Chapter 1: A Warm Welcome

"When the wind blows, the grass bends," Confucius said. He also said to be filial to one's parents. Fuck Confucius. He didn't think about the consequences. I had to move to Heaven's Gate. Heaven's fucking Gate, the capital of cultivation. 'Where fantasy comes true and man becomes god' or so they say.

Other girls my age would die for such an opportunity. Their grams would be full of humblebrags and captions like: 'Little me in the big city'. I'd rather curse Confucius and my parents. I did so while being calm as a butterfly. Well, sometimes the butterfly might have roared like a mountain lion. My aunt would say it's more of the latter, but in the end, she ignored it either way. When my spiritual aptitude for cultivation was tested I immediately was recommended to attend a prestigious school in the city. My parents determined that sixteen years of experience on this earth would be enough to be on my own. I was way too young to have any notion of what that would entail. They were so proud when they heard about my talent. Their looks were content, but there was something more. It was joy softening my father's stern face and happiness reddening the cheeks of my mother. Like I wasn't their quirky little girl anymore. I … I would have been touched if I weren't on a train to my personal hell. Some people aren't made for the big city. Especially those born with an innate grass spirit.

Bio spirits are getting rarer with each passing year. Living things cannot acquire true immortality. They are born, they live and they turn to dust. The circle of life had bittersweet poetry to it, which appealed to my emo heart. But in this day and age, a natural death wasn't a thing anymore. There were people looking like me who were in fact hundreds of years old. But I would never be like them. I will age, wither, and die. The immortals only had to blink once and the maggots will be all over me like a long-forgotten sandwich in a PE bag.

It was a shame that those born with an innate spirit can not acquire an artificial one. For some reason, the two different spirits would violently reject each other until the user explodes. I felt already old on the inside but I rather like the idea of being young on the outside for an extended period of time. Although on a positive note, I didn't have to integrate a cyber interface. I hope it doesn't sound too narcissistic but I loved my smooth and pristine skin.

I really didn't understand the people who think pieces of metal make them prettier. Okay, fine, I had piercings myself but you couldn't compare sticking a bit of metal into your nose with cutting off your arm and replacing it. In the cultivation world, the more metal you flaunted, the more prestigious you were. I got goosebumps looking at the models on the advertisement in front of me who exactly did that: 'You associate cyber interfaces with dark and cold colors? Then try our newest summer collection, available in every color on this planet: Now extra lightweight! Quality interfaces, affordable for all, Wonderbridge.'

The rise of cyber interfaces made immortality attainable for everyone, in theory. It was possible for anyone to become President of the Martial Alliance as well but only those privileged enough get the chance. Affordable, doesn't mean everyone had them. I couldn't even imagine a world purely populated by cultivators. I didn't even want to imagine it.

'Lifedew Inc. pioneers the path to immortality since the great calamity. Lifedew, for a brighter future.' The cyber interface corporations wanted the opposite. Their products, which I despised, house tiny artificial lifeforms called cyber spirits. These sentient nanomachines built a bridge between the spiritual sea and the real world and allowed everyone to cultivate. Depending on the rank of the cyber interface, the spirit rank will be either on the level of a wet towel or a rocket launcher. Theoretically, you could kill someone with a wet towel. You just have to try that much harder. But try as hard as you want, you can't escape inequality.

You could call bio-cultivators the naturally gifted ones because we get to cultivate since birth which is why my realm and my body strength were much higher than my peers. But my actual battle prowess was painfully low. Remember the wet towel? I had that wet towel. What could I even do with a grass spirit? Use it as a rope or as a net? I didn't think that it would protect me from gunshots.

Guns. I shuddered even thinking about them. There were no guns where I came from. Only empty stretches of lands, herds of cowlings, and the unending threat of mecha beasts. Ah yes, nothing screamed home like the possibility of being overrun by rust-brown animal-like robots who thirst for my blood. I was getting homesick already.

"Let's turn on the newsfeed", I thought. Nothing depressed me more than my own thoughts. Better drown my brain with the trivial matters of the day. I pressed the hologram-ring to turn it on. I swiped through the grams, seeing my former classmates and ex-friends enjoying life to the fullest. I sighed. I was not leaving them on my own accord! They acted like I deliberately moved away. Shit! I really needed to distract myself. I swiped again. Ah yes, old people grams. That is what I needed right now.

"Another energy bomb has been detonated in Kunlun Heights very early in the morning. Officials suspect the main target was one of the Tang Clan offices. Their public representative did not confirm or deny the report. But they, quote, will fully cooperate with the Martial Alliance to ensure the streets of Heaven's Gate will be safe again. In other news; the President of the Martial Alliance suddenly stepped down. Sources close to the President say his cultivation stagnated for a long while. He wants to wash his hands in a gold basin and-"

The feed was interrupted by an artificial voice, "Next Station: Earth Gate. Please hold your ID-card at the ready. Immigration officers will check you as soon as you exit the train. Thank you for traveling with Red Stallion. We hope you will enjoy your stay. This message was brought to you by Novacell incorp. 'Ascending with Style'."

"That's my stop, I guess," I sighed, turned off the feed, stood up, and walked to the doors. No point in resenting what happened. Time to look forward. Who knows, there might be a rosy future waiting right behind these ruby doors. A line started to form behind me. Shit, I shouldn't have stood up so fast. I knew nothing about how to enter this accursed city.

As they opened, a bright light shone straight into my face. It hurt! I tried to shield my eyes. "Girl, take your bloody hands out of your face! How the fuck is the scanner supposed to work with your butterfingers all over your mug!?"

"S-Sorry!" I took my hands down and stood straight like a candle.

A voice behind me cursed, "Fucking country bumpkin!" A man in a three-piece suit shoved me to the side while clicking his tongue, "I have a meeting in two hours. I don't have time for tourists." As soon as he stepped into the blinding light a domineering noise conquered the air.

A thunderous screech froze everyone in the vicinity. The sound was ear-splitting. "Fuck! What happened?!" I thought. It was difficult to find my bearings being half-blinded and deafened. Shit! I was terrified. I was still partially dumbfounded when I noticed the headless body at my feet. It was laying there on the floor steaming and the suit he wore was rather familiar. Right! It was the rude guy who pushed me aside a second ago. Holy shit! Fuck! What the hell!?

"Did I allow anyone to cut the line?" The officer spat on the concrete not expecting an actual answer. He holstered his smoking gun.

"Sir, that guy looked like he was from one of the five houses." Another officer arrived at the scene. His voice quivered seeing this mess.

"Do I look like I care? We have fucking terrorists on the loose and some guy thinks he is a bigshot and can skip the scanner? On my fucking watch? Think again!"

"So what do we do?"

"You pilfer all the spirit credits and other valuables you can find on his body. You bring everything to me. Everything. Do you understand? Afterwards, you toss the body into the river. If I suspect you pocketing a single credit then you will accompany him on his trip to the sewers."

A monotone voice interrupted their discussion. "Scan complete. Meadow Song. Age: 16. Occupation: Student at the Eimei Academy. Transfer from Plum Manor. Living quarters at Sympathy."

"Sympathy eh? You are here on a stipend then?" The scary officer asked, acting like he didn't kill a person only a moment ago.

"Y-Yes."

"Good. Good. This city needs hard-working kids like you. Scan your ID card at that bot over there and be on your way then." He waved me away. "Next!"

I walked around the officer, dragging the corpse away, to the robot I was pointed to.

"Insert your ID-card please."