Chapter 215

  Spirits Blossoming (IV)

  Aah, comfort, how I missed thee.

  My bedroom--that's right, I got a proper freakin' bedroom!--was actually fairly large, especially considering that space was premium here. There was no 'bed', but there was a wide-ass cushion where I immediately plopped myself, enjoying the scent of flowers and the cushioned existence.

  The rest of the room was spotless: hardwood floors with spring-flavored wallpapers, a desk and a chair, and even a small shelf hanging on the side.

  Long Tao did say he'd actually participate, oddly enough, and now all I had to do was... nothing.

  No, I'm not doing anything--I'll just laze around and simply enjoy life for a change.

  Well, I would have if, not ten seconds later, the doors to my room weren't flung open and everyone just came strolling in, chattering away.

  "Ah, Master, you have to try this!!" Dai Xiu shouted in excitement, hurting my ears a bit, before speeding over and handing me a small date-like fruit. It leaned toward a purple hue and was dried and textured under the fingers.

  Taking a bite, I felt my taste buds catch on fire--not because it was hot or spicy (well, not entirely), but because there were just so many flavors.

  No, scratch that, there were all flavors.

  "He he he, Master's face is really funny!" Dai Xiu laughed. And she was soon joined by everyone else--even Gu Hai and a few other kids that he brought along. "Ah, here! This helps wash it down!" She handed me a small cup full of reddish liquid; I frowned and glanced over at Xi Zhao who stealthily shook his head, prompting me to look back at Dai Xiu.

  ... oh, she's gonna be trouble.

  "Master is alright, Xiu'er," I said, handing the bowl back to her. "Here, you should drink it. I'd never take something so tasty from one of my Disciples."

  "..." Her smile froze as her eyebrows started twitching, eyes darting in search of a possible, believable lie. She never did find it, uttering, well, a rather obvious one. "N-no need! I--I already tried and learned my tummy hurts if I drink it!"

  "Pfft," others tried to stifle their laughter as I finally stood up and stretched.

  "Alright; it can't be that you all came here just to see what face I'll make when you give me that little thing," I said. "So, why are you disturbing me just when I was about to take a nap--I mean, when I was about to start cultivating very properly and very seriously?"

  "Nuh-uh, you can't, not yet!" I have to give her some credit--the kid sure recovers quickly. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out. "Gu Hai promised he'd show us around, and we waited for you! Ah, where is Senior Brother?"

  "I saw him sneaking away," Xi Zhao said, pointing toward a nearby set of trees.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Light, go fetch him!"

  "Yes!" Hey, why does the apathetic kid suddenly seem so engaged? She puffed her tiny chest out and sauntered away. Just as I was wondering exactly how she'll drag that asocial bastard over, I heard her. "Senior Brother loves Master the most! Any time Master leaves, Senior Brother follows him--"

  Oh, there he was. His hand over Light's mouth, his face contorted.

  He he.

  Look at the bastard.

  He seemed to sigh as he let go of the girl, who happily jogged over, a big grin on her face.

  "Senior Brother is here!" she exclaimed.

  "Good job!" Dai Xiu exclaimed back, picking her up and snuggling her.

  ... hey. When did these two get so close?

  "I've brought Junior Brother Rayce, too." Wan Lan appeared from nowhere, dragging the poor young man by his collar.

  "Yaay!"

  Gu Hai did, indeed, take us on a nice trip throughout the entire sect, basically showing off every nook and cranny and often asking Xi Zhao to teach him just 'one cool move with a sword so he can impress Fairy Wuhan'.

  There wasn't a general, pre-planned layout--not as far as I could tell, anyway. There were 'general areas', but, according to Gu Hai, the entire sect 'sprawled' out from the original mansion where their founder, the current Sect Master's grandfather, first settled. Apparently, he was a retired Alchemist and decided to open up a small shop here in the city and, over time, taught a few kids a few things, who in turn called themselves his disciples, and the entire thing just sort of spiraled from there.

  ... I feel a sudden burst of sympathy towards that man.

  Regardless, since the nearby plots were bought and torn and rebuilt one by one, there wasn't really a central focus; as such, there were instances where the disciples' dwelling was right by a Teaching Hall where the Elders would hold lectures in the morning. That was also why there were gardens everywhere possible--and, it turns out, most were actually maintained by the Disciples themselves.

  It was a big aspect of becoming an Alchemist, one's ability to nurture the plants from the seed to the bud and then to the full bloom.

  "According to the Ancestor," Gu Bai said as we stopped in front of the only statue within the entire compound--it stood at about fifteen feet tall, depicting an aged yet still stalwart man standing upright, his expression cold yet oddly accepting. "Reaching the pinnacle of Alchemy was far more difficult than reaching the pinnacle of Martial Arts. He said that he once bore witness to someone attempting to ascend from a Tri-Aspect Grandmaster, and the Heavens got so angered that they annihilated the entire world just to prevent it."

  Woah.

  I glanced over at Long Tao, who, oddly, seemed to be in thought. I wholly expected a look of outright derision, but either he truly just completely tuned out and was stealthily cultivating, or... there was some truth to it.

  "But Ancestor was also a bit of a liar and a charlatan!" Gu Hai said. "He once promised my Grandfather a stylia orchard as a reward, but do you know what he ended up giving him?"

  "What?"

  "A Stylia orchard!"

  "..."

  "A small model of it that he carved out from common wood!"

  "Wow."

  "That sounds mean."

  "Oh, the meanest! Ah, but my Grandfather isn't much better; he once promised to teach me how to fly if I managed to memorize the First Compendium of Low-Heaven Herbs and Plants. So, I did my best and finally managed to do it! He then took me up to the roof, smiled at me, and then just tossed me right off! Said, 'There you go, you're flying now, boy!'"

  ... wow.

  Don't laugh, Jake.

  Don't laugh.

  "Ha ha ha!"

  "I love when you tell that story to others! Look at them not trying to laugh!"

  "Pfft, ha ha ha!" Thankfully, his friends couldn't endure it anymore and broke into laughter, as did he, and the kids followed suit.

  I, however, laughed inside.

  There was a proper image to maintain. Even if the kids were chiseling away at it with every passing day, I'll fight to restore it.

  "Ah, Senior Sister!" Gu Hai suddenly called out as we all turned toward where he was looking. There, a young woman emerged from between the buildings. She seemed to be nineteen or perhaps twenty, draped in rather beautifully made twilight-colored robes. She had long, platinum hair and stood fairly tall, about five-eight or so. Upon hearing Gu Hai's voice, her calm and tranquil expression distorted and turned savage.

  "Oi, you bastard! It's Elder, to you! Elder!"

  "You'll always be a Senior Sister to me--"

  "--it's Elder, goddammit! Elder! Hm? Who are these guys? Dammit, Gu Hai, did you pick up some homeless yet again?! Didn't Master tell you not to do it anymore?!"

  ... ouch.