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130 - Standing on Damp Ground
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 22:29:57 +0000 UTCThe sun rose and fell one more time over these arid lands as the newly transformed Qin Yun and the young outsider remained safely tucked away within their stone shelter from the ever-blowing abrasive winds that slowly chipped away at the rock.
During this time, Qin Yun spent all his waking hours swiftly learning to speak in the Outsiders' dialect. Yet, even as he relied on his extensive experience in different and obscure languages, the best he could do was memorize a few thousand words and how to make them flow to carry their meanings. But even then, his pronunciation remained atrocious.
Qin Yun employed the young man as his teacher, exchanging this favour with a few provisions he brought on this trip. The young man initially refused, as their language was part of their culture, something no outsider should have access to. It was sacred, something they used to commune with their god.
However, in this land where resources were the cause of many conflicts, Qin Yun’s wealth wasn’t something a young warrior could turn away. In fact, it might even help them in their future dealings with the rest of the tribe. But more importantly, the young man’s water reserves had almost been exhausted.
As for the flaws that remained in the way he spoke, Qin Yun found them inconsequential. While he could easily spend another few days here to perfect his craft, he saw no need for it. In fact, he felt it was better for his cover as a young outsider born on the other side of the Great Barrier. It gave legitimacy to his claim to have been in contact with the tribe's lost seer and to the token now in his possession.
On the next day, at dawn, Qin Yun and the young man resumed their march southwards. They had travelled in a large arc, keeping their distance from the constant storm raging between them and the Great Barrier.
Qin Yun couldn't help but be stunned at the extent of it all, covering countless miles from the edge of the Northern Realm down to the Southern one. He could scarcely imagine the amount of energy required to keep it always in motion, the battle against the encroaching corruption notwithstanding.
Not even the Immortals living within the periphery of the Well of Souls could accomplish this herculean task. Only the Heavenly Dao possessed the means to keep the taint contained within, drawing from the endless swirling energies contained within the land's crust and flowing through every Earth Vein.
After another day on the backs of those giant sandworms, the young man gave Qin Yun a sign to disembark. While he didn’t know the reason, Qin Yun abdicated to the young man’s wisdom and did as he was told, only for the large creature to swiftly turn around and vanish beneath the desert sand.
Qin Yun frowned, finding this odd. Each time they had to do so at the end of a long day of travel, their mounts had always tried to attack them, irate to be used as a vehicle. But, as they had been too tired from the long journey, the young man could easily repel them with something resembling incense, emitting a scent that repulsed them as if it were poison.
As for what it was, Qin Yun tried to analyze it with its scent alone, but it was made from ingredients one couldn't find on the Mainland, mostly corrupted ones. The most he could find was that it wasn't something he could recreate—not at the moment.
As he pondered this curious reaction, Qin Yun saw the young man bend down, taking a cupful of sand in his palm before bringing it to his nose. Qin Yun did the same, only to find the same scent permeating the granular ground. More than that, the sand felt slightly damp, a stark contrast to the arid land they had just traversed.
Qin Yun rose, letting the damp sand slip through his fingers as he observed his surroundings. They were nowhere near any oases. There wasn't a slight trace of water for miles, yet the ground was damp.
Is there an underground river flowing through here?
However, Ethan soon dismissed this thought. They stood on a loose pile of sand that could be blown by the breeze at any moment. There was no telling how deep this mountain of loose particulate stretched. It might be just a few meters down to a few miles. There was really no telling.
Even if an underground river existed, it could only exist under a bed of hard rock. But, even then, where would it originate from?
Qin Yun looked far in front of him, and as he squinted, he could barely see a dull shade of green in the distance—something that shouldn’t exist this far from the Mainland.
At least, not on the western edge... We did go southward for an awfully long time...
"We're almost there," the young man said as he rose. "The damp ground proves we have almost reached the exiles."
Qin Yun squinted even further, trying to see any signs of settlement, yet all he could see were a few large rock formations sprouting from the sand as if dull mountain peaks eroded over eons. They were the last remnants of solidity in this ocean ravaged by time.
"If water can be found here, why does the Main Tribe not relocate?" Qin Yun asked. "Or, is it that the location where the Main Tribe is that offers much more than here?"
"No, if anything, the Main Tribe is the most inhospitable place within these lands," the young man replied bluntly, which couldn't help but make Qin Yun raise an eyebrow.
“Is it for defence against the Mainland’s attacks?” Qin Yun asked, yet couldn’t help but find this dubious.
What would be the point if they couldn't even feed themselves properly? Considering the Main Tribe's population, they would need an array of at least half a dozen to over ten oases to sustain their basic needs. There was almost no chance of finding so much vitality this far from the continent's centre.
Unless they relied on something else...
"Do they sustain themselves on corruption?" he asked, slightly shaken.
"Yes," the young man said casually. "For generations, only the most valiant of warriors can access our god's blessing. Its essence empowers our flesh, quenching our thirst and enabling us to live in these harsh lands to the best of our ability. Of course, such an honour is not for everyone. Many pilgrims from other tribes journey to the desert's heart if merely to gaze upon its might. If a warrior proves themselves in combat against warriors from other tribes, the victorious tribe is granted a part of its boon. This is an honour many covets."
"Did you..." Qin Yun asked, once again studying this young man. Qin Yun's senses were on edge, yet he found nothing. No traces of outward corruption.
"While my tribe won a few decades back, I wasn't even born then," the young man replied. "Of those who enjoyed the rewards, only a few may yet remain, but I have no idea where they are now, nor do I care. Those who abandoned their own tribes aren't worth remembering."
This young man has quite the life story, Qin Yun thought, slightly stunned. Yet, there was something troubling him about the way they went about spreading the corruption around. He couldn’t help but voice his doubts.
"I figured the Main Tribe would be eager to spread the boon of their god around," he said. "Isn't that the best way to entice people to its worship?"
"You'd think so?" the young man said, shrugging. "I told you already, we may consider it our god, but only because of the benefits we receive from it. Those who are truly devout are merely those closest to it—those of the Main Tribe, but also the priests."
“Priests?”
"Some geezers older than the desert itself, or so they claim," the young man said as he spit on the now damp desert sand, losing some of its much-needed moisture. Qin Yun couldn't help but frown as he knew the significance of such an act. But then, the man added, "What you call a contest is a sacred ceremony where we prove ourselves worthy of god's graces. The victor takes it all, and the loser perishes."
“So it’s a battle to the death?” Qin Yun asked with a frown.
"Not always. Cowards always choose to forfeit, but in that instance, the whole tribe is found unworthy and punished for it."
“What kind of punishment?”
"Don't ask," the young man said, facing Qin Yun. His extremely sombre expression spoke volumes more than any words he could have said.
“That being said, if not for the war, the once-in-a-decade ceremony should have happened already,” the man lamented. “The elders assured us of our victory, yet look where we ended up...”
“Will that ceremony occur now that they have retreated?” Qin Yun asked. He could barely conceal the interest in his tone, but fortunately, the young man didn’t pick up on it.
“Probably, but that doesn’t concern me anymore,” the young man said dismissively. There was a trace of sadness in his eyes, yet no tears threatened to fall. If anything, they were as dry as the desert sand near the World’s Edge.
Interesting timing... I can probably use this...
"Speaking of which, you said we were nearing the exiles," Qin Yun said, now gazing near where he had seen some traces of green. "I must admit, when you referred to them, I expected to see a much more desolate land. Why would they exile them where water could be found."
"Because this water is poisonous," the young man said plainly. "Think about it. What could be worse than a land abundant in the one thing all tribes fought for for so long, yet none could be safely consumed. It is worse than damnation. It is despair itself."
Qin Yun frowned before taking another patch of damp sand into his hand. He raised it over his head and squeezed, extracting but three tiny pearls of water. They fell from the clump before moistening his throat.
The young man was so taken aback by Qin Yun's sudden action that he didn't even have the reflex to stop him. He could only utter a loud, "YOU FOOL!" after the fact, yet it was already too late.
The three drops of water hit Qin Yun's tongue before funnelling down his throat to his stomach. Along the way, Qin Yun analyzed many of its components, from its taste to its viscosity, yet it all came down to one simple realization.
Salty... as expected. This is salt water. No wonder they thought of it as poisonous. They probably have never seen an ocean to begin with. Still, these people aren’t dumb. They probably tried to extract the salt somehow. What else could it be?
Examining further, Qin Yun felt something foreign try to infiltrate his flesh. It swam through his body, breaching the walls of his stomach, only to find itself within his arterial system, seeking to reach his heart or vital organs. It stirred like something alive, possessing consciousness and moving with purpose until it finally reached his qi centre but then disappeared in the empty void where the remains of his tribulation qi were located.
Now, only an almost transparent brown lotus remained, with golden characters pulsing along its surface. Once the strange energy collided with the ethereal object, it seemed to blend perfectly within, leaving no trace of its existence and no lingering side effects.
As expected, this water is laced with remnants of the world’s qi. For those possessed by the corruption, it might as well be poison...
"Are you alright?" the young man asked, brows slightly creased.
“Perfectly. Why do you ask?” Qin Yun replied casually, looking rather smug.
The young man looked unconvinced but soon shook his head. He could see that Qin Yun seemed completely fine, but he also knew that, at this point, there was nothing he could do about it; he could only let go.
"We've wasted enough time," he said as he looked above, only to see the burning sun slowly beginning its descent toward the distant horizon. Without another word, both men started walking in the direction where Qin Yun had noticed distant verdure.
