On the day of the gathering, Lu Chang followed behind Mei as they walked towards the event. As the most powerful of the Painted Families, the Long clan occupied the highest reaches of the city.
During their journey to the Long clan estate, Mei made sure that Lu Chang remembered everything he ought to about all the Painted Families, especially the Long clan. They claimed the color Blue, as their right, and all shared the inherited martial spirit of the Flying Raindragon. Their affinity for water was plainly advertised if one were to look around the twelfth ring; small lakes and streams were everywhere.
At the entrance of the Long clan estate, the guards parted as soon as Mei showed her invitation, and a servant showed them to a pavilion surrounded by a small lake. Lu Chang could see other figures in the pavilion as they approached it.
Lu Chang noticed Mei take a deep breath before they entered and assume the same cold expression she always favored her father with. All eyes turned to them when they walked in, with an equal mix of cold smiles and subtle sneers.
Lu Chang had to blink upon entering; the Painted City was eye-searing at the best of times, but these family heirs dressed in their clan colors formed a painful kaleidoscope. Mei didn’t even pause, walking confidently towards the nearest person, a scion of the Yan family.
While Mei engaged in the backhanded compliments and empty flattery of high society, Lu Chang looked around at the people present. Each of the twelve Painted Families were represented, save for their host who had not shown up yet. Behind each of these heirs stood an attendant much like himself.
Mei was a whirlwind in her element, as much as she would disagree. She blew from conversation to conversation, flattering where needed and exchanging wit with ease. Lu Chang thought her a wonder to watch, as she played the other clan scions in the palm of her hand.
The young lady of the Red clan, Shang Daiyu, clearly disliked Mei, at least to Lu Chang’s sight. They tended to exchange veiled insults far more often than the rest. Their squabbling came to a head when the Shang scion decided to shed all polite pretenses.
“So, Feng Mei, you’ve finally joined one of these meetings. We were beginning to think you disliked us, but I see now that you were just enamored by your new attendant. He is handsome, but to give away your body to a slave is a new low, even for you.”
All of the gathered scions gasped, though Mei merely raised a delicate eyebrow.
“You’d know all about that wouldn’t you Shang Daiyu? My attendant has nothing to do with why I haven’t attended these meetings recently. I just couldn’t bear to smell your stench. Luckily I’ve recently mastered a new technique to filter out such odors. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Lu Chang would have rolled his eyes if he were anywhere else. As much as these scions liked to think of themselves as better than the rest, they still resorted to the same insults as lower class people, only dressed in fancier words.
Shang Daiyu reeled back as if slapped. Then raised her palm, manifesting a large, dull-red hand ready to strike down on Mei. Mei replied in kind, conjuring two large violet wings in front of her. Before they could proceed any further, however, both techniques were pierced by spears of water, causing them to dissipate into spiritual energy.
“Please, ladies, don’t forget who you are and what you represent. To have two of our Painted Family scions fight here at my own gathering would pain me dearly.”
Entering from the steps of the pavilion came a man so handsome as to inspire envy in all who saw him. Dressed in brilliant azure robes and beaming at the gathered guests, the young man tried to calm Mei and Shang Daiyu. Lu Chang assumed this was the Long clan heir, Long Junjie.
Even with their host’s platitudes, both Mei and Shang Daiyu were still incensed.
“Don’t give me that nonsense, Long Junjie! What is it to you if I teach that airheaded bitch a lesson? To imply that I stink… Hmph.”
“Loath as I am to agree with that rusty harlot, she has a point.”
Both ladies were united in their firm desire to take each other down a peg, and would not be dissuaded. Long Junjie’s smile became somewhat strained as he looked at the troublemaking two of them. He brightened just then, though, as if he’d had a stroke of genius.
“I only said I hoped you both wouldn’t fight. I said nothing about your attendants, ladies. Why not settle it that way? It is traditional to have them fight anyway. Would that sooth your pride?”
They both looked disgruntled.
“Fine, fine. My YuYu will wipe the floor with that airhead’s brute anyway.”
Mei frowned, but looked at Lu Chang inquisitively before she replied. He looked over at Shang Daiyu’s attendant, this ‘YuYu.’ It was a young woman, slender and petite, with an impish smile and a long spear on her back. Lu Chang nodded to Mei; he’d said he wanted to see how he compared after all.
Mei smiled beatifically.
“Lu Chang will fight your little girl. Just don’t cry foul when he wins.”
Both Shang Daiyu and her attendant scoffed in unison. The expression was so similar that Lu Chang was reminded of a certain saying, and blurted it out in a rare moment of impulse.
“Like owner, like pet?”
The pavilion fell silent at that, only broken by the uncontrollable giggling coming from Mei. The rest of the scions and their attendants were staring at Lu Chang like he’d grown a second head, and he couldn’t blame him. What had possessed him to say that out loud?
Long Junjie’s attendant that stood next to him gave him a look that screamed, ‘brave brother, I’ll never forget you.’ Shang Daiyu’s face flushed a bright red, nearly of a match with her robes.
“You ought to teach your attendant his place, Feng Mei!”
Mei could barely speak for laughing.
“Hahahaha, Shang Daiyu, ahahaha! It’s not, haha, your place, ahaha, to speak about how I teach my attendant, ahahahahaha!”
Shang Daiyu looked as if she was ready to brawl again, but Long Junjie intervened before anything else happened.
“Ahem, shall we walk outside so the spar can begin?”
Mei slowly got herself under control, and so did her rival. The party moved out to the lakeside where there was enough room to fight. Mei patted him on the shoulder and affirmed her confidence in him as he took his place opposite YuYu.
His opponent wielded a spear that looked ludicrous on such a tiny woman. He would not underestimate her because of that, though. Lu Chang knew very well that appearances could be misleading.
As the spar began, his foe drew a quick X in the air with her spear. Her movements launched two large blades of metal at Lu Chang. He dove forward, right through the space in between the blades, and noted down that she was metal-aligned.
That was not out of his expectations from an attendant of the Shang family, inheritors of the Red-Iron Bull martial spirit. Not all of the Painted Families recruited attendants of the same affinity as their own, but it was common enough to be a pattern.
He landed with a short roll that brought him right next to his opponent. Lu Chang struck out with his dagger, stymied by a thin metal wall that sprouted from the ground between them. Utilizing the Slicing Wind, he cut the wall in half and sent out a thin blade of wind in one motion.
The wind sliced towards YuYu, who had retreated a fair distance after raising the wall. She readjusted her arms, and the over-large spear melted fluidly and reformed into a sword and large shield, the shield blocking the wind.
Lu Chang had followed behind his blade of wind, though, not letting up on the pressure. He stabbed out at the shield once, twice, many times. His opponent weathered the assault easily, though bereft of any opportunity to counter attack considering the speed of Lu Chang’s strikes.
Lu Chang stabbed one last time, then kicked out at the shield and activated his Explosive Step, launching himself into a backwards flip to make some distance.
YuYu took that opportunity to take a strange stance, and then started to nearly glow with expended spiritual energy. A shape manifested behind her, that of a giant deity-like figure made of metal as black as midnight and wielding a long saber.
“Strike of the Nethergod!”
The giant swung its saber toward Lu Chang. His movements were locked down by the spiritual pressure coming from the figure, restricting his available options significantly. He summoned a few barriers to slow the descent of the blade, but it broke through them as if they weren’t even there.
Desperate, Lu Chang drew the flows of wind whistling around the blade to him, surrounding himself in a shell of slicing wind. A deafening screech filled the air as the giant’s saber struck his cocoon of wind. He was launched away on impact, badly wounded, but he had avoided the edge of the blade.
Lu Chang struggled to his feet, dozens of gashes littered his body from the slicing winds he used to avoid the blade. On the other end of the now-destroyed field, his opponent could barely stand, using her sword as a crutch. Such a technique was something usually reserved for higher realm cultivators, and she’d overdrawn her spiritual energy.
Lu Chang wasn’t bursting with energy either, but he had enough to launch another blade of wind at YuYu, who could only stare balefully at him as the technique flew at her. Before it could slice into her, however, a dull-red dome of metal sprang up around her, shielding her from damage.
“Enough. YuYu concedes, though not for any skill, merely luck.”
Shang Daiyu spoke up from behind as she dispelled the metal dome and went to check on her attendant. Mei, of course, did not let her get the last word.
“Luck is a part of one’s skill. Without enough luck how could one ever hope to defy the heavens to cultivate?”
For once, her rival let it be, too concerned with applying some medicine to her attendant. Mei turned to Lu Chang with a wide smile. He could only reply with a grimace, his wounds were not lighter than his opponents, greater even.
Perhaps realizing this, Mei blushed crimson and hurried to him, a bottle of ointment and a pill in hand.
“Here, eat this. It’s a healing elixir, for your internal wounds.”
Lu Chang had heard of miraculous pills and knew that the Feng clan had access to them, but had never seen one before. He swallowed it and immediately felt the medicinal energy of the pill spread to his wounds. His paleness improved drastically as it began to replace the blood he’d lost.
Lu Chang slowly spread ointment on his wounds while Long Junjie addressed his guests.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“Well, that was exciting. A well-fought duel if I’ve ever seen one. That technique of your attendant’s was impressive Shang Daiyu; I can tell she’s grasped the essence of it. And that last maneuver your attendant used to blunt the impact was equally astounding, Feng Mei. Very creative and bold. Well done to them both.”
Lu Chang had to admit the Long scion was well-spoken, as both his master and her rival nodded proudly at the praise. Everyone discussed the fight for a few minutes, until Long Junjie made an announcement.
“Everyone, shall we return to the shade of the pavilion? I had another intention other than friendly greetings and competition in mind for this particular meeting, I have to admit.”
There were many curious mutterings as they moved back to the pavilion. Once they were all inside and seated, Long Junjie revealed his motives for the gathering.
“Thank you for your patience. I bring news of a great opportunity for our families. A few of my own family members have recently returned from an expedition into the Skytooth mountain range to the south. There, they discovered the entrance to a minor realm that we believe to be an untouched remnant of some ancient sect.”
All of the gathered scions sat up straight at this news. Any minor realm was a heaven-sent opportunity for a cultivator, let alone one with ancient treasures inside. This was the kind of chance that could enable one to truly rise as a legendary cultivator. A thin, strikingly pale man in robes of ashen grey, scion of the Shen family, spoke then.
“If this is true, why did your family not take all the treasures for yourself? Your Long clan is not that generous.”
Approving mutters abounded from the rest of the heirs, though Long Junjie only smiled.
“A pertinent question. Indeed there is a reason why we have not kept this to ourselves. The realm’s entrance is protected by a barrier of mighty strength, beyond even that of our patriarch.
With great effort, though, we have analyzed the barrier and come up with a surefire method to pass it. That is where we require the help of your clans. With the assistance of some elders from each of your clans, we shall be able to lower the barrier for a short time.”
Another round of low conversation broke out at the information. One by one, they all inquired further. How far into the mountains is the entrance? How many people could enter the realm? What was the maximum level of cultivator that could enter?
Much of the conversation went over Lu Chang’s head. While he’d heard legends and rumors of minor realms, they had been out of his reach until now, and the finer details were new to him. He’d have to have Mei explain them to him.
Eventually all of their questions were answered, and a date was planned for the expedition. In three weeks time they would embark on the journey to the minor realm. After the agreement was made, all the scions hurried away, to inform their families of the momentous occasion.
Lu Chang followed Mei out in silence, her being lost in thought. Eventually she turned to Lu Chang with a worried look.
“We must be very careful on this expedition, Lu Chang.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve only heard legends of minor realms; are they that dangerous?”
She nodded slowly.
“They can be, depending on what is inside. One like this that is the remnants of an ancient sect? It will be perilous. Ancient restrictions and traps could be everywhere, not to mention whatever spirit beasts have made it inside over the years. I am more worried about foul play, though.”
Lu Chang frowned.
“Will the competition be that fierce?”
Mei grimaced.
“Yes. The treasures and techniques within could be literally priceless. In such situations there is no fairness to be found. Everyone will compete with their lives on the line. Any alliances will be only those of convenience, to be ended at the first better opportunity. Most of our own Feng clan members will be trustworthy, but anyone else should be kept at arm’s length.”
In a sudden mood swing, she laughed gaily.
“Luckily this realm has left to decay so long that only meridian opening cultivators can enter, even after we lift the barrier.”
Lu Chang saw a chance to have his questions answered.
“Why is that? Surely that ancient sect wasn’t only made of first realm cultivators?”
Mei took on one of her rare lecturing poses as she instructed him.
“The first thing to understand about minor realms is that there is always a restriction on entering. It has to do with the way the realm is made and the shape of the space it inhabits. Some realms have a threshold of cultivation to enter, if you don’t have high enough cultivation you’ll die in transition to the realm.
Other realms have… Hmm how to explain.. They have a narrower entrance I suppose. If you have too much cultivation you will be unable to fit through the door, figuratively. This most often happens to realms that are very old or that haven’t been maintained well. It’s a sign that the realm is decaying.
This realm has decayed so far that only the lowest level cultivators can enter. This tells us a few things: either the realm is ancient beyond ancient, or more likely, it is only regularly ancient but the sect that created it was a lower tier sect whose creations wouldn’t last as long as a top of the line sect.
Do you understand?”
Lu Chang nodded along with her lecture; it was not too hard to follow. He still had a question, though.
“What is a sect, though, Mei?”
Her expression tightened at the question.
“They are peak existences on our continent. They are groups of cultivators bound together by common dogma or techniques, and are much more powerful than our Painted Families, or anyone in the Asura Empire.
I don’t know much more about them than that. I do know that whenever they get involved in the empire, even the emperor jumps at their command. They treat any cultivators outside the sects like common rabble. If you meet a cultivator from one, never provoke them.”
They walked in silence for a while as Lu Chang fought to wrap his head around that information. After a few minutes, Mei nudged his side in an attempt to raise his spirits.
“Think of it this way. If we find some heaven-defying treasures or techniques in the minor realm, maybe we’ll be invited to join a sect!”
He snorted.
“Perhaps you might. I doubt their entry qualifications have ‘slave’ in them.”
Lu Chang winced a little. His response had come out a fair bit more bitter than he’d intended. It seemed Mei had taken no notice, however, as she giggled.
“As if I’d go anywhere without you, Lu Chang! You’re stuck with me. It’s only been a couple months, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”
Lu Chang couldn’t help but smile. She was so naive in some ways that it was hard to hold his situation against her specifically. He still couldn’t let his guard down yet, though. It was possible her behavior was all just an act still.
A determined light shone in Lu Chang’s eyes as he again pondered methods of escape. In his time at the Feng clan he’d constructed and eventually scrapped dozens of plans. The one sticking point was the ‘crown’ that constricted him. Even were he to successfully escape, it would mean naught if he just died eventually from that anyway.
They returned to the Feng clan compound and went straight to inform Lord Feng of the discovery of the minor realm. With his approval, the whole clan started to move, like a hive of ants preparing to expand.
The best of the younger generation were picked to represent the clan, and elders all vied for the honor of accompanying the expedition to open the barrier. Slaves and clan members alike toiled to produce talismans and alchemical pills for the chosen clansmen to use in the minor realm.
That all had nothing to do with Mei and Lu Chang, though. Mei had all the consumable pills and talismans she could ever need, and Lu Chang would never be graced with any of the clan’s resources.
In the meantime, Mei scoured her own collection and the clan’s archives for an appropriate ‘ultimate technique,’ in her words, for Lu Chang in the aftermath of his duel with YuYu. Lu Chang thought he’d done well for himself in that duel, but he had to admit a bit of desire for a technique of the same level as that ‘Strike of the Nethergod.’
Eventually Mei did find an appropriate technique, though she did have to steal it from the clan archives, much to Lu Chang’s simultaneous excitement and dismay. It was called “Heavenly Wind from the Mountain” and would call down a great gust of wind from above, flattening everything in its path.
When mastered, its essence would materialize a mountain behind the user, truly forming the heavenly mountain wind. This was Lu Chang’s first introduction to essence materialization. Once certain techniques were mastered to a high level, if one could then comprehend the true meaning of the technique, its essence would materialize and increase the power of the technique many-fold.
The metal giant from YuYu’s technique was an example of essence materialization. Without such high comprehension of the move, YuYu would have only been able to strike out with her own sword; there would have been no metal giant.
This was an eye-opener to Lu Chang. According to Mei, such comprehension, not only of techniques, but of more esoteric concepts, became required as cultivation increased. A battle between higher realm cultivators was not only between the strength of their spiritual energy and techniques, but also between their comprehension of the world.
Lu Chang practiced the technique fervently in their downtime, quickly reaching a minimum level of competence in the technique to use its basic form. Much of his time outside practicing was spent with Mei scouring the histories of the clan, hoping to learn something that would give them a leg up in the minor realm.
He sparred with Mei on occasion, though not full force. He learned first hand the fierce might of the Feng clan’s violet wind techniques. Their bloodline technique, Violet Wind from the East, had the ability to dissolve other kinds of spiritual energy it came into contact with, making it a superb offensive move.
The night before the expedition was set to begin, Lu Chang sat at one of the desks in Mei’s room, studying a scroll on trap formations in preparation for the minor realm. Mei was in her favorite spot on Lu Chang’s bed, under the covers. A muffled voice came from the bed.
“Are you still reading, Lu Chang?”
He sighed heavily; she’d been asking him that same question every five minutes for the last hour.
“Yes. I am still reading this possibly crucial knowledge that we might need on this perilous adventure to a minor realm. One that you specifically warned me would be incredibly dangerous. Why do you ask?”
A long silence followed. Much too long of a silence for his quick-witted master. Lu Chang looked over to make sure she hadn’t fallen asleep in his bed, a common occurrence. He found instead that she was sitting there looking out the window at the full moon, a devastatingly sad expression on her face.
“Is something wrong, Mei?”
She shook her head unconvincingly. Lu Chang merely stared at her until she decided to open up.
“I miss my mother on nights like this. We used to sit outside in the garden pavilion and look at the full moon and stars together. She disappeared many years ago, though.”
Lu Chang gave his condolences, slim comfort as they were.
“Thank you, Lu Chang. Do you miss your mother?”
Lu Chang flinched backward at the blunt question and closed his eyes, remembering his mother’s violent death at the hands of the slavers. Something of his inner turmoil must have shown on his face, as Mei apologized quickly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, that was incredibly unkind of me to bring that up, wasn’t it?”
He shook his head.
“No, It’s alright. Remembering my mother is a good thing, even if the last memories are unpleasant. Yes I do miss my mother. I would give anything to hear her play the zither again.”
“Perhaps I’ll pick up the zither. It’s a ladylike thing, to play an instrument, don’t you think?”
Lu Chang chuckled.
“I can’t imagine you sitting still long enough to learn anything not related to martial arts.”
She hit him softly on the shoulder.
“How rude, I’m a perfectly patient woman.”
They both laughed and then descended back into a comfortable silence as she stared out the window and he kept reading. Eventually Mei spoke up again.
“I have a bad feeling about this expedition. Something on the wind is screaming at me, but I cannot find the source.”
Knowing that she was not speaking wholly figuratively, and remembering his own near-prophetic moments the day of the tournament back home, Lu Chang opened his senses to the wind.
Even with all his concentration, Lu Chang could only glean vaguely beneficent feelings toward the expedition. All the same, he attempted to comfort Mei.
“I’m sure it will be fine, Mei. I’ll do my best to look out for you, and the whole of the clan is behind you as well.”
She relaxed at the thought.
“You’re right, of course. There’s nothing to be worried about.”
Lu Chang thought privately that if anyone ought to be worried, it should be him, but, of course, did not voice his thought.
Less than an hour later, Lu Chang could hear the snoring of Mei from his bed. He rolled his eyes at her predictability. Looking around the room, he felt at peace here. It was a jarring emotion to Lu Chang. He’d not felt such since the tragedy at Hundred Fragrance City.
The emotion was not unwelcome, but all the same Lu Chang hoped it would fade. He could not afford to get attached to this place or the people who would forever see him enslaved.
Lu Chang slept that night fitfully, his conscious and unconscious feelings at war.
The next morning was spent in a flurry of frantic packing. They joined the rest of the clan in the trek to the bottom of the city where all the clans were set to meet. Looking out over the combined expedition, Lu Chang counted several hundreds of people.
After a moment’s contemplation by the elders heading the expedition, they set off for the Skytooth Mountains and to the minor realm in their depths.