Questionable Questing
Gusfes, Casualfarmer replied to a thread you are watching at Questionable Questing.
[NSFW] - Beware Of Chicken (xianxia)

Travel through the Howling Fang Mountains was a dangerous task. Between the local Spirit Beasts, the unpredictable often Qi-charged weather and the Mountains themselves, going without a guide was generally foolhardy.
It was a bracing climate, Lu Ri decided. The fridgidness in the air nearly matched his Senior Sister's gaze.
He brushed some of the snow off his hat, and fingered the hole where an icicle the size of a spear had managed to strike true.
Unfortunate. He liked this hat. It hid his eyes and face quite well, even if it was a poor fit for the climate.
He eyed his prize, as he crested another outcrop. Fangtip Fortress. Lu Ri could appreciate this place. It was stern and imposing, jutting off the mountaintop.
But already he could hear shouts and jeers even from this far away.
A Fortress of quiet contemplation it was not. This sounded like a war-camp.
Unlike a proper war-camp, the guards at the gate were relaxed. One had even turned around completely from his position on top of the wall to shout down at whatever was happening below.
Lu Ri paused at the place where a guard was supposed to challenge him. The man looked frustrated and bored, slumped against the wall and picking at his fingers.
"Merchant, here to—" Lu Ri began, but he did not even have time to get out his papers, before the guard waved him through.
How... lax. Lu Ri refrained from berating him.
He shook his head and entered the fort, heading toward the commotion.
"Zang Li, Zang Li, Zang Li!" several of the crowd chanted, as bursts of fire forced the other disciple he was sparring with back. The other boy was sweating, as Zang Li toyed with him, a look in his eyes that Lu Ri remembered well on the Inner Disciples that liked to toy with those they considered their lessers.
He paused, as he nearly put his hand on one of the disciples cheering to move him out of the way and intervene in the bout, as Elder Ge had instructed.
This was not his sect. It was not his place to correct them.
He had his mission... and he had found his quarry.
Zang Li, the Young Master of the Shrouded Mountain, was acceptably powerful, if an unpleasant sort.
The bout continued for three more exchanges. Zang Li gave the other disciple several blows that sent him staggering, before the last threw him into the fortress wall.
"I do not even need to use the Blade of Fire against the likes of you!" Zang Li taunted, to some groans, and more cheering.
The other disciple grimaced, as he held his burns, but through the scowl on his face, he bowed.
"Thank you for the pointers," he grit out, the next words looking physically painful, "and thank you for restraining your strength."
The courtyard laughed and jeered at the defeated man, Zang Li raised his arms in a gesture that was meant to look magnanimous, but instead seemed mocking.
"Well, that's one star on the rise. I can hear Kang gritting his teeth from here," one of the men near Lu Ri muttered. "Trying to suppress him by leaving him off the Assault Team only made him stronger."
Zang Li went off, seemingly to boast to some of the other disciples. Lu Ri stepped back from the crowd and considered the best way to get the man alone.
So instead, he watched. Although he had been waved in, he was still a member of another sect, deep in the heart of another. He would have to have some caution. Lu Ri was courteous enough not to go to the library, or take anything that wasn't his, though he doubted the Shrouded Mountain had anything of value to him.
Zang Li had retired to his room. Lu Ri was contemplating simply walking in, when he heard footsteps. A young woman, with a serving tray, a look of resignation on her face.
She swallowed thickly as she approached the door, her eyes darting left and right.
Lu Ri felt something like distaste curl in the back of his throat, but it was as good an excuse as any.
"Young Miss. I shall take that in for you, I have a report for the Young Master, in any case," he stated simply. The woman nearly jumped out of her skin at his sudden appearance, relief and shock warring on her features as she considered his words.
"Ahh… umm, are you certain?" the woman squeaked, but Lu Ri was already taking the tray from her unresisting hands.
"Indeed. Run along back to the kitchens, now."
"Ah, yes sir," she muttered, bowing swiftly, and leaving.
Lu Ri knocked twice on the door.
"Enter," a voice from within commanded.
And so Lu Ri did. He shut the door behind him, as the boy turned around with a smile, before it faded to irritation at seeing him.
"I thought I asked for the servers to be female," he asked with narrowed eyes.
Lu Ri took in the boy. The red markings on his forehead that had still not settled from a recent bloodline activation. The sneering look in his eyes. The messy reports on his desk.
This was the one who had made him travel all the way up here?
"Well, answer me, servant—"
Lu Ri had been irritated for nearly six months.
There was a time to be polite, and Lu Ri was very much past that point.
The careful stops in his power that he had constructed for the Azure Hills were torn open. Qi filled the room, as he used his Senior Sister's technique.
The Young Master in front of him froze, his annoyance fading to shock and fear.
"I require some questions answered. You will answer them." It was a simple statement of fact. Though it would be a mildly dangerous prospect, so deep in this Young Master's territory, Lu Ri was at least confident he could escape, should things turned sour.
Recognising his predicament, he did not try to run or scream. "Yes, sir," the boy stated,
Excellent.
"Do you know a man named Jin Rou? Tall, freckles, brown hair," Lu Ri asked calmly, as he took a step toward the boy.
The boy's eyes flashed with recognition and hatred.
"Yes. I know a man named Jin. He attacked me without provocation—" the boy started, before Lu Ri cut off whatever he was about to say.
He cared little for his story. It was irrelevant.
"When was the last time you saw him?" His eyes bored into the boy's and Zang Li flinched.
More anger crossed his face. "A town, I didn't care to recall the name of."
A lie. A flex of Qi, and the boy flinched.
"Verdant Hill," Zang Li spat.
"Where did he go? Did he stay, or in which direction did he leave?"
The boy grimaced
"I do not know." That was the truth.
Lu Ri considered the boy.
It was a shame this whelp did not know if Jin Rou left or not, but his own men would surely have a direction.
"Tell me everything you observed about him." The command was met with a mutinous look, but the boy obeyed, detailing the brutal attack on his subordinates, and his eventual defeat.
"Why do you need this information? Is he some manner of criminal?" There was hope in this question.
Lu Ri did not deign to answer.
Absolute confirmation, from an eyewitness, that Jin Rou had been in the north of the Azure Hills. His men had truly done well to send him in this direction! How wonderful, to have a lead again! He would have to reward them greatly. And one of them had even travelled to the town! Perhaps he had already found Jin Rou?
Lu Ri was quite pleased, as he left through the front gate.
============================
The rain poured outside their cave, thundering down from the heavens. It was a cold rain, thick and heavy, but it would stop soon.
The rain would hardly be an impediment, but it was cold and annoying, so, as his Great Master decreed, small breaks were necessary things.
'For five days and five nights we toiled, tending to the fires, and infusing the liquid with our power. All of Fa Ram came together to see this task done, even Wa Shi set aside his natural inclination to feast, in order to bring us food,' Bi De spoke, regaling his companions of the tale of creating maple syrup. 'It was a wondrous endeavour. One I am forever glad I was a part of.'
Yin and Miantiao were both enraptured by the story, listening to his words.
'The more we hear, the more I wish to sssee this place,' Miantiao mused.
'Yeah! It sounds like fun!' Yin said, nodding her head, and setting her ears bouncing. 'I want to meet Tigu and Xiulan. They sound like they'd be exciting to duel!'
'Ever a one-track mind, my dear,' Maintiao snickered. 'But... we shall see Young Master Bi De's home soon, I suppose. We are nearly to our destination."
Bi De nodded, the mark in his mind's eye. Their visit to Pale Moon Lake City had been swift. The massive city, home to over a million souls, had been mind boggling, but he had not truly taken the time to explore it. Just enough to confirm the location of a formation stone. Surprisingly, this one was in the city, jutting up from the middle of a plaza, with thousands of people walking past it every day.
A simple, blank stone pillar. Unassuming, and nearly forgotten.
Now, they were once more into the hills, travelling off the beaten path. It was rough terrain, very rough terrain, and Bi De did not envy any without Qi travelling in this direction. Having to weave around the hills would be a frustrating task.
Yet for them, it was little challenge. They walked during the day, and rested during the night, drawing ever closer to the last place Bi De wanted to see. Would it be worth anything? Or was it truly just a random mark?
Bi De did not know, yet he intended to find out.
And he, too, could not wait to introduce his new companions to his Great Master.
He took a breath, tasting the air as Miantiao did. The Qi was thin. Yet he could feel bits of it in the air and earth.
They paused to sup upon some jerky and rice. Paltry rations, yet Miantiao and Yin never complained, knowing little of the bounty that awaited them. Would they moan like Disciple Xiulan? An amusing thought.
Yet soon, their search came to an end. Five hills surrounded a smaller hill in the center at the marked point.
And within the center hill, a cave.
Bi De glanced around at the overgrown remains of tiles that showed that this place had once had habitation. A pentagram was carved above the cave. With all five elements written in the circle.
It had a foreboding presence. Wisps of air spilled out from the cave mouth before reversing, and a light, deceptively gentle breeze seemed to beckon them into the darkness.
A whispered invitation, like some great beast breathing in.
'...is there anything in there?' Yin asked.
Bi De focused. He took a breath, and searched for power in the earth. Down, down, deep down he looked, until he found it. Strange, and indistinct, and yet, there. Something old, of the earth, and yet not.
'...it is deep. Deep, deep down in those caves, where neither the light of the moon nor the light of the sun can reach,' he stated quietly.
Now, the question was, to proceed, or to go back?
He considered the cave. The days were growing shorter, and it was soon to be the harvest. It was not like this cavern was going anywhere. He would like to treat his new friends to the Glory of Fa Ram in full swing.
Yet was this not his mission? To attempt to decipher this mystery? The reason why it was made? What had happened, so long ago? Would giving up now, before one last hurdle, be wise?
The cave beckoned and repulsed in equal measure.
Yin shrugged. 'Onwards, then!' the rabbit declared. 'We'll see what it is, accomplish our duty, And then we'll go to your Fa Ram triumphant!'
Bi De smiled softly at the rabbit, who was striding forwards with confidence. How thoroughly she had thrown herself into this task. How completely she had devoted herself to it.
Could he, the one who had started it, show any less conviction?
Their supplies were full enough.
So Bi De took a step forward, the silver of the moon wrapping around his body, as they descended.
Down, down.
Down into the deep.
================
================
Questionable Questing
Gusfes, Casualfarmer replied to a thread you are watching at Questionable Questing.
[NSFW] - Beware Of Chicken (xianxia)

A creature erupted from a hole in the wall, screeching with glee and maddened hunger. Its white flesh and sightless eyes twisted grotesquely, as its long claws reached greedily for the flesh of whatever had been foolish enough to venture near its hole.
A crack of a wing splattered it against the wall. Bi De came to a stop, examining the fork in the tunnel, as it split off in two different directions.
'Are you feeling alright?' Yin asked, as the fire of the sun roasted another one of the mindless beasts. They would not listen to any entreaty, and even flaring their Qi to try and ward the ravenous things off only served to draw them nearer.
'No,' Bi De said simply, bringing his breathing under control, and scowling up at the thousands of tons of rock sitting above his head. 'This place sits ill with me. The sooner we are back under the sky, the better.'
Yin cocked her head to the side, curious. 'I find it quite comforting really,' she said.
Both she and Miantiao had been relatively unaffected by their descent, both used to tunnels and cramped spaces.
It was the second time Bi De had been underground. The first was when he ventured into his Great Master's Ice Cavern, to retrieve a block of ice for his Great Master. It was a damp and dark place that was in a constant state of flux. Tiny temperature variations pulsed from the Core of the General that Commands the Winter, his Great Master's golem, creating a distinctly unpleasant feeling.
Bi De would rather be locked in the freezing storage room for a month than be in this cave system for another minute.
On the first day, full of good spirit and vigor, they had begun their descent, picking their way through the narrow tunnels and wading across small rivers. Once or twice they even felt the fresh summer breeze, carried in through holes that managed to plunge into the hill from the surface.
Bi De and Yin could feel the position of the moon and the sun respectively, so that night, at the precipice of a larger cavern, they rested, and prepared for whatever may lie ahead.
On the second day, Bi De's power began to wane.
It was a slight tickling sensation, but his light began to fade.
He could not understand it at first. He could feel it just as they reached a massive complex of caves, where the darkness became deeper. Where the Holy Moonlight was needed just as much as Yin's Solar armour.
Why would the moon hide, in this pitch blackness?
He had no answer, as they went deeper. The only solace was that as long as Yin lit the way, he too would have some small measure of his power back. It consumed his thoughts. He could not even enjoy the majestic waterfalls, the strange glowing mushrooms, or even the pillars that grew down from the ceiling. It was all he could do not to run back to the surface.
But he persevered, and they delved. The air stagnated. Some of the tunnels got so small even Bi De had to squeeze, getting dirt all over his feathers.
The creeping feeling of unease troubled his sleep, and plagued him with nightmares.
On the third day, they encountered these.
When the first one had struck, he had caught it instinctively, and apologised for trespassing.
Only furious growls and a snapping mouth had greeted him, until it had to be dealt with.
Needless to say, it hadn't helped his mood.
He focused, feeling the disturbances, minute as they were, in the air, and the draw of the power still far below. They were barely halfway there, by his reckoning.
How unfortunate.
'Right is the correct way, I do believe,' he stated, as he finished contemplating both routes, turning to his companions. Miantiao nodded his head, while Yin was sniffing at one of the dead beasts.
With a shrug, she reached down as if to take a bite, only to have Miantiao swat her on top of her head.
'Not thessse ones, Yin,' he muttered.
'Eh? But you always told me to get as much Qi as I can, and these guys have enough,' Yin questioned.
'...and I sssshould not have,' Miantiao said. 'Leave them.'
Yin obligingly dropped the creature.
'Oh, this is one of those things you're sorry for? The stomach aches and the shits weren't that bad after I learned how to refine it, so don't feel too bad, Shifu!'
The snake closed his eyes, grimacing in regret. His tail stroked Yin's head.
'Let us continue. But I will not hope that this was the worst of it,' Miantiao muttered instead.
======================================
Bi De startled awake, panting, from a dream he did not remember. He looked around, but it was a futile effort. The darkness was absolute.
He tried to meditate, but that too was for nothing. He was too disturbed. The constant tugging feeling in his Qi was getting worse, the land pulling him down, scrabbling at his Qi greedily.
He bore it. But if it got much worse…
He shook his head. They were close, now.
Slowly, a golden glow started up.
Yin's dirty, matted fur greeted him, a dull grey rather than pure white.
'I think I hate this place,' she stated bluntly. 'It's a bunch of bullshit.'
Maintiao barked out a laugh, but did not bother to chide her language. 'Indeed. But we are clossse. Even I can feel that ssssomething is near.'
Indeed, it was 'bullshit. They had to go even deeper, and the air was beginning to get outright unpleasant.
It was the seventh day, as far as Bi De could tell, as he had stopped being able to feel the moon on the fourth.
There were few words, as they arose, and continued.
Bi De's feathers were sticking to him, and even Miantiao and Yin had gotten quieter, their eyes more focused. The dull golden glow coming from Yin was their only comfort. At least the beast attacks had stopped, the emaciated creatures finally giving up their ceaseless assaults. They were not particularly dangerous, but they did add strain.
Today had been boring so far, until they reached a stone archway.
In front of the archway was a skeleton, curled up, as if having drifted off into sleep. A giant beast that looked like it was half cat and half a dog like the ones Bi De had seen in the cities. It had enormous incisor teeth, ready to rip and tear.
'A temple dog?' Miantiao asked, referring to the normally stone guardians, carved outside some of the shrines that they had seen.
'...I do believe so,' Bi De got out after a moment, glancing at the archway. The character for King stood upon the entrance.
Bi De's unease grew.
They continued onward. Past the silent bones, and into the hall. This part was obviously man-made, with veins of glowing stone that lit the way, sparking and flickering uncertainly, but it was enough light to see by.
The golden glow faded, as Yin let her technique drop.
Bi De panted, as he stumbled on a slightly raised piece of stone.
Yin caught him. She was concerned and confused.
'Shifu, he is so strong, why is he…?' she asked.
'He is a creature of wind and ssssky, of the moon. Being sssmothered in this oppresssive place must be unbearable. Support him as you can, Yin. There is no shame in this.'
Yin nodded, and the golden light began to glow again.
'Well, you just lean here, 'kay?' she told him, allowing him to press against her side. 'I'm good to keep going, and once we get back out, he'll be all good, right?'
'A likely outcome,' Bi De confirmed, his voice strained, but the warm glow chased away some of the fatigue. 'Thank you, Yin.'
The rabbit grinned, and nuzzled his side.
This leg of the walk was much easier, and allowed Bi De to take in his surroundings.
The walls, along with the veins of crystal, were filled with murals. Murals of harvest and huts, of mountains, and men fighting great beasts.
As the trio continued on their path, deeper into the tunnel, they changed.
The people were met by a man, and behind him stood a woman, seeming to float on air. Where he went, the pictures changed.
The harvests got larger. The huts turned into palaces. The men and beasts toiled together in the fields, their blades being beaten to plowshares.
They danced. They danced together, for the man and the woman, who held out their hands, and gave blessings.
Until they came upon the last room. The last cavern.
The walls of the room were glowing dully with blue veins of crystal. Some had jutted outward, forming spikes from the wall, and one particularly large vein was wrapped around a more recogniseable crystal, seated on an altar.
A recording crystal.
The pull seemed to radiate off it..
They approached slowly, wary of some kind of trap, yet there was none.
There was silence.
He knew roughly how to work the crystal, and there was nothing else here. This is where they were meant to be.
And it was just a recording crystal, was it not?
Bi De reached forward, and placed one of his claws on the crystal's surface.
But unlike His Master's, this crystal did not project. Instead, he felt himself being drawn inward.
===========================
A storm of emotion. He flailed around for a moment, as he was plunged into chaotic waters. It was all he could do to focus upon his mission, and not be dragged by the currents, when he was... slammed into something, for lack of a better word, emotion filled his chest, and he gasped.
"Hey, shorty, what the hell?" a frazzled woman barked, as she stormed into Bi De's rooms. She looked like she had just been startled out of bed, with her messy hair and drooping clothes. He snorted at the nickname, as he was now taller than her, but he supposed he would always be short to her.
"Felt that, did you?" Bi De asked her with a knowing smile, as he turned the map he was looking at toward her. Her eyes narrowed at the spirals and swirls upon it. The work of nearly a decade.
"You— geh! Now I know why you wanted to know that!" the woman huffed, as red tinged her cheeks.
Bi De's grin got a bit wider. "It's just my way of giving back. Of growing together. In time, we'll usher in a new dawn."
The woman sighed, as she embraced him. "You didn't have to, you know."
He did. He really did.
Something twisted and skipped. Visions flashed. They were his memories, and yet they weren't. They were nothing like his Master's recording crystal. They were too intense, they were like he was actually there, in human form.
A woman eating a rice cake. Of festivals, empowering the earth.
Of himself and his dear companion teaching the dances to the people.
He was happy, so happy for a while.
And then it all started to go wrong.
Bi De fell to his knees as the last demon died, panting with exhaustion.
He stared at the devastation the demons had wrought, wrath like a star glowing in his chest at the blackened corrupted land.
He pulled up his sleeve, and stared at the blackened skin there. He grimaced.
How ever could she stand this? How could she smile and shrug it off?
He pulled his sleeve back down, and rose. He would have to ask Shu Xiong for her help to fix this. And perhaps send some gifts to the giant green bear's cubs. She was quite the doting mother...
Happiness switched to pain. To violence. Defending his home and his friends from those that would wish him harm. Of people calling him Lord, or Master.
"She's using you," the beast hissed. "Though your life may be long, longer than most... you will never be immortal. Your bones will rest here forever. Bound to this base earth, and more food for your 'friend'."
Bi De destroyed it utterly.
But something ticked in the back of his skull. Memories of unease.
Years passed by in flashes of emotion. Of joy and hope, of loss, of pain. Of wars. Of battling for a hundred years. Of his friend's pain, that she just laughed off, like ift was no big deal.
And blank eyes staring, as the world began to break.
"I'm sorry, Tianlan," he said, as his dearest friend's form cracked.
Tianlan screamed.
As did someone else.
'Bi De!' Yin shouted.
Paws gripped him around the shoulders, and jerked him back.
He staggered from the crystal, collapsing to his knees.
"Wha—" he gasped, finally noticing the flickering lights as the crystal dimmed and brightened uncertainly.
'The entire formation in the walls is in flux,' Maintiao muttered. 'I do believe we need to leave.'
Yin nodded, about to pull him away.
'Wait. We need the crystal!' he demanded. The vision was still unfinished.
'How?! It's attached to the wall!' Yin explained, looking nervously at the crystal.
Bi De rose on unsteady feet. He examined the crystal, as it pulsed again, where the crystals had grown from the wall and connected to it, wrapping around it.
The hall rumbled.
Bi De lashed out with a kick, and severed the connection close to the wall.
The crystal dimmed.
Miantiao's tail, crippled though it was, lashed out, pulling Bi De and the crystal to Yin, as the rabbit took off.
They prepared for some form of collapse, as they dashed madly out of the tunnel… and yet…
The rumbling stopped.
But Yin did not.
'We're getting out of here,' she snarled.
Bi De nodded, as they bounced up the hall.
He was very tired.
====================
====================
Jin was not the first.
The revelations of the crystal can be far-reaching indeed. A bit dark, but it was confirmation that this was originally supposed to help the earth spirit.
As well as some drawbacks.
And As always, if you wish to read the next chapter, I do have an advanced chapter on patreonView This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
Please do not reply to this email. You must visit Questionable Questing to reply.
This message was sent to you because you opted to watch the thread [NSFW] - Beware Of Chicken (xianxia) at Questionable Questing with email notification of new replies. You will not receive any further emails about this thread until you have read the new messages.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may disable emails from this thread or disable all emails.
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/
And So things move forward. Lu Ri meets a young Master, and Bi De descends into the darkness.
Will he find any answers there?
And As always, if you wish to read the next chapter, I do have an advanced chapter on patreon
View This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
Please do not reply to this email. You must visit Questionable Questing to reply.
This message was sent to you because you opted to watch the thread [NSFW] - Beware Of Chicken (xianxia) at Questionable Questing with email notification of new replies. You will not receive any further emails about this thread until you have read the new messages.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may disable emails from this thread or disable all emails.
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/