Li Shu didn’t know that cities could get this big.
For all his self-control and precision, Qen Hou seems equally awestruck, though his behavior tends more to looking around incessantly than her own brown wide-eyed and open-mouthed wonder as things emerge from over the horizon. Even Hao Nera, no matter how much of a show he tries to put on about being comfortable, still looks like a fish out of water, covering for it with a grin wider than normal and a defensive twitchiness.
“Oh come on!” Li Shu says, grabbing onto his shoulder and giving him a shake. “You can’t tell me that this isn’t amazing! Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
Hao Nera snorts. “Maybe. You never know. Dashing rogue that I am, I have a long and storied history.”
Qen Hou laughs softly. “If you truly have seen a place such as this, then you have me at a disadvantage, bandit. I… didn’t know that cities were built so large.”
The entire city stretches out ahead of them, sprawling out from ahead of a downhill climb through an incredibly wide and well-paved stretch of the Imperial Highways. All around there are perhaps a hundred other caravans or carts visible, most of them heading into the city. Some are drowned in goods, loaded and bulked with formations to protect the glittering gems and the scent of alchemical ingredients they carry. Li Shu sees bolts of fabric, skinned beasts, swords and axes, farming tools of all kinds, bows and arrows enchanted for hunting greater dangers, clothing of a dozen different styles and more all moving towards the city. The few carts and caravans that move the other way often do so laden with mined materials, rare crystals and materials with unique properties, even as the main exports can be seen on a vast mechanical track moving from the city towards the inner rings with great quarried blocks and massive hunks of ore and crystalline growth.
There are plenty of people too, walking in groups, in pairs, even the occasional wandering cultivator walking on their lonesome in towards the city. There’s an aura of palpable excitement in the air, dozens of conversations and the smell of dust beneath people’s sandals filling the air with a lived-in energy.
Hao Nera shuffles uncomfortably, shaking himself off as he keeps pace with the caravan. There are nearly a dozen carts in their group, each guarded by high Qi-Gathering realm guards, and each of them is covered by runes and formations that speak of cold, preservation and spatial enlarging to store the dozens of corpses they carry. Shen Ji was more than happy to give them seats up above and on the carts as thanks for being his “benefactors” and good luck charms that brought him the easy fortune of beast parts, but Hao Nera refused. Even now, he keeps pace easily, but keeps looking about uncomfortably as they get closer and closer to the city.
“Yeah, well, it’s big but it’s messy. Give me a proper village anyday. Better than drowning in people like this.”
Qen Hou laughs softly. “I’m sure there are plenty of advantages to small taverns and mortal maidens, but you can’t say there isn’t a beauty to all of this.”
And despite her concern for their traveling companion, Li Shu can’t help but agree. The city stretched before them, coming closer and rebuilding the lie of perspective the more they walk, is a vision of artistry and industry in equal measure. While the wilds to either side of the highway remain heavily wooded, the city proper sprawls across a massive scar in the earth, a shattered wound remade into a living icon of civilization as its sides crawl with elevators, machines and miners moving up and down, the whole wound within the city’s edge glittering with the extracted materials. Every building seems to be made of local material barring the “noble” section of the city, the local Imperial Palace towering over the city across its western side and decked in white stone and gold. The rest of the structures are made of a rich, orange-and-yellow sandstone, their construction looking almost organic in how the streets flow between them and in how they’re carved. As a backdrop to it all, a vast stretch of blue along the far side of the cracked valley reflects the sunlight, deep and dark and gorgeous with dozens of buildings and a Sect bordering its waters, juxtaposed against another built into the mountains closer to the city proper, both raised on their plateaus as is standard and each sporting wildly different designs.
Either Sect is larger than the Purple Flame Burning Lotus sect was, and just the mines proper look larger than Paleblossom city as a whole, the only other city Li Shu knows. The sheer amount of lights, sounds, and mass of buildings is stunning in just about every way.
Hao Nera huffs, quietly. “Didn’t say there wasn’t. Just that the pretty things in life can hurt you worse than the ones you can see coming.”
“Did you grow up in a city?” Li Shu asks. “Before the woods, I mean?”
He laughs. “Can’t say I did, honored sister. I’m mountain folk born and bred. Not everyone can afford to stay in one place all their lives like ‘honorable’ bribe-giving villages along the highway can. I’m plenty comfortable traveling between honest homes and good hideouts. This… this is just way too much.”
Qen Hou nods. “I freely admit to some amount of culture shock as well. I am reminded of the story of the frog in the well, thinking it knows the sky because it can see the little circle above it.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not a frog.”
Qen Hou sighs, going to retort, but Hao Nera throws up his hands in mock surrender before it comes. “It’s fine! I’m going, ain’t I? Happy to make proper bank of all this bloody mess and be on our way is all. Not trying to raise a fuss, promise.”
Li Shu smiles, leaning over the side of the cart she’s sitting on to pat Hao Nera on the head. “Your restraint in the face of unabashed wealth and real architecture is appreciated, friend.”
He snorts, but doesn’t knock her hand away, crossing his arms instead and walking… a bit more comfortably than before. Still, his eyes rove around them constantly, watching anyone he feels is walking too closely. Li Shu watches him a bit longer before nodding to herself and deciding that first thing into the city, she’ll make sure to get him something nice. Maybe a canteen, or a really good fur coat?
As she thinks of what might be appropriate to calm the former bandit, the city approaches and eventually engulfs them. Massive stone gates, without any walls or doors in their frame, stand tall and shrine-like, and as they come close she can sense a massive formation woven into it and the land around it. A Foundational realm guard stops their progress long enough to speak with Shen Ji, who shows a badge and happily informs the guard of all their names and their business… and before long, the gate passes over them, and they pass through the perimeter into the city proper.
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All the chaos of the highway is magnified a hundred times over, with people of all kinds pressed into streets only just large enough to accommodate them. Species and bodies of all kinds move through the roads and buildings and stalls set up along the paths; Li Shu sees someone covered in iridescent, fish-like scales alongside a woman with hair made of feathers, sharing food at a stall run by a man who looks entirely human but seems almost twice the size he should. Across the way, beastkin with muzzles and claws, a three-armed man, people with skin of many different tones and colors ranging from red to blue to gold to white and black and everything in between.
She’s never seen so many people all at once, and it takes Qen Hou eventually planting a hand on her head and plopping her back down onto her seat to get her to stop gawping at everyone who passes.
He has to do something similar a moment later, using the strength of a Core Formation realm expert to pluck Hao Nera off the street about a half-second before he gets into a fistfight with someone.
Hao Nera cackles, waving down at the pot-bellied man in fancy robes as the caravan pulls ahead and his would-be opponent blanches at feeling Qen Hou’s cultivation.
“I have to admit, honored friends, I think I might change my mind about this whole ‘city’ thing,” he says with a smile. “All this noise, you can barely hear little old me!”
Li Shu cocks her eyebrow at him, but he just smiles wider and leans back in his chair, jingling very slightly and not even noticing when what looks like a ruby ring slips from beneath his belt.
He catches her looking and quickly picks it back up, slipping it into his sleeve. “What? It’s an heirloom. My mother’s aunt’s uncle gave it to me, and you can’t prove otherwise.”
Qen Hou frowns. “A cultivator should be more honorable than to steal from another, Hao Nera. We came here to sell carcasses, and you’ll get plenty from letting Shen Ji do so. Why go out of your way?”
Hao Nera shrugs. “Hardly out of my way. The guy stumbled right into me! It’s not theft if they were giving it away and don’t even know it’s gone, senior brother.
Besides, I’m hardly the most honorable man I know. It’s one of my winning qualities. Scoundrel and wastrel, me, bad boy to the bone.”
He shoots Qen Hou a wink, and Li Shu can’t help but hold in a laugh as she notices Qen Hou just rolls his eyes and not even try to refute anything. Hao Nera winks at her, and a bit of the laughter slips free as the city around them spirals past.
It isn’t much longer until the caravans reach their destination, and they dismount off to the side of the large warehouse it has stopped in front of. Shen Ji emerges not long after, a trail of attendants six deep coming up behind him all holding runic tablets to write on and trying to get his attention.
He silences them with a wave as he arrives and gives a slight and formal bow to the three of them.
“It is my joy and honor to say we have successfully arrived at our destination, with the tournament still in full bloom!” he says. “An unexpected boon, but one joyfully accepted. It may take me a few days to secure a fee for all these bodies in auction, so please, take a medallion. When I have your full payment ready, I will send a summons through it to inform you of my location. In the meantime, perhaps I could secure some lodgings for the three of you?”
Qen Hou bows back, graciously taking the medallion (shaped like a silver musical note on a steel icon). “I am afraid it would be far too much assumption of your generosity to ask of such a thing, honored Shen Jin. You have assisted us greatly in transporting our goods and ourselves out from the wilds.”
“Nonsense, it was nothing! I’ll certainly be discounting a smidge for myself off such things, but you three still saved me weeks of harvesting in dangerous terrain, and apparently an encounter with what may have been a divine beast! I can at the least provide you with a hostel you can rest in for the days it takes for sales to be completed, no?”
Before Qen Hou can keep trying to politely decline, Hao Nera rests his elbow up on the cultivator’s shoulder and leans on him, smiling wide and taking the initiative. “We are most absolutely honored and grateful to accept such a well-earned rest, honored merchant! You are surely too kind and will be rewarded with good karma for such generosity!”
Shen Ji laughs good naturedly. “Of course. I’ll have one of my clerks see to it right away. Let it never be said the Silver Song family does not pay its debts or is not generous to its benefactors!”
With a nod, one of the clerks steps forward, already scratching furiously at his tablet and smiling politely at them, bowing as he approaches.
“And with that, I must bid you farewell for now. Much to do, and little time to do it! We have arrived in the noonday sun, but will wither if not watered properly. I shall report to you all as soon as your reward is prepared!”
Shen Ji bows again, turning back to the ever-more-anxious crowd of people gathered behind him looking for input, and the clerk that stepped forward smiles, several colorful glowing veins highlighting their otherwise plain features.
“An honor to serve. This one’s name is Ha Fan. If you’d like, I can secure a room for you all in the Singing Spire inn, a reputable location operated by my benefactors the Silver Song family. It should keep you close to the arena, should any events emerge that you wish to participate in, and there will be access to viewings of many of the fights in one of the available galleries.”
“Just one room?” Qen Hou asks.
Ha Fan nods. “Indeed. It is the best available accommodation I can offer on such short notice, though of course there are other locations I can recommend and reach out to. I had assumed one room would be appropriate, considering your relationship?”
Li Shu cocks her head, confused. “What relationship?”
“I… had assumed that-”
“Why yes, thank you, very astute, we are indeed fucking,” Hao Nera says, grinning as wide as Li Shu has ever seen him. “These two still haven’t finished figuring that out yet, good of you to notice!”
Qen Hou immediately goes bright red, turning with an affronted look to the bandit while Li Shu blushes herself, though not quite as scarlet as the prim and proper sect disciple.
“I will happily find further accommodations, honored cultivators,” Ha Fan says quickly, trying to cut off incoming conflict. “I can assure you there are plenty of spaces that can accommodate any… ahem. Any relationship you may or may not possess. If I could make a recommendation, many places are full for the tournament, but there might be time to grab some rooms a bit further from the arena, if it’s to your liking. The upcoming bout includes the Unbroken, and many are eager to be as close as possible.”
Li Shu pauses, even as Qen Hou tries to sputter out a response and Hao Nera confidently asserts that yes, one room for the three of them in the nicest inn they have will do wonderfully, and stares at Ha Fan.
“Excuse me,” she says, “did you say ‘The Unbroken’? I hadn’t heard any official rankings with that name in them.”
“Ah no,” the assistant replies. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear, it is a self-introduced title for one of the main participants in the tournament. She in fact is one of the main reasons it’s happening so out of season. I believe the name she goes by is Raika, of the Division of Altered Cultivation.”
Qen Hou freezes, turning to look at Li Shu, both of them stock still.
The oath. The claim of the beast, that it tied them to each other.
The fact that, of all the cities in the third ring, they somehow ended up at the same one, here, now.
The fact that she’s still alive and whole enough to fight in a tournament.
It’s a lot to process. In the few seconds it takes them to do so, Hao Nera ensures their room has a king sized mattress in it, and has already pulled Ha Fan along to ask about room service options.