In The Raven’s Shrine, the group of believers; Zi Heshang, Zi Muqin, Zi Haoren, Hong Seng, Hao Tou, Meng Liu, and Ubel were sitting on cushions with a round table in their front, colored the same black as the ceramic bowls with the few remaining venisons inside them.

‘’He is growing too quickly, isn’t he?’’ Hao Tou raised a brow at Haoren. He slid a blank, white patch of cloth over his lips, stained with brown and orange-ish juice of the spiced deer meat.

‘’They say children who grow faster also live longer-’’ Hong Seng smiled at Haoren patting his belly. ‘’In my hometown, at least.’’

‘’They also say stupid shit like drinking rat piss is healthy,’’ Heshang snorted while looking at the unperturbed Hong Seng. Zi Muqin, meanwhile, snickered at her husband.

‘’Not that anyone forced you to drink a gallon...pfft!’’

‘’They are natural scammers! And they have a way of revolving those tongues and lips, it's like an illusion.’’

Hong Seng shook his head and crouched down to gather the empty bowls of rice and venison. ‘’I doubt you’ll get deceived again, it has been some decades after all.’’ While speaking, he waited for Haoren and Hao Tou to finish the last bits of their meal. Once they were done, he swooped the remaining two and went outside, to the garden of flowers and herbs he nurtured to clean the dishes.

‘’Not even a thank you?’’ Muqin tapped on Haoren’s forehead and pointed at Ubel, sitting alongside Meng Liu across them with crossed legs.

‘’Thabk you!’’ Haoren beamed and tried to clasp his small fists- this drew a knowing smile from Meng Liu to Heshang, who giggled as if he did something wrong. Muqin seemed to realize as well, while Ubel chose to be oblivious to Heshang’s attempts at teaching Haoren immortal etiquette.

‘’It is granted children won’t feel the necessity to express gratitude once they are accustomed to receiving something,’’ Meng Liu spoke, ‘’though Haoren is, at least, better in this regard.’’

‘’Is that so?’’ Hao Tou seemed doubtful. He was one of the most well-regarded members of The Raven’s believers, especially vital in guiding newer recruits, so his position back in the Feather Servants’ Court was also quite taxing with taking care of orphans and all.

‘’Not that I met more children-’’ Ubel said, ‘’But Haoren looks quite well behaved to me.’’

‘’We owe that disposition to Sihuli and his sisters,’’ Muqin sighed while patting Haoren’s back to relieve him of the tummy ache. ‘’I doubt I can match them in energy when playing. If they didn’t exhaust him all day, I would have a serious headache.’’

‘’And you eat the fruits of it-’’ Heshang said,

‘’We,’’ Muqin repeated, ‘’We, we eat the fruits of it.’’

‘’I, contrary to an overbearing puffy puff, still try to look after my son instead of pampering him.’’

‘’I can also show him how to cultivate. Isn’t it you who doesn’t allow it?’’

‘’No, you don’t understand,’’ Heshang shook his head, ‘’Once he knows the fundamentals of controlling Qi, it will be easier for him to progress in manual cultivation. Once he has enough power, then he can pursue whatever path he wants.’’

‘’Oh, true,’’ Ubel exclaimed, ‘’How do you think of getting a manual, Senior Heshang?’’

‘’Isn’t it basic?’’ Hao Tou replied in his stead, ‘’We either get Servants’ Manual or steal one from another place.’’

‘’And I won’t allow him to practice Servants’ Manual-’’ Heshang rebuked the idea instantly, so the sole choice left was to steal. But from whom, or where?

‘’It would be good if we found someone from the sect, their manuals are...’’ Just as Heshang was muttering, he stopped. He looked up to see Ubel slightly disturbed, carrying a wry smile. He also showed a wry smile at this.

‘’Rude of me, rude of me,’’ Heshang shook his head under the glare of his wife, ‘’My bad.’’

‘’No, it isn’t a big deal-’’ Ubel waved his hand in response and he returned to his calm exterior. ‘’Not that...I didn’t give a thought to it.’’

‘’Oh?’’ Hao Tou raised a brow at this, Meng Liu cast a knowing smile at Ubel. Muqin, however, frowned at the now grinning Heshang.

‘’When was he eligible to cultivate again?’’ Ubel asked.

‘’Three years old,’’ Muqin retracted her glare from Heshang and turned to look at him. ‘’Not that far, but please don’t, dear Ubel.’’

‘’Why not?’’ Ubel actually pressed further.

‘’It is a capital punishment-’’ Meng Liu said, his smile widened. ‘’The moment you pass down the manual of the sect, they will know it.’’

‘’And I doubt you remember every detail,’’ Hao Tou continued from there, shrugging, ‘’They must have taken the scroll, too.’’

‘’I still have it though.’’

This time Hao Tou froze. He looked blankly for a second or two, then shook his head. ‘’How come?’’

‘’Because they didn’t ask for it?’’ Ubel tilted his head. ‘’They would rather me keep everything, it seemed. Even clothing, although I gave them with the residency token of mine.’’ And Mind Expansion Manual, too.

Now that I think of it, I had one chance to pick one more manual...pity.

He didn’t mention the rest, for it would be a little more excessive. But Ubel really thought of passing the Death River Manual to Haoren. Not for the sole reason of his affection, he was pretty fond of the little boy, after all, but actually to repay Heshang a little. The experience and the level of control he achieved because of Heshang and Miss Muqin couldn’t be calculated in the short term.

As for the capital punishment and the sect supposedly knowing it, he didn’t bother much with it. For a large institution like Cindersnow, they wouldn’t be so stupid as to allow a random disciple to leave with their prized manuals, especially when they restricted the normal populace from accessing them. And even if they were to, in a pure coincidental series of events, they wouldn’t be able to inflict the punishment while being away at the Barren Lands.

So either they wanted him, and perhaps other disciples left on the continent, to slowly reveal these manuals to the populace in the Sect’s absence. Or Ubel’s master, Quan had a finger in him retaining the manual for reasons unknown. From a certain viewpoint, if he wanted Ubel could buy his way through a fatal predicament with the manual itself. But it also depended on the danger and the type of enemy he faced, so it was an unreliable way of indirect protection.

Or it could be both at the same time.

‘’This doesn’t mean you have to-’’ Muqin said, ‘’Don’t act hasty with this, dear Ubel.’’

‘’...I won’t, miss Muqin,’’ Ubel nodded. It wasn’t the time anyway. ‘’By the way, when are you planning to depart.’’

‘’Soon,’’ Hao Tou stood up and patted his knees. ‘’I hired several different groups to scout the roads, they all brought similar results. There aren’t any unexpected events as well, but bandits and ransacking mercenaries seem to be on the rise. At most, they will slow us down.’’

‘’I’m amazed at how easy you make it sound easy,’’ Ubel said and stood up as well. Haoren looked on with his big eyes and shot to his feet after him, Heshang followed them.

‘’When you have puffy puff and me, it is easy,’’ Heshang grinned.

‘’Though he boasts, Heshang speaks the truth,’’ Hao Tou said while descending the stairs. They rounded the hexagonal walls and went over to the back of the Shrine, where Hong Seng was cleansing the dishes with waves of Qi from the tips of his fingers. The aquamarine waves of tangible Qi turned into screens of light that scratched the surface and brought along all the stains and crumbs.

‘’They also have different names at the southern tip of the Northern Continent because of their...achievements.’’

‘’What kind of names?’’

‘’Crippling Cripple and Blooming Death.’’

‘’Alright! That’s enough!’’ Ubel and Hong Seng said at the same time, and the latter rose from his place, bringing the dishes back with him. ‘’Ubel, can you sweep here for me?’’

‘’Of course,’’ Ubel nodded and took a few steps forward, then put his hands together. Qi surged right between his palms and started raging like a wild cyclone suppressed between two boulders. His hands started trembling and azure light shone from his fingers, then Ubel released them both.

The whipping of sharp streaks of air sounded and surged forward, raising dust and dirt into the air. Strangely enough, none of the scarlet and jade-colored herbs took damage, nor the earth itself. Only what Hong Seng left behind from the bowls disappeared into particles or flew far away.

Ubel let out a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders, with his motion the squall disappeared.

‘’Will Haoren be able to take the travel?’’ Ubel asked while turning back with the duo, as Haoren was, again, encircled by the foxes at the entrance.

‘’You missed a few spots-’’ Heshang said and pointed with his hand at the dirt, but both Ubel and Hao Tou was already past him talking to each other.

‘’...alright! I’m gonna go sulk to Ren’er!’’ Heshang ignored them and ran towards his wife.

‘’...but we will adjust according to him, of course,’’ Hao Tou nodded. ‘’Though my lord is interested in the boy, he is also Heshang’s son. He would create too much trouble if we didn’t take care of him properly.’’

‘’I can see that,’’ Ubel turned to look at the family of three, now being bullied by the foxes by their number. ‘’...are they not bothered?’’

Hao Tou seemed to understand what he meant, so he lowered his voice.

‘’It is their decision to include him in the danger, not ours’, really,’’ He said, ‘’If it wasn’t impossible, I would have thought of leaving him with you here.’’

‘’You’re lying?’’ Ubel opened his mouth wide.

‘’I don’t,’’ Hao Tou shook his head. ‘’Well, I know you didn’t forget who we are and what we do. And I know the most how a child changes in the face of killing, deception, intrigue...it isn’t that pleasant.’’

‘’Of course it isn’t, but it is also not pleasant to leave your child to some random acquaintance.’’

‘’You aren’t some random man, Ubel,’’ Hao Tou looked him in the eye, their gazes clashed against each other under the swaying leaves of the oak trees. ‘’He trusts you enough.’’

They stood silent for a while after that, listening to the joyful cries of Haoren and foxes, with the slight breeze moving their hair and soothing their cheeks. Miss Muqin moved to sit on the edge of the stairs, Heshang followed and laid his head on her thighs, and they both gazed at their child with traces of smiles. Meng Liu disappeared into the shrine, though his all-powerful knowing smile still hung on his lips.

Hong Seng took out some yarns and needles to the outside in the meantime, to stitch together clothes for Haoren and the rest. The travel would, if their estimates were right, last around four months on foot. Since it was the first month of the summer now, and their departure seemed sooner rather than later, it seemed to be the best to get some winter clothing ready.

Ubel shook his head a little and took a seat next to Hong Seng, sitting cross-legged.

‘’What about the garden?’’ Ubel asked after a while.

‘’Left for you,’’ Hong Seng said, ‘’Since you decided not to accompany, I must leave you some suffering behind.’’

‘’Suffering, you say,’’ Ubel smiled, ‘’I’ll try to take care of it. But I refuse to clean the shrine.’’

‘’Why?’’ Hong Seng asked, head tilted in puzzlement.

‘’It is your job, not mine.’’

‘’But the garden is also my job.’’

‘’I also don’t like cleaning,’’ Ubel said.

‘’...you’ll have to clean the weeds too, Ubel,’’ Hong Seng reminded with a laugh. ‘’And water and care, and wash the roots and clip some leaves. A few even need special treatment like a child.’’

‘’I made good headway with Haoren, I doubt they will be bothersome.’’

‘’Each child has a different temperament, I doubt they won’t be bothersome.’’

‘’...I’ll try, still.’’ Ubel sighed.

Hong Seng cast him a smile and returned to crocheting. The swishes and the small cries of the children at the back of their head, faint, Hong Seng talked again.

‘’You know, Ubel, it might be rude of me to ask this but...whom you don’t trust?’’

Ubel, of course, realized what he really meant and what the rude thing could possibly be. He, at last, refused to with the group. Out of his own will, of course, but it should have been clear to the believers of the group what coerced him to not join. The promise to his master was a factor, though he had already failed it to some extent, and this ensured he would break it again at some point. But even if he did in the future, the decisive point was still his own conscience.

Conscience as a grandchild, as a student, and lastly, as a son.

For first, even if his grandmother lied about everything to him from the start, it didn’t matter much. Whether her attempts to persuade wasn’t unexpected, and his enrollment into the sect was planned from the start, didn’t bother him in his heart. Being deceived, he learned, while proved harmful and could lead to cracks in a relationship, could also mend them when the reasonable argument was put with a sincere heart. That could be the case with his grandmother, and couldn’t be. He didn’t know, also, if the tears she shed when he came back were real, or her hoarse voice, or her pitiful state, or her frail body. Through their extended interactions, albeit limited to a certain extent, he grasped that her physique was really that of an old woman.

A full-fledged old grandma. This didn’t justify the occurrences between them, however, and certainly didn’t make him feel better about the past. But it left a seed of confusion in his heart, and it made him doubt the integrity of whatever decisions and lies, or truths, she made and told. This wasn’t something solved so easily, so he had to stay and spend more time with her. To regain the semblance of their old amicable relationship, away from the complexities of his origins and his disappointment, and also to uncover what she and others hid from him about himself.

Ubel lowered his head to look at his now heavier legs. He found a Sihuli sprawled on the pair of sturdy legs, with a pointy nose and calm eyes raised at him. He smiled and placed his palm over Sihuli’s head, then fondled the soft fur beside his ears.

‘’I don’t doubt you,’’ Ubel spoke and kept his voice down. It bordered near a whisper, though not so close to his slightly shrill voice. ‘’Nor the others. Hao Tou, perhaps. I am...a little bit afraid of him-’’ He turned to look at Hong Seng at here, ‘’Don’t tell this to him.’’

‘’But-’’ He continued, ‘’I don’t feel that apart from you people even with that. I am wary of The Raven, that is true, and I also don’t have the intention to be his pu-’’ Ubel gulped here. ‘’...his supporter. I suppose it would be fun to travel with you and watch Haoren grow more healthier...but I won’t, in the end.’’

‘’The promise?’’ Hong Seng asked.

The promise was, in actuality, not a promise. It was the first three lines of Quan at the start of every note and book, and calling them instructions wouldn’t be wrong. But to Ubel, they were more than instructions. It was more akin to an...exchange, exchange of trust between him and his master. They did once back at Yadratafos, and there it was him who trusted Quan. It had been somewhat forceful, and even hurtful, yet he trusted him in the end. This time, it was his time to uphold his master’s trust; the trust in him adhering three simple rules, the trust in him to trust in Quan, the trust in him to be patient. If they were to meet- Ubel was sure they would, in the end- and this topic came up, he knew he wouldn’t have the heart to tell him he didn’t value the sentiments of his master if he left now.

Why though, even when he knew that the master-disciple relation between them was quite feebler than others’ that were built on years and decades of long guidance, he felt they would have the same chemistry from the times back? It was intuition, foresight, clairvoyance, or whatever one may call it. It was but a feeling, and he trusted in that feeling. After all, the whole premise of their relationship was built on trust, something not so seen higher than love.

‘’The promise,’’ Ubel nodded, ‘’And my father.’’

Hong Seng sighed at that, then didn’t question further. There was no point- his father was somewhat of a reverse scale for Ubel. Not the kind where he lashed out at anyone mentioning it, nor it was the kind where he got overly sentimental at the sole presence of him in the discussions. It was simply a bond he couldn’t cut, and questioning that connection incurred the cold indifference inside Ubel’s otherwise cheerful heart. Filial piety, it seemed, held great value for Ubel.

And it was indeed so.

To say he didn’t miss his father would be a lie, and to state his thoughts on that would be a little bit complicated. Sometimes, acts gave better clues than thoughts or words, and the father in his heart wasn’t one remembered with memories. It was with movements; with the cutting of a wood, with the nocking of an arrow, with the digging of a shovel, with the mining of a pickaxe, and with temperament; being calm as much as he could endure, being happy as much as he could be, being as little afraid as he could try, being as merciful as he could become.

It was, in essence, living like his father, being like his father, and incarnating his heart into his own life. To represent him and his values after death was the best thing he could do as a son, and his values didn’t allow him to leave. Ubel felt the need to sweep his father’s grave every day. Because if he didn’t it wouldn’t be like his father, who mentioned Ubel’s grandfather with words of praise and love every day. If his grandfather had a grave, Ubel thought, his father would sweep its front each day, too. One might consider it a shackle of blood- and the one who thought of it was Zi Heshang- but blood was, in the end, no thicker than the soul of a man. Man, in the end, had the will to decide which one would be the priority. Ubel chose not blood, but his father. That was all.

That was his resolution, the simple act of sweeping his father’s grave and lighting incense.

Eight years- Ubel raised his head to look at the pillars of white clouds swimming to the horizon, Eight years of patience is all I need.

After all, it is not me alone who endures.

*********

Su’en opened his eyes...again.

The first sight he took was the crystal blue sky and milky clouds stampeding to the end of the world, though they also seemed like they would crush him if he dared to obstruct their way. The second was the mouths made of sharp, as tall as thousands of meters, reaching to devour those hordes of clouds, yet unable to reach in the end. The third was the rolling down boulders from the mouth like droplets of water, and in a few seconds, they would actually do the deed in the stead of the clouds.

The fourth was his sides, a huge pit carved like a finger rounded around him and went upwards, spiraling to the mouth of the broken Mountain Of Emperors. Now that he inspected carefully, the northern side of the mouth had a small dent belonging to a possible knuckle. Other than that, though, he felt the existence of gurgling magma under and around him, filling the spider web-like cracks created after the fearsome collision he had.

The fifth was the magma’s source, which he turned around to examine. It was a ball of condensed flames, bright gold and light crimson, with waves of blazing rings around it. From the rings revolving around the sphere of fire oozed out thick, dark scarlet magma and surged outwards. Now he started to feel, he was also swimming on the magma as well.

Su’en willed it and Buyuh of the purest kind- a purplish-red surge of aura- sprang from his lungs to envelop his body. The sensation returned to his body and he grasped the faint itching from his back. With another thought, the purplish-red aura gathered around his legs and arms, then he took a step forward into the air.

The step landed, seemingly on a hard block of wood, the air released the squeal of an old plank when faced with weight, then cracked. The invisible space literally cracked. Faint lines imbued with purplish-red power spread like ravines, then exploded into a burst of crimson magma.

A deafening boom rang beside Su'en, followed by a spray of red from the ball of flames in front of his eyes. A gravitational force raised the ball of flames into the air, and, with a will of its own, the blazing ball resisted with a fierce blast of magma waves.

But an itch was still an itch to Su’en.

Su’en moved his hands and the purplish-red aura morphed into the shape of a needle-like spear shaft. He grasped the shaft from its end, revolved it around him once, then smashed it down with the momentum on the ball whilst ignoring the magma.

The shaft fell with the force of a mountain and rumbled hundreds of meters around them. The wave of rising magma separated from the middle and vanished into thin air from the sheer rebound, while the shaft itself crushed the blazing ball’s outer rings. The rings caved in for a moment, followed by another caving that made a dent on the ball. Then the purplish-red aura reached into another peak and pushed the needle-like shaft a little bit further.

The blazing ball of flames broke into two with a cling, Su’en managed to peek inside to see a miniature sun revolving at the center of the ball, and then everything went up in flames.

An inferno appeared inside the old Mountain Of Emperors for an instant, and inside from the flurry of flames walked out Su’en without a scratch. Yet he didn’t have a pleasant expression.

How did he manage to send another strike into the world? Feeling puzzled, Su’en moved up and pierced through the veils of fire to the mouth of the mountain above.

We started the rebellion, so it should be impossible for sovereigns to approve of the Civilization Extermination. Then how...

Just as he flew out of the raging inferno and appeared on the skies of the Northern Continent, Su’en felt someone tug at his soul’s defenses. It was a message, it seemed, and from the aura he knew who this woman was. With a though, he let the thread approach his mind and open up.

‘’What happened?’’

‘’What happened? A calamity of course! The damned overseer released seven of the Nine-colored phantoms!’’

Su’en froze in the air.

*********

Ke’ai Huiqing shot to her feet from her rocking chair at the same instant Su’en froze at the Mountain Of Emperors.

‘’Seven? SEVEN!?’’

‘’There might even be more!’’ Feza Cindersnow replied from the other side. Alongside her worried tone, blasts and explosions of Qi could be heard with the accompany of screams. ‘’This is violating the Rebellion Law! What does that Overseer is thin- HAAA-!’’

‘’Feza! Girl!’’ Huiqing felt her legs tremble again from the Civilization Curse, yet the wails of her instincts forced her to stand still. With a bang and the flipping of the door, Embodiment rushed inside with a dirt-stained hoe in his hands. He stepped towards her and pushed her down to sit, moving his hands down two times.

Calm down!

Huiqing gazed into the faint outlines of a pair of eyes on Embodiment’s face, gulped. Her legs shook from the sheer pain rushing from her heart and joints, yet her stance stood the same.

‘’Sister Huiqing,’’ Feza’s voice reached her again, this time with rough breathing. ‘’We’ll be fine for a few more days, it seems like they haven’t completed their transformation.’’

‘’But they’ll do sooner-’’ Huiqing sighed and told, only now did her legs buckle down to slump on the rocking chair. ‘’But is our world so unimportant to the Sovereigns?’’

‘’I can’t say anything for now about that, Sister Huiqing,’’ Feza replied. The sounds coming from her surroundings died off considerably. ‘’But concerning here, I’ll keep an eye with the Little Zuzhang. If things go awry, we might have you and Su’en come here personally.’’

‘’...will it delay his growth?’’ She added after thinking a little more.

‘’It won’t,’’ Huiqing laughed after shaking off the worry in her heart. ‘’It will even be more beneficial. I was thinking with that naked bird about how we could get him out of the forest. This will do- it might even open his eyes to what he’ll see in the future.’’

‘’Haah-’’ Feza sighed from the other side. ‘’That’s too cruel.’’

‘’I have to be- that was the mistake we made with my son and other grandchildren...’’

Their conversation came to a halt with the awkward silence, then Feza bid her farewell and cut the connection.

The Embodiment was still standing beside her, looking with an expectant face devoid of any mimic. Huiqing shook her head and grasped his large hands-still holding the hoe- between her own- she caressed them for a moment in silence.

‘’I won’t let him be like you...alright?’’

Embodiment didn’t seem to understand but still nodded. After asking some irrelevant details he departed from the door and closed behind him with a thud. A few seconds later sounds of a hoe digging through earth came from the garden.

I won’t let him be like the rest...