Chapter 15 - The Storm Rolls In
Dark and ominous clouds rolled in and blanketed the sky. The heavens opened up and rain poured down upon the Suhn River Valley. Li Kang awoke from his meditative sleep and quickly prepared his gear. The rain would provide the perfect cover to infiltrate the Suhn Clan and see what benefits he could obtain. With this in mind, he consulted his map. In order to reach the Suhn Clan village, he would need to first traverse the forest, then make his way through the flatlands and fields. Finally, the most difficult step, would be to sneak into the village itself. His disguise was decent from a distance, but Li Kang was unsure how it would hold up under any real scrutiny. At any rate, this was a problem for another time.
Not wanting to waste any time while the rain provided cover, Li Kang set off through the forest. As he crept stealthily from tree to tree, he activated his ki Sight. I need to be on the lookout for that Wanyi bandit scum, he or his comrades could be around any corner. He thought. As he made his way through the dense undergrowth, Li Kang pondered his growth. It had been only a few weeks since he had been exiled from the Li Clan and he had already achieved astonishing growth. He momentarily daydreamed of simply returning to the Li Clan. With his impressive cultivation level in such a short period of time he would surely be welcomed back as a genius. Snapping back to reality Li Kang reconsidered. Not good enough, with my current trajectory, I'll return once I've bonded a martial spirit and not before. Furthermore I'd bet anything the clan would steal my grade one treasures, at least they would dare to now, while I'm too weak to protect them. With these crucial thoughts set in his mind, he reached the edge of the forest and stopped short behind an ancient pine tree.
The plains land which had been dry and brittle was now flooding with water. The cracked earth gluttonously absorbed the torrential downpour. Truly the storm was a fortuitous turn of events for the Suhn Clan's economic prosperity.
Miles away in the main hall, the Suhn Clan third elder rubbed his hands together greedily. He was an older, portly man with jolly red cheeks and beady eyes. He pulled up his heavily embroidered sleeve and hefted an expensive bottle of wine. Much like him, the other elders were also in good spirits, celebrating the storm with wine and many dishes. The sect leader sat at the head of the table in no such mood. He stared morosely at his wine, nearly full.
"Don't look so gloomy Suhn Qiu," The third elder interjected, topping up the leaders wine until it spilled over the cup. "I'm sure the boy will be back any day now. He's always running off on adventures, this time will be no different."
Suhn Qiu replied, "I would wish that you were right, however my discovery today bodes poorly for his return." Silence descended on the hall as the elders' attention shifted to their leader's words.
"Upon visiting the treasure hall today, I've discovered that the dagger of avarice has been stolen. Unfortunately I can only place the blame on my son. While his loyalty to the clan was known by all to be unshakeable, I fear he has run off on a misguided plot and may be in danger." Suhn Qiu exclaimed.
Whispers pervaded the clan hall as the elders and other highly ranked clan members discussed.
"Nevertheless, I insist that on the dawn of tomorrow, all cultivators mobilize. We will form search parties of two cultivators." He finished ominously, "Whatever the fate of my heir, we must recover the dagger, our clan's future depends upon it."