Chương 22: Soaring Heaven's Isle: Chapter 22: The Spirit of the Phoenix

The meal was delicious, and I got to add my rating beside Bailu and Seiyu's in their book. It got a 9. 5/10, in my opinion. Everything was made to perfection… but that may have been the problem. The craft was too perfect. Not a single bao had any imperfections, nor a single deviation in size, shape, or filling. It was honestly impressive for this time period, but to me? They looked machine made. Maybe it was that they were missing passion? Whatever the case, I couldn't justify it with a perfect score.

After our meal we went back downstairs. I had asked about the lady the people had been praying to, and once again both my Storm Wings seemed aghast.

"That's Lady Chao! Have you never heard her story?" Bailu demanded.

"I don't think I have," I answered honestly. So they quickly directed me downstairs… where it turns out the restaurant had a museum. In a good mood from the good food, I paid one of the storytellers they had sitting out front to tell us the tale of Chao Baozi. What started as a way to pass time while we digested turned into something genuinely interesting.

"And there, lo, did the poor peasant girl, Chao, come across a man laying upon the road. He was grievously injured, surely at the doorstep of death." The storyteller narrated, It was a surprisingly involved production; there were even puppets that acted out his scenes.

"He had nothing upon him save for a ragged robe. Yet kind Chao lifted this poor stranger onto her back, and carried him into her home. She did tear strips off her only dress to make bandages, and when he awoke with his stomach growling, and shaking from hunger, without hesitation did the destitute peasant share with him the only meal she was going to have that day—and not just that day, but the day after that, and again after that.

This woman with nothing freely gave of herself to a man she did not know, who was not from her village." Both Big D and Ningjing were still, watching with rapt attention. I could feel our little ship's wonder at the tale though our bond. The puppet of the man touched his chest.

"Why? The man asked. Why would you go so far for me?" A panel slid in front of the puppet show, providing a frontal image of Chao's face. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful, radiant smile. A master had painted this in loving detail—and was clearly invested in making the story actually accurate. Chao was a sweet looking girl, but was thin from lack of food, with hollow cheeks and stark collarbones.

I was surprised that they showed their esteemed matriarch in such a state, instead of the deific perfection that characterised a lot of stories about legends.

"Because it is the right thing to do,' did the woman reply, "These demons hurt all of us. So we all need to stand together."

"The man healed swiftly, taking only a week to become hale and hearty again. He kowtowed before Chao and her boundless generosity. In his eyes she saw a fire, a passion that she could feel in her soul. He told her that they would see each other again; Chao simply told him to be safe upon the road."

"Thus, did the man leave, and Chao was alone again in her poor village. She did not expect to see him again. Life continued—until one day three months later, a host of the Great Enemy descended upon Chao's village." Demons descended from the skies, evil looking puppets made of burnt wood and matted fur. Their faces were carved with jagged edges. Ningjing, who had been feeling happy all this time, suddenly shifted. I felt her attention lock onto the demon puppets… and something like rage leak into our bond."

They came down upon wings of darkness—they were the emissaries of hell, eager to feast upon blood and bone. All who lived there knew their time had come, and despaired." Ningjing had never even felt upset once before. But these? The demons? They were making her angry. She started moving around in my shirt, like she wanted to jump out and attack the puppets.

'Bad.' she growled into our bond.

"Bad!" I patted her little avatar, while Bailu and Seiyu spared her concerned glances. I felt their own Qi try to calm the little one, but she was having none of it, locked completely onto the effigies.

"Yet before the demons could lay a single finger upon the village, they were met with fire! Great Heroes strode forth and opposed them, driving the beasts before them, and reaping them like they were but rice!" The storyteller shouted, the demons, once flapping menacingly around, abruptly broke into pieces as sword puppets scythed across the stage. Ningjing's mood did an immediate 180, her little wooden form lifting both of her arms, and a whistling, musical cheer came from her.

"At their head was a man who eclipsed all others, his cultivation the might of a Phoenix, and his Heavenly Qi bane to all creatures of darkness!" A man without any facial features strode forth, a burning flame on his brow, and golden wings of fire-red feathers fanned out from his back. Ningjing bounced up and down, clearly delighted.

'Good birdie! Birds good! Birds friends, birds family!' Ningjing projected to all of us. Big D too puffed up his feathers, clearly pleased at the demon's destruction.

"Each and every demon was undone, cast down back to the hells where they belonged. Thousands of soldiers marched into this humble, nameless village, and began erecting mighty fortifications; they brought with them food and drink, which they distributed to all."

"Lo, the man who was a Heavenly Phoenix came down to rest his feet upon the earth. Not before the noble generals, nor the village headman, but instead before the humble Chao. He could be nothing but an Emperor— She scrambled to kowtow before his majesty, yet the man raised his hand, and did not let her bow. Instead, This Heavenly Emperor clasped his hands before him in respect, and inclined his head—the flames that obscured his face were lessened, and Chao saw before her the vagrant she had taken in."

"He had been no vagrant at all, but His Imperial Majesty, wounded from his battles against the Great Enemy." I had a feeling that it had been heading towards this, but it was a really interesting twist. All I know of the First Emperor was that he was basically a god, and perfect at everything. Again, that they showed him being defeated at all, and saved by a mortal peasant… it was surprising.

"My dear friend, it is good to see you again." The Emperor said, "I have come to repay you for the kindness you have done me; I shall grant you anything you desire—I shall give you palaces the size of mountains; cities of servants. Provinces to serve as your personal domains, for you saved this Emperor in his most dire of hours."

"Chao was stunned by this offer. The Heavenly Phoenix offered her the world. It offered her whatever she wanted. And yet Chao did not take the riches of the world when they were offered to her."

"I am but a simple girl, your Majesty." Chao said.

"I would not know what to do with Palaces the size of mountains, or cities of servants. But if you truly mean I can have whatever I want… then I want to feed everyone. I want to give delicious food to all who need it, so that the people of our homeland are never hungry again."

"His Imperial Majesty could only stare in awe. His soldiers and generals were similarly touched—and this mighty host, this heavens shaking army, fell to one knee before this mortal girl's virtue and benevolence."

"You have my word; and my word is never broken." The Heavenly Emperor declared.

"Come with me then, Lady Chao. This Emperor shall surely need your assistance and virtuous counsel."

"The emperor constructed for her a place for all to eat, in the seat of his power. Not out of gold, or treasures of Qi; but instead of humble mortal wood and stone; It was this building, and it was named Chao Baozi."

"And so Chao worked with his majesty, to make her wish come true. The land was reclaimed from the Great Enemy. Scholars and learned men found ways to repair the damage that had been done to it. The farmers worked tirelessly." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"And it was not just the common people who benefited. It was Matriarch Chao who made the rations of the Empire's soldiers delicious and longer lasting. It was with her food in their belly that millions of soldiers have struck down our enemies, granting them the might to continue marching! It was her, who gave them a taste of home in far off lands."

"It was her who decreed that even those outside her homeland should eat. So she sent forth our people to make new friends with those from distant lands by sharing a meal with them—a tradition that the people of Phoenix Rest Plains continue to this day."

"Let the hungry eat, " she declared; and that is why all Chao Baozi in the cities must set aside a portion of their earnings to give free meals to the poor and the destitute." Another slide pulled across the puppet show, showing a stylized, plump woman— I paused at the image. … I recognized this woman. I remembered seeing that image quite often, on the side of stalls in the slums. When I was younger I had heard they gave out free food…

but that turned out to be a crock of shit, because the gangs always kept a death grip on the territory and demanded tax or an induction to approach the stalls— Oh. oh, those fuckers. The gangs had taken control of what was supposed to be the soup kitchens of Crimson Crucible City—or at least the two around where I had lived. I quickly swallowed the rage building in my gut.

"She kept the Emperor's company until her death; Matriarch Chao died at one hundred and twenty seven years of age, one week after her husband's passing. She was succeeded by her Eldest Son, who was of similar nature and virtue to his mother. The line of Matriarch Chao has never wavered; the virtue of their progenitor has had the family blessed by the heavens, and the current head may trace his ancestry directly back to the Matriarch."

The tale finished, the storyteller bowed, and we walked deeper into the museum, looking at artifacts like old steamers, and the original army rations. I could feel Ningjing's excitement.

"Chao Good! Ningjing like!" our ship declared authoritatively.

"She was one hell of a woman." I agreed. She really was. This world… it was rough, brutal, and in a lot of ways it was a completely terrible place to live. But Chao? She was a shining star. A gem of a woman under all the Xianxia bullshit. And more than that, that lady… had influenced an entire Empire to be… if not nice, nicer than I had thought possible.

"Captain?" Bailu questioned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine… but I did realise that some scum were perverting Lady Chao's wish." Mugging people at soup kitchens. The very thought spiked my blood pressure.

"So when we get to the Crucible… well. I have some people to take care of. You two were right, earlier." The troubles of my past were the troubles of my past. I didn't have to be afraid of gangs. Now I could do something about them. The gangs here hadn't fucked with me and starting a crusade against them would be annoying. But in the Crucible? That place needed a good, deep clean. I used to make a living cleaning those streets. By the time I was done those fuckers were gonna be immaculate.

"Ehe! We helped Captain out~" Bailu said, looking extremely pleased with herself. Seiyu simply beamed. I chuckled at their enthusiasm, then refocused my attention on the museum. It really was a well made place; they obviously took preservation seriously here, and it was surprisingly modern; no touching allowed, everything carefully preserved in stasis wards behind crystal glass…. And a warning that any attempt to breach these protections was punishable by death. Very, serious about preservation, these people.

Finally, though we reached the end… and came to another, almost modern thing. The restaurant had a gift shop. Now that was hilarious. I ended up getting a little statue for Ningjing, who very much liked "Auntie Chao" and thought the statue would go well in our cabin. And we also got some of their travel rations. When we found someone in need, or when we reached our destination—we were supposed to share a meal with a new friend. Chao smiled up at us from the top of the waterproofed boxes.

Honestly, top tier branding. Chao Baozi had some marketing geniuses. We had plenty of destinations, so I should probably get a few of these—I think… I would make a new friend in every port. Looks like when we found a new destination, I was going to be making a new friend. ================================== After our Bao Break, we found ourselves going towards the aptly named "Tournament Quarter." There were a bunch of administrative buildings, and we went into the main one.

It was a modern looking city hall type of deal, with tables and chairs and reference scrolls in shelves. There were even what looked like lamps on the desks, shining glowstones so the large, vaulted room was perfectly lit. It was packed with people—and there were more than a few cultivators, all doing something or other. There were also directories on every desk—scrolls with tournament schedules written onto them. Everything was done by hand here, and likely redone every day.

I pulled out the piece of paper that Bailu had given me, and it had several tournament names on it.

"So, which one am I supposed to be going for? I'm guessing not the artifact making tournament, or the pill making one…" I asked, checking against the directory on the table.

"Fighting, of course!" Seiyu said.

"You need to make your debut! The name of our Senchou needs to echo around the world! The start of your legend, right here in the capital!" The words made my stomach clench with nervous energy—and yet, it wasn't an entirely displeasing thought. This, right here, was the start of my journey. Might as well start it out with a bang.

"Aha! It's fate!" Bailu cheered, evidently having found something.

"It's the last day to sign up for the Ascending Phoenix Martial Summit!" Seiyu's eyes widened.

"Indeed, it is fate! A most prestigious tournament, and a worthy stage!" I looked at the tournament, and frowned.

"Profound and above?"

"Yes! Its the tournament for up and coming cultivators—the age cutoff is thirty! Its prize is a minor treasure from the Imperial Vaults!" Seiyu continued.

"The prizes are grand—and the prestige grander!" Seiyu continued.

"... right into the deep end, huh?" I asked, some nerves playing in my stomach.

"Its the only thing suitable for our captain!" Bailu said, nodding her head with utter conviction. Seiyu nodded emphatically at her words. I looked at them. They believed in me. They wanted me to get better. They wanted me to get stronger. …fuck it, we ball.

"Lets get the sign up forms." I said. And so we did. I filled everything out. Name, Jin Rou, place of birth, age… It was a sign up sheet, all right. It even had a waver about injury—which was morbidly hilarious.

"Well. This is it." I said, putting the papers back down on the table. All I had to do now was hand it in.

"I'll check it to make sure you got everything!" Bailu offered, squirming with excitement. I indulged her. I don't think I had missed anything, I had been really quite though, but there was no harm in it.

"It starts a week after entries close. Perfect for getting in some training! I bet you we can hit Profound Five!" Seiyu said, her eyes blazing.

"We'll rent out one of the training areas!" I turned completely towards her.

"Do we even have enough money for that…?"

"Of course! And if we didn't we would just need to hunt something, thats easy!" She said, waving off my concerns.

"It looks all good, Captain!" Bailu said, faster than I had been expecting her to say… but again, cultivator. She beamed at me, putting down the brush she had been holding. She had really been raring to see if I had missed anything huh?

"You got everything!"

"Let me see that." Seiyu demanded, taking it to check over Bailu's work. The Dragon woman pouted. Seiyu gave it a once over, and a wide, satisfied smile spread across her face.

"Absolutely everything is in order, Senchou." she confirmed, nodding.

"May I have the honour of bearing this to your destination?" …our destination was less than a hundred meters away, a bored looking clerk sitting at his post. I mentally filed this under a Seiyu-ism, and decided that it wasn't worth the hassle to deny her. With a shrug, I let her hold it as we went up. Seiyu handed the seat to the clerk.

"Master cultivator signing up for the Ascending Phoenix Martial Summit." The clerk said, his diction razor sharp. He took my pages, looked them over, and nodded.

"Everything is in order, My Lord. Here is your Jade Slip. do not lose it, as it denotes your participation—failure to present it at the entrance to the tournament is grounds for disqualification." It was all fairly reasonable stuff—and I found myself getting actually kind of excited for this. A tournament arc. The dream of every young man, and I would be participating. …. hopefully it wasn't a shitshow. But hey, at least I could book it the hell out on Nongjing if anything went wrong.

"Alright. Let's get to training." I said.

"Yes!" My Storm Wing Chorused, their eyes blazing. Both of them looked incredibly happy, with big grins on their faces.

"Our captain will be ready!" Both of them bumped fists. And so we stepped back out into the city. =============================="So the die is cast." A soft voice said, from under her concealing hood. The woman examined the message, as well as the treasure in the small box, before closing it.

"Thank you again, Xieren."

"It was but a trifle, My Lady." Shouxian Xieren, Young Mistress of the Sovereign Sword Sect with a smirk. Of course, it had been more than a trifle. The bastard she had intercepted had been very skilled. The hooded woman very clearly rolled her eyes, but allowed Xieren to boast. Then, the woman sighed, and slumped, allowing Xieren to see a moment of her weakness.

"It's too soon. I thought I would have more time than this, but alas. Fate rarely comes for us at an hour of our choosing." Xieren approached, laying a hand on her Lady and Dear friend's shoulder.

"Let fate come—and we shall defy it." she said. Her friend smiled.

"So we shall." She said, giving a firm nod…. Before she sighed again.

"But there is one thing at least, that I cannot defy."

"The tournament?" Xieren asked knowingly.

"The tournament. It needs a royal presence, and I have that duty." Xieren nodded.

"It is not so odious, My Lady. Ascending Phoenix Martial Summit is an auspicious confluence. Perhaps there will be an answer to your problems—a talent to aid you in this hour?" Her friend laughed.

"Then let us hope—to finding a hidden gem in a tournament, like all the old stories." Her Imperial Majesty, Princess Yunxi said.