V3C66: At the District of Assassins
“Ju Zhang, do you mind?”
That shook the former man from her confusion, prompting her to look away entirely while calling out, “I’m sorry, teacher!”
Wei Yi sighed, crossing the gap between them with the faint rumble of thunder echoing somewhere in the distance. She placed her hand upon the woman’s shoulder and said, “If I’m not hiding myself somewhere, then you may look, but try to be less intense with your stare. It can be rather distracting at times. Also, teacher is better than your previous attempt.”
“A-Alright…” Ju Zhang swiftly said, “I just wanted to ask… what is your name?”
“Did I not tell you? It’s Wei Yi, of no district nor any family. I am not subservient to any particular group, nor do I have any titles which you can use, not at the moment anyway.”
She nodded, “Got it. Wei Yi… I have another question, but it might be rather silly, so I’m not sure if I should be asking this…”
“You’re going to tempt me to give you so many long lectures on how to best make use of your time… Listen, Ju Zhang – if you even intend to keep using that name, given that nobody will recognise you anyway – if you have a question, and we’re alone, ask whatever you want. I am able to refuse to answer you, or even those in the seventh realm, so long as I don’t mind suffering some harm,” she paused for a moment, pondering the validity of her own words, “If you have an important question of some sort, then you fail to ask it and lead to something terrible, you will be the only one to blame.”
“I understand! Then, are you an immortal?”
“…” Wei Yi kept her mouth shut for a few moments, “Then, there are the questions that you should know are silly. Most questions aren’t, but something like this… No, I am not an immortal. If I was, I wouldn’t tell you. I am only forty, and I am most certainly not some ancient relic.”
“Right… Then, could I ask what you were doing on that hill, and whether that was some kind of technique?”
“Much better. This is a reasonable question, but also one that I may refuse to answer. In this case, I’ll tell you a little bit. I was attempting to comprehend a Dao, and you didn’t really help with that.”
“A Dao? The Great Dao?”
“No, not the Great Dao. While everything is, theoretically, part of the Great Dao, to comprehend a fragment of it is very different from seeking an individual Dao, and brings its own advantages and disadvantages,” she explained some of her own understandings on the matter, “In particular, I sought the Punch Dao, as you might have noticed from the way I finished that little comprehension session.”
“I’m not… quite sure that I understand, but I promise to study it until the end of my life if you need me to!”
“I don’t. You’re not a cultivator just yet, so there’s isn’t much a point for you to pursue any Dao, for they are born of planar energy and will be useless to someone that has not yet made good use of it. Just keep practising that technique, and I will tell you when you may stop.”
Ju Zhang nodded again, although she still wasn’t certain what exactly her new teacher had been doing, nor whether her claim of being forty was accurate. As she saw it, Wei Yi could be either twenty, for her face and body was certainly no younger than that, but even if she was actually in the third realm, as she had stated a few times, she could have easily lived to one hundred before her features would begin to decay.
Furthermore, she knew just too little about planar energy, cultivation, and the Dao, so she was unable to do more than listen and obey what she had been told to do.
Since Wei Yi was intending to reach the Ping District today, she decided to lightly soothe the aching muscles of her new servant – although she suspected that neither of them were going to remember that particular label since the roles of a servant and disciple did often intersect – with a small helping of lifeforce infused into them.
With the little amount that she provided, Ju Zhang would likely not even notice it immediately, but as they began to walk away from the camp, with any traces of their presence quickly erased and reset by Wei Yi the moment that they started to leave, she did feel as if a light, quiet, small stream of energy dripped into her body, drop by drop, filling it up just enough to allow her to continue on without exhaustion but not enough to permit her to act in complete perpetuity.
This energy gave her enough time to ponder one of the things said by Wei Yi that she was able to understand right now, and after she gave it some thoughts, she raised her head and asked, “When you talked about my name, were you suggesting that I should get a new one?”
“I was suggesting the possibility of it. There’s no real reason for you to adhere to it, given that you’ve both left your district and your previous identity is now effectively gone, so if you ever thought that you weren’t happy with the name that your parents had given you, the destiny they perhaps considered for you, then I don’t think anyone should have any objections,” Wei Yi answered, ‘If she does become a disciple of mine and follows me along to the upper realms of cultivation, even the patriarch of the Ju District may be unable to contend with her eventually…’
However, even if she trusted this woman entirely, even if she thought that this Ju Zhang could never possibly go against her and her plans, intentionally or otherwise, she would never state these things to her right now. They key, whether in life or in cultivation, was to not let one’s dreams get too large, too quickly, without the proper comprehension of what achieving that dream would entail.
To tell someone without a cultivation that they could best a patriarch would be a foolish thing to do.
“Any name? Really?”
“Sure. If it’s something silly, though, I will advise you to change it once, just so that you don’t embarrass yourself in the future.”
“Alright… I think I have something. Could I be Ju Yazhu? Ya, as in refined, and Zhu, as in build.”
Wei Yi shrugged, “It works, I suppose, and on a number of levels. Your new technique, the moment that I complete it, and you will most certainly be building up quite the great cultivation, so long as you are able to. Just make sure not to forget it, if you want to keep it.”
“I will not. I will remember this name that you have gi- I mean, that you have permitted me! Ju Yazhu shall always follow your instructions without hesitation, teacher!”
“Do they often do that in the Ju District?”
“Do what?”
“All of these formal procedures, the whole following instructions without hesitation bit, and the reluctance to use my actual name? I do also have a name, just so you know, and I don’t mind people using it.”
Ju Yazhu nodded, although her pink cheeks did expose some embarrassment from her apparently unnecessary actions, “It’s the standard requirement for a teacher and student relationship in the Ju District. We don’t often go outside, so it may be that we just don’t know that the other districts no longer act in that way.”
“No longer? Was that an instruction from the Master of Yi City?”
“I… don’t really know, but my teachers back at the Ju District had said that this was the proper way to act since the ancient times.”
“Uh-huh. I’ve never been in one of these proper teacher-student relationships – probably because most assumed that there’d be no point to placing me into one – but I’ve never been taught that particular part of the customary interaction. Nonetheless, while you’re with me, don’t bother with all of that, as it’s rather unnecessary and, frankly, rather annoying. You can keep calling me your teacher, if you prefer that.”
“I will keep that in mind, teacher,” she began to bow, but then stopped mid-way until Wei Yi sighed and nodded, “By the way, where exactly are we heading to right now?”
“The Ping District.”
“Oh, the Ping District… Wait, what? The place that is full of assassins? That Ping District?”
“You’ve heard of it, I see…”
At one point, perhaps such a description of that district would have been entirely accurate, for it was indeed the origin of many assassin organisations quite some time ago, and, if certain rumours are to be believed, then that was hardly the only danger to society to emerge from that place. Endless Dark, Weavers of the Dark, the Serpent’s Fangs, the Worldly Barbarians and the Devastating Wave were all assassin organisations that had their origin in that district.
However, it was believed that most had left it afterwards, and that the Ping District was now a far safer place for someone to inhabit.
The truth of those words was uncertain, given that travel between districts was far rarer than it would have been in the days of the Master of Yi City, and the people that did travel often would often be very reserved about the matters of the Ping District.
As a result of this, quite a number of wild theories about it had arisen over the years, with some being far more interesting than others. For example, some said that the assassins that seemed to leave had in fact taken over at some point and would demand ludicrous protection fees that the merchants would then try to trap others with by hiding this information from their competitors. Others believed that the patriarch of the Ping District had mastered an ancient art of mind control, allowing them to erase the memories of the district from the minds of all those that visited it.
Most of these tales were ludicrous, but as most didn’t ever consider visiting the Ping District, it just so happened that there were few interested in correcting any of those rumours. It could even be that they had been created intentionally, either to ward off certain people or to attract them.
Whatever the case was, as they finally arrived at the district, they had already prepared for their entrance into it. Wei Yi retrieved the outfit that she had prepared while Ju Yazhu had been provided with a regular and plain robe, so that she wouldn’t stand out too much among the people of the district more than she already would.
Wei Yi chose to dress in a black outfit that covered most of her body, much like the outfit of an assassin, while her face was covered by a dark mask made from black iron jade – a metallic material sourced from the prison realm – which she had shaped in cooperation with Fu Zan in order to create a sharp but subdued item that obscured her nose, mouth and jaw, sticking close to her skin while giving her just enough room for speech. Additionally, it had been designed as to affect the sound of her voice while not muffling it due to several thin channels through which air could pass out and into her mask, hidden from the gaze of all but the most attentive.
Her hair was able to cover the rest, and with the colour of it changed to a dark brown via the infusion of carefully controlled energy, her silver eyes wouldn’t be able to give away her ancestry due to a number of families having grey or silver eyes as prominent features within their blood, like the Bai, Shun or, on occasion, the Bao family.
In addition to all that, her darker skin would make most think that she originated from somewhere further north than the Yi District, so even if she came across someone that knew her, or someone that she knew, she could easily avoid recognition so long as she didn’t drop her act or didn’t reveal some piece of information that someone other than her shouldn’t know. It wouldn’t do much to trick those that had met her in the Luo or Ning Districts, as she already possessed that tone there, but the difference in hair colour, aura and overall aesthetic would be enough in her mind.
Ultimately, the key was to prevent the Greats from catching on to her plans too early, and since they would now need to be on the lookout for dangerous individuals capable of killing or kidnapping, either on their own or with some group, two of the Great Luo Family, simply changing her persona would not do any longer. A change in appearance, style, voice, tone, techniques and persona, on the other hand, should be.
Surprisingly enough, Ju Yazhu was not at all opposed to all this, and was very eager to see what kinds of things they would end up doing, although any reminder of the name of the district still scared her.
‘It seems that she has a bit of an adventurous spirit, which is quite suitable for the possible adventure ahead,’ Wei Yi had thought about her servant when they stood on one of the hills within the savanna that overlooked the Ping District, and took in the sight beneath them.
Out of the three districts that she had been to, all those that were no longer standing being excluded, the Ping District could most easily be compared to the Yi District, for it had walls surrounding it, but they were nowhere near as grand or imposing at the walls surrounding the Ning District. Instead, they were rather simple, consisting of two sets of barriers. The outer layer was made from everbark wood, serving as more of a suggestion than a true preventative measure against those that wished to intrude, and the inner walls were pure hardened stone, reinforced with a number of hidden inscriptions and arrays that allowed the rather plain walls, on top of which guards would occasionally appear, to serve its purpose in a world of cultivation.
Most of the structures were rather traditional in design, made of wood and stone with brown tiled rooves. Unlike the buildings of the Ning District, which were forced to be greatly condensed and lacking in interesting details, and the homes of the Luo District, that had so much space that they could do whatever they liked, the Ping District was not so keen to absolutely waste their land, and as such the buildings ended up as a mixture of the two. Each building and residence had some individuality, but not enough to cause the entire district to look like a wild mixture of colour from the side, or above.
It was not as restrictive in terms of space as the Ning District, for the walls were hardly something that couldn’t be shifted by someone with skill or strength, so the internal layout was quite relaxed and varied, with numerous open streets and spaces on which all kinds of things were being done, from trading and bargaining to various acts and performances to amuse the crowd.
However, for every open street and part of the district, there was also a dark alley and quiet corner, where it was quite easy to notice several attempted robberies and assaults take place from their position. By the looks of things, while the outside presentation of the district was about as clean as one would expect from the outer walls and populated streets, much of the Ping District could not enjoy a safe life.
Then again, while she watched one such robbery, she also saw another group of people wearing hoods or bandanas or even masks approach and attack the thieves, warding them off quickly and then retrieving a small bag of coin from the initial victims.
‘I see, this is a district where crime does still rule to an extent, but instead of assassins and the like, there are thieves and bandits instead. From what I am able to make out from here, most people that have any kind of wealth or business pay money to one of the many groups that occupy some part of the district, a sort of protection fee, and they ensure that there are as few other factions attacking them as possible in exchange for a share of the earnings from whatever job or venture requires their protection. Those who own homes also pay, and those that don’t likely work for one of the gangs.’
It was a simple system, at least for those that managed to find the right group to pay from the start and didn’t need to constantly switch based on which faction managed to obtain dominance within their area of the district, but it was also a prime example of what was wrong with the current structure of strength and power.
These bandits, thieves and thugs had some degree of power in the district, whether through raw force alone or through a man or two near the position of leadership that allowed them to remain unbothered by the guards – one of whom also accepted some coin from the thieves right as she looked away from the robbery, seemingly for not entering a particular part of town at a particular time – and that also ensured that any potential hero or seeker of justice would have a hard time doing as they liked.
This was exactly what Wei Yi did not want to be permitted to occur. Under a single overlord that couldn’t be defeated even if the entire world came together, people such as this would have no chance but to follow the law if they wished to live a free life. It would be bound to do them some good.
Perhaps they could even find better things to do, and eventually forget that a societal structure such as this one even existed, allowing the name of the aforementioned overlord to fade away without any negative consequences after several generations of people that acted fairly, got what they deserved for their actions, and would always face consequences when they broke the law.
Naturally, this was a dream right now, and just as she had considered not too long ago, dreams should not be allowed to get out of control. It was, in theory, possible, if she achieved the ninth realm and was able to either seal away the Hunger of the Beyond or even outright destroy it. At that point, there would hopefully be no more threats to the safety of Yi City, or whatever it would be called at that point, and so long as she didn’t give out her cultivation techniques and materials constantly, most would probably be unable to reach the same realm, giving her absolute dominance.
Such a thing would, however, stride quite close to what the Greats did, which was hardly pleasant.
Wei Yi remembered well that she had committed to the path of doing what was necessary and then facing the judgement of the people once she was done, but it was often difficult to control her heart.
‘Luckily, I’m not some Daoist cultivator from the Daoist Continent, or else I might develop some heart demon and need to wrestle with it for control over my body and mind, or something like that,’ she joked to herself, although she also recalled that such things could arise with or without the cultivation methods of the east, ‘I’ve already decided on what I’m doing, and I will stick to it. One day, this district will be safe, and free of the countless thugs that occupy it.’
She memorised this promise to herself, and, in part, to the world, and put it aside for now.
“Ju Yazhu, follow me and keep your guard up. You have nothing valuable on you, so even if someone was to pickpocket you, it won’t matter. Ideally, get them near me instead, so that I can deal with it,” Wei Yi told the woman by her side, trying to get into the habit of a new style of speech.
Previously, she had played the part of a more sensible individual, then a straightforward but less sensible one. This time, she wanted to take the straightforward part of the second persona and combine it with the intellect that she did possess, allowing her to act in a sharp manner and say what she liked by being able to back it up with her current strength, and the mastery of inscriptions that she was able to include within her weaponry and mask when she had prepared them.
Hopefully, with everything combined, that would be enough of a difference between this self and her other identities.
“I understand,” Ju Yazhu replied, “Are we going to encounter assassins?”
“Possibly, but if we do, that won’t be something that you can deal with. Just let me handle things and focus on bringing me something to drink when necessary. Come on.”
Her servant didn’t quite understand the change in attitude that Wei Yi displayed, nor did she understand the reason for it, but so long as she wasn’t going to ask unnecessary questions or question why she did or didn’t act in a particular way, that was fine with her. She would be likely to be preoccupied with all of the assassins potentially skulking about, so that was even better.
Together, they headed towards the nearest set of gates, of which Wei Yi could see at least six on one side of the district. It seemed that they were not as concerned about intruders as the Ning District had been, although they didn’t have much of a choice when it comes to their particular choice of stance as it had been concluded long ago by the construction of their enormous wall. Even if they wanted to let everyone in, the walls would dissuade most.
Here, there were gates at every single entrance, but they were open wide, and guards would only occasionally look in their direction, for a reason that soon became obvious even to her new servant.
Around all of the corners in sight, one or two men, with the occasional scarred or large and highly muscular woman amongst them, hid and waited for their approach, each one likely aware of at least one other such group. Before their corners stood another set of people, this time those that looked as friendly and as amicable as possible, who walked towards them the moment that began to near the gates.
“Ladies!” one of the many people decided to call out, “It’s dangerous to be travelling alone around here. Just one gold coin and you’ll be kept safe for a month!”
“That lot is not to be trusted! Also, that fee is really too expensive! Only ninety-nine silver!”
“Ninety-nine, and we’ll even guide you to a nice place to stay!” another offered.
It reminded Wei Yi of arriving at a busy market with a great deal of wealth on display. It would immediately attract attention and prompt all merchants to seek to sell their goods at a price that the wealthy customer would find acceptable while still profiting as much as possible.
She did not respond to them, hoping to see whether or not they would go away the moment that they showed no interest in their advances, but although not a single one of these thugs was above the third realm and should thus be able to detect that she is superior to all of them in terms of strength, they did not seem too keen to back down no matter what.
As if to explain why, an old beggar that sat by one of the buildings inside of the district spoke up, “In this district, it’s customary to pay someone for protection to avoid the ire of most of the gangs.”
“And are you paid by them as well?”
“Hehe… It’s hard for an old man in the first realm to survive without doing an unusual job,” he admitted it immediately, calmly remaining in his place while a number of those protection fee seekers stepped in front of him, “It’s not bad, really.”
“I see. Get out of here if you don’t want to be hurt,” Wei Yi told him.
Although his movements before this were very slow and lazy, the moment that a semblance of danger arose, he leapt up and ran out, showcasing the full extent of his limited cultivation.
However, her words were obviously heard by the others. Some grinned and quietly laughed to themselves, others looked at her with blatant disapproval, and others were filled with rage. Whatever the reaction was, it was clear that they were very used to getting their way, which wasn’t all that strange. To most cultivators in the third realm and above, a single planar shard would not be too hard to earn within a week, so a single gold coin for a month of peace would quickly be paid by most.
Even those that were more reluctant to part with their coin would likely understand that if they didn’t follow the rules of the district now, they would suffer the consequences, which might be something as minor as simply getting in their way of their business to outright forcing them into a life or death battle with a foe that they could not possibly contend with. Whatever the imagined trouble was, most would find that it was best to avoid the chances of encountering it by sparing some of their funds, made easier by the fact that most travellers would carry a decent amount with them.
In fact, that was likely part of the reason that they were so prepared to approach her. She was traveling from afar, and even wore a set of high-quality clothing complete with a very intricate mask, so she must be able to afford quite a lot.
“Ladies, you aren’t going to challenge us, are you? Your servant has no cultivation, and one of you won’t be enough for all of us. We may be thieves, but we have no problem sharing coin between us.”
“Really?” Wei Yi asked, reaching behind herself and removing a large pouch filled with coins from seemingly nowhere, “In that case, I am sure that you will appreciate it if I do that work for you, don’t you agree?”
Before they could reply, she opened the pouch and reached into it, removing numerous copper coins. She threw all of them out, countless pieces of copper falling at the feet and into the hands of all of the thugs that were gathering in front of her. For a moment, as coin after coin hit the floor loudly, they maintained their focus upon her, as if they couldn’t be phased with something as insignificant as copper.
That was only for a moment, however.
“This one’s mine! Mine! None of you can take it!” one thief declared, leaping to the ground to pick up a coin for himself.
All of the others immediately followed, their attempts at being presentable and amicable shattering until they were just the same as their compatriots that hid within the corners and alleyways. One or two was able to catch a coin without much effort, but holding onto it was far more difficult as everyone around them leapt onto them, doing their best to wrench the small pieces of copper out of their hands as if they were not fighting over coin, but a life-saving medicine.
Wei Yi herself seemed to be entirely forgotten.
“Come on,” she said to Ju Yazhu, prompting her to follow before the thieves realised that they had been played not just in one way, but two.
Not long after she escaped from this ambush, the thieves in hiding being quite confused as to why their allies had let them go past so quickly and easily, without any accompaniment, the truth of the matter was finally revealed. The coins, as shiny and eye-catching as they were, suddenly melted through their fingers, mixing into the air and disappearing from their grip no matter what they did.
They were very quick to pin the blame onto their allies and opponents alike, but none were willing to shoulder the blame for something that they did not do, especially when they had failed to gain a single thing from it.
For those that were previously in possession of the coins, this was not sufficient. Their last act of the day could have earned them something with which to feed themselves, and now that the copper piece vanished from their hands, there could be nobody else responsible other than those beside them, especially since the trust between thieves was rather lacking even at the best of times, and it had dropped even further now that something this inexplicable occurred.
At that moment, the one that gave them the coins in the first place was, somehow, forgotten.
V3C66: At the District of Assassins
“Ju Zhang, do you mind?”
That shook the former man from her confusion, prompting her to look away entirely while calling out, “I’m sorry, teacher!”
Wei Yi sighed, crossing the gap between them with the faint rumble of thunder echoing somewhere in the distance. She placed her hand upon the woman’s shoulder and said, “If I’m not hiding myself somewhere, then you may look, but try to be less intense with your stare. It can be rather distracting at times. Also, teacher is better than your previous attempt.”
“A-Alright…” Ju Zhang swiftly said, “I just wanted to ask… what is your name?”
“Did I not tell you? It’s Wei Yi, of no district nor any family. I am not subservient to any particular group, nor do I have any titles which you can use, not at the moment anyway.”
She nodded, “Got it. Wei Yi… I have another question, but it might be rather silly, so I’m not sure if I should be asking this…”
“You’re going to tempt me to give you so many long lectures on how to best make use of your time… Listen, Ju Zhang – if you even intend to keep using that name, given that nobody will recognise you anyway – if you have a question, and we’re alone, ask whatever you want. I am able to refuse to answer you, or even those in the seventh realm, so long as I don’t mind suffering some harm,” she paused for a moment, pondering the validity of her own words, “If you have an important question of some sort, then you fail to ask it and lead to something terrible, you will be the only one to blame.”
“I understand! Then, are you an immortal?”
“…” Wei Yi kept her mouth shut for a few moments, “Then, there are the questions that you should know are silly. Most questions aren’t, but something like this… No, I am not an immortal. If I was, I wouldn’t tell you. I am only forty, and I am most certainly not some ancient relic.”
“Right… Then, could I ask what you were doing on that hill, and whether that was some kind of technique?”
“Much better. This is a reasonable question, but also one that I may refuse to answer. In this case, I’ll tell you a little bit. I was attempting to comprehend a Dao, and you didn’t really help with that.”
“A Dao? The Great Dao?”
“No, not the Great Dao. While everything is, theoretically, part of the Great Dao, to comprehend a fragment of it is very different from seeking an individual Dao, and brings its own advantages and disadvantages,” she explained some of her own understandings on the matter, “In particular, I sought the Punch Dao, as you might have noticed from the way I finished that little comprehension session.”
“I’m not… quite sure that I understand, but I promise to study it until the end of my life if you need me to!”
“I don’t. You’re not a cultivator just yet, so there’s isn’t much a point for you to pursue any Dao, for they are born of planar energy and will be useless to someone that has not yet made good use of it. Just keep practising that technique, and I will tell you when you may stop.”
Ju Zhang nodded again, although she still wasn’t certain what exactly her new teacher had been doing, nor whether her claim of being forty was accurate. As she saw it, Wei Yi could be either twenty, for her face and body was certainly no younger than that, but even if she was actually in the third realm, as she had stated a few times, she could have easily lived to one hundred before her features would begin to decay.
Furthermore, she knew just too little about planar energy, cultivation, and the Dao, so she was unable to do more than listen and obey what she had been told to do.
Since Wei Yi was intending to reach the Ping District today, she decided to lightly soothe the aching muscles of her new servant – although she suspected that neither of them were going to remember that particular label since the roles of a servant and disciple did often intersect – with a small helping of lifeforce infused into them.
With the little amount that she provided, Ju Zhang would likely not even notice it immediately, but as they began to walk away from the camp, with any traces of their presence quickly erased and reset by Wei Yi the moment that they started to leave, she did feel as if a light, quiet, small stream of energy dripped into her body, drop by drop, filling it up just enough to allow her to continue on without exhaustion but not enough to permit her to act in complete perpetuity.
This energy gave her enough time to ponder one of the things said by Wei Yi that she was able to understand right now, and after she gave it some thoughts, she raised her head and asked, “When you talked about my name, were you suggesting that I should get a new one?”
“I was suggesting the possibility of it. There’s no real reason for you to adhere to it, given that you’ve both left your district and your previous identity is now effectively gone, so if you ever thought that you weren’t happy with the name that your parents had given you, the destiny they perhaps considered for you, then I don’t think anyone should have any objections,” Wei Yi answered, ‘If she does become a disciple of mine and follows me along to the upper realms of cultivation, even the patriarch of the Ju District may be unable to contend with her eventually…’
However, even if she trusted this woman entirely, even if she thought that this Ju Zhang could never possibly go against her and her plans, intentionally or otherwise, she would never state these things to her right now. They key, whether in life or in cultivation, was to not let one’s dreams get too large, too quickly, without the proper comprehension of what achieving that dream would entail.
To tell someone without a cultivation that they could best a patriarch would be a foolish thing to do.
“Any name? Really?”
“Sure. If it’s something silly, though, I will advise you to change it once, just so that you don’t embarrass yourself in the future.”
“Alright… I think I have something. Could I be Ju Yazhu? Ya, as in refined, and Zhu, as in build.”
Wei Yi shrugged, “It works, I suppose, and on a number of levels. Your new technique, the moment that I complete it, and you will most certainly be building up quite the great cultivation, so long as you are able to. Just make sure not to forget it, if you want to keep it.”
“I will not. I will remember this name that you have gi- I mean, that you have permitted me! Ju Yazhu shall always follow your instructions without hesitation, teacher!”
“Do they often do that in the Ju District?”
“Do what?”
“All of these formal procedures, the whole following instructions without hesitation bit, and the reluctance to use my actual name? I do also have a name, just so you know, and I don’t mind people using it.”
Ju Yazhu nodded, although her pink cheeks did expose some embarrassment from her apparently unnecessary actions, “It’s the standard requirement for a teacher and student relationship in the Ju District. We don’t often go outside, so it may be that we just don’t know that the other districts no longer act in that way.”
“No longer? Was that an instruction from the Master of Yi City?”
“I… don’t really know, but my teachers back at the Ju District had said that this was the proper way to act since the ancient times.”
“Uh-huh. I’ve never been in one of these proper teacher-student relationships – probably because most assumed that there’d be no point to placing me into one – but I’ve never been taught that particular part of the customary interaction. Nonetheless, while you’re with me, don’t bother with all of that, as it’s rather unnecessary and, frankly, rather annoying. You can keep calling me your teacher, if you prefer that.”
“I will keep that in mind, teacher,” she began to bow, but then stopped mid-way until Wei Yi sighed and nodded, “By the way, where exactly are we heading to right now?”
“The Ping District.”
“Oh, the Ping District… Wait, what? The place that is full of assassins? That Ping District?”
“You’ve heard of it, I see…”
At one point, perhaps such a description of that district would have been entirely accurate, for it was indeed the origin of many assassin organisations quite some time ago, and, if certain rumours are to be believed, then that was hardly the only danger to society to emerge from that place. Endless Dark, Weavers of the Dark, the Serpent’s Fangs, the Worldly Barbarians and the Devastating Wave were all assassin organisations that had their origin in that district.
However, it was believed that most had left it afterwards, and that the Ping District was now a far safer place for someone to inhabit.
The truth of those words was uncertain, given that travel between districts was far rarer than it would have been in the days of the Master of Yi City, and the people that did travel often would often be very reserved about the matters of the Ping District.
As a result of this, quite a number of wild theories about it had arisen over the years, with some being far more interesting than others. For example, some said that the assassins that seemed to leave had in fact taken over at some point and would demand ludicrous protection fees that the merchants would then try to trap others with by hiding this information from their competitors. Others believed that the patriarch of the Ping District had mastered an ancient art of mind control, allowing them to erase the memories of the district from the minds of all those that visited it.
Most of these tales were ludicrous, but as most didn’t ever consider visiting the Ping District, it just so happened that there were few interested in correcting any of those rumours. It could even be that they had been created intentionally, either to ward off certain people or to attract them.
Whatever the case was, as they finally arrived at the district, they had already prepared for their entrance into it. Wei Yi retrieved the outfit that she had prepared while Ju Yazhu had been provided with a regular and plain robe, so that she wouldn’t stand out too much among the people of the district more than she already would.
Wei Yi chose to dress in a black outfit that covered most of her body, much like the outfit of an assassin, while her face was covered by a dark mask made from black iron jade – a metallic material sourced from the prison realm – which she had shaped in cooperation with Fu Zan in order to create a sharp but subdued item that obscured her nose, mouth and jaw, sticking close to her skin while giving her just enough room for speech. Additionally, it had been designed as to affect the sound of her voice while not muffling it due to several thin channels through which air could pass out and into her mask, hidden from the gaze of all but the most attentive.
Her hair was able to cover the rest, and with the colour of it changed to a dark brown via the infusion of carefully controlled energy, her silver eyes wouldn’t be able to give away her ancestry due to a number of families having grey or silver eyes as prominent features within their blood, like the Bai, Shun or, on occasion, the Bao family.
In addition to all that, her darker skin would make most think that she originated from somewhere further north than the Yi District, so even if she came across someone that knew her, or someone that she knew, she could easily avoid recognition so long as she didn’t drop her act or didn’t reveal some piece of information that someone other than her shouldn’t know. It wouldn’t do much to trick those that had met her in the Luo or Ning Districts, as she already possessed that tone there, but the difference in hair colour, aura and overall aesthetic would be enough in her mind.
Ultimately, the key was to prevent the Greats from catching on to her plans too early, and since they would now need to be on the lookout for dangerous individuals capable of killing or kidnapping, either on their own or with some group, two of the Great Luo Family, simply changing her persona would not do any longer. A change in appearance, style, voice, tone, techniques and persona, on the other hand, should be.
Surprisingly enough, Ju Yazhu was not at all opposed to all this, and was very eager to see what kinds of things they would end up doing, although any reminder of the name of the district still scared her.
‘It seems that she has a bit of an adventurous spirit, which is quite suitable for the possible adventure ahead,’ Wei Yi had thought about her servant when they stood on one of the hills within the savanna that overlooked the Ping District, and took in the sight beneath them.
Out of the three districts that she had been to, all those that were no longer standing being excluded, the Ping District could most easily be compared to the Yi District, for it had walls surrounding it, but they were nowhere near as grand or imposing at the walls surrounding the Ning District. Instead, they were rather simple, consisting of two sets of barriers. The outer layer was made from everbark wood, serving as more of a suggestion than a true preventative measure against those that wished to intrude, and the inner walls were pure hardened stone, reinforced with a number of hidden inscriptions and arrays that allowed the rather plain walls, on top of which guards would occasionally appear, to serve its purpose in a world of cultivation.
Most of the structures were rather traditional in design, made of wood and stone with brown tiled rooves. Unlike the buildings of the Ning District, which were forced to be greatly condensed and lacking in interesting details, and the homes of the Luo District, that had so much space that they could do whatever they liked, the Ping District was not so keen to absolutely waste their land, and as such the buildings ended up as a mixture of the two. Each building and residence had some individuality, but not enough to cause the entire district to look like a wild mixture of colour from the side, or above.
It was not as restrictive in terms of space as the Ning District, for the walls were hardly something that couldn’t be shifted by someone with skill or strength, so the internal layout was quite relaxed and varied, with numerous open streets and spaces on which all kinds of things were being done, from trading and bargaining to various acts and performances to amuse the crowd.
However, for every open street and part of the district, there was also a dark alley and quiet corner, where it was quite easy to notice several attempted robberies and assaults take place from their position. By the looks of things, while the outside presentation of the district was about as clean as one would expect from the outer walls and populated streets, much of the Ping District could not enjoy a safe life.
Then again, while she watched one such robbery, she also saw another group of people wearing hoods or bandanas or even masks approach and attack the thieves, warding them off quickly and then retrieving a small bag of coin from the initial victims.
‘I see, this is a district where crime does still rule to an extent, but instead of assassins and the like, there are thieves and bandits instead. From what I am able to make out from here, most people that have any kind of wealth or business pay money to one of the many groups that occupy some part of the district, a sort of protection fee, and they ensure that there are as few other factions attacking them as possible in exchange for a share of the earnings from whatever job or venture requires their protection. Those who own homes also pay, and those that don’t likely work for one of the gangs.’
It was a simple system, at least for those that managed to find the right group to pay from the start and didn’t need to constantly switch based on which faction managed to obtain dominance within their area of the district, but it was also a prime example of what was wrong with the current structure of strength and power.
These bandits, thieves and thugs had some degree of power in the district, whether through raw force alone or through a man or two near the position of leadership that allowed them to remain unbothered by the guards – one of whom also accepted some coin from the thieves right as she looked away from the robbery, seemingly for not entering a particular part of town at a particular time – and that also ensured that any potential hero or seeker of justice would have a hard time doing as they liked.
This was exactly what Wei Yi did not want to be permitted to occur. Under a single overlord that couldn’t be defeated even if the entire world came together, people such as this would have no chance but to follow the law if they wished to live a free life. It would be bound to do them some good.
Perhaps they could even find better things to do, and eventually forget that a societal structure such as this one even existed, allowing the name of the aforementioned overlord to fade away without any negative consequences after several generations of people that acted fairly, got what they deserved for their actions, and would always face consequences when they broke the law.
Naturally, this was a dream right now, and just as she had considered not too long ago, dreams should not be allowed to get out of control. It was, in theory, possible, if she achieved the ninth realm and was able to either seal away the Hunger of the Beyond or even outright destroy it. At that point, there would hopefully be no more threats to the safety of Yi City, or whatever it would be called at that point, and so long as she didn’t give out her cultivation techniques and materials constantly, most would probably be unable to reach the same realm, giving her absolute dominance.
Such a thing would, however, stride quite close to what the Greats did, which was hardly pleasant.
Wei Yi remembered well that she had committed to the path of doing what was necessary and then facing the judgement of the people once she was done, but it was often difficult to control her heart.
‘Luckily, I’m not some Daoist cultivator from the Daoist Continent, or else I might develop some heart demon and need to wrestle with it for control over my body and mind, or something like that,’ she joked to herself, although she also recalled that such things could arise with or without the cultivation methods of the east, ‘I’ve already decided on what I’m doing, and I will stick to it. One day, this district will be safe, and free of the countless thugs that occupy it.’
She memorised this promise to herself, and, in part, to the world, and put it aside for now.
“Ju Yazhu, follow me and keep your guard up. You have nothing valuable on you, so even if someone was to pickpocket you, it won’t matter. Ideally, get them near me instead, so that I can deal with it,” Wei Yi told the woman by her side, trying to get into the habit of a new style of speech.
Previously, she had played the part of a more sensible individual, then a straightforward but less sensible one. This time, she wanted to take the straightforward part of the second persona and combine it with the intellect that she did possess, allowing her to act in a sharp manner and say what she liked by being able to back it up with her current strength, and the mastery of inscriptions that she was able to include within her weaponry and mask when she had prepared them.
Hopefully, with everything combined, that would be enough of a difference between this self and her other identities.
“I understand,” Ju Yazhu replied, “Are we going to encounter assassins?”
“Possibly, but if we do, that won’t be something that you can deal with. Just let me handle things and focus on bringing me something to drink when necessary. Come on.”
Her servant didn’t quite understand the change in attitude that Wei Yi displayed, nor did she understand the reason for it, but so long as she wasn’t going to ask unnecessary questions or question why she did or didn’t act in a particular way, that was fine with her. She would be likely to be preoccupied with all of the assassins potentially skulking about, so that was even better.
Together, they headed towards the nearest set of gates, of which Wei Yi could see at least six on one side of the district. It seemed that they were not as concerned about intruders as the Ning District had been, although they didn’t have much of a choice when it comes to their particular choice of stance as it had been concluded long ago by the construction of their enormous wall. Even if they wanted to let everyone in, the walls would dissuade most.
Here, there were gates at every single entrance, but they were open wide, and guards would only occasionally look in their direction, for a reason that soon became obvious even to her new servant.
Around all of the corners in sight, one or two men, with the occasional scarred or large and highly muscular woman amongst them, hid and waited for their approach, each one likely aware of at least one other such group. Before their corners stood another set of people, this time those that looked as friendly and as amicable as possible, who walked towards them the moment that began to near the gates.
“Ladies!” one of the many people decided to call out, “It’s dangerous to be travelling alone around here. Just one gold coin and you’ll be kept safe for a month!”
“That lot is not to be trusted! Also, that fee is really too expensive! Only ninety-nine silver!”
“Ninety-nine, and we’ll even guide you to a nice place to stay!” another offered.
It reminded Wei Yi of arriving at a busy market with a great deal of wealth on display. It would immediately attract attention and prompt all merchants to seek to sell their goods at a price that the wealthy customer would find acceptable while still profiting as much as possible.
She did not respond to them, hoping to see whether or not they would go away the moment that they showed no interest in their advances, but although not a single one of these thugs was above the third realm and should thus be able to detect that she is superior to all of them in terms of strength, they did not seem too keen to back down no matter what.
As if to explain why, an old beggar that sat by one of the buildings inside of the district spoke up, “In this district, it’s customary to pay someone for protection to avoid the ire of most of the gangs.”
“And are you paid by them as well?”
“Hehe… It’s hard for an old man in the first realm to survive without doing an unusual job,” he admitted it immediately, calmly remaining in his place while a number of those protection fee seekers stepped in front of him, “It’s not bad, really.”
“I see. Get out of here if you don’t want to be hurt,” Wei Yi told him.
Although his movements before this were very slow and lazy, the moment that a semblance of danger arose, he leapt up and ran out, showcasing the full extent of his limited cultivation.
However, her words were obviously heard by the others. Some grinned and quietly laughed to themselves, others looked at her with blatant disapproval, and others were filled with rage. Whatever the reaction was, it was clear that they were very used to getting their way, which wasn’t all that strange. To most cultivators in the third realm and above, a single planar shard would not be too hard to earn within a week, so a single gold coin for a month of peace would quickly be paid by most.
Even those that were more reluctant to part with their coin would likely understand that if they didn’t follow the rules of the district now, they would suffer the consequences, which might be something as minor as simply getting in their way of their business to outright forcing them into a life or death battle with a foe that they could not possibly contend with. Whatever the imagined trouble was, most would find that it was best to avoid the chances of encountering it by sparing some of their funds, made easier by the fact that most travellers would carry a decent amount with them.
In fact, that was likely part of the reason that they were so prepared to approach her. She was traveling from afar, and even wore a set of high-quality clothing complete with a very intricate mask, so she must be able to afford quite a lot.
“Ladies, you aren’t going to challenge us, are you? Your servant has no cultivation, and one of you won’t be enough for all of us. We may be thieves, but we have no problem sharing coin between us.”
“Really?” Wei Yi asked, reaching behind herself and removing a large pouch filled with coins from seemingly nowhere, “In that case, I am sure that you will appreciate it if I do that work for you, don’t you agree?”
Before they could reply, she opened the pouch and reached into it, removing numerous copper coins. She threw all of them out, countless pieces of copper falling at the feet and into the hands of all of the thugs that were gathering in front of her. For a moment, as coin after coin hit the floor loudly, they maintained their focus upon her, as if they couldn’t be phased with something as insignificant as copper.
That was only for a moment, however.
“This one’s mine! Mine! None of you can take it!” one thief declared, leaping to the ground to pick up a coin for himself.
All of the others immediately followed, their attempts at being presentable and amicable shattering until they were just the same as their compatriots that hid within the corners and alleyways. One or two was able to catch a coin without much effort, but holding onto it was far more difficult as everyone around them leapt onto them, doing their best to wrench the small pieces of copper out of their hands as if they were not fighting over coin, but a life-saving medicine.
Wei Yi herself seemed to be entirely forgotten.
“Come on,” she said to Ju Yazhu, prompting her to follow before the thieves realised that they had been played not just in one way, but two.
Not long after she escaped from this ambush, the thieves in hiding being quite confused as to why their allies had let them go past so quickly and easily, without any accompaniment, the truth of the matter was finally revealed. The coins, as shiny and eye-catching as they were, suddenly melted through their fingers, mixing into the air and disappearing from their grip no matter what they did.
They were very quick to pin the blame onto their allies and opponents alike, but none were willing to shoulder the blame for something that they did not do, especially when they had failed to gain a single thing from it.
For those that were previously in possession of the coins, this was not sufficient. Their last act of the day could have earned them something with which to feed themselves, and now that the copper piece vanished from their hands, there could be nobody else responsible other than those beside them, especially since the trust between thieves was rather lacking even at the best of times, and it had dropped even further now that something this inexplicable occurred.
At that moment, the one that gave them the coins in the first place was, somehow, forgotten.
