third person’s PoV
The Siwang mountain range was a extends like a massive wall far to the north and south creating a vast natural barrier between two countries. And because of it, all trade routes from the western Empire of the Tian dynasty and the eastern Clansman provinces to pass to the south. This made for a relative calm for the rest of the region, as any trade would first need to head to a major city and then south.
Thus, the large expense nestled between it and the Qīngse inner sea became, over the centuries, a place of calm and growth. A place for spiritual retreats to the many cultivators, monks and other Daoists wishing to lay down roots. Making the sight of people flying through the skies a relatively common occurrence despite the rarity of individuals able to do such a feat.
“Hey! I’ve been meaning to ask but, how is this sword of yours flying? I’ve been watching you doing something with your energy to it, wrapping it around the blade.” Iulia, the broom riding sorceress and apprentice painter asked. Leaning on her hand-crafted contraption, feeding the various natural treasures it was made of with her ink. Keeping the anger colored inscription active as she flew. She hadn’t planned how her recent rebound-borne growths would affect her flight; her long mane of brown curls held by a struggling red band of silk Huan had gifted her. Yet, despite the added drag that her dormant quills-like hair mutation gave, the eyes and tail offered her a much appreciated help. The first would help her in the ability to admire and observe her surroundings without having to turn around. Whereas the tail was not as useful for balance as she had once thought. But the fact that she caught the larger woman sneaking glances at it before unconsciously letting a small smile through her rigid mask was worth it.
“You would be right, while the sword is made in a certain way that’s unknown to me, it is much easier to use and channel flying technique through it than a regular sword. I have to keep part of my mind focused on keeping a particular rhythm and flow, from my core to the blade, with the correct verse in mind.” Huan, the tall warrior of a woman, responded. standing upright on the flying sword her grandfather had gifted her before they had left. To Iulia, the weapon looked more like a mix between a bastard sword in form, a zweihander from the guard and a falchion from how wide the blade stretched. Quite the sight too, when compared to the many blades that littered Gui’s shop and garden. Iulia could feel that there was an external influence, one she had guessed came from her teacher back when that woman came here.
“isn’t that, like straining? Like you are likely compartmentalizing part of your mind just to be able to fly. Don’t get me wrong, flying is great and I am not dissing the effort you’re doing to do so. It would be hypocritical of me after all the sourcing and traveling i did to find the trees for this one. But still, do you have some kind of technique to enhance your mind, or does it come naturally with Qi… Chi? No, Ki, right?” The sorceress's genuine interest and kindness made Huan’s still healing heart skip a beat as she flew around her. Showing an impressive display of dexterity and piloting expertise she herself wasn’t able of, yet. She even pulled a notebook from her bag as she started scribbling things into it. With a gentle yet intense gaze as she bit her lips, focusing on something the cultivator didn’t know.
“It is. But, like you guessed, it comes with cultivation: the elevation of the soul through Training and Ki. And do not mind the proper pronunciation: Qi, Chi and Ki are all valid, as they all come from the same practice all across the world. Words change, but the meaning stays the same. ” Huan Hummed as she started looking more at the lithe woman than what was before her. “ It is surprising that your own powers do not do the same thing, though. How come? Don’t your formations, or rather spells, enhance your own physical abilities?” Since having met her, Huan had always been curious. The small woman that had saved her life was the exact definition of a crouching tiger, or. More exactly, a hidden dragon. Her fangs and will were strong, and she has the same detached demeanor and attitude as someone of the nascent soul stage: someone who’s will directly affected the world around them.
Some would argue she already was, but having spent hours conversing with her had let her know that the scopes and directions between their powers were different.
“No, not really. Sorcery and Magic are more of an external type of things, where you use the inside of yourself to control the outside. Emotions, memories and will are that primary drivers: all internal. Which means that if you want to enhance them, you have to find a certain way to do it, from inside to outside, and then back in. Which is a stupidly hard and rigorous process. Whereas from what you’ve told me, you do all those songs and dances” She snapped, looking up from her note book, her face tense as she caught herself, frustration soon replaced by guilt.
“… Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that, you do all these external things: Katas, verse chanting, posture and special body movement, and sometimes all at once to allow the Everflow to enter you. And it works. From my perspective, that’s insane. Just thinking how long people must have tried to find what worked. It’s like I am looking at a complex clockwork with missing pieces that still works.” The woman ranted, pointing her fingers at Huan’s dantian sitting below her navel and following the string of energy the traveled down her body and into the blade.
“And here I am, trying to find ways using biomancy to enhance my brain cognitive centers without outright making myself bat-shit crazy or erasing important parts of my identity.”
“Yet you are still able to heal mortal wounds, weave the elements at your will and bestow mystical abilities onto things and people at the drop of a hat.”
“What good is that if I can’t see or react in time when you cultivators are always in a ready to go state? Sure, you can momentarily enhance your body by rotating your Ki around. But your base state is already so far superior to mundane humans that your perception and thought can catch and process things faster than I could draw a spell. And that’s in the case I am the one on the offensive, not the other way around.”
“That would be right. Perhaps there is something that you are missing? Perhaps there are finer secrets that Minadora didn’t get to tell you.” Huan put a hand on the downcast shoulder of the ink user.
“Perhaps you're right. I still have quite a few tomes and grimoires Mina gave me, plus I have a whole tree-house worth of books and learning material to read through. I might find something in there to help me be up to speed with your bunch of drugged up magic warriors.” She laughed, looking back up at the peaceful blue sky of this summer morning.
“Thanks, I needed that. I didn’t know how badly that guy affected me when he sneaked up on the both of us. Tell you what, See that Building there? To our southeast?” She points in the direction. Multiple sets of eyes locked on it from a while ago as they glowed with a faint orange energy.
“Let me see… Yes, the one that looks like an inn? I can’t really see that far away yet.”
“Yeah, that one. Here, let me help you.” Iulia gently extended her hand to the side of Huan’s head and shared her spell with her. The Divination spell allows both women to see far beyond what they could usually see.
“why do you need time to react when you can see event happening from so far away?”
“Because the strain is real? And because I don't want to isolate myself in a tower like some sort of depressed wizard? Heavens know there's already enough of those already. So, race you there?”
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Iulia's PoV
“So, race you there?” Was the last words I said before dropping the cruising inscription and plummeting down at an angle. I could see Huan’s shock as I took quite the head start. She smiled and nodded, her energy pulsing harder and faster as she leaned forward.
“It’s a race then!” She yelled, shooting forward like a comet, leaving a trail of vivid Ki behind her as she over-passed me. Guess I have to put on the big girl shoes then.
I thinned the protective air bubble that the Sky Flow Willow branches generated, sending more Ink to the shaft made of whistling mountain walnut tree. Just like its namesake, it started to convert my ink into forward propulsion, creating a whistling sound, pushing me forward with violent speed.
“If you can’t keep up, you’ll be swept aside Huan!” I flyby the cultivator who clearly didn’t expect me to do so. My broom thrummed with more ink as the winds at this speed and altitude started synergise with the magical woods. Increasing my forward momentum even more. I could see the ground beneath me flowing by fast, carriage and farmers working the fields shooting by and quickly left behind.
‘I fucking missed this! the air in my face, the speed, the thrill of a race!’ I didn’t have time to rejoice that a shadow in human shape hid the sun from me. It was Huan, with her game face on as she gritted her teeth. The energy coming from her feeling different than before. Like there was something wrong inside of it. I struggle to put my finger on it, on the familiar vibe i’ve seen before as she accelerates even more despite my best efforts.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
It took us a few more seconds to arrive, Huan's face was a bit paler than before. Drifting through the air to free herself of the momentum, while I do something similar: standing up on my stirrups and pulling the handle up, braking as i drift my broom upright.
“It seem that I won the race, too bad we didn’t bet anything on it.” Huan bragged, her face having her rare smug smile as she held her hands together behind her. I could see that there was something wrong with her.
“Huan, show me your hands.” She kept looking at me, her face still and stoic as usual, yet panic set in her eyes. “Huan, did you hurt yourself to win the race?”
“...No?” She looked away.
“Come one, woman. Was this race really worth using that converter trigra-something?”
After a silent while, Huan looked back into my eyes and responded. “No, it was not.”
“You need to value yourself some more. I can’t have you harming yourself for what? Winning? Bragging right? Trying to impress me? Here, show me your hands so that I can heal you. I know that your body regenerates on its own, but that’s not an excuse either. Take better care of yourself girl, you are in your own company longer than anyone will ever be.” I walked up to her, and then offered a hand. The flesh was raw, nails having dug in and pierced through the skin and into the hypodermic layer.
Pulling on my current sadness, i drew a quick healing spell on her hand, the flesh growing back in an instant. The Pale level rebound is not even worth focusing on as it crash into my mental defenses as I take her hand in mine.
“As good as new. Lunch?” I gave her a gentle squeeze as i asked, looking up at her.
“Yes, and I am sorry for having bothered you, I will try to… Value myself more, as you say.”
“So long as you are aware that not everything is worth shedding blood, I am good. And no, taking care of you is not a bother, so shush yourself.” It is only now that I realize that our surroundings have turned quiet. There weren't a lot of people, this place being somewhat remote from any surrounding village, yet there were many carriages and peddlers alike, all who were still outside now looked at us from a distance. With as much curiosity in their eyes as there was caution.
“Whatcha looking at?” I pull my broom back in my tree-home turned storage space, doing the same with Huan’s flying sword. My eyes busy scanning the peanut gallery for anything.
“Do not mind the mortals, Iulia. They are simply curious at things they do not understand.” I turned back to look at her, deadpanning at what she had just said.
“What do you mean mortals? You, and I for that matter are as mortal as they are. Never met anyone that could deviate from that.” She held my gaze, before shrugging.
“Let’s talk inside.” I followed after her, or rather was pulled after her, her hand still holding mine as we made our way inside the two storied wooden Inn. The ground floor was elevated from the ground itself as it opened into a large room field with large round tables. There were a few side rooms and movable screens giving the outermost tables some form of privacy. I could see stairs leading up to more private places and more expensive looking tables, and what I guessed to be individual room doors. There was a stark contrast between the ground floor and the first floor, the latter being a rich lacquered black wood adorned with intricate decorations.
“A table for two Inn master. With 2 plates of whatever you’re preparing for lunch and a set of tea.” Huan said as she made her way to the countertop in the back.
“Do you accept payments in spirit stones or not?” Her voice was detached and cold as she asked. Much like the first time I've interacted with her, a certain tone I didn’t like present too.
“Of course fairy cultivator. Perhaps some of our finest liquor too with your meal?” The forty something looking man; dressed in sharp yet ample uniform like robes cupped his hands together and bowed at her.
‘Yikes… I didn’t expect it to be this bad…’ I cringed as the man called a waitress to guide us to our table upstairs. There was a stark difference between the upper floor and the lower one, and Huan’s weird behavior didn’t help with what I was feeling.
Once seated, the waitress left to fetch us the tea set Huan had ordered.
“Is… Is it always like this?”
“Whatever could you mean?”
“Speaking with mundane? Do you really have to take this air of superiority doing so? It feels rather disgusting, they are humans too, you know?”
Straightened her back, her head recoiling minutely as she looked at me. “Yes… I know. But that doesn’t change the fact that I am much stronger than them. And that brings a certain attitude that one can’t really deviate from, I’ve seen what happens when wicked cultivators try to play nice with mortals, or mundane like you call them. And most of the time, it is to extract something from them, or to abuse them.”
“So you do it because… You want to show that you aren’t planning to do anything untoward to them, that you don't want them to misstep because they got too at ease?” She nods, her face still. “Right: In Trai, do as the Traian… Sure, and if someone does happen to just treat them like normal? What then?” Her face hardened even more than before.
“I, I do not know. I’ve never been… Out of that place before. Your normal and my are… Very different.”
“I guess. Then, how about I try my way?” I smile at her as the waitress arrives with a small yet thick tray decorated with gold and jade in-lines, alongside a pot, kettle, cups and a large box on the other hand. Seeing her struggle, I draw a simple minor telekinesis spell; taking the weight off of the poor woman as she was about to trip.
“Thank you my lady, I am really sorry to have disturbed your conversation with my own inability to perform my own work.” She bows deep towards me, doing the same gesture with her hands as the Inn master.
“And I wanted to ease your burden. Nothing more, nothing less.” I smile at her as I put down on the table everything she had carried up the stairs.
“My most gracious thanks, then. My ladies, here’s the selections of tea cakes and resin we have at the moment that are worthy of your attention. Please do note that some are restricted to Ki gathering stage, and Core stage cultivators or above. And I thus have to advise selecting at your own discretion.” She bowed her head again. The gesture irked me, yet seeing as nobody said or did anything, or commented about it, I let it go. Chalking it to the cultural shock, still struggling to wrap my head around it all.
“How long ago was this green tea made?” Huan asked, my previous comment having somehow mollified her as her tone isn’t as sharp as before. Her eyes looking at the many rounds disk wrapped in paper with a certain degree of professionalism.
“Earlier this year, my lady. Sister Ai tea houses, even at such a remote location as ours, will have only the best and freshest selection of tea leaves from our own farms, secured with only the most knowledgeable of farmers working for Sister Ai. As you can see the green tea is appropriately held inside a sealed jar, with the seal still intact.” The woman brightens up as she showcases in great details each of the different teas she has on hand. Before long, Huan decides to settle on something called red Siwang Pu’erh tea, whatever that is.
Seeing my confusion, the waitress asks me what was wrong. After telling her that I've journeyed from a far away place that didn't have such deep interest in tea, she started explaining. “ This red Pu’erh tea is a specially made tea that’s been fermented for a time, giving it its dark red coloring. It has then been aged for around a decade in a jar filled with spirit stones, giving its natural effects more potency, thus allowing even cultivators to benefit from it as well.”
“Ten years? That's a long time for something like leaves. But I guess with the passionate way you speak of it, that time must be worth the trouble. Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure, my lady. If you need anything else, I will be at your disposal with a simple tug of this string.” She cupped her hands again, a gentle and genuine smile on her lips as she pulled a cache from the nearby wall, exposing said string before leaving.
Meanwhile Huan was Already busying herself with the tea set. She had opened the so called tea cake, which were compressed tea leaves in a disk, and broke a small corner of it with a special knife. Then she proceeded to pour boiling water in the small bot, as she opened up the handful of leaves. Once she was done, she threw the water out of the pot and dropped the leaves inside, covering it with the lead.
Giving it a gentle shake, she opened the lid and offered it to me. There was a rich and dense aroma emanating from it, earthy with hints of honey.
“It smells amazing. I guess it was worth the trouble.” She smiles at my comment, sitting back into her chair as she pours water into the pot once more, yet empties it into a cup not even 5 seconds later.
“Already? Shouldn't it steep for a bit longer? Wait, knowing that coy smiles of yours, there's something else about this, Can you tell me what I am missing?" I say as I watch her pour the first cup onto one of the small statuettes on the tea tray, dousing the small ox with the rich amber liquid.
“This is part of what is called the tea ceremony. As well as doing things properly: the first steep, except for certain tea, like green teas, are always too strong in taste. Doing this will also helps open up the leaves and hydrate them, releasing more nuances into the tea. There is also a traditional aspect to this, which is why it is then offered to the tea pets and spirits, as likeness attracts likeness, pouring onto the ox would bring honesty and diligence.” She pours another cup worth of hot water into the pot. Waiting a measured amount of time with her breath, extending a finger each time up to five, yet this time she hands it to me instead of pouring it out.
“The first cup is then given to the most important guest at the table.” she says, repeating the motion without missing a beat as I feel my cheeks heating up. My heart skipping a beat as her furtive strike.
Once she has her own in hand she motions to mimic her as we clink our cups together before drinking.
The taste was but an amuse-bouche. There were three tones to its taste, first the earthiness that felt a bit like mushroom or nuts, then there was that smoothness, almost like velvet. Then the after-taste with a sweet touch, one that reminded me of that one southern spice made from a special orchid.
We didn’t say anything as we basked in the rich taste and depth of the tea, even with Huan’s comment still fresh on my mind. Yet despite the good tea, amazing company and serene atmosphere, I couldn't help but be pulled out of the mood when I heard the waitress that just served us screaming.
My head swiveled around in an instant as I got to my feet. The commotion downstairs only escalating further as I saw a group of armed men making a wall behind a self-important looking teen. Long black hair and dressed with a black flowing robe embroidered with golden patterns. I could already guess what happened as he had his arm wrapped around her waist, and could already guess where it would go from here. But what cemented my thought were the words he used when I heard him yelling.
"You dare refuse me?! Do you even know who my father is?!"