Chapter 24: Jianling
Li Qiang watched in awe as Shen Jintian cleared a section of the underbrush for their campsite.
He had seen the spectacle time and again over the past week of their departure from Jinzhou. But that did not make it any less of a wonder to behold, as the Immortal waved a finger and a sword flew through the air, slicing away the brush to reveal rich earth beneath it. Or how he pulled out a seemingly endless amount of items from the small bag at his hip, tents and a campfire springing to life with the wave of his hand.
The campfire was especially welcome, as the air was colder and crisp the closer they got to the mountains.
As always, Li Qiang extended his arm for his Mistress to hold, dutifully guiding her to the log the Immortal always prepared for her. He had tested his own strength in against the log one night, and after much grunting and groaning managed to move it. The fact that the Immortal moved the log with casual ease was a feat of strength he grew far more respect for, after that.
And, as always, he would retreat to the wagon with the portion of supper the Immortal prepared for him, keeping watch while he and his Mistress exchanged conversation.
This had become one of his favorite rituals during their travels, listening partially to their talks while eating his supper. The conversations they had were usually surprisingly ordinary. Their childhoods, their families. He learned that the Immortal, Shen Jintian, had been raised as a farmhand by his mother and stepfather, while he himself had been ignorant to the fact that his blood father was an Immortal. He also learned that his Mistress was not quite an Immortal, but something somehow even stranger, something that he might have feared more.
"I have been meaning to ask." Cao Xingyue began while Jintian cleaned their dishes. "What is it like, feeling this spiritual energy?"
Jintian paused, looking at her in slight surprise. Li Qiang also eagerly sat up in his seat, not daring to look at the two of them but just as curious about the topic.
"The me in your future did not tell you?" Jintian asked, and Xingyue slowly shook her head.
"I have never inquired about it, from what I remember." She answered. "To be fair, you also did not use your Qi nearly as often then as you do now, so I did not have as many chances to observe it."
Jintian nodded at that. "If I was really only in the Second Circle, then I didn't have a wide reserve of Qi to spare." He chuckled, stowing the supplies inside of his bag of holding and retaking his seat next to Xingyue. He then looked into the fire, his brows creasing in thought.
"It is hard to explain, to someone who has never felt it." He said after a time, his eyes closing as he slowly circulated his Qi within himself. This action, once a concept alien to him completely, now came almost as naturally as breathing. He opened his eyes, smiling at Xingyue. "There is no spiritual energy here, but my Master said that as we get closer to Jianling, there will begin to be a small amount of spiritual energy available. And only once I cross the mountains, will I realize just how starved the mortal world is of it. But as for what it feels like…"
"The simplest answer I can give is that it feels like… life." Jintian finally answered. "Like breathing for the very first time."
Xingyue tilted her head, her lips pursing slightly, and Jintian laughed.
"I know, I know, that's not a very satisfying answer. Ah, but you know what I can do that might give you an idea?" He said, then held out his hand to gently brush against hers. She shivered slightly, almost instinctively pulling away and looking at him cautiously. "It's alright. I'm just going to guide your Qi flow, and bolster it with my own. It is the only comparison I can give to you."
Her brows furrowed adorably, lips pouting before she finally laid her hand in his. Jintian was taken aback by how warm her skin felt in his palm, and politely pretended not to hear or feel just how hard her heart was beating. Instead, he closed his eyes and enveloped her hand with his Qi, willing it to subsume into her through their shared contact.
This was something that his teacher had taught him at the very beginning of his time learning cultivation. Mortals could not detect their own Qi, and thus could not control it. It simply flowed through their meridians naturally, like water in a stream. How cultivators could heal mortals without the use of medicinal herbs was fairly simple. By bolstering their Qi with the cultivator's own, their life force was increased dramatically, if only temporarily. This technique was the simplest for dealing with common colds and sicknesses, and could even hasten the process of healing broken bones or other injuries.
Cao Xingyue gasped slightly as Jintian's Qi flowed through her meridians. It was almost invasive, feeling this glowing warmth fill her veins, but in an ultimately pleasurable way. Xingyue shivered slightly as the warmth filled her completely, like hot broth on a cold day but infinitely more intimate and encompassing.
Jintian pulled away, and a part of her ached when his presence left hers. The warmth remained with her though, fading slowly but still noticeable, and she held her face in her hands as her cheeks grew hot.
Shen Jintian smiled at Xingyue. "It feels a little like that, but… even more complete. Like life itself is enveloping you." He said, and Xingyue nodded slowly, breathing out. She then fixed him with a glare.
"Why did future you never do that!?" She demanded, and Jintian gaped at her in shock.
"What?" He asked, dumbfounded, and she pouted, crossing her arms and turning her nose into the air.
"Future Jintian never did something like that. Selfish. Completely selfish." She huffed, and Jintian felt like thunder was crashing through his mind.
Why… why am I being yelled at for something a future me never even did? It's… that guy's not even me! He exclaimed in his mind, rankled by how unfair it all was. He then remembered that his friend, Li Liuwen, had complained to him once about Feng Yu being angry at him for something he did in a dream.
"It's better to just apologize."
These were words Jintian had said to console his friend. He had reasoned that since he had done nothing wrong, he did not even have to particularly mean the apology, but it might make Feng Yu feel better.
He had never thought such a thing would come back to him in this way!
Sighing at the unfairness of it again, Jintian cleared his throat. "Ah… I'm sorry that… future me never did that. That does feel a little selfish." He said, and Xingyue smiled slightly, turning back to him.
"Well… at least you know. Jerk Jintian." She said, and he scratched his cheek. Just then, he happened to glance at Li Qiang, who was looking at him with sympathy.
It seemed to Li Qiang that even Immortals had their woes.
-
After a few more days of traveling, with the bordering mountains that enclosed the State of Wei growing larger with each passing night, and the Taihe river now so vast in size that Jintian had to squint to see the opposite shore of its bank, the great city of Jianling finally became visible.
Jintian slowed to a stop, as the trio exited the forest line to behold the majesty of the city. It was still nearly a full day's travel away, but the very fact that it was still visible from such a distance spoke to its size.
Carved into the very mountain range it inhabited, the Rock Dragon's Tail, it cut an imposing image. Even from a distance, several towers dominated its landscape, with many large buildings visible above the walls that guarded the city.
"Is it visible?" Cao Xingyue asked from his rear, and Jintian nodded.
"Yes. And it's… at least triple the size of Jinzhou." He replied. Xingyue nodded, while Li Qiang, also sitting in the cart, squinted in an attempt to see what Jintian saw.
"I can't quite make it out yet, Lord." He admitted, and Jintian chuckled.
"You'll see it in another couple of hours. It's quite impressive." He assured the servant, before continuing forward.
A few hours passed as they continued forward, during which time Li Qiang finally could make out the edges of the city. Along their way the trio passed by a number of carts, carriages, and various traveling groups. Contrary to the other groups Jintian regularly passed, however, these people did not seem surprised that a lone man was passing four horse drawn carriages with ease.
Perhaps cultivators weren't such a surprising sight here, this close to the border of the mortal realm. Jintian mused.
After another half a day, with the sun beginning its downward turn into an early evening's orange, he felt something tickling at the edge of his senses. Something that he had been starved of for weeks, now.
Spiritual energy!
It was only the barest, faintest wisp, similar to the amount that would be in Kang Shanxi's cave after it had just begun to replenish itself from Jintian's cultivation sessions. Still, he couldn't help but instinctually soak it in, replenishing his diminished reserves.
After nearly five minutes, his Qi reserves, which had been reduced to nearly two thirds of its maximum, had been restored to nearly eighty percent. He would have continued basking in the feeling of spiritual energy, but a polite cough behind him pulled him away from his reverie.
"Ah." Jintian mumbled, looking back at Xingyue sheepishly. "Sorry, I got distracted."
He had come to a complete stop, and he forced himself to continue onward. Xingyue smiled as the cart rumbled forward.
"Are you excited? Nervous?" She asked, and Jintian turned his head to look at her.
"For what?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, and she waved her hand towards the Rock Dragon's Tail.
"To be leaving. You are less than a day away from leaving this mortal realm behind, now." She reminded him gently, and he blinked in surprise, turning forward again.
That was true, wasn't it?
It was something he had of course realized, but in an almost abstract way. The goal to leave had been something he'd had a concept of for the past eight months, but now that goal was here, in front of him.
He looked around at the last sight he would have of the State of Wei for years, possibly longer. The grand mountains he had always heard of or seen in the distance were now just here in front of him. The Taihe river was rolling beside him, larger than he had ever seen it before. The forests he had grown in, the sky he had been named after, even the very earth beneath his feet.
It would all be different, in just a few hours.
"I guess… a little nervous." He admitted quietly, and Xingyue gently squeezed his shoulder in comfort.
"But you will return here, even if only for a brief amount of time. You will not be leaving it behind forever." She consoled him, and he nodded at that. He felt a strange dizziness in his mind, his damaged heart thumping loudly but slowly in his chest. His skin felt itchy, and a little warm.
I guess I really am nervous, Jintian thought to himself.
As dusk began to take its hold on the State of Wei, the sun slowly beginning to set as darker purple hues stained the sky like ink on parchment, the trio finally rolled into the line to enter Jianling's gates.
The crowd here was even more impressive than it had been outside of Jinzhou. With the coming of darkness, not nearly as many people were exiting the city as entering it.
Jintian was startled slightly as his spiritual sense swept outward, and he was suddenly met with the presence of another person's Qi. He could clearly feel their strength, somehow instinctively knowing that they were only in the First Circle. He was then surprised to find that the cultivator whom he had sensed was in fact one of the guards manning the gate, slowly waving people through into the city's entrance.
He was clearly of a higher rank than the others, however, his uniform more extravagant with tassels hanging from his shoulders, and he seemed to be more of a supervisor than an active guard.
As the trio approached, another guard moved to inspect their wagon, and the cultivator stepped forward with a shake of his head.
The cultivator then fixed their group with a sharp gaze.
"Reason for entry into Jianling?" He asked, and Jintian subtly straightened.
"My companion has a Master she will be studying under, for the duration of her stay." He answered, before he himself looked at the vast, towering mountains that loomed over the city. "And I will be traveling beyond the borders of the State of Wei."
The cultivator guard nodded at that, his expression softening slightly. "I see. Well, if you are leaving the State, you will need to first visit the Border Bureau. They are unfortunately closed for the night, but will be open in the morning at dawn." He said helpfully, and Jintian nodded. His teacher had told him as such. It gave him time to restock his necessary supplies before leaving for Shan'an.
"If I might ask, are there any inns I might stay in? Specialty ones, to be exact." He said leadingly, and the cultivator guard sighed, gently shaking his head.
"Unfortunately not any specialty inns, they are all privately owned residences. But there are several reputable inns along the main road. Otherwise, you three are free to enter." He said. Jintian smiled ruefully, before nodding to the guard.
"I see. Well, thank you." He replied, and the guard waved them through, stepping back once again to let the other two guards resume their duties.
Jintian pulled the cart through the tunnel that led into the city itself, and just like always, was immediately assaulted by the overwhelming sensory overload of city life.
Jianling was somehow even larger than the capital, Jinzhou. Even in the fading sunlight of dusk, the streets were awash with activity, from street vendors to shop promoters calling out for customers, full horse drawn carriages and an endless tide of flowing traffic. But what truly shocked Jintian, was that as he swept his spiritual sense out, he felt the passing of other cultivators.
They were few, as the trio pressed further into the city. Perhaps he would only sense one after every five minutes of walking, and they were all below him in terms of cultivation. But to think that they were common enough for him to casually sense them while navigating the city was something he had not been expecting.
Xingyue patted his shoulder, and as he turned to look at her, he found that she too seemed a little overwhelmed.
"My Master will be in the city tomorrow, but you will not need to take us to them." She told him, and he pursed his lips.
"Are you sure?" He asked, and she nodded with a smile.
"I am sure. Li Qiang will be more than able to guide me. Instead, let us celebrate tonight with some drinks. It will be your last night in the mortal realm, after all." She said, and he nodded at that.
"It has been quite a while since I've drank." He considered, and she patted his head.
"Indeed. Let's find an inn that has food available." She hummed, and Jintian turned back into the city's endless crowd with that newfound goal in mind.