Adventures of an Old Dreamer

Book 2 - The Azure Empire

Among a few things, Lao Chen could now catalog the knowledge he had gained that completely destroyed his prior belief system.

The Immortal’s Codex was referenced in several manuscripts which Lao Chen had read over the years, and from what he gathered, it was the account written by a Daoist several million years ago, the progenitor of cultivation.

And strangely enough, the path that everyone had usually come to take was the path of a single person, a path so trodden that there was no real point in continuing to walk down that path.

Lao Chen knew that he would have to branch outwards eventually, on his own. While it wasn’t mandatory to follow cultivation methods to the letter, something he hadn’t really done up until now, what with his dual core, he did have physical clues manifesting in his body to tell what the next step would be, and currently, that was gathering enough insights into his Dao such that his Heavenly Meridians are cleared, and only then will he be able to breach into the Soul Realm as an authentic Immortal.

The matter of a Karmic Line had also somewhat rattled Lao Chen’s psyche, but not in a way which made him question all of his past actions because truthfully, even without the Karmic Lines, Lao Chen would have been there.

Karmic Lines made no real sense, truly. To be reunited with someone within a given timeframe no matter what occurred was overly convenient and almost reality shattering, but if he had to describe it with his limited exposure to it, the two Immortal cultivators had managed to bend the lines of Karma to intertwine with their own lines without disturbing the general destination of any of the lines.

A convoluted solution to a mundane problem, really, but nonetheless left Lao Chen in awe, almost inspiring him to just sit down and ponder on Karma in general.

But until then, it was best to keep a low profile. Standing on a wide expanse of grasslands, Lao Chen and Lin-Lin looked wistfully at the horizon.

“Just a few li more and we’ll be within Azure soil,” Lao Chen sighed. “A different country. Different people.”

“Different fragrances,” Lin-Lin grinned.

“Different flavors,” Lao Chen added.

“Different cultures,” Lin-Lin added to the roster.

“I can barely even wait!” Lao Chen felt giddy.

“What are we waiting for?”

Lao Chen smirked. “Last one’s a rotten egg?”

Before Lin-Lin could protest, Lao Chen shot off, leveraging the full power of his cultivation base to zoom forwards, making sure not to ruin any plantlife as he outstripped his daughter in speed. In moments, he had crossed the border and was heading quite swiftly towards the nearest concentration of ambient Qi where he was sure to find a town.

True to form, Lao Chen finally found the first sign of a settlement in the form of a rice farm tilled by two water buffalos. The man tending to the water buffalos already inspired a feeling of awe within Lao Chen. He had snow white facial hair and mahogany-tanned skin and was middle-aged.

Lao Chen decided to approach the man. Once he got around twenty yards close, the man looked up and gave him a nod.

“Hello, elder!” He spoke in another language altogether, exciting Lao Chen so much more.

“I apologize for my ignorance, but I am not well-versed in the Azure language,” Lao Chen admitted. The middle-aged man laughed.

“You’re a Jade immigrant, then? Do you have your flair on you?” The middle-aged man asked, somewhat suspicious. Lao Chen raised an eyebrow.

“I’m afraid I do not at the moment. Actually, I wanted some directions for the closest city.”

The man’s demeanor took a complete turn as he furrowed his eyebrows and stroked at his white mustache. “A Jadeite with no flair asking for directions near the border city… You put me in an extreme position, friend. While I have little love for our country’s warlike ways, it is abundantly clear that you’re not a legitimate immigrant.”

Lao Chen’s smile faltered. “Is that a problem.”

“The short answer is yes. While I would love to help a fellow human being out, in the event that you are caught and you sell me out, I will be implicated for having aided an illegal. Please be understanding.”

Lao Chen nodded. “Have a nice day.”

Overhead, Lao Chen could sense Lin-Lin, watching the intercourse in amusement, covering her mouth as she chuckled. The old man couldn’t help but do the same as he walked away from the rice farm and tread a beaten path. While it would be nice to have gotten help from the rice farmer, he could already sense the clump of Qi in the distance.

Lao Chen began to ponder at his problem. He was obviously a high-profile illegal immigrant. Staying away from authorities would be his number one directive unless he would be forced to draw the ire of the 9 Dharma Seekers in the Azure Empire.

With a determined expression, Lao Chen resolved that he would dream-manipulate his way to getting a flair and becoming a legitimate immigrant.

And towards that end, he decided that his entrance should happen in a monumental fashion. After all, Lao Chen had always dreamed of abusing his power for silly reasons way before he even had any. Turning night into day so he could read for longer would have to wait when he could diddle with everyone’s dreams.

An act of random kindness, perhaps?

--

Near the threshold of the open city, in the dead of night, far past the time most businesses are open, Lao Chen took hold of the sea of unconscious consciousnesses, simultaneously inserting happy dreams into them all.

Without the added pressure of trying to inspire them towards a better way or trying to make their lives miserable, Lao Chen found the activity extremely simple. Without even micromanaging their dreams, Lao Chen only had to push happy emotions into their existing dreams and the dreamers would do the rest for them.

As far as pranks go, this was wholesome and Lao Chen could whole-heartedly approve of such mischief.

Lin-Lin stood on air, blocking out his moonlight, shaking her head good-heartedly. “What was the point of that?”

Lao Chen smirked. “I’m building a rep, Lin-Lin. While I know that I’m not very strong, if word of my abilities spreads, at least that could do something to ameliorate my shattered ego.”

Lin-Lin raised an eyebrow. “There are better ways to do that than to make everyone happy.”

Lao Chen nodded. “That wasn’t really the reason, though. While I have this power, shouldn’t I go out of my way to do this to as many people as possible? While getting some training in, I could make a difference.”

Hours passed just like that and by first light, Lao Chen ceased sending happy emotions and marveled at how his third heavenly meridian was half unclogged, a blessing unto itself.

And with that, as father and daughter, the duo entered the busy streets of Gudalkan City.

A barrage of new smells crashed towards them, smiles and laughs all around as rickshaw drivers ran with all their might and carriages waited for each other to cross intersections in an orderly manner. The vegetable vendors were alive and energetic and the children were all playing. Not a single soul in the vicinity seemed downtrodden, and Lao Chen knew then that he did well after all.

Looking at the myriad brown faces, Lao Chen finally managed to find someone of his own complexion. Wearing an armband with the symbol for Jade on it with a minute inscription, Lao Chen smiled when he spotted a fellow Jadeite.

“Hello, countryman. I would like to know where you got your armband,” Lao Chen approached him. The man bowed and Lao Chen bowed back.

“Twelve blocks south and three westwards, you’ll find the immigration office. You will be detained unless you can prove that you have lived in the Azure Empire for three generations.”

Lao Chen rolled his eyes. “Why so strict with these rules?”

The man furrowed his eyebrows. “It’s only natural. We’re at war.”

Lao Chen bade the man farewell and headed towards the office. Once there, he could only take comfort in that there was barely anyone present but a female receptionist on the counter.

Lao Chen approached the lady, eliciting a smile from her. “How may I help you?”

Lao Chen flicked his wrist. “I’d like an armband.”

The woman smiled. “Evidence of three-generation residence, please?”

Lao Chen produced the necessary papers from his bag of holding, and as she sifted through them, she found no issues.

“Mr… Yi Ming? Evidence of three generations of residence has been confirmed. You are eligible for an immigrant’s flair. Long live Azure!”

Lao Chen took the papers and after storing them away flicked his wrist again. The receptionist gifted him two armbands and after tying one on his daughter, then himself, he was off.

Lin-Lin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You don’t realize how stupid that looked on my side!”

Lao Chen chuckled. “Pray tell.”

“She just went limp after asking you, and then she goes completely rigid, smile and all, and gifts you the armband!”

Lao Chen laughed. “I can see why that would look funny to you.”

On a nearby soapbox, a man seemed to be shouting loudly in the Azure language, but only after he switched to Jade did Lao Chen’s attention suffuse into his speech.

“…Fusang Expedition requiring only the toughest of explorers and adventurers! We accept all ages and go through a rigorous vetting process!”

Before Lao Chen approached them, he could hear another crier, one with a much more powerful voice.

“Fusang Expedition for only the most powerful of warriors out there! If you think you’re up for the challenge-“

More and more town criers made their place in the town square, and after only a few minutes, the whole square became a bunch of shouting matches with some random participant nominating themselves for whatever impromptu admission exam the criers had in mind.

Suddenly, Lao Chen didn’t feel very up to heading with an expedition crew.

Until the final soapbox was placed on the floor by a Kawan, but the man who stepped on top of the soapbox wasn’t a Kawan, but rather a man in strange, black and gold dress-like armor with rectangular plates covering vital areas and simple leathers between plates to allow for better movements. He wore a near-conical helmet which was open on his face and on the forehead of the helmet was the insignia of a crescent moon with both prongs pointing upwards, and finally, on his side was a long, narrow sword, nearly two meters long with a diamond-patterned hilt.

Around the Kawan and the armored man was a hodge-podge group of what seemed to be warriors from all kinds of ethnicities and specializations.

The armored man spoke with an aura that outstripped the rest of the criers, penetrating the din. The first part of the man’s speech was in Azure, but when he finished, Lao Chen could finally hear the message.

“The Sunrise Seekers have room for only two people for a future Fusang Expedition.”

The words were clear and concise, but already then, a bunch of the spectators crowded around that particular soapbox, and some strongmen pushed themselves ahead to the foot of the soapbox.

A female from behind, a Kawan, produced some flyers and threw them at the crowd. “Selection process will be held at that venue in that time. Be there or relinquish your chance to join us.”

And for whatever reason, it was that group of ragtag adventurers that spoke to him the most. Here was to hoping that their old man and young girl slots were still open. Grabbing the dual language flyer, Lao Chen vowed to show up.