Splat!
A pool of blood erupted from Lian's mouth as his internal organs recoiled from the massive Qi drain. He fell to his knees, his muscles turning to lead. "Shit... I'm losing consciousness," he thought, the world tilting as his vision darkened into a grainy grey. He collapsed, the earth beneath him splitting open into a jagged void as the Small Universe began its final dissolution.
"Ha... I guess that was a bit too much for him," Bo muttered. He leapt off a chunk of falling debris, his form a blur as he intercepted Lian's plummeting body. With a casual wave of his hand, he gathered Lian into his arms.
"Hehe he. I guess we did go a bit overboard," Bo chuckled, looking at the fracturing sky. "This small world is done for; it will remain unusable for about ten years. Such a shame... I really liked the environment here."
Using his free hand, Bo reached out and physically tore through the fabric of the dimension. He stepped through the rift, leaving the collapsing paradise behind.
…..
"No! Don't go—!"
Lian bolted upright, his hands reaching into the empty air as if to catch a fading ghost. He sat there, his chest heaving, his fingers trembling. "Damn it... that dream again. I just can't seem to get it out of my head."
He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for his eyes to refocus. The room was unfamiliar, bathed in the soft, warm glow of midday.
"Where the hell am I? What am I doing here?"
His gaze drifted to the stunning architecture of the room. Directly ahead was a small, ornate window. It stood open, allowing the distant, bustling noise of a city to drift inside.
Next to the window sat a large bronze mirror, its surface polished to a high sheen. The walls were meticulously painted with delicate floral patterns, and well-crafted cupboards were scattered around the room with intentional, aesthetic precision.
"Is this... an inn?" he thought, trying to stand. His entire body felt leaden and sore, as if a mountain had crushed him. Then, like a dam breaking, the memories of the fight came flooding back.
"Oh, that's right... I actually managed to break Master's blade. And then... I collapsed." Lian groaned, clutching his forehead and pushing his long, tangled hair back from his eyes.
"I definitely blacked out right after that strike, didn't I?" A slow, involuntary grin stretched across his face as the sensation returned to him. The memory of that moment, the feeling of absolute clarity, the sense that the world was his to reshape sent a shiver of adrenaline through his sore muscles. "It felt... amazing. Like I could do anything."
He forced his leaden body out of bed. His legs felt like jelly, but he managed to stumble a few paces toward a small wooden table near the window. Resting on the surface was a package wrapped in coarse brown parchment, topped with a single, hurriedly scrawled letter.
Lian picked up the paper. It read:
"Dear student, I have to go. Let's meet up at the Crane family. — Bo"
Lian stared at the ink. He raised the paper to the light, turned it upside down, and even checked the back, searching for a map, a hidden message, or even a basic set of directions.
"Tch... that drunkard!" Lian's voice echoed in the quiet room. "He really just left me here unconscious? He couldn't even wait for me to wake up!"
He began pacing the room, his voice rising in a mocking imitation of Bo's deep tone. "'Let's meet by the Crane family. Let's meet by the Crane family!' Unbelievable!"
He stopped, his frustration giving way to a more practical problem. "I don't even know what province I'm in, let alone how to get to the Crane territory." He glanced down at the Azure Jade hanging from his belt; it shimmered with a faint, pulsing light.
"Ah, whatever. Standing here complaining isn't going to change anything."
He turned his attention back to the table, reaching for the brown parchment package Bo had left behind. With a sharp tug, he tore the paper away to see what his master had deemed essential for his journey.
Inside the package were the most exquisite garments Lian had ever seen. They were the colour of the deepest midnight blue, accented with intricate golden lining that shimmered even in the dim light of the room. On the back, embroidered with impossible detail, was a shimmering dragon that seemed to coil and move with the fabric.
As he lifted the robes, several small wooden plaques tumbled out onto the table.
"Ha, what is this?" he muttered, picking one up.
大钱 (Dà Qián — Big Money)
"They just have 'Big Money' written on them? Does he think I'm a child?" Lian's face reddened with a sudden surge of fumes. "Does he really think I'll believe some scrap of wood is currency?"
In a fit of pique, Lian squeezed the plaque in his palm, intending to crush it into splinters. To his shock, no matter how much Qi he funnelled into his grip, the wood wouldn't even creak. It remained as solid as a mountain.
"Ha... so it's not ordinary wood after all." He let out a dry huff, stowing the resilient plaques into his Spirit Book.
Lian spent the next hour in a steaming bath, scrubbing away the grime of three years of mountain training. He used a small blade to carefully prune and shape his waist-length hair into something manageable—long enough to maintain a warrior's dignity, but neat enough to fit the city's standards.
When he finally donned the blue-and-gold robes, they fit him perfectly, contouring to his lean, powerful frame. He walked toward the bronze mirror and stood silent.
"Ha... I actually look like a person now." He shifted his weight, glancing down at the fine silk boots. "But I'd come to enjoy the feeling of the earth beneath my bare feet. Wearing shoes again feels... confining."
He pushed open the door and stepped out. He moved quickly through the passage and began to descend the grand, sweeping staircase of the inn. As he walked, the bustling noise of the common room died down. Scores of eyes drifted upward, drawn by the sudden presence of the stranger in royal blue.
"Kekekeke!" A group of young women huddled together, giggling and pointing behind their fans.
"He's so handsome! Look at his face... and the way those robes move with him," a young girl with her hair tied in two buns whispered loudly, her face flushed. "I could just die right now!"
Lian ignored the whispers, his gaze fixed forward with the calm of a Sovereign. Just as he reached the final step, a servant in a crisp uniform rushed toward him, bowing low.
"Young Master, you are finally awake!"
The servant girl didn't just approach; she glided, her words curling playfully against her lips. "Master Bo told us to inform you that he has departed and that you should follow soon. How was your rest? I heard you were fighting against great forces!"
Before Lian could respond, she lunged forward, her hands slipping onto his arms with bold familiarity. Lian stood stunned for a moment. After three years with only an old drunk and a two-tailed cat for company, the sudden touch of a woman was more disorienting than Bo's sky-blade.
"Huuuuu..."
He took a slow, grounding breath to calm his racing pulse. "He said that, did he? Thank you. Did he... perchance... handle the accommodations?"
"Yes, everything is settled," she responded hastily, her eyes never leaving his face. "He is so handsome," she thought, her breath hitching as she felt the hard, coiled muscle beneath his silk sleeves.
Just then, the rich, savoury scent of roasting meat and aged spices caught Lian's attention. His stomach let out a low, traitorous growl. He hadn't eaten real food, only fruit and tough magic beast in months.
"Show me to a seat," he commanded.
The young girl beamed, practically pulling him forward as the eyes of every patron in the inn tracked his movement. Lian sat, the fine wood of the chair feeling strange after years of sitting on stone and clouds.
"Bring me your speciality," he said. The servant girl nodded eagerly and rushed off toward the kitchens as if her life depended on it.
The silence in the inn broke into a frantic wave of whispering. "Mmmm... who is that pretty boy?" one of the men sitting with the group of girls whispered, his voice tinged with jealousy. "I've never seen the ice goddess Fang Luan looking so enamoured by a guy. She usually treats us like dirt!"