Chapter 41: Journeying Northward

"Girl... girl..."
"Dragon... dragon... the dragon is coming!"

Lily sat up with a start, only to find herself back on the tundra of Dongsong. The towering jade palace she had just been in had vanished. She ran her hands over her body and realized that her filthy leather armor and rags were gone. In their place, she wore a clean, green fairy garment.

So-called "fairy garments" were rare treasures in both the Jade Realm and Jasmine Flower. Made of lightweight, soft, and form-fitting fabric, and designed like a cheongsam but better suited for horseback riding, they were highly coveted by wealthy women across Tianyu. Legend had it that these garments were worn by the divine maidens of the Upper Realm and were only bestowed in small quantities by the True Gods at the capital’s altar. The price to purchase one at the altar was exorbitant. Lily, a tomb raider for many years, had finally managed to acquire one.

The jade-colored fabric was now imbued with Lily’s natural scent and a hint of sweat, smelling like jasmine flowers dampened by a light drizzle. The fragrance of the bath soap she had used also lingered, making the exotic aroma surrounding her even more pronounced.

"Awake, are you?"

The old man’s voice echoed in her ears. Yet, when Lily turned to look, she saw only a floating puff of white vapor speaking to her.

"Old man? Is that you?"

The white vapor wobbled, as if nodding. "I told you before, girl: my true form lacks sufficient power in the current Jade Realm, and I cannot enter it myself. It was only by thinking of a way just now that I could release some void energy into this realm. This puff of vapor had a hard time slipping in from the Void Sea."

"Phew! At least I managed to use that void energy to protect a hot commodity like you, girl. You should see how much effort those scum from the Star Dust put into trying to snatch you away..."

Lily stroked the silk-like fairy garment and blinked, asking, "This clothing is..."

"It’s good stuff. I saw a few sets left in the jade palace and had those little bugs in there help you change into it. It’s high-quality—perhaps even better than what you could buy at the altars in the capital."

Lily couldn't deny that the garment made her figure look graceful and beautiful, and it was incredibly comfortable to wear. "This set is worth four million Jade Dragon coins... I’ve finally managed to wear something decent."

The comfort and softness of the garment made Lily momentarily forget the brutal war and her flight for survival.

"Old man... that jade palace... why is it gone?"

"Not enough void energy. As a floating fortress, the jade palace relies on void energy to operate. When the energy runs low, it stagnates. I had no choice but to let it return to the Void Sea." The Jade God sighed again. "That great battle basically exhausted most of the void energy in Zhongzhou and Dongsong. Originally, only two void gates were open in the Jade Realm, and even then, the local energy was thin. Now, it’s all been drained dry. It will be very difficult for armies on the scale of Star Dust or monsters like the Blue Dragon to continue using void energy. Hmph, at least for a while, no one will be able to tap into it. That’s a silver lining—it means those Star Dust people can no longer use void energy to slaughter the innocent."

The white puff of vapor wobbled again, accompanied by another sigh from the Jade God. "We must hurry, girl. We have to reach Huining Fortress quickly. If we don’t seal that gate completely, the void energy will eventually replenish, and those Star Dust people will be able to grow strong again. We must also use the energy contained within that void gate to raise a void wall along the Luma River. That should delay them long enough for you and Meizi to come up with a plan..."

"Meizi?"

Lily knew who Meizi was, and she knew that Dai Longmei could wield void energy. But she still found it strange that the Jade God mentioned her.

"You’ll understand in time, girl. When you return to Tianyu, you and Meizi must follow my instructions and prepare well. I fear the real trouble is still ahead..."

Lily didn't quite grasp the Jade God’s words, but she understood clearly that they had to close the void gate to stop the Star Dust army from marching north into Tianyu.

She stood up, her long, flowing hem hovering gracefully above the ground as if it had a life of its own.

"How far is Huining from here..."

"This is Haicang; we will be at Huining Fortress soon."

Lily hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Understood. Let’s go."

Though she had been forced to Dongsong by the Jade God’s raw power, and though she still claimed to be doing it for the wealth and future the Jade God had promised, the journey had changed her. She had seen a once peaceful Dongsong nation ravaged beyond recognition by the Star Dust fiends. Even though she was a tomb raider who had lost her home long ago, Lily considered herself a daughter of Tianyu. This insane slaughter should not be repeated in Tianyu; these atrocities had to be stopped!

Lily muttered to herself, her pace quickening. "Let’s go, old man, to Huining Fortress! Let’s make those bastards suffer!"

"Hmph, you girl," the Jade God watched her lively spirit, a smile forming on a face far away in the Void Sea. "You really do have the shadow of that Blue Phoenix from back then..."

"Hm? What did you say, old man?"

"Nothing, girl, nothing at all... Let’s go. Once the gate is closed, this lady will be an official of the Liaodong Circuit!"

With that, Lily strode toward the fortress in the north. Behind her, the bloody blades of Star Dust continued to sweep across the northern borders of Dongsong.

***

"Dear, oh dear," a refugee cat-folk woman called to her husband, who was driving their carriage. "How much longer until we reach Huining?"

"Not far now, just a few more hours."

The carriage rattled along the muddy road. Rain poured from the sky, and the woman shivered. "We’ve finally made it through the worst of it." She brushed back her yellow fur, her two cat ears twitching with relief—the unique way her kin expressed joy.

"Indeed, mother of our child," the husband looked back at their daughter, who was sound asleep on the carriage. "We’ve finally escaped with our lives. Back at the gates of Zhongzhou, when those Star people charged, I truly thought we wouldn't make it. I only wanted Xiu’er to escape; I thought... I thought I would die there with you..."

Watching their lovely daughter sleeping soundly in her arms, the wife lowered her head and kissed the girl’s forehead. "Damn those Star people!"

The husband cracked the whip hard. The horse surged forward, splashing mud onto the refugees struggling alongside the road toward Huining Fortress. Some cursed, but the carriage sped past. It was rare to see someone still traveling by carriage—it implied they were "the rich or the noble," which meant they were targets for looting by deserters. The husband didn't dare stop, pushing toward the fortress.

"It’s a good thing our daughter insisted on going to Donglai City for those stir-fried rice cakes, or we would have brought you two along. Otherwise, if we had stayed in Xuanshan, I’m afraid..." The husband’s expression was grim, his hands trembling on the reins.

"Don't think about that, Jian, don't think about it," the wife leaned against his back, her daughter sleeping on her lap, the little cat-girl sucking on her tiny paw in her dreams, perhaps dreaming of something delicious. "As long as we are safe, life will get better. Once the heavenly soldiers of Tianyu arrive, they will drive these Star people away."

"Heavenly soldiers..." Could they really defeat the Star people who descended from the heavens?

The husband shook his head. "Let’s just get to Huining first. That great fortress should be able to hold." He looked toward the hills crowded with refugees. "Once we cross those hills, we’ll see Qingning Mountain. On the other side is Huining Fortress."

At the mention of this, the husband’s mood lightened, and he quickened the pace. But in his urgency, he didn't notice that the carriage’s axle, strained by the brutal road, had developed a crack. As they sped up, the crack widened until it could no longer hold.

"Oh no!" The husband pulled the reins, but it was too late. The axle snapped.

As the carriage began to tilt, the wife instinctively shielded her child.

"Let me!"

A woman in a jade-colored fairy garment leaped from the crowd of refugees and landed gracefully on the carriage. To the cat-folk couple, she seemed to soar through the air, landing perfectly. The carriage, which had been about to flip, suddenly stabilized and continued forward smoothly.

"This..." The couple stared in shock, speechless.

Lily held a finger to her lips, signaling them not to wake the child. She filled the broken axle with void energy, allowing the carriage to roll steadily onward.

"An immortal... you have such power, you must be an immortal," the wife gasped. "An immortal from Tianyu! Not only are there heavenly soldiers, but there are immortals too! We are saved! The Emperor of Tianyu really sent someone to save us!"

"Dear, don't shout," the husband said, trying to calm her.

"I see you’re the only ones on this road with a carriage," Lily said, sitting down. "I have urgent business at Huining Fortress; I’ll catch a ride with you."

"Yes, yes... Benefactor, you saved our lives; we’ll do whatever you need."

"How long until we arrive?"

"At this speed, two hours."

"Good, very good." Lily sat on the carriage and looked at the little girl, who had just been stirred awake. Her mud-stained but chubby, fluffy face was adorable.

"Mommy, there’s a strange sister in the carriage, ah-ha..." The girl pointed at Lily, who was dressed in an immaculate fairy garment, and yawned.

"That’s not a stranger, that’s the immortal who just saved us. Hurry, greet the immortal."

The little girl rubbed her sleepy face and yawned again. "Hello, immortal!"

"Haha, I’m not an immortal," Lily said, patting the child’s head. "You are lucky; the three of you made it to Huining Fortress safely."

But after she said this, the tired couple fell silent.

"Ah... I... I don't know..." Lily, thinking something had happened to their family, quickly explained, "No, I meant your family of three is safe here, immortal."

"It’s just... we’ve seen too many dead bodies, charred corpses, and that dragon fire along the way..."

"Too many people have died..."

Hearing this, Lily looked out into the pitch-black winter night and let out a deep sigh. The wheels turned rapidly in the mud, churning up dirt, while the voices of cursing refugees echoed from the road.

As the carriage crested the hill, the unyielding silhouette of Huining Fortress finally came into view.