It was weird how something as gating as stone scraping across metal could be seem tranquil. Then again, thought Su Ling, before today, she'd never really thought about what higher cultivation meant. She breathed deep, in time with the scrape of the whetstone across the blade laid across her lap, and glanced up at the tremendous barrier of stone that rose up a few meters beyond the border fence she had parked herself on. It curved up and up, a vast dome that contained the whole town and its immediate outskirts.
It wasn't even that, not really, she'd seen Elder Ying reshape the landscape before, dropping a whole section of the forest to create a new valley. Somehow, until today though, it hadn't really clicked.
You know, I guess Su Ling never really thought what it MEANT to have a life goal based around killing an intelligent Cyan beast.
How much collateral damage that might involve.
How she would align that with her morality.
Her ears twitched in agitation as she closed her eyes and echoes of what she'd seen throughout the day. A whole section of the forest flipping up like a trapdoor and arachnid limbs reaching out to drag under centipedes bigger than houses.
Giant Trapdoor Spider holy shit. Is that the one Suyin got drunk with?
And the centipedes again. Sure is a lot of centipedes
The ground writhing with gross fungal things boiling up from the valley only to be torn apart by lashing branches and roots or dragged down squealing and screaming to be re-entombed in the earth.
Hmm, don't think we've met those, but the earth entombing sounds like wherever Lanhua's originator might be?
Fungal things though...never seen those before either.
The earth shaking and the sky splitting apart, the miasmic haze of illusory qi twisting whole sections of the forest into inescapable labyrinths.
And THAT is probably Xin.
"It is frightening, but you performed beautifully, my master. Through your benevolence, lives were saved and is that not enough?" Su Ling glanced at up at the feeling of the weight on her head shifting, tiny claws finding purchase in her thick, curly hair.
"That's one way to look at it Ci," she drawled, glancing up to see her spirit's fuzzy snub nosed face peering down at her. Mostly it just reminded her how irrelevant she was.
"Please do not shorten my name Master, I am proud to be Cibei, the mercy which raise up those trodden upon by injustice!" The little bat said with a frustrated squeak. Though she early second realm now, the spirit hadn't grown much larger, wasn't the type for it, and that suited Su Ling just fine.
The bat is cute!
Hey...think she's up for a kamen rider suit?
"Just fuckin with ya," she snorted, looking back down at her sword. With a sigh, she tucked the whetstone away, she was just going to damage her blade if she kept going. "I know we helped people, don't need you being my hype girl."
"On the contrary Master! Here you sit, morose on the eve of victory. My words are obviously needed!" Her mouthy spirit rebutted.
Still doesn't like taking credit for her deeds?
"So this is where you went to hide Miss Su!" She grimaced, her ears lying flat against her skull as Gan Guangli's booming voice reached her.
"It sure is," she said dryly, not turning around to look at him. Him and his guys might have been the only ones to follow her, after the Elders had declared the truce reinstated, on pain of expulsion.
"And why should the heroine of the hour be alone at a time like this?" Fucking hells how could anyone pack that much pep into their voice, he was like a big dumb puppy. At least he had enough respect for her space to stop a few steps away.
Gan Flexington!
The truce is back, which is a given, can't afford the civil war like atmosphere when the Elders don't have time to divination micromanage the Outer Sect anymore.
"You're lot are the ones who did most of the work," she replied gruffly, prompting Cibei to let out a high pitched squeak of protest.
"Though it shames me, without your words, I would not have thought to come here," Gan Guangli replied, dropping the overblown pep for a moment. "In my complacency, I thought to fortify my own, with no thought that the Sect might need aid."
Well to be fair to Gan the Elders SEEM invincible.
But it does sound a lot like he got over his crushing defeat and restored his spirit.
Oh the Sect didn't, but the village did. She'd been down in that pit with Suyin enough that she knew earth and rock weren't much of a barrier to those things. When she'd scented that oily, rotten stink on the air, she'd had a bad feeling that the dome Elder Ying has raised would not be enough. The town never had too many soldiers in it at the best of times.
Odd, wouldn't Elder Ying know that? Or too busy to actually put her full attention to the defenses?
"A messenger ain't a hero," she shot back stubbornly.
"I dare you to walk through the outer village, look upon the faces of the people there, celebrating their survival, and say so," Gan Guangli said calmly. She hunched her shoulders, scowling somehow she liked him better when he was acting like a feckless moron. "Though it is true that I and my followers fought most, your divination guided us, where would we be without our eyes?"
Hmm, squad scale divination support arts? Seems they carried over fine despite the switch from Lake to Mountain(?).
Also she's very reluctant to take any credit at all...why?
Her gut had been right, mighty as an Elder's power was, with everything going on, some things wormed through the gaps, things beneath the notice of the titans clashing outside, but for a bunch of mortals, a few first realms things crawling out of their basements and sewers weren't so trivial. The city center was safe, guarded by soldiers, but there just weren't enough to cover the whole village.
Its the nomad raider problem all over again!
You know, when you think about it Su Ling is the perfect complement to Ling Qi's tunnel vision focus on her friends and family, someone who looks out for the little guy.
"Mm, a good point perhaps!" Gan Guangli said cheerfully, her stomach sank as she heard the thump of his armored behind hitting the ground with a crash like a cart falling off it's wheels. "Powerful cultivators are often intimidating, even when we do not mean to be!"
"...Can you just not take a hint or what?" Su Ling finally asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"I am told that I am obtuse at times," Gan Guangli agreed cheerfully, the sturdy fence creaked ominously as he leaned against it, a few paces away. "If you wish me to leave, I will do so Miss Su, you have but to ask."
"...Do what ya want," Su Ling grumbled. turning her gaze back to the wall of stone. Cibei laughed at her, the traitor.
Shipping Goggles Engage: Tsundere Formation!
Things were silent for several long minutes. Su Ling had to hand it to him, the oaf was stubborn, she'd never seen him be quiet for this long. "Why'd you come? Truce is on, but that just means no violence, Lu Feng's boys have probably taken a bunch of your shit by now."
"I think you underestimate Miss Xiao somewhat," Gan Guangli replied. "However, it is irrelevant, resources can be regained. If we cannot safeguard our people, then what good are we?"
...yeah they aren't getting past the Bai Spymaster Meido.
And I'm pretty sure that's ALSO a truce violation except the Elders are too damned BUSY.
"Bet that's not how you'll put it in your report to the boss," Su Ling replied dryly.
"It is precisely how I will put it, if perhaps in more formal prose," Gan Guangli laughed. "Lady Cai has no use for sycophants among her direct servants. I follow her because her beliefs mirror mine. No rather, my beliefs are built from hers."
That sounds like an Insight.
"Of course I am. You are a courageous and virtuous woman, I would be most pleased to have you on my side," the cheeky fucker grinned at her.
Su Ling tilted her head, letting her long hair cover the dusting of color that rose on her cheeks. Stupid instincts. "Whatever, not interested in playing soldier."
"As you wish Miss Su," he said, falling silent.
She wasn't going to subordinate herself, Su Ling thought, looking out at the blank expanse of stone. Things were changing though, she didn't know the details of what had happened, but there was blood in the air, her insights were vague things, but… she couldn't help but feel like something fundamental had shifted, she heard drums in the sky and howls under the earth. Things couldn't stay the same. "Enough with the Miss garbage. My name is Su Ling, use it."
Definitely shipping it. Gan X Fluffy Tail
Near to the target, the glob of molten glass and metal hits and explodes, splashing everybody nearby
Ooo, does that mean that for targets who can't or won't move out of the Near range they can't dodge the splash?
D
