I stared at the cat-turned-human cultivator who’d saved me from Elder Jin with an incredulous look in my eyes. She didn’t flinch under my gaze, standing there proudly after declaring that she was a threat to the entire Cloudy Falls Sect.

  “Even though a few bad apples are out to get me, don’t tell me you plan to destroy the sect?”

  “What? Of course not, idiot. Did your mother drop you on your head when you were born?” she snapped.

  “What do you mean by saying you are a terrifying threat to the Cloudy Falls Sect, then?” I asked again, my brow furrowed as I grew more perplexed.

  “I am a cultivator strong enough to give even their sect leader pause. Simply by existing here they are forced to face me as a threat. It doesn’t matter what my intentions are,” she said while shaking her head.

  That actually made a lot of sense. It also made me even more nervous to be around her. I still had no idea how a cat could turn into a human and I’d just found out she was as strong as the Cloudy Falls Sect Leader—or even stronger.

  She had called them a third-rate sect. Her master had also apparently ascended recently, which made him a terrifying figure who likely didn’t even put the Cloudy Falls Sect in his eyes.

  At the very least, even if the sect turned against me I should be safe with her protecting me. I felt a burst of qi rushing into me as my technique finished.

  Wang Ren coughed as his eyes snapped open. He jerked himself upright. His eyes darted around as he scrambled to his feet.

  “Where’s that bastard Elder!?”

  I chuckled, standing up to place an arm on his shoulder. “Relax, Senior Brother. Elder Jin fled back to the sect after our… benefactor arrived.”

  “What? Benefactor? What are you talking about-” he began then suddenly stopped as he noticed the woman in white robes unbothered by the destruction around them.

  “What? Elder Jin fled? That means…” the colour drained from his face and he bowed to his waist. “I thank the honourable elder for saving my Junior Brother’s life.”

  “Pah! Elder? I’m still a delicate young flower,” she harrumphed. “Right. Enough of these needless pleasantries. I have things to do, so I will make this brief.”

  “Make what brief?” I asked, a ball of trepidation knotting in my stomach. The expression on her face was one of mischief and boredom—a fearsome combination.

  “I promised Master Guan to save you, so I will. I don’t want to get into an annoying mess with this lot,” she said, waving in the general direction of the Cloudy Falls Sect, “So I’ll just send you somewhere safe and be on my way.”

  After that, she pulled a thick, dusty tome from her storage artifact and flipped it open as it hovered in the air. I recognised it as Grandpa Guan’s book of mysterious properties.

  Back then I’d assumed he was an insane old coot, but now that I knew the truth I wondered if all of those wondrous places he’d attempted to sell me really existed. Was she going to send us to one of them?

  “Ah! Perfect. You’re a healer, right? You’ll like this one. What are your goals for the future, aside from cultivating to the pinnacle of the world?” she asked, stopping on a certain page and pressing a finger into the paper.

  I thought deeply for a moment, but the answers came easily. I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve and all this chaos and wanton destruction had only served to solidify that.

  This world was one that could erupt into seas of blades and mountains of fire at any moment. Mortals and cultivators alike were treated as fodder for others to advance without care for the damage they caused.

  I wanted to bring about change through healing. To provide a place for any to come, regardless of their sect or allegiance, so that they could be nursed to health. A medicine sect.

  Here in Three River City I’d taken the first steps, but fate was unwilling to leave me to my devices. Perhaps a fresh start somewhere new was what I needed.

  The book had floated over to me and I found myself looking at a familiar painting. The magnificence of it made all my worries and stress fade for a moment, every stroke containing deep insights into the natural world.

  At the top of the page, inscribed in perfect calligraphy, it said ‘Million Flowers Celestial Peak’. I remembered this one from Grandpa Guan’s sales pitch.

  The endless vibrant flowers were planted into a natural formation that enhanced the ambient spiritual energy. It was a perfect place to form a medicine sect. Surrounded by natural beauty and rich with energy, healing people would be a simple affair.

  “It is a perfect choice,” I replied. “How far away is it? I at least want to say goodbye to my companions before we leave.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. Master’s book will transport you there instantly,” she replied with a wave of her sleeve.

  My jaw dropped. Such a powerful artifact and it was being used to advertise property? Just how rich had Grandpa Guan been!?

  “Also, who do you need to say goodbye to? All of them will be going with you. If they stay here the sect will most likely accuse them of working with a traitor and either kill or torture them for information.”

  She’d said it as if it was natural, but I heard gasps from behind me. It made sense now that she explained it, but I hadn’t expected that they would need to leave their homes behind.

  “Even Senior Brother Wang?” I asked, throwing a sad glance at my Senior Brother. He’d worked so hard to rise through the ranks of the Cloudy Falls Sect and because of my actions he would be branded a traitor.

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  Existing under the same sky as the sect would no longer be possible for him. Then again, Elder Jin had murdered his master in cold blood, so maybe he wouldn’t be too upset.

  “Do not pity me, Junior Brother Zhao. The moment that bastard Jin killed Master Bang, an irreconcilable grudge was sown between us. I still have my glaive and my master’s techniques. I need nothing else. I will accompany you on this journey,” he stated solemnly, chin held high.

  Turning to little Cui, Yu Chun, and the young city lord I saw them all nod in agreement. Their looks held nothing but trust and affirmation.

  “I see. Even if you say it isn’t necessary, I still apologise for dragging you all into my mess. I promise that wherever we end up, I will take care of you,” I said, offering a shallow bow to them all.

  “Master! Don’t be stupid. I would follow you to the ends of the earth,” Xiao Cui cried.

  “If it isn’t too much, I would ask that my friend Du Wen is allowed to join us,” Yu Chun asked the cultivator.

  “Actually, I should say goodbye to my father if I am to leave Three River City for good,” Teng Sheng added with trepidation written on his face.

  The cultivator sucked air through her teeth while furrowing her brow. “Mortals are so annoying,” she muttered. “I will do this for you, but you will owe me a favour, Zhao Dan. I will collect it in the future, when you aren’t a worthless ant.”

  “I accept.”

  If I couldn’t even do that much for my companions, then I was less than a dog. With that said, the woman waved a hand and the large flying sword appeared once more.

  “Get on,” she ordered.

  We obliged and once we were all sat on the enormous sword’s flat blade, she inhaled and a gentle gust of wind danced around her. I expected her to join us on the flying sword.

  Instead, she suddenly kicked the handle and I gasped as we were blasted into the sky. I heard a dull explosion the next moment and the woman suddenly appeared beside us, dancing through the skies with feline elegance and a devious smirk on her face.

  “Was that really necessary?” I shouted over the rushing wind.

  “Of course. I don’t have a flying sword technique and we don’t have time to waste,” she replied, her lips peeling back as her smirk turned into a wide grin.

  She grabbed hold of the flying sword’s handle and whirled in the air. Yu Chun yelped as she spun the sword around and then launched it at the ground.

  It took less than a second for the sword to smash through the roof of the palace. I waved away the dust and debris as the sword came to a sudden halt.

  The tip was buried into the tiles of the throne room. I hadn’t even felt the impact, which I was grateful for.

  The girls were mortals and would’ve died on impact otherwise. I suspected the strange cultivator knew that, but she was still being a little heavy handed.

  The ground shook as she smashed into the floor beside us. Rubble rained from above as the ceiling of the throne room took more punishment. There were now three large holes in the jade ceiling. The magnificent painting which adorned it was ruined and I suspected the whole thing might need to be replaced.

  Sitting on the throne with wide eyes and a slack jaw was the city lord himself. Standing beside him were Captain Kang and two advisors I didn’t recognise.

  “Teng Sheng!” he exclaimed, leaping to his feet and rushing down the stairs from the dais.

  “You! Bastard, you dare ruin the city lord’s palace?” Captain Kang yelled, pointing a finger at me.

  I shrunk back, lowering my gaze. It wasn’t necessarily my fault but I could see why he assumed that. However, the next instant he fell on his ass as the white robed cultivator let her presence explode outwards.

  “We don’t have time for this nonsense. Say your goodbyes, brat,” she ordered Teng Sheng, who was currently wrapped in his father’s embrace.

  “What do you mean, goodbyes?” the city lord questioned, looking at his son with a raised brow.

  “There was an incident, father. I have to leave Three River City with Zhao Dan and the others. Don’t worry about me. I want to see more of the Celestial Jade Empire and raise my cultivation. I will miss you. Thank you for being a good father all these years. I am sure Three River City will flourish with you at the helm, now that the Gao Clan has been eradicated,” he announced.

  The boy had become a man. He was ready to embrace the adventure we were about to embark on. When I’d first met Teng Sheng he was shy and reserved but healing the poison and unlocking his latent potential had transformed him.

  I also realised that the city lord and the captain had been freed from the Gao Clan’s hypnosis gu when Gao Shan was killed, unlike the forbidden technique he used on me. That was reassuring.

  “What? Eradicated? That is wonderful news, but how? What about the patriarch, won’t he retaliate?” Teng Shi exclaimed.

  “No need to worry about that, Lord Teng. Gao Ze is dead,” I told him, eliciting shocked gasps from everyone present.

  “What!? How is that possible? Even if an Elder from the Cloudy Falls Sect personally hunted him down it would be like a tiger stalking a lion. Gao Ze was unmatched at his realm,” Teng Shi exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing my shoulders.

  I gently pushed him away and he seemed surprised at the ease with which I removed his grip. I realised I’d not shown the improvements in my cultivation to him at all—not while he was in control of his own mind, anyway.

  “My Master sacrificed his cultivation to slaughter the bastard,” Wang Ren spat, his face stormy as he spoke. The death of Elder Bang was still fresh in our minds.

  “Your master? I see. We owe him our eternal gratitude. What was your master’s name? My Teng Clan will pledge to eternally honour his memory,” the city lord said, bowing reverently towards Wang Ren.

  “Thank you,” Wang Ren replied with a nod, though I could see his heart wasn’t in it.

  The city lord looked like he had dozens more questions to ask, but before he could open his mouth, the cat woman snapped her fingers.

  “Time is running out. We are done here. Where can we find your friend?” she asked Yu Chun, ferrying us all back to the flying sword after ripping it from the ground.

  “Yu Chun’s Blossom Parlour. My place of work,” she answered.

  “Wait, where are you going!? I must speak with my son-” Teng Shi exclaimed, but before he could finish the cultivator silenced him with a flick of her sleeve.

  “I’m sorry. We have no more time. If we stay any longer you will be implicated and the sect will move to eradicate you too. I will find a way for your son to contact you in the future, but he will be safe where I am sending them,” she said, blasting the sword into the sky with a swift kick.

  Captain Kang and the two advisors had stood there the entire time with slack jaws and stupefied expressions. The ground exploded in a cloud of dust and debris as the white robed cultivator shot into the air after the sword.

  “Did you sense her cultivation, my lord?” the captain asked with a shaky voice.

  The advisors were quivering, barely remaining on their feet from the pressure exuded by the strange woman. They glanced fearfully at the fourth hole in the palace ceiling, gasping as a huge crack appeared followed by a series of smaller cracks.

  “No, but I felt as though I was staring at a slumbering dragon that could reap my life as easily as turning a hand the moment I misstepped,” he replied, staring at the sword that was barely a speck. “Stay safe, my son. You are a tiger, but even the fiercest beast is nothing but fodder in the world of cultivation.”

  With a final crack, the ceiling collapsed entirely around the four men. As the dust and debris cleared and they hauled themselves from the rubble, Captain Kang shared a glance with the city lord.

  “I always hated that gaudy ceiling. Maybe we can replace it with a reserved pagoda. Maybe install more gardens,” Teng Shi mused with a smirk.

  “As you say, my lord,” the captain replied, before both men burst into laughter while the advisors wore perplexed expressions.