Chapter 77 – Upon the World (II)

Chapter 77

Upon the World (II)

Even after riding for almost an hour, there were barely any changes.

I hadn’t grown uncomfortable–honestly, I’ll have to see about getting one of these guys for myself because sitting on them felt like sitting on a cushioned sofa compared to the seats of this world–and the world hadn’t changed at all, as we were yet to actually leave the main valley surrounding the sect.

Here and there, small compounds could be seen, and I quickly learned these were the extensions of the sect–some were in charge of processing toxic things, which was why they were doing it here, beyond the sect’s walls; some, yet, were stationed here to vet the visitors and deal with the minor, inconsequential things that the sect seniors shouldn’t be bothered with, and some were made for the sole purpose of creating missions for the low-level disciples.

Unsurprisingly, there was nobody who tried to intercept us or follow us like they did with Long Tao–even if they couldn’t recognize me or anyone else, it was unlikely that there was a cultivator within the entire region that couldn’t recognize Elder Qin.

Thus, we galloped freely, unbothered by the world.

As romantic as that sounds, it actually got kinda… boring. I mean, yeah, it’s beautiful, and it’s nice, and it’s colorful, but you know what else it is?

Constant. Unchanging. Repetitive.

Within two hours, there was practically nothing new to see that I hadn’t seen within the five minutes of leaving the sect. I mean, I knew that the distances were sort of mind-bending, but after two hours on horseback (and it’s not like these horses are slow, mind you; I’d honestly estimate that we travelled at like 30 miles an hour, at least) we’d just barely left the outskirts of the sect.

The valley pulled back, and after a small dip, we emerged onto a long, long, long flat that stretched out in all directions. Far eastward, I could see the forest arise beyond the banks of the river, but westward was just… a blur. I mean, I knew what resided at the far end of them–the Desolate Cliffs where Long Tao went—but as for seeing them from here? Yeah. Turns out, this planet is round, too.

At some point, Light… dozed off. And I was marginally envious of her pressing her head into my abdomen, not a care in the world.

Luckily, the village we were supposed to take a break at came into view soon enough. It wasn’t a particularly large one; perhaps twenty or so houses stretched on both ends of the river with a bridge connecting them. It was one of the river’s narrowest points in miles, just about twenty feet or so between two ends, so it made sense to make it here.

It seems they were expecting us, as there was an entire welcoming committee hanging on the edges as we strutted inside.

As Elder Qin accepted the greetings and we dismounted, a bunch of young men led the horses away while we followed the stream toward one of the… better assembled buildings of the lot.

Most were actually made out of the combination of mud and wood, with straw, grass, and thatch used for the rooftops. I’d made considerations of doing the same when I first began thinking about the housing arrangements on the mountain but chose against it since the technology for something more complex existed.

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It seems, however, technology existing and being widely spread were two different things entirely.

We were settled inside a spacious hall, a dozen or so prayer mats surrounding a rectangular table full of drinks and fruits, with a roasted pig as the centerpiece.

I salivated with expectations, but the scent was… well, minimal. And looking at the color as well as the lack of anything sparkling, I weathered those expectations as quickly as they came up.

“If you are in need of anything more, please do not hesitate to call for us, Great Senior,” the elderly man who seemed to be the village’s Chief said to Elder Qin just before he left.

“Alright everyone, dig in. We’ll only stay here for thirty minutes.”

Not one to stand still when offered, I started scooping up every different meal I could see, tasting them all one by one.

They were… fine. Perhaps slightly worse than the meals the sect’s restaurant made.