《Second Patriarch: Rise of the Liu Clan》Chapter 8: Departure
Advertisement
Liu Zhu sighed as he exited the third bar he'd been to that day. Before he left he wanted to speak to his older brother's friends and make sure he didn't go wild while he was gone, but they didn't seem particularly interested in helping him. Well, at least no one could say he hadn't tried. He exited the downtown portion of the city, heading towards the center. While he was there he visited the Dozen Treasures Pavilion again and made sure that the manager remembered he was still on probation. After that he made his last stop at the Dai family's manor to pick up the list of plants.
Dai He and Liu Zhu cut to the chase, ignoring small talk as Dai He went over the list of medicinal plants to purchase. Liu Zhu was impressed with how much consideration he'd put into it given that he'd only had a couple of days. After hearing that he would be leaving for a few months Dai He even managed to write up a second set that Liu Zhu could purchase somewhere else and sell off in Vermilion City without looking terribly suspicious.
Once his business with Dai He was taken care of, Liu Zhu had finished everything he needed to do before he left. The next couple of days passed in a blur as Liu Zhu cultivated and patiently waited for Zhu Chao to tell him that everything had been confirmed. The proposition had been sudden, but now that it was almost set in stone Liu Zhu was excited to improve his guandao technique. There wasn't anything wrong with hand to hand combat, but Liu Zhu had been looking forward to being able to wield a weapon for a long time, as even before his father's generation and the founding of the Liu Clan, receiving a weapon was part of becoming a man.
Advertisement
It didn't take long for the letter to reach the Yu family where Liu Zhu would be training, and things began rolling once it did. Liu Zhu was told he could set off in the morning after one of the elders was notified and the servants gathered up the relevant supplies. As Liu Zhu was preparing the first son of the Yu family, Yu Bai, was also preparing to set off for the Liu Clan. The preparations on both ends went smoothly, and at the crack of dawn Liu Zhu woke up and readied his personal items.
Liu Zhu stepped out into the dark, fog-covered yard of the Liu Estate. Birds occasionally chirped, but besides that it was almost dead silent. He stood still, trying to peer through the mist, before he heard footsteps behind him. Glancing behind him he saw Zhu Chao and Liu Xuan. His older brother smiled as he wished Liu Zhu the best. "I hope you enjoy the trip. Good luck with advancing your, er, guandao technique was it?" After Liu Xuan finished talking there was a short pause before he awkwardly chuckled. "I would chat with you a bit more, but to be frank it's too damn early for me to be up. It wasn't long ago that I was out, I have a bit of a headache and... well, you know how it is." As Liu Xuan fled into the mansion, Liu Zhu could only think that he really didn't 'know how it is', and that was probably a good thing.
Once Liu Xuan left Zhu Chao informed Liu Zhu that Elder Chu would be ready in a moment. Liu Zhu nodded, and as he returned to waiting Zhu Chao pulled a red bead the size of a marble and a necklace from his pocket. Liu Zhu recognized neither object and stared at Zhu Chao, perplexed. "Elder Chu will be with you until you arrive at Yu Mountain, but there's still a chance you'll run into danger. Just to avoid any accidents, I've decided to give you a couple of life-saving items I've gathered over the years."
Advertisement
Zhu Chao handed the necklace and bead to Liu Zhu as he explained in more detail. "The necklace was forged by a friend of mine some time ago, and I haven't had a chance to use it until now. It functions by using the stone set in the middle as a power source, and can protect you from a blow up to Dantian Creation. The only downside is that it's not actually made to trigger against anything below Qi Refinement- it can't detect attacks at that level. Still, it will help you in case you run into anything far beyond your abilities."
Zhu Chao pointed to the bead next. "The other item is more directly useful. Put some energy into it, chuck it out, and when it hits something it explodes. It will kill anything below Qi Emission, granted you can hit it, and even above that can cause severe injuries. Just... be careful where you keep it."
Liu Zhu put on the necklace and gingerly placed the bead in his pocket. "Thanks for the gifts Grand Elder Zhu, hopefully I won't have to use them." "Yes, hopefully not." As the two stood there, Zhu Chao muttered to himself. "Where's Elder Ch... ah, speak of the devil."
An old man sitting on a horse approached the two as they stood there in the fog. He wore an almost pitch-black outfit, and if one looked closely they could see numerous scars underneath his greyish-black facial hair. Despite his imposing appearance, the old man was genial and easy to get along with. This man was Elder Chu, the only elder to remain in the Liu Clan since before Liu King's disappearance. He was barely at Acupoint Opening, but he had served in the war against Hiqui Sect with Liu King, and was the elder Liu Zhu trusted the most besides Zhu Chao. Elder Chu would be escorting Liu Zhu to Yu Mountain, the home of the Yu family, as he had business along the way anyways.
"I suppose you're ready then?" Elder Chu looked at Liu Zhu, who had immediately picked up his pack upon seeing him. Liu Zhu nodded and hurriedly began to mount his horse. Elder Chu laughed after seeing Liu Zhu so excited and followed after him, muttering to himself. "It's good to see them happy again. Makes it worth it."
A few minutes later the two left the Liu Clan's estate on horseback, ready for their five day journey to the Yu family. If one really wanted to they could probably cut it down to four days, but apparently Elder Chu was planning to visit someone in the middle of the trip and so they'd stop for a while along the way.
Advertisement
Project TheirWorld: Book Two - Tatterskin
**IMPORTANT: Because I am trying to reconcile some of the consistancy issues due to unexpected changes in how I've decided to write the story, this story is to be renamed/reordered. I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. The Tutorial (completed, but unedited) is now to be concidered as Book One of Tatterskin. Tatterskin will contiune without real inturruption, though "Book Two" is really going to be the rest of the series with multiple volumes. Sorry guys! I've gone and brought the chaos of my real life into the storyverse T-T. ----- Dassah Graydon was just another human woman looking for adventure in her life when she moved to the academic floating continent, the Enclave. But while she wanted to escape her mundane reality, she quickly discovers that her life there – with the exception of all the crazy aliens and the unusual setting – was no different than her life on Earth had been. After spending a couple of months getting used to the place, she finally got the chance to play the popular new VRMMORPG, TheirWorld. As she is drawn deeper and deeper into the game, however, she begins to realize that her in-game life is far more connected to the happenings of reality than she could have imagined. Finding herself in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens her life and the lives of the people around her, Dassah must decide whether she allows herself to be a puppet, or she finds the determination to become the master of her own fate. This is a Project: TheirWorld story, and there is a prequel story, The Tutorial (completed, but unedited) but if I am doing my job, you won't need to have read that to enjoy this one. ____ The story will usually update once a week, sometime on Fridays JST. The updates on Royal Road L will be about 1 chapter behind my main WordPress site found here: Project: TheirWorld. This will change, as the WordPress site will have holiday releases and RRL will not. Thank you for reading, and the support! :) ____
8 630Charles the Greatest
Carl Hart, a terminally ill 17yo pro gamer whose career had just been derailed, living in a 22nd century world that is falling apart at the seams, finds a golden opportunity when full-dive technology finally hits the market and takes it by storm. The hotly anticipated fantasy adventure that comes with it, Immortal Frontier, promises to change people's dismal lives forever. Restricted to mature audience, this wondrous realm hides myriad deadly challenges that make the hearts of seasoned warriors palpitate. Undeterred by the obstacles of callous fate, Carl resolves to take them all on as his real body crumbles. But will he make it in time?
8 178Eric the Unready
Just your typical day at college, until on the way to your next class you find yourself in a forest inhabited by pretty nerve-wracking monsters. This is a story about an average student who finds himself in a new world. Erik the Unready.
8 127Quantum Katana Online: Websuit 0.Ɛ
Washed-up e-sports champion Chie "Rose Crow" Shibuyama is forced out of retirement when her family is threatened by the all-too-real Empress NPC of The White Imperium. With a fulfilling career and happy family, what more could Chie possibly want? Still, it's human nature to strive towards self-actualization and the devious Empress knows exactly what Chie's innermost drives are. From the Empress's fortress in the glacial mountains of The White Imperium VRMMORPG, she's formulated her machinations and isn't going to give up until she's forced Chie to take up the quest for the Mirror of Truth—even if it means hurting Chie's husband Ken and their son. Ken "Yamabushi Rock" has always been there for Chie. With his conventionally perfect life, a high-paying career and a loving family, he couldn't ask for anything more—except to fulfill his burning desire to create a game as real as the next-generation VRMMORPG The White Imperium with its collapsible VR gaming sphere and full-immersion websuit. After he receives an offer too good to be true, the line between the digital and the real begins to blur. As the Empress's hypnotic gaze draws Chie and Ken deeper into the desolate naraka hell of The White Imperium with its supernatural yokai of Japanese myth, they learn that the human heart is more unbelievably twisted and horrific than the unhuman. Find out if they'll be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice and read Quantum Katana Online: Websuit 0.E. Genre niche: Techno-phantasia / Gijutsu-phantasia / Dear Readers, It would be awesome to hear your critical and stimulating thoughts! The best kind of feedback is your specific comments and unfiltered, gut-level reactions. Don't worry—even a critical hit won't keep me down for long. I'm releasing new chapters daily for a few weeks and then tapering off to a less frequent weekly schedule. I'll publish the entire novel on Amazon after I've completed serializing it here over the next few months. I love talking about stories—other than my own—so don't hesitate to chat with me on Discord or Goodreads. See my profile for links.
8 152Whiskey Gun-Smoke
In the city of East Diamond Gate crime flows like the blood of its victims. 2048 is the year of Crime lords and local gangs running the streets, as the cities government turns a blind eye and the police wither away. In order to get a grip on crime an assassin agency has been established, and one of its newer employees being Whiskey, an unranked Gun slinging assassin with a selfish motive. That selfish motive will lead Whiskey down an unexpected road.
8 80Awakening in Ruins
The kingdom of Kemnar had been at peace for more than a century. But now it is overrun by an undead army. Almost the entire country lies in ruins. Even the royal castle has fallen. But now something awakens in a secret room inside the royal castles laboratory. And it is something the world has never seen, for it was created by a mage and is the first of its kind. This story follows an artificially created being as it fights the undead while trying to find out what it is and for what purpose it was created. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is my first time writing, so I welcome any critisism.
8 216