Demonic Tribulations - Chapter 67 preview (Patreon)

Chapter 67 – Tou He

The sounds filtering out from the town was constant, shouts and whispers, gossip and secrets mixing with the everyday banality of love and mercantile dealings. Mixed in with all this were the cries of animals, the low bleat of cows and the nickering of horses, the hiss of extra large reptiles and the bark of dogs and other canine creatures all added to the vibrating tumult of Kangri, first large city of the western border.

Perhaps befitting its status as a trade city, it had no walls. Perhaps it was just that the pass was guarded by a massive fortress, sufficient to protect against all invasions. In either case, the city began in the occasional building amidst large swathes of land, meant to take merchants and their wagons, trade caravans setting up shop without entering the city proper.

Later on, such sprawling pieces of land grew smaller, more busy. Filled with wagons and carts that overflowed or were already empty, goods taken into the town itself. Smaller wagons and carts moved continuously, bringing goods in and out of these waystations, all while opportunists traversed the road, seeking a deal or offering their services.

“I’ll reshoe those horses for you for a stone each. Can’t do better than that…”

“Portable hot water and bath. Give me twenty minutes and you’ll be able to wash the road dirt off you, make you look like a new man. My partner can do all the oils you need for body and hair, trim anything that needs trimming and buff anything that needs buffing. We’ve work with over twenty different demon clans so far, so no fear at all…”

“Have you ever been with a raskshasha dear… I’ll make your day… and night and day again if you let me…”

Tou He knew better than to let his own aura overlap others. He kept his constrained tightly to his body, gently deflecting probes that were sent to him. It helped that Biamin showcased her own aura at the low Core Formation level, covering himself and Minsci and keeping most who might wish to bother them away. Her clans known aloof nature was an advantage in this situation.

With the increase in traffic, the trio had to slow down such that they were moving two to three times as fast as the others, bypassing wagons and individuals alike. Their presence caused a minor stir amongst the populace, though by the time most reacted, the group was already well past them.

Even with their increased reflexes and Biamin projecting their presence ahead so that individuals ahead gave way to their passage, they still had to slow down as they closed in on the city. Local merchant stalls, filled with food, trinkets and everyday items, began to clog the sides of the road. That compressed the traffic further, forcing conveyances to move closer to one another and chance aggressive or unlucky interactions.

Up ahead, a horse shat on the ground. It hit the earth with a wet thump, joining the overflow that came from bestial traffic. Unseeing of the new danger, a child ran across the road, carrying a package for delivery. Their foot struck the earth, slipped and sent them sprawling. Somehow, the horned demon managed to keep hold of their package, but it left them vulnerable as the next vehicle rolled forward.

The driver, sensing the danger, hauled backwards on his beast’s reins. They swerved to the side at the sudden action, nearly veering into the next lane of traffic. There, the lizard-like steeds did not flinch at the sudden presence of the horses but instead jerked forward, snapping teeth down onto exposed neck.

Screams now, even more chaos, as the sudden jam rippled through the crowd. Sensing all this happen, Tou He was already moving, his body around the child before even the wagoneer had managed to finish sawing on his reins.

Not realizing the danger of the lizards, he had not reacted in time before the traffic jam appeared. Pulling the kid up, he dusted the child off, flashing his chi to dry the mud and shit off the clothing and surroundings. He brushed the kid off, watched as clumps fell, his nose long ago used to the smells of a city. While traffic was freeing up, a pair of urchins ran out with bags, scooping up the refuse into it.

Tou He knew they were likely to take whatever they acquired to farmers outside the town later, a constant churn of traffic and shit. A necessary one too, otherwise the city itself would be clogged. Partly why, some cities banned such creatures from coming in, relying on human muscle mass who, at least, had a little more sense than an animal.

“Idiot! Inconspicious, we said!” Biamin snapped at him, as she arrived, her wolf landing on the ground beside them after its massive leap. Everyone shied away, even as the wagoneers hauled on their animals and pulled them apart.

“Flying through the air was inconspicuous?” Tou He said.

“Better than you.” She glanced around, pulled his hood down lower. “Come on. We need to go.”

“Minsci…”

“Is stuck. He’ll come later.” She prodded him, forcing him to stand up. The child, having been freed by Tou He had chosen to run off, package still in hand. “Come on. Before the city guards arrive.”

One last tug, and Tou He was moving. He knew the guards – army personnel seconded to the job of keeping the peace – would be here soon if the snarl in traffic did not resolve itself. Depending on their strength, it was possible they might take simple action to slaughter the beasts, pick up and move the carriages and wagons to side streets to free up traffic for everyone else.

The knowledge that suck a thing might happen incentivized the owners to move faster, of course, to handle problems quickly rather than holding up traffic for everyone. It was hard, on said merchants, but most guards and magistrates leaned heavily towards the side of ‘the greater good’.

Tou He was uncertain of how he felt of the matter, but he was no beast tamer. There were sects, cultivators whose ability at such things were highly valued and respected. Not a particular area that he had trained on.

Following after Biamin, he joined her in reaching the tail end of the traffic, dodging around the carts and wagons that were now jockeying for the now, less bothersome traffic ahead. They attempted to inch forward, only to find that the initial accident had blocked passage forwards. However, their presence in the other lane meant that even when the initial wagon driver had his – now injured – horse pointed in the right direction, he could not move forward.

Nor could the aggressive lizards. Leaving the snarl in traffic to expand, like clogged drains where leaves formed, blocking up the way forward and causing overflows into sidestreets and more.

Already, Tou He could sense the ripple effect in the city. His senses, constrained by his aura being held tight to him, were still that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. He could feel the movement of bodies, of individuals all around him without thought. The flickering passion of their souls, the burning embers of compassion and the raging inferno of anger throbbing, increasing with every moment.

A single moment of innocent carelessness was now effecting thousands, rippling outwards across the city. In turn, more accidents, more mistakes were being made, as the constraints of everyday life, the impetuousness of work and a greedy desire for efficiency caused others to take risks they should not.

Solving it would take longer, many times longer, than that initial moment of carelessness.

Chaos was simple to create, order hard to enforce.

A single moment, a single innocent child, could cause so much distress.

How much worst, than, the actions of an emperor?