Chapter 209 - Valley of Flowers

Yuzu led the way through the jungle, navigating the way by intuition as she followed the subtle and complex weave of fate threads. Li Ru walked beside her with a serious, pensive expression. He didn’t press her for an explanation of where they were going, and though he’d initially made a few sarcastic remarks on her ability to find a hiding God, he soon quieted down and let her lead the way without complaint.

Sometimes they would come across clearings, cliffs or other features that broke up the endless vegetation. Sometimes clear paths would materialize, snaking their way through the jungle as if they had a purposeful destination at the end.

But these landmarks did not coincide with the direction Yuzu’s intuition told her to go. In fact, often times they encouraged travel in the opposite direction. Following these shifting paths, they could pass through the same place multiple times and never know they were traveling in circles.

The constantly shifting jungle made it impossible to navigate by landmarks, made even more difficult by the fact that following the threads meant Yuzu was often going against the flow of the jungle. Fortunately, the forest respected Li Ru’s authority over death. Where they walked forward, the plants would retreat, slithering out of the way like snakes. As they passed through the jungle the path behind them would fill up.

“The Verdant Wilds are a labyrinthine wonder of the celestial world. A divine kingdom that has existed since time immemorial.” Li Ru said, “Of all the divine kingdoms, it is the oldest and most established.”

“There’s a lot of fairy tales and legends where people fall down a hole or get lost in the wild and find themselves in a jungle…” Yuzu remarked thoughtfully, drawing upon stories from her childhood.

“Yes. In past eras, the Gods had a much closer connection with the planet. Their divine kingdoms often intersected with the physical planes, allowing unfortunate mortals to accidentally stumble into them and become hopelessly lost.”

“Does that mean Deka has been around for that long?” Yuzu mused idly, “If he’s that old, why do they call him the Prince? Shouldn’t he be ‘King’?”

“He used to be King, back in antiquity, but He fell from that lofty position.” Li Ru replied, then shook his head, “Or so I’ve been told. I have only been around for a thousand years. You would have to ask a proper scholar of ancient history about those details.”

“The Verdant Wilds is Deka’s divine kingdom, but unlike other kingdoms that rely on their owner, they seem to have a life of their own. I have heard some immortals theorize that even if Deka were to perish, the Verdant Wilds would persist… Perhaps it is only in its nature, as a Divine Kingdom of Life.”

Perhaps in a different situation, this forest would seem beautiful and mysterious. Yuzu thought to herself quietly. Her eyes wandered her surroundings, taking in the rich and luscious environment. The air was hot and humid, and filled with the sound of chirps and the chittering of creatures. A cluster of bright red flowers hung from the boughs of a twisted tree, dripping with a thick red sap that resembled blood. Ferns with leaves as tall as she was waved softly in a subtle breeze. There was a vital energy in the air that made her feel alert and energized.

The journey through the forest was simple for her. For the majority of the inhabitants of the forest Yuzu only had to gently stroke the threads and they parted ways. Even the immortal monsters were simpler to control, more predictable and less resistant than Exalted humans. A few times where her spiritual intuition warned her against manipulating the threads, Yuzu simply had to change her path or wait for a short period of time for the monster to pass.

The Wilds were full of strange creatures beyond Yuzu’s imagination. Giant grotesque eyeballs with hundreds of fleshy tentacles floated lazily through the trees. Multi-headed chimeras prowled the treetops in packs. A thousand fist-sized locusts with jeweled abdomens swarmed in a ravenous frenzy, stripping broad swaths of trees bare as they passed through.

The further they traveled into the forest, the deeper and richer the colours became. The ground suddenly gave way to a cliff as a valley opened up below them. The valley twisted to and fro between the mountain and was filled with glowing orange and red flowers. Impossibly tall trees sprouted from the ridges and cliffs on either side of the valley, their boughs reaching high above and crossing over the valley, forming a roof of leaves that obscured the sky.

Beams of white sky light shone down in patches as the canopy shifted and stirred in an unseen wind, illuminating the shadowed valley below.

“This is it. The Valley of Flowers, Deka’s lair must be somewhere down below.” Li Ru said, a hint of surprise in his voice, “To arrive here without encountering any of the denizens of the Wilds is extremely fortunate.”

“You’re welcome.” Yuzu replied.

Li Ru raised an eyebrow as he peered at Yuzu, quickly realizing that their straightforward, uneventful journey was in fact due to Yuzu’s powers.

“Fate smiles upon me, it seems.” Li Ru said softly. His eyes darkened seriously.

Yuzu didn’t reply, not seeing the need to boast or explain her powers. Her eyes settled on the valley below as she carefully examined the glimmering tapestry of fate. It didn’t take long for her to find what she was looking for. A giant black knot disrupted the fabric far in the distance, radiating with demonic energy.

“Deka is down there.” Yuzu pointed to the spot deep in the valley, obscured by the vegetation and trees below. A looming feeling of foreboding weighed down upon her. The valley below was extremely dangerous. She paused before asking, “What is it you want to do?”

Li Ru gathered his thoughts for a moment.

“When an Exalted dies, the Exalted essence in their body will crystallize and form sarira. Normally these crystals will naturally evaporate into aether, but there is a short period of time after death where the sarira can be recovered and stabilized. Stable sarira are extremely potent and highly coveted.” Li Ru explained solemnly, “It goes without saying that godly sarira are the most sought after.”

“Then, you’re here to take Deka’s sarira when he dies?” Yuzu asked.

“I have no use for them. Rather than take them, I wish to ensure that the sarira safely returns to the aether.” Li Ru replied, “You can call it one of my duties, as an Angel of Death.”

With that solemn note, the pair began the slow descent into the valley.

~

Late Evening. Noga City, on a quiet street lined with small shops.

A young man in a dark cloak quietly inserted a key into the back door of one of the shops and entered. The house was silent as he stepped into the darkened kitchen. His boots thumped heavily on the wooden floor boards as he walked through the kitchen and entered the hallway.

He carefully looked through the hanging curtains that separated the pawn shop from the living area before calmly walking up the stairs. He checked each room one by one with a calm, measured pace.

Confirming that the house was empty he returned to the kitchen and pulled a handwritten letter from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Xiang, Yuzu. I have been called away for an important assignment. I don’t know when I will return. Please take care of each other and don’t fight too much.

Zwei.

Without further hesitation he turned and left his home.

~

The inner city walls were alive with lights and movement as dozens of workers continued to work late into the night. The pudgy Earl Shum sipped anxiously from a glass of wine as he oversaw the work from the top of one of the ornamental gates.

“Earl, my men told me you were here, though I didn’t believe them. I’m surprised you’re not at the Chu’s banquet.” An old minister spoke as he approached.

“Yes, I left early, Development Minister Ping-” Earl Shum said with a distracted tone, “I needed some fresh air.”

“Fresh air? I suppose the Chu’s mansion is not too far from here.” Minister Ping raised an eyebrow, “Are you concerned about the preparations for the festival opening ceremonies tomorrow night?”

“No, not at all, Minister. I’m sure you have everything under control.” Earl Shum replied. The wine in his glass sloshed around as he couldn’t stop the trembling in his hand. He quickly placed the glass on the top of the gate wall as he looked down at the work.

On the wall top below, dozens of workers in different uniforms scrambled atop the walls, setting up decorations and building scaffolding for more elaborate constructions. Earl Shum’s eyes were drawn to a makeshift pulley and rope jig that had been set up by a number of men in grey monk robes. They were currently hoisting a large black metal basin from the ground level up onto the wall.

“Those are the vessels for the bonfires that are a part of the Cloud Monastery’s performance?” Earl Shum asked, trying to appear casually curious.

“Ah, yes. The monks actually have quite elaborate preparations!” Minister Ping beamed brightly, “Twelve bonfires arranged in a ring on the inner walls. The monks tell me that lighting them all at once is part of their dramatic opening act.”

“Twelve of them, you say- Ah, they’re pretty spread out, wouldn’t it be hard to see them from the square?” Earl Shum commented, stuttering slightly.

“Apparently not… They’ve assured me the spectacle is part of the surprise.” Minister Ping rocked back and forth on his heels as he looked down at the workers, “I’m pleasantly surprised by how prepared the monks are. They have a lot of costumes and props and set pieces - cartloads of them - we had to allocate multiple warehouses in the inner city.”

“Multiple warehouses, you say?” Earl Shum frowned, hesitating a moment to gather his courage, “And which ones might those be?”