It took us three months to cross India. Unfortunately, we were ambushed by a lot of thieves along the way. We obviously had to kill them, which meant that my sword and I had a lot of blood to absorb. It took another three months to reach Gansu, where the Great Wall of China stretched along the mountain range.
We approached the wall's entrance and stopped. Instantly, two young Chinese men in Armor and spears spoke to us in the most ancient Chinese language, "Leave this place at once! Cultivators are not allowed to cross!"
I raised an eyebrow at this scene. Just when I was about to say something, a couple of mortals approached and walked right through the two soldiers. "Ah," I smiled. I remembered once reading about this back at the Mansion.
It was an old method used by the ancient Song Dynasty to trick any enemy that wished to cross the Great Wall. Naturally, it wasn't just two soldiers, but a large army that 'occupied' the whole wall.
"What's going on?" Tulip asked, also noticing the strangeness of what was happening.
"These are projections, or illusions, of the two guards that are actually at their post somewhere else. This is just to keep an eye on things in case something happens," I explained slowly. Then, I looked at the projections and informed them, "We come bearing a message to Emperor Sun Wu of the Immortal Sun Sect."
The guards nodded and their projections disappeared into thin air. "Let's go!" I exclaimed and our horses moved.
Our ride continued until we reached a small and unremarkable village marked on the map Richard gave me before we left. There, I must seek the manager of the only inn in the village if we wish to continue onwards.
Once inside the inn, we got a few glances from the locals. I wasn't bothered because this village was really small, and the villagers must know each other really well. And with it being unremarkable and away from travel routes, they must barely receive any visitors.
Nonetheless, no one stopped us from going up to the inn manager, wearing a dirty white shirt with an apron above it, who was serving some alcoholic drinks, "Welcome, what can I do for you?"
I noticed a strange token at his waist and said in the most ancient Chinese dialect, "Gate Guardian of the East, we seek the Immortal Sun Sect."
He stopped pouring the drink, looked at us for a moment, and replied, "What are you blabbering about, boy?"
This got us another round of glances, which caused me to frown, although I continued, "I know the meaning behind the token on your waist."
It was only given to the person guarding the gate to the real East. Due to the secluded nature of the cultivators and their desire to stay away from the mortals, a great illusion was placed on all the sects and anything that was magical in nature.
Fortunately, the manager finally dropped the act and instructed us to follow him to what seemed to be a normal door to a basement. He opened the door and disappeared into it.
"Are you sure about this, Orion?" Tulip asked me after seeing the old man disappear.
"We have come all this way, to be stopped here would be a waste," I answered calmly and stepped into the door as Tulip followed behind me.
On the other side, the village still looked the same, but you can sense the magic in the environment, which enhanced the looks of everything. Even the ancient Wall of China looked as good as new right now. I turned to the guardian to see his previous look had completely changed from a messy old man to an esteemed, noble-looking one. He wore now a purple robe with dragon engravings on it.
"Welcome, fellow cultivators," he cupped his hands in greetings and smiled, "Please, forgive my previous behavior. Not many people seek this Gate."
"There are other gates?" I asked, to which he nodded, "Of course there are, our land is vast, after all."
"The illusion hid the magnificence of this place," Tulip exclaimed as her eyes wandered around.
Still, smiling, the old man lowered his head slightly and said, "We thank the fair lady for her kind words about our home!"
Tulip blushed slightly at being called fair, earning an eye-roll from me. The guardian gave us some directions and we were on our way to the Immortal Sun Sect after thanking him.
The sect was situated in a basin atop a mountain that took us two days to reach the top. Trees of vibrant red and green were everywhere between the eastern-looking archways and buildings. After informing the guards of our identities, they led us to a great hall that was empty.
Since we had nothing to do other than wait, we looked at the hall that had dragon and phoenix engraved on its walls. The intricate design was a mixture of red and gold, and the throne at the end of the room showed the majesty of this place.
After a while, a middle-aged man entered the hall and went straight for the throne. From the luxurious robes he wore and the way his aura vibrated around him, it was easy to guess that this was Emperor Sun Wu, the leader of this sect and our senior brother. Following behind him was an old man who seemed to be his advisor.
In this age, the Emperor Sun Sect basically ruled the East. There were some independent sects and schools, but they weren't plenty.
Tulip and I bowed our heads to show him some respect. It didn't matter that he was actually our senior brother, he was still the Emperor. As our heads lowered, we greeted together, "Emperor Sun!"
Emperor Sun nodded his head and said blandly while holding his hand open, "The message."
I frowned at the attitude but still came forward and handed him the message that Richard had written for him. He took some time to read it, then set it aside. He locked eyes with me and said with a voice as calm as it was bland, "How do I know that you are the real Orion and Tulip?"
I suppose it was fair for him to doubt us. So, to confirm our identities, I rolled up my sleeves and showed him the tattoos on my wrists, "I am sure you won't doubt these marks, Emperor."
A slight frown, then a smile appeared on his face as his attitude changed entirely, "I'm sorry I doubted you, junior brother and sister. Please, you must be tired from traveling on land for such a long time, let me offer you my utmost hospitality!"
He motioned for his advisor who led us away from the hall before we could even reply to the Emperor. Tonight was for rest, the next was for work.
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Updated on 19/7/2024