Jade Dragon Beauty

The next morning they set out, camping gear from the sect's stores in their rings or magic bags. They would be hunting a few normal beasts in the area to bring back additional food and maintain their cover, but mostly they would be looking out for threats.

Three hours later they found a path in the mountains and followed in down into a valley. They saw a few lesser spirit beasts, birds, squirrels, and a few deer, with only a few of the deer even being in the Gathering realm, but didn't bother them. Eventually the path made its way to a clearing on a large rock which overlooked a valley and they saw a village of a few thousand below. It seemed familiar to Shen, but supposed that could just be because the way they built was so familiar. The style was quite different than in the sect, where even the wooden buildings had slate or clay shingles and plaster walls. Here most of the buildings were almost entirely wood, with thatched roofs and only a few nicer buildings looked like they had plaster on the walls, and the only clay appeared to be in the chinking in the gaps of the walls.

They made their way to the village and identified themselves as travelers, and were allowed to enter. Unlike the larger cities they might go to in the future, there was no entry fee. They started walking down the main road and Shen noticed that the town square was in the middle of renovations. There was a large platform in the middle of the square where a statue of some kind once stood, but now the area was empty so that a new statue or feature could be added.

She was going to keep walking but noticed Ponma staring at a nearby building. It was a shop of some kind, but the sign was faded so she was having trouble making out what they sold. "What is it?" she asked, walking over.

"We're home." he said, and pointed to the shop. "That's my parent's store."

Now that he had mentioned it, Shen looked around and started noticing several things she recognized. Though she hadn't had a place in the city to really call home, she had done odd jobs for some of the shops or people around here, and sold materials she found, like the hides of animals she trapped, to some of them as well.

Danka, Shoom, and Mae walked over. "Why did you stop?" asked Danka. "We need to find out where we are and if we can buy supplies."

"I know where we can get everything." said Ponma, and Danka looked uncertain. "This is mine and Shen's home town."

Danka was about to congratulate them, then a man in fancy clothes with blue skin walked by and he realized something. If this was where they were recruited from, then the people in town might know that they were part of the Jade Dragon sect, and that knowledge could cause them problems. He quietly explained the situation to them in a whisper and Shen nodded. "That's right. And if they know, then the Demons might find out."

They thought for a moment, then Ponma spoke up. "Just because they recruited us doesn't mean that we were members during the siege." The others gave him a look. "I doubt the people here know much about the inner politics of the sect. I certainly never heard anything about it when I lived here, even if I was nine at the time. So, what if we tell a little lie? The sect demanded that all of us fight the demons, and tried to send us to the front lines. We didn't want to go, and tried to argue that our normal jobs were too important, but the elders couldn't accept that. So they kicked us out, say ten days before the siege. No one would blame a bunch of kids for not wanting to fight demons, so they won't think too little of us, and it keeps us from being the demon's enemies if they find out that we were once members."

Everyone agreed to this deception and they went to Ponma's Father's store. Inside was a purple skinned middle aged woman browsing the shelves and an eighteen year old human man behind the counter. "Ponma?" the man said, and ran over to them. "Little Brother? I didn't expect to see you again." He grabbed Ponma in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground. "With the Jade Dragons being defeated, I thought they'd killed you." Well, it looked like the demons knew that they were former sect members now, due to the customer overhearing.

The customer looked a bit surprised at the information so Ponma quickly clarified the situation. "Well, I wasn't actually in the sect when the battle happened." Ponma's brother looked surprised at this. "We actually got kicked out before that."

"You were kicked out? Why's that?" He then seemed to realize something. "Wait, mom and dad will want to meet you too." He ran into the back and started yelling for them.

"Who's that?" asked Mae.

"My older brother, Gin Toya. I guess he helps out here, now, even if he never wanted to in the past. I guess not having me here, wanting to be a merchant too, meant that he had to help out instead."

Ponma's parents came to the front of the store and his mother came over and gave him a hug as well, while his father just seemed to stand back and nod. Shen thought he looked like he was going to cry, but never saw a tear. "Ponma, what happened?" asked his mother. "Did you manage to escape?"

"He says he wasn't in the city when it was attacked." said Toya. Ponma's mother looked at him, and he realized she wanted more details.

"Yeah, I got kicked out. Actually we all did."

She looked surprised. "Why did they do that?"

"We refused to go to war." Ponma said. "They wanted the four of us to head to the front, but we didn't want to. Mae and I weren't strong enough, and all of us didn't want to die, so we refused. So they kicked us out. We were living in the woods, trying to figure out what we were going to do, when the shield went up and we knew that the Sect was under attack, so we decided to set out to find a town or city to live in."

"Why would they want to send a kid to the front?" asked Ponma's father. "Were you part of the military?"

Ponma shook his head. "No. I was a merchant. I found goods outside the city that the sect needed and brought them back to sell to the sect. Even started a business with Shen selling a kind of alchemical flower called a Water Blossom." He pointed to Shen. "Mae was an apothecary. Only Danka was even a town guard and well…" a bit stumped on how to explain that, he paused.

Danka spoke up. "There's a big difference between arresting drunks and shoplifters and going to fight an enemy that you know can easily kill you. I know I'm fifteen and a half, and should be more mature than that, but…"

Toya went over and patted him on the shoulder. "I don't think I'd be able to fight someone to the death either, and I'm three years older than you." he said.

Ponma's mother decided to try and change the subject to get away from the heavy topic. "So, when did you get a dog?" she asked Ponma, pointing at Shoom.

"Oh, he's not a dog, he's an Ice Wolf." Ponma responded.

His mother stood up and stepped back. "A Spirit beast?" she asked, a bit of fear evident in her voice.

"Oh, he's not hostile. He's my friend." When he said that Shoom stood up and walked over, wagging his tail like a dog despite being the tallest one in the room. Ponma reached up to his head and started petting him.

"A friend?" asked Ponma's Father.

"Yeah," said Ponma. "Most Spirit beasts get human level intelligence once they reach Foundation, so he's basically my age right now. A bit immature, since he hasn't been a teenager long, but he learns really fast."

Ponma's mother nodded. "So, how did you get kicked out of the sect?" she asked, as no one had mentioned his story.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I didn't." Shoom said to everyone in the area with his telepathy. Ponma wasn't sure if the information or the fact that he was speaking into her head was more surprising.

"Oh, that's telepathy." Ponma explained. "I hear it isn't a hard technique to learn, but I haven't learned it yet. It's just the only way most spirit beasts can talk before learning to take human form, so he had to learn it."

While he explained this, Shen realized that Shoom might blow their cover and quickly coached him on what to say. "What I meant was…" continued Shoom. "I was out of the city hunting at the time, and when I got back a barrier was keeping me out. So I went back to hunting. Then I met these four, and since I was friends with Shen, I decided to stay with them."

The parents nodded. "So, are you hoping to move back into town? We can clear out your old room if you want."

Ponma shook his head. "Actually, I didn't realize I was back home until I was already in town. We were planning on heading South to one of the large cities, maybe to Black Rock, or even Red Lotus. Shen and Mae were still apprentice crafters, so we'll need to find them new masters, or at least a place where they can continue their studies, if the want to perfect their crafts."

His mother nodded. "Well, you can at least spend the day here, right?"

Ponma looked at the others and they nodded. "Sure, Mom. I can do that."

While Ponma stayed and talked with his family the others went to the various shops to look for supplies the sect might need. After a bit of shopping in which they spent most of the mortal money they had, Shen led them to the tavern. She introduced them to the tavern owner and his wife Pon, and Pon went into the back before returning with an old backpack. Shen recognized it as the one she had left here before the test which had changed her life. "I didn't know if you would be back, so I put this in the store room you used to sleep in and it's just been taking up room on the shelf ever since."

Shen nodded and thanked her, then waved her hand. The backpack rapidly shrunk and was sucked into the ring. Pon was surprised at this. "So, I guess your obsession with cultivation paid off." she said.

"Oh, right. I was a bit obsessed, even before joining the sect." Shen said. "In that case." She pulled out a few sheets of talisman paper and her paint brush set. While she wasn't as good at creating Talismans as Relics, she was at least competent. "How about I pay you back for holding onto it for me?" she asked. "You know how to use a talisman, right?" Pon nodded. "In that case, what kind do you want?"

Shen made Pon three foundation level barriers and spent the rest of the day making talismans for the locals. She only had enough paper from the sect for a ten of them, but the locals had plenty of decent paper in stock, so she wouldn't run out. It would merely slightly decrease the quality, which wouldn't matter, as most of them only wanted Gathering or Cleansing effects.

That night as they sat around a table eating the same type of stew that Shen used to haul firewood just to get the pot-scrapings of, Ponma came in and told them that he was going to be staying at his parent's house tonight. Shen advised that they buy what supplies they could and leave the next morning and everyone knew that meant returning to the cave with what they could get. They agreed, and Ponma left for home.

Danka ended up having a drink with with some of the local men, as the people of this region considered you an adult at fifteen, and Mae left to talk to the local doctor about possibly selling him some of the pills she had brought with her. That left Shen sitting at the table alone.

As she listened to the music, one of the local women who had gotten pretty good with a zither in the last few years, a purple man in a bright green shirt sat beside her. He turned his red eyes towards her. "So, you're a talismonger?" he asked. "I saw you making custom ones for the townsfolk earlier."

"Apprentice." she said. "And I prefer making relics, but I'm okay with talismans."

"I take it that means you were part of a sect? Would you be willing to tell me which one?"

Shen sighed. "Jade Dragons." It wouldn't be hard for him to find out. He just needed to ask the demon woman from the store. "They kicked me out before the siege, though."

"You seem quite talented, though. Why would they do such a thing?"

Shen shrugged. "I guess they valued Combat prowess over brains. I tried telling them I could be more useful to them making relics, but the Elders wouldn't listen. They may have realized it when your people showed up, but I doubt it. That damn barrier of theirs had them so overconfident." In her mind, there was a good chance he was a spy, and trying to figure out if she was a threat or actually a survivor of the attack, so she had to play the part.

"You don't seem like one of them. From what I heard, they cultivate all five elements. You seem like you only cultivate fire." He had likely used his divine sense to probe her dantian, then, or at least the chi coming off of her, as she was pretty certain she could feel a divine sense touching her dantian, like she had with sister Wuxan.

"They don't let ex members keep their cultivation. They made us break it and offered us some second rate techniques as compensation. I picked Fire, as it was my best element. Honestly, I miss having all of the elements available, but I can see the reasoning behind this one. If I had to fight a spirit beast I'd probably be better off now than before, assuming it wasn't a water element beast. I just can't use most of my techniques as easily."

The demon man nodded. "So, are you considering selling talismans? I saw you were selling them for a silver each."

"One stone each." Shen responded. "I was willing to take a loss here because I knew most of these people a few years ago, but if I'm making them as part of a job I'm charging what they are worth."

The man nodded. "What if I provide the materials? I happen to have plenty of talisman paper and ink, I just don't have anyone to use them that can make elemental ones. And some talismans, especially the elemental ones, are quite useful. And valuable, as few demons learn to use the elements."

Shen finished the drink she had ordered and sat down the glass. It wasn't alcohol, as she wouldn't be fifteen for another twenty days, but she acted like it was. "Half a stone each, and you give me double the material I use, half for me and half for your talismans. That way I can make more for trade later."

He nodded and stood up. "Then we have a deal. Please, come with me."

Shen went to tell Mae that she was going to go do some work for him, and wouldn't be back until the morning. "Are you sure it's safe?" asked Mae. "You really shouldn't wander off with strange old men. Especially at night."

Shen smiled and sighed. "He's just a merchant that wants some custom talismans made. Trust me, if he tries anything like that, I'll burn his manhood off."

"I'll have to teach him my technique, then, as he'll be qualified to learn it." Mae responded, and they both chuckled. "Fine. See you in the morning."

Shen followed the man back to his shop. Apparently his name was "Star" and he was a luxury goods merchant. Though Shen wasn't certain what kind of luxury goods he could possibly get around her. Maybe spirit beast parts? Many commoners considered anything related to cultivators to be a luxury, so that would include Spirit Beast parts.

Inside the shop he got her a chair, then brought over a wooden box full of talisman papers. He then went to get a drinking gourd filled with talisman ink and an ink pot. "What's in demand now are attacks. Social instability always does that."

Shen shook her head. "Your army just killed a lot of people I consider friends. I won't make anything that might help them kill more."

The merchant sighed. "The talismans would only be used to help lower ranked commoners defend themselves, but I understand. You don't want to make anything that might aid the army. Too many painful memories." Shen nodded. "In that case, would you be willing to make barriers?"

Shen thought for a few seconds and nodded. Defending oneself wasn't as easy to abuse. Though she supposed it could also be misused, there was less of a chance. She nodded. "I suppose I can. Though if you want them at the Foundation layer, it will cost five stones per talisman."

"You can make Foundation level talismans? Were you an inner disciple?"

"Until they turned on me, sure." She held up her storage ring, though the front had been filed off. While she tried not to make it ugly when she had done the filing, she knew it was still obvious that wasn't how the ring was meant to be. "I learned a few techniques while I was at that level, just not many."

He nodded. "In that case, can you make twenty barrier talismans per element?" Shen nodded and grabbed the supplies. While she wouldn't try her best, using only the chi she could imbue on a whim, she wouldn't purposefully make them terrible quality. After all, it wasn't his fault the demon army was here.

She then had an idea. As long as she used chi that was good enough to meet the standards of the talisman's level, they would be good enough for trade. Even the chi she could make instantly would be pure enough to draw attention, should someone identify its purity. After all,, even her Wood chi would probably be around 11%, and that was usually considered Immortal level. She searched through her ring and found her old bracelet. That would be far too pure. She kept digging and found the original plate device she had used to get her job as a relic crafter. She pulled them out, assembled them, and sat on it.

"Do you mind telling me what that is?" the Demonic man asked.

"A chi gathering device. It can only do 6% of each element, but that's technically initial Foundation, so I should be able to make proper elemental barrier with it by slightly improving that. And that will be perfect for all of the Gathering stage talismans."

He nodded. "In that case, I will leave you to your work." He made a brief list of other things he thought would sell, like illusion charms and healing talismans, and left it on the table alone with the level and quantity he wanted of each. Shen would be taking advantage of this opportunity. After all, she might not need the spirit stones, as her ring already contained over three thousand, but it would allow her to get talisman paper and ink. And nothing said that the ones she made for herself had to be limited in quality.