Beware Of Chicken v7c39: Westward Leading

Leaving Pale Moon Lake City behind, we journeyed westward. As the gates faded into the distance and the carriage rolled along the path, a noticeable relaxation washed over the Lord Magistrate and Lady Wu.

“I’m relieved that’s all over,” Teacher announced, leaning back to lay his head on Lady Wu’s lap. He grasped Xue Ji’s tail, which was coiled around Lady Wu’s waist, and pressed his face into its softness. The fox-woman let out a soft, amused hum from her perch, where she sat perusing a scroll. “Who would’ve thought I once aspired to that life. I’d have ended up as bald as Bao from all the strain!”

Laughter bubbled up from us all at his muffled words, and Lady Wu gently stroked his hair.

“Court politics were definitely…,” I concurred. “But as someone on the outside looking in… let somebody else handle all that mess.”

“Cities birth the grandest marvels and the toughest trials,” Lady Wu nodded in agreement. “And you, Meiling? What were your impressions of the city?”

Meimei took a moment to ponder, collecting her ideas.

At last, she replied. “It was interesting. So many craftsmen gathered in one spot; intriguing foods, splendid buildings, and so much more. The Archive overflowed with scrolls… it buzzed with life. Even after dark, the city’s vitality pulsed through it. It was incredible… yet somehow, I can’t see myself settling there. It’s overwhelming.”

I nodded, completely relating. I shared that sentiment, truth be told. Even the Rou side of me had embraced rural living.

“That, plus… it might sound immature, but I kept bracing for… the same thing from my last visit to repeat,” she confessed, alluding to the cultivator who slew a beggar child during her childhood trip to the city. “I replayed it in my head endlessly—what I’d do to halt a cultivator annoyed by ordinary folk, how to injure them. Ways to step in. But ultimately… nothing of the sort occurred. The nearest incident was those cultivators who showed up that evening, but Xue Ji dispatched them. I stayed on edge throughout.”

That worry resonated with me too. Meimei had scanned the crowds vigilantly every time we ventured into the city, her gaze flitting about. It wasn’t a huge issue, and she’d clearly had fun regardless… but that past event must have lingered in her thoughts.

Yet… one detail had escaped her notice.

“But Mei, you did encounter a cultivator inconvenienced by mortals,” I pointed out.

Meiling’s eyes widened in surprise. “We did? When was that?”

“Remember, on the walk to fetch Babe and Washy from the gallery Chyou brought them to? That child who stumbled over your foot rushing from the alley? You steadied him and warned them to watch their step. Later, when you removed your shoes at our lodging, you overlooked the mark on them.”

Meimei stared at my explanation. Her lips parted briefly, then shut once more.

“Huh,” she uttered at length.

“It’s not what someone is that shapes their response; it’s who they truly are,” the Lord Magistrate intoned, his tone rich with wise insight… still concealed behind that plush tail.

Meimei shook her head at the scene. “I guess I fixated too much on them being a cultivator,” she whispered eventually.

“Well, cultivators can come across as more prone to jerk behavior at times,” I conceded. “But I’m unsure if that’s because a higher number are jerks, or if we just hear the negative stories louder. There’s no tale in a cultivator simply sidestepping a bump or ignoring a minor clash.”

I’d arrived in this realm anticipating most cultivators to be elixir-gobbling maniacs… yet that proved far from reality. The majority I’d encountered were quite sensible—and sure, there were bad apples, but also folks like Big D, Xiulan, Tigu, and that Shao Heng. Individuals who were downright admirable.

It explained why I was okay with this whole excursion; rather than fleeing back to the farm.

My assumptions had been off. Not entirely about cultivators, but about plenty of them. I yearned to grasp them beyond mere caricatures yelling “You dare!” over tiny insults in shoddily translated tales.

This was my home now. A world teeming with real people, not some xianxia trope machine.

Heck, I had tales of my own to back that up. Tigu had sulked over the lack of noodle stand brawls on her debut visit to the Dueling Peaks, and later Grass Sea City. Though, on the topic of Grass Sea City…

“You received a response from your messenger, didn’t you?” I inquired, recalling the fellow dispatched to their son months prior.

“Indeed. He relayed a note via one of our contacts in Pale Moon Lake City after failing to catch us, confirming delivery of his letter; and later, during our southward travels, he mentioned heading back to Verdant Hill with the reply. We might cross paths with him en route? Though I wouldn’t count on it now. He could be veering north straightaway, skipping Pale Moon Lake; we’d instructed him to scout the different paths…”

“Occasionally, kids require their folks to catch them off guard,” Meimei remarked, a faint, playful smile tugging at her lips.

Lady Wu laughed softly, mirroring the expression. “Quite right. Now and then, they deserve a proper jolt, for fretting their parents so.”

Washy and I shared a look, then both shifted away from the mischievous vibe radiating from the two women.

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Thus, we ventured into the Grass Sea and reclaimed our positions atop the carriage. Neither the Lord Magistrate nor Lady Wu had traveled this way before, eager to behold the true face of the Grass Sea.

“Wow...” That single word escaped Meimei as we emerged from a cluster of trees, the skyline unfolding endlessly. The verdant plains extended boundlessly, vanishing into the distance. Our view spanned perhaps hundreds of miles across the immense grassland.

This segment of the trip would stretch out the most. The Grass Sea began near Pale Moon Lake and swept to the sea—a span matching the breadth of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta combined. It bordered Yellow Rock Plateau to the south, and northwards reached deep into the province’s heart, merging with Ash Forest. This realm dwarfed environments, rivaling the Great Plains from my past life.

Beforehand, it had hosted countless waterways; tiny landmasses sliced by flowing streams. Remarkably, the wildlife adapted with ease; most currents were shallow enough to ford, and the meadows teemed with grasses and aquatic plants.

The waterways had dwindled sharply; yet plenty remained, bolstered by ample rainfall that kept the landscape vibrant and verdant.

It formed an ideal haven for humankind. Precipitation abundant but balanced. Wildlife thrived in vast herds of bison and deer, with scattered woods aiding survival. Floods came predictably, gently enriching the earth.

Against the chaos of earth morphing to metal and metal to water, conditions had actually improved for everyday folk here. A clearer edge.

In this sheltered expanse, spared frequent Spirit Beast assaults and demonic threats… human prosperity bloomed.

A million souls resided in Pale Moon Lake City. Grass Sea City matched or surpassed it.

The Grass Sea sustained them both.

Meimei and Washy uttered sounds of wonder as our steady pace pressed on, captivated by the vastness. Xue Ji and Suyan’s usual narrowed gazes stretched wide in astonishment, scanning about; the shift from mountains to this must have stunned them. Bane of the Black Lances and her companions soared free, fluttering joyfully among the myriad wildflowers dotting the grass.

Babe began to hum; it echoed one of the tunes he’d caught me singing earlier. After all, this was a road adventure, right?

I fetched my pipa and joined in the melody.

“”

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Our initial day lacked a fixed agenda, merely roaming and absorbing the sights. We skipped an inn that evening, despite one nearby—the night sky proved too enchanting to waste indoors.

Instead, we built a roaring bonfire and unpacked provisions. I clasped Zhuye’s hand as he toddled around, yanking up grass clumps… and munching on a few he uprooted.

I swiped some to inspect for hazards… but all was safe. Merely grass.

So I permitted him a nibble. To my surprise, he took to it without fuss, so I sampled a bit myself.

Not half bad, really.

Babe commented, munching contentedly.

Washy, on the other hand, sported… a gob of earth. He mulled it over with a pensive chew. I gawked at him, and he scowled deeply.

“I suspect Tigu tricked me. She claimed the Grass Sea’s soil was edible, and though it holds certain benefits… I advise against it,” he stated with refined poise. “Of course, I must exact retribution.”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, then pulled out my map to outline tomorrow.

“A few spots we could veer toward,” I noted after consideration. “Crystal Hill to meet Master Gen lies along the path. Or Dueling Peaks first, using it as a hub to explore other Grass Sea regions en route to Grass Sea City.”

“Dueling Peaks makes sense to hit first, right? That’s where the crowd is,” Meimei suggested, tending the flames.

“Sounds smartest. But if we aim there initially, one detour awaits. A sect en route—the Framed Sun Sect. Ignoring them would be impolite.”

“Then that’s our course,” Meiling declared. “I’ll prepare everything!”

With that, our itinerary was locked. Next destination: the Framed Sun Sect.