006 The Gathering Storm
Gu Jie dropped to one knee so abruptly that, for a second, I thought she'd collapsed. "Please allow me to follow you!" Her voice held steady, though it trembled at the edges. "I may be unworthy, but I swear upon my life... I will serve you with everything I have."
I frowned, not exactly thrilled by the direction this was going. Dismissing NPCs was easy. Real people were another matter.
"You owe me nothing," I said flatly. "Your life is your own. Do with it what you will. I don't need followers."
Turning to leave, I felt a tug at my leg. I glanced down slowly.
She was clinging to me.
I raised an eyebrow. She flinched under my gaze, but didn't let go.
Some xianxia trope, no doubt. Fate weaving a stubborn companion into my path. If that were true, the heavens could kindly shove it elsewhere. Still… having someone who understood this world wouldn't hurt. My grasp of cultivation was patchy at best, and Earth logic wouldn't carry me far in a place like this.
The idea had originally been to reform a bandit. A test of principle, maybe. But after seeing her living conditions, I couldn't bring myself to hold onto that plan. I owed her nothing. And yet... there was utility in seeing what she could offer. An errand girl with local knowledge could save me a lot of time.
I sighed. "Fine. If you wish to follow, I won't stop you."
Her fingers tightened. "I swear it, Senior!"
I crossed my arms. "Then prove it. You'll need to pass a test."
She blinked. "A... test?"
I reached into my sleeve and drew a handful of gold coins. Unlike Lost Legends Online, where currency lived in a digital ledger, here it had taken on physical form inside my Item Box.
Her eyes widened at the sight. I forced the coins her way, and she received them with both hands, visibly overwhelmed.
"Your test is simple," I said. "Exchange that gold for local currency. Meet me back here by dusk."
She turned one coin over, studying every groove, then bit down experimentally. I barely resisted rolling my eyes.
"Senior, this is too valuable," she said, stunned. "Judging by the engraving, it might have historical worth. Brought to the right buyer, it could fetch a fortune."
She hesitated, then returned most of the coins, keeping only three. As if holding any more would invite misfortune.
I raised a brow. "And if I'd asked you to exchange all of them?"
She stiffened. Her gaze dropped to the coins again, contemplative.
"…This is a trick question," she muttered. She channeled a sliver of spiritual energy into her jaw and bit down once more.
No bend. No crack.
Her expression shifted. "I see. This isn't ordinary gold." She clenched her fists. "If I try to sell too much at once, I might draw unwanted attention. But for someone like you, Senior, such risks mean little."
At least she had some sense. In LLO, gold coins weren't just money. They were forged from a special alloy: mithril, steel, and black gold… a mix chosen to maintain a stable in-game economy. Indestructible, lore-wise, though high-level players in-game could still break them under certain conditions.
Gu Jie took a breath, her resolve sharpening.
"I'll complete this task and prove myself!"
She spun on her heel and vanished into the crowd before I could say anything more.
I blinked.
Well. That was fast.
I hadn't even accepted her as a follower, yet she was already running errands like a loyal squire. Eagerness was good. But too much enthusiasm could backfire. Hopefully, she wouldn't land herself in trouble.
Exhaling, I rolled my shoulders and turned my attention to the city.
The streets buzzed with festival energy. Lanterns swayed above wooden stalls, casting golden light across cobbled roads. Aromas of grilled meat, sweet buns, and spiced wine drifted through the air. Performers danced between the crowds, silk sleeves fluttering with each beat of drum and flute.
It was… overwhelming.
Back in LLO, I had avoided these crowded hubs. Too many people meant noise, attention, and quests I didn't want. But here, there were no system menus, no auction house, and no fast travel. If I wanted to survive, I had to engage. I had to live here, and not treat it like another game.
That adjustment wouldn't come easy.
The more time I spent in this world, the more I noticed its quirks. Some baffled me more than others.
Take the language, for instance.
I shouldn't have been able to speak or understand it. Yet every word felt natural. Grammar flowed effortlessly. Written scripts on scrolls and signs made perfect sense. At first, I assumed it was some transmigration perk. But the more I listened, the more I realized something strange: while I understood the language's structure, the cultural context behind idioms and expressions often required effort to parse.
I suspected my Sub-class: Linguist had something to do with it.
In Lost Legends Online, Sub-classes weren't about flashy moves or direct combat. They provided long-term, practical benefits that complemented a player's main class. Blacksmiths forged weapons, tailors crafted enchanted robes, and chefs cooked meals that granted buffs.
Linguist was one of the historian-type professions, but that didn't make me a scholar. Just because my character could decipher ancient scripts didn't mean I understood the lore behind them. People often assumed I had some deep knowledge, but in truth, I didn't care much for studying. Linguists simply had an instinctive grasp of language from spoken, written, and even extinct dialects. I could translate almost anything, but extracting the deeper meaning still required actual work. At best, I was a fast, magical translator with a minor buff to speech.
I hadn't thought much about it until now. But considering how easily I was picking up this world's language, it made sense.
Was that the result of my Sub-class alone? Or did my Intelligence stat factor in? It wasn't my highest, but it was far beyond what a normal person could reach. A near-photographic memory likely accelerated the process, letting me absorb nuance without formal study.
Still, speaking a language I had never learned remained... unsettling.
I shook my head. No use obsessing over it. Whether it was a transmigration perk or a hidden Sub-class effect, I wasn't complaining.
"The mysteries keep piling up," I muttered.
I kept walking.
The warmth and clamor of the festival slowly shifted. Music and laughter still echoed through the streets, but beneath the celebration pulsed a strange tension. Whispers rippled through the crowds, drawing my attention toward their source. I let my feet follow instinct.
Soon, I reached the same overgrown park where I'd tested my stats the night before.
Only now, it wasn't empty.
The field had transformed into a gathering ground for the powerful. Cultivators descended from the skies in waves on flying swords, golden chariots, drifting leaves, and mist-shrouded clouds. Some rode giant cranes or spirit beasts, their robes marked with the sigils of renowned sects. Spiritual pressure filled the air like static before a storm.
Spectators ringed the area but kept their distance. The citizens of Yellow Dragon City knew better than to approach too closely. When cultivators gathered in numbers, danger was never far behind. Soldiers formed a cordon along the perimeter, spears in hand, armor gleaming in the morning sun. They held their ground with rigid discipline, their presence more symbolic than deterrent.
At the center stood Enforcer Liang Na.
Dressed in her official robes, she welcomed the arrivals with calm professionalism, a far cry from the hostility she'd shown me the night before. But of course, these weren't drunks or vagrants. These were the heavyweights. I remained in the crowd, content to observe.
All around me, murmurs filled the air from excitement, fear, and speculation.
"That's the Cloud Mist Sect's crest! I never thought I'd see them in person!"
"Look at those robes… pristine, like something out of a dream. They've got to be carrying treasures."
Hadn't the Cloud Mist Sect already arrived yesterday? That's what the rumors said. Renowned for their mastery over illusions and mist, they moved like drifting fog. Their arrival now confirmed those whispers had only been half-truths… perhaps scouts had preceded the main group. Members stepped off a silver cloud, their movements fluid, their leader an old man with a long white beard. He spoke briefly with Liang Na before being escorted toward the city.
Then came the Sword Canopy Sect.
Two free warriors near me watched them closely.
"Hmph. I'd recognize that sword design anywhere."
"Those aren't outer disciples. Inner sect, at the very least."
The Sword Canopy Sect's disciples stood atop floating blades, expressions unreadable, and movements crisp. Unlike the Cloud Mist, they didn't waste time with small talk. Their presence spoke volumes on its own.
And then... the atmosphere shifted again.
Even the boldest spectators fell quiet as the final group descended.
"Isolation Path Sect..." someone breathed. "Damn. I never thought they'd show up."
"Don't stare. They're dangerous."
Where the Cloud Mist Sect carried elegance and the Sword Canopy Sect projected rigor, the Isolation Path Sect radiated dread. Robes of deep black shimmered with sigils that shifted when stared at too long. They descended on dark clouds, the air around them chilling with their arrival. They reminded me too much of the assassin class back in LLO. They even nailed the aesthetic.
One disciple turned her head slightly, eyes sweeping the crowd.
For a brief second, I felt her spiritual sense brush against me with an invasive flicker of intent.
I immediately suppressed my presence. Or rather, I used my lack of cultivation to appear beneath notice. I slouched just enough, shifting my posture with precision guided by my stats from Dexterity to Wisdom.
Her gaze paused... then moved on.
"Huh? That worked… It looks like stats are more active than passive now…"
That had been close.
But the arrivals weren't over yet.
A new stir rippled through the crowd.
This time, it wasn't cultivators soaring in on swords or clouds, but grand and imposing carriages, drawn by rare spirit beasts. Their arrival commanded just as much awe, if not more. These weren't sect disciples. They were heirs of the Seven Grand Clans.
I didn't know much about them… only what I'd overheard. Unlike sect cultivators who devoted their lives to martial training and spiritual growth, clan heirs were different. They weren't just warriors. They were future rulers, tacticians, and political juggernauts. Where sects honed blades, clans honed legacy and control.
"Still, according from hearsay, this place is a small region, so I shouldn't think much of them…"
The first to appear was a tall young man in deep blue robes, the hem embroidered with the image of a road stretching endlessly into the horizon.
A murmur passed through the bystanders.
"That's Young Master Lu Gao of the Lu Clan!"
The Lu Clan. A name tied to a simple but relentless motto:
"The road is endless, and so is our ambition."
They were merchants, warriors, and diplomats, expanding their reach wherever their roads extended. To some, they were bringers of progress. To others, conquerors in fine clothing. Lu Gao embodied both images. Every step he took radiated purpose. His gaze swept over the crowd like someone already calculating the value of every soul.
Several commoners instinctively lowered their heads, unwilling to risk attracting his notice.
He wasn't alone. A procession followed… clan cultivators dressed in blue and gold, each one walking with discipline and weight. They didn't move like an extended family. They moved like a military detachment. Lu Gao's presence brought a pressure I couldn't explain. A faint sensation, buried in the back of my mind, nagged at me.
"They say the Lu Clan never settles," someone whispered. "Where they go, roads follow. And where roads go… the land becomes theirs."
"A clan that expands without stopping... terrifying."
I narrowed my eyes. Lu Gao didn't just seem strong. He seemed inevitable. The kind of man who never considered the possibility of failure. I'd met people like him before… rare, dangerous types who always found a way to win. And if they didn't, they'd just summon bigger fish from fathers, grandfathers, to ancestors, until they crushed whoever dared to oppose them.
Annoying.
For some reason, I disliked him already. It wasn't rational. He hadn't done anything. Hell, he probably didn't even know I existed. But something about him made my skin itch. Unreasonable instinct, maybe.
I frowned, then paused.
Lu Clan… Lu as in 路—the character for "road."
I almost scoffed aloud. So they leaned that hard into their theme? It was borderline comical. If I started a sect, I wouldn't be that on-the-nose. Then again, this was xianxia. Naming conventions weren't exactly subtle. "Burning Flame Sect," "Thousand Sword Hall," "Mystic Moon Pavilion"—the clichés practically wrote themselves.
I shook my head and turned my attention forward. Lu Gao might've been first, but he wasn't alone.
More processions arrived, one after another. Each bore a different banner, each heavier with reputation than the last.
The Kang Clan came next, also known as the Fighting Clan. Their crimson robes bore the image of a roaring tiger. They didn't exude refinement, but their presence was undeniable. Muscles, scars, and an unshakable confidence.
"They say a single Kang can take three cultivators of the same realm," someone nearby whispered.
"Hah! Of course. They train like madmen from childhood. Battle is their cultivation."
Where the Lu Clan were conquerors, the Kangs were warlords.
Next came the Xun Clan, the Seekers. Their robes were dark green, stitched with swirling cloud motifs. Unlike the Kangs, their strength was in focus. Every member scanned the crowd with sharp, calculating eyes.
"The Xun Clan specializes in tracking," said a merchant behind me. "They find what others can't. Or what others want to keep hidden."
"Perfect for assassinations."
Noted. I wasn't making enemies there.
Then came the Feng Clan… the Wind Clan. They arrived on gliding hawks, their pale-blue robes fluttering with every beat of wing. They moved lightly, almost weightlessly, their steps barely making a sound.
"The Feng Clan controls the skies," someone breathed. "Their flying ships keep the continent connected."
A logistics powerhouse. I could respect that.
After them came the Bai and Hei Clans… White and Black, arriving nearly side by side. The Bai, dressed in pristine white, radiated clarity and virtue. Healers, scholars, exorcists... or so they claimed. The Hei wore obsidian robes that seemed to absorb the light around them. Spies, assassins, or worse. They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Two halves of a coin. Light and shadow, each pretending not to be the other.
And then…
"The Tian Clan… the Sky Clan… they're here!"
Even the other clans turned to look.
Golden carriages descended from the heavens, drawn by radiant beasts wreathed in celestial light. Everything about them screamed divinity. Nobility. Rule. Whether or not they were actually royalty didn't matter. Everyone else treated them like they were. The heirs who stepped down wore robes of blue and gold, each movement precise, rehearsed, perfect.
In minutes, I had learned more about the power structure of this small region than in days of eavesdropping. "I guess, this is somewhat satisfactory…"