Chapter 66
How to Adopt a Forest (And All Its Critters)
Leo was feeling a bit emotional, a knot tied up in his throat.
He saw the kids off where he first found Lya and Song--it was just about there that he started to have a 'feeling', and he knew it wouldn't be too far away from the actual point past which he wasn't allowed to tread. The two bowed down 'till their heads were just about at their knees, swearing up and down that they would return quickly. Perhaps, was this how it felt to watch the kids back on Earth go to college?
At the very least, it wasn't so for Leo's parents--though he attended university due to his mother's nagging, he still lived with them throughout. In reality, there was a good chance that his diploma was bought by that wing of the library that his parents sponsored--he wasn't the worst of students, but he did skip quite a few classes every year.
Dispersing the distant memories, he stayed standing for quite some time even after they left his field of view--he wasn't alone in that, either. Though most of the animals that have come thus far had dispersed (there were just shy of forty that came to escort the kids), the 'core' remained by his side. Milky and Blackie, especially, were feeling a bit down, and not just today: they'd been feeling so ever since the kids declared they'd leave.
Leo understood; after all, Yue and Liang played with them, while Leo mostly just fed them. He'd never run about with either, and he'd, at most, pet them if they curled up against him.
"They'll be back before you know it," he said, picking up both panthers and cradling them closely against his chest. "Kids are curious, you know? Especially the two who'd already experienced the world. Living in the forest, away from everything, probably wasn't easy. But they never complained. Haah, I just hope they stay safe..."
He finally spun around and left back home.
With them leaving, collecting the remaining materials for the house was entirely up to Leo. Luckily, they'd gathered all the required iron ore, and all that was left were the few remaining hides, some stray reeds and straws, as well as clay.
Per his estimations, he ought to be done with the whole ordeal in just under a week if he worked tirelessly, and just under ten days if he took it easy. There was no rush, in the end, so he was likely to take it easy.
"Hm? Gray? What are you doing here?" Leo spotted the shaggy dog suddenly burst out from the bushes. The animal barked quite a few times, though, unlike with the rest of the animals, Leo couldn't even gauge approximate meaning of those barks. "That's a great story, I think. Come on, let's go back to the camp. I'll fix us all a nice fruit salad. You guys haven't tried my world-renowned fruit salad yet, right? Haah, if only I knew how to get my hands on some ice. I guess you can use Qi to freeze the water, but if I knew how to do use Qi in such great ways, I wouldn't be so weak, eh? Ha ha ha."
The dog joined them, matching Leo's pace evenly. Hoot was perched on top of his head, Red was on his back, Howly was taking up the rear, and a few odd critters were hanging loosely from his robes. It was back to the very beginnings, he realized, where it was just him and the inordinately beautiful life of the forest.
Though it hadn't been that long--not even two months yet--since he came to this world, it feltmuch longer. It was almost nostalgic, in a way, as it reminded him how days felt back when he was a kid. The older he got, the quicker the time seemed to pass. And yet, here, he felt like a kid again. Every day felt long and full, and every week felt like an eternity, with the exception that he had no schoolwork to attend to.
He picked one of the bigger bowls that Yue had brought along for his fruit salad--as it wasn't either breakfast or dinner time, there weren't any wanderers so he didn't have to make too much. The first thing he did, however, was go to the pond and dip all the fruits inside for at least ten minutes, cooling them. Even if the water wasn't exactly freezing, it was cool enough that it ought to help.
Next, he began to chop and slice, dressing the salad in rather ornate ways--circular and swirly patterns, 'top hats', as it were, trying to make it as much about presentation as it was about taste. In the end, he made something half-decent, at least per his account, and presented it to the rather interested friends of his. All the usual suspects were here except for Long Jane-son whose nest Leo replenished just a few days ago. He caught a glimpse of the pretty little thing, and she was curled up at the bottom, fast asleep.
"Wow, this ain't half bad," he said as he took a bite of a few fruits at the same time. The cooling effect definitely helped, but what helped the most was that the fruits here were naturally sweet and tender. "Yeah? You guys like it?" his furry friends voiced in agreement, and the large bowl of fruit salad was soon empty.
As everyone dispersed into varying corners of the woods, only Leo and Gray stayed behind. The shoddy-looking thing was sitting on his rear legs and looking up at him with those round eyes as though desperate to convey something. As for what...
"Woof!" the dog barked yet again and stood up, wagging its tail and glancing back at Leo every few steps. He'd have been a fool at this point if he didn't know that the dog wanted to follow him.
"Alright, alright, lead the way," Leo stood up and merrily went after the little thing, wanting to see what the dog found. Of all the anomalies in the forest, dog was near the top--an entirely ordinary animal that seemed entirely incapable of cultivating (as no matter how much it ate Leo's meals, the only thing that changed about it was that its coat was a smidgen shinier than at the start) living so freely among the rest of the forest.
The little dog led him southwest, just about ten minutes from the camp before it suddenly stopped in front of an ordinary-seeming tree. It was birch, just like all others around it, its bark white and trunk thin. Leo was confused only for a moment before he heard something else--a meow.
His eyes immediately veered up toward the canopy where he caught sight of a tiny little kitten clutching tightly onto a branch, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Gray barked once again, and Leo (ignoring asking how a seemingly ordinary kitten randomly showed up in the forest) immediately leapt at the tree and swiftly climbed it, reaching the shaking kitten within the blink of an eye.
"Here, little guy," rather than yanking the cat from the branch, he extended his arm and connected it to the tree, building a bridge of sorts. He expected the kitten to be rather wary and take a while, but the tiny little thing immediately moved across his arm and onto his shoulder, wrapping the tiny little paws around his neck. Leo, stifling a laugh, descended quickly where Gray was waiting for the two of them, tail a-wagging. "I'm not even gonna remotely ask how this happened. I fear my brain would melt." he chuckled as he tried to put the kitten down, but the tiny little thing wouldn't budge, still firmly gripping the back of his neck.
Even though it tried to do so with the claws, since Leo's skin was rather thick, it didn't really hurt or bleed, so he just let it be.
Returning to the camp, he carefully poured a small amount of fruit juice into a bowl, which was when the kitten finally descended, seemingly tempted by the sweet scent of fruit. It began to quickly gobble up the colorful liquid while Gray and Leo stared from the side.
"Dogs, cats," Leo mumbled. "Has the genre changed again? Am I now a farmer or something?" he was, just a bit--he also had the garden to tend that Yue left behind, and now two domesticated animals to take care of. The only thing he needed were some chickens and cattle, and--dispensing the thought, he stood up and stretched lazily a bit. The day was still rather young, and as he'd run out of meat already, he headed back out toward the canyon for today's hunt.
As soon as he made the first step, the kitten jumped and latched itself onto him once again. It seemed entirely unwilling to part, and Leo wasn't going to force it. Gray stayed behind, lazily stretching in front of one of the huts just where there was a lot of sun still, and likely taking a nap. In the end, the only other companion turned out to be Blackie. She seemed quite curious about the kitten, but as it saw the tiny thing shivering immediately in fear, she didn't try to probe any further and merely did what she always does--run around the forest, occasionally show up for a couple of pets, and leave once again.
Leo mused that, had this sort of thing happened when he first arrived here, he'd likely mull over it for days, as he did for most things back then. And yet, now, he seldom had either energy or desire to do so. There was a dog in the forest, so why not a cat? Rather, there were already cat lookalikes in Milky and Blackie, so an actual kitten showing up almost seemed like a no-brainer.
"~I was following the pack, all swaddled in their coats," he began to hum a song, letting the wind gently caress his cheeks. "With scarves of red tied 'round their throats, to keep their little heads from fallin' in the snow..."
Chapter 67
Toward the Hidden Realm
Shen Tao was feeling fidgety.
It wasn't a normal occurrence for him, but he was fidgety nonetheless. He thought he'd have to wait years, at the very least, in order to prove himself in the Holy Blade Sect and earn the right to venture out, and yet, it was happening already--just about a week after he joined.
In fairness, it was entirely due to an anomaly, an unprecedented event--Obsidian Dragon Realm, one of the most vaunted hidden realms of the Lower Ashlands, had opened up five years before it was scheduled, throwing the wrench into effectively everything. It seemed that every Sect had to scrap and claw--Holy Blade Sect especially, given the recent battle that took place within the valley--in order to gather together enough Disciples to send into the realm.
Even if they weren't quite as prepared, missing an opening was out of the question. Despite the fact that Obsidian Dragon Realm was one of the 'weakest' hidden realms of the Lower Ashlands, that only really spoke of the limit of those who could enter--in this case, only Disciples of Core Formation Stage and below could set foot into it.
There were precisely five openings to the realm across the Lower Ashlands that opened up simultaneously--one was in the far east, just south of the Heavenly Jade Pavilion and within the Kingdom of Fenghuang; the second was to the far north, near the Thunderclap Hall and their Lake Lightning; the third was at the central border between the Western Reach and Eastern Reach, within the Blazewind Ridge known largely to house the largest number of corpses within the Lower Ashlands due to over two hundred years of constant skirmishes.
The fourth opening was within the Kingdom of Qionghua, specifically the Dragonhold, deemed 'impenetrable' by everyone. As far as Shen Tao knew, the Kingdom charged an arm and a leg in terms of entry fees, so few ever went there.
The last entrance was also the one he was currently traveling to--it was north of the Holy Blade Sect and west of the Bloodmoon Sect, within the Shifting Sands Expanse. They'd crossed the border just an hour ago, and as its name implied, it was quite literally just sand expanding everywhere--dunes arose and fell, the smooth surface of the sand seemingly scorching. It was also rather hot, far more so than Shen Tao was accustomed to, forcing him to use Qi to cool himself down.
He wasn't alone in his journey--there were precisely five Disciples and an Elder escorting them. Besides him, there were his 'guardian', Qui Mei, then there were a pair of Disciples that he eyed ever since the Heavenspan Tournament, Song and Lya, and lastly the oldest among them, and the only one at the true Peak of Core Formation Realm, Long Hao. He was already closing in on his mid-thirties, showcasing that his talent was, at best, so-so, but he was still the strongest among them at the moment.
Shen Tao didn't recognize the Elder escorting them--it was a rather old-seeming man whose cultivation looked to be at Early Fusion Realm. It was rather shocking that the Sect could spare any Elders given its current situation, but being escorted by a Fusion Realm cultivator felt somewhat dispiriting.
Glancing to his left, he saw Qui Mei resting cross-legged. As Elder Xiaoling said, the woman never left his side--they ate together, meditated together, and cultivated together. She was his shadow, and though it was a rather pretty shadow, he was getting a bit annoyed as he almost felt like a child being carefully hovered over. He couldn't complain, however, especially now that he was allowed one of the five entrances into the Obsidian Dragon Realm.
Even if Shen Tao wanted to believe it was the Sect 'paying forth' his Father's sacrifice, the likelier reason was that they simply didn't have any other good candidates. Ordinarily, someone like Long Hao would have never been allowed on this mission: he was too old, with too mediocre of a talent, and he would have simply wasted a spot that could have gone to someone far younger. However, it seemed that the Holy Blade Sect suffered far more in terms of casualties than they let on. He'd assumed that most of their dead were Disciples at Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, but it seemed that even their Core Formation Disciples were hit.
One in particular was missing--that stupid-seeming brute that Shen Tao was never able to defeat. Granted, the man was a few years older than him and at Peak Core Formation, but he seldom knew how to utilize anything of what he was taught. For the most part, he just ran at people and punched out. He didn't think too much of never seeing him in the Sect itself, but now that he was missing from this expedition... it seemed that he, too, had fallen.
As such, Shen Tao got the slot. Thus, he found himself afoot a flying boat, heading over the dunes of the Shifting Sands. The boat itself was on the smaller end of the flying transports, the sort that would ordinarily be used for short-distance travels. But Shen Tao understood, ultimately--whatever little resources Holy Blade Sect had, it had to use them all as means of reconstruction. Chaperoning kids on a smaller boat, even if their prestige would take a bit of a hit, would still do just fine enough of a job as any other boat.
"Ordinarily," the Elder standing at the far front and operating the boat suddenly broke the silence, his voice quietly aged yet permeated with strange conviction. "You each would have been assigned a personal Elder for thirty days before being sent off to the Realm. You would have been taught every bit of knowledge that we have in great detail, ensuring the greatest chance of success. However, we have no time for that. As Long Hao had already visited the realm before, he's been selected to be your guide," Ah! Shen Tao exclaimed inwardly, glancing toward his Senior Brother. The latter was extremely average looking, and would have been difficult to pick out from the masses. "While we do not believe in absolute Seniority, please do try your best to listen to your Senior Brother."
"Yes, Elder!"
"A few things to keep in mind: we have decent relationship with most of the Sects, so it is unlikely that someone will go after your lives, but you will still be competing for resources. Do note, however, that every time the realm opens, quite a few unscrupulous actors manage to sneak in. Thus, every time you meet another cultivator, you must state your identity clearly, and they need to do so as well. If they refuse, consider them hostile and as a threat to your life and act accordingly."
Though Shen Tao had vague knowledge of the Obsidian Dragon Realm, it mostly came from when he was very young and listened to his Father explaining the realm itself to those who would venture. Most of it, however, had to do with what opportunities to chase and where, rather than warning what to avoid.
"You've each been given one life-saving treasure," the Elder continued. "Unfortunately, we were unable to provide any more as previous times. Because of this, we strongly encourage you five to stick together. Per our estimates, even if other Sects are just as unprepared as us, they are likely to send only Disciples at the Peak Core Formation. Even if you can contend against them, it is never a smart idea to provoke people unnecessarily. Quietly move as a group, explore the ruins at the outer edges of the realm, and never, never, venture past the Winged Ring."
"What's the Winged Ring, Elder?" Song asked.
"According to the myth, Obsidian Dragon Realm was constructed from the flesh, bones, and essence of an actual Dragon. The reason people believe this is that, throughout the realm, you will find scattered parts of what looks like a massive beast--tailbone, skull, wings. Particularly, the wings appear at the edge of the outer portion, and look like mountains. So, if you ever look to cross those mountains... don't."
"Why? What's in the inner portions of the realm?"
"Demonic Beasts of Spirit Creation Realm and above." the Elder's words quieted all the questions and forced everyone to accept the simple reality. Even Shen Tao wasn't arrogant enough to believe he stood an iota of a chance against a Spirit Creation Realm beast. He seldom stood a chance against a Peak Core Formation one, to begin with. "Every time it opens, most Disciples end up rushing to the so-called Golden Ruins, searching for artifacts and cultivation methods. If you want, you can do so as well--but the artifacts are few, and Disciples plenty. I recommend you focus on looking for medicinal herbs and fruits. Even if only eight years had passed, most of them should have been refreshed as the soil inside the hidden realm is quite potent. However, this is your opportunity," he added, turning around and flashing them a faint smile of yellow teeth. "Do with it what you will."
Shen Tao was conflicted--on one hand, he recognized it was probably best he stayed with the others for the full duration of the hidden realm, integrating himself into their good graces and perhaps even learning the secret about the forest. On the other hand, Obsidian Dragon Realm was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if he passed on all the possible treasures awaiting inside just so he could play buddy-buddy with the people he didn't even like, he felt he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
He was confident in being able to survive on his own, especially given that he had more than a dozen life-saving treasures in the spatial ring that his Father gave him. Even going beyond the Winged Ring wasn't impossible if he was willing to use a few of them, but as he had no clue whether there were any good opportunities, he had no plans for now.
"Master said," Mei suddenly spoke to him through telepathy, startling him momentarily. "That you can do whatever you want in the realm, but you cannot use your identity as our Disciple. If you commit any crimes, you will be banished from the Sect permanently. So long as you return to us before the realm closes, we won't ask you what you found, or to share it with us." just as Shen Tao was about to smile, another set of words trickled into his mind. "However, you will never be treated as anything other than an ordinary Inner Disciple from now on."
"... isn't that just telling me to shut up and follow you?!"
"Yes." he sat stunned for a moment, not having expected her to be so blunt.
"Fine," he relented in the end, deciding to go back to his original plan--forgo the possible rewards in lieu of becoming 'friendlier' with the others.
He sighed, glancing stealthily at her--her frost never thawed. From dawn 'till dusk, her face remained expressionless, and her eyes stayed cold. Save for the first day when he managed to fluster her for a passing second, she hardly reacted to him. They spent an inordinate amount of time together as a man and a woman, and yet it was as though he was wind, not even a person. For someone who always considered himself rather good-looking, it hurt his pride a little bit to have someone (someone he even considered a possible marriage partner) look through him like he was a ghost.
In the end, he looked away and back toward the sandy dunes. His heart, ever burdened, sped up slightly, so slightly, in fact, that even he hadn't noticed.