Chương 25: Chapter 23 (R)

I relax as I lie on a real bed, not the uncomfortable pretend ones we have in the carriage. With all the luxury they've added to that carriage, they could have tried a little harder to make those comfortable. Or perhaps beyond a certain level cultivators don't care so much about comfort, since my mother hasn't complained and only looks at me with amusement whenever I do.

And I give thanks that upon arriving at this town, the Nei Baihu ordered us to stop for a day of rest, since there's still half a month to go before we reach the city of Xi'An. And this journey has only confirmed what I had already concluded from reading the books, which is that this world is absurdly vast and the distances are madness. Almost a month to reach our destination, and it's nowhere near the most remote city from the Empire's capital. And it's not that we're exactly going slowly.

I never believed it possible for a human being to move at what I estimate to be about ten kilometers per hour for hours on end over the course of several days, because that's the speed at which the Nei Wei have kept up the entire way here, traveling ten hours every day with a single rest every five hours to eat. That means we've covered over a thousand kilometers in these thirteen days, practically a quarter of the distance between the east and west coasts of the United States, on foot and without stopping.

It's clear that the improvements cultivators have are utterly absurd, since not even Captain America would be capable of that. And that's without even mentioning the horses and their ability to keep up the pace, since when I asked, she told me they are something called spirit beasts, beasts that are capable of absorbing Qi and that gives them abilities normal animals don't have. In other words, even animals can become cultivators.

And not only animals, even plants are capable of doing it, since the absurdly strong wood the carriage we use is made of is called ironwood, which comes from trees that are capable, of course, of absorbing Qi to harden themselves. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that even the stones by the side of the road are capable of cultivating, but for the sake of my sanity I've preferred not to ask for the moment.

But soon my nighttime musings are defeated by the comfort of the bed, and sleep claims me. When Lianhua wakes me to tell me I have to get up and have breakfast, I try to be lazy and convince her to let me sleep a little longer, but she ignores me and gets me out of bed to help me dress and perform my morning ablutions.

When we finish, she takes me to the dining room, and as I pay more attention to my surroundings, since last night I was too tired to do so, I notice that the inn is quite large and luxurious, which strikes me as odd since the town didn't seem big enough to warrant an establishment of this status. Upon reaching the dining room, they're already waiting for us, so Lianhua seats me beside my mother before sitting on the other side next to Lingxi.

As soon as we sit down, several waitresses begin serving us breakfast and we start eating with gusto, since it's a pleasant change from the food the Nei Wei have been serving us along the way, which, though fine, was clearly army travel rations. I notice that as we finish breakfast, one of the Nei Wei standing guard in the dining room goes out, returning after a moment with the Nei Baihu, who approaches our table.

"Guifei Xiang", she addresses my mother as she bows.

"Forgive me for disturbing you so early, but this is the town at the entrance to the Marsh of Mists, and I was instructed to inform you upon arrival since you have a letter to deliver to the Yao clan."

"That's correct", my mother replies, before turning to Lingxi.

"Go to the carriage and bring the letter with the seal of the Sun family that's in my luggage. We'll wait for you at the inn's entrance." Lingxi stands, bows to my mother, and leaves the dining room, after which my mother turns back to the Nei Baihu "If you've come so early, it's because it's better to give it to them as soon as possible, isn't it?"

"Yes, Guifei Xiang", the Nei Baihu replies.

"The sooner we deliver it, the sooner they can organize the guides to lead us through the marsh." My mother stands up as she says "Then let's not waste any time." Seeing that my mother is rising, I hesitate a moment but quickly decide to ask her "Mother, may I have Lianhua take me for a walk around the town? I've never seen anything apart from the palace and the places we've passed through from the carriage."

"All right, Wen", my mother replies with a smile, then looks at the Nei Baihu.

"I assume there'll be no problem with a few Nei Wei escorting them."

"No problem at all, Guifei Xiang", the Nei Baihu replies.

"That's what we're here for." I can't help the huge smile that spreads across my face at hearing her permission, so after my mother and the Nei Baihu leave, I turn to Lianhua and tell her "Let's go. We have a world to explore." Lianhua looks at me as she replies "Zhāohuán Wen, you do know we can't leave the town, right?"

"Those are unimportant details", I tell her.

"Come on, pick me up and let's get out of here before anyone changes their mind and I end up stuck indoors." Lianhua lifts me from the chair and we leave the inn, where I notice half a dozen Nei Wei begin to follow us at a short distance, I suppose so as not to be too intrusive. As we venture deeper into the town, I notice it doesn't seem too large, with all of its buildings sharing a similar simple and functional architecture.

The inn where we're staying is at one end of what appears to be the main street, so I tell Lianhua to head toward the other end, since in a town of this size everything of interest is most likely on this street. As we make our way down, I notice there are a disproportionate number of inns, so I ask "Lianhua, do you know why there are so many inns in such a small town?"

"It's because the town is the entrance on this side to the Marsh of Mists", Lianhua replies, but noticing that this means nothing to me she continues her explanation.

"The Marsh of Mists is a small forbidden zone. The marsh is covered by a mist that disorients people and makes them lose their way unless they know the trick to crossing it." I nod to encourage Lianhua to continue with the explanation "And those who know the trick to cross it are the Yao clan, who organize caravans to cross it and allow you to join them for a fee. But those caravans only depart when they consider there are enough people, so many have to wait several days for it.

Hence the great number of inns, many of which also belong to the Yao clan." Listening to Lianhua, I realize what a piece of business that Yao clan has. They charge for crossing the marsh, but only cross it when they want, so they can force people to stay several days in the town and spend money at establishments that also belong to them. In my previous world there were people who would kill just for the possibility of such monopoly power.

As she explains, we continue walking down the street discreetly followed by our bodyguards, and I see there are many people who have set up small stalls on the edges of the street and are selling all sorts of things. I imagine many of those waiting to cross the marsh are merchants and they're trying to offset their expenses on the spot with some potential sales.

I tell Lianhua to take me closer to the stalls and spend part of the morning browsing and seeing what ordinary products are like in this world, since an imperial palace isn't the best place to find items of everyday use by the general population. And so I entertain myself all morning listening to people's inconsequential conversations and the haggling while I see stalls full of kitchen utensils, clothing of various kinds, toys, drinks, and even one that has several types of musical instruments.

But nothing catches my attention until I reach a stall that, rather than being specialized, is more of a bazaar-style stall full of all sorts of things. I tell Lianhua to take me closer to the stall, where there are already several people, and I set about browsing. Among the multitude of things on the stall, what interests me most are several books in a corner, clearly placed where they would be least in the way and that the stall's owner has little hope of selling.

But for some strange reason, my gaze keeps drifting to a zone where there are a few pieces of jewelry, to look at a ring on a display stand. The ring is composed of two bands, one of a black material and the other white, with the two bands intertwined and adorned on their periphery with five gems: red, green, blue, yellow, and transparent, though without seeing them more closely I couldn't say what kind they are. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

And if there's anything my years of experience in the field have taught me, it's that when something draws my attention this intensely, I'm about to discover something interesting. With a decisive movement, I stretch out my hand and take the ring just before another person reaches it. When I raise my gaze, my eyes meet those of a young man who had extended his hand in vain.

"Girl", his voice is icy, laden with excessive arrogance.

"If you know what's good for you, hand me that ring." I look at the young man and calculate that he's in his twenties, though with all this cultivation business it always makes me wonder if I'm guessing right. He wears clothing that clearly reveals his origin in a high-status family, and yet they are adorned with so many jewels and ornaments that they rather exhibit his determination to flaunt wealth than demonstrate good taste.

"Are you referring to us?" Lianhua responds as she turns to look at him, her tone deliberately unconcerned, which for some reason puts me on edge.

"Who else, if not", the young man spits as he looks at us with hostility.

"Tell that pesky little brat, who I'm sure you're carrying in your arms because she's so useless she still doesn't know how to walk, to hand me that ring before I lose what little patience I have left." My gaze shifts between Lianhua and that young man during the exchange, and in her eyes I see a flash of anger she barely manages to contain, and I see her make a discreet gesture with her free hand to the Nei Wei who are a little further away.

"Xiaojie Wen", Lianhua asks me with a voice full of a softness I had never heard from her before, which makes me start to worry about her intentions.

"Do you truly wish to keep this ring?" Her tone, using an honorific she had never used with me before, surprises me. Without fully understanding her intentions but trusting her, I nod and answer firmly "Yes, I find it very interesting and I'd like to keep it." Lianhua nods slightly, then turns her gaze toward the young master, her expression now icy "You've heard Xiaojie Wen. If you'll excuse us, we're busy." The young man's face flushes with fury, his features twisted in indignation.

He brings his hand to the hilt of his sword, a gesture mimicked by his two henchmen, who step forward with mocking smiles. One of them, a burly man with a scar crossing his cheek, laughs with contempt "Do you really think you can defy our young master? It's clear you don't know who he is, daring to answer him that way. He is Yao Zhi, heir to the Yao clan, and in this city his word is law!"

The other henchman, slimmer and with a sharp gaze, adds in a venomous tone "You'd better hand over the ring and kneel before we make you! And if you're convincing enough, we might even consider sparing your lives. Though of course, we can't promise there won't be a small punishment."

"And you don't know who we are, and I'll only say this once", Lianhua replies in a tone so sharp it seems to cut the very air.

"Get lost and stop bothering us, or you might bite off more than you can chew." The atmosphere grows heavy, and a snort Lianhua lets out as she turns around ignoring the trio seems to be the spark that ignites the violence. Without further warning, Yao Zhi unsheathes his sword, and his henchmen follow suit, their faces twisted with rage. However, before they can even take a step, Lianhua leaps with me, bringing us closer to the Nei Wei and away from the imminent danger. And then the violence is unleashed.

Chaos erupts around us. The Nei Wei, who had remained silent until now, charge with lethal precision against Yao Zhi and his men, their spears dancing through the air. Despite the initial surprise, the trio manages to defend themselves for a brief moment, long enough for him to shout desperately "Guards, guards!" I contemplate with nervousness what is happening around us. However, the calm with which Lianhua acts, in contrast to the tension I feel, momentarily reassures me.

My eyes fix on her hand when she pulls from her clothes a talisman similar to the one she used during the assassination attempt that nearly ended my life, and as the fight between the Nei Wei and Yao Zhi's group intensifies, Lianhua brings the talisman close to her lips and I see how it begins to glow while she murmurs in a low voice "Zhāohuán Wen is under attack in the central part of the main street." The combat between the Nei Wei and Yao Zhi's group is a lethal dance.

The guards, who I imagine must have been trained by Jiaoliu Feng, move as a single body, each of their attacks directed with ruthless accuracy. Despite the fierceness of the troublemakers, I see that the superiority of the Nei Wei in both weapon handling and cultivation quickly becomes evident. One of the guards disarms an attacker with a fluid movement while another seizes Yao Zhi and pins him to the ground with an implacable hold.

The trio's shouts are drowned out by the sound of blows and the crunch of bones breaking. It is a terrifying spectacle, a brutal demonstration of the Nei Wei's power that leaves no doubt about their skill. As I watch the terrible scene, I hear voices and the sound of people approaching, so I look to see who it might be and see a group of guards coming down the street, and there's no doubt they're heading toward us.

I also notice that the atmosphere on the street has changed drastically and the merchants have closed their stalls to take refuge in the nearby establishments along with passersby, as though this were an everyday scene for them. However, the merchant from the stall we had been visiting is still here, hiding under a table and strangely calm. The guards arrive quickly, their drawn swords flashing under the sunlight.

While one of them, who appears to be the leader, demands we release their young master, they attack the Nei Wei, who rapidly take up a defensive formation around us with the precision of a clock while one of them continues watching over Yao Zhi's group, who can barely move after the brutal earlier confrontation. The guards launch their attacks with ferocity, but it's like colliding with a wall of iron due to the Nei Wei's superiority, and soon the sound of clashing steel and the shouts of combatants fill the air.

It's obvious that the training and cultivation of the Nei Wei place them at a level far above the guards, but despite that, my heart races as I see more guards appearing from the side streets. The tide of men grows, and although the Nei Wei fight with the ferocity of cornered tigresses, the numerical difference begins to tilt the balance against them, and as I see some of them beginning to suffer wounds, I start wondering how long they can hold out before being overwhelmed.

Lianhua also seems to notice the change in the situation, and for the first time I notice a shadow of worry cross her face, but before I can say anything to her, a battle cry echoes at the end of the street. I look toward the source of the cry and see how a multitude of Nei Wei charge against the group of guards around us while maintaining a lethal formation that contrasts with the poor discipline the guards have shown until now.

The guards still on the street turn toward them as surprise and panic take hold of their faces when they see an army hurling itself at them with intentions more than clear, and a small part of my brain imagines Tom Cruise in the charge while the soundtrack of The Last Samurai plays, but the reality of the situation quickly pulls me out of my fantasies.

What follows is a scene of pure brutality as the Nei Wei launch themselves into the attack with inhuman ferocity, and their superiority is demonstrated as they cut and pierce through the guards with implacable precision. It's not the first time I've witnessed armed conflict, due to some expeditions I made to some of the less safe areas of my old world, but what happens before my eyes surpasses everything I've been able to contemplate before. In the blink of an eye, the battle turns into a massacre.

The screams of wounded men, the sound of steel cutting through flesh, and the sight of the ground soaked in blood make my stomach turn, but I force myself to keep watching, since all this situation is due to our actions. From the relative safety of the barrier our bodyguards have formed around us, I observe how the Nei Wei, with their calculated and precise movements, mow down the guards, who, despite their numbers, are unable to contain the unleashed fury of the Nei Wei.

And soon it becomes clear that what at first seemed an uncertain situation is now clearly an overwhelming victory for our side. I look at Lianhua, who contemplates the carnage with a cold indifference I had only seen the night they tried to assassinate me, and I swallow before asking her in a soft voice "Wouldn't it have been better to tell them who I was from the start? All this could have been avoided."

"I would have done so", Lianhua answers me in a serene voice laden with coldness.

"But then they decided to insult you, and no one insults Zhāohuán Wen and walks away without punishment." All right, it's now official that Lianhua is a total yandere and is very frightening. I almost feel sorry for anyone who would want to face her, seeing that the nuclear option seems to be her first response to everything.

But I'm even more astonished when Lianhua turns back toward the stall we had been looking at when all this began, and tells the merchant who is under the table as though nothing had happened "Finish attending to us." I see the merchant start to sweat and come out from under the table while the sound of combat begins to subside behind us. Lianhua looks at me and asks "Is there anything else you want from this stall besides the ring, Zhāohuán Wen?"

I notice with disbelief that although the merchant is nervous, he has clearly witnessed or suffered situations similar to this one, given that he doesn't panic, and neither Lianhua nor the Nei Wei who are behind us forming a barrier seem particularly surprised by this behavior either. I need a moment of quiet to analyze everything that's happening, but in the meantime, when in Rome do as the Romans do, so I point at the books and tell the merchant "Along with the ring, I'd like to take all those books."

The merchant pulls out the books with unusual speed and wraps them in a piece of cloth, tying them so they don't come loose. As he wraps the books, the sound of fighting behind us dies away and I look over Lianhua's shoulder to see that the Nei Wei have finished subduing the guards. They're gathering almost all of them, disarmed, in the middle of the street, but many are lying on the ground, without my being able to see whether they're just wounded or dead.

"Here you are, Zūnjià", I hear the merchant say, and I look at him again. Lianhua looks at the package and tells the merchant "We can't carry it now, but someone will come to collect it and will pay you both for the books and for the ring." The merchant swallows and replies to Lianhua "As you prefer, Zūnjià."

Lianhua steps away from the stall and we move off, followed by the original Nei Wei we started this excursion with, and I notice the three fellows from the beginning are being transferred to the center of the street with the rest of the prisoners. For the first time I look at the ring I've been gripping tightly in my hand and with which this whole mess began.

It really doesn't seem valuable enough to almost start a war over, but when I lift it to see it better, through its opening I see how from one end of the street my mother is approaching with the Nei Baihu, a man of apparent middle age dressed in luxurious clothing, and an escort of both Nei Wei and guards. And seeing the furrowed brow with which my mother approaches, a shiver runs through me.

"Lianhua", I say to my yandere handmaiden.

"I think we're going to have problems more serious than a simple pitched battle."