After an hour of walking, Shang could see a road in the distance, peaking through the dense foliage.

Stop! Before we go any further, repeat the rules of survival. Shang had to sit through an hour of warnings of death and mutilation. From Rue’s description, these cultivators were worse than demons. Solemnly, he repeated the rules.

“

1. Always assume I am the weakest.

2. Always show deference to those stronger than me(which is everyone).

3. Do not speak unless spoken to.

4. Do not speak to or about an imaginary spirit bound to my soul.

5. Do not show anyone the contents of my expanse bag.

6. Do not mention the Origin Codex.

7. Listen to Rue’s every command.

To be honest, the last one seems a bit redundant.”

It never hurts to be safe. I worked hard to get this body. I don’t want you to go and kill it before we can even get started.

Shang felt like he should be offended by the way Rue spoke about his body. Some of the rules were easy. Speaking to Rue out loud was redundant, he could easily communicate in his mind. Some others though, namely the last, would be a bit more challenging.

Without a core, most of the people at the encampment will not even acknowledge your existence. To them, you are both spiritually and physically a baby.

Spiritually a baby he could understand, but he was nearly sixteen, almost a man. Shang was finding it hard to believe that many of the cultivators at the camp would be hundreds of years old. According to Rue, it was not rare for cultivators to live thousands of years. At the later stages of cultivation, it could take hundreds of years for any advancement.

Not for the first time, Shang wondered at Rue’s age and advancement level. If Shang had only 300 years, how much could he possibly achieve? The thought of dying did not bother Shang, especially if it was after so many years. If he could be strong enough to avenge his family, he would ask for nothing more.

You have no sect or family crest, meaning you are worse than a nobody. Cheer up! Being a nobody has its perks too. No one’s going to badger you.

Shang’s heart thudded in his chest as he walked onto the road. As instructed, he kept his gaze respectfully lowered as he walked. The road was mostly empty, thoug he could see a few figures in the far distance.

He ruminated on Rue’s teachings as he walked. Rue had gone over the steps of creating a core briefly. A core was located at the intersection of the first twelve meridians. From his descriptions, Shang imagined the core as a crystalline structure that transformed the aspect of qi that flowed through it.

Qi had many aspects, the most prevalent of which were earth, fire, water, and wind. Some sects specialized in special aspects of qi, like the lightning bird sect. Lightening was just a transformed and condensed form of fire qi. The aptitude for certain aspects was determined mainly by the affinities for yin and yang determined at birth.

The road joined a larger one, this one paved in a dusty red brick. Shang marveled at the time and manpower taken to achieve such a feat. He looked back. The road disappeared into the distance, seemingly endless. Shang was trying his best to keep a healthy distance from the other travelers.

Soon he noticed that Rue was uncharacteristically quiet, almost glaringly so. When Shang focused his attention on Rue’s spot in his soul, he found the sable alert and wary. Rue’s attention and senses were pointed out, scanning the surroundings for any sign of trouble. Shang felt a rush of warmth at the sable’s efforts. While it may have been purely self-preservation, he felt indebted to the little creature. He had given him a new life and he would not waste it.

Soon it became impossible to avoid others. The roads became dense with people, carts, and strange creatures. He was too fearful to stare brazenly, but the diversity of the people and things surrounding him was mind-numbing. While most had the dark hair and eyes of FuJia, the structure of their features and the shape of their faces made them seem altogether foreign. Some had hair as white as snow with dark tanned skin. Others had straw-colored hair that condensed in tight curls. Many carried around weapons brazenly and were closely followed by small or large creatures.

Those are tamed sentient beasts. They have a variety of uses for a lower realm cultivator including sharing certain abilities. Some beasts allowed their contracted partner to fly, like that one.

Shang stole a glance at a tall cultivator walking a few paces in front of him. A large black crow perched on his shoulder. At Shang’s attention, the crow turned a dark eye in his direction. Shang immediately lowered his gaze, disgust coursing through him. He hated crows.

You said these cultivators are comparatively weak. How do they compare to the sect leader of the Shadow Tiger sect? Shang asked.

Tora Aran Kei is a prodigy even for the Tora family. He is one of ten seventh-realm cultivators on the eastern continent, last I checked. There is unlikely to be anyone here past the third realm. The distance between realms is not equal, as you ascend, each realm becomes exponentially more difficult to reach.

Shang’s brows furrowed at Rue’s words.

Don’t worry, you have me. With my genius, we can achieve anything. Besides, you should be aiming higher than Tora. But before we can achieve greatness, we have to survive in your feeble body first.

The traffic was beginning to slow, and Shang could see structures up ahead. He was expecting the encampment to be guarded by a large imposing gate. Instead, a set of red pillars framed the road. A rope connected the two pillars with the ground, and red scripts of paper hung at regular intervals on the rope.

That is much stronger than a gate. That is a spiritual barrier.

Two men stood beside the pillars, acting as guards. They seemed to stop people at random. Shang soon realized that the most strange and imposing cultivators walked past the guards unperturbed. As he approached, his sense of unease was building. He had grown accustomed to being shunned by the villagers for his birthmarks. While he could mostly hide the white strands of hair on his head, the patch of white on his brow and eyelashes were impossible to mask. Looking around, Shang felt almost silly for his fears. The person beside him appeared to have only one eye. What was a little birthmark by comparison?

The guards stopped him as he approached the pillars. Shang was expecting questions and rehearsed potential answers in his head. He felt a shiver in his spirit as the guards scanned him. His face remained slack with disinterest. Shang raised his fists in a deep bow. The guards reached for his hand. Shang knew this was customary from his observations, so he did not pull back.

The guard stamped his hand with a metal artifact and a blue outline of a crow in flight appeared on his palm. Without comment, he was waved through. This was one of six encampments that surrounded the PalTang Gorge. From the sign, Shang knew this was called Minor Four. The minor camps were at the outer edge of the gorge, while the two major camps lay deeper in, near the center of the tear.

That marking allows you to enter and leave the camp. The barrier around the camp keeps out most of the pesky animals and some of the weaker exalted beasts that might want an easy snack. The beasts usually don’t leave the gorge.

Shang wandered through the streets of the camp. The buildings here were shorter and wider than the buildings back home. They were constructed from a mix of hard clay and brick. From his vantage at the camp entrance, he could see the whole layout of the encampment. The camp was devoid of order, buildings seemingly popping out at random. This camp, by itself, was many times the size of FuJia and was surrounded by a dense forest.

Shang followed the crowd to the posting board filled with small recruitment papers. The monsters here were valued for their cores and gems. If you were strong, killing these beasts by yourself was possible. Otherwise, cultivators worked in teams. The weaker teams constantly lost members and were always recruiting fresh cultivators.

Shang read through the postings. Most of the postings requested specific affinities, and all had a minimum requirement of the first realm, which Shang was not. It was a bit frustrating, to say the least. He needed beast cores to form a core and enter the first realm, but before he could hunt these beasts, he needed to have a core already.

Well, what should we do? Shang asked. Knowing Rue, he had an alternative plan. Shang waited for a response but was met with silence.

Rue?

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Rue was silent. His attention, taut like a strung bow string, was focused elsewhere. I’m hungry human. Let’s eat something. Shang was taken aback by his non sequitur.

We still have some rations in the pack. Shang reached into his pack.

No, I’m tired of boring meat. I want to eat something good.

Shang relented and walked into the camp. Shang pointed at a dumpling shop nearby, but Rue led him through the streets, rejecting his suggestions for food.

What exactly do you want to eat? We’ve passed by so many choices already. Shang was beginning to suspect that Rue was not actually hungry. How does a non-corporeal spirit even get hungry? Shang supposed he ate what Shang ate, and he was a bit hungry from the long trek.

I want to eat there! Rue said excitedly. Shang looked towards a long thin alley. He could smell the faint order of roasted duck wafting from the entrance. In front of the duck restaurant, a girl with double-braided hair and large doe-like eyes was having a heated debate with three large and imposing men. All three had short spears and cudgels fastened to their backs.

The girl looked to be Shang’s age, but depending on her level of cultivation, she could have been over a hundred. Despite her relative youth, she was not backing down from a challenge.

“I told you I would pay once I go to my room.” Her voice was clear and carried in the empty alley.

“We can’t just let you walk off. My brother here will go to your rooms and fetch the chips for you mistress.” The man’s voice was short of sounding angry, but his flared nostrils told a different story.

“So, you’re saying you don’t believe me?” The girl questioned, her voice low and threatening. The three men looked uncomfortable, obviously unsure of her cultivation level but also unwilling to be cheated.

Let’s go somewhere else, Shang urged.

Aren’t you going to help that girl? Rue asked. Shang’s suspicions were confirmed. Rue was up to something.

What about the rules? Rules 1-3? Plus, I don’t think she needs help. She looks like she can handle herself.

Ah, but remember rule 6, I am supreme, Rue said.

Rule 6 is after rules 1-3, Shang retorted.

The rules are listed in inverse order of priority, Rue explained. Shang shook his head solemnly. This rodent was shameless. His indecision drew the attention of one of the men. Shang’s whole body screamed for retreat, but he forced himself to walk forward, head bowed. He scurried over to the group, folding himself to appear as small and nonthreatening as possible.

You really don’t have to do that. You can’t be threatening even if you tried.

“Excuse me Elder Brothers, Elder Sister instructed me to bring her purse. I got lost on the way to this fine establishment and arrived late. Please accept my sincerest apologies, I can see I have caused you trouble.” Shang proffered a small money pouch that he kept tied under his arm. The back of Shang’s exposed neck prickled as he bowed, fully expecting a blow.

“It is I who should apologize mistress.” The men were not addressing Shang. It was like Shang had not spoken at all. The pouch left his hands. Only then did he dare to look up. The girl was counting out a few gold chips. Shang knew it was not the conventional currency used by cultivators, but the precious metal still held value. Gold was commonly used as a binder in artificing and alchemical elixirs.

Upon payment, the trio murmured another apology before disappearing inside the restaurant. The girl’s delicate face never flinched, not even hinting at surprise. That more than anything made Shang uneasy. Only when the door closed did her eyes slide over to Shang. She stood assessing him for a moment before turning. She walked out of the alley, his purse in hand. Shang didn’t know if he was thankful when she gestured at him to follow.

He followed, making sure to trail behind a few paces. The girl led him into an open courtyard that was still bustling with afternoon traffic. There must have been a healer nearby because the air was tainted with the faint scent of antiseptic and blood.

“Who are you?” she asked, her eyebrow arched in suspicion. She was above average height for a girl, but still fell a few inches short of Shang. Now that he could study her up close, Shang’s unease grew exponentially. Her eyes, which appeared black in the dim alley, shone violet in the setting sun. Could it be?

The color matched the set of violet braids snaking down her back. Other than some reddish dirt on her sleeves, her robes were immaculate. They were finer than anything he could ever hope to own. The silk glistened, complementing the delicate golden-scaled dragon design bordering the cuffs. This seemed like just the type of person Rue warned him about.

“Uhh….My name is Shang, Elder Sister.”

“Shang? Just Shang?” She asked.

“Fu Shang?”

“Is that a question?” She asked brows furrowed. Shang cleared his throat before responding.

“No, that is my name, Fu Shang. I come from a small village at the base of AnSan mountain. Favored greetings, Elder Sister. I was merely passing through and thought you might need some assistance. I hope it was not presumptuous of me…” Shang waited for a response, but the girl just studied him with her lips pursed.

“So, you were just at the right place and right time? How…lucky.” The lilt of her voice was refined and full of poison.

“It wasn’t terribly lucky for me. You see, I’m a bit short on resources right now, but I couldn’t stand by. It looked like they might hurt you,” Shang lied with a perfectly innocent face.

“Tell me, are you an idiot Shang?” she asked. Shang only blinked in response. “If you think I was going to get hurt by those punks, you must be.” Shang could hear Rue chortling in his head. He paused to think of his options. There was only one way forward. He looked down, forcing a flush onto his cheeks.

“I-I’m sorry Elder Sister. As you can tell, I’ve never ventured far from my village. This is my first time in a place like this and I don’t know what I’m doing. Apologies for offending you. I do not doubt your strength,” Shang lowered himself until his chest was parallel to the ground. When he looked up, her face had finally softened.

“Why would you even come here? What can you do out here as you are?”

You need to convince her to join a hunting party with you.

What!? Shang’s head was beginning to ache.

DO IT, rule 6!

“Elder Sister, I’m glad you asked,” Shang paused for effect. “I a-actually could use your help,” Shang did not look at her, instead, fumbling with his robes. The girl seemed to have a soft spot for weaklings.

“Out with it.”

“I-I was hoping to join a fighting party, but given my cultivation, I doubt any party would take me. But maybe,” a shy glance up, “if you offered to join with me…” Shang let his sentence trail off. He felt a pang of guilt for misleading this girl, but he never really lied. Most likely she was a ruthless killer anyways. The thought was both a relief and frightening at the same time.

“A hunting party? For the gorge?” she asked, her hands resting on her hip. Shang nodded, face breaking out into a hopeful smile. He forced himself to look into her disconcerting eyes. Her irises seemed to glow in the waning light. A feeling of vertigo washed over Shang as he met her gaze. He looked away, swallowing in discomfort—this time it was not an act.

“Hmmm… No, that’s a terrible idea. You’re delusional if you think you are fit to go into the gorge. You would die within the hour,” she said.

“That’s what I fear, Elder Sister. I know that but I must go,” Shang her the most dejected look he could muster before turning away. “I have no other choice.” This was always the hardest part. The walk off.

“Thank you, Elder Sister, for your warning. I will figure out some other way to get a team to accept me,” Shang let his voice waver uncertainly before walking back towards the front of the encampment. He broke out in cold sweat. A few more steps and he would be out of her line of sight. He tried not to let the tension show in his body.

“Wait.”

Shang stopped mid-stride. He made sure his self-satisfied smile was gone before he turned back. “Yes, Elder Sister?” He had to raise his voice to be heard.

“You can call me Koyo.”

You know, you’re kind of creepy human, Rue said.

Yong Koyo Rin was lost. Her path forward was shrouded in blood and mist. She came here on a whim. PalTang was the cheapest destination from the lode gate in East Imperial City. It was the off-season and traffic here was slow. Koyo wandered aimlessly around the encampment, until finally, her funds had run dry. She could work to earn gems, but she just lacked the motivation. Instead, she moved around in a haze, unable or unconcerned with finding a purpose again.

Even without any funds, she could get by. One look at her eyes and most cultivators would back down or grovel, valuing their lives over petty money. Still, it was a nice gesture for the boy to try and save her.

From his stilted accent, travel-worn clothing, and wide teary eyes, it was clear that he was out of his depth. It seemed like he didn’t even recognize her, or rather, her family. When she heard he was from AnSan, everything fell into place. The drainage basin. That would explain his cultivation level. The boy looked to be about sixteen, maybe a bit older. The same age as her younger brother.

The boy was tall for his age. The skin above his nose was ruddy and slightly burnt from the summer sun. When he looked into her eyes, she noticed they were different colors—one a deep brown while the other lighter, almost golden. The lashes and brows framing his golden eye had a mottled look, with patches of dark black and pure white. She noticed the way he turned his head self-consciously as he spoke, hiding one side of his face.

Koyo was naturally suspicious. It would not be unlike her family to send a spy or even an assassin, but this boy, Shang, was clearly neither. Truthfully, it hurt to look at him. Something about Shang reminded her of her little brother. Perhaps it was the way his hands fussed with his clothes when he was speaking or the look of conviction in his eyes as he turned to leave.

Koyo’s heart ached. Her vision flashed. A body devoid of blood. A stiletto covered in violet ichor. She spoke without meaning to.

“Wait.”

Maybe this boy, she could save.