Временные трудности / Temporary hardships: Глава 23

Chapter 23, in which the hero not only steps twice in the same river but also eats a chicken breast

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 18:02

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Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 18:02

The anger choking Xing at this moment was so strong that it could smash rocks. Xing didn't even try to curb his power, letting it spill out, no longer restrained by any self-control. And the power responded, submitting to the raging emotions.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 20:26

Second time! This was the second time it had happened, and both times, it was the fault of the same person! Though... Xing didn't blame Sharif for anything - he was doing what his villainous ways dictated, and there was nothing wrong with snatching victory from fate and circumstance. It was Xing who was either weak or unprepared, or both.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 20:39

Who could imagine Liu Mingfei, the Ice Crow, losing to Huang Ji, nicknamed the Blazing Demon? Or Bao Xiao, who would be constantly defeated not even by Dariush al-Tsap but by Gao Yong, one of Dariush's main sidekicks? That's right, no one! Because a hero can lose once, but never twice!

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 20:41

Sharif, whose full name Xing didn't even bother to remember, had not only defeated Xing, not only separated him from the women he loved twice - twice! - he had separated him from the women he loved, and he had done it both times with the same technique!

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 20:44

Yes, both times, Xing had found himself busy, the first time using up almost all of his qi to save Almirakh, and the second time focusing on disarming a dangerous artifact. If Xing was still planning to become a hero after all these failures and miscalculations, he should have focused on overcoming obstacles instead of making pitiful excuses.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 20:57

Xing shattered Sharif's spell at once, moments later breaking the weaves with his qi. But even those moments were enough to throw him into a place of Nowhere, located in the Land of Nowhere. One could only take comfort in the fact that whatever Sharif's goals were, he had not achieved them. But Xing was not interested in consolation.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 20:58

He imagined the rascal teacher in his place and could hardly contain his laughter. Nothing like this would ever happen to him! He wouldn't even have to defeat Sharif because there's no victory in beating an opponent with a bamboo stick, hitting him on his back, ass, and heels while lecturing him in a nasty, boring voice!

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:00

After calming down a bit, Xing looked around. It was pitch black all around. His qi vision showed a large number of earth spirits, while his hands only felt smooth stone walls.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:02

Xing concentrated. Somewhere far above, he sensed some voids in the stone, but below, as far as his senses could encompass, were layers and layers of stone or other hard rock.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:02

He extended his hand and transformed the qi. A fire flared up in his hand, illuminating the surrounding space. Xing knew that fire was dangerous in deep mines, closed rooms, and other enclosed, unventilated spaces because it would suck the life force out of the air, filling it with dead emptiness, and then it would die. But this was not the case with the Fire element, as it used Xing's energy for its existence.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:17

The soft, steady glow of the flames highlighted the large spherical void that Xing had inadvertently created by letting his qi free. It seemed this time the transference spell had not thrown him to the heights but rather underground, where he had freed up some space with a burst of rage.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:18

Xing had heard that some people feared closed or confined spaces, but that only applied to others - to him, Earth, Metal, Water, Fire, and Wood were native elements. So Xing reshaped the void, growing a massive chair out of stone, and sat down to think.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:19

As much as he wanted to return to Akhribad to make sure nothing bad happened to Shadia, there were more pressing matters at hand. Sharif, thinking he was pulling a famous thief to his side, a member of a profession known for its unscrupulousness and venality, had revealed part of his plans. One did not have to be the head of the capital's academy to realize the talk of the Empire's largest port was about Mogao. Xing loved his women - both his breakups with Shadia and Almirakh had helped him sort out his feelings - but like every citizen of the Empire, he had a duty to his homeland and the Emperor.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:27

The only thing that remained to be determined was where Mogao was, how one could get there, and most importantly, from where. Xing didn't have the slightest idea about the place he was in.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:28

"Nothing!" he said through gritted teeth. "It's just a temporary hardships!"

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 21:52

Xing stood up from his chair and stepped into the wall, swam through the stone to the top, where he sensed several large voids. As expected, these voids turned out to be caves. Xing had either been thrown deep underground or sealed inside the mountain and in both cases, he should have done the same thing. The first thing to do was to get to the surface, clarify his location, and choose the right direction - if not to the final destination, then at least roughly towards the Empire. They had to look for people, but the qi's eyesight showed no sign of any large enough creatures.

Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 22:35

Xing didn't count the time he had been wandering through these caves. Now, the difference between day and night had been erased by the absence of suns and moons. He had to rely on the sensations of his body. So Xing walked forward whenever he felt like it - sleeping, drinking, eating, retrieving food and drink from his bracelet. Along the way, he found quite a few interesting things - glowing crystals, ores of rare and even unknown metals, mushrooms, and herbs full of dark, cold underground qi. If anything made him smile and remain satisfied with himself, it was the fact that he could now walk light but without dropping anything of value. So he collected crystals, used the Metal element to extract metals from ores, and cut plants.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:33

One of these plants, a glowing dead-blue bush with pale, large flowers he recognized. It was the deadly poisonous Moon Jasmine. Alas, the old scroll indicated several areas where it grew, and these areas were located in different parts of the world, so it was impossible to determine his position by the flower. In addition, there was a possibility that this accidental transfer had thrown it to a place that the scroll's author didn't even know existed. Xing painstakingly cut all the shrubs as the scroll prescribed, put them in his bracelet, and moved on to the place where the qi showed a spacious new cave.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:34

Unlike an ordinary person who didn't possess internal energy, Xing was much easier. He didn't need to follow all the curves of the caves. He could feel the structure of the caves, so he could always take a shortcut by walking through the stone. But still, the journey through this mountain took many days, even if Xing could only count those days very roughly.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:36

No matter how deep and empty it was, even at this depth was life. Various lizards, slugs, and huge multi-legged insects with venom that ate through even stone. The yin energy and earth qi were especially strong here at the depths, so at another time, he would have stayed for a couple of months to cultivate. Unfortunately, it was precisely the time that was lacking right now. Therefore, Xing stubbornly walked forward, collecting herbs, bushes, thorns, glowing moss, huge insects, snakes, lizards, giant rock-eating worms, and other vegetation and critters that could be used to create elixirs someday.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:38

At first, he mistook it for another huge cave, the boundaries of which even his sense of qi could not encompass. But as soon as the thick clouds parted, creating a gap where the moonlight flickered, Xing realized he was out!

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:39

Even though he not only had a lot of food in his bracelet but even freshly cooked and steaming food, Xing decided to go hunting. He didn't want meat. He wanted to look at the beasts so he could tell from their appearance where he was. The mountains here broke off, ending in a vast steppe. But this steppe could be either in the west of the Empire, the north, or far to the east. Unfortunately, Xing's knowledge of the world, although in some cases it could be astonishing in its depth, was generally sketchy and incomplete. In his previous life as Han Nao, he had not been diligent in his boring studies, and in his current life, both Feng and Xing Duo had no real education. Therefore, the best way to orient himself was to find someone from the locals and ask around.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:41

Sensing a large enough source of life ahead, Xing jumped, stepped into the air, and made another jump and another, landing on the other side of the deep gorge. He frowned perplexedly. His sense of life and qi perception told him there was a large enough living creature nearby, but his normal vision only saw a boulder-strewn mountainside. He couldn't stop his curiosity, so he walked closer.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:35

A large boulder, no different from the rest of them, moved and flew into the air, growing thick, short legs, a spiked tail, and a head with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:38

Xing leisurely stretched out his hand, caught the creature by the throat, and turned it from one side to the other, examining it closely.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:42

The creature's disguise was long gone, and in the bright light of the two moons, it now seemed a dark void in space. Sparse red sparks flickered across its smooth sides, thickly covered with short, dark blue bristles. The creature lashed out with its tail and paws, snapping its jaw. The long, curved claws of its front paws slashed at his forearms, and its hind claws struck him in the stomach.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:43

"Why do they call you a panther?" Xing asked, tilting his head. "You don't look like a cat at all!"

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:43

The creature only growled and increased its attacks.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:39

"I love cats!" Xing continued. "They are very cute. And panthers are cute. But you're not!"

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:44

He squeezed his fingers a little, and the creature whimpered.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:45

"You look more like a lizard. Or a wolf," Xing continued. "Or a descendant of the wolf who read Eighteen Plum Petals scroll to the lizard."

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:46

Foam began to flow from the mouth of the rampaging creature. Xing thought he had seen everything he wanted to see, so he squeezed his fingers. There was a loud crunch of vertebrae, and the creature softened.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:46

"It's funny," Xing concluded. "A black stone panther, it turns out, is not black, not a panther, and not even a stone one either!"

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:47

The body in his hand didn't respond. Xing threw the carcass to the ground and sighed heavily. Encountering this monster hadn't helped one bit. Yes, he knew exactly what it was called and had gotten the chance to see it live and even touch it. But only the compiler of the "Book of Fierce Creatures and Dangerous Beasts" showed astonishing carelessness instead of the exact location of the black stone panthers indicated only "in the mountains." And though this information was accurate, at the same time, it was useless.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 12:50

"Absolutely!" Xing stated, smiling at the well-forgotten word.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 13:10

He lowered his gaze and examined his clothes. The silk robe and shirt were now gaping holes. The sleeves were hanging in shreds, and there were many gaps across his chest and stomach. Xing concentrated. He didn't like such laborious activities, but he had never avoided them, as they were great for practicing qi control. Threads and fibers pulled at each other, and the torn edges began to come together and then close, leaving behind a whole cloth. Scraps of silk torn out by the panther, caught in its claws or collapsed to the ground, flew up, fell into place, and reunited with the fabric as well. Xing looked at the work he had done and decided he should have changed his clothes back in the caves, for no matter how strong the silk was, it could not withstand the monster's claws, which were filled with deadly energy.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 13:13

The pelt of the stone panther was unexpectedly pleasant to the touch. The short hairs on the rough side of the panther's skin prevented it from slipping. It wasn't the most convenient property for armor, but Xing decided he would find a use for it sometime later. It took a little longer to remove than it should have. The hide was as tough as salamander skin, so he had to use his qi. After stuffing the carcass and hide into the spatial bracelet and sending them to a distant vault, Xing changed into a leather hiking suit and moved on.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 13:15

In the distance in the steppe, visible even from here, glimpses of fire flickered, and many specks of human qi could also be felt at the limit of sensitivity.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:40

There seemed to be a town there and, judging by the number of inhabitants, not a small one.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:40

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Camrad_RIP 12.02.24 в 22:35

The first impulse was to spin the flail and fly straight to the city, to find a man, to find out what language he spoke, to find out where the Empire was, and if he was lucky, to find out where Mogao was. Xing had already taken the first swing when a slight feeling of discontent inside made him stop and listen to himself.

Camrad_RIP 18.02.24 в 15:45

He realized that he didn't want to leave like this now. There was no time to waste, but it would not do him any good to be too hasty. If he went away after obtaining only one black stone panther with such a valuable pelt, the entire Duojia would laugh at him, the adults would shake their heads disapprovingly, and the kids would roll on the ground and point their fingers.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 13:27

The place he had gotten to was very rich in qi of the Earth. Although not comparable to Lakhib Shadid. However, he was able to cultivate very well while traveling through the mountains. During his wanderings, Xing had learned one thing well: strong natural qi meant strong beasts, rare minerals, and special plants. Sharif had certainly planned to attack Mogao, but after fighting Shadia, he would need some time to lick his wounds. In the last resort, if Sharif succeeded, Xing would force his way into the aalam mastur by force, but it would be better not to let it get to that point.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 13:28

Xing spent the rest of the night surveying the area. He found a strange forest on the mountain slopes, full of strange trees that looked more like stone sculptures. He collected some unknown plants that exuded strong qi. He extracted interesting crystals, minerals, and metal ores from the ground, adding them to his already extensive stockpile. He found a herd of mountain goats, one of which he slaughtered for a fresh meat dinner, even if it was not necessary - he had enough meat. He found two more stone panthers, which he killed for their pelts.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 15:00

When Xing examined the strange trees, he found that their wood was very good, though not quite as strong as the Purple Oak, and it did not have such a useful and healing resin, but it retained qi without deteriorating. So Xing made sure to stock up on it in case he had the time and desire to make his flying ship like a real hero. Alas, he didn't find many of the trees he needed. There would not be enough trees to build a palace with dozens of masts and sails that could carry an entire sect, but a flat-bottomed coast guard ship at most.o Xing planted more of the hard, diamond-shaped fruits and helped them sprout, weaving together the elements of Earth and Wood in case he ever came back here. For the same purpose, he applied healing qi, overgrowing the cuts on the stumps and causing them to sprout new shoots.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 15:05

As soon as the sun peeked out from behind the mountains, illuminating the steppe with its first dim rays, Xing grasped his flail, rotated it over his head, and flew forward toward the strange city.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 15:09

As time went on, flying on the chain had a slight disadvantage. If you flew quickly in the right direction, the flickering disk of chi in front of your nose made it very difficult to see. It did not interfere with normal vision but limited spiritual perception. So when, instead of a city, a huge cluster of tents, horses, carts, people, and livestock appeared ahead, Xing was a little surprised.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 15:10

Three riders on small, skittish horses spotted Xing in the sky and started pointing their fingers at him. Xing landed and, smiling broadly, ran toward them. Now, he was well aware of the nomadic customs of feeding, watering, and sheltering guests, so he stopped only when he heard a guttural shout of warning in an unknown language.

Camrad_RIP 19.02.24 в 15:11