If she didn't start at 10 (with the formation) she would have started at 12 (when she set the formation to come down).
That's at most two.
Fourteen is what she started at in the Original Timeline, but it's not a number that's important to this one.
That's at most two.
Fourteen is what she started at in the Original Timeline, but it's not a number that's important to this one.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
True, though it may be important to Bing Meilu, because it's part of her internal narrative of how much better she's doing in this iteration of her life than in her first iteration.
Chapter 70: The Captured Slave Galley
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 70: The Captured Slave Galley
---
Zhang Mubang had once been a humble peasant living on Goldpalm Island. He spent his days as an apprentice to his father, a glassblower. Through exceptional luck, he had managed to join the Eastern Enlightenment Hall as a worker. His talent for cultivation bore fruit, as he soon became an Outer Temple Monk.
He'd spent several decades refining his mastery of the Star Leaping Buddha-Lion Chant until he reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment and could go no further. A stolen Great River Lotus had helped him to overcome the barrier blocking his ascent into the Third Realm, even as it had resulted in his expulsion from the Enlightenment Hall. Thereafter, he was forced to wander as a rogue cultivator, working for various small companies, even as he ceaselessly refined his Inner Core to the peak of the Third Realm.
He'd ended up employed as a member of a caravan escort company in the Flesh Mountains - a cursed, broken aspect of space-time that connected numerous distant parts of the Bird Talon Continent.
It was there he had met a young girl proclaiming herself a stranded member of the Moon Crying Swan Palace- Bing Meilu. A demon attacked, and she'd taught him a forbidden art to unleash the power to defeat it. He'd been crippled, left with scarcely the power to even defend his own life. He had only the vague promise she would acquire medicine to heal him- a promise then dashed when the unthinkably powerful Twelve Headed Bird Sect had one of its heads crushed.
Zhang had all but given up hope of ever regaining his cultivation after the untimely destruction of the Swan Palace. With nothing else to do, he'd simply sat in the shadows and watched as the young girl swelled in power at an utterly ridiculous speed.
She seemed to hand out rare and powerful cultivation techniques like candy, casually building up the foundation of what he suspected would one day become a top-rate sect. After that, a small spark of hope had begun to build back up within him.
Finally, after acquiring the resources from the Redscale clan, she'd made the medicine that healed him and given him an offer just as life-defining as shedding life as a glassworker and becoming a cultivator all those years ago.
Offer his Essence Blood and life as her subordinate, joining her growing power block, or leave and spend the rest of his days in obscurity.
Perhaps it was risky, but cultivating was all about risks. Zhang took her offer with no hesitation, leading to where he was now.
The sickly-looking man sat at the bottom of a deep river, cold, swirling tides washing over his frail form. He'd spent months preparing, gathering power and steadying his heart. He was now as ready as he ever could be.
Zhang Mubang gave one final nostalgic glance at his Leaping Lion Inner Core. For nearly sixty years the Core had accompanied him, through thick and thin.
The Star Leaping Buddha-Lion Chant had been the only cultivation manual he'd practiced, all the way since the days he'd shed his mortality and stepped onto the path of cultivation. But, like all things, it too had to be discarded now that its usefulness had come to an end.
Zhang had never taken to Buddhism as much as the other workers, but a particular teaching came to mind. Crossing the Sea of Bitterness to the Othershore, every attachment was like a log one gently floated on. When you finally reached the sands, refusing to step onto the beach for the love of the boat was missing the whole point.
For cultivation, he spent countless years continually reciting the Buddha-Lion Chant, and for cultivation, he would completely discard it.
His mind turned to the method he would be reforming his Inner Core with- The Golden Qilin River Gate, as Bing Meilu had called it. Just like all the other manuals she'd tossed around like worthless coppers, it was far higher quality and more complex than anything he'd ever seen. Zhang idly wondered if even the core teachings of the Eastern Enlightenment Hall could compare.
Unlike the ten ordinary shatterings of Core Formation, if he failed this, he would likely die. Converting between cultivation manuals became exponentially more difficult as cultivation rose.
Zhang focused on the mnemonic Bing Meilu had taught him. With a final nod of resolve, he swallowed a heart-calming pill and activated the Spiritual Energy Absorption formation carved into the rock below him.
'Shatter!'
Zhang remembered the difficulty in his first Shattering. He was a long way from that wet behind-the-ears Core Formation. His Will and Qi pierced through the Inner Core with practiced ease. A familiar cracking noise reverberated through him, alongside a sharp spike of pain.
Golden-coloured Qi erupted from the frail man like a geyser, illuminating the river with gossamer strands of starlight numbering in the millions. The full power released by the shattering of a Peak Tenth Stage Inner Core was unfathomable. Zhang would either succeed or die here.
'Condense!'
The swirling vortex of golden light suddenly froze. For a moment it was still, before it began to flow in reverse, every speck of golden qi flooding back towards its origin, to Zhang's Dantian. He chanted in silence, mind focused on the mental image of a golden Qilin.
'...Through the River Gate, a carp took flight,
Transformed by dreams, it bathed in moonlight.
A Qilin born, with golden gleam,
A mighty spirit, now supreme.
The Azure Dragons roar, the mighty Kunpengs call
But in the end, the Qilin will surpass them all...'
Thousands of golden symbols slowly appeared around the outer wall of his Dantian. Each was carefully described in the cultivation manual Bing Meilu had given him. If even one character was off, Zhang would not survive this breakthrough.
'Eight thousand,-nine thousand,-ten thousand... Now!'
This was the crucial moment. The last golden character formed, his entire Dantian inscribed with spectacular symbols. Each reflected a ray of golden light, forming a single point where they all met. In a single moment, his Core would reform according to the Golden Qilin River Gate. With no time to think, Zhang focused every part of his Will and self and poured it into that central golden point.
The outside world faded and his senses turned to black.
'Did I succeed?'
The man's body slumped forward slightly as if he had fallen asleep. His eyelids fluttered shut. His chest stopped rising, and his heart stopped beating. As of now... there was no longer a soul within Zhang's body. In other words... he was dead.
Will and Being entirely entombed within the final Inner Core... He'd finally stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm.
One could only imagine how many ancient humans had died in their attempts to discover the path beyond Core Formation. Otherwise, how could they have decided upon such an insane and risky solution?
Above, heavenly rage gathered.
Beneath the waves of the river, Zhang's corpse suddenly shuddered. From deep within his Core, a ray of rainbow light shot forth. Then a second, then a third. Millions of pinpricks of light exploded from the Core like leaks springing from a dam.
Mubang's eyes opened, multicoloured light pouring from them. He slowly rose through the air, water dripping from his robes as he pushed past the surface of the deep waters and ascended into the air above the delta.
"So... this overwhelming power... this is the Nascent Soul Realm?"
An entirely new realm of perception had opened. This was the 'true' spiritual sense. Everyone perceived it differently. To Zhang, it was like staring at the night sky. He could see trillions and trillions of stars around him, each releasing its own light.
Every drop of water, every tree and stalk of grass. Every cockroach, rabbit and snake. Each lit up to his vision, for countless miles he could see perfectly these stars, shuddering and vibrating with life. He could feel warping rays of thoughts travel through long underground roots. In the distance, a mountain mourned sadly.
And even deeper... there was pressure. An invisible power warping every star's light. Where they should wish to fly straight, this strange warp seemed to twist and curve them.
'...Spatial laws?'
Zhang's soul pulsed, pushing against the invisible force. It was brittle and crumbled the moment he shoved at it. Black voids erupted around Zhang, cracks of air instantly filling the emptiness.
'So that's how they do it?'
In the Nascent Soul Realm, cultivators use the swelling power of the unshackled soul to tear the brittle spatial laws of the Jade Sparrow World. They could teleport at will, moving across the battlefield instantly or crossing vast distances with a single thought, and even worse, unleash spatial attacks that were as dangerous to ally as to foe.
However, Zhang did not have the time to revel in his newfound mobility. Turning upwards, he stared at the Heavens. Huge black thunderclouds had gathered, blanketing the sky. In the distance, he could feel the fear of countless lifeforms.
It was time to transcend his fourth Tribulation.
---
Li Ji stared proudly at the finished ship.
Its massive hull was made of a deep blood-red wood resistant to the elements and poisonous to sea creatures. Millions of tiny black symbols were painted across it, numerous complex patterns and formations Bing Meilu had written specifically for the ship. Blazing golden light burned from within it like a lamp, warding off darkness and evil.
A huge cannon pointed from the bow of the ship like the maw of a dragon, ready to rain fiery death down on any of the enemies of the Captured Slave Galley. Hundreds of lesser weapons lined the sides and back of the ship, each manned by one of the outer faction members.
The finished Galley had enough space to carry tens of thousands of people and enough industrial-size spatial storage to supply a city. When Li Ji looked at it using the sensory power of the Dao-Enshrining Scripture, the ship lit up to his senses, a swirling star of wealth surrounded by a constellation of numerous bright lights. A dark red river that signified the cost of expense continually poured from it, alongside an enormous gray vortex that represented the unparalleled future profitability of the ship.
'Months and months of work- It's finally finished!'
Li Ji sighed, a combination of pride and relief. He had never worked on such a dangerous, massive project. Not even managing supplies in the Ashe Mountains came close to the stress of managing the suicidal idiots that worked for him.
But all that was over now. The ship was officially someone else's problem from here on out.
For the second time, Li Ji made his way over to the throne room where Bing Meilu resided. She'd been unusually silent for the past year. No crazy schemes that resulted in dangerous close encounters with continent-shaking top experts. No poorly supplied forays into world-renowned danger zones the faction was only half prepared for. Just quietly cultivating in peace while handing all her previous duties to her subordinates.
Now that the Galley was completed... Li Ji had a sneaking suspicion that was about to change.
He knocked on her door, which was noticeably cooler than the surrounding hall, covered in a thin layer of frost.
"Your majesty, the Captured Slave Galley has been finally completed and supplied. It's ready to disembark at your order."
The door swung open, a horrifying cold draft rushing over the accountant, who hastily shielded himself in jade Qi. He stepped into Bing Meilu's throne room, shivering at the intensely sinister Yin energy that gripped the air before bowing sharply.
Bing Meilu sat atop her throne, eyes closed. For such a young-looking girl, the aura of her Qi seemed horrifyingly powerful and sinister, washing over Li Ji with choking pressure. She seemed even further along in her cultivation in the months since they had last spoken.
"What are your orders, boss?" he asked, voice cutting through the silence.
Bing Meuilu hummed in thought, before opening her eyes to calmly stare at Li Ji.
"There are a few things to do before our first foray into the sea. First, acquire a map of the Snake Scale Archipelago. We will also need an especially large amount of antidotes..."
Li Ji's expression grew more and more reluctant as Bing Meilu rattled off orders. Of course, he had been right... Why did he always have to be right?
'Can our faction ever do something not life-threateningly dangerous? Or is that against the Heavenly laws?'
"Of course, boss. I'll get that done as soon as possible..."
---
I will likely be posting 2 chapters a week, though I don't exactly have a schedule. Also, I now have a discord server and am recruiting beta readers. Here is the link Join the Ninjastar's Story Emporium Discord Server!
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 70: The Captured Slave Galley
---
Zhang Mubang had once been a humble peasant living on Goldpalm Island. He spent his days as an apprentice to his father, a glassblower. Through exceptional luck, he had managed to join the Eastern Enlightenment Hall as a worker. His talent for cultivation bore fruit, as he soon became an Outer Temple Monk.
He'd spent several decades refining his mastery of the Star Leaping Buddha-Lion Chant until he reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment and could go no further. A stolen Great River Lotus had helped him to overcome the barrier blocking his ascent into the Third Realm, even as it had resulted in his expulsion from the Enlightenment Hall. Thereafter, he was forced to wander as a rogue cultivator, working for various small companies, even as he ceaselessly refined his Inner Core to the peak of the Third Realm.
He'd ended up employed as a member of a caravan escort company in the Flesh Mountains - a cursed, broken aspect of space-time that connected numerous distant parts of the Bird Talon Continent.
It was there he had met a young girl proclaiming herself a stranded member of the Moon Crying Swan Palace- Bing Meilu. A demon attacked, and she'd taught him a forbidden art to unleash the power to defeat it. He'd been crippled, left with scarcely the power to even defend his own life. He had only the vague promise she would acquire medicine to heal him- a promise then dashed when the unthinkably powerful Twelve Headed Bird Sect had one of its heads crushed.
Zhang had all but given up hope of ever regaining his cultivation after the untimely destruction of the Swan Palace. With nothing else to do, he'd simply sat in the shadows and watched as the young girl swelled in power at an utterly ridiculous speed.
She seemed to hand out rare and powerful cultivation techniques like candy, casually building up the foundation of what he suspected would one day become a top-rate sect. After that, a small spark of hope had begun to build back up within him.
Finally, after acquiring the resources from the Redscale clan, she'd made the medicine that healed him and given him an offer just as life-defining as shedding life as a glassworker and becoming a cultivator all those years ago.
Offer his Essence Blood and life as her subordinate, joining her growing power block, or leave and spend the rest of his days in obscurity.
Perhaps it was risky, but cultivating was all about risks. Zhang took her offer with no hesitation, leading to where he was now.
The sickly-looking man sat at the bottom of a deep river, cold, swirling tides washing over his frail form. He'd spent months preparing, gathering power and steadying his heart. He was now as ready as he ever could be.
Zhang Mubang gave one final nostalgic glance at his Leaping Lion Inner Core. For nearly sixty years the Core had accompanied him, through thick and thin.
The Star Leaping Buddha-Lion Chant had been the only cultivation manual he'd practiced, all the way since the days he'd shed his mortality and stepped onto the path of cultivation. But, like all things, it too had to be discarded now that its usefulness had come to an end.
Zhang had never taken to Buddhism as much as the other workers, but a particular teaching came to mind. Crossing the Sea of Bitterness to the Othershore, every attachment was like a log one gently floated on. When you finally reached the sands, refusing to step onto the beach for the love of the boat was missing the whole point.
For cultivation, he spent countless years continually reciting the Buddha-Lion Chant, and for cultivation, he would completely discard it.
His mind turned to the method he would be reforming his Inner Core with- The Golden Qilin River Gate, as Bing Meilu had called it. Just like all the other manuals she'd tossed around like worthless coppers, it was far higher quality and more complex than anything he'd ever seen. Zhang idly wondered if even the core teachings of the Eastern Enlightenment Hall could compare.
Unlike the ten ordinary shatterings of Core Formation, if he failed this, he would likely die. Converting between cultivation manuals became exponentially more difficult as cultivation rose.
Zhang focused on the mnemonic Bing Meilu had taught him. With a final nod of resolve, he swallowed a heart-calming pill and activated the Spiritual Energy Absorption formation carved into the rock below him.
'Shatter!'
Zhang remembered the difficulty in his first Shattering. He was a long way from that wet behind-the-ears Core Formation. His Will and Qi pierced through the Inner Core with practiced ease. A familiar cracking noise reverberated through him, alongside a sharp spike of pain.
Golden-coloured Qi erupted from the frail man like a geyser, illuminating the river with gossamer strands of starlight numbering in the millions. The full power released by the shattering of a Peak Tenth Stage Inner Core was unfathomable. Zhang would either succeed or die here.
'Condense!'
The swirling vortex of golden light suddenly froze. For a moment it was still, before it began to flow in reverse, every speck of golden qi flooding back towards its origin, to Zhang's Dantian. He chanted in silence, mind focused on the mental image of a golden Qilin.
'...Through the River Gate, a carp took flight,
Transformed by dreams, it bathed in moonlight.
A Qilin born, with golden gleam,
A mighty spirit, now supreme.
The Azure Dragons roar, the mighty Kunpengs call
But in the end, the Qilin will surpass them all...'
Thousands of golden symbols slowly appeared around the outer wall of his Dantian. Each was carefully described in the cultivation manual Bing Meilu had given him. If even one character was off, Zhang would not survive this breakthrough.
'Eight thousand,-nine thousand,-ten thousand... Now!'
This was the crucial moment. The last golden character formed, his entire Dantian inscribed with spectacular symbols. Each reflected a ray of golden light, forming a single point where they all met. In a single moment, his Core would reform according to the Golden Qilin River Gate. With no time to think, Zhang focused every part of his Will and self and poured it into that central golden point.
The outside world faded and his senses turned to black.
'Did I succeed?'
The man's body slumped forward slightly as if he had fallen asleep. His eyelids fluttered shut. His chest stopped rising, and his heart stopped beating. As of now... there was no longer a soul within Zhang's body. In other words... he was dead.
Will and Being entirely entombed within the final Inner Core... He'd finally stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm.
One could only imagine how many ancient humans had died in their attempts to discover the path beyond Core Formation. Otherwise, how could they have decided upon such an insane and risky solution?
Above, heavenly rage gathered.
Beneath the waves of the river, Zhang's corpse suddenly shuddered. From deep within his Core, a ray of rainbow light shot forth. Then a second, then a third. Millions of pinpricks of light exploded from the Core like leaks springing from a dam.
Mubang's eyes opened, multicoloured light pouring from them. He slowly rose through the air, water dripping from his robes as he pushed past the surface of the deep waters and ascended into the air above the delta.
"So... this overwhelming power... this is the Nascent Soul Realm?"
An entirely new realm of perception had opened. This was the 'true' spiritual sense. Everyone perceived it differently. To Zhang, it was like staring at the night sky. He could see trillions and trillions of stars around him, each releasing its own light.
Every drop of water, every tree and stalk of grass. Every cockroach, rabbit and snake. Each lit up to his vision, for countless miles he could see perfectly these stars, shuddering and vibrating with life. He could feel warping rays of thoughts travel through long underground roots. In the distance, a mountain mourned sadly.
And even deeper... there was pressure. An invisible power warping every star's light. Where they should wish to fly straight, this strange warp seemed to twist and curve them.
'...Spatial laws?'
Zhang's soul pulsed, pushing against the invisible force. It was brittle and crumbled the moment he shoved at it. Black voids erupted around Zhang, cracks of air instantly filling the emptiness.
'So that's how they do it?'
In the Nascent Soul Realm, cultivators use the swelling power of the unshackled soul to tear the brittle spatial laws of the Jade Sparrow World. They could teleport at will, moving across the battlefield instantly or crossing vast distances with a single thought, and even worse, unleash spatial attacks that were as dangerous to ally as to foe.
However, Zhang did not have the time to revel in his newfound mobility. Turning upwards, he stared at the Heavens. Huge black thunderclouds had gathered, blanketing the sky. In the distance, he could feel the fear of countless lifeforms.
It was time to transcend his fourth Tribulation.
---
Li Ji stared proudly at the finished ship.
Its massive hull was made of a deep blood-red wood resistant to the elements and poisonous to sea creatures. Millions of tiny black symbols were painted across it, numerous complex patterns and formations Bing Meilu had written specifically for the ship. Blazing golden light burned from within it like a lamp, warding off darkness and evil.
A huge cannon pointed from the bow of the ship like the maw of a dragon, ready to rain fiery death down on any of the enemies of the Captured Slave Galley. Hundreds of lesser weapons lined the sides and back of the ship, each manned by one of the outer faction members.
The finished Galley had enough space to carry tens of thousands of people and enough industrial-size spatial storage to supply a city. When Li Ji looked at it using the sensory power of the Dao-Enshrining Scripture, the ship lit up to his senses, a swirling star of wealth surrounded by a constellation of numerous bright lights. A dark red river that signified the cost of expense continually poured from it, alongside an enormous gray vortex that represented the unparalleled future profitability of the ship.
'Months and months of work- It's finally finished!'
Li Ji sighed, a combination of pride and relief. He had never worked on such a dangerous, massive project. Not even managing supplies in the Ashe Mountains came close to the stress of managing the suicidal idiots that worked for him.
But all that was over now. The ship was officially someone else's problem from here on out.
For the second time, Li Ji made his way over to the throne room where Bing Meilu resided. She'd been unusually silent for the past year. No crazy schemes that resulted in dangerous close encounters with continent-shaking top experts. No poorly supplied forays into world-renowned danger zones the faction was only half prepared for. Just quietly cultivating in peace while handing all her previous duties to her subordinates.
Now that the Galley was completed... Li Ji had a sneaking suspicion that was about to change.
He knocked on her door, which was noticeably cooler than the surrounding hall, covered in a thin layer of frost.
"Your majesty, the Captured Slave Galley has been finally completed and supplied. It's ready to disembark at your order."
The door swung open, a horrifying cold draft rushing over the accountant, who hastily shielded himself in jade Qi. He stepped into Bing Meilu's throne room, shivering at the intensely sinister Yin energy that gripped the air before bowing sharply.
Bing Meilu sat atop her throne, eyes closed. For such a young-looking girl, the aura of her Qi seemed horrifyingly powerful and sinister, washing over Li Ji with choking pressure. She seemed even further along in her cultivation in the months since they had last spoken.
"What are your orders, boss?" he asked, voice cutting through the silence.
Bing Meuilu hummed in thought, before opening her eyes to calmly stare at Li Ji.
"There are a few things to do before our first foray into the sea. First, acquire a map of the Snake Scale Archipelago. We will also need an especially large amount of antidotes..."
Li Ji's expression grew more and more reluctant as Bing Meilu rattled off orders. Of course, he had been right... Why did he always have to be right?
'Can our faction ever do something not life-threateningly dangerous? Or is that against the Heavenly laws?'
"Of course, boss. I'll get that done as soon as possible..."
---
I will likely be posting 2 chapters a week, though I don't exactly have a schedule. Also, I now have a discord server and am recruiting beta readers. Here is the link Join the Ninjastar's Story Emporium Discord Server!
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... The stern? Not the bow?
I can definitely see reasons for it to be done that way, but I don't think I'd describe it as a "maw," in that case...
It probably literally is against Heavenly law, yes. Heaven really doesn't like Bing Meilu. Admittedly, they have reason.
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Yeah, that should be bow. Fixed.
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
Worse. It's against Bing Meilu's need to speedrun this.
Who knows, the canon on the stern would be most useful when fleeing from powerful entities sent after our frosty Protagonist.
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
Actual sea ship is surprising, I thought it would fly.
- Location
- Australia
I see no reason why it can't do both unless flying is for higher ranked factions only.
That's the hammer, the heavenly law trying to make her fail is the anvil, and the rest of the faction is being crushed between them.
Nah, Heaven's will is the electric fence, Bing is the monster truck, and her faction is the bugs on the windshield.
But where is the unparalleled genius of the group, and what unparalleled heights has his cultivation soared to in this intervening time?
I am of course referring to Private Ji Hui.
I am of course referring to Private Ji Hui.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I'm pretty sure that in the grudge match between Heaven and Bing Meilu, Bing Meilu threw the first punch.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
Well... heaven would certainly claim so.
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
Bing Meilu would say so too, and in fact take pride in the fact.
Heaven doesn't need to have been aware that Bing Meilu existed to have been doing things she'd find objectionable.
Heaven does a lot of running of the Jade Sparrow World, if mostly(?) indirectly, and the world is pretty shit; and the Godsblood Crisis needs to have come from somewhere. If Bing Meilu decided that something needed to change, odds are she was "starting" a fight with Heaven, in that before she did it things weren't a fight, just Heaven throwing their weight around and getting what they wanted for it.
And given her care for her subordinates, odds are good we'd respect whatever reason she'd have for that.
Hmm. I wonder - given the caliber of enemies she picks, might Bing Meilu's habit of proclaiming her subordinates to be shit have grown out of a history of said enemies trying to go after her through the people she cares about? Making her constant performance of disrespect a defense of said subordinates - every enemy convinced she doesn't care is an enemy that won't bother to attack them.
Heaven does a lot of running of the Jade Sparrow World, if mostly(?) indirectly, and the world is pretty shit; and the Godsblood Crisis needs to have come from somewhere. If Bing Meilu decided that something needed to change, odds are she was "starting" a fight with Heaven, in that before she did it things weren't a fight, just Heaven throwing their weight around and getting what they wanted for it.
And given her care for her subordinates, odds are good we'd respect whatever reason she'd have for that.
Hmm. I wonder - given the caliber of enemies she picks, might Bing Meilu's habit of proclaiming her subordinates to be shit have grown out of a history of said enemies trying to go after her through the people she cares about? Making her constant performance of disrespect a defense of said subordinates - every enemy convinced she doesn't care is an enemy that won't bother to attack them.
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
My understanding is that the Godsblood Crisis and that Anti-Chosen was proof that something was happening to virus/corrupt the heaven, probably a remnant of that thing I can't the recall the name of right this second.
Xi Fu Interlude 4
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Xi Fu Interlude 4
---
Xi Fu blazed through the air like a javelin. His Heaven Defying Spear Intent shrouded him in hazy white light as he soared. Forests and marshes and mountains passed beneath him as he sped in the direction of Redscale City.
Seventieth Port Snake to Redscale City. It had taken weeks on foot. Now flying under the power of his Embryonic Spear Heart, he had already made it halfway in a mere few hours.
"Hey! Who the hell are you? This is the Great River Cities territory-"
A man in blue robes flew up ahead of Xi Fu trying to block his path. While a cultivator could indeed simply fly through the air, there were social conventions on how to respectfully travel through the territory of other powers.
However, the spear cultivator was a member of the continent's single hegemon, so these rules did not apply to him. And even if he were legally required to slow down to show respect to some sect, he still would not. Xi Fu had no intention of stopping anywhere but Redscale City, where his daughter lived. Let alone a subordinate sect, even if a God or Buddha was in his way, he would disregard them.
"Hey! I said halt!" the blue-robed man screamed as Xi Fu shot forward heedless of his words. The man's face turned red with anger. He conjured a massive barrier of water before the flying man.
Xi Fu shot through it like it was wet paper, carrying on through the skies. A blink of an eye later, he was far gone. The blue-robed man fell from the air, coughing blood from the backlash of his barrier being destroyed.
'We're both in Core Formation- Who was that guy and how is he so strong?'
---
Xi Fu shot through the air above Redscale City. He didn't even bother entering through the city gates. He merely flashed his identity token as a Captain of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada and no one dared to stop him.
After the Ox Fleet Saint had laid down the law during the BMFS faction's trip to the city, the Redscale clan were making sure to be on their best behaviour when it came to members of their Hegemon's sect.
Xi Fu smoothly sailed through the residential district, landing on the street. Then he strode towards the small home of Xue Xiang, his old flame and the mother of his child.
The air flashed, the tall form of the Redscale Clan Core Formation Expert who had arrested him the last time he had been in the area.
"What the hell are you doing here?" the woman's eyes narrowed fiercely.
"Family business," Xi Fu shrugged. "Now get out of my way."
"You think I buy th-"
"I don't. Have to explain myself. To you." Xi Fu's eyes glowed white with Spear Qi.
A terrifying, intangible intent locked onto the guard, whose eyes widened. With a loud bang, she fell to her knees, hands clawing at her throat as she choked. Without lifting a finger, Xi Fu had utterly crushed an expert who technically had a greater cultivation base than him.
'After fighting Ji Longyi, other Core Formation cultivators just don't compare.'
"I know you're probably just trying to do your job," Xi Fu sighed, lessening the pressure of his aura. "But I promise I really do have some private business to attend to. Please just give me a minute...Not that you have a choice."
With the woman restrained by his intangible spear intent, Xi Fu knocked on Xue Xiang's door. It was the same rhythm he would use to signal to her it was him back during their affair.
A minute later, the door opened, as a confused Xue Xiang peeked out. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wha-Xi...Xi Fu?"
"Miss me?" he gave her a charming grin.
"You-you can't be here! What's going on-"
He stepped towards the entrance, but she stopped him, a hand slapping his chest.
"What the hell are you doing here? It's been nine years! You can't just pop up out of nowhere and visit. I'm a married woman. I can't be seen with strange men entering my house!"
"That didn't stop you before?" Xi Fu winked.
"...You need to leave." Xue Xiang frowned, peeking around his head to see if anyone was nearby. "What if someone reports you?"
"I get it. Now that you've finished slaking your lusts on my poor, innocent body, you're tossing me aside like yesterday's trash... "
"Xi Fu!"
"Sorry, I was just kidding," he sighed.
The truth was that... he was incredibly nervous. Humor had always been his coping method for dealing with things outside his comfort zone. But now was not the time for irreverence. Xi Fu steeled himself.
"You don't need to worry about me being seen. I've... settled my debts with the law, so to speak. I'm a free man now! And...I'm not here for some mid-day sex or anything frivolous. I'm here to see my daughter."
Xue Xiang immediately shook her head.
"No way! She doesn't even know about you!" the concubine hissed. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
Xi Fu looked at the stressed-out woman. Xue Xiang was a lowly concubine. Legally, Ji Ran's property. Beat her, sell her to someone else, or even execute her. Those were all things he could do should he please. And would, if he ever found out she had cucked him and gave birth to someone else's child.
He imagined living with that fact for nine years, constantly worrying that the truth would come out and her life would be over. It must have been unbearable.
Xi Fu gingerly placed a palm on her shoulder.
"Just... look at me for a second."
Xue Xiang paused at his words, looking at the man. His white decorated robes symbolized his membership in the Armada. His glowing identity token revealed him as a Captain, a Core Formation Expert. She blinked in utter disbelief.
"The Xi Fu before you is no longer the Xi Fu of old. That's right. I outrank that bastard Ji Ran. No more skulking around in the dark out of fear of shame. I'm going to meet and claim my daughter. I'm not letting her live her life thinking she's the spawn of that fat pervert. And If old Ji had a problem with it, I'll feed him his teeth."
"It's...it's only been nine years. You were barely a cultivator when we last met."
Xi Fu winked.
"Turns out I'm actually pretty talented...Although some of the credit goes to my terrifying boss."
Xue Xiang seemed to barely parse his words, her eyes wide.
"Look, I know you hate him as much as I do. You should be ecstatic."
"I...I'm not a little girl anymore. I've made peace with my place in life. For all intents and purposes, Ji Ran is Xiyi's father. You'd be upending her whole life. Do you really want everyone to think that she's actually a bastard?"
"If anyone insults my daughter, I'll gently explain to them why that's a mistake, while I hang them with a noose made of their own entrails." Xi Fu said. "I understand why you have hang-ups, but I've made up my mind. I won't back down. I'm her real father. She deserves to know who I am."
"You think it's okay to just waltz back into her life out of nowhere. Can you even imagine how stressful something like this would be for a child? She'd think her whole life was a lie-"
"Her whole life is a lie," Xi Fu interjected. "And that ends today."
"You-you can't just show up after almost a decade and replace the man she thinks is her father! You just abandoned us! You could have brought us with you when you ran- I didn't even know you were gone until I saw the damn wanted posters!" Xue Xiang began to rant. "What gives you the right-"
Xi Fu closed his eyes, letting her words wash over him. He wouldn't dispute them. He probably deserved an even harsher tongue-lashing than the gentle mother was capable of.
"I'm not going to say you're wrong. That was probably my biggest mistake, and I imagine I'll spend the rest of my life trying to pay it off. All I ask is this. Tell me that Ji Ran has been a good father, who visits and showers my daughter with the affection she deserves. Look me in the eyes and truthfully say that. If you can, I'll leave this moment and never come back."
Xue Xiang hesitated, looking away.
Xi Fu gave her a knowing look, before stepping past the doorway and into her house. She sighed, placing her head in her hands.
The insides of her home had changed radically in his absence. Luxurious jade vases and hand-carved, gold-embossed furniture had replaced the somewhat modest interior that had once stood. Beautiful paintings adorned the wall and the eye could barely move a few centimetres before spying an object covered in gold leaf. He supposed that was because she had given birth to a child and thus increased her social standing.
As the spearman looked around the familiar yet strange building, Xue Xiang began to brew a drink in a pink teapot, standing silently.
"You know, I heard my daughter is called Hong Long Xiyi," Xi Fu asked. "Why's that? Even if Ji Ran formally took her in as his child, shouldn't she be called Ji Xiyi?"
Only the core, pureblooded members of the Redscale clan took the last name Hong Long. The mystery of why his daughter was called that had been bugging him since he had first learned of it.
Xue Xiang sighed.
"Xiyi has... a strong bloodline. I haven't been told much, but it's apparently strong enough that she's included as a member of the Inner Clan."
"I see," Xi Fu frowned. "Where is she anyways?"
"In the backyard, playing. Just-just wait a moment."
Xi Fu nodded, taking a seat on a plush couch. The silence was thick enough to cut. Soon, the sound of steam and boiling water rang out. The young mother poured the boiling water into a mug.
Carrying the mug of tea, Xue Xiang walked away. Xi Fu followed her, through the well-furnished halls, until he arrived at a sliding door. She pulled it open, revealing a large, grassy field surrounded by tall fences. It was the same field where the man had first seen his child those months ago.
And standing there in the middle of the grassy field, was his daughter.
She had pale ivory skin and raven black hair. Patches of red scales ran across her cheeks. Two tiny horn nubs had sprouted from her head since he had last seen her.
Hong Long Xiyi held a training spear, a cute look of concentration on her face as she stabbed and twirled and thrust the spear. A smile split Xi Fu's face- He recognized the spearmanship at hand. It seemed she had taken to his style like a fish to water.
'Good thing I left my notes to her!'
Silently, he approached her as she practiced her thrusts. It seemed the perfect time to give some words of advice from one spearman to the next.
"You need to adjust your form," Xi Fu said.
Xiyi spun around, meeting his eyes. She frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked, hands on her hips. "My form is perfect."
"Only in theory. The technique you're using is designed for someone much taller than you."
Xi Fu summoned his spear from his spatial ring and gave a demonstrative thrust.
"But you're much shorter, with a different center of mass. You need to adjust the technique to fit you, rather than simply doing what the book says. Forge your own path."
"But if I'm not following the book, how will I know if I'm doing it correctly?"
"There's no such thing as a perfect or correct way to fight. Only what suits you. Mess around and experiment until you find what fits you."
The girl looked in contemplation, before suddenly pausing and looking back up.
"Wait a second, who are you?"
Before he could answer, Xue Xiang approached, still carrying a steaming mug.
"Xiyi. I brought you some chrysanthemum tea. Come, drink it while it's hot."
The girl eagerly nodded, dropping her spear, running over to her mom and grabbing the mug.
Xue Xiang inhaled deeply, lost eyes flashing over to Xi Fu for guidance. She obviously had no idea how to broach such a difficult subject.
'Time to rip the bandage off,' the man shrugged.
"It's nice to meet you, Xiyi. My name is Xi Fu. And I'm your blood father."
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Xi Fu Interlude 4
---
Xi Fu blazed through the air like a javelin. His Heaven Defying Spear Intent shrouded him in hazy white light as he soared. Forests and marshes and mountains passed beneath him as he sped in the direction of Redscale City.
Seventieth Port Snake to Redscale City. It had taken weeks on foot. Now flying under the power of his Embryonic Spear Heart, he had already made it halfway in a mere few hours.
"Hey! Who the hell are you? This is the Great River Cities territory-"
A man in blue robes flew up ahead of Xi Fu trying to block his path. While a cultivator could indeed simply fly through the air, there were social conventions on how to respectfully travel through the territory of other powers.
However, the spear cultivator was a member of the continent's single hegemon, so these rules did not apply to him. And even if he were legally required to slow down to show respect to some sect, he still would not. Xi Fu had no intention of stopping anywhere but Redscale City, where his daughter lived. Let alone a subordinate sect, even if a God or Buddha was in his way, he would disregard them.
"Hey! I said halt!" the blue-robed man screamed as Xi Fu shot forward heedless of his words. The man's face turned red with anger. He conjured a massive barrier of water before the flying man.
Xi Fu shot through it like it was wet paper, carrying on through the skies. A blink of an eye later, he was far gone. The blue-robed man fell from the air, coughing blood from the backlash of his barrier being destroyed.
'We're both in Core Formation- Who was that guy and how is he so strong?'
---
Xi Fu shot through the air above Redscale City. He didn't even bother entering through the city gates. He merely flashed his identity token as a Captain of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada and no one dared to stop him.
After the Ox Fleet Saint had laid down the law during the BMFS faction's trip to the city, the Redscale clan were making sure to be on their best behaviour when it came to members of their Hegemon's sect.
Xi Fu smoothly sailed through the residential district, landing on the street. Then he strode towards the small home of Xue Xiang, his old flame and the mother of his child.
The air flashed, the tall form of the Redscale Clan Core Formation Expert who had arrested him the last time he had been in the area.
"What the hell are you doing here?" the woman's eyes narrowed fiercely.
"Family business," Xi Fu shrugged. "Now get out of my way."
"You think I buy th-"
"I don't. Have to explain myself. To you." Xi Fu's eyes glowed white with Spear Qi.
A terrifying, intangible intent locked onto the guard, whose eyes widened. With a loud bang, she fell to her knees, hands clawing at her throat as she choked. Without lifting a finger, Xi Fu had utterly crushed an expert who technically had a greater cultivation base than him.
'After fighting Ji Longyi, other Core Formation cultivators just don't compare.'
"I know you're probably just trying to do your job," Xi Fu sighed, lessening the pressure of his aura. "But I promise I really do have some private business to attend to. Please just give me a minute...Not that you have a choice."
With the woman restrained by his intangible spear intent, Xi Fu knocked on Xue Xiang's door. It was the same rhythm he would use to signal to her it was him back during their affair.
A minute later, the door opened, as a confused Xue Xiang peeked out. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wha-Xi...Xi Fu?"
"Miss me?" he gave her a charming grin.
"You-you can't be here! What's going on-"
He stepped towards the entrance, but she stopped him, a hand slapping his chest.
"What the hell are you doing here? It's been nine years! You can't just pop up out of nowhere and visit. I'm a married woman. I can't be seen with strange men entering my house!"
"That didn't stop you before?" Xi Fu winked.
"...You need to leave." Xue Xiang frowned, peeking around his head to see if anyone was nearby. "What if someone reports you?"
"I get it. Now that you've finished slaking your lusts on my poor, innocent body, you're tossing me aside like yesterday's trash... "
"Xi Fu!"
"Sorry, I was just kidding," he sighed.
The truth was that... he was incredibly nervous. Humor had always been his coping method for dealing with things outside his comfort zone. But now was not the time for irreverence. Xi Fu steeled himself.
"You don't need to worry about me being seen. I've... settled my debts with the law, so to speak. I'm a free man now! And...I'm not here for some mid-day sex or anything frivolous. I'm here to see my daughter."
Xue Xiang immediately shook her head.
"No way! She doesn't even know about you!" the concubine hissed. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
Xi Fu looked at the stressed-out woman. Xue Xiang was a lowly concubine. Legally, Ji Ran's property. Beat her, sell her to someone else, or even execute her. Those were all things he could do should he please. And would, if he ever found out she had cucked him and gave birth to someone else's child.
He imagined living with that fact for nine years, constantly worrying that the truth would come out and her life would be over. It must have been unbearable.
Xi Fu gingerly placed a palm on her shoulder.
"Just... look at me for a second."
Xue Xiang paused at his words, looking at the man. His white decorated robes symbolized his membership in the Armada. His glowing identity token revealed him as a Captain, a Core Formation Expert. She blinked in utter disbelief.
"The Xi Fu before you is no longer the Xi Fu of old. That's right. I outrank that bastard Ji Ran. No more skulking around in the dark out of fear of shame. I'm going to meet and claim my daughter. I'm not letting her live her life thinking she's the spawn of that fat pervert. And If old Ji had a problem with it, I'll feed him his teeth."
"It's...it's only been nine years. You were barely a cultivator when we last met."
Xi Fu winked.
"Turns out I'm actually pretty talented...Although some of the credit goes to my terrifying boss."
Xue Xiang seemed to barely parse his words, her eyes wide.
"Look, I know you hate him as much as I do. You should be ecstatic."
"I...I'm not a little girl anymore. I've made peace with my place in life. For all intents and purposes, Ji Ran is Xiyi's father. You'd be upending her whole life. Do you really want everyone to think that she's actually a bastard?"
"If anyone insults my daughter, I'll gently explain to them why that's a mistake, while I hang them with a noose made of their own entrails." Xi Fu said. "I understand why you have hang-ups, but I've made up my mind. I won't back down. I'm her real father. She deserves to know who I am."
"You think it's okay to just waltz back into her life out of nowhere. Can you even imagine how stressful something like this would be for a child? She'd think her whole life was a lie-"
"Her whole life is a lie," Xi Fu interjected. "And that ends today."
"You-you can't just show up after almost a decade and replace the man she thinks is her father! You just abandoned us! You could have brought us with you when you ran- I didn't even know you were gone until I saw the damn wanted posters!" Xue Xiang began to rant. "What gives you the right-"
Xi Fu closed his eyes, letting her words wash over him. He wouldn't dispute them. He probably deserved an even harsher tongue-lashing than the gentle mother was capable of.
"I'm not going to say you're wrong. That was probably my biggest mistake, and I imagine I'll spend the rest of my life trying to pay it off. All I ask is this. Tell me that Ji Ran has been a good father, who visits and showers my daughter with the affection she deserves. Look me in the eyes and truthfully say that. If you can, I'll leave this moment and never come back."
Xue Xiang hesitated, looking away.
Xi Fu gave her a knowing look, before stepping past the doorway and into her house. She sighed, placing her head in her hands.
The insides of her home had changed radically in his absence. Luxurious jade vases and hand-carved, gold-embossed furniture had replaced the somewhat modest interior that had once stood. Beautiful paintings adorned the wall and the eye could barely move a few centimetres before spying an object covered in gold leaf. He supposed that was because she had given birth to a child and thus increased her social standing.
As the spearman looked around the familiar yet strange building, Xue Xiang began to brew a drink in a pink teapot, standing silently.
"You know, I heard my daughter is called Hong Long Xiyi," Xi Fu asked. "Why's that? Even if Ji Ran formally took her in as his child, shouldn't she be called Ji Xiyi?"
Only the core, pureblooded members of the Redscale clan took the last name Hong Long. The mystery of why his daughter was called that had been bugging him since he had first learned of it.
Xue Xiang sighed.
"Xiyi has... a strong bloodline. I haven't been told much, but it's apparently strong enough that she's included as a member of the Inner Clan."
"I see," Xi Fu frowned. "Where is she anyways?"
"In the backyard, playing. Just-just wait a moment."
Xi Fu nodded, taking a seat on a plush couch. The silence was thick enough to cut. Soon, the sound of steam and boiling water rang out. The young mother poured the boiling water into a mug.
Carrying the mug of tea, Xue Xiang walked away. Xi Fu followed her, through the well-furnished halls, until he arrived at a sliding door. She pulled it open, revealing a large, grassy field surrounded by tall fences. It was the same field where the man had first seen his child those months ago.
And standing there in the middle of the grassy field, was his daughter.
She had pale ivory skin and raven black hair. Patches of red scales ran across her cheeks. Two tiny horn nubs had sprouted from her head since he had last seen her.
Hong Long Xiyi held a training spear, a cute look of concentration on her face as she stabbed and twirled and thrust the spear. A smile split Xi Fu's face- He recognized the spearmanship at hand. It seemed she had taken to his style like a fish to water.
'Good thing I left my notes to her!'
Silently, he approached her as she practiced her thrusts. It seemed the perfect time to give some words of advice from one spearman to the next.
"You need to adjust your form," Xi Fu said.
Xiyi spun around, meeting his eyes. She frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked, hands on her hips. "My form is perfect."
"Only in theory. The technique you're using is designed for someone much taller than you."
Xi Fu summoned his spear from his spatial ring and gave a demonstrative thrust.
"But you're much shorter, with a different center of mass. You need to adjust the technique to fit you, rather than simply doing what the book says. Forge your own path."
"But if I'm not following the book, how will I know if I'm doing it correctly?"
"There's no such thing as a perfect or correct way to fight. Only what suits you. Mess around and experiment until you find what fits you."
The girl looked in contemplation, before suddenly pausing and looking back up.
"Wait a second, who are you?"
Before he could answer, Xue Xiang approached, still carrying a steaming mug.
"Xiyi. I brought you some chrysanthemum tea. Come, drink it while it's hot."
The girl eagerly nodded, dropping her spear, running over to her mom and grabbing the mug.
Xue Xiang inhaled deeply, lost eyes flashing over to Xi Fu for guidance. She obviously had no idea how to broach such a difficult subject.
'Time to rip the bandage off,' the man shrugged.
"It's nice to meet you, Xiyi. My name is Xi Fu. And I'm your blood father."
Last edited:
- Location
- USA
Anyone want to set the over/under on how many people he'll need to kill to bring her back to the Sect?
canned Tomatoes
verified non-perishable
- Location
- Germany
Ah, her bloodline is VERY pure and her clan wants her in the inner clan...
Really hoping they didn't make the mistake of engaging her already.
Might not be about how many he needs to kill...
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Hopefully he understands she actually benefits more from staying where she is, at least for a while.
Khaos
Baguette, wine and cheese
I like the wrapping up of this part of Xi Fu's character arc, it was long in the making and this is well deserved. However, there is somewhat of a lack of female characters' povs at the moment, this was initially a consequence of the group Bing took over, but with the induction of disciples from her former sect, and Xia Xuefeng coming back to her in-group, I had expected more screen time for those characters.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Not really, if he can convince Bing, she will get better cultivation treatment on the ship than anything she get's anywhere on the planet.
But like, she is too young to start cultivating this early (presumably why she can pick the spear, she didn't actually start yet), and her social life will suck on the ship, the only company being an eldritch monster in the body of a little girl, a bunch of gangsters, a few traumatized women, and the blood cultivator girl (who is the only real good company), spending there months might be bad for a child.
The obvious solution is stealing a few orphanages.
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
The real trouble is when he shows up back at the BMFS compound and says "Hey boss, this is my daughter, can you please help teach her."
And Bing Meilu's brain needs to reboot because this isFlame Spear Princess Xiyi.
And Bing Meilu's brain needs to reboot because this is