As Bing Meilu travelled, the forest rapidly thinned out. The lush green grass that had covered every inch of the floor disappeared, replaced by lifeless and barren black soil. The distant sound of crackling thunder constantly boomed through the atmosphere. A deep bone-chilling cold had infected the air, rasping winds blowing across the desolate plains. Although the supernatural cold would be uncomfortable to most, Bing Meilu was a Yin Cultivator and she was right at home in such places. In fact, if she wasn't so aware of how dangerous this place was, she might have settled down for a cultivation session.
Now, Bing Meilu had neared the Flesh Mountains. As she continued to travel, continued to approach her destination, the land changed in even more drastic ways. The sky began to shift into a deep, blood-red hue, thick black clouds of fog dancing across the bloody sky. The distant sound of thunder became the near sound of thunder, as Bing Meilu caught sight of enormous, white cracks that spread across the heavens. Lighting and thunder constantly erupted from the cracks with deafening volume.
Bing Meilu raised an eyebrow, whistling. Those spatial cracks and endless lightning were the remnants of a truly cataclysmic Heavenly Tribulation from ancient times. How long had such a thing existed? Interesting as the phenomena was, Bing Meilu did not have the time nor the power to study them. She could return later, but for now, she had a destination to reach.
Bing Meilu continued further until in the distance, she could make out a truly bizarre sight. Massive veins of pulsating flesh stabbed out of the ground, wet slime dripping off their surface. Rhythmically they pounded like a drum, as if carrying some accursed heartbeat. Running by the side of the tube of flesh, Bing Meilu's eye lit up with satisfaction.
She had finally caught sight of the mountain proper. Across the horizon rose mounds of wet, twitching raw flesh, extending seemingly without end in the distance. The piles of gore rose tall into the sky, surrounded by twisted red and purple fog. That twisted air was the entrance to the subspace that was the Flesh Mountains.
'Now I simply need to find a caravan I can join,' Bing Meilu thought as she raced forward. 'I'll join a smaller one. I don't want to attract too much attention, after all.'
Bing Meilu followed alongside one of the many tubes of pulsating flesh that stretched out from the mountains, looking around until she caught sight of what she had been looking for. At the border of the Flesh Mountains stood dozens of camps. Some were large and clearly well established while others were much smaller, made up of only dozens of tents. Bing Meilu's eyes scanned around the numerous camps and the large signs they had set up to advertise their caravans. Eventually, she landed upon one mid-sized group, the Blackwater Escort Service that was far from the other caravans. This one would do.
Bing Meilu began to race towards it, her feet silently slamming into the soft black soil as she ran, though her silent walking was not nearly enough to hide her presence from the protectors of the camp. The figure of a man appeared in the sky, flying down towards her.
The man was short but stout, with thick muscles and tanned skin. A large silver axe was strapped to his side, and his hand rested on the pommel. Based on the aura of Qi pouring out of him, this man was in the early stages of Heart Expansion, the Body Cultivation counterpart to Core Formation.
Just as Bing Meilu could sense his Qi, he could sense hers. A wary expression flittered across his face as he peered down at her. Generally, most Cultivators had teachers or sects behind them, what one might call 'backing'. Even the weakest Qi Condensation chump might have a Saint as a Master, so it wasn't wise to offend someone until you knew exactly who they were. Conversely, if someone had no backing, it wouldn't be long until they ended up dead.
"Who are you and why are you approaching my caravan?" the man called out.
"I simply wish to buy a ticket," Bing Meilu responded lightly. "Do you do trips to the far south?"
"Yeah, I do. But first, what sect are you from? You've gotta tell me who you are," The man responded.
This was the most important question, after all. if she was some nobody he would deal with her as a normal customer, but if she happened to be from some powerful sect, he would be sure to give her a premium experience.
In response, Bing Meilu simply lifted her hand, layers of ice condensing around her hand into the form of a clawed gauntlet. A slight expression of shock appeared on his face, though it was quickly covered up.
"That is the Heart Tearing Ice Claw Art," the man observed, his face expressionless. "A technique only taught to members of the Moon Crying Swan Palace. What's someone like you doing so far north?"
"That's not important," Bing Meilu replied, smiling cooly. "All you need to do is escort me back south."
After a short pause, a wide, flattering smile spread across the man's face.
"...If it's an esteemed young mistress from the Moon Crying Swan Palace, I would be honoured to escort you down to the south," The man greeted.
'The Heavens truly do reward the virtuous,' Fang Lee, owner of the Blackwater Escort Business thought to himself. 'This is my chance to make it big!'
To a businessman like him, the chance to advertise by saying his caravan had personally escorted a member of one of the most important and prestigious sects in the continent was worth more than a mountain of gold and jade. There was no way in hell he would give up on such a thing, even if it meant licking the boot of some rich princess, which normally wasn't his style.
"Good," Bing Meilu responded, tossing the pouch of money up at the floating man, who caught it in his grip. "There's your payment."
"Please, I couldn't possibly charge someone of your stature. It would be unbecoming of me-"
"I insist," Bing Meilu interrupted.
Not only was mortal money pretty useless to her, but she also didn't want to owe any favours to this man. Owing favours was like wrapping yourself in chains of karma, which was something higher level cultivators knew to avoid. The less karma one had, the easier it would be to sever one's self from the world and reach the Deathless realms.
"Very well then," the man nodded. "I shall accept your payment."
The short man reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin talisman written on jade-green paper. Black ink characters covered it's front, reading 'Blackwater'.
The man released the talisman from his grip, watching it fly down to where Bing Meilu stood.
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"That's your ticket. So long as you have it, you'll be able to locate the main group should you get lost or separated. Make sure to keep it on you at all times."
"Thank you," Bing Meilu said, pocketing the talisman. "I will remember to do so."
Having finished their transaction, the man flew down next to Bing Meilu, ushering her forward respectfully.
"Zhang, prepare the Silk tent. We have an important customer," the man hollered as he and Bing Meilu walked into the camp.
Bing Meilu could see nearly a hundred mortals sitting around the bonfire, enjoying its warmth. There were only five or six cultivators in the camp, who sat at a table further away from the campfire. Presumably, they were all employees. Any Cultivators wanting to travel would be able to afford the larger, higher quality escort services.
One stood up, a tall thin man with sallow cheeks and unhealthily pale skin. However, despite his weak outward appearance, powerful Qi surged around him. He was clearly near the peak of Core Formation.
Bing Meilu raised an eyebrow. Given his high cultivation, it was extremely strange to see him following the orders of the short man who had much lower cultivation. The thin man, presumably Zhang reached into the low hanging sleeves of his white robes, pulling out a small box. Bing Meilu had to hold herself back from snorting. It was a Shrinkage Box, one of the trashiest types of storage items one could imagine. Objects placed inside would be shrunk down to minuscule size, allowing one to store a huge amount of objects in a small space. Obviously, this caravan was not doing too well financially, or they would have just purchased a spatial storage item. Those would be far more powerful and useful than a Shrinkage Box.
Zhang reached into the box, pulling out a large shimmering silk sheet. Small black charters made of ink covered the sheet, various formations that would likely serve to preserve the silk and strengthen its shielding from the elements. Then he waved his hand and the silk sheet rapidly expanded into the form of a large tent the size of a small house.
Bing Meilu politely cupped her hands in thanks to the man, before walking past him and stepping into the tent. Within the tent was a large bed covered in expensive-looking embroidered silk sheets, next to it stood a bedside table with a glowing crystal lamp, which could be turned on and off with Qi. Several chests and wardrobes lined the wall of the tent, though Bing Meilu had no use for them, given her lack of belongings.
Bing Meilu stripped of her clothes, jumping into the bed. Her skin rubbed against the smooth silk sheets and she sighed. It wasn't quite as luxurious as some of the beds Bing Meilu had slept in, but conversely, it was considerably pleasanter than some of the harsh and dangerous places she had rested before.
Deciding to rest for the night, Bing Meilu slipped below the covers of the bed, soon falling into a deep sleep.
---
The next morning Bing Meilu woke up, yawning. She hadn't slept in several weeks, relying on her Qi to keep herself going. However, her cultivation was still not profound enough to forfeit the need to sleep entirely.
Bing Meilu slipped out of her bedsheets, grabbing her robes and slipping them on. The black cloth was dirty and slightly worn from Bing Meilu's travels.
"As soon as I can I'll get something better," Bing Meilu sighed.
A burst of Qi poured from her skin, cleaning the clothes in an instant. Fully clothed, Bing Meilu stepped out of the tent, the angry red light of the sky bearing down.
"Good morning, young mistress," said a young girl who stood just outside Bing Meilu's tent. "My name is Xia Xuefeng. I've been assigned to be your handmaiden for the duration of the trip."
The girl was one of the six Cultivators Bing Meilu had seen sitting at the table yesterday. She had rosy skin and long ebony hair that reached her waist. However, unlike the others at the table, her cultivation was very low, only in the early stages of Qi Condensation.
Bing Meilu turned to stare at her, raking her eyes across the girl's form. They seemed to be about the same size. Perhaps the girl would have a few spare sets of clothing Bing Meilu could buy.
"You and I seem to be around the same size. Go fetch me some new clothes and I will compensate you," Bing Meilu ordered.
The girl's eyes widened slightly and she nervously nodded.
"I'-I'll get right to it," she said, running off.
Before she had run off, Bing Meilu had caught the sight of some trace flashes of fear in the girl's eyes. It was the type of fear one usually saw when commoners were talking to nobles for the first time. Bing Meilu supposed the situation were similar. The girl was a member of a low-level travel group whose strongest member was in Core Formation while Bing Meilu was a member of a top sect that could field Saints and Great Sages at a moment's notice. Or at least, they thought she did. Bing Meilu had yet to actually join the sect.
'What they don't know can't hurt them,' Bing Meilu smiled.
Soon Xia Xuefeng returned, carrying a neatly folded blue dress. She pushed her hand forward and Bing Meilu grabbed the dress. Bing Meilu inspected the dress for a moment, satisfied before walking back into her tent.
She untied the cloth strip holding her robe closed, letting it slip to the floor, before pulling the blue dress down over her head. The dress fit alright, just slightly too airy, but Bing Meilu could deal with that.
Stepping outside, Bing Meilu turned to her new handmaiden, eyeing her intensely.
"As for your compensation..."
"Y-You really don't need to give me anything," Xia Xuefeng said nervously bowing. "Simply serving your noble self is a great honour."
"I said I would compensate you, and I will," Bing Meilu frowned, staring even more intensely at the girl before blinking.
"You need to switch cultivation techniques," Bing Meilu eventually stated.
While starting at the girl, she had actually been closing inspecting the aura of Qi emanating from the girl. The moment they had first met, Bing Meilu had immediately become suspicious, but upon closer inspection of the girl's Qi, she was sure.
"...What?" Xia Xuefeng asked surprised.
"The Extreme Yang Clockwork Index is not meant to be cultivated by women, furthermore it is a special technique that must be cultivated from earlier than age ten. If you are male and under that age, it will make an excellent foundation manual. However, considering you are neither of those things, if you continue to cultivate it, it won't be long until your meridians pop and you die a nightmarishly painful death."
"... I'm sorry, what?!" Xia Xuefeng shrieked, forgetting her fear in her moment of surprise.
"The Extreme Yang Clockwork Index is a special technique that cultivates one's innate Yang Essense rather than Qi, which is why it can be cultivated earlier than normal. However, only men have enough Yang Essense to properly cultivate the technique. Beyond that, you must begin to cultivate it at a young age when your Yang Essence is at its strongest. If you fail to meet both these conditions cultivating it is essentially a death sentence. However, the Index is one of the few commonly circulated cultivation manuals so easy to find that even mortals can acquire one. Given that, I assume you are from a mortal background and have no real knowledge of cultivation or you would never have begun to cultivate it in the first place."
Bing Meilu actually had a great experience with the Index. Every year, dozens of young girls from mortal families would run away from home and begin cultivation. Given how common it was, many of those girls would end up cultivating the Extreme Yang Clockwork Index. Then, many of those girls would end up attempting to join the Moon Crying Swan Palace. Due to that, the problem became so common that the sect had set up signs and pamphlets on how to deal with the issue and recognize symptoms of it.
"Oh heavens..." Xia Xuefeng whispered, looking down in shock. "What do I do? Is there a cure?"
"Of course. All you have to do is stop cultivating the Index," Bing Meilu replied.
"Stop cultivating?" Xia Xuefeng repeated, looking up at Bing Meilu in shock. "I can't do that!"
"You would rather die?" Bing Meilu said, raising an eyebrow. "If you wish to commit suicide, all you have to do is jump off of a bridge. It would be both quicker and less painful."
"That's not what I meant!" Xia Xuefeng blushed, looking down. "Of course I don't want to die. Isn't there a way that doesn't mean I have to stop cultivating?"
"I didn't say stop cultivating. I said stop cultivating the Index," Bing Meilu replied, raising an eyebrow. "All you have to do is find a new cultivation technique, preferably one that will quickly destroy the Yang energy infesting your body."
"I can't afford a new cultivation manual," Xia Xuefeng shook her head.
"I said I would compensate you, didn't I?" Bing Meilu asked rhetorically.
"Really?" Xia Xuefeng asked, shocked. "My dress is worth far less than a cultivation manual, and I have no money to pay you."
"Value is subjective," Bing Meilu shrugged.
After all, Bing Meilu had lived a long life. The amount of cultivation manuals she knew was more than numbers could count. It wasn't like she was giving away anything particularly valuable to her.
"But before I do so, tell me," Bing Meilu continued. "Why do you cultivate?"