Story 4 - What Happens in a Slaughter Formation, Stays in a Slaughter Formation (Part 4)
Under clear and brilliant skies, we flew south the whole night and into the next morning. Until we reached an expanse filled with dark, quickly-shifting clouds. This left us a single safe route; the space between the clouds above and below us. It was like floating through a dark and fluffy tunnel. Then one grey poof rose from its original position to envelope us.
Water moistened our clothes. But, beyond just the clouds being annoying or obfuscating our vision, they were also dangerous. Not in the, 'Hey, these might be from some asshole's tribulation,' as we'd be able to sense that; but in the, 'Someone could easily be following you,' way.
Red Three tensed and took out a massive spear from his ring. From the energy around it, I could tell that it was a Sky rank weapon.
Red Seven spread his spiritual pressure around us to prevent anyone from overexerting their influence on our fragile bodies. Then he grabbed a handful of medium-tier spirit stones, shoved them into my arms, and unsheathed his own sky rank sword.
Clearly, he wanted us to drive the boat. Shit was about to go down.
I sighed and handed the spirit stones to Little Spring.
His eyes grew wide.
It wasn't like he hadn't used them with a flying spiritual tool. I had taught him how to use the sword... that one time... a couple months ago.
He should be good. Right?
While a large ship like this was different from a small sword it wasn't all that different. He just wouldn't be able to control it very well without divine sense. Whatever. He'd make do.
Just after I expanded my hair stick into its full size, a slash of thin Dagger Qi zipped toward my face. I leaned slightly to avoid it the same time as the Reds avoided their own barrage of bad news.
Our boat wobbled. I spread my divine sense out into the distance where a group of three cultivators who, like some kind of sky bandits, rode atop flying swords.
The one in Golden Core used a technique to control the cloud around us, turning it into more than just water vapor. Something inside, confused those with divine senses lower than — and slightly affected those at — Golden Core.
The boat slipped closer to the assassins.
Little Spring's eyes had grown wide. He looked like a kid who'd stolen a car but didn't know how to drive it.
I sent him a message using the telepathic technique (a better and higher leveled spell than the ol' sound transmission everyone preferred),::Just keep the boat steady! Ignore everything else! Don't even try to move in a direction.::
He nodded.
A slice of dagger Qi shot toward the kid. I slashed it with sword Qi. The energies canceled out.
Fuck. If I had actually been a mere 10-year-old girl in Qi Condensation, he might have died right there...
Red Three threw out several hand seals. The spiritual pressure around us increased significantly. Fog dissipated from the area surrounding our boat exposing the flying sword trio. For the first time, I was able to see our opponents. Everyone paused.
Of the two cultivators not controlling the cloud, one had a black cloth mask and the other left his face bare but sported a sparse mustache that he needed to shave. Mr. Sparse Mustache glared at Red Seven with seething hatred. He didn't even look my way.
::Hey, how much do you want to bet that barefaced assassin over there is here to avenge himself against Seven?:: I telepathically threw at Little Spring.
::I think they're likely after us.::
::Naw, look at that guy. He practically reeks of the phrase, 'My name is Assassin For Hire. You killed my Clan. Prepare to die!'::
::If you really think so?:: The kid smirked. I guessed he was starting to get used to controlling the boat. ::Then I dare you to call him out on it.::
::Oh? Hehehe.::
I pointed exaggeratingly at the guy. "It's you! Mr. Sparse Mustache, Assassin For Hire! How dare you take a job to kill me just to hide your real target — poor Red Seven here?!"
Mr. Sparse Mustache appeared startled and downright confused. Everyone looked at him.
"Come, tell us how you swore your vengeance!"
The masked guy next to him had such an intense flabbergasted expression that I could see it even through the mask. He glided over to the guy and gave him a friendly but rough tap on the shoulder. "You too?! Then let's achieve our vengeance together!"
Barefaced guy opened his mouth to say something but before he could, the masked guy pointed at Red Seven. "That's right! This job is just an excuse to kill you! You may have sold yourself to the Alchemists' Guild, but I'll never forgive you and your clan after they stole my treasure and murdered my family! After decades of planning and killing them off one by one, you're the last left!"
I rolled my eyes at the monologuing. I mean, it was a trait that people in this universe, who had low intelligence, seemed to have. Probably to make it more realistic that villains and cannon fodder the protagonist faced would also monologue?
I really didn't understand how the original author got as popular as he had. It was to the point where even though I'd never read the original story, I'd heard enough about it to recognize my predicament just a few years after transmigration.
But, all that aside... Holy fucking shit! I actually got it right! I mean, sort of. Wrong person. But what were the chances?
"So, prepare yourself, 'Red Seven, to meet your family on the way to drink Meng Po's tea!"
Masked guy started attacking in earnest while continuing to spout nonsense. But at that point, I tuned him out and focused on the techniques. Because, despite saying that he wanted revenge, a lot of his attacks were aimed at me. Same with Mr. Sparse Mustache.
My two guards had to work double-time, not only protecting themselves but my ass as well.
Fortunately, the guild never hired incompetent people. The Reds were stronger than all three of these guys put together.
These idiots had only survived this long due to a life-saving talisman attached to each of their sleeves. Theirs were similar to the one I received from Pill Otaku after winning the tournament, but definitely not from the same source. The inferior products had frayed ends and an erratic spiritual signature that grated on my nerves.
It wouldn't be long before these assassins either ran or died.
Behind me, an arrow of spiritual energy touched my divine sense. It zoomed toward Little Spring.
Blood drained from my face.
I turned to throw a slash of sword Qi at it, but my cultivation was too low. I fucking missed!
Just then, Little Spring dropped all the spirit stones I'd handed him. The boat plummeted. He bent, picking them up and quickly taking back control.
But, in that time, the arrow passed the kid by a fucking hair. His protagonist halo was too strong!
Well, at least he was safe.
Turned out that these bandit-like assassins were a distraction all along!
First, I briefly checked to make sure we hadn't startled our guards by our sudden drop. They hadn't moved, having used the Golden Core ability to create a pocket of air under their feet (it was the precursor to the literal flight Nascent Souls learned).
Next, I extended my divine sense out further, almost reaching the peak of what I could safely handle without breaking my seal. A very strong Foundation Establishment archer stood in an immortal boat far above us and even further away. Her attack had come from so far that they'd had to take into account the damn curvature of the ridiculously Xianxia-sized planet we lived on. Which was actually an exaggeration, since even the snipers from my original world never had to do that.
That said, the attack was still really fuckin' far away.
And it had been aimed at Little Spring.
It also wasn't her only attack. Several dozen arrows of hyper condensed spiritual energy followed after that one, and they were aimed at me.
I had two options. I could waste my energy attacking these arrows, which were at a level much greater than my current cultivation could easily handle, or I could dodge.
Since I'd recently taught Little Spring a really fantastic movement technique with the horrible name, 'Consistent Step, Impossible Leap,' then I may as well show the kid how useful it was.
This technique had two parts. The first was long-distance speed running — perfect for places with flying sword bans — and the second was for when a cultivator was fighting and needed to be across the room, near immediately.
I grabbed Little Spring (who had finally picked up the last of the spirit stones) and used the second version to move us to the other side of the boat.
Red Three and Seven finished a series of hand seals for a massive co-op attack. An enormous pill cauldron formed of spiritual energy weaved into existence. It opened its lid and gulped down all three of the assassins. It quickly shrunk. The cries and moans from the people being crushed within it echoed through the vast sky.
Well. That was one way to make their poor excuses for protection talismans useless.
Unfortunately, it would still take time for this attack to entirely overcome the protection charm.
"Bow!" I yelled at Red Seven. He used his free hand that wasn't contributing to the attack to touch his spacial bag and remove a different bow than the one slung over his shoulder. After he tossed it to me, I noticed that this one would actually work for someone between Qi Condensation and Formation Establishment. I assumed it was his old bow.
I grabbed it and pulled the string back.
As a general rule, I hated working with the bow. A lot of cultivation stories I'd read hadn't included them for a reason. This world happened to not follow that design though, being created by a guy who just threw nearly everything into one big world and shook it up.
But the reason I hated the bow (other than the fact that the dumb author took what should have been a powerful weapon and nerfed it), was because it took too long to form the arrow making it really only good for very long-distance attacks. At least up until Nascent Soul. After that, bows couldn't do shit. But combat at that level changed significantly anyway.
To pull a bow and use energy as an arrow, one had to pull the string taut, and as they pulled, create an arrow using a pattern that super condensed the spiritual energy. They then had to use the spiritual weapon as an aid to shoot the energy forward swiftly. And, while spiritual energy wasn't that affected by gravity, it wasaffected by distance. If one didn't take the time to super condense the spiritual energy it would dissipate before it reached the target. This made quick shots impossible for cultivator archers. Well, they could be just as fast as a mortal archer but that was still slow as fuck for a sufficiently high enough cultivator.
That said, there was one way to shoot arrows very fast. And that was to create several at the same time. Which was harder than it sounded.
A cultivator needed to be able to split their mind and create each arrow by using each section to concentrate. And, I just so happened to be able to do that. In fact, the last time I had was when I read Little Spring's two cultivation techniques when we first entered his space.
This time, because my body could handle it, I split my mind into four and super-condensed four arrows at once. I then shot each consecutively while ensuring that they had the right spin to move the way I wanted.
And just as I predicted, the archer dodged the first attack, she even dodged the second, I could see her mocking smile with my divine sense. But I did it this way on purpose. So she'd let her guard down, after all, what Foundation Establishment cultivator would believe a Qi Condensation child could hurt them. And in this case, when they merely dodged my third arrow and thought my fourth would veer left, it veered right, into the eye of the archer. That should have killed her instantly. If only she didn't also have a protective talisman.
However, seeing that she'd almost lost an eye and had just seen their other compatriots crushed to death, the archer chose wisely, and ran.
And all of this would have happened in the blink of an eye... if it weren't for all the crosstalk.
***
We spent four more days traveling the south road. Red Three and Seven took turns scouting.
They ended up stopping a few more assassination attempts, but by the third day, those dwindled to nothing.
I continued pretending to be boring... which the two Reds may have seen through during a lecture on the third day where I corrected some of the false concepts written in the books Pill Otaku had given me. And I think that lecture might have also enlightened them since they started treating me exceedingly politely.
Well, whatever. My knowledge could just be blamed on my master anyway. No big deal.
On the fifth and final day of travel, we neared Three Kings Sanctuary. So, I had a little chat with the two.
They knew, that I knew, that they were spies. And we all silently agreed to not talk about it.
However, after that silent conversation, I learned that their priority was my safety and not spying (though they were definitely still spies). So, I made a deal, they would use a small illusion formation I set to fool our assassins into thinking we were still on the immortal ship. Then they would lead our enemies away from us (this would get everyone off our asses for a couple of days) and in exchange, I would meet back up with them and allow them to do their job — protecting us until we actually entered the sect.
Apparently, White Lily wanted to be doubly sure of my safety so she had hired them to take me all the way there. Doing as I had planned to do and leaving them entirely would have caused problems.
So, I figured that I'd do them a favor and allow them to guard us... after I saved the Junior Sect Leader.
***
As we closed in on the small town, I decided that it was time to do some skydiving.
As I instructed, we skimmed through the top of a massive cloud. I placed the last flag of the illusion formation, took out my flying sword tool, and hugged Little Spring. Then I saluted my two guards and forced us to fall backward off the boat.
We plummeted through the cloud.
To his credit, Little Spring did not scream. He did clutch onto my robes like a kitten being saved from a tree.
I allowed us to free-fall until just before it would have been too late to stop us from exiting the cloud. That was when I placed the sword under our feet and brought us to a stop mid-air.
My brother did not stop clinging to me. Ah... I may have scared the shit out of him. He had agreed to this ahead of time though. I even said, "Hey, you want to try something fun?" And he was like, "Sure, Fairy Lin."
Though, not telling him exactly what we were doing was a bit of harmless revenge from our past life... Okay, so I shouldn't have taken my revenge out on him but it was too funny to resist.
I yawned as I waited for the cloud to pass by us. This was also to give the assassins enough time to follow after the boat.
Then I slowly took us down to land right at the entrance to Three Kings Sanctuary. It was a small town with a massive defensive wall and an expensive shielding formation that would activate when the beasts from the forest ran rabid and attacked the town.
Beast Tides didn't happen all that often, though. Just often enough that the town was built to defend against them.
Although it was a town, it was large enough that it had many shops that catered to rich adventuring cultivators. Thus we were easily able to pick out the various inns throughout.
Since there were only four in total, it wasn't that hard.
Considering that the Junior Sect Leader was from one of the biggest sects on the continent, I automatically assumed that the team would go to the largest and most expensive inn.
I tugged Little Spring through the front doors and into the huge tasteful foyer.
He bit his lip. "I don't like that Red Three and Red Seven left. Are you sure letting them continue ahead was a good idea?"
"Yes."
"Before we even locate the members from Indomitable Will Sect?"
Calculating the approximate time it would take our sect members to get here, they would arrive at night. Though it was possible (but unlikely) that they arrived earlier. Still, I was pretty positive that we landed our asses here before them.
"We just need to bribe the town's innkeepers. If they can keep track of cultivators who resemble our sect members, then they can send us a message when they arrive."
"Should we split up?"
I grinned. "Not a bad idea."
"Who should I talk to?"
I smoothed his hair. "I want you to stay here and watch out for them. It should be a medium-sized group of five to seven cultivators. And they'll be wearing white robes with cloud patterns on them."
He stared at me oddly.
"What?"
"So, like them?" He pointed to a group exactly like I described who had entered just after I started talking.
I felt like coughing up a mouthful of blood from embarrassment.
Story 4 - What Happens in a Slaughter Formation, Stays in a Slaughter Formation (Part 5)
I ruffled Little Spring's hair in revenge. He scowled up at me.
"Exactly like them. Good job pointing them out."
"So what do we do next?"
"Watch them first, to find out their personality types, and make sure we have the right group."
Of course, I could tell by the chicken-like spiritual beast that perched on a thin young man's shoulder that this was the correct group. While I couldn't remember the exact face of the Sect Leader's nephew, I definitely remembered that vicious little spirit beast. It had scratched me a couple times when I was just a Qi Condensation cultivator in the 4th layer. And its scratches left a nasty itchy poison that took me a month to heal.
While I adored animals, spiritual beasts just did not like me. It was why I never made a contract with one in my past life. Frankly, I felt like one of those cat lovers that couldn't own cats because they were allergic and their apartment had an evil no-pet policy.
But, as long as I kept my distance, they didn't try to attack me... or run away from me in abject terror. Both reactions were exceedingly disconcerting.
But this particular chicken was a vicious little prick. So I'd need to keep my distance from that nephew.
That said, I easily recognized the little formation master, Fairy Third Peach Sapling, since she wore the traditional Formation Master's Compass as a pendant. Her dark brown eyes were droopy and hooded. They constantly moved over everything as if expecting an attack at all times. She nibbled her bottom lip nervously.
Wait, nervous? Why was she nervous? Hadn't she come along because she was into the Junior Sect Leader's girlfriend and wanted to stop their relationship? Was she nervous because she was already planning ways to get rid of him and worried that she'd be discovered?
And speaking of being discovered... I moved Little Spring and myself closer to the wall where we could pretend to chat while we kept spying on the group without them noticing.
Hopefully.
My low-realm counter espionage skills were rustier than I remembered them being, so my espionage skills might be a bit rusty too.
A cool-looking, super-serious sword cultivator scanned the area with sharp eyes. That was the best friend, right?
He stood still, back straight, with perfect posture, and waited while the tired group behind him looked like the only thing that kept them standing straight was pride. I imagine that they pushed themselves hard to get here so fast.
Then there was the Junior Sect Leader who I picked out because, of the three men, he didn't have a bird or the disposition of a sword cultivator. He also, while still tired, appeared chipper... well, chipper for someone who was on a desperate quest to save his master.
This guy had a sharp jawline the superheroes in comics would envy and a polite friendly smile.
"We're staying for the night to rest up, but then we need to head out. For those not practicing grain liberation, I hear this inn has spiritual cuisine. Though it's expensive. But that's up to you. Just be aware that we're only staying here for a short time, so spend it resting. Because there will be little rest once we head into that forest.
"Any questions?"
Ah, so that's why everyone loved this guy. His caring yet firm attitude. Seriously, I'd only just heard this one speech and thought he suited the Junior Sect Leader position. But that was just charisma.
I'd see if he was really as good in reality as most everyone claimed; if he was worth all the heartache. Because of his absence, the whole sect had remained in mourning for a year and then in depression for years after that.
I remembered what it was like in the sect when I first arrived. Most everyone moped about, depressed or upset. As someone who'd never met this guy, it was difficult for me to understand.
Could the absence of this one person really make a whole sect that suffocatingly depressing?
And that was when I saw the fiery blue hair of someone I hadn't expected.
I grabbed Little Spring's arm on reflex. He looked at me like I was crazy and I laughed uncomfortably and released him.
"Sorry. I thought I just realized something shocking but I was mistaken," I lied.
Because it was shocking.
Why the fuck was Fairy Blissful Jujube here?!
A realization hit me as connections I hadn't given enough of a damn about before finally connected.
Fairy Blissful Jujube was, of course, the first wife of Bloodsword. He married her back when he seemed mostly normal. Of course, there were still signs back then that I didn't recognize until later, but that was a different subject.
What happened between Blissful Jujube and that dumbass was actually an interesting story.
When we first entered the sect, she was the untouchable perfect (but still a little dense) 'princess' of the sect. She was the daughter of one of the sect elders and took another sect elder as her master. She had always seemed kind, gentle, and very sad.
The soulmate she'd planned to marry had passed away. Though, no one would say exactly who it was... and I didn't exactly give enough of a shit to look too deeply into it.
Frankly, I only gathered this much information through various sources of gossip that I'd accidentally overheard. And even when she became the first wife, she never spoke of her dead fiancé.
So, by fiancé did they actually mean boyfriend and were just being polite? And the Junior Sect Leader was that boyfriend! Holy shit!
But I was getting off-topic again.
Years after being in the sect, I realized that almost every man (and a few of the women) had a crush on the pretty fairy with golden peach blossom eyes that exuded a delicate sadness.
My junior martial brother was no exception.
But the fairy refused all advances and said that she would never love again.
Then around when we were 16 and 18 and in the peak of Foundation Establishment, the sect sent us to a secret realm that had opened up. It was supposed to give us opportunities to advance to Golden Core.
This was also the same secret realm the nephew died in.
I managed to snag a spot due to my alchemy so I saw some of what happened... But, personally, I did not have a good time there.
In fact, I wanted to go there again just so I could kick the ass of every dickwad and spiritual beast that chased after me while I was stuck there. I mean, just because I snatched a spiritual fruit that could help a cultivator create a perfect golden core! Well, whatever. It was in the past... or rather, the future. Muahahaha!
Anyway, in those types of secret realms, as soon as one entered it they would be transported to a random location. This would also test the luck of the individual.
Bloodsword managed to get teleported to a spot near Fairy Blissful Jujube. They traveled the secret realm together and their relationship grew through the hardships they overcame. By the time the two returned, they were already quite close and even held hands in front of everyone.
Just this simple action caused the men attracted to Jujube to cry as their 'goddess' had been stolen from them.
It also caused the women to rage at having their prospective husband taken from them by that perfect fairy. After all, if he had her, he would never want any of them.
A few years later, he married Blissful Jujube in a quiet ceremony and she joined our peak as his wife.
It was quite the adorable story of a depressed lonely woman finding love again after going through hell with one of her suitors...
At least it would have been if that suitor wasn't the sociopathic asshole main character of a dumbass Xianxia harem novel.
Because once he had 'captured' Fairy Blissful Jujube, he left for another quest and brought home another wife. The nasty faithless fucker. Seriously.
At the time, while I wasn't close to her, I still felt for her situation. I even brought her out to go drinking so she didn't have to stay in the area while he and his second wife had their honeymoon.
I still remembered that brief conversation because it was one of the few interactions I had with that group of braindead idiots where I actually took the initiative to talk to them.
She had looked so sad and upset after seeing the new wife, as if she'd been betrayed.
And of course, when I got her alone and lubricated with good wine I asked, "Why don't you just divorce him?"
After looking terribly shocked at my suggestion she gave me a sad smile and shook her head. "I swore to him that even if the sky fell I would be with him. That we would be husband and wife for the rest of this lifetime."
I nodded, but I honestly didn't understand that sentiment. If I married someone and they brought home another wife I would fucking straight-up murder the asshole. And if I couldn't legally do that, then I would divorce his ass.... and then proceed to make his life a living hell... but I was spiteful like that. (That was also why I decided to just never have a relationship and save myself the trouble.)
That said, Bloodsword really did not understand healthy relationships.
I wasn't into poly romances but even I knew it was fucked up to bring home another spouse without talking things over with your first ones.
"So what you're saying is that you can't leave him, right?"
"I'll never leave him."
"Well, I mean, if he can have a second wife, then why can't you take a second husband?"
She coughed.
"What? This immortal world has poly relationships, there is no reason why you can't legally take a second husband."
She then proceeded to glare at me. "Are you trying to get me killed? Do you hate me that much?!" She then stormed off.
"What?" I rubbed my nose. "I thought it was a good idea." I mean, if one person in the relationship didn't remain faithful, then why should the other person?
Hold on... I think I'd heard of something like this... Was I... was I encouraging a Harem story to turn into an NTR story? No. No. He'd cheated first, after all.
I nodded, satisfied by my reasoning.
Of course, years later and after dealing with her husband's various idiotic wives, Fairy Blissful Jujube turned into a vicious bitch.
However, now that I looked back on it, she had a point that my suggestion would have gotten her killed.
Protagonists of most harem novels were creepy hypocritical assholes like that... Demanding purity out of their wives while they became powerful bags of scum and feces.
And at this moment, that poor perfect (slightly dumb) girl was here as the Junior Sect Leader's girlfriend.
I glared at Little Spring. He shrunk back, confused. Right, this kid was not that gross dumbass. And I'd make sure he never would be. I kindly patted his head.
And since I was already saving the Junior Sect Leader, I'd also save this poor girl from becoming the unloved first wife of a sociopathic asshole.
***
I studied the group as they went up to their rooms, especially our possible murderer, Fairy Third Peach Sapling.
As we followed them I noticed that her movements were all very... Well, she had a habit of trying to take up as little space as possible. If there was a wall, she'd practically hug it. If there was a corner, she'd go stand in it. If there was a room with only one bed, then she likely slept on the floor.
Frankly, if she purposefully killed the Junior Sect Leader then she had God Tier acting chops. I wasn't ruling that out entirely, but I thought it was more likely that she'd caused those deaths by accident.
Fairy Blissful Jujube entered a room and Fairy Third followed her in.
The sword cultivator and Glittering Iron entered another room.
And our dear Junior Sect Leader entered the last in this wing of the inn.
While staying mostly unnoticed, I waited to give him a good fifteen-minute break.
I also needed time to figure out how to convince this guy to bring two little children along with him on a dangerous sect mission.
Hell, even I wasn't entirely sure bringing Little Spring was a good idea, and I'd trained him. But, I figured that we might need his protagonist's luck to get us through this.
As long as it was good luck.
When the protagonist's luck turned bad, things got deadly.
When I'd finally come up with something, I stormed up to the room and knocked loudly.
"Junior Sect Leader Unyielding Firestorm," I called softly in my sweet little kid's voice.
Very cautiously, he opened the door. Good work. It was never good to let one's caution drop while away from the sect.
I smiled up at him and he stared at me in confusion.
That's right, as the Junior Sect Leader he would have seen every new disciple's face, but he had never seen mine. This was the first time in two lifetimes that we met.
Also, at this range, I could tell that his bone age wasn't high. He was probably in his very early twenties. So damn young.
I bowed. "Greetings Junior Sect Leader. I'm Lin and this is my Junior Martial Brother Little Spring. I'd like to come in and have a talk if you have a free moment. It would get awkward if we speak about things out here." Little Spring grabbed my hand and squeezed. "I mean, we both would like to come in."
"You're not a member of my sect."
I grinned wider. "No. Well, not yet. I'll explain if you give me a chance."
His face softened a little. Yep, I was just too cute. How could anyone with a soul deny my simple request?
"It's not appropriate for a girl to be seen in a man's room, even if her brother is with her. Let's go somewhere else to talk."
Ugh. Stupid ancient etiquette bullshit. Fine, whatever. At least, as a harem Xianxia, the rules of etiquette weren't as bad as an actual historical setting. Because fuuuuuuck that. Fuck it all the way to my original universe and back again.
***
We followed the Junior Sect Leader to the restaurant attached to the inn where they gave us a private room with a mediocre obfuscation formation built into it. He ordered spiritual tea and side dishes for us to share.
We waited patiently for our food to be served before I calmly said. "I'll get right to the point. We were sent by my master to help you find the Resplendent Ochre Narcissus, the Five Petaled Windy Spider Orchid, and the Blood-Soaked Resonant Rhododendron. Because you will need the help of a formation master to get your hands on the Blood-soaked Resonant Rhododendron."
His sharp eyes bore into me and a warning pressure fell upon us. In this world, there were two ways in which a cultivator could suppress those in a lower realm. One way was to use spiritual pressure, and the other was to use divine sense.
This guy used his divine sense to intimidate me. Unfortunately, for him, that kind of low-level pressure didn't really work on me. But his divine sense did affect the kid.
Little Spring clutched my hand as his face paled.
Story 4 - What Happens in a Slaughter Formation, Stays in a Slaughter Formation (Part 6)
I used my own divine sense to ease the strain on the kid's body and mind. His complexion slowly returned.
"Calm down! My master is a senior from the sect... I just haven't worshiped him as an official master yet." The pressure eased.
Dealing with the Junior Sect Leader in a straightforward and (mostly) honest manner was actually my strategy. Because, not only was it a bad idea to spout lies to the leadership of the sect, but this was also a test for him.
If he didn't react, then I would know that something was wrong with him. If he cared at all for the Sect Leader, he shouldn't be completely calm in a situation like this. While I would still save him, I would know to keep an eye out for him in the future.
If he tried to kill us without attempting to learn anything else, I would have used the talisman I won in the tournament to protect us, then proceed to make our escape. In the worst case, I would hide behind something and move us into the space.
Of course, if he did take that route, then I would have left him to his untimely fate.
But instead, on reflex, he put pressure on us.
That meant he was beyond stressed. Reasonable for someone trying to save his mentor and father figure.
"My sister and I heard from our master that, at our cultivation, we wouldn't be able to enter the sect without a back door of some kind. And he currently won't get us one. So, allow us to work for you to collect those spiritual herbs, but in exchange, please help us meet with the Sect Leader." Little Spring stood up and bowed very politely.
"Our talents are too good," I explained. "We've already cultivated to the 8th and 12th layers of Qi Condensation."
The Junior Sect Leader Unyielding Firestorm sighed and rubbed his temples. He gestured for Little Spring to relax and he sat back down. "Who is this master of yours? I don't like the fact that he sent children here, instead of coming himself."
Heh. "That's a secret. Let's just say, he's a senior of the retired Sect Leader." I grinned. "Someday you might have to call me, Little Great Aunt."
He chuckled. "Little Great Aunt, huh?"
I nodded with a huge grin on my face, liking the sound of that.
"Because you were so straightforward with me I'll tell you what I'm thinking. I'm suspicious of you."
I nodded. Considering his mission, he would be regardless of how I approached him. But with a straightforward method, we could resolve his suspicions all at once.
It also helped that we were kids and could get away with a lot.
"As soon as we arrived here, you two were spying on me and my team."
Little Spring started putting food in my bowl. "We were looking for the cultivators from the Indomitable Will Sect so we could help them," He explained. "We wanted to make sure we had the right group."
"Sure, but you have to admit that it looks suspicious. Our sect is in a precarious situation right now, and I don't know you two. Even now, you could be lying."
Little Spring then started to fill up his own bowl.
"But, if you really need to see the Sect Leader when he gets better, I will gladly help you see him. I'd like it if you two stayed here. Where you'll be safe. I don't like the idea of taking two children into that dangerous forest."
That was not acceptable.
I sighed. "What if I could prove to you that I am loyal to the sect? Would you allow us to help you then?"
"That is a problem but your age is also a problem... Why are you so desperate to help, anyway?" He narrowed his eyes.
I raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen your formation master? You honestly expect that incompetent amateur to help you find the correct entrance into a natural slaughter formation?"
He chuckled. "And you aren't an amateur?"
I pulled out my Formation Master's badge that showed my high rank for my low cultivation level. Frankly, if I had a higher cultivation then I'd be able to show off more, but whatever. After I passed my tribulation I'd just need time, spirit stones, and a safe place to cultivate. That would solve that problem. Muahahaha.
"As you can see, I'm not an amateur." I sent him a proud adorable smile.
He touched his chin in thought. Hah! He was considering it. Good.
Next, I pulled out a paper, brush, and some pre-ground ink. Then I proceeded to swiftly write down the three-page intro to the sect manual that I'd been forced to memorize when I first reached the sect. But instead of only writing it word for word, I also wrote down the details of each section on the margins. Things that only members of the sect would understand and actually give a shit about.
"The Indomitable Will Sect only accepts those with a strong will. If one is to reach immortality, more than any other trait, a resolute mind is an absolute necessity," I quoted as I handed him the pages I had quickly written.
I grinned at Little Spring. He was glaring at me.
What?
He sighed, took out a cloth, poured some of his spring water on it, and began wiping my ink-stained hands.
Oh. Hehe. Then he handed me my chopsticks and pointed at my food with a glare.
I rolled my eyes but started eating. Ah! Was this spiritual food?! It wasn't of high quality but it was edible. I quickly started devouring the beautiful bites of red meat and the nearly glowing vegetables. By the time I'd finished, the Junior Sect Leader had as well. He looked up at me, the surprise clear on his face.
That was right, motherfucker. I was a genius and I was a goddamn member of the sect. You will not keep me from my home!
"What does it mean to be part of the Indomitable Will sect?" He asked.
"That depends on one's position within the sect." I crossed my legs beneath the table and relaxed. "For outer sect members, it's serving the sect and improving their abilities so they can one day become part of the inner sect.
"For those in the inner sect, it's about empowering themselves so they can be the backbone and strength of the sect. It is their responsibility to protect the sect during times of war.
"For the leadership of the sect, it is to handle the day-to-day affairs and ensure that every disciple is being taught to the best of the sect's ability.
"And lastly, for those closed-door elders in Immortal Ascension Stage, it is their responsibility to protect the juniors of the sect from threats of the same level.
"But regardless of one's position in the sect, we all agree to put the sect first. Because it is our home." I grinned at him.
He stealthily bit his bottom lip as if to stop himself from smiling. "Very concise, Little Lin."
"What about you, senior Unyielding Firestorm? What do you think it means?"
He obviously wasn't expecting me to turn it around and slid his finger along the side of his teacup to stall for time. "It's interesting that you call the sect home so vehemently when you've never been there. But, home is how I see the sect as well. My master took me in when I had just been orphaned and left for dead on the street. Without him, and without the sect, I wouldn't be here."
Since he answered so well, I decided to give him a little bit of the truth, "My master teaches me through my dreams. All this time, he's shown me scenes from the sect. From those visions, I could see that, aside from a few outliers, people treat each other with genuine warmth there. And I look forward to seeing that warmth with my own eyes."
Unyeilding's eyes seemed to glitter with understanding. He cleared his throat a bit before continuing, "Then what cultivation technique does the sect teach?"
"Trick question. The sect teaches the best available techniques for each disciple, within reason."
"Which technique has your master taught you?" He seemed genuinely curious.
Shit. I grimaced. "I have a special constitution so my master developed a personalized cultivation method."
"You trust your master that much?"
I tilted my head. "With his realm, wouldn't you?"
"What was your master's realm again?"
Ah, he was trying to get me to admit specifics so he could catch me in a lie. I grinned.
"I told you that he teaches me through my dreams and that he was a senior to the previous sect master. What is the previous sect master's current realm?"
His eyes widened a bit when he realized my meaning, after all, the previous sect master retired and ascended to immortality around one hundred years ago.
"Ah, that explains... quite a lot. But if that's the case, then what is your master's name? There aren't that many esteemed seniors who've ascended in recent years."
Fuck. I wanted to avoid using him again since it was possible that by lying like this, I could offend him if he found out. Lying to the Alchemists' guild was one thing but to my actual sect? The sect that had ways to contact the person? But there was a reason why it was 'hard to dismount after riding a tiger.'
I sent him a telepathic message, ::Immortal Zhenren Sword Within the Light of Virtue.::
His eyes narrowed. "He never took any disciples. I heard from my master that he loathed the idea. You're lying."
"So sure I'm lying?" I tsked. Well, he actually wasn't wrong about him. It was a well-known fact. But I'd done more research on Immortal Zhenren than anyone else I knew. "The reason why he despised the idea of taking a disciple was because he never met a person brilliant enough to take in. He also believed that taking a disciple would hinder his progress to immortality. So, don't you think his previous attitude might have changed with a change in his situation?"
I could tell that he immediately connected the dots.
"The only issue is that we have yet to officially join the sect and take him as our master."
"Then why hasn't he informed my master about you two yet?"
I rolled my eyes as if I were really a little girl and the answer was obvious. "He wants us to see how far we can get on our own. I shouldn't have even told you his name, but you were too pushy! We're really only supposed to use his name if we get into a tight situation. But I think it should be okay if it's you since he sent us over here to help."
He hid his smile behind his cup of tea then took a sip. "Alright. Let's say I believe you. But how could I possibly risk taking the disciples of such an esteemed master into the forest? You need to stay safe. Once my team comes back we'll head to the sect together."
I shook my head. "Safety is often arbitrary. We could meet with a mishap here just as easily as in the forest."
"But an incident is much less likely to occur here," he pointed out.
"The difference is that you'd be able to protect us if we're by your side. Besides, you'll need me."
His jaw tightened. This guy still didn't want to agree. He was stubborn, like any good member of the sect. But he was doing it out of kindness and his responsibility. And that made a big difference.
I patted his shoulder with a grin. "Trust me. Once your master is better and I officially join the sect, I'll become your martial great aunt. We'll basically be family."
His expression froze. Then he nodded. "You keep insisting that you can help—"
"—Because I can."
"—But we have plans to leave in the early morning. We have to find the spiritual plants and immediately bring them back to the sect. If you can't make it or keep up with us, then you'll need to stay here."
Ah! I saw what he was doing.
I grinned brightly, showing my sharp teeth. "We can keep up. And even if we lose your team, I'll be able to find you."
"If you can keep up then do so." He stood, getting ready to leave.
Little Spring also stood. He stared into the Junior Sect Leader's eyes. "Senior, my sister is a bit too eye-catching. I'd appreciate it if you'd help us keep her abilities hidden for now... even from the other members of your team."
Aww. Was this kid still worried about me? And he probably had a intuition about these new strangers.
Unyielding paused then nodded. "I won't say anything. But your sister will have to do her part as well."
Hey! It was hard being low-key when I was this awesome!
But seriously, even though I found hiding my strength in this instance to be idiotic, I would still follow along. There were a variety of reasons for this. First, I had promised Little Spring that I would keep us safe. I would do that to the best of my ability. Second, the universe fucking loved this little guy. I could even say that it was created for him. So, if he had a bad feeling — a truly bad feeling — then I would listen.
Lastly, I would follow Rule 4 of Transmigrated into a Novel Club: Always stay on the main character's side, even if the odds seem bad.
***
In the middle of the night, just as I suspected he would, the Junior Sect Leader gathered everyone and escaped. This stubborn guy was trying to leave our asses behind to protect us.
Good thing I'd used my divine sense to watch his door or we would have missed him.
Of course, if I had been in his position where a couple of kids were asking to tag along to a dangerous mystical forest I'd probably do the same thing. So it wasn't like I blamed him.
In fact, I was happy. This was an opportunity to show him what I could do. Hehehe.
That young man probably didn't think a Qi Condensation cultivator would be able to go after his team. But he'd learn.
After letting them get a bit of a head start, I woke Little Spring up, took out my flying sword spiritual tool, and left via our room's large window. Fortunately, this town didn't have a flying ban like the previous city, though it was still considered to be impolite. But fuck it. Nobody had time for that shit.
I spread my divine sense out and tracked their progress. They were about thirty li into the forest already and moving fast.
Then they reached a clearing and stopped. They started setting up a small camp. Since their realms were all in the Foundation Establishment, they still needed some sleep every now and then. They'd probably already exhausted themselves to get to this place so fast so they couldn't afford to not rest more at this point. But that just made things easier.
Muahahaha. It was time to show them that they couldn't escape from my clutches.
I landed right outside their campsite. Little Spring clutched the back of my robes and yawned. The kid looked too cute so I patted his head. He was doing well, enduring this. Children needed more sleep than adults. Even those who cultivated.
While walking toward their camp, I collected our flying sword into my ring. I huffed. This flimsy isolation barrier array Fairy Third Peach Sapling had erected had too many flaws. I stopped right in front of one.
Ugh. This camp had a terrible setup. The tents were only in an okay location, and this array was not a good one to use to defend an open campsite like this. It was like they were asking to be attacked.
I sighed. Just what the fuck were they teaching these kids back... now?
I grimaced, covered my foot in spiritual energy then kicked a spot low on the ground, knocking a once invisible flag over. The isolation array vanished and the sword cultivator rushed over to us before I could even say a word. He pointed the blade tip at my face and glared at me.
Man, this guy looked cool. He was probably very popular with the girls who liked that mensao-type. I grinned up at him.
"Greetings, senior. I'm Lin. The Junior Sect Leader may have mentioned me."
Story 4 - What Happens in a Slaughter Formation, Stays in a Slaughter Formation (Part 7)
The sword cultivator narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the kid.
The little main character let go of my robes, straightened his back, and stared up at the muscular man with clear and steady eyes. He stood tall for a child and showed no fear. But, maybe a little anger.
I resisted the urge to pat his head and tell him, 'good job.'
The man sheathed his sword and let out a single short sigh. Then he turned and walked to an elaborate tent.
I guessed this guy was the silent type.
"We have visitors," he succinctly called.
Some shuffling noises came from inside and the Junior Sect Leader exited. He frowned when he saw us.
I smiled so large that I was pretty sure my eyes turned into little crescents. "I told you that I had my ways. Even if you run a thousand li, I'll find you."
Okay, taken out of context, I sounded like a crazy ex-girlfriend... Whatever.
He sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. Poor guy looked exhausted.
"Fine. Since you're here already, we'll make sure you stay protected." He then peered over my head and narrowed his eyes. I guessed that he noticed the isolation barrier I'd wrecked.
"Can you fix that and then set up your own tents? Or do you want to bed with the girls and have Little Spring stay with me?"
I frowned. Was there really a point in separating little eight and nine-year-olds by gender? That seemed a bit overprotective. But, it wasn't like I was a good caretaker for children, so what would I know? Most of the time it was Little Spring helping me out since living like a mortal again had been far too strange.
I glanced down at my junior brother but he grabbed my sleeve. "I'm staying with my martial sister."
I looked helplessly at Unyielding Firestorm and said, "We'll set up our tent and fix the array." I bowed. "Thank you for letting us stay and help. You won't regret it."
He frowned, looked like he was about to say something, but sighed instead while waving us off. Looking done, he went back into his tent.
Little Spring took out our pre-set-up tent from his storage bag and began affixing it to the ground, while I moved several of the flags to a better location and then reactivated the formation.
With an array as bad as Third Peach Sapling put up, it was no wonder she died so easily.
With my improvements, we wouldn't have to worry about some irritating spiritual beast finding our campsite and murdering us in our sleep... As long as it didn't get very lucky or have an obscenely high realm.
***
While the stars still glittered in the early morning sky a loud voice echoed, startling me awake. With a brief glance, I realized that Little Spring wasn't in his spot. He must have woken up already and gone out... or he was in his space since I'd set up the obfuscation formation around us before we went to bed.
Bleary-eyed and wobbling, I wrapped a robe around my shoulders, stepped into my shoes, and shuffled my way outside. I may have tripped a bit as I walked to where the noise originated.
Fairy Blissful Jujube's voice blasted out from the Junior Sect Leader's tent. "You know what. It's late. I'm done arguing with you about this!"
I wasn't the only one who showed up. The nephew — also bleary-eyed — and the sword cultivator both walked over, obviously about to complain.
"We're not done discussing this!" The Junior Sect Leader's voice called.
Jujube stormed out, her long sleeves floating behind her, Unyielding hot on her heels. When they saw the crowd gathered in front of the tent, the two froze.
They shared an awkward look as they likely sent secret sound transmissions to each other.
There was no doubt how bad this looked. Like Jujube had really snuck in for a late-night rendezvous of the intimate kind, that ended with an argument instead.
But I doubted that was the case. She would have been quieter if she'd been planning that. There was also Unyeilding's desire for upholding some semblance of propriety.
No, this had to do with something else. Something I was missing.
But this did seem to tell me that their relationship wasn't as good as I'd thought.
Strong sword Qi suddenly emanated from the direction of the Junior Sect Leader's tent. Then the structure loudly collapsed into a pile of wood, silk, and bedding.
I jumped aside, expecting more attacks. Was this someone trying to kill the Junior sect leader?
I rushed to the back to find Little Spring, holding a sword, his face pale.
"What happened?" Did a monster actually pass through my formation? One that this kid fended off with such strength that he accidentally hit the tent?
Then Little Spring's cheeks turned bright red. "I was practicing and made a mistake."
I opened my mouth several times.
Wait, don't tell me. I turned to find that everyone had followed. And they were staring right at us...
The Junior Sect Leader looked like he was about to fall asleep where he stood and had no time for this. Fairy Jujube bit her lip as if she wanted to laugh. The sword cultivator had the normal expressionless look on his face. And Glittering Iron Omniscience curled his upper lip like a judgmental neighbor about to yell at some kids for being too loud.
I closed my eyes and ran a hand down my face. It was too fucking early for this shit.
Little Spring bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "I apologize to the Junior Sect Leader!"
Fuck. The protagonist's poorly timed destruction trait had reared up again.
I bowed to Unyielding and echoed the apology while also adding, "We'll make you a new tent in the future. But in the meantime, I can try to fix this one."
He waved his hand. "It's fine. I have a spare. Let's all go back to sleep for a couple of hours and we'll talk more when we wake." He turned to the sword cultivator. "I'll squeeze in with you in the meantime."
The quiet man nodded and they quickly set about collecting his things.
Since I wouldn't lecture Little Spring in front of others if I could help it, I waited for them to leave. And this was a good opportunity, I watched them.
This also served a second purpose, which was to make the kid squirm while he nervously anticipated whatever punishment I'd give.
I noticed Glittering Iron pulling Fairy Jujube aside. He no longer had that arrogant look on his face but seemed genuinely concerned. "Are you alright?" He asked using a soft voice.
She briefly smiled at him. "We just had a tiny little argument. Nothing to worry everyone over."
He nodded. "If you ever need anything—"
"I know. Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Jujube yawned her way back to the tent she shared with Fairy Third (who apparently slept like the dead), and Glittering Iron made his way back to his own.
Unyielding Firestorm and the sword cultivator disappeared into a blue tent.
Satisfied that everyone was gone I crossed my arms and raised a brow at my junior brother.
He had the most adorably uncomfortable and chastised expression on his face. I was not going to let that stop me from doling out a lecture.
After crossing my arms to appear stern, I said, "What were you doing out here?"
"Practicing?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to get stronger."
"And what did I tell you about that?"
"That it takes time and effort and can't be done overnight."
At least, it shouldn't be done overnight. I'd witnessed Bloodsword do shit like that plenty of times, but it wasn't healthy. And it didn't lead to a stable base. That instability had him constantly running around on adventures just to find treasures to fix it.
I nodded. "Rest is also an important part of getting stronger. Don't look down on it!" This was by far the most helpful, yet least heeded, advice.
"Yes, Fairy Lin!"
***
When we officially woke up in the morning, they hadn't left without us. Which was nice, because it would have been irritating to chase after them again.
Instead, they patiently waited for us to put our things away. Which, frankly, was just me waving my hand over the tent to throw everything into my ring.
Still, they watched us as if we were suspicious people, which was kinda fair considering what happened a few hours ago. And also, because the cultivation world was filled with sick individuals. One couldn't even be unwary of children as there were child-looking cultivators that could crush a bitch... And even some demonic cultivators who could do depraved things to someone against their will.
Seriously, fuck the original author.
I sighed then remembered where I was. Right. Since I still hadn't officially taken Immortal Zhenren as my master I had to act as a junior to these kids. Ugh.
I bowed and Little Spring did the same, then surprisingly the little guy stepped in front of me. "Greetings seniors! I'm Little Spring, and this is my Older Sister, Fairy Lin. We're here to help in whatever way we can. Though we might not be able to help much."
I blinked. Was this kid still trying to hide how awesome I was? I mean, it was an impossible task because my amazingness exuded from every pore of my body, but I'd let him try it if he wanted to.
"Both of you already know that I'm Unyielding Firestorm," the Junior Sect Leader said then gestured to the sword cultivator. "You already met, Sword Disciple, Justice Reaching Divine Blade."
Oh! That was his name.
Justice stiffly nodded to us.
Then the nephew stepped close, using his adult height to loom above us. His dark green eyes focused on Little Spring then turned to me. The bird on his shoulder bobbed its head as if it wanted to peck my eyes out. But that could just be my bias. At this point, I was used to spirit beasts hating me. Fortunately, the fowl creature was tamed enough to not randomly attack people.
This nephew eyed us both as if we were ants. Or incompetent.
"I'm the sect leader's nephew, Diviner Glimmering Iron Omniscience. You two better not get in our way. If you do, you'll regret it."
Damn, Sect Leader, you never told me your relative was such an asshole.
The shithead then took out a large turtle shell, flicked his sleeve, and stormed off, I assumed, to do some divination or whatever.
Maybe he was just super stressed over his uncle's condition but not a total prick? Considering how kind he was to Jujube last night, and how much the Sect Leader had loved his nephew, I'd give him a shot.
"Ignore him!" Fairy Blissful Jujube flitted over to us. "You two are so adorable! Are you actual siblings or do you just share the same master?"
I mean, did we fucking look related?
"We share the same master, but she's my only family," Little Spring said while looking both very proud and a little sad.
Aww. He was too cute. And the more I hung out with this kid the more it baffled me. Seriously, how the fuck did this cutie become that sociopathic dumbass?! Maybe, if I retraced some of his past life's steps I'd figure it out.
"You're so handsome. When you grow up, I'm sure all the girls in the sect will adore you."
He glared at her with skepticism. She tittered, covering her mouth. She must have been only 17 or 18 during this time period. "Anyway, I'm Blissful Jujube, a Four Arts Cultivator. But you can call me, 'older sister' if you like."
Holy shit. Who the fuck knew that Blissful Jujube was such a fucking bubbly person in her teens. No one fucking said anything. Wait. They may have mentioned that she used to be a happy person before, but wasn't this a little too happy?
Little Spring did not look impressed. Still, he said as if having his teeth pulled, "Older Sister Blissful Jujube."
She nodded happily. Thank fuck she was giving all her attention to the kid because I might throw up if I had to call her that. It was bad enough that I had to call her sister-in-law in my last life.
"Oh! Right. This is my friend. Fairy Third Peach Sapling. She's a very talented formation array apprentice." She waved Fairy Third over.
The girl cautiously came closer, like a deer crossing a meadow. Her eyes glittered when they landed on JuJube, then she blushed and nervously bit her lip. She then unenthusiastically focused on us.
This was the girl who was unhealthily obsessed with Blissful? I didn't see it. At most, she seemed to have a little crush. But I wasn't always a good judge of these things. I might also be missing something.
Little Spring and I both bowed again and he still took the initiative, "Greetings Fairy Third Peach Sapling."
"Greetings fellow Daoists," she replied softly. "If you excuse me, I need to take down my array." She then stealthily tugged at Jujube's sleeve before leaving.
::Fairy Lin,:: Little Spring sent me a telepathic message. ::I don't like most of these people. Let's hide your abilities for now.::
Yeah, I'd already figured out that we were doing that, but since he was asking, I'd play along. ::Sure. Though it may be a little late for my formation skills.::
::It's fine. I've covered for you!::
I wasn't sure how a kid could cover for me, but he was a main character so, maybe he had something in mind.
"Alright, everyone! Glittering Iron has divined the location of the spiritual plant. He said that will be the best one for us to pick up first, so we're going to head there now. Since we now have two children with us who need defending, we're going to switch up our formation. These two will be in the center between Jujube and Fairy Third Peach Sapling. Any questions?"
I could take care of myself but, since we decided to not bring attention to myself, I did not comment. Neither did anyone else.
"From this point onward, there is a natural flying ban in the forest so we'll have to go on foot. Let's run, but make sure no one is left behind."
I'd been training our bodies daily, and slowly activating both of our special constitutions. I didn't fear that we wouldn't be able to keep up despite being a realm under these guys.
Soon we all ran like the wind through the vast forest. We passed by beautiful tree-covered hills and little valleys filled with spiritual bamboo. As we neared them, several small beasts bolted into the dense underbrush.
A few spiritual birds flew through the air, unhampered by the ban, due to the natural nature of their flight. I just hoped they wouldn't shit on my new robes. That... happened to me more than I would willingly admit.
While running, Little Spring and I moved in perfect sync. The others tended to always be either a little ahead or a little behind. I figured that it was because we both used the same special movement technique, so... Wait a second.
After thinking about it, wasn't running in sync like this a little weird even if we had the same technique? I mean, we weren't in a marching band or something. Well, if it helped us stick together, then whatever.
Story 4 - What Happens in a Slaughter Formation, Stays in a Slaughter Formation (Part 8)
It took us hours of running before we finally came to a stop near a small stream surrounded by trees.
Even with my advanced movement technique, my legs felt like they were on fire. I glanced at my brother who had both hands on his knees and breathed in great gasps. He was even more exhausted than I was. We shared a look, then stood back to back to briefly cultivate.
If I were a mortal, I would probably be stretching my calves like my life depended on it. But as a cultivator, I could rely on cycling my base to purify the wear and tear on my muscles, then exhale those impurities and cleanse my aches. It wouldn't get rid of all the pain, but most of it would vanish.
Of course, if we were in Foundation Establishment, we would be able to run at this speed for days on end without experiencing these types of fatigue.
With the insane speed at which we cultivated, it only looked like we stood for a mere minute without doing anything besides resting.
"Okay, " Unyielding's voice sounded next to my ear thanks to a secret sound transmission. "After scanning ahead, I realized that there is a High Rank 2, Violet Single-horned Python. It seems to be guarding the Five Petaled Windy Spider Orchid. It has lost its left eye. I believe it wants to use this orchid to help heal its injury."
That was dumb. It wouldn't actually regenerate much without other herbs to help it along. But a spirit beast this low level wasn't actually that smart.
In this world, they didn't gain true human intelligence until they reached Low Stage 3 (the equivalent of a high Golden Core Cultivator) and they didn't gain the ability to change forms and speak until they reached the equivalent of Nascent Soul... Unless we were talking mystical beasts (creatures like Nine-Tailed Foxes or Mystical White Snakes), who had human intelligence at birth... Then there were ascendant beasts. They were scary fuckers who had above human intelligence.... but that was a whole different story since they were creatures like Dragons, Qilins, White Tiger Gods, and Black Turtles. And one did not fuck with dragons and the like.
"We could take the python in a fight if we had to, but, considering that it is higher than our own cultivation, that wouldn't be easy. Nor would it be quick. So, let's first try to avoid an all-out fight if we can."
Shit. Out of all the pills I'd concocted during my months in Golden Aspect City I'd forgotten to make things like sleeping powders. Those might have been useful here... Then again, all bodies worked differently. So it might have been useless even if I had concocted some.
Well, I wasn't that fond of poisons, so it was easy to understand how I forgot. I didn't even have any herbs on me that would let me make some either.
"If it is asleep, which it appears to be, then I'll tie it up with the Anti-Spiritual Essence Rope."
That was a rope used by sect enforcers to tie up unruly cultivators under Golden Core.
It had a strange effect where, after it was thrown out, it would then wrap around the cultivator or spiritual beast and prevent them from using their energy for however long they were wrapped up. The victim's spiritual energy would be stolen to sustain the tool's enchantment. However, if it touched the cultivator and wasn't able to properly wrap around them, it would waste its charge and need to refill itself. Because of its design, it couldn't recharge quickly. And those who tried, ruined the rope. But it only took 16-24 hours to recharge from ambient spiritual energy.
"If the rope doesn't work, then we'll distract it first while we have Little Jujube collect the flower. Once she's collected the flower, we'll all escape.
"Worst case scenario, we fight it to its death. I'd rather we not do this as we'll likely sustain heavy injuries. We have more than just this one plant to collect. We can't afford to get hurt. Understood?"
We all nodded.
"Good," he smiled confidently. "Diviner Glittering Iron Omniscience, and Fairy Third Peach Sapling, you're on guard duty. Stay here and protect the kids."
A vein bulged in Glittering Iron's forehead but he nodded.
Fairy Third clutched her sleeves and bit her bottom lip but still nodded.
Junior Sect Leader stepped up to Jujube and looked into her eyes. She blushed prettily like a girl helplessly in love.
I kind of wanted to gag. Weren't the two of them just in a fight? I did not believe for one moment that they were on good terms again just like that.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Unyielding asked, voice deep and serious. "It could be very dangerous."
She put her arms behind her back and cutely swayed side to side. She smiled showing the two pear dimples that caused some of the weaker-minded sect members to fall in love with her. "I know. I'm a cultivator too. And I'm the only one here who has experience caring for and collecting spiritual herbs."
That... Worried the fuck out of me. Fairy Blissful Jujube was not what I would consider skillful when it came to spiritual herbs and we desperately needed this herb to be perfect for the sect leader. I took a step forward to volunteer but Little Spring grabbed my hand and shook his head.
Right. I was trying to stay low-key. Sometimes it was so hard to let kids do things on their own.
Whatever. It was probably for the best since if I got near that beast it would try to rip my head off. Then I'd have to use that talisman Pill Otaku gave me for winning the pill tourney to defend myself.
I did not want to waste it like that.
"But I don't like the fact that we're relying on the spirit beast to stay asleep," Fairy Jujube continued. "I brought some sleeping powder with me. I concocted it myself so it should be very good. Why don't I spread it on the snake while I pass by to flank it from the back?"
He smiled, his eyes turning into crescents. "Okay. We'll do that."
Unyielding, Blissful, and Justice Reaching Divine Blade, all moved stealthily through the forest. I watched them using my divine sense and started telepathically giving Little Spring a play-by-play so he could learn something and wouldn't get bored.
::They're nearing the area with the horned python. Fairy Jujube is circling around back. She just used her spiritual energy to spread her sleeping powder all over the snake's head.::
::Justice has unsheathed his blade. Wow, his stance is perfect. We'll have to see if he can exchange notes with you later.::
Little Spring snorted. ::He's not as good as you.::
No. No, he was not. I grinned at the kid. ::So what? You need to fight a variety of opponents to improve::
"How... How long do you think it will take them?" Fairy Third Peach Sapling had brought out a handkerchief. She started nervously twisting it into a spiral.
Meanwhile, Unyielding made the first move by sending out the Anti-Spiritual Essence Rope.
Hold up... That snake was not asleep. Jujube's powder had done shit, and possibly even awoken it. How did these guys not sense that?
The rope neared the snake's neck.
My eyes widened.
Its tail struck the tool in just the right spot that it flew off to the side and almost hit the Orchid. Unfortunately, this meant that the charge had been expended, making it useless for a day.
Unyielding must have quickly realized that his rope trick wouldn't work since he followed up with a massive blast of fire aimed at the snake's eye. The beast twisted its noodle body just enough to avoid getting burned.
::Oh damn! The snake just dodged Unyielding's attack! Now it's using its tail to smack Justice in the face. Holy shit! His ass just went flying!::
Justice jumped back to the fight, blood streaming down his face from both nostrils but he merely wiped it with a handkerchief before sending a barrage of sword Qi strikes at the snake's side then backing away so the serpent had to slither forward.
Unyielding, created a series of hand seals, forming a massive dragon-looking fire attack that surprised both the snake and me. That was a powerful attack called the Fire as Dragon technique. Unyielding shouldn't be able to use it at his realm. No wonder he was the Junior Sect Leader.
Just as I thought the snake would turn into barbeque, it used its horn to deflect the dragon-like flames.
Finally getting around to answering Fairy Third's earlier question, Glittering Iron said, "It's a higher level beast so it may take them a while to get it away from the Orchid." He yawned arrogantly then smirked at Fairy Third. "Would you like to make a bet on how long?"
She straightened her spine, but her knuckles were still white. "What are the terms?"
"One mid-grade spirit stone that we won't see them for at least an hour."
"Deal. We'll see them within an hour. Fairy Jujube is with them. So, I can't lose."
He snorted.
I ignored their bet and kept watching the fight.
Just then the python used a technique to grow huge bat-like wings. It started flapping them. Each beat sent it another foot off the forest floor.
It used its natural ability to fly to strike from a superior position. The attacks coming from it pushed the two Formation Establishment cultivators back faster than ever.
That was when I noticed something...
One eye? Check.
One horn? Check.
Flying? Double-check.
Purple? Triple-check.
Were these cultivators basically fighting the Python Monster equivalent of a 1950s Halloween song?
Yes... yes, they were.
I coughed to stop myself from grinning. This wasn't the right situation, no matter how humorous I found it.
With each strike, the pair lured the snake further away from the Orchid. Then Unyielding brought out the Fire as Dragon technique, burning the giant snake's side.
It bellowed in pain and, while still in mid-air, curled into tight coils.
As this was the distraction they were waiting for, Jujube arrived with a whole fucking shovel. She swiftly dug the Orchid out of the ground... But she took way too much dirt. How the hell was that supposed to fit in a damn box?!
Then she took out a fucking enormous jade planter the size of a massive wine jar, stuffed the orchid in it, and stoppered it. After putting it in her storage bag she bolted into the forest. Then after traveling a minute, she dashed toward our direction.
Wait, fuck. Why was she running this way?!
Having finally noticed that something was up, the flying purple python monster glanced back at the flower's original location. By the way it twisted its body, I could tell that it had become blindingly enraged. Instead of continuing the fight, it flared its snake tongue, probably using it to sniff out the scent of Fairy Blissful.
The spirit beast's hiss echoed through the forest, hurting my ears even from where I stood. In a flash, it soared over Unyielding and Justice and flew furiously in our direction.
I glanced at Glittering Iron and Fairy Third who had stopped watching the fight with divine sense and had started an argument about an error in the text for the Yin-Yang Blazing Dance Movement Technique. Well, it was more like Glittering Iron argued that the spiritual energy had to pass through the Yongquan acupoint during the casting but Fairy Third meekly pointed out that it could be the Fuliu acupoint.
They were actually both wrong... But what was important, was that they'd stopped paying attention to the fight because it had taken too long.
Seriously? Were these idiots going to tell us to move, or what?
"No! You're wrong. How could you possibly even consider that?!" Glittering Iron said.
"But my Master even—"
"—Your master, what?"
"How is the fight going?" I asked casually while feeling like I was about to go insane. There was a fucking enraged monster heading our way and these two dumbasses were talking nonsense. We needed to get the fuck out of here.
Glittering Iron glared at me, "How dare you interrupt your seniors." He stalked over to me and used his superior height to loom. The beast on his shoulder wiggled its bird head aggressively. "It's bad enough that we have to watch over you useless kids, but now you're demanding to know information from your superiors? What gives you the gall?"
Bitch. Who the fuck are you calling useless. You may be the damn nephew of my friend but that doesn't mean I won't smack you upside—
The rustling of leaves and heavy footfalls of a running Fairy interrupted my thoughts. I stared in horror as the swiftly flying python chased after Jujube... in my goddamn direction.
And as if things weren't bad enough, she passed within five feet of me before heading into the forest.
This would not have been that bad if I were a regular cultivator. The python would have continued to chase after her to kill her and collect its stolen plant. And if it were angry enough that it had lost all reason, it might have ignored me altogether. But by passing near me, that left the python no choice but to do the same... By passing near, it connected in its little snake brain, me to the person who stole its plant... and because of my Spirit Beast Hatred Attracting Aura — that I just decided the name for —, it paused. Its remaining golden eye slowly faced me.
If it could kill me with its gaze, I would be paste on the forest floor. The giant monster snake coiled up and hissed, showing off its venomous fangs and figuratively killing me with its gag-worthy breath.
I did not wait to die. Instead, I turned and fucking ran, using the shit out of my Consistent Step, Impossible Leap.
"Mooootherfuuuuucker!"
I pulled out the talisman Pill Otaku gave me and slapped it on my arm for protection. Because, even as I ran, I knew that my cultivation level just wasn't nearly high enough to take on this creature. And I wasn't some main character from a Xianxia who could suddenly make a breakthrough to defeat it.
Well, not if I didn't want to die from getting struck by tribulation lightning.
The snake snapped at me with its pearly whites and I jumped to the side, rolled on the ground, and dodged a tail swipe.
I continued forward, using the second part of my movement technique. It was almost as if I teleported a dozen meters, but it also drained me of most of my energy. So I kept running.
But, fuck, I couldn't keep this up.
I had to get back to the Foundation Establishment disciples. It was their job to take care of this thing... And considering its hatred for us and how advanced its level was, they would have to kill it.
But that was the thing with living in a world like this. One either had to adapt and learn to kill when necessary or one would die. And I had adapted long ago.
I at least stuck with my own moral compass. It wasn't a good and pure and honest one, but it was my own. I'd been criticized for being too kind. I'd been criticized for being too vicious. And after all the criticism I learned that the people calling me out on it really didn't matter all that much in the first place. They could go fuck themselves.
Some beings really needed to mind their own fucking business... Like this ridiculous Halloween Python! I wasn't the one who actually took the fucking plant, goddamnit!
Seriously, where was a giant mongoose spiritual beast when I needed one?