Chapter 7 (Vol-2)
It took us two days to arrive at the nearest city from the small village where we killed the Magma Python.
During the entire trip, Yin Lingxi did not stop trying to steal my food from the bracelet that Da Ling gave me for my birthday.
However, I did not find it annoying. On the contrary, I found the whole thing funny.
For some reason, whenever I engage in any kind of stupid act with Yin Lingxi, I feel content. Happy. As if there is nothing more I could ask of in this life.
It was a feeling I never knew in either of my lives. Hell, even Xiang did not know what to call this emotion, given that he spent his entire life pursuing strength with no one but his master to call his family.
During this entire trip, It felt like I was truly free. Like I no longer had any concerns or worries in this life.
Of course, this feeling did not last long after we landed and arrived in this city.
"Miss Yin, how about we go there? That is the most reputed restaurant in the city. Rest assured, I, Ma Jun of the Ma family can vouch for their quality."
"Thank you for the offer, Young Master Ma, but we have something else to do."
I felt great annoyance as this kid blatantly tried to get closer to Yin Lingxi through hook or crook.
Ever since this spoiled brat spotted Yin Lingxi during our walk, he would not leave us alone and used every opportunity to try and get her attention.
I found it pathetic, and annoying. But most importantly of all, for some reason, I felt rage the likes of which I have never felt dominate my mind.
It was only thanks to my absolute control over my emotions that I maintained all the time that I did not take any drastic actions in a moment of anger.
It also did not help that his eye blatantly wandered over her body in a very inappropriate way, and he looked at her as if she were an object instead of a person if the flash of disdain I saw in his eyes and body language was anything to go by.
'Why not get rid of him quietly and be done with it?'
'We can't alert anyone of our presence in this empire until our objective is complete. With the war declared by this empire against our own, we would definitely end up pursued until we flee from the empire, making it impossible for us to obtain what we want. Besides, if by some chance these guys learn of the location of our home, calamity would strike out people.'
'Then, are you going to let this worm try and get his hands on you Dao Companion?'
'Don't speak nonsense, Xiang. Yin Lingxi is my friend. I am simply angry at how he is looking at her. And no, I will not allow him to so much as touch her.'
'Fine, fine. Call it whatever you want, but let me give you some advice. People like him need to be dealt with quickly and efficiently if you don't want to invite trouble.'
'….True. And, you know what? I just got an idea.'
"Young Master Ma. Do you mind taking us to your father? The patriarch of the Ma family?"
The kid gave me an annoyed and disdainful look before speaking in a neutral voice.
"May I know what Fellow Daoist wants to do by meeting my father?"
"Nothing much, I want to sell a few artifacts to him. I am a Formation master at the Master level and I need some funds for our travels."
Immediately, the faces of the stupid young master and his bodyguard paled as they realized the significance of my existence despite my plain clothes and look.
No matter where they go on this continent, formation masters, alchemists, and spiritual blacksmiths are always regarded with great respect and are not to be slighted in any way.
Young Master Ma's face twisted into a smile that was uglier than crying as he suddenly distanced himself from Yin Lingxi by at least five feet.
"I-I see. I did not know Master Da Wei was a Formations master. I will immediately leave for our home and inform Father of your request. I am sure he will personally come to meet you. Please provide me with the location where you are staying."
"Of course, Young Master Ma. We are currently staying in the Phoenix Pavilion in the Western district."
With the same expression as before, Young Master Ma directly ran along with his bodyguard, presumably towards his home.
With a sigh, I started walking again as Yin Lingxi spoke with a tone that was filled with amusement and another emotion I could not identify.
"Aren't we staying in the Eastern District in the commoner district and not the Wester district's noble district?"
"Did, as in past tense. We are leaving this city after exploring this place for a bit more."
"Why? Wasn't it you who insisted that we rest for some time here?"
"….I changed my mind."
"Hehe! Fine."
I avoided Da Ling's gaze as she continued to giggle as we walked through the marketplace, browsing for things that would catch our eye.
Suddenly, Yin Lingxi pulled my arm towards a small stall selling hair pins and other accessories targeted toward women.
Taking a simple gold-colored metal hairpin, she turned towards me.
"Help me put it on."
"…Can't you- never mind."
I wisely chose to shut up the moment I saw her eyes narrow in anger as I was about to speak.
Taking the hair pin from her hands, I pulled up her hair in a pony tail but she did not like it.
"Do it in a Bun."
Confused and a little suspicious, I did as she asked and pulled it up in a bun before placing the simple metal hairpin in it.
When she turned around and smiled at me, combined with her new look and gentle gaze, I felt that strange nameless emotion rise to the surface again.
However, I was a bit creeped out by how the woman who ran the stall looked between us with a knowing and satisfied look.
"That would be 20 copper coins."
I did not say anything and handed over the money to the stall owner. I hurriedly started walking away, hoping to get away from that weird gaze and the strange emotion rising past my control.
However, I am curious about what that woman said to Yin Lingxi before we left, which left the girl a blushing mess.
Chapter 8 (Vol-2)
Within the capital of the Baihu Empire, it was a state of celebration as beautiful decorations and banners hung all over the streets.
Children laughed and played, adults went about their business while the store owners and street vendors advertised their wares with just a bit more zeal than normal.
It was a time of celebration that came about every year, a period of one month when everyone set their personal feelings aside and spent their days indulging in their little desires and happiness.
The Founding Festival.
A tradition that has been around for more than eight centuries and has changed and grown alongside the empire.
It is believed that the Baihu empire was founded by a large group of disgruntled cultivators and mortals who fled from the Yin Long empire which was struggling to feed and care for its people in those times.
These people were supposedly led by a peerless cultivator who quickly rose from the Foundation Establishment stage to the peak of the Dao Integration realm, a stage of cultivation that has become a myth in modern times.
Supposedly, many massive battles took place between the newly formed Baihu Empire and the Yin Long Empire of that time, but after the leader single-handedly slaughtered a group of the Yin Long Empire's elite forces, they were supposedly forced to compromise and negotiate a peace between the two empires.
While it is quite clear that the majority of these beliefs are propaganda, there is always a kernel of truth hidden beneath a mountain of lies.
Whatever the case might have been, the thing that matters today is that the citizens of the Baihu empire care greatly about this specific time of celebration due to how they idolize their founders and the leader who eventually became their very first Emperor.
Baihu Jinlie, the first Emperor of the Baihu Empire whose lineage holds sway to this day even if the current emperor is not part of the Baihu family by blood.
Since there is such a significance associated with this timeframe, it was a given that certain people from outside the Baihu Empire would arrive at the Imperial capital, both with benign and malevolent intentions.
Two such people walked down the streets, looking at the festivities around them.
I smiled as Yin Lingxi looked at the large selection of gems and colorful stones placed on the cart in front of her, the seller meticulously explaining the significance and specialties of each stone and gem.
Of course, most of these things were mortal gems and stones geared towards mortal men and women. However, that did not mean that people like Yin Lingxi would not be attracted to them.
It is normal for pretty things to attract the gaze of people.
Looking at my surroundings, I found all types of people wearing traditional long robes decorated in various ways. They walked either with their lovers, or families or individually, browsing and purchasing wares from stalls or shops and happily talking among themselves.
It reminded me of the festivals in the East, specifically how they were celebrated in China, Japan, India, the Philippines, and various other countries back home.
Of course, given that it was a festival and we would look out of place in our usual clothes, we too bought a set of traditional clothes.
I wore a long white robe trimmed with gold threads, which was spiritual gold made specifically for cultivators, and a set of traditional Qi conductive straw shoes. I also had a small fan in my hands to compliment my clothing and make it look like I was some kind of a noble or one with a good background.
I learned early on in my life that It is better to look the part of an influential person, even if you are not one, to ward off any unwanted trouble.
Yin Lingxi, on the other hand, wore a beautiful red dress that subtly complimented her natural beauty. Her dyed black hair was done up in a bun just like she started to do ever since our visit to that frontier city. Her golden eyes were highlighted with subtle mascara and her face glowed with confidence and happiness.
All in all, she looked absolutely breathtaking.
Shaking my head to clear those thoughts, I turned back to the conversation between Yin Lingxi and the stall owner who gave a warm smile to us and handed over the necklace made from simple gems.
Paying the appropriate amount, we soon started walking on the street just like everyone else, losing ourselves in the atmosphere.
"…You know, I think I could get used to living like this. No thinking about the future of my people, no stressing over the management of resources, no presiding over the court, no micromanaging the various forces and sects, no political intrigue. Just the life of a simple woman with simple joys."
Once again, I smiled at those words.
"You could achieve that by throwing the throne to one of your brothers and moving to our village. But, I know you, Lingxi. You are not that kind of a woman. So you are stuck with those responsibilities. Besides, why are you talking as if you have been running your empire for your entire life? Didn't you leave the capital behind just a few weeks after your coronation to travel with me and leave everything to Miss Yao to manage?"
Yin Lingxi gave me a sullen look at that reminder before falling silent for some time.
"...Da Wei, what if, there was a way for me to achieve both the happiness I crave, and retain my throne?"
I raised an eyebrow at those words but Yin Lingxi did not meet my gaze and continued speaking.
"What if, I knew of such a way, where I could both run my empire and also experience the joys of being a simple woman? A way that required your help. Will you do it? Will you help me?"
My response was swift. Filled with confidence and care.
"Of course! Anything you need, I'll do it."
"Thank you. Truly. Now, come on, I heard that they are going to have a play tonight about the founding of their empire, and I want to see how they portray my Empire."
I just gave a gentle smile as she dragged me down the street.
'You are not the only one who could get used to living like this, Yin Lingxi.'
'Just make sure that you don't forget what the future has in store for us'
'I have you to remind me of things don't I?'
'Fair Enough.'
Deep within the Imperial Palace of the Baihu empire, a large group of people sat and discussed the ongoings of the empire.
"The day for the annual Secret Realm competition is approaching, have we selected our representatives yet?"
"We have. There were several promising seedlings this year during the various sect competitions and our own internal tournament."
The current Emperor of the Baihu Empire, Baihu Hankai, born Jun Hankai, nodded at those words from his Prime Minister and turned towards the rest of the officials gathered in the court.
"I don't think I need to tell you people just how dangerous our current position is. So, I'll just say this. Keep doing your work and make sure that the Founding Festival this time is much more extravagant and fulfilling for the people of the empire, enabling them to forget about the looming war for at least this month."
""""We Obey Your Command!""""
The various officials and ministers of the Empire, who were made of energetic young men and women along with wise Elders, swiftly walked out of the court to carry out their various tasks with a zeal that could not even have been imaginable in the Yin Long Empire.
Unlike its neighbor, the Baihu Empire was founded on strict meritocracy, where the personal power and talent of an individual matter more than their lineage. It was a way of life that affected even the Royal Family as they quite often took in talented outsiders into the family and sometimes even had them ascend to the throne just like the current Emperor.
This system was originally implemented by the founders of the Baihu Empire out of necessity. Back in those days, the Baihu empire was only a fraction of the size of the Yin Long empire, barely the size of a few cities.
The only way such a small nation could hold off the aggression of its neighbor was by using Quality instead of quantity.
This method was only viable, and worked wonders for the Empire, allowing it to grow into an Empire that was similarly sized to the Yin Family in a century in those days because the Yin Long Empire of that time was very weak in terms of martial prowess and military ability thanks to several factors. Such a method would no longer work in this day and age.
However, whatever the facts and reasons of those times might have been, the Baihu empire of this day still practices these traditions as they had become integral to their culture and identity.
With a sigh, The Emperor turned to his Prime Minister, Ling Tianze, who was his sworn brother during their younger years.
"What do you think?"
"I think you handled it pretty well-"
"Tianze now is not the time for your games and sarcasm. I am asking about the war declaration."
"….Fine. I think that was a very stupid decision you made in the heat of the moment. Even if it was a valid reaction since it was our home village that was attacked and annihilated to the last man."
Emperor Baihu Hankai gave a bitter smile to his sworn brother.
"I know that now with hindsight, but what is done is done. How are our preparations?"
"General Dugu has just returned to the capital, so you can hear the exact numbers from him. But from the information I received, our military is steadily growing, with conscripts being recruited from across the empire's pool of young men from all walks of life. As for Cultivators, the various sects have sent a lot of their disciples to the capital in response to your command."
"That's good. Are there any Core Disciples from the sects or is it just the inner and outer disciples?"
"As a matter of fact, several Core Disciples are being sent, however, they will arrive a bit later than the others since they will be coming with their Elders."
"That's good. We can see if there are any worthy seedlings among those disciples that we can poach for the Royal Family."
"…..You Highness, the Sects will start to rebel if you keep poaching their talented disciples."
Baihu Hankai gave a smirk to his exasperated sworn brother and got up from his throne.
"Let's go, I want to hear the exact numbers of our forces from the General."
"As you wish."
Chapter 9
Old Feng watched over the so-called factory as his students worked like clockwork, following their instructions perfectly.
The Factory was a concept that Da Wei had come up with during their discussions on how to increase the rate of production for the trains since they were starting to receive orders from nearby forces, such as Starfall City and the wealthier villages closer to the main cities.
The concept was simple. Instead of having a single inscription master like Da Wei or his disciples work on creating the trains from the beginning to the end, the work would be distributed across multiple groups of people who only had to do one thing each.
A good concept but one that had a glaring issue of leaking the designs to outside forces should someone feel like making some money secretly.
That was why, Old Feng proposed to separate these groups in such a way that one group would only know how to produce their part of the train and would no nothing about how the other parts are produced or assembled.
For example, the group that Old Feng was watching over right now was responsible for forging the main shell of the train from Ironwood bark. They were all trained by Old Feng to be good Spiritual Blacksmiths, but they would only know how to forge the shells, nothing more.
Similarly, three other groups overseen by Li Qiang were responsible for creating the base inscriptions of the train's body. One group worked on the inscriptions that produced the repelling magnetic field compared to the one generated by the path. Another group worked on making the restrictive inscriptions that kept the train from going off the path. The final group worked on the gravity inscription that propelled the train on the path.
Aside from these four groups, the final and most important inscription, the control inscriptions, are produced by a group of people handpicked by Da Wei and Li Qiang in a separate factory. They are also responsible for assembling the trains using the separate parts produced by the different groups.
By using such a method, the secrets of producing the trains are kept relatively safe from those who would want to steal its designs.
"…..I don't know how Master comes up with ideas like these, but this is amazing."
Old Feng grinned at Jin Tianrui's words and patted his back forcefully, causing the young man to stumble a little bit despite his cultivation.
"I've long since gotten used to Da Wei's insanity-induced genius. But, despite the insanity inherent in his ideas, they are always very effective in their purpose, so your thoughts are understandable. Putting that aside, don't sell yourself short, brat. That idea that you came up with was something pretty insane as well."
Jin Tianrui looked embarrassed at the praise as he looked away.
"It was just an idea born out of selfishness, there is no need to praise it so much."
"Nonsense! Your idea has directly contributed to safeguarding our trains, and potentially other things, from being harmed by malicious people."
Once again, Jin Tianrui looked abashed but took the praise.
When Da Wei left the village to go on his journey, he entrusted the village's safety and operation to his Disciples, giving them full autonomy to do as they felt to ensure their survival.
It was this freedom that allowed Jin Tianrui to implement a plan that had been growing in his mind ever since he first saw the train that his Master created.
It was inevitable that such a genius creation would attract the attention of unsavory individuals who would wish to either steal it or destroy it to deny others having such an advantage. Given the large amount of materials and spirit stones involved in creating just one of the trains, it would be a nightmare for anyone who is not his master to replace a destroyed or stolen train.
That was why, he came up with an idea after discussing things with the other village chiefs to safeguard their trains.
He contacted his uncle, Bai Zhanye, in the Dark Guild, and had them open a small branch in their village, a task that his uncle was eager to do thanks to the fame of his master.
Once that was done, Jin Tianrui cooperated with the Dark Guild to establish a small firm that worked similarly to the protection services provided by the Dark Guild but only dealt with money instead of mercenaries.
The concept he came up with was simple. The villages and any other force that purchased the trains would pay an annual fee of a small amount of spirit stones or materials of similar value to this firm which would store the funds in their personal vault located in the Village. This fee would be paid for as long as the trains exist.
If or when the trains are damaged, destroyed, or stolen, the force that was the victim can make a claim at the firm with the required proof of such a loss to gain the appropriate spirit stones or resources needed to buy another train for themselves.
Jin Tianrui called this concept an Assurance Firm.
When the village chiefs, Grandma Xu and Sun Hao heard this idea, they were astonished at the simplicity and effectiveness of this idea, however, they were also quick to point out the flaws in such a plan, such as the ease with which someone can fool the Assurance Firm by either destroying their own train or having it's stolen by mercenaries to gain money and pocket it for themselves.
To such worries, Jin Tianrui gave a simple response that solved their worries.
The Dark Guild.
Since a part of the firm would be owned by the Dark Guild according to the agreement for establishing a branch in their village, they would never allow anyone to fool them and get their money. Even in the case where someone did manage to fool them, such a person would soon find that they had made the biggest mistake of their lives by crossing the Dark Guild.
"By the way, where is the girl?"
"Senior Sister is with Ruiying. They are exploring the path with her Dao Familiar."
"The Scorching Stallion, huh? I never imagined something so rare was lurking in the wilderness so nearby. What about you? Do you plan to get a Dao Familiar of your own?"
Jin Tianrui looked embarrassed at that question and spoke out his answer.
"Yes. I already have the beast that I want as my Dao Familiar. I am only waiting for news on its whereabouts and for Master to return before setting off."
"Just be careful, especially if you plan to head south. Those Barbarian Clans and the Demonic Path have been acting really wildly lately."
Jin Tianrui nodded at those words.
"I have already taken precautions against the demonic path with my senior sister's help. As for the Barbarian Clans, and the Phoenix clan in particular?"
His face morphed into a sneer filled with hatred.
"Those abominations are nothing in my eyes. If they dare attack me, I'll just have to use Master's artifacts to wipe them out of existence."
Old Feng suddenly gained a serious look at those words and fully turned to the young man.
"Jin Tianrui. Are you planning on searching for vengeance during this journey of yours?"
"….Maybe a little bit."
"What is the point of vengeance if it is done through borrowed power? Why not get it when you are stronger?"
"That bastard must be becoming stronger by the day! I can't just sit back and let this chance slip by!"
Jin Tianrui immediately became aware of his raised voice and composed himself.
"Sorry. I did not mean to shout."
"…..I understand your thirst for vengeance more than you think, but take it from someone more experienced than you on this path. Vengeance leads to nothing but bitterness and emptiness in the end. I will not ask you to forget about your vengeance, but think clearly whether you live for yourself and your loved ones, or for the sake of vengeance alone."
Jin Tianrui fell silent at those words before speaking in a much softer tone.
"Why should I think so much about mere beasts in humanoid form? The beasts who relish ending the lives of humans? Who loves destroying and breaking people?"
Old Feng got a faraway look in his eyes before speaking again.
"Tianrui, I will ask you a question that I was once asked by a very wise man a long, long time ago during my youth."
"Why do we hate the Demonic Path with such zeal? Why do we kill and destroy the souls of those that are even suspected of following the Demonic Path?"
"Isn't it because they are a threat to the lives of all humans? Because their cultivation depends on stealing the lives and souls of their fellow humans and cultivators? Because they are monsters that treat our people as nothing more than resources for their cultivation?"
"Correct. We kill the demonic cultivators because they view other humans as nothing more than cattle, animals that are nothing more than cultivation resources to them. But, tell me something, Jin Tianrui. What do you think the Demonic Beast, and by extension, the Barbarian Clans that you hate so much, think of humans?"
"Why would I-"
Suddenly, things fell into place within Jin Tianrui's mind as he pondered the previous question asked by the old spiritual blacksmith and truly looked at things from an objective perspective.
Immediately, the haze of hatred that had always shrouded his vision dissipated just a little, allowing him to gain a bit of understanding of himself and the world around him.
His cultivation which had been stuck for some time suddenly rose and broke through.
Qi rushed into his body as he directly broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm after being stuck in the Qi Condensation realm for many months now.
And yet, his thoughts were still formulating the answer to Old Feng's words.
"…..They would view us in the same way we view the Demonic Path."
Old Feng broke into a happy smile and motioned Jin Tianrui to continue speaking.
"We hunt Demonic Beasts to obtain their cores, their body parts, and their elemental Qi-rich parts for the sake of our cultivation and for forging our artifacts and weapons. If the Demonic Beast in question has high enough cultivation to properly think, it would view us as monsters that hunt its kind for the sake of our cultivation, viewing us in the same way that we do the Demonic Path."
"Correct! In fact, it is exactly this sentiment that is one of the many reasons why the Barbarian Clans are always at odds with our Human forces and are even willing to join hands with the Demonic Path occasionally to fight us. They hate us just as much as we hate the Demonic Path. As such, do you think we have any right to claim that they are in the wrong for their actions?"
"…No. I guess not. However, I will never accept that the actions of that bastard from the Phoenix Clan are carried out due to the same sentiment. He is pure evil and I will not give up my vengeance against him."
"I am not asking you to. I am only asking you to not drown in your vengeance and forget about what is truly important."
"….Thank you.'
"Think nothing of it."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts while watching Old Feng's students continue working on the train below them.
Unaware of the fact that their entire conversation was overheard by Little Xing who had a complicated look in her eyes before leaving the factory and heading back to her home.