"So then, the illusory image of the Heaven-Ordained Fatherly Priesthood Sage stares at the nun and shrugs. He says, 'Don't know the guy, personally, but I heard he did a lot for the community!' Pahahahaha- !"
Jin Huang burst into laughter at his own joke, punching Hei Shisan as he did.
"Ow- son of a- !" Hei Shisan massaged his now aching arm.
The group moved behind them, each member glad they weren't up front with Jin Huang.
All around them, the winds of Albion carried the scent of rain. Not heavy, oppressive storms, nor the dry, biting winds of the northern wastelands.
Albion's rain smelled ancient. Like moss-covered stone and forests older than kingdoms. Like secrets buried beneath roots too deep to uncover.
Mist rolled through the hills in pale ribbons as eight figures moved along a worn path between stretches of emerald wilderness.
Jin Huang stayed near the front of the group, hands behind his head as he lazily scanned the horizon.
Without the golden energy in his eyes, they returned to their pale icy blue, the silvery undertones giving them a sharp, almost luminous appearance.
"This place feels weird," he muttered.
Just behind him, Shen Wuyou adjusted the sleeves hanging from his arms. "Define weird."
"The kind of weird where I feel like I'm being watched by trees." Jin Huang shuddered.
"That is because you are being watched by trees," Lu Chen's voice traveled from the back.
Jin Huang paused, regarding each tree with newfound worry. "You could've lied."
"And miss out on this?"
"Tch! Asshole."
Lu Chen barked out a laugh.
Lin suddenly said, "Better get used to it. Albion's druids are said to blend into nature itself. Some records claim entire forests are their eyes and ears."
Cho Yanshi snorted beside him. "Don't some records also claim that they marry deer spirits?"
Lin shrugged. "I didn't say the records were reliable."
Qin Shuyue glanced around uneasily at the endless forest canopy. "Still… we've been walking for days and haven't seen a single village."
"Likely because of where exactly we are." Han Jianyu said calmly.
The sword cultivator walked with measured steps. Though healed enough to travel, every now and then his breathing would subtly tighten.
"I feel an intense sensation from this stretch of land" he continued. "It's like there's a remnant will embedded in the land itself."
Hei Shisan stretched lazily while balancing atop a fallen stone wall bordering the overgrown road.
"Maybe- just maybe," he said dramatically, "that's the forest telling you we're lost."
"No. We'renot lost, I'm sure." Shen Wuyou replied.
Hei Shisan grinned. "Oh? Are you now?"
The pale youth silently tossed one of his dice, making it spin across his fingers. A three.
Shen Wuyou stared at it, his expression flat and calm. Licking his lips, he tucked the dice away and continued walking.
Nonchalantly, he said "So there's a chance we're lost."
"HAH!"
Jin Huang groaned. "Just follow me, we'll be fine."
—
The first week passed beneath endless grey skies.
They crossed ancient bridges swallowed by ivy, traversed abandoned stone roads cracked by roots and slept beneath towering oaks whose trunks were wider than houses.
Sometimes they would stumble upon ruins with broken watchtowers or collapsed shrines. There were even headless statues, weathered smooth by centuries of rain.
And always, there was the same feeling.
Something watching. Something waiting.
But no matter how far they traveled, there was no sign of Merlin or the druids.
One evening, the group rested beside a small river, glowing a variety of colors beneath both moonlight and the Lake of Avalon above.
Cho Yanshi sat near the fire, lazily rotating a skewered fish while Lu Chen passed a plate of similar fish to the others.
Qin Shuyue sat nearby, drying her clothes after nearly slipping into the river earlier.
"You know," Cho Yanshi said suddenly, "this whole journey feels suspicious."
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"
"We're searching for a legendary druid sage in a hidden land guided only by the memory of a sword spirit tied to a reincarnated king."
"Well when you put it like that, it just sounds stupid." Lu Chen surrendered.
"Because it is stupid."
Qin Shuyue quietly nodded. "A little."
Lu Chen sighed. "And yet here we are."
Cho Yanshi smirked faintly. "I blame that Jin Huang."
"Why me!?" The yellow-haired glutton called from the opposite side of the campfire.
"Because your life attracts nonsense," she half-joked.
"That's not fair!" Jin Huang scoffed.
"It absolutely is," she chuckled.
Even Han Jianyu gave the faintest nod of agreement from nearby.
Jin Huang pointed accusingly. "You too!?"
Lin's calm voice drifted, "They are correct, Arthur."
Jin Huang plopped down on the floor with his fish, arms folded. "Traitors. All of you."
Qin Shuyue giggled softly into her sleeve. For a brief moment, the road no longer felt so heavy.
A few days later, while traversing a narrow woodland trail, Hei Shisan casually slung an arm around Shen Wuyou's shoulders.
"Listen carefully, little strategist. Today, this senior brother shall educate you in the sacred arts."
Shen Wuyou looked mildly concerned already. "The sacred arts of what?"
Hei Shisan wiped his nose, "The Sacred Arts of Dirty Tactics, of course."
Jin Huang immediately perked up. "Oh! I've missed these talks."
Han Jianyu, walking several steps ahead, quietly closed his eyes.
Cho Yanshi muttered, "This can only end badly."
Hei Shisan raised a finger solemnly. "Rule number one: Fair fights are for idiots."
"That feels morally questionable," Qin Shuyue said.
"But morally effective," Hei Shisan countered.
He pretended to draw his sword halfway out, dramatically. "If your enemy is stronger than you... blind them with dirt!"
Jin Huang gaped in awe, but suddenly had a question. "But what if there's no dirt?"
"Pocket sand."
Jin Huang gaped again, the cogs in his brain turning. "…Pocket sand. That's genius!"
Feeling around at his clothes, Jin Huang became dejected. "What if I have no pockets?"
Hei Shisan shook his head disappointedly. "Then you just carry it in your sleeves at all times."
Shen Wuyou stared. "No one in their right mind would actually do that."
Without a word, Hei Shisan flipped his sleeve upside down.
A disturbing amount of sand poured out.
The entire group went silent.
Cho Yanshi looked horrified. "Why do you have that much!?"
"I'm always prepared"
Jin Huang looked inspired. "That's so badass!"
Han Jianyu pinched the bridge of his nose as Hei Shisan continued proudly.
"Rule number two: Always rely on psychological warfare."
"What does that involve?" Shen Wuyou asked cautiously.
"Say increasingly bizarre things during battle until your opponent becomes confused."
"Example?" The pale-skinned young man probed.
Hei Shisan immediately pointed at Lu Chen. "Imagine Lu Chen is fighting me."
Lu Chen frowned, "Why do I have to be part of this?"
"Because you look emotionally stable," Hei Shisan smiled eagerly.
"Oh," Lu Chen relaxed, only for his frown to deepen shortly after. "Wait. Was that an insult?"
Hei Shisan suddenly widened his eyes as he looked to Lu Chen and shouted dramatically.
"YOU FOOL! THIS ENTIRE TIME I'VE BEEN FIGHTING WITH MY NON-DOMINANT EYEBROW!"
Silence.
Qin Shuyue choked on laughter; Jin Huang nearly collapsed. Even Han Jianyu's lips twitched.
Lu Chen stared blankly. "What are you even talking about?"
"Exactly," Hei Shisan said smugly. "Now you're confused. And confusion leads to openings."
Cho Yanshi wiped tears from her eyes. "I hate that this actually sounds plausible."
Lu Chen shook his head, and she jabbed him in the arm.
"Come on, Lu Chen. Doesn't he remind you of yourself when you were his age? Always yammering on about some crazy ideas. Though, I have to admit, he's got you beat in terms of comedy."
"You're crazy. I was nothing like him." Lu Chen spat.
"Rule number three," Hei Shisan declared in continuation, "never reveal all your trump cards."
Jin Huang nodded seriously. "That one sounds like one I've heard before."
"Correct. Always keep one hidden technique reserved."
"What hidden technique do you have?" Qin Shuyue asked.
Hei Shisan grinned. "Spirit Art: Run Away!"
The group burst into laughter. By now, Han Jianyu's shoulders were shaking. Even Lin, who was next to him, had to hold on to him to keep himself from falling over.
Another week passed. Rain became more frequent and the roads became thinner.
Sometimes they would walk for entire days without speaking much at all. Yet strangely, the silence never felt uncomfortable.
It felt lived-in and familiar.
The kind shared by companions who had survived enough battles together that words were no longer always necessary.
Han Jianyu had now returned to what was essentially his peak condition. Even though he lacked his internal energy and any medicinal pills, his body was still able to heal quite quickly.
However, the absence of his sword weighed heavily upon him, even if he rarely showed it outwardly.
That sword had been his companion for a long time; the only sword he had used ever since he decided to become a sword cultivator.
It was supposed to grow alongside him.
One evening, while the others rested near an abandoned chapel, Han Jianyu sat alone beneath a massive oak.
The moonlight filtered through silver leaves overhead, and the hues of the Lake of Avalon glowed brighter than ever before.
"You've been trying to re-enter that state, haven't you? The one you entered during the fight against those immortals?"
Lin's voice emerged calmly from beside him. Han Jianyu had not even noticed his presence.
He did not deny it.
"Any luck?"
"Not even a little bit," the sword cultivator sighed.
"Whenever I try to remember what it felt like to be in that state- to wield that power again- I just feel like I'm getting further away from its source."
"Hm," Lin started. "You reminded me of someone just then."
"Who?"
"King Arthur... I still can't wrap my head around this whole reincarnation thing, but the more I see Jin Huang, the more I see a version of Arthur that found what he dreamed of finding."
Lin's voice softened.
"That freedom. Unburdened."
Han Jianyu looked toward the distant silhouette of Jin Huang, laughing loudly around the campfire. With him, Hei Shisan was attempting to balance fish on Lu Chen's spear.
"I look at him, and see a carefree fool, loud and impulsive. And yet… I also see King Arthur."
"Seeing him like this, he feels nothing like a king," Han Jianyu admitted.
Lin's answer came almost immediately. "That is precisely why he was worthy of becoming one."
The fire crackled not too far away.
"You said he struggled with something?" Han Jianyu recalled.
"Yeah. A similar thing. An understanding of a power that he could not grasp. It limited his growth immensely."
"How did he overcome it?"
Lin frowned and sighed. "He never did. His duties overwhelmed him, and his longing for freedom consumed his free time."
"I think, because of his crown, he slowly became unable of seeing something he could once see clearly."
"His sword became only a tool for his rule, and his sword path ended there."
—
By the third week, the forests had changed. The trees now grew impossibly massive.
Ancient stones covered in odd markings appeared more frequently, the mist no longer fading during daylight.
It also appeared as though the Lake of Avalon was far closer to the earth than it had ever been.
One morning, Shen Wuyou abruptly stopped walking, getting the others' attention.
The pale youth slowly stared ahead. "We are being... led... now."
Jin Huang blinked. "Led where?"
Shen Wuyou tossed his dice, both landing on identical symbols: Sixes.
"Forward," Shen Wuyou gulped.