บท 57: Chapter 57 - So, which one of you is in charge?
After burying the bodies, the group rested for an hour and started looting again. Anxious about the larvae hatching, Xin mashed them into a qi active paste, putting all of the other yaoguai's belongings into a common bag of holding. He was quite disappointed, how comes this rank two master only had one dao shard, and rank one at that? Maybe his soul foundation was strained by enslaving the iron mantis and other bugs, and he couldn't afford to wield more? Or was he just poor? Well, at least we also looted the water bubble dao shard from Su Xing.
After extracting even more materials from the dead bugs, the group took another rest, this time outside, in the main tunnel, where they could breathe properly and their qi wasn't drained, and ventured forth. To everyone's relief, the caravan, if it could be called that, as it was just seven members now, successfully crossed the tunnel, with nothing of note happening.
The ground on the other side of the tunnel didn't look as fertile, and the climate was a bit colder. On the horizon, they could see an old fort, erected in the times of Bonemen campaigns. It was a sturdy, simplistic building with thick stone walls, guarding the edge of the steppe, and at the centre of it, there was a tall tower with a large orange crystal, shooting a ray of light towards the sky.
"That's some serious technology." Lei pointed at the crystal. First, he tried pointing with his right arm, but quickly realised his mistake and used his left.
"Right. That formation core is pretty expensive. But it's also why that fort is safe. If it's ever overwhelmed by enemies, the capital's reinforcements could teleport here. And in peace times, its spare energy can be used for various purposes." Murong Zhan explained.
"And how much does it cost to upkeep it?" Rui Ming asked. "I wonder how much of our taxes is spent on things like this"
"It's better that you don't know." Murong Zhan smirked.
"I freed up some qi. Does anyone need healing?" Wu Xiaoyun asked.
"Yes, please. Unless someone's situation is more dire?" Murong Zhan looked at everyone.
"It's fine, take the healing" Tu Qiang said. "Sister Xiaoyun's technique won't cure meridian damage. I just need some time to cultivate in peace."
"Damn, you are so stoic and cool, brother Qiang!" Lei said.
"Is this sarcasm?" Tu Qiang raised his eyebrow.
"Of course not!"
"Oh... get lost." He sighed.
"Stop!" - Xin raised his finger. "I hear something in the distance."
Twenty breaths later, a figure pierced the sky above them, mounted on a flying sword. It was dressed in dark grey plate armour, and had sharp blades on its thick iron gauntlets.
"Identify yourselves!" The loud voice ordered.
"Five Elements Transition School caravan! We were forced to stray from our course. We took heavy losses! Requesting assistance!" Xin blurted this all out, then realised he spoke instead of Tu Qiang. The earth path master was a bit lost, and didn't mind too much.
"Is the enemy still in the vicinity?"
"No, dispatched. Only several cannibal grasshoppers are left, stage one!" Xin shouted back. His interlocutor was using a voice enhancing technique, but he had to shout.
"Is anyone in need of immediate medical assistance?"
"Yes! Most of us are injured."
The cultivator on a flying sword flew downwards. He then rang through them with a metal path technique to scan them.
"Fine, I trust you. I'll need to see the documents, but I believe you."
"Here!" Tu Qiang handed him the sect's rank two token. "This is my master's, he perished, sadly. And this is mine." He showed him his necklace, with a rank one sect token.
"Good. I'll escort you to the fort. Objections?"
"I was about to request this." Xin said.
"So, who's in charge here, you or him?" He asked Xin and Tu Qiang.
"It's Xin." Rui Ming pointed at him. "He's our informal leader, but brother Qiang is our rank senior."
Tu Qiang looked at him, astonished.
"Seriously, man? Didn't we agree that I was in charge?" He asked.
"I don't know, I am just speaking the truth. I thought things through and had a change of heart, Xin is clearly our leader."
"You..."
"Cease this." The armoured figure said sternly. "I am not interested in the bickering of mortals and rank ones, you are all children to me. I know you've suffered a great deal, just calm down and follow me to the fort."
The squad followed him.
"Think he's rank three." Lei said to Xin. It was pointless to whisper, he remembered what happened with Lady Meiling.
"Might be two. Who cares? He's on our side, and this area is safe. Probably." Xin studied the figure again. No, it's a Border Guard cultivator, I am just getting paranoid.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" The armoured cultivator spread some metallic dust in the air, and waved his hand. A wind current blew, and a mixed fragrance of sweetness and acidity assaulted their noses. Everyone's wounds normalised, and the minor stabs and slashes stopped hurting. "This should stop the bleeding and infections. We'll heal you properly in the fort."
"The juniors are eternally grateful!" Xin bowed and performed a martial gesture.
Two hours later, the group entered the fort's courtyard. More than three hundred soldiers were stationed here. The stables were filled with horses, there were ballistae on the walls, as well as formation towers, ready to use powerful defensive techniques. There weren't any traders here, currently.
The soldiers all bowed to the man that led them, he was a highly ranked officer here, Xin concluded. Most people here didn't even seem like cultivators, just mortal warriors.
The armoured figure stopped and raised his bladed glove:
"Everyone, follow me into the tower. Afterwards, you, with the crossbow, go up the stairs and report everything to the captain." The metal path cultivator already asked them all the details, but for some reason, he wanted Xin to report as well.
"Yes, master." Xin bowed. He didn't feel overwhelmed around this master. It's just a person, but with a rank three core in his abdomen, after all.
"Hmmm. Whatever, have a nice day, all of you. Don't celebrate late at night, we've got a schedule to uphold here."
Xin nodded, and the group went into the tower. The architecture here was nothing but brutish and primitive, but there were some beautiful nature paintings on the walls, and everything looked clean and polished.
There was a fancy chandelier hanging on the ceiling of the first floor, creating an even weirder contrast with the building itself.
"I've been informed about you already. Please stand here." An officer on duty pointed to the spot below the chandelier. The stone that fell on the iron mantis from the ceiling flashed in front of Xin's eyes. He chased this random thought away.
Everyone positioned themselves around the chandelier, and it started glowing, emitting warm energy, caressing their bodies as if they were massaged.
"That's the closest you'll get to female touch, Xin!" Lei laughed.
"Give me a shovel, and tell me where your mom was buried."
"Ewww! Guys, can you stop, we are in a military building!" Yao Nang said. "Awww!" She moaned slightly.
"Sister Nang, what was that sound?" Lei asked.
"Nothing, it's just that thing caught me by surprise." She was embarrassed, the change in sensation caught her off-guard.
"Dear, could you repeat this sound, please?"
"Citizen, please stop disrupting the public order." The officer sternly looked at Lei.
"Forgive me, officer. Aww!" The glowing light suddenly enveloped his meridians, right where he stressed them with his Molten Heart technique.
"My meridian damage is also being healed! Incredible." Tu Qiang's eyes shone with happiness.
Moments later, everyone was fully healed.
"I wish you people didn't moan like that. Felt like an orgy." Murong Zhan mocked Lei's and Yao Nang's "aw's" when the officer left.
"As if you'd be invited to one! You are lame!" Lei laughed.
"I was invited to one! Two, actually! I declined!"
"Lei's mom didn't." Xin said.
"Oh! It's like I was shot with that ballista outside, Xin!" Lei grabbed his heart and pretended to fall over. "Did you forget you have to report upstairs, you failed comedian?"
"Right." Xin quickly ran upstairs and knocked on an unremarkably looking door. It opened by itself.
There was a man sitting on an exquisite wooden chair, his elbows on the table. The room looked ordinary otherwise. Xin quickly stepped in and bowed, delivering a martial gesture.
"Not too shy, eh?" The man looked to be in his early twenties, and was rather handsome, his silky black hair was collected into a ponytail, underlining his sharp facial features.
"I'm finally safe, master. What's there to be shy of?"
"Well, whatever. I've been informed about your arrival. Master Taowei is dead, right?" He raised his eyebrows, awaiting Xin's answer.
"Yes. How do you know this? We've just arrived, and you already seem to know all the details. Telepathy?"
The man didn't respond. Wait, I don't think we mentioned our master's name. He knows him!
"Hush, junior." He raised his finger. "Give me a moment to hurt. There. I am back. So, how exactly did he die?"
"My sworn brother Lei was about to be killed by an iron mantis." Xin decided to speak the truth.
"Master Taowei's core was broken by then, and he sacrificed himself to crash a ceiling stone on the iron mantis, but it killed him. He died quickly." Xin tried to console him.
"His core was already broken... Seems you've survived quite a hurdle. Tell me, aren't you a mortal?"
"I am." Xin got worried.
"Why are you leading this caravan?"
"There is a power vacuum, truth be told. Our outrider was number two, I replaced him some time ago after another incident. I'll write a detailed report later. I was the one to kill the enemy rank two cultivator, and my ideas held the party together, so I guess my brethren trust me now." Xin spoke clearly, looking him in the eyes.
"So, you are one of the 'seeds'. It's nice to see the Chimera finally making some moves."
"Huh? Chimera?"
"Oh, you are that new! That's your sect leader's nickname. They prefer to stay behind the scenes, focusing on cultivation and research. No wonder you don't even know them."
"Is he actually rank four?" Xin had a chance to finally ask some questions about who was in charge, and he intended to use it.
"I am a Nascent Soul stage cultivator (III), and a fort's captain, do you seriously want to chat with me?" He raised his eyebrow. Most mortals kowtowed in front of him, but Xin looked genuinely unbothered. He showed no disrespect and his manners were proper, but his demeanour was that of a house cat, taking his owner for granted.
"Forgive me, master, but I am genuinely interested. Didn't think you'd see it as idle chatter."
"Phew, you are one weird fruit!" He said. "Fine! Your sect leader is a unique person, he refined several bodies for himself and mended them together. He keeps the other four in his core, while one of the five is used as their main body. They are a master of a Five Elements Transition formation, and own the Five Elemental Inheritances of the Antique age. Your sect leader is one of the strongest people on the continent, and is also a fascinating person."
Xin was astonished.
"Five bodies?" He asked.
"Yes. Three male, two female. Each body with their own physique, uniquely compatible with one of the elemental transformations they own. Still, despite your sect leader's strength, your sect is kind of... peripheral in world affairs, hope your sect wouldn't be offended by this statement, as it's true."
"How did that happen? We are so good at alchemy, and our teachers aren't bad at all. Why did we fall behind?" Xin finally found a person he could ask this question.
"That's a very complex version. Want a simple answer? Human nature. Xuanwu clan. The capital people suppressing your trade. Your sect's inner turmoil over the decades. Lack of true battle talent. It all adds up. A boring answer, but a boring truth is truth nonetheless."
"Thank you for your wisdom, master. Can I ask you something else?"
"Why not? I always dreamt of being a historian, teaching people about the world's mysteries."
"Nice!" Xin was delighted, missing the sarcasm. "The nomads, what can you tell me about them?"
The officer furrowed his eyebrows:
"These people are subhuman, worse than animals. An animal being an animal is just natural, but when a human stoops so low, it's a perversion of a natural order. It's disgusting."
"What do you mean?" Xin felt conflicted about this statement.
"Well, first and foremost, they reject the Imperial Truth. They came from another world, joined up with the rogue bureaucrats, and invoked forbidden magics, shaking the sky and stealing the Passage Banner. Since then, they flooded this world with thousands of amnesiac warriors that they assembled into mindless hordes. They constructed their own, fake language, just to spit in our faces, and pretend to be a separate culture." He sighed. "There is no culture about them, it's just a contrarian impulse. Their only reason to exist is spite. They don't build, they raid and trade, and they sell each other out for necklaces, all while ranting about traditions and honour. Abhorrent."
"I understand..." Xin was overwhelmed. Other worlds? The Passage Banner? He didn't know about these things, but could piece the clues together to get a picture. "With some Border Guard recalled, have they renewed their raids?"
"It's the opposite, child. They have doubled their trade efforts. We've isolated their caravans to Zadana instead, as these are nothing more than espionage missions. The Empire fell for it hundreds of years ago, we aren't repeating this mistake twice."
"We have to be cautious, given the situation in the world. And the Edict. A fantasy of peaceful trade often ends in thousands of corpses."
The officer nodded.
"I see that you genuinely think this, and aren't just trying to suck up to me. Good. Any other questions?"
"Master Taowei, how do you know him?"
"An old friend. From a previous life, so to speak..." He sighed. "Not many people left alive from that period now… Look, you realise that I'm two years his elder?" This twenty something looking man asked.
"Wait, what?" Xin was astonished. He quickly did the math in his head. Foundation stage — plus five years of lifespan. Condensation stage — plus 10. So, master Taowei was fifteen years older than he looked. So, around fifty five, making him a bit younger than Xie Xiaodan. This master was rank three, and looked twenty. Fifteen years for the first two stages, and another fifteen for rank three — thirty years of age cut! Incredible. Add the cosmetic alchemy and you gain incredible results. "Actually, the math adds up."
"I chose the Border Guard, he chose the sect, that's it. There was a gap in our talent, by the time he finally reached the Condensation stage, I was already preparing my Nascent Soul breakthrough. I'm glad he managed to keep his students safe before he died, at least. Quite a redemption."
"I... Heard about that incident. He didn't keep all the students safe though. One of us died."
"Oh... my condolences. Such is life."
"Well, he was captured by the yaoguai and forced to serve him. He attacked us, so I killed him." Xin boasted, but the image of Su Xing squirming as he scrambled his brains out that flashed in front of his eyes was anything but pleasant.
"Hehehe, merciless. How old are you, again?" He raised his eyebrow.
"Nineteen, master." Xin was confused. Why are you asking this?"
"You've got some beautiful green eyes, junior." He suddenly switched topics. "May I ask you something?"
The young man was astonished. Is this high-ranked officer a sodomite, aiming for my bum?!
"Yes. What?"
"Do you have any people in your ancestry that aren't of the Clay Folk?"
"Not that I know of."
"So, it's safe to conclude that your green eyes come from a bloodline. Wood path, I assume?"
Xin nodded.
"Understood. Well, you're free to leave. Unless there was something else you wanted to ask?"
Xin squinted and looked into his eyes. What's the matter with him? He wasn't good at this political double-speak. What was the purpose of this call-up?
"Why did you call me up here? You could have just read my report."
"Eh... Let's say I was bored." He looked disappointed in Xin.
A clue! He wanted Xin to notice a hint, and engage in a political double-speak with him. He was giving him a straw, and Xin failed to grasp it.
"Oh, one more thing, master!" Xin regained his composure.
The officer smirked lightly. Hopefully, you figured it out. "Yes?"
"I don't know the exact laws of this land, so I know that we're at your mercy, but on behalf of my comrades, who bled and sweated for this, I wanted to ask you for a favour."
"Go on." He opened his palms towards Xin and nodded.
"Well, we destroyed two squads of demonic cultivators, and eliminated many creatures, as you'll see in my report. We have trophies to prove it, too. So, I wanted to ask for a reward."
"Seems fair. What reward?"
"A flying sword!" Xin suddenly said.
The rank three master started coughing, then chuckled.
"What?!" He stared at Xin like he was a madman.
"It was a joke, master..." Xin was anxious, and felt the need to poke the officer back a bit to regain composure. "I actually wanted to ask you for an escort to Zadana, and for you to recover master Taowei's body."
"You scoundrel, you almost gave me a heart attack, hahaha! Fine, your request will be granted. We'll also repair your armour and supply you with new weapons, food and ammo. One mortal-level weapon per person of your choice, we've got quite an armoury to spare."
"Oh, and here I thought that I'd have to forage the steppes." Xin was emboldened, apparently this master liked his humour. "Our sect will never forget your generosity, master." He stood up and bowed.
"A bit of advice, if I may?" He looked at Xin with a gentle, but authoritative gaze.
"Yes? Please."
"Don't force things. They'll come."
"Thank you, master." Xin bowed and left. Familiar advice, interesting.
This guy was pretty cool. Wait, what was his name?
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง