Chương 225: Story 11 - How to Save a Sect in Six Simple Steps (Part 4)

A few weeks after the battle with the demonic cult, I explained to my band how I was actually an alchemy grandmaster from the Indomitable Will sect who had arrived on this continent thanks to an enemy of mine. Shockingly, I hadn't even had to ask them, but they all swore on the spot to keep my real identity a secret. Of course, with Noxious backing me, I wasn't worried that I would get exposed. But their trust in me that day may have given my ancient master's heart a warm feeling or two.

When I arrived at the practice grounds, Azure Melodic River stood just inside while Dread Lotus waited at the center with a huge grin on her face. She was definitely up to something. I doubted that she'd heard about the war yet. Since I didn't want to ruin whatever she had planned, I decided to wait until everyone arrived before I mentioned anything. As soon as I stepped inside the soundproofed area, she pulled out a mundane zither and pointed it at me with one hand.

"I'm going to smash this over your head today!" Since it was made of thin wood, that was the equivalent of hitting my Foundation Establishment body with a paper fan. I grinned.

"Only if I allow it!"

"Same rules as last time?" After the incident with the demonic sect, Dread Lotus wanted to get stronger in any way she could. One of the sect elders who adored her found her a body cultivation technique that she could use instead of my unbearably painful baths. But part of the technique required her to fight. Since I was the only other normal body cultivator she knew, she would sometimes challenge me to an exchange before our sessions.

While I hadn't been defeated, my friend had closed the gap significantly over the past year. She nodded.

"Only our body cultivation, mundane weapons, and movement techniques." I moved my flying sword into my spatial ring and clasped my hands behind my back like the master I was.

"Oh, come on! Start more seriously than that!" I grinned.

"If you wanted me to be serious, why bring a zither?" She laughed and ran toward me, lifting the instrument above her head, and then swinging it down.

"I'm practicing being both gentle and forceful since I keep breaking things unintentionally." I sidestepped another swing. My sleeve struck the zither's strings, causing them to vibrate, and I took a step back.

"Come on, at least get me to use my hands."

"Do you know how hard it is to not shatter this thing?"

"Wouldn't a stick be better?" She jumped forward, kicked out with her left foot, and then attempted to bash me over the head from the right. I had jumped to avoid her leg so I had to gently use two fingers to redirect the zither.

"That's better." I grinned. After a few more exchanges her brow furrowed. Her jaw clenched. She was definitely getting frustrated.

"You and my uncle get along really well." Hah! Was she trying to distract me with nonsense? I sidestepped her swing.

"With what eyes did you see us getting along? We're coworkers who tolerate each other."

"Ever thought about maybe joining my family as my aunt? Though, if I had a brother, I'd offer him instead." Did she just ask me to become part of her family? Adorable.

"Dread Lotus. You are the closest friend I've had in this universe but that's gross. I'd rather ask him to become my disciple." And I refused to ever take one! She froze for a moment, placing the zither's edge on the ground, and held up her hand. Her eyes turned into curved slits, and she seemed to be desperately holding something in. Laughter burst from her as she doubled over. I waited. She didn't stop laughing. Goddamn it.

"Hold on, hold on." She laughed a bit more, then wheezed. Finally, she held out her hand with her thumb raised.

"You should definitely ask him. Just make sure you bring all your defensive tools, just in case. Oh! And record it! I want to see his face." I frowned and lowered into a fighting stance.

"Are you ready?" She lifted the zither and struck down at me again. I dodged, practicing the same footwork technique I taught to Little Spring.

"So, are you not planning on ever getting married?" She managed to dart over to me using a quick movement technique and swung the zither toward my feet. I jumped over the instrument as if floating, then stepped behind her and tapped her head before running to the other side of the training grounds.

"Well, I have impossible standards." She rested the zither on her shoulder.

"You have seen my uncle, right? He's successful, a talented cultivator, and, just like all members of my family, his appearance is good." She probably ignored his shitty personality because he was family. I rolled my eyes.

"Looks, while important, can fade and preferences can change. Besides, I'm more successful and talented than him." Though, I actually didn't care if my partner was better than me or not.

"But what I want is a man who is a true partner, only loyal to me. Someone who won't give up on me even after ten thousand years. Someone who won't let me down." Dread Lotus frowned, but then ran toward me and swung the zither at my head. I jumped away.

"A man who won't run around with other girls then desert me. Who'll be devastated if he ever makes me cry, and not just because I would kick his ass." She attempted to dart forward and push me with the weak instrument. I used my palm to redirect it and stuck my toe out to trip her as she moved past me. She barely caught herself before jerking her weapon backward in an awkward strike. It missed.

"If I were to ever let go of my singlehood, it would have to be after I'm over twenty-three hundred years old and for a man who would never tell me a soul-destroying lie, or harm me." These things were impossible to expect from someone in this fucked up Xianxia universe. Dread Lotus stopped. She must have exerted herself because she paused for a long time and breathed. Her face turned red.

"You're never going to find that!" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I nodded sagely with my hands behind my back.

"And I refuse to compromise and lower my standards." She ran toward me again and swung.

"But won't you be lonely?" I jumped, landed on the zither, and smiled down at her.

"I would rather be alone but powerful, and happy, than with someone who would betray me, or make me miserable." When she pulled the zither upwards, I jumped off it, practically flying backward like a kite with its strings cut. She ran toward me.

"I respect you for that!" Gold String Delicate Touch and Daoist Formidable Tiger, our new guitarist, entered the soundproofed area at that moment. [Image Link] The new guy had tiger ears on top of his head and orange hair. He rested his hand on his hip and looked amused.

"Are demonic musicians supposed to be this good in a physical fight?" Gold String smiled.

"Sister Linlin and Senior Dread Lotus are special. You'll get used to it." Since everyone had arrived, and since this might be the last time we sparred with few worries, I allowed Dread Lotus the honor of bashing my head. When she next swung at me, I didn't dodge and the zither struck my head. The strings twanged and curled. The thin wood smashed into a thousand pieces. Frankly, it felt like getting hit with a loud roll of confetti.

"I did it!" She jumped up and down. I immediately used my cleaning technique to scour the area of wood shards, dirt, and bacteria. Dread Lotus, who was closest, gritted her teeth but said nothing. Formidable Tiger flinched.

"What technique is that?!"

"Sister Linlin, please stop!" Gold String begged.

"Band Leader, your cleaning technique really feels like burning but also like ice," Azure explained with a strained voice. Once I'd finished, I glanced at everyone who looked accusingly at me. What? At least they were clean now instead of covered with debris. They should thank me. I cleared my throat.

"I have some news to announce! This is coming from the junior sect leader himself." I looked at the band I'd fought with. The same people who promised to keep my secret.

"The Sect Leader failed to reach the Immortal Ascension realm and passed away." Everyone's faces turned grim.

"As you probably guessed. The sect will be attacked by the Harmonious Sound Sect and the Leashed Claws Sect sometime in the next week." Dread Lotus stepped up, determined.

"Does that mean we're going to learn new formations to prepare for war?" Gold String grimaced. He'd already been through one soul-crushing experience back when his clan was murdered by the demonic cult and his ancestor turned into their slave. I could tell that he wasn't that attached to this place.

"If this sect doesn't have an Immortal Bone Creation expert, it won't last long. We need to leave and save ourselves first." Dread Lotus glared at him.

"How could you even think of leaving the sect? We're the ones who helped your ancestor." His cheeks turned red. He held his breath for a moment then exhaled.

"You're right. I know you're right. I owe your uncle and Bandleader Linlin a debt I'll never be able to fully repay. But I also don't see how staying here and helping will save us. Without an Immortal Bone Creation expert, we'll just be slaughtered." I held my palm up to get them to stop.

"Calm down. There is a peak Nascent Soul in the sect who is attempting to transcend his tribulation soon. If he succeeds, it's possible the sect won't be destroyed. But it's a very slim possibility. He also has a grudge against Senior Noxious Fangstrike so even if he does succeed, he won't be on our side." I crossed my arms.

"Our best chance to survive is to run away sometime during the next three days." Dread Lotus frowned then shook her head.

"Even if we run, it's possible our enemies will track us down and kill us to take care of future problems." Azure squeezed our drummer's shoulder.

"I'm staying here if Dread Lotus is. I'll only leave if there really is no way to survive." Formidable Tiger, my eventual replacement, lifted his hand up.

"I know I'm new to the group, but this has been my home for over a decade now. I also agree with Senior Dread Lotus. If we can defend it, then we should. Besides, the sect will probably shut down the teleportation circle in the city soon, so we'll have no easy way to run away." He had a point, but... I clasped my hands behind my back.

"If we escape in the next day or so, we should be able to get to another nearby city with a teleportation circle. From there, I know of a few people I can turn to for help. I'll take you all with me if you're willing." My friend shook her head. She stared at me with determination.

"I understand if you decide to go. You have a lot of options and you have to get back home eventually, anyway. But, this is my home. My family is here. I'm going to stay and fight for it if there is even a slight chance of success." I knew she wouldn't be able to abandon this place. From the expressions on everyone's faces, they realized they couldn't leave either. Whether karma, love, or family, they each had their own reasons to say and fight. Even when the best course of action was to run.

I clasped my hands behind my back.

"Alright. If that's what you have all decided, then you need to learn some new battle of the bands formations! Gold String, you're on vocals! Formidable Tiger, grab your guitar. I recently developed a new defensive formation that might even be able to take a shallow strike from a Nascent Soul!" They made their choice. Before I fully committed to mine, I needed to give them a way to survive, even if I wasn't next to them.

There was one last person I had to talk to about our situation before I figured out what I really wanted to do and how I would go about it. I entered the space's kitchen where Little Spring diligently worked on his immortal cooking skills. His ears swiveled as he kept his eye on several pans that either simmered, seared meat or kept something warm. With a flick of his wrist, the lid on the Spiritual Blood Rice lifted into the air and landed on the counter.

He then used a scoop made of spiritual energy to take out some rice and place it in a pair of bowls. He then portioned each of the different dishes into several small plates before setting them on the table. There was even a plate of egg tarts. Each side sparkled with energy. The scent caused my mouth to water. I took out my chopsticks. The way he placed everything, it was like he'd created an energy-gathering formation that spelled the characters for perfection.

Why did I feel like the kid just brought his immortal cooking up to the next level? [Image Link] Letting him take long-distance lessons from Fairy Garlic using my wall was worth it! It was possible that he'd learned enough to actually find a solution to his bath through trial and error. He smiled.

"Sit down, Sister Lin! I've been designing this meal for a few weeks and I've finally had an idea of how it could work, so I tried putting it together." I sat at the table. He introduced every dish and put a little of each on my plate. I glared at the brat.

"You need to stop. If you keep cooking meals this impressive, I'm going to find it difficult to go back to practicing grain liberation. And that's coming from someone who's lived a thousand years!" He beamed. Damn it. I was serious. Whatever. The meal was absolutely delicious. So incredible that if I stopped to describe each bite, it would take several chapters in a webcomic filled with over-the-top reactions. Shockingly, the combined energy of each dish strengthened my body similar to a body cultivation meal!

This kid had just recreated those meals using cheaper ingredients! With this innovation, we could keep improving our body cultivation even if we didn't have some of the rare ingredients mentioned in his inheritance. Of course, I was sure this wouldn't be the case for everything, but it was a step in the right direction.

"A while ago you mentioned how you used to purposefully create slightly worse versions of pills with cheaper ingredients to help those who couldn't afford the more expensive pill. I thought I could do the same thing with body cultivation meals. Of course, it needed way more ingredients and a weak energy-gathering formation, so I had to cook a feast and plate it like this." I grinned. The kid had definitely learned well. Muahahaha!

"Well done!" [Image Link] After we ate, I repeated the information I told my band members. The kid's spine straightened.

"So, are we going to stay or go?" I grimaced.

"Well, we were planning to leave anyway." He nodded.

"But it doesn't feel right."

"No, it doesn't."

"We've made friends here, and we've learned a lot from this sect."

"But we also gave back plenty."

"Isn't there anything we can do to help? I especially don't feel good when I think about leaving this place in the hands of that Resentful Shadow Snake." I used my cleaning technique just on the table and empty dishes then moved them with spiritual energy back to where they belonged.

"There is a way, but I don't like it."