Chapter 79: East

Chapter 79: East

Sen had been right. The death of the mayor and his family created havoc in the local government as people vied to seize at least temporary control. The city guards tried to launch an immediate investigation, only to discover that exactly no one was grieved by the loss of the mayor. Worse, their best suspect, Sen, was a wandering cultivator that they couldn’t even make talk to them. For his part, Sen had waved off their attempted inquiries by channeling what he imagined a young master might be like.

“These sound like mortal concerns to me, not cultivator business,” he told the guard captain with equal parts disinterest and disdain. “Do not trouble me with these matters again.”

While the city guard went off to try to find some other suspect, Sen prepared for his journey east. That mostly involved spending time with Grandmother Lu as she made last-minute arrangements for the caravan. The man in charge of the caravan guards, a muscular body cultivator named Chen Shi who Grandmother Lu had recruited from somewhere else, was initially unimpressed by Sen. Much to Sen’s amusement, Chen Shi demanded that they trade pointers so the older man could assess whatever meager skills the boy had. Sen had glanced at Grandmother Lu, mostly for permission, and she gave him a little nod. Chen Shi didn’t notice, but Sen had to repress a smile when he saw the older woman’s lips twitch. Five minutes later, after being repeatedly disarmed or metaphorically killed, the body cultivator grudgingly accepted that Sen might be an asset after all. Grandmother Lu did the man the small courtesy of going inside before she burst into laughter.

“Do you have some secret dislike of him, Grandmother?” Sen asked with a small smile.

Grandmother Lu shook her head and said, “No. He’s a good guard. He just needs the occasional reminder that there are others with more strength and more skill than him. It keeps his prices reasonable.”

“Oh no,” Sen cried in mock horror, “I have been shamelessly used by a ruthless businesswoman in her negotiations!”

“Indeed,” she said, offering Sen a sage nod. “Let that be a lesson to you, young cultivator. Always negotiate your fee up front.”The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

Then, the two burst into more laughter.

***

Sen ultimately made good on his casual statement that he would stop by to meet Bai’s mother. He’d spent a lot of time daydreaming about those pineapple buns and decided that he couldn’t leave town without at least trying to wrangle the recipe from the woman. He took Grandmother Lu’s advice and arrived with a modest bottle of rice wine as a gift. The girl’s father had seemed mostly perplexed, having been unaware of Sen’s existence up until he showed up at their home. Bai’s mother, on the other hand, took one look at Sen and nodded to herself.

“Ah,” she said, “now, I understand.”

Bai herself was left speechless and blushed furiously every time Sen looked at her. Grandmother Lu had finally sat him down and explained what was going on. Sen hadn’t spent much time thinking about his own appearance. Yet, he accepted the older woman’s assessment that he was unusually handsome. She was in a better position to know than he was. He also provisionally accepted that his appearance was going to draw silly reactions from some young women. He was less certain about Grandmother Lu’s declaration that the same thing would apply to some not-so-young women who, in her words, ought to know better.

Sen had fretted about that conversation for about five minutes before he ultimately concluded that none of it was really a him problem. There wasn’t much he could do about his appearance. There was also very little he could about how others reacted to it. If other people reacted in ridiculous ways to his appearance, that would be a them problem. So, Sen carried on as he would have before that conversation, just armed with the necessary information to put things in context. He wasn’t sure if Bai’s mother fell into the ought to know better category, but the increasingly stern looks her husband directed at everyone as the evening wore on suggested that maybe she was. Still, his gambit to procure the recipe was a success in the end.

***

Sen and Grandmother Lu stood outside as the caravan made a few last-minute preparations. She looked him up and down with a piercing gaze, as though she suspected that he’d forgotten to pack something important. Based on how intense her look was, Sen couldn’t help but wonder if she thought he’d left his lungs behind in some dusty corner somewhere. She seemed to find whatever she was looking for and gave him a quick nod.

“So, have you decided where you’ll go?” Sen asked.

***

By the time the caravan reached Tide’s Rest, Sen had recovered. Everyone in the caravan had stared at him with shocked, horrified eyes as he dragged himself out of the forest. They’d stared at him in amazement as he concocted medicinal brews in nothing but a plain pot, medicinal brews that seemed to work miracles overnight. It wasn’t really miraculous or overnight, but Sen didn’t have the energy or inclination to try to convince them otherwise. He did have to firmly decline the offers of several women in the caravan to help him tend to his wounds. The very obvious disappointment on their faces told Sen that he’d been right to be wary. So, it was with some relief on his part that they entered the city through one of the main gates.

He and the guard captain had agreed that they might as well part ways once the caravan was in the city. It wasn’t like Sen was waiting to get paid, and the odds of an attack the guards couldn’t handle inside the city proper were small. It was a good thing too, because Sen felt another cultivator’s spiritual sense land on him almost as soon as he walked through the gate. In no mood to deal with stupidity, Sen had quickly ducked down a side street and hidden. He almost laughed at the nearly frantic searching of that spiritual sense over the area he was swiftly departing. No, he wasn’t in Tide’s Reach to get involved with other cultivators. He had come here for one reason, and one reason alone. For a mortal, the walk across the city would probably have been exhausting. For Sen, it was just tedious. He found the easternmost gate and was confronted by a skeptical guard.

“Why do you want to go out there?” the guard asked.

“I want to see the ocean.”

“You want to just go out there and look at it?”

“Yes.”

Sen could see that the guard simply couldn’t comprehend why any sane person would want to do that. It wasn’t like Sen had a sane reason for it, either. All he had was a feeling, that persistent tugging that had grown stronger and stronger the closer he got to the ocean.

Sen tried again. “I’ve never been to the coast before. I wanted to see the ocean while I could.”

The ever-increasing skepticism on the guard’s face evaporated and was replaced with a grin. “Grew up inland, did you? Well then, you’re right. You should see the ocean while you can.”

The guard waved him through, and Sen stepped outside the walls of the city. The briny scent that had lingered in the air for the last day or so took on an almost physical presence. Sen took it in for a moment, then made his way down toward the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the shore. Even before he reached the beach, he could feel the tremendous power of the ocean. Yet, it was a slow power, only occasionally roused to fury. He had read about tides, but now he could sense them at work, like a hum that was just barely within the range of hearing. A steady pressure that pushed the water in or pulled it away. Yes, he thought, there is a lesson for me here. Sen could already feel the qi building around him, as if in anticipation of the insights he would glean. He took slow breaths, trying to match them to the crashing of the waves, trying to attune his spirit to the way this vast, beautiful, and, he felt quite certain, sometimes terrible force moved in the world. He could feel the tickle of insight on the very edge of his mind, drawing closer. He relaxed, willing to wait, and as that insight began to take form in his mind and heart...

“Cultivator!”

Ignore it, Sen thought as he desperately tried to maintain the delicate balance he needed for this insight.

“Cultivator!” the voice shouted again. “I am Zhu Fen, of the Stormy Ocean sect. You will face me.”

The shouting, the other cultivator’s spiritual sense washing over the area, and his own distraction shattered the moment. As Sen could very nearly watch that precious bit of enlightenment flee from his grasp, an almost physical anger took hold of him. He didn’t want to face the stupid girl who had stolen this long-sought moment from him. Sen wanted to murder her. Of course, that would just give her what she wanted in the end. Instead, he turned his murderous glare on her and returned injury for injury, denial for denial.

“No.”

This ends Volume 1 of Unintended Cultivator. Sen will return in Volume 2.