cultivation method. He cast a wary gaze on the sheathed sword. He'd blocked maces on his arms without issue and yet he was forced back. That meant the weapon could channel qi very well, even through its scabbard. It had to be Profound-rank at least.
His first day in the south and he was already picking a fight with someone on Lan Yao's level. Joy.
"You bastard," growled the Ninth-Layer through clenched teeth.
"You got some dust on your clothes," Chen Haoran pointed out.
It was more than a bit of dust however. In the time he spent on the floor the Ninth-Layer's once pristine white robes had picked up dirt and food stains. His clothes and posture now were a far cry from how he arrogantly entered the inn and it seemed his opponent knew it with how he flushed red in anger.
Chen Haoran shook the last of the dizziness from his head and pulled his sheathed scimitar off his hip. The Ninth-Layer glared at him but he could see his eyes flicker to the hole in the wall.
"I don't have time for you, I must apprehend that man. Stay right here and I, Wang Xiao, will return to settle this account."
Chen Haoran leaped forward with a burst of qi and swung his blade down. "How about no?" Wang Xiao leapt to the side and his sword smashed the floorboards to pieces. "You hurt my pet. You don't apologize. And you beat the shit out of me. The only settlement I'll take is you kneeling to Phelps and saying you're sorry."
Wang Xiao clicked his tongue in annoyance. Chen Haoran's senses suddenly twinged as he felt a change in qi. Wang Xiao rushed him faster than before, every step he took sending water-like ripples through the air. Chen Haoran swung but Wang Xiao deftly slid around the blow and hammered his side with his scabbard. The air was knocked out of Chen Haoran's lungs and he tried to ward him off with a reflexive stab that Wang Xiao easily parried.
Chen Haoran was quickly forced onto the back foot as Wang Xiao practically slid around his blows and accurately targeted his weak points. It reminded Chen Haoran of his last duel with Lan Junjie and the stars he summoned with his artifact slippers. Wang Xiao's technique, however, proved far more practical than merely distracting. It seemed the whole floor had become a surface of water for him to glide on. It took Chen Haoran cycling his qi to his fullest to barely keep up with him. It didn't help that Wang Xiao was the better swordsman between the two of them, Chen Haoran had wanted to use his own sword to make up for the difference in reach, but it was proving to be pointless. His only saving grace was his durability, a fact that seemed to frustrate Wang Xiao the longer they fought, going by the scowl on his face.
"Move!" He roared.
Chen Haoran grit his teeth and shoved his hand inside his storage bag. Wang Xiao's eyes gleamed at the opening and was about to heavily punish Chen Haoran for it when a chair flew over and smashed on his back. Xie Jin had moved into Wang Xiao's blind spot and intervened at just the right time.
"Close your eyes!" Chen Haoran shouted as he pulled out a slip of paper. He thrust the paper forward as he shut his eyes and channeled qi into it. When he had stolen them from the corpses of the Lan family back in the Spa Cavern, he hadn't known what the papers were beyond that they had qi trapped inside of them. As it turned out, they were talismans, a sort of technique on demand. The one the Lan family had was a flare.
He felt heat bloom in his hand and the light burned red through his eyelids. There were various cries of pain from those brave enough to remain spectators in the inn. The loudest being in front of him. Chen Haoran locked his sense onto Wang Xiao and cycled qi to his fist. He felt his fist meet flesh and he roared as he followed through, punching Wang Xiao in the face and sending him flying.
He opened his eyes to find various people bent over with tears in their eyes. Xie Jin had fortunately heeded his warning in time and was fine. Wang Xiao was sprawled out onto the floor, hopefully knocked out but Chen Haoran wouldn't take any chances and he sprinted over.
His sense still being locked onto Wang Xiao is what saved him.
Wang Xiao burst into a flurry of motion, water rippling from his body as he spun up from the floor and flashed over to Chen Haoran. He stopped on a dime and threw himself backward as silver flashed before his eyes and a thin line of pain spread across his chest. Blood spilled and stained his silk robes, all the anger that he'd built cooled in an instant as his mind kicked into overdrive. Wang Xiao held his vermilion scabbard in one hand, in the other was a beautiful silver sword tipped with blood.
His blood.
He'd been cut. What originally had been a nonlethal spat had escalated. No matter how angry he was it wasn't something worth putting his life on the line for. Should he de-escalate? Would Wang Xiao let him at this point now that he brandished his sword? He thought of Lan Fen. She wouldn't. If Wang Xiao was anything like her then just words wouldn't be enough at this point.
He grasped the hilt of his scimitar and pulled out a sliver. Long cuts appeared on the floor beneath him and Wang Xiao's face morphed into shock. Just as he was about to pull more of the blade out Xie Jin's anxious shout reached him.
"Brother Chen, there's a problem!"
Chen Haoran twisted to see Xie Jin standing by the hole in the wall looking furious. There was a dull moment of incomprehension. Xie Jin was alone. What was the problem he was talking about?
His blood curdled. Xie Jin was alone.
Where was Phelps?
Wang Xiao cursed, and they both rushed over to Xie Jin. Chen Haoran spiked his qi and shot out of the inn and into the street.
The empty street.
Phelps and the Eighth-Layer were gone.