Chapter Text
Unknown Land
Hour of the Rat (23:00-1:00)
A disheveled boy raced through the thick brush of a forest. He was dressed in all black with his hair undone from its ponytail, his eyes were emotionless and his lips chapped. Exhausted from running for long hours with a burden in his arms, he began to wonder if anyone was even following him.
Zipp
A bullet of energy shot past him, grazing his cheek just slightly. The child, shocked, almost fell but his vision fell on the basket in his hands. Gritting his teeth, he stamped his foot hard into the ground to prevent himself from falling. He continued on but now he tapped his energy into his life source.
A roar and shriek combined came from behind him. “Yuan Lisong! Your parents have already met their end. I have no interest in chasing such delicate prey. Stop running when you don't even have the energy to hide!” The voice was unnatural in both language and sound. Appearing as someone rapidly struck together a set of clicks, shrieks, and drums to make out a communicative word.
Yuan Lisong bit his tongue, and as the blood flowed, he transformed. The forest gleamed as a bioluminescent creature, sped through the forest. Its skin is adorned with smooth, iridescent scales shimmering in the dim light. Black angelic wings extend gracefully from its shoulder blades, large and elegantly shaped, the feathers unfurled. The wings now span nearly twice his height. Sharp and strong, the wings began to cut through the trees like butter. Bioluminescent tentacles emerge from the back of its neck. Highly dexterous, the tentacles swat many obstacles out the way.
Seeing a cliff ahead, Yuan Lisong got his wings into position, ready to fly as necessary. As more bullets of energy flew toward him, his scales and wings doubled as armor, allowing him to take hits without wasting any more energy.
Without hesitation, Lisong jumped, tucking in his wings and allowing himself to fall in a free fall. A glowing white gateway with a sharp, circulating feather-like frame. Lisong allowed his wings to cover the entirety of his body and the basket, allowing himself to slam into the gateway.
A being, neither human nor animal, watched as the gateway exploded.
How cunning he thought. He opened the gate to a randomized location, ensuring that I couldn’t know where he was headed. He knew he would still be teleported if he slammed it without covering himself with energy. Without the added energy, the energy surrounding the gateway would have killed any other living organism. His wings could rebound the energy so he covered himself with them. With nowhere else to go, the energy dispersed, causing it to explode.
The humanoid laughed. Knowing that finding his prey would be a matter of time.
Shiyang Town
Hour of the Ox (1:00-3:00)
“Cultivator! Please wait,” a young woman, just recently turned of age, hurriedly ran with a bundle in her arms.
A striking young male cultivator with dark hair framing his delicate face turned around. His skin smooth and flawless, glowed softly in the bright moonlight, and his bright, expressive eyes shine with an alluring charm that captivates those around him. Standing tall and graceful, he embodies an elegance that is rare among his peers, earning him admiration as well as envy.
This person is Lan Xialu, the fourth disciple of the cold and powerful Renxin-jun. Lan Xialu, a Ger, was spoiled by his Shixiongs and Shizun. His charm is accompanied by a sort of naivety with a dreamy disposition that has made him the subject of good-natured teasing from his Shixiongdis. However, beneath this ethereal and gentle appearance, Lan Xialu is a complex mix of resilience and ambitious intentions.
The young woman, with her hastily put up ponytail, blushed madly. Just now, she had been captivated by this young cultivator! “Young cultivator, this one’s parents’ run a clinic. Thankful for the cultivator's help, they have sent this one to present herbs and salves for the esteemed cultivator,” looking down and bowing, she presented the gift to Lan Xialu.
Lan Xialu, smiling, took the bundle from the young woman. “This one is unworthy of such a gift,” his voice was silvery and warm. Despite being of the male sex, he represented the Ger gender perfectly–strong but gentle, beautiful but demure, and swift but smooth.
They chatted for a while longer before Lan Xialu picked up his sword and hurriedly left. He flew over the town before flying over a part of the forest surrounding it. When he got to a secluded manor, he slowed down and smoothly landed.
Sighing, the young man dropped the bundle in his arms and flopped into the nearby bed. Almost immediately, he dropped his gentle and carefree disposition. He groaned into his bed. It was his first time fighting a demon alone. Of course there were mistakes, but Lan Xialu really didn’t want to get hurt or feel pain. What would regularly take two Sichens* to hunt took more than three Sichens.
Laying down on the hastily covered bed, his thoughts drifted toward his Shimen.
Just recently, Tianqi Sect had held their Disciple Selection, allowing new cultivators and budding geniuses to join the prestigious sect. As an esteemed and exemplary Shizun, Renxin-jun had joined on behalf of the Peak Master. Despite going in with no intentions of taking in a disciple, he returned with a 15 year old named Ye Fengming.
This caused half of his Shixiongs to tease him. Telling him that he could no longer be the spoiled Xiao Shidi that everyone babied. Even his Shizun had coaxed him and told him that he needed to grow up. No one in the Tianqi Sect didn’t know that Renxin-jun had spoiled his previous youngest disciple rotten.
But Lan Xialu had actually been looking forward to having a Shidi, even preparing a welcoming gift. Instead, he was perceived to be the jealous one! Without saying anything, he made a face and ran back to his manor, clutching his welcoming gift.
In the Tianqi Sect, there were hundreds of thousands of cultivators. But of those cultivators, there were only about three hundred Gers. Naturally, Tianqi Sect specifically selected Gers that were good looking with a stable cultivation base.
Lan Xialu was chosen because of his beauty and background. He came from the Lan Clan, one of the 9 Great Clans, well known mainly for their Scholars, and Musicians. They were also well known for producing Gers with a very stable and strong Cultivation Base.
When Lan Xialu entered the Tianqi Sect, many Masters fought for him to become their disciple. The one that came out on top was none other than cold and powerful Renxin-jun. Having given so much to receive this disciple, Renxin-jun and his elder disciples naturally spoiled the youngest.
For Lan Xialu, being spoiled was natural. Being teased by his Shixiongs about his lacking cultivation talent was also natural. But after spending more than a few years together, how did his Shimen not understand his personality?
Back in the Lan Clan, he was the legitimate son but he was also the oldest of seven Ger relatives in his generation. He grew up in a separate courtyard with six other children and was rarely visited his male relatives. Lan Xialu rarely even saw his own father!
As the oldest, he would entertain and teach his younger relatives, coaxing them and spoiling them in his own ways. Be it cooking a dish or aiding them in understanding their studies, what couldn’t he do? It was all because the Gers of previous generations told him to be like a mother to the children who wouldn’t have any.
Lan Xialu was indignant. So with the help of his Third Shibo, he ran away, leaving behind the welcoming gift and a small, petty note. He temporarily resided in a secluded but comfortable manor near Shiyang Town.
He had only stayed there for a month when he heard of a demon causing havoc in the town. Excited and bored, he hurried over to defeat it. Although it took a while, he was successful in his endeavor.
Having fallen onto his bed, Lan Xialu slowly drifted into sleep. Once reaching the Golden Core Realm*, cultivators lacked the necessity of sleeping and practiced inedia. Despite practicing inedia for many years, Lan Xialu was only in the Core Formation Realm and still needed to sleep every now and then.
An incense stick* later, a white circular concentration of energy appeared a few feet away from the manor. It was laced with a sharp, circulating feather-like frame. A bioluminescent humanoid fell into the trees below. Making it just in time before the circular thing burst.
Hitting the branches and leaves, Yuan Lisong opened his eyes to see the ground fast approaching. Shocked, he instinctively landed feet first, inadvertently breaking his feet in the process. In pain, he whimpered, refusing to make any more of a sound. He laid on his side, closed his eyes and kept the basket near him, feeling the cool ground.
Half a Sichen later, he began to move again. “ Your parents have already met their end. I have no interest in chasing such delicate prey. ” Gritting his teeth, he moved on knees and hand. Keeping one hand on the basket and pushing it as he trudged along.
Seeing a manor up ahead, Yuan Lisong came to a startling realization. With his remaining strength, he pushed the basket to the doorstep of the Manor and tore a piece of his cloth. Tearing one of his fingers, he stained the dark fabric with bright red foreign words.
Hurriedly, he placed a drop of his blood into the basket, softly whispering an incantation. When all was said and done, he used his physical strength to blast into the door. Causing it to shake and open without damaging it. Turning around he unfurled his wings and flapped away.
Lan Xialu hadn’t even properly rested for a half a Sichen before a loud crash startled him awake. For a moment, he was disoriented, unsure of what awoke him. Until another crash alerted him to the front doors of his manor.
He swiftly grabbed his sword and walked slowly and cautiously to the front door. Lan Xialu was stronger than the mortal man. But he could only fight one or two at a time at best. Despite having good stamina and agility, he wasn’t nearly strong enough to fight a cultivator of his own Realm by himself without sustaining more than a few injuries. It was the reason he chose Shiyang Town. As it was far from Tianqi Sect but still close enough to other towns and cities that there were some noble families residing there.
Peering from behind a pillar, he saw nothing across from him. Approaching the front doors, he looked around the surrounding area only to see nothing. The night was serene with a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. He used his energy to push the doors close. As the doors were closing, his gaze fell at a basket in front of him.
It was large and appeared to be woven using thick, dry fibers. The basket oddly had two lids, both connected to the center where they can be lifted from either side. Lan Xialu was dubious. As he walked toward it, another perspective shows the blood the basket hid from the other side.