Chapter [B3] 23 — Departure - II

Chapter [B3] 23 — Departure - II

Another week had passed by in the blink of an eye as I had made the preparations for our departure to the Azure city, the capital of the empire. There were quite a few things to prepare for, the auction for one, the logistics of travel, getting enough carriages and people, tents, food, firewood to keep us warm in winter, among other things.

Even if most of us were cultivators, it did not stop a long journey like this from sucking the life from one’s soul, especially if he did not prepare well for it. Thankfully Qiao Ying had been helping me make these preparations and though it came a little close, we had managed to get everything ready in time.

I stood watching the disciples of the sect move the different items around. Two entire carriages were dedicated solely for the things that I would need for the auction. And then we had to borrow one more from the Lord to be able to fit everything. After which we had to get enough guards to protect the carriages from bandits.

Though I did not have too much concern for that given the people that we were traveling with. It was hard to imagine anyone robbing the Lord and surviving.

But even I was fairly strong now and could hold my own against most people that would take to banditry and such. So the real reason to have the guards was mostly because we did not want to get ambushed by demonic beasts or people with other intentions beyond just mere banditry.

Unfortunately, I had decided to leave Zhang behind within the sect. The boy had protested of course, vehemently so, but at the end he had understood my reasoning. I needed someone to take care of the sect and be in charge while I was gone. And I needed someone who I could trust. And there were very few people I could trust more than Zhang.

Not to mention, the militia had just been given guns and other such weapons to train with, and I needed people to observe and train them, so that if there was to be an attack by demonic beasts through the winter while I was gone they would be able to defend themselves and defend others around them. And Zhang would be perfect for that.

Lord Zhou had also left some people behind, including Elder Tian Feng who would be looking after his estate and would be making sure that nothing went wrong while we were gone.

Similarly, Qiao Ying will also be remaining within the sect although I had really really wanted to bring the man along. But I knew that if I left and Qiao Ying left with me then the sect would more or less collapse. We simply did not have enough people that we could delegate tasks to. There had not been enough time to train them, and new systems were still constantly being created and put in place. I needed Qiao Ying to be there to govern those and maintain them.

Thankfully he had reached out and already done a lot of the preparations needed to set up the auction. Qiao Ying had contacted and reached an agreement with the respectable auction house used by many of the nobles and powerful cultivators within the Azure city. All I would need to do is simply go there and hand over the items in bulk per the agreements to get the preparations in order.

The one silver lining in this was also the fact that Liuxiang will be there, meeting me in the capital and helping me work through this auction. Technically it would be her standing as a representative of the Shie clan given their vested interest in me and my activities but nonetheless I felt happy about getting to meet her.

Of the people that would come with me there was of course Labby who would not have taken no had I said as much but I had very little reason besides concerns for her safety to not bring her along. And now that she was a little older and a little stronger, it would be fine for her to travel with me.

Ash would similarly also be coming with me. He would in some ways be replacing Zhang, acting as my bodyguard. But I also wanted to bring Ash along to show him the capital, and to use him as an intimidation factor when negotiating and working with certain people.

Zhang was strong, certainly. But there was a different feeling when a tall, well-built, and powerful looking man with cultivation in the seventh realm or higher stood in front of you, his aura containing whispers of death and flames.

In some ways he was the opposite of Sheldon, who was just as strong, but hardly looked like it in his small turtle form and was easily approached and loved by everyone. It was also somewhat amusing that they had fire and water abilities. That was also partly why I was leaving Sheldon and Twilight behind. Having Sheldon in the sect gave me peace of mind that should anything happen he would be able to handle it and guide everyone with Zhang's help.

Besides Ash and Labby, Yan Yun and Leiyu would be traveling with us as well. She was the only one who had been to the capital before and her status and understanding of the nobilitywould help me navigate the politics and get a better insight and understanding of how to behave and what to do and what not to do.

“Everything is ready. The Lord will be leaving soon as well. You should hurry,” he said.

Then everybody looked at everybody and smiled. “Guess it’s time to go. I’ll be there and back before you know it.”

“You better be, boy. These lot don’t know how to run a proper sect. Entire thing will collapse if you don’t return soon enough,” Granny said.

“Will take care of things, Brother Jie. You can leave without worry,” Zhang said, and I nodded at the boy.

“I’ll be proceeding according to your plans and sending regular report messages to you, so you should be aware of what is happening. If any problems arise, I will use this scrying art to contact you urgently,” Qiao Ying said.

“I’ll be leaving it in your hands. I wanted to know that none of this would have been possible without your help, without all of your help. And I will be relying on you once more,” I said bowing my head.

The village chiefgasped. Granny Lang simply shook her head.

“See this? If only you had had the humility your disciple does when you had been younger,” Granny said looking at the old man.

The old man gave a smile. “Both of us could have used more humility in our youth,” he replies, and Granny snorts. I looked at the old man, but decided to leave the question regarding their relationship and how they knew each other for the journey.

They shared a few more words with each other, and I took the time to say my goodbyes to everyone.

“Take care. We believe. In your path,” Sheldon said to me.

“Bye!” Twilight shouted, voice chiming, and I wasn’t sure from her enthusiasm if she truly understood what was happening.

“Get going boy, you’ll be back soon enough. Don’t make the Lord wait,” Granny said, shooing me away.

I laughed at the old crone’s inability to be honest, before nodding. “Be back soon,” I said, before I stepped into my carriage.

All of us boarded, one after another, and I heard the driver crack his reins. With a thud, the carriage began to move, and I looked through the window out at my sect, my only home in this world, as it slowly faded away into the distance.

The carriages from our sect and the Lord’s manormet up, forming a larger group together just outside the Seventh Peak city. And after checking one last time, we were off to the capital. Unearth this data, retracing it to the very heart of Nøv€lß¡n★