"Your papers, please." The man at Zadana's gates wasn't nearly as impressive as the guardsmen at Clay Nest. The walls of the city themselves were half as tall, and looked worn out.
"Yes, officer. Here's the missive." Tu Qiang retrieved a scroll out of the bag of holding and handed it to the guardsman.
"Master Taowei, huh? You all look like a bunch of teenagers. What happened?"
"It's a long story, officer. I am master Qiang, master Taowei's successor. Our seniors have perished in battle with demonic cultivators."
"My condolences. Well, you have a Border Guard escort with you, so you seem legit. You may walk in. Next time, you'll pay an entry toll."
"Thank you, officer. Doubt we'll come back any time soon." Tu Qiang pointed for his group to enter.
"That's it. You're on your own now. Remember about the horses." The cavalry officer said.
"Any advice for being in the city?" Xin asked both officers.
"Eh, don't go around bothering people. It's not exactly a high-trust society. Follow the rules and you should be fine." Said the gate guardian.
"Finish your business and leave. The faster you do this, the better. There's no point hanging out here. Remember, your sect has enemies. Don't give them time to react." Said the cavalry officer. Xin nodded.
The group and the escort parted ways, and proceeded into the city itself. After asking for directions, they headed towards a nearby inn, one of the better ones. The inhabitants of this city were quite diverse. Most were of Clay Folk, but there was plenty of nomads wandering around, along with some white and islander foreigners. Zadana was close to the edge of the world, and thus the Mists.
At some point, Xin's gaze stumbled upon a strange gathering of people. Brutish looking faces, no eyebrows, lean build and dark black eyes. Some of them had patches of skin on their faces keratinized, and wore layered leather armor.
"Don't stare, you fool." Murong Zhan pulled his sleeve. "You don't do this to people in warrior cultures."
"Right." Xin averted his gaze, and indeed, the warriors were already staring back at him, somewhat agitated. "That's bonemen, right?"
"Well, at least partially. Don't know if any of them are purebloods."
"I heard that they mix with humans, how do you differentiate purebloods and crossbreeds?"
"I don't know, as I said. All I know is that some look more human than others, and that you should always burn their corpses if you see them. Always."
"Well, it's good that we don't live here. This place makes Clay Nest look rather comfy. Let's not wander around and look for trouble, everyone. Ey?" Lei asked the squad.
"Sure. What's our task?" Asked Rui Ming.
"I'll handle the item exchange, sister Xiaoyun will help me verify the materials. Xin will deal with resupply and travel preparation. Is that okay with you, brother Xin?" Tu Qiang asked.
Right. What he was saying is "We can also use Wu Xiaoyun's expertise in alchemy, you aren't irreplaceable, Xin". Very subtle, you fucktard. Except I am, evidently.
"Sounds good to me. I'll make sure they take good care of our horses and go rest, then I'll deal with the supplies. Anything else?"
"No, disciple Xin, you are free to go." Xin noticed Tu Qiang's and Yao Nang's gazes meet. She gave him a look of approval. Clowns.
An hour later, Xin was chatting with Lei in their shared room, but someone knocked on their door.
"Xin, it's me, Xiaoyun. Can I enter?"
"Of course! Come in!"
Wu Xiaoyun entered, and was now dressed into more casual clothes. Xin noticed her feminine forms, previously obscured by armour, and quickly averted his gaze.
"Oh, I need to take a leak!" Lei stood up and left the room. Why so sudden? Oh... I get it.
"Take care, brother Lei." She locked the door after him and sat down on his bed. "Xin, I wanted to show you something important." She opened her bag and procured a bunch of thick scrolls out of it.
"You need help with something? Please show me."
"You're too kind, brother. It's the opposite. Heard you talk to that wood path officer, asking for wood path advice... And..."
For some reason, Xin's heart jumped.
"And?"
"That's a wood path inheritance. A good one. I only know two techniques from it, but it's complete. Except, it's a forbidden inheritance. I am allowed to use it, but not allowed to share it. Here." She handed him the scrolls.
What's going on? Xin's heart was beating as if he was being chased by wild animals. He regained composure and opened the first scroll. Its contents were more impressive than anything he expected to see there.
Carnivore Grove inheritance!
"What's the meaning of this? How... Why?" He was wide-eyed.
"It's simple. You saved me, and I owe you. It's a gesture to tell you how I feel... About it. Don't worry, I have it copied. That's the original. Do you like it?"
"Do I like it?" Xin became excited and sat on the bed near her, opening the scrolls. "It's amazing! Can you guide me through the contents? My mom was a rank two wood path master before they made her break the core! My wood qi is a bit inhibited currently, but I'll fix it when I break through. It's an invaluable gift, truly. Tell me about it!"
"Well, I am sorry, but there is no list of contents, so I'll just summarise it for you. The inheritance begins with three fighting styles: Thorn, Vine and Leaf. With my cultivation level, I only managed to master the first step of the Leaf style. Then, there is an assembled combat system, it's not highly rated, but it comes with dao shard refinement recipes and combat tips, both for martial arts and various shard usages."
"Combat system? Seriously?" Xin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Vine style! I wanted to master it for quite some time! There is even a complete combat system! Most masters don't have one, so it's easy to find flaws in their styles and to exploit them.
"Yes. Movement, defense, attack and utility. Woodland Stride, Ancient Barskin, Threefold Plant Staff and a Tree Sap Vine. A simple rank one combat system, explained in detail. That's what you wanted from the officer, right? There's more..."
"Stop..." Xin was quickly glancing through the scrolls, and felt a bit overwhelmed. The illustrations are beautiful, too! "I see… A combat system..."
"There's also a scroll that deals with planting, growing and controlling the vinemen. I'm saving up for some vinemen materials for when I am rank one, I already know how to do this. I think so, at least..."
"Sister Xiaoyun... I don't know what to say. Why are you thanking me? How can you be giving me such a gift?" Usually, Xin would accept any gift that he was given, that's what his mother always taught him. Don't make people beg you to take a gift, don't play the guessing game of whether or not you should decline. Just take it. But this time, it was different.
"I... Look, it's not a big deal, right? I am not losing anything by giving this to you. It's not a plot to get you banned or anything, I am not conspiring with Tu Qiang. I just wanted to help..." She blushed slightly.
Wait, is she actually conspiring with Tu Qiang? Probably not.
"I meant, you know... I killed Su Xing. And you guys were friends... or whatever. I don't know, but you seemed close. And I stabbed him in the eye, splattered his brains. This sort of thing. I am sorry."
"Look, Xin. He's dead to me. He's also just dead. We weren't that close, he was a shallow man. Befriending everyone, valuing nobody but himself. I see that you're made of different clay, though." Her stoic, self-confident demeanour, which he hadn't seen for a long time, has finally returned.
"I see. So you're fine?"
"As much as one can be. I was certainly not ready for the events that transpired, but I am adjusting. Thanks for the shard, by the way. I tested it, it's not hard to use at all. And maintaining it isn't that expensive. Can become my trap card."
"I'll try to make sure they don't make you give it away or claim it with your contribution points later. Think everyone should just keep the loot that fits them directly, to be honest. The sect's conversion rates will be far from generous if we just convert our loot into contribution points."
"I agree, but you know who will sabotage this idea. We're fine for now, let's focus on the positives."
"Right." Xin looked her in the eyes. What an awkward situation. Am I supposed to chat with her? Or have a deeper conversation? Or is it not time and place? Do I have to kiss her now? Is this what she wants? Maybe more?
"Xin..." Wu Xiaoyun got anxious amid such long silence. "Think I need to go." She stood up and wanted to leave, but Xin grabbed her by the hand.
"Wait."
"Uh?" She froze in her tracks.
"Thank you." He let go of her hand and performed a martial gesture. "You can consider me your ally."
"Neat." She nodded and left, blushing.
Twenty minutes later, Lei entered again.
"Oh! You already finished? Did you kiss?"
"Why would you care? Like to imagine us, huh?"
"Don't get defensive, bro. I'm just rooting for you to break your dry spell. So, what happened?"
"She gave me a gift. I'll tell you the details later. We are now allies. She's a good girl."
"You're minting every phrase, you noticed? Eh, you probably don't see her that way... Sucks, she's a good girl. Her tits are not bad, have you noticed? Got quite a rack, too."
"Stop! I've noticed. I don't see her that way, but I still admire her. She feels like an adult, compared to some people here."
"Is that an attack on me?" Lei raised his eyebrow and smirked with a corner of his lip.
"Yes, it's always about you, hehe! No, I think Yao Nang is childish. Tu Qiang is also not a fully realised man, the way he carries himself. It's like he's an actor playing the role of a man, it's comical."
"I am not wasting any more air discussing these bums, Xin. Look, I've found something that you might like."
"Eh?"
"So, there's a gambling den there, and its owner also manages a bounty hunting company."
"You think he'll pay off the yaoguai's bounty, if there is one?"
"Exactly. Look, he was a demon, and knew that tree hag. They made some noise in the region, I think it's worth checking that lead."
"I've got his organs. Think it's a good proof of work? Mantis yaoguai are rare, should probably be enough."
"We won't know if we don't try."
"True. I also need to find an alchemist to resupply and sell the organs. Will you accompany me?"
"Of course. I'll hire a bodyguard. I suspect this city is dangerous without one, and local criminals and bodyguards work in tandem. Should be enough to protect us."