Chapter 212

  Spirits Blossoming (I)

  Within the blink of an eye, two people appeared and immediately pressed their knees into the man's back.

  "You dare try and scam your way back in? Hah! You get what you deserve!"

  "Whoever stopped him, please come forward; we would like to reward you."

  "..."

  Nobody did, however, come forward.

  Light didn't care to do it, as she probably stopped him for fun, and the only two people besides her who were aware of it were me--and I certainly wasn't saying shit--and Long Tao. And he... well, he looked bemused, at least.

  "Uhm..."

  With awkwardness (and a bit of resentment, it looked like), they picked up the runner and quickly climbed back up the bridge with him in tow.

  "Haah," Cao Xun sighed. "Good thing nobody stepped forward."

  "How come?" I asked, startled.

  "Ah--just... the nature of the city. My advice to you is to avoid city guards as much as you can. They're not bad people, I wouldn't say, but they are... greedy."

  Yeah, no, I can get used to greedy. No, I like greedy.

  Because greedy means corrupt.

  And corruption means I can get away with all kinds of shit so long as I pay to make it go away.

  I didn't let my rather dark thoughts out and merely smiled.

  He still didn't really answer my question as to why it would have been a bad thing for someone to come forward, though I can venture a guess or two on my own.

  It was our turn soon enough, with Cao Xun and others taking to the front and introducing us as guests of their Sect. I stealthily noticed a small little satchel being passed between fingers, and, before long, we were given Guest Tokens and told to enjoy our stay (and to stay out of trouble).

  Passing through the archway was a sobering experience, honestly, as the magic from the outside kind of... waned.

  Despite the exterior brilliance, inside it just looked like a relatively normal town. With the exclusion of the few massive and grand buildings, most were of the same quality we saw back in Wan Lan's hometown.

  Aged and weathered stone, with boarded-up windows, and streets that honestly smelled rather bad.

  The crowds were quite intense, too, as the wide bridge was suddenly sucked into a set of narrow pathways cutting through the looming buildings.

  As I said, since the real estate was finite, it was everywhere. Paths cut through the buildings, each barely one person wide, as they wound around the staggeringly claustrophobic corridors. There was no sun here, with the source of light being the reflected beams cascading down.

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  "This way," our ever-faithful guides navigated us through the labyrinth of smaller streets, and I am eternally grateful.

  I mean, we wouldn't have gotten 'lost', per se, but it's sort of like coming to a new city and being told to find your Airbnb on your own when it's nestled somewhere--

  —Anyway, the point is that we weren't staggering along and begging people to tell us directions.

  We were headed someplace.

  That someplace being their sect.

  Luckily, the narrow streets didn't last forever, and we quickly emerged onto the central one that was far wider. It cut directly through the entirety of the city, connecting two sides of it as the city itself sprawled out on either side.

  With the light beaming down and the old and cracked buildings hidden behind the new and shiny ones, the silver sight of the city returned once more. The main street was honestly quite packed, with a good thousands of people coming and going through many of the alleys and paths jutting out from it like veins.

  We didn't have the time to admire it for too long, though, as the old guy dragged us westward, immediately into another set of alleyways and pathways that looked like they belonged in a different city entirely.

  Luckily, this one was only for a few seconds, as, before I knew it, we found ourselves standing in front of tall and stalwart gates gilded in gold (or, at least, gold-colored-painted). A set of men stood guard with spears at the ready, the wall rising to about fifteen feet behind them, rounding the entire compound, which seemed fairly decently sized, especially considering some of the crooked huts we've seen on our way over.

  "This is us," Cao Xun said. "Spirit Blossom Sect."

  "Greetings, Elder!" The guards greeted the old man, who merely nodded toward them, while the kids quickly engaged with them, introducing their new 'toys'. Dai Xiu enjoyed the fanfare, Xi Zhao enjoyed it stealthily, Wan Lan tolerated it, Long Tao was exempt from it, and Light...

  Light was napping.

  Oh, right.

  Rayce.

  He's also with us.

  Honestly, that kid just fades into the background so much that he's easy to miss. He's still with us, so that's a good sign. Maybe he sticks around for a little while longer? Though it'd be another expense added, having a Shaman in our little 'party' would probably be for the better.

  "Come inside," yelling at my millennial brain that wanted to make a joke out of it, I followed them through the gates and inside.

  It was beautiful--no, it was breathtaking.

  A set of interconnected ponds of water emerged first, with lotus flowers of all colors gently floating on their surfaces while koi fish danced within them. Cute, wooden bridges crossed paths toward all corners of the compound, which was split into two dozen or so buildings.

  The most pleasant was the scent, definitely; a powerful medicinal aroma washed over me as soon as I entered, and as someone who had grown so sick and tired of anything medicine-scented, it was shocking that I felt revitalized by just breathing in once.

  "Elder Cao."

  "Greetings, Elder."

  "Welcome back, Elder."

  The old man seemed to be quite popular, as everyone we came across greeted him with a smile, while also eyeing me and the kids with a level of doubt that I found a bit... strange.

  "I apologize, Mister Lu," Cao Xun chuckled. "With the Gathering around the corner, the kids are a bit... doubtful."

  "I don't mind it," I said. "Been looked at in far worse ways, believe it or not."

  "Ha ha. Ah, Elder Lao--is the Sect Master in?"

  "Elder Cao," the man we stopped seemed to be slightly older than Cao Xun, but he actually bowed and greeted first. "Yes, Sect Master has just finished a lecture on xalpa family. Is something the matter?"

  "Oh, no. I just wanted to introduce our guests," he said.

  "Ah. Yes, of course. Head to the Greeting Hall, and I'll have someone inform the Sect Master."

  "I appreciate it. May the Spirit Bloom."

  "May the Spirit Bloom."

  "Despite not being as strong as some other sect masters in the city," Cao Xun spoke with a lot of pride in his voice. "Our Sect Master is treated even better than most of them. In fact, he's one of the few who was ever granted an audience with the Lady."

  "Right, the Lady. Gu Hai mentioned her, too. Is she in charge of the city?"

  "She's an Overseer," his voice turned low and rather respectful. "And the strongest cultivator around. Though she had never truly fought, rumors are that she's a Demigod! Can you imagine? Aah. I feel like just glancing at a Demigod from a distance would be an achievement of a lifetime."

  "..."

  Yeah.

  And I had one building houses and shit.

  How perspectives differ, don't they?