He Yu’s trip to the medicine hall was his shortest yet. The treatment that Yi Xiurong had arranged for him was some of the sect’s finest. It took every last bit of his control to cycle the restorative elixirs and avoid a backlash, but it did its job. After only an hour, he was in peak condition again.
The crafting disciples that took his weapon and robe were similarly advanced. All the necessary repairs and reinforcements were completed by the time he left the medicine hall, leaving him with the entire night to cultivate before leaving at dawn. He didn’t think about how much this would have cost if he’d had to pay for it himself. He simply accepted that it would have been too much.
At first light, he gathered what meager supplies he had left after nearly a year of being starved of resources by Wang Xiaobo and Xin Lu, and headed to the sect’s main gate. By now he’d gotten used to the murmurs that followed him when he passed through the outer sect, and had—much to his chagrin—simply taken to ignoring the lower realm disciples. What else could he do, really? If he stopped and acknowledged them all, he’d be here all day.
Arriving at the meeting spot, he caught sight of Chen Fei and Yan Shirong easily enough. Chen Fei stood out in her leathers and fur, and Yan Shirong seemed to blend in to the background more than he ever had, with his plum and sable robes. The Third Realm disciple with them wasn’t one He Yu recognized, and he didn’t seem particularly impressed with either Chen Fei or Yan Shirong. He did, however, practically fall over himself when He Yu arrived.
“Senior Brother He,” the disciple said over a fist pressed into his palm. “This one is called Zhu Feng. While I may only be at the peak of Body Refining, and a poor combatant, I am considered one of the most promising alchemists among the inner sect’s Third Realm disciples. I was instructed to accompany you and provide my expertise for whatever purposes you require.”
After returning the salute, He Yu said, “I’m glad to have you along. Call me He Yu. We’ll be traveling together for some time, and all this ‘Senior Brother’ stuff isn’t something I really need.”
“Looks like Zhang Lifen is rubbing off on you,” Yan Shirong said, detaching himself from an unnaturally deep pocket of shadows. “Shall we be off? Senior Sister Yi gave me instructions to find the alchemy workshop, so I can serve as a guide.”
He Yu gave Yan Shirong his assent, and they were off. As they made their way down the slopes of the outer sect mountain to the foothills and plains below, He Yu dropped back so he could speak to Chen Fei in relative privacy.
“I’m worried about the others,” he said, once they’d fallen just far enough back that he was confident Zhu Feng wouldn’t be able to hear him. Yan Shirong would eavesdrop, given what He Yu knew of his Wayborn Seed, but he was fine with that.
She shot a slightly concerned glance in his direction. “Worried how?”
“Zhu Feng doesn’t know what he’s getting into. Yan Shirong, well you know how he is. Fixed on the potential wealth. You, at least, have enough sense to recognize that we’re heading into probably the most dangerous situation we’ve ever been in.”
“If you’re worried about how I’ll react,” she began, a slight crease appearing between her brows.
“No,” he said, cutting her off. “I saw how you reacted when Yi Xiurong told us we were making a big move against the court. You saw what Sha Xiang was like in the tournament. Aside from that, nobody except Tan Xiaoling and I have any real idea of what the members of the court are like. The overseer at the mines was a tough opponent. I’ve felt this Kong Huizhong’s presence myself.”
“There’s more,” she said.
“Zhang Lifen pulled me aside after the meeting last night. She said the court isn’t worthy of mercy.”
“What do you think we’ll find?” Chen Fei asked, picking up on the implication.
“I don’t know,” He Yu said. “I don’t even know what I’m trying to say. I guess, just be careful.”
“You too, He Yu.”
“Just Yu,” he said. “At least when it’s us.”
“Just Fei. At least when it’s us.” She gave him a smile at that. Somehow it made him feel a bit better about heading into whatever it was they were heading into.
They moved as quickly as they could. Zhu Feng was the slowest among them. Not only was his movement technique a relatively poor one, but he also had the even lower endurance than Yan Shirong. His presence was barely formed, giving really only wisps of wind and metal. He did, however, come with a massive stock of pills and elixirs, most of his own making. Each was of incredibly high quality, especially given their creator was still of the Third Realm.
As they traveled, He Yu did his best to step into his role as the group’s leader. Neither Chen Fei nor Yan Shirong would begrudge him that—both of them cared little for authority for each their own reasons. Chen Fei, despite the confidence she’d gained since joining the inner sect, simply didn’t consider herself fit for the role. Yan Shirong preferred to stay in the background as it was a position more suitably aligned with his Way.
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Zhu Feng, of course, wouldn’t dare try and question He Yu’s authority. He was still at late Body Refining, and He Yu was approaching middle Golden Core. The sect’s First Disciple herself, the highest ranked member of the sect other than the elders, had placed He Yu in charge of the group. To defy He Yu’s leadership would be to defy Yi Xiurong. Then there was the matter of inner sect rank. He Yu had scraped himself into the low five hundreds over the past year. He didn’t know what Zhu Feng’s rank was, but it couldn’t be higher than six hundred.
Doing his best to do the sort of thing he thought a leader was supposed to, he quickly set about to delegating various tasks. Yan Shirong acted as a sort of outrider, scouting ahead of their group with both his perception technique and his constructs. Chen Fei was their camp master, keeping an eye out for signs of beasts and suitable resting places. It was a task she that suited her well, given her vastly superior experience with wilderness living compared to the rest of them. Zhu Feng was their acting quartermaster. He Yu placed him in charge of their provisions, so they could make the best use of any beasts they encountered and felled on the way, or any particularly potent herbs they ran across.
For this, Zhu Feng was suitably amazed. He Yu and Chen Fei were already in the habit of hunting when they were away from the sect, so every time they stopped—mostly so Zhu Feng could cultivate—He Yu and Chen Fei roamed the surrounding area. They’d bring back Third Realm beasts, with the occasional weaker Fourth Realm, should they happen across one. It was immediately clear that Zhu Feng rarely had access to such high quality ingredients with such regularity, but he took to them with suitable enthusiasm.
It was strange, He Yu thought one night as Zhu Feng gushed over a potent Third Realm deer that He Yu and Chen Fei had returned with. Access to resources was so critical. So many little opportunities had allowed He Yu to advance as quickly as he had. The time traveling to hunt King Hao, then feasting on the fish Old Guo had caught. Cultivating in the forgotten temple to the Thunder God. Even the elixirs Zhang Lifen had given him when he’d entered the inner sect.
It made perfect sense why Wang Xiaobo and Xin Lu, lacking the ability to attack him directly because of the difference in rank, had sought to deprive him of resources. Should they starve him sufficiently, they could ensure that he’d remain at low Golden Core, possibly forever. At least they could make it difficult to advance.
He was close—he could feel it in his dantian. His Golden Core. The pressure was growing, and it would only take a few more pushes to finally reach the middle stage. Should fortune favor him, whatever bounty he gained from this mission would push him into the next stage.
For the next few weeks, they ventured mostly north. Had it not been for Zhu Feng slowing them down, they’d have arrived sooner, but He Yu wasn’t going to complain. Zhu Feng had earned his place just with his ability to make better use of the beasts they hunted on the trip. He also proved an excellent cook—something none of the others were very skilled at, despite being of acceptable ability.
As they finally drew near the alchemy workshop, He Yu gathered them together. The workshop itself nestled in a hollow at the base of a cliff. The surrounding area was thick with plant life, and dense with natural qi. Cedar and pine were thickest, shielding the workshop from view unless the viewer was atop one of the few small hills nearby, like He Yu and the others were. The limestone cliffs that rose above the workshop itself had spotty patches of green clinging to them wherever life could find purchase. A small plot sat next to the workshop, and patches of herbs grew within.
The workshop itself was a small, single-story building. Its construction was sturdy for being this far away from any villages, and it looked roughly the size of the home that He Yu had shared with Li Heng in his first days at the sect. Not overly large, but spacious enough for one or two alchemists to do their work.
Standing in front of the three others, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words as they looked at him expectantly. He wasn’t going to deliver a speech, but he felt he needed to at least say something.
“Remember,” he began. “We’re here to gather information first. The workshop itself should be where we find the bulk of it. Should any fighting break out, avoid damaging the workshop until we’ve at least gathered what we can from inside.
“Any loot from the workshop itself should be accounted for and pooled, so we can distribute it fairly. Once we’ve taken everything of value, we burn it to the ground.”
“Senior—er, He Yu. A question if I may,” Zhu Feng asked. “What exactly is the nature of this workshop? All I know is that it belongs to a group of rogue cultivators.”
“That’s about all there is,” He Yu answered before he gave himself too much time to debate the merits of lying. He was under firm instruction from Yi Xiurong to keep the information about the Sunset Court close to his chest, after all. “They’ve been operating outside the laws of the empire and without the permission of the sect. If Senior Sister Yi deems them worthy of destruction, it is not my place to question her.”
He felt that was close enough to the truth. A lie of omission was still a lie in his eyes, but a far less serious one than a deliberate falsehood.
Fortunately, the answer seemed to satisfy Zhu Feng, who simply gave a salute in response.
“Yan Shirong, you will keep a watch for any surprises and you’ll also scout out the workshop itself before we move in. Chen Fei, you’ll deal with any formations we find. You’ll also be responsible for keeping Zhu Feng safe, as he’s the least combat oriented of us all. Zhu Feng, you’ll identify and take an inventory of any reagents, medicines, or elixirs we find. Keep your presences restrained. There’s no purpose in alerting anyone who might be around if we don’t have to.”
They all saluted, and Yan Shirong sent in his construct. As he got that blank, faraway look that came over him when he was seeing through the eyes of his puppets, Chen Fei gave He Yu a pat on the shoulder and an encouraging smile.
“Was it that obvious?” he asked.
“No. You did great,” she said.
Before He Yu could respond, Yan Shirong’s eyes snapped back to focus. “Bastards,” he practically spat.
“What is it?” He Yu asked, pushing down the spike of worry at Yan Shirong’s reaction. Zhang Lifen’s comment that the court wasn’t worth his mercy echoed in his ears.
“Nobody’s there. At least not that I can find. It’s better if you see for yourself.”
He didn’t like Yan Shirong’s answer, but he was going to take him at his word. “Yan Shirong, watch out for anyone approaching. The rest of you, keep behind me,” he said as he headed to the workshop.
As they drew near, the first thing He Yu noticed was the smell. Blood, decay, and one more that he’d sworn he would never forget—burning flesh.
He exchanged a glance with Chen Fei. Her features were set; it seemed she knew the smell, too. As they took another step forward, He Yu summoned his guandao, its weight lending him comfort as it fell into his hands.