Interlude: The Centipede Princess (Patreon)

The Liquid Meridian Realm. In days of yore, before a great power shifted their hand and tied the tongues of the world together, there were many names for the Second Realm. Each of them a unique expression shaped by a cultivator’s experiences on the dark and endless road they traveled and the world around them. According to oral tales passed down in Zumulu through ages golden and cataclysmic and regaled onto a young Bao Si sitting at the knee of Grandpa Xie, their people’s name for it was the River Realm. It was a poetic name. One that attached their home and identity to a Realm that was doubtlessly only discovered after much hardship and loss. Calling it Liquid Meridian Realm was practically stale by comparison.

That is all it was, though, in the end—liquid qi in meridians. Even as she felt power course through her body, improving every single thing about her in every single way. Bao Si was only impressed, not awestruck. She had long set her sights on higher places than a mere Liquid Meridian Realm.

The Rattan Armor Soldier stood respectfully to the side while Bao Si inspected the changes her advancement had brought. Two Liquid Meridian Centipede Gu curled around her shoulders and snapped their mandible menacingly at the soldier. One was clearly older and larger than the other, who still spilled miasma occasionally as it adjusted to its new realm. Around them was the aftermath of her battle with the Gu Department Shaman. The ground was poisoned black, and several trees were slowly dissolving from the intense miasma they’d been infected with. The shaman and his Gu had long been devoured and transformed into energy. It was a benefit that was afforded to all Black Bone Shamans, born from the risk they took personally ingesting the poison used to create their Gu. Few other shamanic traditions in Zumulu could boast the same, and none could do so as easily as the Black Bones could.

“Two Gu,” the Rattan Armor Soldier said. Bao Si could hear the respect in his voice. “You are no ordinary shaman.” The vines making up his helmet splayed open like a booming flower and revealed a young man’s face.

He was fine-featured and delicate of complexion. A frivolous thought arose in Bao Si to ask for his skincare routine before she banished it. The man’s appearance was quite a shocking departure from his earlier actions. He did not look like the type who would brutally murder someone. Bao Si wouldn’t let herself be fooled however, after all, many had thought the same about her before being taught an unfortunate lesson.

The Rattan Armor Solider pressed a fist against his chest and bowed. “I am Qiong Qi. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Bao Si briefly considered hiding her real identity but decided against it. It was pointless, given how tied she was to Xi Wangmu’s rebellion now. It wouldn’t take long for Qiong Qi to discover who she was and reveal the lie. At that point, she would have offended a Ninth-Layer Liquid Meridian for no reason.

“A talented Ninth-Layer Liquid Meridian,” she mentally added.

A youthful face was no real indicator of age amongst cultivators. Advance quickly enough, and any cultivator could retain their youth for decades. From Qiong Qi, however, her Gu could taste vitality that only the young could have. That he reached this level of cultivation at such a young age spoke to his talent and his future prospects.

As counterintuitive as it sounded, cultivators’ increased lifespans only added to the importance of youth. So long as one advanced as quickly as possible, then they would have plenty of time to cultivate for when they reached true bottlenecks. There were some older cultivators who would say that compared to their total lifespan, they were teenagers. Those sorts of people were delusional. Old was old. There was a world of difference between a twenty-year-old Liquid Meridian and a 100-year-old one.

“Not to mention those lotus flowers.”

If she was not wrong in her assessment, then the pant wrapped around Qiong Qi’s shoulders was the Bewitching Lotus of Ice and Fire. Among spirit plants, it was particularly rare and highly ranked. Even better than the Rattan Vine Armor he was wearing. Controlling the Lotus would allow a cultivator to use strong Ice and Fire powers and create a large number of tough vines to trap foes. For those who could subdue it, the Lotus was practically equivalent to a Top-Grade treasure. One that would only grow with time. Possessing it was a mark of ability. The Bewitching Lotus of Ice and Fire had a strong spirituality that was difficult for the average cultivator to suppress. It was also a mark of status. To be able to keep and openly use a plant that even Crystal Transformation Realms would covet meant this Qiong Qi had a background.

Bao Si raised a hand to calm her Gu. They settled down reluctantly, one invigorated by its advancement, the other for its release from its seal. She brought her hands together in a bow. “Bao Si.”

Qiong Qi’s face morphed into surprise. “Bao? Of the royal house?”

Bao Si nodded. “The same.”

“I’ve been disrespectful then, Princess Bao.” Qiong Qi took on a look of consideration. “So the Queen Mother has also gotten her hooks into the Black Bones.”

“That’s quite the thing to say about Xi Wangmu. She is your leader, no?” No matter how dissatisfied Bao Si was with her master selling their people to Xi Wangmu, one did not reveal the workings of one’s home to strangers.

Qiong Qi shrugged. “It’s not as if we’re here with her permission.”

That was…. concerning. Both for her and the other’s current safety and for her people as a whole in this rebellion. The irony was not lost on her that Xi Wangmu had just recently complained to her about the fractious relations between Zumulu’s various tribes.

“That’s quite the thing to admit to someone you just met,” Bao Si said.

“Seeing that we’re standing on the same line now, who can call you a stranger?” Qiong Qi retorted.

“And yet I am tied to Xi Wangmu, and you are not.” It was a dangerous topic to bring up. Sleeping dogs were left to lie for a reason, but the dangerous questions often revealed the most answers.

“Who says I’m not?” Qiong Qi asked.

Bao Si raised an eyebrow and daintily waved her hand. “Your actions? This situation? I scarcely think Xi Wangmu would consider you hers after this stunt.”

“She doesn’t have a choice,” Qiong Qi said. “She needs everyone she can get to fight the Empire. The same is true for us.”

“And yet you decide to go against potentially centuries of planning for what? Because she is a Peach River Cultivator?”

Qiong Qi folded his hands behind his back. He cut a striking figure with his cultivation and the blooming red and blue lotus flowers on his shoulders. “I won’t lie. That may be a strong consideration for many of the cultivators participating in this ambush. It is not the only one, however, and it’s not mine.”

“As you say.” Bao Si slandered Qiong Qi’s posture in her heart even as he noncommittally responded. Only old men could pose like that and make it look refined, like Grandpa Xie.

“I sense a lack of faith from you, Princess Bao.”

Of course, she had none. With allies like these, who needed enemies? “I met Xi Wangmu herself and wasn’t impressed with her ability to face the Empire. I apologize if I have even less faith in you.”

Qiong Qi chuckled. “That’s fair. These sorts of politics aren’t something a nascent rebellion can afford can it? I suppose that’s why the Queen Mother brought you in.”

He was well-informed. Talented. Holding strong treasures. Knowledge of key information involving several higher realms. This Qiong Qi…. his backing may not be any less than her own.

“What backing?” A bitter part of her mind mocked. If the tall tree had no leaves, then what use was its shade? An unreliable backer was little better than having none at all. Worse even. At least with no backer, you had no one to dash your hopes. Her Master’s decision to align the tribe with Xi Wangmu without so much as a by-your-leave from the other Elders would not just cause waves among their people. It was completely anti-ethical to her position as Grand Shaman. She could already foresee what would happen when she returned home and the result. Her begging her Master for answers and not receiving any.

Bao Si felt very, very tired. A light of understanding crystallized. Given who Xi Wangmu was, it was really the only option.  “I suppose you also have issues with the higher realms.”

Qiong Qi carefully observed Bao Si and made a sound of understanding as he seemed to realize something. “The Queen Mother is an old cultivator. Ancient when our ancestors were young and will only get older. She is very patient. Too patient, perhaps. She will plot, plan, and wait for the perfect moment to strike, no matter how long it takes. For us who have been waiting 400 years, however? How much longer can we wait? My Grandfather and Father both ran out the lifespans of the Liquid Meridian Realm, chanting Zumulu’s freedom on their lips. How much longer will she wait? Until I return to the waters as well?” He shook his head and continued without waiting for an answer. “What’s perfect for her is not perfect for us. She would hold us in suspense that we might at any time fight for our lives and freedom and keep that play going up until we die.”

“You could just pass it on to the next generation,” Bao Si said.

“Pass what?” Qiong Qi asked. “For the Star Core Realm, 400 years may be a blink of an eye, but what about us? Since the annexation, the embers smoldering in the people of Zumulu fade with each passing year. If we don’t do anything to light them now when they’re still there, then what price will have to be paid to light them in the future?”

“And you think your efforts here will be enough?” Bao Si asked.

“At the very least, what we have done here will remind those above us that our lacking cultivation compared to them does not make us puppets to be directed however they please.” He looked directly at her. “Perhaps we might find a common cause even.”

There was only one thing Bao Si could say to that.

“You will die.”

They were three short, simple words. Yet they were the truth. What Qiong Qi and his conspirators were doing was madness. They would be lucky to die in the trial compared to what Xi Wangmu or the Star Core Realms following her would do.

Qiong Qi had the nerve to chuckle. “We’re cultivators. If we don’t clench death between our teeth, then what’s the point?”

“Living, I imagine,” Bao Si sarcastically said.

“Well, that’s a question for the philosophers,” Qiong Qi airily replied. He looked over his shoulder at the barrier. “In any case, I have duties to attend to. There’s a particularly dangerous Formation Specialist in there I have to kill. For the sake of safety, I advise you to stay here until I can escort you to the Central Circle. We’ve already harvested the majority of the treasures outside the Trial Pyramids.”

“Wait,” Bao Si said. “I came in here with two others, another Black Bone shaman and our guard.” She had hesitated a moment to reveal Chen Haoran’s identity, but…. it was perhaps best not to. Chen Haoran was not so weak that he needed the special care of the Rattan Armor Soldiers to survive. Given how private he was about his affairs, she would only offend him by spreading it around.

“Ah, that’s simple.” Qiong Qi pulled out a Communication Jade and relayed Bao Si’s descriptions of her idiot and her new mistake. “They’ll be taken care of so long as my men find them.”

“You sound far too casual for someone ambushing the Garrison,” Bao Si said.

Qiong Qi waved her off. “We have our own means. The Garrison has all been separated, and we collected half of them in the killing zones we set up.”

“I repeat. That sounds far too casual for someone ambushing the Garrison.”

Qiong Qi shrugged. “There was only so much we could do. In the first place, we don’t have complete control over the Trial’s formations. If we altered too many things, then the Garrison would have been spooked. Tricking them into thinking the Trial was a single entrance and not a random teleport was already our limit.”

“Just how did you get access to the formations? I doubt you could have gotten it from Xi Wangmu.”

Qiong Qi smiled mysteriously. “That, Princess Bao, is a question better left to those above us to deal with.”

Right. One of these assholes. Unfortunately, Bao Si was in no position to force an answer from him.

Qiong Qi, the smug ass, continued speaking. “I assure you, Princess Bao, no matter how frivolous we might appear, we are taking this seriously. Our plan is foolproof, at the very least.”

Almost as soon as the words left Qiong Qi’s mouth, his Communication Jade crackled with qi.

“Requesting reinforcements to Barrier A! Garrison Resistance higher than anticipated. Captain Aing has fallen, and we’ve suffered significant casualties.”

Qiong Qi frowned and fed qi into the jade. “This is Captain Qiong. Report.”

“Captain! A Second-Layer Liquid Meridian suddenly revealed a wide-scale Metal Element Technique and broke our battle formation. Captain Aing and our skirmishers were lost in the retreat.”

Qiong Qi remained calm as he spoke. “Confirmed. I’m sending the Jungle Team over to you now—”

His words were lost as a pillar of white light lit up the Secret Realm. They whirled around to find a barrier revealed in its entirety, shining with white light and rumbling like a choppy sea. Then it broke into pieces, shards of light falling apart like the barrier was made of sand.

Bao Si turned to Qiong Qi. “Foolproof?”

“I did not say we were dealing with fools,” Qiong Qi retorted. Despite the large upset to their plans, his expression did not change, and he raised the Communication Jade. “Jungle Team, proceed to Barrier A and—”

The jade crackled with qi, and a whisper interrupted him.

“Reporting. Lu Aotian has been discovered. Location Central—” The message immediately cut before it could finish. Qiong Qi fruitlessly tried to re-establish contact and gave up after a few attempts. Before he could say anything else, another message came in.

“Reporting to Captain Qiong! The Formation specialist was just a decoy!”

Qiong Qi frowned. “So we don’t know where he is?”

“We’re searching for him now, sir—”

“Don’t bother,” Qiong Qi said, his face now carefully blank. It seems he also took etiquette classes. He was staring at the barrier next to them that was now slowly fading away. When it was gone entirely, he turned to Bao Si.

“Shall we make our way to the Central Circle?”

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So. The chapter was late. A bit of a crappy way to end the week. Thank you all for your patience. Multiple all nighters this week just ended up taking their toll, combined with writers block and trying to get Bao Si's POV right which I'm still not entirely satisfied with. I would appreciate your thoughts in the comments for future editing purposes. For now I'm going to rest over the rest of the weekend and re-evaluate my writing process so that we can come back stronger on Monday. I hope you enjoy the chapter and have a good weekened.