Chương 111: Chapter 110: Elder Geng Xin

"What is going on here?" Yang turned toward the voice. The cultivator who had spoken wore sect robes unlike anything Yang had seen on outer or inner sect disciples, or elders he had encountered so far. There were silver metallic armour elements on the robes that gave the whole ensemble a clean militaristic impression. The man's bearing matched. He was stern-faced, and notably handsome. The crowd went quiet at his appearance. Even the murmuring stopped.

The middle-aged cultivator who had been making the fuss went noticeably pale. The shop employee turned toward the newcomer and bowed.

"Lord Geng Xin, this cultivator has been creating a disturbance." The cultivator recovered some of his colour and his voice.

"I just wanted the same respect as other cultivators. I have been standing in line for hours and the moment this disciple arrives," he gestured at Yang, "an employee comes out to guide him inside ahead of everyone. How is that fair? Are we not all paying customers?" He looked to the crowd for support. The crowd took a step back. Several people said variations of no, no, we had no issue, we were just waiting our turn. The cultivator's face went red. He turned on the nearest person who had spoken.

"Quiet." Elder Geng Xin's voice was not loud but the single word stopped everything. He looked at the cultivator with a flat expression.

"Neither mortals nor cultivators are permitted to create disturbances in White Cloud City. Give me your token." The cultivator faltered.

"I just. I was not try…"

"I do not care what you were trying to do. You are in White Cloud City, at the base of White Cloud Sect, in front of a business owned by a member of this sect, making a public fuss about a White Cloud Sect disciple." Elder Geng Xin raised one hand, palm up.

"I will not repeat myself." The cultivator stared at the outstretched hand for a confused second, then passed over his token with a panicked expression. Elder Geng Xin did something to it, the token glowing briefly, then handed it back.

"I have added a strike to your record and fined you for creating a public nuisance. Pay the fine before you leave the city. An unpaid fine or any further incident will see you removed from White Cloud City and barred from future entry." The cultivator took his token back and said nothing.

"You" Elder Geng Xin turned and looked at Yang. Yang glanced around before realising he was being addressed, then stepped forward and bowed.

"Follow me." Yang followed without asking where they were going, walking quickly to keep pace. A few steps in, Elder Geng Xin glanced back over his shoulder with an expression that said stop lingering behind, and Yang closed the distance so they were walking side by side. He did not know where they were going and was working out how to ask when Elder Geng Xin spoke.

"Are you done with your errands?"

"Yes, Senior Brother," Yang said.

"Elder Geng Xin," the man said.

"I apologise, Elder. I did not recognise the markings on your robes." Yang kept his tone level, though it was the second time he had made this mistake with someone whose rank was above what he had assumed.

"You are outer sect. It is understandable, the city guards do not often interact with outer sect disciples." Elder Geng Xin did not slow his pace.

"I will have someone take you back to the peak." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Thank you, Elder." They reached the base of the outer peak in a few minutes. Elder Geng Xin formed a hand seal and was about to release it when a voice called out from somewhere behind them.

"Junior brother Yang! Yang!" Both of them turned. Senior Brother Wan Yi was crossing toward them at a hurried pace. He reached them and bowed to Elder Geng Xin.

"Elder. Is everything alright? Did my junior brother cause any trouble?"

"Nothing of that kind. A cultivator creating a nuisance and this disciple being too eager to involve himself." Elder Geng Xin's tone remained flat.

"Take him back up."

"Of course. Thank you, Elder." Senior Brother Wan Yi watched him leave in a streak of light, then turned to Yang with a look of open amusement.

"Junior Brother Chen Yang. If I had known you would continue to provide entertainment after we parted ways I would have insisted on staying with you." Yang let out a tired breath.

"Senior Brother, if I had known, I would not have left my cave residence today."

"Now, now Junior Brother." Senior Brother Wan Yi summoned his zither with a gesture.

"Good entertainment is rare in White Cloud Sect. I take what little joy I can where I can find it. Of course, when it comes to entertainment, our White Cloud Sect is rather lacking compared to other sects." He shook his head with mock regret.

"Senior Brother, I somehow think what you take as entertainment is not thought of as such by the people doing the so-called entertaining," Yang said wryly.

"What actually happened? I know it was not your fault because Elder Geng Xin is not an easy one for actual troublemakers and you do not look like you are about to collapse."

"A cultivator outside the snack shop took issue with me being allowed to enter without queuing," Yang said.

"I was about to intervene when Elder Geng Xin arrived."

"Why did he call you trigger happy?"

"I had a talisman in my hand, but just in case he attacked. I wan't actually intending on using it." Senior Brother Wan Yi looked at him.

"A talisman. You are a second stage Qi Condensation cultivator. What exactly were you planning to do?"

"The employee was a mortal. He was dealing with a cultivator because he let me enter without queuing. I felt responsible."

"Use your brain next time." Senior Brother Wan Yi's tone shifted to exasperated and scolding.

"The employee works at a shop in White Cloud City. He was not born yesterday. He would not have invited you in without knowing he could handle whatever followed. And that shop, where you need to queue up to buy snacks is owned by a sect elder. Making trouble there is not something any cultivator with sense does. Even core disciples do not throw their weight around in White Cloud City, let alone some no name cultivator who wandered in to buy snacks." He said rather contemptuously.

"The sect guards do not appreciate regular disciples playing at being city watch. Keep your head down next time. If someone is causing a problem in this city there will already be a response coming. Despite acting like we are all high on Red Reed the White Cloud sect is not an easy one to deal with." Yang kept quiet and did not ask about the aforementioned Red Reed, fearful he will get an invitation to get high on said Red Reed.

"Climb on," Senior Brother Wan Yi said. They rose from the city floor and the mountain came back up around them, the white rooftops shrinking below as they flew up.

"Did you get what you needed before Elder Geng Xin collected you?" Senior Brother Wan Yi asked.

"I did."

"Good. Now guide me towards your cave residence" Yang directed him as they rose.

"Senior Brother, on that side." Senior Brother Wan Yi adjusted the zither's direction without comment. They reached the cave residence within a few minutes and Senior Brother Wan Yi brought the zither to a stop near the entrance.

"Farewell, Junior Brother." Yang stepped off and bowed.

"Thank you for the ride, Senior Brother. Both ways." Senior Brother Wan Yi inclined his head.

"If you can arrange it, visit the music competition in the inner sect. You will see the full expression of what music cultivators can do." He said proudly as he rose away on the zither without waiting for a response. Yang watched the Senior Brother fly for a moment, then went inside. He set the tea set and the snack package down on the shelf where they would be ready for Senior Brother Lin Yi's visit, and sat down at the desk. He had spent more of the day on errands than intended.

He pulled his talisman supplies toward him. He was currently working on learning the Wind Blade Talisman. Unlike most offensive talisman inscriptions, which created something from nothing, the wind blade inscription worked differently. It compressed existing air into a thin concentrated edge once activated, releasing it as a blade capable of clean cuts without requiring the raw elemental power that most offensive talismans demanded.

For a second stage Qi Condensation cultivator who could not generate the power a strong offensive talisman required at its full potential, the wind blade offered something more practical. It did not need to create anything. It only needed to shape what was already there and thus required more skill and less power.

A wind blade talisman made by someone with exact control over qi distribution and clean stroke work would produce a blade of considerably more strength than the same talisman made by someone with more cultivation but rougher technique. He dipped his brush and began the inscription, the cave settling into quiet around him as the afternoon moved toward evening. Senior Brother Lin Yi was arriving in two days. He wanted to be ready.