Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1067: An Unserious Journey

The bright morning sun crested the jagged mountain peaks while the quiet forest camp began to stir. Li Heng and Li Bo finished packing their modest supplies into their storage rings and prepared to leave. The two disciples spent the early dawn discussing how they should track down the unknown group that ambushed them but logic soon took over their desire for retaliation.Killing the Sovereign realm viper and its owner most likely meant they had already killed the leader of the organization. A Sovereign realm beast represented the ceiling of surface power in this region so the hidden group probably did not have anyone stronger giving orders or pulling the strings. Their desire for revenge might never be fulfilled beyond the blood spilled in the rocky gorge since the remaining members would scatter to the wind.

The two young men walked over to the fire and presented a glowing green sphere to Li Mei. It was the beast core from the giant viper and it pulsed with dense Qi. Li Mei accepted the valuable core with a polite nod as the two disciples offered their final words of gratitude. She knew there was no way they would accept no for an answer and her accepting it would help them with their guilt.

"We owe you our lives," Li Bo said while bowing deeply toward Li Mei and then turning to bow toward Li Yu. "We will not forget this debt, thank you. We are going to head east and continue our training with much more caution from now on."

"Just focus on surviving and growing stronger," Li Yu advised while stirring a fresh pot of morning tea. "The clan needs you both alive."

The disciples thanked them one last time before rushing off into the woods to resume their journey. Li Mei held the glowing sphere in her palm and turned toward Li Yu. She extended her hand to offer the treasure to him since he was the one who delivered the final strike.

"You should take this," Li Mei said with a soft voice. "You killed the beast and saved my life. The core belongs to you."

Li Yu glanced at the glowing sphere and shook his head while pouring two cups of hot tea. "You should keep it. You did most of the work fighting that beast while defending our cousins. I just happened to show up at the very end and finish it off. The core will serve you better as you recover your strength."

Li Mei tried to insist while pushing her hand forward again but Li Yu held up his palm to stop her. She eventually nodded and stored the core away in her ring. The other two disciples were allowed to keep the physical body of the viper which they were very thankful for since a Sovereign beast body held a lot of valuable materials for crafting and alchemy. The windfall from that body alone was already more than everything else they had obtained since coming to this realm.

Li Mei had decided after last night that she would stay with Li Yu and his companions for a while. She still needed to recover to be back at full strength and she wanted to get to know her enigmatic cousin better, the very same one she never gave a true chance to. She had never really interacted with him much in the past because of her own intense paranoia but now she could not help but feel curious about the man behind the rumors she had heard in her reports.

Li Yu accepted her company with an easy smile and handed her a cup of tea. He never saw Li Mei as a rival and having her come along might help her even further with her demonic heart issue. Li Mei had already changed out of the decorative royal gown and back into her own practical martial clothes before going to meditate last night. She now held the folded red fabric in her hands and tried to give the protective treasure back to Li Yu.

"Thank you for letting me borrow this," Li Mei offered while holding the majestic garment forward. "It is a very fine treasure but I have my own clothes now."

Li Yu took a sip of his tea and chuckled. "You should just keep it. Consider it a gift for fighting so hard to protect the family all the time."

She tried to push the fabric back toward him anyway while maintaining her formal posture. "It is too valuable to just take without earning it. I must return it to you or else I will not feel right."

"Well you should at least wash it first before handing it back," Li Yu joked with a bright grin.

Li Mei froze as she realized he was right. A flush of pink touched her cheeks as she felt a bit embarrassed again. She quickly pulled the fabric back against her chest and cleared her throat. "I suppose I will accept the gift then. Thank you, cousin."

"Good," Li Yu replied while waving his hand to dismiss the issue. "Now drink your tea so we can hit the road."

The four travelers packed up the camp and continued their journey north, toward the Crest Spine Sect. The travel pace was incredibly relaxed as Li Yu led the group through the scenic valleys and vibrant forests. He was not in a hurry to get anywhere and he took ample time to explore the surrounding environment. Li Yu would frequently stop to check out strange plants, inspect the soil or gather common herbs that caught his eye.

At one point he found a rare spiritual mushroom growing near a damp log and tossed it directly into his cooking pot for lunch instead of saving it for alchemy. Li Mei watched him stir the simmering stew and questioned what he was doing internally. She assumed he was moving at this sluggish pace and wasting resources to accommodate her healing body. She felt a brief twinge of guilt for holding him back from his real training goals.

"You do not have to travel so slowly on my account," Li Mei told him while resting her hand on her sword hilt. "My body is stable enough for faster traveling if you want to cover more ground today."

Li Yu looked back over his shoulder and brushed some dirt off his hands. "This is just my normal speed of travel. There is no reason to rush when the weather is this nice and there is no real goal ahead."

Faen and Borum nodded their heads in unison to agree with his statement; they have been experiencing this since joining this man. Li Mei looked at the three of them and then realized herself that she should not be surprised by this behavior. Li Yu was always like this even at important clan events or gatherings with other organizations, where everyone else was stressing over rules and appearances. Li Yu simply existed in his own comfortable rhythm.

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They traveled for a few days until they reached another bustling town nestled against a wide river. This settlement was also full of dragon kin but the strongest auras radiating from the local commander was resting firmly at the King realm. The town was lively and filled with open air markets selling various goods from the surrounding regions.

Li Yu immediately found a good place to eat and drink near the center of the town. The tavern was a large wooden building with open windows and a welcoming atmosphere. The group secured a large table in the corner and ordered the local specialties.

As they sat together, it began to dawn on Li Mei that the carefree attitude was never an act at all with Li Yu. He really did enjoy these simple things and genuinely liked this mundane lifestyle. He was actively chatting with the people around him and she quickly saw his love for gossip was simply ridiculous to witness firsthand. He listened in on everything he could and he eagerly chatted about the rumors with her as if they were vital pieces of clan intelligence.

"Did you hear what the merchant at the next table just said?" Li Yu whispered while leaning across the table with a wide smile. "The specialty food here is a type of beast called the Frost Lean Boar. They raise them on a diet of spiritual acorns to tenderize the meat. And their specialty drink is a brew called Frost Spice Rum. The tavern keeps the barrels warmed constantly using an ambient dragon fire formation which goes against the name of the rum completely but that’s what makes it so unique! How interesting!"

Li Mei blinked in mild disbelief as he shared the culinary secrets with such enthusiasm. Before she could respond, Li Yu leaned in closer to share another piece of information.

"Also, that auntie sitting near the door had her undergarments stolen off her drying line this morning," Li Yu said with a serious nod. "The thief apparently tripped over a water bucket while running away and the local guards are currently looking for a suspect with a pronounced limp."

Li Mei could not hold back a quiet laugh at the ridiculous nature of the gossip. She covered her mouth with her sleeve but the amusement danced clearly in her eyes. It was so simple yet so ridiculous that she couldn’t even remember the last time someone had told her something like that. Li Yu smiled seeing her relax and took a sip of his warm rum as the tavern staff brought out several plates of Frost Lean Boar.

While they ate the delicious food, Li Yu also casually asked the tavern owner if there was any renowned group in the area known for controlling a very strong viper. He handed the man a few extra spirit stones to loosen his tongue and finally got a concrete answer.

The owner leaned down and spoke in a hushed tone. "You are talking about the Coiled Shadow Gang. The Crest Spine Sect has been trying to get rid of them for years. They roam this area and a few other bordering regions as well, not just within the territory of the dragon sect."

The man wiped the table with a rag while keeping an eye on the door. "They are very dangerous and they never settle down in one place. Their leader seems to value being able to move around to avoid being pinned down or some other reason. If they had stayed in one spot, they could have easily displaced a lot of the local power and ruled a city but they chose the life of nomadic bandits instead."

Li Yu thanked the man for the information and turned back to his cousin. "It seems you accidentally got rid of a great plague on these lands. The Coiled Shadow Gang lost their leader and their strongest beast because they decided to ambush the wrong group. You did a lot of good for the people living here."

Li Mei took a delicate bite of her crispy pork and shook her head. "I was simply helping my clan out. That was my only priority. I do not really care about the other people living in this region."

"Even still, you helped them," Li Yu told her while pointing his chopsticks at her plate. "You made the roads safer and you should feel good about that outcome regardless of your initial intentions."

Li Mei thought about his words for a moment and found herself agreeing with him. It did feel nice to know her actions brought a measure of peace to the local towns even if it was just a byproduct of her duty. She offered a small nod and continued eating her meal. It was a small nod but internally it meant much more to her. Even she did not realize it herself but that acknowledgement knocked upon something within her heart that even she didn’t realize was there.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing exactly what Li Yu normally did in a new town. He walked through the bustling markets, haggled for odd cooking ingredients, tasted sweet street food and listened to more idle gossip from the vendors. This town had some small vendors selling some aquatic beasts but Li Yu sadly did not find anything new to add to his Koi Sanctuary. Li Mei followed along with Faen and Borum while continuing to be quietly taken back by the entire experience.

This was supposed to be a training period for the Li Clan and the Zhan Clan members. It was a rare time designed to gather precious resources, fight for unique opportunities and temper their martial skills through hardship. Yet, Li Yu did not do any of that. He was probably the most unserious person she had ever been around in her entire life and that was saying something when there were a few known slackers within the clan. He was just enjoying himself by eating, drinking and experiencing the local culture without a care in the world.

However, it was because of these actions and his charismatic charms that throughout the journey in this busy town, Li Mei began to let down her rigid cover. She had spent her entire life projecting the flawless image of the official heir at nearly all times. Li Mei always maintained perfect posture, measured every single word she spoke and constantly analyzed everyone around her. It was an exhausting way to live but she believed it was required of her as the heir to the great Li Clan.

Over the course of the day, she began to feel more like she could just be herself around him. The fact that he was officially exiled from the clan played a major role in her shifting mindset. She did not feel like she needed to put on that stoic face at all times. There was no political game to win here and no elders watching from the shadows to judge her behavior.

She found herself to begin revealing her true nature in small ways. She laughed openly at a terrible joke Li Yu made about a clumsy merchant. She expressed genuine frustration when she dropped a piece of roasted meat on the ground and she even argued playfully with Faen over which local tea tasted better. She was unburdening herself a bit more with every passing day. It was a strange transition that even she herself did not fully realize at first.

As the evening sun painted the town in warm golden hues, Li Mei walked beside Li Yu and realized she was getting swept up in his carefree flow, subconsciously at first but it began to be clear now. The rigid walls she built around herself were crumbling under the weight of his simple kindness and his delicious cooking.

Instead of her old paranoia setting in to warn her about manipulation or hidden motives he might have, she felt a sense of relief. She looked at her cousin chatting happily with a fruit vendor and felt genuinely happy that he was the way he was. His lack of ambition and his love for the mundane world was quite rare and refreshing for her to experience. For the first time in many years, the heir of the Li Clan felt like a normal person enjoying a peaceful journey with her family.