Chương 8: Deepwhale Pier

Rowan In the misty sunlight, the city shimmered like a mirage fifty feet above them. White and choppy water plunged down from the cliffs, flowing into the river delta below. A stele rose from the basin like an immortal sword, listing countless achievements and parting the waters. Shrouded by mist, it pointed at the city, at the heavens. Sailing alongside Deepwhale Pier was risky - only specialized boats could handle the whip of the current. Fishing was the same, though mortals tried anyway.

Famously, there was a type of catfish that grew until it was a thousand pounds that only lived near these falls. This place was far more industrious than Righteous Mountain City. Levies pulled ships and pleasure barges up and down the falls like a watermill. Cultivators flew in the sky freely. Rowan estimated that ten million people lived on each side of the river. The freshwater falls produced ten or twenty piers that were also considered part of Deepwhale Pier.

Rowan only knew the names of some of them - Snakewine Pier, Blue Squid Pier, Water Dragon Pier, but none of them were as grand as Deepwhale Pier. Righteous Mountain City was smaller than all of them. Rowan looked out and saw squat stone pillars protruding from the banks of the water.

"What are those?"

"Drought stones, Your Excellency," explained Gugio.

"In the past people set them up as a warning - if the water level drops to where the stones become visible, famine is coming. This summer has been hot, without any rain. The lake is drying up." Rowan's brows pinched in concern, but he didn't ask any more questions. The Wandering Bulb caught up to them and waddled back into Rowan's robes, looking more satisfied than usual. Another oddity. He had expected the wild vegetable to have run off after eating the man.

When they approached the falls, Gugio expertly guided their carriage onto one of the massive lifts. Water sprayed onto them as the levies pulled them up the cliffs. Rowan felt his heart thunder in his chest as the horses kicked and snorted, watching out of the window as they were pulled higher and higher… Once they were on solid ground again, Rowan left out an exhale of relief. One of the levy men approached Gugio.

"I noticed your carriage has spell-marks on it. Is the master inside a cultivator?"

"Yes. We were attacked on the road."

"These days, the dangers are only increasing. But for bandits to foolishly attack an immortal - it truly seems like if you walk along the shore your feet will eventually get wet." The guard chuckled with schadenfreude.

"We have an entrance specifically for cultivators. There's no line. Please, join me." Gugio maneuvered the horses around the line, taking an out of the way path. The gate in front of them was large, and manned by two guards who radiated a bit of qi.

"May we ask the name of the esteemed immortal?"

"Rowan Helsing, the immortal master of Righteous Mountain's House Helsing," said Gugio. The guards shared a questioning look.

"Helsing- have you ever heard of a-?"

"I don't think so."

"There's a wine shop owned by a Helsing, isn't there? In the Merchant Quarter?"

"No. That's Vanding." Rowan's eyebrow twitched as the guards continued to debate. Sure, the Helsings were the least renowned out of the four houses of Righteous Mountain, but it wasn't like Rowan had traveled to a different state. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Forget it." Rowan held out his sect token out of the window.

"This one is also a disciple of Righteous Mountain Sect." The appearance of the token startled them.

"Of course! Right this way, immortal master!"

"Apologies for not recognizing your esteemed name. Righteous Mountain Sect is an honored ally of our Deepwhale Pier." They tripped over themselves to open the gates.

"Do you have business in the city, my lord?"

"I'm visiting a family member. He's a disciple of Blackscale Sect."

"Absolutely. We'll notify the sect at once." Rowan's biggest concern upon arriving had been simply finding Ash. In his own sect, without connections, it was impossible to even pass a message along to someone. Visitors who had gotten the requisite permission were often let through the gate, climbing the mountain themselves, only to be stonewalled at the door for a number of inane reasons. Here, a member of the sect was already on standby, and escorted the carriage to the sect.

Gugio took care of the horses while Rowan followed the sect member into a grand building. He walked into a large chamber with a black mosaic floor, looking around at the paintings on the walls. They all had different styles, indicating that they had been painted by different people, but they all had the same subject. A sea serpent. Rowan spun in bewilderment the tiles of the floor behind him folded onto themselves, creating an opening.

"Cousin! What fortuitous timing, I need your help!" Ash shot out. His cousin was half a head taller than him, his hair was meticulously tied up with a hair crown bearing a fat sapphire at the center. The dark blue disciple robes didn't have a single crease, as though it had been freshly pressed that morning. He smelled strongly of sandalwood. His eyes creased with playfulness. He looked like an elegant yet frivolous bachelor.

He hadn't seen Ash in years, but all of a sudden, it was like they were best friends again. He'd almost forgotten they used to be so close. Before Rowan could respond, Ash shoved a scroll into his hand.

"My Cavern Lady is insistent on making this match. I just got her portrait. Take a look!" The scroll depicted a rather plain girl. Nothing special, but nothing was wrong with her either.

"She looks nice…" Ash groaned.

"You're only saying that because I mentioned the Cavern Lady."

"Beautiful girls cause a lot of trouble. It's better if she's more unassuming."

"I don't mind trouble! In fact if the trouble is proportional to her proportions, give me all the world's trouble, hehe." He took the portrait back with a sigh, rolling it back up and sticking it into his sleeve.

"Has your sect arranged your nuptials yet, or are they waiting until you're sixteen?" Rowan shook his head.

"My sect is far more casual. We can make our own matches, we just have to run it by internal affairs for approval."

"Speaking of, aren't you supposed to be studying? How did they let you come?"

"I'm on leave. My… my mother finally passed." Ash paused.

"So that's why you're wearing white! I thought- I thought maybe you'd become more conservative…" He chuckled weakly, eyes growing glossy.

"I'm sorry. Bad joke. I'm sorry…" Rowan patted him on the back as tears flowed down the young man's cheeks. Ash said, "When my parents kicked me out for causing trouble, I always came to stay with you and Aunt Iseult, remember? I even tried to get kicked out of purpose sometimes. Your mom made the best dumplings, and told the best stories. I think my mom got a bit jealous because then she made me start going to Aunt Rela's instead. A few months after I left home, Aunt Iseult fell into a coma.

I always regretted not seeing her enough, especially since I knew she was sick…" The old memories weighed on Rowan, and he felt the full weight of his grief. He hadn't expected such an emotional reaction from Ash. It wasn't that Rowan was any less sad, just that he was better at masking it.

"If you want to reminisce about the old days, how about we have a spar? I want to see if I can still beat you up as easily as I used to." Rowan smiled. Ash gave a wet snort.

"Don't kid yourself. That was before we started cultivating. I'm in the second layer of Qi Condensation now, so don't get arrogant."

"Swords, no spell arts," Rowan clarified, pausing.

"I haven't learned any yet."

"Wait, are you serious? Spell arts is all I have. Of course I'm not fighting you." Ash sighed.

"I can barely remember a single sword form, and I've seen this play out countless times since joining my sect. Advancing a bit in cultivation doesn't teach you how to throw a punch." He lowered his voice.

"This is actually why I'm in a spot of trouble. There's been a handful of people who are looking to duel me. If they come around, I hope we can teach them a lesson." Rowan narrowed his eyes.

"Trouble?"

"Nothing serious. They just look down on our Righteous Mountain City." Ash shook off the words with a hand, a smile on his face.

"Want to grab a bite to eat? Then you can tell me why you're really here, because I doubt it was just to visit little old me."

"You might be surprised…"