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Chapter 83
🕑 Added 2023-03-06 14:46:20 +0000 UTCWith Phelps settled on his back Chen Haoran sought an answer. “Is your Gu really dangerous enough to threaten a Liquid Meridian?” It wasn’t quite a question that came out of nowhere on Chen Haoran’s part. Xie Jin had implicitly revealed it when he threatened Jiang Lei who confirmed it by acceding to his demands. Granted Jiang Lei seemed to be an easy going type of character but being a ‘Black Bone Shaman’ clearly wasn’t something easily trifled with.
It was just hard for him to square away what he had seen of the Gu versus the threat it apparently posed. It was certainly an effective tracker and its ability to remain unseen and inflict poison made it an extraordinarily effective assassin. Was that enough to make a Liquid Meridian clearly aware of its presence be wary of engaging it? Somehow, he didn’t think so.
Xie Jin at least hadn’t seemed bothered by his question. “We would be dead if he decided to kill us. It would have been a painful decision for him though.”
Vague enough to be useless but implying enough to be a subtle flex. Chen Haoran couldn’t help but laugh. It was such a common act in both worlds that he could practically copy-paste old acquaintances over Xie Jin’s face.
“I’ll need to start hiding behind your back then,” he jokingly said.
“Can I ask you something as well?” Xie Jin looked hesitant, his eyes roamed over Chen Haoran’s scabbard.
“Of course.”
“Your sword. Is it some kind of powerful artifact or something.”
Chen Haoran hummed as he considered the unsurprising question. “It’s Profound-rank,” he finally said. “It used to be a part of a pair, but I lost the other blade so I can’t use it’s full power now.” Something that he would forever be annoyed about. He didn’t even like curved swords or dual wielding. The fact he had to do both with the Swiftwind Scimitars was frustrating and only done out of desperate need. It’s special effect was all it had going for it. He only still kept the other because he had yet to find another Profound-Rank weapon to replace it. “Other than that there isn’t anything particularly special about it.”
Xie Jin frowned. “Then what was that back at the inn? And at the poacher’s camp. Even that Liquid Meridian noticed it I think. He was talking to me but he was looking at you.”
Joy. Just what he needed. Yet another Liquid Meridian Realm becoming unnecessarily interested in him. Jiang Lei had stated he’d been observing Wang Xiao at the inn. With his superior senses he would have understood the threat posed by Chen Haoran’s Harmonization.
How to answer Xie Jin though? He absently trailed his fingers across the leather of his scabbard. Should he say he killed Lan Yao and had a moment of realization? A breakthrough in training? A fortuitous encounter, or learning from a powerful senior. The White Tyrant fit all of those descriptions and more so it wouldn’t even be a lie. He too could be vague.
“I can’t really describe it,” Chen Haoran said, shrugging.
“What a weak excuse,” Xie Jin groaned.
It wasn’t.
It was the truth in fact. If he were to try to explain to himself just what the Harmonization the White Tyrant left to him was he would fail.
It was… weird, and far beyond anything he knew or was familiar with. Admittedly, something like that seemed par for the course with a cultivator as strong as the White Tyrant. Just how strong was he in his prime that his shade was powerful enough to to such impossible things?
Regardless there was only one real way to give Xie Jin an answer. “Would you like me to demonstrate it?”
“You’d do that?” Xie Jin sounded surprised which in turn surprised Chen Haoran. Had he just accidentally stepped over another cultural norm?
He pressed forward. No use in trying to fix his fumble. “Why not?”
Xie Jin looked at him strangely. “If you say so. "
“Perfect.” Chen Haoran reached down to grab the hilt of his scimitar when he paused. “Hey… how much do you care about the trees around us.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if its okay for this patch of woods to become a clearing.”
Xie Jin stared. “You’re not serious.” His words trailed off into the air but never received an answer. He tried again. “Right?”
“Why do you think I’ve been so reluctant to draw my blade?”
Xie Jin looked at the jungle around him. Perhaps estimating how much damage Chen Haoran would do to it. Chen Haoran’s self-esteem said it wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. His logical side however said that the White Tyrant, much less his Harmonization, wouldn’t settle for anything less than maximum destruction. Regardless of his thoughts, Xie Jin had come to an answer.
“Maybe another time.”
——————
The jungles of Zumulu were beautiful and colorful the same way a poisonous frog was. It’s thick growth made traveling through them difficult even for the people who lived here. Hidden within that dense coverage were the things that would have given nightmares to any invader. Hidden behind a vine could be a fruit or a poisonous lizard. Centipedes stalked between the roots and under layers of fallen leaves. High up in the air were silvery spider webs strung between branches, only visible when the light struck them just right. Chen Haoran watched a colorful bird get caught in one web only to have three different spiders descend to cocoon it then fight over the body.
The only thing worse then the smaller insects were the larger ones. Xie Jin, damn him, said Zumulu had no more giant spiders. What he neglected to mention were the giant dragonflies that flitted through the trees searching for prey like living VTOLs. They were harmless to humans apparently. When one drew near in curiosity Xie Jin held out his finger in front of the dragonfly’s bulbous eyes and waved it in a circle, hypnotizing the bug until it settled onto his outstretched arm like he was some kind of falconer.
Chen Haoran marveled at the dragonfly’s amethyst purple form and it’s silk-thin wings. He was sad to see it go when it finally got a hold of its bearings and flew off. He most certainly did not scream when two large scythes shot out of a nearby tree and speared it. A man-sized praying mantis appeared above them and payed them no mind as it devoured the dragonfly.
“You really screamed,” Xie Jin said, laughing. He wasn’t laughing for long when Chen Haoran punched him in the arm.
“I did not scream. I was just startled.”
“Whatever you say, Brother Chen.”
Chen Haoran cast wary eyes up at the feasting mantis. “Are those things harmless to humans too?”
“No. If it was hungry it would drop down on us.”
Well wasn’t that a comforting thought. He recited a silent prayer of thanks to the fallen dragonfly.
“It wouldn’t be that bad even if attacked.” Xie Jin proudly patted his chest. “You have me here after all.”
“Let me guess, you have yet another random skill that will carry us through safely.”
“Almost correct.” Xie Jin waved his hand and let loose his Gu. On the surface it looked like nothing happened but Chen Haoran felt its amorphous qi slightly pulse through his sense. As if by some cue the praying mantis immediately dropped its meal and leapt away.
It was not the only thing that fled.
The dragon flies scattered in all directions. From the trees flew out beetles and spiders and cicadas. Ants marched out from trunks carrying their queens in royal procession. Centipedes flashed away among dead leaves and worms burrowed out of the earth. What had to be every insect in the vicinity escaped in a single simultaneous motion that floored Chen Haoran with its intensity. There… were a lot more bugs surrounding him then he thought. He looked at his arm and found every single hair raised.
“Among the insects the Gu is king,” Xie Jin said as if reciting it. He flashed Chen Haoran a superior smile. “It’s not enough to walk let us walk sideways through Zumulu but with me around there’s nothing to fear.”
There was a rustling in the trees. A tree cracked in half and fell over. The horn responsible for cutting it down loomed menacingly over them.
Chen Haoran looked at the massive rhinoceros beetle first, then Xie Jin.
“Hey so-”
“I fucked up I get it.”
Chen Haoran stretched out his sense and found that like the Gu he couldn’t measure it’s cultivation level.
He didn’t hesitate.
He threw Phelps to Xie Jin, cycled qi to his legs and shot forward, drawing his scimitar out in the same motion. The world flared white. The vegetation around his feet was chopped to pieces.
When Song Yuelin had first taught him about Harmonization he had called it a method to become in tune with ones technique and channel it through one’s regular actions.
Chen Haoran did not Harmonize with the Canyon Carving Sword.
He swung. Pure white energy flashed instead of blue. What was a coursing stream of energy now became a single cutting line. Instead of a river carving through a canyon all he could see in his mind was a single white ghost splitting open the clouds.
The horn was sliced off. The rhinoceros beetle moaned a final dying cry as a large gash opened up on its shell and nearly slashed it in two. Around it trees fell down one after another and threw up splinters and sawdust.
Chen Haoran sheathed his shaking scimitar before any more damage could be done and looked behind him to see Xie Jin watching him with wide eyes. He sheepishly shrugged. “I did ask you about the trees.”
Comments
Ivan Elyshev
Everyone but Phelps flex in this chapter. He is the only humble one
