It was early in the morning; the sun had just peeked through the mountains casting gorgeous purple rays on the city of Lunaris. The streets were bustling with the flow of people starting their daily chores. In the clans the cultivators were starting to cultivate, hoping to catch the first ray of sunshine and the pure qi it brought along. Everything was going as usual but the Rijal clan was less noisy today. It wasn’t because of anything happening there but the lesser amount of children present.
Every day the younglings of the Rijal clan would clamor up and start cultivating. Even those who could barely walk would soak upon the first ray of sunlight. It was a ritual of sorts. But today, there were a few children missing so the noise was a little less. Few cultivators of the clan noted this point but for others, it was just as usual busy with their things. Punya had woken up early to cultivate. After his dao foundation had recovered somewhat, he had focused on cultivating in the morning.
Although the cultivation wasn’t as smooth as it used to be, it was way better than when he was injured. He was in the ninth stage of the foundation building realm and the sun rays would have almost no effect on him but it was a habit he had formed for decades, the same as every other member of the Rijal clan. He stood up from his meditation and watched the people starting their work in the clan. He used his divine sense to probe the ring on his finger and read the information sent by the shadows. One of the shadows was still hiding near the entrance of the forest and according to the report, there were about twenty-two spies, that fell during the night.
No one from the city had passed through his way for a night. As for the other shadow, it was still protecting the elders and the kids in the dark, erasing traces and scaring the demon beast that came near them. After resting for a few hours, the fifth elder was taking the children deeper into the forest. They had walked the better part of the night and as the sun came up, they started cultivating for a few minutes. They ate the fasting pills as breakfast and went to the deeper part of the forest. From the position of the shadow, the fifth elder had almost reached the threshold that the shadow could transverse being apart from Punya.
The shadow could at most monitor them for an hour or two. After that, it would all be up to the fifth elder and fate. Reading the information, Punya consoled himself ‘This was the best thing to do. If war doesn’t happen, it would be a form of training for them and if it does happen it would be one of the best decisions they had made. Even if ten percent of children survived the forest in the end, it would be a win because, from the look of things, the probability of those remaining in the clan surviving was close to zero.’
He then read the reports sent by different spies and the Battle hall members. He had asked them to be discreet and not get involved too much to avoid suspicions from the major clan so the report today contained few things and most were insignificant. He was waiting for the elders to find things from their own channels. He went to the front door and left towards the supreme elder’s residence. When he reached there, he looked inside and found it empty. He sent the message to his father and started looking around the kitchen.
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When he opened the preservation box, he found different kinds of dishes assorted within. It seemed Amrit made the dishes in the night. He took a few out and put a few more in his storage ring. He took the plates and went toward the waiting room. As he spread the dishes Keshab arrived from underground. The father-son duo greeted and sat for breakfast. After breakfast, Punya looked at Keshab and said “Looks like Amrit has been spending most of his time in the training chamber lately.” Keshab nodded “I haven’t met him aside from the breakfast.” “That’s also good” Punya sighed dolefully. Keshab asked, “Is there any news on the fifth elder front?”
Punya replied “The shadows are still protecting them in the dark. There were twenty-two spies that followed the traces to the forest. One of my shadows is still hiding near the entrance and another is following them but they are about to cross the threshold.” Keshab nodded his head and replied “That’s okay, we expected some of them to follow. As for the threshold, we can only do so much. The rest will depend upon the fifth elder and luck. If they could survive then it would be for the rest. The old folks in the clan have already lived their lives, it’s just a bit of pity for the young ones. There is no point in dwelling on the inevitable.”
Sighing, Keshab stood up from the chair and started walking to the underground chamber. When he reached the first step he looked at Punya and said “Oh right. How is the outpost doing? Tell Radha to decrease the number of clan members in the outpost. Have her send Battle hall cultivators so they can help you with minor stuff. After all, they are the most trusted ones in the clan right now.” “Alright father” Punya replied and started to head out.
As he reached the door voice of Keshab reached his ear “If the elders push their luck you could deal with them using your strength. If even a little bit of their action seemed harmful to the clan, be ruthless. This is wartime.” The voice that came from the underground was fading away. Punya nodded, bowed towards the voice, and left for the clan hall. ‘The elders must be anxious today’ Punya thought. When he reached the clan hall there were already a few elders standing outside. They greeted Punya when they saw him walking towards them. Punya returned the greeting and went straight to the clan hall and closed the door behind him.
The elders understood his intention. They instantly gritted their teeth in frustration. Punya knew how anxious the elders might be after getting the information but he let them suffer. They could do nothing but wait. They couldn’t just barge into the clan hall. If they barged in, they could be punished by the clan leader according to the clan laws. If everyone was here they could force their way but with the few of them, they didn’t dare to. They could only wait for the others to arrive or when Punya opened the door.