After talking some more and parting ways with Rui Ming, Xin finally departed.
He travelled atop a rented horse for two days before reaching a distant south-eastern fort, situated on the steppe's outskirts. It was much smaller and looked more worn out than Bai Du's fort, and had no grand strategic value, being just a lookout point to monitor the situation in the steppe.
On the horizon, Xin beheld a yellow sea of grass, a long vastness marking the end of the world, with only the all-devouring mists behind it. There was a group of groves scattered both to the west and east from here, serving as outskirts of the Yellow Pine forest, and a day of travel to the east, there was the Tanqi mountain. An unremarkable and mundane place, its only settlement was a small mining village which Xin didn't know anything about.
He unsaddled his horse as he entered through the fort's creaking wooden gates and bowed to the sergeant on duty. After presenting his Foundation stage token, a wooden trinket with an elemental pentagram insignia of the Five Elements Transition sect, Xin was led to the fort lieutenant's quarters. It was a musty room, filled with body odour and the stench of cheap alcohol. The lieutenant stood up, slightly anxious, and bowed to him. The sergeant who led Xin into the building stood in the corner, awaiting orders.
"Greetings, master. Please sit down." The lieutenant pointed, his movements stiff. Guests like these are never good news, he thought. "How can I address you?"
"Master Xin." Xin felt comfortable being called this. He felt like he worked hard enough to justify this rank. "I brought a missive, please take a look." He pulled out a sealed scroll out of his bag of holding, and handed it to the officer.
"I see..." He responded after skimming through. "Closed cultivation, here in the steppes? I'll inform the patrols about your look and equipment, they won't bother you if they happen upon you."
"About that... I'll most likely be naked or wearing furs. I'll also be under a vow of silence, don't expect me to talk to your men. If any of your soldiers refuse to leave the territory I'll claim for the period, I'll have to slay them. There is a village to the south, warn their people against delving into the north-eastern grove. I am planning to venture into the steppe a lot, but my lair will be there."
Lair? I'm switching to bestial terms already…
"That's... quite a request." The lieutenant rubbed his chin, confused. "Master Xin, the Xuanwu clan has an alliance with your sect, but this is still too unusual. I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to authorize what you're asking for, frankly. And…"
"I'm doing this anyway." Xin interrupted him. "I'm just telling you how to avoid casualties. And please, don't explain anything to the villagers, just tell them the area is off-bounds. I appreciate it". My missive was written by a rank two, they'll be stupid to oppose it. He'll ask me for something in return though, I can see it in his eyes.
"Master Xin... I understand, and I think your presence in the area might actually be beneficial. Still, I'm afraid for your life, I don't want an investigation blaming us for any incidents your... adventures might cause." The officer was quite cautious with his words, the cultivators were a sensitive lot, eager to be offended.
"Lieutenant, if I may." The soldier standing in the corner, a tired looking middle-aged man, suddenly spoke up.
"Oh? Speak, sergeant Peng."
"I've seen this man fight. It's Impaler Xin, a FETS prodigy. He defeated Ling clan's genius Ling Yue in single combat, and his squad caused quite a slaughter in Tealstone. I recommend we extend our full cooperation to this young master and accommodate him to the best of our ability."
"Impaler Xin?" The young hunter chuckled. "What's that nickname?"
"You gouged that girl's eye out." The sergeant shrugged. "People said she was a big deal, I've seen you stomp her into the ground. You were a mortal back then, so it also seems we should congratulate you on breaking through, master." He nodded respectfully.
Interesting, this man seems to have quite a sway if he is allowed to speak up like this.
"Thank you for your kind words, but if you were actually watching the fight, I didn't win — it was a draw. I don't think drawing a duel with a woman is enough to warrant a pretentious nickname like that. I ought to do better." Xin hoped this nickname wouldn't stick, it was the worst, especially its joke potential! Lei will be delighted…
"Well, the word among soldiers is that you took a draw to save this girl's face. I have no opinion on the matter, so please forgive me if I offended you, master. I have no control over the nicknames people give you, either, but I can ask my soldiers not to use this nickname in the future."
Took a draw to save her face? Did they think I was being a gentleman? I was going for a kill, but she almost broke my mind. Fuck, this is irritating, I need to focus on business.
"Fine. I don't care, frankly, I'm leaving soon anyway." Xin turned to the man sitting opposite of him, the chatter clearly getting on his nerves. "Lieutenant, are you about to ask me for something in return?"
"Yes and no. I want to provide you with some intel, and once you have it, you'll probably do what I need you to free of charge."
"I'm listening." Xin rubbed his chin. What is he plotting?
"How elaborate do you want me to be? I see that you're quite eager to leave, master. Wouldn't want to waste your time."
"Oh?" Xin raised his eyebrow. "I"m quite meticulous about intel, please be as elaborate as possible."
"Sweet. So, there was a serious giant insect infestation to the north, but we had a bunch of cultivators come and help. Thing is, some small remnants are still scattered around, so you've got to be careful. The bounties were reduced by half, but they're still active. You may claim them if you want to. We also pay for each destroyed nest, of course, but you've got to bring trophies to verify."
"Good. I've killed plenty of these things in the past. Heard about the iron mantis controlling yaoguai demon? My group dealt with him just before the war erupted." Xin was certainly riding a high, it seemed like he was building up local fame!
"That Little Mantis demon... He roamed this area for months, yet our garrison was powerless to catch him. Was quite a menace."
"These hands dealt a finishing blow. Was still a mortal." Xin opened his palms towards the lieutenant. "Whatever, this can't be all you wanted to talk about."
The officer in front of Xin had an astonished look on his face, trying to gauge if Xin was lying, but quickly recollected himself.
"There's also some nomad activity here, poaching and scouting. If they aren't driven away, they'll start grazing and raiding here. We'd appreciate it if you reported any sightings."
"Well, I won't be able to speak to any of your patrols. I'll shoot an arrow with a note tied to it towards if I see anything. But even that is stretching my vows, let's keep our communications to the minimum."
"We appreciate it, master. There's also the problem of non-nomad bandits and poachers in the area, along with some demonic faction presence."
Demonic cultivators? Weird, what business would anyone who isn't a totemic cultivator have here?
"Tell me more. I have my own questions, but they'll wait."
"Many people come here to poach, it's a remote place with low patrol density. The region's forester isn't happy with it, especially with the wolf fur trade. We can't spare any manpower to help him out, but we ask that you don't kill the carnivores without need to preserve what little balance is left after the insect infestation.
The wolves in this area are used to being scared away by humans, they won't attack you unless you meet a qi active pack leader. We understand that you might have to kill in self-defence, but we recommend killing the pack leader first. The rest usually scatter right afterwards."
"Thank you, but I'm a hunter, I know these beasts quite well. I'll consider your request though. What about the demon faction?"
"Demons? The imperial tributary nomads reported people missing, and small tribes being extorted by a plant monster controlling demon. We identifi…"
"Moss Bush Demoness!" Xin jumped up from his chair. "That cunt!"
"Wait… Riversong manor, also your caravan?"
"Yep. She killed one of my masters, me and my friend managed to injure her, but she fled. Are you people trying to take her down, at least?"
"Eh?" The lieutenant looked shocked. Hunting down a rank two? Injured her? He can't be lying, it seems that new FETS crop is indeed unique! "We don't have any cultivators here, if anything serious happens, we'll light an alarm and summon the rank two Border Guard. It's quite expensive, and we're instructed against that…"
"No cultivators?" Xin was confused. "I assume at least you are at Foundation stage, right?
"I'm just a mortal, sadly. A decorated veteran, but still a mortal. But you work with what you have, eh?"
Shit! Not a single cultivator in the whole force! No wonder she just walked through these lands like it was her backyard. It seems the war and the capital recalling the Border Guard drained the region even worse than it seems on the surface…
"I see. I've heard all I needed to hear. I'm leaving my horse with you, here is my post token. I'll rest in a sleeping bag outside, then head out."
"Understood." He took a post token from Xin, then scratched his head. "Master Xin, may we offer you a proper bed and a room to sleep in? We also have some humble rations to share."
"That won't be necessary, officer." It was time to get used to the lack of comfort. "One more thing, I'll need a topographic map of the area. Especially water sources and animal trails."
"I'll see to it. Sergeant, copy the maps in my drawer for master Xin. You have until next morning."
"Night shift it is. Yes, sir." He sighed.
"Thank you, officer. I'll go rest now."
"Please feel at home, master."
Impaler Xin? What a stupid nickname. Sounds menacing, at least. Whatever, I have some time before dusk.
***
Xin sat down near a campfire outside, where the soldiers were cooking rice for dinner, but ignored them, exchanging only a few phrases out of courtesy. He sat near a wall some distance away from the others and searched his bags of holding. Need to take care of some things before sleeping.
First, he pulled out his jade ambush ring and, to the soldiers' shock, activated it.
He had been trying to activate it every day for the past week, but only properly succeeded yesterday. Still, holding its effect together was quite tricky. His image blended with the wall he was sitting in front of as if he was a chameleon, but there were constant flickers disrupting it, making this artefact completely useless. It was even harder to upkeep this concentration when one was moving, so for now Xin was limited to just stationary ambushes. Still, he made some progress before the ring exhausted itself, and he moved on, satisfied.
Next, Xin pulled out his plant rejuvenation and healing seed dao shards.
"Soldiers, is anyone injured?" He asked calmly, without even looking at them.
"N-no, master. Don't think so." One of them answered.
"I... Have a scratch on my leg. Does it count? A bad bruise, to be precise..." The voice of this soldier trembled lightly.
I'm just rank one, why are you all so scared? Xin felt weird, it was his first time properly interacting with mortals after his breakthrough, and the treatment he was getting felt blown out of proportion. Back in his mortal days, he never felt tense around Foundation stage masters.
"Good, please wait here. I'll heal your leg if I manage to use this dao shard."
The soldier looked at Xin with suspicion. Is this master testing a new move on me? Well, I can't insult his generosity and appear ungrateful, so I've got to take it. My fault for opening my mouth.
Xin looked at his first dao shard again. A nail sized, lotus seed-like plant, with a small point on its edge, if pressed lightly it will leak a bit of restorative juice that brings plants back to life. Quite potent, for such a small artefact. I could manifest this juice from my finger while keeping the dao shard in my core, but it's harder, so let's stick to manual use for now.
Xin infused his finger with a tiny bit of wooden qi and gently rubbed the shard. It reacted and opened up, so Xin squeezed it lightly. Good, now it is ready for use. I have a minute or so.
He then picked up his healing seed dao shard. This one isn't hard to use, it's restoring it that is complicated, especially if you aren't used to it. Qi control through visualisation is certainly not my strongest area, I'm much more used to kinesthetic control. Time to improve, then.
An impulse of will, a tiny squeeze — moments later, a thumb-sized healing seed dao shard produced a smaller seed, glowing lightly as it landed on Xin's palm. That was easy. Xin was grateful that he trained his qi control all these years, allowing him to master rank one dao shards pretty fast. And it was much easier now that his wooden qi wasn't repressed.
He approached the soldier and presented him the seed on his open palm.
"Eat it. Careful, don't drop it."
"Y-yes, master." The soldier gently pinched the healing seed with his thumb and pointing finger, and even helped himself with his second hand. Xin noticed a drop of sweat flow down his forehead. After a moment of hesitation, the soldier put the seed into his mouth and swallowed it.
"What are you feeling?"
"Nothing. Oh, oh! A gentle, warm sensation. Pleasant. Itching. Guys, look! Remember the bruise! It's gone!" He lifted his pant and showed everyone his leg, its skin completely smooth.
"Let me see. No scarring, the dry tissue was also pushed out and instantly fell off. The flakes of it are still on your inner pant, I assume. Interesting." Xin rubbed his chin. "When did you feel your leg start healing?"
"The wound... Stitched around two breaths after I took the pill... The seed. I guess. I'm not sure, maybe a bit later? Sorry."
"You did great, soldier. Don't worry. Why are you all scared of me, by the way? Never seen a rank one?"
"It's... Nothing, master."
"Whatever. I don't care. I'll get back to my business."
"Thank you, master. You have my eternal gratitude." The man bowed and sat back with his peers.
"Eternal gratitude because of a healed bruise? You're kidding me." Xin mocked him. The soldier didn't respond.
Now, plant reinvigoration. Fuck. I talked too much, need to rub the shard again. Done.
Now, I need to squeeze the oily juice out, optimally into the hole where the seed came from. Hmmm.
Whatever, it's a rank one shard, it won't be broken that easily. I have thin needle straws in my alchemy kit.
Xin took out a needle-thin metal straw, pointed the rejuvenation shard upwards and sucked some of its juice out through it. He then rubbed a tired-looking healing seed dao shard, stabbed it into its seed producing hole and blew the juice inward.
The plant revived itself in mere moments, and looked much more lively, but still not as fresh as when he pulled it out.
The plant is around a third way through now, it worked! It seems that half of the reinvigoration shard's energy was consumed to revive it, and another half went to filling it with wood qi. These two shards hold an equal amount of energy, but a third of it was lost during the conversion. A great conversion rate, frankly. Plants absorb what they can, it's only natural. Time to help it a bit.
Xin gathered a bit of saliva in his mouth and infused it with wood element qi. He then blew this mix into the healing seed dao shard. He considered reloading his rejuvenation shard and using it on the healing seed, but there would be less energy loss if he reloaded the healing seed directly. The main advantage of the plant rejuvenation dao shard was its first use, it recharged naturally and didn't require an injection of Xin's qi.
The saliva injection worked, but a problem emerged. After three such injections, the dao shard was filled with liquid, and the oily reinvigoration juice was also there, on the bottom of it, now devoid of all qi. It seems that the healing seed is absorbing qi quite fast, but can't process and expunge the liquids fast enough by itself. I might even poison the shard if I go overboard. What do I do?
If I suck the liquid out, it's an easy solution, but it will also stress the dao shard. What I'm doing can certainly damage it in the long term, so I've got to develop the least invasive method possible. In the future, instead of using saliva, I could inject it from the outside, using my finger to nourish its walls at its own pace, but it's slower and wastes much more qi.
Ideally, I would perform this process inside of my core, using my thoughts. This would make me tired, but is clearly optimal solution. Problem is, it requires a type of qi control I'm not used to, and my full concentration on top. Well, you never learn if you don't try.
Xin sat down in a lotus pose and put the dao shards into his core. He then performed a qi infusion process using his thoughts. It involved both visualisation and meridian manipulation, but he eventually got the hang of it.
Five minutes later, he was mentally drained and out of qi, and the healing seed was just three quarters filled. Satisfied with making at least some progress, Xin went to sleep in his sleeping bag, refusing to indulge his urge for a comfortable bed.