The first surprise came in the form of Spiritual Swords.

Li Bo opened the mouth of his spatial bag, colored a darker brown than theirs and a tad bit larger in size, and from its depthless storage took out three wide-bladed longswords that had no edge. Like the bamboo training swords, the blades had a square shape and a flat tip, and throughout its body runes and words of all kinds stood engraved. They had colors as well, and the most eye-catching of them all was the red word Flight on the triangular hilt.

‘‘We could not use them in the storm, and in the forest you two would break your own heads before the demonics. But-‘‘ Li Bo threw two blades at them, and they both caught theirs‘ by the hilt. ‘‘This place is suitable. Try to get on them first.‘‘

Zhang Cai nodded. Before he acted, however, he looked at Li Bo and saw him drop the sword at his feet, unmoving. Then his gaze traveled up the fine yet smeared attire to the expectant look of Li Bo.

Is he trying to make me embarrass myself?

Surely, he wasn‘t..?

Zhang Cai put the sword down and crouched beside it. He caressed the runes themselves, inspected them, and he touched the sword all over until he found nothing. Then he willed it, and his belly squeezed; a quarter of a Qi rushed out of there and landed on the tips of his five right fingers that he pressed on the blade.

A glow spread from his fingers to the silver metal, and it traveled rune by rune, lighting the circles and the characters trapped inside until the entire sword brimmed with brilliant white. It thrummed and floated up to his knee-height.

‘‘Hey, I did it!‘‘ He said.

‘‘Now get on it.‘‘ Li Bo replied. ‘‘Ah, good work, junior sister. You still remember.‘‘

Zhang Cai looked at her, and saw her standing upright and steady on that small blade up a meter in the air zig-zagging back and right. A whistle accompanied her each move.

‘‘Um,‘‘ he looked at her small feet, then at his own. ‘‘How am I going to stand like that with my feet?‘‘

‘‘Get your fingers away from the blade.‘‘

Zhang Cai did as he said and the blade did not separate from his fingers.

‘‘Huh? What the-‘‘ he tried again and again, but it did not go away. At last a few seconds later his Qi ran out and the sword fell lame on the ground.

‘‘See?‘‘ was all Li Bo said. Then he got on his own, and Zhang Cai saw from his feet how Qi in miniscule amounts traveled into the sword.

How kind, he thought. He got on the fallen blade and did so. Another churning of his belly, and a quarter of Qi shot into the blade. The glow came, and Zhang Cai found himself a few meters above, looking down at the scenery and the siblings rising up to his level.

‘‘The more you load Qi, the farther you rise, and the longer it lasts.‘‘ Li Bo explained. ‘‘All that fine control was not just to increase your efficiency. And the weight training with our pace in the forest...do you see what I mean?‘‘

Zhang Cai understood. Even this up far in the air, he felt how weak his legs felt. He stood on the blade very well, and he trembled a little, but that was it. Yet he also felt how he could fall out of balance and crash if his legs were not as strong, and how the sword would tilt front or back if his back muscles were not as they stood now.

‘‘A flying sword is all cultivators‘ lifeline. Not having one is too dangerous, and is a must. Once you get more proficient in it, you will be able to drive it through storms or forests alike...but that might take you more than a few months of continuous use. For now, it is enough if you can accompany Li Huan on the way.‘‘

‘‘I see...why her only?‘‘

‘‘You have not forgotten our promise, have you? You need to play with her, and it is her favorite activity to fly on a sword as well. A pity her Qi reserves are low because of her age, if not she could fly the whole day.‘‘

So age matters? My master did not lie?

That simple thought went away when Li Huan whizzed past them laughing. She shot off high into the sky, almost a dot, and then came diving down like a eagle to sweep gales on their faces.

‘‘I missed this! I missed this so much!‘‘ She shouted and went forward.

‘‘Go on,‘‘ Li Bo said. ‘‘I will keep watch for the demonics.‘‘

Just about to smile, Zhang Cai‘s heart fell cold. Intense cold.

‘‘But...but we dealt with them!‘‘

‘‘We killed a few dozen, it does not matter.‘‘ Li Bo murmured, as if to not let himself heard. ‘‘Demonics are demonics for a reason, and there was a deeper motive to me warning you junior brother.‘‘

‘‘Tell me, would you not have been able to kill those by yourself?‘‘

Zhang Cai thought of their strength. Their strikes hurt a little, and those with weapons were three or four at most, who Li Bo dealt with by himself. Their average cultivation had to be first or second step Glassmade. He could take care of them, he thought. He had that confidence from facing off monsters known as Xian.

But to kill them?

‘‘...I could have, probably.‘‘

‘‘That is not much of a danger, is it?‘‘

Zhang Cai got the reply he asked for. So he did not ask anymore and flew after Li Huan. Though he cast a glance back and saw Li Bo gaze at the forest‘s dark countenance.

*********

As it turned out, being a playmate was no easy thing.

New to this flying spiritual sword business, Zhang Cai spent his first minutes steadying himself, and the rest of their eight hour flight tumbling around the air. He rolled and zig-zagged after Li Huan, whose speed knew no bounds and energy no end. She flew and flew and then flew some more, and she made tricks in the air; she jumped above the sword and landed back on it, she took it in her hand and hung from it while flying, and she hugged it like a pillow to even rest on it when she had bouts of exhaustion.

Zhang Cai, in that regard, did none of that. He had difficulty catching up. He had the so-called Qi Reserve advantage, as it seemed each year the body grew it could house more until he hit twenty-some years of age. But he felt none of it. If he wanted to catch up to her, he would need to empty his reserves twice over, almost a hundred pulls of Qi even.

But how, then, was she able to do so?

After the sun came up and the plains cleared of the night sky, Zhang Cai and Li Bo descended on a spot much higher in altitude than the rest of the terrain. Though no hill, if one came upon them then they would see such.

After them came down Li Huan and she landed unsteady, legs wobbling. But she had this bright smile on her face that outshined the Sunlight they had been devoid of, and this satisfied look that he had never seen her have even in the presence of her old friend. She was sweating all the way, and she was still sweating. Her collars and sleeves and the ends of her robe all stuck to her skin, refusing to part apart and dripping with droplets at her each move.

But that look of satisfaction seemed to make her unaware. Even if her hair remained wet and messy from the sweat, and she sat trembling on the ground, the sword clenched in her bosom, she had no qualms about it. This kind of joy was something Zhang Cai never saw, nor did experience.

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He envied such a look.

‘‘Let us eat a little, then we will go forward once more.‘‘

As he spoke Li Bo took out bread and Zhang Cai took out the honey. Li Huan, giggling to herself, threw them the last few pieces of dried meat. Her look said enough—she would not prepare any for herself, they would.

While Zhang Cai cut the bread in thick slices he cast his eyes back to the forest.

‘‘Why did we not hunt back there?‘‘

‘‘It is a little risky.‘‘ Li Bo said. He seemed a little out of it, answering. ‘‘All those flower buds are empty for a reason: the creatures there eat them, and the creatures that do not eat those that eat, and since they are so potent and full of Qi we could get poisoned with ease.‘‘

‘‘Yeah, I wouldn‘t wanna waste antidotes on that.‘‘

‘‘Of course.‘‘

This suddenly brought a thought to Zhang Cai‘s mind.

‘‘The critters...or the snakes. Why did they not bite?‘‘

‘‘Most likely because of the fire...‘‘Li Bo halted. He had a brief, but strong look of concern on his face that went away. Zhang Cai couldn‘t quite get why that was, only that he might have a clue that he did not realize. But even that remained ambiguous. Yet he also did not decide to throw that thought away, that would not be prudent.

‘‘Another reason...is...they are aware!‘‘ Li Huan struggled to answer, but she managed to lean forward enough to snap away one of the sandwiches.

Li Bo pulled her hair aside,‘‘Don‘t let them fall,‘‘ he said, and started preparing another.

Li Huan settled her head on his crossed legs and bit into her sandwich.

‘‘Aware of...our cultivation?‘‘

‘‘Beasts are a lot more sensitive than you think. Instinct is a scary thing after all.‘‘

‘‘Yeawh Cwaicwai, thby arf pwetty ghood whe—‘‘

Li Bo shot her a brief glance.

She smiled and swallowed the bite in her throat. A loud gulp, and she spoke again.

‘‘Yeah, Caicai, they are pretty good when it comes to smells and observation. You know, I had to live with all kinds of animals when I was little so I could learn with them. Dogs and cats, there were deers and swans, one time even a baby Xian! She was so cute as well. But she passed away a year ago. They live so short...‘‘

She took another bite, chewing, and Zhang Cai felt himself a little hungry so he took a bite as well. Li Bo accompanied them not a second later so the trio stood in the midst of the endless grass plains and the soft aquamarine sky with its brilliant Sun rising up and up. A soft breeze accompanied them, warm and soft to the touch, trickling between the hairs and smelling so nice like a vegetable field in the midst of a mint forest.

‘‘But they are great teachers.‘‘ She said. Another bite, then another. Her face twisted a little and Li Bo pinched her nose in response.

‘‘You can‘t do both at the same time. Eat first, talk later.‘‘

She nodded.

A few minutes passed and they ate another serving. They packed all they had and laid there for a while to rest their thighs and heels and back muscles.

‘‘They all were great teachers. The swan teached me how to walk softly, so that I did not make loud noises. Dogs taught me how to smell and the cats how to look in dark. The deer taught me to run, and the Xian how to search for Qi Wells to draw Qi from. The eagles taught me where to look, and the lions where to strike. I also learned to be patient from Uncle Turtle guarding our gates. From the mice how to look for danger, and from the carp how to swim, and from the centipede how to scale rocks and from the monkey how to balance myself...‘‘

The list of animals went on and on, and at each new animal Li Huan drew their forms with her pinky on air. Bits of Qi flowed to her will and painted them each using the sky as a canvas. Thrice the animals depicted on the zodiac, now stood over forty animals who all were teachers of this little girl dancing around them.

The faint red of her Qi fell apart not long after. In that single, short instant they were buried under particles of Qi.

‘‘There sure are amazing animals in your home.‘‘ Zhang Cai said.

‘‘Not at home. They are all in the family estate.‘‘ she replied.

Was that any different? An estate was a home where you lived with your family.

‘‘Should we get going?‘‘ Li Bo said. They agreed without any words and rose. They mounted the swords and flew up, traversing the greenery once more until the grass united as one green patch of mingling lines chasing after the horizon and bending to the winds.

Zhang Cai pushed the long locks of his curly hair back and tied them with a short rope. Taking a deep breath, he smiled at Li Bo. ‘‘The path here seems too clear, Li Bro.‘‘

He nodded. ‘‘This is our land, after all. Beast and Xian do not dare enter further than the frontier, though they may attempt to reside in Il-Ich since it is a natural zone. Though to its west is their way to get into the frontier, and to the east is our own.‘‘

‘‘That would mean a great detour, wouldn‘t it?‘‘

‘‘It would, of course. But Il-Ich has its own downsides.‘‘

That one thumb pointed at the back told Zhang Cai enough.

‘‘Can they really chase us further, now that we are here? I‘m sure I never saw any kind of spiritual weapon on them.‘‘

‘‘Demonics are demonics for a reason.‘‘

Zhang Cai rolled his eyes. ‘‘Li Bro, senior brother, please just tell me why they are demonics. I asked enough, and you always answer like this...it is bad on my heart, you know?‘‘

‘‘I was not aware of your old age, my apologies.‘‘

Zhang Cai smiled a little at that, but he kept looking at the man so he would not get away with a pretty joke.

‘‘Demonics...do you know what a demon is in Cultivation world?‘‘

‘‘No.‘‘ Demons in folklore were tempters and creatures born from Hell and Infernal Qi, who swayed good and bolstered evil to drive the world into chaos. But he never heard of them related to cultivation aside from the Qi part.

‘‘They are those who bind themselves to the creature known as Shay-Emo. That creature is the first demon, genderless and emotionless, but also the first one.‘‘

‘‘The first one..?‘‘

‘‘Further you go in your journey, the farther you will be able to understand the significance of that creature. But its history does not matter here.‘‘

Zhang Cai wanted to know more, of course, but he nodded as well. He could always learn from another place.

‘‘The demonics worship it, and it, who lives beyond the eyes and ears of others, bestows upon them blood of its own. Those who devour it to aid in their cultivation are known as Demonics. Those who use its blood to create binded monsters are known as Fiends. And those who bind the blood to themselves are Ritualists. Anyone can reach Sheay-Emo, but not everyone gets an answer. And anyone who gets an answer...‘‘

‘‘...what? What happens?‘‘

‘‘Well, it is up to them to decide. Even if you receive the blood, it doesn‘t mean you are evil. Some sects even nurture disciples eye catching enough to get its blood and forge evil-fending weapons and talismans.‘‘

‘‘And it lets them do it?‘‘

‘‘It is the first demon, not the first demonic. It is emotionless, not heartless.‘‘

Emotionless and Heartless. How different were these two words in essence? An absence of emotion and the absence of a heart? Was the heart supposed to represent conscience, or the existence of a mind that did acknowledge emotions but did not consider it? So if it was emotionless itself, did it consider the weights of emotion?

Zhang Cai thought of his master for a moment, and he had an epiphany. This would be a matter his master would die to talk about. He liked difficult subjects, and he always had trouble deciding the moral qualities. He said, once if Zhang Cai remembered correctly, that his master(Or Zhang Cai‘s grandmaster) loved to question Cultivators of all manners. He even wrote an acclaimed book on it, but he never heard of its title.

Better not forget about this. He thought. He will love this.

It did not occur to him that his master might have talked to many more about this as someone above the Threshold, or he might even know the truth behind it all. He just had that tiny, single joy in his heart that he would be able to share more than his experience. He would be able to share the teachings of others, and his own thoughts.

Unbeknownst to him, he picked up speed and came beside the excited Li Huan who spent all her energy on flying, and now was sitting on the blade traveling quiet and stable. One leg on the blade, other dangling at the side, she put both her hands on the hilt and let the wind fill her face.

Unlike the massacre in the forest, she had the countenance of a child.

Why did I have to think of that...

He cast a brief glance at Li Bo, and he saw him gazing behind.

Damn, he fucking evaded me!

He had not gotten the answer he wanted, again...

Zhang Cai gazed at the man. As always, standing upright, hands behind the back, chin so up he looked haughty, Li Bo‘s features remained cloaked by his whipping raven hair. But Zhang Cai knew he looked back. The red of the Sunset hit him from the left, revealing gaps through the locks that showed his eyebrows and his nose tilted away from them.

When his head turned around and looked at him and his sister, Li Bo gifted them a soft smile.