Chapter 135
The Holy Blade Sect
Yue stared at the hanging gates of gold and jewels looming above her with awe and fear in her gaze. She'd been to Sects before (if only once or twice), though only ever the partly fading Tier I and Tier II Sects—and now she stood beneath the gates of a hegemon, a behemoth ruling the lands far and wide that radiated outward from it.
There was a constant stream of young people going in and out, all enrobed in similar clothes—white robes fluttering backward as they sped along, a sigil of a blade aglow in gold sewn upon their chest. All radiated an immense aura, though whether it was real or imagined entirely by her due to the circumstances... she was uncertain.
Liang and Lu Yang both stood to her left, and both were cloaked and masked. She felt a bit rueful that she wasn't even important enough to hide her face, though if they ever moved southeast and near her family's reign of influence, the story would change. Here, though? She was just a young woman, one among many others, and one with the least import, it felt.
"So, what now?" she asked.
"I've sent a message ahead of us," Liang replied. "They, uh, they think we're merchants with building materials for sale. Once we're in a meeting, I'll reveal myself."
"Really? I thought you'd love the fanfare of everyone stopping whatever they were doing to rush at you and fawn over you."
"I would, very much," he said. "But another time, perhaps."
The three moved to the entrance, where a pair of guards intercepted them, asking for identifications, which Liang promptly provided. After a few moments, a gray-robed young man appeared abruptly and escorted the three to the side, along the massive walls.
Yue saw it—the sprawling lands of the Tier IV Sect. They were like a continuous strata, building upward to a grand structure looming at the center. Around it, buildings arose in strange and ethereal patterns, and they all seemed to have been carefully sectioned off depending on their use. Between the constructs of stone and wood, streams, rivers, and gardens arose, the colors all far more brilliant than she thought possible. Then again, she knew well enough that they were likely enhanced—there was no way any flower would bloom more colorfully outside of the Forest than in it, not without external tinkering.
They weren't led further in, but to a small alcove against a jagged cliff where an ordinary pavilion stood. Its roof was faintly chipped, signs of age showing, though it seemed rather well maintained otherwise. The gray-robed Disciple showed them into one of the side chambers but didn't step in with them, disappearing right after.
Yue sat down on a praying mat nudged against a low-fold table where a few treats could be located: sweets, a couple of ordinary fruits, and three cups of tea—jasmine, by the scent of it—still steaming.
The chamber's walls were lined with flowery wallpaper, with the only decoration being a singular painting—oil on canvas, denoting a figure arching toward the sky, surrounded by the fallen foes, bathed in red.
"Who's he?" Yue asked.
"Sect's Founder," Liang replied. "The story goes, during the War of the Ashlands, a General arose from within the ranks of the Lingshan Kingdom's army—brave, strong, and ambitious. He led the charge in several important campaigns, one of those being the one depicted in the painting—the Battle of Madmen, they dubbed it. Having won, and with the war at its peak, the Lingshan King granted him the charter to start a new Sect where he would train his own legion—thus, in the year 636, the Holy Blade Sect was formed. Unlike most other Sects from these lands, the Holy Blade Sect wouldn't separate itself from the Kingdom for a good while—until becoming a Tier III Sect in 713, in fact."
"Oh," Yue nodded silently. She knew some broad strokes of the Ashlands' histories. Most tomes, as far as she remembered, only really began detailing history starting with around 250 years ago or so, with the Collapse of the Divine Empire of the Moon. Age of Light, the historians dubbed it, as from the Empire arose practically every power that existed in the world today.
As for the history of the Empire itself... Yue didn't know much, if anything, really. Her small Clan was not the sort that had access to such histories.
The doors to the chamber opened as a figure walked in—he was a middle-aged man draped in a... slovenly robe, his hygiene and appearance rather tardy. He didn't even bother greeting them before sitting down, taking out a pipe from his robes, and lighting it with the flicker of his finger.
"What do you have? Out with it," Yue wasn't surprised—and, she noticed, neither was Lu Yang. This seemed just about right when it came to the behavior of someone from a highly ranked Sect, especially when dealing with who he thought were some random merchants. In fact, she wouldn't have thought anything of it if she hadn't noticed Liang's expression darken.
"... what is the meaning of this?" Liang asked, his voice cold.
"Meaning of what? Are you here to waste my time, huh? You have fine seconds--" it happened before Yue could react in any way--Liang shuffled over across the table and grabbed the man by his neck, lifting the latter up as though he were a bag of flour. She turned toward Lu Yang and asked him why he didn't intervene with her eyes—the old man merely shrugged, actually sipping tea instead of doing or saying anything.
"Elder Quian," Liang spoke. "I recall there being a rather specific order within the guidelines on interacting with external merchants—that of humbleness, etiquette, and hallowedness, all three of which you had forsaken in a single bout. Haah," he seemed to recover from his anger rather abruptly, letting go of the man and uncloaking himself. Before the old man had the chance to (likely) spit out a series of curses, he paused, his jaw agape and eyes widened like a blooming lotus. "You know where to go and what to do," Liang said before he turned toward Yue and Lu Yang. "Let's go."
The two stood and followed Liang, leaving behind the still-stunned man on the floor.
It wasn't long before Liang's exposed face resulted in the first bout of fanfare, and then the second, and then the third, and soon a complete gridlock. There were hundreds of Disciples, old and young, swarming him, asking a thousand questions that he had no means of answering, tugging and hugging and pulling, all while Yue and Lu Yang were left ignored.
"Hm? Yue, let's go," Lu Yang pulled her suddenly as they rounded the massive group of people, walking past them and seemingly towards the nearby, two-story pavilion.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Liang told me to go there," he said. "He apparently informed some Elder to meet us."
"Ah."
This pavilion was vastly more decorated than the first—the wood and stone were both polished, the wallpaper grand and graceful, with plenty of paintings and even statues decorating the walls and the halls. All rooms were private, walled off with formations and isolation arrays, and Yue followed Lu Yang as he led her upstairs and to the last room to the left. Nobody intercepted them or escorted them, which confounded her for a moment before Lu Yang chanted something and the doors slowly opened in front of him.
The two entered a rather spacious and brilliant room with a hundred different things lining the wall tables—there were fruits, sweets, meals, drinks, pills, and an assortment of pipes, each with seemingly different herbs. It really drew a direct distinction in treatment and caused her to wonder just how important one had to be in order to be met in this room.
While Lu Yang sat down, Yue walked the edges and tried a few things. Though delicious, that was about the end of her praise; she was spoiled by her Master's cooking and his odd creations and found most other things simply... bland.
It was then that a stirring of the wind startled her as she turned around and saw a newcomer—and someone she very much recognized: Elder Xiaoling.
The woman was still beautiful--no, perhaps even more beautiful than when Yue saw her last--her silver hair having grown a dash longer than before. Her eyes were still radiant, lips curled up in a faint smile, and though she likely held a rather important position, she only wore rather simple, silver robes that fit neatly over her body.
"E-Elder Xiaoling, g-greetings!" Yue quickly fixed her form and bowed, prompting the woman to laugh as she pulled Yue out of the bow and into a hug.
"Welcome, welcome," she greeted. "Hm? You've gotten much stronger since I last saw you."
"As have you."
"You can tell?"
"Not at all. I do presume, however."
"... your Master must be rubbing off on you," Xiaoling said with a wide smile as Lu Yang suddenly coughed. "Ah, my apologies, Mr...?"
"Lu Yang," the old man introduced himself with a proper bow. "Rather unimportant, Master Xiaoling. Merely Master Leo's messenger."
"How is he?" she asked as Yue finally wrestled herself free and sat down next to Lu Yang while Xiaoling sat down opposite of them, sporting a rather relaxed pose and quickly beginning to snack on some fruits.
"Ever the same," Lu Yang said. "If slightly more ambitious."
"Still saving people?"
"Very much so."
"Do you think he would mind a visit?" she said. "Considering my Master's recovery, as well as my own little journey, I am inclined to come bearing many gifts."
"I am sure Master Leo would be delighted," Lu Yang said. "About the visit; gifts? Perhaps less so."
"... hm, indeed," Xiaoling nodded, sighing.
"Though, the Master does require a bit of assistance, which is what brought us here." Lu Yang quickly added.
"Point at it," Xiaoling said. "And take it. No, rather, just take anything you want. You don't even have to tell me or anyone else." Yue saw Lu Yang's eyebrows visibly dance and couldn't help but faintly chuckle—to herself, of course. She wouldn't dare interject in any capacity.
"Master did warn me not to be... greedy."
"You can always blame us," Xiaoling smiled. "Say we've imposed upon you."
"Tempting though it is, I fear the man while he smiles," Lu Yang said. "The nightmares that his ire would cause me... I would rather not tempt them."
"I can't imagine that man being angry."
"He has been," Lu Yang said. "We've had some... dealings in the Forest."
"Hm?" The woman's expression frosted immediately, and Yue—ever for a fading moment—felt pressure that nearly suffocated her. "Apologies. Elaborate, please."
"We aren't certain of much yet, and we wish not to speculate," Lu Yang followed the instructions, Yue knew. He'd repeatedly warned all three of them not to mention Ancient Clans in any capacity, or any other theories they may have entertained. Merely to ask for help in the vaguest way imaginable. "But it has inspired Master to seek... greater things, as it were."
"Such as?"
"He wishes to form a Sect," Lu Yang squeezed the words out rather awkwardly; Yue understood well enough. "I--I understand that the implications are rather severe and that you have every right to reject us--"
"--My words still stand, Sir Yang," Xiaoling interrupted. "Take anything you want. It is yours."
"No," Lu Yang firmly said. "Master Leo has disclaimed that we should not seek any goods from you. He, however, has no working knowledge of how to properly build a Sect. He'd simply hoped you would help in some small ways, or, at the very least, guide us to someone else with the working knowledge."
"..." Xiaoling fell silent for a long while, and even Yue felt tension tighten. She knew they were asking a lot, especially of another Sect that they would be competing with eventually considering the distance between the two, yet still hoped that the woman would help them, if only by pointing them in the direction of someone who wouldn't have the same qualms. "I speculate that whatever agitated Leo is larger than petty differences between Sects and such and probably has something to do with the storm that seems here to stay. I have a suggestion, though you will have to wait for at least a day or two to see if it could be realized."
"What suggestion?" Lu Yang asked.
"I will accompany you back and help."
"!!!"
"The reason why I ask that you wait," she said. "Is that we are set to have a visitor in the next few days, and depending on how the visit goes... it might provide us a decent story as to why I would not be found at the Sect in the future. Do understand: I would not join your Master's Sect. Until the day I draw my last breath, the Holy Blade Sect will be the one place I belong to. Not even Master Leo can change that. But, in consideration of the fact of the changing times and the eternal questions I myself have for him, helping you create a Sect might yet be the best course of action for all of us."
"A-ah, I, uh..."
"Hm?" She suddenly frowned and glanced back over her shoulder. "Looks like our visitor has arrived earlier than expected. You two—do not leave this room under any circumstances. Not until either I or my Master comes."
"Is everything alright? I may not be much," Lu Yang said. "But I still am a Soul Ascendance Realm cultivator."
"E-eh?" Xiaoling exclaimed in shock, though after seemingly examining Lu Yang a bit further, she seemed to confirm as much. "You... really are. My apologies, Master Lu Yang. I have been blind."
"A-ah, not at all, not at all! You are far more impressive than I ever was or will be, Master Xiaoling. I merely offered because you seemed agitated."
"While I appreciate your offer," she said, standing up. "I'm afraid that even Soul Ascendance Realm cultivators aren't enough. Our visitor," she added just before leaving. "Is an investigator sent from the Central Regions of the Ashlands, someone at Nascent Soul Realm. I'm afraid, across these here our lands," she faded, her voice still lingering. "Only my Master has hope of wrangling us out of this with no damage."