Book 5: Chapter 1: A Winter Tale Begins

Book 5: Chapter 1: A Winter Tale Begins

The best part about winter was definitely being lazy by the fire. The chores were all done: the animals fed, the barn mucked, and the pathways shoveled after the fresh snowfall yesterday. Which would have been one hell of a job to do by hand if I wasnt a cultivator.

Instead, it just took a while, moving what had to be several tons of snow.

While it couldnt hurt me, I still felt the cold and the damp, so I was taking a well deserved rest.

I reached out into the coals, grabbing a chestnut that had reached optimal roastiness, and I cracked the shell open the rest of the way.

Half, I popped into my mouth. The other half, I ground into a paste with the back of a spoon. After making sure it was cool enough, I scooped it up and presented my offering to the Young Master.

Zhuye, or Little D as we often called him, eagerly opened his mouth to receive the offering. My sons amethyst eyes were wide and happy, and he burbled gleefully as he smacked his lips.

Was that tasty? my wife asked, her voice lit with amusement. Meiling was laying back on the couch reading a medical scroll. Her green hair was splayed all around her head, and her eyes, the same colour as our sons, were sparkling with amusement as Zhuye bounced in place.

Little man has good taste. Chestnuts are great, said Gou Ren, one of my best friends, while lounging on his own couch. He was the perfect picture of sloth or rather, of a lazy monkey. His sideburns had grown out again and he wasnt wearing his bandana, which hid his hairline, so the resemblance to our distant ancestors was rather strong today.

That they are," I agreed.

I gently tousled Zhuyes brown hair and grabbed another couple of chestnuts.

Meimei opened her mouth with an ahhh the request clearand I got nothing but net from the three point line. As Meimei chewed on her prize, I ground the other into paste. Though this time, instead of giving it to my son I spread the chestnut paste onto two glutinous rice dumplings that had been roasting over the fire.

Both dumpling skewers were promptly retracted from the fire by two muscled, scaly arms which were attached to the sides of a rather portly brown carp who was leaning out of a nearby trough filled with water. One disappeared immediately into his mouth. His eyes sparkled with delight.

Another delightful combination! Washy, our resident dragon and glutton declared. But the rice dumpling needs more char!

The other skewer was held out so a massive, rust-red boar who was laying on a cushion could munch on it. Chunky oinked happily as his friend fed him, and when he was done, the fish chucked the skewers into the fire and started preparing fresh ones. He set those newly made rice dumplings up beside the other ten that were hanging over the fire charring.

There were dumplings slathered in maple. Others had honey, and still others had pickles or even hot pepper paste. It was a really eclectic mix, but no one could ever say Washy was unimaginative when it came to food, and the good ones found their way into our cookbooks.

Washy grabbed one of the hot pepper dumplings and examined it carefully before nodding with satisfaction and opening his mouth with a sly smile.

Wa Shi, you scoundrel! a prim, offended voice rang out. A pink pig that had been laying beside Chunky shot to her feet and glared at the fish.

Just a nibble? he asked teasingly, and Peppa glared at him. The fish started laughing as he handed over the skewer, which Peppa took with a huff before making a pleased noise.

Ah, I can taste the smokiness! she said happily.

The roasting time is paramount! Too little, and the taste doesnt change! Too much, and it burns and tastes horrible! Washy declared. It took this Master ten tries to find this optimal char point! Achieving the correct strength of flavour that you now enjoy!

Both me and Peppa rolled our eyes at his pompous tone, and Peppa sat back down beside Chunky, snuggling into his side. I smiled at the comfy scene, before turning my attention to the sound of soft humming.

Bowu, a young man with wavy blue hair, was reading as he hummed tunelessly to himselfthough unlike Meiling, he had a technical manual on pill furnaces in his hands rather than a medical scroll. With a contented smile on his face, he was a far cry from the rather grim looking young man who had come to us last year. He was also bouncing one of his legs up and down as he readthe one Meiling had fixed last year, after the lad had spent years having to use a crutch to compensate for his mangled leg.

Nearby and closer to the fire was the long green, noodly form of well, Noodle. The old, scarred snake was bundled up in a knitted tube and conked out completely. He had never been the best with the cold in the first place.

Last but not least were Babe the ox and Vajra the queen bee. Babe was gazing contemplatively at the flames and Vajra was, for once, still instead of dancing, the three inch long iridescent bee settled by the fire with a couple of her workers.

Finally, I closed my eyes as I reclined in front of the fire and traced the connections of my Qi to a world beneath the earth.

There, in a little cottage with a snowman standing guard outside, rested the last member of our family. I poked my head in and checked on the little Earth Spirit, Tianlan, as she slumbered.

There were golden cracks along her facebut her clothes were new and clean, and she had a soft smile on her face as she slept.

She looked content.

I left her to sleep.

The boy has the right of it. We go through, the gruff voice of Shen Yu stated bluntly. The Old man, an Imperial Realm cultivator, simply appeared beside them after he dropped down from the air.

He had clearly gone to scout out the outskirts and make sure that going through the forest was necessary though that was likely going to be the extent of his aid unless they encountered a truly powerful Spirit Beast they could not fight off or escape from on their own.

Otherwise, he largely stayed silent, listening carefully to their deliberations on choosing paths and judging their skills. He was teaching them how to combat demons and how to navigate such dangerous places. If he simply did it all for them, then they would learn nothing.

Do be careful though, children, the final member of their group, Nezan declared. He was in his Spirit Beast form, a massive white fox. His narrow eyes fixed on the trees. This forest radiates power.

Bi De could not help but agree.

They approached cautiouslyit took half an hour of travel at the speed of a cultivator to reach the start of the forestwhen Bi De suddenly noticed something.

There was a cairn, and the mound of stacked rocks included some of the massive tree branches to form a pair of what looked almost like a pair of large antlersdenoting a boundary, almost like a fence.

Bi Des eyes widened. With a pop he reverted to his true form and snapped out a wing.

His companions all stopped immediately before they could set even a single foot within the forest. Bi Des eyes snapped around at the trees, locking onto scrapes very, very high up on the trunks, as well as the quality of the snow. It looked just like how Brother Chun Ke moved it out of the way. He scented the air, and found the slight tang of a storm.

All of these were noted and Bi De had a rough idea of exactly what lived in this forest. Judging by Shao Hengs own considering expression, he too had seen the signs.

Oh? You felt that? Shen Yu asked. He sounded impressed.

Bi De frowned. Shen Yu was suppressing his power and intentionally trying to hide. He had learned to tell that much about him.

I feel nothing, Master. But those, he said, gesturing at the stones. They denote a boundary. I believe politeness should prevail, before we trespass.

Shen Yu considered his statement, then nodded. Not the path I would have chosen but good eyes nonetheless.

Bi De took the statement for the leave it was and bowed. We humbly ask for passage through your home, Bi De called out, his voice echoing throughout the forest.

There was a moment of silence.

And then the massive trees started shaking.

The smell of a storm came to them on the winds; and a creature fit to live among the behemoth trees seemed to materialize out of thin air, power at the pinnacle of the Earth Realm as far as Bi De could tell.

Half a Li tall at his shoulder, his head was as big as a house and his rack of magnificent antlers looked like the crown of a kingor like a set of battering rams that could breach any fortress in the world. His fur was a dark grey, and he was wreathed in frozen mist and storm clouds, the mantle of his power swirling around his body like a royal cloak.

Bi De swallowed as the creature walked with deceptively silent steps.

The massive mooseor Thunderhoof, as those not his Master called the creaturesstared down at them.

Bi De still remembered the baby Thunderhoof who had followed Yun Ren north. It had been, at the time, the largest creature he had ever seen.

The Spirit Beast considered them. For a moment, Bi De wondered if this would come to a fight but Thunderhooves were considered symbols of luck amongst the Nezin tribe and thus implied they were not prone to violence at first meeting.

The great Spirit Beast stared down at them, then cocked his head to the side.

Finally, he spoke, his voice a deep rumble.

This is the first time little ones have asked to enter my home in a long while. I shall greet you; This one is He Who Sweeps the Forest Floor Of Snow and Opens the Way; you may refer to me as Forest Sweeper. Tell me, little ones, what brings you this far north, to the gates of my domain?

Bi De had the Spirit Beasts full and undivided attentiona beast who eclipsed him utterly.

So he once more bowed politely, and began to speak.