Chapter 15
The next morning, Coachman Cai tells me to meet him later tonight at the entrance to the camp. I guess while I go behind enemy lines, Coachman Cai acts as a go-between. After eating a quick breakfast, I go to meet up with Hao Yi and Yijun. It’s been a while since I had seen either of them, so we stayed up quite a bit later than intended. Zemin came over eventually, needless to say, he was the least happy to see me last night. When I arrive at Yijun’s tent, Zemin and Hao Yi are also already there. Zemin fixes me with his hard glare while Yijun and Hao Yi wave me over. They all sit at a table just outside Yijun’s tent with space for a couple more people. I sit facing Yijun, which makes her face fall a bit. Hao Yi grips their spear tightly while Zemin simply sits grumpily as always.
“So why did you want to meet this early Yijun?” The aura around her is different than what I’ve seen so far. Her gentle aura before is all but gone in this moment.
“Since you have decided to come to a very dangerous place, we will have to teach you how to protect yourself.” I stare at her for a minute.
“You want to teach me how to fight?”
“In a way yes, though it will mostly be for defense and escaping.”
“Look, not that I don’t appreciate you wanting to teach me, but I can protect myself just fine Yijun.” My gaze hardens as I meet her eyes.
“I only think it would be better for you to learn how to defend yourself. The people here are very strong and we won’t be able to protect you.” Zemin scoffs, clearly unwilling to protect me even if I asked him. Maybe if I begged him, though let's hope it won’t come to that. I scratch my growing beard as I think. Currently, I’m incredibly weak compared to everyone else here. What we consider superhuman on Earth, they consider it the starting point. It wouldn’t hurt to learn some defensive skills from this world, though it might also be a good idea to stick to a low profile. Sticking with two [Core Disciples] all the time will draw too much attention to me.
“Again, I appreciate the offer but I can handle myself.” She looks at me very closely, like she is trying to see through.
“Very well, I can not force you to learn something you do not wish to know.” She is clearly upset at my choice, but adding another martial art into the mix would only impede my progress. It’s best to just focus on what I’ve been doing until now. She nods reluctantly, accepting my decision. Hao Yi looks nervously between us before speaking up.
“I fought him on his first day in the [Spear Hall], he was really good!” Not that I don’t appreciate flattery or compliments, but only if they are true. I can tell the people here are much stronger than I’m used to, but I still feel confident in running.
“From what I heard he lost against you Junior Sister Hao.” I hold up a hand before Zemin continues, making him look at me strangely.
“Hang on, just to be sure, Hao Yi is a girl right?” The three of them look at me stunned before Zemin begins sputtering trying to hold in a laugh. Hao Yi looks shocked while Yijun looks at me like I’m stupid.
“Yes, she is a girl. Did you not know?” Yijun gives me a look of pity almost.
“Well, I wasn’t really sure if she was a boy or a girl. There are quite a few people where I’m from that you can’t tell the difference.” I give a nonchalant shrug.
“I see, aside from that, Zemin and I, as well as the other [Core Disciples], will be going in later today. After that will be the [Inner Disciples] tomorrow, which includes Junior Sister Hao Yi. Then finally the [Outer Disciples] will enter the day after that.”
“Sounds efficient, how long will you guys be gone then?” Zemin cuts in this time.
“It could be no more than a day for some, while others like us,” The ‘us’, he’s talking about so proudly I assume is himself and Yijun. “Can stay there for up to a month before it closes again.”
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“So this thing stays open for a whole month?”
“A little more than that, but the longer one stays within, the more bountiful their encounters will be.” The mention of ‘encounters’ makes Yijun squirm in her seat.
“What are ‘encounters’?” Yijun ponders for the right words before speaking.
“Encounters are meetings of fate. Everything in this world has a destiny and the ‘encounters’ we experience can let us overcome our fate or, forge a new one. They are fortuitous events that can lead to great growth and power.” Fate is not something I usually think about, I still don’t entirely believe it. The fact that some things are just meant to happen, the world is too chaotic to allow such a thing. Was it fate that led me to lose the people I have? Fate that I fought on the front line against the Sun Lords? If that was caused by something like ‘fate’, then what a shitty fate it is.
“Got it, well, I hope you all have many good ‘encounters’.” Yijun smiles softly at this while Zemin relaxes a bit at my words. Hao Yi smiles, but worry etches their eyes. Yijun bids farewell as she and Zemin leave for the main tent of the campsite. The largest tent in the camp is used as something similar to a briefing room. The other disciples making their way there as well must be the other [Core Disciples]. A total of eight other disciples aside from Yijun and Zemin make their over to the main tent. Each one is a bit stranger than the next, with one looking like a giant bear and another armed with what looks like seven weapons on her person with a face like a doll. My curiosity pecks at my mind as I watch the last person head inside. I restrain myself, looking over at Hao Yi. She seems flustered now that we are alone, though she wasn’t a talker anyway.
“I must go to train, but I hope to see you again soon, Peter.” With a bow, Hao Yi also leaves. I’m left alone with my thoughts again. Though, I don’t stay long, standing up to wander around a bit. I was so focused on finding the people I knew I didn’t take the chance to look at my surroundings. Though it’s just a makeshift campsite for roughly a month, it has a surprising amount of things going on, well everywhere. A couple of spaces hold groups of disciples that look on at duels being fought and announced over the din of shouting. Other areas have disciples relaxing with books or cleaning their equipment. Something else that I’ve seen is that each tent has not just the sect symbol on the side, but also a smaller symbol right above the entrance of each one. I immediately recognize the [Pill Hall] symbol as well as the [Earthly Meal Hall]. It seems that the disciples who stay together only stay with other members of their hall. Towards the center of the campsite, a makeshift platform sits with racks of different weapons placed around the sides.
This seems to be where the training is done as I find Hao Yi and another disciple going through their martial arts. Each one focused on only their training and nothing else, even when I wave a ‘hello’ at Hao Yi. Since I don’t use weapons like they do, there is no point in training here for now. A sweltering heat hits me as I get closer to the east side of the camp. I find the source of the heat to be a makeshift forge they set up here. A good number of blacksmiths work in unison, heating, hammering, quenching, and tempering in a rhythm. They don’t seem to notice me even when I stare at their work over their shoulder. I guess a calm and collected mind is also something trained here. Some seem to be working on repairs while only a handful are making new weapons towards the back. The smiths in the back must be instructors or higher ranked than the others in the front. I leave them to their work as the sun starts rising to mid-day. I decide to head back to the north part of the camp where the main tent is. I reach there in time to see the [Core Disciples] leave the tent and enter their own. With nothing else to do, I wait until Yijun and Zemin are about to leave. Bidding farewell, for now, the evening begins to creep in. As night falls over the camp, I go to meet Coachman Cai at the entrance.
“Good you’re here, and dressed for your first mission I hope?” Though I’m sure it looks strange to him, Coachman Cai must be able to tell the suit I’m wearing is one made for combat. He, himself is dressed in a tight-fitting all-black outfit with a hood and mask pulled over his face. A short blade is strapped to the back of his waist.
“So are you going to tell me what I’m going to be doing, and why you’re dressed like that?”
“Currently, I will be your superior during our mission. We will be scouting out the area around the [Orange Cloud Sect] for tonight.” He turns and swiftly melds into the shadows of the dark. Following behind, I find it hard to even guess where he is right now. We move swiftly from one hidden spot to the next, slipping between the edges of sect camps. The sects keep a good distance from each other but because of the sheer size of people here, there are more little nooks to hide in. We finally stop in front of a sect on high alert from how active the camp is. Scanning across the sea of disciples, a familiar face peeks through the crowd. The woman with the wolf skin that robbed us yesterday stands in the middle throng of the [Orange Cloud Sect]. Standing with her are the men she was with as well. They laze about until something startles them to attention. Through the crowd, a lone figure catches my eyes, a menacing energy flows through and around him. Every cell in my body is screaming at me that whoever that is, he is incredibly dangerous.