Chapter 654 - The Living Giant (II) (Patreon)

It's been about three peaceful days since we left Heavenly Sword Sect and came upon a river so massive that I had to comically rub my eyes just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. As we were walking along the edge of the sheer cliffs bordering Heavenly Star Lake, we came upon the mouth of one of the rivers which empties into it: Heavenly Star River.

A whole lot of 'heavenly' in names around these parts, I noticed. We were bordering Heavenly Whisper Forest to our right, and across Heavenly Star River there was Heavenly Dew Grove, which looked identical to Heavenly Whisper Forest so I don't get why they had different names. There was Heavenly Star Sect, too, way, way, way west of us, as there were Heavenly Arts Sect and Heavenly Fist Sect way, way north of us, past Heavenly Sword Sect.

There was also Nine Heavens Village which doesn't have 'heavenly' but close enough, and the mountain range it's neighboring--Nine Heavens Mountains, our current destination. Well, not the mountain range itself, but the nameless village some four hundred miles east of it. There, a ferry awaits that will take us to the island.

"Master, aren't we going to use the chariot?" Xiu'er yanked me out of my topological thoughts.

We probably should.

The waters were gushing out violently, spraying into a waterfall that was at least two hundred yards tall. On top of that, the river's mouth was at least a mile wide, if not wider. Just a cursory glance was enough to locate some dozens of jutting, sharp stones protruding out of the foaming waters, and I'm betting there were just as many, if not more, hiding under the surface as the waters were hardly shallow.

Then again, it's not like they're ordinary kids; push comes to a shove, most if not all can probably cross it on their own. There's no reason to, though.

"No," I said. "Everyone, fan out in every direction for fifty miles and look if there's anyone. If there is, come back and we'll use the chariot."

"And if not?" everyone perked up, looking at me curiously.

"Er, just come back."

"Let's go!"

Near everyone dispersed, leaving just Light and I. And Eternity, sampling some fish in the river. And Naǒ who was once again occupying my head and using it as a bed.

... seeing Eternity splashing about like a literal fishing rod, I was inspired. Lumbering over to the edge of the river, I sat down, whipped out a fishing rod (I had one of most things by now), dug around nearby for a worm, stuck it on, and threw the line into the water.

"Master, do you like fishing?" Light sat besides me and asked.

"No," I said. "But, sometimes in life, you'll do things you don't like."

"Why?"

"Why? Hmm," I hummed for a moment. "To make someone else happy."

"How?" she looked up at me and I looked down at her, smiling.

"Say, someone you love loves fishing," I said. "They talk about it all the time. It's their favorite thing to do. And, one day, they ask you to go fishing with them. Now, you don't like fishing--you might even hate it--but... are you not going to go?"

"Hmm," her brows scrounged up as she fell into deep thought. "I... would?"

"What if Master liked fishing, and I asked you to come fishing with me? You'd say no?"

"N-no!"

"Oh, so you would say no..."

"No, no! I, I meant yes--not no! I would definitely come!" it's strange. How can a young girl who barely ever emotes anything but a sneer suddenly sport suck a panicked expression? I almost feel guilty for teasing her.

"Aah, I lament the day you'll grow up enough to not fall for your Master's teasing."

"... Master."

"Hm?"

"You're mean." she pouted and I chuckled.

"Aah, little Light's grown up so much that she now calls her Master mean."

"Why aren't any fish biting, Master?" she asked.

"Oh, there's a very simple explanation for that."

"Hm?"

"Your Master is the worst fisherman in the world."

"Pfft."

"Hm. A filial Disciple would console her Master, not laugh at him..."

"Master! There's only so many times you can do that before I get angry!"

"Ha ha," I laughed as she gently poked my sides for a moment, curling up her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around the former. "Sorry. In my defense, you make the most adorable faces when I tease you."

"... papa was the same way," she mumbled as the silence set in. I glanced at her expecting tears but... there weren't any.

There was longing, bursting from her gaze. There was a want, a desire, but it didn't look like it was overcoming.

"He was?" I probed.

"Hm," she nodded. "He used to tease me all the time. Mama and he fought about it constantly." her voice was low but rather than grief-stricken... it was more remembrance-stricken. If that's even a thing. "What about you, Master?" she titled her head and rested it on her arms, looking at me sideways.

"What about me?"

"Your papa and mama," she said. "What are they like?"

"Hmm," what are they like? Well, best I know, they're very much dead, and have been dead for a while, and I, filial son that I am, have been unilaterally refusing to deal with that emotional trauma. "They were strict."

"..."

"They had great expectations for me, and I always greatly failed at meeting them," I said, my eyes wandering up to the sky. "We fought. We reconciled. We fought some more. Such is life, I learned. You fight with the ones you love, but you never let it overcome you. Things said in anger can never be taken back."

"Do you miss them?" she asked.

"... a great deal," I said, looking back.

"T-then," she did something greatly uncharacteristic for her--she stumbled over her words. "If, if it's like that, then maybe... maybe I won't leave--"

"Master, we're back!" ouch. Talk about awful timing, Xiu'er! Light contracted like a freakin' rubber band, her expression flattening, body unraveling, and whatever emotion she was packing into her voice just disappearing.

Xiu'er and Zhao'er landed next to me, kicking up some dust.

"Did you find anyone?" I asked, withholding a rueful sigh.

"No, there wasn't anyone."

"Same with me. Ah, others are coming, too."

Before long, everyone else returned and decided to make a wide circle around me while I still held onto a rod that hadn't captured imagination of even one fish.

"Ah, so there's no one. Hm," I said, standing up. They were still looking at me expectantly and, to be honest, I was expectant too. Ever since I got it, it's just been sitting pretty in the spatial ring, and I haven't even a notion as to how it will look or even how big it'll be.

I located it in about a second, nestled in a corner, and pulled it out. It rested on the palm of my hand, a slight weight and texture to it.

"Master, what is that?" Lan'er asked as everyone stepped onto their toes to look.

"Ah, just a toy my grand-uncle thrice removed left me," what the hell does that even mean? Who knows...

I tossed it up and toward the river, not really sure what to expect, sending a signal to it to 'expand' when it was about a hundred yards away from the shore.

It burst into a deluge of light, beams shooting outwardly as they began to expand. A flash of light was monumental and blinding, and when I could finally see the world yet again, there was no river.

No, that was wrong.

There very much was.

It was rushing straight at us since a big-ass fucking mountain was sitting in the middle of it, acting as a dam.

... oh, goddammit! Hey, that's funny--