The Last Peaceful Day

The rest of that first day, Dàilán would always tell her many, many descendants, hundreds of years later, was peaceful. Their group was cheerful, excited and filled with relief that they might have a chance to rebuild and regain their place - and possibly make what was left of Grass and anyone else who had been involved in the great plot to destroy them regret ever considering it.

After hundreds of retellings at each yearly Clan Gathering, with the story being demanded by excited Clan children each year, everyone knew what she would say next - and as had become a tradition the youngest children always joined in the now traditional chorus of the next line:

"...But from that day forward, Our Clan stepped out of common history into legend. And I can tell you now - that is a lot less pleasant, fun or safe - than it sounds. For when the Golden Crow made its nest that night..."

Every child would make the now traditional dramatic pause before saying with great solemnity in their high pitched voices, "...It was The End of the Last Peaceful Day."

Well, as solemn as a bunch of small children - who had spent all evening running about, eating sweets and anticipating hearing The Story - could be anyway, while grinning, wide-eyed and giggling at being involved in 'grown ups business' and hearing The Story told the best way possible.

The adults watching and listening respectfully behind them always smile indulgently at their children's, grand-children's and great-grand children's antics, but anyone who pays attention will see shadows of bitter remembrance pass over their faces as they exchange glances - especially among the eldest Clan members.

---

Dàilán marched tirelessly up and down the line of march of the thirty or so women, adding an encouraging word here, a helping hand there - a boost or a lift of the youngest over the obstacles of fallen trees, streams or boulders too large to go around. For every lǐ the group moved, she travelled three as she moved up and down the line, helping, guiding, directing and cajoling the young women and girls over the increasingly more thickly forested and rough terrain.

Unfortunately, with the bulk of their group being composed of Mid-Earth Level Cultivators and even several Mortal Cultivators, their movement was restricted to the ground, rather than flying. Additionally their rate of travel was limited to the fastest sustained speed of their weakest members - which was not much quicker than the fastest sprinting pace of a strong adult non-cultivator.

Of course, unlike a non-cultivator, they could keep that pace up for long periods of sustained travel, but as the Golden Crow began to dip behind the horizon behind the group, their least fit members were beginning to noticeably slow their pace. As this was a feat of physical prowess that would have been unthinkable a fortnight ago, however, it left Dàilán feeling quite proud of her fellow Clanswomen.

The relatively 'weak' nature of the Guan noblewomen was rapidly undergoing a metamorphosis. Dàilán mentally cringed at the thought of leading the same people on this trip through the wilderness two weeks ago.

Given that the group ascribed their near miraculous survival - despite the recent series of calamities that had befallen them - to her leadership, Dàilán's presence had an inordinately positive effect on the Guan refugees, especially the younger women. None of them wished to lose face in front of the young Heiress, so they all held their complaints and persevered onward, their spirits and energy lifting each time she passed by.

With their Mistress's example in front of them, exposure to constant higher levels of ambient Essence than ever before, constantly having to pushing their Cultivation to deal with the challenges being thrown their way - and burning with a desire for revenge, they were no longer restricting themselves to the expectations of noble society. All of the previously pampered female Cultivators were making rapid progress in their Cultivation - and in their willingness to learn and employ deadly techniques.

The fact that the whole group had been tempered by the recent constant battles, survived and had significant improvements in their Cultivation also made a difference to their mentality. Where before they might have complained or refused to exert themselves, they now strove to constantly rotate their Essence through their Diantians or meridians to keep up, using the physical effort of the hike to the greatest effect to improve their Cultivation, grimly determined to never be restricted to 'empty vase' or 'appropriate' womanly techniques again.

Indeed, because of the constant skirmishes of the last week, whenever the Grass had not been actively attacking, the bitterly furious noblewomen had exchanged combat techniques with the surviving Knife Enforcers or each other, in exchange for assistance with defensive talismans, formations, healing, or the patching of damaged battle robes - from whatever supplies they could gather or scavenge from the items they had brought with them - anything to make themselves stronger.

The entire party looking to her for leadership had been somewhat unexpected to the young Heiress and Sect Leader; as per her explanation to the Mountain Spirit she had expected a more difficult time convincing the generally older Cultivators to accept her decisions.

She supposed part of that was due to the fact that the Knife Sect members all deferred directly to her, treating the Guan - even her father - with only casual respect, considering her their Sect Leader.

Secondly, after recovering from his wounding, her Father had remained low key - giving advice and support, but never moving to take back the leadership of the remaining Guan that Dàilán had been forced to assume when he had been incapacitated.

Dàilán was not sure exactly why he was behaving in this manner - she had the strong suspicion that her Father was using this crisis to evaluate her capability. Nevertheless, with her father remaining in the background, combined with the admiration her fellow Clanswomen had for her leading them out from disaster successfully - while giving them not only a chance to strike back those who had killed their family members but the possibility of destroying them - the group was solidly united together to follow where she led.

Breaking out of her thoughts, Dàilán hastened forward to assist a younger girl - one of the Mortal level Cultivators - over an obstacle too large to go around, wishing again that the group of refugees had escaped with more higher leveled Cultivators.

Besides herself, all of the strongest Cultivators among the refugees, which included the few male Peak Earth Level Enforcers remaining from the Knife Enclave, all the Guan Clanswomen at Peak Earth Level, Chénli and the group's two Sky Level Cultivators besides Dàilán - her Father and the BloodWitch - were systematically circling in a continuous five lǐ patrol route around the main group, in seven teams of three Cultivators each.

Their job was to intercept any Essence Beasts that had been attracted by the movement of such a large group of relatively low leveled Cultivators through the wilderness. For stronger Essence Beasts, so many lower level Cultivators were merely especially tasty and nutritious Essence Rich meals being delivered to their door - how could they not scoop them up?

As she lifted the girl, she wished again she was out with the patrols, but it had been decided that at least one Sky Cultivator had to stay to protect the main column; it was hoped that her presence - she was deliberately not concealing her Cultivation - should be enough to deter all but the stronger Essence Beasts from attacking the group, while also being fast and strong enough to hold back any threat that got past the patrols.

Given how the others looked up to her and looked to her for guidance, Dàilán remaining with the group - rather than someone like the BloodWitch, for example - was the most effective method of inspiring the lower leveled Cultivators to continue pushing through their limits, while simultaneously guarding her people and making sure the group was travelling the correct route.

Therefore, of all the stronger Cultivators in the group, Dàilán currently had the most exhausting duty: keeping a bunch of noblewomen - who, prior to the events of the last week, had never left the city or engaged in intense physical conditioning - moving at as fast a pace as the group could manage, without risking injury.

The youngest Sky Level Cultivator was also responsible for the last line of defense; if any Essence Beasts broke past the patrols, she would have to lead the group in defending themselves until the closest patrols could fall back to assist.

Dàilán sighed internally and kept an encouraging smile on her face as the young girl thanked her, keeping her complaints to herself as she felt the strain in her muscles and the throbbing in her temples that came from rotating her Cultivation to constantly remain alert, while watching for threats or potential causes of injury, reassuring everyone, helping people over or through obstacles and keeping their morale up.

Ironically, given how at the end of her limits she had found herself during her last trip through this area, she was finding leading the group a much more mentally and physically draining challenge over the longer period then her own solo trip had been.

It was a much more draining prospect keeping a constant watch over thirty or so other people while worrying about the other twenty or so who were out there, warning or fighting off anything attracted by their group's blundering progress. All the spirit and best effort in the world could not make up for a lack of experience - and the commotion of a bunch of relatively untrained people moving through the thick forest had attracted the notice of every predator - Essence or otherwise - for many lǐ, in all directions.

She had already led the other women in dealing with several enterprising packs of regular wolves, a large cat of some kind and a sounder of boars - the patrols had obviously been either too busy with more dangerous Essence beasts to deal with ordinary animals - or they had somehow managed to slip past the patrols.

Fortunately, regular animals were not a threat to any Cultivator and the group had spotted and dealt with them handily, leading to much discussion on the merits of dog meat versus pork as the group had quickly added them to their rations for the night.

It was likely to get worse, she thought. As they travelled, she could feel the flows of Essence become heavier and increasingly restless. This seemed strange to Dàilán - she would have thought that the Essence would be much more turbulent closer to where her Sect's páifāng had released the self-destructive burst of Essence. She would have to check with some of the Senior Cultivators, but she guessed that closer to the event's center, its tyrannical force had forcefully crushed the Essence in the area closest to it into a false 'calm' with a uniform pressure as it expanded outward.

Of course, that force was gradually dissipating as it traveled outward - and now the Essence of the Wilderness was rushing in to fill the gaps in the expanding wave as it began to be consumed into the ambient Essence, causing waves and eddies of Essence - and resulting in disturbed and higher Essence levels. It was likely that, the deeper they travelled into the Wilderness, they would not only encounter the higher levels of Essence she experienced during her previous trip, but also unusual phenomena and Essence surges as the leftover effects of her Sect's self destruction added to the already untamed and higher levels of Essence of the wildlands.

Dàilán was sure that she had not experienced noticeably higher levels of Essence this far out from the deeper forests during her last trip; but during this march, only a couple of days later, she was already noticing more luxuriant plant growth, an increased animal population and a small but noticeable increase in Essence levels that had not been present during her previous travel through this area.

This worried the young Leader and Heiress. As they travelled into the naturally heavier Essence areas, the more likely the animals seeking to make meals of them would be increasingly stronger Essence Beasts. She hoped that most of them obeyed Chún's authority, but the fact that the patrols had not dealt with the regular animals this far out was a bad indicator - it indicated that they were already occupied with blocking more serious threats.

The Golden Crow was slipping tiredly below the horizon, casting long shadows ahead of the fast marching group of female refugees as they finally came in sight of the first of the locations that Chún had indicated on his map.

Dàilán's eyes started picking out familiar patterns and groupings in the landscape: boulders, trees and other landscape elements - a trickling brook here, a refreshing group of flowering Essence herbs there. All appeared to have grown or formed just so quite naturally, yet as the group moved into the small hollow, Dàilán felt the restless Essence around them which had been steadily becoming more oppressive calming into gentle, pure Essence, perfect for Cultivation.

As the other women started looking around, sensing the changes in the atmosphere, Dàilán called out, "This is where the Sage has arranged for us to stay for the night!"

Many of the women broke out into relieved smiles, or released sighs of relief. Some bonelessly collapsed or lowered themselves stiffly onto the ground or leant against boulders or fallen tree trunks. As everyone bent or twisted to rub aching legs and stiff shoulders, Dàilán walked swiftly to the head of the column, "set up the camp!"

Dàilán grinned at the spate of good natured complaints that this received, but after a few moments of circulating their Essence to recover, her Clanswomen swiftly started moving around the protected area despite their grumbling.

Dàilán's smile faded as she looked outward into the forest, casting threads of Essence outward in a search, hoping nothing serious had delayed the patrol groups from reporting in.

---

Deeper within the forest, approximately a day's quick run - for a non-cultivator - from where his new allies were setting up camp, Chún wrinkled his brow in frustration as he paced around the next suitable area he had previously marked on his map earlier in the day.

The young True Cultivator gazed warily around at the large clearing - almost a lǐ across - that was vigilantly guarded by a ring of massive forest giants, each at least two lǐ tall with trunks almost five yǐ in diameter at the base. Wide, sturdy branches - some as broad as a small street - held up immense canopies of leaves, starting from two or so zhàng above the enormous buttressing roots.

"Are you sure you cannot assist?" he asked his locus helplessly as he observed the heavy, almost cloying levels of Essence that seemed to emanate from the ring of trees, accompanied by the dark weight of foliage that blocked out the last feathers of the Golden Crow - as if they were attempting to smother anyone who dared introduce upon their domain, "I already had to set up one of these protected areas today - and - build up subtle redirection, concealment and misdirection Dao Patterns that go along the route so no one realises that group has vanished - in addition - to rushing here ahead of them."

He winced as a familiar burning within his body reminded him of how much Essence he had manipulated in the last day, "I have had to channel close to my limit already and the Essence here is much wilder than in the previous location. It is going to take much more strenuous effort to mold the landscape in this area to calm the Essence, then defend and conceal the location without provoking a backlash," the young True Cultivator gestured at the oddly stuffy, stagnant clearing that prickled with an oppressive silence as if a great Essence Beast was stalking him, sending out waves of killing intent.

"Who asked you to set up so many nexi?" retorted his locus, "You are still too far out from my direct area of influence for this Mountain to be able to directly affect the land where you are. Be grateful that, I, Tai have already begun encouraging the closest location you marked out to my original site to grow into a protected sanctuary."

"What is with this overbearing language, Tai?" Chún asked tiredly, "We have to protect our allies while they travel, or this whole exercise is pointless."

"If that was all you were doing, you would not be half as exhausted and you know that," grumbled his locus, clearly dissatisfied, "this sort of thing is coming close to imposing your will on the pattern, rather than guiding it."

"So I should not do this thing?" the young True Cultivator shot back, "Should I instead waste this chance and all this wild Essence and allow it to form Evil Chances or negative Essence which will further damage the land instead of allowing Golden Crow Planet to recover - would that not be going against the reason I was born as a True Cultivator?"

"These nexi that we are guiding the land to create are important," agreed Tai, "and I agree that they will act as vital defensive points for our domain in the future once they gain strength, but you must pace yourself. That is not even considering that so many positive nexi appearing at once will surely attract notice from those True Cultivators that have chosen the path of the Eradicators - and you are still weak."

Chún sighed, ignoring his locus' last concern and Tai rumbled discontentedly, "I know this needs to be done," the Mountain agreed worriedly, "but I am concerned you may burn yourself out," Tai continued in concern as the young True Cultivator stopped in the center of the darkened clearing.

The World Tree Staff materialised out of its tattoo form and thumped into ground, crunching through the leaf-litter, as Chún replied, "what else can I do under the circumstances? The destruction of that treasure land has forced our hand."

Glyphs and Dao patterns started glimmering along the World Tree Staff's night-black length as he started channeling Essence through it into the land around him, "I would venture to guess that all the True Cultivators on Golden Crow are desperately attempting to make adjustments wherever one of those gates exploded - even the Eradicators. They want the land to recover too - they just think removing the Consumers is the best way to go about that. They will be moving to help Golden Crow deal with the surplus Essence as much as I am."

"As for the number of nexi - I had to create them or the refugees will never survive to reach the village - the changes in Essence have become too dangerous. At the same time - how can I truly let this chance to turn calamity into fortune pass?" asked Chún rhetorically..

The air in the still clearing began feel unsettled - feeling as if a great beast was stirring from its sleep - as Chún laboriously continued sending his thoughts into the link, "I had to finish the first calm point before they arrived, obviously," he replied into the link, his thoughts strained, "I need to construct this one before I sleep tonight or I will never be able to get ahead of their column. I still need to get back to the village with at least a few days notice - it would be discourteous to give the Elders only a day's notice that they suddenly have to host fifty Cultivators."

"You are not planning to have the whole group stay in the village, surely - it is not large enough," pointed out his locus with some asperity at Chún's change of subject.

"Just the younger... and lower level Consumers - the rest... will be ok... outside... the village," answered Chún with effort, "but I am sure... they will all want access... to basic sanitation - baths and so on... since it will be available. Eventually... they will establish their own... compound or whatever... but they will be using... the village to start with."

"They will have to be out of there before the traders come back," observed Tai, "though, they could pass for guards hired by the village - because of the hunters bringing back increasing amounts of higher level Essence treasures and more Essence Beast attacks."

"En…" replied Chún absently, his attention on the flows of Essence that had begun to connect with the local Dao Patterns.

For around the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the locus remained silent as Chún remained focused on his efforts. Gradually the heavy air in the clearing began to stir, shifting into a light breeze that swirled around the clearing. As the breeze passed, the feeling of crushing pressure gradually began to lighten, seeming to sweep away the artificial gloom and allowing the last light of the Golden Crow's rest to filter, gently golden, through the leaves. The foliage rustled joyfully, coming alive with sound and movement as the branches swayed gracefully.

A deep thump of pressure, felt more than heard accompanied the familiar burst of purified, white Essence that spread out from the center of the clearing, revitalising it with new life. The moldy leaf-litter was consumed by lush, thick growing grass in the blink of an eye. Veins of bright, white Essence raced up deeply ridged bark of the towering trees that stood guard around the clearing. Where the Essence flowed upwards, bright green vines and all manner of climbing plants burst out of the ground to follow it, wrapping themselves around the trunks in mysterious patterns that exuded a profound sense of Dao.

Checking with his Essence Sense, Chún sagged in relief as he saw the flows of Essence within the local forest slowly begin rearrange themselves in a gentle, natural cycle of growth and revitalization, shifting and smoothing the stagnant or ferocious Essence that had been ravaging or crushing this area of the Fusou Wilderness. The entire Essence of the Wilderness - as far as he could sense - began to rotate slowly, the filthy or damaged areas of Essence breaking apart and being dissolved into a natural circulation, with the clearing at its center.

"Opening this nexus had a much more dramatic effect than the last one," the Young True Cultivator muttered to himself."

With a rustle like a million butterflies taking wing at once, hundreds of leaves and flowers budded and unfurled on the vines wrapped around the trees, immediately transforming each previously forbiddingly craggy trunk into a wondrous natural tapestry. Bursts of refreshing perfumes and lively, soothing and powerful Essences scented and charged the cool air as those flowers opened.

Up and down each trunk and hanging from the lowest branches almost two zhàng above, the previously gloomy clearing was transformed into an enchanted forest, with each beautiful flower shining brilliantly like a little star, with motes of different types of Essence drifting away from them like breeze-blown pollen.

The peaceful sound of trickling water revealed many rivulets of water flowing down each gigantic trunk - droplets falling from the highest points of the tree to run down their leaves and branches of their canopies - to form small trickles down the trunks that joined together to eventually collect in small hollows among the roots of each tree, providing numerous pools of clear, fresh water.

There was a subtle shift in the atmosphere as if something had released a great sigh of relief; small rustlings, happy chirps and songs beginning to sound out as the various smaller birds and creatures expressed their relief at the lifting of the previously smothering weight of Essence, gradually melding into a more normal dusk chorus and natural sounds of normal activity.

Tiny dull looking birds moved out of the surrounding forest, from tree to trunk with sudden bursts of jewel-like wings that vanished each time they alighted on a branch, evidently inquisitive towards the Essence flowers and gentle strengthening of Essence, suddenly giving the previously ominous location a lively feel.

"Good, good," praised the Mountain, "this is a much more appropriate way for a True Cultivator to act - purify, cleanse,mend and allow the land to correct itself naturally. This damaging Essence - the land also wishes to absorb it and strengthen - it is just that there is too much for it to be dealt with without natural Treasures, Dao Nexi or sacred areas - which normally take thousands of years to develop. With your help, the Land is able to accomplish this process quickly in the most suitable manner. You do not need to exert yourself to personally make the changes."

"This is still difficult, okay?" Chún panted, "channelling that much unruly and stagnant Essence was like swallowing a swamp," he straightened up slowly as his breathing evened out and admitted, "I received some rejuvenation from the Ignition of Essence, so it was not a loss. This is also something I should do as a True Cultivator of Golden Crow Planet - too much of my effort has been confined to your domain."

"En," agreed his locus as his friend walked slowly over to one of the great tree trunks and slowly slid down against it, using the World Tree Staff to allow himself to drop somewhat gracefully to the ground. Chún cupped his free hand to the closest hollow and a swirl of Water Essence spiraled up brightly into his hand, pulling water along with it that he drank thirstily from.

Leaning his head back against the trunk he closed his eyes, not reacting as World Tree Staff dispersed into sparkles of light that sank back into his arm, forming the tattoo that held it within his body when he was not using it.

After a moment his locus spoke up in the link, "I have a different suggestion concerning your new allies. No matter how we try to hide it, such a thing as fifty mid level Consumers suddenly appearing in a single group in the village will quickly make its way out to the rest of the world - anyone who is searching for them with evil intentions will quickly discover their location."

"What do you suggest?" Chún murmured, "let them stay out in the Wilderness?"

"Precisely. This last nexus I am forming," agreed Tai, "it is the largest - and because it is the closest to my original location on Golden Crow, it will be the most heavily defended and concealed nexus of the six. It can serve as a temporary base for our new allies."

"Hmmm…" Chún thought quickly, rapidly understanding the general thrust of his locus' thought, "...if any of them want to come out for a walk they can claim they are members of a previously secluded Ancient Sect from within the unexplored regions of the Fusou - the recent upheavals boke their seal or something like that…"

"Brat…" Chún's locus laughed into the link, "how did you think of this explanation so quickly?"

"One of the Old StoryTeller's tales was like this," Chún shrugged, "that would work - especially if only one or two only ever emerge at a time. That would give us time to properly prepare the base of your old Mountain site to appear something like the lands of an Ancient Sect. If we work quickly enough, we can have them situated around the base of the original mountain site before anyone thinks to check their claims."

"There is an area with a naturally strong Essence convergence at the back of my old Mountain that would be suitable as a core area," Tai eagerly embroidered on his friend's idea, "it is the face that faces into the Fusou so it is reasonable that a Sect could have been concealed there without anyone noticing - the villagers only ever explored the face closest to the village. We can help them construct their initial grounds there."

"There is no one laying claim to that area?" asked Chún casually, stifling a yawn with his hand as he stretched his arms above himself. Despite his mid-rank Sky Cultivation, his continuous extreme efforts in growing Dao Patterns, channelling Essence, igniting nexi and travelling at the fastest possible speed - while simultaneously laying down the seeds of protective dao patterns to block anyone searching for the remaining Guan Clan or Knife Sect members via long range sensing techniques had lead him to feel almost as tired as if he was an ordinary mortal who had not cultivated - he would need to sleep tonight.

As for methods to block people or beasts who came to investigate in person, he could only lay out a general dao pattern of aversion along the route. Anything stronger might hide the path from lower level Essence Beasts or Consumers, but would only attract the attention of the higher ranked Consumers and Essence Beasts once they came across it, creating the exact scenario they were attempting to avoid.

"It was once the territory of the Sky Level worm that the Heaven and Earth Vine consumed during that small beast wave that occurred some time ago," explained his locus, "the Convergence will need to be cleansed, but the aura of the worm that still remains has kept other creatures from occupying it."

"Is - that - why you were able to wake so soon after I started living on your slopes?" Chún blinked his eyes in sudden understanding.

"Yes - although the place where your Immortal's cave is located was originally the other root of my existence," Tai's 'voice' in the link became venomous, "that Evil worm found its way into my other root and stifled my growth, swallowing all the Essence for itself and fouling it - else I would have awoken and grown strong millenia ago - long before the Consumers reached this area. I would have been able to balance the scales on Golden Crow long before you were born."

"But something found a way to block your growth," Chún understood quickly and sat up, the tiredness in his body pushed aside in alarm.

"Now is not the time to worry about this," assured the Mountain meaningfully, "our position this time is much stronger than it would have been even if I had not been forced to slumber; even the damage from Consumers overharvesting my peak while I slept has been fully reversed by you - and I have already become a protected Planet - a much stronger existence than my original destiny as a new source of Essence for the Golden Crow Planet."

"And when those who stopped you awakening last time come again?" asked Chún, his locus seemingly contradictory insistence on gathering forces and remaining hidden suddenly making much more sense.

"You are still too weak to confront them directly; but your very Dao as a True Cultivator with a nature of Justice is indirectly countering their long laid plots," warned and consoled his friend, "as they deal with the confusion, we have the space to gain strength to defend."

"We must grow stronger," muttered Chún, looking down at his slim jade-white hands.

"We are - now all we can do is work for time," agreed Tai, "I much prefer being part of your destiny than my old, lonely one. It is good to have friends."

Chún grinned then yawned again, "Cheeky bastard - was it not a risk to stimulate that Beast Wave?"

"Sure - but I merely took advantage of the opportunity - they all rushed out themselves - I only befuddled that worm's senses so it did not realise that it had gotten in range of her Highness' roots in time," Tai radiated satisfaction.

"She is more than a powerful existence, I suppose?" Chún stretched again and settled down at the base of the tree as his Cloak billowed out to provide a thick cloud of Essence to rest on.

"She guards the Convergence and is in turned Cultivated by it. The other guardian was killed by the worm, gnawed to death from the roots," a quiet sadness infused the link.

"We will put the new allies in her place then and set them to protect even as they benefit from it," decided Chún sleepily, "going to have to teach them how to set… healthy… formations… so much… work…. Eeh..." his mutterings subsided into quiet snoring as deep night fell.