Torsten Hewson
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v2c96: Comin' Home.
🕑 Added 2022-02-13 06:00:00 +0000 UTCCai Xi Kong sipped his tea as he studied the man across from him. Master Rou’s eyes were closed as he smelled the tea before him. Xi Kong frowned. He could almost detect… discomfort from the expert before him. His face had been stone during the last meeting. He had received the reports of the Lord Director on their reparations. He had listened to the testimony of the sects upon the resources given to those who had participated in the defense of Tigu.
Then he, calmly and matter of factly, nodded his head and announced his intention to leave the next day. Xi Kong had already known. The man had discussed it with his disciples last night and offered to allow this “Rags” and “Loud Boy” to accompany him. To Xi Kong’s surprise though, the Loud Boy had politely declined for the moment.
But the statement had been taken in stride. Who would dare to argue with the man? Lines of communication for emergencies were set up… and that was it.
When asked if he had any guidelines to follow, the man had simply raised an eyebrow and stated:
“Protect the people and live virtuous lives. Otherwise it's hardly any of my business.”
And that was that. The halo of light upon the chair went out and Master Rou had left with that simple edict..
Xi Kong knew that there would be many, many discussions over the months and years about Master Rou’s actions and words. But there was one thing that was certain.
The Azure Hills had a new master, one who ruled by might and with benevolence.
And now he was having tea with the expert as the younger generation vented the last of their rowdiness. The buildings were awash in the colours of Yun Ren’s murals and the shouts of Tigu. The Young Masters and Mistresses spoke in hushed voices with his daughter, nodding solemnly and pledging to whatever she was saying.
All his disciples were in the thick of it, as the servants delayed their departure for one last night.
Xi Kong stared at the man for a moment longer. The days had been busy and full of meetings before so he barely got any time to truly sit down and have a personal conversation with his daughter’s saviour.
“Master Rou?” The man opened his eyes and shook his head.
“Please, call me Jin,” he said.
Xi Kong inclined his head. “Then I hope you would do the honour of calling this one Xi Kong.” The man nodded and Xi Kong continued. “My daughter told me of your actions in saving her life from Sun Ken. This Xi Kong has not yet had an opportunity to thank you.”
The man sipped his tea. “It was the least I could do. The first thing she did on seeing us was warn us of a dangerous monster.”
“Still, we are in your debt…”
“The debt has been paid,” he said with finality. “We are friends now, and that is all that matters.”
Xi Kong nodded. It was as the rooster said. His daughter was in good hands.
“Master Rou… Jin. I entrust my daughter to you,” he said, bowing his head.
“I think… you should entrust her with herself,” Master Rou returned.
Xi Kong looked up at the man. The absolute confidence he had in Xiulan. “Yes, I think she has learned quite well how to take care of herself,” he said quietly. “She will be a fine Elder of our sect when she returns. A new dawn for the grass upon the plains.”
The man chuckled and took a drink. “Xiulan definitely has some ideas, I think.”
They returned to silence for a moment, both of them amused until Xi Kong recomposed himself. This was a rare opportunity to speak with a Master like this, and so he decided upon the opening question that his father had liked to use. It was a question his father had told him allowed one to get a quick measure of a man. To see his priorities and what he valued at a glance.
“Jin, what do you believe is the most important thing to remember?” Xi Kong asked.
The man’s lips twitched. “You know, Xiulan asked me the same question once,” the man stated.
“Oh?” Xi Kong asked, curious.
“Always remember a clean pair of socks,” Xi Kong barked out a laugh and felt some of the tension fade. This Master was truly eccentric.
They sipped their tea and made small talk about their plans. Jin spoke at length about his “still” which looked curiously like the contraption in Pale Moon Lake City that Xi Kong had seen once, some thirty years ago, when the troubles in the mortal capitol had required his attention.
It was an interesting subject, and he was surprised the man would share his profound secrets so easily.
Or perhaps that was just his nature? Xi Kong knew some men taught as many as they could instead of hoarding their knowledge, but they were few and far between. Could this new method be the next Thousand Li View?
=======================================
Tie Delun swallowed thickly as the sun was setting. He had missed most of the goodbyes as he rushed to finish this and had only just managed it.
He shifted the box he was carrying under his arm and pondered Master Rou’s words. Perhaps… perhaps he was too suddenly devoted. Tigu had been the only woman to… well, ever compliment his appearance instead of calling him an ugly brute. The splotches on his nose, the deep tan of his skin and his bulging muscles were hardly considered attractive to most other cultivators.
But thinking on Master Rou’s words… well, he was right. Tigu seemed completely oblivious, even with her calling him handsome. She demanded he take off his shirt so she could carve him with pure eyes.
It hurt a bit to think about it, but he would persevere!
He entered the open gates of the Verdant Blade Sect’s manor.
Even if this wasn’t an official courting gift like he intended it to be… it was still fine.
Most people had left already, going out into the town with Yun Ren to record their images. He had seen Xianghua dragging Gou Ren off again.
So There were very few people in the room when he was guided in by the servants. Tigu, Xiulan, the Petals, and the two annoyances, Loud Boy and Rags.
Tie Delun pushed the thoughts out of his mind and focused on the one who mattered.
“Handsome Man!” Tigu enthused on seething him and his face flushed. “Finally! I was going to come hunt you down if you had disappeared for too much longer!”
Delun chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Sorry. I just had to finish this up. It’s… it’s for you,” he said, holding over the lacquered box.
Tigu’s eyes widened as she opened the lacquered box, revealing two shiny silver arm guards. They would cover her knuckles and go up her forearms to her elbows. They were carved with the runes of power from his family, and though they mostly didn’t work nowadays… They were still arranged with all his skill.
Tears sprung up in Tigu’s eyes as she stared at the carvings. She swallowed thickly and flushed crimson
“Handsome Man! These are masterpieces!” the young woman declared. “You dare shame me by giving me a better gift than this Tigu is about to give to you?!”
Delun’s eyes widened as Tigu pulled out her own gift. A wooden pendant carved in the shape of a strange hammer. It had intricate knotwork upon it and it was flanked by two blue feathers that felt of Qi—
Delun’s eyes shot to the Spirit Beast rooster, the rooster that had the same blue colouration on his wings.
“I couldn’t find any good feathers, so I asked… Senior Brother to give me some!” she stated.
The feathers of a Profound Realm Spirit Beast, given willingly. The rooster turned to Tie Delun and offered him a bow.
“Hey look, we’re brothers!” Rags japed, showing his own pendant that looked like a boar. Loud Boy had what looked like an oddly plump and fishy dragon.
Tie Delun for a brief moment felt a twinge of jealousy, but crushed it down. Instead, he nodded to the two others, who nodded back.
Then Tigu slammed into him and started talking about how great it would be to see his home and more of his carvings before inviting him over.
Tie Delun couldn’t help it. At her earnestness, he fell in love all over again.
Waiting… wouldn’t be too bad, would it?
==========================
Zang Wei, known to most as Loud Boy, stared fondly at the pendant. It joined the other one around his neck. A piece of dull blue horn, inlaid with jade.
‘What is the Nature of this world?’ the booming voice asked.
He shook his head and started packing up. He was amused at how quickly his world had changed. Who would have ever thought that things would have come to this? Certainly not him. He kept up his packing, staring around at the room.
“Are you certain of this?” Miss Cai asked. “Master Jin would welcome you with open arms.”
Wei paused at her gentle words. She was concerned for him, he could tell that much.
The young man hesitated before he nodded.
“Yes, I’m sure. The manual said that to achieve the best effects one must travel to a place significant to their cultivation, to reconnect with their past and bring it to the present. And there's only one place I can think of.”
Back to a hidden old alcove and a nest of dragon bones. He clutched his necklace under his shirt. His resolve firmed.
“Besides! I finally have an answer to a question somebody asked me, long ago.” He smiled at her. “I gotta give it to the old bastard, yanno?”
“And it ain’t like he's headin’ out alone,” Rags said, staggering in and clapping Loud Boy on the shoulder. “I’ll take good care of my little brother!”
Wei shoved at him, glaring. Deep inside though, his heart felt… warm.
How long had it been since people had touched him with affection? He didn’t know.
Wei rolled his eyes. “I beat you when we fought the first time! I’ll be the Senior Brother!” Rags laughed and ruffled Wei’s hair.
“We’ve got to go back to our old stomping grounds, anyway,” he said. “Got some unfinished business! We’ll get Loud Boy his cultivation back and then come and visit!”
Miss Cai nodded before her face turned serious. “Dong Chou. Zang Wei. You will forever be friends of the Verdant Blade Sect. Honour and nobility can come from any, no matter how raggedy they look.”
Before he got to know her… He never would have realized that Cai Xiulan would have a sense of humour.
Nor that she hummed along to the song about the whore and the donkey.
Rags grabbed his chest with mock pain, groaning as he leaned back.
Rags laughed at her words—and then cut off when he saw what she was handing out to them. A vial with two pills in it.
The prize from the tournament. The Profound Breakthrough Pills.
“Just in case that which you have gained from the Shrouded Mountain Sect is not enough,” she said, smiling at them.
“You… you were hurt too. Your cultivation is—” Wei began, but Xiulan just shook her head.
“Indeed, it probably could bring me back up to the Profound Realm, or at least knock upon the door to it. But a good friend taught me to treasure a slower path. They were useless to me when I earned them and I would rather they go to you.”
Her words were soft and full of conviction. There was no pity in her words. Only that she believed them worth the reward.
Tears gathered at the corner’s of Wei’s eyes.
The truth of this world was cruelty.
And yet, that answer had changed.
He took a breath and clasped his hands in front of himself. “I will never forget what you did for me, Cai Xiulan.”
Rags too stared at the pills, his hands shaking.
“You know… when I came here, I didn’t expect this to happen,” he muttered.
“And I will never forget your courage,” Miss Cai returned. She studied them for a moment, before clasping her hands in front of her. “Live well, Rags, Loud Boy. I look forward to seeing you again soon.”
They returned her salute.
And then Tigu stormed into the room, carrying a bottle of alcohol.
“We forgot to do this!” she shouted out as both men jumped. “Rags! Loud Boy! Will you be my sworn brothers?” Tigu asked the two men, her eyes wide. The two of them looked at each other.
“I get to be the senior brother,” Rags declared.
Both Tigu and Wei objected to that, even as they clasped their hands together.
Miss Cai smiled at them.
Wei had come to the tournament for glory. To cast aside his sorry past and embark upon the lonely path to the Heavens.
Two grins met him. One from a ragged looking man and another from an orange haired girl.
He had lost everything that he came here with. A lesser man would be broken. Wei had almost broke, but as he looked at the Profound Breakthrough Pills he found himself musing on the pendant around his neck.
Putting the pills away Wei thumbed the feathers of the pendant and smiled at what he had gained and would regain.
He would get his cultivation back. And then he would give the old dragon his answer.
==============================
I thought back to the first time I had left the world of cultivation. The lonely mountain above, the Cloudy Sword Sect, hadn’t cared. I had nothing but a backpack, wandering alone across the Empire in a mad dash to get away from it all.
There had been nobody who even really noticed I had left.
It was a far cry from this.
“Bye!” Tigu shouted, jumping up and down and waving both arms. “Goodbye, Brother Loud Boy, Brother Rags, and Handsome Man! Smaller Blade of Grass, practise what I showed you, and match the Blade of Grass! Fish Eyes, hug your little sister for me! Head of Grass, remember to practise! Smallest Blade of Grass, grow taller!”
She shouted out a barrage of nicknames for people, dashing from one to another. From Blue Man to Bright Smile and Hairpin, each one with something directed at them. For all that she seemingly couldn’t remember most people’s actual names, she did seem to know at least something about them, shouting for them to get better or be stronger, challenging some of them to fights later on.
It was cute how bouncy she was being… and how surprisingly sociable. Who would have thought that a cat would turn out to be good at making friends. Her new bracers glinted on her arms.
Ri Zu was watching fondly from up on Big D’s back. She had already said her goodbyes and out of all of us she surprisingly had the most luggage. Satchels of herbs and several scrolls she had seen were the main thing, but she also had a crapload of bottles of alcohol that she had no idea what to do with. Presents from Rags, I was told.
Gou Ren suddenly burst out from the crowd, his face flushed and Bowu on his shoulders. The kid was laughing his head off as Gou Ren dashed forwards. From out of the crowd appeared Xianghua, a languid smile on her face—before she too got accosted by Tigu as the girl rubbed their cheeks together.
Yun Ren chortled as he hopped down off the cart, putting away his recording crystal and checking over everything one last time.
Gou skidded to a stop before us and set Bowu down in the carriage. Xianghua herself would be along later.
In the end, all the extra people who were joining us were a kid who knew what steam engines were and a monkey.
I looked up at the sky, then back down to the people.
As one, the line of cultivators bowed their heads to us.
“May the Heavens Favour You!” the people shouted.
I raised my hands and bowed back.
A rooster let out an ear-splitting crow.
I chuckled
“You tell ‘em, Big D,” I said, as we started marching off.
Finally, comin' home.
=========================
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Music ending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q707LpwDKiI
And so the tournament arc ends. I dunno if I'm 100% happy with this chapter, but everybody is officially on the way home. I would say ~2 more chapters than an epilogue we're looking at, until the end of this volume as well as a final retrospective on how writing this book went down.
Jeez. These last few weeks have been absolutely brutal.
Production started on the Audiobook, so I was with the Narrator quite a bit, listening in and offering recommendations for voices. Its honestly coming along faster than I thought.
Secondly, currently in talks for a physical copy, so hopefully all that goes well. thank you for your patience, everybody. I appreciate it.
As always thanks to the edit squad for catching my many errors.
Comments
I'm so glad I started reading this when episode 194 came out. Finished 145 four days later. If I had to stop halfway through this arc, I think I would have died a little inside... Great story!
Jackson Ragland
I love how human jin stays throughout the whole novel!
focus2x
Hey CasualFarmer - I love the story! If you're feeling burnt out, I would rather switch to a twice a week schedule! I'm just happy to read the story at all. Thanks :)
K M
Can someone tell me where the discord link is, please, since the author provides updates only over there? Cannot find it anywhere. Thanks.
paul Emmer
So when the next chapter expected
Mickey Phoenix
Also -- when a physical copy becomes available, I will buy it and give it to my 11-year-old son. This is very much the kind of brain food I want him eating. I...don't really have a higher compliment than that.
Mickey Phoenix
"I think... you should entrust her with herself." Beautiful. Thank you.
Dandark
That bit with loud boy talking about going back to the pile of dragon bones and giving his answer sounds really interesting, looking forward to seeing that play out and if his connection to the land spirit via Tigu’s talisman will play a part at all. Thanks again for the great story.
BlueMage_VT
Do want hard copy! Can't wait until it's available!
Take a break if you need to, i dont write myself but i like to read and many online stories just stop updating, if you write to a schedule it needs to be one you can manage, its a marathon not a sprint
Dion Crump
I hope once the volume is over your taking a break. Either emotional, mental, or just a break to build up a backlog. Can’t be 100% all the time
Dion Crump
Even better, the words “Beware of Chicken” burned into it with a classic farmyard gate and a rooster on one gate pole and a sign stretching above one gate to another saying Fa Rem
Dion Crump
I think it’s less awkward when looked at the prospective that he was expecting to come home with FA Rem students when he set out to the city
Fortunis
Let me know when both the physical copy and the audio are available cause I want both. Great story man.
Chad Hagner
I know you always say your not the most happy with chapter’s but my god they’re SO good! Loved this chapter and it’s closure plus the song at the end was so perfect! This is why I pay for Patreon, to experience this amazing talent from ppl brave enough to put their stories out there!
Daniel
Same here I really hate not having a physical copy of some of these really well-written internet books I can share with my older family members
Vylet Raku-n
I definitely want hardback copies of all the volumes! Giant leather bound tomes with a chicken embossed on the front :D But yeah deffo want a physical copy!
Eric Manwill
Yeah, I think that the things they've learned re the crystal would serve as a nice starting point for the next story arc.
Me likey
On one hand, not every character needs to be a main one (for sure this story has enough already). On the other though, Xianghae is currently my favourite character because of her relationship with her brother. I would certainly like to see more. I am a bit uncertain why you think she'll be put off to the side though. There are two main plots that she's an integral part of; 1: Cai Xuilan's efforts to unite the younger generations of the sects. As the BFF and also one of the more powerful young people, I find it hard to imagine that she won't be a driving force of this change. 2: The sister of Steam Engine Boy. We've seen in the memories that technology is something earth chan likes, and considering that jin is already giving away new designs, technological uplift is absolutely a plot in the future. Jin can't do this - he's a farmer, not an engineer, so SEB is gonna have to be the driving factor here. At the very least, we'll see more of this character when she comes to visit her brother. It's certainly true that these are more or less support roles, but again, the story has too many characters for them all to be main.
Sere Maddox
Woah, wait! Is there a bound version of this I can buy? Or at least of book 1? I'd grab that in a hot minute!
WonderBread459
It could very well be an experiment Master Gen, I think that was his name, to see if sending his kin to the farm will awaken them. Huo Ten seems like he’s on the cusp of being a spirit beast already, and if it works out it may be repeatable. If it’s repeatable they may try and replicate what Jin did on the farm at the monkey mountain, might even culminate with them “surpassing the ancients”. Honestly it’s a very interesting plot thread I hope to see more of.
Irotroopa
I do hope Rou Jin and Cai Xi Kong become pen pals. Its a vague feeling, but I think they'd have a good chemistry for a lasting friendship, even without Xiulan as a common ground.
Joshua Coffin
SWEET! I was hoping for a physical copy!
Shadow Gaming
Is he keeping the monkey?
Undead Writer
Yes!!! YES!!! YES!!!! Oh I love it!! I can’t wait for them to head back! I love all the interactions with people and their perspectives! It’s just so good!
Cory
I have bookshelves of physical copies of my digital books that I don't touch. I just want a big library at home and this would be an AWESOME addition to it if you make physical copies! Thanks for the post!
Zarik0
They are still a big point to see, what about the crystal? and the infos they get on it with the monkey? and this story of ghost/shadow or wathever they have fighted when they transferred the infos of the crystal, seem a big point to think and discuss about it, guess when they get home they will be a big part about that and realize thing (old past and link to thing) and guess it will be in part the beginning of the next arc on this :)
Kerrus Magrus
Yeah, this was my thought. He said the thing, resolutions were had, hints for the future. As much as I'd love to see more chapters, this feels much more like the ideal volume ending point. You could just do the epilogue following this, and then the other chapters for the next volume, and I think it would work out just fine.
Ethan Hand
The ending callback of the chapter was done extremely well in my opinion. Honestly, you could end the volume right here. I don’t know how much better you could end than “You tell ‘‘em Big D”.
Alexander Gordillo
2 volumes and its still very interesting, Thank You
Sebastian Osterbrink
Chunky will help her find the right way.
John Brady Anderson
So, a chapter late with it but does anyone else worry that Tianlan was a bit too possessive? She almost did not let people leave home previously, too.
Ryan Clark
I thought this chapter was lovely and very sweet. The warmth your story exudes always has me coming back
paul Emmer
I still wonder how Xianghae is going to fit into the story outside being the girlfriend not much has been said it will be interesting to see. One thing is for sure the ancestors of the sets were craftsmen and cultivator in tune with the land and Fa Rram will pave the way to return to that
V01D
“all the extra people who were joining us” - this sounds awkward…
James Squibb
Even though they may have been brutal, the results are undeniable. Thank you for all of your hardwork!
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapter.
paul Emmer
So many new adventures and the beginning of a long saga yeha
paul Emmer
Didn't the boy who Fought the wolves ask big D if he could come to Fa Ram
Ask-if-I-like-lemons
Well, I guess this means "A cat is fine too".
I think his wife is going to be over the moon with her new human body medical scrolls in particular. And she will probably insist on seeing/opening a dialogue with the doctors who shared those top level scrolls with her, insisting it is the equivalent of sharing their family inheritance with her and she needs to do something to return the favor, and in person the next time when Jin takes her to the mountain city.
RedFaux
Whenever I read "You tell 'em Big D" I get all warm and fuzzy
John Koor
It's funny. It took this long for me to realize that Loud Boy wasn't Big D's disciple from the village with the wolves. This entire time I'd been reading loud boy as the same kid who fought the wolves and was expecting a reunion scene between the two that never came.
Neruz
Of course cats are good at making friends; thats basically how they got domesticated in the first place.
Oskatat
It's probably a chinese legend, the boy or man and the dragon bones of Loud Boy. Pretty sure Jin messed up the story
Oskatat
Yes
Alessandro Piva
I will buy the physical book and the audiobook too, I just love this story!!!
Runaway_Cactuar
"Sure, you can be my disciple. Give me all your food." -Washi prolly
Andy
With all the different names it gets quite hard sometimes to remember who is who. Who is Bowu again? Xianghua's little brother?
mindsystem
I imagine that for many it will be "that weird farm I happened upon" possibly with a dash of "that happens to be run by a powerful cultivator". But most probably won't quite get what is going on with Jin's "heaven on Earth" and "give to the land and it'll give back" philosophy.
AG
what if after this book is done you take a long break and then when you start writing chapters again don't upload them right away, stock pile them so that way you can upload them consistently even when you get writers block or something comes up
Doctor Xerox
Aww yeah, new guests at the Fa Ram. So excited!
LBNoSc
Shouldn't the name of the chapter be "Going home"?
Caithdean SValerient
Thanks for the update!!
taukid
I want this on my shelf for sure.
Oneiros
Can't wait to see what a few of the newcomers make of Fa Ram. For most of them I suspect it will be like walking into Shangri-La or Xanadu.
Derpp
Can’t wait for more of the home gang. Like just waiting for people to see MC riding Washy through the sky using a carrot on a stick
Andrew
Thank you!
Imspinnennetz
Ending to book 2.
Produx :}
Wait it’s ending? D: I thought there was going to be a V3 Regardless, thank you so much for this story. It gives me nice happy feels every time I get the notification that it updates.
Reinhold Wuerzner
I will SO buy a physical book in a heartbeat. Could i get it signed by you?
Kara Nina
I love this chapter because it ties up so many ends - for the moment at least - and I really get the feeling that they're all ready to say goodbye for a while. It's not a sudden, abrupt departure but an expected one and one where everybody ensured the urgent topics and matters are taken care of, for the time being.
jak8714
I will absolutely be first in line to buy that physical copy. I have a family who needs to read this story, but they hate internet books.
aj0413
Very, very few books get the honor of a physical copy from me nowadays, but....I think this one has earned a spot
Teghlin
If this gets a physical release, I'm buying it.
Sabrina Fite
Thanks for the chapter. Take a beak. You deserve it!!
mindsystem
If we get a physical version, I'll definitely have to pick one up for my shelf. In addition to a digital copy, of course. It's interesting to see the difference in Xi Kong and Xiulan's reactions to the socks answer. Xi Kong just takes it in stride as an eccentricity and finds it funny while Xiulan was upset at the "fake" answer. Though I wonder how he'd react to the "everything is connected" talk. Maybe if he comes for a visit, it'll happen.
Arnon Parenti
This was great, some Rollercoaster feels, but a good chapter all round. It would be fun to read the way to Fa Ram by Bowu pov, bandits, wreckerballs, monsters, beasts and other stranger things, all the while guarded by a bunch of spiritual beasts and cultivators doing their best not to hurt whatever is attacking their convoy too badly but causing severe Emotional Damage to an eldritch spirit haunting a well, and that poor blazebear begging for it's life from a rat.
Empty Shelf
A fitting farewell to the Dueling Peaks and 'Master Rou'. It was fun to see everyone stretch their legs, but I'm quite glad they're Coming Home.
Leroyce
I believe he is going with Loud Boy on his journey.
Tribal2199
Can't wait for the Audiobook.
Serdnack
Wait I thought rags was joining the farm? Is he joining later?
Harish
The optimism your book conveys keeps me going
Oliver S
It was a great chapter!
Thomas Kuhn
Great chapter! Physical copies would be cool, too! I don't handle books physically anymore, but it would be great to give as a gift.
TheStarsAbove
Good choice on the music
Imspinnennetz
Loud boy is going to have a massive whiplash when he meets with Washi after talking to a ancient dragon spirit. Washi's answer to the question about truth of nature of the world: Food is very tasty.
Sean Ulrich
The question is: is Tie Delun a cat person?
Nicholas Roberts
Cute!!!! I'm rooting for Tie Delun, poor kid is smitten for the kitten
RJasdf
Thanks for the chapter
REPOsPuNKy
woot. Also, thank you for your hard work!
