Torsten Hewson
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v5c68: Beginning to Feel Like Victory
🕑 Added 2024-11-13 05:37:53 +0000 UTCThis chapter is unedited. The previous Chapter has been edited.
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Gou Ren couldn’t help but smile when he saw Chun Ke and Pi Pa embrace, hugging each other tightly. He had been having a kind of shitty week, all told—his sleep had been troubled, and he had had to get up a couple of times in the night to check on everyone, to make sure they were alright.
“They’re cute, are they not?” Xianghua asked, a small smile on her face.
He was lucky Xianghua was Xianghua—he woke her up whenever he woke up, but she never minded. She simply held his hand and checked with him, a silent shadow. Yun Ren had been fine ever since Nezan had popped back up, Bowu had slept soundly… but Pi Pa had squirmed and whimpered, reliving whatever had happened.
Now, the bundled tension she had been holding onto was gone.
“They are.” Gou Ren replied, giving the two their space along with everyone else. After a moment longer the two separated, and Chun Ke rose to his full height. He really was huge. And Though he looked like a wild bandit, Chun Ke was Chun Ke. His big smile and warm eyes would dispel any kind of fear his physique would generate. He felt like he always did. Warm, at peace, and happy.
Like Tigu and Bi De, he had a bit of a resemblance to Jin—his brow and his smile.
Pi Pa, on the other hand, looked the closest to Meihua, if he had to choose somebody they knew. Her features were more refined, noble, almost, compared to everyone else bar Yin.
Chun Ke took them all in, his grin growing.
“Hello, Friends.” Chun Ke said, his voice a deep warm rumble.
The dam broke. Chun Ke was impacted by Jin, Tigu, Wa Shi in his dragon form, Bi De and Ri Zu. The big man took it all without a single step back, and he began to laugh, his voice booming off the hills.
Everyone got their turn. Gou Ren leapt up, and put Chun Ke in a headlock the best he could, ruffling the big guy’s mane of hair.
“How do you feel, brother?” Gou Ren asked, honestly happy for them. Pi Pa… well, Gou Ren had heard her discussing her fears about having children with Meimei and Xiulan. He was glad they no longer needed to worry.
“Life Good.” Chun Ke declared. His manner of speech was still simple and halting, using few words… but as always, the big guy managed to get to the heart of the matter.
Gou Ren chuckled. “I meant your body. Does it feel different?”
“Like Wa Shi says. Chun Ke is Chun Ke.” The dragon positively preened at Chun Ke’s words. The man nodded, before reaching into the pocket of his borrowed pants and pulling out his bag of treats. It was big, and definitely made for him when he was a boar. “Persimmon?”
Gou Ren took the proffered treat and stepped aside, letting Yun Ren in to pound the massive man’s back. He turned to Pi Pa, who was watching on with a bright smile on her face, her cheeks pink with emotion.
“Hey. How are you doing?” he asked her quietly. Pi Pa’s eyes widened at the question, before her demeanor softened. She hesitated for a moment, before taking Gou Ren’s hand in both of hers and squeezing.
“I am doing very well, Young Sir…” She paused at the raised eyebrow, “Gou Ren. I am doing… well. Thank you.”
Gou Ren nodded. “I’ll get started on a bed for you guys—the cushions on the floor were fine for your other forms, but let me tell you a mattress is a lot better. Gonna have to make the ceilings of your place real high, too…”
It was kind of a shame, though. He had gotten used to living with Chun Ke and Pi Pa—he would even say he enjoyed it. They were always considerate housemates, and lazing against Chun Ke after a hard day was really nice—as was having Pi Pa’s help in doing the laundry.
Pi Pa paused, and looked a bit hurt. “Ah… you wish for us to move out?” she asked delicately.
Gou Ren blinked. “Well, I assumed you would want your own place…?”
“Perhaps in the future?” Pi Pa asked. “We would need time to think about such a thing. And it seems a bit of a waste, with how far you went to accommodate us…”
Gou Ren was about to wave her off. Adding the extra parts to the door to make it easier for their Spirit Beast forms hadn't been a bother.
“Living with Gou Ren and Xianghua and Bowu is good.” Chun Ke stated, adding his thoughts.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.” Gou Ren said… and was internally quite pleased.
They appreciated the things he had built. They liked him enough that they wanted to stick around with him.
Jin clapped Gou Ren on the back, smiled, and nodded. He guessed this was how Jin felt, when they all first arrived.
“I think a picnic in the greenhouse sounds like a good idea.” Jin said, pitching his voice to carry.
They had been having a lot of little celebrations recently, Gou Ren noted… but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.
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Soon enough, everyone was in the greenhouse. It never ceased to make Gou Ren grin when people complimented the design. Yushang, Han, Shao Heng, Fenxian and Yingwen were especially enamoured with the place, but none of them knew if a glass house would be able to survive the mountains. Ice storms and more limited sunlight were apparently issues, according to Yingwen.
It still felt a bit weird talking to Yingwen, now that they weren't enemies. They had spoken a bit, after Tigu had talked with them. He was just… a guy. All of them were. Yushang was a hoot and a half, Fenxian was boisterous, Han quiet but considerate, Shao Heng the amused uncle of the group, and Yingwen? He was a bit stuffy and reserved, but he wasn’t a bad person, from what Gou Ren could tell, and Yingween had an interest in architecture himself.
However, Gou Ren was not thinking about architecture for once. Instead, Chun Ke’s transformation had made him curious about his own transformation—so he found himself sitting with his brother, Xianghua, and Nezan beside the blooming sunflowers, bees buzzing around and pollinating them.
“How does a bloodline work, anyway? And why would mine just activate?” Gou Ren asked Nezan. The small, slightly transparent fox considered his question for a moment.
“A bloodline is as the name would suggest, an inherent ability passed down from one’s ancestors. They are created by inventing a new technique, cultivation style, or are the product of children born from Spirit Beasts with human forms. They can be beneficial, neutral, or detrimental in their nature.”
“Detrimental?” Yun Ren asked, cutting in.
“Yes. They’re generally beneficial or neutral—I know not what Gou Ren’s does, nephew, but ours provides an affinity with illusions, a long life, and senses far above a normal man. But say, if your body was aligned with fire, and your bloodline was that of water, it suddenly activating could douse your cultivation completely, rendering you back into a normal mortal. In other cases, it could cause the bearer to explode, if the reaction is particularly bad.”
Gou Ren grimaced at the description. “Explode?”
“Oh, yes. It's quite rare, but it does happen to those poor, unlucky few. As for yourself…? Well, the higher one goes in cultivation, the more likely they are to activate a latent bloodline if they have one. I would guess the surge of Qi you mentioned during the fight forcefully awakened whatever had laid dormant. Unlike your brother, whose bloodline was first activated through the presence of my Qi and the techniques of his ancestors.. Well, yours was brute forced. And it still is not fully active, if I were to guess. Your cultivation feels more physical than Yun Ren’s—thus, your physicality changed first, and the spiritual aspects of whatever your ancestors were is still not fully developed, while Yun Ren was the opposite.”
That made sense to Gou Ren… but it also opened up questions, like how exactly he could learn about this. Maybe Huo Ten? His tail did look like the other monkey’s…
He sighed. “I’m annoyed that people were right all the time. We really are a monkey and a fox.”
Yun Ren chuckled. “It's been one hell of a thing to come to terms with little bro.”
Gou Ren looked at his brother for a moment. “And, well, my other question is, how do you… put it away? It's inconvenient.”
Xianghua turned to him. “But I like your tail.” She said, looking a bit put out. Gou Ren flushed while Nezan started to laugh.
Xianghua did indeed like playing with his tail. The fur on it was really soft… but she had also asked Huo Ten on how to properly groom a monkey’s tail and then the two of them had spent nearly an hour picking at him like… like…
Well, like he was what he was. Gou Ren blinked as he thought about it. Somebody calling him a monkey wasn’t an insult anymore, it was the truth. And besides, shouldn’t he be thankful that Xianghua didn’t care at all?
“Having a tail can be inconvenient.” Yun Ren came to Gou Ren’s defense. “It catches on things. It's not like he’ll never bring it out again….”
Xianghua turned her eyes to Gou Ren.
“I’ll keep it out at home?” he ventured, knowing he was defeated.
Xianghua smiled brilliantly at him.
Gou Ren spent perhaps an hour learning how to try and put his tail away… when Jin proposed another idea.
Gou Ren turned, and beheld his plan.
“Wow. Meimei works fast.” he said, rasing his eyebrows at the giant clad in red.
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Xian the Younger ‘s eyes widened as he heard the ching ching ching of jingling bells. The bells that Big Bro Jin used for his sleigh.
They hadn’t seen anybody but Wa Shi and Big Bro once, briefly, since the solstice. They had said everything was fine… but Xiang felt his heart leap up into his throat.
He dashed out of the house, his father hot on his tail. The other kids were soon sprinting out as well, bounding towards the sound of the bells.
“Ho ho ho ho ho!” The booming voice echoed through the trees. Xian smiled at the sound of Big Bro Jin’s voice.
“Ho ho ho ho ho!” Another voice echoed, and Xian recognised his sister.
“Ho ho ho ho ho!” a third voice boomed, so warm and full of cheer Xian felt himself smiling.
Jin’s giant sleigh pulled out of the mist, and Xian’s eyes widened. The sleigh wasn’t being pulled by Chun Ke this time. Instead, it was dragged by Jin—and running beside the sled was a giant animal. Xian thought it was called a thunderhoof? Whatever he was, he had massive antlers, and it looked amused.
On the sleigh there were a bunch of people Xian didn’t recognise. A massive guy stood out the most, a bright red outfit, and of all things, an antler tied to his head. Beside him was a pretty woman with pink hair, her nose painted red. Another man stood tall on the back of the sleigh, his arms crossed, while a woman leaned against the front—a woman that Xian had to do a double take at, because for a second, he thought she was Meimei. She looked so much like her! The final new person was a taller lady who had her hair in a side-tail, who was waving really enthusiastically.
All of them were wearing Big Bro Jin’s long red hats. Behind him, he heard Auntie Hu Li gasp, clapping her hands to her mouth—and that was when Xian noticed Yun Ren, grinning and waving.
“Sorry we’re a bit late! But once again, I wish to you all—good tidings on the solstice!” Jin boomed.
“Good tidings on the solstice!” Everyone shouted back as the sleigh was pulled to a halt. There was a collective sigh of relief, as they finally saw that everybody was fine… though people started muttering and pointing at the newcomers.
The strange people jumped off first. The big man was the fastest. He looked really scary. The others huddled behind Xian as the man approached. He was so huge, with wild haid, scars and…
Xian paused, staring intently at the bright, warm smile.
“Chun Ke?” he asked.
The giant of a man grinned.
“Hello, little brothers and sisters.” The big man boomed, his voice warm and happy and so Chun Ke.
All of a sudden, he wasn’t scary anymore.
“You’re human!” He said.
“Sometimes.” The boar replied. “Makes wife happy.”
“Wife—Miss Pi Pa?” Xian gasped, turning to the pink-haired lady with her painted red nose—it was what Miss Pi Pa did every year.
The others, emboldened, immediately surrounded the two. Chun He gladly let
“Does this mean no more sleigh rides?” one of the other children asked.
Chun Ke shook his head. With a pop, he was once more a boar.
“Chun Ke is Chun Ke.” He stated. “And Sleigh rides are the best.”
His sage wisdom was met with a cheer.
Xian, however, as much as he wanted to immediately join the fun, had to say hi to Meimei and the others first.
He walked back through the crowd, until he spotted Jin talking to Xian’s father.
“Gramps is holding down the fort, and its cleaned up enough—” the rest was tuned out as Xian tackle hugged his sister, who bore his weight with ease.
“Meimei!” he shouted, “Who are these?!”
His sister laughed at his enthusiasm. Well, you already know two of them. Those are Bi De and Ri Zu.”
“She looks so much like you!” Xian said, staring at Ri Zu.
“She is Hong Ri Zu, you know?” His sister said, a note of pride in her voice. It made sense to him. Like how Bi De and Chun Ke and Tigu looked like Jin, he supposed. “The others? The big and distinguished young man right there is Spooks.” She said, pointing at the thunderhoof. “And those are Yushang, Han and Shao Heng.” She said, introducing side-tail girl, as well as two guys that Xian had missed. The larger man looked a bit lost as curious people walked up to introduce themselves, while the older guy was leaning against a tree, looking on with a small smile.
“Did they help beat up the bad guys?” Xian asked. Meimei paused.
“They did.” Lanlan cut in. She had a small smile on her face, as she got down on one knee before him. Her smile was warm. “We all helped. Everybody from this village helped.”
“We did? What did we do?” Xian was confused. They had helped? how?
“Bowu told me how everyone was scared, and it was you who started to dance again, Xian.” Xiulan whispered.
“Yeah? Everybody was really scared, so I danced. We have to. We swore.” He said.
Xiulan nodded. “I know. And what you did made all the difference. Your dance made the sun notice. It made the earth sing— and that's why we won. So thank you, Xian. for being so brave.”
She pulled him into a hug, and he felt heat blossom on his cheeks. She sounded so serious and… well, really really thankful.
Xian didn’t know exactly how his dancing had helped—but there was no way Xiulan was lying about this.
The warmth of Xiulan’s hug and the earnestness of her thanks stayed with him even after she let go.
Somehow, some way, his dance had helped, and had brought back the sun. Just as all his ancestors before him had sworn.
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Comments
Andrew Carter
During the chapter where Jin is nearly taken advantage of by the drunk girl they take her back to her room. On the way they meet a woman with “the most impressive chest Jin had ever seen” she mentions having a daughter who hasn’t been getting her letters and a husband with the prettiest eyes she has ever seen (which is something dad of grass told Tigu his wife used to tell him often) it is not explicitly said but heavily hinted that this is Xiulan’s mom.
Madster
I’m sorry I’m a bit lost; who is Xiulan’s mom in SHI?
john smith
Oh. My. God. That's GREAT! obviously from the other descriptions on him, a more ruggedly scarred version, but yes. Iskander and chun ke, red headed bro-chads.
John D Jones
@ Caoimhín The "decapitation strike" requires them to actually find the head they want to "decap." That's probably going to take awhile. Figure the "military campaign" is going to proceed some offscreen for a bit and then Ge and the other will come to Fa Ram to rest up, resupply and cry in envy at the beauty/wonder of Fa Ram with a lot of "I cannot believe that Jin built all this in the Azure Hills in just three fucking years!"
Caoimhín
Yeah, I know. Sorry, I think I didn't express myself properly. What I meant was whether they would go to Fa Ram after the decapitation strike or if they would only visit after the military campaign hunting down the demons related to Yulong has been carried out to a certain degree. Because that's what would determine when Shou can finally see Jin's farm and get his heaven-mandated garden orgasm XD
Rose
The only thing I can picture when chun ke is described is Iskander/Rider from fate zero
Andrew Carter
Maybe next book. it’s just one of the things I am looking forward to
John D Jones
@ Caoimhín Think about how government/military forces deal with insurgencies/terrorists in our own actual world. Now add xianxia weirdness to that. No, hunting the demons is not going to be a "one and done" thing.
Peter Gerganov
I doubt she is. From a story pacing point of view it doesn't make sense to dump all of these events one on top of the other. I expect we'll set the plot hook if/when the dumdums recognize Lanlan as their friend's daughter, but I don't expect a teary reunion in an epilogue/wind-down chapter
Andrew Carter
I really just want to know if mom of grass is on the SHI ship. we know she was at SHI did she come back to protect her home?
Angela Roberts
Caoimhin, hunting the demons is definitely going to be a thing, a next book thing for sure.
Alex Ingraham
One must cultivate the ability to only tear at the eyes! Do not give the onion ninjas the satisfaction!! 😉
Alex Ingraham
I don't know why she wouldn't eventually manifest a bloodline, but it's gonna be plot dependent. CF gave himself all the room in the world with Nezan's explanation of bloodline manifestations... I'm just hoping he doesn't explode her... 🥺
Alex Ingraham
HOGFATHER!!! Death: "Small child, what are those things tied to the end of your hands?" *small child looks down* "Glubs?" A very Chunk Ke reaction and wholesome interaction lol. I miss Terry......
Caoimhín
That's kind of how the aftermath of disasters is, no? A rollercoaster of emotions as the various things following the event unfold. Being happy you survived, mourning those who died, salvaging what you can, getting help from authorities, lots of moments of introspection and dealing with the trauma, and deciding what to do and how to carry on with your life. I think it's been handled great by CF, especially how it's showing the different POV of people with different circumstances and priorities in the aftermath of this event.
Caoimhín
That also raises the question of how the counterstrike operation against the demons is going to proceed. Is it going to be something done in a couple of chapters of decisive overwhelming force or is it going to become a hunt of various bases? Are we going to see it or is going to happen in the background? I think that's a factor to decide whether it will be done in this book or the next, which will also determine when Shou's garden orgasm will happen, as they are likely to carry out the attack before visiting Fa Ram.
Rake1810
That’s a completely fair point. I’ll counter with being impatient 😂
Anime Problem
It does just dump power into the dragonviens right now it actually broke a couple of the repairs it doesn't heal that's the problem if she was healed fully it'd be a different story I know it's unlikely to happen i just think if you kept her a secret and just explained it's a formation to repair the land and return qi to the qi desert they wouldn't question it enough for it to matter
John D Jones
@ Rake180 I'll be fine with it. The various reactions of the CSS, SHI and the Herald to Fa Ram feels like something that needs to be somewhat expansive. This book is winding down. I'm fine saving some things for the next book.
Jenneke
This chapter feels out of place, a tonal dissonance. We just had the emotional release after the fight ended, everyone's recovering, etc. And then a swerve back into building tension as the sects and the Herald arrived, a feeling that things are getting bigger and more intense... And then we get this feel-good chapter giving me whiplash.
Rake1810
I honestly think if we don't get Shous reaction before this book ends it'll be the first time in all 5 books that CF has done something I'm actually disappointed in.
Baqc∞ART
and also Minyan, that Meimei makes fun of her for being a tsundere and that Xianhua offers her a rope
Baqc∞ART
He may have been a very devil, but Lu Ban's behavior was a standard Xianxia young master, perhaps in the reconstruction arc of the shrouded mountain where they look for new parameters of conduct, that will be questioned.
leopard eye
Me too. Sometimes it just comes back again. I really wish that great genius could have stayed with us a little longer.
Seaspike
"Garden" ha! The lotus is running rampant in the bathhouse while the volcano ginseng is growing in the fireplace. Shou may end up puking blood...
Laura Hemly
He's still closer to a reindeer than Chun Ke, in other form, with an antler tied to his head!
Mark Greenberg
Large? Wikipedia says the average reindeer is 47" at the shoulder while the average moose is 91", so that's like one reindeer standing on another one's back!! And aren't spirit moose larger than Earth moose (or is that meese?). I know Spooks is young but he's still described as large. Does anyone remember how tall he's supposed to be?
Mark Greenberg
Include Yingwen & Fenxian with Delun & Tigu. Jin explained Shen Yu's absence by saying "Gramps is holding down the fort" but I wish he'd added "along with Tigu and some of our new friends", that way everyone's location would have been addressed. Given all the CSS guests it makes sense for some of the family group to stay behind and oversee things.
Mark Greenberg
In v5c62 Minyan thinks about the fact that the Windward Blade is a small ship with only two ballistae and fifteen crew. Why do you say there are 30+ people on board?
Mark Greenberg
Don't forget Spooks is a moose, not a reindeer, though I suppose he could play one on TV.
Randall Brynsvold
Dried persimmon, and I assume that each piece is a half a persimmon. A winter treat that Chun Ke and Pi Pa enjoy. Go back a few chapters to "v5c59: Musings of a Sword": "The boar noticed Shen Yu‘s gaze and smiled at him in silent acknowledgment. He nodded back at the boar, who went over to Spooks, Han, and Shao Heng and began showing them his assortment of nuts, lichens, and dried persimmons, much to the Thunderhoof’s pleasure."
Luke H
For sure, brother. I just love the image of Jin carting his entire family into town, laughing all the way while the thunderhoof trots beside looking amused.
Alex
It’s important to keep in mind that Rags and Loud Boy are on their way with Biyu; that’s going to be a thing since it was Fenxian who broke Loud Boy’s Dantian.
Joseph Guillory
However since you brought up Asura's Wrath ... how about Augus as grandparents? I can't imagine him any different when he's in battle mode
Osvaldo Antonio Carmona Calderón
We need Shou garden orgasm! We need him to completely lose it! 🤣
Joshy14-06
And the story will spread and will make other people think of their old traditions and what effects they might have.
John D Jones
Feels like we're winding down to the end of the book and we probably won't get the Shou garden orgasm reaction until the next book. I'd like to see Yingwen going through a bit of a crisis of faith in the next book now that he's pretty much been forgiven/accepted by Fa Ram. I mean, the dude was basically the second in command to a demon for over a year and didn't spot anything too weird about it. That's got to prey on his mind.
Emily Gurnavage
Damn, I actually had to get a tissue for my tears with that ending. Also: "Somehow, some way, his dance had helped, and had brought back the sun. Just as all his ancestors before him had sworn." I think the importance of that tradition has been slammed back home again for the next few generations. The old stories fade in importance eventually even with retellings, but now a new one exists, with renewed assurances that the tradition is more than just a dance.
Emily Gurnavage
Yo MAMA is unedited !!! OOOooooOOOOooOooHhhhHhhhhh (Idk why I had to do that but the urge was strong lol in fact that sounds like it could be a compliment)
John D Jones
@ Luke H I mean, once Spooks sees Chun Ke pulling children around in a sleigh, he's probably going to DEMAND to do it because it's fun. Meanwhile, Master Forest Sweeper is going to be really puzzled as to why Spooks is wearing a red glow-stone on his nose...
Laura Hemly
Chun Ke wouldn't have the man boobs, though!
Laura Hemly
I thought the Torrent Rider was with them, too. Unless he's gone home to check on his village. And perhaps Tie Delun has gone home, too? Although it should be mentioned somewhere in the story if that were the case. Perhaps CF will mention them in a future chapter.
this will work
I can't wait for the 4th book coming out don't even care if I'm technically ahead I need the physical copy
Havefeith
You've got something missing in the paragraph "The others, emboldened, immediately surrounded the two. Chun He gladly let". It literally ends there. Good chapter. Love the human form introductions to the Hong Village.
Corwin Amber
'Chun He gladly let' <- broken sentence?
Hoobs2
CHUN KE LFG
Paul Boros
Imagine Susan showing up then Grandfather shows up wearing the hat.... I miss Terry but this imagery makes my soul feel better
Paul Boros
Hogfather!
Truedragon5374
Ahe probably does have a dragon bloodline. But it's possible she will never awaken it. It could have very specific conditions or it could skip generations
Truedragon5374
She has not been mentioned yet. But there are 30+ people on that boat and we only have 3 of thier names so far. So hopefully...
Truedragon5374
Papa Boar 🐗
Luke H
Jin finally has a reindeer but would never insult the noble thunderhoof with a yoke. Chun Ke is basically Muscle Buddha. Happy solstice everyone!
Old Dog
As always, thank you for a great way to start the day with a chapter from you.
zdm
I can always count on this story to make me feel something in my heart.
Taylor Hayes
I'm guessing one of the larger eastern varieties over the western ones. Though I am mighty fond of the western persimmon pudding.
Angela Roberts
I vote Hogfather.
Angela Roberts
Don't know why it keeps getting so dusty in here, sniff! Chun Ke is Chun Ke! And sometimes bravery looks like dancing. Aw, right in the feels!
Taylor Hayes
Had the same thing happen to me.
Alice Blake
Well I didn't expect to wake up this morning and cry happy tears, but here we are. Thanks for the chapter
D J Meigs
🎶Here comes Chun Ke, here comes Chun Ke, right down Bei Be’s lane. Jin and Spooks and all their friends pulling on the reins.🎶
Caleb Bear
It's hinted in one of the alternate universe chapters where Jin's grandpa sent him to Soaring Heavens Isle rather than the Cloudy Sword Sect
WarStrider72
Nice to end the Solstoce with presents! The Chun Ke express is ready to ride!
Josh Meneely
Great Chapter. Not sure if it's been mentioned before but in rereading the books Sun Ne mentions he hasn't been able to compare cutting flesh and maybe that's whatade the cuts bad. He has now, and I wondered if that will come up.
Justin
She's with them? Is that said somewhere?
Swinter
It's a type of fruit. :)
Aaron
Also pretty sure he is the first one to do the second dance without assistance from the previous Xian.
Alibhai
Fights? Probably not. karaoke? Definitely.
Aaron
and he had had to get up a 'had needed' might flow better?
Just A Dude
Chun Ke = Santa confirmed! Or would that make him the Hogfather?
Sean Ulrich
Persimmon?
TempestK
She kind of has. Those antlers made of steam and the dragon's breath attack are merely signs of how her Cultivation has been aspected by the steam engine.
Stuffed Duck
Xian only mentions the people he doesn't know/recognize. I assume Tigu, Handsome Man, Washi, Bei Bi, Gou Ren & Xianghua are there as well.
Angua de Blubb
I mean, with how things are going ... Washy and Chyo's kids teaming up with Xian the Younger's kids seems pretty plausible to me ...
WonderBread459
That’s an important person, nobody outside of the dums dums were mentioned as having come with Minyan. I’m sure if she came, Jin or somebody would’ve mentioned her.
Angua de Blubb
Loud Boy and Rags are currently on their way north with Biyu. After the Soaring Heaven Ladys went into quick mode over Pale Moon Lake City and exploded all the Qi-sensing crystals at Mengde's, Biyou offered to go north and ask Gou Ren for help (since she thinks Yun Ren is still in the Fangs). It then said that fortunately, there was someone available to be hired as guards, and how glad she was to see Mr.s Loud Boy and Rags again :)
Curtis Earl
I am laying here in bed at 5am, silently crying.
Caleb Bear
Did Xiulan's mother come with the Soaring Heavens Isle group?
M e
Aren't Loud Boy and Rags escorting Biyu from the city? There were the disturbances at Pale Moon Lake City from Cloudy Sword Sect and Soaring Heavens Isle passing by, so Biyu was going to go ask at Jin's even though she thought Yun Ren was still gone.
Redbeard
Loud Boy and Rags returned to the gang’s fortress if I recall right, they didn’t come to Fa Ram like Delun and don’t know about the attack.
Joseph Guillory
I was thinking of a thicker in the waist Iskander from Fate Zero or like Ganon from A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Fluffy druid
Shouldn't the title be "it's beginning to look a lot like victory"? At least I think that's the song.
Cranky Otter
I love how Chun Ke & Pi Pa accessorized traditionally for the jaunt to the village.
Cranky Otter
the spiritual herbs also like his dancing
Golden monkey
Yeah weren’t loud boy and rags there too. I guess they don’t have much of a connection to Chun Ke so they’re reaction isn’t as important but I would like to see it still
Cheuk Hin Ho
Must be holding the fort with Tigu
amin johari
As long as Chun Ke doesn't start wearing white leisure suits and get into more fights per meters travelled a la Kazuma Kiryu he'd be alright.
Caoimhín
I think I just found the character that looks the most like my mental image of Chunky: Honda Tadakatsu from Tenkaichi. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fom06xq658j4c1.png
K
About bloodlines... doesn't Xianghua have one? It would be nice, if she was the first to Awaken bloodline of Lord of the Lake after the Falll.
Caoimhín
Wait, now that I think about it, where's Tie Delun? Did he leave off screen? Because the last time he was mentioned he was at the farm with everyone, but now everyone gets mentioned except him.
Truedragon5374
Wait, wait, wait. Chunky is a huge, muscular, rotund man covered in scars with a big beard. Who can grow to the size of a mountain whenever he wants? ... ... Chunky is a non-asshole, teddy bear version of the Great Wyzen from Asura's Wrath!
Namorat
Ah yes, my obligatory BoC tears while riding the train.
Kat
Me too!
Harish
Red and Blue do a good job of summarizing stories but some of the nuanced details are lost in the telling. Still, it is a good place to start. Thank you for the recommendation, Fluffy Druid.
Fluffy druid
Overly Sarcastic Productions has summaries over on YouTube. Unfortunately the series is infinished, but it serves as a look into the story.
Harish
I did not know about the Stone Monkey lore until you pointed out. The In-universe explanation might be that that origins of Sun Wukong as a Stone Monkey might only be known to a select few. I really need to read Journey to the West at some point.
Jon Dough
Thanks for the chapter!! Another great one
Patanahi
Tftc CF !
Patanahi
Definitely not us!!
Idan tal
😂
Trevor Mergen
Thanks! Great chapter!
STORRM
man that last bit hit me right in the feels
Caoimhín
That's kind of what it does already. By pumping power into the land to empower Tianlan, it helps her heal faster. It's also better to keep it secret from as many people as possible, especially from mighty cultivators from outside. Tianlan preferred to keep her presence and nature hidden from the sects of Azure Hills in the memory crystals, so it's highly unlikely that she would trust people from out of province. It's honestly better this way, with people dancing because of tradition and the goodness of their hearts.
Caoimhín
Hong Xian the 78th breaking Solstice-related records each time. 1st year dancing: first time ever a Hong Xian lasts the whole night dancing on his first dance. 2nd year: first time dancing while riding a steam locomotive. Also, casually triggering the Province-wide formation and helping turn the tide against demon invaders. What is that kid gonna do on his third year dance? At this rate, to one-up him, his descendants are gonna have to dance while riding in the air with dragons or something XD
Caoimhín
Interestingly, Xianghua has always said that he looks like Sun Wukong (and his characteristics as Stone Monkey match that myth) but nobody else has associated him with Sun Wukong.
Auralia
Im not crying… SOMEONE is, but it’s not us!!
Peter Gerganov
lol, never let perfect be the enemy of good enough
Laura Hemly
Thanks you, CF, for another chapter that makes me feel like I just got a warm hug from the whole Fa Ram family!
Lanter
He didn't? Oh lmao, well he's a large cervid in the general vicinity of a moving sleigh, CLOSE ENOUGH 🤣
taukid
“I’m annoyed that people were right all the time. We really are a monkey and a fox.” Should "all the time" be "all along" I'm pretty sure
liam funk
wife fight back
Daemion
Except he didn't, he pulled it himself and the "reindeer" ran by his side.
Cam
You’re not the only one. I am too!
H
I needed this today. Thanks
Björn
I always get teary eyed when I remember that they are all still dancing because they swore they would. They haven't given up, even if noone of them remembers why they started in the first place.
Julia
I'm not crying you're crying.
Cj
Because if it was related to the great sage equal to heaven it’d be a massive deal and not just a minor power up. Plus there are other spirit monkies besides him. Like the miners that would make a lot more sense
Nathaniel Jacob moore
Don't know why but the end section of dancing because they swore to do so, and upholding the importance made me misty eyed.
leopard eye
In my mind Chunky sounds like Paul Bunyan.
Beggar of Freedom
Divines bless your kind heart!
Harish
I remember that Xian the Younger was slowly developing the "Sense of Smell" that Meimei had in some of the early chapters but it has not been mentioned since. CF might need to take a look at that. The discussion on bloodlines was simple and easy to get but considering that Gou Ren is a monkey and Sun Wukong is supposed to be a well known myth, why are none of them making the connection? This was a much needed chapter and it is definitely looking like 5 or 6 chapters away from ending this volume.
RedFaux
Ride wife. Life good.
Alex Ingraham
Amazing chapter! Damn onion ninjas made happy tears well in my eyes, but I did not give them the satisfaction!! Glad that one kid had their priorities straight and confirmed that the sled rides would continue lol
Steven.Riske
A Gou Ren chapter and he finally has a conversation with Nezan! I know Nezan is more interested in foxes and he’s not really their direct uncle, but I found myself wanting them to talk to one another.
Lanter
It took a few years, but Jin finally has a (thunderhoof)Reindeer pulling the sleigh!
Zeromaru2
Xian the real MVP. The end of the chapter was like a warm hug
Ender419
Thank you for the lovely chapter!
Ryan
I am so glad Xian the younger got told how important his dancing was! I loved the village’s bit amidst the conflict and it’s nice to see them get their battle accolades as well!
Guber
Human form chunky with antler tied to head when!?
Aki_Iokua18
Thank you for all the good feelings you’ve been sending our way. Like Chunky said, when a chapter drops “life good.”
Anime Problem
It would be cool if they altered the formation to heal and sustain the land and dragon veins instead of just dumping them full of power they have a couple experts who could take a look at it who are set up nearby.
Sam a Goat
So bloody good!
Gigifiy
Just gotta do the Saiyan thing and wrap your tail around you like a belt Gou. Let the Inner Monke rule
Wolf Eiyn
I liked it, especially that last part was a nice touch.
Nicholas Tran
I love Chun Ke, he is the best uncle anyone could ask for
Xavier Harris
This story is one of the best stories I've ever read. I thank you for it.
martin m
A warm hug of a chapter to end the day!!! Thank you
Alex Ingraham
TYFTC!
Lynn Freeman
So cute
Jazer Andrew Sotomayor
Thank you!!
