Chapter 28
Friend Or Foe?
It shouldn't have been a shock for Jon to witness feats that defied the limits of mere mortals. These cultivators could unleash storms apocalyptic enough to kickstart another biblical flood. He'd seen that level of elemental devastation himself. If Superman traded his cape for silk robes and spent centuries mastering esoteric martial arts instead of saving cats from trees, he might have looked puny compared to these reality-warping badasses.
Okay... maybe not all variations of Superman. But you get it.
Like earlier when Jon watched Xi Jianyu make his dramatic entrance, descending from the heavens clutching a glowing sword, hair billowing as if an invisible wind machine existed solely to enhance his flair for the overly dramatic.
Yet despite the absurd, mystic displays Jon had already witnessed, the sight above the village struck an undeniable chord of primal awe deep within him. Silhouetted against the brilliant full moon, a towering, massively-built figure stood atop the cliffs, muscles rippling beneath robes that could barely contain his sheer size and power.
Cradled effortlessly in his bulging arms was the fully-grown body of an immense stallion - a beast capable of trampling a man to a bloody pulp without effort.
But the stranger didn't even register the equine's prodigious size and strength as a burden. He simply held the stallion aloft as nonchalantly as Jon might grip a small dog, the lunar illumination exaggerating every sinewy curve and flex into something edging on the mythic, the sublime.
Jon instinctively took a half step backwards, boots crunching in the dirt as the towering figure continued its unblinking appraisal from the moonlit cliffs above.
In these kinds of intense standoffs from the movies and novels, this was usually the moment when the mysterious badass radiated some sort of palpable aura - a primal force that made the hairs on your neck rise with a mix of awe and foreboding. Like you could just sense their intentions, their power, thrumming through the air with each measured breath.
But weirdly...Jon didn't really feel any of that metaphysical melodrama crap. No ominous vibes, no static charge tingling at his skin to signal an impending battle of fates or whatever blockbuster BS he'd been mentally preparing himself for.
Instead, despite the sheer, physics-defying impressiveness of the sight, despite the fact that he was clearly in the presence of something far beyond human...Jon's overwhelming takeaway was just how undeniably, ridiculously cool the whole thing looked bathed in that silvery moonlight.
He cast a sidelong glance at Yulian, one eyebrow arched as the wheels in his mind spun. This guy's giving off some serious MC vibes.
Yulian shot him a quizzical look. "What?"
"Nevermind," Jon replied simply.
The towering figure remained motionless for a heavy moment. Then, with an almost tender grace at odds with his immense bulk, he lowered the massive stallion to the ground.
As the beast's hooves met the earth, Jon realized that despite the creature's prodigious size, it had yet to make a sound this entire time. Not a whinny or snort of exertion.
It was only when all four iron-shod feet met the dirt that the stallion finally tossed its head with a piercing neigh, as if only now remembering it could vocalize.
Before he could ponder it further, Yulian leaned in close, her eyes wide. "Sir Cho Chiaotzu?" she whispered urgently.
Jon turned to her. "You know him? Friend or foe?"
Yulian hesitated before responding. "I...friend, I suppose?"
Any further explanation was cut off as the man abruptly launched himself from the clifftop in a breathtaking arc.
Jon's eyes widened, his inner monologue kicking into high gear. Wait, is he actually...? Oh man, he's gonna do it!
Yulian shot him a quizzical look, clearly bewildered by the sudden shift in Jon's demeanor right after she said the man was a friend.
But Jon was too transfixed by the plummeting figure to explain, practically buzzing with a sorely missed sense of mundane anticipation as the man's trajectory brought him unerringly towards their position.
Then, with an almost contemptuous ease, the stranger landed directly before them in an iconic crouch, one fist braced against the ground as if to absorb the incredible impact...which, Jon realized with an internal start, caused absolutely no sound or tremor whatsoever.
Haha... he couldn't help but think giddily. A perfect superhero landing! He definitely practices that in the mirror.
Jon had to resist the urge to openly gawk, instead settling for shooting Yulian a sidelong glance loaded with unspoken amusement and disbelief. As if to say, You seeing this too, or am I just massively projecting my own tropes onto the situation here?
Yulian could only gape at him, then back at the impossibly huge male figure now slowly rising to his full, towering height before them. "Are you...quite alright?" She managed at last, clearly questioning Jon's sanity.
Jon blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Me? Oh yeah, I'm good. Why?"
The woman sighed, casting one more inscrutable look his way before refocusing on the daunting figure now looming over them both, utterly dwarfing their mortal frames.
Even at his impressive 194 centimeters height, Jon found his neck automatically craning back as the stranger rose, rising, rising...
"...Damn." The whisper slipped unconsciously past Jon's lips.
Chiaotzu faced them and brought his massive fist to his opposite palm in a formal salute. "Greetings, Doctor Yulian. Sir."
Yulian and Jon immediately responded in kind, bowing deeply. "Greetings Sir Chiaotzu," Yulian said, her voice suddenly formal. "It has been a while. I hope you have been well."
The towering figure inclined his head slightly. "Yes, it has indeed been a while - a year, if I'm not mistaken. I have been good, thank you for asking. How about you?"
"All is well," Yulian replied. "I assume you came for the Rising Dragon?"
"Well, we were supposed to come together actually," Chiaotzu rumbled. "But Senior Brother thought it a good idea to get ahead, as usual." Despite his words, there was a hint of wry amusement in his deep baritone.
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As they conversed, Jon couldn't help but wonder, Did he hear us earlier? I mean, he's a cultivator and all...and did he just casually not call Jianyu his 'senior brother'?
His thoughts were cut off as Chiaotzu's piercing gaze fixed on him. "And how may I call you, noble sir?"
Jon started, caught off guard. "Oh, uh, J-Jon Lee. My name is Jon Lee." He let out an awkward chuckle. "Haha..."
The massive man's features remained inscrutable, but he inclined his head once more. "Well met, Jon Li of the Jon clan. I am Cho Chiaotzu of the Southern Edge Sect."
Jon returned Chiaotzu's formal greeting, trying his best to mirror the cultivator's impassive demeanor.
Internally, he thought, I'm really gonna have to introduce myself in another way to people now... The man then turned his intense gaze to Yulian. "Doctor, I assume my Senior Brother has arrived already?"
Yulian gave a deferential nod. "Yes, Sir Jianyu is already enjoying the festival festivities."
Chiaotzu's broad shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh. "As expected." He inclined his head. "Then I shall join him there. Thank you both." With a lingering look between Jon and Yulian, he turned and made his way down the winding path toward the village.
They watched in silence as Chiaotzu's imposing form gradually shrank and disappeared amongst the twinkling lantern glow. Only once he was out of sight did Jon lean in close, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't you think he heard us earlier?"
Yulian didn't so much as glance his way. "No," she stated flatly.
Jon frowned. "No? How do you know?"
Finally, she met his gaze, her expression inscrutable. "I made certain precautions before we spoke."
"Precautions?" Jon echoed. "What kind of precau-"
He trailed off as Yulian continued studying him with that same inquisitive, razor-sharp focus - as if seeing him for the first time. A tension tightened in the air between them, and Jon couldn't shake the uncanny sense that she was scrutinizing far more than just his outward appearance.
"What?" Jon asked.
At last, after what felt like an eternity of her piercing stare, Yulian spoke in low, measured tones.
"Ever since we first met, I've found your behavior...unusual. The way you speak - slipping between our commonplace wording and baffling idioms I've never heard. That bizarre canine companion of yours who nods and obeys your every command without so much as a hand sign or talisman."
Her eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "You demonstrate no knowledge of even our most basic customs or spiritual practices. Yet you navigate this world trying desperately to blend in, to appear as just another person among the crowd."
Jon opened his mouth, then closed it, at a loss. What was there to say? She was right on every count - he didn't belong in this world of mystical kung-fu wizards and elemental spirits. Trying to play it cool and fake his way through only went so far before the act crumbled entirely.
"So I'll ask you again," Yulian stated, her tone making it clear this wasn't a request. "Who are you really, Jon Li? And what's your purpose here?
Jon considered her pointed questions, then let out a small sigh. "I thought we agreed not to pry into each other's backgrounds."
Yulian's expression didn't waver. "We did. But after all, it seems I may have to make an exception if I'm to avoid you becoming a liability."
Her eyes flickered with something like resigned determination. "I found no record of your name or lineage in the birth registries of Hainan where you say you hail from. No merchant house by the name of Li."
She leveled her gaze at him. "You couldn't even sense when I employed something as basic as the Sound Isolation Formation to cloak our conversation from eavesdroppers."
Jon shifted his weight, feeling her scrutiny like a physical weight. Was the ninja finger thing she did supposed to be that technique? Of course he hadn't detected anything - he lacked even the most fundamental understanding of this world's energy flows and mystic disciplines.
Yulian seemed to read the truth on his face. Her mouth formed a grim line. "As an undercover operative, it's my duty to ensure any potential threats are..." She paused, selecting her phrasing carefully. "...properly assessed before they can jeopardize my mission here."
So she’s really not from my world… Jon thought at Yulian’s casual admittance of being a spy.
Then of course. He mentally kicked himself - he should have expected this. To Yulian and her cultivator peers, he represented an unknown factor. A potential risk to whatever clandestine operation had brought her to this village. No matter how he tried to blend in, his obvious ignorance of their customs and abilities marked him as an anomaly at best, an infiltrator at worst.
And in Yulian's position, she couldn't afford to let such uncertainties roam unchecked, especially with danger seemingly lurking around every corner.
He held her pointed stare, realizing there was no easy way out of this interrogation. The truth - or at least, some semblance of it - would have to be offered if he wished to have some peace.
"You're right," Jon admitted finally. "I'm not fully what I seem to be. Let's just say my circumstances are a bit...unconventional."
"Unconventional how?" Yulian pressed, arms crossed in a subtly challenging stance.
Jon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She's really not gonna let this go, is she? Stubborn lady.
He decided to feel her out a bit first. "What would make me a potential liability, exactly? I want to understand where you're coming from on this."
Yulian didn't answer directly, her expression guarded. But her next words hinted at the crux of her concerns. "If there are elements about you that could potentially undermine the sect's operations, matters of secrecy that you might unintentionally compromise..." She left the implications unspoken but clear.
Jon nodded slowly. As an unknown factor with no traceable background, he represented a potential security risk. If he lacked understanding of their ways, he could inadvertently reveal sensitive information or draw undue attention. And in Yulian's covert line of work, those kinds of liabilities couldn't be tolerated.
Still, there was an edge of calculation behind her evasiveness, he realized. By not outright stating what could make him a threat, she avoided handing him a roadmap of how to undermine them, while still prompting self-disclosure of any problematic truths.. A deft interrogator's tactic to make him feel safe revealing closely-guarded secrets.
Crafty. And lowkey impressive, if he was being honest with himself.
Okay, time to bite the bullet, Jon mused.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons - if he came fully clean, could he really trust Yulian, an agent of her clan, to keep that highly sensitive intel confined? Somehow he doubted ancient cultivator organizations looked kindly on bizarre interdimensional revelations, his experience with Huo Zheng was a proof of that.
On the other hand, having an informed ally to help navigate this realm could be invaluable for finding his way home...someone he could actually ask direct questions of. That alone was crazy alluring.
Then again, Jon thought wryly, when has blindly trusting supposed allies ever ended well for dimension-hopping protagonists? He could just envision the staged look of polite interest on Yulian's face as she solemnly vowed secrecy, only to summon her cultivator enforcers the moment his back was turned.
No, putting that much faith in a virtual stranger, one with clear ulterior loyalties? Not his typically modus operandi, thanks.
A more prudent approach suggested itself as Jon briefly considered some of the fictional tropes he was all-too-familiar with - the young hero raised and trained from birth by a remote OP mountain hermit they would affectionately call grandpa, knowing nothing of the wider world until struck by tragedy and forced to venture beyond their sheltered homeland.
Certainly a well-worn fictional path, but hey, some storylines were clichés for a reason.
He almost allowed himself a small smirk. Could be just crazy enough to work as a semi-plausible cover story to deflect Yulian's prodding...for now, at least.
"Well..." he began, feigning an air of reluctance. "The truth is, I didn't exactly have a normal upbringing, if you catch my drift." He gave a rueful chuckle. "I was raised pretty much off the grid by my reclusive master in a...let's just say, a very remote location."
Jon spread his hands in an aw-shucks gesture. "So a lot of the societal conventions, the formalities and customs you'd expect from someone with a traditional background - that's all new to me. I've spent my entire life in seclusion, basically. This whole 'modern society' thing?" He let out a small whistle. "Whole different universe, am I right?"
He gauged Yulian's reaction carefully as he spun the yarn, trying to strike the right tone of plausible naivete mixed with disarming self-deprecation. Sell it just right, and it checked all the boxes - a cultivator in name, but one whose unconventional origins could potentially explain away his myriad lapses in decorum and knowledge.
"So yeah, I'm definitely still getting my bearings out here in the real world," Jon concluded with a wry grin. "Pretty unconventional by your standards, I'd imagine."
He left it hanging, watching Yulian closely for any signs of whether she was buying his impromptu fabled backstory or not. Fingers crossed this finely-spun fiction would satisfy her suspicions, at least for now.