Chapter 43: Foothills Lull

The cart lurched over another rut, rattling Xiulan’s teeth. She adjusted her position against the rough wooden planks, trying to find a comfortable spot beside the collection device.

The air grew thinner with each mile toward Fershere City, but the qi density actually increased. She certainly didn’t feel any effects from the elevation.

Patches of bare rock dominated the sparse landscape where grass should have grown. As they crested another hill, the county’s capital emerged against a towering cliff face—a cheerless sight of gray stone buildings surrounded by a wall that hooked into the cliff on both ends.

Xiulan glanced up at the massive bronze bell shape that dominated the wagon. Feng Yu sat cross-legged atop it, maintaining perfect balance despite the constant swaying. She hadn’t moved in hours, not since they broke camp that morning.

How does she do that without falling?

The cart wheels squeaked as they rolled onward. Xiulan twisted to study their drivers. Both men stared straight ahead, maintaining their hours-long silence. The quiet felt heavy, unnatural. Were they truly that afraid of traveling with a noble and her companion?

A hard bump knocked Xiulan’s head against the wood. She rubbed the sore spot, wondering if walking might have been less painful than the bone-jarring ride.

The cart creaked around another bend in the hills. Feng Yu landed softly beside Xiulan on the wagon bench, sending a small puff of dust into the thin mountain air.

“It looks miserable, but Fershere counts among the richest counties in the province.” Feng Yu gestured toward the sprawling gray buildings. “The metal and jade mines ensure that.”

Xiulan studied the walls, noting the precise stonework and lack of weathering. “The defenses appear well-maintained at least.”

“More than mere stone.” Feng Yu traced a pattern in the air. “Talismans line every section. No cultivator crosses those walls without permission. The guard force makes sure of that.”

“In Blackmere, only Treasure Pavilion could afford that...” Xiulan frowned at the implications.

“Blackmere barely attracts a single cultivator—well, before your bounty stirred things up. I can only imagine it’s a punishment post.” Feng Yu adjusted her position as the wagon hit another bump. “Here? They swarm like locusts. We’ll need sharp eyes. Treasure hunters might see two lone fairies as easier marks than mining claims, regardless of the city guard’s cultivation level.”

“The magistrate pays guards in spirit stones?”

Feng Yu nodded. “The mountains shake loose plenty of wealth. With luck, we won’t face competition in the dawn forest, though. Most hunters prefer easier grounds. The valley offers nothing special beyond the serpents.”

Xiulan studied Feng Yu’s casual recitation of local facts. “You seem quite knowledgeable about Fershere. When did you research all this?”

“Ha!” Feng Yu’s laugh echoed bright and clear against the stone walls. “I maintain detailed knowledge of every major province. Such awareness comes with my calling.”

Before Xiulan could ask what that calling was, the wagon slowed to a halt behind a line of merchant carts. Two guards in polished armor approached, their cultivation levels radiating subtle pressure against Xiulan’s senses.

“Travel passes,” the first guard demanded, eyeing their elaborate robes.

Feng Yu produced an ivory token adorned with an elegant silk tassel. Xiulan retrieved her own pass—fresh ink still gleaming on the parchment beneath her family’s stamp.

The second guard squinted at the date. “This document appears newly issued, yet word reached us of Lord Lin’s death weeks ago.”

“I am Lin Xiulan, daughter of the previous lord.” Xiulan pulled a lacquered box from her sleeve and displayed her family’s seal nestled within. “My brother Zhang Wei now serves as Lord Lin.”

Both guards snapped into practiced bows. “Welcome to Fershere city, Miss Lin. May prosperity find you during your stay.”

“Thank you for your diligence.” Xiulan inclined her head in acknowledgment.

The guards waved them through the imposing gates. The wagon wheels clattered against the cobblestones as they entered Fershere proper.

“Your noble status opens certain doors.” Feng Yu stretched languidly, one hand on the collection device for balance. “Though it makes us rather... noticeable.”

Xiulan studied her companion’s casual sprawl. “You enjoy the attention.”

A bright grin spread across Feng Yu’s face. “It cuts through tedious formalities. We just need to avoid angering anyone beyond the Qi Refining stage.”

Xiulan studied the street through narrowed eyes. Merchants hawked their wares from colorful stalls while well-dressed citizens haggled over prices. The prosperity of Fershere displayed itself in every gleaming storefront and jingling coin purse.

Anyone beyond Qi Refining? The words echoed in her mind as she considered the vast gulf between cultivation stages. Both she and Feng Yu remained at Body Refining—the lowest rung of power. Qi Gathering followed, they would gather their elements and build their qi pool as much as possible with their newly reinforced bodies. Only after mastering that would they advance to Qi Refining, which would mainly be an exercise in control over their new power pools.

The implications of Feng Yu’s casual confidence struck her. Did her new companion truly believe she could handle cultivators two full stages above them? That seemed impossible, yet...

Xiulan recalled the fluid grace of Ren Chun’s movements, the devastating precision of Feng Yu’s attacks. And she knew they hadn’t shown her everything. They had always been holding back. Even her own progress had far exceeded normal limits thanks to the Golden Meridian Opening pill. The three of them displayed various abilities that should have been beyond their cultivation level.

A merchant’s cart rattled past, loaded with gleaming ore. The sight sparked a realization—Blackmere’s isolation had skewed her perspective. Her backwater home hardly attracted talented cultivators. What were the odds of encountering two prodigies of her generation there?

Perhaps the bounty had been helpful in a way.

Movement caught her eye—a figure in pale blue stood motionless atop a nearby roof. Her muscles tensed. The cultivator’s white sash fluttered in the mountain breeze as he stared down at their wagon.

“Relax.” Feng Yu followed her gaze upward. “He’s one of the guards.”

“How can you tell?” Xiulan kept her eyes locked on the silent observer.

“Well, maybe he’s just wearing a clever disguise.” Feng Yu smirked. “But pale blue and white are Lord Fershere’s colors. Didn’t you notice the flag at the gate?”

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“Ah...” Heat crept into Xiulan’s cheeks. “I focused on other details.”

“Fair enough.” Feng Yu stretched her arms above her head. “We shouldn’t face too many problems inside the city walls. It’s the journey out—and especially back—that concerns me.” She lowered her voice. “Those cultivators we fought on the road? That mindset isn’t uncommon. It gets worse when someone competent leads them.”

Xiulan nodded, studying her companion’s profile. Pure chance had brought Feng Yu into her life, yet already she counted both Feng Yu and Ren Chun as peers—perhaps even friends. She just hoped she wasn’t trusting too easily.

“Where should we head, Miss Lin?” The driver twisted in his seat, keeping a firm grip on the reins.

“We need stables near the north gate.” Xiulan scanned the branching roads. “And close to the Treasure Pavilion if possible.”

“Smart thinking.” Feng Yu shifted her weight, causing the wagon to creak. “We’ll have plenty to sell after our mountain excursion. No point hauling this monstrosity up there in the wagon, either.”

Xiulan rubbed her temples. “Carrying it will be torture.”

“About that...” Feng Yu tapped the bronze surface. “I know I joked earlier, but it’s doable with the right harness.” She paused, studying the contraption. “A spatial ring or technique would be ideal, but finding something worthy of being a sect treasure...” Her gaze snapped to Xiulan, narrowing suspiciously.

The intensity of Feng Yu’s stare made Xiulan squirm. “What?”

“You wouldn’t happen to have a spatial ring tucked away somewhere?”

“Are you kidding?” Xiulan straightened her robes. “Why would I have anything like that?”

Feng Yu’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Well, you did snag that golden pill. Who knows what other lucky finds might fall into your lap?”

A weak laugh escaped Xiulan’s throat. “A treasure like that would help immensely. Maybe we’ll find one at the bottom of the lake?”

“You think so?” Feng Yu leaned forward eagerly. “Nobody ever tries swimming down there...”

“Uh...” Xiulan’s stomach dropped. “If we spend time trying to swim in the lake—”

Feng Yu’s laughter rang out across the street, drawing curious stares. “Your face! So serious! I’m only teasing.”

Xiulan puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

The sun dipped toward the peaks as they trudged through Fershere’s winding streets. After two exhausting hours of searching, they found a stable willing to house their wagon and collection device, along with an inn that didn’t reek of stale beer and unwashed bodies.

Xiulan settled at the small table in their room, steam rising from bowls of rice and vegetables. This time, she had insisted on eating in private.

Feng Yu snatched a piece of bread from the spread, taking a quick bite as she strode toward the door.

“Aren’t you going to eat? Where are you going?” Xiulan lowered her chopsticks.

“Treasure Pavilion.” Feng Yu spoke around her mouthful of bread. “Need to buy that harness. Should be cheap—the spirit stones we collected will cover it easily.”

“Don’t you want me to come along?”

“I’ll handle it.” Feng Yu smirked. “You should practice your qinggong. Unless you enjoy falling on your face?”

Heat crept up Xiulan’s cheeks. “Haa... okay.”

The door clicked shut behind Feng Yu, leaving Xiulan alone with her meal. She picked at the vegetables, noting how qi saturated the air—nothing like Blackmere’s spiritual emptiness. If her father had employed even a few cultivator guards...

Xiulan shook her head. No point dwelling on what-ifs.

She set down her empty bowl, considering her training options. The basic movement qinggong had proven far more challenging than anything she’d learned so far.

Until now, she’d relied on brute force—flooding techniques with raw qi and depending on her quick regeneration. It worked, but left her vulnerable.

Running out of qi in combat created dangerous openings. So far, she’d been lucky; the bandits and cultivators she’d faced relied mostly on physical strength rather than spiritual attacks.

As long as qi flowed and pooled within her, it offered some natural resistance to spiritual techniques. But if drained to nothing, even a simple spiritual attack could strike through, leaving her exposed—if only for a second. A skilled opponent would exploit any weakness, no matter how brief.

She pushed the vegetables around with her chopsticks. Managing qi flow demanded her full attention. The thunder clap technique drained massive amounts of energy, while qinggong required precise control. She needed to master the latter so she could modulate and control the former.

Xiulan pushed her bowl aside and stared at her callused hands. Perhaps focusing on body refinement would yield better results than struggling with qi control. But…

She just wasn’t ready yet.

The thought of strengthening her bones made her wince—without proper cultivation aids and pills, the process would border on torture. She needed to advance her alchemy skills first.

Standard painkillers would dull her mind too much for cultivation. She also had to figure out which elements she’d want to focus on during Qi Gathering and prepare her body to accept those. Ren Chun had focused on earth and water… and Feng Yu was obviously aiming for a fire pill.

Xiulan frowned. What was she going to do? Nothing stood out.

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water made up the five elements. Each contained yin and yang in equal measure. Nothing really stood out to her.

She hadn’t really studied Ren Chun’s qi, but Feng Yu’s had felt full of yang and fire.

The other girl had called her qi a starry blue, like stars reflected on a clear river’s surface.

Stars…

Xiulan closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, balancing on the back legs. Stars represented all the elements in heaven. A little chuckle escaped her. Maybe she could just try to reinforce herself for all the elements? With an equal balance of yin and yang?

That’d be complicated, but it was a legitimate build in the game, too. It just required more resources, and a bit more effort. But nothing would be more versatile.

She let out a sigh and stood up.

At least my current fighting style works. Her techniques capitalized on her unusual qi capacity and regeneration rate. The fully opened meridians gave her advantages most cultivators wouldn’t gain until reaching Qi Gathering stage.

Feng Yu’s earlier words echoed in her mind. She’d essentially skipped the gradual opening process entirely. No need for the typical meridian opening—she just needed to determine her elements, reinforce her body, step into the next stage, and start accumulating power to prepare for refining.

Xiulan cleared the remnants of her meal and settled cross-legged on the wooden floor. Time to practice.

She gathered her qi, focusing the energy through her meridians. The first attempt sent her stumbling backward. The second barely lifted her heels from the floor. On the third try, qi flowed evenly across her skin, creating a cushion of energy that pushed against the wooden planks.

Her feet lifted from the ground. The sensation of weightlessness triggered a flutter of excitement in her stomach as she hovered three inches above the floor. Sweat beaded on her forehead while she struggled to maintain the delicate balance of energy.

A slight twitch of her shoulder sent her spinning left. She redistributed qi through her meridians, attempting to correct the rotation. The movement jerked too far right instead. The bed rushed up to meet her as she lost control, landing face-first on the lumpy mattress.

“Ugh.” Xiulan pushed herself up and resumed her starting position.

Small adjustments proved the most challenging—like trying to pour a single drop of water rather than emptying the whole cup. She managed a wobbly hover, experimentally shifting her weight forward. The movement sent her drifting toward the wall in fits and starts.

Her gaze fell on her spear propped in the corner. Well, learning qi control was easier than figuring that out.

She refocused on her current task, evening out her qi distribution. The gentle push and pull of energy through her meridians demanded absolute concentration. She steadied her breathing and tried again.