章 20: Qing Chu Hua
*Things like sexism and racism are purely for worldbuilding and to make it more realistic. Thank you for your understanding.*
Qing Chu Hua ran from the hall with deep hatred in her eyes.
Little did she know how lucky she was. A mysterious old man as well as Hong Yuxuan could've easily sensed her presence if not for the formation surrounding the grand hall. This formation was designed to disallow sound being heard from either side of the entrance to it. It could even block a cultivator's senses. Thus, when she was peeping through the ajar door, Qing Chu Hua wet unnoticed.
Running through the corridor adjacent to the waiting room of the grand hall, her thoughts were spinning as she could barely place one foot in front of another as she ran.
Bright rays of sunlight were refracted through the thick glass belonging to the wall of windows to her left. Entrapped within melancholic thoughts of her father and her path for the future, Qing Chu Hua nearly tripped and fell to the thick red carpet.
Stumbling, tears welled up within her eyes. No matter how strong she tried to stay, she could not bear all that had happened. She was not a hardened warrior or someone with a strong resolve; she was just an average girl with a loving father. She could never be expected to bear the sudden death of her father and family.
Such people were the strong ones, the elite. As an ordinary girl with a slightly high cultivation for her age, Qing Chu Hua was wildly unready for the cruel reality she had witnessed. Compared to people like Qing Li Guan, she was not really talented at all.
Since her mother died giving birth to her, she had always received overwhelming love from her father to wash away the guilt he thought she might've felt. Sheltered by a Stage 4 cultivator, her father, throughout her life, trial and tribulation were a stranger to her. And although her father was completely aware that his daughter would be naïve to the cruelty of the world this way, he had thought he would always be around to protect her.
After all, within the city where wild beasts and outside forces were not a threat, what trouble could a Stage 4 cultivator have with just surviving? Not only that, the Qing Family within the city had a State 5 cultivator, Qing Han Po. Such fighting power was equal to a middle-sized force within the city.
Since the Qing Family also controlled the Temple behind the scenes, the only other forces that could pose a threat to them were the City Administration and the Freedom Alliance.
The City Administration was once called the United Arms Organisation, however, after they grew powerful enough, they asserted dominance over the whole city. This was all made possible by the City Lord, a peak Stage 6 cultivator. With the City Lord being two whole minor realms above the patron of the Freedom Alliance, his authority was unquestionable. This was only twenty years ago.
Thus, the United Arms Organisation evolved into the governing force of the city and suppressed the Temple and Freedom Alliance solely with the name of the City Lord. Although Hong Yuxuan of the Temple and Zheng Li of the Freedom Alliance were unwilling to bow their heads to another Stage 6 cultivator at first, the domineering personality of the City Lord eventually crushed their resistance.
After all, Hong Yuxuan was lower Stage 6 while Zheng Li was middle Stage 6. With the gap between minor realms dramatically increasing in the higher stages, the two combined could not even threaten the City Lord's life.
But even so, the two forces still had a Stage 6 cultivator respectively. Since the city was enclosed within a cage, the threat level of Stage 6 cultivators increased massively. Qing Li Shan could cover all of Tai Forest with raging flames so imagine what a Stage 6 could do within the enclosed city.
Thus, even though he was unwilling, the City Lord had to be cautious of the threat these two posed. Although they were not a threat to himself, how can he call himself City Lord if the city was replaced by a gaping void?
Due to this, the Temple and Freedom Alliance's territory was outside of the City Administration's governance, granting them a semblance of power. To put it into comparison, the City Administration controlled all of the lands outside the city and close to all of the city itself. The Freedom Alliance and Temple were only free to reign over a pitiful portion of the city.
Obviously, this was a form of suppression by the City Lord. While the City Administration would grow faster with abundant resources and income from extorting the two forces, the two forces would gradually decline in manpower and funds due to said extortion. With this, the City Lord would ensure the two forces' fall within the decade. The situation was not looking good.
The only reason the Temple and Freedom Alliance were still established was due to the threat of a Stage 6 cultivator. However, regardless if there was a Stage 6 or not, if the size of the force shrunk exponentially, it would collapse by itself, ensuring the City Lord's complete dominance over the whole city. This was all a plan in motion. Other than this, who knows what the City Lord was scheming to increase his power and authority.
In response to the City Lord's outrageously domineering actions, the Temple were quite passive while the Freedom Alliance we're anything but.
Headed by Zheng Li, the Freedom Alliance advocated libertarianism and researching methods to escape the city. Requiring abundant resources and manpower as well as having a noble cause, the Freedom Alliance was the strongest force before the City Lord rose to power within the United Arms Organisation.
Naturally, when they were suppressed for trying to escape the city, the Freedom Alliance were outraged, crying for tyranny and injustice. However, in a world where the masses were powerless, what could this possibly achieve? The 'noble' Freedom Alliance shrunk in size and research speed while the new City Administration rose to power extremely quickly.
At this point, the Freedom Alliance was more focused on staying afloat as a force instead of preaching their doctrines. It could be seen how desperate the situation was and how the City Lord was infinitely close to becoming a true dictator.
Such was politics in a world such as this. Public opinion did not matter in the slightest. Although it would certainly complement the unity of a force, only military power mattered in the grand scheme of things.
An example of this would be the United Arms Organisation. Before the emergence of the City Lord, they advocated the unification of the whole city into a single judicial force. Naturally, this sort of extremism got some support but was overshadowed by the might of the Freedom Alliance and the Temple. However, the rise of an extremely powerful cultivator with the heart of a dictator, the City Lord, caused the United Arms Organisation to quickly increase in authority and power.
It was not their ideology of unification that was feared but the extremely powerful City Lord. And when the United Arms Organisation was reformed into the City Administration, although a few cries of protest sounded, no internal strife was caused.
A contrast to the Freedom Alliance who was struggling madly under the rise of the City Lord, the Temple were much more passive. They allowed their lands to be seized and their men to desert for a reason unknown to all but themselves.
Unknown to the City Lord, the Qing Family was preparing for their escape from the city via the sacred garden. Thus, they ignored the political situation of the city and focused entirely on the development of the sacred garden. Why would they care about losses when they were about to leave?
While this behaviour was extremely suspicious, as the Temple was being very passive about the suppression they received, most of the attention the City Administration placed was on the Freedom Alliance.
In simple terms, the Freedom Alliance used to completely overwhelm the Temple let alone the United Arms Organisation who was an unknown and third-rate force. However, that all changed with the appearance of one man within the United Arms Organisation. First, he took over the United Arms and established complete control over it with himself as the supreme ruler. Then, he expanded his sights toward the entire city and with his great strength, he annexed nearly all the other factions except for the Freedom Alliance and the Temple.
That man was currently known as the City Lord. He was a cruel, scheming and unscrupulous demon that did anything to gain power. His rise to power-regarding both politics and cultivation-was an absurdly short one, showing his astounding intelligence and manipulating skills as well as raw talent. Never shying away from fights but only fighting when it was necessary, he was a worthy foe to anyone.
Overall, Qing Chu Hua's father had no worries that his daughter would be able to live a carefree and protected life as their escape was soon to occur. Due to this, even though Qing Chu Hua was eighteen years old and practically and grown woman, she was very much inexperienced in life.
Seeing her father brutally murdered before her eyes while chained and muzzled like a feral animal was a huge shock to her. Her life consisted of socialising, cultivation and indulgence. Violence was not a part of it. When faced with the blunt reality that her father was no more, she was devastated.
A part of her wanted to deny it. She had always separated her father from the rest. He was strong, kind, intelligent and responsible. Although she was not involved with the governing of the Temple through the Qing Family, she knew her father held a very high authority and was a huge presence. Knowing her father was extraordinary, when she saw him killed like a rodent, Qing Chu Hua almost thought it was a joke. Was this sprawling and spluttering chained animal the same father she knew or was it an illusion?
Regardless, Qing Chu Hua was far from ready to accept the fact that her father had left this world for good.
It all happened so quickly.
...
The day started with her leaving the mansion after bidding farewell to her father. She was headed to meet up with her best friends within the city, maybe some boys would even be there. Such a carefree lifestyle was a privilege granted to her by her status as part of the Qing Family.
Headed by Qing Han Po, her father's close friend, the Qing Family were firmly established behind the scenes of the city and even established the Temple, so she was told. Due to this, she lived in a mansion with her father and their servants.
She didn't have the pressure others had to get stronger as she was heavily sheltered by her father. However, she still rapidly grew with the resources granted to her. Qing Chu Hua cultivated Water path which was apparently the speciality of the Qing Family. Regarding the inner workings and history of the Qing Family, she was a bit disinterested. To her, as long as she had her father and her friends, nothing could go wrong.
Arriving within the city centre and surrounded by stalls and shops, Qing Chu Hua laughed with her friends as they shopped with the aura of an entitled young lady. Being deprived of many experienced due to the sheltering of her father also obstructed the development of her worldview, causing her to be quite petty and extremely vain.
She walked like a princess among the mortals scurrying the streets like rats. Not only that, Qing Chu Hua had yet to see another woman more beautiful than herself. Always being praised as a "beautiful princess" and "cute darling" by her father, she had come to subconscious believe she was just that: a princess.
However, she was still a relatively nice girl as long as she was conversing with those who had a status similar to hers, as all her friends did. Her friends were the scions of powerful figures within the City Administration and Freedom Alliance respectively.
Although these forces had immense hatred for one another, why should they care? They didn't choose to be born to these people, they thought. They should be able to make friends with whoever they wish and not have to suffer repercussions. Such was the thinking of these brats.
The crowd parting for her wherever she sent her gaze, Qing Chu Hua suddenly spotted something beautiful.
It was a dress.
Within the display window of an extremely respected tailor within the city, the dress immediately caught Qing Chu Hua's eye. It was a sparkling silver with gold lacing and sequins. It glistened within the sunlight and gave off the bearing of an intelligent and powerful duchess. Naturally, Qing Chu Hua wanted this dress.
Leaving the conversation her friends were having, she approached the dress with her eyes fixated on its handcrafted details. Arriving before it and looking at the price, she was instantly disappointed.
Being very expensive, she won't be able to afford it, even with the generous allowance she had on her, given by her father. Being unable to purchase it but having insufficient funds, her thoughts turned to her father. She could ask him to buy it for her. He wouldn't possibly reject, right?
Believing that sentiment wholeheartedly, Qing Chu Hua didn't hesitate to abandon her friends and rush back to the mansion, hoping to catch her father before he disappeared off to work. Since her father was an unknown figure behind the scenes of the Temple, even she had no way of contacting him on a whim.
Leaving her friends in the street while abusing her cultivation to arrive at her mansion quickly, Qing Chu Hua was disappointed to learn that her father had left nearly an hour ago without telling the servants his destination. Knowing that this was a tell-tale sign of him undergoing work for the Qing Family and Qing Han Po, Qing Chu Hua knew her chances of getting her dress within a short timeframe were slim.
She had no idea the sort of acts her father got up to in his anonymity and she would surely be shocked if she did, however, she had no doubts. Surprisingly respective of her father's work, Qing Chu Hua would've normally abandoned her desires in this situation.
However, she really wanted this dress.
Thinking that the most likely location her father would be at is the grand hall within the temple's deepest territory, she headed there without a shred of thought.
Relying on the insignia on her robes to bypass the templars of the temple, Qing Chu Hua soon approached the grand hall. Setting foot within the luxurious waiting room with a thick red carpet and white walls, she saw that the door to the grand hall was tightly shut.
Smiling as this meant the hall was occupied, Qing Chu Hua skipped over to the towering five-metre-tall door. She had no qualms about interrupting any possible meeting that could be going on. After all, she was part of the Qing Family. She had been close with all the members, even Qing Han Po, since she was born. Thus, she felt comfortable when entering the hall.
However, she was not completely stupid. She decided to crack the door to peer inside the grand hall to understand the situation before she entered. If she saw an extremely heated argument or solemn atmosphere, she would decide against entering. She knew that her childish desires for a new dress were obviously beneath that of the Qing Family's internal affairs.
Upon peering through the gap in the door, however, she froze.
...
Still running through the meandering corridor of the temple's inner sanctum, Qing Chu Hua had a rueful expression on her face. What did she do to deserve this? Why must this happen to her? Thinking about it, the whole chain of events seemed unfair. It was like the Universe was playing tricks on her.
As Qing Chu Hua was running with her steps being muffled by the thick carpet, a world of bright and uncomfortable light suddenly filled her vision.
Quickly shutting her eyes due to the glaring light and grimacing due to the tingly pain she felt on the back of her eyeballs, Qing Chu Hua waited for the light to recede. In truth, the light had already receded, however, her eyes had yet to readjust and were blinded by the light.
Rubbing her eyes and experiencing an uncomfortable feeling, Qing Chu Hua's vision returned as she squinted to see what was before her. Seeing the end on the corridor in the form of a large brass door rapidly enlarging in her vision, she was elated. Rushing through the doors with no restraint, a loud crash sounded as the left of the two brass doors was violently swung open.
Nearly falling over to the residual force of her charge propelling her, Qing chu Hua managed to stay on her feet as she arrived within the main sanctum. The colossal open-space room made of dull yellow stone carried a warm orange light. The whole of the main sanctum was similarly shaped to the grand hall she had just ran from. It was a semi-circular dome. Connected to the walls was a walkway with a few different sets of grand stone steps leading up toward it. The scale of everything was huge and one would become dizzy just by looking at the extremely tall ceiling far overhead.
Qing Chu Hua was currently on a decorated point of convergence on the wide walkway. behind her were the brass doors and in front were a huge set of steps leading to the floor of the main sanctum.
Looking behind her as she heard a dull thud, she saw two elegantly armoured templars on either side of the brass doors, standing guard. They were coloured gold and black with cylindrical helmets with only two thin slits for vision. The templars were both Stage 4 and looked very intimidating. The dull thud was a sound produced from one of the templars closing the door she had slammed open.
Seeing two pairs of questioning eyes within the slits of their helmets, Qing Chu Hua said nothing as she descended the steps before her to the floor of the main sanctum and approached the exit of the temple, which was a huge doorless entrance carved out of stone. The guards wanted to stop her and question her actions at first, however, they did not. They knew her status and the status of the Qing Family. They did not dare to stop any who bore the insignia of a blue lotus with golden streams of water on either side of it. Thus, they only silently watched Qing Chu Hua leave their sight with doubtful expressions under their helmets.
Qing Chu Hua reached the foot of the steps and glanced around her to strangely see no one. Her quick steps echoing within the majestic sanctum, Qing Chu Hua soon passed underneath the huge entrance that was intricately decorated with beautiful carvings, depicting hundreds of tales.
Leaving the Temple and breathing a heavy breath of fresh air through her lungs, Qing Chu Hua did not relax nor let down her guard for even a second. Although those templars from earlier still treated her with the status of a Qing Family member, after that bitch Hong Yuxuan had seized control of the Temple in its entirety, Qing Chu Hua would have no place there.
Quickly moving away from the main sanctum, which appeared to be a colossal temple, instead of leaving the territory of the Temple and entering the public domain of the City Administration, Qing Chu Hua headed deeper into the territory of the Temple.
She planned to escape this damned city. Earlier, she had decided that she had taken her last breath within it and she wouldn't go back on her words. Her father, her family and everything she knew was all gone. At this point, she only wanted to escape the wretched clutches of this suffocating city.
Luckily for herself, Qing Chu Hua was part of the Qing Family and was subject to very important information. She knew all about the sacred garden, its use and how it came to be. Using this knowledge, escaping the city was not a hopeless dream.
With the huge temple behind her gradually fading into the distance, Qing Chu Hua approached the mountainside. From a single point, a wide net of trails winded up the cliff face. They were all heavily guarded, however, Qing Chu Hua had no trouble getting through.
It had to be known that surrounding the city were many ferocious beasts. There were tens of thousands of Stage 5 beasts, hundreds of Stage 6 and even a single Stage 7 that has only been sighted twice in the last hundred years. The people within the city cursed their luck with so many absurdly powerful beasts forming the "cage of beasts." However, what they did not know was that a Stage 7 beast was a rare sight even among tens of planets. And one such beast was delegated to prowling the outskirts of a hidden city on a smaller-than-average world.
However, without such outstanding circumstances, would the cultivators within the city have been trapped for thousands of years?
Deciding with resolve unbefitting of herself, Qing Chu Hua decided to escape from the sacred garden. Although she knew she was only peak Stage 2 and mostly Stage 4 beasts prowled the sacred garden, she still did not cower away. Her chances of dying were very high, given her low combat capabilities.
However, she was better off trying to escape. She had no future within the city and would be hunted like a dog once news of her whereabouts was disclosed. She was not skilled in hiding and Qing Chu Hua didn't doubt that she would soon be discovered.
Thus, she traversed the mountain trail that led to the sacred garden at her fastest speeds.
*3,728/3,000 words*
クリエイターの想い 
PSYcho_72
PSYcho_72 Oh my god. This was so hard to write for some reason. I guess I just wasn't in the mood. However, I pulled through and here's the chapter for the 26th July.
Damn its 3am, ill edit this after i publish it.
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