When they returned, outrider Lu bowed to Xie Taowei.
"Master, there is a Fist sect ambush ahead of us, in the glade. At least ten people, maybe more."
"How do you know it's Fist sect?"
"Dispile Xin managed to determine it with his eyesight."
"What exactly have you seen, boy?"
Xin got tense.
"A man was hiding in the bushes, the top of his head absolutely bald. I haven't seen the robes, but it would be absurd to think we just happened upon a fully shaved bandit along our route."
"It's not up to you to make these conclusions, kid. Are you sure it was a man in an ambush?"
"Yes, I deduced his position, he was hiding and looking in our general direction, but I also think he didn't notice us, master."
"Fine, I'll trust you. I suppose we should try diplomacy first, we are a bigger sect, after all."
Murong Zhan pulled out his bag of holding, and retrieved a set of armour out of it, quickly donning it. It was a light metal scale armour, made out of expensive alchemically reinforced materials, shining with a silvery glimmer around its sharp edges.
"You had a set of armour this whole time, disciple?" Xie Taowei looked annoyed.
"Yes, master. It's not convenient to wear during the travels, so I keep it in my bag of holding."
"This is idiocy, you lazy noble ass. You are to wear it at all times now!"
"Yes, master." He looked as if he was about to snap, but complied and bowed instead. Xin actually agreed with master Taowei on this one.
"Cover me from behind, all of you. Prepare your ranged methods. I might send out some flagellums, submit and donate energy if I start demanding it. Follow my movement orders precisely, or I don't guarantee your survival. Get ready!" He marched forward, gripping his mallet-like hammer. His skin was emanating a subtle dark yellow aura, and his steps were unusually loud.
"Hey you, in the glade, you've been detected! Come out!" He shouted out after a minute of walking forward. No response.
"We are a Five Elements Transition school caravan, moving through the Xuanwu clan territories! Do not obstruct us, we are on an important mission! Reveal yourselves!"
No response again.
"Fine! How about this! I am a rank two master, and I have a competent party following me! Unless you come out, I'll give an extermination order, and we'll have to kill everyone in this glade! Tell me what you think!"
The leaves rustled, and a bald man stepped out. He wore orange robes, and had thick prayer beads around his neck. In his hands, he was holding a sword made out of grey metal, with ornamental patterns adorning the blade itself. Some rare material, Xin thought.
"Greetings, senior! Name is master Sen, Mission Instructor of the Main temple. I am here with a party of disciples, and we require your assistance."
The man looked to be in his late thirties, which probably made him younger than master Taowei, who looked the same, but at rank two. Fist sect members were mostly physical cultivators, and these usually aged normally.
"Assistance, you say? Sure, a gentleman helps a gentleman, but only if given proper respect. I'll hear you out!"
"Thank you for recognizing me, master. This territory was assigned for protection by our sect, and we've been ambushed by a pack of steppe monsters. We've got some injured on our hands, but our party still numbers twenty five warriors."
"Protecting this territory? That's Xuanwu clan territory, and you don't look like their clan warriors. What gives you the right?"
"The clan's forces are stretched, and this territory is plagued by giant insects! We've volunteered to protect this territory, along with the trade. Thing is, we are in need of all sorts of supplies. It would only be fair if you donated to our war effort."
"Giant insects, you say? They don't venture so deep into the Inner Circle! If you want to extort us, I am warning you, it's a terrible idea! Let's not shed blood today! Lay down your weapons, step aside and let us through until it's too late! You don't want to start an intersect conflict over nothing!"
"Master, what conflict? We are doing an honest job, sacrificing lives to protect the fields and homesteads of the region. It's only fair that we are supported and compensated! We live our lives in an ascetic manner, with no regard for earthly pleasures, how could you accuse us of being extortionists? It's all about justice! Saint Muni assigned us as the protectors of this land, and it's only right for the outsiders to recognize this!"
"Saint Muni? Listen, pal. I don't give a fuck about your lunatic claims." After the Fist sect master insisted he recognizes their new religious leader, he dropped all pretenses of diplomacy. "We've got a job to do, and we are legally allowed to pass without answering to some forest shmucks. Send out your strongest warrior for a duel, or let us through, but stop wasting my time with this pathetic ambush!"
Xin was nervous. Will there be bloodshed? He leaned on his glaive as he held his crossbow aimed at the bald man. Will be a very tough shot to make.
"I will retreat for a minute, then I'll give you our answer. Please wait, master... What is your name?"
"Xie Taowei, I've defeated plenty of your guys in tournaments when I was younger, you won't bluff me into paying you today!"
The man disappeared in the bushes. The whole squad prepared their weapons, and tried to observe the glade for the signs of movement. In thirty breaths, the man returned.
"Forgive us, master. It is clear to us that your squad is equipped to handle the hardships of this travel, and that you are also contributing to the protection of this region, in your own way. I'll take the liberty of letting you through, but I can't promise I won't be overruled next time. We'll leave the glade and let you pass unobstructed." He raised his arms, then waved his hand to the people behind him, obscured by the leaves.
A group of around twenty people emerged from the woods. Only four of them wore the orange robes, everyone else wore white. The orange robed men were all carrying grey metal weapons, while the white robed people, who Xin concluded to be disciples, had simple peasant weapons like spears or scythes. They had several people bandaged with them, limping or crouching as they walked. The Fist sect monks retreated into the nearby steppe, and the FETS party entered the glade.
"What were those weapons?" Outrider Lu asked Xie Taowei.
"I'll be fucked if I know. Didn't look qi active to me, but who knows."
"That's ash meteor iron, masters." Tu Qiang revealed. "Those are high quality military goods, produced in the forges of the Divine Sword sect. They are better than steel equipment, and carry some basic enchantments more often than not. It's clear to me that they are a sign of two sects cooperating. They wouldn't all go out of their way to buy this specific expensive weapon, unless this was the case."
"Makes sense, master Qiang." Xie Taowei nodded. "We need to make sure they don't trail us. Outrider Lu, take care of this."
Lei was standing near Xin, his blade drawn, clad in his chitin armour.
"We should have attacked the fuckers. Most of them weren't even proper warriors, we'd wipe the floor with them. And these orange robed fucks can't rival a rank two guy, I am sure of it. They are around rank one in strength."
"We could still take losses, and we'd be responsible for starting the intersect conflict. We are lucky they backed down, it would be a lose-lose situation for everyone involved." Xin was annoyed with Lei's hotheadedness.
Rui Ming raised a point:
"I mean, of course they are wrong to do this, but let's consider their perspective. If there are actual monster attacks, and if Xuanwu clan can't protect the border, from their perspective, doesn't it justify their actions? If Xuanwu can't protect their subjects, what right do they have to call themselves their lords?"
Lei instantly became agitated:
"You justifying this fucking shit? What next, are you going to shave your head?"
"Calm your tits. We need to better understand their logic, to understand what drives them. Will make crushing their hopes so much easier once we are at war."
"Ha, what a psycho."
Xie Taowei interrupted their chat:
"Shut it, kids! The fort is an hour of travel from here, let's move steadily!"
Bai Du's fort turned out to be a humble fortification. Two-storied tower, a shabby stone wall protecting a modest courtyard, and a bunch of watchtowers some distance away from it, to gaze further into the steppe.
"Open the gates! It's the elementalists!" A shrilly voice shouted.
The group entered the courtyard, and a line of soldiers met them, with a fort's officer bowing to the entering cultivators.
"Greetings, master Taowei. Bai Du's fort welcomes you. How may I be of service?" Apparently, the Xuanwu clan's soldiers respected the sect enough to meet their group with honours.
"We'll stay for a rest, then we'll travel deeper towards Zadana. Let's go to your office? I have a delivery for you."
"Of course, master. Some tea? Sergeant, provide the lodgings for our guests. Please give the rank one masters a proper room."
A middle-aged man in shoddy armour, carrying a ji polearm, led the colourful group to the barracks that smelled like sweat and alcohol, while a higher ranked looking man led Tu Qiang and Outrider Lu away.
"We'll provide some fresh sheets for you to cover your beds with. We'll sleep in the bedrolls outside. We are cooking rice for dinner, tell us if you want a portion. Please contact me if you need anything, dear guests."
Lei seized the opportunity.
"Hey, just wanted to chat. What is the news here? Heard about the Fist sect?"
"They patrol around this area. We have no means to force them to stop, and frankly, I don't mind these bald freaks killing a bunch of monsters. Makes it safer for our rangers."
"Monster activity? This route used to be somewhat safe, right?"
"Well, word is, that giant boar that ruined Tealstone was followed by all sorts of creatures. Many ran away and are doing their best to survive. It's been months, many insects managed to multiply and are now raiding the farms and homesteads. There are sightings of cannibal grasshoppers all around the area. Our fort is safe, the farmsteads — not so much. We are actually paying per head, if you are interested in this kind of bounty."
"Cannibal grasshoppers? How strong are they?"
Xin interjected:
"If I may?" The sergeant nodded. "They are a separate breed from qi active overgrown grasshoppers. They are pretty vicious and their power varies. An adult grasshopper lays the eggs in the corpses of large creatures, like horses or cows. These grasshoppers grow to the size of a small pony, but with each feeding and qi source they find, they get closer to one of their moultings. Each moulting they get stronger and larger. By the fifth moulting, they are pretty crazed, and seriously qi infused, strong enough to rival a weaker rank two master."
"Shit. It's that bad?"
"Well, a warrior with a polearm can kill an early stage one pretty reliably, but higher stages usually have various innate qi powers. Insects that mutate like this are pretty malleable, you never know what to expect. This makes them quite dangerous."
Su Xing questioned:
"Well, they are still mostly wood element, right?"
"Correct."
"With you, Lei and Murong Zhan all wielding metal element, we've got plenty of ways to kill them, don't we?"
"I suppose. But be careful, limb loss doesn't instantly kill them. I'd recommend hitting their breathing gateways." Xin showed an approximate area on his own body. "But it's covered in chitin, so you can also just aim for the head. Their eyes are big and especially vulnerable."
Wu Xiaoyun smiled and said:
"Younger brother Xin is very knowledgeable, I am impressed. Aiming for that outrider spot?"
"Thank you, sister, but it's nothing. I just loved reading about this stuff as a kid, and had free library access. Oh, and my father was a knowledgeable man, he taught me a lot. He should get most of the credit."
"I don't care where the knowledge comes from, it's not like it smells based on origin. Let's hope we can combine our skills to survive. This journey looks more dangerous every second, I've got a bad feeling in my gut about it." Murong Zhan added.
"It's good to listen to your gut, just don't shit yourself." - Wu Lei said. Everyone laughed.
"This joke makes no sense! If someone listens to their gut, they are less likely to shit themselves. No?" Xin was confused.
"Damn it, I am off to sleep. Dreaming about wine and good women, without seeing your fuckface or hearing your smartass comments."
"Just don't shit yourself."
"Whatever." Lei chuckled lightly, and covered his whole body with a blanket.
By dawn, the party ventured forth, through the forest-steppe. They were on a constant lookout for enemies, whatever they might be. Xie Taowei looked pretty tense.
Tu Qiang addressed him:
"Master, may I be of help somehow?"
"I don't know, may you?"
"You haven't been the same since you talked to that officer. May I ask what happened?"
"Eh, it's not that bad, we just need to stay alert. Let's leave this to Outrider Lu and that 'prodigy' kid. He's got good eyes on him. You still pissed?"
"About what?"
"I've been there, at the tryouts. And now, the thing with your chick. You look pissed."
"Master, it's nothing compared to what's coming. I am bracing myself for having to fight for my life, during this caravan or some time after. Divine Sword or Divine Fist, I feel the war is inevitable."
"How about both? If I was them, I'd pincer us. Look, our faction is stronger, there is no need to be afraid. I can assure you, our Sect Leader is one of the strongest masters of the continent, even if our sect is lacking. And we've got our formation, too. There is something that bothers me, though. In Clay Nest, there is this..." He was interrupted by a horn blowing.
Alarm!