Shadowstar forest was nothing much to look at. It was a typical forest of its type, of which there were at least three I knew of just in the Land of three rivers alone. The trees were tall and undergrowth thick, outside of the places where an unscheduled Beast made its way towards civilization. In those places the undergrowth was regrowing, as the mass of the Beast crushed everything in its path.
The ancient trees blocked the light , as no human was insane enough to stay long enough around a Rift site to cut them down. I could hear no bird cry from the forest as was typical for such a location. Animals would avoid the place, as they would have the same issue as humans.
I was sure that as I was feeling Qi of the area, I could feel the vibrations announcing the incoming Rift gates already. It would not be too long for the Rifts to open.
I stepped out of the carriage to stretch my legs and prepared to help with unpacking, but when I turned around, I saw a blockage in the carriage, as Adra was looking at the forest with her eyes wide and frozen in the middle of a step.
“Adra what is the issue? I am sure you want to stretch as much as I want to.” I said her, but she kept looking at the forest.
“My lady, are you going into that forest?” she asked me.
“I will be on the outskirts of the forest, only cultivators will go inside to face the truly powerful Beasts, while the hunters will deal with the chaff. The traders and others will stay here,” I explained the situation to her as I gestured to the camp next to us.
It was a large temporary settlement bustling with activity as various traders argued about location of their shops. As Liuxian explained hunters would trickle in through the day and tomorrow waiting for the hunt to begin. I was sure they would not be waiting for long.
“That is good. The place looks like evil spirits haunt it,” Adra said, still looking apprehensively at Shadowstar forest.
“Let’s get unpacking. I still have work to do before we settle in for dinner,” I said and went to bring down the baggage.
It was a simple task with my strength, and we finished swiftly delivering our baggage to a small tent beside a large tent bearing the Silver hand of our clan. In this large tent, we shall buy the foods and selling the supplies we had arrived with. Even when I peeked inside I saw the people preparing stands and unpacking the goods we had arrived with, all under shouting auspices of Liuxian’s command. It was clear this expedition was a well-oiled machine.
“Thank you my lady, I shall prepare the beds and unpack the clothing, if you will need something from me I shall be in the tent.” Adra said.
I would have offered to help with unpacking, but after a packing incident, when Adra nearly raised her voice. She decided I should apply my skills in other areas, other than packing and unpacking, which I did not contest and so I walked away from our tent.
As luck would have it, I nearly bumped into Liuxian, “Mei, what a coincidence. I was just coming to check on you. Is everything with the tent okay?” he asked me.
“Adra is preparing the tent, while I seek some usable weapon.” I had to go and spent my money on equipment, as our little caravan carried no weapons. It was no problem and at least it would give me time to check the campsite before the real bustle began.
I could see the stalls being built and supplied. There were even a few bands of hunters checking the goods and resupplying. I considered buying something to snack on, but one look at the prices told me the reason hunters would rather visit a money lender and carry all their supplies from Jiaomay city rather than buy them here.
Everything was at least double the normal price. It was outrageous and what was worse it was limiting the types of weapons I could get.
It was not an impossible problem to overcome. I just needed one weapon, which would not fall apart in the middle of fighting, but quality still mattered and this price hike was sure to price me out of the better weapons here.
I was checking swords in one stall when I heard a familiar voice.
“Mei, senior sister, is that you?”
“I am not your senior sister anymore,” I answered immediately as I was turning and came face to face with Anna, who was looking astonished by my appearance.
“Anna? What are you doing here?” I asked her as a smile spread across my lips. It was nice to meet her again and so soon to boot.
She smiled back, ”I have written to you, that I would be here, or have you already forgotten your junior in cultivation?” She teased me.
I rolled my eyes, ”I remember you, but why are you here in the trader’s camp? You should be in the base of cultivators getting ready for the hunt. You should not be wasting time here.”
“I volunteered to get some snacks for our group. It was a pleasant opportunity to walk and see the bustle of commerce. You always said that one should immerse herself in such activities to keep in touch with the world, but that is not the point. Why are you here? You should still be recuperating from your wounds,” Anna looked at me closely, but I knew she would see no signs of fatigue.
“I have arrived to partake in the hunt, Anna.” I answered her question.
She looked at me puzzled, ”But your wounds were too serious to continue on the path of the Immortals, so how can you partake in the hunt?”
My smile vanished, but I shrugged to shake the gloom which emerged, ”I am not here to join the cultivators, instead I will join the hunters. I found a way to heal my wounds, but I could not return to the path. I was here to pick a weapon, but now that you are here I am sure it can wait for a moment-”
Anna’s smile dimmed for a moment, before returning, but I knew her well and the stiffness in her cheek suggested she had more on her heart. I did not pursue the feeling. Anna would tell me herself soon enough.
“You should not be overextending yourself sen-?” She tried to honor me with a title , which did not belong to me, but my look was enough to stop her.
She just shook her head, “Well, at least I know you are well enough, now that you can protest usage of improper address, but you will always be a senior sister to me.”
“It is a title reserved for those who walk the same path as you. I cannot walk the path of immortality the same as you and so that title does not belong to me anymore. Propriety and good manners are important, especially for a cultivator,” I lectured her again.
She chuckled as if in a private joke and dismissed my concerns with a wave, “I will do as I will senior sister,” she chuckled at my glare this time, ”but you must come with me to my tent. We have so much to discuss. I have so many new rumors to share.”
I wanted to go with her immediately, but my sense of propriety stopped me, ”I do not think it would be appropriate for me to go into the cultivator’s base. I do not belong there and cultivator’s keep their privacy,” I pointed out a problem with her idea. Mortals were rarely welcome in these places, for I had my share of guardian duties across the years, where I prevented the worst scum of the world entering.
“Mei, you know that rule is not that strict and I am inviting you personally. Such invites are allowed, if the late night visitors to the tents of my fellow cultivators are anything to go by.” she dismissed my concerns and so off to the cultivator’s base we were.
We chatted about inconsequential goings in the sects as we walked. Many of my former acquaintances found some success, and many were met with failure. Some of them were wounded on their missions and some perished along the way. I celebrated their successes and mourned those who were no longer among us, but such was the life of a cultivator. The danger was ever present, but the price was great, at least in theory.
Our chat was not that long, as the base was not far away from the Shadowstar forest. It was easy to recognize by the higher quality of tents and various flying artifacts hovering over the most important tents.
The cultivators standing guards and keeping away the aforementioned scum also identified it.
We passed through a human barricade comprising the cultivator-seekers, those citizens of the Empire enamored with the idea of cultivators. They did not heed the danger they were potentially in, and just looked at the gates of the cultivator base awestruck, unless a cultivator was passing through.
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As I was not dressed as a cultivator. It was Anna who had to take the brunt of the question and very polite requests for blessings or pieces of her clothing. I was sure she would normally jump over the crowd, but as a consideration for me she walked through them. I did not have the desire to tell her I could make the jump too, as she would need to steel herself for the future and she called me forgetful not so long ago.
Of course the crowd did not ignore me. Many jealous gazes pierced my back as we walked through the crowd and until we passed the guards.
The inside of the base was something outside of my memories. Cultivators sat beside their tents deep in meditation or preparation for the battle, while the center of the base where the sparring rings were situated was bustling with activity. I had to admit I missed this experience already.
We walked to a small somewhat patched tent, which was made of finest fabric. It was the tent I helped Anne find, when it was time for our first mission. It was nice that she was still using it, but soon she would have to find a new one, as the patches were getting too numerous.
We sat on the ground, like the old days. It was Anna who asked a question first after we absorbed the atmosphere for a moment.
“So why are you joining the hunt?” Anna asked me a question I really did not want to answer, but I saw no reason to lie to her.
“My family needs money, and this is a perfect usage of my skill.” I answered her question.
“Why would they need the money? I thought clans are loaded.” She looked at me closely as she was delving deeper into issues I did not wish to explore.
“So who leads your team in the upcoming hunt?” I asked her, trying to divert her attention, but it was something I wanted to know. During the hunt cultivators would split into small groups, while each group would take care of a sector. In the past I often ended in the role of team leader and the teams tended to be static, so those chosen for the role remained. It would be nice to know who was my replacement. I was rather sure it was not Anna, she would have bragged about this. Maybe Chang got the job? He had the experience and the sect could have recalled him for a hunt.
Sadly Anna was determined to get the truth out of me, “Do not deflect, senior sister. Do you need resources so badly? I am sure I could share some with you.”
“No!” I nearly raised my voice, once I calmed I explained the issue at hand to her, “I do not need resources. My family needs money, because they were the source of all the cultivation resources I had received and so accrued a significant amount of debts. I have to repay them somehow.” I explained to her with my eyes closed. My shame was now out in the world. I expected condemnation. Only no condemnation came.
“Oh, well, I am sure I could give you some resources, so you can sell them and make money that way, risking no harm. It is the least I could do for you.” Anna was concerned, but her tone was conversational.
I could not get how she could be so calm about this issue. Did she not see that I was a disappointment to my family? I forced myself to calm down.
“You yourself do not have that many cultivation resources to spare. I cannot ask you to give any of them away and I should make enough money during the hunt to help my parents with their money woes.” I refused her request.
“But you could get maimed. Do not risk your health for money. I will make many resources on this hunt, so I will share them with you without hurting my progress too much,” she said, and I knew the last part was a blatant lie. Every piece of pill or a gulp of an elixir counted towards progression. Just refusing a few of them was foolish, unless you lacked the affinity for those resources.
“Such small prey cannot hurt me, Anna.I had faced much worse and won without scratch, what can a bunch of minor beasts do to me?”
Ann looked at me, ”Please, senior sister, do not pretend you are healthy. They told me about your injuries. You should be in bed not trying to hunt the Beast. They even told me you were dying, but I refused to believe them.” I could see tears in her eyes.
“Yes, I was hurt badly, but I had found a way to heal myself. Li of Thousand books gave me a way to fix my issues.”
“They told me you had self-devourment syndrome.How could he cure you of that?” she asked, and it was clear she actually trusted those who spoke to her about my condition and she was hiding the fact she knew.
“He gave me a manual, which describes a way to cultivate without a dantian. The method seems to be limited and cannot help me return to the path of immortality, but it works and can provide me with enough refined Qi to keep myself healthy.” I told her the truth.
She looked at me now openly crying, “How could you keep your death secret? Have you thought about me?” She hit me, but it was clear she did not mean it as I did not feel her blow.
She was correct. It was foolish for me not to tell her, but how could I have told her?
“I did not want you to worry about me,” I answered her question.
“Worry, You did not want me to worry?” She laughed at my honest answer, “That is the dumbest thing I have heard from you , senior sister, in ages. Of course I should worry, you are my friend,”
“I am sorry.” Was all I could say.
“Well, I guess with many apologies and some sweet cake as a gift, I will forgive you, but tell me how you achieved such a miracle as cultivating without dantian?” She calmed down and now was looking at me curiously.
The cake I will provide, but the information was not that cheap. “That would be sharing cultivation secrets, Anna. I cannot do that freely, but I am sure I will trade them to you for some cultivation resources,” I said, smiling widely. Cultivator Li did not tell me I could not spread information about the cultivation method and it was a nice way to get some money.
Anna smiled back, “that is nice, but could you address my worries and spar with me?” she asked me.
I agreed to her condition. It was later that day I thought about the fact that Anna would give me cultivation resources for very little and I discovered my friend played me like a fiddle, but that was now in the future and we walked towards the sparring circles we chatted.
The sparring circles were prepared well in advance. Every important sect which would partake in the hunt would have a place for themselves and one circle was prepared for all the minor sects who could gain a place in the hunt.
The circle sporting emblem of the Fiery Peak sect was empty, which was surprising to me, as I was expecting at least a few outer sect disciples to get some practice in.
I smiled as I walked to a well-stocked weapon rack especially prepared for the occasion. I would have to pick a weapon, which posed a problem.
I based my fighting style around my Blazing Fire Whips. I would use them to keep opponents away until it was time to strike and bind them, so I would minimise the chance they could hit me. It was a technique born out of necessity. I had no affinity for Earth or Life to strengthen my body and so I was fragile for someone who reached the peak of the Earthly Body realm. My whips allowed me to keep opponents at bay while I could still utilise the strength my Fire based cultivation gave me.
It was a long time since I used weapons in even semi-serious spar, not that I lacked practice, or I did not know what weapon to pick.
I went right for the spear. It provided me with the reach I would need for my defense and was the weapon most resembling my original style.
The spear I picked was a very well made one. The handle was made of Steel stone tree leftovers and they crafted the blade out of steel strengthened through Alchemy. It was a weapon designed to withstand the strength of cultivators and of course like all sparring weapons was sharp enough to cut.
Anna was already waiting for me in the circle. Her palm outstretched as she was waiting for me.
“Are you ready?” she asked me.
“I am. Shall we fight to ring out or to submission? I do not think we have time to heal before the hunt starts.” I clarified the terms of our little spar.
“I have no issue with picking you up from the ground,” she taunted me.
I opened my senses to the Qi all around us as I stepped into the ring. The flows around us were disturbed by the practice of the cultivators around us and the slow pulsing from the Shadowstar forest, but I could still feel the Qi around Anna.
She was not using any technique as she moved to strike me down. It was clear she was going easy on me. I would not return that favor.
I struck with the spear. She had no issue dodging the strike, but she was not expecting my followup as I moved in to push her with all my strength and the shaft of the spear.
She did not expect my ferocious attack, and she stumbled as I pushed. My strength gave me an edge, but Anna was not a beginner and so she could slide across the shaft and avoid my grasping fingers as I tried to hold her and push her out of the circle.
It was a close thing. Her right foot nearly hit the outside.
“Really, I was hoping this would be a friendly spar,” she said as she fell back from me, yet as she said this she was smiling.
“I still intend to win it,” I pointed out as I followed her with a sweeping strike. I felt the Qi around Anna shift and moved to dodge as a blast of fire escaped her lips and hit the spot I was standing just a small time about.
It was nice to see her practicing her Blazing Blast technique, but I had no time to admire the technique of my junior. I had to keep the attack on, as I could feel Qi shifting.
I moved for a strike once more, but this time a hand of stone blocked the tip of my spear. She grabbed the spear by the tip with the help of a Stone fist. It was nice to see she advanced enough in the technique, so that she could now grab things, what was less nice was the other Stone Fist aiming at my face.
Of course her holding my spear meant her hands were busy one with the spear and the other with swishing over my head as I ducked.
I let go of my spear and went for a rather underhanded move as I hugged her and raised her above the ground. Anna let go of the spear as she tried to stop me, but her legs were already far from the ground and her kicks, while painful, proved ineffective in stopping my movement.
She was no fool and moved her hands to grab my neck and apply submission hold, but we were already outside of the ring and she was on the ground.
“That was a dirty move, senior sister.”
“Well, It is nice that I can still teach you a few tricks,” I smiled as we were both on the ground.
“You picked the rules of the fight intentionally. You were planning on forcing me out of the ring from the start.” Anna accused me.
I only smiled. Of course she was correct. Her techniques presented an advantage, which would prove my downfall, if this was a proper fight or even more serious spar, but I would be a fool not to take advantage of the rules of the duel, even if it was underhanded.
We laid on the ground for a moment just happy to be together, When I heard a voice from behind us.
“Well, what do we have here a proper cultivator getting herself defeated by a clan trash and not even that? You are getting defeated by a mortal clan trash. Anna, you disappoint me.” I turned around and saw Delan accompanied by a bunch of flunkies.