Depthless Hunger

They had to spend over a month essentially running errands, but it didn't particularly bother Kai. Since they were using the Pureflower vessel, they could train easily while they traveled, and it was a pleasure just spending time together again without any major obligations hanging over them.

Technically, their upcoming visit to the Pureflower sect could end disastrously, if Omilaena wasn't able to save their matriarch. Part of him was still afraid that his bad luck would manage to ruin things, or that some detail they'd missed would come up, but those were small thoughts that were easy to squash. As they crossed off task after task, it seemed like they could actually leave a place cleanly for once.

On their way out of Thundering Scorpion tribe territory, they made a few stops along the way. When they purchased supplies in a small village, Kai was surprised to hear people gossiping about the civil war in the tribe, and how the Manticore clan had a powerful new patriarch. They didn't talk about it as if it was something directly relevant to them, more like the movements of people far above them.

"I'm surprised no one even considered me," Kai said as they started flying again. "They had the supposed patriarch among them, and I got some looks, but no one thought I might be him."

"You must understand, these are small sects," Zae Zin Nim told him. "Earth Souls are incredibly powerful to them, or one could be the patriarch of an entire family. The larger sects with Sky Souls are basically legends to them."

"I guess I forget, because the qi here still feels strong to me."

"Did you hear the rumors about the new patriarch?" Omilaena had been working on something of her own, but now sat down beside Zae Zin Nim. "They say he has two incredibly powerful wives, and now they've retreated to produce dozens of children for the next generation."

"They did not say that." Zae Zin Nim flushed, but she didn't retreat from Omilaena's arm around her shoulders.

"They really did, I'm not making it up."

Omilaena laughed freely. "No, this honestly isn't from me. But succession is critical for these tribes - I mean, you saw how much chaos occurred because the Manticore patriarch didn't have an heir. I just think it's funny that we get to be part of the legend, even if mostly as baby factories."

"I don't find that funny at all." Zae Zin Nim cast her gaze toward Kai in some sort of appeal, and he wasn't sure he understood it completely, but he went over to join them. If he sat down on the other side of Zae Zin Nim, he could put his arm around Omilaena's shoulders and have their wife sandwiched between them.

"Just remember that isn't really us," Kai said. "Those are the people we pretended to be, to throw off the trail. We should be invisible, unless we somehow run into someone who actually knows us."

"I don't think that's likely." Zae Zin Nim seemed to have calmed down and now examined the horizon in front of them. "The Brightwind sect doesn't normally send important members to the Southern Rivers. The Heavenly Mountains and Lakes would be more of a risk."

"I wonder if we'll have countless imaginary descendants," Omilaena mused. "In ten or twenty years, we'll pass into legend and the facts will be fuzzy. Anyone who wants to lead the Manticore tribe could claim to be your kids. Well, if they're tall and muscular enough."

"You really think details like that will last?" Kai asked.

"I'm sure they will. Trivial stuff like who was right or what actually happened will get ignored. But 'that guy was tall'? Absolutely going to be remembered forever."

As they flew further south, the rumors of the Manticore tribe faded out. People here cared more about the Blueblade sect or Heavenly Sands tribe, or others Kai hadn't even heard of. It was a continual reminder that the Western Wilds were huge, much larger than the slice of them that he'd explored. Despite that, Kai felt as though he'd seen enough and he was eager to enter new territory... so long as he left everything in a good position.

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The others had been less enthused about the idea, but hadn't objected when he wanted to visit the Pits of Strength. When they flew overhead, he saw that the blue and red Bloodcoral camp had grown even larger. More than that, it had shifted closer to the permanent Thundering Scorpion tribe buildings, with fewer walls between the two.

Kai went alone this time, dropping down to the Bloodcoral camp and looking for their leadership. Technically his medallion only had five marks on it, but no one even considered challenging him. When he found Cor Li Xan, the other man seemed surprised to see him.

"What do you want this time?" Cor Li Xan asked, without so much as a greeting.

"I'm going to be traveling east to continue my cultivation," Kai told him - a plausible lie he and Omilaena had decided on, just in case anyone tried to track them. "But I wanted to leave you with a few gifts, as thanks for your help when I arrived on Cloudspire."

He began pulling pills and poisons out of his spatial ring, just things that he didn't need. As far as he was concerned, they were just cluttering up the space inside his spatial ring, but Cor Li Xan's eyes widened and he took them gratefully. It was another reminder how far he'd come, and how lucky he was to have Omilaena's talents.

"I don't know how long it will be before I return," Kai said, "but I wanted to make sure I left on good terms."

"Of course, of course. Why wouldn't you?"

"I understand that my wife was... rather forceful when she left before. I hope there are no hard feelings."

"Of course not! Nothing but a misunderstanding!" Cor Li Xan bowed low several times, as if desperate to appease him. "We understand that not everyone will remain with the Bloodcoral sect and our sacred comission on the coast. But in your time with us, you helped us gain a strong position here."

"Is that so?" Before he left, Kai made himself chat a little and learned that the Thundering Scorpion tribe was intending to ally with the Bloodcoral sect in order to defend themselves against more organized sects. There were even going to be marriages between sides, something that made Cor Li Xan a bit disgruntled for some reason. Maybe just an unfortunate political marriage.

In the end, Kai walked out of the Bloodcoral camp feeling like he'd left no enmity behind him. Another matter resolved, and despite what he said, there was a good chance he'd never come back. But what mattered to him was that he'd done what Zae Zin Nim wanted, not starting any vendettas. Memories of him would wash out among all the other rumors and no one attempting to trace them would actually be able to follow their path.

After leaving the Pits of Strength, they pushed harder east, then north to reach the Pureflower sect. Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim spent more time together, discussing poisons and healing techniques as they prepared for their arrival. This was the one remaining variable in the Western Wilds that bothered him, but there was nothing he could do to help.

Instead, he looked at the maps again and considered their potential paths. Going this far northeast put them close to the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, and technically they could pass through there to anywhere on Cloudspire. It seemed that they were more likely to stick with their plan to continue to the Southern Rivers.

If they shifted south and then east, they could arrive near the origin of the rivers that gave the entire region its name. Apparently they flowed so quickly in places that they outpaced even flying ships, so from there they could travel anywhere in the Southern Rivers. That seemed like a good enough plan to him.

Once they actually got close to Pureflower Mountain, Kai stopped thinking about those plans and just stared. It was a beautiful region, and the mountain spire covered in pure white flowers really did look like a fragment of heaven on earth.

"We'll need to leave you in a surrounding village," Zae Zin Nim told him, lowering her head in apology. "You understand how such sects are."

"I can imagine, anyway." Kai was about to say more, but at that moment Omilaena leaned in to interrupt them.

"Not so fast!" She dramatically pulled a green pill from her bag and held it aloft. "I've finally perfected a chakra medicine, the Gender Swap Pill, which will turn Kai into a woman. That way he can join us and-"

Zae Zin Nim snatched the pill out of her hands, then scowled. "This is a normal medicinal pill."

"I know, but you believed for just a second, didn't you?"

They made final preparations and there wasn't much Kai could do to help. In theory they had nothing to worry about, since the Pureflower sect was supposed to be an ally. Even if they couldn't save the sect matriarch, none of the other women would have been able to do anything either. The problem was that if something did go wrong and suspicion turned on them again, he'd be too far away to help.

As the ship floated toward the unattainable mountaintop, Kai watched it disappear. All he could do was trust his wives to handle this last business.

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