Chương 47: Chapter 44 - Here Comes Granny!

When Changpo village moved, it did so deliberately, slowly, and with incredible momentum. Each evening, it took just over an hour to bring everything to a halt, water the horses, set up camp, and perform any necessary repairs. Then there was just enough time to eat a simple meal of aarul cheese curds, dried horse meat, and some rice before collapsing into bed. Sleep was far from restful. In order to save on time, all the big families slept in their yurtwagons, piled up like corded wood.

There wasn't enough space for futons, so a simple mattress of some furs and blankets had to make do. Song slept crushed in between Wook and Tae, who were in turn surrounded on all sides by other members of the Lee family. Wook snored. Aunt Yumi's baby Junho cried. Mae coughed. Seojoon talked about cheese in his sleep. And with a solid forty people in the yurt, it got hot, and stuffy. At least Tae made everything near him smell faintly of lilacs.

Each morning, it was a simple breakfast of mare's milk, more aarul, some fried dough, then back to kicking horses and sheep into motion and continuing the endless march. Song loved it. It was the kind of deliberate and repetitive task that he most excelled at. After breakfast each day he hopped onto Bongbong and met with Jinu, Iseul, and Dami at the edge of the caravan. These days they were joined by a contingent of first-rate warriors sent from the council.

They were a mix of Lees, Jos, and Yus, and each were fully capable of fighting the average refinement level cultivator. However, the threat of that many grasswolves was not to be understated, especially if one of them was at foundation level. But even a foundation level cultivator with the strength of a dozen men was weak against numbers if it could be felled by the thirteenth man! The biggest problem was that all the additional guards meant less banter with Jinu and Dami.

And Iseul was growing more and more cross as the days went by without any further sign of grasswolves. Song took the opportunity to work on his communication with Cyrus. He was becoming quite adept at his qi control, and even regular cycling was feeling easier these days. In fact, he'd already nearly cleared his upper Shaoyang meridian! Master would be so proud when he returned! His Starlight Bridge technique was becoming more and more refined as well – he was now succeeding on his jumps five times out of six.

They'd only been traveling for nine days, so he might even reach full mastery by the time they arrived at their destination just East of Chengdu. His afternoons were… less fun. Being an errand boy for the family was made worse when everyone kept mentioning how good you were at making deliveries and running errands. Especially when you actually started to enjoy doing it… —"Thank you so much, Song," Granny Bora coo'd, patting Song on his arm.

"My height isn't what it used to be." Song hopped down from the wagon, presenting the box of scrolls to the old lady with aplomb.

"I'm glad I could help, Granny." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Ah, yes, help. So rare amongst cultivators these days." The Grand Elder of the Lee clan sighed, and flapped her lips, almost like a horse.

"All concerned about glory and fame. Sure, it always was that way, but now it's worse."

"Yes Granny," Song said, keeping his thoughts on the matter to himself.

"Oh, don't you 'Yes Granny' me. I can see it in your eyes, young man. The thirst for glory. You're worse than Seojoon! Hah! Now there's a Stallion who'll need to be broken! I don't envy the young lady who has to try!" Song ears were burning, and in his mindscape, Cyrus roared with laughter.

"I'm not sure Seojoon will be happy being talked about like that, Granny," Song admonished. He called her Granny, much as everyone did, but she was technically his Great Aunt. Lee Bora had no direct family living in the village; her eldest son had gone to Chengdu, and her only daughter had died from Earth qi poisoning many years prior. So the old biddy had taken the entire clan in as her grandchildren.

"Seojoon can come and get a thrashing from me if he has a problem with it." Bora waved the flaking curled horns of her Sign menacingly.

"Now, go get me the writing supplies from Seok's yurtwagon." She pointed a shaking bony finger across the way.

"Hurry up, and then I'll be done with you." Song nodded, and held his palm out. One of the biggest changes of the past few days had been that as his upper Shaoyang meridian cleared, his Sign had stretched out to include his shoulders, arms, and now hands. Instead of needing to be bare-chested, he simply had to cycle his qi into his palms and they would provide enough light for short distances. Cyrus found it hilarious. ["Repulsor Blast!"] He called, just when the light coming from Song's hands flashed the brightest. Song sighed, and stepped onto the light bridge to arrive at his uncle's yurtwagon. ["Why?"] He shot back at his dantian. While he waited for the answer, he announced himself at the entrance to the flap, and was invited in. His uncle wasn't in attendance, just a couple of his men. They looked miffed at the interruption, but provided the writing implements with haste when Song told them it was for Bora.

["You're shooting light from your hands, then teleporting with it."] Cyrus replied. ["Come on bro, it looks awesome. I have to shout the name of the attack."] Song smiled. It was worthy of awe, was it? ["Good."] ["Y'know, I bet you could pull off some mean ambushes if you swung your stick just as you stepped."] Song nodded. He'd been thinking the same. ["Crane. Wait."] ["Yeah, yeah. When do you think he'll be back? Will he be able to find us?"] Song looked back the way they'd come.

The ground was torn to shreds; it looked as though the Divine Beast of the East himself, Bulgasari had passed this way. ["Yes."] Song jumped back to Granny Bora and presented her with the ink and brush.

"Here you are, Granny."

"Good lad," Bora took the proffered items.

"While you were mucking about in there, your friends came to see you." She pointed to the left of the Lee contingent where Dami and Jinu were riding alongside. Dami held her Tsuur flute up in the air and waved it. Song hesitated. He was still technically on the job.

"Ach, go join them," Bora tutted.

"You're only a young colt once. I'll talk to San if he complains."

"I'm more worried about Juwon."

"All the better! I'll have him rub my feet if he so much as whimpers." Bora's eyes twinkled.

"You're doing a good job there, young man. It's been two hundred years, and we Lees are still outsiders in Changpo. But I can feel the prejudices slipping away. Perhaps in your generation we'll finally be just one amongst the many tribes."

"Tae won't be happy to hear that," Song chuckled.

"He still pines for the imperial court."

"They often do," Bora sighed, looking to the horizon in the direction of Chengdu.

"The best we can do is prepare them. Now, go play with your friends and stop bothering this old woman!"

"As you order, Elder!" Song snapped a bow, then jumped to where Bongbong was hitched to the yurtwagon. He checked his topshur and sling-staff were still secure on his saddle mantle then pulled his horse free, trotting off to join Dami and Jinu for a night of music.