In the wake of the Second Heavenly Disagreement, civilisation the world over was forced to adapt to certain truths.
The largest of those truths, at least from the perspective of the various continental governments, be they kingdom, empire, sect, or otherwise, was that the Heavenly Emperors – now renamed the Earth Emperors – were now physically available to muck about with the status quo.
Redsea made the transition almost entirely intact, since the Imperial Family had always been a poorly disguised cult of ancestor worship. With their authority already derived wholly from the mandate of their divine backers, it was simply a matter of making a new seat above Redsea Emperor, and going on as normal. But even they didn’t make it out completely unscathed; sections of the northern coast had seceded, forming the Northsea Empire under the Northsea Emperor.
Blackiron and Two Bells hadn’t been nearly so lucky. The northwestern continent, governed mostly by the clergy, had fractured between those who remained loyal to the Emperors, and those who followed the new Heavenly Host. Added to that was the tension that had always existed between Devil’s Warden and the clergy, now expanded to include the Salt deities, and it was probable that the continent would see wars in the near future. The western islands were equally ready to erupt into violence, but for them it was old grudges, rather than new ones.
The Morning Phoenix and Silver Tiger sects had been at each other’s throats for centuries, and the addition of their extremely powerful, extremely volatile Emperors had not calmed things down.
As for Rainworld, the ancient capital of the world actually seemed ready for a renaissance. With three Emperors ready to help rebuild – the two natives and the Beggar Empress, who for reason unknown had decided not to house herself on her homeland of Redsea – the birthplace of humanity was looking into the future with hope.
These were things that Lu heard about as he drifted in and out of consciousness, tiny slivers of knowledge amidst the turbulence of the house named Earth being torn down and rebuilt to accommodate one fewer supporting wall.
And as for his home of Greengrass, the central continent, the one which the world was arranged around in a literal if not social, economic, or spiritual sense…
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Lu awoke, as was becoming familiar, to the sensation of his spiritual stomach jostling around his torso like a trapped cat.
“Urg,” he groaned. The light filtering through his blinds was already giving him a headache – or perhaps it had been there the moment he woke, and was only revealing itself as he slowly regained the capacity for pain. “A whole month of this. How much longer…”
He threw his legs off the side of the bed and grabbed a bucket, but it seemed that today was going to be one of the good ones; nothing erupted up his esophagus as he stood, nor when he took a few tentative steps. In fact… Ah, is it going away, finally and at long last? As he continued to move, the ever-present nausea that had plagued him ever since space had begun warping gradually settled down, and within minutes seemed like only a bad dream. Do I dare..?
Softly, he extended his Comprehension, scenting the fabric of space throughout his room. He flinched as a wave of nausea struck him in the head and belly – but after a moment he opened his eyes, lowering the still-empty bucket. The spacial topology was still best compared to a snowglobe mid-shake, but at least he could walk around and use his spiritual sense without becoming ill. A small smile brightened his face as he made his way over to his window, throwing the blinds off and taking in the morning ambience.
Finally! Like a spring shoot erupting from its seed, this Lu is ready to rise from his bed and venture out into the world once more!
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The woman seemed, finally, to have gotten the hang of telling a feint from a real punch. Her block moved in response to his attack, and Bull was repulsed with minimal effort on her part.
Of course that didn’t stop him from stomping on her toes as he went, but that was what sparring was for; ironing out the kinks before a real fight. Jiendao grimaced as a pulse of qi realigned her broken phalanges. “Why do I even train with you, you monster?”
He responded with a rude gesture and a smile. “Because I don’t pull my punches, junior sister.”
The following minute saw her strike out with a few respectable moves, and he was forced to block a few rather than dodge. But eventually he decided it was his turn again, and Bull cocked his fist back with an exaggerated motion as he cast Subtle Strike on his other-
A knock on his door stopped the spar mid-motion. Darn, that would have left an impression. Today’s lesson: pure martial artists can use illusions too. And it would have stung twice as bad seeing as she fancied herself some sort of bargain illusionist. He cast out with his sense, and his smile changed entirely when he felt who was visiting.
“Lu!” he exclaimed as he flung the door open. “You dog! Inner disciples should never become ill; it breaks the illusion of invincibility!” He guided the man inside by the shoulder. Has he become… taller? Yes, he was definitely needing to move his arm even further than usual above his head, just to maintain his grip. “Are you feeling better? Come in, sit down.”
Jiendao seemed pleased enough to see her master up on his feet, and soon they were arranged around Bull’s tea table, cups in hand.
“Thank you, Bull.” The man took small sips of his drink, dainty as a gentleman should be – a gentleman who was still wary of even liquid food, at least. “It’s nice to finally get out of the house. I can’t believe I almost missed Year’s End.”
Bull harrumphed. “Obviously I would have brought the celebration to you. You live in a mansion now, Lu, you can fit a few people in for the festivities.”
Another sip. “Ha, mansion. Your house is easily larger than mine.”
“Ah, but mine is mostly the private training facilities.” Bull gestured across the room. “Just look at the difference between your dining room and mine. Obviously if we’re having a party, it will be at your place.”
The man narrowed his eyes, but eventually was forced to concede the point. “A party… You know, maybe we should; we still haven’t celebrated my ascension to the inner realms, have we?”
Jiendao nodded. “We have not. Should I make sure the others are all free on a particular day?”
“Ah, no, no,” Lu warded his student off. “Not yet. I’ve only just gotten the idea, we haven’t even picked a day.”
They lapsed into companionable silence for a minute, until the man spoke again. “Actually…” A small blush coloured his cheeks. “I must admit that I didn’t come here just to socialise. I’ve actually…”
The pause grew too long for Bull’s patience. “Out with it, you sickly beanpole.”
Lu sniffed, mock affronted, before obeying. “Musclebeast. It’s just that I’m having some trouble working out what’s actually happened this month, and what was brought on by my continuous delirium.”
Jiendao made a noise of understanding. “That makes sense. The last thirty days have been wild.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Before you ask away,” Bull cut in, “It’s true the Emperors were expelled from Heaven. I’d be tempted to call them homeless vagabonds, but the least of them could turn half a continent into a glass floor, so I’ll restrain myself.”
Lu nodded, and got a far-away look on his face, his eyes unfocusing as he rubbed his upper lip. “That really happened? Yes, of course, obviously I wouldn’t have made that up whole cloth…” He broke down into muttering, before coming back to reality. “And we’re now part of the… Mountain Grass Kingdom?”
Bull nodded. “Terrible name. At least we made out better than the Jade Sea Kingdom.” He paused to take a drink, shrugging as he swallowed. “Apparently many of the other sects aren’t taking kindly to the Greengrass Emperor’s descent. We should be fine, though, since the Patriarch was an old war buddy of his.”
Lu’s expression went from thoughtful to bothered. “Speaking of the Patriarch… He’s died, hasn’t he?”
“Yup.” Jiendao gave him a look for his cavalier answer, but he brushed it off. “Went out in heroic fashion, overloading himself with berserking pills to destroy the entire Salt army. Would that we could all go like that.”
Jiendao ceased frowning to turn to Lu. “Actually, they’ve got a recording of the battle playing on a loop in the main hall.”
“Really?” Another sip. “Ah, of course, with the anti-divinations down…”
“Exactly.” And I can’t imagine them going back up anytime soon, since the Emperors are the best diviners in the world, and actually present to show their affront in person.
Lu quietly nursed his tea in silence for several minutes. “Alright. I think I’ve sorted things out in my head now. It’s down to the minor details.”
Bull waved him on. “Shoot. It isn’t like I have anything better to do with my time.”
The man looked conflicted a moment, before he forged ahead. “Earth’s Wheel is being joined with Salt’s whatever-they-have?”
“Yes.”
“Yan Luann extended me an invitation to courtship?”
Bull blinked. “I don’t know who that is.”
“Right, right. Forget I said that.” His friend’s face burned red for a moment, before returning to its regular complexion. Ah, a realm ago he would have kept that blush for half the day. It seems he’s finally starting to develop a cultivator’s demeanour – a shame. “So Suu Li apologising to me for her public mockery must have also been a dream, then?”
Bull drained his cup. “No, I was there for that one. She bowed and everything, it was surreal.” She didn’t demean anyone’s intelligence a single time. I’m half convinced she lost a bet and that was the punishment. “Though I suppose you are a rich young lord, now. The gold diggers had to appear at some point.”
Jiendao kicked him under the table, which he also waved off.
Lu once again put a hand to his lips. “Really. Somehow, that seems like the most unreal thing to have happened… Ah, Cobo condensed a dantian?”
Jiendao nodded. “We don’t even know how he did it. None of us gave him any help aspecting the qi, and he refused to explain it.”
Lu nodded back. “Right, right.” Then he grabbed his nearly-full cup, and drained it with a single gulp. He stood, and performed a short bow. “Thank you for helping me sort out my mind. I think I should go speak to Cobo – and my other students, obviously.” He paused. “And as for the party… Yes, I think I’m more than well enough for a little holiday cheer. On the fifth day?”
Bull threw his chin. “I’ll bring something strong.”
Jiendao raised her glass. “I’ll be there as well. We can celebrate the end of the war while we’re at it.”
“And the beginnings of the next ones!” This time they both shot him glares, and he laughed. “Ignoring it won’t make the problem go away! Better to make peace with it now.”
After another moment’s conversation getting things in order, Lu finally made for the door. But again he paused, looking back with a conflicted face.
“Ah, one last thing… I immediately dismissed it as a delusion, since it seems obviously fake, but I remember… Jiendao, did you perhaps mention to me that Hom How’s become a cultivator again?” Seeing her look, his expression became even more conflicted. “…And he ascended to fifth realm in a mere week?”
She looked away, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. She muttered something under her breath, though Bull only caught a few words. “Damned genius kids… Making us all look untalented…”
He turned back to Lu, whose face was a mix of astonishment, pride, and envy. “I suppose,” he said, through clenched teeth, “We’ll add congratulating him to the list of reasons to celebrate. I’ll be on my way, now.”
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Little Swamp Village was not, for the first time, as Lu had remembered it. With the need for secrecy gone – and secrecy itself borderline impossible, with Heaven staffed by thousands of near-omniscient beings – they had allowed things to sprawl a bit; new, earthen constructions sprouted from the soft ground, some of the wooden buildings torn down to become scaffolding or fences along the riverbank. The ki was thinner along the outskirts and thicker as one went in, but it was undeniable that the turning point had shifted.
Two Moving Waters clansmen lazily stood guard on either side of an actual gate, though the accompanying wall only seemed to go a tenth of the way across the village’s circumference.
“Yo,” said the one on the left, a dull orange man in a loincloth. “Name and reason for visiting?”
“I’m here to speak with Cobo, the Lonesome.”
He grunted. Then the man on the right, who was a different shade of orange and also wearing the same cut of loincloth, gestured. “You can go through. I know that guy; he should be in one of the new buildings on the right.”
“That’s your right,” clarified Orange-on-the-Left.
“Thank you.”
The interior of the village had also changed, though mostly in atmosphere. With the news that people would soon be able to return home, things were a subdued sort of jubilant. Subdued by warrior standards, anyway, he amended as two grinning brawlers slung mud at each other with enough force to remove a mortal’s head.
The guard’s directions had been imprecise, but Lu found the right building without trouble; Cobo was the only person utilising qi in the whole village, which made him easy to sniff out. Lu found him inside a circular house with an oversized open doorway, an architectural arrangement that sort of looked like a yawning cat if one looked at the right angle.
Unable to knock and not knowing if Cobo would notice a flared sense, Lu simply shrugged and entered. “Cobo! It’s Lu, are you home?”
A large and reptilian shape emerged from under an equally large plank of wood, which Lu’s surprised brain labelled trapdoor after a moment. “Lu! You’re not sick!”
She thrust her head down, sniffing, and Lu did his best not to instinctively hide his neck as her teeth invaded his personal space. “Stingy, glad to see you. I wouldn’t say I’m back to full strength,” I still feel discomforted if I move around too fast, “But I’m more than well enough to walk around. Is Cobo in?” Also, you still live with Cobo, despite new houses being built? Could Bo’s salacious gossip be true, or am I thinking too deeply about my friends, who are merely travelling companions as far as I know?
“Yeah, he’s here. One sec.”
She scuttled back under the trapdoor, which really did seem to be just a piece of wood, and a few moments later a figure in a black cloak emerged. “Lu. You need something?”
Ah, my first student. Calling me father one moment and brushing me off the next. “I thought I’d check in, let you know I’m feeling better. I heard you’ve become a cultivator?” Not that I need to ask, since I could already feel it from outside.
“Yeah. Wasn’t hard, once I decided to do it.”
“Really? And how did you manage that? I’m sure your peers would find your expertise quite useful.”
The man’s smile was sharp. “Secret.” Oh, you unfilial student! We’ll see how you feel about secrets after- “But I’ll tell you if you come meet somebody with me.”
Lu halted his inner monologue. “Meet someone? Who?”
His expression softened. “Someone you’ll want to meet. Two someones, actually.” He gestured with his chin towards the yawning doorway. “I promise you won’t regret it.”
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The wetlands in the shadow of the mountain would have been miserable without Water Walking – because while they couldn’t hold a candle to Knifefish Bog, they were nonetheless a sucking morass of slime and leeches.
“Ah, your first spell! How does it feel?” Lu beamed to his student, who was walking at his side as though the water were completely solid, the same as he was.
“Actually, I did the spark thing and Space Ripper already-”
“Your first second realm spell, then.”
He grunted. “Harder than those other ones. Hungrier, too. I won’t be able to go all the way before I run out of energy.”
“Have you tried drawing qi in while moving? Just refilling your dantian doesn’t require meditation, you should be able to manage it while keeping pace.”
Cobo frowned, and Lu left him to the task as they continued on. A few minutes passed before he felt the warrior begin to sluggishly draw in qi, and then a few more before he felt the need to speak.
“How far out are these mystery friends of yours?”
“About…” His eyes became more present, and the qi draw stopped. “Damnit. About another minute, maybe? They had to move out farther a few days ago.”
Lu hummed. Ah, I think I know who these people we’re meeting are. Though I suppose I could be in for a surprise…
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A few hundred metres further, and Cobo raised his head to scent the air. They made a right turn, went a few hundred more metres, and then Cobo cupped his hands of either side of his mouth, making a sound that was startlingly similar to a gunshot.
An echoed exclamation sounded out close by, and the pair turned and walked.
Despite scouring the list of people it could be and finding only two names, Lu was still surprised.
On the surface, they looked nearly identical to Cobo – one even more so, in black high-collared robes that could be mistaken for a cloak. Pink skin just slightly more vivid than any human, black hair like stiff, crumpled-and-half-straightened wires. Blandish features, too flat to be human but so similar to one another they might have been triplets.
Lu was overcome with an emotion he couldn’t name, something like nostalgia, adjacent to regret. He cast Interpreter on both, the cost in energy and mental effort that had seemed so bothersome in the past now almost unnoticeable.
“[Hey Lu,]” said Ded.
“[Kid, been a while!]”, yelled Sulphur, miming firing two pistols with his fingers. “[How you been? Man, you won’t believe what happened since you left!]”