Chapter 123: This Young Master Meets Granny Jiang...again.
A plain round face stared back at Chen Haoran in a mirror of polished copper. He brushed his hand through short, dark brown hair and squinted brown eyes. It was a face he never thought he'd see again. Or rather, it could have been. No matter how well he explained what he wanted to Bao Si, it was impossible for her to completely recreate the details as he remembered. No matter how well he remembered, how could he possibly get the details right himself? He could certainly recognize his own face on sight, but could he actually imagine his face? How did one reference something when the reference itself was no longer there? As he roamed over imperfections and features that were just not right, he could only wonder if they were Bao Si's misinterpretations or his own false recollection.
Still, even if it wasn't his face, there was still enough familiarity in it that he could pretend it was. He thumbed the base of his neck where the Human-Skin Mask blended so perfectly into his skin as to be seamless. Then he pulled, and the false skin peeled away and revealed Chen Haoran's face.
"Is there something wrong with the mask?" Bao Si asked.
"No," Chen Haoran said. "It's perfect. I'm just admiring how useful it is. I didn't think a Mortal-Rank artifact would be this advanced."
Bao Si frowned and searched his face, but any possible hints she could glean from him would be made useless from lacking so much context. Context that she would never have. Only one person in this world knew about his origins, and that was enough.
"Do you think you could teach me how to make this ?" Chen Haoran asked.
Bao Si nodded and dropped her gaze. "Yes. I'll make you a copy, but it's a complicated recipe."
"That's fine—"
The door crashed open with a bang, and a kitted-out Xie Jin waltzed into the with a large bag strapped to his back. "Who's ready to go? Come on, people, we're burning daylight!"
The happier Xie Jin looked, the less Bao Si did. "I am the one who decides when we leave. You are far too happy to leave."
Xie Jin held up his hands. It looked more like a pose, though, than him trying to placate her. "How can I be happy to leave? I'm just happy to spend some time with Brother Chen without you sending me away with some excuses."
"Those excuses were your job, just as this one is. It's not a day trip."
"It's a multiple-day trip," Xie Jin corrected.
Bao Si's face quickly turned murderous, and Chen Haoran carefully put himself between them and looked for his errant sloth. "Xie Jin, where's Phelps? I thought you had him?"
Xie Jin raised his arms even higher. "Behold." Phelps's popped out from behind his bag. A multicolored silk hat was perched on his head and secured by two strings tied under his chin. "What do you think? I found some silk scraps and made him a travel hat."
Chen Haoran looked at Phelps, who squealed at him. It sounded like a happy squeal. He looked back at Bao Si and shrugged. "It's a nice hat."
Whatever string of control Bao Si was holding onto snapped, and she buried her face into her hands. "Just get ready, and let's go."
Chen Haoran had entered the Basin on a bone, and he was leaving it on an elevator. He stared at the contraption, partially dug into the rock walls of the Basin to hide it from view. A team of Qi Realm cultivators pushed the winches that pulled the ropes that dragged the wooden platform they were standing on straight to the top of the cliffs to a hollow mound of dirt, stones, and selectively placed trees. It was actually pretty close to the femur bone that Jiang Lei, Wang Xiao, and he used to descend into the Basin.
Xie Jin saw his surprise and elbowed him. "You didn't seriously think we used the bones to get in and out, did you?"
"Can you blame me?"
"Yes," Bao Si said, walking past him. "Moving supplies would be so much more tedious if we did that." Her Centipede Gu crawled out her sleeve and flew ahead of her. "Keep up. The sooner we get to Stonebridge, the sooner we can be on our way to Reservoir Town."
With that said, she dashed into the jungle. Xie Jin hopped after her with his Beetle Gu, mouthed something inaudible after he caught up and shot ahead. Whatever he said must've worked because Bao Si's qi spiked, and she raced after him. It didn't look as if she were content with merely passing him once she caught up, however.
Chen Haoran sighed. Phelps leaned over his shoulder and burbled. "You better stay cute, buddy," he said, scratching Phelps's chin. "Because if something happens, I'm throwing you in to defuse it."
Phelps squealed, and Chen Haoran shot off after his friends.
Chen Haoran quickly discovered that without meaning to he had developed some contempt for the Qi Realm. It was unintentional, born out of the instinctive thought of superiority everyone had and kept to themselves when they recognized they were better than someone else. It wasn't a mean thing, but he unconsciously looked down on Xie Jin's and Bao Si's little race. Why not? He could easily catch up whenever he wanted to, after all. Thankfully, in short order, he was forced to recognize that contempt, backtrack it to its source, then take it around back to be shot.
The jungles of Zumulu were unforgiving to those who did not know how to navigate them. This was true when Chen Haoran was in the Qi Realm, and it remained true after he advanced to the Liquid Meridian Realm. Despite the time he had spent in the country, he had not gotten any better at moving through the brush. So while it was true that he could easily catch up to and surpass Xie Jin and Bao Si, he would look far less elegant than them doing it and end up far more covered in plant matter. So it was with a realization of his limitations that he followed behind Xie Ji— Chen Haoran looked at Xie Jin's back, replete with large backpack, then looked at Bao Si's back. He shifted over and followed her instead.
So it was with a realization of his limitations that he followed behind Bao Si and put aside his inflating ego. Their skill in crossing the jungle was simply superior to his own. It was to the extent that they were actually traveling faster than when he traveled through the Deep Jungle with Jiang Lei. Two Liquid Meridian Realms couldn't make up for the sheer utility two Qi Realm Shamans provided. It was a humbling thought, especially because it shouldn't have been. Then again, it wasn't like the desire for power was that much different between worlds—just the form of it. A down-and-out modern person and a down-and-out cultivator were pretty similar once you got down to it. The only thing that separated them was qi… well, a bunch of other stuff too, but qi was the most important.
Multidimensional societal musing aside, the journey was smooth. No bothersome bugs, no predatory flora, and he only had to fight two giant gorillas before Daqing's rough-hewn walls came into view. Chen Haoran was a bit nervous as he passed through the gates, but under the Human-Skin Mask, the red-robed guards only spared him a glance and waved them along. Still, he felt much better once they were merged with the crowds. Tried to merge with the crowds at least.
As soon as they entered the city, Xie Jin and Bao Si switched positions, falling back to flank Chen Haoran and following him instead. For good cause, too, because as soon as the other cultivators sensed his cultivation, they stepped aside and didn't dare brush shoulders with him. The regular folk, from experience born of years surrounded by cultivators, were quick on the uptake and moved with them so that no matter where Chen Haoran walked, he was surrounded by space.
"This… is different," he said.
"This is the respect that power brings you," Xie Jin said. He walked with his chest puffed out, taking far more pride in this situation than Chen Haoran.
"Respect." Chen Haoran tested the word on his tongue and looked around to find ducked heads and averted gazes. "Is that what this is?"
"You should get accustomed to it now," Bao Si said. She wasn't as ostentatiously proud as Xie Jin, but she also moved with ease and ignored the people around her as if their making way was something natural. "It will only grow more pronounced as you reach the later Layers of the Liquid Meridian Realm."
"What makes you think I'll actually get there?"
Xie Jin and Bao Si scoffed in sync, realized what they had done, shared a distasteful glance, and looked away.
"Did I say something funny?" Chen Haoran asked.
"For you, it's a matter of when, not if," Bao Si said.
"Brother Chen, if you can't become a Ninth-Layer Liquid Meridian, then there's no hope for us," Xie Jin added.
Bao Si sneered and looked down her nose at Xie Jin. "No hope for you, perhaps. I won't be lumped in with the likes of you."
"If you want to fight, then go ahead. I'll meet you any day."
Their bickering continued all the way up until they got to the docks, and Bao Si separated from them to find a boat. When she returned, it was with an ugly expression. "The next boat leaves late tomorrow. We'll have to spend the night in the city."
"That's not too bad," Chen Haoran said.
Bao Si shook her head. "I wanted to leave the same day."
"So what," Xie Jin said, hands behind his head. "We'll just have to bother Brother Ang and Sister Jia for the night."
"Stock up on the supplies we used first," Bao Si ordered. "I don't want to waste any time tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah." Xie Jin waved her off and turned to Chen Haoran. "Si can go say hi to Brother Ang. We can go get the supplies, right Brother Chen?"
Chen Haoran awkwardly smiled. "Sorry, but there's someone I wanted to meet while we were here. You'll have to go on your own."
"Are they important?" Bao Si asked. "You're a Liquid Meridian now. You have to take your face into consideration."
She was saying one thing, but Chen Haoran knew her real meaning. If they aren't important, then don't go revealing your identity.
"Well, she's pretty important," he said. "Plus, she gave me a meal last time I was here with my friends. I'm gonna go catch up with her."
Bao Si brightened and looped her arm through his. "May I accompany you then?"
"Wait, then I'll go with you too!" Xie Jin said.
"Well, you can all come along," Chen Haoran said after giving it some thought.
Granny Jiang would probably enjoy the company.
Chen Haoran knocked three times on a vivid red door. After waiting a moment he knocked on the door again, this time four times—
"Patience, you brute!" An irate-looking Granny Jiang opened the door and glared. "Rushing an old woman like me. Have you know shame?"
"Hello, ma'am," Chen Haoran said. "I see you're still in good health."
Granny Jiang paused and squinted blind eyes. "So it's you. I was wondering who could be so rude. Now it makes sense."
"Come on. I was pretty polite last time."
Granny Jiang snorted. "And Granny Three Worm is forever young. Well, come in then. I was just about to finish dinner." She sniffed the air and coughed. "Except for the animal. I won't have it in my home."
Chen Haoran paused. He couldn't really ask her questions if Phelps was actually bothering her. He cast Xie Jin an apologetic glance. "Could you watch Phelps, please? We won't be staying long."
Xie Jin sighed. "Well. Better than repeating what happened the last time we left him alone. We'll be by the door."
Chen Haoran nodded in appreciation and entered the house with Bao Si. It looked the same as when he was last here, but it looked…. lonelier. The sat at the table, empty save for a plate and utensils set for one.
"It's good to see you're still doing well, ma'am," Chen Haoran said. "I was worried. The city got a little crazy after we left."
Granny Jiang slapped his shoulder as she set cups of hot water in front of them. "Lying brat. Don't even mention that bastard Crystal Transformation Realm to me. Not only did he wake me up from my nap, he ruined a perfectly good pot of congee. I was up all night thanks to the racket he caused."
Bao Si caught his eyes. "Normal?" she silently mouthed.
Chen Haoran smiled and nodded.
"Introduce your friend, you mannerless brat." Granny Jiang said.
"Hello, Elder," Bao Si said. "We came today to ask if you knew anything about some guests of yours."
"You mean the Peach River boys," Granny Jiang said. "I'll have to disappoint you. I don't know anything involving your cultivator business."
Bao Si's eyes narrowed. "Saying you don't know anything requires knowing what we want."
Granny Jiang hummed. "Girl, you have a beautiful voice. Will you do a blind old woman a favor and let her know your face?"
Bao Si stared hard at Granny Jiang, and through his sense, he could feel her qi tense in wait like a predator prepared to lunge. "You may."
Granny Jiang reached over and cupped Bao Si's face in her hands. With feather light touches she traced her fingers over Bao Si's eyes, nose, and lips before falling lower to her neck. Chen Haoran had to respect the way Bao Si didn't flinch or tense at all. Granny Jiang paused when her hand touched the head of Bao Si's centipede tattoo.
"A Black Bone Shaman." She exhaled heavily. "So even you nurtured hopes can bear to leave your people."
Shock bloomed on Bao Si's face, pure shock, even more than when Chen Haoran had shown her the Seven-Colored Steps of the Rainbow Stairs. That was… interesting.
Granny Jiang sighed. "In fractious Zumulu, the Peach Bloods have always been a source of unity and stability. What the Empire has done to them is tragic. That scar runs deep in those boys." She unerringly turned to Chen Haoran. "Boy Jiang and his horrible junior stayed with me for a day before leaving again. I don't know what occurred between you, but I advise you to mend bridges with Boy Jiang. He is a good young man."
"You trying to say I'm not?" Chen Haoran asked.
"Who cares about you?" Granny Jiang retorted. Even so, she looked solemn. "Be careful traveling to the Peachwine. It has become a twisted version of what it once was, and the Empire is its twisted master. You would do well to have a good young man there."
Granny Jiang's words watered a seed of thought Chen Haoran had planted back when he was first asked to go to Reservoir Town. He didn't discount her advice. Maybe he would need a good man to help him in Reservoir Town. His mind flickered to his empty connection slot.
Maybe he would have to be a bad man to help himself right now.
He had to see Chanchu.
Chapter 124: This Young Master Is Interested In Hiring
"Thank you for your time, Granny Jiang," Chen Haoran said as he and Bao Si got up to leave. They hadn't learned much from her about Jiang Lei and Wang Xiao, but it was better than nothing.
"Begone with you then," Granny Jiang said. "I've no interest in guests who don't stay for dinner."
"Well. I'll visit again if I'm ever in the area." Chen Haoran was out the door and shook his head in the negative when Xie Jin looked over.
"Wait," Granny Jiang called after him. There was the sound of shifting bones, and when she came outside, she was holding a black bone dragon statue. Xie Jin and Bao Si both frowned when they saw it.
"I thought you said you wouldn't give this to me?" Chen Haoran said.
Granny Jiang huffed. "I said I wouldn't sell it to you. I said nothing about giving it."
Chen Haoran was touched. The statue was honestly a minor thing, but receiving a gift was always nice. "Thank you," he said as he reached to take it. "I appreciate it."
Granny Jiang pulled the dragon statue away. "What are you doing?"
"I can ask you the same thing," Chen Haoran said. "Weren't you giving it to me?"
"I never said anything about giving it to you. I said I wouldn't sell it. Now I am." She held out her hand. "A hundred gold taels."
Chen Haoran laughed in disbelief. "That's extortion."
Granny Jiang glared at him with blind eyes. "So it's okay for you to extort a weak old woman like me but not the other way around, is it? Typical cultivator."
Chen Haoran shook his head but forked over a golden banknote anyway. He'd learned long ago that arguing with Granny Jiang was pointless. Plus, he wanted the statue. He cast his sense across it, and despite his hopes, it was indeed just a normal bone statue.
"Don't think I'm robbing you," Granny Jiang said. "This statue is carved from a dragon skeleton. Its value is beyond compare."
"This is a black bone." Xie Jin said, staring at Granny Jiang. "There's no dragon skeletons in the Basin."
"Oh, is there not?" Granny Jiang sounded as if she hadn't the faintest idea that was the case.
"Well, appreciate doing business with you anyway," Chen Haoran said. He idly stretched his sense over Granny Jiang once last time. Doing it as a Liquid Meridian revealed just as much as when he was a Qi Realm. Mortal and nothing more than that. "Take care of yourself."
Granny Jiang scoffed and shooed them away. "I don't need you to tell me that."
As they walked away, Bao Si leaned in and started whispering. "She's strange."
"How does a mortal get a black bone? We don't sell them," Xie Jin whispered back.
Chen Haoran held up the dragon statue and poked the Yellow Dragon.
What do you think? I've been meaning to get this for you. Well, the bigger you.
The Yellow Dragon paused in its dancing to peer at the statue. Evidently, it didn't think much of what it saw because it growled and continued dancing.
Well, maybe the Machu River would like it.
"What do you think, Brother Chen?" Xie Jin asked.
"What?" He hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. What were they talking about again? "Oh, Granny Jiang? She makes some pretty good pork broth." Honestly, he didn't even know why they were discussing it. It was obvious something was weird about her, just as it was obvious it wouldn't be good for their health to find out exactly how weird she was. He didn't lower his voice either. It wasn't like whispering would really hide their discussion.
They both looked at him.
Chen Haoran stared back. "Is now a bad moment to ask for some alone time."
The Ever Spring Pavilion had not changed much since the last time Chen Haoran visited it save that its shelves seemed fuller than they had been before. He had removed his Human-Skin Mask prior to entering so that when he entered, Chanchu immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over.
Before Chanchu even opened his mouth, he paused and solemnly clasped his hands. "Congratulations on your advancement, sir. It seems your time away has served you well."
"Well. It's alright." Chen Haoran said. "Shall we?"
"Right this way, sir."
Chanchu brought him directly to the private reception room and pulled out his fancy River King's Conquest tea and qi-rich spirit fruits as snacks.
Chen Haoran sipped the tea and hummed in approval. "The tea is still good. I'll have to buy some from you."
"Please, sir, let me give you a few bricks to celebrate your advancement. I wouldn't have been able to afford this tea without your invaluable support in any case."
Chanchu was laying it on a bit thick. While Chen Haoran's resources might have helped, it wasn't to the extent that the Ever Spring Pavilion relied on him exclusively to be successful. It was obvious why Chanchu was doing it, though. A merchant through and through, he wouldn't pass up the chance to have a close relationship with a Liquid Meridian Realm.
"I see business is doing well," Chen Haoran said. "I was worried you got caught up in that unfortunate business a few months ago."
Chanchu gently cradled his teacup. "Well, it was certainly scary, but Senior Gold-Eater, fortunately, didn't target the city, and there was only incidental damage from the aftershocks of the battle. I did have to spend a pretty penny to replace my windows."
"You know who that Crystal Transformation was?"
"Well, the Golden Lily Association is famously secretive. Senior Gold-Eater is one of their more famous executives. As the name might imply, he's obsessed with wealth. He can never pass up an opportunity to make money. He's more well-known in the Central Region, however. I myself only learned about him from my associates with partners in the Imperial Center."
Chen Haoran furrowed his brows. "Do you know why he'd cause such a commotion in the city? I was told the Empire doesn't appreciate that sort of behavior."
Chanchu shrugged. "Apparently, the Garrison was breaking up a large-scale black market auction. With the Commanders themselves making a move, I imagine Senior Gold-Eater was desperate to get away."
Chen Haoran thought back to Gold-Eater's confident posture throughout the fight with the Garrison Commanders. Desperate wasn't quite the word he'd use to describe the situation back then. Knowing that he was famous for making money helped ease Chen Haoran's worries a tad. It was more likely now that Gold-Eater gave him the Seven-Colored Steps of the Rainbow Stairs because he had some future profit in mind. While Chen Haoran didn't know what kind of profit the Crystal Transformation Realm was expecting or how he was meant to pay it, it shouldn't be life-threatening.
He stopped and considered all that had happened since Gold-Eater gave him the Heaven-Rank technique. He sipped his tea and amended his thought. It shouldn't be much more life-threatening, at least.
It was interesting to learn Gold-Eater was famous in the Central Region. If that was his normal area of operation, then it made his appearance in the South all the more curious. As well as his connection to Chen Haoran.
He sighed. "Why can't those stronger cultivators leave little guys like us alone."
Chanchu tiredly laughed. "It's the price of doing business in the Empire. Little people like us just have to do our best to keep our heads down." He set his cup down. "I don't think you visited today just to gossip, sir. How can the Ever Spring Pavilion help you today?"
"On the contrary. That gossip is what I'm interested in the most." He took out a jade box and lifted a lid, savoring Chanchu's wide-eyed shock when he recognized the Earth-Rank Meridian Cleansing Pill within it.
"I wonder if you can tell me what the price of a human life is in the Empire?"
Everlasting Hundred Blessings Charitable Prosperity
It was quite the mouthful. Gifting Power was much easier to say. Despite his desires, however, the burning golden words did not rearrange themselves into his clearly superior name.
Without the Gifting Power, Chen Haoran would be nothing. It was the only thing that let him stand apart in this world and the only thing that let him stand as a part of this world. Saying he was nothing without it wasn't perhaps accurate. Without the Gifting Power, he would be dead, plain and simple. It was his most important power and the one he knew the least about.
Who created it? What was its purpose? Where did it come from? When did he get it? Why did he have it? All were questions Chen Haoran didn't have answers to and perhaps never would. He dearly wished he did, though. If, in exchange, he never learned a single thing about the identity of his predecessor and instead learned even the basic rules of the Gifting Power, he would take that trade every time.
After hearing what Chen Haoran was looking for, Chanchu took the Earth-Rank pill and exchanged all the loose silver he had in his store upon Chen Haoran's request and made up the difference with banknotes. He and Chen Haoran then stole away from the Ever Spring Pavilion after a short discussion.
Lacking any sort of instruction manual meant Chen Haoran had to figure out the specifics of his power on his own. Unfortunately, the nature of the Gifting Power didn't make studying it easy. He needed a Connection to Gift, and he needed an official relationship to Connect to. That wasn't too much of an issue on its own. The biggest one was trust. Attempting to explore the details of the Gifting Power to the fullest would risk exposing it to the person he Connected to. That in itself was also something he wanted to try, but without the right person, it was an unnecessary risk.
When he first woke up in this world, he didn't have much other choice when he Connected with Lan Fen. It had been the best of a bad situation. Phelps was admittedly a rush decision on his part, but it was one he didn't regret, and it wasn't like Spa Cavern offered him the opportunity to find a better Connection. Now that he had a spare Connection and comparatively less pressing circumstances, he could be much more selective. That had been the plan, at least. Time was pressing, and the future was unknown. Chen Haoran would rather have power in hand now. That meant he needed a Connection now. One where he could dump all his stuff for Rewards while also testing the Gifting Power without worry. Someone he could dispose of to free up the slot for a more worthy Connection in the future.
Chanchu led him to the Snake King's Court of Scales. When the Empire had taken over the courthouse, they also took the prison attached to it. Chanchu had been frank in the face of Chen Haoran's questions. Life was cheap in the Empire. Prisoners even more so. While it wasn't anywhere near official, it was, in fact, possible to buy the lives of less important death row criminals so long as the price was right. Chen Haoran didn't really want to think of the type of demand that drove sales like that. Considering what he had been thinking of doing, however, he didn't really have the right to throw any stones.
They did not go to the Court or the prison. Chanchu ignored them entirely and brought Chen Haoran to a neighborhood where the weighty history of Daqing crushed rather than refined. The houses were the same, but the scene was of disrepair, not timelessness. Even the waters of the Skyspear failed to reflect the sky here, running sluggishly through channels and sluices choked with trash. Chanchu stopped in front of a blocky house small enough to fit in the courtyard of Chen Haoran's rented home.
"Is this the house?" Chen Haoran asked.
"Yes, sir," Chanchu said. "If he's not to your liking, then you can go to any house in this neighborhood. They all have the same circumstances."
"Alright. Thank you. I'll stop by the Ever Spring Pavilion again if I ever have time."
"I will look forward to it then. Would you like me to make an introduction?"
"No need. You can go back."
Chanchu clasped his hands and bowed. "A pleasure doing business with you again then, sir."
As he walked away, Chen Haoran whistled to get his attention and held a finger to his lips. "Mum's the word, capiche?"
Chanchu tilted his head. "I wonder what that sound was? I should finish my walk and get back to work."
"Good man."
Once Chanchu was out of sight, Chen Haoran pulled on his Human-Skin Mask and knocked on the door of the hut. A Second-Layer Qi Realm opened the door and froze stiff upon seeing Chen Haoran.
"Hello." Chen Haoran held up a contract he had Chanchu help write up. "Can I interest you in a job?"
Chapter 125: This Young Master Is A Middle Manager
The inside of the Qi Realm's house was sparse, filled with worn down and simple furniture. It was far lacking compared to the warm and colorful homes he'd been in before. The only inkling of nature was a single drooping flower in a dirty glass vase.
After being 'invited' inside, Chen Haoran claimed the only chair in the single-room home and watched the trembling Qi Realm before him. It was a fair reaction on his part. A strange Liquid Meridian Realm knocked on your door and barged into your home. Chen Haoran personally would have been terrified if that happened to him. Was, in fact, terrified when it happened to him more than once. Now the shoe was on the other foot for once, and Chen Haoran was the higher realm instilling the fear of god into someone weaker than him through his presence.
The Qi Realm steeled his nerves just long enough to finally speak. "Can I help you with something, sir?"
Chen Haoran observed him. Red eyes from lack of sleep. Thin and bony arms. Even his hair was thinning and falling out. Even for a Qi Realm of the Second Layer, to be worked into such a state required severe amounts of stress to overcome Qi's nourishing effects. He was only 32, according to Chanchu. Not that much older than Chen Haoran, and yet the difference between them was stark.
"Lin, right?" Chen Haoran said. And wasn't that a surprise? He felt an odd sense of irony that the Qi Realm shared a surname with his treacherous old manager. "Like I said. I was wondering if you were interested in a job?" He pushed the contract forward. "You can read it yourself."
Lin took the paper in hand and quickly ran down the terms, fearfully flicking his eyes to Chen Haoran after reading a paragraph until Chen Haoran finally told him to focus and read it slowly. After taking a deep breath and carefully reading through the entire contract, the Qi Realm put the paper down and looked at him with confusion and apprehension. It made sense. The contract was a standard employment agreement adapted from Chanchu's own hiring contrast with just a little change to fit Chen Haoran's specific requirements. It wasn't anything more than that—however, no outrageous terms or slave-like conditions. The compensation was actually rather hefty.
"I'm sorry, sir. I don't quite understand. Why have you asked me?"
"Why do you think?"
Lin seriously considered his answer. "Because… you saw a hidden talent within me? Or recognized my efforts."
"No, I didn't know who you were before today," Chen Haoran bluntly said. "I'm in the market for a new servant. My last one had some personality issues. I'm looking for someone desperate and down on their luck who needs a big break. Is that you, I wonder?"
Unfortunately, despite the fact that it was possible to buy prisoners outright, it wasn't something that could be done immediately, even with Chen Haoran's wealth and Chanchu's connections, not if he wanted to make it on the boat tomorrow. Chen Haoran was honestly a bit thankful for that. He was a little disgusted with himself for seriously considering the option, to begin with, as well as the question he wanted to answer doing so. Even if he got someone who deserved it, it toed the line of human experimentation just a bit too much for him. He didn't want to bloody his hands so pointlessly. So instead, he searched for the closest thing to a prisoner—a poor person.
"I've had a bad experience with my previous employees, and I need someone I can trust. Someone who owes everything to me. I've been told you're someone who could use such a thing, Lin… sorry, I never got your full name."
"Lin Nine, sir."
"Nine? That's an interesting name."
Lin Nine awkwardly smiled. "I'm the last of nine brothers."
Lin Nine was a cultivator too weak to really make a living in a city where the average level of cultivation was the Fifth and Sixth-Layer. He was too poor to leave for greener pastures and too deluded to realize he didn't have a future here. Chen Haoran's request to Chanchu had been simple. Someone weak. Someone greedy. And desperate. Who had a Wood Spirit Root. Chanchu had brought him to Lin, who'd done work for him before in various capacities as a contract worker. Chanchu's reluctance to hire him full-time was for multiple reasons, his lack of people skills, his inflexibility when it came to picking up new skills, and most importantly, Lin Nine's incessant gambling. Apparently, little Lin Nine thought he could change his life in the casino and instead accrued a rather heavy debt instead.
Chen Haoran could at least commiserate with him on that front. He, too, once tried to strike it big in a large gambling game. It was a little-known racket that went by the more official-sounding name of Stock Market. Still, Lin Nine's terrible personal situation and reactions to said situation were perfect for Chen Haoran's needs.
"It's fine if you don't want to. I'm only looking for willing people."
Lin Nine looked down. "Could I know the specifics of what I would be doing, sir?"
"You've read the contract, haven't you?"
"With all due respect, sir, paper is paper, and power is power."
Chen Haoran raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the actually had the courage to voice those words. "Paper is paper, and power is power. Those are good words. They remind me of a similar situation I was in before."
He would have been better off hearing those words when he thought a deal with Song Yuelin was enough to actually have the man on his side. Or that he would honor the annulment papers he signed with Lan Fen.
Chen Haoran crossed his legs and settled his hands in his lap. "Essentially, you'll be my direct servant. A butler, if you will. You'll be responsible for various miscellaneous tasks and will be the only one responsible for them. I don't expect you to fight or anything. Just handle day-to-day affairs."
Despite explaining it more, Lin Nine didn't look reassured at all. Chen Haoran shrugged and stood to leave. "If you don't want to, that's fine. Have a nice day."
"Wait!"
Chen Haoran deliberately kept his face blank when he turned back around. The fear of missing out was the oldest trick in the book for a reason. "Have you come to a decision?"
Lin Nine gritted his teeth and fell to his knees. "Yes. Please let me sign it, sir! "
Chen Haoran produced the ink and brush from his storage bag and handed them over. While Lin Nine was hunched over, he also took out a clothbound book.
Connection: Negative
Lin Nine signed the contract with the neatest strokes possible and, when finished, looked up at Chen Haoran with desperate eyes. Chen Haoran took the contract in hand and pretended to look it over. His eyes were reading much brighter letters, however.
Connection: Valid
With a thought, his empty second slot was filled.
Everlasting Hundred Blessings Charitable Prosperity
Pet Phelps
Servant Lin Nine
Chen Haoran smiled. "Welcome aboard, Lin."
Lin hesitantly smiled back. "It's an honor to serve you, sir."
"Well, you haven't gotten to that point yet." Chen Haoran pointedly looked Lin Nine up and down. "You're a bit lacking in several respects."
Lin Nine's relief quickly turned into horror, and he threw himself at Chen Haoran's feet. "Sir! I may not be much, but I can work! Please drive me like an ox and horse. I won't complain!"
Chen Haoran's smile faded, slain by a rather unpleasant feeling building up in his chest that was stoked by Lin Nine's earnestness. For Chen Haoran, Lin Nine was just a quick power-up. For Lin Nine, Chen Haoran was a life-altering change. He wasn't used to being the one who could casually change the trajectory of a person's life on a whim. He shook the extraneous thoughts away.
"Don't worry about it," Chen Haoran said. "No person of mine will suffer from a stagnant cultivation. That being said, it would be better for you to improve sooner rather than later." He stroked his chin as if deep in thought before snapping his fingers and handing over his storage bag. "Consider this a welcoming gift."
Lin Nine took the storage bag with trembling fingers. The bag alone was probably worth more than all his possessions combined. At Chen Haoran's urging, he opened the storage bag and gaped like a dying fish.
"S-sir," Line Nine stuttered. "I think there's been a mistake."
Chen Haoran didn't bother looking at Lin Nine, instead casually buffing his nails. "There's been no mistake."
"B-but, this is too much!"
Chen Haoran leveled Lin Nine an unamused look, and the man paled in terror. "Too much? Lin, do you know who I am?"
Nervous sweat beaded along Lin's brow. "Y-you haven't told me your name, sir."
Chen Haoran blinked. "Did you not see it in the contract?"
"Oh! I, uh, wasn't paying attention to that part."
Chen Haoran rubbed his temple. "My name is Song Yuelin. Have you heard of the Song Family before?"
"No, sir."
"I would be surprised if you did. They're so far above you that the average person isn't even worthy of hearing their name." Chen Haoran pointed to the storage bag. "To you, that may be a lot. You should disabuse yourself of thinking like that right now. Around me, things like that storage bag are chump change. I have things a hundred times better than that garbage."
"Bu-But—"
"No buts. It's a gift. A small one, in fact. That will be the least of what you can get by following me."
Lin Nine looked between Chen Haoran and the storage bag. With each passing glance, the desire in his eyes grew stronger until he finally bowed toward Chen Haoran. "Thank you, sir!"
No, Chen Haoran thought. Thank you.
Burning golden words filled Chen Haoran's eyes, and with every notification that burned itself out and faded away, another appeared to replace it.
Received Hundred-Fold: Earth-Rank Space-Expansion Storage Bag
Received Hundred-Fold: 10 million Gold Taels
Did that include the paper money? The number was a bit smaller than he was expecting.
Received Hundred-Fold: Spirit Paper
Chen Haoran really hoped that wasn't the paper money.
Received Hundred-Fold: Pure Gold Essence
From the numerous copies of that sentence, he could guess the Essence Gold came from the Gold Taels. That was a bit interesting. It only highlighted the Gifting Power's interaction with money. One silver tael became a hundred gold. One gold became gold essence. It didn't seem like there was any higher currency than gold.
Received Hundred-Fold: Numinous Pearl
Received Hundred-Fold: Ninth-Layer Liquid Meridian Sacred Elephant Tusk
Received Hundred-Fold: Earth-Rank Blossom-Picking Palm
Received Hundred-Fold: Heaven-Rank Depths of the Cloud Jungle Sutra
Received Hundred-Fold: Heaven-Rank True Reflection Mysterious Mirror Armor
Heaven-Rank. Chen Haoran tampered down his desire to immediately pull out the armor. By contrast, he was less interested in the improvement of the Lan Family's Great Rainforest Method. For him, something he could actually use, like the Earth-Rank version of the Scattering Petal Palm, was far more valuable to him.
Received Hundred-Fold: Earth-Rank Earthsplitting Axe
Received Hundred-Fold: Earth-Rank 100-thousand-refined Iron Essence Sword
The weapons he looted from the Empire soldiers who ambushed him were even more welcome than the armor. The axe, not so much. Despite his efforts, he just couldn't get the hang of it. It just felt awkward in his hands. The sword, though. How long had it been since he had a good one-handed sword? How powerful would the White Tyrant's Harmonization be when he combined such a good sword with his improved cultivation?
More Rewards messages flashed by, and he could feel his Reward Space become filled with improved cultivation resources, food, camping gear, and all the little knick-knacks he'd acquired and stuffed into his storage bag prior to this moment.
Received Hundred-Fold: Heaven-Rank Seven Luck Strides of Rainbow Heaven
Received Hundred-Fold: Heaven-Rank Seven Luck Strides of Rainbow Heaven
Received Hundred-Fold: Heaven-Rank Seven Luck Strides of Rainbow Heaven
Chen Haoran frowned. Fortunately, Lin Nine was too absorbed in his newfound wealth. The skittish man would have probably fainted had he been paying attention. Chen Haoran couldn't help it. A Heaven-Rank improved a hundred times still remained a Heaven-Rank? Did this mean that he'd reached the limit for the quality of techniques? Or was it a situation like with cultivation realms, where the next level was so far above that a mere hundred times improvement couldn't reach it?
Received Hundred-Fold: Ninth-Layer Star Core Cinnabar Dragon King Keel
Well… Granny Jiang hadn't been lying when she said her statue was carved from a dragon bone after all.
"Thank you so much, sir," Lin Nine said, bowing once more.
"Don't mention it," Chen Haoran airily replied. He reached into the storage bag and pulled out the original Seven-Colored Steps of the Rainbow Stairs and an extra he'd copied down. "I just remembered—I need these two books. You can keep the last one."
"Of course, sir." Despite his words, the reluctance was clear on Lin Nine's face as he took the techniques back.
"Don't look too sad. I've got something else for you." He handed over the clothbound book. The words Canyon Carving Sword scrawled along the front. It had been a bit of a hassle to rewrite it from memory, but having practiced the technique for so long the words seemed to spill onto the paper on their own.
As soon as the book exchanged hands, Chen Haoran's awareness of two of the Seven Luck Strides of Rainbow Heaven in his Reward space disappeared. As it did, a golden light flashed behind his eyes that he instinctively knew belonged to his second slot. The light shined like a sunbeam before shrinking and visibly dimming. That was new. Now he knew he couldn't just take back the Gifts he gave. However, that golden light that surrounded his second slot was a bit concerning. There was no notification for an improved version of the Canyon Carving Sword either. As he'd expected, the information was the important part, not the method by which it was passed on.
"What will we do now, sir?" Lin Nine asked.
"Now?" Chen Haoran put the book to the side and picked up the contract. He read it over a final time before meeting Lin Nine's eyes.
He ripped the contract in two.
"You're fired."
Chapter 126: This Young Master Contributes to Unemployment
Lin Nine's reaction was a delayed one. He looked between Chen Haoran and the torn contract. He was still processing what had happened when liquid qi spilled from Chen Haoran's hands and eviscerated the rest of the contract.
Lin Nine flinched and held the storage bag in a white-knuckled grip. "Sir? I don't understand what's going on."
Chen Haoran shook away the paper scraps and let them drift to the floor. "What's there to understand? I said you're fired."
Line Nine fell to the floor and prostrated himself. "I sincerely apologize if I displeased you in any way, sir! Please give me another chance!"
Despite ripping up the contract, there wasn't any change in the Connection's status. It looked like it would have to lay it on thicker. Chen Haoran shook his head. "It's not meant to be. I didn't notice before, but you have the same name as my last weasel of a manager. Looking at you and I only see his rat-like face. Don't hold any hope of being my servant anymore."
"Sir, please!"
Chen Haoran flexed a bit a qi. It was nowhere near the full extent of what he could bring to bear, less even than what he mustered as a Qi Realm, but just the promise implied in raising his Qi was enough to make Lin Nine turn several different shades of pale.
Lin Nine trembled and pressed his head to the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He pushed the storage bag forward. "Please spare me."
The golden light around the second slot dimmed further, and the Connection finally broke. The light was definitely new, or a least this was the first time he did something that affected it. It certainly hadn't appeared when he and Lan Fen annulled their marriage. It was easy to figure out why. She wanted to do it and took the initiative in dissolving the relationship, not him. What he could tell right now was that if he did things that went against the nature of the Gifting Power or against the wishes of the Connection then he'd lose gold light. The consequences of that were unknown, however. When he tried to focus on the slot, he couldn't feel anything different about it. He could, on the other hand, feel an almost animal-like instinct telling him that running out of the golden light wouldn't be good for it.
"Keep it," Chen Haoran said. Now wasn't a time to theorize. "I'm not so poor that I need to take gifts back." He turned and walked out the door, pausing just long enough to look over his shoulder at the still-prostrate Lin. "Word of advice. Pay off your debts and skip town."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you."
Chen Haoran shut the door behind him, but he could still hear Lin Nine's repeated thanks. This was the reality of a higher realm interacting with a lower one. Any and every innocuous action he took was treated as a matter of life and death by Lin Nine. Chen Haoran's lips twisted into something that was at once ironic and self-deprecating. Even if it had been to help his act and ensure everything went smoothly, he had still become a cultivator of the like that had been constantly terrorizing him. Without his Gifting Power, he had no doubt he'd still be like Lin Nine right now. Perhaps even for the rest of his life. No, perhaps he was still no different than Lin Nine.
In the face of higher powers, Chen Haoran would be bowing right next to him.
The ferry they would use to travel up the Skyspear was much larger than the one he and Xie Jin used to travel the Machu River. Four hundred feet from bow to stern. Chen Haoran couldn't find it in himself to admire it, though. Especially now when he was confident he could break the boat over his knee. At least Phelps seemed to enjoy it though he liked everything he'd never seen before. It was an honest, admirable curiosity.
Chen Haoran ran his hand along the silver-grey fabric of his new storage bag before opening it up and pretending to pull a Fathomless Pond pill from it to pop into his mouth. The Yellow Dragon was quick to snatch up the pill and began refining its energy without any further input from Chen Haoran, allowing him to leisurely gaze out at the mirror waters of the Skyspear while his cultivation grew.
"You alright, Brother Chen?" Xie Jin asked. He had come back from placing his luggage in their shared room. An issue Chen Haoran never had to bother with again now that he was effectively carrying a house-sized storage locker on his hip.
"I'm alright," Chen Haoran said. "Is it that obvious?"
Xie Jin leaned over the railing. "A little bit. It doesn't seem you enjoyed your alone time."
"Well. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fun either."
"Bao Si tried following you," Xie Jin said. "I stopped her, though."
Chen rubbed Phelps's head. "Did she now?"
Xie Jin frowned. "You're not bothered by that? You wanted to be alone."
Chen Haoran shrugged. "I left on my own to do something I wouldn't elaborate on while we're traveling to deliver an important message. Checking to see what I'm doing is just being responsible, especially since Bao Si is being groomed for leadership. I'm not surprised she would."
"I figured you would be upset," Xie Jin said.
"I try to look at things from other people's points of view." Chen Haoran raised his eyes. "Did you want me to be upset?"
"No! That's not— I mean."
Chen Haoran clapped Xie Jin on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'd be singing a different tune if I actually found her following me. I can be this casual about it now because you stopped her. Thank you."
"Talking about me?" Bao Si rested her chin on Chen Haoran's shoulder. Her breath tickled his ear. "All good things, I hope?"
Xie Jin sneered. "Is there any good thing to say about you?"
"Plenty of things," Bao Si said. She passed her arm under Chen Haoran's own and began ticking off her fingers. "I'm talented, powerful, of good background, beautiful and beautiful."
"You repeated yourself," Xie Jin said.
"Good things come in pairs," Bao Si quipped.
A small laugh escaped Chen Haoran.
Bao Si smiled. "See? Someone gets it."
Xie Jin shook his head in disappointment. Bao Si wrapped her arms around Chen Haoran. "I hope I didn't offend."
"What will you do if you did?" Chen Haoran asked.
"I wonder," Bao Si mused. Her hand slid up his chest while her lips pressed close to whisper in his ear. "I decided to make a nightgown out of the Moon Moth Silk. I brought it along if you'd ever like to see it."
Chen Haoran chuckled and took her hand in his own. "The walls of the boat are too thin for something like that."
Xie Jin, who had clearly heard every word of what had been said, turned green. "I'm going to be sick."
Bao Si sighed. "We really let a child come with us, didn't we? I should have tried harder to convince Grandpa to keep you behind."
Xie Jin scoffed. "As if that would have stopped me. You think I would have let you guys go without me."
Bao Si narrowed her eyes but held her tongue.
"By the way," Chen Haoran said. "I think Granny Jiang was telling the truth about that statue being carved from dragon bone. She's not someone who would lie like that."
Xie Jin drummed his fingers along the railing. "Like I said before, there is no dragon skeleton in the Basin. And the Basin is the only place you can find black bones."
"There's not even legends or anything like that?" Chen Haoran asked.
"Not in the Basin," Bao Si said. "Or anywhere else, for that matter. True Dragons haven't been seen in the South for millennia. They were hunted to extinction long ago. Around the same time as the Cavalry Spiders, I believe. They're just too valuable."
Xie Jin shook his head. "You're wrong. The Snake King killed one."
"That was a Flood Dragon, and it wasn't even a native one. I would hardly count it."
"A Flood Dragon is still a dragon. It's not a Dragon-blooded beast you just pick up on the road."
"Still—"
Chen Haoran tuned out the resulting debate. He didn't think Xie Jin and Bao Si were lying, but they clearly weren't right either. He had the evidence in his Reward space. Either there was a dragon skeleton in the Basin that neither knew about, or else there were other black bones in Zumulu. A part of him itched to pull out the dragon keel to see how the Yellow Dragon reacted to it, but he held back. Not only was this not the right place, but he also didn't think something as prideful as the Yellow Dragon would tolerate another dragon very well.
All in due time, he supposed. He had plenty of other Rewards to play with in the meantime.
"Wait, Bao Si, what the fuck is a Cavalry Spider?"
"Well, it was a giant horse-sized spider."
"Oh, hell no."
The Skyspear was thankfully a much less eventful trip than going down the Machu River was. That did not mean nothing happened. That would be too strange for Zumulu where normal was transparent jellyfish the color of the sky floating out of the water to surround the ship and were treated as a minor inconvenience. Where passing by a spike-covered tree impaled with screaming fish while the Kingfisher Bird responsible looked upon its butcher work with a grim eye was considered a passing curio. Of course, one couldn't just sail a jungle river without mentioning the swarms of flying feathered piranhas. The new insane creations of nature made Chen Haoran quite glad for the times they met the insanities he was used to, like Hell Bugs.
Compared to the Machu River, however, it was smooth sailing. The Skyspear made no indication that it would suddenly come to life and want to speak to him. On the scale of sentient river, things like unique fauna and flora were barely worth mentioning. When Chen Haoran didn't want to wait for the professionals aboard the ship to deal with various situations, he just flexed his qi and solved it himself. Otherwise, he just popped his pills and watched the sailors do their work, and Xie Jin rob them of the wages from said work through dice games.
While the Yellow Dragon processed the last of his Earth-Rank pills, he began switching over from the Scattering Petal Palm to the Blossom-Picking Palm. He passed the days away in this manner until the boat finally docked at Bendwater. The name was an interesting one in that it wasn't interesting at all. The town was built at the bend in the water. That was it. There wasn't much to say about it and even less reason to stay in the town, so as soon as they made the necessary resupply, Bao Si drove him and Xie Jin into the jungle.
Outside, the town was far more interesting in that it was the first time he had seen the jungle cower. Large areas had been clearcut to open up farmland of barely oats and turnips. It was the largest open flat space he'd seen in Zumulu at this time. Xie Jin quickly informed in of the reason why. The jungles around this part of Zumulu were considered temperate. Not for its temperature, it was still the same blistering humid heat, but for its nature. The Deep Jungle this place was not, and the danger was considerably lowered as a result. It was due to this that they traveled through it even faster. Shamans and Liquid Meridians made a potent combination for travel.
It was in this way that Chen Haoran finally laid eyes on the graveyard that used to be the Peachwine River.
Chapter 127: This Young Master And The Crippled River
Chen Haoran had some expectations for the Peachwine River. He'd expected something grand from what he'd been told of it. Something special even among the unique phenomena of Zumulu. A scenery worthy of a river whose poisonous waters cultivators supped for power. What he found instead was dry, cracked earth lined with the twisted corpses of grey trees. Clouds of dust were blown up by the wind and sent hurtling down the dead highway. Surrounded by all the water of Zumulu, the Peachwine was a long parched scar among the lush green jungle.
"Surprised?" Xie Jin asked. His gaze was somber.
"This… isn't what I was expecting," Chen Haoran admitted. "This is the Peachwine?"
The wind shifted and blew a dust cloud directly into his face, coating him entirely. Behind him, Phelps continuously sneezed.
"From the western mountains to Dawn Lake," Xie Jin said. "That's a quote, by the way. In its heyday, it described the breadth of civilization along the river. Now… well, you'll see it soon enough."
They followed the desiccated riverbed in the direction that would have once been called upriver had water still flowed through it. It wasn't long before Chen Haoran discovered exactly what Xie Jin had been referring to—a city. Straddling both sides of the Peachwine, its organized stone foundations, and fine brickwork impressed on him a sense of timeless grandeur the same as Daqing. The city would have been a considerable metropolis at its height. Now it was as much of a husk as the Peachwine was. Two sets of grand walls were shattered to their bases. Homes from the grandest mansions to the humblest hovel were smashed and burned out. Out of the remaining walls and ruins that still stood, none were unmarred, gouged with blades, and black with scorch marks. As Chen Haoran's sense touched the rubble, something contained within them reached back out, and his head was suddenly filled with blood.
Phelps squealed in surprise as Chen Haoran recoiled. His mind went red, and he struggled for air as his nose and mouth were filled with the taste of iron. No matter how much he coughed and spat, however, no blood left him. The Yellow Dragon roared, and the cloud of blood in his mind dissipated. Chen Haoran marshaled his qi to flush out the lingering blood sensation and looked at the city in horror.
"Are you alright?" Bao Si asked.
Chen Haoran wiped his mouth and stepped back. "What the hell happened here?"
"The Empire cleaning up loose ends," Xie Jin grimly answered.
Chen Haoran grimaced. The answer was obvious. The Empire had conquered Zumulu. He knew that. The fact there would be places that never recovered was also something he knew. He'd seen the state of Snake's End, after all. It was not as bad as here, however. What sort of massacre occurred in this city to make even the stones remember the carnage?
"The Peachwine was home to the first cities in Zumulu," Xie Jin said. "At one point, it actually had the densest population of cultivators in the world. Even the Central Region paled in comparison."
Bao Si sighed. "Here we go."
Xie Jin shot her a dirty look but continued. "The Peachwine actually has another name—the Kingmaker. The Peachblood tribes have created many powerful Peach River Kingdoms and served as the backbone for many others. There wasn't a city on the river that hadn't been a royal capital at one point or another. Even the Snake King had another capital here. It's not wrong to say that if a king wanted to rule Zumulu, he had to have the support of the Peachbloods."
"He does this a lot, you see," Bao Si explained. "Always going onto history tangents. It would be cute if he did it because he liked it, but he just does it to feel special."
Xie Jin glared at her. "Do you mind? And I actually like history, thank you."
"You only like the parts that make you feel good," Bao Si said. She yawned. "Anyway, get to the point."
"I am explaining the context to Brother Chen," Xie Jin said through gritted teeth. "As I was saying. Rulers needed the Peachbloods, and the Empire was no exception. The Peachblood tribes were at the center of the resistance against the Empire's invasion, and so they suffered the brunt of its retaliation. Their cities were all leveled, and their populations were forcibly relocated to Reservoir Town. And the Peachwine…" Xie Jin waved his hand across the dry riverbed. "You can guess what happened."
"Yeah," Chen Haoran said. "I can guess." Reservoir Town implied the existence of a reservoir, and where there was a reservoir, there was a dam.
Traveling up the ruined Peachwine was already a mood-killer. Running face-first into the remnant grievances of a 400-year-old mass murder pretty solidly put a block on any good feelings Chen Haoran had left. Their travel only revealed more devastation. Whole forests of peach trees that would have once filled the Peachwine with their petals now stood dead, killed by thirst for water that no longer flowed. Indeed whatever the Empire did to block the Peachwine blocked any water at all from touching it. Even when it rained, the riverbed remained dry and cracked while the water disappeared. Worse still were the skeletons of burned-out cities, some similar in size to the first one they discovered. Others were far larger than Daqing. One city was so big that it took them an entire day of running before they left its limits.
All of the ruins screamed with blood under Chen Haoran's sense. Before the war, they would have been filled with more cultivators than non-cultivators. Regular imbibing of the Peachwine's waters ensured even the poorest had some form of cultivation. It meant that each city was built with thousands of hands far beyond mundane tools. Unfortunately, it also meant that when so many died in such a short time at once, their desperate qi sank into the earth and never quite left.
Traveling the Peachwine was, in all, a sobering experience, almost as sobering as his arrival to this world.
Somehow it still didn't prepare him for Reservoir Town.
They didn't go directly to Reservoir Town. Under Bao Si's direction, they took a detour and swung around it to a nearby town, where they washed away the dust from their travels and purchased a carriage. Bao Si and Xie Jin also took this time to remove their bones and swap them for plain white bone bracelets. Bao Si had been well-prepared for this, having forgone her black hair beads for a while now and slipped off her bracelets and bangles. Her black centipede tattoo unexpectedly writhed and shifted, the head slowly falling beneath her collar and becoming hidden from view. Xie Jin had much more hesitation in removing his armbands but eventually did and, in a move that shocked him, actually handed them over to Chen Haoran to keep in his storage bag.
"It's either you or Si. It's not much of a choice," Xie Jin joked. Despite that, Chen Haoran knew enough about how important the bones were to recognize how significant Xie Jin's action was.
Connection: Negative
As per usual, the Gifting Power didn't agree.
"Be prepared," Bao Si warned. Xie Jin's bone handover had led to a look of surprise from her that she quickly schooled. "Chen Haoran, you will be taking the lead. They don't scrutinize foreigners here as heavily. You will be a well-off visitor coming to sample the shops here. Jin and I will be your servants."
"You're not going to be wearing Human-Skin Masks?" Chen Haoran asked. "Xie Jin is fine, but you're pretty unforgettable."
Xie Jin laughed. "Hear that, Si? Whose looks are causing problems now?" He laughed again before frowning as realization dawned. "Wait."
Bao Si smiled and shook her head. "Thank you for the compliment, but it's an unnecessary risk. We won't be able to hide from a Liquid Meridian's perception. Besides, I'm a beautiful woman accompanying a more powerful man. Who do you think people will remember?"
Chen Haoran conceded the point. "You are sure that a Liquid Meridian won't see through my mask, right?"
"You'll be fine," Bao Si said. "We can't because we're in the Qi Realm. You, on the other hand, can hide from a Ninth-Layer Liquid Meridian."
"What about a Crystal Transformation Realm?"
"The mask won't help. It's not really a problem, though. If a Crystal Transformation is studying you closely enough to discover that, then things have devolved enough that being discovered is irrelevant. Fortunately, a Crystal Transformation Realm has better things to do than monitor duty." Bao Si donned a veil of black silk and entered the carriage. "Jin, you'll drive."
Chen Haoran and Xie Jin shared a look.
"You do know how to drive a carriage, right?"
"Shut up and get on."
Chen Haoran's first thought seeing Reservoir Town was that someone must have had a lot of fun with the name. Reservoir Fortress would have been more appropriate. A city-sized fortress, in fact. He cycled qi to his eyes and could see two tall and thick walls circling the city. One short and another taller one behind it. Along the walls patrolled red armored soldiers with glinting weapons. More were arrayed below around the gates where a long line of people and carriages had formed.
Somehow though, Reservoir Town was the least interesting thing about itself. Just next to it and the line of people was a pyramid of silver skulls. Chen Haoran wasn't close enough to use his sense to count just how many skulls made up the pyramid, but even if he was, he doubted he could. The pyramid was larger than the range of Chen Haoran's sense at its base and taller than the tallest wall of Reservoir Town.
"The Sunset Emperor's work," Bao Si whispered, the disgust clear in her tone. "He wanted to add his own skeleton to the boneyards of the South. At least a million skulls were gathered and dipped in molten silver to create that monstrosity. The Sunset Emperor personally erected it such that normal means can't destroy it."
Chen Haoran turned away from the macabre monument and got his first look at the Peachwine River or, rather, Peachwine Reservoir. It was a soft pink color with a reddish undertone as if the whole river was one ripe peach. He could smell the scent of peaches in the air as if he'd wandered directly into an orchard though there was nary a peach tree in sight. The Reservoir itself was better compared to a great lake, ringed on all sides by tall watch towers. More watch towers could be seen in the distance upriver as if the Empire was guarding the entire Peachwine against thieves.
The dam was at once a dam and not. It certainly did its part in preventing the flow of the river and creating the reservoir, but at the same time, it was not at all what Chen Haoran knew a dam to look like. Where he had been expecting something like the Hoover or Three Gorges dam, he instead found himself incomprehensibly staring at a massive stone hand. Rather than being built it looked as if some titanic statue had chopped the Peachwine River in half and cupped the reservoir. That in itself wouldn't be so bad if Chen Haoran didn't recognize the hand. It hadn't been that long ago since he'd been stunned by one just like it.
"The Mountain General," Chen Haoran said.
"You saw his work at White Ridge, yes?" Bao Si asked. "The Sunset Emperor had no general more loyal. All his most important tasks fell to the Mountain General. The taming of Zumulu was just one of them."
It was no wonder Xie Jin said the Mountain General was so hated in Zumulu for so long. With such a constant reminder staring people in the face, it was no surprise they'd still be nursing that grudge 400 years later.
Under the shadow of a million staring skulls, they slowly advanced through the line until it was their turn to be inspected. Two Seventh-Layer Qi Realms approached the carriage, and Chen Haoran could feel their senses inspect Xie Jin and the body of the carriage. Another more powerful sense descended as they did, and Chen Haoran forced himself not to tense. As a Qi Realm, he discovered Jiang Lei's sensing based on a feeling. After his advancement to Liquid Meridian Realm, that feeling became a proper way to discern the senses of others. If he had to describe it, then it would be like how one could sometimes feel another person staring at them even when one wasn't looking. If a cultivator sensing him was bad at it or lacked subtlety, then Chen Haoran could notice it. If they were actually good at watching without being spotted and looked away before he could sense them, then it would be much harder for Chen Haoran to find them.
The Liquid Meridian sensing the carriage made no attempt to hide what he was doing or that he was focusing on Chen Haoran. Eventually, however, the guard's sense fell away. Before Chen Haoran could breathe a sigh of relief, there was a knock at the carriage door.
Bao Si opened the window, and the Qi Realm guard peered through. Feeling Chen Haoran's cultivation, he became more respectful and saluted. "Greetings, sir. May I ask what the purpose of your visit is and how long you plan to stay?"
"I'm here to purchase cultivation materials and attend some exchanges. I'll be staying for the week," Chen Haoran said.
"I see," said the guard. Behind him, his partner was jotting down on the pad of paper in his hand. The guard cast a cursory glance at Phelps, then looked up at Bao Si and frowned. "Remove your veil."
Bao Si glanced back at Chen Haoran. He nodded his assent. When she removed the veil, the guard whistled. "What a beauty."
Chen Haoran frowned and leaked a little bit of qi. "Where do you think you're looking?"
The guard paled and stepped back. "My apologies, senior."
Chen Haoran snorted, and Bao Si put her veil back on. "Don't think I'm bullying the weak." He snapped his fingers.
Xie Jin took out a small pouch and tossed it to the guard. The guard weighed it, and after opening it up and finding it all gold taels, grinned. "Not a problem, sir. I'll get you out of here quickly."
True to his word, the guard had their entry pass stamped and brought over with the length of stay and their party number all filled in. They would need the pass if they wanted to smoothly leave Reservoir Town in the future. The inspection finished, they were waved through, and Chen Haoran sank heavily into the seat.
"Well done," Bao Si quietly said.
"Thank you," Chen Haoran replied.
A pungent smell broke over the scent of peaches, and Chen Haoran looked out the window to see six swinging corpses hanging over the wall inside Reservoir Town.
He'd just been having all sorts of wonderful first impressions today.
Chapter 128: This Young Master In Reservoir Town
Reservoir Town was, in many ways, even busier than Stonebridge. The streets were packed with carriages and people from local laborers to merchants from far afield. Warehouses, depots, and markets were hives of activities. Trains of carts strained under heavy loads of cereals, fruits, and exotic goods native to Zumulu. Cattle drivers herded ten-foot-tall cows into pens to be allotted and prepared for shipping up the Peachwine. Patrols of red-clothed soldiers stood at what seemed like every other corner. They stood and casually conversed, but vigilant eyes and senses regularly swept over the crowds.
Outnumbering everyone were the Peachbloods. Like the rest of Zumulu, they decorated themselves in bones. Peaches were a predominant motif, either carved into medallions or small charms that dangled from bracelets and earrings. Some even thread small chains of peach blossoms around their bones. To Chen Haoran's sense, their qi was incredibly uniform. Oh, there were differences, of course. Some larger, some smaller. Some firm. Some shaky. No two cultivators qi could be exactly alike. Their shared roots were obvious; however, all around him was peach-colored qi as far as his sense could stretch.
Bao Si had Xie Jin bring the carriage around to an inn a bit away from the main roads and business districts. It was a place not frequented by foreign visitors to the city and was much closer to local housing. They didn't speak until the horses were put up in the inn's stable, and they closed the door of their room. Chen Haoran swept the room with his sense as Xie Jin and Bao Si did the same with their Gu. Only after making sure it was all clear did they finally relax.
"I hate this place," Xie Jin muttered, collapsing onto the bed. "All these people and not a speck of life."
Chen Haoran let go of Phelps, who flew to claim the other end of Xie Jin's bed while he wandered over to the window and peered outside. In front of the inn was a fountain guarded by several soldiers. A long line of people had formed, all holding the same canteens and quietly waiting. Suddenly the fountain began spouting with peach-colored water. The line stirred and, following the soldiers' sharp command, began to step up one by one to present papers to the soldiers. The soldiers carefully scanned the documents before stamping them and allowing the people to fill their canteens.
"The Peachwine is both a blessing and a curse to the Peachbloods," Bao Si said, joining him at the window. "For them, there is no better cultivation supplement. At the same time, it is their only one."
"It's the reason the Peach River Kingdoms never expanded very far," Xie Jin said, not bothering to get up from the bed. "They had the biggest and most organized armies of cultivators to conquer whatever they wanted but could never actually secure them. The price to convince an army of Peachbloods to stay away from the Peachwine and hinder their cultivation for longer than a year was just too expensive."
Down below, the soldiers evidently weren't satisfied with whatever they saw in the document an older man had given them. The leader ripped the document before the man's horrified eyes and, heedless of his pleading, motioned his subordinates to beat the man back to the line with the butts of their spears. Being among his fellows didn't prove any better for the man, though, as the next people in line quickly seized him by his collar and tossed him away, shouting and cursing as they ran the man out of the square. One of them picked up the man's fallen canteen and, after receiving a nod from the leader, filled both under the envious eyes of the others.
Bao Si watched the drama without pity. "No price but their cultivation itself. It's not as if it's a new idea. Some of the bloodiest wars in Zumulu's history were fought between the Orchard cities trying to control the flow of the Peachwine. The Empire just successfully put to practice what the warlords could only dream of. There are more watchtowers and formations all along the Upper Peachwine. No Peachblood is allowed to come near the river and can only receive a water quota."
"I take it some people get a bigger quota than others," Chen Haoran said.
"Yes," Bao Si said. "Effective, isn't it? Pitting Peachblood against Peachblood, then pitting both against Zumulu. Say what you will about the Empire. They don't do things by halves."
Xie Jin made a disgusted sound. "So when are we meeting these people."
Bao Si removed her veil and sat on the other bed. "They said they would find us."
"Great, and how long is that going to take? I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."
Chen Haoran leaned against the window. "Probably until they decide their point has sunk in."
Xie Jin looked at him with confusion. "What?"
Chen Haoran hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the water line. "Even if this inn isn't associated with Jiang Lei's group, which I doubt, it was chosen for a reason."
"You think they want us to pity the Peachbloods?" Xie Jin asked.
Chen Haoran shrugged. "Maybe. But this whole situation reeks of being a display of power. The resources are being controlled, and the whole city and being monitored by the Empire, and yet here we are. Having a meeting with a group whose members should have been totally dependent on the Empire's subsidies right under its nose. The longer we stay here, the more we're going to think about that."
Bao Si looked at him approvingly. "Well said, Chen Haoran. It's nice to know there's someone else here who can use their head."
"Are you going to be alright?" Chen Haoran asked her. "Whatever they ask you will probably be pretty heavy."
Bao Si smiled. "Do not worry. Behind me is my master and the whole of the Basin. No matter what happens, there are taller shoulders to hold up the sky." She leaned back onto the bed and held her hands out invitingly. "What you should be more concerned with is which bed you'll be sleeping in tonight."
Xie Jin perked up with a far too serious look for the ridiculous topic. "We're here for business, not pleasure. Obviously, Brother Chen should bunk with me."
"You move too much in your sleep," Bao Si said, with a teasing smile. "He'll be much more comfortable with me."
"Can't we just get another room?" Chen Haoran asked
"Do you really want to be separated here?" Bao Si asked. "Even if only by a wall?"
Chen Haoran didn't have an immediate response to that. She wasn't wrong, but he didn't want to say she was right either.
"Brother Chen, she's lying to you about being comfortable," Xie Jin righteously said. "I napped with her as a child. She wraps around you and practically suffocates you when she's sleeping. I swear to you she hasn't changed."
"Is that a bad thing?"—is a thought Chen Haoran absolutely didn't have. Instead, he was left torn and beside himself with having to choose between his two friends and—
"Bao Si, move over."
"Brother Chen, you traitor."
They were left waiting over the next three days with nothing to do but keep up the pretense of their reason for being in Reservoir Town. The shops weren't actually all that useful, being smaller and more directed at serving the residents of the city itself. The real interesting items were in the hands of agents who bought them directly from producers and gatherers across Zumulu on behalf of foreign merchants who then picked them up in Reservoir Town. That meant a lot of haggling with various agents and merchants just to get access to any excess they might have on hand.
Fortunately for Chen Haoran, he was quite flush with cash on hand, which proved once again that money was his greatest superpower. Through it, he filled his new storage bag with heaps of cultivation supplements. The good stuff, not the weak Qi realm herbs he'd been using before. The kind that required him to be led to a backroom before the dealer would bring out their product….
….when put like that, it sounded as if he was doing drugs. It wasn't quite the same, though. He was taking plant-based substances in order to benefit from a specific effect that arose from imbibing them. That they happened to be in the form of pellets and pills was coincidental. Chen Haoran ran with that train of thought up until he was handing over a stack of golden banknotes to purchase a plant whose smoke would relax one's meridians once breathed in.
"Is this world making me a drug addict?"
That aside, his shopping had more uses beyond satisfying his cultivation high. There would be no one that knew the state of the official road better than the people who traveled it regularly. Fortunately for his odds of leaving Zumulu safely, none of the merchants he spoke to mentioned any increases in the security of the road. It was a bit of a risk of course to leave by the official road, but the Snake's Mouth had few enough travelers that it would be easy for the Garrison to monitor. Likewise, trying to travel through the jungle and cross the border risked running into border guards who'd no doubt have some very pointed questions for him.
The market districts also illuminated the facets of Imperial rule in Zumulu. Peachbloods filled various labor roles, loading and unloading goods, moving crates, and herding cows. That wasn't the only thing they did. Chen Haoran saw a surprising number serving as guards. Not only that, despite what he assumed, there were plenty of Liquid Meridian Realm Peachbloods, more even than he had seen in Stonebridge.
"Does the Empire have to fear Liquid Meridians?" Bao Si told him when he asked after they returned to the inn. "Not only Liquid Meridians, there are Crystal Transformation Realms as well. The higher realm cultivators are what make this operation worth it. The Empire would have to invest far more resources than they currently do to administrate Zumulu otherwise."
"Without Peachblood enforcers and overseers, the Pacification Committee would be even more of a paper tiger than it already is," Xie Jin muttered.
"When you say Pacification Committee…" Chen Haoran trailed off.
"Local allies of the Empire charged with fostering good relations with the various powers, creating policy to boost the economy following the war, and ensuring the smooth transition of Zumulu into the Empire." Bao Si punctuated every point with a heavy sardonic tone that revealed her real thoughts on the matter. "Zumulu isn't actually an official province. It's a 'Special Autonomous Zone' administrated jointly between the Military and Pacification Commissioner."
Xie Jin sneered. "In reality, Meng Huo would sooner let the Military Commissioner use his crown as a toothpick than actually stand up to him."
"Crown? Is he a king?" Chen Haoran asked.
"He was a king," Xie Jin said. "Before the Sunset Emperor broke his army and his pride, and had him bend the knee."
Bao Si rolled her eyes. "He is a king still. The King of Southern Tranquility."
"According to the Empire, maybe. He's no real Southern king."
Bao Si snorted but didn't contest the point. "Regardless, he's still a Star Core Realm. One of the two in the South."
"The other being the Military Commissioner," Chen Haoran said.
"Catching on quick, are we?" Xie Jin sarcastically asked.
Chen Haoran flipped him off and looked at Bao Si. "That being the case. How the hell do these people expect to stand a chance?"
Bao Si's smile became sharp with politeness. "A very good question. Shall we ask them?"
All three of them turned to the door. A knock sounded once. Twice. Three times. Then the visitor opened the door. He was decked in a pure white robe with a sky-blue scabbard at his waist. He returned their gazes, expressionless.
Chen Haoran folded his arms across his chest.
"Hello, Jiang Lei."