"Legend paints a grand fight between Lou Jiansheng and the mythical Azurewing, but the true story is a guarded treasure, whispered from mother to daughter within the Lou family." Azurewing's voice floated across the courtyard as she wove her lengthy tail through the trees and rolling hillocks of the garden. "Listen well, our time is short."
Kai found a spot on the soft grass, nestled under a towering maple tree adorned with vibrant golden leaves. Sunlight streamed through the foliage, casting a dappled light and shadow across the courtyard. His companion, Relay, sat close to Azurewing, ears rotated forward in rapt attention to the unfolding narrative.
"Lou Jiansheng, the Lou family's ancestor, was enamored with Li Liwei, a charming yet simple girl. She was a beast tamer who had tamed a rare blue sky serpent she named 'Blue.'"
"That's you, Azurewing," Relay chimed in, his tail sweeping in rhythm with anticipation.
"Hush now, and listen," Azurewing chided, her gaze flicking toward the garden entrance where a few purple-clad guardians began to gather. "Jiansheng and Liwei made their home amidst the thousand isles, starting their family in peace. They had a large family, as cultivators often can with their long lives. They were prosperous and happy and lived many truly wonderful years. But something happened that would change everything. Blue advanced, becoming a divine beast, unlocking her speech."
"Li Liwei was kind-hearted and attractive, yet simple-minded. When Blue obtained the power to converse, she expressed gratitude toward Jiansheng for his protection. She remembered her time before him, forced to execute numerous tasks by those who manipulated her naive master."
"She acknowledged Jiansheng's kindness and pledged to protect the Lou family. This interaction sparked numerous discussions, as Blue's wisdom and intellect were a source of enlightenment for Jiansheng. He appreciated her constant companionship and keen insights."
"In time, Jiansheng found in Blue, a confidante who understood the depths of his thoughts, which Liwei couldn't comprehend. Despite being a serpent, Blue was never looked down upon. So when Jiansheng declared his love and intentions, Blue was overjoyed. He promised to traverse the world for a solution to unite them."
"And so, he embarked on his adventures, returning after several years with a forbidden technique."
"I don't like where this is headed," Relay interjected. Kai heard the growl beneath Relay’s words, belying his friend’s unease.
"Jiansheng proposed his scheme to Blue, using the forbidden technique he would exchange her soul with Liwei's, giving her control of Liwei's body. As the master, Blue would have Liwei serve her. Overwhelmed by the possibility of uniting with Jiansheng in matrimony, Blue assented, abandoning her lifetime friend."
The number of guardians at the garden's entrance grew, and a man, distinguished by his black and red attire, joined their debate. By their constant head shaking, it was evident they were arguing.
"Jiansheng, Blue, and Liwei ascended a lofty mountain on the appointed day. The two bound Liwei and the soul-exchange ritual was performed. However, when Blue regained consciousness, she found herself not in Liwei's form, but Jiansheng's!" Kai's eyes widened at that. The serpent waited for the revelation to fully settle before she continued.
"Unbeknownst to Blue, the ritual demanded a sacrifice. The reality dawned upon her as she beheld the lifeless Liwei. Jiansheng had orchestrated a ploy, deceiving Blue and Liwei to gain her divine form. His proclaimed affection had been a ruse; he'd tricked her, much like they had deceived Liwei.
"The revelation sparked a fierce skirmish. Bereft of her innate abilities, Blue, in Jiansheng's physique, was no match for him. Jiansheng's body plummeted from the heavens; thus, history was crafted. Jiansheng assumed the identity of Azurewing and presided over his lineage for numerous years."
"Blue did exact some revenge. The incompatibility of her feminine spirit beast form and Jiansheng’s masculine soul hindered his progression. By the time he grasped this, irreversible harm had befallen his soul. However, during his final years, he strategized, weaving the legend of Azurewing to fortify his dynasty."
"I take it that the charade continues. The women of the Lou lineage are still transferred into Azurewing's form. How many iterations of Azurewing have there been?" Kai inquired.
"I am the 33rd Azurewing, christened Lou Linur. The Lou girls are nurtured in cohorts, with one chosen to embody Azurewing. Our cultivation levels are suppressed to prevent us from threatening the status quo as Azurewing. Our compliance is ensured by leveraging our loved ones as hostages."
"So, the selections from the lottery are sacrifices for the soul-swap rite," Relay deduced.
"Only partially, for the initial ten Azurewings, the selection was made from within us. It was Lou Sain who initiated the lottery system."
"Why has the frequency increased?" Relay probed further.
Kai remained silent, soaking in the information. His mind raced through the sad story of deceit and exploitation. The gallant legend of Lou Jiansheng, whom he'd initially admired, had morphed into a disturbing saga of ambition and betrayal. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he struggled to reconcile the Azurewing he knew with the image painted by this tragedy.
As Kai watched the purple-clad guardians arguing, he felt a twist in his gut. Here were the descendants of the man who had murdered his wife and tricked and trapped a divine spirit beast before killing her, all to slake his lust for power. Their existence was rooted in lies, their power born of deceit. Yet, they seemed oblivious to the wrongness of it all.
How do they live with themselves? He wondered, a sense of disgust creeping over him. It was a stark reminder of the lengths people would go to for power. He glanced at Relay, noticing the line of golden teeth visible through his clenched jaw. He wasn't the only one wrestling with feelings of unease.
Yet, despite the revulsion, a part of him was also fascinated. Jiansheng's ingenious yet horrifying scheme demonstrated a mastery of cultivation techniques that Kai could not ignore. The power to manipulate souls and forms – it held the potential to change the world. And it might be the key to giving Relay a real life here in Long Yuan. It was a twisted dichotomy that left him both repelled and intrigued.
"Because the energy they've been cultivating isn't the same as Blue's anymore," Kai broke his silence. He could tell the energy Lou Linur cultivated was not identical to Azurewing’s. "And for the past three years, tainted sacrifices have been offered to you, thus creating your black heart core. Everything falls into place now." Kai could sense the ominous reach of the black heart's energy, draining life from all around. No wonder her guardians are so feeble.
"I'm struggling to comprehend. All this fuss over a gigantic serpent's form?" Relay scoffed. "What's so special about this body that it warrants such lengths?"
"It's virtually deathless, crafted from pure energy, and robust compared to any inferior energy. It could endure indefinitely if maintained correctly. This form has served as their shield against a large part of the cultivation world." Kai recognized the significance of transcendent power.
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The guardians were closing in on them, the man in black and red leading the pack. A harsh scowl marked his stern face as he confronted them.
"Ahja Kai, your expertise brought you here, yet you have injured one of Azurewing's guardians. This is unacceptable."
Kai rose, meeting the gaze of the more formidable Lou elder.
"I can cure Lou Linur’s condition, restore Azurewing's vigor, and prolong the time your female cultivators can occupy her body."
The elder blinked, his brows furrowing as he stepped back, unsettled. A wave of murmurs washed over the guards, their surprise palpable.
"But it won't come cheap. Let's discuss the price," Kai said, a knowing smile gracing his face.
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"Are you seriously considering helping them? It won't change anything, you know," Relay observed as Kai refined Blue's energy using one of her scales. The scale was levitating, encased by a blend of blue and gold energy, between his hands. They were seated in a secluded room that commanded an exquisite view of the city. "The lottery won't cease; they will continue exploiting their daughters. The entire city is precarious, standing on the brink of collapse."
"The frequency of lotteries will decrease, taxes will go down, and fewer daughters will be chosen as Azurewing. This seems like a better outcome for everyone," Kai sighed.
"The men of Lou family fear a rebellion from the women. They deliberately suppress the women's cultivation and manipulate and intimidate them. It's outright abusive," Relay voiced his discontent.
Kai let out another sigh. "What would you propose we do? Should we attempt to right every wrong we witness in the world? If we take that path, someone else might perceive us as wrong. Could we right everything without becoming villains ourselves?"
Relay grunted in disapproval, laying down and averting his gaze.
Kai turned his attention inward. There it was, inside his heart core, the shimmering motes of gold and white, twirling in an unending dance. Shifting his focus, Kai reversed the flow of energy from his soul tether, redirecting the pulsating blue energy of Azurewing back into him.
This was uncharted territory for him, but if he could guide the white energy along his channel to his white core, why not the blue energy? The blue energy flowed effortlessly along his tether back to his soul space.
Kai moved his consciousness to his soul space, floating amidst the grandeur of his iris gate, awaiting the incoming blue energy. As soon as it arrived, he conjured a receptacle to store it.
With the filled vessel in hand, he transported himself to his artificial core chamber. Touching down on the warm planks, he navigated to the column of cores, assessing his present collection. He had one corresponding to each of his current cores and several others in experimental stages. He opened an empty spherical container, pouring in Azurewing's energy.
He planned to replace the cultivation bases for two of their female cultivators and provide them with sufficient Azurewing energy to commence their refinement process. For that, he needed to generate a substantial amount of her energy.
After sealing the synthetic core, he initiated a gentle flow of primordial qi. With that task complete, he shifted his focus back to his physical form.
"I am aware it's not ideal, Relay," Kai reasoned, "But I am optimistic that once we get a glimpse of the soul-exchange technique, we could adapt it so it won't necessitate a living sacrifice." One of the things he negotiated for was access to the Lou family's secret technique. Kai was hopeful that the insight within the method would provide enough foundation to properly ground Relay's soul in his body.
"I can't bring myself to trust any of these people," Relay responded, turning back to face Kai. "Deception seems to be a core value of the Lou family. We must be prepared to flee if the situation spirals out of control."
"On that note," Kai extended his hand. A songbird landed on the stone windowsill before flitting over and settling on Kai.
Return.
The bird morphed into particles and merged into his core. He steeled himself for the ensuing piercing headache. The pain surfaced and subsided quickly, leaving a smile on Kai's face. None of his aquatic forms were beneficial, but avian forms that could carry him in flight were a different story.
“Now, if I’m not mistaken, we had a bet?” Kai broached the subject with his friend.
“Right,” Relay perked up at that, standing up. And moving to the low table before coughing and hacking up a small ring. It bounced off the table, rolled off the edge, and hit the stone floor with a bright ting sound before spiraling down to a stop.
Kai bent to pick up the gold ring, shaking it free of the thick saliva.
“So spatial artifacts can fit inside other spatial artifacts, that doesn’t seem right. Wouldn’t that open up an infinite regress?” Kai asked.
“Who are you calling a spatial artifact?” Relay yipped. Then after a moment, he pranced, twisting about the room, “So, can you open it?”
Kai created a small needle from his wrist microns and used them to extract a drop of blood from his thumb. He sent a wisp of energy into the ring as he smeared the blood on it. Kai felt his energy slip into the ring and vanish like dropping it down a dark well, but after a moment, the energy returned.
“Strange,” Kai relayed the experience. “I have a sense of what’s in there and how much more room there is; there isn’t much space.”
“So, are there treasures? Precious metals? Secret cultivation manuals?” Relay hopped from foot to foot.
It was a good fit for this thumb, so Kai put it on. “There’s this?” Kai used his spiritual sense to pull the only book in the ring to hand. It appeared in his palm. He flipped it over and then over again. It was a brown journal bound with leather ties.
He opened it. “It’s a journal; it looks like a woman’s journal. You said the thief was a man, right?”
“He looked like a man to me, but everyone here has long hair, and most women here barely have breasts, so there’s a significant margin of error.”
That was, unfortunately, true. Kai sighed. And male cultivators had qualities that would rival some be the most beautiful women of Kai’s previous life. On the whole, everyone on Long Yuan was much more attractive.
He flipped through the book, but it was personal notes done in journal form, and after reading a few more intimate thoughts, Kai closed the book and sent it back to the ring.
“There’s also,” Kai pulled the rest of the ring's contents into hand, setting them on the table. “A dress, some food, still hot, that’s convenient, and a brown flower. That’s it. The ring is the real treasure. It can hold at least two cubic feet of items and keeps food warm.”
“That’s it? What a terrible thief. What kind of trash is this?” Relay sniffed the dress and flower, the latter tickling his nose.
“I’ll keep the journal. The rest is yours per the terms of our bet.” Kai decided. “But once I’ve read it, you’ll have the data too. Who knows, maybe there’s some useful information there.”
Though I doubt it, based on what I read thus far.
Relay turned his nose up at the items and collapsed in a huff. “My dreams of piles of precious metals were just idle fantasies. That pitiful ring can’t even hold enough for a snack. I’ve never been more disappointed in my life.”
“That my friend is a bit shortsighted,” Kai waved his hand over the items on the table, returning them to the ring. “After all, the ring is the real treasure here. Does it compress space, link to another dimension, or have a pocket realm? How does it work? Could we make our own device to access other people’s spatial realms? I feel like you need to open your mind to the possibilities.”
Relay’s ears flipped forward, “Oh, that’s right. They probably use spiritual energy signatures and genetic markers to encode the connection. If we can determine how they are encoded and what process they use to verify the device, we maybe be able….”