Chapter 16: The Road Ahead

~~~

“How much longer will it take to reach New Moon Town, Elder Brother?” Liu Jin asks Xiao Nan.

It is already the second day of their journey. The afternoon sun still shines brightly in the sky. Eastern Port City is nowhere to be seen. They left it behind a long time ago. There is nothing but gently rolling hills as far as the eye can see. The road ahead of them stretches for miles with no end in sight.

“I believe it would take me a full day to get there on my own,” Xiao Nan replies, stroking his chin. “Since Little Brother is with me, it will probably take five days provided we keep this pace.”

Liu Jin knows Xiao Nan well enough to know there is no ill-intent in his words. The difference in ability between them is just that big. There is little point in pretending otherwise. It would not surprise Liu Jin if Xiao Nan could reach New Moon Town in only a few hours and is just being modest.

“If we sped up, we could probably halve that time,” Liu Jin notes. Though nowhere near as good as Xiao Nan, Liu Jin is still a cultivator. Even if the Inner Realm is the second-lowest of all cultivation realms, maintaining a decent running pace for half a day is not beyond Liu Jin.

Right now, Liu Jin does not want to be an obstacle for Xiao Nan. It is already enough that Xiao Nan is taking him along on this journey. Liu Jin does not want Xiao Nan to be late because of him as well.

“If we did that, we would not be able to appreciate the sights, Little Brother,” Xiao Nan says. The teen smiles as he gestures at the grassy plains around them. “You need to take the time to appreciate the little things. If I cared about getting to New Moon Town as fast as possible, I would have carried you there over my shoulder already.”

Liu Jin pictures it for one horror-filled moment. It’s too embarrassing. That Xiao Nan is not only completely capable of it but also wouldn’t even bat an eyelid when doing so only makes it scarier. Liu Jin wisely shuts his mouth.

“Although,” Xiao Nan suddenly says, “if Little Brother knew Ground Contraction, we could easily reach New Moon Town in just three days.”

“Ground Contraction?” Liu Jin echoes, cocking his head to one side. It takes him a moment to recognize the term. “That is the Xiao Sect’s signature movement technique, is it not? That technique is only taught to Inner Disciples and above, not Outer Disciples like myself, Elder Brother.”

Xiao Nan sighs.

“Little Brother should not pay so much attention to those restrictions. Stealing techniques is a perfectly fine thing to do as long as you believe you can get away with it,” Xiao Nan explains. He raises a finger as if to underscore his point. “Although Ground Contraction is only taught to those who are Inner Disciples or higher, the technique is not particularly hard. In fact, it is ranked first among the most stolen techniques within the Xiao Sect.”

Liu Jin blinks. “There is a ranking?”

“Of course, there is, Little Brother. I made it myself.” Xiao Nan says, clearly pleased with himself. “Void Fist is the hardest to steal while Ground Contraction is the easiest.”

Occasionally, Liu Jin sees Inner Disciples of the Xiao Sect sparring. Outer Disciples would usually flock around those spars. Ground Contraction is a fairly common sight in those spars. Void Fist, however, is not. Void Fist is a technique Liu Jin has only heard about in whispers. Supposedly, it is taught only to the Xiao Sect’s Core Disciples.

“Ground Contraction is a fairly simple movement technique when you get down to it,” Xiao Nan says, shrugging. As soon as he says it, Xiao Nan disappears only to reappear 3 meters away from Liu Jin.

“See,” Xiao Nan says as he reappears at Liu Jin’s side just as easily. “It is nothing special. The Yun Sect has something very similar to it although the name is different. Most major Sects and Clans in the Empire have at least one movement technique. Those who don’t will steal one soon enough and claim they came up with it.”

Xiao Nan demonstrates Ground Contraction again.

“I bet Little Brother could pick it up easily enough. You would merely need to pay attention to the flow of my Qi as I do it.”

And again.

“I am sure Little Brother would only need to see it a couple of times to understand it.”

And again.

“After that, it is only a matter of practice.”

“Elder Brother,” Liu Jin says, his tone serious. “I am content to follow the rules of the Xiao Sect. Do not feel obligated to circumvent them for my benefit.”

Xiao Nan clicks his tongue. “Little Brother is far too serious and honest. If you lightened up a little and made some friends, someone would have already taught you the technique. Really, you and Xiao Fang are the same that way. He also needs to learn how to make friends.”

There is not much Liu Jin can say to that since the words are coming from his one and only friend. “Putting the words aimed at me aside, Xiao Fang is always surrounded by people.”

“Of course, he is.” Xiao Nan nods. “Xiao Fang is the heir to the Xiao Sect, Little Brother. It is only natural for him to be surrounded by people at all times. However, those people follow Xiao Fang due to his position. That is the only thing they have acknowledged about him. If we are speaking about people who have acknowledged Xiao Fang as a person, then Xiao Fang has no one like that.”

Xiao Nan’s words give Liu Jin pause. As long as Liu Jin can remember, Xiao Fang has been someone in an enviable position. Power. Wealth. Respect. Xiao Fang always had all those things. While Liu Jin stood alone, Xiao Fang always had someone behind him.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author’s work.

However, when Xiao Nan puts it like that, Liu Jin cannot help but find it a little pitiable.

“Don’t get me wrong, Little Brother,” Xiao Nan adds. “There is nothing wrong with having people who are loyal to your position instead of your person. In fact, people loyal to your position can be more useful than people loyal to your person depending on the circumstances. However, to succeed, a man must have both. Until Xiao Fang understands that and makes an effort, the Xiao Sect won’t be able to compete with the major Sects in the Empire.”

It is the second time Xiao Nan brings up Sects outside Eastern Port City. Perhaps, it is because leaving the city has encouraged Xiao Nan to look at things from a broader perspective. Nevertheless, the words jog something in Liu Jin’s mind.

“That’s right,” Liu Jin says, remembering. “Elder Brother, you went to a tournament outside the city, right?”

It is one of the reasons why Liu Jin has not seen Xiao Nan for the past couple of months. Xiao Nan has not been in Eastern Port City. The Xiao Sect sent him to a tournament in the capital. Liu Jin managed to overhear enough excited whispers around the city to know that.