Torsten Hewson
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v4c81: Last Days of Fall
🕑 Added 2024-02-26 05:09:48 +0000 UTCDrums pounded without cease. Fireworks detonated with wild abandon. Dragon costumes bounded and pranced through the streets, and children chased their tails.
“—And so the Sects of the Azure Hills, and this Director of Spiritual Ascension Affairs, bid you all welcome to make merry on this fine day!”
Xiulan listened to the cheer that went up as the Lord Director’s voice finished booming through the recently repaired formation. His voice was jovial, and punctuated by even more fireworks.
The streets thronged with people, as the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Dueling Peaks commenced.
It was likely very different than the people of this town were used to, Xiulan mused as she walked through the crowd herself. The Dueling Town was normally quiet and sleepy this time of year. Perhaps there would have been a few parties, and a few small town events, as most of the people left during the “off” season. There normally were no cultivators, and without the crowds that travelled to watch, most of the residents dispersed back into the countryside, retaking their roles as farmers, or simply closing their shops and heading back to other towns and villages.
But this year the cultivators had stayed. This year, each and every sect was in attendance. Over the months they had been operating out of the mountain, the people who lived in the town had obviously sent messages to friends, family, and business partners. And while it wasn’t to the level of the tournament, the number of people in the town had once more swelled. The town once again looked more like a city—and Xiulan had worked with the Lord Director, Bai Huizhong, to organize the festivities properly.
The man had only been too happy to help—the Lord Director had been nothing if not accommodating of everything they had been doing, and in return, he had a seat in the meetings. Not that he actually spoke much, simply saying most of the time that he “deferred to the Elder’s judgment.
Xiulan realised instantly why he had been Lord Director for so long, and why her father never had anything bad to say about the man. He was very adept at the political game.
Outside that, he had actually been quite the help in smoothing out some of their problems. At first the Elders had been skeptical on how a mortal would be able to help with cultivator logistics, but Bai Huizhong clearly knew how to move vast quantities of supplies relatively quickly, and his ability to coordinate men in different towns and villages so far away from his seat of power was fascinating.
He also had several interesting ideas on how to cement the idea of the “Azure Alliance” as many were calling it in the minds of the people. They had not announced the alliance officially to the mortals, even if they knew something had changed, simply because at first nobody knew if it wouldn’t all fall apart. But now? With the way things were progressing? Most of the Elders were fine with the people knowing.
To that end Huizhong was commissioning songs and plays, and of all things dolls of various cultivators, clad in what was fast becoming their uniform—the blue gi top with the symbol for Azure on the back.
“Familiarity reduces fear.” the man had said. “What child is afraid of the doll they hug for comfort at night? Who does not want to hear of their glorious protectors?”
Xiulan found his logic hard to argue with… as did the rest of the Elders. Everybody had been happy about it—except for Tigu.
“So… what about royalties?” She had asked.
Huizhong became slightly less enthusiastic after that—and Tigu had to explain the entire thing to the Elders. Most hadn’t cared about the “paltry sum from mortal trinkets” but Tigu had simply said it was so they could pay their mortal servants, and they needed every silver coin they could get to properly restore the mountain.
That had found more fertile ground with the Elders, and a deal was agreed to. Huizhong would be in charge of the announcement, and they would have a likely small, but still useful income stream to aid in the reconstruction.
Xiulan paused, and took a step back as she felt something approaching.
“‘Scuse me!!” A child shouted as she darted past Xiulan.
“Outta the way!” another yelped, as he barely avoided hitting Xiulan.
“Sorry miss!” a third yelped, stumbling after his friends.
Xiulan chucked at them and shook her head, before returning her eyes to the festival.
She only really had two festivals to compare this to. The one in Green Grass Village, and the one in Hong Yaowu. The one in Green Grass Village was a happy memory, and one that was slightly hazy in her mind—she had stopped going after her mother had left to continue on her journey. She remembered some kind of candy, and watching from her father’s shoulders as the dragon puppet bucked and leapt.
The festivities in Hong Yaowu were a lot fresher in her mind, and equally as happy. She had to say, compared to the dancers here, Uncle Xian, Ten Ren, and Yao Che were the superior dragon dancers—the men may have passed middle-aged, but they could put on a fantastic show.
But while the acrobatics of this lot at the Dueling Peaks were not quite as pulse pounding, they were still experienced… and they showed it when they choreographed the dances with the other sets of dragon puppets, bounding and spiraling around each other, before meeting in the center of town, and then shooting off again. The men were even making use of one of the new flows of water, skipping and leaping over the shimmering rivers.
Xiulan found herself following one of the better dancers of the five dragons, swaying to the pounding beat. As she walked, her eyes roved over the crowd, and what she saw made her smile.
She saw Chen Yang eating at one of the stores he had made a sign for. Ulagan Tarkhan was speaking to an older mortal while the Young Master of the Grand Ravine examined sets of rope with him. Dulou Gan, Young Master of the Rumbling Earth Sect, was having a drink with some of the road workers. Another cultivator had an entire group of mortals cheering him on as he brought all the dumplings one of the carts had, his nose so far in the air he was practically bent backwards. A woman was seated with an old man outside a kiln as they both examined a set of bowls.
Xiulan saw Tigu giving the girl from the store Jin had repaired, Ning, a shoulder ride as she darted through the streets, the little girl howling with laughter the entire time. Yin was engaged in an eating contest with a man three times her size, slurping down bowls of spicy pork noodles. She was on her eighth bowl already. Rags and Loud Boy were shifting through scrolls together, Loud Boy pointing out ones that he thought Rags should read. Delun was with the Torrent Rider and Shaggy Two, the older man deeply considering a new shirt the Torrent Rider was thinking of buying. And there was Xianghua, who was leading around her own younger sectmates, and watching over them as they partook in the festivities. She looked for all the world like a mother directing her children, or a duck leading around ducklings.
Xiulan smiled, as she watched, her feet taking her around the town. Her smile was still firmly on her face, as she felt another presence approaching.
“It is a strange… but not entirely unwelcome sight.” The rumbling voice of the Patriarch of the Grand Ravine Sect noted, as he fell into step beside her. He was not much taller than she was, even if his presence and Qi made him seem larger than he was.
“I’m glad you think so, Master Baatar.” Xiulan replied. She had been given the honour of addressing him by his first name, after their meeting, and the journey to the Grand Ravine. They had not stayed long, as they had to travel to a great many sects, but the week spent in the Grand Ravine had been pleasant. Xiulan silently thanked the fact that she knew the Xong brothers and their mother—both she and Xianghua had rather impressed the people of the ravine with the knowledge and respect they had for their customs.
It still brought a smile to her face every time she remembered Xianghua holding court with a bunch of other swooning ravine women as she waxed prideful poetic about “Mother Hu Li” and “her” Gou Ren—complete with drawings of said man’s abs.
The only incident on the trip was that Tigu had nearly gotten a full shoulder tattoo, and was prevented because they wouldn’t have had enough time.
“Mmm. We have the same dragon dance, even if many of our customs are different—though our dragons have to walk across the ravine balanced on ropes.” The old man continued.
“I would like to see that some day.” Xiulan said. “Perhaps next year? I would like a visit not cut short by the necessities of politics.”
The man smiled. “Of course, Grand Marshal. We would show you our hospitality—but why wait? I would invite you to witness Ovliin Tuli—that is the Holy Solstice. It is of great importance to us.”
Xiulan paused, surprised, before she smiled. “I am honoured. But I promised Master Jin I would celebrate the solstice with him and his family.”
The older man nodded his head. “Say no more. I understand.” He trailed off for a moment. “How does he celebrate the night, if it is not too presumptuous of me?”
“The old ways. His family dances until the sun comes up, to once more greet the dawn.”
Baatar looked intensely interested. He took a breath, before deciding to speak again. “I know Master Jin asked for his privacy. But… there are some delicate matters of clan and people. How would he react to receiving a letter from us? I would like to meet him, and offer my thanks. He looked after my kin when they battled the Shrouded Mountain Sect. If he is agreeable, I would invite him into our home as a guest of the highest honour—weak though we may be to a man of his caliber.”
Xiulan considered the request. The man making it was completely humble, with not a hint of greed in his eyes or posture. There was nothing in his mannerisms that indicated he wanted to use her friend. Instead, he spoke only with the greatest respect—and Xiulan knew how much inviting a man into the ravine meant for the people of the Grand Ravine. Very few outsiders received that.
Besides, Jin had mentioned exploring, hadn't he? He had once said he thought the Grand Ravine would look amazing. When Little De got a bit older, perhaps they could travel? Xiulan wanted to show him the Azure Hills. The real Azure Hills, in all its glory.
“I will deliver any correspondence myself, but I cannot promise anything.” Xiulan said after a moment.
“Thank you, Grand Marshal. That is more than I could have asked.” Ulagann Baatar said, clasping his hands in respect. Then he turned, and considered the rest of the festival, before his eyes alighted on a go board. “Though, may I ask you keep this old man company for just a little longer?”
Xiulan chuckled. “Of course. But I’ll have you know I have defeated Master Jin every time we have played.”
The old man’s eyes widened. “Ah, then I shall be challenging your might.”
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Ten minutes later, Baatar was squinting at the board. Xiulan’s cheeks were flushed, as she stared at the complete domination she had been subjected to.
“....Master Jin is really, really bad at Go.” She said, defending herself.
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This volume should be like 1-2, maybe 3 more chapters. I'm very likely going to take a break in march and pause patreon to reconsolodate my ideas and work on book editing. I will pause before march first if that happens. Sorry about the late timing on this, and the not a lot of warning, the end kind of crept up on me, lol. I originally planned to continue this until the solstice and after, but this volume has gotten very long.
Editors: Ayje,
Comments
Carl Gherardi
Eeeèeeviiiiiiil. The day of junk mail is invented in parallel with the mail service
Randall Brynsvold
There are two cases of "Master Jin's woman", Cai Xiulan and Guan Chyou. In Xiulan's case, she admits being close (sworn brother) but denies the physical intimacy, and people keep poking her because she keeps reacting. (Even her father.) In Chyou's case, she encourages the rumor for personal protection and business advantage, even though she only really has a business relationship with him.
Yuhwa
It's not a inside joke if everyone thinks it's true. Meimei yes thinks joke everyone else doesn't. And it's just played out for way too long we are going into volume 5 soon.
Timothy Dana
Not a trope … it’s inside joke
Yuhwa
I definitely would like to see more of Turtle soup talked about. However with the situation with Jin it does not fit the narrative of his nature that we know. There already an unnecessary harem with Bi DE. Xiulan is strong in her own right she should stand alone and find someone else who can held shoulder the responsibilities she is now going to have. Jin does not want any really responsibilities outside of his farm and family. He might help but that is not where his strength or interests lie. And she is not that strong that there is nobody out there who can match her strength. We still have not seen half of the empire let along the rest of the really strong sects that were not stuck in Azure.
Len
I don't mind if she ends up with him or not. it's amusing/annoying/etc. the problem is, Locally she is " too big/strong" for any of the "Local boys" now- Except Jin- and possibly the patriarch of the grand ravine. So it needs to be an outsider that she falls for, OR someone so weak that he falls for her and pursues strength to be worthy of courting her.(probably not that) if CF does not go that route. honestly, i expect them to be together eventually, it is not like they do not have hundreds or thousands of years to go before they die-barring misfortune/death by fighting. MeiMei wants it, so it will probably happen. only thing i dislike about this wrap up is, THERE IS SO MUCH WE NEED TO KNOW/going on.... 1- what happened with Shen Yu/Bi Di and Co. vs green haired "demon lord" and the SMS lady elder 2- imperial auditor "smack down" 3- what happens to TLM's son when MOM finds out that he been lying.. 4-and finally most importantly (except for #1- lady demon prostitute and SMS Elder and his disciples Vs the Farm Lu Ri and the Shield Formation "spirit" a.k.a. Turtle Soup(we all suspect that Turtle Soup took that role-we do not know for sure).
Yuhwa
Decent chapter. However I would like to say can we please stop with the xiulan trope? Every second seems like someone bringing attention to her maybe being Jin's woman. Please for all that's holy do not put them together. Give her someone else to be in love with.
Gray Code
I suspect it's the same guy who bought out a dumpling seller back during the aftermath of the Shrouded Mountain Incident. He did it again, because it's the primary way he knows how to interact with mortals favorably. Perhaps he does it every time he has to interact with mortals, and strangely, _it keeps working,_ like they're Hostess™ Fruit Pies.
Giovanni Paches
That's actually really interestung and opens up strategizing to also include losing tactically as part of the game.
Truedragon5374
Oh i'm sure they know what royalties are. It was just beneath them to worry about merch sales. Most of the sects seem financially stable, any any group can always spend more money, but merchants are often viewed with contempt by cultivators and the sects likely didn't know how much money they were ignoring. Plus all these new projects were sudden and very much not in the budget for this year. They need cash fast. And since everyone is getting in on it, no one loses face.
Laura H
I'm not sure the game was over so much as it was very, very clear she was going down to embarrassing defeat.
Laura H
All great ideas! Now, of course, it's up to CF to use (or not) one of your excellent suggestions!
Krabby23
I thought it meant he bought out the whole food cart for the mortals. I think the nose thing is an exaggeration showing that the cultivator is playing up his arrogant act. Usually when someone has their nose turned up, they are acting arrogant or superior. So here, his head is tilted so far back he's bending over backwards. Like, "Look how generous I am, lowly mortals! This Young Master has deigned to buy you all dumplings out of his own pocket!"
Gg
Thank you for the chapter!
rhekke
What about, and stick with me here, a card game based on cultivators?
Jason Rock
Something to consider with go/Wei chi... One tradition is for two unevenly matched players to swap sides when the loser surrenders. The master is then challenged with winning from so far behind while the novice has to consolidate and keep the area the master was controlling. It's a way to keep the game interesting and challenging instead of it being a one sided rout.
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter. A question about this sentence: "Another cultivator had an entire group of mortals cheering him on as he brought all the dumplings one of the carts had, his nose so far in the air he was practically bent backwards." I take it the cultivator BOUGHT all the dumplings but I am reading this as he is also BALANCING all of them on his nose. So the question is, which is he doing or is he doing both?
Ender419
Taking this one step further, imagine if they make dolls transform/transmute our beloved characters from their human form to their animal form & back. Then make them region specific e.g. a Bi De & Roxy doll only available in the Shrouded Mountain section because they exposed their true forms there. Think of royalties coming from that especially with the exclusivity of where they can be only found. And lastly, they can be shipped using the new postal system Senior Brother Lu Ri has setup besides the Azure Jade trading company. CF I think we may have found a viable acceptance and practical usage for the new postal system by mortals who want to impress their love ones from a far. 😃
Ender419
Spot on! I’m just surprised there was no mentioning of the Lord Director sweating profusely when began to explain what royalties were & what happened to the money made from the previous dolls he commissioned during the Dueling Peaks tournament few weeks prior.
Daniela Capobianco
Thank you for the chapter! Take the time to rest as you need.
Justus Saucedo
That was exactly how I read that too. haha
Randall Norman Pick
Much better to get payment for Exposure then paid in it.
Truedragon5374
Masters: We care nothing for the pennies made from rag dolls. Tigu: You just hired 1000 laborers and they expect to be paid. Masters: So what was that about Royalties?
WarStrider72
Awwww.... I thought we were going to hit chapter 100 for volume 4.
Z H
A break is fine, just be sure to let us know as soon as we can put in pre-orders for the next book!
Donovan Napolitano
"Master Jin is bad at Go" sent me man 🤣
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapter.
Cinnamon Toast
He traded his skills in all other board games to become the best at risk
W. Randy Hoffman
Only in a cultivator universe could a game of Go be over in ten minutes.
BossDawg
Great chapter and writing! Take the break in March, I appreciate the fact you actually pause patreon for it.
Gray Code
If he thinks he's mad now, wait until the Azure Jade company starts marketing Guan Chuyo's action figures, and then when Jin lets slip the idea of _playsets._
El Caso Es
You do you king. I'll be here when you return. Most worth monthly sub I pay for.
Kasinki
Thank you for the chapter!
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
CringeWorthyStudios
My gods, it’d be amazing. That being said, maybe it’d actually help the alliance? Get out all the cultivator schemes while playing Risk so they don’t happen when it matters?
Keliana Tayler
All too true.
Bonifacio Mario Peña Jr.
What need do you have of strategy if you can crush all opposition. - loses to little girl.
BigBro Bluesman
Now I can't get the thought of the Grand Ravine Elder visiting the farm and see there reaction lmfao that'd be fantastic
Casualfarmer
she did... but shes also the best at Go on the farm. So she chose the most impressive sounding boast and then got clapped.
Jojiro
Did Xiulan not know that Jin sucked at Go? Her boast seems doomed from the jump, honestly. 🦘
Laura H
It's great that Tigu so annoyed Bai Huizong with her question about royalties -- up to now, she's been the only one receiving them, right? So now that she's explained it to everyone, even to the elders, he's never going to be able to skip paying royalties for anyone ever again! I thnk less enthusiasm from him is actually a pretty mild reaction. I'm sure he was extremely pissed off!
yannick schwende
That ending cracked me up 🤣 thanks for the read Farmer. 😊
CUI13
Jin could end the Azure Alliance in a single night if he introduced the Sects to Risk.
Andrew Denton
“....Master Jin is really, really bad at Go.” And so his legend grows. Little bits like that add TEXTURE to a legend.
Randall Bennett
What they said
Sean Ulrich
Gotta play axis and allies
Kovak
Thanks for the chapter, loved it
