Resolve

"Ryker! Try this!"

"Mm, thanks!"

"Here, have some of this wine!"

"Don't mind if I do!

"Ryker, here...!"

Ryker sat on the ground outside the Zhao family's house, placed at the seat of honor for a feast that was laid upon a makeshift mat of large, fan-shaped leaves.

The food was spread from one end of the house to the other, the other villagers having heard of the feast planned by the Zhao family and volunteering to contribute, and they also joined in, themselves, surrounding Ryker and offering him the dishes and drinks they had brought forth.

For his part, Ryker accepted everything with gusto. He'd always been a big eater, and though the food here couldn't be compared to the dishes he ate while staying at Meiling's place, it had a comfy sort of taste, and there was a *lot* of it.

{Ohh, I wish I could have some, too...} Bestie lamented as Ryker stuffed his mouth full of food, to which Mini C just scoffed.

[Do you even know what food tastes like?]

{No, but the way Ryker eats makes it look so delicious!}

At this point, the village chief, who had also come to participate in the feast and had broken out his best bottle of rice wine, raised his cup in the air to propose a toast.

"Friends, today the heavens have blessed the village by sending this heroic warrior to aid us in our time of need!" he said, raising his voice over the chatter.

"Let us drink to his health, and to the safety of the village!"

Rousing cheers arose from those present, and even more villagers gathered around Ryker, starting with Zhao Luli, who was trying to ply him with some wine.

"Sir Ryker! Share a drink with me!"

"Haha, well, I really shouldn't have *too* much--"

"Come, come! We'll drink to your prosperity, in the future!"

"Ah, I guess a little more won't hurt..."

--

After sharing a drink with what felt like every man and woman in the village, Ryker stumbled into the Zhao family's household with the support of Zhao Hui, who chuckled to himself as he sat Ryker down on a cloth mat.

"I didn't think you'd be able to share a cup with almost everyone in the village!" he said, getting up to find a blanket for Ryker to use.

"Oh, so that really was everyone?" Ryker muttered, rubbing at his eyes as his head lolled about on the mat haphazardly. He hadn't been this drunk since...

Wait, no, that was just last night.

"Here, Sir Ryker. We'll probably finish the food and clean up, so please relax here, for now."

Zhao Hui handed him a thin, roughly-sewn blanket, bowing before heading back outside to the ongoing festivities. The sun was starting to set, at this time, the golden-orange rays peeking through the cracks of the curtains at the doorway, and Ryker yawned groggily as he wiggled into a more comfortable position on the mat.

[I'd say you should exert some self-control, but maybe just keeping you away from alcohol, in the future, would be best,] Mini C said, wryly.

"Yeah, sounds about right."

The power of alcohol was really too strong...

{Hey, you got a message from Meiling while you were partying, too!} Bestie said, prompting Ryker to reach for the compad and bring it up to his face, thumbing through it to navigate to his message box.

- Hello, Ryker. I hope this message finds you in good health, and that you haven't caused any trouble in the short time we've been apart. -

- I just wanted to let you know that I've made it to my mother's hometown, and am currently staying with my grandparents. I'll be staying for a few nights before I leave on my journey; I hope I can learn more about my mother and what her life was like, before I go. -

- Have you made it across the Red Viper Mountains, yet? I hear the view of the Eastern Region is quite impressive from the mountain top, though I've never seen it, myself. Perhaps my travels will take me there, someday soon, and if you're still around the area, I'll pay you a visit. -

- Take care, and stay safe. -

- Meiling -

Ryker smiled goofily while he read Meiling's message, his mind fuzzy as he thought of what to write back. Thinking about it, a lot had happened since they parted ways, this morning...

He wrote to her about the bandits, the village, and the celebratory feast, before he drifted off to sleep.

--

It was pitch black inside the Zhao family's house by the time Ryker woke up again, the soft sound of the family's breathing surrounding him as he propped himself up on the mat. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Zhao Gui and Zhao Luli were sleeping beside him, Zhao Gui holding onto the hem of his jacket tightly.

Ryker smiled down at the child as he gently took off his jacket and covered Zhao Gui with it, carefully getting to his feet so as not to disturb their sleep. He pulled the doorway curtain aside and walked outside, breathing in the crisp night air with a big stretch of his arms.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky, and he sat at the edge of the raised platform keeping the house off the ground, looking up at the stars in thought.

"... Okay, let's do this thing. We'll protect the village, even if that means taking those bandits out."

After seeing these people trying their best to live their peaceful lives, he couldn't stand to see this village ransacked and plundered by bandits, especially not while Zhao Gui and his family were here.

"Mini C, did we have anything that might help? I think I remember you saying something about formations from the stuff we got from those Great Void Sect guys," Ryker asked, bringing out the compad.

[Yes, I studied an introductory text on formations that was among their belongings. Theoretically, we could set up some sort of defense or illusion array around the village, and many of the necessary materials were among what we robbed from them, as well,] Mini C answered, his face popping up on screen as he brought up various diagrams of what he learned from the formations booklet.

[I'd suggest an illusion array, as I'm doubtful that we could set up a defense array powerful enough to deter someone in the Nascent Soul realm.]

Ryker nodded, starting to bring out and organize materials based on the list Mini C brought up on screen.

"Right, let's get that set up. How long do you think it'll take?"

[Half a day, perhaps; maybe less depending on how well testing goes.]

The bandits wouldn't return so soon, would they...? Ryker shook his head, dispelling the thought. The sooner they could get the array built, the better.

If it turned out the bandits came knocking before the formation was complete... Well, he'd resolved himself to do whatever was necessary.

"Sir Ryker?"

A soft call and the sound of bare footsteps on wood behind him caught his attention, and he turned to see Zhao Hui walking out from the house, carrying a small hatchet and a basket strapped to his back.

"Oh, hey Papa Zhao. Did I wake you up?" Ryker asked, putting away the formation materials into his dimensional pocket. Zhao Hui shook his head, taking off the basket and leaning it and the hatchet against the house as he took a seat next to Ryker.

"I usually get up around this time to gather firewood. The sun will be up in a few hours," he explained, "Were you feeling uncomfortable sleeping with us? I tried to wake you earlier, but you were out cold."

"Ah, no, I was just thinking about some stuff," Ryker said, scratching his head. The two sat in silence for a while, before Ryker spoke up again, scrunching his eyebrows together as he thought about how to word his question.

"Hey, uh, not really sure how to ask this, but... Why do you all live out here?" he asked, looking at Zhao Hui curiously, "Not to call y'all out, or anything, but isn't it, like, super dangerous to be out here when a lot of you don't have any cultivation, even without the bandits?"

Zhao Hui just shook his head and smiled, taking no offense to his question.

"It's a good question, and I doubt someone as strong as yourself would have had to deal with something like this," he said, his eyes downcast even as he smiled.

"But the reality for us peasants is that the strong dictate life for the weak. The closer you get to the cities, the more you see cultivators bullying commoners, taking advantage of their weakness. No one cares about the plight of a mortal, after all, so no one will bat an eye even if they're robbed, raped, or killed."

He sighed, shaking his head again.

"Not every cultivator is like that, of course; I've heard things are a little better in the Zhou Empire, and the cultivators in the village all came to escape that kind of oppression, too. But it only takes a whim for things to go wrong. In the end, Liqin and I decided to take our chances with wild beasts rather than with cultivators."

Zhao Hui smiled ruefully, perhaps reflecting on their lives, so far.

"Well, it seems our gamble failed to pay off in the end, what with the recent bandit troubles."

Ryker nodded, thinking about how different this world of cultivation was from his home. Were there no guards to keep order in the cities? Or were there just no laws protecting the citizens? Yuliang City seemed like a rather orderly place, but he'd really only been to their marketplace and the more upper-class areas while he was staying there.

Perhaps things were different, depending on what place you held, in society...

"Well, I guess I understand..." he said, looking off into the night sky, "But don't worry; I'll find a way to keep you and your family safe."

Ryker leapt to his feat, clenching his fist in front of him to pump himself up as Zhao Hui watched curiously.

"Alright! Let's do this!"

He ran off to begin setting up the array, leaving Zhao Hui to look on in confusion.