The campfire's wavering flames permeated through a canopy of trees. The moisture of the demonic continent had started to fade, now that winter was approaching.
A thin layer of snow engulfed the earth under Vera's feet.
Vera's unseasoned skewers were a thing of the past. Before his departure Linda had packed his bag full of spices and medication.
His skewers were lathered in spices, dripping with fat. The excessive fattiness had more to do with the change in the ecosystem than Vera's preference.
Now that Vera had recovered all of his strength, he was able to hunt for flavour over survival.
"The idiots who say martial artists should only think of food as sustenance aren't even close to the top hundred masters."
Tender boar meat melted as he bit into it. Trails of fat and spice smeared his cheeks.
"Still... to think the Baize's domain is almost two months away. "Vera murmured, his head hung low.
As he listlessly chewed away at the skewer in his hand, he recalled the time he had drinks with Bao and Ken.
The pint glass looked comically small in Bao's hands, almost like a shot glass.
It was well past midnight. The three sat in Ken's backyard.
By a collection of twists and turns, they started talking about the Baize.
"Lord Bao, how was your meeting with the Sage of eternal wisdom?" Ken asked Bao, his back rested against the door to the backyard.
"Sage of eternal wisdom, my ass. He is just an old coot who can't stop talking."
"But... it was a good meeting. He prophesied that we stand at the door of a chaotic era." A quiet smile crept onto Bao's face. Whether that was because of the liquor or memories of an old friend was still in question.
"But my lord... Isn't a chaotic era bad news?"
"Not necessarily. A chaotic era signifies that water turned still will soon stir. What we should be worried about is whether or not the end of the chaotic era will lead to an era of tumult."
"That's fair, I guess," Ken replied, his stubby fingers tapping against his glass.
His glass was placed on the floorboard; Vera decided to chime in.
"Ken, why do you refer to the Baize as the Divine Sage of eternal wisdom?"
"Trying to scout out your next opponent, are we?" Bao asked Vera as a smirk crept onto his face.
"Yes," Vera responded without much thought. His deadpan expression showed that he was definitely Leng's disciple.
"..."
"..."
"You're a bit shameless, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Hahaha." Bao and Ken laughed simultaneously. A low vibration spread through the thick wooden floorboard.
Barely catching his breath, Bao responded to Vera.
"That's because the Baize is also like me."
Glancing at the moon, Bao took a sip of his liquor.
"Unlike us Zhuyans, who only live for three hundred years, unless we attain the precursor, the Baize lives a whopping millennium." His fingers mimed the number ten. Each marking a century.
Vera's eyebrows furrowed. The concept of a being who can live over a millennium outscaled most of what he knew.
However, his shock soon relented. His time on the continent had him accustomed to scales beyond comprehension.
The cup pressed against his lips, Vera took a light swig of his liquor as Bao talked.
"Unchallenged since the advent of Dao Tian, that old goat has had ample time to train."
"The old goat has been a divine sage for over two millennia now."
"Two millennia?! How am I supposed to fight him?" Vera's creased eyebrows morphed into thick lines.
Bao placed his palm on Vera's shoulder, trying to placate him.
"Calm down, little one. That damn goat doesn't fight. He only tests for worthiness."
"Hmm..." Still unconvinced, Vera shrugged. He didn't plan to waste a liquor this fine on brooding.
"The Greater Heavens sure are lazy!" Ken spoke, his wide smile turning into the second moon of the night.
"I can drink to that," Bao replied as he extended his arm to clink glasses with Ken and Vera.
Conversation flowed like the liquor. Matters of the village to insults about colleagues.
Its stretch leading the trio into dawn.
But all good times come to an end.
The night of drinking came to an end at the advent of an angry housewife.
Vera's recollection of the night came to an end at the advent of the stick that held his skewers together.
Vera stood up, dusting off fragments of bark from the log he sat on. A silent smile graced his face; streaks of fat were smudged into his cheeks.
It was now time for his training.
Vera started to manifest constructs of qi in the air.
The first item he manifested was a simple orb.
Despite its simple structure, it carried a strong destructive power. Flakes of snow melted as they reached an arm's length of the orb.
"My manifestations have gotten denser." Vera murmured as his eyes were latched on to the orb.
The deep gold from before now seemed almost solid. Strings of gold split away from the orb only to join back after a few moments.
"That's good enough."
Vera released the orb into a nearby tree.
In the orb's wake the tree had a smouldering hole passing through it and wreaking havoc till who knows where.
Vera then formed an arc with his finger; a golden line formed in the air at his command.
"Go, sword dog!"
The line expanded into the arc of a blade, slicing through the canopy of trees in front of Vera.
The absence of the backdrop revealed a cliff in front of him. Vera nodded at the damage his qi created.
"Good dog," he murmured under his breath. Praise that would never reach his 'sword dog'.
As attempts went on, the manifestations took on more complex forms.
What started as a straight line turned into a circle.
The circle turned into a refined swift sword. Most masters would faint at such a sight.
However, the sword seemed more for show than anything. Disappointed in its superficiality, Vera quickly fired it off.
As he kept on manifesting qi constructs, the evening sun turned to night.
At some point down the line, his qi turned into a crude dog with the very sword that disappointed him in its mouth. Its golden tail wagged as it stared at Vera.
"Sword Dog! You came back!" His face split into a grin.
Vera knelt next to his manifestation and started to pet it. His qi fuelled panting in his 'Sword Dog'.
After a few moments Vera stood up; the silent smile on his face morphed into a furrowed brow.
His eyes latched onto the cliff that his manifestations revealed.
"What am I even doing?" His furrowed brow returned to a blank expression.
"I guess I should disperse you, Sword Dog." His eyes shifted to his prized creation.
His qi fuelled whimpers in the 'Sword Dog'.
Vera's teeth bit into his cheeks.
"I guess another day wouldn't hurt..."
And so Vera continued to train. Blades and bolts of qi ravaging his surroundings, his Sword Dog cheering him on as he trained.
The light of night shone over Vera.
Days of fullness drain a man; sometimes a bit of quiet can charge them back up.