Chapter 18: Formation Field
"Here we are. The border of Unknown Regions." Ying Zheng finally stopped, finally…
"Be careful kid, from here it will be dangerous."
"Why?"
"Stay here and look."
Ying Zheng made several steps forward and stepped on something hidden by a bush. Immediately the ground lit up. Many complex patterns grouped in circles shined with different colors, coloring the trees around.
"Formation Field, leftover from the Colonization War. It isn't too strong but more than enough to mutilate you."
"Follow me and pay attention to every step."
Xin did, trying his best to walk carefully while weakness already was spreading in his legs after he broke the tempo of ran. First around a bush, then around a tree, then jumping, then jumping with one leg…
Every time Xin felt like he's going to fall; he could he could swear that Ying Zheng was just messing with him at that point. Maha was completely still; she has been unusually silent since they went into the forest.
Thinking about it, Xin made one more jump and at last, lost his balance. He had to step back and pray.
"..."
Nothing happened. He looked back; his foot landed between two shining lights.
"Hey, kid. Want a piece of advice?"
Asked Ying Zheng while carelessly jumping forward with his hands behind his back.
"What?" Asked the tired and bitter boy.
"Say please."
"…"
"Okay, okay. Try channeling Qi through your legs when you step. It will make your muscles tighten up so it'll be easier to keep balance. But be careful, Qi also puts a lot of pressure on your feet. It's the reason why got so tired after running, that was a mistake on your part. Anyway, try it."
"Is that how you doing it?"
"No, I'm just skillful. This trick is for amateurs."
Xin decided to follow his advise. It was really much easier now to control his legs, but if he was using too much strength they were burrowing into the earth. Also, his feet now hurt even more. Once he stopped channeling Qi to relax them a bit, but they suddenly began to shake and he almost fell down. Now he didn't dare to do it and was in constant increasing pain.
At last, after what felt like an eternity, he made the final jump and landed on his knees. He couldn't feel the lower part of his body at all.
"Not so bad, kid." Said Ying Zheng looking at him from above. A dark silhouette blocking the sun.
"Take a rest and eat this thing."
He gave him a green pill. The boy tried smelling the thing: felt like moist grass.
"You can either swallow it whole or chew. But it's bitter, so I recommend the first way."
Xin didn't want to risk and swallowed the pill once it touched his tongue. Then, with some effort, he crossed his legs.
"A little rest and we'll go forward. But first, let's plan the route."
Ying Zheng started to rummage through his bag for something; Xin looked around. Maha was sitting in a shadow of a tree, her head was slightly lowered and her hands placed on knees. Because of her pure white skin, she resembled a statue.
"She alright?"
He asked.
"Yes, I guess." Said Ying Zheng and stood up.
"She's a night creature, being exposed to daylight is stressful for her, so she went into a hibernation. Her body still acting by instincts but the mind is blank."
He took a stone from the ground and gently threw it at the girl's face. For a second, she tried to avoid it, but it landed right between her eyes. Maha didn't react at all, slowly steadying her head.
"See? If she was in her normal state the sun wouldn't be a problem, but now she's crippled. Anyway, look."
He gave Xin a white parchment. The boy looked at it, it was some kind of a map. On the extreme right he could see several houses and a lake, probably Azure Lake Village; a bit more to the left there was a forest with several distinct routes and also some red dots in between. Slowly the forest was becoming more and more scarce, and in its place, several question marks appeared sometimes mixed with large B letters. At the end, there was only a tiny line leading to some sort of a triangle.
"Part I" was written below the whole picture.
"Is it trustworthy?" It was a fair question. The map was understandable but in no way it looked official, especially the art-style.
"As much as I am, kid. It is the best map of the Unknown Regions in the whole world. I've already sent it to publication, they should approve it any day now. Though because of our little journey, I won't get royalties any soon."
Xin still had some doubts, mostly about the skull-like marks, but decided not to voice them. He put the map into his own bag and tried feeling his legs once more. Some cold sensation was running through them, like an icy water.
The boy carefully stood up.
"Well, let's go." Ying Zheng put Maha back into his bag and closed it.
This time Xin wasn't going to repeat his mistakes. He used only muscles while running, no Qi. It still wasn't easy, especially in the beginning, but that way he could run for much longer.
The green pill also played some role.
Along the way, they made several more breaks. The forest was growing more and more green and lavish. Running was getting harder and harder. What's more, it was getting dark. Xin couldn't see the sun behind all the greenery, but he was sure it was at least half-way to the ground. Everything had a yellow hue.
"Stop." Said Ying Zheng.
They stood before a rising hill with several trees growing on it.
"We will spend the night here." Ying Zheng placed Maha close to the hill and threw his bag on the ground; Xin followed his example and sat down. Fatigue washed over his body immediately.
Ying Zheng then started drawing something on the ground. It was a formation.
"…and there. Done." He snapped his fingers and the pattern lit up. It was hot and bright. Ying Zheng took a white tube from his pocket and touched the formation with one of its ends. It started to emit smoke. Then Ying Zheng placed the thing between his lips. Same as yesterday. Xin wondered what it was, but when he was about to ask...
"I'll go check the surrounding. Stay there and rest, or meditate, or sleep. Anyway, wait for the hag to wake up. Do you remember the deal?"
Xin nodded:
"She will teach me some cultivation method, right?"
"Yes, remember it as precisely as you can. And if you feel something strange, inform me right away. Well then, have a good night, kid."
Xin's eyes followed his silhouette as it vanished in the darkness of woods. Then he looked at Maha. She was still silent, her head lowered. For a few seconds, he was simply staring at her face. Under the light of the formation, she resembled a doll. Then he shook his head and closed eyes. Slowly Qi started running through his meridians.
…
…
…
Several hours went by. The moon was high in the sky. A circle of light was shining on the ground, making a contrast. The girl, before unmoving, shivered. Then she took the bandage off and spread her yellow snake-like eye wide, looking at the sky.
She sighed, brushed some dust off her shoulders, touched her forehead, grimaced and walked to the boy. Her red dress was so long that one couldn't see her legs.
"Wake up."
Kid's eyelids slowly opened. He looked at her with confusion at first, then blinked several times. His expression became solemn.
"Good day."
"Where is he?"
It took some time for drowsy Xin to remember who she was talking about.
"Ah, in the forest."
"I see."
Then she went silent. Xin felt slightly awkward but still said:
"I need to study the Demonic Shine…"
"It is Demonic Light."
"Light, right."
Once more, awkward and silent. The girl seemed in thoughts.
"Good, I will teach you." She said and sat down.