Chapter 396: In a Strange Land (Patreon)

"I do not know your circumstances or history."

~~~

“My lord, you have no idea how happy you have made us! The last time an ascended being such as yourself passed through our village, I was still a little boy!”

The rat man, this one older and rounder than the guard Liu Jin met upon entering the village, bows his head to Liu Jin yet again. He has big, bushy eyebrows, and his grey fur is thin and patchy, revealing pink skin under it. He is Chief Shu, leader of Grey Patch Village and probably the oldest person Liu Jin has met since waking up.

Within a minute of Liu Jin’s appearance being revealed, it felt like everyone was out of their tiny houses, crowding around Liu Jin and desperately trying to see him. Some people even held their children out to him so that he might touch them. Faced with such chaos, the village guard had to call reinforcements. He and his brethren formed a wall around Liu Jin and quickly took him to Chief Shu’s house so that he might be safe.

“Please, think nothing of it, Chief Shu,” Liu Jin says.

Chief Shu’s house is the only one in the village with two floors, but that’s the only thing it has going for it. Rickety cabinets, tables, and chairs are the only furniture. Wind freely goes in and out of the house because of its poor construction. It feels like the place could fall at any moment.

Despite that, the man has done his best to be a good host. He’d begged Liu Jin to allow him to treat him to lunch, and Liu Jin did not have the heart to refuse him. Now, several empty plates lay on the table. More and more dishes kept arriving throughout their meal. Every household in the village sent something to Chief Shu’s door so that Liu Jin might eat.

“I feel I should apologize,” Liu Jin says. “My arrival has caused quite a commotion.”

“Please, no!” Chief Shu says, eyes wide with panic. “You have done nothing wrong, my lord. The people here…Well, we are quite provincial, as you can see. Our forms are unrefined and brutish. Nothing that can be compared to your exquisite shape.”

Chief Shu looks at him with naked adoration, worshipful to the point it is uncomfortable. If he were to kneel on the floor of his own house, it would not be surprising. The villagers were doing similar things.

“Someone like you must surely be from Tiger Crown City. Am I right?” Chief Shu asks.

“Not quite,” Liu Jin says. “Though I must admit that is where I was headed before I became separated from my companions.”

“Was it that dreadful storm that separated you?” Chief Shu asks, shivering. “Nasty thing that was. Even though it happened so far away, it made all my fur stand on end.”

Chief Shu pauses for a moment and looks around carefully.

“The others are too young to understand what it means, but I am an old man, my lord,” he says in a whisper. “Could it be that you are not just in the Ascending Stage but have broken into the Refinement Stage as well?”

Interesting.

The villagers kept referring to him as an ascended being, but Chief Shu’s use of the term mostly confirms that Ascending Stage is their name for one who has become a full demon. Does that mean the Refinement Stage is their equivalent to the Heaven Realm? It must be, if Chief Shu associates tribulation lightning with it.

“You see right through me, Chief,” Liu Jin says with a small smile. “I will confess that, as a result of that ordeal, I am quite lost right now. I wondered if it would be possible for you to show me a map of the area.”

“I-Of course!” Chief Shu says, standing up so abruptly he knocks back his chair. “Right away, my lord. Please, wait a second!”

Before Liu Jin can tell him he does not need to do it right away, Chief Shu has already ducked out of the room. He can hear him shouting at his aide and moving things around. Fifteen very noisy seconds pass before Chief Shu comes back, smoothing his robes and trying to pretend he is not out of breath.

“Here it is!” he says, almost tripping over his long tail as he puts the map on the table. “It is a little old, but it is accurate.”

The aged piece of parchment is not a complete map of the continent. It only shows the village and its surrounding areas. 

“This is where we are, Grey Patch Village,” Chief Chu says, pointing to a spot on the center of the map. His pink finger moves up, following the path of the river until it has almost reached the edge of the parchment. “Tiger Crown City is here. The trip takes about ten days. At least, that is what I recall it being when I was a child. I am sure one such as yourself can get there much sooner. There are many Ascendants there.”

Liu Jin does not doubt that. However, his attention is on the name in the corner of the map.

Amaranth.

The name of the continent. That means Vermillion, the continent he is from, is across the sea.

“Carmine should be further up north,” Liu Jin says. He says the words softly, but Chief looks at him sharply. Just as Liu Jin intended him to.

“The Holy Land?” Chief Shu says. “I am afraid I cannot help you there, my lord. I know it exists, and that it is up north, but I’m just an old man. The affairs of the Sacred Clans are beyond me. You probably know more about it than I do. My grandfather told me there are humans there, beings that are naturally born with a perfect shape. Is it true?”

“I could not possibly say,” Liu Jin says, a polite smile firmly on his face.

“No, I suppose not,” Chief Shu says, bowing his head. “I apologize. That was rude of me. I chastised the villagers for how they acted, but even at my old age, I’m not really much better.”

“They were just expressing their appreciation,” Liu Jin says, looking out the window. Even now, he can see people trying to peek, only to be shooed away by the guards. “However, I must say I was surprised that some people were presenting their children to me. Why?”

“Ah, that!” Chief Shu looks away, embarrassed. “Pay it no mind. It’s…It’s an old superstition, really. People think the touch of an Ascendant such as yourself can spur their own growth. When people bring their children to you…It’s because they think that if you touch them, they may become like you and live better lives. As I said, it’s just a superstition. You do not need to-”

“That’s acceptable,” Liu Jin says.

“-pay any mind to-Wait, what?” Chief Shu blinks.

“You have been kind to me,” Liu Jin says. “Doing that much costs me nothing. If it makes them a little happier and more confident in their children’s future, it would be my pleasure.”

~~~

It only takes a few minutes for a long line to form in front of Chief Shu’s house. Parents come in one after another, all wanting to present their children to Liu Jin. All Liu Jin does is pat their children’s heads, say a few nice words, and they come out looking as if he's blessed them with all the riches of Heaven.

However, there are some surprises.

“She’s our only daughter, great one,” a rat woman tells him as she presents a rat to him. “We just had her last month.”

Not a child or baby with rat-like traits but a literal rat that fits between her hands. Under other circumstances, Liu Jin would assume she is joking, but he knows better. More importantly, he can see the intelligence shining in the rat’s eyes goes well beyond that of a common animal. It is just as Old Jiang said. The first step in a demon’s evolution is awareness, enough intelligence to begin harnessing Qi in ways creatures such as these usually would not be capable of, while still lacking enough power to assume a more human form.

“I am sure she will grow up healthy,” Liu Jin says, touching the rat. The mother and father hug each other in joy.

That is not the only fully animal child the villagers bring him. While the sample size is not as large as Liu Jin would like, Liu Jin theorizes the level a child is born into correlates with the parents’ level, just like with human cultivators. However, the consequences are far direr with demons. A child born in the hybrid stage has a great advantage over one born in the animal stage.

Just as Liu Jin is finishing seeing all the children, he feels a group of people enter the edge of his awareness. Sure enough, the village guards come running a few minutes later, when the last of the parents have been sent back to their homes.

“Father!” a village guard yells as he bursts into the house. He is the one who first greeted Liu Jin upon entering the village. “A group of riders is coming to the village! I don't know who they are, but their power…”

He does not finish, and Chief Shu does not need him to. The riders are now close enough that Chief Shu can sense them. Their level is clearly beyond that of any villager. Chief Shu immediately stands up, a serious look on his face.

“I will go welcome them,” he says, then turns to Liu Jin. “My Lord, there is no need for you to involve yourself. You have already done much for us. If they see your face, they might become too interested in you. I know it is rude of me to ask this, but could you-”

“You wish for me to stay inside?” Liu Jin asks, smiling. Chief Shu nods shyly. “Very well, I will stay here.”

“I…Thank you! Thank you, my lord!” Chief Shu says, bowing his head repeatedly. “You are too good to this old man. Just wait a moment! I will be back soon. I’m sure this is nothing important.”

Chief Shu and the village guards leave the house, leaving Liu Jin alone. True to his word, Liu Jin stays put.

For a few breaths.

Under [Art of the Roaming Thief], Liu Jin exits the house and takes to the rooftops. The riders have already arrived, and Chief Shu is trying to welcome them. Unfortunately, it does not seem like they are interested in anything he has to say.

“Hear me, you beasts!” the leader of the riders says.

He and his men wear armor made of small rectangular plates laced together in horizontal rows over a padded blue garment. There are twenty of them in total. Most are lizard people, yet their features are visibly more human than the villagers'. Their power is also much greater. All of them are nearing the Earth Realm.

“You exist due to the kindness of Lady Hu, who, in her great mercy, has allowed you to dwell in her territory!” the leader of the riders says. His power is greater than that of his men, and his face is covered with bandages. “The time has come for you to repay her! You are being recruited into her service, so that you might help prepare the coming feast!”

The villagers around Chief Shu react with confusion, fear, and even a little excitement. The prospect of being recruited is not entirely displeasing to some, but the village chief frowns.

“My lord,” he says. “We are simple people, uneducated in the ways of great cities. We can spare a few people if Lady Hu requires it. We would never dream of denying her, but most of us are physically incapable of making that journey and have children that need to be taken care of.”

Immediately, the head rider points his weapon at Chief Shu. It is a flat metal bar without a guard or handle. One end is painted red.

“I am not asking for your opinion, rat,” he says. “I am telling you what is about to happen. All of you are being brought into Lady Hu's service. Not a single person is to remain here.”

“I wonder. Does that also involve me?”

People gasp in surprise as Liu Jin suddenly appears in front of Chief Shu, his face hidden under a hood once more.

“My lord, no!” Chief Shu says in despair. “I told you that you should not go out!”

“What’s this?” The rider yells. Liu Jin senses him trying to discern his Qi and growing frustrated when he can't. “You think you have any right to interrupt our duty?”

“I am a passing traveler, and the people of this village have been good to me,” Liu Jin says. “I wonder if it might be possible for you to overlook them?”

“Oh! Is that all?” The rider turns to his men. “Look! He wants us to overlook them! That’s it!”

They all laugh.

“This guy is too funny, boss!”

“He thinks just because he asked, we’re obligated to do anything!”

“Who does he think he is?”

“Right?” The leader continues, shaking his head. “Really, the thought of lower life forms speaking to me as though we were equals…”

The laughter fades. Seething rage erupts in his Qi.

“It angers me to no end!”

He thrust his weapon with great strength. Liu Jin moves his head to the side to dodge. However, the force of the blow knocks his hood back.

The riders gasp. Some of them back away.

“Impossible!”

“An Ascendant? Here?”

“I see,” the head rider says, looking at him carefully. “That’s why you were so confident. I usually hate showing my face to lower life forms, but you barely qualify.”

The rider rips off the bandages covering his face, leaving the people behind Liu Jin stunned. Unlike every other person Liu Jin has met so far, this man has a human face. There is a weasel-like air about him, and furred ears sprout from the top of his head, but otherwise, he looks completely human.

This one is a real demon.

“I have been trying to sense your power for a while but haven’t been able to. I understand why now,” the head rider says, glaring at him. “You focused so much on your shape-shifting that you barely have any power left. Am I wrong? Do you really think you can stand in front of this Huang Yu with that?!”

“I am merely trying to repay the kindness these people showed me.”

Huang Yu’s Qi rises and bears down on Liu Jin.

“Are you prepared to die to repay that kindness?” he asks.

Liu Jin sighs.

“Would it be alright if we fought over there?” Liu Jin asks, pointing to a spot in the distance. “I would hate it if these people got caught in our battle.”

Huang Yu stares at him.

“Do you really think you are in any position to ask that?” Huang Yu asks him. “Do you really think you can make demands of me?!”

As Huang Yu’s Qi spikes, the people behind Liu Jin fall to their knees. Huang Yu is comparable to a cultivator in the Heaven Realm. These people cannot possibly bear his power for long. As mothers and fathers try to shield their children from the onslaught, Liu Jin acts.

[Ground Contraction]

In an instant, Liu Jin is directly in front of Huang Yu. His kick catches the soldier in the shin and knocks him off his horse. Before he has finished falling, Liu Jin grabs the man and hauls him miles away from the village, exactly where Liu Jin wanted the fight to take place.

“You will pay for that, upstart!” Huang Yu roars, shaking off Liu Jin’s grip. “We might both be Ascendants, but I am someone who is just a half-step away from the Refinement Stage! Do not dare presume we are equals!”

Huang Yu attacks him with great speed and strength. Liu Jin dodges and sidesteps as the man swings his metal stick around, moving around him with flawless grace.

“Is dodging all you can do!?” Huang Yu shouts. The ground cracks under the force of his legs, and each swing of his arm unleashes shockwaves that clear the clouds. “Coward!”

A single stomp from him leaves the ground trembling for over a mile. In pure physicality and raw power, he surpasses cultivators in the early stages of the Heaven Realm. However, something about the way in which he uses his power is inherently inefficient. Liu Jin dodges the swing of his weapon and strikes his arm, bruising it. A few blows later, he hits him in the eye.

“Gah!” Huang Yu flinches back after he’s struck. “Childish tricks will not help you! I’ll...”

He trails off, looking at his bruised arm in complete confusion.

“What did you do?” He asks. “Why has this not healed?”

Liu Jin tilts his head.

“I see. I thought it was weird,” he says. “You barely have any control over your soul, do you?”

As a cultivator grows in power, so does their soul. The weight of it becomes imbued in all their actions, including their attacks. Huang Yu is no different in that regard, but that is also all there is to him. His soul is present in his Qi only because of its weight, not because of any intentionality on his part. Compared to a human cultivator at the same level, his control over his soul is barely existent.

“Soul?” Huang Yu echoes in confusion. “Don’t even try to pretend you have reached those heights! You must have used some kind of poison! And those scales…Bastard, you’re a spy of the Ji Clan, aren’t you!”

His Qi spikes, and the metal weapon in his hands becomes wreathed in lightning.

“In that case, face the fury of the Roaring Tiger Fang! This weapon was personally bestowed to me by Lady Hu!” Yu roars, hurling the weapon at him like a javelin.

Liu Jin dodges it with a burst of speed. Immediately, the weapon turns around and chases after him.

“Run all you want! It won’t matter!” Huang Yu yells.

Indeed, no matter how much Liu Jin runs and turns, the weapon keeps chasing after him like a hungry animal. Realizing there is no escaping it, Liu Jin turns around, lightning bursting around his hands as he catches the weapon before it can pierce him. The impact is strong enough to push him back several yards, and the heat of the weapon wounds his skin. Without a doubt, it is a strong weapon, but it is also…

“Inefficient,” Liu Jin says as the lightning fades from the weapon, and he tosses it to the ground. He sensed it the moment Huang Yu activated it and confirmed it upon touching it. The Qi required to use it is far too much compared to regular elemental attunement.

“Impossible!” Huang Yu yells, staring at his fallen weapon in shock. “No…No! I will not accept this!”

His Qi rises again, but this time, his body changes alongside it. Fur sprouts across his body, and his weasel-like features become more pronounced, until he is as beast-like as the people in the village. Power rolls from him in waves. It is as if keeping human form has been holding him back.

“You will regret making me take this form!” Huang Yu growls. “Now that you have seen it, you cannot be allowed to live!”

“I am sorry,” Liu Jin says.

“It is too late for apologies,” Huang Yu yells before launching himself at Liu Jin, claws raised high.

Liu Jin vanishes from his sight.

“It is not that,” Liu Jin says, suddenly appearing behind Huang Yu. “I am a stranger in a strange land. I have only just met you. I do not know your circumstances or history. I am sorry that I am not strong enough to show mercy to any of you.”

Huang Yu cannot hear him.

He is already dead.

“My lord! My lord!” Chief Shu says once Liu Jin blurs back to the village. “I do not know what happened! You left, and suddenly they all started dropping to the ground! Even the horses!”

“That would be my fault,” Liu Jin says, looking at the fallen soldiers. “I poisoned them when they were not looking. I must admit that I was not sure if a normal dose would work, so I had to be thorough.”

Chief Shu stares at him.

“I…you…My lord, I thank you, but…Someone is bound to notice all these men missing. Even if what they were doing was wrong, Lady Hu will-”

“It is okay, Chief Shu,” Liu Jin says. “I will explain the situation to Lady Hu. I am sure she will understand.”

~~~

Mini-Character List

Liu Jin: Our protagonist. Very deadly under most circumstances. Very awkward when holding babies. 

Chief Shu: Village Chief. Gave up on ever becoming a full demon a long time ago. Hopes the next generation achieves it.  

Guard Shu: Village Guard. Takes his job seriously. Thinks appearing out of nowhere like Liu Jin did is super cool. 

Huang Yu: Officer at the Service of Lady Hu. Generally good at cards, but sometimes does not know when to fold. Weasel demon. Dead.

AN

A short (and I do mean short) Interlude will go up tomorrow. Last week was so busy it largely killed the possibly of getting double update this month. Maybe. Probably.