~~~

A day after the battle, Liu Jin and his men arrive at Ox Storm Fortress, one of the nine fortresses on the border. The one in charge is a Thousand-Man Commander, but Liu Jin doubts there are that many people in this place. Colonel Peng had told him that each fortress only keeps just enough men to function. The rest are spread over the border, in constant lookout for enemy attacks.

There are no orders from Colonel Peng waiting for them in the fortress, so Liu Jin and his men are to continue as they have been doing after resupplying. It is not something Liu Jin had to worry about in the Dead Plains, where their high level of cultivation and the abundance of Spirit Beasts kept them all in fighting shape, but Colonel Peng’s men are weaker, and the border is considerably less rich in resources. Even the Spirit Beasts they fought the other day, once split between all of them, barely counted as a meal. They had been gaunt and lacking in meat. Only their marrow was good.

Liu Jin puts Old Qing in charge of handling their supplies. The old man is far more knowledgeable about the procedures of Colonel Peng’s army than he is. Thankfully, their weapons and armors are still in good condition, so there is no need to replace them. Even so, it will take some time until everything is ready. It gives the men an opportunity to rest and properly clean themselves.

It also gives Liu Jin the opportunity to leave the fortress and see how people in the border territories live.

Black Stone Village is a collection of a little over a hundred houses arranged in crooked rows and columns located about a hundred yards away from Ox Storm Fortress. The houses are all made of wood and stone. Most of them look like they only have one room and not a single one has been painted or decorated in any way. The grass is the most colorful thing around.

“This place is a pigsty,” Ni Cai says as he and Liu Jin enter the village. There are no walls and no guards to keep them out. There are no cobblestone roads either. Just dirt and houses and dirty houses.

It is a bleak place.

“That’s too harsh,” Liu Jin says as he looks around. “There’s no mud.”

“Because there’s no water!”

“There’s a perfectly usable river that way,” Liu Jin says, pointing to his left.

“...That’s barely a creek, Brother Qing.”

Ni Cai isn’t wrong. The village’s only source of water is a sad, pathetic creek. Still, even that is better than nothing, especially since the people who live here need water to survive. To call their cultivation lacking would be an understatement. Liu Jin cannot sense anyone in the Nascent Realm.

“You’re being awfully judgemental for someone who has been to the Dead Plains,” Liu Jin says.

“That’s not the same,” Ni Cai replies. His distaste is plain to see as his gaze sweeps over the houses. “The Dead Plains are not expected to house people. This place is, yet even Outer Disciples have better living conditions. Even the lowliest peasant in Ember City lives better than this. I cannot understand why anyone would subject themselves to this. And it’s not just them. The accommodations for the soldiers, even in their own fortress, are pitiful.”

“Even Outer Disciples have better living conditions?” Liu Jin shakes his head before it dawns on him. “Ah, that’s right. You’re a second-generation disciple.”

Liu Jin remembers Ni Cai mentioning it in the Dead Plains.

“I am.” Ni Cai looks a little confused but nods. “My parents are disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan. What of it?”

“It means you don’t have much experience with people from lower classes,” Liu Jin replies.

As a second-generation disciple, Ni Cai is someone who was born into the Eternal Flame Clan. Even if his family is not prestigious within the boundaries of the Eternal Flame Clan, that still sets him apart from most of the empire.

“The Eternal Flame Clan is one of the greatest powers within the empire. There are City Lords and Sect Masters who would kill for the resources an Outer Disciple has at their disposal,” Liu Jin explains. “Even Ember City, though not officially part of the Eternal Flame Clan, is a fantastic place to live. It is not a large city, but the people there don’t have to worry about crime or poverty.”

The biggest danger in Ember City is getting caught in a fight between the people who come to join the Eternal Flame Clan. One happens every time a Selection Exam approaches. However, since it isn’t uncommon for there to be disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan in the city, the fights never last long.

“Other places are not as lucky,” Liu Jin continues. While he hasn’t seen every city in the Crimson Cloud Empire, he has seen more of them than Ni Cai. Even in Eastern Port City, there was a marked difference between the people who lived in the city’s inner districts and those who lived outside the walls in shabby, rundown houses. “Of course, this place is especially unlucky.”

“Why do people live here then if it’s so unlucky?”

“Can you not feel their power?” Liu Jin asks while looking at the rundown houses. Nearly all the people inside are in the Foundational Realm. Only a few are in the Inner Realm. “They are too weak to be elsewhere. They live here because they seek the protection of the fortress.”

If these people tried moving elsewhere, they risked all sorts of dangers like being attacked by bandits or Spirit Beasts. Even the lack of food and water during the journey could kill them. Should they reach another town safely, there is no guarantee they will be able to achieve anything there.

Without power, one can’t protect their property and so is left at the mercy of the strong.

“I cannot imagine living that way,” Ni Cai says. His gaze lingers on a starving dog by the side of the road.

“Some would call that fortunate,” Liu Jin says.

Ni Cai tears his gaze away from the dog. He rubs the sleeve of his robe.

“I wanted to thank you,” Ni Cai says after a while. “For choosing to bring me along and even putting me under your command. I know there are other people who you’d rather have at your side, Brother Qing.”

Ni Cai is most likely referring to Lu Mei, Huang Shing, and Fan Bingbing. Rather than keep them with him as one group, Liu Jin decided to split them up. The plan had been to have each one in charge of a different group, so they would be in a position to smooth out any issues that might arise. However, Huang Shing’s mental state was uncertain, so Liu Jin put him with Lu Mei so that she may keep an eye on him.

Lu Mei hadn’t been exactly happy about that, but she was used to handling Bei Hong. Handling Huang Shing shouldn’t be much different.

“I know I can rely on you,” Liu Jin tells Ni Cai. “That’s all there is to it.”

Ni Cai is one of the disciples who helped him take down Qu Rou in the Dead Plains. He had more than proven himself.

Besides, as a member of the Medical Pavilion, his skills are of great importance. Liu Jin has done his best to ensure every group has at least one disciple with medical skills. While it could be argued that having Ni Cai in his group is redundant since Liu Jin is a doctor, it never hurts to err on the side of caution. One never knows when an emergency may arise, especially when Liu Jin has so many headaches to keep track of.

Headaches like Yi Jiao.

Huang Shing’s former fiance is one of the disciples who came to the border territories under his command. Liu Jin put her in his group to better keep track of her, but that doesn’t mean he is happy with the decision. Ever since they left Colonel Peng’s fortress, the girl keeps trying to meet his gaze, often looking like she wants to approach him only to back out at the last second.

Liu Jin is content to let her keep hesitating. Whatever conversation she wants to have, it is bound to be awkward.

“I will not betray your expectations, Brother Qing,” Ni Cai says. He frowns at his sleeves and rubs them.

“If the stains bother you so much, you should use your Qi to burn the dirt off,” Liu Jin says. Ni Cai has been fidgeting since yesterday, constantly checking his robes for stains and trying to rub them off.

“Not everyone has Brother Qing’s Qi control,” Ni Cai replies. “If I tried to clean my robes like Brother Qing does, it’d probably burn them.”

He wouldn’t. The robes Inner Disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan wear are made of extremely valuable materials that won’t damage easily even if they are hit by attacks from other Inner Disciples. Ni Cai could easily use his Qi to purge himself of dirt. It is something many disciples do, not that they have much need to. Their robes are hard to stain. Whether it is blood or dirt, it all washes off easily.

Ni Cai’s robes have been clean all this time.

“Is it really so distracting?” Liu Jin asks. “You’re from the Medical Pavilion. You should be used to blood.”

“Don’t compare the two!” Ni Cai snaps at him. His face pales as he realizes what he’s done. “I am sorry, Brother Qing. I didn’t mean to shout.”

“It’s fine,” Liu Jin says, trying to stop Ni Cai, who has already begun bowing his head. “I am the one prying into a subject you are clearly uncomfortable with.”

“I am not... It’s not... It’s scary,” Ni Cai says at last. He looks down at the dirt beneath their feet. “I am not talking about the blood. It is like you said, Brother Qing. I am used to blood and all sorts of injuries. I am not used to people who won’t surrender to strength. To see someone whose entrails are already outside his body refuse to submit is unsettling. It makes you hesitate. Maybe he knows something I don’t. Maybe he really can win. Maybe... he can kill me.”

And so, fearing for his life, he is compelled to fight harder and be more brutal than he otherwise would have been to ensure his foes are down for good. It is not that Ni Cai regrets killing the soldiers. No one does. He is just shaken by how it came to be. By the brutality he indulged in. It is the same for the other soldiers. Without realizing it, they step into Murong Bang’s territory.

It is an insidious trap.

“I don’t understand how you can be so calm, Brother Qing. It is not a secret you... You take matters of life and death more seriously than others.”

A tactful way of saying others probably consider him too soft.

“I am calm because I am better at controlling my emotions. That is all.”

A lie. Half of one, at least. Murong Bang and his men elicit so many conflicting emotions in him that he is still unsure how to feel about it all.

“Impressive as always, Brother Qing.”

“Not really,” Liu Jin says. He blinks as he looks up ahead. “Brother Ni, are you seeing what I am seeing?”

There is a small crowd gathered in what passes for the village square. When Liu Jin first sensed them, he assumed there was some sort of village meeting, but that does not seem to be the case. The crowd barely has any adults in it. Most of the people there are children. They are gathered in front of a very small stage. It is the size of a table and resembles a wooden box.

Considering the size of the actors expected to stand there, it is only appropriate.

“Is that a puppet show?” Ni Cai asks, sounding as confused as Liu Jin feels.

It is indeed one. Two puppeteers have their hands over the stage, manipulating the puppets with strings of Qi. They are dressed in dark clothes to minimize their presence. Even their faces are covered by dark cloth. Meanwhile, the puppets are all clad in bright, colorful clothing. Though with how enraptured the children are, the puppeteers could be naked, and it wouldn’t make a difference.

“And so, the lord of demons brought all his armies with him,” one of the puppeteers says. “Nightmare after nightmare the likes of which the world has never seen before or since. It is said the sky darkened because the sun could not bear to look upon such abominations.”

As the puppeteer speaks, one of the puppets, most likely the villain of the play, raises its arms. As it does, about a dozen ugly puppets rise around it, and some sort of mechanism releases purple mist into the stage.

“Brother Qing,” Ni Cai whispers while the kids ooh and aah, “Those people...”

Liu Jin nods. He notices it too.

Those puppeteers are not normal.

They feel normal, their Qi no different from anyone else in the village, but that is what’s abnormal. Their clothes are too fine, and the skill with which they control their puppets with Qi too great for them to be as weak as the villagers.

They are definitely hiding their strength.

“Darkness swept over the land. The men cowered. The woman cried. But it was in this darkness that the Hero of Shadow grew strong and rose against the demons! For every demon, a hundred shadows! For every insult, a thousand blows!”

The children cheer as a new puppet dressed in bright blue and gold appears on the stage. They cheer even more as the puppets begin fighting in a surprisingly well-choreographed fight scene despite the limitations of the medium. Even Liu Jin and Ni Cai find themselves drawn into the story and watch all the way to the end.

“Thank you! Thank you!” One of the puppeteers says, bowing to the audience as they clap when the play is over. The other stays silent with his arms crossed. “You are a most gracious audience. We’ll have one more show tomorrow. I hope you can all be there.”

“Aw!” One of the children cries. “Just one more? Do you really have to leave?”

“I am afraid so.” Multiple cries of dismay rise from the children. “Now children, it is no good to cry. How about this? You get to pick one of the plays we’ll do tomorrow!”

Immediately, the children’s cries are replaced by an avalanche of suggestions.

“I want to see the one about the Plague Doctor Who Wouldn’t Share his Secrets!”

“I want the one about the Foolish Swordsman Who Dated a Fish!”

“I don’t want repeat stories! I want a new one! I want more stories about demons and… and…”

The child trails off and starts coughing. A woman, one of the few adults around, goes over to him and starts rubbing his back. However, the child keeps coughing.

Liu Jin takes a step towards him.

Immediately, the people flinch away from him. Some even look at him with fear. Liu Jin has kept his Qi low all this time, but that can only go so far. To these people, Liu Jin is nothing more than a stranger, and they have no reason to trust strangers. Without the play to distract them, it is obvious to them that Liu Jin does not belong there.

“It is okay,” he tells the woman as he kneels next to her child, his voice as gentle as he can make it. “I mean you no harm.”

His hand is on the child’s back before the woman can think to shield the boy from him. As he sends his Qi into the child’s body, Liu Jin quickly identifies the problem. The child’s lungs are diseased and have gone a long time without treatment. A wave of Qi into the child stimulates his respiratory system. It is not a cure, but it takes away his coughing. He’ll need to examine him further to heal him properly.

“Hey, I feel better now!” The child looks at him with bright, brown eyes. “You healed me! Thanks, mister!”

“A traveling doctor!” One of the puppeteers exclaims as he walks over to them. “What a fortuitous encounter! I have not seen such ease in many years! What brings someone so skilled to a place like this?”

“The road takes me where it pleases,” Liu Jin replies. “I imagine it is the same for you. Or else what are puppeteers of your skill doing here?”

The puppeteer laughs. His companion almost certainly scowls behind the cloth that covers his face.

“It is as you say. The road does what it wants. Perhaps we should compare journeys? We are always looking for inspiration for our show.”

Liu Jin smiles. “I would not be opposed to that. You seem to have quite the interesting stories.”

“Hey, mister!”

The child from earlier pulls on his sleeve. His mother immediately pulls him away, but the child keeps talking.

“You healed me, right? Can you heal my grandfather too?”

Liu Jin looks at the child’s wide, hopeful eyes.

There is really only one answer.

“Of course, child.”

~~~