Chapter 29 - 4 81.2- 5 3

Book 4: Chapter 81: Last Days of Fall (2)

Three years. Three Mid-Autumn Festivals. It's amazing how time flies.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was one of my favourite occasions. There was just something so supremely pleasant about going to Hong Yaowu and partaking in it.

Maybe it was the cheers as we arrived with our massive wagon loaded down with food and a dragon heralding our presence. Maybe it was the laughter of the children as we got straight to work helping everybody.

Maybe it was Pops, telling me, "Welcome home, Son."

Maybe it was because this was the first place, three years ago, where I felt like I really belonged?

Whatever it was… I loved it. I loved the… well, I guess the purity of the entire event. It was a small town festival, and the only people here all knew each other as family and friends.

It was a place where we could gather, eat good food, and have a good time. The fireworks were simple things that popped and cracked. The drums were old heirlooms that had been repaired a thousand times, and anybody could come up to bang on them. The village itself was vibrant, red and gold matching the leaves of the trees.

I had woken up with a silly grin that morning when we packed up and set out—and that small grin was still on my face.

"How long until the dumplings are done?"

"Could I have a hand over here?"

"We need some more firewood!"

"Ty An, could you get those please?"

I sat just outside the kitchen and let the sounds of food preparation wash over me. I took in the people at work, the burning fires, and the tantalizing scents. I caught one smell in particular, one that made drool gather at the corner of my mouth. Meimei was making some of her special dumplings, and I couldn't wait to dig in. I smiled at the thoughts of food, before turning my attention back to my own task.

"Big Bro! Big Bro, is it ready yet?" Xian the Younger demanded of me. His eyes were wide and pleading—as were the rest of the children's.

And Washy's. The dragon was giving me the puppy dog eyes something fierce.

"Not quite yet," I replied as I glanced down at the piece of cast iron I was rotating over the fire. It was a strange looking thing: a bulbous kettle with a top that had been screwed down tight. It was another piece from my memories. I remembered the videos of the street merchants with this iron contraption, using it for a very specific purpose—and Bowu had once more worked his wizardry. It crafted the newest dessert in Hong Yaowu, a dessert of dreams and imagination!

After a few more turns of the kettle, a few more eager bounces from the kids, and a few more trembles from an excited dragon, it was done.

I pulled the cast iron contraption off from the fire and put the mouth of it inside the woven bag.

"You ready?" I asked them.

"Three!" Xian shouted.

"Two!" the rest of the kids called.

"One!" Wa Shi roared.

I pulled down on the handle, and the kettle exploded with a terrific bang. It dumped white, fluffy clouds of puffed corn into the bag.

The kids and the dragon all cheered.

I was pretty surprised too when I found out one of the varieties of corn the Azure Jade Trading Company had gotten me popped. I remember popcorn being a special type of corn, but the pink corn I had received was truly special in more ways than one. In addition to being fabulously coloured, it also popped into something truly decadent—soft, yet crunchy in all the right ways.

And it was about to get even better. Working quickly, I transferred some of the corn to the bubbling caramel pot that had been beside the corn on the fire, and with a few tosses the popcorn was generously coated.

Now, it was still too hot to eat—but the previous batch was now cool enough and I filled up the multitude of bowls and the single platter presented to me.

The children got their popcorn and rushed off whooping, in the full throes of a sugar high and with nobody around to stop them. The dragon added on caramel apples, caramel pears, caramel water reeds, and caramel coated eggs.

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'Boss. Big Bro. How do you keep coming up with such wonders!?' the dragon asked as he popped an egg into his mouth, considering the new taste.

"Mostly just copying what other people have done," I admitted freely. "The world is vast, and the flavours are limitless. To eat is to live; to live is to eat."

Tears sprang to the dragon's eyes. 'Truly, this Wa Shi is lucky to have such a Master.'

I laughed at his expression, and added a few more caramel offerings to hid platter. "Go on and get these to Chunky and Peppa. The pepper flakes are an interesting choice, though."

'Pi Pa will love them,' the dragon declared authoritatively.

I trusted his judgement. Looks like I would have to start spicing Peppa's food more heavily, if she liked the heat that much! Well, sweet heat was good—and wait, hot honey would be great too…

Something to think of for later. We certainly had enough honey for it. And speaking of honey…

"Take as much as you want, girls," I said to the flight of bees hovering around more of the caramel popcorn. They buzzed in what I thought was happiness before they alighted on a couple pieces and carried them off, up and away, to eat the sugar off them. I idly wondered how many of the workers were sapient, and how much they were more of a hive mind. I didn't know, and I had a lot of trouble understanding Vajra's answers as Chunky translated her dance for me.

I shrugged and returned my attention to filling the kettle back up. It was the first of its kind… and yet, it would probably be joined by thousands more soon enough.

I smirked when I remembered our most recent visit with Bo and Chyou.

The Azure Jade Trading Company had come around again, to collect the harvest, and let's just say the looks on Bo and Chyou's faces when they saw just how much I had had been rather priceless.

It was rather fun showboating, and showing them the power of my cultivation.

They got a show, and a bunch of ideas that I knew they were going to implement. I got money—but more than that, I got things. The most valuable of things, seeds. More varieties of corn, peppers, squashes, and peas, some barley, a pear sapling—and lychee. Lychee were known as the "king of fruits" and they were impossible to grow this far north—but the Palace of Pale Moon Lake City had some seeds, and the Trading Company had gotten them for me.

The other things they had gotten were a bunch of edible and medicinal mushrooms—including one that blew my mind and made Meimei actually swoon. It was some kind of cordyceps mushroom growing out of a caterpillar that could apparently cure cancer. Or at least significantly reduce the effects of the disease.

And unlike the snake oil from the Before, this cure actually worked. Because Xianxia magic.

Hells, Pops had started hopping around like a Jiangshi too when Miemei had shown him. The synchronized bouncing was actually pretty cute.

Unfortunately, they were both extremely rare and expensive as hell. Or at least they were right now.

Because if there was one thing me and Meimei were good at… it's growing things. It may take decades, and we may need a few more to dial it in, but with luck?

Well, cancer could go fuck itself.

Hell, I'm glad that I told them I preferred seeds and rare medicinal plants to money. This was way better than a bunch of coins—I had enough of those for more than one lifetime.

And well, other than the gifts, and them picking up the harvest, they had also given us an update on the progress on the expedition to the south… which, if they pushed it, they would be able to go next summer. Which was way faster than I had been expecting.

I let out a contented sigh as I turned back to the popcorn, turning it around and around in its kettle.

Man, this year… it had been a pretty good year so far. The birth of my son, the reconciliation I had with Gramps, learning how much Tigu had grown….

The only thing I was missing was a letter from my favourite rooster.

I hummed and finished up the last of the popcorn, and then, seeing that nobody else wanted any for now, I stood up.

I walked past where Ty An and Bowu were tinkering with something. I walked past where Chunky, Peppa, and Washy were sitting, chowing down on caramel popcorn. I walked past where Gou Ren was trying to convince his parents to let him build them an even bigger house, and where Babe sat, the ox bedecked in a crown of leaves and little Liu brushing his fur. The ox seemed to quite enjoy the treatment.

I finally came to the head table, where a tired but happy Hong Xian the Elder was sitting, my son cradled in his arms. Zhuye was giggling as his grandpa and Yao Che made funny faces at him.

I plopped the popcorn down beside them and settled into a chair myself, looking out over the village and taking in the sights.

Some of the adults were playing what looked like a variation of cornhole, laughing and cheering. Kids were zipping around, playing tag and hide and seek. The sun was starting to set. The air was cool, but not cold.

Dinner was served. We all ate, drank, and made merry.

It really was the perfect day.

"Jin, there's somebody coming," Meiling said as the sun started to dip below the horizon. "They smell like…. mist. Mist and warm fur. They're being accompanied by Lu Ri."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Shall we?" I asked.

My wife nodded.

We both quietly excused ourselves from the party and set off down the road.

It wasn't too long until we met Lu Ri and the person he was accompanying. Lu Ri simply nodded to us, his body language completely relaxed. I turned to the woman.

She was kind of short, with wild blonde hair and extremely familiar eyes locked in a permanent squint.

"Would you be Master Jin?" the woman asked politely.

"Yes," I replied.

The woman bowed, and with a pop two bushy ears erupted from her head and a golden fox tail from her rump. I stared, shocked at the sudden appearance of a real life Kemonomimi.

"This one is Su Yuanlin. She comes bearing a message from Fa Bi De, Hong Ri Zu, Young Master Yun Ren, and Lord Shen Yu."

Meimei blinked incredulously, "Young Master Yun Ren?!"

"Aye, He's Honoured Uncle's heir," the woman replied.

Both of us paused, and I looked at Meimei.

"Well… there's certainly a story there, miss," I said after a moment. "Why don't you come join and tell us? There's plenty of food, and enough drink."

The woman with fox ears and a tail smiled. "Thank you, Master Jin. Additionally, I was instructed by Bi De to give you these immediately, as well as this recipe. Something about you not having beets here?"

I took the piece of paper she presented to me, and saw my man's writing. Big D always had a certain flair to his characters.

Beets?! Hells yeah! I loved beets! And this recipe looked like some kind of borscht!

"What a dutiful son," Meiling said with a laugh.

Big D and Gramps trusted her enough to let her bring us this letter, so she deserved at least our hospitality. We got her settled in and introduced her to Hu Li, who pointed at the other woman in shock.

Myself, Meimei, and Gou on the other hand, got to reading.

Reading a tale about what happened at the Shrouded Mountain.

Book 4: Chapter 82: And the First Days of Winter

Su Yuanlin's journey to the Azure Hills hadn't been what she had been expecting.

Everybody had harped on about the Qi void—and yeah, it had been bad for the first leg of the journey, down the mountains and into the hills. The sucking feeling had lessened the closer she had gotten to her destination, though, to the point where she couldn't feel it at all.

Of course, just as she'd started getting comfortable, somebody came out to meet her, a cultivator. Except instead of being some weakling, barely scraping the Profound Realm, she met him.

"State your business," the cold, aristocratic man demanded. His eyes were sharp and his body was refined. He oozed calm mastery, and Yuanlin felt every hair on her body stand on end. His Qi was suppressed, in a way where Yuanlin could not sense his might, but her body knew.

He was strong.

Yuanlin licked her lips, carefully not moving too much lest the man cut her with his eyes and intent. "Might you be a servant of Master Jin? This Su Yuanlin has been instructed by Fa Bi De and Master Shen Yu to convey this letter to him."

She slowly and carefully pulled out the seal letter she had been given. The man's eyes locked on to it… and then the dangerous aura abruptly ceased.

Yuanlin took a breath, relieved that the pressure was gone.

"That letter is indeed in order, and I feel your intentions to be pure. I am Lu Ri; guardian of this place." The man bowed formally to her. Then he straightened up and gave her a small smile, looking slightly sympathetic. "I see you have been burdened with a task I know well."

Yuanlin blushed slightly—his smile was somehow more dangerous than his Qi.

"Please, Miss Yuanlin, this way. I shall not impede your delivery." The man raised an arm like a servant… and then began escorting her. Not the prisoner kind of escorting, but the gentleman escorting a lady and a guest kind of escorting. "I do hope your travels have not been too full of trials."

Yuanlin's heart beat slightly faster in her chest.

"It wasn't too bad. A bit of difficulty in the beginning with so little ambient Qi around, but it was nothing I couldn't handle." She smiled and leaned over slightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her nape was her best part!

"Indeed? I am glad to hear that," the man continued, completely ignoring her light flirtations.

Yuanlin pouted. Sure, she wasn't as feminine and soft as the other gals, but lots of men liked the wild look! It was just her luck that this gentleman didn't.

Of course, all the flirting was blasted out of her mind when she actually met Master Jin, who felt like a giant mountain just looking at her curiously. But he too had been polite, simply recieving her message before… and gently passing her along to her current predicament.

Su Yuanlin stared awkwardly at the mortal human before her, her finger outstretched and her mouth slightly open.

The mortal woman was her mirror image, save for the fact that her hair was black instead of blonde… and age had lined the woman's face.

It was one thing to see those features on somebody accompanying Honoured Elder Nezan. It was another to see them on a person here. Not that she had doubted the Young Master, but still.

She was kin, alive and well, and that was always something precious.

"Good evening, My Lady," Yuanlan said, going for respect. "Su Yuanlin pays her respects to the Young Master's honoured mother."

The woman went from shocked pointing to consternation. "The hells yeh callin' Lady, cuz?" the woman demanded in an incredibly thick accent. "Young ladies should be calling old maids like me, Auntie! Now come on and sit down and tell Auntie Hu Li everything."

Yuanlin blinked, a small smile coming to her face at the immediate mothering attitude of the woman… even though she was centuries younger than Yuanlin.

And her name! Hu Li—Fox was definitely a bit on the nose.

"… 'course, Auntie," Yuanlin replied in her own thick mountain-tribe accent.

The mortal woman beamed even as the man beside her, a man who looked a bit like a monkey, raised an eyebrow at her. Then the man shrugged.

"Ten, get us some dumplings, wouldja? Me and my cousin here gotta have a chat, yeah?" Hu Li asked. Her husband nodded agreeably, and Hu Li turned to Yuanlin again. "First! Everyone! Welcome my cousin here to Hong Yaowu! The best village in the Azure Hills!"

There was a cheer from the other mortals, along with several well wishes. There were some curious glances at the colour of her hair and at the sharpness of her teeth, but it was just that—curiosity. Nobody here was having second thoughts about her, nor thinking of running to an authority to start a fox-hunt.

She appreciated that. Though they hardly needed to with the monsters protecting this village.

Hells, Yuanlin was of half a mind to sprint back to the Fangs and move everybody over right now if they could get protection from Lu Ri and Master Jin. They'd never have to fear a fox-hunt again!

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"Welcome to Hong Yaowu, Big Sis!" one young boy in particular said, smiling brightly up at her. He was a cute kid, with a band of freckles across his nose.

"Thanks for the welcome," she said, slightly awkwardly; and several people laughed, but even they smiled and nodded encouragingly.

At that, Yuanlin's smile became slightly more natural. She followed Hu Li to a fine house—a surprisingly fine house, one extremely well built for a mortal's abode, especially in the countryside like this. It looked more like something a noble would have commissioned.

And yet… it smelled… it smelled like family. The faint scent of foxes. Yuanlin almost staggered as what felt like a physical wave of relief travelled over her.

She sat down at a table with a woman who couldn't be anything but related. The woman's husband brought in some dumplings, as the mortal woman studied her.

"… you've had a rough go of it, haven't you, cousin?" Hu Li asked quietly.

Yuanlin looked into the woman's amber eyes and let out a little breath, knowing that her emotions were in plain view. "We have, yeah. But I think things may be starting to get a bit better now."

Hu Li extended her hand across the table, and Yuanlin took it.

"Now, why you're callin' my boy Young Master?" Hu Li asked.

Yuanlin smiled at the tone in her voice. A mother, wondering just what sort of mischief her children had gotten up to.

Yuanlin was only too happy to gossip.

========================================

The three of us sat in Pop's house. It was just me, Mei, and Gou Ren for now. I would read the letter again to everybody else later, but for now… for now it was just us three. Chunky and Peppa were off in the forest somewhere, Washy was in a food coma, and Babe was asleep alongside him.

Maybe it was a bit hypocritical of me to make people wait for Tigu's letter and then read Big D's immediately, but Big D had always been in more danger than Tigu… and I knew Tigu was fine through Tianlan.

I unrolled the scroll with a steady hand, and was immediately greeted by elegant calligraphy. The part of me that had been taught to write by Gramps admired his brushwork. He had gotten even better, and had completely eliminated all the little imperfections that had come with writing with his beak.

Fa Bi De pays his respects to his Great Master, the Healing Sage, and his fellow disciples.

It is a relief to finally be able to write to you after so long. Necessity demanded silence from our band but now that necessity is no more, and we may speak candidly.

Much has transpired since I have last seen home, and our deeds are many. Some good, some bad, and some I am still unsure what to think about, even after meditating upon the path we have traveled.

Though now I can say with certainty I understand why you left this life behind, Master.

I paused at that statement, and a small frown found its way onto my face. While Tigu got to see people at their best, coming together and abandoning past grudges… it seemed Big D got to see the worst sort of cultivators.

It was not an experience I would wish on anyone, and my heart went out for my disciple—my first friend in this world.

To know he had done it so I wouldn't have to… part of me felt like a bit of a failure for that. Another person, a person who I liked, suffering for my choices.

I felt a hand press into my back, and another one on my shoulder. I glanced over into Mei's eyes first and then looked over to Gou Ren, who simply had a stoic expression on his face.

I took a breath and forced the feelings away. No. Instead of pity, instead of regret… there would be pride. Pride and compassion. Big D wanted to defend his friends and home. He was brave—and he would return to a place that valued him and everything he had done for us.

I returned my attention to the characters.

What follows is an accounting of all we have done since departing in the spring. It shall be as detailed as I can make it, and my dear companions were invaluable in pointing out things I had overlooked. In addition to this, Yun Ren has provided his usual services, in addition to mine own art.

Without further ado, I shall begin. After we departed, we tracked northeast, to the den of Nezan, to reunite his fragment with his main body. There, within his home, Shen Yu began our first bout of training and we stayed there for a period of one month; the training was difficult, as expected, but not overly so. Master Shen Yu is a fine teacher, and knew exactly the steps to push me to my limits. Nezan similarly instructed Yun Ren and Ri Zu…

I smiled at the wood block print of all three of our friends meditating. The beginning part didn't really have too much detail; they trained for a while, then set off for the Howling Fang Mountains with Nezan; they went through the Stone Gate, the same way I had come into the province.

Of course, things didn't stay simple for long.

Thus, to facilitate our infiltration of the Shrouded Mountain Sect and investigate the potential Demonic presence, we transformed into humans.

"They what?!" Meiling shouted. I quickly pulled the scroll open more, and there was the first real picture taken by Yun Ren.

I stared in shock at the tall man with brilliant red hair who was standing beside a woman who could have been Meiling's sister. She had a green streak in her hair, dark, soulful eyes—and she was very, very cute.

"He's got your eyes," Meimei whispered as she traced a finger along Big D's image.

He really did.

"… man, Tigu is going to be so upset that Rizzo has freckles," I said after a second.

We chuckled.

====

Tigu sneezed, then shivered.

She frowned at her office's open window. The air was getting kind of cold…

With great reluctance she closed it, but she still felt oddly cold.

She frowned. The office had a fireplace… but hadn't Handsome Man said something about a heating system?

She would have to see if they could repair that sooner rather than later. If she felt cold, the poor mortals had to be freezing!

====

I had to admit, them literally just walking through the front door of the Shrouded Mountain Sect was kind of funny.

But as we got deeper into the story, things became more uncomfortable. Meiling and Gou Ren looked slightly incredulous as Big D described the Inner Sect and the way everybody acted, pushing others down as hard as they could to try and get ahead.

I knew the truth of that all too well.

But at least they had made some friends. Old Ling the housekeeper, Fat Han, Yushang, and Shao Heng sounded like good people… and hells, I wouldn't have even minded meeting Master Lishu, if Rizzo had such good things to say about him.

It was especially awkward for me because, well, it read like a Xianxia story. Like the tale of some talented Young Master seeking revenge.

Though I was actually rather surprised at the outcome of the investigation.

Each and every one of us determined the same thing. The Shrouded Mountain Sect is not Demonic. They are merely assholes.

I barked out a laugh at that one.

But the rest? Well, there wasn't much to laugh about at all, really.

====

An hour later, I was sitting on the roof of Pop's house.

I had the letter in my hand, and I had just finished reading over the ending for the second time.

The truth of the foxes and the Shrouded Mountain Sect Civil War.

…no wonder Big D didn't really know what to think of all that. I didn't either.

Meimei, of course, had just shrugged it all off and basically said "karma." She, at least, was very proud of Rizzo. Gou Ren had been quieter, just relieved his brother was alright.

If I was entirely honest? I… I mostly didn't particularly care what had happened to the sect either. I'd never claimed to be a paragon of justice or the pinnacle of morality. The Shrouded Mountain Sect had apparently fucked around enough to find out—and honestly? That was the extent of my thoughts, really.

Or it could have been, but I was forcing myself to consider it more deeply. Big D valued my opinion. He trusted me, and… he was kind of a kid, still, asking his father if what he had done had been the right thing.

I sighed. It was a messy situation, but he had done what he could. He had spared as many innocents as he could manage. And that? That was enough. I wouldn't have been able to navigate it any better. And I probably would have done worse.

He didn't have it easy, my boy. But… he came through in all the ways that mattered.

I glanced down at the final part of the letter.

We go now to the north, to confront Zang Shenhe and ensure that the demonic taint is purged from this province. I shall not tempt fate by saying anything foolish—but I hope to dance with you, My Master, on the night of the solstice.

Until that time, we shall return to hunting evil.

Forever yours, Bi De.

Man, we return to hunting evil? That sounded really badass.

I smiled and looked up at the night sky. There was no doubt in my mind that he would succeed in whatever he set his mind to.

"You tell 'em, Big D," I whispered, the wind carrying my voice away.

Epilogue: The North Wind Blows

A freezing wind spoke from the north, cutting through the Dueling Peaks in the small hours of the morning. The world outside was hushed, a thin film of snow covering the frozen ground. Xiulan's office mirrored the bleakness outside.

There was no light nor warmth here. No flame lit the hearth, nor light emanated from candle flame or light stone. Missing too were the voices that would fill her office and the bustle of moving bodies. Today there was only the rattle of the wind and the soft sound of a brush ghosting over parchment.

Xiulan was seated at her desk. It normally bore the weight of many stacks of neat, orderly, scrolls and papers. Now, it was nearly empty. Save for the single scroll upon which Xiulan wrote. .

Finished writing she set aside her brush. Then she pulled out her seal and pressed it to the page. She took a moment to blow on the ink and ensure it was dry before she rolled the scroll up and sealed it.

Her last task completed, Xiulan stood from her chair and walked to the door. Once she reached it she turned around and spared the room a final glance.She had actually become oddly fond of the room and its big desk over the months. She smiled, turned, and exited the room at last.

"Everything all finished Grand Marshal?" Bao Wen askedfrom where he stood outside, and she nodded.

"Yes. Please ensure this gets to Director Huizhong," Xiulan replied, handing the young man the scroll.

"It will be as you command Grand Marshal," the young man said with a bow before he rose with a small smile. "We shall miss you greatly during the days you are away."

Xiulan chuckled. "I shan't be gone long, Bao Wen. We still have more work to do… but everybody deserves a rest. Especially yourself."

Bao Wen coughed sheepishly. Xiulan had actually had to scold him for working too hard. He had been sleeping in his office, trying to keep up with the amount of hours cultivators could work. Bao Wen recovered swiftly from his embarrassment, however, and clasped his hands in the gesture of respect.

"Then allow me to wish you a good Solstice and a wonderful New Year, Grand Marshal."

Xiulan's smile softened and she collapsed her hands together as well. "You as well, Bao Wen. Have a wonderful Solstice and a happy New Year—with luck, I shall hear of a date for your wedding."

Bao Wen beamed.

With that, they went their separate ways. Bao Wen, back to his duties. And Xiulan, out of the quiet mountain.

The corridors of the Dueling Peaks were as empty as her office. Almost everybody had gone home to celebrate the Solstice and the New Year. There would be a few scouts and rangers who would remain, volunteers to watch over the wide reaches of the Hills over the break. None of them were expecting any trouble, but if something did arise… Well, then Xiulan and her dear friends would come to assist.

And whatever caused a disturbance big enough to have Xiulan come running to confront it, interrupting her most important period of rest and relaxation, would perish.

If Xiulan got to it first, of course. Tigu was getting extremely fast with her movement technique, and Xianghua at full steam was more like a superheated arrow than a human.

Xiulan chuckled at the thought as she finally came out of the mountain into the cold air. The sky was slightly brighter now, with the coming sunrise, but it was still overcast and grey.

Xiulan's feet took her through the town. Over the new waterways that weren't freezing, due to the subtle warmth of the channels beneath them. Past her own sect's compound, where she had already wished her father and her students a wonderful break. An Ran was headed to Grass Sea City. Huyi was going to spend time with his family and "make sure that bastard is good enough for my cute little sister." Xi Bu and Li were among those who had volunteered to stay and make sure nothing went wrong in their absence.

Her father and the Elders would be in seclusion for the next few months as they finished digesting their memory crystal.

Xiulan started humming to herself as her feet moved to that old beat. She danced alone, now. The normal slight pushback she felt from her "dancing partner" was absent.

It might have been a cause for concern, normally, but Xiulan knew where her friend was.

Half-remembered dreams of helping a good friend build a house for the winter tickled the back of her mind. As did the warm smile of the little girl as they tucked her in and kissed her good night.

Tianlan's smile was the one thing she did remember with full clarity; peaceful. Relaxed. Happy.

It had put Xiulan in a good mood too.

Soon enough, she came to the square. The first one she spotted was Tigu. Her bright red knitted hat immediately caught the eye… but it was more the fact that she was standing on top of a statue, her arms crossed, and pouting at the lack of sunlight.

Her tan was already starting to fade a bit, and she was most cross with that predicament.

Next, she spied Xianghua, learning against the statue. Xiulan raised an eyebrow at the red hat she also wore, with her headband firmly overtop it. Xianghua was talking with the Torrent Rider, the younger man having forgone his mask today to also wear a red knitted hat.

In fact, all of her comrades were similarly dressed. From Delun to Loud Boy, to even Huo Ten and Shaggy Two.

"Blade of Grass! Are you finally done?" Tigu demanded, shouting from the top of the statue.

"Indeed I am. Are the rest of you ready to go?" Xiulan asked, and received nods and confirmations as the rest of their party started standing. "Excellent. With luck, we'll make good time today—"

"Hold on a second!" Tigu interrupted, hopping off the statue. "You're improperly dressed!"

Xiulan rolled her eyes even as she allowed Tigu to put a red hat over her head. Stepping back, hands on hip, Tigu looked her up and down before nodding decisively with a self-assured grin, one of her fangs poking over her lips,

"Did you make this?" Xiulan asked.

"Mm! Master said everybody needs a red winter To ke!"

"Thank you, Tigu." Xiulan said. "Now, am I permitted to go, Captain, as I am no longer violating any rules on the standards of dress?"

"I shall allow it! Everybody, move out! We're headed home!" Tigu shouted. But contrary to her booming voice, they began moving at a leisurely pace. Slow enough that Shaggy Two could bound alongside them, rather than have to be carried.

Not all of them would be coming back to Fa Ram; Loud Boy and Rags would be breaking off soon to go back to their gang's fortress, and Delun would be spending the Solstice with his family.

But for now they travelled together, just like old times. They laughed and joked like they hadn't in a while.

The enormous task that they had put on their shoulders seemed to lessen with every step as they travelled north.

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====

A rooster stared up at the heavens from where he sat at the entrance to an icy cave. It was mid-day, and yet the sun was still nowhere to be found. This far north, at this time of year, it never rose beyond the horizon. It was a land of perpetual darkness.

But that did not mean that it was without its own wonders. The rooster's eyes were locked on something he had never seen before; shifting colored light filled the dark sky. It danced and undulated like a living thing, while the stars shone their cold light from high above.

"For being such an inhospitable place, it is quite beautiful," a soft voice from beside him mused, and Bi De turned his gaze to Ri Zu, who was in human form. Her eyes were also locked on the "Aurora".

"Indeed, its beauty is something to behold," Bi De replied. "But by your presence, I assume it is time to move on again?"

Ri Zu nodded, and Bi De returned it.

The demons had retreated very far into the Sea of Snow. In fact, they had discovered collapsed tunnels and the remains of some kind of formation that Master Shen Yu had said created flying swords nearly as large as his own and sped them down what looked like tracks in the icy walls.

Instead of finding their prey swiftly, they would have to search, going deeper and deeper into this place.

But such was their duty. Bi De and Ri Zu glanced back at the cave, where their comrades started to march out. Yushang, Fat Han, Shao Heng, Fengxian, and Yingwen. All grimaced as they walked out of the warmer cave and into the bitter cold of the frozen cave. Shen Yu and Nezan didn't react at all.

"Forward," Shen Yu commanded, and his words were heeded; They set out into the darkness, their feet carrying them north.

=====

"Yes, Elder Zeng, there is a cultivator who lives in the town. He hides his Qi well, yet this disciple would reckon his Realm to be of Earth. It could not be anything less. I have also heard tales of other cultivators coming and going—outside the two that were part of the merchant caravan's guard, though they were nothing noteworthy. Basically peasants, seeing as they were assisting the mortals in moving goods," a woman wearing black clothes and a dark veil watched carefully as one of the Outriders gave his report to Zang Zeng.

The man had been wearing so many suppression seals for this mission he would have been completely indistinguishable from a mortal in terms of Qi—and he had not been that powerful to begin with, at the Third Stage of the Initiate's Realm. Weak, but loyal, and perfect for a clandestine mission. Even if his suppressors somehow came off, he would be mistaken for the trash that filled this province.

They were in the northern Azure Hills, near the border with the Howling Fang Mountains. She had been elated to finally have Zeng move towards the one who had killed the idiot Lu Ban.

At last, progress. The man had been sitting on his ass for months instead of rampaging and making a mess of things like she wanted. Either he would kill the fool who killed Lu Ban, or he would be defeated and draw the Shrouded Mountain Sect into further conflict. And if the man was a part of the Cloudy Sword Sect, even though that was extremely unlikely, then the resulting backlash would absolutely cripple the Howling Fang Mountains.

Which wasn't wholly ideal. The goal of Lu Ban was to have him eventually take over the sect and open the way for them to use the Fulmination Arrays—if they could get access to the array itself, which had been impossible even for her, sealed as it was behind Zang Blood, then they could begin to recreate it. For all that the sect were meatheads, their crown jewel was made by a true Master. It was something her own Master had admitted admiration of, the creation of the Lightning Brigade's General, refined in the Age of Heroes.

It had its flaws; nothing her Master could not fix and then power properly, with blood and the right sacrifices. Being able to teleport their agents anywhere in the world, carried on subtle shadows, would have been a massive boon.

But alas, that route was now closed to them with Lu Ban dead. Still, if the Shrouded Mountain Sect was crippled or, better yet, displaced from the mountain, they would be able to try and brute force the protections without the entire sect trying to kill them. Of course, her Master could have slaughtered them like dogs, but that would have been unacceptably obvious.

Light touches and daggers in the shadow. They were not yet prepared to march out in the open.

Zang, however, was. And yet still the bastard was hesitating.

"Your enemies are right here, Master," the woman breathed into his ear and pushed.

Zang Zeng's eyes went blank. Her powers were finally breaking through to him. She grudgingly admitted he had a strong will, but that was finally out of the way.

"Yes, my enemies are close at hand," Zang Zeng muttered. "I must prepare to face them, if they are truly in the Earth Realm. A spot to meditate…"

The man looked to the north, and the woman trolled her eyes. She thought this fool was bold. He hadn't even thrown his weight around at the insects that were the cultivators of this province! He had just bypassed the daughter of his enemy, not sparing her a second glance.

Ah well. This would be over soon, at least. Zeng would assault the one who killed Lu Ban, then she would poison everybody there and leave only a few survivors to go back to the mountain. If need be, she also had her own troops on standby—she would have to alert them, once Zeng found the place he wanted to "prepare" at.

She was content. Zang Zeng clenched his fist, his eyes narrowing.

He chose to head north to meditate. She couldn't help but smile. He was getting closer to his enemies by going that way, after all.

====

The Imperial Auditor huffed as he sat in a waiting room of the Verdant Hill Palace. It had taken him three months to get here. Three whole damn months! There were road washouts, freak storms, and he had even nearly been held up by a pair of brigands! The sheer cheek of the bastards! Luckily, he had splurged for the guard and the man was worth his coin. He saw the fools off.

But now he was here. He was here, and he could hopefully curry some of the favour he had lost with the Wu family when he got kicked out of the Dueling Town by the cultivators. He felt a bit sorry for the poor provincial bastard he was going to ruin, but really? What kind of fool gets on the Wu family's bad side?

He huffed and straightened his robes, annoyed that the country rube was making him wait… but soon enough some random serving girl approached.

"The Lord Magistrate apologises to His Majesty's Imperial Auditor for the wait—he had to make himself presentable for such august company."

The Imperial Auditor frowned… and then felt some of his anger fade away. The hick had probably had cow shit on him or something, and he wouldn't have wanted to smell that.

He nodded regally and rose, following the serving girl into the meeting room. It was not anything personal—but the man was about to have a very bad day. And likely a very bad next couple of years, if he truly had caught the Wu's ire.

He walked into the room like he owned the place—and then froze as he felt eyes level at him. Eyes that made his hair stand on end.

"The Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill greets His Imperial Majesty's Imperial Auditor," the man said, his voice powerful and smooth. The Imperial Auditor was immediately forced to reevaluate the man. Instead of a fat, ruddy faced peasant, he was greeted by a man who wouldn't have looked out of place in the capital. His clothes were of expert quality and make; his hair clasp subtly worked gold. His goatee was well-trimmed, just long enough to stroke, and his eyes were flinty daggers.

He cut an impressive figure, but he was somehow overshadowed by the woman sitting next to him, who was smiling pleasantly yet had an air of palpable malice surrounding her.

She looked very much like Lady—he paused. This woman was a Wu. Lady Wu Zei Qi, the cripple. The woman who constantly shook from the damage she had taken from a cultivator.

This woman looked anything but a cripple. She did not shake at all, her hands steady like rocks. Especially the hand holding a fan in front of her mouth. A fan painted with a Soaring Phoenix—a declaration of war.

He swallowed thickly, his mind racing.

Beside Lady Wu was an unexpected person, a representative from the Azure Jade Trading Company,wearing an Azure Sash—which meant that this place had the backing—the full backing,of the Trading Company, who were just about the only people who could tell the Wu family to go shove it.

The Auditor was starting to feel faint. He felt his eyes slide over to the corpulent, jolly-looking man that had a tremendous stack of papers in front of him and looked downright pleased to see the Auditor.

The Auditor raised his hands and smiled politely, but inside he was suddenly very, very worried.

Alarm bells were ringing in his head as he greeted the people before him. He would have to tread very lightly here.

Why, oh why, had he been so sure that heading north would be a good idea?

===

My wife scratched at her nose. We were long past the property line and quite far north, hip deep in snow. It was actually quite nice and the scenery was beautiful, but neither of us were particularly enjoying it at the moment.

"Anything?" I asked Meimei.

"Nothing," She said with a frown.

We had been taking these walks for a couple weeks now, to see if Meimei could smell the acrid scent again… But it hadn't returned.

Meimei was grumpy that she hadn't found the source, but it was probably a good thing if it was gone. Meant it was not here.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I think… I think it flies?" she said, hesitantly. "Maybe very high up? I don't know."

My wife looked incredibly grumpy that this mystery was still persisting.

"Maybe it's some kind of… I don't know, Seven Stenches Buzzard?" I said, trying to lighten the mood, and Meimei chuckled, before her face turned serious again. "It bothers you that much, doesn't it?" I asked.

"It's just annoying. Every time I smell it, it ruins my day. It's like when you get shit on your boot and you wonder why your house smells like crap and you look everywhere trying to find it," Meimei huffed, definitely speaking from experience. And to be fair, I knew that feeling too. The ol' shit shoe sucked.

"So we'll keep looking," I said simply. "Besides, I get to spend a lovely day with the woman I love the most in the world."

Meimei smiled at me and bumped me with her shoulder.

We wandered a bit more, Meimei occasionally sniffing at the air. Suddenly, she tensed, her eyes narrowing… before she sighed and slumped. "Why did you tell the Guan siblings that they could have their cultivator guards help them get everything ready in Verdant Hill? I keep smelling them, faintly, under Lu Ri's Qi and it's annoying."

"Because they have like five hundred tons of food to move?" I asked back. It had taken them nearly a month to figure out how to even move everything, and this was the second trip. They would have to make a third to finish taking all the grain, pickles, and maple syrup jars.

"Don't be reasonable with me, husband," Meimei said jokingly before she sighed again, then she made a face.

This was really bugging her. I put my arm around her shoulder.

"'Cmon, I think this is enough for today. Let's have some soup, then a bath. If the smell comes back we'll find it, and then you can experiment on it if it's evil."

Meimei perked up just a little, and a rather vicious smile stole across her features. My wife let me guide her away as she muttered under her breath. I turned my ears off, dismissing the war crimes I was hearing from my mind. I spared one last glance to where the smell always came from.

The northern wind blew, tousling my hair and caressing my cheeks.

It was cold, and I shivered a bit.

Book 5: Chapter 1: A Winter Tale Begins

The best part about winter was definitely being lazy by the fire. The chores were all done: the animals fed, the barn mucked, and the pathways shoveled after the fresh snowfall yesterday. Which would have been one hell of a job to do by hand… if I wasn't a cultivator. 

Instead, it just took a while, moving what had to be several tons of snow.

While it couldn't hurt me, I still felt the cold and the damp, so I was taking a well deserved rest.

I reached out into the coals, grabbing a chestnut that had reached optimal roastiness, and I cracked the shell open the rest of the way.

Half, I popped into my mouth. The other half, I ground into a paste with the back of a spoon. After making sure it was cool enough, I scooped it up and presented my offering to the Young Master.

Zhuye, or Little D as we often called him, eagerly opened his mouth to receive the offering. My son's amethyst eyes were wide and happy, and he burbled gleefully as he smacked his lips.

"Was that tasty?" my wife asked, her voice lit with amusement. Meiling was laying back on the couch reading a medical scroll. Her green hair was splayed all around her head, and her eyes, the same colour as our son's, were sparkling with amusement as Zhuye bounced in place.

"Little man has good taste. Chestnuts are great," said Gou Ren, one of my best friends, while lounging on his own couch. He was the perfect picture of sloth… or rather, of a lazy monkey. His sideburns had grown out again and he wasn't wearing his bandana, which hid his hairline, so the resemblance to our distant ancestors was rather strong today.

"That they are," I agreed.

I gently tousled Zhuye's brown hair and grabbed another couple of chestnuts.

Meimei opened her mouth with an "ahhh" the request clear—and I got nothing but net from the three point line. As Meimei chewed on her prize, I ground the other into paste. Though this time, instead of giving it to my son… I spread the chestnut paste onto two glutinous rice dumplings that had been roasting over the fire.

Both dumpling skewers were promptly retracted from the fire by two muscled, scaly arms which were attached to the sides of a rather portly brown carp who was leaning out of a nearby trough filled with water. One disappeared immediately into his mouth. His eyes sparkled with delight.

'Another delightful combination!' Washy, our resident dragon and glutton declared. 'But the rice dumpling needs more char!'

The other skewer was held out so a massive, rust-red boar who was laying on a cushion could munch on it. Chunky oinked happily as his friend fed him, and when he was done, the fish chucked the skewers into the fire and started preparing fresh ones. He set those newly made rice dumplings up beside the other ten that were hanging over the fire charring.

There were dumplings slathered in maple. Others had honey, and still others had pickles or even hot pepper paste. It was a really eclectic mix, but no one could ever say Washy was unimaginativewhen it came to food, and the good ones found their way into our cookbooks.

Washy grabbed one of the hot pepper dumplings and examined it carefully before nodding with satisfaction… and opening his mouth with a sly smile.

'Wa Shi, you scoundrel!' a prim, offended voice rang out. A pink pig that had been laying beside Chunky shot to her feet and glared at the fish.

'Just a nibble?' he asked teasingly, and Peppa glared at him. The fish started laughing as he handed over the skewer, which Peppa took with a huff before making a pleased noise.

'Ah, I can taste the smokiness!' she said happily.

'The roasting time is paramount! Too little, and the taste doesn't change! Too much, and it burns and tastes horrible!' Washy declared. 'It took this Master ten tries to find this optimal char point! Achieving the correct strength of flavour that you now enjoy!'

Both me and Peppa rolled our eyes at his pompous tone, and Peppa sat back down beside Chunky, snuggling into his side. I smiled at the comfy scene, before turning my attention to the sound of soft humming.

Bowu, a young man with wavy blue hair, was reading as he hummed tunelessly to himself—though unlike Meiling, he had a technical manual on pill furnaces in his hands rather than a medical scroll. With a contented smile on his face, he was a far cry from the rather grim looking young man who had come to us last year. He was also bouncing one of his legs up and down as he read—the one Meiling had fixed last year, after the lad had spent years having to use a crutch to compensate for his mangled leg.

Nearby and closer to the fire was the long green, noodly form of… well, Noodle. The old, scarred snake was bundled up in a knitted tube and conked out completely. He had never been the best with the cold in the first place.

Last but not least were Babe the ox and Vajra the queen bee. Babe was gazing contemplatively at the flames and Vajra was, for once, still instead of dancing, the three inch long iridescent bee settled by the fire with a couple of her workers.

Finally, I closed my eyes as I reclined in front of the fire and traced the connections of my Qi to a world beneath the earth.

There, in a little cottage with a snowman standing guard outside, rested the last member of our family. I poked my head in and checked on the little Earth Spirit, Tianlan, as she slumbered.

There were golden cracks along her face—but her clothes were new and clean, and she had a soft smile on her face as she slept. 

She looked content.

I left her to sleep.

It truly was a perfect day. A warm fire and companionable silence… though the fact that it was so quiet only highlighted that there were people missing, because it was rarely so still with them here.

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Tigu, Xiulan, Xianghua, and Yin had gone off to the Dueling Peaks, in an attempt to stop the feuding between the sects of the Azure Hills. They, at least, were coming home soon, their task having succeeded.

The other group, made up of Big D, Rizzo, Yun Ren, and Gramps, had gone to the Shrouded Mountain Sect to infiltrate it and make sure they were not conspiring with demons.

The last I heard from them they had found out that the sect had been innocent and were now on the trail of the actual demons.

It had been a long, slightly melancholic summer, knowing my family was doing dangerous things without me—but that was their choice.

All I could do was support them as best that I could; with food from home and a place to come back to.

Our little slice of heaven.

Hopefully, I would see them all soon.

And hopefully, they would be whole, hale, and have wonderful stories to tell as I pampered the shit out of them.

==============================

Fa Bi De, First Disciple of Fa Ram, let out a breath as he stared at the titanic trees before him, looming out of the perpetual night that had descended upon the north. Their trunks glowed with luminescent fungi, and their boughs were surprisingly largely clear of snow. The rooster, currently in the form of a man who had long red hair and eyes as green as his Master's, was once again surprised by the Sea of Snow. The moon shone brightly down upon them with a silver glow, casting the trees in cold light as well as revealing a break in the snowfields.

"They're… so big," a voice gasped from beside him, and Bi De turned to look at Ri Zu. The short woman with dark purple eyes and freckles across her nose looked slightly intimidated by the sight before them.

At first he had imagined, by the name, that it would be like the Grass Sea: a vast expanse of rolling hills, but white instead of green.

He had been categorically wrong.

The Sea of Snow played host to a myriad of different environments. There were mountains of ice taller and wider than any of the Howling Fangs, lone behemoths that formed enormous walls in their path. There were ice caves and crevasses that opened suddenly, and they were hundreds, if not thousands of Li deep. There had been fields of flowers made of ice that were alive, growing in snow like it was rich soil. There were floating ice islands, and in the distance they had even spotted a trio of volcanoes belching fire into the air.

That was not to say the white fields did not exist; indeed, they were the dominant land feature. Snow fields as far as the eye could see, with Spirit Beasts lurking in the powder and the ice like it was an actual body of water. Most heeded not Bi De's calls for parley; enraged by Bi De and his companions' presence in "their territory", they decreed the punishment was death. Others were simply hungry and declared them food. 

They had been here a week, and had been in sixteen battles with the locals. This place was incredibly dangerous, and if they had been mortals the cold would have finished them off long, long before the Spirit Beasts would have.

Now they were before a forest of pines so tall they disappeared into the clouds, with trunks as thick around as Brother Chun Ke was long.

Though they were in the middle of trying to track down the demonic forces that had defeated Elder Shenhe of the Shrouded Mountain Sect and her forces, and they were on somewhat of a time limit—they still had at least a month according to Shen Yu, to find the captured cultivators before they would be corrupted and turned into weapons—and the sights could not help but take his breath away.

And judging by the chiming of Yun Ren's recording crystal, he found it equally as impressive. The vulpine man's perpetually squinting eyes were open slightly. The cold silver light of the moon glinted off his black hair, especially the portions streaked through with blonde.

They had found tunnels under the first demonic base they had come across. Though they had been collapsed, it was clear that they had been used to facilitate speedy transport, using a flying sword that set into grooves in the walls.

They were headed roughly in the direction Master Shen Yu had deduced the grooves ran in, and that path took them into a dark and foreboding forest.

"The forest looks a bit… ominous," Fat Han muttered.

"At least we'll have a windbreak for when we rest!" Yushang replied, trying to find something good about having to venture into the massive trees. The bubbly woman shifted the massive sword on her back. "What do you think, Uncle?"

They all turned to Shao Heng, the older-looking man squinting slightly at the forest. "We must certainly be wary—the boughs are clear of snow, which concerns me."

All three of them had once been members of the Shrouded Mountain Sect… and all three had abandoned it after the excesses of the Mountain's Inquisitors had come to light.

"We cannot go around. It would take too long," Yingwen's cold voice, tinged with a bit of pain, declared. There was a grunt from Fengxian beside him.

Bi De turned to look at the two members of their group who were still a part of the Shrouded Mountain Sect, the only two members of the Fulmination Squadron that had either survived or escaped capture at the hands of the demonic forces. The two still looked slightly weak. Yingwen's grafted-on limbs caused him pain, and Fenxian was still recovering. But neither man had slowed their pace down, soldiering on without flinching, determined to save their comrades.

"The boy has the right of it. We go through," the gruff voice of Shen Yu stated bluntly. The Old man, an Imperial Realm cultivator, simply appeared beside them after he dropped down from the air.

He had clearly gone to scout out the outskirts and make sure that going through the forest was necessary… though that was likely going to be the extent of his aid unless they encountered a truly powerful Spirit Beast they could not fight off or escape from on their own.

Otherwise, he largely stayed silent, listening carefully to their deliberations on choosing paths and judging their skills. He was teaching them how to combat demons and how to navigate such dangerous places. If he simply did it all for them, then they would learn nothing.

"Do be careful though, children," the final member of their group, Nezan declared. He was in his Spirit Beast form, a massive white fox. His narrow eyes fixed on the trees. "This forest radiates power."

Bi De could not help but agree.

They approached cautiously—it took half an hour of travel at the speed of a cultivator to reach the start of the forest—when Bi De suddenly noticed something.

There was a cairn, and the mound of stacked rocks included some of the massive tree branches to form a pair of what looked almost like a pair of large antlers—denoting a boundary, almost like a fence.

Bi De's eyes widened. With a pop he reverted to his true form and snapped out a wing.

His companions all stopped immediately before they could set even a single foot within the forest. Bi De's eyes snapped around at the trees, locking onto scrapes very, very high up on the trunks, as well as the quality of the snow. It looked just like how Brother Chun Ke moved it out of the way. He scented the air, and found the slight tang of a storm.

All of these were noted… and Bi De had a rough idea of exactly what lived in this forest. Judging by Shao Heng's own considering expression, he too had seen the signs.

"Oh? You felt that?" Shen Yu asked. He sounded impressed.

Bi De frowned. Shen Yu was suppressing his power and intentionally trying to hide. He had learned to tell that much about him.

"I feel nothing, Master. But those," he said, gesturing at the stones. "They denote a boundary. I believe politeness should prevail, before we trespass." 

Shen Yu considered his statement, then nodded. "Not the path I would have chosen… but good eyes nonetheless."

Bi De took the statement for the leave it was and bowed. "We humbly ask for passage through your home," Bi De called out, his voice echoing throughout the forest.

There was a moment of silence.

And then the massive trees started shaking.

The smell of a storm came to them on the winds; and a creature fit to live among the behemoth trees seemed to materialize out of thin air, power at the pinnacle of the Earth Realm as far as Bi De could tell.

Half a Li tall at his shoulder, his head was as big as a house and his rack of magnificent antlers looked like the crown of a king—or like a set of battering rams that could breach any fortress in the world. His fur was a dark grey, and he was wreathed in frozen mist and storm clouds, the mantle of his power swirling around his body like a royal cloak.

Bi De swallowed as the creature walked with deceptively silent steps.

The massive moose—or Thunderhoof, as those not his Master called the creatures—stared down at them.

Bi De still remembered the baby Thunderhoof who had followed Yun Ren north. It had been, at the time, the largest creature he had ever seen.

The Spirit Beast considered them. For a moment, Bi De wondered if this would come to a fight… but Thunderhooves were considered symbols of luck amongst the Nezin tribe and thus implied they were not prone to violence at first meeting.

The great Spirit Beast stared down at them, then cocked his head to the side.

Finally, he spoke, his voice a deep rumble.

'… This is the first time little ones have asked to enter my home in a long while. I shall greet you; This one is He Who Sweeps the Forest Floor Of Snow and Opens the Way; you may refer to me as Forest Sweeper. Tell me, little ones, what brings you this far north, to the gates of my domain?'

Bi De had the Spirit Beast's full and undivided attention—a beast who eclipsed him utterly.

So he once more bowed politely, and began to speak.

Book 5: Chapter 2: The Strongest Technique

Bi De kept his story simple, short, and to the point. His Great Master had once said a man should be able to explain an important issue in twenty words or less.

They were chasing demons, the demons had collapsed their underground tunnels, and thus they had tracked them overland this way.

One might say telling a random Spirit Beast about their quest was foolish; it could have been in league with the demons after all. However, Bi De doubted that, and they were effectively attempting to bring an army through Master Forest Sweeper's home. It would have been terribly impolite not to speak to him.

Being honest was the only correct choice.

"And it is for this reason we have come to ask permission to venture through your forest, Master Forest Sweeper. It is the fastest way," Bi De finished. His voice was slightly strained as the massive Spirit Beast's intent pressed down on them all. Not directed at them, merely a reaction to the news that he was receiving. That alone made it barely tolerable, especially as the intent made Master Forest Sweeper transition from the Earth Realm to Sky, and easily match the might of the Patriarch of the Shrouded Mountain Sect… and then start to surpass it. 

Yushang, Han, and Fengxian were shaking slightly; Yun Ren's eyes were open all the way as he took deep, calming breaths, his arm around Shao Hen's bicep as the man's knees wobbled and his sweat froze on his face. Ri Zu's shadow was writhing like a living thing, and Yingwen was standing perfectly still though his eyes were slightly glassy.

Nezan seemed only mildly concerned, while Shen Yu looked the same as always.

Master Forest Sweeper let loose a blast of arctic air from his nostrils. His mantle, the great storm he bore on his back, boiled with barely suppressed fury.

'Underground? Under My forest?' Master Forest Sweeper ground out, his voice rumbling like an oncoming storm.

"Yes, Master Forest Sweeper. And after seeing your might, this Bi De postulates that they intended to use you as a shield, should any try and track them down above ground,' Bi De said. He swallowed again, keeping his voice as even as he could.

Bi De understood that most groups of cultivators would not have hesitated to march into the forest before him—and judging by the Spirit Beast's strength, the demon's plan would have succeeded with the death of all but a rare few who stepped within the Spirit Beast's realm.

Lightning flashed as a peal of thunder broke the air and Master Forest Sweeper grew bigger, his body becoming one with his mantle as clouds gathered above the forest. Half their party fell to their knees, and Bi De staggered as the air froze in his lungs. Nezan stepped forwards, to place himself in front of them… when the Thunderhoof seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. He snapped back into his natural form and his intent retreated.

Bi De could suddenly breathe again.

"Quite rude of you, to frighten the children like that," Shen Yu spoke for the first time, his voice mild, but his eyes were sharp and dangerous. 

Master Forest Sweeper sucked in a breath before the moose turned back to Bi De and the rest of his companions, who were still picking themselves up and recovering from the effects of the mighty Spirits Beast's fit of pique.

'I would ask my guests' forgiveness for that unsightly display,' the titanic moose requested, and the lordly Spirit Beast lowered his head slightly. 'Twas unbecoming.' Bi De could only nod, but his ears caught the word that he had been looking for. They had been called guests. That was a good sign. 'Your words have wisdom, little moonbeam. The Iceheart Forest is not a place one invades without consequence—not even a sword that walks, like the man beside you, would have an easy time of it,' Master Forest Sweeper continued, his eyes turning to Shen Yu again.

The old man cocked his head to the side, considering the Spirit Beast. "Not while protecting these whippersnappers, no—especially when this construct isn't your real body, you overgrown tricky goat. I'd have your horns eventually… But it would be a detour we cannot afford."

Bi De blinked at the term 'construct' but remained silent. A construct this powerful… did that mean the true form of Master Forest Sweeper was even stronger?

Still, both Shen Yu and the Spirit Beast nodded at each other, as they acknowledged each other's strength.

'You have done this one a favour, by bringing this information to this one's attention. It is in one's nature to return all kindness a hundredfold. Be welcome in my home, little friends—for we have much to discuss.Your words have caused a great many things to suddenly make sense. For that, we are grateful.'

Bi De let out a breath.

"We thank you for your hospitality, Master Forest Sweeper," he said, bowing.

The Spirit Beast nodded, and another arctic blast issued from his nose as he exhaled slowly.

This time, however, instead of a blast of wind the snow outside the forest shuddered. And then it rose as chunks of snow and ice formed themselves into the shape of smaller Thunderhooves.

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The constructs bowed and lowered their shoulders, their intent clear.

'Welcome to the Iceheart Forest, Honoured Guests,' Master Forest Sweeper declared.

Soon, they were all astride steeds of ice and snow, marching into the luminescent trees.

==========================

One would expect that once out of the wind and under the boughs of the trees it would be warmer. 

It was not. It was colder. Muchcolder.

The forest was a fountain of freezing Qi—and yet despite that, or perhaps because of it, there was an abundance of life. 

The forest floor was completely clear of snow, which exposed pale blue grass that was vibrant and alive. Unlike the outside world of perpetual darkness, the forest was lit up bright as day, glowing with the cold light produced by mushrooms and lichens growing on the trees.

Birds formed of crystal flitted through the air, snowy white deer with antlers of ice bolted at their approach, and monkeys that looked like Huo Ten, completely white in color, stared down at them from the trunks of the trees.

They moved quite swiftly through the forest, their mounts galloping silently beside the massive form of their Master.

"Is the lack of snow why you are named Forest Sweeper?" Yushang asked, curiosity overriding the obvious fear she felt for the Spirit Beast.

The Spirit Beast looked down at her and seemed slightly amused by her question.

'You are the twenty-second human to ask me this question,' the Spirit Beast replied. 'But yes, it is the name I inherited from my Master. We tend to the Iceheart Forest and ensure that it is never buried by snow; its paths open to all Thunderhooves.'

"Twenty-second? Do you get many guests?" Yun Ren asked curiously.

'Not particularly. In the three thousand years I have lived, I have met perhaps a hundred humans. Most who come here are blown off course by a Howl;' the Spirit Beast said, referring to the massive storms that could throw people through the air for hundreds of Li. 'Those cannot be considered trespassers nor guests, and I am not so callous as to kill a man for wandering into my home by accident. Cultivators I leave to their own devices, unless they move further into my home—most leave quite swiftly. It is the mortals to whom I reveal myself. Most who find their way here are on the verge of death. Thus, I take care of them, and then, after they are healed, I task my younger kin to return them home.'

"That is generous of you," Bi De replied, surprised by the depths of the mighty Spirit Beast's kindness.

'That is the hospitality of the north. My Master taught me to honor it, and we teach the same to our kin. While we are babes, our powers are weak; unlike most trueborn Spirit Beasts, we barely have any Qi at all, our minds dull and no better than a base animal's. We cannot survive in our true homes, deep in the north, as children. So we leave our children in more southerly climes. There, we have no power for cultivators to consume. And there, six thousand years ago, my Master was once protected as a babe by a mortal, helped out of a freezing lake. We honor the compassion of that mortal, no matter how many generations have passed.'

Bi De mulled over this answer as they continued deeper into the forest. People always spoke of how grudges could last for thousands of years. As if only hatred could echo through the ages. 

They rarely thought of the other side of the coin.

The kindness of a single mortal saving lost travellers through the ages.

========================

They journeyed for perhaps half a day into the forest, their tireless snow mounts sprinting full speed. The cold grew bitter and deep as they travelled further into the forest—until the mantle of Master Forest Sweeper wrapped around them like a cloak and the worst of the chill was rebuffed. Yet it was still present, seeping into their bones.

Then, they passed another stone cairn, fashioned in the shape of a Thunderhoof's head; and the air abruptly warmed again. Not like Master Forest Sweeper's mantle, but true warmth. 

'This is where we heal the outsiders we tend to,'Master Forest Sweeper explained. 'We shall speak here, and you may rest where the air cannot kill you with its chill.'

They were in a clearing—but instead of the blue grass the forest floor had the more typical green. There was a small house here, sized for humans, and a much, much larger stone structure. It almost looked squat, save for the fact that it dwarfed the palace in Verdant Hill.

Still, it was good to be warm again. They got off their mounts as they crumbled into snowflakes, and Bi De snorted at Yushang's gasped "Prancer, no!"

They found a firepit nearby, and a log to sit upon, as Ri Zu comforted a sulking Yushang. Master Forest Sweeper shrunk slightly as he became a more manageable size. He seemed to find Yushang's reaction most amusing.

He sighed as he settled into the clearing, and once more addressed them.

'My apprentice will arrive soon with a meal. For now, we shall speak, for your words have triggered an understanding in me of the strange happenings that mine kin have begun reporting from outside my forest,' Master Forest Sweeper began. 'They say the auroras have disappeared in some sections of the north; others speak of odd smells drifting on the breeze. Still others have reported tracks of something strange; not any Spirit Beast common to the north; just last week, one of my kin spoke of something they had never seen before. It looked like a normal bird… Save for the fact that it had been impaled by an icicle as big as it was and was still flying. Yet to his senses it had no Qi at all. It was just a normal bird… a normal bird whose blood looked oddly dark.'

"Infiltrators," Shen Yu said with a sigh. "They've gotten a lot better at hiding, the worms."

'Indeed,' Master Forest Sweeper declared. 'I would offer you my aid in disposing of these demons; though I cannot leave my forest, this one can relay to you information… and a few of my kin who know the secret paths through the snow.'

Bi De felt some relief flowing through his veins at those words. They had been operating off hunches and likely directions for over a week since the last base.

Truly, courtesy was a powerful technique.

"Thank you for your care, Master Forest Sweeper," Bi De said, bowing.

The Thunderhoof nodded regally.

'We hold no love for demons. Not only do they try to kill us, they draw your kind to them—and most are not as polite,' Master Forest Sweeper said, before he cocked his head to the side. 'Now, my apprentice has arrived. We shall eat together, and on the morrow we will speak more on this matter.'

He felt some relief from the rest of his companions at that, as another Thunderhoof walked into the clearing. It was obviously young, with small antlers, and he had a large pack on his back.

'Master, I'm here with—" the young Thunderhoof began, his voice light and chipper, before he froze. His mouth dropped open. He stared at them all with shock… And at one person in particular. 'Jumpy?!'

Yun Ren blinked, "Jumpy—? Wait. Wait, wait, wait. There ain't no way!" He said, his mouth opening and his eyes widening. "What the hells?! Are you really the same one from Hong Yaowu?!"

Bi De's eyes widened. He had seen the Thunderhoof once—as well as heard Yun Ren's endless complaining about the beast repeatedly sneaking up on him and scaring him for fun two years ago.

'Your face is still as funny as ever, Jumpy!' the Thunderhoof chortled. 

"I'm going to be getting you back for that!" Yun Ren threatened, jumping to his feet.

Bi De watched the reunion with amusement. As did both Shen Yu and Master Forest Sweeper.

'Fate truly does move in mysterious ways,' the old Spirit Beast mused.

The mood was quite light as they dined together, the young Thunderhoof regaling them with a story of what happened to him after he left for the north.

It appeared fate truly did have ways of reuniting people sometimes.

====================================

Somewhere else, thousands of Li away, another group was marching towards their own reunion.

Book 5: Chapter 3: A Tiger's Homecoming

The world was covered in a thick white blanket. The trees were bare; their leaves having long since fallen—but the forests were prevented from looking empty and skeletal by enormous conifers, their evergreen boughs laden with snow.

Through this frozen world, a group of women and a monkey traveled along a path cleared of snow. All of them were wearing bright red knitted hats, a splash of color on the monochrome canvas that was the snowy forest.

A woman whose dark skin was in the middle of losing its tan led the group. Her orange hair peeked out from her hat in twin tails that trailed down her back. She wore a thick dark blue coat and knee high boots. She marched resolutely forwards, her yellow eyes fixed ahead, gazing just past the tunnel of trees to where she knew her destination lay.

Rou Tigu was nearly home. She had, during her journey, talked a lot with her friends about how she thought their home might have changed. It was their favourite topic on the road. But now, at the final stretch, she had fallen silent.

She had been away for nearly eight months, journeying forth with her companions on a mission to unite the Sects of the Azure Hills; to put an end to the bitter rivalries and divisions that made their home a ripe breeding ground for bandits and other wicked men.

The mission had sent her journeying far and wide across the entirety of the Azure Hills and it had certainly been eventful. They had found and destroyed a slavery ring in Grass Sea City; they had convinced the Sects at the Dueling Peaks to heed their words, forging the first link of peace with the secrets of their Ancestors. Then they had to make sure the peace stuck, laying the groundwork for future cooperation. It was still a tenuous thing, their dream, but it was no longer an ephemeral hope. They had with blood, sweat, and effort made it real. Real, and growing in strength and solidity as they worked together with the Younger Generation of the Azure Hills.

And now, after all that work… they could finally take a well-deserved rest, at least for the solstice. The longest night of the year was still a month away.

Their journey back had been swift; it was almost like the roads they travelled along were speeding them to their destination and each step they took seemed more like two or three in distance as they moved with purpose.

They said goodbye to a few friends along the way, and promised to meet them again soon. Loud Boy and Rags, two of Tigu's best friends, had left to spend some time with the Farrow Gang and Boss Tanhui in Grass Sea City—to ensure that the promise that they wouldn't be targeted for their aid in bringing the corrupt, slaving nobles down was still being kept. She had hugged her sworn brothers tight and told them to call her if they ever needed anything.

Handsome Man, or rather Tie Delun, had parted with them after Pale Moon Lake City to head east to his own home in the Iron Fields, while the rest of them continued north. The handsome, freckled man, normally so reserved, had embraced all of them one by one.

And finally, The Torrent Rider, Zhang Fei, as well as Tigu's apprentice, Shaggy Two, had split off at Verdant Hill to head to his own home and regale his family with all he had done. The boy in the rooster mask had made them promise to visit soon so they could go Torrent Riding together. Shaggy Two had just yipped happily, the young Spirit Beast still not quite able to fully grasp Qi Speech.

And now there were five.

Cai Xiulan was humming to herself as they walked, her braids swaying in the wind. The beautiful, blue-eyed woman had undergone a transformation as they got closer and closer to home; it was like a great pressure was easing from her shoulders as her steps got lighter and she started smiling more.

Liu Xianghua was almost keeping pace with Tigu at their head. The blue-haired woman looked just as eager as Tigu to return, her storm-grey eyes locked resolutely forwards. The Steam Furnace on her back would occasionally release puffs of heat signaling her excitement to see her little brother, Bowu, and her lover, Gou Ren, again.

Bringing up the rear was the silver-haired Yin. The rabbit-turned-woman was chatting away with Huo Ten the monkey, talking about mining and digging as they had been doing since they had started their path back.

They were so close to home they could practically taste it. The air had turned sweet, and despite the cold it was like Tigu had been wrapped in a hug.

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They stopped only briefly to say hello in Hong Yaowu, having been greeted by the snow golem they had erected, The Warden that Sends Forth the Ice and Flying Snow. Xianghua hugged Ten Ren and Hu Li. Xiulan had ruffled Xian the Younger's hair. Yin and Huo Ten went to talk to Yao Che the blacksmith, the giant of a man and Spirit Beast monkey snorting and huffing as they flexed at each other. 

Tigu paid her respects to Grandfather Xian and her friend Ty An. The freckled girl had clapped Tigu on the shoulder with a good amount of strength; her muscles were developing wonderfully from the forge work.

But everybody had known their priorities; so as the sun climbed to noon they were back on the road. The road Tigu had helped build.

She started counting the paving stones, counting the marker carvings she had made, even though she knew the path by heart and could have gotten home with her eyes closed.

Ten Li.

She saw the tell-tale scrapes of snow removed by Bei Be's plow.

Eight Li.

Somebody had cut down the dead tree on the left side of the path.

Five Li.

The branches overhanging the path had been trimmed.

Two Li.

She saw Big Man, the largest tree nearby, still jutting proudly to the heavens.

One Li.

More furrows in the snow, where Chun Ke had gone adventuring.

And then finally they rounded the bend, and all of them paused.

At the end of the road right before them was a fence. The Great Pillars of Fa Ram, as Bi De called them.

The maple leaf stood proudly beside the gate, along with a sign that declared that one must 'Beware of Chicken.'

There was some more lichen on the wood, and the gatepost without the plaques had climbing ivy vines wrapped around it, their leaves gone for the winter.

Tigu noted all of these, and disregarded them—because there were people at the gate. 

Tigu's eyes immediately locked onto the tallest of them. He was tall and well-muscled. He had bright green eyes and a giant smile on his face. Freckles dotted his cheeks.

"Well, well, well. Lookie here. Some vagabonds have come callin'," her Master said as he pushed off the fence. His eyes roved over all of them in an instant, making sure they were alright. The brief flash of concern for them faded, replaced by only a look of pride. "Should we let 'em in or run them off?"

"I don't know. Some of them look like they make strange noises when they eat," Tigu's Mistress returned as she stuck her tongue out at Xiulan—the woman did make rather strange sounds when she ate food she liked.

"I say we let 'em in. There's one beautiful belle with 'em," Gou Ren said as Bowu chuckled. He said something else, but Tigu wasn't listening anymore.

She used [Pounce of the Tiger].

Her Master and Mistress caught her with ease, taking Tigu into their arms as she buried her nose into her Master's chest and the top of her Mistress' head. She heard the laughter of Gou Ren and Bowu as Xianghua hit them at nearly the same time as Tigu hit her Master and Mistress.

Miantiao and Chun Ke raced up to Yin, the snake launching himself off the boar's back to coil around his child.

It was warm. It was safe. It was—

"Welcome home, Tigu'er," her Master… her father, whispered into her ear.

"We're so proud of you," her mother said, her voice soft and loving… before turning hard and scolding. "And you! What are you doing standingthere, woman?"

Tigu heard Xiulan chuckle, her voice thick with emotion. And then a fourth person added themselves to the hug. Tigu didn't mind, as her father and mother shifted their grips. Their arms were big enough for a Blade of Grass too.

Tigu felt her heart fill her chest and push up into her throat as tears filled her eyes. Not cold tears of grief… but warm, happy things. Tigu's entire body relaxed into the hug. She absently noted that she was nearly a hand taller than her mother now; she had grown quite a bit over this past year, hadn't she?

"You did good. Both of you. All of you," her father said.

Tigu closed her eyes and just let the warmth fill her.

She was home.

Heavens, how she had missed this.

But her mother and father were not the only ones who needed greeting.

She hugged Chun Ke and Pi Pa. She tussled with Wa Shi when the dragon coiled around her and flung her into a snowbank. She hugged Bei Be and patted his plow. She tackled Gou Ren to hug him, stealing him away from Xianghua—who seemed rather shocked when Tigu's father hugged her too after he got to Yin and told her he was very glad she was home with them.

"Thank—thank you Master—" she got out.

"Just Jin, yeah?"

Xianghua froze, before her grin widened, a genuine smile on her face. Tigu took her moment of distraction to signal to Bowu that they were gonna sneak out, grab Ty An, and have a drink together later in the week.

Her partner in crime grinned and bumped her fist… before Tigu hugged him too and they took turns picking each other up.

Of course, there were people missing. The overgrown bird, Yun Ren, and Ri Zu were still gone… but she knew they would be back. They would be back, and they would trade stories later. 

And there was one more person missing… Tigu gasped.

"What did you name him? You named my little brother Kai, right?" Tigu demanded. Finally she could win the bet—

Her father chuckled. 

"Zhuye."

Defeated, Tigu collapsed to her knees as Yin burst out laughing, pointing at her.