Chương 58: A Cold Welcome

Ash The carriage jostled as the wheels rode over the many grooves criss-crossing the Main Road to Righteous Mountain City. Ash peered curiously out the window. Overnight, his hometown had become a hot destination.

"Usually, the carriages are reserved for women and the infirm," said Cavern Lady Dawnshard.

"I am infirm," replied Ash.

"I'm still in the second layer of Qi Condensation." His master snorted in a very unladylike fashion.

"If you think that will exempt you from fighting in the tournament, guess again. There is a bracket for early-stage cultivators. As long as you are under thirty, there's no escape."

"Strange you mention that," mumbled Ash.

"I actually celebrated my thirtieth birthday yesterday."

"You are sixteen. Your birth records are with the sect."

"Those were forged! I have a weak liver! I medicate for it nightly." His master glared at him.

"Don't think I'll accept that excuse for my wine disappearing." Ash gulped. He didn't dare continue this line of conversation. Outside, he saw his fellow disciple brothers and sisters walking. Quentin was holding a large pole bearing the Blackscale Sect's standard: a silver carp on a dark blue background. Their procession was long and slow, but they didn't stop to rest, covering ground by burning the night hours. The perk of being cultivators.

Ash was, at the Cavern Lady's request, personally dressed in the red of House Helsing - a red so dark it looked almost black - to symbolize their cooperation. Suddenly, he wondered if he looked like a political hostage rather than a sect disciple.

"Are you excited to see your cousin Rowan again?" asked Cavern Lady Dawnshard. Ash snorted, straightening out his legs and crossing them at the ankles.

"Not in the slightest."

"Hm?"

"He'll be in the early-stage bracket as well. And he'll kick my ass."

"His sword skills aren't bad," mused Cavern Lady Dawnshard.

"But he's two years younger than you, and in the first layer. Not to mention, I doubt his scripture is even remotely on the same level as yours. How can you give up the thought of victory so soon?" Ash shivered dramatically.

"When we were kids, he used to push me into the pond for fun. I can still feel the carp biting me."

"What a terrible child!" Dawnshard exclaimed. Ash shook his head.

"It wasn't like that, I'm exaggerating. He's just always been more…"

"Martially gifted?"

"Yes. And even by Decatour standards, the way that Uncle Pyrus and Aunt Iseult raised Rowan was really psychotic. Like something from the stories about how the immortal clans train their heirs."

"In what way?" asked Dawnshard. Ash was suddenly struck by the realization that he'd never heard anything about his own master's background. He just knew she was terrible with money, and never seemed to run out. She'd selected him as her disciple, and that was all there was to it.

"He was blooded early. And even though there was something wrong with his qi system, his mother only made him train all the harder. She would pull him from play with the other Helsing children to do qi exercises for hours."

"What type of qi exercises?" Ash paused. He'd never heard his master sound this interested in his family before.

"I'm not sure. Rowan used to complain about memorizing shapes and patterns a lot. But when Uncle Pyrus passed, he stopped complaining." Dawnshard hummed faintly. She seemed to be thinking about something.

"It's often said that it takes many inches of bamboo to raise a boy."

"Are you going to start beating me?" Ash wondered, smiling.

"I think I will!" she cried, swiping at him. Quentin poked his head past the curtain, and managed to eat a fist from Lady Dawnshard. He reappeared, clutching his lower lip.

"I'm not sure what this disciple did to deserve that, master," he ground out, "but I was going to say we're arriving soon." Dawnshard stammered out an apology. The members of Blackscale Sect were in high spirits even as they passed through the Northern Gate into Righteous Mountain City without a single greeting from, well, anybody. Ash found that odd. Shouldn't Rowan's sect have sent a delegation? In fact, his senior brothers and sisters had to ask Ash, the native, for directions.

"Alright, we're going to go down Spring Street here until we hit the Main Road. We can't miss it. It's really simple," Ash explained for the third time, this time to one of Cavern Lady Lilycove's students.

"Once we're on the Main Road, we take a left turn and follow it until we reach the Eastern Gate. That's Righteous Mountain Sect. Got that?" She did not get it. He repeated himself again. She was still confused.

"It's the big mountain in the distance!" he groused.

"How does anyone even cultivate when they can't follow simple directions like this?" Dawnshard sent a flick his way, a lash of air striking his ear.

"That's no way to speak about your senior sister… fortune favors fools, all of these twists and turns may lead us to unexpected luck." She hummed.

"Speaking of unexpected luck, I don't want a local girl to catch your eye while you're back home. It would be very prudent for you to–" Stolen story; please report.

"Master!" Ash groaned.

"Please don't make me marry that girl."

"You haven't even met my good friend Lana's daughter. She's the type to raise a girl right!" They bickered lightly until they arrived at the Eastern Gates of Righteous Mountain City. The carriage came to a standstill. When Ash and Lady Dawnshard stepped out of the carriage, it was just as he had remembered. Lothesby Auction House, a tiny little brick and mortar establishment when he was just a child, had grown year to year, and this year it had grown larger again, taking over the entirety of the block.

He would miss Tina's Tailoring and Toys. That was where his half-sister Tansy had gotten her stuffed bear, so many years ago. Decatour Teahouse had not changed at all, other than the flag of Righteous Mountain Sect proudly waving from its slanted roof. The evening sun lit the Decatour sigil a deep, glowing red. Did something big happen recently, or was his mother's family feeling especially patriotic now that their city was hosting the conference?

"I didn't expect the Righteous Mountain Teahouse to be nicer than the one in Deepwhale Pier," said Dawnshard.

"That sign is made of real obsidian glass. The closest volcano is north of the capital. That had to be incredibly expensive," she mused. Ash nodded.

"The Righteous Mountain Decatours are the oldest branch family of House Decatour. They arrived here from Where Rivers Meet to help found the city, before spreading out across the continent. This teahouse here is even older than the one at Crimson Blessing City or the one at Platform City."

"I would like to have a cup of tea," said Dawnshard. She had found a well-painted fan in the carriage somewhere and had now opened it. The water lilies were magnificent.

"I'm sure Uncle Desmond would love to meet with you," said Ash, who suddenly realized that he too could use a trip to the teahouse to find out about his master. Their focus was drawn back to their fellow sect members. Particularly Cavern Lord Whitewing, who stood at the front of the procession.

"No one is here to greet us? Still?" complained Cavern Lord Whitewing, as if the guard at Righteous Mountain's Eastern Gate wasn't waving at them. A group of fifteen Helsings in formal robes were also waiting around the gates. What was conspicuously absent, however, was Righteous Mountain Sect. They should've sent a greeting party. If not draped the streets with celebratory fripperies.

"Are they slighting us for the Blackscale Cove matter?" muttered Lady Blackglass, whose students had surrounded her.

"Apologies, Cavern Lords," said the guard at the gate. He seemed rather old, and was very close to fully defeating himself in a chess game.

"There's been a commotion. Ancient Dynasty Tower and Soul Shear Valley both just arrived by boat, and apparently they had a skirmish on the water on the way here." Ash frowned, looking to his master to see her reaction. He wasn't overly familiar with either of those sects. He did know, however, they were both major powers in the Second State of Kyrr, and that Ancient Dynasty Tower generally had a good reputation, and Soul Shear Valley was full of questionable cultivators.

To his surprise, his master was in good cheer.

"So it's just the big sects demanding special treatment," she said.

"Those two are terrible to deal with, even on their own. Now, elder–""Just Hesser, I'm not an elder," said the gatekeeper.

"Your accommodations will be handled at the Mission Hall. Please come inside." The gatekeeper pushed the doors open and bowed. Ash and Cavern Lady Dawnshard did not follow their fellow sect members, instead heading toward the waiting delegation from House Helsing. His mother beamed at him from the side, while his father gave him a nod of approval.

"Lord Helsing, I presume?" greeted Lady Dawnshard. Bael Helsing shook his head with a practiced ruefulness. He cupped his fist and bowed.

"That would be my patriarch. I will only earn the title when I ascend to Qi Refining." Ash stopped himself from smiling. His father sounded confident about his cultivation. For years, he had functioned as the head of the family in all but name - even when Uncle Pyrus had been alive, his father had tirelessly taken on the busy administrative work while his uncle went on missions. He deserved to finally get the title, and let old Patriarch Yarrow retire to enjoy his last years.

"A tiger father does not produce a dog son. Ash has already shown incredible leaps and bounds. Not only is he my only student with a rank four scripture, but his ability to interpret such a grand text is remarkable. Recently, he broke through to the second layer." At that, his father's smile became a little strained, which was not what Ash was looking for.

At sixteen years old, still being in the early-stage of Qi Condensation was considered great for Righteous Mountain City, and good even for Blackscale Sect, but it wasn't quite up to par with the generational target of Pyrus Helsing. It did feel a little bit unfair. Even Uncle Pyrus hadn't started out by cultivating the rank four Dry Fire Codex. The text was something he had earned in his twenties from an opportunity that the Silk Witch had given him.

"That's very good," said his father, who gave no verbal indication of why he didn't seem so pleased. It wasn't like you could have beaten the admission that he was comparing his son to his brother out of him. Just then, one of Ash's half-sisters tugged his sleeve.

"Ash! Ash! Did you hear about Cousin Rowan?"

"What about Rowan, Nyssa?"

"Cousin Rowan's reached layer three," she crowed. His father's face hardened further. Ah, it had nothing to do with Pyrus Helsing after all. It had everything to do with his younger cousin.

"Rowan Helsing again?" his master exclaimed.

"It's to be expected, of course," said father.

"He happened to cross paths with our Foundation Establishment Ancestor, the esteemed Iris Helsing. She gave him a few tips."

"The Silk Witch!" confirmed Dawnshard happily.

"Fairy Snowsong says the nicest things about her. I hope I get to meet her one day." She paused, thinking.

"I wonder if Snowsong is back from–""Master, don't talk about that in public," warned Ash, to no avail.

"This is the conference," said Dawnshard.

"Everyone here is in the Earthly Harmony Alliance. Everyone has a right to know that Snowsong is arguing on our behalf at the Where Rivers Meet Merchant's Guild."

"At the capital?" Ash tried to keep the anger out of his voice. The Earthly Harmony Alliance had taken so much from his family and whatever they were doing now could not possibly be good for the Helsings. Who knew what they were offering the Merchant's Guild? That organization was legendary for buying and selling anything.

"Where else do the rivers meet?" asked Dawnshard, flicking Ash on the forehead. Hard. It hurt.

"Ah, so you have a connection with Fairy Snowsong," said father.

"If it's not too much trouble, I wouldn't mind meeting with her at her convenience. It's always good to have tea with friends." Ash didn't think anything would come of this. He didn't know what Snowsong had done to bewitch his master into believing they were friends, but surely Dawnshard had to realize that the Fairy was no good! And up to no good!

"I'll pass the word along," said Dawnshard, coyly waving her painted fan. Ash, sensing that his master was ready to depart, gave a quick hug to his mother and Nyssa, who was clutching the edge of his sleeve.

"I will stop by the Helsing compound tonight to catch up." His father waved a dismissive hand.

"You have responsibilities as a disciple of your sect. For many of your fellow sect brothers and sisters, this will be their first time in Righteous Mountain City. You must be a good host. Take them to our Alchemy House. We always have pills for friends." Ash held back a sigh. That was his father. Business always came first.