The Third Kingdom (A Thousand Li #7)

=Chapter 1=

Wu Ying turned back one last time, wiping at tears that refused to fall. In the distance, he saw his parents clutching one another near one of the many rice fields that abutted the small village. They held on, looking older, frailer than ever. He wondered if he would ever see them again, speak with them, have dinner together.
He drew a deep breath, letting the sorrow that gripped his heart and tightened his lungs exist for a few more seconds before he made himself relax. He did not dismiss the grief or toss it aside or contain it but acknowledged its presence, allowing it to stay within him but not affect his body.
He had warned them, had spent as much time as he could with them while the Elders had deliberated. He had sent what miniscule amount of funds he had left to them and made arrangements such that any goods he sent back for resale would be theirs. Most importantly, he had spoken with his friends to ensure the village continued to see some benefit from being located so close to the Sect.
Not that they would turn their backs on the village now, not after the village had bled for them. The Verdant Green Waters was not without honor, and the attacks on their Sect had impacted the village beneath the mountain. More so, the addition of a village—one that had begun to produce rice of a higher grade than normal—would be a boon for the Sect in the future. Already, the budget for the outer sect had seen a positive outflow, one that would only increase as the village grew.
No, the Sect was not without honor, but it was a little vindictive. Refusing to bend their rules, angry at being disobeyed. Afraid of the example that such defiance might create, and yet…
And yet amused too. For defiance was the very heart of cultivation. Defiance of the natural order of things to achieve immortality. Or so some interpreted the matter at least. Others might believe that such an act was not defiance but a return, a recursion to what had been. A joining of self to the immortal moment.
Immortality or not, if he achieved it or not, his banishment was all too real.
His presence would not be welcome in these lands for many a year. Decades, maybe even centuries if he lived that long. Time enough for ire to quell, for deeds to grow such that the loss of face and defiance of their orders faded with the mists of time.
Too long, likely, before he would see his parents’ faces again. If he ever did. A last goodbye then, a pressing of flesh and words of love and loss. Of thanks and apologies.
Then Wu Ying turned away and strode off, to see what his destiny held for him.

***

He could have left by boat. Had done so often enough. Yet this time, clad only in his peasant robes, he walked through the forests. Bamboo forests he had grown to know oh so well. After all, he was the Verdant Gatherer. Hah! He wondered if there would be a quiet campaign to change that name now, to remove association with him. Or not.
He was not exiled, just banished. A fine distinction, but an important one. The Elders had not taken his robes or his sect token, not branded him. He was just not welcome in their halls anymore.
So Wu Ying walked through the forest, feeling the wind catch and tug at his hair, whispering secrets and entreaties even as his feet glided over leaf-strewn paths, as they sank into gentle moss and danced across uneven ground.
Come North! A hint of frost, a shivering layer of air begged him to come to where the plains lay. See a land of wide vistas, a place without looming mountains where the wind ran across open ground and brought with it memories of a colder, even more desolate country.
No, go East! Salt, carried on the wind, blew across his body with it a whiff of the ocean, seaweed and dissipating wood, the smell of fish and fruit. Forget the land. Explore the deeps of the sea and what lay across the ocean. An island, one of immortals lay in the distant reaches. Reach it, and one might escape the drudgery of cultivating for immortality by supping upon a single Peach.
Foolish, foolish, foolish. Wu Ying could almost hear the taunt. The Eastern Wind promised much but drowned most who attempted to take it up on its offers. No, no bountiful promises or sudden traitorous changes on the waves. In the West, dry air, sand, and soaring, empty canyons. A stark simplicity, where beauty was hidden and showcased only to those who dared look deeper.
The South laughed at the others, bringing warmth and humidity. Pouring not entreaties or desires, for so many—too many—traveled to their bountiful lands, searching for their fortune. In the south, jade lay on the ground, waiting to be picked. To the south, gold was found in rivers, fruit on trees. The secrets of lost arts and hidden clans who stood with nature awaited.

Release Date: 1. Juli 2022

Pages: 395

Genre: Cultivation Fantasy

eBook ISBN: 9781778550201

Language: English

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