Chapter 47: Three Lovely Ladies (Patreon)

Elena wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked around the fields where she worked. It was near evening now, the end of her work day, and she looked forward to her free time. Becoming a cultivator was more labor intensive than she had anticipated, and that wasn’t even considering cultivation itself. Then again, as an Outer Disciple of the Gold Weaver Sect, she was barely above a servant in terms of status.

When Elena had arrived at the Gold Weaver Sect a few months ago, she had been assigned to the outer sect. While she came from a well off family, and had a familial connection with an Inner Disciple, her cultivation talent was average at best. Because of this, they made her an Outer Disciple. Elena didn’t complain. She had been lucky the Gold Weaver Sect had accepted her at all. At least her skill in creating clothing had been up to their standards.

Meredith, her handmaiden, had been more upset about it than her.

Ever since then, Elena had worked harder than she ever had before in her life. It had been difficult at first, but as time passed, and her cultivation progressed, she grew accustomed to it. In fact, she even came to enjoy it. There was something fulfilling about the labor, something that nourished her soul. She couldn’t quite put it into words, but working the earth satisfied her almost as much as weaving clothes did.

Like the other Outer Disciples, Elena performed many of the tedious, but vital, tasks that kept the Gold Weaver Sect running smoothly. While mortal servants took care of the menial work, such as cooking, cleaning, and gathering firewood, the Outer Disciples were responsible for growing and caring for the various resources the Gold Weaver Sect needed for cultivation.

This included general cultivation resources of course, such as the spiritual herbs needed to refine pills. However, this mostly meant taking care of the plants and animals that provided the raw materials needed to make the fabrics the Gold Weaver Sect used in their weaving. In particular, they used Steelthread Cotton, Rainbow Sheep Wool, and Simmering Spider Silk.

The Gold Weaver Sect wasn’t located inside Crescent Moon City itself. Instead, the sect was located near the city’s outskirts, along the banks of Crescent Moon Lake. There were two layers to the sect. There was the outer sect, where Elena and the other Outer Disciples lived and worked. And then there was the inner sect, where the Inner Disciples, the sect elders, and the sect leader lived while focusing on their cultivation and weaving clothing for cultivators.

According to what Elena had heard, the inner sect had been built over a vein of spirit energy, which was why the Gold Weaver Sect had settled here in the first place.

The outer sect contained the fields and pastures where the Gold Weaver Sect’s resources were nurtured. Elena currently worked in the field where the spiritual herbs grew. She had never done any form of farming or gardening before, so it took a lot of learning in the beginning, but once she got the hang of it, she found that she loved it.

A series of formations protected the outer sect and kept it the climate temperate so the fields could be worked year round. More formations nourished the earth so it wouldn’t be overfarmed. While some cultivators and sects only consumed to fuel their cultivation, the rest strived to achieve harmony with nature. After all, cultivators lived long lives. Being greedy now ensured they would have less in the future.

The Outer Disciples were nominally under the supervision of an elder, Elder Graysen, but the man was too focused on his other duties to care about them too much. Instead, the senior-most Outer Disciple handled most of the outer sect’s day to day management. Elena’s days consisted of waking up, working most of the day, and having evenings off to focus on her cultivation. So far, she hadn’t had to do much weaving, which was a shame.

As for cultivation itself, the sect had provided Elena with a cultivation technique scroll for the Golden Thread technique, the Gold Weaver Sect’s signature technique. She actually practiced a variation of it, since the Gold Weaver Sect had disciples with spirit roots of all four elements. In Elena’s case, she had an Earth spirit root. She guessed that this was why she enjoyed working the land so much.

The sect also provided her with a monthly stipend of a Spirit Energy Pill and a spirit stone each month. That was it. She otherwise had to fend for herself. Not that Elena minded. It gave her a sense of accomplishment to comprehend the Golden Thread technique and use it to cultivate without any guidance. She even managed to open her Heart Aperture in a little under a month!

For the first time in her life, Elena had to be self-sufficient. As someone born into a well off family, and pampered her whole life, she should have hated it. She didn’t. Instead, she loved it. It was as if she had awakened a part of herself that had been in a deep slumber until now.

Elena and the other Outer Disciples continued working, until the senior in charge of supervising them called for an end to the day. She stretched to work out the kinks in her muscles, before heading over to the communal bathing area in order to clean up. The other Outer Disciples chatted amongst themselves, while Elena kept to herself.

Solitude suited her more. It didn’t help that she came from a different background from most of the other Outer Disciples. Contrary to what Elena had thought, the Gold Weaver Sect did indeed accept mortals into their ranks. How else would they maintain their numbers? It was just that most of them ended up in the outer sect. The inner sect had more stringent requirements. Cultivation talent, connections, and skill were all required.

Most of her fellow Outer Disciples came from poor families, and had sought to join the Gold Weaver Sect to escape their impoverished lives. They were content to remain Outer Disciples, and didn’t take their cultivation as seriously. At least here they were safe, sheltered, and were paid a fair wage. Some of them even traded in their stipend for silver to spend in the city.

Elena had bigger ambitions. That, in addition to her background, set Elena apart. She didn’t fit in with them, and was content to keep her distance. While she didn’t hate any of the other Outer Disciples, she wasn’t close to any of them either. They felt the same, so it worked out for everyone.

After cleaning herself up, Elena headed towards her living quarters. She lived in a square compound, consisting of four small buildings forming the corners of the square with walls connecting them. Elena lived in one of these small buildings, while three other Outer Disciples occupied the others. A shared stone courtyard occupied the center of the compound.

When she arrived, the others hadn’t returned yet, so she went straight to her quarters. It consisted of two rooms; the bedroom she shared with Meredith, and the kitchen, which also served as the dining room. As she entered, she smelled the aroma of something delicious cooking and her stomach grumbled. Meredith, her handmaiden, was cooking dinner in the kitchen.

Most Outer Disciples didn’t have their own personal servants. However, Meredith refused to leave Elena’s side and worked hard to earn her keep. Elena feared that her handmaiden would find menial labor beneath her, but voiced no complaint. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it.

At first, Elena had thought to send Meredith back to Valeheart, but her handmaiden refused. She insisted on staying to look after Elena, which touched the young girl’s heart. Elena made a silent promise to herself to pay Meredith back for her loyalty.

“Welcome back, my lady,” Meredith called out from the kitchen.

She glanced at Elena, looking her up and down, before shaking her head.

“Tsk,” she said. “Look at you, my lady. If your family saw you now, they wouldn’t recognize you. They might even be horrified by how you look.”

Elena looked down at herself. Meredith was right. Hours spent working in the sun had darkened her already tan skin. Her hands, once so soft and smooth, were now rough and calloused. The hard work had also given her muscles, slight as they were. She wore coarse, but durable, clothing that was a far cry from the dresses she used to wear. While she had brought several with her, those had been taken apart for material to practice with.

All in all, Elena looked like a different person from the girl who had left Valeheart. She didn’t regret the change.

“I don’t care,” Elena said with a shrug. “I’m a disciple of the Gold Weaver Sect now. What matters is my cultivation and my skill in weaving, not my looks.”

“Oh?” Meredith said in a sly tone. “What about Young Master Darian? Don’t you care about what he’ll think?”

That caught Elena off guard. She looked away and took a moment before answering.

“If Darian doesn’t end up loving me because of how I look,” she said. “Then he isn’t the man I thought he was. I enjoy my life right now. The work, the cultivating, all of it. If I could have more time to spend on making clothes, it would be perfect. I won’t give it up, even for him.”

Meredith stopped what she was doing and turned to face Elena. After a brief moment, she nodded.

“Good,” she said. “A woman needs to have more on her mind than just marriage. I’m glad you figured that out.” She grinned. “Of course, those muscles of Young Master Darian’s are quite tempting. If you don’t want him, maybe I’ll give him a try. I could spend hours just licking wine off-…”

“Meredith!” Elena interrupted, her face heating up. “I said I won’t give up my own life for him. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to marry him. I do, but only if he’ll accept the current me.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem, my lady.”

After that, Meredith finished with her cooking and the two of them settled down for dinner. They heard the others making noise as they returned. However, before Elena and Meredith could get far into their dinner, they heard exclamations from outside. They glanced at each other, before they both stood up and stepped out to take a look.

They saw the three other Outer Disciples who lived in the compound all bowing to a woman in her mid-twenties standing in the middle of their shared courtyard. The woman had tan skin, warm brown eyes, and violet hair. The young woman also wore a beautiful purple dress that many women would kill to own.

“Greetings, Senior Sister Violet,” the other Outer Disciples said.

The young woman, Violet, nodded in return.

“Greetings to you as well,” she said, before her eyes fell on Elena and Meredith. “Cousin Elena!”

Violet marched over to Elena and pulled her into a tight hug. The other Outer Disciples stared at them.

“Senior Sister Violet!” Elena squeaked. “Greetings!”

Violet pulled away.

“Oh, none of that now. Call me Cousin Violet. We’re kin after all.”

Violet was an Inner Disciple of the Gold Weaver Sect, and Elena’s kin. It was through her influence that Elena managed to get into the sect. Neither of them were sure what the connection between them was, they only knew that there was a connection. Violet’s mortal name was Coreen Goodwin after all.

When cultivators joined a sect, the inner sect to be specific, they sometimes gained a cultivator name to represent their new identity. They either chose the name themselves, or their master gave it to them. If the latter, the master often chose a cultivator name that was connected to their own in some capacity.

In Violet’s case, her master was a man named Elder Indigo. Like with Violet, his hair matched his name. Ellen wasn’t sure how he or Violet had managed to change the color of their hair like that. If Elena recalled right, Violet was born with brown hair like her. At first she thought Violet had dyed her hair, but even the roots were violet. Was it some sort of technique? Elena burned with curiosity, but refrained from asking. She didn’t want to offend her kin.

“Well?” Violet asked. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Of course,” Elena said. “Come in, Senio-…” Violet gave her a look. “Cousin Violet.”

Elena, Meredith, and Violet went inside, away from prying eyes. As soon as they entered, Meredith used the skill that all servants seemed to have, and faded into the background.

“I’m sorry about the accommodations,” Elena said. “I know it isn’t what you’re used to.”

Violet waved her apology away.

“Think nothing of it,” she said. “I used to be an Outer Disciple too. I’ve been in your position before.”

That surprised Elena. She had thought Violet had always been an Inner Disciple.

“You were?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ll tell you about it some other time. Right now, I’m here on official business.”

At this, Elena straightened up. What kind of official business did her kin have with her? Was it related to the sect?

“First, take this,” Violet said, pulling out a letter from…Elena didn’t know where she pulled it from. Her kin didn’t have a holding bag. “This arrived for you today. Since I was on my way to see you anyway, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and deliver it for you as well.”

Elena took the letter. Her breath caught when she saw that it was from Darian. She had sent him a message a little bit after she had joined the Gold Weaver Sect, telling him about her experiences. Given the timing, he must have sent this reply soon after he received her message. Elated, she hugged the letter to her chest, letting out a joyful squeak.

“An interesting reaction,” Violet said in a dry tone. “I’m interested in hearing about this Darian of yours.”

Elena’s ears burned with embarrassment. Her reaction had been automatic. She hadn’t intended to act that way in front of Violet.

“Nevermind that,” she said, hiding the letter behind her back. “Is there anything else, Cousin Violet? You mentioned that you were on your way to see me before you decided to deliver the letter.”

Violet, who had been trying to peek behind Ellen’s back, stopped and grinned at her.

“I have an opportunity for you,” she said. “Some time ago, our sect received a commission for an important client. They wanted us to make a dress of a specific size. One of our senior brothers had accepted it, but he received some insights while working on this commission and had to go into seclusion in order to prepare for his breakthrough into the next stage. Since this left the commission unfinished, the sect elders assigned it to me. I want you to be my helper.” Her grin widened. “I thought of you because we’re kin. Do you accept?”

Elena sucked in a breath. Helping with a commission like this? It had to be for some Young Mistress or someone of equal status. If that was the case, then an important personage would be wearing a dress that she had helped make. While it was a small step towards her dreams, it was still a step forward. This was an opportunity that she could not pass up.

“If you need any more convincing,” Violet continued. “I should mention that doing well on this commission will help you catch the attention of an elder. Not only that, but you’ll be paid in spirit stones and-…”

“I accept,” Elena blurted out.

This caught Violet off guard, but she soon recovered.

“Perfect,” she said. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Meet me at my workshop tomorrow morning. You don’t have to worry about your other duties. I took the liberty of informing Elder Graysen about your new assignment. Presumptuous of me, I know, but I didn’t think you’d refuse.” She looked Elena up and down. “I also see that your cultivation is progressing well. Keep this up, and it won’t be too long before you enter the Energy Gathering stage and join the inner sect.”

Elena beamed at her words.

“I look forward to it.”

“So do I, Cousin Elena. Now then, I must be off.” She headed towards the door, but paused just before the threshold. “Oh, and I expect to hear more about this Darian tomorrow. Don’t think you can escape me, Cousin.”

At that, she left. Elena watched the door for several more seconds, before she turned to Meredith, who wore a broad smile on her face.

“Congratulations, my lady,” she said.

“Oh, Meredith,” Elena said. “Thank you!”

She rushed her and gave her handmaiden a hug. This caught the woman off guard, but she soon reciprocated it.

“Now then,” Meredith said after they separated. “Let’s eat our dinner, and then read that letter together. I wonder what lover boy has to say to you.”

“Meredith!”

***

“What were you thinking, Avaline?” Sect Leader Trystan asked through gritted teeth. “You almost killed the boy!”

Avaline Snow Heart lounged on a couch in front of him and rolled her eyes. The two of them were in Avaline’s sitting room. Like the rest of her quarters, it was a lavish and opulent space decorated with the finest of things, with white being the predominant color. White furniture, white rug, white decorations, and so on. What wasn’t white was made from exquisitely carved crystal. Every Young Mistress or noble woman in the world would kill to have half the beauty and wealth on display here.

Avaline had been relaxing after a long day before Sect Leader Trystan had barged into her quarters to berate her for an incident that had occurred last night. It hadn’t been her fault. Well, some of it had been her fault. She had used a little of her Beguiling Charm innate ability to attract the attention of a young man near her age. However, he put his hands where he shouldn’t have, so Avaline taught him a lesson.

It was self defense, really.

From the look on Sect Leader Trystan’s face, it was clear that he didn’t agree with her assessment. There weren’t many people who would dare act that way with her. Someone like Avaline was considered a rare treasure by most everyone on Mt. Frost Moon. However, Sect Leader Trystan was one of the few who dared. Not only did he lead the Frost Moon Sect, which they were both a part of, but he was also her Master and her father. He was one of the few people in the sect who could take her to task and get away with it.

“I don’t see what the problem is, Sect Leader,” Avaline said in a languid voice. “Brother Alex and I were only having a bit of fun. It’s not my fault that he overstepped his bounds and couldn’t handle the consequences.”

Avaline never called Trystan father. He had sired her, yes, but he had never shown her any form of paternal love or affection. Instead, he treated her like an obligation that needed to be taken care of, and nothing more. When she was growing up, Sect Leader Trystan left the burden of child rearing to servants and nurses.

It would have bothered Avaline, except the man had never been around long enough for her to form any attachment to him. He was Sect Leader Trystan Snow Heart, a cold and distant figure. That was all.

A long time ago, when she was still a child, Avaline had wanted more from him. However, at eighteen years of age, she had put such childish notions behind her.

“The problem is that Nephew Alex is the son of Hall Master Terence, which you well know. Don’t pretend ignorance on this. The man was so incensed, he almost went to the peak of Mt. Frost Moon to complain to your mother. I barely managed to convince him not to go.”

Avaline scoffed.

“You should have let him,” she said. “It wouldn’t have made a difference. Immortal Frost Moon is too busy with her other projects to worry about me.”

Sect Leader Trystan barked out a laugh.

“Oh, don’t mistake me, young lady,” he said. “I stopped him because that was exactly what you wanted him to do.” He shook his head. “When will you learn that no matter how much you misbehave, it won’t work? Your childish attempts to gain Immortal Frost Moon’s attention are pitiful. She has more important matters to handle than dealing with a disobedient and willful daughter like you. The same could be said of me, but unlike her, I don’t have the luxury of ignoring your actions.”

Avaline didn’t feel a dagger pierce her heart at that statement. Nope. Not at all.

“Tsk.” She looked away from him. “Then why are you here, Sect Leader? You said it yourself, you have more important matters to consider. Why bother with this at all? It’s not like you can punish me for it, not really.”

While Avaline’s mother might have ignored her existence, Immortal Frost Moon had given very strict instructions on how Avaline was to be raised. In short, Avaline was to be treated and pampered like the priceless treasure that she was. Since Immortal Frost Moon had created Mt. Frost Moon, and founded the Frost Moon Sect, the sect treated her words like gospel.

This limited Sect Leader Trystan’s actions when it came to punishing Avaline, a fact that she more than took advantage of. Actions that would have expelled anyone else from the sect were ignored or smoothed over in some way.

“That’s where you’re wrong, daughter of mine,” Sect Leader Trystan said.

Avaline snapped her head towards him. He never called her that, unless he had something particularly unpleasant planned for her. She had a bad premonition about this.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “Immortal Nova said-…”

“Immortal Nova is well aware of the situation,” Sect Leader Trystan said, interrupting her. “After I convinced Hall Master Trystan to let me handle the situation, I went to see her myself. You went too far this time, Avaline. On this, Immortal Frost Moon and I agree. So, she has given me leave to punish you as I see fit.”

Avaline’s stomach dropped.

“She didn’t,” she whispered.

“Oh, but she did, Avaline. You almost killed the son of a Hall Master. If it had been a mere elder, maybe that would be different, but not in this case.”

Unlike many of the other elite sects in the Shattered Lands, the Frost Moon Sect occupied a secret realm created by Immortal Frost Moon. This secret realm consisted entirely of a massive mountain, Mt. Frost Moon, which housed the various halls that made up the sect. Each hall had its own specialty, though all of their arts were related to ice and snow in some capacity. Avaline and Sect Leader Trystan were part of Sacred Ice Hall, which focused on spells and formations.

Hall Master Terence led the Frostblade Hall, which specialized in sword arts. He was an influential figure within the sect, and renowned for his skills. As a Golden Core cultivator, the sect valued him. Not as much as they valued Avaline, due to her lineage and potential, but enough to take action when someone injured or offended him or his family, even her. Unfortunately, Avaline hadn’t considered that until now.

“Don’t worry, daughter of mine,” Sect Leader Trystan said with a nasty grin on his face. “Your punishment won’t be too onerous. It would look bad for the Frost Moon Sect if our treasure was treated too poorly. It’s simple. Five years banishment from Mt. Frost Moon.”

Avaline’s jaw dropped, and she couldn’t find the words to respond right away. Banishment? Avaline had never left Mt. Frost Moon. She had spent her entire life here. It was her home. Spending five years away was too cruel a punishment.

“You can’t do that,” Avaline said. “I belong on Mt. Frost Moon. You can’t send me away.”

“I can and I will. It’s time you started taking responsibility for your actions.”

Avaline stood up.

“It’s not fair! Brother Alex was the one who tried to touch me inappropriately! Why am I being punished for defending myself?”

Sect Leader Trystan glared at her.

“He wouldn’t have done anything if you hadn’t used your Beguiling Charm on him. Oh yes, Avaline, I know about that. You brought this on yourself.”

Avaline clenched her jaw. No, no she had not. She had only used enough of her Beguiling Charm to attract Brother Alex’s attention, the equivalent of having a beautiful face or an alluring voice. That was it. Everything that happened afterward was all him. Despite the popular misconception about her, she never used her Beguiling Charm to play with people’s affections, even though she could. She had always used a light touch, and never did anything permanent.

However, no one ever believed her. Of course she made all those people fall in love with her using her Beguiling Charm, overwhelming their minds with thoughts of love and lust for her. Why else would they remain infatuated with her? Why else would they go too far? Clearly, it was her fault.

Sect Leader Trystan always believed so, and Avaline had given up on trying to convince him otherwise. And so, she remained quiet.

“Exactly,” Sect Leader Trystan said, as if her silence was agreement with his words. “As I said, you will be banished from Mt. Frost Moon for a period of no less than five years. Be grateful, it’s far less than you deserve.”

Avaline crossed her arms and looked away from him.

“And where will I go?” she asked. “I assume you have some destination in mind. Unless you plan on letting me fend for myself.”

That might be preferable, if she was being honest. At least that way, she wouldn’t have to worry about Sect Leader Trystan’s spies keeping an eye on her.

“The Myriad Rivers region,” Sect Leader Trystan said. “You’ll be a guest of Clan River Heart. They’re an offshoot of my own clan, Clan Snow Heart, that broke away centuries ago. You’ll stay with them until your banishment ends.”

Avaline stared at him in dismay. Despite her sheltered upbringing, she knew a lot of the outside world thanks to her studies. The Myriad Rivers region was a backwater. It was far from any of the important cultural or political centers of the cultivation world, such as The Crossroads or Stormsea City. In terms of punishment, it was a perfect place to send her.

“I hate you!” Avaline cried out.

She grabbed a nearest object, a crystal statuette of a phoenix, and threw it at Sect Leader Trystan. He caught it with ease. She was merely in the Energy Gathering stage, after all, while he was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if she used every weapon in her arsenal, she wouldn’t be able to touch him. That didn’t stop her from trying. She kept grabbing objects and throwing them at him.

“Enough,” he said in an irritated voice. “This is happening. Throwing a tantrum won’t change anything.”

“Get out! I don’t want to see you anymore!”

Sect Leader Trystan snorted.

“With pleasure. I’ll have the servants pack your things. You leave tomorrow.”

With that, he left. Avaline, still full of anger, kept throwing things and breaking them. When that wasn’t enough, she unleashed her power, casting spells of ice and snow. Soon, her sitting room resembled an icy hellscape. It didn’t bother her. At her cultivation level, and as the child of an Immortal who specialized in frost magic, she was all but immune to the cold.

When her anger was spent, and nothing remained but sorrow, Avaline threw herself onto her ruined couch and wept.

“Young Mistress,” a woman’s voice called out from outside the sitting room. “May I come in?”

Avaline ignored the voice and continued weeping. The door to the room opened anyway. A few moments later, Avaline felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked up to find her handmaiden, Cordelia, gazing down at her with a worried expression on her face.

Cordelia shared many of the same features as Avaline, which made sense since she was a spirit beast raised from birth to be Avaline’s companion and guardian. She was a Frost Wolf, a race of spirit beasts that prowled the dark and icy places of the world. Thanks to Immortal Frost Moon’s influence, Cordelia managed to create a perfect human form. It was hard to tell that she was a spirit beast just by looking at her.

Like Avaline, Cordelia had snowy white skin, long white hair, and icy blue eyes. However, from there, they differed. Cordelia had a lean and toned body. Her features were sharp, and her voice had the slightest wolfish rasp to it.

Avaline, on the other hand, was what many would consider a peerless beauty. Her face looked like it had been carved by a god, breathtaking in its perfection. As for her body, she had overheard one of the other disciples of the Frost Moon Sect describe her as voluptuous and built for sin. “Twin peaks without equal” had been one of the phrases he used.

Avaline had made sure to punish him for that.

“Oh Cordelia,” Avaline said.

She threw herself into Cordelia’s arms and wept into her handmaiden’s shoulders. Cordelia rubbed her back and made soothing noises.

“There there,” Cordelia said. “Everything is going to be all right, Young Mistress. Leaving Mt. Full Moon isn’t the end of the world.”

“You already know about that?” Avaline asked, her voice thick with tears.

“Yes. Sect Leader Trystan informed me and the other servants before he left.”

So, it really was happening. She had been banished from Mt. Frost Moon for the next five years; by her own father no less.

“It’s not fair,” Avaline whispered. “I didn’t make Brother Alex do anything. I just caught his attention. That’s it. He’s the one who tried to assault me. Why am I being punished for defending myself?”

“I know, Young Mistress,” Cordelia said. “People are afraid of your Beguiling Charm ability. They see shadows and malicious intent where there are none.”

Avaline buried her face deeper into Cordelia’s shoulder.

“Mt. Frost Moon is my home,” she said, her voice muffled. “I don’t want to leave.”

“If it helps, Young Mistress, don’t think of this as a punishment. Think of this as an adventure. There is more to the world than Mt. Frost Moon, and now you get to see it for yourself.”

At this, Avaline pulled back and gave her handmaiden a skeptical look.

“But the Myriad Rivers region? There’s nothing there, except a few minor clans and a handful of petty sects.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Young Mistress,” Cordelia said with a frown. “My intuition tells me that this banishment will turn out to be more important for you than either of us realize.” Her frown cleared up. “If nothing else, you won’t be going alone. I’ll be by your side.”

Avaline wiped her tears away and pulled Cordelia in for a proper embrace.

“Thank you, Cordelia,” she said. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

***

Vivian studied the walls of Crescent Moon City with a critical eye. At half the height of the walls that protected The Crossroads, her birthplace, they were nothing impressive. It lowered her opinion of the Myriad Rivers region even further.

Oh, there was nothing wrong with the region itself. While it was a backwater, Vivian didn’t mind it at all. The region was quaint and beautiful, and the people were friendly for the most part. In particular, she liked the many rivers that gave the region its name. As someone born and raised in an arid environment, the abundance of water amazed her. If she had come here during a different season, she might have even viewed this trip as a vacation of sorts.

However, she didn’t like the cold. With autumn in full swing, and winter not far ahead, the temperatures had dropped. It was cold this far north, colder than she was used to. Since Vivian was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, the cold had no actual effect on her, but she still hated it. She had even bundled up in thick wool clothing to keep warm. Excessive, according to her Master. Vivian considered it being prudent.

The leaves had already fallen from the trees, and the weather would soon take a turn for the worse. The snows weren’t that far off. As someone who had never experienced snow, and had never wanted to, Vivian had prepared as many measures as possible to deal with it.

Even now, the weather was gray and overcast. The wind had a bite to it.

She turned to her Master, who stood next to her. They both stood at the side of a road leading towards Crescent Moon City. In the distance stood one of the city’s gates. Trades and businesses that catered to travelers were clustered around the gate. A steady stream of traffic entered and exited the city. Most were mortals and their beasts of burden, but there were plenty of cultivators as well. They flew in on flying swords and immortal boats.

Vivian noted that most wore uniforms with patterns and designs indicating their allegiance.

The two of them attracted a bit of attention. They stood out, with their light brown skin and dark hair, while the locals in this area tended towards pale skin and lighter hair colors. They also both carried glaives, an uncommon weapon in these parts. Their clothing was of a foreign style as well, more suited to the arid landscapes to the southeast. Well, her master’s clothing stood out. Vivian had bought winter clothing the moment they had arrived in the Myriad Rivers region, even though it was still just autumn.

“Why are we here again?” Vivian asked her master. “You never did tell me why we made the journey here, with winter approaching. Why couldn’t we have come in spring, or better yet, summer?”

Her Master, Elder Baldric of the Thousand Blade Sect, was a gruff man with a serious looking face. He had also been the one to raise her, and Vivian considered him more of a father to her than her actual father. She had known him her entire life, all nineteen years of it. In the time they had been together, she had rarely seen him smile.

One day, months ago, Master Baldric, had announced that they were leaving The Crossroads and traveling to the Myriad Rivers region, to Vivian’s horror. She had questioned him, argued with him, and pleaded with him, to no avail. He was insistent, and Vivian, as his disciple, was duty bound to obey. Not once during their journey had he explained the reason for it.

The journey itself was uneventful, for the most part. Vivian had managed to finish building her foundation, which delighted her. Now all she needed to do was form her dantian in order to step into the Energy Gathering stage. At least her cultivation hadn’t suffered, so this trip hadn’t been a loss in that regard.

Master Baldric didn’t say anything for so long that Vivian thought he wouldn’t answer her question.

“I received word from your father,” he said, his voice low enough so only she could hear it.

Vivian froze for a brief moment.

“And what did the esteemed Immortal Skysplitter say?” she asked, matching his volume. She also managed to infuse every word with sarcasm.

While Immortal Skysplitter was her father, and an unknown woman in the Nascent Soul stage was her mother, Vivian had never met either of her parents. They were strangers to her. The only one she considered her parent was Master Baldric.

Still, Immortal Skysplitter had sired her. She owed him some filial loyalty for that, if nothing else. Besides, he had ensured that she never starved and had a place to call home. Instead of living in the lap of luxury, Vivian and Master Baldric had lived a more humble existence in one of The Crossroads’ more modest neighborhoods.

Immortal Skysplitter hadn’t wanted to repeat the mistake he had made with his first son, and Vivian’s long dead brother, Gavin.

“Your father paid a visit to Immortal Farsight, a loose Immortal who specializes in divination,” Master Baldric said, ignoring Vivian’s sarcasm. “He had a reading done for you. According to Immortal Farsight, you will have a fortuitous encounter here in Crescent Moon City sometime in the near future.”

This stunned Vivian. This was the first time Immortal Skysplitter had shown any kind of interest in her since she had been born. A part of her wondered if he had forgotten about her. Apparently not. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“What sort of fortuitous encounter?” she asked, wary.

“One that will help you with your…other nature.”

Vivian felt her blood run cold. She felt a single pulse come from somewhere deep inside her. It was her demonic nature’s way of letting her know that it was paying attention.

“Is that really necessary?” she asked. “As long as the seal is in place, my Demon’s Wrath ability won’t go out of control.”

Like her brother Gavin, Vivian had the Demon’s Wrath ability. It gave her the strength of a raging demon, but at the cost of her reason. Growing up, she had heard stories of Gavin, or the Thunder Demon as most called him, each one more gruesome than the last. Unfortunately, those stories only slightly exaggerated Gavin’s atrocities.

For most, these stories had been entertainment. For Vivian, they had been cautionary tales. They warned her of what she could become if she wasn’t careful.

“The seal in you is only a stop gap measure, Vivian,” Master Baldric said, shaking his head. “The more powerful you become, the less effective it will be. If you don’t learn how to control your other nature, it will overwhelm you.”

Vivian sighed and looked to the overcast sky. She wished she hadn’t been born with the Demon’s Wrath innate ability, or any innate ability for that matter. The abilities the children of Immortals were born with were almost always demonic in nature. It made sense since most of them had once been an inner demon for their Immortal parent. The nature of their innate ability depended on what kind of inner demon they had been.

That was the dirty secret of their existence. That was why most of them ended up becoming monsters. Thankfully, this knowledge was rare. Only a few knew the truth.

Having a child was one of the few ways an Immortal could get rid of an inner demon, one that had developed after they achieved immortality. Why else would Immortals have children? If they wanted an heir, they would raise a disciple. If they had wanted a family, they would have had children before becoming an Immortal.

This wasn’t the only way an Immortal could have a child, but it was the most common one. An Immortal who actually wanted a child would pick one of the other methods, not this one. Only a complete lunatic would deliberately foster an inner demon in order to have a child.

“We will stay here for as long as necessary,” Master Baldric continued. “After you have this fortuitous encounter, we’ll head back to The Crossroads. In the meantime, we’ll focus on your cultivation.”

Vivian thought it over, and nodded. Then she frowned.

“What kind of fortuitous encounter?” she asked. “Can you tell me that much? That way, I can keep an eye out for it.”

As this, Master Baldric grimaced.

“Immortal Farsight didn’t say,” he said. “According to your father’s message, telling you would ‘spoil the surprise.’” He let out a sigh. “Don’t bother getting angry about it. Immortal Farsight has always been fickle like that.” He nodded towards the city gates in the distance. “Let’s go and find some suitable accommodations.”

At this, the two of them headed towards Crescent Moon City.