Torsten Hewson
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v6c5: Through a Falcon's Eyes
🕑 Added 2025-02-20 19:02:03 +0000 UTC“… first thing in the morning he takes a big swig—and gets a mouthful of horse piss!”
Tianzhe Minyan, who had been restraining herself, couldn’t help the honest laughter that broke free. Ge and Shou made not even a token effort—both started howling. Ge was holding his stomach, while Shou was hitting the table with his fist. Yukong’s shoulders shook with mirth, hand planted onto her face as if to hide her laughter..
Minyan could just imagine Shen Yu, his eyes bugged out comically and a look of dawning horror upon his face—an expression she had seen enough times.
And really, the sheer audacity! That a boy had dared to visit such indignities upon the Unconquered Blade—and that Shen Yu had fallen for them—was truly adding flowers to a lovely view.
“How did you even get enough horse piss to fill a drinking gourd?” Ge asked, a giant grin on his face.
“With patience, quick feet, and a bucket,” was the cheeky reply, provoking a fresh round of laughter.
“Nephew, your uncle pays his respects to your skill!” Shou managed to get out between his laughs, and Minyan shook her head with amusement. Shou had always been prickly and concerned with propriety… but that was apparently thrown behind his head when the target was Shen Yu.
“Look at this. I do everything for him, and he visits such a grievous injury upon his Grandfather!” Shen Yu had a look of mock offense on his face, but he too had a massive smile, his eyes twinkling as he just laughed along with the tale.
“Haaa?! You deserved it, you old goat! I brought those candied nuts with my own money, and you decided that they went well with your booze!” came the instant rebuttal, and both of them started childishly swatting at each other. Beside the boy, his wife and Shen Yu’s other disciple—in his human form—were chuckling along. All of the others had retired to look after the babe and grant them some privacy.
It was an honest struggle for Minyan to compose herself enough to stop laughing at the tale. The boy was not just good but great at telling stories. His depictions of the antics he’d indulged in was enough to break even Minyan’s composure.
She finally managed to calm herself by taking a sip of the mead, a pleasant, golden yellow drink that tasted and felt like the first time she had ever consumed alcohol—warm in all the right ways.
They were quite deep into their cups, all of the high level cultivators allowing the peasant buzz to be felt. Minyan took one of the last rice noodle rolls, filled with beef, fresh herbs, and familiar spices. Shen Yu had most assuredly kept and instructed the boy on how to use the spices, but the fact that he had gotten this close to the familiar taste of the Isle was impressive.
She looked up at the boy and his bright smile, then sighed.
Minyan had arrived at this place wanting to dislike the boy.
When she had first met him and he had been introduced as Shen Yu’s grandson, she had nearly struck him down. Grandson. The blood of that beast, the wicked fruit of that woman. The woman who had ruined everything. Who had stolen Shen Yu’s heart, wrapped him around her fingers, only to produce a disgusting, vile creature—a worthless thing that killed her.
Pathetic.
Even thinking about it made Minyan’s Qi grow sharp and jagged, like icicles violently bursting out of a body.
She hated few things—most simply were not worthy of that level of her attention. She was indifferent to them.
Tianzhe Minyan loathed that bitch and her spawn with every fiber of her being.
They had marred, tarnished the wonderful, beautiful blade she had gotten the privilege of seeing forged. A blade of such breathtaking majesty that it shone over the entire world.
One of her oldest and dearest friends, the one she had known would ascend and become immortal—reduced.
Her heart broke, and at the same time it burned with fury that he was doing that to himself. Hurting himself for nothing. It had been a monster. Cast it down and think no more on it.
Shen Yu had nearly broken from her. He had then run from the very thing that had brought him low, refusing to sire more children. A weakness. A flaw in his cultivation. One that saw him turn from the vital force that he was, the Unconquered Blade, into something nearly unworthy of himself.
He should be stronger than that. He would be stronger than that… perhaps with some more time, had been her thought.
But alas, what was done was done. And today, for the first time in over three hundred years… she could see true light in Shen Yu’s eyes again.
For that the boy—Rou Jin—was… acceptable. If Shen Yu had broken his oath to sire no more children she still would have been wroth. For him to know of her desires and still do that? No. She did not think even Shen Yu would dare. But a boy taken off the streets and raised as an apprentice? Specifically because he reminded Shen Yu of himself?
That was only right. Had not Minyan promised to take in any recruit who managed to climb the eighteen Li tall Spiritual Herb Stalk that connected Soaring Heaven’s Isle to the land below, just as her own Master had done for her?
In that… Minyan could see no fault nor take offense for his adoption.
And even without his relation to Shen Yu… he didn't have a bad temperament. She turned her eyes to him—he noticed her quick glance and his eyes flicked down to her cup, which was nearly empty. Wordlessly, he raised a bottle of his mead, and at her nod he filled her cup, both hands on the bottle to properly show his respect.
She could never imagine that creature lowering himself to serve anyone anything. She didn’t even remember him pouring his father’s cup, the few times she had been able to stomach his presence.
By any standard, Jin’s demeanor was entirely tolerable. Perhaps a touch too familiar, and just a bit too boisterous… but considering his upbringing, that was entirely acceptable.
He had even avoided the trap most men fell into—his eyes had not wandered. Even when he had greeted the Disciples of Soaring Heaven’s Isle’s sect, he had been more concerned with getting them food than appreciating their beauty.
Seiyu had been quite taken with him, and she would probably be inconsolable with the fact that he was already married… if she did not take it as a challenge.
He was a good, upstanding, and virtuous young man. The Spirit Beasts around him, those creatures that were normally harbingers of destruction, all bowed their heads and called him Master with genuine reverence. Minyan had only known of one awakened Spirit Beast that was like these ones… and that had been her fellow Elder, Han Song’s, childhood dog. A dragon lived in Jin’s halls of his own free will.
His wife was no quiet flower either. Hong Meiling had genuine skills; Shen Yu was right, Minyan did want her for the Sect. The Anti-Demonic Qi Formation was a brilliantly simple piece of work—but Minyan knew that even if she did make the offer, she would be refused. Hong Meiling’s child was new to this world, and asking a mother to leave so soon after birth was rank stupidity.
She had been impressed with Jin’s talent for growing herbs. Shou’s praise was no small thing, and even her fellow Elders, Lili and Dongmei, freely admitted the Hidden Forest’s mastery of Spiritual Herbs.
But he was also unguarded. He spoke and gave away knowledge too freely, and now Minyan knew how to grow the Silver Yin Lotus. He readily answered her questions when she idly asked about them, and even showed them the underlying meaning and methods of his techniques. Minyan knew nothing of beekeeping, but she was fairly certain that one had to destroy the hive to collect the honey—those sliding frames were a clever notion done well, and she would remember them.
It was a bit annoying that he was so tolerable. She would have to figure out some way to repay him, instead of taking them as her due. Tolerable and… softer than Shen Yu had been at that age. Well, not softer—calmer. Less angry at the world, less ready to fight it tooth and nail.
She could see the quiet strength in his eyes. It almost seemed beyond his years, and she had a feeling it had to do with whatever had caused Ge and the Cloudy Sword Sect to apologise to him. Something fateful had happened. Something that had driven Shen Yu’s boy here. A mystery.
For a moment, she contemplated disturbing the peace and asking what happened.
For a moment.
Instead, she looked into Shen Yu’s eyes. The blazing, unclouded eyes.
… the boy was good for him. Shen Yu’s path was finally correcting itself. Why ruin a good thing for the sake of mere curiosity, when she could tease the story from Shen Yu’s lips?
So instead, she simply sat back and listened. She listened to a childhood in Crimson Crucible City… and then a story about a young man, his rooster, and his wife, on a freshly cleared plot of land.
From a rooster’s first thoughts and experiences, to a wedding, to a dramatic tournament finish. Up until a battle less than a month finished.
Ge and Shen Yu chimed in with their own stories.
Most of the stories were not particularly grand. Yet Tianzhe Minyan found herself enjoying them all the same.
This place… wasn’t bad, she decided. Not bad at all.
============================
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And so Day 1 ends. Day 2 soon begins.
Editors: Massgamer, BargleNawdleZouss, Aaron “Pastafarian” Sofaer
Comments
Truedragon5374
More likely she will invite Mieling to tour the islands, maybe 20 years from now. In hopes of swaying her to join the sect.
matthew gilley
Insatiable! Lol
Carl Dooley
Maybe Minyan could invite Jin to tour the Isles? Or would that be too forced, the likelihood of him acquiring the seeds required to grow a skyship...
Jay
If I remember right a step is 8" high roughly so (100,000*8)/(12*5,260)=12.5ish(?) miles. Head math using rounded numbers but I feel that's correct enough.
Miles Sumida
In light of today's post this question looks pretty prescient.
D S
do you think there is going to be "oh you look like" moments? Because we saw her mum in the AU but not here. I'm thinking this will continue till the Mail gets fixed
Alex Ingraham
Gou's house.
Timothy Dana
This
Alex Hoaglund
where is Cai Xiulan in all this?
Alex Ingraham
I would love a drunken hockey chapter!
Laura Hemly
Surely it won't take that long, @Aune. She gave a bunny suit to Lady Wu within only a few months. Women can get frighteningly frank and direct very, very quickly when the men aren't around, trust me! 😉
Old Dog
Thanks much.
Gray Code
Yangtze Liusei makes an appearance in the SHI AU chapter "A Boring Night", drops enough information in the conversation to draw the conclusion in the text, and has been confirmed by CF be Xiulan's mother.
Rockinalice
Considering that Jin is recounting the fight to everyone I wonder if he mentioned the technique he used from the path of shenlong to do what he did because Uncle Shou spiting blood would be funny to see
Old Dog
Believe it is mentioned in the SHI AU. Either that or it has been a lot of people's wishful thinking in comments and I've taken it for granted that it was mentioned there.
Baqc∞ART
Is Xiulan's mother on Minyan Island? Or is it just similar, I should read that book
Cranky Otter
100,000 steps or so
Aune
more like, a competition will be sparked, a rivalry of a long line of uniform crafting.
Aune
agree it's the good ol' throw back' true & tried at this point since it's mention waay back.
Aune
down the line, after a decade of friendship.. maybe?
John D Jones
@ Jeff It's not really a joke so much as a really funny story. The other point about it is that this is the moment where Shen Yu stopped looking at Rao as "some kid I've taken in" and started considering him to be "my grandson."
F0ZYWOLF
I hope Su Ge sees some of the outfits Meimei has designed like the bunny costume
Timothy Dana
I think that’s your prudishness. The joke is not supposed to be funny that’s why we only hear the punch line
Jeff
really overdoing it with the horse piss joke. Can't there be another time Rou did something to the old man that did not involved horse piss? How about when Rou sent the old man a package that shot dung into his face because the old man asked for it in his last letter?
Alex Ingraham
Xiulian is off with the others at Guo's house. Tianlan is sleeping. Also, I only remember Xiulan being referred to as "Lanlan"...
Timothy Dana
I think Tigu should show Tianzhe Minyan her ice sculpture and make her one. Of course before anyone witnesses it. it’s fed to the Yin Lotuses feet first into a hot bath.
Timothy Dana
It is an aphrodisiac
Timothy Dana
Confirmed taller than the Mount Everest
Timothy Dana
That’s something like 5.6 miles
Timothy Dana
I think Li something like 1/3 of a mile
Cory C.
It's a story we have already heard where they are hearing the story of their friend's grandson pranking him for the first time while they enjoy drinks. I think it's more to show everyone having a good time than an immediate joke for us.
Hasenearl
18 Li high Herb stalk? Damn, that thing is higher than Mt Everest if I have a Li correct at approximately 500m. Was it ever said how high the mountain of the CSS is?
Synova Vitale
Awww my heart is so full!!
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter. Great way to start the weekend enjoying your writing with a good cup of coffee. I liked how the chapter started off with the jug of wine being replaced. As others have mentioned I wonder if Jin is going to ask them if they have heard of chocolate and coffee. Would be a great way for Minyan to "repay" Jin if she clued him in on where they were located. Still waiting for the folks coming from Pale Moon Lake City to be blindsided by running into the CSS and the Imperial Herald. OH! And will Minyan "notice" a resemblance Xiulan has to one of her sect members?
JohnJohn2195
Will jin get around to showing off some of his home movies with the crystal. Cause i remember him recording some of his house tours and his wedding iirc.
Andrew Carter
Pure bliss
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Simas Joneliūnas
She is sleeping. She spent a lot of her power to buff/heal the gang up
Michael Fannon
Quick question: where is Lanlan?
Timothy Dana
Where did it fall flat?
Angua de Blubb
According to the AU, Minyian herself made the climb, hence the reference to her own master O.O
Angua de Blubb
Thought in that vein, telling them about the path could be a good way to stop them from trying to leave a few disciples with him for training.
Angua de Blubb
He briefly met them at the end of the last book, when the war council hosted by TLM ended. He looked into the room where the disciples had eaten and saw Seiyu staring mournfully at the rest of the rice, presumably since she's forbidden from eating overly much while away from the sect, like in the AU. He then made Onigiri from the rice, since her clothes looked kinda Japanese to him, and gave them to her. She glanced at Minyian for permission, got a nod, grabbed the box with the food to her chest and ran away with stars in her eyes. Beiyu approved :)
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter 😊
Random Information
You really need to try some of Jin's mead. Then you would find the joke funny.
Truedragon5374
"He had even avoided the trap most men fell into—his eyes had not wandered. Even when he had greeted the Disciples of Soaring Heaven’s Isle’s sect, he had been more concerned with getting them food than appreciating their beauty. Seiyu had been quite taken with him, and she would probably be inconsolable with the fact that he was already married… if she did not take it as a challenge." I don't think this chapter is contiguous of the previous ones.
Almer Reyhan
Goddamn every chapter is beautiful. Author, you're so goooood.
Often Irrelephant
"What? There's no bird seed in my bag! And those rawhide bones are for medicinal use..."
Often Irrelephant
I think he's also telling them stuff they would have kept bugging him for or about. 'Here's my secret plant techniques, thanks for coming, don't let the door hit you on the way out." No sleeping land spirits, Path of Shennong users, or Canadians here on an isekai visa, no sir!
kalem
This does actually need to be edited a bit. The start of the chapter really isn't nearly as funny as it's trying to be... Like I get the joke, but the presentation of the joke really didn't deliver it in a way that made it funny.. So its like, robotic room full of robots laughing at thing because funny why aren't you laughing, is how it really comes off....
John D Jones
I'm waiting for Jin to start picking Ge's brain about his experiences in the south - specifically to see if he's seen coffee or cocoa plants. You think Xuilan has made indecent noises before, just wait 'til she tastes chocolate.
Geoffrey Sullivan
Very few are even her *equal,* at least in a *serious* work. Tsunderes in a full-on comedy series are a different matter.
Geoffrey Sullivan
Thank you.
Alex Ingraham
I don't think Zhuye has been officially introduced yet.
Alex Ingraham
That sounds like so much fun!
Alex Ingraham
If there's a better example of tsundere perfection, I don't wanna know lol
Alex Ingraham
Bruh, you just read this master piece of tsundere xianxia and ask for more?? Rizu would be telling you to slow your roll lol
David Brewer
Honestly, the real trouble is that most of the "best" cultivation resources are difficult to create in controlled circumstances. Thus, you have to find "wild" herbs, hunt a dragon, etc. Jin is the exception here because he's walking a non-cultivation path that gives him significant power that grants him insane understanding of agriculture... the path of Shennog. God of agriculture and medicine. Thus, you ("normal" cultivators) fight for the truly rare herbs because neither your sect or your rivals CAN grow them. The circumstance you mentioned is definitely an example of why they are difficult to obtain.
Aki_Iokua18
People more familiar with the genre, please correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the scenario I picture: A rare resource is ready to be picked after feeding on Qi for exactly one thousand years, you and one other are competing for it with you having the advantage of slightly more power/strength in total enabling you to claim it, despite the fact that they have a higher innate compatibility with the resource. However the only reason you are able to just edge them out in strength is due to the herbs only you/your sect have successfully grown. If you had shared the growing method, it increases the chances that you lose out on this once-in-a-lifetime super resource. In my mind, the typical cultivator mindset is: I’m climbing this cliff, and I’ve been told about a series of ledges that can make the climb less strenuous. I’m not telling people about them because then they might crowd on the ledges and leave no room for me when I need to rest.
Andrew Denton
"en passant buzz"
matthew gilley
I'm a little sad rizu hasn't gotten a chance to show off. Surely Minyan would want Rizu for the sect, as she is not off the table as meiling is.
Orims
I feel like while Jin is giving away a lot of what other cultivators would consider secrets. Even he would not tell these three relative strangers about how his litteral soul is working or how it is connected to the shattered divine being under their feet. In my opinion there is a difference between being generous and friendly and frankly stupid and Jin still had not stepped over the line yet in the story.
Old Dog
I wholeheartedly agree.
Rake1810
You put it perfectly. I feel like a lot of what she said was what I expected her pov to be. But it was also more at the same time.
Geoffrey Sullivan
Once again, Minyan is everything I *expected,* and yet manages to be *far more,* as well. You've taken someone described by mere tropes beforehand, and turned her into a character I already find *interesting* and wise, in only a single chapter. *Well done,* and thank you.
Mrdelta
I like the juxtaposition between Minyan, and Meiling, in these last two chapters. It makes me kind of want a tea party with Meiling, Minyan, and the Lady Magistrate.
Geoffrey Sullivan
The perpetual flaw in his writing, I agree . . . :D
David Brewer
Was his mother imperial realm? I mean, has Casualfarmer even said that Shen Yu was imperial realm when he was compelled to kill Shen Bu? Regardless, the Unconquered blade was Shen Bu's father. Shen Yu was an orphan so his father was likely a random mortal.
Geoffrey Sullivan
Something to *look forward to,* then. :)
The butler did it
I wonder if it would be easier for Meiling to heal him in human form?
The butler did it
No BigBro, we're arguing with Alex
The butler did it
It might be a case where he ascends because he's not trying; we've already seen it's possible with Chunky. He could ascend at any time just because of who he is. His presence and his willingness to remain with them suggests to me that Jin is on the right path.
The butler did it
Emily: I don't think so. He's forging his own path; one similar to but not quite Shennong, which is already a rare path. His cultivation might be interesting to them from a purely scholarly standpoint. Shen Yu has also calmed down because he suspects there might be something to this whole build a heaven thing. I can see him asking Ge at least for his opinion of what Jin's done.
StarBat
Shen Bu probably wouldn't have turned out quite as bad as he did if not for the impossible expectations he placed on himself. 2 imperial realm parents and Unconquered blade grand pappy + unrealistic goals prove a terrible mix. WHAT IF HE WAS ALSO AN ISEKAI? A delusional one?
swishmcfish
Shen Yu's mother never died in childbirth. Shen Bu killed her himself and ate her cultivation. Shen Yu also never went around doing the classic, "You Dare?!" whenever his son went, "My father will hear about this!" And just told him to clean up his own mistakes, which is why Bu resents him.
CringeWorthyStudios
“Present buzz”
CringeWorthyStudios
Pretty sure they’re not here yet.
Kasinki
I love the exploration of Minyan's character. More than just a two bit thundered. Thanks for the chapter CF!
BigBro Bluesman
See everyone is reading this like I'm contradicting that
Rakkis157
No. Basically at some point one of the things Shen Bu did was kill his mother and devour her cultivation.
Benjamin Shklyar
Huh I don't remember the cultivators meeting his zhuye. Was that just skipped over or did I miss something in the previous chapters? Because I would have liked at least sort of a reaction from the cultivators for him not just being married but with a kid as well and Shen yu proudly displaying him to his friends
Rakkis157
Because most cultivators operate under the mindset that knowledge shared will be used against them.
Justin
Thanks for the chapter
Anzer'ke
This chapter really made me realise just how deeply Shen Bu would have loathed Jin/Rou. Between canon and all of Casual's AUs we know that he is incredibly talented and lucky as a cultivator. A man who forged himself (as much as that is possible) and proves again and again to be a worthy son of Imperial realm cultivators. He's also kind, humble, secure and confident in himself. Shen Bu would have hated him, so so much.
Truedragon5374
Now that he has given up wandering for a while, I'm sure they will. I'm still hoping Jin does a Parent Trap thing on them in a few years.
Judi Tidwell
LOL! I am not the only hoover? And then I scroll back up and up and realize that, yeah, those were A LOT of words. 😹
Duke of Coffee
Truly a Tsundere for a reason. Still holding a grudge like that is certainly stressful, I wonder if they will get together more often, Minyan and Shen Yu.
Truedragon5374
This was nice. Though I'm a bit disappointed we didn't witness firsthand the arrival of the Disaster Sisters.
BritAnon
According to Google, a standardised Li is about 0.5km So the stalk is about 9km tall. Hell of a hike, even if you've awakened to the Initiate phase and that's not even accounting for the fact that it's probably an almost perfectly vertical climb the whole way with few, if any, hand grips
Isak Mark
I also think she would be the most understanding of them all if he explained. From book one chaper 15 and 16 respectively. """ I gave up that life. I wanted nothing to do with the powers that be of this world. I had enough strength to keep people safe from minor spirit beasts. All those powerful cultivators, killing and destroying without a care in the world. Crushing villages as collateral damage. Seeking out others with power, just to fight them. That was it. Trees, strangling entire cities. The mountains venting their terrible wrath. The very Earth, rising up and going to war. An icy finger of dread crawled up my spine. Myself, in the middle of a field of carnage, and staring greedily at the heavens. The strong get dragged back into the game for heaven. I’d like to think of myself as a decent person. But what would I do with that sort of power? The thought unnerved me greatly. """ """ He scratched his head, and looked down at the ground. “I’m afraid.” He whispered. “I’m afraid of what I’ll do. If I’ll become like them….” """
Aaron Schwartz
I’m wondering if he’s going to show them all the crystal. Or tell them the truth. more than likely, they all already know about the path of Shennong, and Shou could probably give it in some really good advice about how to help Tianlan recover. They should all be very invested in discovering a process by which low chi regions like the Hills could be empowered if only so that those lands could then produce more cultivators for the empire
Andrew Carter
She has a itching powder that momentarily worked on Jin’s grandfather, the storm wings don’t stand a chance
jeffrey niski
I definitely go back and reread the chapters because I need so many many more of them.
David Eddy
I have a serious problem with almost every chapter you write....They keep coming to an end.
Often Irrelephant
Jack and the Xianxia beanstalk. There be giants at the top.
Often Irrelephant
Okay - now I think it would be adorbs to have Noodle's cultivation actually start growing again. Maybe his figurative Spring will come with the literal one. Yin might die of happiness on the spot. But I think a long journey to human form and he'd look like his own dear master. Which would make him die of happiness on the spot, lol.
Often Irrelephant
"Seiyu had been quite taken with him, and she would probably be inconsolable with the fact that he was already married… if she did not take it as a challenge." I know the Stormwings are powerful, but this is Mei's home turf. Talk about finding out...
Gray Code
@Michael Larsen, in the quote "She didn’t even remember him pouring his father’s cup, the few times she had been able to stomach his presence." "Him" is Shen Bu, and "his father" is Shen Yu.
Buck
I find myself liking Minyan despite her standoffishness. I very much hope that her dreams relating to Shen Yu come true for her. It is apparent that she loves him very much and I believe that Shen Yu feels the same about her. Perhaps the Son of Heaven will allow Shen Yu to take back his oath to sire no more children so that Shen Yu and Minyan might find happiness at last. TFTC!
KnightRider007
Fair, but she’s not talking about the booze itself, but about the cultivators allowing themselves (literally, given they could prevent it by simple force of will) to feel drunk. I do think it’s a typo, but it *could* be her saying “look at them getting drunk, like peasants”
Often Irrelephant
Not genre experienced either, but I assumed it was, "Why give advantage when you could use it against me or I could use it to hold you hostage for those 'race to the heavens' resources.
Chris Warner
Tftc!
Randomosity
I believe this is the first time it's come up in the story proper, but it's been mentioned in WOG a few times.
Often Irrelephant
Are they buzzed enough to play drunken hockey? Would pay money...
Often Irrelephant
I keep imagining Shen Yu and Minyan having a quiet talk - probably while taking the baby for a walk - where she asks him if he's afraid the baby may go the same direction as Shen Bu. (Too much power, etc.) And he relates Tigu's story that the baby doesn't need servants, he needs big brothers and sisters to guide and correct him. We haven't heard enough about "that woman" but we've seen plenty of spoiled and priveleged young masters. Add in genuine talent and a power hungry mother egging him on? Nightmare fuel. Flip the script and put that talented baby (because Mei and Jin are absurdly powerful for their age) in a resource rich environment, but with Fa Ram's tenets of hard work and equality? You get a Canadian Emperor, where the maple syrup and mead flow like water.
David Brewer
It's Xianxia... they all tend towards "might makes right"... thus if you could let Jin teach you how to grow silver yin lotus or just take his grown lotus a lot of them would take it if they can. His "sharing" goes beyond sharing the technique he uses to grow things because he is also willing to tell people he CAN'T stop that he can grow them. That's the truly amazing part. This group won't steal Jin or from Jin because of Shen Yu and their connections. But in Xianxia he IS acting extremely "out of character" by being so trusting. Yes, perhaps they could grow their own... but recall the story of the flame flower. One guy contemplates the flower, thanks it, and leaves. The other one kills the plant to make a minor pill. The second guy is the "hero" of the comparison. So yes, they are all greedy and fairly selfish... but so? How does that matter when it's the normal socially encouraged behavior? "We all face the heavens alone."
John D Jones
@ Cindermoth Pretty it was this one. I don't recall any mention of Shen Bu's mother prior to this.
Palmer Evans
I feel like one of the big themes of the story is Jin’s decision to take a happy mortal life over an immortal cultivator life. I’d be surprised if he ascends or reaches immortality.
John D Jones
@ Alex Well, let's also consider that Ge, Shou, Yukong and Minyan are particularly righteous and upstanding cultivators. I think the other aspect of Bu wasn't just the evil he did or the destruction he caused, but the sheer scale of it. Bu was Shen Yu's son - whose mother had died in childbirth. So Shen Yu showered every bit of teaching and advantage on him, making him grow really powerful really quickly. We've had oblique references to Bu shattering whole sects and wrecking provinces. Plus, because he was Shen Yu's son and only child, he was likely permitted to do that with little repercussion because no one wanted to bring down the wrath of Shen Yu upon themselves. It's much like how Chen Li, Elder Chen's son was allowed to bully, cripple and possibly even kill others (including our own Jin Rou) in the Cloudy Sword Sect. Well, until Ge put a permanent stop to that shit.
Palmer Evans
My gosh I inhale these chapters… I start reading and then am done before I know it
Oni
A climb on a massive vine that has hostile spirit beasts living on it. Can't forget that.
Miles Sumida
"Pedant buzz"
Shiro Yasha
Bro never heard of patent/exclusivity?
Miles Sumida
And they'll have a hard time convincing Han Song to not move up there permanently considering the number of spirit beasts. Especially since one of them is an adorable puppy who really likes protecting villages.
Shawn Banks
So glad to have regular chapters back. These really are the highlights of my screentime these days.
Alex
That's not an incontrovertible fact at all. It's not like there's a fixed number of silver yin lotuses that can be grown in the world simultaneously; if the Cloudy Sword Sect and the Soaring Heavens Isle and every other damn sect in the Empire start growing Silver Yin Lotuses, Jin will still be able to produce as many of them as he wants. There's no advantage to keeping the technique for growing them a secret; in fact, you could argue the opposite case that keeping the technique a secret would paint an Empire-sized target on Jin's back. It's like Xaoishi's memory crystal from the age of heroes - if everyone's going to fight and bicker over something if you restrict access to it then why not just GIVE IT TO ALL OF THEM. It's not like that isn't an option, people just act like it isn't because they're greedy and they want to be the special one with exclusive access to the thing everyone wants.
Oni
Funny thing about not seeking it... it might come to him instead.
Cindermoth
Don't recall if it has. Only know that Shen Yu had to kill him, that he destroyed a bunch of sects, and a couple more things, but not the part about his mother. What chapter was that in?
Namorat
At birth, though?
Namorat
While I think it unlikely to happen, my assumption is that he would have it if he sees it as part of himself. The way some look more like Jin and others like Mei.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Emily Gurnavage
Considering her compliments about it, id assume typo lol
Emily Gurnavage
As entertaining as it could be, I can't really think of a reasonable situation that has multiple Imperial/Sky realm Masters close enough to observe Jin but unable to take care of the problem themselves. What I could see is one or more of them attempting to get him to spar with them, but I feel like he would decline for multiple reasons. Might be bad for them to see him fight, too. It became readily apparent to Shen Yu he is not a "real" cultivator once his power was in full use, and these people are of similar strength. Way too many reasons on why that would be bad for me to type out without a request, lol. It could be fun, but it seems like itd result in another arc of violence and struggle.
Red Viking
A Li is defined as 0,5 km.
KnightRider007
“They were quite deep into their cups, all of the high level cultivators allowing the peasant buzz to be felt” => is ‘peasant’ intentional there? I mean, it *could* be plausible, if she’s got her nose far enough in the air…
Aki_Iokua18
Not an expert of Xianxia by any means, but I think it stems from the incontrovertible fact that there’s only so much in terms of resources to go around. Even among friends/family/sect mates, why would you give up something that others can use to suppress you? After all, a cultivator faces the heavens alone. How foolish would it be to give a rival knowledge they could potentially use better than you can?
Stuffed Duck
"This place… wasn’t bad, she decided. Not bad at all." After the northern expedition, all the elders present will have 'important business" to attend to in the future ... just to take a staycation at Fa Ram.
Alex
If we ever do get the story about Shen Bu, it's not going to be pretty. Everyone who knew him - including Shen Yu - talks about him like he was an absolute monster. And these people are CULTIVATORS. Heinous acts like rape and murder are pretty par for the course among cultivators because they have a 'might makes right' attitude towards the world, and they tend to think of individuals with lesser cultivation (PARTICULARLY mortals) as being completely inconsequential. To reach the visceral disgust people have towards Bu, he must have been above-and-beyond levels of evil.
Aki_Iokua18
IIRC Shen Yu was an orphaned street rat before joining the CSS.
Melanie Me
Shen Yu is an orphan like Jin.
LiamOfOrmonde
“Pheasant buzz”
Alex
Honestly, cultivators jealously hoarding their knowledge doesn't make any sense. It's not like anything Jin knows is lessened if others know it too: Minyan knows how to grow silver yin lotuses now. Does that stop Jin from being able to grow them? No. Are Jin's lotuses going to be worse if other people can grow them? Also no. If anything, Jin telling the elders how to grow all these plants is a good thing, because it means they're less likely to bother him with attempts to buy them from him. The same thing goes with techniques - just look at the Demonic Qi Siphoning Formation: that was invented because a bunch of cultivators decided to open-source their work on formations by publishing them in the archives. Meimei and her family took that work and improved upon it, and now the Empire has a weapon against the Great Enemy. Give to the world and the world will give back.
mag28
CF for the first month back after the last break, he'd try to do 2 a week so can work on editing. But he might only be able to do 1 week but he'll let us know if that's happening
Splutty
"peasant buzz" -> "pleasant buzz"?
Emily Gurnavage
I didn't even know its a real unit of measurement. I thought it was just one of those things the whole genre slowly adopted.
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Dwayne Parker
Wonder if Rou is going to have to “become the mountain” at some point while they’re around.
Michael Larsen
I’m pretty sure it was mentioned before.
Daniel Ryan
I just treat them as Casualfarmer still partially being on break.
Aaron Greene
According to Wikipedia, a Li's length has varied, but it was generally around 1/3rd of a mile. It now has a standardized length of a half-kilometer (500 meters or 1,640 feet or 0.311 miles). This is then divided into 1,500 chi or "Chinese feet." So a climb of 6 miles up a huge vine to a floating island, while still mortal. Its an *outstanding* feat, which is why it's worthy of a personal apprenticeship with Tianzhe Minyan
Albyihat
I hope they all play hockey
Michael Larsen
I’m calling my shot: Minyan is going to be the first of the elders to figure out that Jin isn’t aiming for immortality.
Len
CF don't forget about posting the prologue @RR. This CH is the 6th chapter that RR has not seen yet
BigBro Bluesman
If she asks why he shares his knowledge so willingly I can just see him look her in the eyes and tell her "knowledge unshared and unused is worthless."
Laura Hemly
Thanks for another terrific chapter, CF! You could put out a chapter every day and I'd read them with as much enthusiasm and delight as I do these. You really know how to make characters three-dimensional -- and trust me, that's a rare ability!
Len
until the end of the month roughly then back to normal
MARK MACKNET
Out of curiosity I would love to see master snake transform into human form. Would he be a hunched over and wounded or would he be free from the injuries that he currently has.
Will Iam
Thanks for the chapter. Quick question \, is the current schedule 2 times a week arounf monday and thursday?
Michael Larsen
Also, talk about Shen Yu’s father? I want to know more!
Angela Roberts
High praise indeed from her!
Michael Larsen
So good!
Zero Wrath
Thanks for the chapter!
Emily Gurnavage
"any recruit who managed to climb the eighteen Li tall Spiritual Herb Stalk that connected Soaring Heaven’s Isle to the land below" Goddamn, isn't a Li soooomewhat similar to a kilometer or mile in distance? Thats how ive been picturing distances so far, at least. That's a damn high stalk to climb.
James Faulkner
Tftc!
jord
This story has peak vibes. Love the generally chill atmosphere.
Cindermoth
The ice queen is warming up. Also, bloody hells, Shen Yu's son killed his mother?! CF, you're dropping nuclear lore bombs during dinner!
fruit dragon
Putting my money down now. When the emperor eventually gets there his reaction is going to be about the same
THEMIGHTYBOXHEAD
tftc!!! glad to see how everyone is relaxing at the heaven on earth that is Jin's place
Len
nice nice...she is a lot...calmer internally than i thought..now to wait on the storm wings arrival and the rest of the CSS disciples.
Enochi
Love it. Lady Falcon is a treasure. Though it does make me very curious about Shen Yu's Wife. We know so very little about her. I am very curious about the woman who managed to sway The Unconquered Blade from the icy beauty.
Mohamud Mohamed
Tftc.
WarStrider72
Nice to see some similarities between the main story and the SHI universe. Minyan laughing at the switched wine and Seiyu being infatuated with the young master. Now to wait for Day 2 with Washy to dazzle them with his knowledge of egg recipes!
WolfKnight22
Magnificent
Orims
That's how I feel about these chapters myself, I love them but they do seem a bit short.
Deltoren
Dammit these chapters go by too fast I need more. More!!
WarStrider72
Me at the end: WAIT.... THAT'S IT? WHERES THE REST!????
Katharine Gould
Thanks for the chapter!
Sol
GOD DAMN THIS IS GOOD
Andrew Denton
It did not escape me that Minyan's description of the mead was the same as Shen Yu's.
WarStrider72
Thanks for the chapter boss
