Writeathon Status: 36 Chapters, 76,574 Words (Officially over my 75k goal, but I'll continue daily chapters through at least Wednesday.
Yang Xiu overall greatly enjoyed her life. And why shouldn’t she? She achieved Golden Core while still just twenty-one years old, which was both much younger than most cultivators thanks to the Time rooms and later than she would have liked because Master had convinced her to achieve Mastery in a lot of techniques before advancing. Since, she’d been speeding through her cultivation. With four years accelerated to forty, she was about ninety percent of the way to the second minor realm.
With luck, she’d hit that milestone before she turned twenty-five.
Of course, development of her Concept was proceeding slower than she would have liked. Slippery Ice definitely resonated with her, but it took a lot of experimenting and contemplation to conceptualize the idea. The first part of that was fine, but the second wasn’t her forte.
She had no doubt that she’d get there in the next objective year or two, though, putting her well ahead of the curve most cultivators followed.
And her personal life was fine. She and Yang Lin, now a true sister, had become even closer over the years, and Yang Xiu absolutely loved the role of auntie to her niece and nephew. She was less sure about what she wanted for herself. Sometimes she looked at her sister-in-law and Wu Hua and Zou Ai, and she wanted that for herself. Other times, she simply felt she was having too much fun adventuring all over the continent—mostly all over the continent with one glaring exception—to settle down. Besides, she hadn’t met anyone … worthy?
That sounded arrogant, though. And not quite right. It was simpler and perhaps more accurate to say that no one had yet struck her fancy.
None of that worried her, though. She had decades or even centuries to do that if she wanted. A long lifespan was one of the major advantages of cultivation, after all, and Master had all but promised that she and her brother—and her Yang Lin, too!—would all make Nascent Soul, no matter how many times they had to use the Trials Pagoda to overcome bottlenecks.
Yang Xiu was confident she wouldn’t need a single trial, but if she truly did get stuck, she wasn’t too prideful to ask for help.
Honestly, her life was pretty much perfect except for one tiny little itsy bitsy thing—a decision she needed to make. One that was currently holding up the entire IDTA program.
She acutely felt the eyes of every council member on her as Yang Ru said, “The final item on the agenda is expansion.”
Great.
“I know; I know,” Yang Xiu said. “Yang Ru will say that there’s only one town left, and Master said we have to link the entire continent before he’ll even discuss reaching out to other ones. And Wan Ai will say that there are people starving right this minute on those other continents, and every second I delay is a second that those people might die. But this is difficult for me!”
“We know it’s difficult,” Zou Tian said. “I’m sure neither your brother nor my wife would have actually put as much pressure on you as you’re putting on yourself.”
Gah! Yang Xiu wished they would put pressure on her. Maybe if they yelled at her to get off her ass and choose, she’d actually do it.
She sighed. With the penultimate village connected, she had no more time. They needed to proceed. And she had to decide how. “I’ll tell you by the end of the week.”
With that, the meeting was basically over, so she turned and left, pulling a flying sword from her ring as soon as she exited the building. She jumped atop it and took off, not even knowing where she was going.
The further she went, though, the clearer her direction became. She needed advice, and everyone at the sect, especially Master, was worthless. They all said, “This is a decision only you can make!”
Ugh. If she could decide for herself, she wouldn’t be coming to one of them for advice, now would she? But there was one person, one entity, as powerful and as wise as Master, and he wasn’t that far away.
Even better, when she mentally checked her ring, she found exactly what she needed. Perfect. A smile graced her lips as she spotted the Eternal Celestial Peak in the distance. She navigated right to it and to a particular cave specifically.
At the mouth, Leizhenzi met her. “Greetings Esteemed Senior Sister. Does Li’er need this one?”
“Getting bored hanging out with your grandfather?”
The thunderbird sighed. Before meeting him, Yang Xiu hadn’t known that birds could sigh.
“It’s not nearly as exciting, and he’s so strict!”
Yang Xiu chuckled. “I can understand. Unfortunately for you, we’ve captured, killed, or subjugated pretty much all the spirit beasts on the continent. Besides the ones in the valley, the only ones left are too far from civilization to bother.”
“I know.” He sounded dejected.
“Don’t worry, though. Plans will soon get underway to expand the network. She’ll need you and Oogway when we go to the other continents.”
“It’s about time!”
Yang Xiu winced. Leizhenzi wouldn’t have said that if he knew she was the hold up.
“May I speak to Uncle?”
“For you, of course. I think he likes you more than he does me, anyway.”
Yang Xiu drew a small bag of Thunder aspected greater spirit coins from her ring. “That’s because I always bring a gift.”
At her request, Leizhenzi stayed behind. Yang Xiu thought he was actually relieved as it gave him the chance to go hang out with his friends.
As soon as she came around the corner and saw the Greater Thunderbird, he said, “Little Xiu’er! Welcome!”
He always acted so surprised even though he could sense her from the time she left the sect’s arrays.
“Uncle! I heard you made rank fifteen. Congratulations.”
She had to think her past self would have found it weird that she called a mid Nihility realm equivalent spirit beast “Uncle,” but she’d long gotten used to the bird. In his own way, he was as eccentric and kind as Master.
“All thanks to your sect leader. That man gives gifts with absolutely no thought to their value. I never could have advanced without the formation he created for me.”
He pointed his wing at something, but Yang Xiu wasn’t great at picking out Master’s hidden inscriptions. That was something she needed to work on as she increased her minor realm and developed her spiritual sense further.
“He has great respect for you and wants you to do well, Uncle.”
“He likes to show off his inventions like a little child seeking praise.” The Greater Thunderbird paused. “I guess if that’s the worst thing I can say about a human, he’s a good man.” His eyes focused on the bag she held. “Are those for me?”
“Of course, Uncle.”
He gave her the bird equivalent of a smile as he used his immense power to tug the bag from her and float over to him. “You are definitely the most thoughtful of the sect members who visit me.”
Considering that, besides her, only Jin LiJuan sought out the powerful spirit beast, Yang Xiu actually believed the Greater Thunderbird wasn’t just flattering her.
“How is training your grandson going?” she said.
Big Bird shook his head in a passable imitation of a human. “That boy is too stubborn for his own good, and his head is filled with dreams of adventure. I fear for him.”
“It is dangerous out in the world when a spirit beast, even as one as strong as Leizhenzi, encounters cultivators. Hopefully travelling with Jin LiJuan and our sect provides some meager amount of protection.”
“More than a meager amount, I’m sure. It’s just hard to let a little one walk into danger. I remember when he hatched.”
Yang Xiu couldn’t help but wonder whether, if she had literally hundreds of progeny, she’d be so attached to all of them like the bird seemed to be. Probably. Zou Ai tended to see every child in the sect and every young villager and any other kid she came into contact with as hers, and she didn’t seem like to be any less devastated if one she barely ever saw was killed.
“I’m sure you didn’t come here to listen to this old bird whine about the youth of today, though.”
She sighed. Time to get to the reason she came. “I seek your wisdom, Exalted Elder.”
She, of course, had to explain to him that she sought him out because her master wanted her to decide the situation herself.
“There is wisdom in letting the youth chart their own path,” Uncle said.
“Should I tell Leizhenzi that you’re fine with him leaving, then?”
“Cheeky brat,” the bird said, but his voice evidenced his amusement. “Tell me.”
“Years ago, before Ru’er and I met Master, we fled from our hometown after our parents were killed. The young master, the son of the Town Lord, took an interest in me, and when I turned him down, he turned into an actual murderer, killing my parents. The Town Lord supported him.”
She sighed. “I’m mostly over it. Mostly. But there’s a problem. My hometown, still run by the same Town Lord, is one that is slated to get a portal. My sect mates left it for last as a favor to me as I tried to decide what to do, but my time is up.”
“I see, and you don’t want to upset the Emperor by killing one of his minor lords. You must choose between vengeance and keeping peace with a close partner.”
She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “Uh, actually, I talked to Emperor Han Shu personally, and he was gracious enough to give me face. He’ll accept whatever punishment I decide upon, even execution of the lord’s entire family.”
“I’m afraid I don’t see the problem then. Go there. Kill the man and his family. Done. They’re weak. You’re strong. It is a fundamental law of nature.”
Yang Xiu wondered if she’d come to Uncle for advice because she knew he’d give her the answer she wanted. “The problem is that I suspect Master will be disappointed in me. He didn’t tell me that, of course, just telling me that he’d ‘respect my decision, whatever it was’ and ‘always love me no matter what.’ But he’s so into good karma now, and killing that man and his family is sure to lower mine.”
Uncle gave the best imitation of a shrug that a bird could. “I cannot imagine you ever performing an act vile enough to truly gain his disapproval. My advice remains the same. Go. Kill the man. You’ll feel better.”
Going to the cave had been a bad idea. Or maybe not. A decision firmed in Yang Xiu’s mind.
She cupped her hands. “Gratitude, Uncle. You have given me much to think on.”
“Be well child, and send a message to my idiot grandson to get back here!”
“Of course, Uncle,” she said, grinning.
As she left, the smile fell off her face. Next stop, her hometown.