Chapitre 59: Chapter 59 - To Zadana.
The squad saddled the horses, joined an escort of seven cavalrymen, led by a Foundation stage officer, and pierced into the steppe.
The soldiers weren't awfully chatty, and there was no one to break the ice. Well, Xin thought, Su Xing would be a person to do this, but I killed him. This thought scared the young man, as he realised that he treated Su Xing's death as a minor inconvenience, not a tragedy. How am I so desensitised already? Is this how people get ruined by war? What should I even do, if this is the case? Whatever.
The tall dark yellow grass of the steppe, wet and glimmering under an orange sunset, was a beautiful sight to behold, but it grew stale after a day of travel. Both rural and urban folk, who weren't used to this environment, would soon feel oppressed by the vastness of an open plain, lacking the feeling of progression one was making and landmarks to focus their gaze on.
The morale of the caravan was suboptimal at best. It was nice having an escort, and it was great to travel in a safer part of the region. Still, after the brutal slaughter of the past few days, most people were anxious for a sudden attack or other mishaps.
Eventually, the group met another caravan, heading towards the fortress they came from. The escort traveled forward and checked their documents, while collecting intel about the road safety. Apparently, nothing of note happened, and the road to Zadana was relatively peaceful.
Xin caught himself feeling strange, and called up Wu Lei:
"Hey, brother, you know what's weird?"
"Shoot it."
"The officer said that the road is safe, and that we can travel peacefully. Somehow, instead of feeling relieved, I got disappointed. A weird feeling, it's not like I want something bad to happen to us, you know?"
Lei stirred Xin's horse by its reins, pulling them both aside, and lowered his voice:
"Shit. I know what you're talking about. This drives me down the memory lane. Let's just say, when I was ten, and just joined the guild, there was this guy, a handler in the guild, he got drunk every time the work week ended, came to our hideout and beat me up. If I wasn't there, he'd find me later and beat me up even worse for avoiding him. One day, he got so drunk, he didn't come. And you know what I felt?"
"You felt like something's wrong?"
"Well, of course. I felt like a part of me wants to be beaten up, you know? Weird stuff."
"Huh? Are you a masochist? I don't get it." Xin tried to open his mind. Lei's mental quirk made him puzzled as he tried to relate it to his own situation.
"It's not like that, let me explain. At first I tried doing a good job, earning more. Tried getting this guy to like me, tried subtly complaining to the higher-ups. Nothing worked, really." He sighed.
"So, what happened? How did you solve this?"
"I am not sure I did. I just got beaten up, once a week, on schedule. One day when he got too drunk to beat me up and fell asleep, I felt so stressed that I poked my arm with a knife. Feels fucked up to say now. Why did I feel like that? I guess when I got beaten up, I could have a few days of peace. Maybe that's why I was disappointed when he didn't come. Couldn't relax."
"And after a few days of peace, you were anxious about the end of the week again, right?"
"Right." Lei nodded.
"So, what happened next?"
"You'll never believe this. He found someone else to beat up. And I felt jealous."
"The fuck? Jealous?"
"Yeah, I even requested that he doesn't touch her anymore, just to shield her. He ignored me. But there was also some envy. You know, a guy leaves you broken, and then abandons you. Like you aren't even worthy of being abused."
Xin felt something grip at his chest. This was out of the blue. Not something he expected to hear when he shared his feelings.
"You said 'her', who was she?"
"You know her, Jia Li."
"Oh. That puts some things she said into context... And what about that guy?"
"Luckily for us, he started doing heavy drugs. He started disappearing more, and you know, I finally had some time to dedicate to martial arts training. I spent all the money I've earned on different schools. Even managed to find an inheritance, the one with my Lava Spit. I trained hard to never be in that situation again. And you know what? The guy decided to check out!"
"Check out of what? The guild?"
"Life, you dummy. Had a heart attack, they say. I spat lava on his corpse during his funeral. Burnt my mouth and throat, was a pathetic spit, to be honest. A few little melting drops. Got beaten up for that. Hehe."
Xin felt a bit overwhelmed.
"Lei, I don't know what to say, so I decided to say 'I don't know what to say'. That okay with you?"
"Well, I can tell that you listened. I don't need you to say anything, it's good to have someone I can share it with who'll get me, you know?"
"Right. Look, you're stronger now. Much stronger. You can protect yourself, and you can protect others, if you have strength to spare. I'll soon be joining you at rank one."
"No doubts about that. I'll shield you from Tu Qiang for now. Just... Don't start this shit again, it was uncalled for. The other guys are also pissed at you a bit. Have you noticed, though?" He pointed at the girls riding with them, on the other wing of their formation.
"Noticed what?"
"Yao Nang, she's giving you the look. All the time."
"Yeah, that evil side-eye. She's plotting something."
"Dude, are you dense? Those are 'fuckme' eyes. She wants your Resonance Palm on her boob, I'm telling ya. Hehehe."
"What? You are making shit up. Look, if she's so much into humiliation and getting beaten up, you should leverage this to your advantage, you know? 'Yao Nang, we have so much in common...' Xin smirked at Lei, but was also a bit anxious. Is this joke too much?
"Hahaha" Lei laughed out so hard the whole caravan turned at him. "Ooops, let's keep quiet. Still, talking about getting beaten up, remember who pushed your shit in?"
"Pushed my shit in? Ewww."
"What? I've beaten you up, back there, in Clay Nest. And I'll beat you up again to welcome you to rank one, hehe."
"Thought this phrase means to fuck someone in the ass, not beat up. Weird." Xin knew Lei's fixation on this topic, and decided to taunt him a bit.
"Yes, this means I fucked you in the ass, but it's like..." He realised that he was talking so loudly the other caravan members could hear him. "I mean it as a... The thing, you know? Metaphor!"
"We've got a king of poetry here! Writing a poem to his lover. Exquisite!" Murong Zhan pointed a finger at Lei. Many people laughed, even the soldiers.
"Oh! And you, Murong Zhan, you remember your first blowjob?"
"Yeah. 'How long did it take for the guy to come?'. Very funny, Lei, my grandma loved this one. No, I am a virgin. Problems?" Murong Zhan was riding on a high horse this morning.
"I've seen a portrait of your dad, Zhan. Make sure to break through soon, or your hairline will ride into the sunset."
The guys kept insulting each other for several more minutes. The atmosphere got a bit heated.
"Hey, sister Xiaoyun, let's diffuse the situation?" Yao Nang asked.
"No, it's just healthy male bonding. You let the dogs sniff each other's private parts, you let the boys be boys. That's what I learned as a kid. Don't bother them."
"Can't you see that it's getting a bit too much? They are joking about a rank one master's dead mother, and Xin's mom leaving him. And Lei losing a hand. We should say something."
"Eh, I think Xin was a bit rude, but he had a point calling you a control freak. Let's leave people be, alright, sister?"
"A bit rude? What are you... Whatever. Fine. I am a control freak. Let them kill each other. Fine." She rode aside. Bitch, she thought to herself. Caught hots for Xin, now justifies his every action.
A day later, the group finally saw a change of scenery on the horizon. Even below their feet, there was now something resembling a proper road. It was an ancient stonework trail, uneven with plants bursting through the stone cracks, with some parts of the road covered fully by earth. The earth washed in during the floods and stayed there after the water retreated, Xin assumed.
"Approaching Zadana. We'll get you through the gates, then you're on your own. Keep the horses, but send them back once you return to the sect. Understood?" The officer addressed Tu Qiang.
"Yes, of course! I signed the documents back at the fort already, you don't have to remind me." He answered.
"The air here's different. Any mountains up close?" Rui Ming asked after smelling the air.
"You've got a good nose on you, kid. In several hours, you'll see a plateau in the distance. Zadana stands on top of it, but I wouldn't say it's big enough to be called a mountain."
"Well, the wind here is weird, that's why I asked. Should meditate on it."
"Whatever, young master. I don't understand the wind path, anyway. Mine's wood."
"Oh?" Xin called out from behind. "Could you tell me what you can do? Wood is my second element, I'd love to talk to someone who can share some tips."
"Huh? Tips? Alright, let me tell you. I was given an exact recipe to follow, provided by the captain. I managed to break through on my second attempt. I was given two dao shards and some manuals, and studied them for several years. That's it, you better talk to some people in your sect. I am not a cultivation expert."
"So, you don't have any insight to share, master?" Xin was very eager to collect knowledge. He wanted to ask outrider Lu for advice, but he died a day later. He regretted a missed opportunity, and was now more pushy.
"Why would I share any insight with you? You have your sect, I have my people. Should call me sergeant, by the way. Not master."
"Forgive me, ma... officer. So, in case of a combat situation, what techniques do you wield? We could strategize better if we knew each other's abilities."
"Kid... Please, get back to your formation. I am busy scouting." He said, as he just stared at the horizon. It was a polite version of "scram, child."
Xin returned to his place in the formation, riding along Lei.
"That guy won't crack, eh?"
"Just wanted to chat. Don't know how people do this so casually."
"Try actually caring about them as people? Or not being so blunt? Or making sure they are relaxed? Whatever."
"What's with everyone saying 'whatever' lately? When did this begin?"
"I don't know. It's like a tick. Sometimes, when a group interacts, a word pops up and everyone says it. A week passes, and it is already forgotten. It was always like that in a guild. Especially with slang, someone says shit like 'homeboy' or 'cooze' during a party, you blink and everyone says this shit. Whatever. Hehe."
"I hoped for some cultivation wisdom, got stuck listening about thief's cant instead. Whatever, such is life." Xin smiled.
Two hours later, the cavalry officer announced:
"That's the plateau! Zadana on the horizon."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone