Tsem stopped his breathing then restarted it with a powerful burst, flinging his qi against the glowing raptor in his mind’s eye, desperately throwing it from the core of his being. It worked partially, lessening the strength of its feathered charge. The rest, he was forced to meet with his will, flinging the strength of his self to send it reeling backwards.
With the charge denied, he pushed hard with his qi, launching the demonic beast remnant down his stomach meridian, toward its very end at his little toe. The last impurities bled away, and Tsem kept pushing his breathing technique, buffering with wave after wave of qi. It worked and his impurities cleared far faster than he was expecting. He wasn’t sure why, before this, each night had been a little bit easier than before. He’d thought he’d gotten the hang of his cultivation technique, but tonight the remnant raptor and the trace amounts of qi it carried seemed far stronger than usual. Maybe it was because he was getting closer to finishing the purification of the meridian. He wasn’t sure.
The strength he pushed against waned, and Tsem realized the last of the impurities in his stomach meridian had been burnt away by the intense surge of qi. He sat up, grimacing at the scene around him. He didn’t dare cultivate outside Valesin’s lair where some demonic beast might attack him while he was helplessly oblivious. Of course, that meant every night brought with it a fresh batch of impurities he had to clean before he could take a much-needed snooze.
He began the trudge to the stream, bringing with him a simple bucket he’d carved out. Water always helped with the cleaning, and he always needed a bath after cultivating anyways.
As he got up, he looked with pride at the small mound of interella pelts kept in a corner. They would fetch a pretty sum of contribution points. Even so, it was a depressingly small step towards the next milestone and his acceptance as a true disciple. Elder Goro’s words rang true. It was a bloody deal. Tsem had taken more than a few scratches from the beasts, at least three that would leave lasting scars.
Still, things were looking up, Tsem felt flush with strength. He could already feel his purified meridian bolstering his already improved strength. When he returned from his next trip to the city, he’d be able to begin learning to burn qi. Then finally, he would be on something closer to an even playing field with the demonic beasts he was hunting. Not truly level, but at least comparable.
…
The trip to the city felt far shorter than Tsem remembered, the boost to his cultivation causing even the mundane task of walking to be easier and faster. His natural stride took him a little farther, his legs felt a little less weary than they had before.
As he approached the gate again, he saw a small group of finely dressed cultivators, finer even than those of the Sono or Mond clans, following a behemoth of a man clad in fine furs and hunting leathers, an enormous club strung across his back. They took off into the wilderness at what looked like a light run. When they passed him though, heading in the same direction he had come from, he realized they were moving far faster than it appeared, each step taking them a dozen of Tsem’s.
He turned and watched for a moment; his thoughts filled with admiration. He quickly turned back to his own business when they left his sight, hidden by trees. His first stop in the city was to trade all the demon cores he’d collected with the Sono clan.
Like before, the clerk forced him to negotiate hard just to get a price that felt like a third the true value of the cores. It was still a lot of money, at least to Tsem. His family hadn’t handled much coin, most people in his village had opted to trade in goods or services. It hurt him to then turn around and spend it immediately, but he could earn more money in time. Right now, it made sense to invest in himself so that he could be safer and more effective on the hunt.
“Ho, Tsem.” Lyung, the young proprietor of the leatherworking shop waved at his approach.
“Ho, Lyung.” The words felt a little awkward in his mouth. The greeting seemed to be used almost exclusively on the east side of the river, in what Tsem had taken to calling ‘Da town’. Just like his last visit, the place was filled with bustle, merchants out hawking their wares in the street, various gatherers selling their wares. Lyung was no exception to this, in fact, he might’ve been the worst culprit.
His store, The Spiced Brook, had long since expanded beyond its walls, stretching with its tanning racks and shelves of tools, about halfway into the street. On the other side of the river, Tsem was sure the Mond and Sono clans would have fined him right out of business for such an infraction. They clearly left the east bank to the Da clan though, and they were far more lenient when it came to such things. Even then, Tsem suspected Lyung might have been getting some degree of special treatment.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“What have you got for me today?” Lyung looked less like a gruff leather worker, of which there were plenty working in his establishment, and more like a proper merchant, one with a face that would have made half the girls in Tsem’s old village swoon at that. He was not quite what he appeared though, or at least, not just that. A close examination of his hands showed he was plenty versed in his craft.
Tsem took out a portion of the interella pelts he’d gathered, along with the money he’d gotten from selling the demonic beast cores. “I’ve actually got two projects for you.” Lyung’s eyebrows rose, and he leaned forward, examining the materials.
Tsem had thought long and hard about this. In the end, he wanted to start hunting the occasional more dangerous demonic beast. The rewards, he knew, would be all the greater for it. His hunting leathers, only a few weeks old, were already shredded from his constant fights. He needed something that could endure better and offer him much improved protection. The interella hides would be a step in the right direction, their toughness wouldn’t compare to true armor, but leathers made from them could well still save his life. Lyung agreed offhandedly, it was far from an unusual project. As for the second project…
Tsem took out his latest net woven from needleroot. Like so many before it, it had been partially shredded by a demonic beast he’d caught in it. Tsem explained how he’d been using the nets to an intrigued looking Lyung.
The proprietor scratched his chin, examining the work closely. “I think we could make something like this. It would have to be more flexible than what we usually make, but no less strong. We’d have to give it the proper weight too. It would need to be balanced, in the right way, not unlike a sword.” Lyung grinned. “We’ll make it happen.” He then looked down at the pile of coin. “This is actually more than I should charge you for just this.”
Tsem hadn’t considered that. He supposed he could save the remainder. He didn’t have any important use for it, but he supposed he might be able to buy some proper bedding, it would certainly help him sleep better in Valesin’s lair.
Lyung looked at the remaining coin, clearly unwilling to let it go easily. “Tell you what. We could complete both projects with half the coin if you want. You’d get good results, exactly what you asked for.” He paused. “If you pay with the whole lot though, then I’d be willing to start something of a research project for you.”
Tsem inclined his head. “What do you mean by that?”
Lyung shrugged his shoulders. “I have a particular employee that likes taking on all the unusual tasks we get. Says the normal ones are too boring.” He sighed. “They take far more time on projects than they should. They’re extremely good at what they do, though. If I put your net project in their hands, you’ll get a finer piece, probably a proper weapon rather than just a tool.”
Tsem was fast to agree. The bedding would’ve been nice, but he could continue using his pack as a pillow and some of the pelts he’d collected as a makeshift nest. He would make that sacrifice if it meant getting something better, something that could be the difference between life and death.
Lyung grinned at him, promising he wouldn’t regret his decision. As he was about to leave to visit Elder Goro at the trade hall though, he did hear Lyung mutter something under his breath, probably something he wasn’t supposed to hear. “I just hope she doesn’t end up scaring you away.”
Not wanting to be rude, Tsem decided to pretend he heard nothing and continue on. He had other things he needed to take care of today. It wasn’t far to the trade hall, and Tsem was practically skipping. This was the part he was really looking forward to. He wasn’t sure how many contribution points he’d earn, but he was confident it would be more than last time. At the time, he’d been able to purchase a number of invaluable items, the spear he’d been relying on not least of all.
When he did arrive though, the door was firmly shut and locked. Tsem looked at it in disappointment, looking around for any sign of the elder. He didn’t find any. He probably should’ve expected as much, the older man had mentioned that he took care of the day-to-day running of the entire clan and trained the disciples as well.
With no alternative, Tsem settled against his pack, suddenly regretting his choice to spend all his coin. Now, he had nothing to offer to stay at an inn. He’d have to risk sleeping in the open outside the city if the elder didn’t arrive soon.
“Ho, Tsem.” The familiar voice approached sounding exhausted.
Another voice, sounding curious. “So, this is the one you mentioned.”
“Yeah.” Da Kanuk responded to his companion, another cultivator of the Da clan, seemingly a few years Kanuk’s senior.
Tsem had to admit, the second man looked the part of skilled cultivator even more than Kanuk did. He had two fine short blades strapped to his back, one longer than the other. He wore hunting leathers, not dissimilar to Kanuk’s though seemingly of slightly higher quality, clearly sourced from a demonic beast stronger than any Tsem could hope to face.
“Yes, Senior.” Kanuk really did look tired.
Tsem rose to his feet, bowing low. “Greetings, I’m Tsem, a humble hunter in service of the Da clan.”
The senior disciple shook his head, wild, wavy hair moving with the motion. “If what the young master tells me is correct, you’ll be my junior before too long, so no need for that humbleness.” The man smiled widely, fondness clear on his face. “Besides, I’ll bet you’ll wind up being quite close with my little brother. He’s a hunter right now, same as you.”
“Young master?” Tsem asked confused. He didn’t think he knew anyone who fit the title.
Kanuk gave the senior a rough look, interjecting quickly with a wave of his hand. “This is Senior Da Waska. He is first among the clan’s disciples, second only to the elders in strength.”
Da Waska shook his head. “The gulf between me and them is too wide to compare us. I’m barely stronger than you, young master.”
Kanuk groaned, looking at Tsem sheepishly. “Ignore him, please. He’s been calling me that since forever. He just wants an excuse to stay away from any discussions about being the next patriarch.”
Waska shook his head firmly. “I’m at best a fit to the role Elder Hesu has.” He put his arm around Kanuk’s tired shoulders. “One day, you will be the next patriarch, and not just because you’re the current patriarch’s son.”
Kanuk groaned again, turning away. “Tsem. Would you be willing to come with us on a short trip? Senior Waska and I want to look into the caravan you were part of. There could be information useful to the clan left behind.”
Tsem shuddered slightly. He didn’t want to go back to where his parent’s had been killed, he still remembered that night, how brutal the demonic beasts had been, how little chance everyone had been given. Still, he gave a slight nod. It wasn’t that big of an ask compared to all that the Da clan had done and was doing for him. He would help them. He’d long since settled on that. This was a chance to start walking along the path he’d set for himself.
