Dear mother and father

I have been in an accident, which ended my journey towards immortality. I am therefore returning home to return to the clan and you.

Your dear daughter

Mei Silverhand

I finished the letter and sealed it with my seal. It was perhaps shorter than I wished, but the small hill of paper I desecrated with my writing and the crumpled in frustration was proof that shorter was sometimes better.

“I will send these two letters please,” I said to the clerk at the Imperial’s messenger’s office. He looked at my clothing somewhat more used by the two weeks of constant traveling on the back of various carriages.

I pulled out my string of coins and enjoyed the clerk's surprised expression. It was clear he never considered that someone dressed as a peasant would have money.

I paid him for the letter to my family and Anna as he demanded and left the small cramped room next to the stables housing the express horses. The sight of a small rest and trading post welcomed me. It was not a big settlement, but the locals built it on important crossroads where the path from Fiery peak to Great Caldera crossed with the path from Jiaomay city deeper into the Lands of Three rivers.

As such, it saw some traffic and there were several inns combined with a blacksmith, stables and market. Of course this place was sizable enough for the Imperial offices to be located here. It was not a big village, but it was a place bustling with activity as I knew it, because I had to dodge several horse related incidents since my arrival.

But now I needed information, so I walked towards the nearest inn.

The Staggered Duck was a well built wooden building, which was full of people. It was after all around noon. I wished to rise earlier, but the traveling was taking its price.

I looked around the place. There were caravan guardians, workers and some artisans all around the place. It was the typical mix of men I met on my journeys outside of the sect. Of course they were not looking at me with awe and apprehension anymore, now they were just ignoring me, which suited me perfectly.

I walked to the bar, “I want to ask a question,” I said to the thin man behind the counter. He ignored me until I pulled a few coins from my sleeve and put them in front of him.

A greedy gleam in his eye was all I saw before the coins vanished with speed even though I could barely follow, ”How can I help you?”

“I need to know which caravan or carriage will leave towards Jiaomay city in the next few days.” I said to him. He looked thoughtful for a moment.

“The best option is Edward the Beggar’s caravan. He is leaving the next morning, and he always has a room for a few travelers among his wagons, but he will stop on some farms and estates along the way. If you want speed, it is the Silver John’s caravan you want. They will travel right into Jiaomei city, but they just arrived yesterday and will take at least two days to recuperate and resupply.”

“I will take Edward the Beggar. Where can I find him?” I asked. Traveling through farmland sounded nice and it would take me a long time to reach home, which I considered a bonus, and I did not have enough money to stay here for that long. Weird name aside, Edward the Beggar was perfect for my needs.

“He will be upstairs. He is enjoying himself before he departs,” the innkeeper answered my question.

I thanked him and went to the stairs. I admit I was not expecting a gambling den on the upper floor, but admittedly it was one of the better variants of what I could find there.

All around the floor people were playing with dice cards and tiles. Some were crying, others were celebrating, but all of them were focused on the games and all of them had some kind of alcohol in their hands.

“Where can I find Edward the beggar?” I asked the staff walking around delivering drinks. One server pointed me to the table where Edward the Beggar sat. I walked towards the table and the mystery of Edward’s nickname was revealed to me.

“I am begging you, just lend me some money for the next game. I am begging you,” a small, rather portly man pleaded with one of his fellow players, “I will prostrate myself before you for one more game,” he promised.

I had no patience to see this embarrassing performance, “Are you Edward the Beggar?” I asked the pleading man.

“Yes, how can I help you,” he asked and his desperation was suddenly gone and a calculating glint appeared in his eyes.

“I wish to get a place amongst your caravan. I can pay,” I pulled a string of coins to prevent another incident like that one in the Imperial office.

He looked at the money, “Fair enough, I have plenty of room in one of the wagons, but the roads in the area have grown more dangerous, so I will have to ask you for 60 silver coins,” he smiled, “You see I have to pay the guards.”

I counted the coins out to him and put them in front of him. He looked surprised, but did not hesitate and grabbed the coins.

“We will depart from the southern gate by the second bell in the morning, if you will not be there your money is void. I include food in the journey's price, but expect no miracles, our cook is not exactly a hidden master and I will throw in a course for bargaining for such a price, if you are interested. I think you will need it.”

“Thank you for your generosity,” I said and turned to leave.

“Well, now I have some money, so what is the current bet?” was the last thing I heard before I left the building.

Time flew after that. I found a room to spend the night in and boarded the caravan without an incident. It was not a big one, barely twenty wagons drawn by oxen and accompanied by five guards. One of the wagons was set out for passengers and luxury goods, so it was there I spent most of the time squeezed between a stack of sealed boxes and a very jovial farmer who nearly bore my ears out of my skull with his tales of his prized pigs and great fields. He was apparently returning with seed crops for the next year and he ventured far afar to get cheap and great grain.

The other passengers were a mother and daughter who were venturing into Jiaomay city to get a beautiful wedding dress. The daughter could not have been older than me and was rather silent for the entire journey, the same could not be sadly said for the mother who was chatty enough for seven old women and joined with the pig farmer in enthusiastic discussions about everything.

If they found my presence and existence strange they said nothing, but they stopped training to include me in their conversations, which was the answer.

I admit I was harsh on them, but I found no enjoyment in their discussion. Still, they were at least something to keep my mind away from my condition.

I made a mistake in choosing the slow route. It prolonged the meeting with my family, but it gave me ample time to observe as my body deteriorated.

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I could only make notes as my muscles shook ever so slightly and every morning I found blood dripping from my nose and my skin slowly turned paler with each day. My strength was not waning yet, but that just meant the self-devourment continued.

I could see that my bones were already weakening and my muscles were losing their mass and my veins tore under the strain. The tears were small for now and my refined body could still easily heal them, but that process sped up my eventual demise. Only the remnants of Qi in my flesh allowed me to keep my health, but for now the remnants of my cultivation were only good in allowing me to see how quickly I was wasting.

It was a living nightmare, so I appreciated even the lessons Edward the Beggar departed unto me. Apparently my money brought him luck and so each evening when we stopped he explained to me his business and the realities of his work.

Apparently he was one of many traders who went from farm to farm collecting rare produce and then selling it further with a tidy profit. He was making this journey every year in our area and had a long profitable career working as a middleman between more important traders and the small time farmers.

The journey was uneventful until one day when we had to camp in the wilderness. The drivers have raised a few tents for the night and the joyful mother was regaling me with a tale of her future son-in-law and his riches.

“His second uncle from mother’s side owns a horse ranch, where they rear thoroughbreds for the town guard in Sen’tarak, so he will certainly receive a beautiful horse as a gift,” she was explaining. I nodded trying to not offend her too much. The daughter was lucky she was out there helping with the meal preparation. I was sure she offered to do it to get away just for a few moments.

Something heavy fell on the ground with a dull thud. My senses picked it out immediately.

“Have you heard something?” I interrupted the mother.

“No, anyway I am sure Jhing will not sell the horse. It would be such a shame,” the mother allowed no interruption to her monologue.

Another thud.

I rose out of my bedroll. It really resembled the sound of a body being dropped.

A woman screamed, and all hells broke loose.

The sounds of fighting grew more prominent screams, and yells filled the air. It was clear we were under attack.

I moved out of the tent, but the fighting was already done before I even left the tent.

I look around the camp. The guards laid on the ground dead. With at least twenty bandits on one side of the camp. They must have struck quickly and ambushed the guards. The wagon hands grabbed anything they had on hand and stood in a fighting stance, but they had no armor or weapons.

Not That the bandits were much better, most of them held simple spears and crude clubs only one had a sword and only two of them had anything resembling bows, but they were ready for the fight. What was worse, they had a hostage. The bandit with the sword was pointing at the future bride.

“Let’s not get hasty. I am sure we can agree to a deal which will benefit both sides greatly,” Edward the Beggar said.

“What is here to discuss? We shall take the money and, if you drop the weapons, we might spare your lives.” the bandit with the sword said, and I guessed he was their leader.

“I feel that is a solution, but I am begging you to consider other options,” the leader of the caravan tried to persuade the bandits.

“Well, I think our haul so far is quite nice, so I will entertain your babble,” the bandit leader looked at his hostage gleefully.

“We are many and if we fight you will surely lose a few men. I suggest we give you the money we carry and you let us go without a massacre. This is a proposition which is beneficial to everybody, don't you agree?” Edward tried his luck, but I could see his men and at least a few of them were shaking. I was rather sure they would break and run if the fighting began again.

It is not a poor bargain, but how can I be sure your men will try nothing? I think we shall keep our lovely hostage. He smiled. It was clear this was to his liking. I was not sure if he would respect this bargain or strike anyway, but I paid him little attention. I was fixated on the hostage.

All hope left her. It was clear she had no illusions about her fate in the hands of the bandits. There was only despair in her eyes as she looked, but no one moved to protest.

Just a short time ago I would have struck them down with one strike of my technique, but this was not an option now, which meant I had to get smart.

If the bandits were smart this was suicide, but I was a dead woman walking anyway I had very little to lose and even if they took me down, I was sure I could take enough of them to make a difference.

“Oh my, bandits!” I shouted as loud as I could and put a hand in front of my face and made doe-like eyes at the spectacle in front of me.

“What do we have there? Another beauty?” the bandit leader’s smile grew even wider, “Come to us little girl. We do not bite,” he joked while his men laughed at his humor.

I walked slowly carefully towards them. Looking at their line. The greatest danger to me were the two archers, luckily for me both of them were standing next to each other in the front row. So I walked towards them, keeping up my scared expression.

They did not order me to change direction, the bandits just ogled me.

“You are kinda pale, but I think we have another hostage eh?” He raised his eyebrows at his men. A wave of agreements followed and one archer even put away his bow to grab me.

It seemed that the ancestors were at my side today.

“What do you want to do to me?” I asked and blinked.

“We will have fun, little brainless beauty,” he said and grabbed my hand.

“I agree,” I smiled and grabbed his hand.

I moved quickly in his confusion and put my second hand on his chest. I pushed and pulled and the bandit was in the air. He screamed in surprise quite like a little girl. I did not waste any time and threw him at the second archer. He landed with a satisfying thud.

My bones creaked under the strain and my muscles flashed with pain, but I ignored them. There were still many bandits to deal with. I moved to eliminate another bandit.

“What are you looking at idiots? Kill her,” the bandit leader shouted his orders, and the bandits moved.

I had to give them they were brave enough to fight a little girl, but their training was lacking. They stumbled over each other as they tried to encircle me.

The bandit before me raised his spear to strike me down, but I slipped close to him forcing him to fall back. It was clear he did not know how to fight a martial artist. I grabbed the spear and tore it from his hands with ease and hit him with my second hand on the chest. He gulped and fell to the ground. I did not feel his bones breaking, so I probably only knocked his breath out.

I blocked the incoming blow with my spear. I heard the wood cracking as my spear splintered and the club hit me on the chest. Pain spiked through me, but I had to move otherwise I would shorten my stay in this world even further.

I jumped from the circle and landed on my feet away from the circle which was meant to trap me.

My whole body shook as I landed and I rose with considerable difficulty. My muscles screamed in pain and I was suddenly sure I was too optimistic in my estimate.

I felt wet iron in my mouth and looked around me. The bandit leader was close enough, and I moved towards him as quickly as my body allowed.

“Just my luck to run into a cultivator,” the bandit leader muttered and tried to fall back.

I followed him but a strike from a spear glanced my side. My skin burned as it tore and wetness sprouted.. I grabbed the offending bandit and threw him at the horde coming after me.

They all fend into a pile of bodies, but I was rather sure it would only slow them down. I ran towards the bandit leader. It was not a graceful sprint. My wound was bleeding and my legs were moving sluggishly as the pain spiked, but I was still quick enough to catch up to him.

My wounds and state gave him courage, and he stopped moving a combat stance, but it was shabby and unpracticed. His stance was too wide.. I could use his inexperience which was something I could use.

I fell on my knee and waited. It was easy my body screamed for a moment of peace and quiet.

“Die cultivator!” He screamed and raised his sword high over his head to strike me down.

I sprung towards his blade and grabbed his hand as he left himself completely open to my retaliation. I squeezed. His bones broke followed by creaking in mine as they too broke, unable to handle my power. He dropped his sword thanks to the pain, and I punched him in the face.

My strength was already waning, because my strike only shattered his jaw. It was still rather satisfying. The bandit leader fell on the ground grabbing his jaw. I ignored him. I had to use the moment now, while their leader was down.

I turned to the rest of the bandits and raised my fist standing tall, ”Who is next? Who will wet my hands with their blood?” I asked the remaining bandits my face plastered with my best deranged smile.

The bandits hesitated for just a moment, then they turned and ran away as quickly as their legs could carry them.

I stayed standing despite the pain in my legs and my muscles. Edward the Beggar ran towards me.

“Thank you lady, cultivator, how can this lowly worm repay you?” he asked.

“Are they gone?” I asked as a bad feeling in my stomach and lungs grew.

“Yes, lady cultivator.”

“Then get me a doctor,” I said and went to the ground as my strength left me, but even on the ground it did not get better as I coughed blood and shook uncontrollably.

Stars showed on the edge of my vision. I dropped into unconsciousness.