Chapter 39- An Opportunity to Excel

It was a plum mission. Two days after he returned from his last disastrous patrol, Tian was assigned a courier job moving between Forward Base Redknife and Resupply Depot 4. It was essentially long runs in the desert, which wasn’t fun, but it was an opportunity to earn Military Merits while being, technically, behind the front lines. The ‘technically’ was important- he was filling a dead man’s shoes. The animals didn’t much care where some arbitrary front line was drawn.

The job was assigned to the Outer Court because it was necessary for logistics management, but the courier was just shuttling routine notices and requests for not-terribly-valuable supplies. Things that it would be overkill to send a Heavenly Person Realm cultivator to transport, even if one could be spared from the front line for the few hours it would take to make the trip. The journey took thirty six hours for a member of the Outer Court. Assuming, of course, that the person in question was Level Nine and skilled with light body techniques.

“You do have a light body technique, don’t you, Brother Tian?” Tian didn’t know the Outer Court cultivator running the Mission Hall desk, but the fellow looked really pleased with himself.

“I do, thank you. This will be a good opportunity to train it more. I’m sorry, Senior Brother, I don’t think I know your name.”

“Jiang Bochang, North Riverside Town. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The man smiled. He was as slender as any other cultivator, but he gave Tian the impression that he was fat.

“The mission sounds simple. Where shall I meet my teammates?”

The clerk slapped his forehead. “Ah, forgive me. I should have been more clear. You will get a special storage ring for this mission. It is sealed, and only opens with the talisman held by the responsible officer at the Depot. She will give you a similarly sealed ring to bring back. The ring is locked to your body in the meantime, so if you die or become separated from the ring, it violently explodes. It also has a compass built into it which points directly at the unlocking talisman.”

“I see.”

“So you don’t really need a team for a job like this. Just a nice, easy run through the desert, tap your ring on the talisman, swap for a new ring, have a nap and a bite to eat, then jog on back. And an easy ten Military Merits will be yours.”

“Ten, did you say ten merit points?” Tian blinked, then apologized. “Forgive me, Senior Brother Jiang, I didn’t realize how… valuable the job was.”

“Hahaha!” The mission clerk laughed and fanned himself, managing to look both smug and humble at the same time. “A minor matter, a minor matter! Obviously you are well able to look after yourself.”

Tian nodded with the best approximation of gratitude he could muster. “Thank you, Senior Brother. I will certainly remember your care.”

It was an odd sort of complement. It suggested that he was both competent and valuable enough to keep from harm. By himself. In the desert. With murderous animals hidden everywhere. Facing an enemy that despised frontal collisions but delighted in ambushes.

Tian carefully went over all his supplies, but couldn’t think of something he could both afford and that would be useful to add. Grandpa didn’t have any suggestions either. The way out was through. He didn’t have the right to refuse the mission, after all, and his Senior Brothers were busy trying to keep themselves alive. Tian hadn’t seen Senior Brother Fu in weeks, and missed him terribly. He hadn’t made a single cup of tea since he last drank it with the old man.

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The ring displayed an arrow. Tian moved his hand around a bit and the arrow shifted to keep pointing in the same direction. Judging by the hazy sun, he was headed roughly northeast. The desert was still covered in black sand, but he had heard it turned to the color of terracotta as you got further north. Perhaps he would get to see it.

Tian had a moment of dreadful lucidity paired with a sense of drifting dissociation. The job required him to run flat out, as fast as he could possibly maintain, between here and the depot. The job also required him to not die, which meant going slowly and carefully sensing the world around him for threats.

Grandma Hong got him killed without a word, or even a look. She just had to favor him with a conversation. By saying she would remember him. By specifically noticing the fact that he had saved her granddaughter and asked for nothing. Practically everyone at the base was an old monster with well cultivated perception arts. Some of them, maybe all of them, could read lips. She had made no effort to hide their conversation. She hadn’t even kept her voice down.

How many people would line up to do Tian favors, desperate to make a connection with the Inner Court? But then, how many favors could he really receive on a forward base? The only people who’s favors might matter were the Quartermaster, the Crafters, and the Mission Office. Grandma Hong wasn’t even killing with a borrowed knife. Her hands were never anywhere near a blade. And if their favors didn’t get him killed? There was always the desert, the heretics, or even herself if necessary.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Why she would do such a thing remained a mystery. For now, all he could do was his job. He used Light Body Heavy Hands and tried to find a balance with Advent of Spring. He had a number of false starts, finally leading to the correct conclusion that he couldn’t do both. Trying to manage a cultivation art and a light body art at the same time was just too much for him now, if it was even possible at all. He tried with Counter-Jumper. That didn’t work either.

It hadn’t worked any of the times he was out on patrol either, but he’d been lucky before.

He sighed and started running, making sure Counter-Jumper was active. Hopefully the luck would come later.