Chapter 43 - Yellow Pine forest.

Yellow Pine forest was magnificent at night; rare fireflies and moths circled around, their soft glow adding to the mystical atmosphere. The rustling of distant bushes, the howling of wolves, the cries of nightbirds — the night pulsated with life. Though everyone remained vigilant of a potential attack, their spirits were lifted by the promise of a delicious dinner Xin had managed to secure.

"Lei, why don't you spit fire at the firewood?" Murong Zhan suggested. 

"And waste my qi? Nah, keep hitting the flints." He grinned. 

"Fuck, you'll have to wait then." He kept trying to ignite a cloth with sparks from his flints.

"Ha, all that boasting and can't even make a fire. Noble scion." 

As Lei said this, Zhan's cloth lit up on fire. He smirked and didn't even say anything to Lei.

Tu Qiang and Xie Taowei made their own campfire nearby. Master Taowei claimed that "youngster energy" disrupts his qi regeneration, which actually meant "I am tired of you all", of course. Rui Ming stayed with the disciple group, he didn't care about the unspoken expectation of having to join his senior as one of the masters. 

"Hey, how about I cook this rabbit stew recipe my granma taught me? My grandfather learned it in the capital and taught her, it was quite a treat!" Yao Nang was finally back to her upbeat self.

"No offense, but women and meat don't mix, Yao Nang. I'd rather cook it myself." Murong Zhan was confident that adding "no offense" would remove all the offense. Apparently, he was wrong. 

"Cook meat? Knowing you, you only know how to beat it, brother Zhan!" Lei lied on his bedroll, his arms behind his head. To his surprise, Yao Nang laughed along. 

"Waving your promiscuity as an achievement? When the time comes, I'll have a beautiful noble wife, probably a harem of concubines, too. Enjoy your easy girls, and your lack of meaningful connections while it lasts. At this pace, your manhood might rot off." 

Xin smirked as he seasoned the rabbit. Lei is truly a menace, irritating everyone.

"Listen, bro, let me paint you a picture." Unable to hold himself in one place, Lei stood up. "Let's say there is a noble girl, indeed, waiting for you on behalf of your noble birth. She's a jade beauty, hopefully, well-groomed and educated. You have a wedding and all that, then bang, the wedding night comes! You enter her chambers and slowly undress her..." 

"Lei! Could you stop?" Wu Xiaoyun was annoyed. She was cleaning the vegetables, and seeing Lei clowning around was quite grating.

"Don't worry, I am not writing erotica here, just helping my brother visualise a realistic situation." 

"It's still not proper to talk about these things in front of women! And do you think our masters can't hear this stuff?" 

"I was actually wondering what Lei meant. Keep going, please." Rui Ming, who was seemingly meditating, seized a moment to remind people that he is a master too now. Still, his face was quite respectful, as if he was expecting Lei to share some great wisdom.

"So, you slowly undress her, and you see her... Well, let's say that she's all you wish she was. Then you kiss her. It's your second kiss with her, mind you, the first one being ten minutes ago, when the wedding ceremony concluded. 

Then, you get to business! You touch her with your... Thing..." Lei considered himself a gentleman for censoring his speech, but refused to stop talking. "Then boom! Explosion! White human qi all over your pants! How do you like that, huh?" 

"What do you mean? Why would I have a premature... explosion?"

"You've never been with a woman! That's what happens! This, or your floppy friend refuses to become a spearman!" 

"So, are you making up a situation about me to feel better about yourself? I fail to see how this proves anything." 

"There are pills for both conditions. You could ask Xin to concoct them. You guys are friends, he won't tell anyone." Su Xing interjected.

"What condition? I have no condition. Lei is just assuming it'll happen, but it won't!" 

Lei grinned and spoke again:

"Ha, sorry, but let's also look at this from the girl's perspective. She was raised in an idealistic view, just like you were. Her ideas of manhood and womanhood, the fairytale story of a beautiful wedding and her promised prince coming to claim her! 

Yet he's just an inexperienced guy who can't handle his little friend! You lose face, and her world crumbles! She is now stuck in an unhappy marriage, her promised prince nothing more than a sham. All because of bad expectations!" 

Yao Nang, who was boiling water, suddenly added:

"Lei is an idiot, but I agree with this one. Girls paint a picture of how things will be, and it turns out that the guy is just a guy, not a folklore hero. Can ruin a girl, but she only has herself to blame." She clearly meant for Tu Qiang to hear this. 

"Yes, I agree, sister. But the worst thing is when you take their virginity, they hear their cunt fart for the first time and think you broke something!" 

"Lei! Shut the fuck up!" Master Taowei shouted from some distance, but his voice sounded like he was smiling. Lei grinned. 

"Sorry, master! It's the post-battle stress." Xin taught Lei a very convenient excuse. 

"What an idiot you are. Is our adventure that boring? Is this your idea of small talk?" Murong Zhan asked. 

"Look, I am sorry, but on your wedding night, you'll remember this conversation, and in the most important moment, my face will pop up! You did it to yourself! Well, who knows, maybe it will help ya, I am not the worst looking guy, aight?" 

"Fuck off, peasant." Murong Zhan was fuming. 

"Wait, where did Xin go?" Lei was unbothered by being insulted. Every time he joked, he wanted to hear Xin laugh, but the guy just vanished at some point in their conversation.

"Think he went to scout and patrol for a bit. Lurking for the materials, too." Wu Xiaoyun answered. 

"I miss him already, do you?" Lei made a lively expression, taunting Wu Xiaoyun. 

"He keeps you occupied, so yeah, I wish he was here." She put the seasoned rabbits into the boiling water. 

Over the next two hours, Xin returned several times to indicate that he wasn't missing, but he only properly returned by the end of the feast. All the good meat was eaten, and he was left to consume the umbles, but he didn't mind. 

"Bro, why are you so happy?" Lei asked. 

Xin leaned closer to him and whispered: 

"Look, I went and fed the thing. The wooden thing, you know. Let's go for a leak, I'll tell ya more." 

"Sure." They stood up and walked away some distance. 

"So, my new sense of smell, it's something else. The forest is like an open palm to me, I could now make a fortune hunting. Yes, the tigers aren't know for their strong sense of smell, but it's still superior to what a human has. And with my qi infusion, it's even more potent.

I should probably buy a license and go on an extended leave, I'll earn more than what I did in the lab with granpa Chonglin. By far. Even with the salary doubling." 

"That sneaking of yours, was it wood qi? And that shot you delivered, metal qi?" 

"Damn, did you notice the aura emanations? You're pretty attuned, for a mortal." 

"Kind of, but also some deduction. Your qi control is one of the best I've seen in a mortal, man. So, that thing of yours, what other abilities does it have?" 

Xin raised an eyebrow. One of? Second to Rui Ming, right… He frowned. 

"Well, the totem cultivates and invokes certain aspects. We know for a fact it has this swing that cut your arm off... Sorry." 

"Sorry for what? I am glad this shit's on our side. How soon will you activate that ability?" 

"Fuck, I am not sure I ever will, actually. The totem only gave me its smell power because I am an experienced hunter with unique perception abilities. I am not sure my soul foundation is enough to invoke any other ability for now. The totem is starved and cracked spiritually, I'd need to restore it to full strength first. But there are risks." 

"The soul thing, right. You make the totem stronger, it assaults your soul. As a mortal, your soul foundation isn't very strong." 

"Precisely. It already tried to subtly manipulate my thoughts. It doesn't accept me, I am not Yang enough for its liking..." Xin expected Lei to make a joke about it, but nothing like that followed. 

"And what about the soul foundation? How much does the totem occupy?" 

"Good question. At this level of attunement, I could sustain the totem with one invocation, the bracer and one or two rank one dao shards. How's your propulsion shard, by the way?" 

"It's great. Helped me injure this rank two master, my jump and spit strength took her by surprise. She flicked me away like a fly and broke my arm, but I was still crucial in that fight. Oh, and I lured four plants away from you guys when you tried to retreat, that's also some good help, innit?"

"Of course you were useful, don't worry about that. I did well, too. It's just that Rui Ming stole the show, but I am not envious. How many more shards can you sustain?" 

"I think one more is my limit. My soul is fine, it's my meridians I am worried about. I still feel the strain of using Molten Heart in the last fight. I need to break through, brother. Soon."

"I'll mix you a potion to slowly mend your inner damage. Free of charge, of course. Oh, by the way, look at this." Xin opened his belt bag and took several pouches out. 

"What's that?" 

Xin opened one of the pouches and took out a hand-sized glass jar. 

"Fireflies! Qi active! Slightly, but still. I also got some toxic mushrooms, a crimson lichen vine, and found some expansion moss on an old tree. This forest is overflowing with ingredients! I wish we had more time, I could put all of my equipment to use and set up a field lab! With my smell, I could go for qi active truffle hunting, can you imagine the gains?" Xin's eyes were shining, Lei has never seen him like this. 

"I guess Chonglin's notes came in handy, hehe. Look, I wanted to ask you something. You've got some combat medicine, right?" 

"Yes?" Xin furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Why didn't you use any on master Lu?" 

Xin felt his heart jump. What's with these accusations?

"What are you implying, I got greedy? Boar hide ointment — useless. Blood restoration medicine would pump the mercury toxin right into his heart. I had no methods to save him other than the operation I performed. And I didn't finish it..." 

"Why?" 

"I heard you cry out in pain. Master Lu would probably die, and even if I saved him, he'd be useless in that fight. I had to reinforce you. You remember my promise." 

Lei took a step back. He was a sentimental man at heart, even if he took many ruthless actions throughout his life. He knew that what Xin did was right, but still felt guilty, even his throat was tense, making it harder to speak. 

"I believe you, brother. Thank you. And that warning about not chasing, too. I lost my head, I'd die like an idiot." He coughed into his fist lightly. 

"I won't always be around. Learn to rely on yourself." 

"You fucker, I did this for my whole life. Let me enjoy having someone to rely on for once, you miserable prick." 

"Sure, just don't die on me. Deal?" 

"Will do my best. Good enough for ya?" 

Xin nodded, walked away several steps and started taking a leak. 

Next day, Xin was leading the group through the forest. He already fed his totem a spirit stone, distilled into the animal meat paste he prepared, and its ability to provide the smell powers has returned in full. 

After scanning the area, Xin came to the conclusion that they weren't being chased by anyone. He asked master Taowei for permission to gather the materials they happen upon, and he agreed, on the condition that the group stays close and no one ventures alone. They split into three mini-groups, keeping close to each other, one was led by Xin, one by Wu Xiaoyun, and another — Xie Taowei himself (they were the group's most proficient alchemists). 

Moving through the forest, the group spooked many wild animals, scared to engage them. It seems that the beast tide has pulled a lot of animals out of this forest, making it relatively safe in this aspect. But Xin was still worried. They were in the forest's outskirts for now; these were relatively safe, according to his notes. It's the forest's thickets that are filled with dangerous qi active beasts. 

Several hours later, the group gathered to compare their gains. Wu Xiaoyun found lots of herbs, and some rare wild plant seeds. Xin's gains were smaller in terms of herbs, but he found a lot of rare moss and collected half a jar of rare insects. Master Taowei didn't bother with the plants, and focused on his earth path scanning abilities, finding a bunch of rare crystals that could be used as an earth path foundation material. 

"Big gains in such a short time. I hope we prevail in this political tension and expand here. Our sect would grow rapidly." Xie Taowei rubbed his hands, minting these short sentences like he was drunk. Was this how he showed excitement? 

"I'll be happy to be assigned to hunt and gather materials here, after this caravan thing concludes." Xin openly declared his preference, thinking it was the right moment. 

"Yes, you'd be happy." Xie Taowei averted his gaze. "We are delving deeper, this forest seemed safe for now, but things might change once we enter a more qi dense area. Xin, how close are the mines?" 

"Four hours or so. I'm not sure I'll find the entrance on the first try. Let's take a small break."