Chương 78: Upon the World (III)

We left the village half an hour after we arrived on the dot. It seemed that Elder Qin was rather punctual, though it could have been a few minutes later or before as far as I would know since I was too preoccupied trying to figure out why Hua was angry about some Dao Seed. Well, it was a fool's errand, really; it's not like I could ask him, and just making random guesses... well, that'd get me less than nowhere.

So, I focused back on the reality--which was us crossing the bridge and continuing to ride by the riverside south to slightly southeast. The journey was, as you can imagine, rather uneventful altogether: ride for a few hours, take a break, ride for a few more, take a break... Kids would occasionally ask Elder Qin some questions, and he'd patiently answer them all, and I would lean in to quietly listen. I'd learned a few bits: these plains didn't actually have a name, and everyone just called them 'Sun Plains'.

I'd also learn there are a lot of strange naming conventions--for instance, the river that we were following wasn't even Sunlight River. Not even close, in fact--it was a Spirit Sword River, named after the sect since its source is somewhere in the sect's mountains. Our destination? The town called 'Sunlight Town'? Built on the banks of the Sunlight River? Nowhere close to that. It was built on the banks of the Spirit Sword River.

However, it seemed that, over the years, two different names emerged for the river, and the outside world just started calling it 'Sunlight River', while calling the original Sunlight River by a slightly more complex name: Sunlight Source River. Which also wasn't correct.... why? Couldn't tell you even if I tried. No matter how much I tried to think of a reason, nothing rational came. It was all just far too confusing and convoluted, but then again, most things about this world were.

Thus we rode the banks of the Sunlight River, which was actually the Spirit Sword River, toward the Sunlight Town that was built on the banks of the latter but still called by the conventions of the former. Yaay for local customs! We made frequent yet perfectly arranged breaks at night, always happening to stumble upon a village that welcomed us. Beds were arranged for us, as were two meals, and off we would go at dawn.

As such, three-ish days passed relatively quickly, and we were making a wide bend and moving further downward against the somewhat hilly terrain. The grass grew slightly thicker and taller, though flowerbeds were rarer and trees were practically unicorns. No, seriously, I haven't seen a single freakin' tree in over a day! Why anyone would make a town or a village nowhere near a forest is beyond me...

though, it was entirely possible there were forests or trees there when they first made it, and they just did what people do best: overconsume. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Alas, I'm not here to judge (too much)--I'm here for that vast, but safe, world experience. We stopped as we came upon another set of rolling hills that faintly sheared around the slight dip where the town was located.

Elder Qin fastened the horses to some strange, iron nails that he punted into the ground before he slowly led us forward to the edge, cloaked in the strands of Qi that seemed to hide us. From the edge, we had the perfect view of the town--it was actually rather large, spanning about two whole miles just from side to side, not to mention that it ballooned out at the center around the river.

Unlike the villages, most buildings seemed constructed out of stone and wood, with quite a few high-rising pavilions jutting out between the slanted rooftops of the ordinary homes. The central one, especially, was keen on drawing the eye to itself--tall, just shy of about sixty feet or so, terraced, with six different strata each jutting out less and less the higher it went up. Oil lanterns hung at the edges of the eaves, loosely rocking back and forth in the wind.

Yet, despite the size, despite the seeming grandeur, it was... quiet. I couldn't see a single person coming in and out or even walking the streets. There was this strange haze that seemed to wash over the entire place, and even I, being the novice at Qi that I was, could spot that there was something... off about it over there. I couldn't see what, but judging from the expressions of Elder Qin, Long Tao, and Hua... it wasn't anything good.

"Get back," Elder Qin signaled us all to retreat back behind the hill, and we did.

"It's definitely demonic energy," he added, his brows knitting into a frown.

"But... also not."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Hmm. Demonic energy, on its own, is simply another kind of energy; think of it this way. From a center, a line extends backwards and forwards--if the Qi that we use is the one that moves forwards, then demonic energy is the Qi moving backwards. It is not inherently evil, but it does have an inherent ability to corrupt. It's far more unwieldy than regular Qi, and virtually any slip-up in terms of Dao Heart guarantees that the practitioner will succumb.

"That is why a lot of cultivators who practice demonic energy often go mad with bloodlust, but, in turn, those who manage to control it... become strong. Nonetheless, those are few and far between, and even they are not bereft of consequences. The reason why I say that the energy in the town is strange is that it's an odd mix of both. It would be like if you practiced Qi directly at the center of the line. Neither its forward nor backward interpretation. But its origin."

We stayed silent as Elder Qin seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment before continuing.

"Luckily, it's mostly diluted--heavily so," he said.

"The strongest cultivator in town is merely at the early Revolving Core Realm. The issue isn't that, however."

"It's the ordinary citizens," I said.

"Yes," he nodded.

"If we outright fight, a lot of innocent mortals will get caught in the crossfire. Not to mention that the town itself might be leveled."

"So," Long Tao suddenly sounded out; he hadn't spoken much, if at all, actually, since we departed, so everyone was a bit surprised when he so bravely spoke up.

"We need someone to sneak in, figure out what's happening, and not get caught."

"Uh, no," Elder Qin shook his head.

"I can just personally drag them all out within a few breaths."

"..." The atmosphere became awkward for a moment before I raised my voice.

"What if you... didn't?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're all here," I said.

"Why not let the kids give it a shot? If anything happens, then you can do your thing. They've travelled all the way here--they may as well get some experience."

"Hoh?" Elder Qin arched his brows for a moment, a strange glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Interesting. Very well. But I propose this: you will draw up the plan, Elder Lu. Of course, it won't involve either Light or Hua'er, but everyone else will have to play a small role, including you. I will handle everyone above the mid-Foundation Establishment, so you are free to simply take into account the rest of them."... why do I sense a bet coming?

"If you manage to pull it off, yes, I will owe you a favor." Wait... what?

"One thing, no matter what it is--if you ask me, I will do it. But if you lose, you and I will jointly be Masters of all your disciples. What say you? Are you willing?"... wow. This guy really wants my disciples. But I also want his favor.

"I'm willing."