“Wakey, wakey.” Someone said, lightly rapping their knuckles on his forehead.
Ace bemoaned. “Momm, just five more minutes.”
He rolled over in his bedsheets, wrapping himself like a burrito in an effort to escape the early morning treatment.
“I’m not your mom, stupid,” The deep voice denied. The tapping turned into a goddamn knock that would make any homeowner pissed off.
In a matter of milliseconds, Ace remembered where exactly he was at. He shot out of bed like a torpedo, black hair flopping in disarray. Blearily blinking his eyes open, he grumbled out a sentence. “The fuck was that for.”
Bao Feng shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe because you made me lockpick my own room door last night because you forgot my key in your room. What do you think?” He articulated rhetorically, swinging his room key back and forth between Ace’s eyes, “Fun fact, they don’t make spares of these.”
“Whoopsies,” Ace said deadpan, facial expression non-changing.
Bao Feng shook his head. “Whatever, just get up. We have work to do today.”
Ace bathed and brushed his teeth with a complimentary toothbrush he was too tired to use last night. The bristles were more like something you would find on a backscratcher than anything fit to go near human gums. The toothpaste was not bad actually, it tasted like fresh mint leaves, whether it cleaned his teeth for real, he didn’t have any clue, but it sure as hell made his breath smell better than shrew meat.
They sat down at one of the tavern tables, both ordering a simple breakfast, bone broth with a side of mashed potatoes. Ace was dressed in the same armor from yesterday, while Bao Feng had a pair of fresh, everyday clothes on. Short-sleeve ones actually. Maybe high-level cultivators don’t need to be shielded from the cold. But he lost his cultivation. Huh.
“Can I have a pair of those clothes, like a wintertime variant, rather than wearing armor all day?”
“No.”
“Lovely, so what are we doing today?”
Bao Feng breathed deeply before explaining. “We have a lot on our plate today. Namely, getting new clothes for you other than one set of armor. I’ll get you a storage ring once we get to Dongyin, but I will hold on to all your clothing until I give you one. Other than that,” The server, not Tommy, placed two bowls of broth and mash on the table. “Ah, thank you. Apart from the clothes, I’ll buy everything else you need in Dongyin. I’m already very travel prepared, enough so that I already have nigh on anything you could possibly need for a journey. The real brunt of the day will be spent teaching you how to fight with a spear and sword. If I deem it worthwhile, I might teach you some Qi control and combat techniques. I don’t like this place in the least bit, so we will trek away from here before making camp and instructing you.”
Ace inclined his head. “Sounds cool bro. You can take the reins on what we do, you seem pretty experienced with the ways of life.”
Bao Feng affirmed. “Yes, I am 250 years of age, after all.”
Ace choked on his water.
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Two men, one of seemingly middling age, the other of youth, walked down the slick roads, toward their destination, Fine Clothes for the Adventurous Gentleman. From the outside, it was made crystal clear that it was more bougee than the surrounding storefronts. A bright green roof decorated the two-story building, curving nicely into a tall point. The wooden exterior was nicely shiny and completely void of any sign of ice. In fact, two workers were passionately removing any fallen snow right in front of them.
Two tuxedo-wearing staff members held open the double doors as they went inside.
Ace almost couldn’t keep in the childlike, ‘wow,’ that threatened to escape his mouth. Rows of lightly colored shelves had neatly folded piles of clothes on them, all unique in their own ways. Some seemed more like cotton, a bunch were constructed from silk, a myriad of leather, and wooly fleece. Typical Xianxia robes were hanging from the ceiling by the dozens, most had sashes, some did not. The whole galore was featured. Gloves, furry hats, boots, literally boxers, and socks all had their own sections. What is the supreme dealership of luxury doing in this shithole?
It was a tailor's heaven, but too soon, Ace was snapped out of it by Bao Feng flicking his forehead.
“Stop doing that,” He snapped.
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“Stop dozing off,” Bao Feng fired back, causing Ace to splutter in total bamboozlement. “Let’s go get the clothes I ordered for you.” He calmly went toward the checkout counter.
“Holdup. How did you know my size and why won’t you let me pick out my own stuff?” Ace interrogated.
“Those underclothes fit you perfectly, so that's the size we're getting for everything here. I’ll let you get your own underwear and socks though. And I already have the rest taken care of regarding boots, hats, scarfs, and gloves. Immortals know I could get rid of a dragon’s hoard worth,” He smirked at Ace. “Besides, unless you are familiar with the applications of Weida clothing, you would be nothing but a bumbling fool trying to purchase what you think you need.”
Ace was about to retort, but they reached the counter and Bao Feng spoke first. “Hello, pickup for Bao Feng,” He handed the employee some golden coins decorated with the picture of a beast that seemed to be a mix of a Chinese dragon with an infinite number of heads that each resembled a fox's head. Bao motioned toward Ace. “He’ll be picking out some other stuff by the way.”
The employee exchanged Bao Feng’s coins for some silver coins and a couple of iron ones. Ace inquired. “What's the deal with the currency here, conversion rates and all that,” When the worker looked at him strangely, he clarified. “I’m not from here.”
“He’s from the most recent initiation,” Bao Feng explained even further.
The woman behind the counter made an, ‘oh,’ shape with her mouth before resetting her expression. “One Golden Dragon is worth a hundred silvers and a silver is equivalent to a hundred Iron coins. Welcome to Weida.”
Apart from the well-wishing, the woman moved on from the conversation with speed, telling another man to come to the counter, which was all of a cue for them to get on with the rest of the shopping. Can someone ask me about my home world? Hell, Bao hasn’t even mentioned it without reason too.
Ace completed the ordeal by selecting his more sensitive clothing and socks, fulfilling a separate order for the selected items.
It was then time for them to set out, Bao Feng having thoroughly reassured him that he had every piece of gear they could need.
And at last, weeks past being in this new, treacherous reality, Ace had a sense of direction. Metaphorically and literally. They were heading southeast to Dongyin along a beautiful winter landscape. However, this was also the first time he had a plan, a shaky and adjustable one, but a fledged-out plan, nonetheless.
Ace repeated back to Bao Feng as they walked out the south gate, which caused the two stationed guards to acknowledge them with a tiny wave. “We are heading to Dongyin, the capital of the province we are in, Dongtian. We’ll skip by the towns and villages so I can learn how to survive out in this godforsaken place. Then, once we get to Dongyin, I’ll sign up to be an adventurer and we go from there. Correct?”
“Your geography skills know no bounds,” Bao Feng commented dryly. “But, yes, that is precisely what we will be doing. If something unforeseen happens, we might be forced to stop at an inn or something of the like; otherwise, you hit the nail on the head.”
Ace nodded and proceeded to chat with Bao throughout their journey, not just about cultivation, but also about the geography, history, political climate, and a whole array of other things that were second nature in Bao’s understanding of the Drku kingdom they were in, which Bao Feng had briefly mentioned one time when they met.
They trudged slowly along the beaten path, intaking the fresh, cool, air as they did so, when Bao brought up the topic of war. Apparently, the Drku were teetering on the edge of it.
“So, basically, the other side is laden with a ton of bloodthirsty, warmongering, crazy people, and I, the unwilling victim, could be forced into mandatory conscription if we engage in said war… I’m not misreading something here, am I?”
Bao Feng grimaced. “No, you are spot on, actually. Well, only the natives are crazy because they’ve been brainwashed since birth. The citizens of opposing nations they capture aren’t. They’re just normal people doing what they have to do to survive. Lack of compliance means death. Compliance means slavery. Pick one.”
“Do you think the war will start soon, if ever?”
“Oh, definitely, a town across the Prin Valley, the biggest obstacle that is preventing the Hondu from launching an all-out assault on us, was razed to the ground, and not a single living soul remained from our side. The kingdom tried their best to stop word from spreading of the disaster; but word got out, notably when they collapsed the only bridge across it that leads to the Drku Kingdom. So, we are going to war next year if I had to guess. Just hope you don’t get conscripted. But, if I’m being honest, the kingdom will be prone to pick an otherworlder like you, instead of their own people,” Bao Feng lengthily elaborated.
“Nice,” Ace distastefully muttered.
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A while later, he and Bao Feng stopped to set up a campsite. A few hours of daylight remained that he wanted to use in teaching Ace.
But foremost, they needed to build a campsite, so that’s what they did. And by built, he meant that his companion summoned item after item magically out of thin air, while Ace watched in shock, giggling.
“Bao, how much are you packing, bro,” Ace questioned, poker-faced.
Bao Feng looked at him confusedly as he pulled out a large tent that could easily hold the two of them, and more, from his special ring. “Quite a lot. Why?”
Ace couldn’t help himself and burst into fits of sniggering and teasing Bao. “You said, “‘Quite a lot,’” He chortled.
“There is nothing funny about camping, Ace. Now, please make a bonfire pit for me. I trust you know how to do that, at least?”
“Yeah,” Ace confirmed, still wheezing. “I’ll get right on that.”
Once the entire campsite was fitted with a big tent, sleeping bags, and all the rest, Bao Feng’s eyes turned predatory. “Now, for basic longsword training, session number one. Catch,” He threw a wooden training version of a longsword at Ace, as he held his own. “Training starts… now!”