Torsten Hewson
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v4c80: The Wheel Keeps Turning
🕑 Added 2024-02-20 05:26:38 +0000 UTC“By the power the sects have invested in this position, Cai Xiulan calls this meeting to order,” Cai Xi Kong’s daughter declared formally. Her eyes roved over the assembled elders as she spoke. This was the first meeting called with all of them in attendance since that fateful month, where his daughter had revealed her ambitions.
How much things had changed in that short time already. The little seed his daughter had planted was already growing and gathering strength. He had charted its course with great interest, as had the rest of his sect. Like the Grass their sect was styled after, it had grown fast, covering the hills in green.
Those who hadn’t been paying as much attention, those whose entire thoughts were consumed by the crystals and the secrets within them, had likely received a rather large shock. They had assumed the hot blood and folly of youth would stymie the growing movement. They assumed that the old grudges they held for each other were inviolate, even with the oaths they had taken.
Needless to say, they had been unprepared when Xiulan and her allies went on their tour to each and every sect in the province to make their oaths and claims a reality. The youth had not fallen to petty infighting. Instead, Xiulan’s vision had captured them all.
The youth had a dream. A shared vision burning within them. A dream of strength, glory, and respect that they chased after with all the passion and fire their youth gave them. They had something to build. Something to create for themselves, and they had grasped it with all their might.
What was worse for those who never intended the organization to be strong was that Xiulan’s ideas were good…. and they were working.
Cultivators who seemed certain to forever only taste the First Stage of the Initiate’s Realm had surged to the Second, or even the Third. Young Masters and Young Mistresses went from the Fourth at best to knocking on the gateway to the Profound—if they had not broken through already.
It was like some great curse had suddenly been lifted from all of them. Some hand that had been weighing them down had suddenly relinquished its grasp on their souls, and now the children, especially those who had thrown themselves into this new dream, grew like weeds.
It was here where the nature of cultivators worked in her favour. She was making them stronger. And thus, she was allowed to work.
Still, some would scheme; some would plot. Some would grumble behind closed doors.
But none, right now, could refute that what she was doing was working.
All Xi Kong felt was pride, and a sense of satisfaction.
It was still the early days yet… but this was no longer some mere ephemeral moment. It was a reality.
And today they were about to see more fruits of this reality; for today these Peaks would be hosting a very special guest. A guest that Xi Kong never would have guessed they would have.
“We are gathered today to welcome one of the first benefactors of the Azure Hills. The ones who made it possible for me to share with all the sects the memory crystals you now hold,” Xiulan said to the gathered cultivators. “Captain Tigu. Please bring in our esteemed guests.”
Several of them leaned forwards, clearly curious. Xi Kong would have likely been curious as well… but being Xiulan’s father did have some paternal privileges.
So he was not surprised at all when the doors to the amphitheater opened, and an honour guard walked in.
They were one and all clad in armor, their allegiance to the Azure Hills proclaimed upon the flags they bore. Little Tigu managed to look stern and commanding, a far cry from the boisterous young girl he had known briefly last year, her demeanour all business as she escorted one of the secret movers and players of the Azure Hills.
Several of the Elders leaned back in their chairs, bafflement upon their features. Others had their eyes widen in recognition. Lady Mengde, the woman who had created the Crystal Emporium, and her close friends featured heavily in many of the memories.
“A monkey?” one of the Elders asked, his voice incredulous.
“Presenting Master Gen Ten,” Tigu declared.
The monkey was one common to the north; some called them a Golden Snub Nose, or simply a Golden monkey, on account of the rich golden colour of their fur. His face was a pale blue, and his nose was non-existent, only having two small holes that made his face look slightly skull-like.
But nobody who saw this monkey could say he was a mere beast.
It was his eyes. Like Bi De and Ri Zu, the monkey’s eyes were filled with a keen awareness and intellect. He did not merely see; he observed, his eyes considering them all.
He walked in on his hind legs, his gait only slightly shuffling. On his back he wore familiar clothes—the same blue colour that Xiulan and her companions had worn. On his back was the symbol for azure, and over his heart was a stylized open palm. His wrists and neck were adorned with crystal pieces—and some of the crystals Xi Kong had never seen before.
The monkey walked to the center of the room.
“Master Gen. It's a pleasure to see you again,” Xiulan said, starting things off.
“It's good to see you again too, lass,” the monkey said, his voice strong, deep, and gravelly. Like a mortal mining foreman. The kind of mortal who would stare nobles in the eye and tell them to get bent. “Now. I’ve got a few things to say, ifn’ ya don’t mind, Little Orchid.”
“Not at all, Master Gen.”
The monkey smiled at Xiulan, before that smile faded. He looked up at them all. He studied them, his eyes fathomless. And then, he reached into his shirt, and produced a pipe. He pressed a crystal to it, and it sparked, igniting the smokeweed within.
The monkey took a puff, before he straightened up. He had a presence about him, Gen Ten. He felt old and hardy—it was like looking at a fellow Elder, if Xi Kong was honest.
“I am Gen Ten. Master of the Crystal Hill. Supplier of nearly every crystal used in Mengde’s Crystal Emporium. Each and every one of you has used something mined by us; some of you have used thousands of our crystals. And some of you use what we have even now, looking at the memories of your ancestors. Yet… we have kept ourselves hidden. I’m sure you do not need for me to tell you why,” Gen’s rumbling voice filled the amphitheater. There were several nods—and On Gang suddenly looked particularly ill.
They would have been resources at best. Still, it was quite remarkable that the crystal sellers had managed to keep that a secret for so long. That their main suppliers were Spirit Beasts…
“Several months ago, it was my first time seeing the past as well. Long have my kin searched for the secrets of our Ancestors—for we too had lost much. Imagine my surprise, at seeing what we had in the past. Even more surprising was that Little Orchid there, who swore that she would bring about those times again.”
“It had been thousands of years since we interacted with any but our dear friends in Mengde’s. But she convinced me of the purity of her resolve. And so we backed her, with the crystals you use to view the past. We believed in her resolve. And we believed in her dream. And now… in light of the repairs being made to this blessed mountain… we shall extend some trust to you as well.”
“We are the Monkeys of Crystal Hill. We will not be your servants. We will not be your resources. But we trust the Orchid. We will believe in that dream. The dream our ancestors had. And so… we are willing to extend this much trust. Everything must start somewhere.”
And then, he raised his hands in the traditional gesture of respect.
“This old man pays his respects to the Sects of the Azure Hills,” the monkey said. “I represent my kin; the miners of the crystals of the Azure Hills. I look forward to working with you in repairing the mountain.”
There was a brief moment of silence. The Monkey’s calm, gravelly voice had been full of power and resolve. Then, Xi Kong spoke. “I pay my respects to Master Gen. It is good to meet you.”
“You have kept your people safe for thousands of years. That indeed deserves respect,” Ulagann Baatar, Patriarch of the Grand Ravine intoned.
It was one thing to see the monkeys helping to craft the Dueling Peaks. It was another to have one in front of them, laying out his own plans.
The greetings were slow. The greetings were cautious. But they were a start.
Just like all of this. Just like the rest of the revitalization of the Azure Hills.
For the first time in thousands of years, a Spirit Beast sat upon one of the Dueling Peaks’ chairs—and to the chagrin of some, it lit up with three lines, denoting a person of importance.
For now, only the people directly involved with the repair of the mountain would know. But what else would the future bring?
Xi Kong couldn’t say.
What he did know was that the new ambassador from the Monkeys of Crystal Hill to the Sects of the Hills was named Huo Ten, and both Tigu and Yin were very happy to see him.
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This one is a little short, but thats due to having to change tracks a little. This feels kind of like the ending to this volume, and it kinda snuck up on me ill admit. There was a bunch more I wanted to do for this volume, but I don't think its feasable, without making it another 500K one like volume 2. Gotta do some rearranging!
Edited by: BargleNawdleZouss,
Comments
Randall Brynsvold
Modern whipped cream contains vanilla. I suppose they could make honey whipped cream with a bit of salt, but it's going to be different from what we think of as whipped cream for baked goods or berries until Chyou's planned expedition brings back some vanilla.
Randall Brynsvold
He didn't specifically meet Yin in rabbit form after Jin came to the Dueling peaks with Bi De, Yin, Miantiao, and Huo Ten (in the Historical Documents), but they *did* all stay in his Sect's guest house, and he did formally meet with Bi De at that time.
Len
so we have the ending here, we have bi de and co heading to green haired demon, we have the SMS elder who is being influenced by a demon heading to the azure hills. and we have an imperial auditor heading to the village/jin's place to "audit" on the word of the lord magistrate's ...mother in law?.. stay tuned for the next adventures of Beware of Chicken!!! same bat time same bat channel... as an aside, i heard from CF about some dairy products...they have butter, but not whipped cream. which is weird because all butter is, is cream whipped until the emulsion/whatever it is that holds everything together breaks. (and is quite easy to make if you have a stand mixer-takes ~10-15 minutes.) maybe no one thought to add some sugar/sweetener.
Randall Brynsvold
Even if On Gang knew about Tigu's and Yin's origins, he might prefer to ask a man for a favor rather than a woman, because of his long-standing misogyny. Huo Ten, Tigu, and Yin all come from outside the human Sects. (Yin comes from outside the province... and the planet.)
Julia Pennoyer
Maybe he knows, but he's only seen Tigu and Yin in human form? So he can't compare the spark of intelligence in Gen Ten's animal looking eyes to Tigu or Yin.
Truedragon5374
It going to be interesting when the sects learn the full story of finding the memory crystal. Not just Bi De's journey, but also Jin. The sects already see Jin as monstrously strong. When they hear that the formation to heal/transfer the memories took more than a week of Jin feeding it power? Gunna gobsmack em I tell ya!
Truedragon5374
So wholesome, I love it. I wonder, do you think On Gang will ask the monkeys for help? I'm sure he wants to make amends to the wrecker balls, but the whole species probably hates his sect on sight. Maybe On Gang could ask a crystal monkey to act as an ambassador, one spirit beast to another.
E Brown
Does Cai Xi Kong know that Tigu and Yin are spirit beasts? He seemed to only know about Bi De and Ri Zu.
Randall Norman Pick
I'm so proud of the disciples lately with what they're accomplishing here.
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter.
Boobby hill
Hmmmm monke I wonder what else you planned to do what we got is pretty sweet already Maybe we'll see next volume or perhaps a cool authors note Nice interlude short but still nice
Michael Foat
if it happens it happens. don't push yah know?
Michael Fannon
Last week was break. The 3 weeks prior where we only got 2 chapters a week instead of 3 is where Casualfarmer owes us 3 chapters.
Last week was the scheduled break: three weeks on, one week off. Nothing was missed.
Nathan Ganesan
And my axe!
WarStrider72
Guess the sects are just.... monkeying around
WarStrider72
We were so close to ending the volume at chapter 💯
Just A Dude
Did someone say Rock and Stone?!
Michael Fannon
Nice world building chapter and glad you're back. Now, I got to ask: are we getting 6 chapters this week to make up for the missed ones?
Nathan Ganesan
Rock and stone
WyrdWizard
Glad you're back and healthy. It was a good chapter.
E Brown
Are we close to the Solstice? I’m wondering if Gen showed up now so he can travel back home with the gang to meet everyone. Master Gen and Master Jin. :-)
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapter.
I'm really happy to see Gen getting again! Have to wonder about what's going through the minds of the other elders right now
Charlie
Monkey Shines!
Nicholas Grey
Ah, and so the consequences of the Oath in the Peach Orchard begins to manifest itself!
TheBugEater
It's kind of like a volcano. All the trembling and shaking is really exciting, but we all know it's building up to a massive eruption that will eclipse everything prior.
Nemo
glad to see gen being recognized ^^
taukid
Does pale moon ore still exist? Because it'd be really cool if tigu's crew was clad in it
Ender419
Primates with a purpose! Looking forward to some monkey puns by Huo Ten and his family.
Story Time Compass
That's no laughing matter!
trenton martinez
Hey a series of interludes is a great way to end the volume. The sect was finalized and the volume ends on the beginnings of a dream, the start of a hunt, and the tension of a lurking threat. Sounds like a great mark to start a new volume.
Samuel Terrazas
I for one wouldnt might it being another 500k words 😂
BigBro Bluesman
Man I've been anticipating something for a while but this just...man how do I even describe the excitement and interest in what will happen next!
Max E Malekzadeh
Thanks for the chapter! It was short but still powerful
frankie doerr
I love the work so far and I am excited to see where you take this
BargleNawdleZouss
Monkey business!
