Ye Tian was seated in one of the prime positions of the banquet. The rectangular table, empty at the center, stretched out to the ends of the room. Directly opposite the exit, the city lord Deng toasted the invitees with his porcelain cup.
Beside the city lord, the representatives of the big sects were seated. Further down the table, lesser positions, smaller sects and nobles, took their appropriate seating. As per tradition, the closer a guest was to the city lord, the higher the guest's position.
This square coliseum of a banquet had artists instead of gladiators in the center. There was little difference.
Entertainers competed with each other to amaze the guests. Dancers sprung with all their strength. Actors took out their best jokes. Musicians played till fingers were sore.
Any tip or gift of gratitude from these powerful cultivators would set them for life.
Ye Tian enjoyed the banquet. City Lord Deng and the local nobles had received the guests with a warm attitude. There were visitors from all over the province. While other city lords did not visit, their right-hand men did.
Although some attendees were two-faced, at least the food and entertainment were not bad. Even Ji Xuan sealed the stamp of approval with the crack of a smile.
At the peak of the banquet, City Lord Deng stood up and cleared his throat. The music and performances quieted down.
"I'd like to welcome everyone in joining us for this year's competition. I know some of us have had minor difficulties while traveling from their estates, but I'm glad that we have not forsaken tradition in these tumultuous times."
As City Lord Deng continued giving his speech, Ji Xuan whispered to Ye Tian, "This man didn't host it for tradition. The hypocrisy! By gathering all of us, he is likely trying to make a huge political move in one go. Don't fall for it. Don't embarrass yourself. Don't make rash decisions. Remember, you represent the sect today."
"Don't worry. I'm not stupid. I can see the ambition behind his move."
Ji Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
"By the way, is that a Dark Wind disciple? I thought juniors weren't invited." Ye Tian questioned.
On the other side of the room, directly from Ye Tian and Ji Xuan, two men quietly dined. Their eyes were lackluster, devoid of any emotion. However, their robes were different as one had a more extreme decoration, signifying the title of an elder. The other didn't have such decorations.
"This has to do with why we join the competition in the first place. You see, it's to give our disciples, the ones without guaranteed resources from the sect, a chance at the elemental realm."
"In other words, the weaker disciples."
"Cruel description but yes. The Dark Wind sect has few disciples due to their… methods. However, none of the disciples should be underestimated. Since they have few disciples, there are more resources to go around. There's no need to compete but they still send one disciple to each competition to beat everyone."
Ye Tian came to a realization, "I see."
The junior was there for face-slapping purposes. It was taunting both the city lord and other factions. The Dark Wind disciples were one level above the rest. By ignoring rules, they were mocking the city lord's authority and demonstrating that one of their disciples was equal to an elder from another sect.
Meanwhile, Yu Fei sect's two elders sat right next to the Dark Wind sect. The two were a couple. They sat the closest together out of all the attendees, and their gestures were also familiar with each other.
The Yu Fei sect was by far the most unique sect out of all the others. While their disciples were low like the Dark Wind Sect, the Yu Fei sect did not focus on combat but rather pill concoctions, inscriptions, and smithing.
As Ye Tian raised his wine cup, he saw ripples spread across the surface.
"Stop! Agh!"
Muffled shouts rang from outside the banquet hall. All eyes fell onto the doors.
Boom!
The doors were kicked open.
A young man with long, silver hair swaggered in. His eyes wandered all over the room and lingered on nothing. Seeing that all attention was on him, he flashed a wild grin.
"Wow! Just feel the aura in here! There must be like a hundred elemental realms or something!"
He was followed by another man in red armor. Thick, red plates made the man appear much larger than he was. Although his armor was not exaggerated in design, Ye Tian felt intimidated by this man who seemed to be drenched in blood.
The man in armor walked in, and his gaze swept over the attendees.
Most didn't react at all to this abrupt entry. Some frowned, others yawned. After all, experts from all over the province had gathered tonight. What could possibly scare the might of an entire province?
"... General Zhao of the rebel army?" City Lord Deng frowned.
"I am," The black-haired man replied.
Whispers erupted between the attendees. Those who slouched were now sitting up straight with rapt attention.
"A rebel officer in an imperial banquet. Are you challenging imperial authority?" City Lord Deng growled.
"Cut the crap. You know that more than anyone else."
City Lord Deng's frown deepened, and he remained silent.
Sometimes, silence was an answer.
The dinner guests began to fill with various emotions towards City Lord Deng.
Anger. Frustration. Excitement.
After this banquet, some were going to visit City Lord Deng at the dead of the night while others could only grit their teeth.
"Looks like the rumors were true," Ji Xuan frowned.
"What is it?" Ye Tian asked.
"There were rumors about City Lord Deng's intention to declare independence."
Ye Tian's eyes focused on City Lord Deng, trying to see his thoughts.
_Another chess piece has entered the struggle._
Hearing the murmurs, City Lord Deng's veins began to bulge, "You come here just to falsely accuse me of treason? I, surnamed Deng, have sworn my life to the Empire when I took this position."
"We'll see." General Zhao sneered. "Enough of your hypocrisy, I'm here to have my disciple participate in the Soaring Heroes Competition."
More whispers erupted.
The general was at his peak. Why would he take a disciple?
Everyone has heard of Ten Thousand Mile Zhao. It was a title from one of his campaigns. General Zhao, with his brilliant mind, took down multiple cities in one go, without replenishing his troops or supplies.
In a matter of days, he had taken ten thousand miles of land, thus earning him the title of Ten Thousand Mile Zhao.
There was another legend surrounding this man that he had not lost a single battle in his career.
Questions arose in everyone's minds as they stared at the man himself. In their shock, they had forgotten to ask the most important question.
Why would he send his disciple, his legacy, into the midst of danger?
City Lord Deng was briefly shocked before curiously asking, "Why do you think I would allow a rebel to enter this competition?"
"Does the competition not welcome heroes from every corner of the province? Are you afraid of my disciple sweeping the competition?"
City Lord Deng cursed under his breath.
'You're not even from this province.'
"Of course we do! Every youth has the opportunity to demonstrate their prowess and rise to truly become a soaring hero," City Lord Deng smiled at the white-haired youth who wore a disgusted face at the attitude change.
City Lord Deng's eyes twitched at this response.
If he had refused the general in front of all the guests then rumors of City Lord Deng being afraid of a no-name kid could spread. Accepting such an unreasonable request was not a problem either.
"Good, it's settled."
The general had got what he came looking for. He turned around, but his disciple gave a glance around the room and taunted everyone with an eyelid pull. Seeing frowns and disgust, the white-haired kid followed Zhao out with a laugh.
The mood was soured by the abrupt appearance of a rebel officer and an unruly kid.
Although not as enjoyable anymore, the banquet went on. Ye Tian was left with his own speculations as to why Zhao had appeared.
***
Under the shroud of darkness, a cloaked figure gently pushed open a door. Without any sound, the visitor was able to sneak in and examine the surroundings. An almost unfurnished room made the job easier.
Without even checking if anyone was home, the mysterious individual confidently walked over to the dressers and rummaged through the belongings. After taking something out, the thief quickly left the room.
As soon as the thief left, Ji Xuan descended from the air to the front of her room. Traveling through roofs was faster than on the ground.
Something didn't feel right. She immediately snapped her head to the right.
Her eyes squinted.
One of the rooms had fresh footsteps at the doorway. No eye could see the imprints, but Ji Xuan used her spiritual sense after her instinct sensed something was wrong. The spiritual sense swept over the thin layer of dirt and dust on the pristine cobblestone floor.
Ji Xuan shook her head.
The disciples were going to get an earful tomorrow for sneaking out at night, especially right before the competition.
***
Ye Tian took a swig from his gourd. Earlier, the banquet had ended early due to intruders. He didn't have the chance to get drunk, and the night hadn't reached the peak yet.
After his previous comrades' deaths, he tended to drink more. However, self-awareness preached the dangers of turning alcohol into a coping mechanism.
Ye Tian didn't like to think too deeply about the world anymore. The grinding of political gears only delivered ceaseless sounds of metal scraping against each other. He wanted to focus on the small picture.
He walked on a quiet riverbank with alcohol in hand. Moonlight, unfettered by pollution, and distant city lights tried their best to extend towards Ye Tian. The usually loud river, devoid of boats, was silent tonight. After all, tomorrow was the grand event.
Standing over the dark waters, Ye Tian suddenly recalled a rumor that he had overheard. The Myriad River was known for fates intertwining and diverging. Whether it be by chance or will, couples often met or divorced at this river.
Of course, this was by mortals who had nothing better to do other than create a love story. As a cultivator, Ye Tian knew better than to believe in fate.
The gourd was brought to his mouth again.
Not a drop came out. The cheap thing had run out.
Ye Tian took a breath of the fresh, night air. His cheeks were flushed with alcohol. As he let the alcohol do its magic, a memory found its way into Ye Tian's head.
Years ago, he had drunk with Nan Feng.
***
On an afternoon, the two sat in a private room on a restaurant's second floor. With warm alcohol being served continuously, Nan Feng downed generous amounts.
Ye Tian watched on in amazement.
They were still 13. While teenagers were allowed to drink, Ye Tian had never seen such a young kid being able to hold his alcohol.
The two spent all afternoon drinking while watching the passersby through the window. For a cultivator, this was interesting enough. It was a good change of pace as they often spent their entire lives in cultivation and training.
Ox-drawn carriages and horse-drawn carriages passed by the restaurant. Most commoners could only afford the ox-drawn kind, but no one was willing to spend money when they could walk.
For mortals, every day was pure work. Well-off farmers could be seen riding their ox carts full of crops while lesser farmers carried baskets. Street hawkers, as their name denoted them, hawked at passersby, hoping for someone to buy a product. Even the server of the restaurant was hawking today's special.
Occasionally, kids, seemingly unaware of their future fates, chased each other around the streets. They were the same ages as Ye Tian and Nan Feng, but their fates were different.
"Nan Feng, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Ye Tian absentmindedly asked.
Nan Feng downed another cup with a flushed face, "I want to brew wine."
Ye Tian, who took a sip, almost choked.
"I thought you would say 'I want to be the strongest' or 'I want to save the world'."
Nan Feng poured out wine into his cup.
"There's not much point to thinking about grand matters like that. Even as cultivators, we humans don't have the power to do such things," Nan Feng chuckled with self-derision. "Back then, I too had the same thought as you. But the greater the challenge was, the more futile I saw myself. Until I had latched and held onto Yu Ling, I thought that a true, worthy life goal would be to save everyone from the slums. That wasn't true."
"So what do you propose to the goal and purpose of life?"
"Find something and latch onto it."
Seeing Ye Tian's odd expression, Nan Feng shrugged, "Hey, it worked for me."
***
As Ye Tian reminisced, he chuckled. A middle-aged uncle asking Nan Feng, a thirteen-year-old, about life's purpose.
What a joke.
A spear of black-red qi quickly formed in Ye Tian's hand.
He swung the spear around to his back.
The tip of the spear was mere inches away from piercing the neck of a white-robed lady. She motionlessly stood behind Ye Tian, without any reaction to the spear. A strip of black gauze wrapped around her eyes, preventing her from discerning anything.
Ye Tian frowned while his heart skipped a beat.
_When did she get here?_
Although Ye Tian slacked off while drunk, he hadn't completely dropped his awareness, yet the mysterious woman still got close to him.
"Who are you?!" Ye Tian's voice threatened to rip apart the young lady if she did not answer his question.
"Put away your weapon. I'm not your enemy," She replied.
Ye Tian paused for a brief moment with shock before curiously asking, "You can see me? How?"
"I have my ways."
_You want to be a mysterious hermit now? Get out._
Ye Tian was about to tell her to go away until the young lady went on, "I won't go away without an answer."
"You can read minds?" Ye Tian gawked.
He stiffened his grip on the lance, and the qi that formed the lance was in turmoil.
"Somewhat," she replied.
"What do you want me to answer?"
"Will you save my life?"
"That's eas-"
"From the City Lord."
Ye Tian almost choked on his words.
City Lord Deng was a superior Dao Domain cultivator. Not even other Dao Domain cultivators could find it easy to ask him for favors. How was Ye Tian, a mere inferior-elemental stage, going to confront a monster like the city lord?
"Is he directly after you or something?" Ye Tian warily asked.
If City Lord Deng didn't treasure this lady too much then Ye Tian could perhaps sneak her out, but her next response almost gave Ye Tian a heart attack.
"He would be willing to lose half of the province for me. It will not be an easy task," The young lady replied.
Ye Tian backed off a few steps while looking around. He didn't know if a Dao Domain cultivator's spiritual sense reached this far. Although he didn't know the relationship between the lady and the city lord, it would be a bad thing to be seen with this girl by the city lord.
Any conflict was too large of a conflict.
_Calm down! I'm a transmigrator! There's no way that this is where I will meet my end!_
"Go look for someone else!"
"No, you are special. Only you can do it."
_Special? Crap! She can read minds! Does she know?_
"Special? In what way?!"
The young lady took off her gauze and looked into Ye Tian's red eyes. Her eyes were misty white as if hidden behind clouds, yet they seemed to penetrate every defense that Ye Tian had.
"I can see it. Black and red. Full of malice. Seeking to drown everything out in rage."
Ye Tian almost wanted to silence the woman for being able to see his powers, but the thought of tangling with the City Lord's business had stopped him.
His eyes glared at the woman with fear. She was able to see through everything, his thoughts, his power, and his past!
"Stop! What do you want from me?!"
"Save me. In return, I will give you two pieces of information that are important to you."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I will alert the city lord and drag us both down."
"You're holding me hostage?!" Ye Tian growled.
"Yes, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Ye Tian pondered for a moment, wondering if this woman was bluffing. Judging by her apathetic expression, she truly seemed prepared to die with Ye Tian tonight if he refused.
"How can I save you?"
"I don't know."
"Then how am I suppose-"
"You will figure it out yourself with my first piece of information."
"Well, what is it?"
"The city lord plans to declare war on the 4 great sects. He will start by crippling the seedlings sent to this competition along with the elders."
Ye Tian stilled. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but, thinking back to the banquet, there was proof that the city lord had planned on independence. However, there wasn't any proof that the city lord would turn hostile to the sects. He had welcomed the sects with more warmth than anyone else!
_Now that I think about it. He seems even more suspicious after this woman's information._
Ye Tian made up his mind. Even if the chances were high, Ye Tian still wanted to believe in the optimistic outlook, that the city lord didn't have such intentions. He couldn't bear to think of the other outcome.
"I don't believe you."
"I wouldn't as well, but you must look. Words and gestures will reveal his true intentions," The woman turned around to leave. "Once you have accepted the first as truth, save me. Then you will receive the second piece of information."
She left Ye Tian, dazed in forbidden knowledge, to his own conjectures. Without anyone noticing, her ethereal steps carried her through the main streets to the cage that belonged to her.
She opened the doors to her room to find a man standing there. His face, devoid of all tenderness that was displayed in the banquet, was twisted with savagery. He stared down, with bloodshot eyes, at the woman, threatening to shatter her with his gaze.
"You. Lied. To. Me."
***
"You seem sad today," the old granny noted while weaving her baskets.
Zhang Qiang fumbled around with the bamboo, trying to help complete her quota, yet he failed at every step. Fortunately for Zhang Qiang, Xiao Chun was working today and won't be able to laugh at the clumsy craftsmanship.
"Well, I won't be coming here after today."
"The Soaring Heroes Competition?"
Zhang Qiang was surprised that she would even know about such a thing.
The old grandma chuckled, "Did you think I couldn't figure anything out after looking at your clothes every day? I heard about it from my friends. And it seems logical to me that a perfectly handsome, young man like you would be participating in it."
Zhang Qiang scratched his head in embarrassment. This was the only time he had ever been called handsome. And it was by an old grandma.
"Yeah, after this competition, I will have to leave the city."
The grandma nodded in acknowledgment, and the room was silent.
Every time that Zhang Qiang made a mistake, the old grandma would patiently guide him to correct that mistake. Although he continuously made similar mistakes, it seemed that all the patience in the world had been concentrated in this small, bony figure.
Eventually, the sun reached its peak.
Zhang Qiang looked up at the skies.
"It's time for me to leave. I have to compete today."
The old grandma nodded, "Be safe. I've heard of some contestants being bruised to the point of near-death."
Zhang Qiang grinned, "That won't happen to me."
He fumbled around his bag and put some coins onto the table. The gold reflected tints of sunlight that made it through the patches on the roof.
The grandma frowned, "I don't think we need that."
"It's a farewell gift. Please accept it. These gold coins are worthless compared to the kindness and knowledge that you have shown me."
"If you think so highly of us then take the coins back."
"Grandma, please. Even if you don't want charity, what about Xiao Chun? His future will heavily rely on these."
Having been punched in the soft spot, the old grandma softened and didn't say anything. She went back to weaving the bamboo baskets, and Zhang Qiang looked around the room for one last time before leaving.
Telling Xiao Chun that he was leaving would just make everything harder. So he didn't.