Torsten Hewson
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v2c61: Sect Business
🕑 Added 2021-09-10 21:52:51 +0000 UTCXiulan’s clothes shimmered in the light. Her skin was pale and flawless, like she hadn’t been out in the sun for the entire summer. Her lips were red and inviting. Her hair was braided immaculately, silky locks that otherwise cascaded down her back.
It was a production. An image projected… but she didn’t mind this one. This one was real. Not a mask that had been put on for a falsehood.
It looked right.
She turned from the mirror to her companions. Yun Ren was just staring out the window, while Tigu and Ri Zu were looking intently at the drawings Junior Brother was doing, leaning over his shoulder as he muttered something about arches.
“I shall be two hours or so in making my report,” she informed them. “I shall go alone at first, and things shall progress from there.”
Yun Ren looked up from the window. “So we just wait around here then?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“Why would that be? To be cooped up in here and waiting wouldn’t be productive. The tournament truly begins tomorrow, but there is still much to experience today. I shall come find you, when I am finished.”
Her friends all glanced at each other, and shrugged.
“See ya later then.” Gou Ren waved at her. “Good Luck with your Sect stuff.”
Xiulan’s lips quirked into a small smile.
“I will see you all soon,” she declared, as she descended from the room, her swords floating openly behind her.
“Good Morning, Honoured Custom…er…” The woman at the front counter paused mid-bow as she beheld Xiulan. Her eyes widened in awe, and her mouth opened slightly. “Demon Slaying Orchid…” she whispered to herself.
“The accommodations were excellent. My compliments to the Master of the establishment,” she said, as she turned for the entrance.
“Ah… um… Yes, Lady Cai! Thank you for your words, Lady Cai!” she managed to get out, as Xiulan exited the inn.
The streets were already bustling in the early morning light, yet she found none that impeded her path. The people in the streets parted as if they were water before a ship. Whispers of “Demon-Slaying Orchid” followed her as walked toward the mountain. Some eyes were awed. Some eyes were narrowed in concentration, as they watched her.
Her pace was calm and unhurried. The stares…. they didn’t matter.
It was actually rather nice, walking through the town, smelling the cooking fires that made delicacies from all over the Azure Hills.
But her leisurely walk did not last forever.
A group approached her, wearing the colours of her sect. They walked openly and with purpose, heading towards her, with one man in the lead.
“We pay our respects to the Young Mistress!” they shouted as one, their fists clasped in front of them. Their leader, Bolin, who had joined the sect a mere year after she awakened her cultivation, offered her the deepest one.
“I have returned. It is good to see you all again,” she said, and meant it.
They looked like they had been doing well.
Xiulan inclined her head, and the group formed up around her, allowing her to lead as she followed the path.
The one who walked closest to her spoke.
“Did you have a good trip, Young Mistress?” Bolin asked. Older than her, at any rate, yet he was still “Junior Brother.” He had previously been one of her tails, before she had lost him.
“It was quite the adventure.” she stated simply, gracing him with a smile. “What about you, Junior Brother? I do hope it wasn’t spent entirely in the wilderness, or being sent on errands for the Elders…”
She hoped Bolin hadn’t been searching for her the entire time, or heavens forbid, been punished. She could not admit that she had evaded their eyes on purpose. Such a thing would be tantamount to admitting that she was hiding something, and acting like she didn’t know what they had been doing gave them both some cover.
A branch of peace.
Bolin smiled at her, accepting her reconciliation. “Thank you for your concern, Young Mistress, but all was well.” He probably hadn’t spent too long looking for her after she disappeared. He would perform the task his elder set for him… but no one could blame him for losing the Young Mistress that eclipsed his cultivation. “We had much work to do though. The Plum Blossom’s Shadow… it is a wily new player, and we’ve had our hands quite full.”
Xiulan filed that away for later, as they approached the gates of the compound.
“The Elders wish for a private audience immediately,” he stated simply. “They’re a bit upset that you cut it so close, and Elder Yi is Elder Yi.”
“Thank you for the warning.” It was quite kind of him to give her that much.
Bolin accepted her thanks, moving forward as the rest to open the enormous, heavy gate to the courtyard for her. He paused, turning back to her.
“Was it worth it?” Bolin asked.
Xiulan did not even have to think. She turned directly to face him. “Yes.”
Bolin let out a pleased breath, and bowed his head.
The gates opened.
“We Pay Our Respects to the Young Mistress!” The members of the sect shouted as she passed the gates.
Lined on either side of the path were all who had made the journey to the Dueling Peaks.
The older members of her sect, who looked at her with pride. Those who had stalled in the first stage of the Initiate’s realm, never to rise higher.
Her Junior Brothers and Sisters, who had asked for entrance to their Sect. Who wished to follow the path of her ancestors. They now bowed to her, overjoyed at her return.
The mortals, and the servants, slightly behind them. Some of the servants she had known since she was first aware of her surroundings. Mortals that had served the Verdant Blade Sect for untold generations.
The street-sweeper Tao. The kindly old grandmother, who had once snuck her sweets.
But… she did not truly know that much about them, did she? They looked so happy to see her, and she had repaid them poorly for their devotion. Rarely were they allowed entrance to the heart of the sect, but they did perform most of the vital duties.
They were only slightly larger than Hong Yaowu, weren’t they?
Yet she knew another village better than those who were her own people.
It was a slightly sobering thought. But one that sounded right. Her people.
Her head held high she entered the Elders’ chamber. The Elders were sitting on their knees on cushions, watching her intently as she bowed her head to them in greeting.
“Cai Xiulan pays her respects to the Elders of the Verdant Blade,” she stated, raising her head and meeting the gazes of her elders. The mood was tense. Her father’s gaze was searching, but he was relieved to see her. Her appearance seemed to be calming them down as well, now that they laid eyes upon her.
Elder Yi was outright glowering.
“Cutting it close, my daughter,” her father said, looking mildly amused. “But I have never known you to be late. Are you all satisfied with this, brothers?” he asked the room.
“Indeed. The Verdant Blade’s Dutiful Daughter is ever reliable,” Elder Han stated, stroking his beard, and nodding.
Some of the tension drained. There were a few amused smiles, but most seemed satisfied that she was among them.
All except Elder Yi.
“I am satisfied that she is here… but… where have you been, Young Mistress?,” he rumbled, his face a soft smile, but his eyes sharp. “After such accolades, one would expect you to continue racking up merit, and for your name to continue to spread. But after Grass Sea City,there was a remarkable lack of news.”
Her father frowned at Elder Yi. Ever ambitious Elder Yi, as some muttering broke out among the other elders.
One might think her growth would be something to celebrate… but her success had always left the man’s son in her shadow. A frustrating fact for the ambitious Elder Yi.
After she had returned from Fa Ram for the first time it had grown even worse.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Well, do you have an answer for us, Young Mistress?” He asked.
“Yi!” Her father began to rebuke, but another of her Elders spoke up.
“I must confess some interest as well,” he said idly. “And if you have found any more of that rice.”
There were more nods. Her father glared. But even he could not completely shut down all other Elders if they wished to know.
All of the elders had their attention upon her.
Perhaps at one time she would have stumbled over her words to explain herself.
Now, she felt no such urge. To Elder Yi, she was still so far below him, he still had authority over her.
None of them were truly trying to see. They assumed she would still be at the fourth stage of the initiate’s realm, after all, it took decades of careful effort to grow.
So she enlightened them.
She let out a breath, as her own power swelled. It filled the room. Her father’s jaw dropped. Elder Yi’s eyes widened, as he coughed.
“I have been in deep meditation and training with a Hidden Master,” she stated simply. “Is that not sufficient?”
There was silence, as they digested her strength.
“My Honourable father, our Sect Master, knew my intentions, for he wished not to be disturbed.”
“So, what did this hidden master get in return for this generosity?” Elder Yi asked leadingly.
Xiulan frowned at the insinuation.
“My purity is intact, if that is what you are asking,” she shot back. She brought out the jar of Maple Syrup, and placed it upon the table. Once more there was a shocked silence, as the elders beheld the simple glazed clay bottle. The simple unassuming bottle that was so full of Qi.
“He wishes for an amicable relationship with us. And that we take care of his disciples, while they are here.” All knew that Hidden Masters were the greatest allies, or most terrible enemies. She would like to have kept the syrup for herself.. But she knew it would bring Jin his peace.
There were noises of interest. It was much more understandable, that a man was asking for a favour from them.
Even though he was not. Even though a reward for this was not on his mind.
“So you have gained us a new ally, Cai Xiulan,” Elder Han said, stroking his beard, and staring at the syrup. His eyes were focused completely upon it, as he took short breaths, tasting the scent that made him swallow, for his mouth was watering. Even Elder Yi could barely keep his eyes off the prize.
“He wishes for his seclusion, but he is willing to sell his goods to us. We should keep such things quiet, should we not, to retain access to them?” Xiulan asked, putting it to the Elder’s decision.
There was another set of nods. Elder Han laughed at the thought.
“Indeed my daughter,” Cai Xi Kong stated, smiling at her. “In fact, brothers, should my daughter, who already has a good relationship with our mysterious master, continue it? It would bring us great things, would it not?”
The Elders stared at the bottle of syrup, and one by one, they nodded.
Even Elder Yi, as grudging as it was.
“And so it shall be. We shall all show respect to the disciples of this Hidden Master,” her father said, smiling at her. “But now, we must discuss our strategy for the tournament. My daughter, I would like to hear your insights…. “
Xiulan grimaced internally and then nodded.
She hoped everyone else was having a much better time than she was.
=================================
Gou Ren was not having a particularly good time. Oh, it had started well enough. The town/city place was incredibly interesting. The countless thousands of sights and smells had been intoxicating. It was like the festival at Verdant Hill, yet a thousand times more.
They had perused the stalls, and eaten some food, and generally had a good time… until the crowds started getting worse. Then Gou Ren had stopped, because a scroll had caught his eye, and when he looked up again, everybody was gone.
So now Gou Ren was wandering idly through the streets of the market, searching for his brother and Tigu. He had already doubled back a few times.
He snorted, irritated, as he pushed through the people. Lots of silk clothes here, but for the most part, there were actually a lot of normal people. Certainly more than the cultivators he had seen, they all seemed to be gravitating toward the mountain.
Gou Ren shook his head in frustration, as he decided to get out of the crowded area, and press into a side street. They had been travelling closer to the mountain, so maybe they were this way…?
He was studying the crowd, when he noticed an old man who was walking backwards, looking around, a bit confused. He turned, and started to walk, not really looking where he was going… and went right into the path of a woman in a blue dress with a cloud pattern on it.
The old man fell, shocked at the sudden resistance, and kicked up a bit of dust.
Gou Ren frowned, as the woman put her hands on her hips, glowering down at the fallen grandfather.
“Look what you got dirty, old man,” the woman sneered. “Wandering around with your head in the clouds… You’re courting death!”
She reached for the old man, and Gou Ren’s blood ran cold. Bad stories Meimei had told about cultivators swirled unpleasantly.
Wait, was she actually about to—?
His body began to move as she grasped the back of the old man’s robe, her eyes disdainful. She lifted him into the air—
And set him back down, as she began to strike the dirt from his robes.
“Look at this! You court death, gawking as you do! Foolish, impudent! You dare to not pay attention in this place?”
Just as she spoke, a cart rolled out. If the old man hadn’t bumped into the woman he probably would have gotten run over.
The man seemed utterly bewildered, and began to try and bow awkwardly, as the woman’s hands swiftly danced over her hoops, checking a bit like Meimei did for any contusions.
“Thank you, Young Miss—” The man tried, and the beautiful woman harrumphed
“Hpmh! Never act this way in my sight again, or beyond! You might die if you continue to act in such a way! Your bones would be shattered, your organs ruptured, and you would die unmourned in a ditch!”
Gou Ren stared at the scene, as the woman pushed the old man on his way.
There was almost certainly a better way for all that to have been said. The woman watched the old man go… and then turned back to the crowd, pointing at Gou Ren. Her storm-grey eyes were narrowed in anger, and her red lips pulled into a scowl.
“And you! Who are you to gaze upon me with such eyes?!” She raised a haughty brow. “Show yourself!”
Gou Ren stepped forward. “Ah… sorry. A bit of a misunderstanding, miss,” he apologised.
The woman glared at him, lingering for a moment at the edges of his open shirt as her face went slightly red.
“Oh, what manner of ill thoughts did you have?”
“…I thought you were gonna hurt him,” he muttered, deciding on the truth. She couldn’t be too bad if she had done that, could she?
“Oho? And you would have stood against me if that was the case?” she sneered.
“Yeah,” Gou Ren said bluntly.
The woman paused. She seemed taken aback by his words. She bit her lip as she stared at his face. She was nearly as tall as he was, with a willowy figure, a sword strapped to her waist, and a strange contraption on her back, that at first he had mistaken for a pack.
“…You are a fool twice over for your words! I don’t hate it! Liu Xianghua, The Young Mistress of the Misty Lake Sect, approves of your foolishness!”
Xianghua? wait—
“Xiulan’s friend?” he blurted out.
The woman recoiled as if he had just slapped her.
“Friend?! I, who ascended to the fourth step of the initiate’s realm to challenge her once more?! Nay, we are fated rivals! Our battle will be legendary!” She posed at that, one hand on her hip, and a fist raised to the sky. “Naturally, I shall emerge victorious. And who are you, to know me through the Blade of Grass?!” She demanded.
“Her um... friend…? Xong Gou Ren. Nice to meet you?”
He bowed to the strange woman.
She stared at him, her head cocked to the side.
“…uh. Listen, I gotta find my friends, so…..bye?” He managed, backing away.
“I see!” the woman declared, and quickly fell into step beside him.
Gou Ren glanced at her nervously.
“I shall aid you, of course,” she stated, refusing to look at him.
…strange woman.
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Serious conversations are so hard to write. :/
Things happened. Gou Ren meets... well, shes certainly a character. I was looking forward to introducing her, but I don't think I got it quite right. It feels less amusing when I read it then it felt in my head.
Comments
Spell Craft
I love her already.
BrauBaer
Thanks for the chapter.
Noah
Just realized that Xiulan is in the profound realm now, so she won’t really be able to challenge her in the tournament. Xiulan will probably be bumped up to a higher tier of the tournament or just be handed an automatic win. However, conveniently, Tigu is around her level. I bet the new girl and Tigu will end up having one of the most entertaining fights at the end of the tournament.
Corwin Amber
'One more there was' one -> once
Ben Allen
I think it was either supposed to be "hips" and not "hoops" or it was referring to hooped bracelets.
ThorneHawk
Loved the chapter. One typo, should: The clothes seemed to be calming down as well be: The others seemed to be calming down as well And I'm not sure what: we must discuss the resort of our strategy means.
Gremlin
Another fun chapter. I struggled to understand everything at the end. For example what does it mean that her hands swiftly danced over her hoops, checking a bit like Meimei...? Also I assume a "C" is missing in "On-e more there was a shocked silence"
Dale Tucker
This was a great introduction honestly
HumbleBee
I would give you more hearts for this comment if I was able to
Arnon Parenti
Gou Ren is set to climb two tall trees over there.
Termac
Enh. They're different characters, and they are the way they are for at least somewhat different reasons. But yeah, they seem to share a fair amount in common.
Termac
Good catch. I, and everyone else in the Edit Squad all missed that one wayward "t" hiding there.
Termac
Oh, no! A wild tsundere appears!
The Divine F5
I want her and Tigu to meet
J Klugh
Like the new character, it’s a fun twist. Plus given Xuilan’s upbringing, and the way it almost broke her ( you face heaven alone). It kind of makes me wonder if this is what would would get if you took a unrelentingly kind person and had them raised by an “Arrogant” sect.
Stewart Boyatt
More like: Young Mistress of "wants to climb Gou Ren like a tree".
fbt
i think the silly intent came thru fine at the end, although I'm not the best judge for a variety of reasons.
Chad Hagner
I love the way this ended, Gou Ren really finds himself in weird scenarios!
Luke Preston
Thank you for the chapter
Garrett
More like a “Princess”, I’d say. Haughty and arrogant but harmless and well-meaning.
Eric
So did she actually knock him down to save his life? She says he courts death by not paying attention which fits with the cart coming by and adds a whole lot to her character. She'd make an excellent mate for monkey boy! 😂
Corwin Amber
'for ther the entire' ther -> her
Jan Alexander
No one can resist a good maple syrup. Haha. Xiulan's rival has shown up? Haha
General Use Only
Haha love her already. I was wondering when we would get the stereotypical villainess-type characters. But this is so much better 😄
Bonifacio Mario Peña Jr.
Oh god. Tigu. There's two of her now.
Ichypa
Xianghua is amazing, I love her. Gou’s found a good one.
Guilherme Silva
"She hoped he hadn’t been searching for ther the entire time, or heavens forbid, been punished." Should be searching for her, no?
Nimps
Mate she is hilarious, Tigu is going to love her hhahahahaha
Damian
YOUR LOVE WILL BE LEGENDARY
Benji
When in need of plot, have Gou Ren stumble into it! Fun chapter =)
Artur Vogt
So a new love interes for him.
RJKY
Tsundere! Tsundere!
Mrdelta
It's the whole giving to the earth unconditionally, and reaping the dividends thing. Big De could write a book on it.
micah fortman
man why you gotta be so good at writing
aj0413
I just realized : sects all have some kind of unifying theme to their techniques and stuff right? What would Fa Rams be?
kaalveiten
I thinks shes great, lol
Alan McBrayer
That is the persona she is trying to project. However, I actually got the impression that she was a kind hearted person who has been forced to play the role of the arrogant Young Mistress, similar to how Lanlan acted before the Fa Rem.
OpN
He snorted, irritated, as *"she"* pushed through the people. You mean, he.
Alex Bennett
I think she came across as you wised it anyway. Arrogant certianly, but she did help the old dude and gave hime good advice, if in a typically young mistress sort of way.
Prent
Love her already. She's gonna be so disappointed when she learns the truth about Xiulan's power though...
Prent
hmm... that implies too much dislike I think. They're going to get along so enthusiastically that the house will somehow wind up on fire
Dale
profound 1
Sean Ulrich
Is it just me or is she the type to trade blows while smiling and laughing? Kind battle maniac type?
striderfighter
What is xiulans cultivation level now?
Matt
Tigu and her are going to get on like a house on fire aren't they?
Andrew
Thank you!
Empty Shelf
The Chuuni is strong in this one.
Robert M
Hopefully Liu Xianghua interacts with an arrogant/hothead cultivator, sounds like that could be interesting
Imspinnennetz
I agree that there some typos and odd capitalizations that are confusing.
Armo
OUR BATTLE SHALL BE LEGENDARY! I love her.
RainyCats
I thought it was pretty hilarious 😂 was honestly expecting an altercation.
Thom_View
I love it! Excited for the next chapter.
Ask-if-I-like-lemons
I had to read it multiple times to understand what happened back there lol
Keifru
Oh boy, Xianghua is gonna get on like a housefire with Tigu
Jacob
I liked her introduce, the super serious cultivator meets the guy who cares absolutely about any of it was pretty funny
That One Guy
I think the introduction was great. :) thanks for the hard work!
Imspinnennetz
Tigger is finally going to meet someone who is as annoying as her previous self before her transformation.
Luker number 5
You've just introduced her and I love her.
