When Yang Mei heard the news that morning, her enthusiasm tested Felix’s body cultivation. Her mood was so infectious, that they barely lingered and were soon riding fourseason bears down a dirt road. As trees and clouds passed by Felix shifted uncomfortably in the growing silence.

I was totally lost up in her pace. Damnit, I didn’t realize she could be so charismatic! Hopefully, Elder Shen will come through and swing by with Edward at some point. I wasn’t even able to find Xue, and Everglade wasn’t any help. Though it felt like she was hiding something. Such a pain. Now I really want to know what they were doing.

The thought lingered and he felt the silence of the road grow more oppressive.

I was sort of hoping for a more social experience. Hanging out with Xue in the Sect was better than this. Shouldn’t this be where we exchange stories and get closer? Well, I am traveling with an Onooka so maybe a silent journey is expected.

The road was large enough that they could ride even with one another and his eyes settled on his diminutive companion. As always, he was able to discern little of her thoughts from behind the cloak and mask. He turned away from her and glanced at Yang Mei but she quickly avoided his eyes.

Then there's this one. What is going on with her? She was so excited to leave this morning and now she’ll barely talk without prodding. At least she is better than our last minute addition.

His eyes went past Yang Mei to Cixi, the girl's nose deep in a book. The title ‘Body Cultivation Class Lesson 3’ on its cover.

I suppose I should be grateful she wanted to come since I barely know her. I mean, after Everglade said no earlier today, I wasn’t really sure where I would find a fourth member. Luckily, I met her on my way to ask Martel. Though I can’t believe he is in closed door cultivation. I guess he has to work hard at some point, but it doesn’t jive with my image of him.

Felix felt his mount undulate below him even more than usual and frowned down at the creature. The four season bear’s body flowed and shifted with every step, requiring a surprising amount of his physical capability to remain astride the lumbering beast.

Why are these the only mounts they offer to low level disciples? The damn thing shifted from looking like a walking golem to a creature from the deep when we went through the spring section of the formation. Having that occur between my legs scared the shit out of me. Even Cixi and Daiyu were unnerved. Though I will admit while it is tiring, it is also super soft. Wait… if I remove the saddle… mobile waterbeds! Never mind my harsh thoughts you adorable beast of burden, I take back every bad thing I thought about you.

“So, Yang Mei.” Said Felix. The large muscle girl continued looking elsewhere and Felix felt his eyebrow twitch. “Yang Mei? Yang Mei!”

“Oh, um, hi, Felix. I didn’t hear you.” Said Yang Mei. “What did you want?”

“Do we need to do anything specific to take care of the four season bears? I mean it is getting kind of late and I have no idea what we are supposed to do with them.”

“Actually, they are used because they need to eat very little and barely need sleep. It will enable us to sleep and cultivate in shift while not stopping as often.”

“But, but my water bed…

They did not stop that night, nor did they stop the next. The four-season bears were tireless and Felix finally began reading the books he had been allowed to take. The lessons did lack the punch when not being recited by the elders, but he couldn’t help but feel grateful after reading them. The material meant to increase his knowledge gave him a different impression.

This is all so weird. I didn’t really notice it when reading the manuals related to the earth attribute, but it isn’t just that there is some magical addition to the rules of reality. I mean, the way this book describes water makes it appear different from the water than I can remember from my Felix memories. Can the water in the cultivation even made of dihydrogen-…. Monoxide? I think that’s right. Is it even made of dihydrogen monoxide if it can do these crazy things? Some of the principles in the [Golden Droplet Swirl] manual are just… Ah fuck this, I need a break.

A twig snapped and Felix looked up to see a man trip and fall out of the brush on the side of the road.

“Dammit Xi!” Said a gruff voice. “Alright boys, they’ve seen us.”

Felix watched in confusion as something like twenty men, all brandishing weapons, walked out on the road.

“Now, stop and hand over your weapons and drop your valuables.” said a bearded man but his words slowed as he started looking at their robes. “I mean, drop your weapons and hand over your valuables. Oh, shit…”

“Fucking finally!” Said Felix

He leapt off his mount and strode over to the men, soon followed by his companions. A few of the men pulled out rusted swords and tried to incircle. The pathetic attempt was curtailed as Yang Mei sent three of them flying. Felix ignored the others and shot toward the leader who wielded a simple club. He knocked it aside with ease and slapped the man in the face.

Felix stopped in shock as the man went sailing through the air to crash into a tree. Five of the men were already laying on the ground at Yang Mei’s feet.

“Please, mercy, honored cultivators. Mercy.” Said one of the younger ones and dropped to his knees. The others gave him a look and joined him. Their supplications were just as desperate.

That… was not satisfying in the least. Are they all just mortals? Wow, that makes me sound like a battle crazed idiot. I have to admit, I do not enjoy the looks of fear they are sending us. Wait, why do they seem to fear Daiyu the most?

The diminutive girl strode over to stand in front of the leader who had shuffled over on his knees to join his men. Then she pulled her board out and began writing. A moment later, she presented the filled board to the bandits but they only returned confused looks.

“Uhh, excuse us, fairy.” Said the leader between swollen lips, shifting from knee to knee. “none of us can read. Only our village elder could but he’s passed away.”

Daiyu stared down at the bandits before turning to hand the board to Felix. He gave her a raised eyebrow but she made a ‘hurry up’ motion. With a sigh, he began to read.

“You have all committed a grave deed in attacking others and assaulting members of the Martial Alliance. What gave you the gall to attack members of the Thousand Season Sect and the Onooka clan?”

The man’s face turned even whiter when he heard their sect’s names. His eyes went vacant for a moment before he kowtowed.

“A hundred apologize fairy.” Said the man. “I beg you to take my life but spare my men.”

Daiyu looked down at the man. Then her eyes slowly combed over the other fearful faces. She waved a dismissive hand and the men looked on in confusion as she turned, walking away. Equally confused, Felix and the others followed. As they got on their mounts and left, he looked back to see the bewildered bandits getting to their feet.

“Daiyu, why did you let them go?” Said Felix. She made a ‘give me’ motion with her hand and he returned a blank stare. “Um, I am not sure what you want.”

She smacked her mask and pointed to Felix’s hand. He sheepishly handed the chalkboard back.

“Felix, all of them were mortal.” Wrote Daiyu. “What would you have me do with them? Slaughter them all?”

“Well, no, I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised but I expected us to do something with them.”

“The Onooka are assassins, not butchers. Also, there are reasons cultivators don’t kill mortals without reason.”

“I wasn’t actually suggesting that’s what we should have done.” Said Felix. “I was just trying to figure out why we didn’t do anything like bring them to the local authorities.”

“Felix,” interjected Cixi, moving her mount closer. “who do you think the authorities are?”

“Well, the local guard for the nearest town?”

“Out here? No one is.” Said Cixi. “Technically, whoever is the local hegemon of an area will be the final authority while a more local force such as a city lord does most of the actual enforcement. Depending on how decentralized, law enforcement will even end up in the hands of a village elder. However, such the highest powers tend to be hands-off unless things get out of control. Towns and cities on the other hand normally only concern themselves with their immediate vicinity. Of course, if we make their issue by bringing them to the City, they will do something. However, I believe Daiyu is worried that the closest such authority may be what drove those men to do what they did. If that is the case, what do you think the result of turning them in would be?”

“Well, that sounds horrible but isn’t leaving them alone also bad karma?”

“Felix, didn’t you notice how weak they were? Some of them were pure mortals even! It is honestly more surprising that they have survived as long as they have. Even given the current climate, them having the bravery to turn to banditry is weird.”

“Current climate?” Said Felix, sharing a nonplussed look with Yang Mei.

“Well, resources and power are being shifted around with the rise of the Martial Alliance.” Wrote Daiyu. “Not to mention that anyone with a bit of strength is being recruited to help fight. So, I would expect banditry in the coming power vacuums but not by mortals. The situation is just weird, so it is best we leave.”

Daiyu’s head snapped around to stare at the woods on their left. Then she blurred, knocking Felix from his bear to barely escape an arrow. He barely noticed the dark blur but heard and saw it bore a hole through a tree on the right side of the road. Before he could even thank Daiyu, she seemed to glide off her mount and disappeared into the woods. Then they heard a man’s scream. He stumbled to his feet and ran with the two girls after Daiyu.

They came upon three men who frantically searched their surroundings. While dressed in the random trappings of poor rogue cultivators, they moved with the grace of upper rank Essence Gathers. They were also looking in the opposite direction of the road. Felix pulled his sword from his scabbard and started activating a Ragnarok strike.

Then he noticed an already headless corpse on the floor and froze. The lifeless eyes held his attention until Yang Mei barreled past him. Before the closer of the three bandits could turn to face her, she was in his guard. One hand disrupted the swing of the man’s sword while the other struck forward like a cannonball. The other two men moved to flank her.

Move!

Felix sent a Ragnorak strike at the man on Yang Mei’s left and ran toward the man on her right. Dressed more like a scholar than the others, the man seemed to dance as he moved to face Felix. Felix tried to land a blow yet the man flowed away, giving ground at each attempted slash.

Felix pursued until the man finally met his sword with his own. One exchange became several and the man didn’t lose speed. The man’s skill faltered though as Felix’s basic utilization of [Sword of the Titan] technique overpowered each clash.

Then on their tenth such exchange, the man actually let go of his sword. The bandit’s hands lit in a purple glow as he ducked under Felix’s now overextended stance. The glow seemed to swirl as both hands went toward Felix's stomach. Unable to bring his sword back in time, Felix let go of his sword.

In almost slow motion, Felix watched his hands close around the other man’s and initiated [Crushing Fruit]. The man’s hands resisted for a moment, then something gave. They both froze there and stared down at the man’s now mangled hands, mere lumps of splinters of bone and flesh.

The moment was broken as the man opened his mouth in a scream only for a sword to erupt from between the man’s eyebrows. Felix stepped back and the man’s eyes left what was once his hands to stare cross eyed at the sword. Then the man screamed.

Fuck.

The sword exploded upward and the man collapsed to reveal a spotless Daiyu.

She gave him a happy little wave.