STNS: Chapter 494 (Patreon)

The land was desolate and craggy. It was an erosion-sculpted landscape with minimal vegetation. Much of the land had been shaped by the intense erosion of soft sedimentary rock and clay, water erosion from rain and the mechanical erosion from wind, stripping away layers of rock and soil, forming deep gullies, ravines, and sharp ridges. Vegetation was sparse. The soil lacked the nutrients needed to grow plants and, combined with the lack of water, made for an inhospitable area.

Despite the lack of vegetation and desolation, there was some beauty to be had in this place. The colorful stratification of rock layers was quite striking. They ranged from reds, oranges, grays, and browns. If one looked close enough, or dug deep enough, they might even find the fossilized remains of magical beasts that had been trapped away for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Within this desolate landscape, a black tear appeared close to the ground. It looked like someone had ripped a hole in the fabric of reality. From within this whole emerged several people; four women and two men. All six of these people looked defeated. Their clothes were dirty and torn, blood splattered against the fabric. One of them was being held up by the four women. His arms were slung over the shoulders of two of them, a beautiful woman with raven hair and another with brown hair, and his legs, cut off at the knees, were held by the other two. The last one, a young man with hair like flames, walked behind them in stony silence.

The moment they had all fully emerged, the gate behind them vanished, and the raven-haired woman’s knees buckled as she began to collapse. The other three women struggled to compensate for the sudden action. They tilted to one side before righting themselves.

“Wu Meiying!”

“I… I’m sorry…”

The one known as Wu Meiying was a beautiful woman with hair the color of midnight. Her normally beautiful silk tresses were in disarray, covered in dirt and grime, as was the rest of her. She had fallen to her hands and knees. Her jade, usually beautiful like jade, had grown pallid. Sweat ran down her body as it shook like she had chills.

“Jingshu, hold onto Jian.”

“Huh? Oh, um, right…”

Hou Jingshu was a woman who’s beauty had been likened to cherry blossoms. She had soft brown hair, soulful blue eyes, and a figure that was at once powerful and feminine. Like the others, she looked like she had seen better days, but she dutifully took Wu Jian into her arms, pursing her lips as she stared at the stumps where his legs should have been.

“Sorry, Jingshu…” he whispered.

“Don’t… apologize…” she said, sounding choked.

While she held Hou Jingshu, the last among the adult women knelt before Wu Meiying. She was in better shape than the others. Her clothes, while dirty, were only torn where she had ripped the fabric to create a tourniquet to prevent Wu Jian from bleeding out. Her white skin was smooth and soft like a peach, and she had narrow eyes that were reminiscent of a fox. She helped Wu Meiying sit down, though the woman collapsed into her not long after.

“Lili… how is she?” asked Wu Jian.

“It’s chi exhaustion. She’s burning up and has a high fever,” the woman said at last. Her real name was Zhou Lihua. Lili was the nickname they had given her when they were all younger.

“Chi exhaustion is no joke,” the only male still with legs muttered. “It must have been that technique she used to transport us here. What even was that?”

Zhou Lihua shook her head, indicating that their guess was as good as hers. None of them understood the intricacies of that technique. Even Wu Jian, who was the most knowledgeable about the Dao of Space, couldn’t grasp the technique’s inner workings.

“Does it matter?” asked the young child with them. Unlike the women present, this little girl could not be called beautiful. She looked like little more than an adorable child around the age of nine or ten. Her most distinguishing features were her blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes and the scar running down the left side of her face. “Master is hurt! Big sis is hurt! We need to heal them!”

Zhou Lihua gave the young girl a fragile smile. “You’re right, Youmei. Before thinking about how we got here, we should first figure out how to help these two.”

Hou Jingshu nodded in agreement. “Let’s find a place to stay. I don’t know where we are, but I can’t imagine it’s safe. Before we do anything else, we need a place that will let these two rest in comfort.”

“You can leave finding us a place to stay to me,” Shuchang said with a grin.

“Oh? I’ll leave you to it then,” Hou Jingshu said.

Shuchang slammed his fists together and walked up to the sharp slope. He pressed his hands against the layered rock, then began moving them across the surface as though checking something out. Hou Jingshu, Youmei, and Zhou Lihua stood back.

A burst of chi suddenly erupted from Shuchang as brilliant flames sprouted from his hands. The sound of sizzling and the scent of burning clay filled the air, smoke rising from the walls as the man proceeded to melt everything. The clay turned red hot and started sloshing off the slope. It melted onto the floor, creating a thick goop. Wings sprouted from Shuchang’s back as the heat intensified, causing the three women to break out in sweat.

“There,” Shuchang muttered, wiping his brow. “It’s done. Let’s get those two in here.”

What the man had created resembled a burrow. He had melted the slope until it went inward, then cleared out all the melted clay, which he then used to create a small doorway and a boulder to keep them out of sight. The inside was fairly large. It was at least big enough for fifteen or twenty people to reside in comfortably, though the floor was uneven. As he walked inside, heat emitted from Shuchang’s feet and melted the floor until it was smoother.

“That’s quite the useful power,” Zhou Lihua murmured.

“Isn’t it?” Shuchang bragged.

“Let’s not waste time talking right now. First, we need to make these two comfortable. It looks like Jian’s wounds are healing over.” Hou Jingshu bit her lip. “I’ll deal with that. Lili, look after Meiying for now.”

“Okay.”

Hou Jingshu quickly took charge. She searched through her storage ring and pulled out several sleeping bags, which she used to form a makeshift bed. She was worried about Wu Jian’s comfort, so she layered them one on top of the other, creating a soft makeshift mattress to place him on. Once that was finished, she took a deep breath, summoned her spear, and shaved away at his healing legs to prevent them from fully healing. Wu Jian gnashed his teeth together but not a single sound escaped his mouth. Wu Meiying was laid next to him.

The sound of something grinding together echoed behind them as Shuchang moved the boulder into place. It would prevent anyone from seeing them, though it wouldn’t prevent magical beasts from smelling them. Hopefully, they wouldn’t run into any dangerous magical beasts--at least, until they were fully healed.

Hou Jingshu leaned down and began stroking Wu Jian’s hair. It was matted to his sweat-slicked skin. His face was pale and drawn from pain and too much lost blood. He would have died already if he wasn’t a cultivator. They were fortunate. Not only did he have a high level of cultivation, but his body was extraordinarily sturdy from all the physical training he had done as a kid.

“How are you feeling?” she asked in a soft voice.

Wu Jian’s eyes were half-lidded, but they were still focused. He cracked a small smile. “I feel like shit. I… I didn’t even see him coming. He cut off my legs before I even noticed I was in danger.”

If Zhou Shíwēi had wanted to, he could have killed Wu Jian. He didn’t because he needed Wu Jian alive to break the bond between him and Wu Meiying. That was the only reason he had survived.

“I thought I had become stronger.”

“You have become strong,” Hou Jingshu assured him.

“Maybe… but I’m not strong enough… and that frustrates me so much…”

“I know,” Hou Jingshu murmured as she continued to stroke his hair.

Wu Jian closed his eyes. A moment of silence passed. Then he asked, “Do you think it’s true? What he showed us?”

Hou Jingshu blinked. “Do you mean… your mother?”

“Mmm.”

“I’m not sure…” Hou Jingshu fell silent for a moment, thinking. “It could be a trick, but…”

“But if it’s true, then I have to rescue her.” Wu Jian opened his eyes again. “Even if it is a trick, I have no choice but to confirm it for myself. However, I’m not strong enough right now.”

“So we just need to get stronger,” Shuchang said. Everyone turned to him. “We got our asses kicked this time, but we escaped, so we can train hard and get stronger--strong enough to kick his ass next time.”

“It won’t be easy,” Zhou Lihua said softly, finally speaking after a long time. “That man is extremely powerful. I had always heard rumors about his strength, but seeing it in real life was terrifying. He was able to fight against both the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sect master and Hou Jingshu’s teacher. They are both peak Perfection Realm cultivators. We’re not even close to their level right now.”

“True, it may take a while, but I don’t think it’s unachievable,” Shuchang said. “We just need to work hard.”

“Shuchang is right,” Wu Jian said. “I don’t plan on giving up. I won’t let this beat me. I’m going to get stronger, and once I’m strong enough, I’ll face him again and win.”

“That’s the spirit!” Shuchang cheered.

While Zhou Lihua looked uncertain, Hou Jingshu smiled. It was somehow both fierce and loving. She stopped stroking Wu Jian’s hair and instead reached out to grab his hand.

“I like that idea. I hate the fact that we lost as well. I hate how easily we were beaten. Even Zhou Wen was strong enough that it took all of us just to win. It was so frustrating that I thought I would die of shame.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Sounds like we’re all in agreement then,” Shuchang said, thrusting a fist into the air. “Let’s get strong enough to kick that guy’s ass the next time we see him.”

Everyone agreed with Shuchang’s sentiment, though they did not share his enthusiasm. They were tired, emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. Zhou Lihua brought out several more blankets that she spread along the ground. She and Youmei climbed into one of them to sleep. Shuchang chose another that was a little further away from everyone else. The only people awake were Hou Jingshu and Wu Jian.

“It’s going to be hard to get stronger without my legs,” Wu Jian muttered.

“It will… but you won’t give up, right?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“No. I’ll never give up. Not until I’ve achieved my goal.” Wu Jian raised a single hand above his head and clenched it into a fist. “When we’re ready, I’ll confront Zhou Shíwēi again. I’ll kill him, destroy his clan, and rescue my mother, provided she is really alive.”

“And I’ll be there to help you.”

Hou Jingshu grabbed Wu Jian’s hand with both of hers and brought it to her chest. She placed a single kiss on his knuckles, leaving her lips there several seconds longer before pulling back. Wu Jian gave her a grateful smile. They were in an awful situation. He was injured, Wu Meiying was unconscious and feverish, and they had been forced to retreat… but they still had hope and a goal.

Sometimes, hope and a goal was enough to keep someone moving forward.