Chương 67: Chains of the Dao

While I sat inside the singular carriage, only a small window open above me for ventilation, as it was recently used for animal transportation, since on the ground were strains of hay and a smell of animal sweat mixed with methane, I heard the woodcutters and the soldiers I had fought after crash-landing speaking. I could not make out their words; they remained too far away from me and the one pulling ahead was not speaking to me even if i shook on my chains.

Clouds closed over the sun, casting the world into a heavy, brooding twilight that made the wooden walls of the carriage feel even more like a coffin. The carriage itself was a grim beast of reinforced ironwood bound with thick black iron bands. It rumbled and creaked with every bump of the rough hill terrain. A massive green-scaled salamander named Pureise pulled it, since the rider yelled its name for more speed, its powerful back built to haul heavy loads across the most unforgiving ground.

The creature's low, steady growl mixed with the clank of chains and the groan of the wheels. I called out louder this time from my confinement, "Excuse me, but where are we? Who are you? And where are we going?" Nothing. Silence.

"This damned rider thinks he is above it all... I will show him once I am free," were my thoughts, trying to vent my frustration with a kick to the wood, but to no avail. Still chained, I stood as much as the restraints allowed and used my momentum to slam against the side of the box thinking this will either give me the sought attention or freedom and it did not hurt to try. Feng-Dao, the one who had beaten and chained me, immediately yelled at my reckless behavior seeing the wagon shaking from the slam.

"Cease your tantrum, Suren! We will get our answers, and you will get yours, once we reach our Sect Main Base. Do not waste your breath for meaningless struggle or i will go inside and cut your arms for them need rest, if this continues." I answered in a calm voice, finally having gotten what I wanted: "Yes. I will remain calm until we arrive." But don't celebrate too soon, Feng-Dao. As soon as I am better with my new technique, I will be the one to plaster your ass into a crater of my own, hehe.

That last part was in a whispering tone, trying not to jinx my new goal. As we traversed land I could not see the changes, yet I could feel it changing. The sounds of activity grew steadily larger. At first there were only distant voices and the occasional animal cry. Then came the happy screaming of children playing outside, mixed with the bustle of many people moving about and around speaking to the crew for a bit not making out everything but those seeming to be merchants.

The noise of life thickened around the carriage with every passing minute ahead. Suddenly a soldier's sharp voice cut through everything.

"Stop! What are you here for?" Feng-Dao answered loudly and clearly, "I brought inside this wagon a Suren. We intend to bring him into a cell. We require permission to enter." I heard boots approach the carriage. A guard walked up, opened the small door, and looked inside. His eyes landed on me while still fully chained on my arms with torso. I immediately tried to pull against the restraints the moment i saw the light behind the amber hued man. The chains groaned and began to slowly give under my strength.

I was close to breaking them free from the wagon, but not quite enough. The guard raised his glaive at once, the blade pointed directly at my chest, ready to strike if I continued to shake. I could only shake the chains in frustration as i had to stop so close to freedom. The guard studied me for a moment, then let out a short, impressed breath.

"Woah… you actually got a Suren. Well done, Feng-Dao." He stamped something on a card Feng-Dao held out.

"Permit allowed into our Daoshi. Here." Then he stepped back and gave a sharp whistle, signaling that we could continue inside the city. The carriage rolled forward once more, carrying me deeper into the fortress of red walls and violet rooftops. The towering red walls rose like flames frozen in stone, crowned with violet-tinted rooftops that shimmered under the clouded sky. Grand pavilions with sweeping eaves stood proudly on layered terraces.

Golden lanterns swayed in the breeze, and the air carried the scent of incense, steel, and mountain pine. It was a fortress of elegance and power, alive with disciplined movement and quiet strength inside this city or so called beautiful base. The soldiers I had beaten earlier pulled me forward. They looked angered and argued, "You only won against us, Suren, because we did not know your capabilities. Hmmpf!" While they dragged me I laughed and shot back, "You do know that in war such excuses will not help you.

You will simply lose your footing and die in some forgotten ditch if cant measure at the moment it means nothing... i know it well enough." I mocked them openly. Feng-Dao cut into the conversation.

"Enough. Bring him to the cell while I notify our Sect Leader." As they pulled me through the streets, the females, the men, the market vendors, and even the children all stared at the Suren in their Daoshi territory. Suddenly they began throwing vegetables at me. I simply ate some of them as they flew toward my head. I took a bite from a white radish and a piece of white cabbage. Delicious. So fresh it actually filled my starving belly after the long transport.

Once they threw me into the holding cell in kind of small underground hideout, kind of ironic same situation, different location and with two guards that stood like statues near the entrance, spears planted firmly, eyes cold and unblinking. I had to laugh at the irony. I had made real improvements… only to end up right back in a holding cell. It was a solo isolation cell. No bed, only broken hay and one sheet of linen in a brown, musty color.

I could only imagine what had been done with that shit-stained cloth, so I threw it to the far end of the cell. A small opening let fresh air into the rather hot space. I settled on the other side of the hay and closed my eyes and then in my closed mind Siegfried ethereal shadow with his deep green eyes looming and laughing at me i got a bit mad and grinded my teeth while having my eyes closed. Deeper down the line of cells I could hear other prisoners. Some moaned in pain.

Others laughed mockingly at each other for each current circumstance and then changing their target of hatred towards.

"Feng-Dao! Come closer so I can spit on your face! You dirty rat!"

"When I get out I'm taking your head first, you dog!"

"Feng-Dao we cannot live under the same sky... i will gauge out your eyeballs and eat them!" Stupid noises and insults echoed through the stone corridor. While Feng-Dao and the guards were preoccupied with the noisy prisoners further down the hall, as he got pissed at their remarks and spoke back to them, one soldier of Dao slipped into my cell unnoticed. He looked at me with a nasty smirk, rod already in hand.

"Hold still, Suren, this is a warm welcome." he muttered. Then, without warning, pissed on my closed face to wake me up. The warm liquid stung my eyes and ran down my cheeks to the ground. I did not like the warmth i received, at all. I stood up with eyes open having a blurry hot residue dripping down and let my Animo flare out in strong fashion, eyes burning with rage. Feng-Dao came rushing back in with an older man right behind him.

The shadow of the Sect Lead stretched long across the floor, his majestic glaive catching the faint torchlight. The older man had a white long beard, glasses jaded by time and heavy duties and just asked why I was so angry to let such strong presence out. I snarled, "This fucking bastard just pissed on my face while I was trying to rest. In my mind I had been cooperative the whole ride after you asked me, and now you allow a guy like him to do this to me?" The older man stopped pointing his glaive at me.

Before Feng-Dao could even react, the Sect Lead spoke with calm authority all around.

"Bring me the man washed and freshened up to me. The other one needs to get what comes, no matter... if this Suren is right or wrong for being in our Dao Territory. We cannot judge until we know the facts. He got emotional. You know what this means, Feng-Dao."

"Yes, Sect Lead Great Shue-Dao." the man bowed with one knee to the ground. They opened the prison cell quickly. Feng-Dao took the one who had just pissed on me right before me and forced him to kneel with face upward. Then he added, "I am so sorry. We in the Dao-Sect are not like that with our prisoners who are not yet fully charged of wrong doing. So please take your revenge and release yourself on his face to even the scale."

I was shocked at first by how honorable they were about the situation, but also disgusted. I did not want to pee on him, so I countersigned, "Just let him follow me into the Cell alone with no guards to interrupt. I want something else to trade with him than my pee."

"What do you mean… if you want his head you cannot. That is too high a price. I will not allow it." I put my hand on my face in annoyance.

"Nooo. I want to beat him into a bloody pulp, he wont be able to walk for a while... so near death, thats what i am seeking." Feng-Dao pondered for a moment. The crying, tearing soldier stopped and looked up at me with a nasty glare, as if I had done something to smear his pride. How dare he be mad, I thought, my short fuse getting a bit hotter, ready to strike while in the cell. Feng-Dao then declared, "Yes, that is acceptable.

You can battle him in the open so we can all see that everything remains correct and you will keep your end of the bargain of near death. We will only interrupt if you break the limit. Is that okay?" I nodded.

"Yes. It's perfect!" So i got a big chain put on my torso and then I was brought to a bathhouse nearby, beautiful women and men accompanying me along with the soldiers and Feng-Dao right behind. I said as they tried to get all in the bathhouse, "Well, I want to bathe alone. I don't want that many eyes on me. I won't run you can stay around the door and guard it."

Feng-Dao argued again that, as an apology, I should be treated like a proper delegate and when judged later upon only then would my status change from "innocent" to "proven guilty" once it had been acknowledged. I held my face still and kept a fake smile, a vein clearly popping on my forehead.

"So you already have the opinion that I am 'guilty,' since you said it only needs to be acknowledged. Yeah. So let this guilty man take a bath now, and then we go to your Lead or whatever his Name is." I tried to close the door, but he stepped forward and insisted that at least one person had to remain and hold the chain that were put on me. I was getting so pissed.

"Suit yourself then Feng-Dao as i choose you for this honorable task to carry my chain." I took off my clothes and my weapon. The chain were not removed but changed to one around my neck, which he kept hold of. I stepped naked into the bath while Feng-Dao remained in his loincloth it was a grey tone color, different from the one my Master had forced on me. He noticed me gazing at his loincloth and asked, "You like it?" I answered, "Well, my master forced his on me, as you can see it's a different color over there.

I was just thinking… is it possible one day to get my braies boxers back? I don't like how tight this is…" He shook his head.

"Unfortunately we don't have 'braies' in our sect."

"That's unfortunate, man…" Once I dipped into the warm like very warm relaxing water, the long-haired, fine-thinned-haired Feng-Dao brought me a small black box with ancient designs containing Zaodou powder. He explained how to apply the bean-powder soap on skin for better smell. Step 1: Wet the Skin. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I first soaked in the hot, fragrant bathwater. This opened the pores and softened the skin, making the cleansing far more effective.

Step 2: Form a Paste. I poured a small handful of the dry bath-bean powder into my palm, added a few drops of warm water, and rubbed my hands together until it turned into a smooth, thick paste and light milky lather. Step 3: Scrub and Massage. I massaged the paste directly onto my face and body. The saponins in the ground beans naturally lifted away oil and dirt. The fine texture of the ground legumes acted as a gentle scrub, sloughing off dead skin.

The friction and heat of the bathhouse released the scent of the blended spices embedded in the powder. Step 4: Rinse Clean. Finally I submerged again and rinsed the paste away. It left my skin clean, highly moisturized from the natural plant oils, and deeply perfumed. After that I felt refreshed and even smelled nice, though in my head I thought tallow would have done the job just as well. Whatever. Time to go see the leader.

I put my clothes back on, secured my weapon on my back, and let them lock all the shackles on me again. The soldiers wore even meaner looks... especially the guy who had pissed on me, who now wore a nasty smile looking forward to our battle. I returned the smile and whispered to him, "I can't wait to destroy your face and make you pound the ground as your next meal. Hahaha." He got pissed, yanked my chains backward, and punched me in the face.

Feng-Dao immediately released his Animo, pulled me upright, and turned on his soldier.

"What is wrong with you today, Xhize-Dao? Huh? Cat got your tongue, or do I need to beat you myself?" I smirked and played the act.

"Nooo, I just had a fly on my face. He was kind enough to help me." Xhize-Dao's face turned perplexed. I stepped closer again and whispered, "I can't waiiiiit. Hehe." Then I actually embraced him.

"Wow, such a great-hearted soldier you have, Feng. Truly great…" But let's go with a tight squeeze on his body to let him feel my might. With that done we walked toward the huge pavilion that illuminated everything around it in the highest colors. The soldiers stared straight ahead, not even glancing at me, radiating disciplined power. Once I was brought inside there stood a table of beautiful wood. The Sect Lead sat there with ale and said,"Take off his chains and bring him to the chair.

I want to speak with this Erumes." I was brought to the table. Feng-Dao bowed in a warrior-like manner with one fist and one open palm and said,"If there is any issue, call for me. I will come to your aid." The Sect Lead waved him off with a simple "Hao." Feng-Dao went to the door and closed it. Now it was only the two of us. He quickly released his Animo. It was powerful. I could tell immediately that he did not need to call Feng-Dao back.

This Shue-Dao guy, so called Leader of this Daoshi location, was more than enough to easily subdue me… or even kill me.