Chapter 2

Banners with directions to the Jurin Province proving grounds littered the dirt road as I passed through the lush farmlands on the outskirts of the city. Wheat, rice, vegetables; every crop you could think of was grown by the farming sects, which, despite their low ranking in terms of martial status, more than made up for it in terms of economic power and control. Most of what was left of humanity worked here now, slaving away in the sun for paltry sums of silver per month. Some of the farmers waved to me as I passed by, a few of them older than I was. They could still make a decent living in time, maybe even cultivate if they had the aptitude.

But for a Qi-less wonder like me, my prospects for employment were much worse.

I approached the wooden structure that housed the guard post of the City's eastern gate. It was the shape and size of a small barn with a roof but no walls. Already I could see cultivators from various sects milling underneath the shelter, while guides and handlers were being assigned to them for their excursions beyond the wall.

I was one such handler.

And I was late.

I picked up the pace and hoped the supervisor wouldn't notice as I slipped into the routine with my fellow guides. The giant pagoda that floated in the sky provided one more vital function besides being a secondary sun for our dreary city. It created a protective barrier that shielded us from the effects of the Bloodmoon. Everything beyond the low stone wall marking the edge of the barrier was a no man's land. The realm of monsters, demons, and spirit beasts. And it was my job to guide Qi-hungry cultivators through it each day.

"I told him your dog died," whispered Mu Lin—one of my co-workers—as she rushed past me and pushed my uniform into my arms.

"Again?" I said, as I slipped it on over my overcoat.

"I told him you had three." She then paused thoughtfully. "Well, I guess that means you only have one left now. So don't screw up again, okay?"

I chuckled at that. Thank God for Mu Lin.

The slightly stocky Indian girl with glasses was another old Earther like me. If not for her and my other co-worker, Lee, I probably would have given up on this world a long time ago. Lee was already leaving the compound, tethered to a trio of cultivators from the Golden Sparrow Sect. He spotted me and gave me a head nod and eyeroll that told me to look out for the boss.

The boss in question was named Sumatra: a tall, gray-skinned mountain of a man from some other world. I looked over at him and the big, bald-headed bastard laughed and then made a "boohoo" gesture, by rubbing his knuckles under his eyes.

Geeze, what an a-hole, I thought.

I acknowledged the gesture with a slight nod and wave, wanting the day to be done with already.

"Well at least he's not punishing you," Mu Lin said with a grin, as she fiddled with a backpack full of provision, maps, and other essentials for venturing into the wild. I did the same, wondering where and how far this day would take me, or if I'd even make it back at all.

Most times only highly seasoned Core Realm cultivators were allowed permission to venture into the Bloodmoon zones for a large fee and a small tax on whatever they would bring back with them. It was actually the planet's main source of income. So much so, that the Dynasty propaganda that the cultivators had actually come to Earth to save it from the Bloodmoon, seemed almost laughable now. I wouldn't be surprised if they caused the damn thing. Either that, or they had found an ingenious way to turn a cataclysmic, species-ending event into an opportunity for profit.

Both possibilities sickened me.

Apparently, Earth had now become to the Yee Dynasty what the Caribbean was to the old world. A distant locale with exotic attractions for cultivators to come and ascend to new heights.

For me that meant tagging along while visitors from other worlds tore apart monsters by day and then retreated to the safety of the protective barrier by night, avoiding the full influence of the Bloodmoon which turned the already scary monsters into even scarier Demons. Sometimes though, overzealous young masters like Hein would hire tours just to show off to their friends. The result was usually the cultivator running off while the handlers were killed by creatures far too powerful for them to be messing with. Or it could be as simple as people ventured too far out and got caught outside the barrier when night fell.

Regardless of the cause, there were a multitude of ways to die if you ventured out alone, which made our job dangerous, yet essential. You'd think with a combination like that it would pay a lot to be a handler and in the old world it probably would have, like that Alaskan fishing show I used to watch on TV. But in a hierarchical society, there was no need to pay. You simply left the dangerous jobs to those without the wherewithal to do anything better.

"So, who we got today?" I asked, looking at the small handful of cultivators left.

Across the shelter from us was a group of three locals from the Fire Bird Sect, known by their flamboyant red and orange robes. Joining them were two other cultivators who looked like they were from off world. One was a man who wore monk's robes with a bald head and a long wispy beard. He looked to be in his eighties, which in cultivator terms could mean literally ten times that for his actual age.

"Hey, how powerful is he?" I asked, nudging Mu Lin.

Unlike me, Mu Lin was already a Foundation-level cultivator who did this job by choice, not default. A chance to "learn from the masters," as she called it, before she applied to some fancy post-Foundation school to become a scholar. I didn't care about any of that, but with her skills, Mu Lin could gauge a cultivator's relative strength just by looking at them. For me, it was an easy way to ensure that I got attached to someone skilled enough to not end up on the wrong side of a spirit beast's jaws. Plus, I knew she got a bit of a kick out of it too.

Mu Lin squinted at the old man while adjusting her wire-framed glasses. "Really strong. Low-tier Core Realm at least. Perhaps 3rd or 4th tier even."

"Looks like I found my guy," I said with a smile.

"Who said you're going to get him?"

I was just about to start haggling with Mu Lin, when the last cultivator suddenly stood from a crouched position and caused me to do a double take. It was a woman, but she was a good head taller than my boss Sumatra, who himself was a head taller than me. She looked to be built like him too, muscles on top of muscles with the same dull gray skin. She wore a leather breast plate and tartan instead of robes and strapped to her back was the largest sword I'd ever seen, nearly as long as she was tall and as thick as a plank of wood.

"What the hell is that?" I said in a hushed whisper, fearful she might hear me.

"I don't know. Sumatra's big sister?" Mu Lin said with a grin.

"You can have the old guy. I'll take her. How strong is she?"

Mu Lin squinted again and a puzzled look flashed across her face. "Huh? I think she's mortal."

"What?"

"I can't detect any Qi concentration in her at all. I thought she'd be high-tier Foundation Realm cultivator at least, looking like that."

I shook my head. "You're telling me she's not a cultivator?"

Mu Lin shrugged. "I don't think so. Maybe she's just really big and strong?"

I looked at the giant woman again, who was alien even for this strange world in more ways than one. Her skin was covered in ritual scars or tattoos and her face, which might have been pretty once, was covered in the same. In fact, the only thing feminine about her was the shock of messy white hair that spilled to her mid-back.

"Nevermind. I want the old dude back. I don't care how big and strong you look. No way you're going to survive out there against a pack of raplings without Qi Body Refinement. How did she even get a pass?"

"Beats me. But I guess the silver talks as usual?" Mu Lin said, jutting her chin towards Sumatra.

I thought about that for a moment. One had to take certain tests to even qualify for a Bloodmoon pass. But even after that there was the fee, which would be about ten years' worth of wages at my salary. I glanced at Sumatra. I'd seen the bastard make these kinds of exceptions before—turning a blind eye to an "extra" guest if the group tipped a little "extra" coin. Maybe this was the same. A favor for a fellow countrywoman from his home world.

Man, the corruption here never ends.

But then something else occurred to me. If Sumatra truly had done something like that, then he was not just putting that woman's life in jeopardy, but our own.

A slow ire began to build in my gut as my eyes narrowed at him. Had he sold our lives for a few extra Taels of silver? I watched as he joked and cajoled with the Fire Bird members, buttering them up for a healthy tip. Why wouldn't he do it? All he cared about was the money. And if a couple of natives had to die to give some muscle-headed idiot a crack at a swift death, then why not? I bit my lip the more I thought about it, drawing the coppery taste of blood.

Suddenly the giant woman snapped her head to the side, as if someone had just called her name. She then turned about fully and her slate-gray eyes fell directly on me. I stiffened, unnerved by the sudden movement. An uneasy feeling then came over me as she continued to stare, her face made of stone.

Then, as quickly as it happened, she turned away again and focused back on Sumatra.

"Wow, that was creepy," Mu Lin said. "She must have overheard you or something."

"Overheard me say what?"

Mu Lin shrugged just as Sumatra called us over.

"This is Chun and Mu Lin," he introduced us. "Two of my best handlers. Since it's so few of you, I'll give you both of them for the price of one if you travel as a group. What do you say?"

The cultivators began to confer with one another, discussing how they'd split the cost between them. I felt slightly relieved. Maybe Sumatra wasn't as bad a guy as I thought he was. At least he was trying to group us all together with the real cultivators for protection.

"No," the tall woman suddenly said.

That caused everyone to pause.

Sumatra chuckled. "What do you mean, no?"

"I need no guide. I'll travel alone."

"You can't do that, I told you already, there are rules," Sumatra said, and then he added something else, slipping into another tongue that I didn't understand. "Vul wert ist?"

The woman responded in the same language and a heated discussion took place between them, ending with both of them looking frustrated. Finally, Sumatra shook his head, huffing out a long sigh. "Look, the Imperial Guard patrols the proving grounds. If they find someone without a handler, it'll not just be your head but mine. It can't happen."

A few more tense seconds passed as the woman's eyes narrowed.

"Fine," she said eventually and then her gray eyes fell on me again. "I'll take this one."

I expected Sumatra to protest some more, but then he paused a moment before slowing nodding.

"A fine choice," Sumatra said with a smile before giving me a wink. "No one is better than Chun here."