DDD Chapter 141: Departure from North King City

AN: As a reminder, I will take a short break to write some chapters for Twice Reborn Transmigrator. Since I don't know how long this will take, I will pause pilling as of this post.

I made my way through the North King’s palace, heading back towards the feasting hall. On the way, I passed by a few servants of Clan Black Iron, who gave me respectful nods but continued about their business. As I drew closer to my destination, I heard the sounds of feasting and revelry, which brought a smile to my lips.

The encounter with my uncle and Senior Lucille left me feeling disgusted with my paternal family. Enjoying the feast thrown by the North King seemed like the best way to lift my spirits, especially in the company of my loved ones.

I hurried my pace and after a few more steps, a delicious scent teased my nose, making my mouth water. For a moment, I lost myself in the memory of the food I ate earlier. It appeared that my appetite had returned. I supposed that was one benefit(?) of being a demon of hunger and desire.

However, as I passed by a doorway on the way to the feasting hall, I sensed a presence. A hand reached out for me. I readied myself for an attack, but stopped when I saw that it was Cultivator Vivian.

“We need to talk.” She said, grabbing my arm.

Caught off guard, I didn’t have time to react before she dragged me through the doorway and into the room beyond. It looked like some kind of dining room, similar to the feasting hall, but meant for entertaining a smaller number of guests. It was dark in here, since there were no sources of light, but that mattered little to cultivators like Cultivator Vivian and myself. Even if we lost use of all our mundane senses, we still had our spirit sense.

“Cultivator Vivian,” I said, pulling my arm out of her grasp, “What is the meaning of this?”

She crossed her arms and scowled at me.

“I could ask you the same, you unfaithful cur.”

I blinked at her in surprise.

“What are you talking about?”

Cultivator Vivian snorted.

“Don’t pretend as if you don’t know.”

I sighed. Right now, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Cultivator Vivian. I just wanted to return to the feasting hall and forget my encounter with my uncle and Senior Lucille, at least for a time.

“Cultivator Vivian, I don’t know what I did to incur your ire. Nor am I in the mood to deal with it. Can we finish this conversation another time?”

A frown replaced Cultivator Vivian’s scowl.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. “Did something happen between you and Clan Wind Dance?”

I snorted.

“Of course,” I said, “However, it’s over and done with. There’s no point in talking about it. Besides, it’s none of your concern.”

Cultivator Vivian took a step towards me.

“Of course it’s my concern,” she said. “You’re my rival. Your wellbeing matters to me.”

I gave her a puzzled look.

“Cultivator Vivian,” I said, “I’m beginning to think that your idea of a rival is… Strange.”

“Oh? Is a rival not someone who challenges you? Motivates you to push yourself? A stepping stone towards greater heights?”

“I… Well, that’s correct.”

“Exactly. So, outside of that, what’s wrong with me expressing concern for you?”

I frowned, unable to refute her statement.

“I suppose you’re right. Still, that’s closer to friendship than rivalry.”

Cultivator Vivian shrugged.

“Rivals can be friends, and vice versa. My father and your mother are friends. Why can’t we?”

Huh. I guess I misconstrued Mom’s relationship with Peak Master Sky Splitter. When I heard they were rivals, I thought they hated each other, or at least disliked one another. Then again, I don’t know why I was surprised. Cultivator Vivian and I got along well enough.

“Of course, we don’t have to stop at friendship, but that’s a conversation for another time.”

“What do you mean?”

Cultivator Vivian shook her head and refused to elaborate.

“Now then, on to the topic at hand.” She said instead. “You owe me an apology, Cultivator Darian.”

I gave her a baffled look.

“Why?”

“The preliminaries. You had this amazing fight with Cultivator Flo, one that sent shivers down my spine. You even gained enlightenment from it.”

I waited for her to continue, before I realized that was it.

“Wait, that’s why you’re angry?”

Cultivator Vivian gave me an exasperated look.

“Yes! That should’ve been my fight! I’m your rival! That should’ve been our special moment! Instead, you shared it with another woman!”

For some reason, I felt like I had been caught having an affair, even though that was completely absurd.

“However,” Cultivator Vivian continued. “I was willing to forgive you. After all, there was still the main part of the Rising Heroes Tournament. I thought we could have our big, dramatic fight then.” She scowled at me again. “And what did you do? You fought with everyone but me! I even gave up opportunities to earn points in order to find you. Tell me, Cultivator Darian, did you even bother trying to find me?”

Her question made me feel guilty, even though I had no reason to be.

“That wasn’t a rhetorical question, Cultivator Darian.” Cultivator Vivian said. “Answer me.”

My shoulders slumped.

“No, I did not.”

“I thought as much.” Cultivator Vivian looked away from me, a hurt expression on her face. “I guess I was the only one who thought we had something special.”

I wasn’t sure how to navigate through this situation. Cultivator Vivian was acting like a lover scorned. However, the reason why she was acting this way was because I didn’t go out of my way to fight her while we were in the Myriad Landscapes Painting.

A part of me wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation. However, I didn’t want to make Cultivator Vivian even angrier at me. So, for the sake of mending our relationship, I made the only viable choice.

“I apologize,” I said, “That was thoughtless of me. Will you forgive me?”

Cultivator Vivian faced me again and scoffed.

“Why should I? It’s clear that you don’t think of me as your rival. Not really. You had your fun with me, back in the Violet Desert hidden realm, and now you’ve tossed me aside for others.”

I gave her an awkward look.

“Cultivator Vivian, could you not say that in such a…suggestive way? If others heard you, they might misunderstand and think we’re lovers having a quarrel.”

“Let them misunderstand. A rival is as important as a lover. More so, in many ways. Lovers come and go, but a rivalry is a lifelong commitment.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“You make it sound like marriage.”

“It’s similar enough. I mean, both involve strong bonds between two people. And it’s not as if they’re mutually exclusive.”

I opened my eyes again. An insane thought came to mind.

“Cultivator Vivian, do you have-” I started to say, but she held up a finger and cut me off.

“Don’t ask, because I don’t know myself.”

An awkward silence fell over us. I didn’t know how to react if it turned out that Cultivator Vivian had feelings for me. I liked her, but not in a romantic sense. She stirred my demonic nature, but not in the same way as Ellen, Willow, and the others. It wouldn’t work between us.

“That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to have this conversation,” Cultivator Vivian said, breaking the silence. “To find out for sure. You want my forgiveness? Help me figure it out.”

“How?”

Cultivator Vivian took another step forward, until we were less than a foot apart.

“Look into my eyes,” she said, “See me as a woman. Not as the daughter of Peak Master Sky Splitter, not as a disciple of the Thousand Blade Sect, not even as your rival. I shall do the same with you.”

I doubted this would change anything, but if this is what it took to earn Cultivator Vivian’s forgiveness, I saw no reason to refuse.

“Very well.”

I stared into Cultivator Vivian’s gray eyes. At first, I felt nothing unusual. However, the more I looked, the more details I noticed. When I first met Cultivator Vivian, I didn’t find her beautiful. Instead, she reminded me of a blade, sharp and striking. She still did, but now I realized my past self’s foolishness. Beauty came in many forms. It depended on one’s perception. A blade could be as beautiful as a flower.

My demonic nature stirred, filling me with a confusing mixture of feelings. A part of me wanted to fight Cultivator Vivian, to test myself against her and grow stronger. Another part wanted to explore the other aspects of Cultivator Vivian, the ones I hadn’t seen before. I caught a glimpse of them during the preliminaries, especially when we played the childish game of poking one another. Now I wanted to see more of her hidden depths.

As I stared into Cultivator Vivian’s eyes, she stared into mine. I watched as her expression softened, and an attractive blush spread across her cheeks. The urge to caress her filled me. I even reached towards her face, but sanity prevailed at the last moment.

I stepped away from Cultivator Vivian to put some distance between us. My cheeks heated up. With what? I wasn’t sure. Shame? Lust? Delight? A mix of all three?

“That was dangerous.” I said.

Cultivator Vivian nodded.

“Yes. Now I know the answer to my question.”

I nodded. It appeared that I had romantic feelings for Cultivator Vivian after all. At least, I had the potential for them. And she felt the same way.

“What now?” I asked.

Cultivator Vivian and I were attracted to one another. Whether or not we did something about that attraction was another matter altogether. Was that even possible? There were a myriad of obstacles in our path, including the fact that we belonged to sects hostile to one another.

“I don’t know,” Cultivator Vivian said, “Do we have to do anything? Just because we… Well, you know. That doesn’t have to change anything between us.”

I nodded.

“I think we should keep things the same,” I said, “Until we’ve thought it over. It’s not like either of us are in a rush. We can take our time.”

Cultivator Vivian nodded.

“Well then,” she said, “Consider yourself forgiven. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”

With that, she left the room, as if fleeing from me. I stayed there for the next several minutes before I left as well, both to avoid causing a potential scandal and to regain my composure. Afterwards, I rejoined the others and spent the rest of the night enjoying the feast.

***

The next day, everyone in Divine Beast Palace started making preparations to leave North King City. Well, those of us that could move that was. Some enjoyed the festival a little too much and needed time to recover. Now that the Rising Heroes Tournament had ended, there was no reason for us to linger. I’m sure we could find some if we looked. However, everyone was eager to return to the Dawn and Dusk Sect, myself included.

I had accomplished everything I set out to do by coming here. In addition to ranking within the top twenty five, I gained Grandmother Ava’s approval and dealt a blow to Clan Wind Dance. Yes, I could’ve gone further in my revenge, but… Well, as my family kept telling me, I was softhearted. All in all, my time in North King City had been rather exciting, but now I yearned for the peace and quiet of home.

Besides, I wanted to internalize all the insights and experiences I gained from this trip. I also needed to hone my skills and elevate my proficiency in the various techniques I knew. In particular, I needed to achieve the One With The Flame state. That was my highest priority. After that, I needed to master intent.

So much to do. I didn’t know if I had enough time to do it all, even with the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, in the midst of our preparations to leave North King City, an unexpected visitor came by to see me. It was Captain Enduring Resolve of the Black Iron Guard. The last time I saw him was the night when he accompanied my uncle and Peak Master Righteous Fury when they came by Divine Beast Palace to retrieve Senior Lucille.

It was late morning when Captain Enduring Resolve arrived at my courtyard within Dragon Palace. The sky above was cloudy and overcast. It was also colder than usual today. I breathed out plumes of mist every time I exhaled. Despite that, people were in high spirits. When I noticed Captain Enduring Resolve’s presence, I rushed over to meet him and exchanged greetings.

“Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” I asked afterwards, gesturing to my residence.

Captain Enduring Resolve shook his head.

“No,” he said. “I don’t have the time. The days after the Rising Heroes Tournament are usually the busiest for the Black Iron Guard. I just came by to fulfill my promise to you.”

I gave him a puzzled look. What was he talking about? What promise? Captain Enduring Resolve chuckled when he saw my expression.

“I see that you’ve forgotten.” He said. “When we last met, I said I would give something to you as thanks for saving citizens of North King City.”

Oh! Right. With everything that happened after that night, I had forgotten.

“There’s no need to give me anything for that,” I said. “I was one of the people responsible for what happened, after all. It was only right that I did something to rectify it.”

Captain Enduring Resolve smiled and nodded.

“True,” he said, “However, many in your position would have run away instead of taking action.”

I shrugged, embarrassed by his praise.

Captain Enduring Resolve took a jade slip out of his storage ring and held it out to me. “Here, take this.”

I took the jade slip.

“What is this?”

“It is a map to a hidden realm where a powerful cultivator from ancient times set up his abode. If you go there, you’ll have the opportunity to inherit his legacy.”

I stared at Captain Enduring Resolve with wide eyes.

“Isn’t something like this extremely valuable?” I asked. “I can’t accept this!”

I tried to give it back, but Captain Enduring Resolve refused.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It is valuable, but not as much as you might think. Plenty of cultivators have inherited the legacy. The ancient cultivator who created it planned for that to happen. Rather than keeping the legacy to a select few, he wanted to pass it on to anyone he deemed worthy. To that end, he set up a testing ground in the hidden realm.” He smiled at me. “There’s no point in giving this back to me. I already inherited the legacy. Now, I am passing on the opportunity to you.”

While I still felt conflicted about this, I decided to keep the jade slip. I put it in my storage ring.

“A word of warning, however.” Captain Enduring Resolve said with a serious expression on his face. “The testing ground is dangerous. Do not attempt it until you are at least in the Golden Core realm. Otherwise, you will die.”

I gave him a grave look and nodded.

“I will,” I said, “And thank you.”

Captain Enduring Resolve nodded.

“Good. Now then, I need to go. Enjoy your trip home. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future, Cultivator Darian.”

“Farewell, Captain Enduring Resolve.”

With that, he turned and left. I watched him go, before I turned back to my residence to continue making preparations.

***

A few days later, the disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect boarded the Dawnfire and departed from North King City. It was a rather beautiful morning. The sky was clear and free of clouds. The air was cold, crisp, and refreshing. It was as if the heavens themselves were blessing our journey.

We were one of the first of the Seven Great Northern Sects to leave, though we weren’t the first. That would be the Thousand Blade Sect, who left two days after the Rising Heroes Tournament ended. Their departure gave me the opportunity to see the Mountain Cleaver, a massive magic treasure on par with the Dawnfire.

The Mountain Cleaver was a bladeship, which turned out to be exactly what its name implied: a flying magic treasure that was both a ship and a blade. It was a beautiful white and gray sword, the kind that an immortal might wield. For some reason, when I mentioned this to Mom later on, she let out a derisive snort.

As the Mountain Cleaver rose into the air above North King City and flew off into the distance, melancholy filled me. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen Lucius since the feast at the North King’s palace and I missed him already. Worst of all, I didn’t know when we would see each other again. Still, at least we managed to say goodbye to each other this time. And then there was Cultivator Vivian. I wasn’t sure what to make of my feelings for her, so I put them aside for now.

When it came time for the Dawn and Dusk Sect to depart, I stood upon the Dawnfire’s deck as the flying ship rose into the air and flew away from North King City. I wasn’t the only one. There were others on the deck as well. However, they kept their distance from me.

After ranking within the top twenty five in the Rising Heroes Tournament, my status in the Dawn and Dusk Sect had risen, so few people dared to trouble me. They all glimpsed in my direction at one point or another, whispering among themselves, but none approached. Good. I preferred it that way. In my current mood, I wanted to be alone.

This disappointed my loved ones, who wanted to join me, except for Ellen. She just smiled and said she understood. With her help, I managed to convince the others to leave me be.

A strange feeling filled me as North King City receded into the distance. So much had happened there within a short span of time. Some of it was bad, but most of it was good. Meeting with Grandmother Ava, dealing with Clan Wind Dance, participating in the Rising Heroes Tournament, the entire situation with Zayne. Those experiences had changed me, preparing me for the next step of my journey.

When North King City disappeared from sight, I said my goodbyes and made my way below deck.