Sky Pride

Chapter 20- Crossing the Paths of Memory

As far as Tian was aware, daoists were the worlds’ leading experts on sitting around doing nothing. A happily yin man like Tian was frankly over-qualified and over-specialized in that department. It was never a fair match.

“Fine. If there was literally anyone else This Seat thought might be even slightly reliable, he would hire them in an instant. This Heavenly Demon has endured dreadful things in the past, this will simply become another pillar of strength for him. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is the slightest chance of you… fine daoists… becoming passible humans.” He had held out a good while, but Heavenly Demon eventually crumbled under the weight of Tian’s patient smile. He took a deep breath, then with an explosive exhale, produced an iron token.

The iron had a rich luster to it, the black hiding faint streaks of white that caught the light at just the right angle. There was a deceptive heft to it too. On one side, the character for Heaven was inlaid in pure white gold, while the reverse had the character for Demon inlaid with carnelian. A more sensibly frugal token than Tian had expected, while still retaining a hint of a lavish air. Fitting, for a force like the Stellar Descent Cult. They couldn’t be too excessive, given the number of things they had to manage.

“Your eyes do not deceive you. That is Celestial Omen Meteoric Iron, refined through the sacred blacksmithing arts of the Cult. The gold is a bit more ordinary, being merely Divine Waters Gold, but its origins… hehehe. This Demon won’t terrify you with things you are unable to comprehend. The preciousness of the Mountain Throttling Boa’s condensed blood essence doesn’t need to be said, given that ancient monster’s terrible name.”

“Of course.” Tian nodded with absolute seriousness, Liren nodding next to him with the exact same expression on her face.

“Primordial Demons protect me, you didn’t recognize a single thing about it.”

“Not true, I could read the characters.” Tian denied it. “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to, what with the different dialects and all.”

“It is very, very precious. Your entire scumbag kingdom, sects included, couldn’t trade for a single corner of it. Everyone will see it and know you are a person serving, shut up! serving one of this Exalted One’s status. A Heavenly Demon is allowed to distribute three of these by the cult. This is this Seat’s third and final token and his greatest sincerity. Take it. And guard this Seat very well indeed!”

Tian and Liren swapped a look, then Liren took the token. “It’s precious. I’d hate for you to lose it in all your storage rings.”

“I think you just like gaudy things.”

“I also just like gaudy things.” She nodded, and pushed the brim of her hat up. She couldn’t wear the head ornament and the hat at the same time, not with any degree of comfort, and she was vocal about missing it. She made a point of wearing the head ornament he had made for her whenever she could. It almost never came off when they were in the cave, and the way she smiled as she admired her reflection in the pond made him want to find a dozen more for her.

“Let’s go. At once. In total silence.” Heavenly Demon’s hair was distinctly fluffy, though it was a bit hard to see if the red light was glowing. The sun was shining too brightly, washing out the color even as it added luster to the Demon’s flawless skin.

“Oh? How did you get permission to leave the ward? I understand it’s quite troublesome.” Tian asked.

“This Demon said in complete silence!”

“You did say that, yes.” Tian nodded. And waited. Unmoving.

The pressure of Heavenly Demon’s art fell on Tian like autumn leaves driven by one of the last warm breezes of summer. You could just smell autumn on it, wishing to be deceived by the remnants of summer’s sweetness.

“Oh that’s quite pleasant. Do you think you could do that more often? It’s very refreshing.” Tian cupped his fist.

“HOW?! HOW?!”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what it is you are doing. I do know that every demon, devil, spirit, ghost, gu, or other unclean thing that dared lay hands on me died horribly, but since this seems quite nice, I’m sure it’s nothing to do with any of that.”

“It really doesn’t have anything to do with any of that.” Heavenly Demon growled. “And if you don’t understand Aura, This Seat will not explain it. The Holy Land is willing to show the Stellar Descent Cult some face, and given everything, are willing to invest in this Demon. Though, this Seat will tell you plainly, your ability to return is likely nil for the next few centuries.”

“Nah, Master said I can bring them home with me.” Burning Heaven fixed her plumage. “He said it was a good chance to stretch my wings, but I still must come home. Brother Brightheart is stuck on the Mountain, though. Something about some insight he had, Master said he would look after him.”

“Insight?” Tian asked.

“Something about finding the light in the dark? He thinks about these things too much. Ayah! I’ve been trapped on this mountain too long. What are you waiting for?”

Tian and Liren shared a look and leapt up onto the back of Burning Heaven. “Not sure how I feel about going back into the Wastes.” Liren murmured in Tian’s mind. Heavenly Demon didn’t waste a single breath. He blew his whistle and was flying away on his tiger before the echoes of the sound had faded. They were headed directly for the ward, no detours needed nor permitted.

“I’m very sure about how I feel. I hate the thought. It’s the right choice, though. It means our future path will be broader, with more options. The limitations on the arts available in the wasteland are just too severe.”

“Huh? You are making your own arts. Since when did you care about the quality of what you pick up?”

“My art has to come from somewhere. If all the books I read are trash, then naturally, my creations will be trash too. And much as I enjoy infuriating Heavenly Demon, he’s almost certainly right about having better body refinement methods, better spells, better medicines, better everything. Think about it - if we knew the hidden realm was there, we couldn’t really do anything with it beyond mining, and even that sounds iffy. Heavenly Demon’s spent more than a hundred years already fully prepared for whatever the hidden realm can throw at him. We just aren’t standing on the same starting line.”

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Liren nodded. “The Wastelands of Song aren’t properly our battlefield. There would probably be things to find if we went adventuring in the other kingdoms, but even if they were twice as good as what the Monastery could offer, it’s probably still not at the level of an unranked sect in the Northern Expanse. We still have a long way to go before we reach the point where the Kingdom and the Monastery can’t support us, of course.”

Tian nodded, his mind already back in the Wasteland. It was seared into his heart. He knew that no matter how many centuries passed, he would still smell the sands, still taste the hot air, still feel his brothers and sisters blood on his hands, still feel the pain of trying his best and watching a life slip through his fingers. He would never forget that feeling of utter despair when he thought Liren had died, or the black fury that fell on him after the disastrous heretic raid on Camp Redknife. Going back, even for a good reason, felt like he was inviting avoidable pain.

“Oh Hell! Down! Burning Heaven, fly down right now!” Tian yelled.

“Eh? Why?”

“Because I know what happens when you cross that barrier!”

It was, if anything, worse crossing the ward for the second time. There was a feeling of anticipation, keying up their nerves to twanging anxiety. The shock of the thin air was paralyzing, leaving them gasping, desperate to bring in enough air, and failing. Tian and Liren had prepared spirit crystals to ease them into breathing the thin air of the lowlands. The Heavenly Demon declared that he did not need such petty contrivances. Tian decided later that it was best not to say anything about it. Nothing he could say would hurt more than the thrashing and drooling the Heavenly Demon had done. The man spent almost two days in his portable house before he would come out again.

Tian didn’t let Liren set up their brand new portable house. He wanted to save it for just the right moment. Besides, it was fun to watch the little spirit wolf run around through the open flaps of the tent. The cultivators might have been feeling very sorry for themselves, but the little furry fellow seemed more adaptable. At the present moment, he was engaged in a long campaign to strike fear in the hearts of voles. Mice were nice, and crickets were always a fun choice, but the little burrowing vole seemed to have a special place in his heart. The way he pounced and terrorized the easily terrorized beasties was the only thing that could even briefly de-mope Burning Heaven.

Once everyone was feeling up to traveling, they decided to make as few stops as possible. It was no problem for Burning Heaven. She could fly for a week and not feel the strain. It was a little harder on Heavenly Demon, but at this point he was desperate to be going. They agreed on stopping every three days, picking lakes far from humans, or remote mountains, or clearings deep in the woods. Heavenly Demon always looked faintly disgusted when he glanced down. Tian got the impression it was less personal contempt and more revulsion at the overall situation.

“These forests should be teeming with valiant beasts, daring humans to press their claim even a single inch further into the woods. Birds should flock in the sky, forcing all but the strongest to travel by sky junks, heavily armed and armored, with powerful guards to guarantee a reasonably safe flight. And that is just beasts and birds! Where is the fire in those little cultivators down there? They grub about, betraying each other, toasting each other, turning bandit or hero or degraded guard for some merchant, but who among them dares flip the table? Even the so-called heretics lack the guts. They simply want to change which thin ass sits on that rotted, rattan chair they call a throne, and dream it might be their own.”

Heavenly Demon reclined next to the fire on a padded mat with a triangular stack of tube-shaped cushions at one end. It seemed odd, but the tubes stayed in a cohesive whole and the inhumanly beautiful Heavenly Demon seemed comfortable enough.

“Natural treasures? Naturally there are no treasures. Miracle medicines? It’s a miracle if there is medicine. The less said about the state of crafted weapons and armor, the better. Every word is merely a curse in disguise, burdening capable crafters outside the mockery that is this wasteland.”

“You sound sad about that.” Tian crouched next to the clay pot, carefully making sure the embers didn’t get it too hot. He had used Heavenly Realm water, though he couldn’t get Heavenly Realm rice.

“This Demon is sad about it. For himself. The weakness of this place has meant this Seat has seen no meaningful progression in almost two hundred years.”

“How does that work, exactly? From what I’ve picked up, you condense the energy of the stars within you and use that to power your aura.” Liren’s back was to them. She was taking the time to work on her secret project. Whatever it was, it didn’t need much equipment, or big motions with her hands. It all seemed to be done in her lap.

Heavenly Demon snorted and looked away. Eventually, he started shifting around and answered. “That is correct, as far as it goes, but while this Seat is not some beggarly daoist, he does pursue his own…” His voice trailed off, as he searched for the right word.

“Path?” Tian asked, all innocence. He got a filthy look back.

“That is entirely too common a metaphor for one religion to try and claim.” The Heavenly Demon stuck his hand in the ashes of the fire and stirred it with his fingertips, bringing up a palmful of glowing embers. “This is no particular achievement. Anyone around this fire could manage as much. One of the human cattle would be horribly burned. After holding it for so long, their hand may well be permanently ruined, a vessel for infection, the terror of amputation balanced against the terror of death. But if he could do such a thing, and survive, it would be an achievement.”

“An empty one.” Liren shrugged.

“Just so.” To Tian’s surprise, the tall cultivator nodded with absolute seriousness. “Empty. Worse, without the right foundation, it would be a corrupt achievement. It would need some great purpose to give it meaning. Overcoming it with petty tricks would cheapen it, failing to grow from it would negate it. These are all the public teachings of our cult, and they are true, if at best a mere gesture towards the greater truths.”

“Your path requires achievements with meaning, and since you are already a person of power and significance, your achievements must be on the same scale.” Tian smiled slightly. “I can relate, though from the other direction.”

“Other direction? Ah. You were so weak, achieving anything was meaningful.”

Tian just nodded. The rice was done. He reached out and picked up the scorching hot clay bowl with his bare hands, setting it to the side of the fire before dusting off the ashes. He lifted the lid, and the smell rose with the steam. Perfectly cooked white rice, steamed fish, and a few steamed mountain onions.

“This will go well with a bit of crushed garlic and some sauce. Shall I fill a bowl for you?” He offered, making eye contact with the tall man.

“Do you really think-”

“I think.” There was naked steel in his voice. Liren looked over at him, before gently leaning back and nudging his shoulder with her head. Burning Heaven was watching the scene closely, her face inscrutable.

The Heavenly Demon watched Tian for a moment, though what he was seeing, Tian didn’t know. “This Demon will eat.” He stretched out a hand that was suddenly filled with a small bowl. “This Demon does not eat much, and the circumstances do not permit him to eat this flesh. He will eat the rice and vegetables, as well as the crushed garlic and sauce.”

Tian properly filled the bowl, according to the Heavenly Demon’s instructions. “There is not a soul in the world that would believe you are a vegetarian.”

“Nor should they. This Heavenly Demon eats mostly flesh. He simply cannot eat this flesh. It is a matter of devotion.”

Tian filled Liren’s bowl, giving her a big piece of the fish, added lots of garlic and just a dash of sauce, with a single onion on the side. Just how she liked it. He then portioned out another piece of the fish and onions, with no rice, for Burning Heaven. What remained was just enough for a small meal. A little less than he had originally planned on, but enough. He smiled at the empty clay pot, and was content.