Chapter 27
They say that rumors travel faster than the wind. They do not, however, travel faster than powerful Qi constructs crafted by a powerful cultivator who knows exactly what they’re doing.
They do, however, travel pretty quickly, and so it was only two days after Tren and the children had passed by the black sky mountain that the Zang family heard of the five mystical horsemen who were riding through the empire so swiftly that you could blink and miss them entirely.
Just like four years ago, when the lone rider had appeared and snatched Onmigosha from them.
They couldn’t exactly claim offense this time, since the riders had only passed sort of near the family’s territory, clearly on their way somewhere else. But since they suspected that the Shen family was involved, they were naturally curious.
Was the boy, Tan, who possessed the spirit Onmigosha and whom the family head was hoping to marry to her daughter, involved? What was the Shen family after this time? Was it something equally valuable as the last time they had appeared in the world? Might they be convinced to share whatever it was? Or might there be some leavings in the aftermath which the Zang family could claim without angering the Shen family?
The only way to find out was to investigate.
Sean Zang, one of the more powerful uncles and a man with a powerful wind spirit blowing in his dantian, was instructed to pursue the riders and investigate. Withou angering them, if at all possible. He wasted no time in empowering his own Qi construct, which took the shape of a Roc, and flying to the south, tracing the faint patterns of Qi that the horse constructs had left in their wake.
The rest of the cultivation world also noticed the passing of the powerful Qi constructs, but most of the factions ignored it. Whoever it was was clearly standing on one of the peaks, and few of those living in the valley would proffit by getting in their way.
Although information was power, and power was money, which, by the transitive property, meant that information was money.
~~~~~~
The first snowfall came early to the Shen farm. The little girl who lived there shreaked with delight as it began to accumulate, and then she grew quiet when she realized that her older brothers and the twins weren’t there to get into a snowball fight with. Her birthday would be coming up soon, and she’d been devastated when her mother had told her that nobody would be here to celebrate it with her.
It was a sacrifice, she’d been told. Cultivation always began with a sacrifice.
Even if one didn’t understand what that sacrifice was at the time, that was always a fact. Sometimes it would take decades for the cultivator to truly understand what it was they were giving up, the little girl had been told. Then the little girl had looked at her mother and told her to quit talking stupid and stomped out of the house to play outside.
As the season changed and world turned white, four animals came together at the edge of the nearby pond. A fox, a rabbit, a monkey, and a carp, the latter of which poked its nose out of the water to converse with the others.
“It is winter once more,” the fox said.
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“Yes,” the carp agreed. “Time to hide beneath the frozen waters and feed in the mud. I hope that this shallow pond does not freeze solid, that is not a pleasant thing to live through.”
“I have been thinking,” the rabbit said. “We have watched over this farm for a while now. The humans all know that we’re here. They seem to like us. Do you think that they’ll let us come inside, where their fires keep them warm?”
The monkey laughed. “They are humans. If you want to be like a human, then be a human,” it jeered.
The rabbit considered the monkey’s words for a while. Then it said “I think I just might.”
The others turned to look at the rabbit, surprised at its words, and then suddenly with a “Pop!” and a flash of smoke, there stood a beautiful young woman. She stretched her limbs. She maintained both her natural ears, and her tail. “I’m going to go say hello and ask them if I can come in out of the cold,” she announced, and she walked away from the edge of the pond and towards the manor where the humans dwelled.
The little girl saw her coming, and Safron’s eyes went wide. She ran to the house shouting “Mommy, Mommy, there’s a naked lady! She has bunny ears!”
Wensho stuck her head outside, sizing up the situation immediately. She nodded her head once. “If you want to come inside, you’ll have to wear clothes,” she told the spirit-rabbit-girl.
“I don’t have any,” the rabbit-girl admitted.
“If I give you some, will you wear them?”
“Of course.” And it was as simple as that. A few moments later the rabbit girl was sitting before the stove, warming her hands while wrapped in a robe.
The fox, rabbit, and carp each looked at each other for a moment. Then with another “Pop!” the Fox turned into a young man, once more maintaining his natural ears and tail. He was a little more nervous in approaching the farm in this state, covering himself with embarrassment. Fortunately the little girl was distracted when he knocked on the door.
“Might I trouble you for some pants?” the fox inquired.
Moments later, he too was in front of the fire, dressed in Tren’s clothing and enjoying a slice of ham.
The carp looked at the monkey, and said “Well, there’s no point in avoiding it at this stage.”
The monkey sneared as the fish went “Pop!” and turned into an old man. He to walked up to the farm, covering himself and watching nervously for the little girl. The lady of the house met him in the yard with a set of clothes, which he gratefully accepted. A moment later he too was sitting in front of the fire and enjoying a mug of tea.
“I’m going to leave these out here for you,” the woman said to the empty yard. “I don’t care if you come in or not. Just don’t let my daughter see in human form you without clothes if you can avoid it.”
The monkey sat at the edge of the farm until nightfall. Then it began to grow cold, and it frowned. Then it went “Pop!” and became a young man. That night it fell asleep in the downy bed of a child who was sleeping a thousand miles away.
~~~~~
The word arrived at the imperial palace late in the evening. The messenger, having rode through the night before and almost killed two different horses, was nervously shown before the emperor.
The messenger, a young woman in the third stage of the initiate’s realm, trembled before the powerful cultivator who ruled the Blue Dragon Empire. He was said to be the most powerful fire cultivator in the world, or so close to the title that it made no difference. The fire emperor sat behind his screen, his features obscured by the fine silk.
“You bring word from the Black Sky Mountains? What is it that requires my attention from that far flung corner of my empire,” the emperor asked in a quiet and melodious voice.
“Your Imperial majesty,” the messenger said. “The elders of my sect bade me pass on these words to your ear. ‘The hidden mountain has moved. It passes to the south, accompanied by the wind, the water, a young flame, and a growing stone.’ I swear that I do not know what these words mean, only that I was bade repeat them in your majestic presence.”
The emperor was silent a moment. “Thank you. You may select one scroll from the imperial library as your reward for your journey. Your sect will be rewarded when I have determined the worth of this information.”
The messenger trembled with excitement. “Thank you, your imperial majesty.”