Chapter 10 – Aftermath

When they returned to the inn, they found Lars standing in the middle of the dining hall, dead bodies scattered around him. The three youths cowered together in the corner of the room, disquieted looks on their faces. As the two women entered, the youths startled, but seemed reassured by their return. Their faces then paled as they recognized the unconscious man Senior Sister Li carried.

“A person came for the disciples. I confronted him, but he disengaged and fled. I did not pursue. I didn’t see their face; I could not see their cultivation. Me, Big Sis Sher. I could not perceive it.” Lars started pacing. His fingers twitching as though he wanted to reach for something but had to keep stopping himself.

Sher recalled his claim of his all-seeing eye, likely gifted by his Master. He could perceive even her veiled Soul. Why did the stranger flee from Lars, if he was skilled enough to avoid Lars’ perception?

“What about the bodies?” Sher questioned. Senior Sister Li held back, observing Lars and spreading her Divine Sense around the inn; satisfied with Sher’s line of inquiry.

“They were injected with some sort of Qi-infused liquid. I… extracted a bit, but it didn’t have any corrupting properties or influence. Though I could not find anything that caused all this,” he gestured at one of the bodies. It looked as if it had been stretched, twisted and then finally deflated. There was no more dark purple Qi spread like veins throughout the body, only deeper furrows left behind.

Li Meilien, who was moving the unconscious Elder to a table in the back, halted and questioned Lars when she heard him. “What do you mean the Qi wasn’t corrupting these people? I have seen it and even experienced it myself.”

Fu Jin hurried over to help his Senior Sister move Elder Feng. Sher noticed his squared shoulders and wary looks cast toward the door and windows. Despite his clear apprehension, he was stepping up to help.

Lars shrugged. “I’m just saying, I won’t argue with you.”

Li focused her attention back on the Elder, and with Fu Jin’s assistance brought him onto the table.

As she started examining his wounds, she ordered, “Junior Sister Sher, Lars, stand watch, please, while I take care of Elder Feng.”

The designated pair positioned themselves near the door, with a good view at the windows.

“What happened out there, Big Sis?” Lars asked in a hushed tone.

“Some corrupted animals, two people who were enhanced by the corruption and semi-lucid. There was even a monster, also affected by the Qi. Yet, it seems that you had to face the perpetrator, while we explored his laboratory.” Sher waved her hand toward Senior Sister. “We rescued the Elder from there, but there were more victims. Elder Feng’s Dantian and brain were infected, but he is putting resistance unlike the other victims. Now, Lil’ Bro, why don’t you share with me what you found out about the properties of this Qi?”

“Huh, Lil’? So, all of that happened.” Lars said. “The Qi wasn’t extraordinary, it tasted somewhat of Dream attributes, but with an aftertaste…”

“Did you eat it?!” Sher interrupted him, disbelief in her voice.

“Just a little bit. I would’ve saved some for you, Big Sis, but it decomposed on its own. I swear!” Lars looked at her with pleading eyes.

“That’s not the issue here, Lil’ Bro, that’s really not the issue.” Sher felt exasperated. “Back to the topic, the Qi had corrupting properties. Did your Master grant you some form of protection perhaps?”

“I have the stones, but that’s it.”

“Stones, as in plural? But if he managed to send you material objects into the Dream… is that your true body? Did your Master just send you here—you, the stones, everything?” Sher had assumed he was a Demigod realm cultivator, who incarnated into the Dream. “Then what is wrong with your cultivation base? No, not important. Are you unaffected because your body and Qi are from beyond?”

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These last sentences Sher whispered, fortunately the other cultivators were focused on administering aid to the Elder. Even the other two boys joined Senior Sister Li, though she delegated them to bring over water and strong alcohol.

“My cultivation base is just fine, thank you very much. It was set by my Master himself.” It was the first time Sher had seen Lars bothered by anything. “And yes, this is the whole of me, here.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Go help Senior Sister remove the Qi infesting Elder Feng.”

“Alright.” Lars joined the others around Elder Feng. After a curt conversation he took the lead in aiding the Elder.

Sher considered all that transpired in the town so far. Finally, having a moment to catch her breath, she had time to think.

She couldn’t know all the details, not until Elder Feng woke up. Even then, there was no reason to think that he would share details with a new disciple.

The enemy was dangerous, but cautious and likely perceptive. They felt confident enough to lure Elder Feng, and competent enough to succeed against him.

They didn’t act against Lars. Did they notice the extent of his cultivation? Or were they hindered, and took caution to not engage an unknown enemy, even if their presence and actions in this region were exposed?

Did they observe her and Li Meilien? Could they have noticed more of her own capabilities?

Would they try to ambush them, now, when they also had the time to consider the unexpected factors? How confident were they that Elder Feng would not wake up?

* * *

“Big Sis Sher asked to give you a hand with the Elder’s injuries.” Lars informed the people flocking around the old man. ‘Lady Immortal is quite eccentric pretending to care for these people. Or is she not pretending? She must have her reasons; it’s no use for me to try to figure out what an old Monster might have in her head.’ Lars threw a quick look over his shoulder at Sherenna. ‘I mean a beautiful Big Sis. Is she reading my mind right now? Is it rude for me to wonder if she is reading my mind, while she is reading my mind? Master always says Soul cultivators are the worst. A Body cultivator will punch me; a Qi cultivator will burn or zap me. A Soul cultivator? Who knows?’

Dejected, Lars returned his attention to the extracted liquid. He was done with the open wounds, now he had to reopen the stitched ones if he were to be thorough.

As he started making incisions, the Foundation Refinement lass tensed and started making noises. Lars ignored her. He was ordered by Immortal Sherenna to do this, so he would do it well.

His Master was concerned about the ambush Immortal Dreamer suffered. But who would have thought that there was someone in the Dream daring enough to tinker with the residues left behind?

And, of course, the best idea his Master had was to chuck him inside.

Lars started siphoning the remaining liquid out of the old man.

‘Just what I wanted… but what can I do? It is what it is.’

* * *

As soon as the procedure concluded, Senior Sister Li ordered, “We are going back to the ship, and we leave immediately. We are exposed and vulnerable staying here, and Elder Feng requires more comprehensive aid.”

Li Meilien considered the present people. “Tang Jun, Yuan Hao, you two will carry the Elder. Fu Jin, you keep close to them and be ready to assist. Junior Sister, please watch their backs. I’ll go in the front.” Her eyes fell on Lars. “You come with me.”

Senior Sister Li exited the inn and focused fully on expanding her Divine Sense, watchful for the enemy.

Sher waited for the others to leave and took her place at the back, closing the formation.

As the first rays of dawn broke the dark of the night, townsfolk who needed to start the day early—bakers, butchers, various craftsmen—roused.

The sound of opening doors startled the three youths walking before her. Fu Jin took the stance taught by Senior Sister Li, while the boys carrying the Elder picked up the pace and closed distance to the Senior Sister. An equally startled middle-aged man looked with surprise at the cultivators and quickly closed the door. After a moment, his face was visible in the window, staring after them with narrowed eyes.

The group left the town and approached the ship. Senior Sister Li summoned her sword and using it flew onto the ship’s deck. “Clear. Quickly, bring up the Elder.”

Soon, with everybody on board and Elder Feng placed in Li Meilien’s cabin, Li took the place at the helm and started feeding her Qi into the ship’s arrays.

The process took a long time; sweat marked Li Meilien’s brows, her breath shortened, her usually stern, stoic face contorted in a grimace of effort.

At long last the ship began to rise. Sher stood on the bow of the ship observing the town. She felt no Divine Sense scanning the ship, nor did she notice any suspicious individual observing them.

The ship moved over the town, and Sher walked to the back of the deck to watch the town recede into the distance.

Still, she felt no Divine Sense. But as she was prepared to slightly relax, she had an ominous feeling of being observed. Just tingling at the back of her mind, an almost unnoticeable shift in the air around her. Not a Soul technique, and she couldn’t determine a potential source among the people below.

The ship sped up, leaving the town and the feeling behind.