19 The Burning House

The sounds of shattering ice resounded as Cha Ming walked over a frozen puddle. This frozen puddle was surrounded by many others, forming the outline of deep tracks along a clay road. The crackling sound was a rare occurrence, an occurrence that could only happen in early spring or late fall, when the days were rainy, and the nights were frigid, leaving only the largest puddles unfrozen. He missed that pleasant sound, a sound he had heard on many mornings in what now seemed to be a dream.

He realized that this was in fact a dream, yet he took great pleasure in this childhood vice. He would walk left and right down the frozen clay road, leaving no puddle unbroken as he made his way to a house at the end of the road. He suddenly fell into a choking fit as thick gray smoke floated in the frigid spring air.

A scorching wind blew across his face before he even had time to question the presence of the smoke. He had seen this situation many times before, in this very same dream. As he focused his burning eyes, he quickly made out a burning house only tens of feet away from him. The house was in the early stages of burning. Only a few flames flickered out of the thick cloud of smoke, which was the result of incomplete burning. Eventually the fire would burn hot enough, quickly consuming the lone house in a blistering inferno.

The temperature had not yet reached its critical point, and the house could still be approached. He broke into a run, and the burning in his lungs disappeared with the rush of adrenaline that accompanied his instinctive reaction.

After a few short breaths, he arrived at the front door of the small, lonely house. He quickly touched the back of the doorknob with the back of his hand. While the doorknob was very warm, it was cool enough to confirm that the door could be opened without provoking a violent burst of flames. After quickly wrapping his hand in his long-sleeved garment, he slowly opened the door, allowing the pressure between the hot and cold air to equalize.

A sharp whistling sounded through the small crack in the door as the air-deprived flame took in a breath of fresh air. He only had a few minutes at best before he succumbed to the ash-filled, oxygen-deprived air. It was dark out, but he quickly made his way around the many rooms in the house. He was very familiar with the house; he knew that he could find his way around with his eyes closed if he had to. He used this familiarity to his advantage as he used up precious seconds, eventually making his way up a narrow flight of carpeted stairs.

The smoke was thickest on the second floor of the house, forcing him to reassess the amount of time he had left before he had to make his escape. He could spend at most thirty breaths before he would begin to lose consciousness. The smoke was so thick that he didn't dare breathe.

Amidst the sounds of crackling and roaring flames, he could barely make out two sets of sounds. To his left, he heard a dog barking, probably trying to exit the burning room it was trapped in. To his right came the wailing sounds of a screaming child. Knowing that every second was precious, he quickly moved to his right. The narrow hallway led him to a small bedroom. This bedroom was occupied by a wailing three-year-old boy.

Twenty breaths remained. As he moved to grab the child from his fenced-off bed, he realized that the child's leg was caught. Refusing to panic, he moved his hands around the leg, quickly maneuvering it out from the gap in the bed's fence. Finally, he grabbed the kicking and screaming child, holding it close to his body as he felt his way out of the small room and back to the staircase.

As he scrambled down the staircase, he could still hear the whining sounds of the trapped dog. Unfortunately, he couldn't take a chance. He only had ten breaths remaining, and he was likely to pass out while taking a detour to the other bedroom. Risking his own life was fine; unfortunately, he now had the responsibility of saving the child in his arms.

A tear ran down his cheek as he struggled to carry the screaming child out of the smoking house. A shrill scream sounded out as he collapsed on the ground, a clear sign that the friendly dog was now burning alive in the intense fire. He had made his choice, and this was the price he had to pay.

--

Cha Ming woke up in a cold sweat, remembering that it was all just that same, familiar dream. In this dream, he had a choice: save the child or the dog. The choice was simple, but the inability to save both still caused him intense sadness. If it was just the dog, he would have risked his life to save it. Dog was man's best friend, after all; many firefighters had died in similar situations.

There had been many schools of thought on morality over the ages. Many religions had focused on virtue, encouraging their followers to show kindness and mercy while shunning all evil. Many free thinkers had emphasized freedom of choice; whatever people wanted to do was right and whatever they didn't want to do was wrong. Of course, this argument had taken away the very meaning of right and wrong. In the end, people did whatever they felt they should, and the discussion of good and evil stayed forever fresh in the minds of scholars and priests alike.

A common question had often been posed to non-violent schools of thought: If a child and a dog were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, which one would you save? The question was usually asked as a strawman argument, and any questions about the specifics of the situation were used to condemn very caring individuals. Fortunately, fate was rarely so cruel; in most cases, it was possible to save both the child and the dog.

These thoughts had been troubling Cha Ming lately; after all, they were about to enter the forest to gather herbs. Inevitably, they would attract magical beasts that lived in the forest. These beasts were known to attack everyone who intruded on their territory. Unfortunately, that was the history of human development. As people tried to gather resources to improve their lives, they would encroach upon the pristine wilderness. Once the nearby wilderness was occupied, they would eventually turn on the neighbors, invading nearby kingdoms with a variety of excuses. Thus was the cycle of human nature, and the inevitable consequence of mankind's desire to improve and pursue happiness.

Their small group met for an early breakfast. The cooks were not up yet, but the baker had been working for several hours, filling the dining hall with the pleasant smell of fresh bread. Everyone had packed everything they needed for their trip over the past few days, so they enjoyed the opportunity to nibble away at the pieces of fresh fruit that were always available for the students. Fresh fruit was a luxury they would not be able to enjoy for the next two weeks, as the frosty weather had frozen the last of the apples and berries over a month ago.

"The winter in the southern Song Kingdom is known throughout the entire continent for its beauty," said Wang Jun, twirling a leaf in his hands as their group slowly made their way to the entrance to the woods. "You might not know this, but it's nearly impossible to find leaves like these outsides of Green Leaf City."

"You're just making all of this up," said Hong Xin, running her hand through her long black hair. While her tone of voice made it sound like she wanted Wang Jun to stop, her dark eyes sparkled, encouraging him to continue.

"It's true. How could I ever lie to a pretty young lady like you!" Wang Jun suddenly let out a gasp as he caught a falling leaf, sheltering it gently in his hands as if protecting it from the rest of the group. Eventually, curiosity got the best of the girls, and soon enough they were begging Wang Jun to see the leaf in his hands. Finally, he gave in and opened up his hands just wide enough for them to see.

"You see, there is a ranking in Gold Leaf City that evaluates every major scenery on the continent. Winter in Green Leaf City is ranked seventh, just behind the legendary Fire Mountains in Huo ShanCountry. The mountains there are constantly spewing out red-hot molten magma, which forms rivers that are very pleasing to the eyes. Due to popular demand, they even built bridges that cross these burning streams. Regrettably, only cultivators above the eighth level of qi condensation can venture on these bridges due to the intense heat.

"What makes the winter here so beautiful is the rare occurrence of these five-colored leaves. The leaves stay alive all year round, maintaining their green pigment. They do this despite gaining their red, gold, and brown colorings. When it gets cold enough, they are coated with a light frost that gives them their fifth color. It's a pity that the country's governor is short-sighted and has refused to invest in the infrastructure required to make Green Leaf City a first-tier tourist destination."

He sighed as he gently passed off the leaf to the two girls who were still admiring it, shaking his head self-deprecatingly. The girls and Feng Ming were now under the impression that Wang Jun was quite the sentimentalist. Only Cha Ming could guess that, rather than intentionally making small talk with the girls, he was actually moaning about a failed business venture.

"Halt! Access to this area is restricted." They were stopped abruptly by youngsters who were a few years older than them. They wore the official green school garb, complete with its tiny green hat. "Please produce your mission token for entry into the woods."

The students were clearly bored, as this was one of the easier mission postings which they could use to scrape by with little to no risk. Cha Ming clasped his hands together and produced a jade slip, which had been provided by Elder Ling when he was assigned the mission.

"Very well. You may pass." The two cultivators stepped out of the way of a bronze gate, revealing ornate bronze-and-copper leaves. The copper leaves had long since intentionally gained a blue-green coating, making the gate seem much like the green, gold, and red leaves that grew on the nearby trees.

The gate was not connected to any obvious fence, which made the group question why it was there in the first place. But as they walked through it, a subtle feeling washed over him, as if probing for specific criteria. Soon the feeling faded, and he continued walking through the gate. Just as he decided that he must have been imagining things, Wang Jun walked up beside him.

"You felt that, right?" he said, prompting curious glances from the rest of the group. Cha Ming nodded. Wang Jun continued, "Only those with a high soul force can sense this gate's probing. It's a defense measure set up by the school. You are the only other one in the group that could sense the probing. This gate is actually a formation treasure, which is used in combination with various formation flags spread along the border of the forest. The gate has two purposes:

"First, it is a defensive formation, which prevents any first-level spirit beasts from wandering near the academy and the city. The formation creates an illusion that unwittingly redirects its victims away from the wall. It also works in the reverse direction. Any humans, whether mortals or cultivators, below the peak of qi condensation, will be repelled away from the forest.

"This is both to protect the public and to protect the school's interests. The school controls a quarter of the city's entry border to Green Leaf Forest. It prevents weak humans from entering the border, but it also prevents non-students from entering the woods. Entry is only possible through this bronze gate. That way, there is a zone at the entrance to the woods where only students can gain entry, thereby protecting the weaker students and protecting the school's industry from the remainder of the city."

Cha Ming thought for a moment before asking, "Will this gate prevent students from exiting the woods through the formation boundary?"

Wang Jun shook his head. "No, the gate identifies students that enter through the bronze gate. They can then freely pass the boundary to travel to the city from the woods. This also prevents students from bringing back live spirit beasts. Any live spirit beasts must be properly secured and approved by the school prior to being allowed through the gates. There is only one exception, and that is if the spirit beast in question has formed a soul contract with a student who has passed through the gates, in which case the student becomes responsible for the behavior of the spirit beast while it is in the city."

Their group continued their journey at a steady pace, sometimes meeting small groups of students who were also wandering in the woods. Here and there were small plots of land being guarded by small groups of students. One such plot was being tended by a young lady with glowing green hands. Her crop of purple grass was growing quickly enough to be spotted by the naked eye. After a few minutes of tending the crops, she finally collapsed and wiped sweat from her brow. She then quickly sat down with her legs crossed in meditation to recover her qi.

This young lady was clearly an arborist, who cultivated crops of herbs in the woods. While these crops could be grown in the city, land in the city was very expensive. Additionally, the life force in the woods was much better for the nurturing of herbs, leading to increased yields outside the city. This was a low-risk and stable occupation, and at least fifteen percent of the students at Green Leaf Academy accepted these sorts of missions.

Soon enough, the sun began to set, and their group set up camp. There hadn't been any small fields in several hours, which indicated that they were near the end of the student-friendly zone. This trip would take them along the very edge of the outer region of the forest, right on the border with the middle region. The last part of the forest was the inner region, which housed the dreaded Lords of the Forest. These Lords of the Forest were dreaded demon beasts, who fiercely protected their territory against any human invasions.

While Cha Ming did not want to take too many risks, the best locations for gathering herbs happened to be located in the middle and inner regions. Some of these locations overlapped with the edge of the outer region; there, their rewards could be maximized at a lower risk level. This fact was well-known, and they were likely to encounter other parties of adventurers. Unfortunately, by the time Cha Ming had finished shopping, he did not have the funds to buy any premium information. While he could have asked Wang Jun for help in gathering information, he wanted to rely on himself as much as possible. Relationships were reciprocal in nature.

The journey to the edge of the outer region took them three days. At first they encountered only the lowest of the low spirit beasts: spirit hogs. These hogs were foragers and scavengers and would run as soon as they saw the group. They had brown fur and looked very similar to wild boars. Compared to wild boars they were twice as big and had several rows of tusks. Groups of spirit boars would wander to a foraging area and split up to forage. While large numbers of these first-level spirit beasts could surely overwhelm them, they tended to stay in groups of six or seven at most.

On the second day of their travels, they began to encounter spirit deer. While they were not very strong, they were adorned with sets of beautiful antlers and were much faster than spirit boars. They would usually run as soon as anyone got too close. At some point they encountered a group of four deer, two parents with two children. Hong Xin, who was quite tired due to not being able to sleep properly, tried to run toward the baby deer, only to be stopped by a smiling Wang Jun. She felt quite grieved, and Wang Jun had to spend the next hour coaxing her and convincing her that she was in fact being mean to the little deer by scaring them off, and their parents might attack her to protect their children.

Meanwhile, Cha Ming spent a good deal of time convincing Feng Ming and Gong Lan not to hunt the spirit deer. The smell of blood would surely attract spirit wolves, spirit hounds, and other fearsome creatures. That would slow down their progress. He also reassured them that there would be ample numbers of spirit beasts that would attack them of their own volition once they arrived at the edges of the outer forest.

It was a situation that he was dreading. Would he have the heart to fight them off? Would he be able to scare them and avoid dangerous situations? Cha Ming hated violence and would do what he could to avoid it. Unfortunately, even eating rice would surely result in the death of mice.